A/N: Oh gosh! I bet you thought I was dead! Well, maybe not. But I thought
that I was dead! *grumbles* Stupid teachers. waaaayyy too many essays this
month! NEway, I'm really sorry about the delay in this, I meant to update
on Valentines, but then it was down and I didn't get the chance to update
after that. So, here it is, longer so you won't be mad at me! (I'm sorry,
gina!)
Tiger Lily Part 5 By: Venus
Ardeth didn't dare take his eyes off of her the whole night. After the incident earlier in the evening, he hadn't stopped watching her. The moonlight was brighter than it usually was for this time of year, and it was lighting the night as if it were a cloudy day. Its silvery rays illuminated Lily's form and made her outline stick out in a most fantastic way. She was crouched with her arms over her knees and her head resting on her arms. She looked truly depressed but at the moment Ardeth didn't care all that much. She'd caused him a decent amount of trouble since he had obtained her so he wasn't all that willing to feel bad for her.
He saw her form heave up and down as she sighed deeply. He realized with a sudden start that she was crying. Compared to her outbursts this was nothing; he hadn't even realized she was crying. Ardeth watched with growing awe as a tear slid down from her eye to hang precariously on the end of her nose, glimmering in the moonlight before she wiped it away. Ardeth felt a sudden pang of guilt. He hadn't even attempted to understand the way that she felt. Here she was in unfamiliar territory, kidnapped and scared without knowing why or where she was. Ardeth growled at himself and balled his hand into a fist. It was her own fault for making it as painful as she was making it seem! Ardeth tried to remain firm in this resolution, but found him self crumbling under the image of her crying. Deep down he knew it wasn't true. She hadn't done anything but what anyone else would have done in her position.
Sighing in resignation he stood and again wandered over to where she sat. As he approached her she looked back at him, knowing full well that he had been watching her. He offered her his water gourd which she took only after staring at it uncertainly for a moment. She muttered something and took a small sip from it. He knew that she could not understand what he was about to say to her, but he tried anyway.
"We should reach the camp before tomorrow morning is over."
She stared blankly at him for a moment, but then turned away from him, looking upon the mounds of sand. Under the moonlight, they looked like waves of silver, the wind sweeping small wisps of sand from the tops. It was dreamlike really, the contrast between night and day. In the day, the sand shimmered like gold, in the night, changing to the steely look of silver. When one took the time to notice, it was very beautiful. Ardeth took the opportunity to glance at her from the corner of his eyes.
She was covered in the shawl that the village women had made for her but her face still glowed with radiance. Ardeth was suddenly reminded of a flower while he stared at her. A very fitting flower he thought; the night blooming Lily. In the day it was beautiful, but its true brilliance came out only at night. The moon had her face looking like he had only dreamed of. She truly was rare and beautiful; he couldn't let her go.
Realizing that he was staring, he turned and left her to be on her own again. Part of him wanted to be as far away as possible from this possessed woman, but the other part wanted to hang on to her and never let go. He sighed and sat down at the fire again, picking up a scrap of food and throwing it into the fire. He wanted her for a wife; that he could not deny, but she had been very troublesome, and he didn't have time to deal only with her. There were other matters that were far more important. Ardeth growled and kicked impatiently at the sand beneath his feet. He was acting like a little boy, blushing and blundering at the prettiest girl he could see. She was not the only thing that he had to worry about. He had his tribe and his duties to worry about as well! Ardeth wondered briefly if he had made a mistake in collecting her, and then shook his head, clearing his thoughts. No, he had made the right decision. He wanted a wife, and just as much, he wanted a family; a son, and daughter, it didn't really matter so long as he got one.
He pulled the pendant from his pocket and flipped the familiar shape in his hands over and over again. In no time at all, it would be on the back of her necklace, binding them to one another. He hoped that she wouldn't be so flamboyant when he got her to the camp. Ardeth looked at the pendant, its gold flashing as he flipped it, and felt his eyelids grow heavy. He looked at her again, and could now see that she was lying down in the sand, her lithe form covered by her shawl.
When next Ardeth awoke, he panicked. He had fallen asleep! How could he have done such a foolish thing? The girl would be gone for sure! His blurred eyes moved this way and that, searching for the girl while trying to clear the sleep out of his eyes at the same time. His heart was beating mercilessly against his ribcage, though he didn't know why. If the girl was gone, he should count his blessings and leave her in the dessert to die. His eyes settled where she was last, but found nothing but disturbed sand. He shot up faster than a blink of an eye, and kicked most of his companions awake.
"Where is she?" He barked, unsure as to why he was so mad. If the girl was gone it was his fault.
All the men kind of sat up and blinked stupidly. The sun was not even beginning to peak over the horizon, but within minutes everyone in the camp was up and searching for the woman. Most were still so tired that they were checking in absurd places. Some checked behind horses while others kicked at the sand wondering if perhaps she had sunk into oblivion. Ardeth was shouting orders furiously and scouring the whole camp.
Ardeth found that his fury was getting the best of him. 'If she wants to die in the desert that's fine with me; she'll be out of my life and out of my hair!' He thought angrily. As he marched through the sand he suddenly caught eye of something that made him feel foolish, but more than that, angry. Here she came, trudging up the hill, shawl hanging in her arms, as if nothing had happened. He felt his lip quiver with anger and forced him self to take many calming breaths. Most everyone else had seen her too, and was looking to see Ardeth's reaction. Never had Ardeth gotten so carried away in anything. Never.
When she saw everyone's eyes on her, she shrunk visibly. She must have sense that she'd done something wrong. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what their leader would do. They hadn't seen him this angry since Imhotep was awaked. Ardeth could hear his haggard breathing and knew he was too angry to deal with her at the present moment. He didn't want to frighten her by making her think that he was always this mad. He shook his head slowly at her and turned on his heel, barking orders to clear the camp and get ready to go home.
After the camp had been destroyed, Ardeth came striding over to where she was standing nervously. He didn't know where she'd gone, and he wanted to know. Using his hands, he tried to ask her. He moved his hands in a wide ark, indicating the land, pointed to her, and then pointed in the direction she had reappeared all the while saying, "Where did you go?"
She only looked at him. He could almost see her brain working to understand. He saw her eyes brighten slightly when she thought she understood, and he felt the sarcastic side of himself ready for her answer.
She shook her head lightly.
Ardeth's eyebrows knit together. No? No what? No, she didn't go anywhere? But she did go somewhere, and she couldn't deny it. He closed his eyes, then repeated his movements, this time saying what he did slowly, almost like he had a speak impediment. Her face was just as confused as his, and he could tell she didn't like him talking to her like that when she said something to him, emphasizing each syllable like he did. He growled softly and looked up to the sky. How could be married to a woman he couldn't even understand? He heard her sigh, and she too looked around, as if daring someone to come out and help.
He shook his head and waved his hands. "Never mind; never mind." He hung his head, and whistled for his horse; she was probably just going to the bathroom or something. With a half-hearted heave he mounted his horse and held his hand down for Lily to grab. She pouted unconsciously and Ardeth couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his lips, despite his melancholy mood. There was no doubt that Lily was not used to riding this often or this hard. Ardeth was sure her legs had to ache from all of this riding. It would be over soon enough though; they would reach camp within the next few hours. As she swung up, with a large amount of help from him, he couldn't help but feel better than he had been the last few days. It would all be over in a few hours.
Lily had fallen asleep and her head lolled back and forth, swaying with the movement of the horse. It hadn't even been twenty-minutes when she started to drop off and she'd slept for nearly two hours. Ardeth couldn't blame her; they both just needed some sleep when they got to camp.
She was leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Ardeth had his arms around her waist, one hand gripping the reins, the other curled protectively around her. Her hair smelled pleasant despite the hard journey and her rhythmic breathing was very calming to Ardeth.
As the sun beat down upon them, Ardeth began to get more and more nervous the closer they came to the camp and he found his thoughts wandering back to Rick and Evellyn. They were happy with their marriage; and Alex. The kid was as annoying as a mosquito, but cute none the less. Ardeth's features brightened with a smile that was covered by his black face covering, but his eyes were still smiling with the memories. They were his friends. He wondered, with many an amused vision, what they would do or think if they found out he was getting married. Perhaps he would ask them to come.
"Ardeth, why are you smiling?" asked one of his companions. Ardeth looked over to him and grinned behind his face covering.
"Just thinking of old friends." He replied, shifting his weight as Lily stirred. He didn't want to wake her just yet. She was very beautiful when she slept (the few times he'd seen her) not to mention peaceful; something Ardeth had grown to appreciate over the last few days. However, seeing as camp was nearing, it was probably a good thing that she was beginning to wake up.
"Are you excited?" His companion asked, nodding to the patch of black that was appearing on the horizon.
"I suppose," he answered, not sure of his true feelings. "I hope that she's not as much trouble as she has been. I don't think I could handle that anymore than I have already!"
His companion laughed, and nodded to Lily how was now fully awake. "Women are always trouble, Ardeth. I thought you would have figured that out by now!"
Ardeth laughed with his companion, and switched his hands so that the hand that was holding Lily was now holding the reins and vice versa. "Women," he chuckled softly. "Like demons they are."
His companion agreed with him. "They bewitch your mind and tempt your body." He responded, winking at Ardeth and reining his horse to walk evenly with his. They both laughed and Ardeth spotted Lily glance back at them through the corner of his eye. It was fortunate that she didn't know what they were saying.
"You've got quite the woman there, Ardeth," he said, looking with sudden eagerness to the camp which was growing nearer all the time. "Take care of her."
With that said he spurred his horse and began to gallop full speed to the camp. The others followed suit. Lily looked around bewildered and gasped slightly when Ardeth tightened his grip on her and he too joined the furious race to camp. It reminded him of what Rick would say; something about being last and rotten eggs. Ardeth never understood it, but Rick always said it when they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Ardeth's steed easily caught up with the rest and soon took the lead. They were so close to the camp he could hear the horns announcing their return. He couldn't help but grin; they were finally home, and this time, he had someone with him!
To be continued.
A/N: Ok, so how did you like it? It wasn't every funny, but I wasn't in a very funny mood, so.Yeah. Next chapter will be funnier, ok? Tell me what you think. And again, thank you to all reviewers!! You know who you are and how much that means to me!!! Thank you!!!
Tiger Lily Part 5 By: Venus
Ardeth didn't dare take his eyes off of her the whole night. After the incident earlier in the evening, he hadn't stopped watching her. The moonlight was brighter than it usually was for this time of year, and it was lighting the night as if it were a cloudy day. Its silvery rays illuminated Lily's form and made her outline stick out in a most fantastic way. She was crouched with her arms over her knees and her head resting on her arms. She looked truly depressed but at the moment Ardeth didn't care all that much. She'd caused him a decent amount of trouble since he had obtained her so he wasn't all that willing to feel bad for her.
He saw her form heave up and down as she sighed deeply. He realized with a sudden start that she was crying. Compared to her outbursts this was nothing; he hadn't even realized she was crying. Ardeth watched with growing awe as a tear slid down from her eye to hang precariously on the end of her nose, glimmering in the moonlight before she wiped it away. Ardeth felt a sudden pang of guilt. He hadn't even attempted to understand the way that she felt. Here she was in unfamiliar territory, kidnapped and scared without knowing why or where she was. Ardeth growled at himself and balled his hand into a fist. It was her own fault for making it as painful as she was making it seem! Ardeth tried to remain firm in this resolution, but found him self crumbling under the image of her crying. Deep down he knew it wasn't true. She hadn't done anything but what anyone else would have done in her position.
Sighing in resignation he stood and again wandered over to where she sat. As he approached her she looked back at him, knowing full well that he had been watching her. He offered her his water gourd which she took only after staring at it uncertainly for a moment. She muttered something and took a small sip from it. He knew that she could not understand what he was about to say to her, but he tried anyway.
"We should reach the camp before tomorrow morning is over."
She stared blankly at him for a moment, but then turned away from him, looking upon the mounds of sand. Under the moonlight, they looked like waves of silver, the wind sweeping small wisps of sand from the tops. It was dreamlike really, the contrast between night and day. In the day, the sand shimmered like gold, in the night, changing to the steely look of silver. When one took the time to notice, it was very beautiful. Ardeth took the opportunity to glance at her from the corner of his eyes.
She was covered in the shawl that the village women had made for her but her face still glowed with radiance. Ardeth was suddenly reminded of a flower while he stared at her. A very fitting flower he thought; the night blooming Lily. In the day it was beautiful, but its true brilliance came out only at night. The moon had her face looking like he had only dreamed of. She truly was rare and beautiful; he couldn't let her go.
Realizing that he was staring, he turned and left her to be on her own again. Part of him wanted to be as far away as possible from this possessed woman, but the other part wanted to hang on to her and never let go. He sighed and sat down at the fire again, picking up a scrap of food and throwing it into the fire. He wanted her for a wife; that he could not deny, but she had been very troublesome, and he didn't have time to deal only with her. There were other matters that were far more important. Ardeth growled and kicked impatiently at the sand beneath his feet. He was acting like a little boy, blushing and blundering at the prettiest girl he could see. She was not the only thing that he had to worry about. He had his tribe and his duties to worry about as well! Ardeth wondered briefly if he had made a mistake in collecting her, and then shook his head, clearing his thoughts. No, he had made the right decision. He wanted a wife, and just as much, he wanted a family; a son, and daughter, it didn't really matter so long as he got one.
He pulled the pendant from his pocket and flipped the familiar shape in his hands over and over again. In no time at all, it would be on the back of her necklace, binding them to one another. He hoped that she wouldn't be so flamboyant when he got her to the camp. Ardeth looked at the pendant, its gold flashing as he flipped it, and felt his eyelids grow heavy. He looked at her again, and could now see that she was lying down in the sand, her lithe form covered by her shawl.
When next Ardeth awoke, he panicked. He had fallen asleep! How could he have done such a foolish thing? The girl would be gone for sure! His blurred eyes moved this way and that, searching for the girl while trying to clear the sleep out of his eyes at the same time. His heart was beating mercilessly against his ribcage, though he didn't know why. If the girl was gone, he should count his blessings and leave her in the dessert to die. His eyes settled where she was last, but found nothing but disturbed sand. He shot up faster than a blink of an eye, and kicked most of his companions awake.
"Where is she?" He barked, unsure as to why he was so mad. If the girl was gone it was his fault.
All the men kind of sat up and blinked stupidly. The sun was not even beginning to peak over the horizon, but within minutes everyone in the camp was up and searching for the woman. Most were still so tired that they were checking in absurd places. Some checked behind horses while others kicked at the sand wondering if perhaps she had sunk into oblivion. Ardeth was shouting orders furiously and scouring the whole camp.
Ardeth found that his fury was getting the best of him. 'If she wants to die in the desert that's fine with me; she'll be out of my life and out of my hair!' He thought angrily. As he marched through the sand he suddenly caught eye of something that made him feel foolish, but more than that, angry. Here she came, trudging up the hill, shawl hanging in her arms, as if nothing had happened. He felt his lip quiver with anger and forced him self to take many calming breaths. Most everyone else had seen her too, and was looking to see Ardeth's reaction. Never had Ardeth gotten so carried away in anything. Never.
When she saw everyone's eyes on her, she shrunk visibly. She must have sense that she'd done something wrong. Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what their leader would do. They hadn't seen him this angry since Imhotep was awaked. Ardeth could hear his haggard breathing and knew he was too angry to deal with her at the present moment. He didn't want to frighten her by making her think that he was always this mad. He shook his head slowly at her and turned on his heel, barking orders to clear the camp and get ready to go home.
After the camp had been destroyed, Ardeth came striding over to where she was standing nervously. He didn't know where she'd gone, and he wanted to know. Using his hands, he tried to ask her. He moved his hands in a wide ark, indicating the land, pointed to her, and then pointed in the direction she had reappeared all the while saying, "Where did you go?"
She only looked at him. He could almost see her brain working to understand. He saw her eyes brighten slightly when she thought she understood, and he felt the sarcastic side of himself ready for her answer.
She shook her head lightly.
Ardeth's eyebrows knit together. No? No what? No, she didn't go anywhere? But she did go somewhere, and she couldn't deny it. He closed his eyes, then repeated his movements, this time saying what he did slowly, almost like he had a speak impediment. Her face was just as confused as his, and he could tell she didn't like him talking to her like that when she said something to him, emphasizing each syllable like he did. He growled softly and looked up to the sky. How could be married to a woman he couldn't even understand? He heard her sigh, and she too looked around, as if daring someone to come out and help.
He shook his head and waved his hands. "Never mind; never mind." He hung his head, and whistled for his horse; she was probably just going to the bathroom or something. With a half-hearted heave he mounted his horse and held his hand down for Lily to grab. She pouted unconsciously and Ardeth couldn't help but feel a smile tug at his lips, despite his melancholy mood. There was no doubt that Lily was not used to riding this often or this hard. Ardeth was sure her legs had to ache from all of this riding. It would be over soon enough though; they would reach camp within the next few hours. As she swung up, with a large amount of help from him, he couldn't help but feel better than he had been the last few days. It would all be over in a few hours.
Lily had fallen asleep and her head lolled back and forth, swaying with the movement of the horse. It hadn't even been twenty-minutes when she started to drop off and she'd slept for nearly two hours. Ardeth couldn't blame her; they both just needed some sleep when they got to camp.
She was leaning against him, her head resting on his shoulder. Ardeth had his arms around her waist, one hand gripping the reins, the other curled protectively around her. Her hair smelled pleasant despite the hard journey and her rhythmic breathing was very calming to Ardeth.
As the sun beat down upon them, Ardeth began to get more and more nervous the closer they came to the camp and he found his thoughts wandering back to Rick and Evellyn. They were happy with their marriage; and Alex. The kid was as annoying as a mosquito, but cute none the less. Ardeth's features brightened with a smile that was covered by his black face covering, but his eyes were still smiling with the memories. They were his friends. He wondered, with many an amused vision, what they would do or think if they found out he was getting married. Perhaps he would ask them to come.
"Ardeth, why are you smiling?" asked one of his companions. Ardeth looked over to him and grinned behind his face covering.
"Just thinking of old friends." He replied, shifting his weight as Lily stirred. He didn't want to wake her just yet. She was very beautiful when she slept (the few times he'd seen her) not to mention peaceful; something Ardeth had grown to appreciate over the last few days. However, seeing as camp was nearing, it was probably a good thing that she was beginning to wake up.
"Are you excited?" His companion asked, nodding to the patch of black that was appearing on the horizon.
"I suppose," he answered, not sure of his true feelings. "I hope that she's not as much trouble as she has been. I don't think I could handle that anymore than I have already!"
His companion laughed, and nodded to Lily how was now fully awake. "Women are always trouble, Ardeth. I thought you would have figured that out by now!"
Ardeth laughed with his companion, and switched his hands so that the hand that was holding Lily was now holding the reins and vice versa. "Women," he chuckled softly. "Like demons they are."
His companion agreed with him. "They bewitch your mind and tempt your body." He responded, winking at Ardeth and reining his horse to walk evenly with his. They both laughed and Ardeth spotted Lily glance back at them through the corner of his eye. It was fortunate that she didn't know what they were saying.
"You've got quite the woman there, Ardeth," he said, looking with sudden eagerness to the camp which was growing nearer all the time. "Take care of her."
With that said he spurred his horse and began to gallop full speed to the camp. The others followed suit. Lily looked around bewildered and gasped slightly when Ardeth tightened his grip on her and he too joined the furious race to camp. It reminded him of what Rick would say; something about being last and rotten eggs. Ardeth never understood it, but Rick always said it when they were in a hurry to get somewhere. Ardeth's steed easily caught up with the rest and soon took the lead. They were so close to the camp he could hear the horns announcing their return. He couldn't help but grin; they were finally home, and this time, he had someone with him!
To be continued.
A/N: Ok, so how did you like it? It wasn't every funny, but I wasn't in a very funny mood, so.Yeah. Next chapter will be funnier, ok? Tell me what you think. And again, thank you to all reviewers!! You know who you are and how much that means to me!!! Thank you!!!