A TWIST OF FATE
Ardeth smiled as he felt the familiar sensation of Leven's body beside him. Some time in the night, he had ridden back to the village to ensure that Leven didn't run after him as she wanted. She wouldn't last two minutes alone in this harsh environment. He snuggled closely against her, burying his face into her sandy hair. It smelled fresh and clean, as if she had just washed it the night before. Again, he wondered how she had found the time with the babies so demanding at such a tender age. However, that mattered little to him at this moment. He was home now and all he wanted to do was hold her, touch her, and make love to her. She sighed against him and his smile grew wider, his heart soaring in time. Everything they had thought was wrong was not wrong at all. There was nothing, only a false sense of imminent danger. Perhaps they missed each other too much and that had played in their feelings. Perhaps he hadn't wanted to leave, and his trepidations had forced the dreams to come in hard and heavy. When he felt her stir against him, he moved back just the slightest bit. His Leven, his beautiful, beautiful wife, turned to her back to gaze up into his eyes. Her hand came up and caressed his cheek. Before long, her lips had touched his and then made their usual journey over the markings on his face. This time, she did not neglect the mark on his wrist. She kissed it as well, whispering that she loved and missed him. This was no dream. This was real and his; it was what he had known every day since he came upon Leven in her time. How he loved her so. The thought that he had nearly lost her more than once never left his mind. If she had not come to him, he might have died, if not in body, in spirit. He would do nothing to risk losing her again. She molded her body against his and wrapped her arms around his body. Her lips touched his neck and she continued to whisper her love for him as the seconds stretched to moments. He drew away from her and gazed down into her eyes. There were tears shining in them and soon, he would kiss them away. However, first, he had to ask her a question.
"Do you ever regret coming to me? Do you ever regret leaving your life in the future?" It was a question he had asked before. Like before, he waited patiently for her answer. He needed to know. Regardless of what she said, he would not stop pushing until she told him. "Leven? Answer me. I must know." It was a thought that never left his mind. She had told him dozens upon dozens of times she had no regrets, but it worried him. He didn't want her to be unhappy even if it meant losing both her and the children.
"You have asked me that before, have you not? I normally give you the same answer again and again," she began. "I love you, Ardeth, you know this. You know this like I know you love me. I am happy here, but I must be honest. There have been times that I miss the future greatly. Mostly, I miss the modern conveniences. I never wanted to breastfeed an infant. You have never seen what it eventually does to the female body, have you?" He was stunned and could say nothing. He had begun to wonder if she actually had thoughts like this, and apparently she had all along. "It is very difficult to live like this, especially when you are spoiled such as I," she said with a little smile. "I never said anything before this, because I never wanted to hurt you, jauz [husband]. However, I promised that I would be totally honest with you when I married you."
Ardeth wasn't sure he was truly hearing what she was saying. She had told him before that she didn't have regrets, but she was lying? Was she just telling him what she thought he wanted to hear? He sighed a trifle sadly. Her words hurt, but it was something he expected to hear. Not once had he thought his wife spoiled, but he could not offer a life as she had in her world. Could he send her back? If he found a way, could he see her go? The selfish side of his heart wanted to hold onto her for the rest of his life. Yet, his unselfish side ruled him, and it pushed him to do the right thing by her. He would not force her to stay anywhere that displeased her. He drew back and away from her. Just moments ago, he couldn't stop touching her, loving her, smelling her hair, but now, he felt disheartened and sad. He had dragged her away from her time and her family, had brought her to a primitive time, and forced her to raise her babies without the benefits and amenities of the future. His need to have her and the babies with him was purely selfish. He hadn't once thought of her wants or needs, he'd only thought of his. His life with her would never be the same again. He laid back, to keep his contact with her to a minimum, but she followed him and snuggled against him. He didn't want her touch, didn't feel as if he deserved it. She seemed completely oblivious to her own words, what she had really said. She had spoken the truth, but it hurt, it hurt as if she had dug her fingernails into his heart. It hurt worse than every injury he had ever had combined. She ran her hand over his chest and whispered of her love again. How could she do this? How could she say it? It wasn't what she truly felt. She had lied to him time and time again. She had betrayed a trust so pure and simple that it boggled his mind. He thought of his children, so innocent and dependent on them for so much. He didn't want to think that she had been lying about loving the babies. Had she? If she had lied to him about her feelings, couldn't she just as easily lie about loving their children? His body was stiff beside her, tension winding through every nerve ending. He had no desire to lay with her, but he couldn't loosen her hold. He felt the bitter sting of tears falling down his cheeks and he hastily wiped them away. His heart was broken and would never be repaired again.
"Oh." Ardeth hadn't realized he'd been dozing on his horse until a soft thud brought him back to reality. He hadn't slept well last night, not after the conversation [or what he thought was a conversation] he had had with his wife. He had dreamed of Leven again, but this one was more disturbing than all the others put together. His dream wife had told him that she missed her world, just as he had feared from the very beginning of their marriage. The same doubts touched him as they did in the dream. It didn't matter how many times Leven told him she was happy, in the back of his mind, he never believed it. When he saw her again, he would ask one more time to be sure. His dream had felt so real, so touchable. He could still smell the cleanness of her hair. He couldn't allow his inattention to work him. If he gave in to it, he would either injure himself or one of his men. He rode on, focusing his eyes on the territory ahead. He found himself nodding off again. There was very little he could do about it. Raiyur was inside his mind, toying with him, showing him what she wanted him to see.
Ardeth looked around him and noticed the scenery had changed once again. He was no longer in Egypt, he was back in America. It was 2001 and he noticed that he was dressed in the ill-fitting clothing Leven had picked out for him when he was with her. He was standing outside the casino she had worked in. Ardeth recalled going to this place with Leven the first night he made love to her. Tonight, he was back. Was he reliving that night again? Had he been brought back to feel it, to experience it one more time before Leven left him? He walked around inside this crowded place and saw the women in their skimpy outfits, serving drinks and taking money. His eyes scanned the massive crowds for Leven. If he could only find her and get her away from this place, he might feel more comfortable. Ardeth heard the familiar sound of Leven's laugh. He stopped and moved toward the sound. He stood stock still, his face frozen in a shocked gaze. His Leven, his wife, was with another man. This was a man he had never seen before. He had pinned Leven to the far wall and his hands were all over her, touching her breasts, snaking his hands inside her top, and nuzzling the side of her neck. In turn, Leven had her hands upon him, caressing him. Three emotions struck him at once: rage, jealousy, and devastation. He ached to harm the man, to maim him. How dare he touch his wife. Before he approached them, he watched in horror as Leven turned toward him and winked. She was smiling toward him and all the while, she caressed the man as she had only caressed him.
"This is whom you married," she whispered, but he had heard every word. "Before you came, I was a whore to several men. You were not the first, the second, or even the third. Can you be sure you fathered our babies? Was it not fairly easy for me to be with another man? I am a whore, my dear husband. I never made that a secret, did I? While you are away, there are many, many men who meet my needs. This is whom you married. This is who I am."
Ardeth turned away, his heart breaking yet again. How many times could a man's heart break before he died? Without a word to her or a look back, he walked away. If he watched this for another moment, he might lose his mind. He stepped down off a riser and twisted one ankle over the other. He fell to the ground before he could prevent it. Ardeth looked up toward the blazing sky. He had dozed again. What was going on? What was happening to Leven and to him? Faces surrounded him, asking if he was okay. He begged off, stating that he was fine, but when he tried to stand up, he couldn't. Something was wrong with his leg. In a rare moment, Ardeth cursed indignantly. Had he broken it? What good was he to anyone with a broken leg?
* * *
Leven awoke from a deep sleep when she heard a ruckus going on outside. It was nearly dawn and there had been no movement for hours. She felt the first cold trickle of sweat dripping down between her breasts. Instinctively, she went to her babies. Neither of them had moved an inch and seemed oblivious to the noise. Unsure of what was going on, she wanted to defend her children and stay with them at the same time. The noise grew louder and then louder still. It seemed to be coming from directly outside the door. She began searching around for a weapon, but there was nothing. Basically, she was defenseless. Her grandfather had bestowed upon her a gift, but she couldn't use it to fight back or protect her family. In this aspect, it was useless to her right now. However, she would do what she could, even if it was no more than throwing her body in front of them. The door came open and she heard voices passing information back and forth in Arabic. She didn't quite recognize any of them. Raiyur had finally come for her and her babies. She breathed heavily as she made ready to attack. She was not ready to die by any stretch of the imagination, but if her death meant her babies would live, she'd willingly sacrifice herself in a second. As the voices drew nearer still, she heard Ardeth calling out to her. She was so relieved that she nearly lost her footing. Leven took in a deep breath and exhaled. Tears began streaking her face. Ardeth had come. Ardeth had come back. She dashed out and saw two of Ardeth's men helping him inside. Once he was safely secured, the men backed away to give the couple privacy.
Leven barely gave Ardeth enough time to breathe. She was kissing him, touching every inch of his face with her lips. Despite the dreams he'd had, he was responding to her, kissing her back, ripping her hair out of its braid, and plunging his hands into it. She hadn't once noticed his injury. She was only interested in his presence and her love for him. She literally wrapped herself around him and he kissed her hard and passionately, plunging his tongue into her mouth as much as he plunged his hands into her hair. The tears began to fall out of her eyes; she couldn't help it. He broke the kiss only long enough to drink in her tears. As soon as that job was done, his lips found hers again and for a moment, he wondered if he'd ever stop kissing her. He could be taken from this earth at this exact second and would want to spend an eternity kissing her. However, the shock and happiness at seeing him back began to fade just the slightest bit. He had been brought by two of his men. That didn't happen often. She pulled away, fresh tears coursing down her cheeks, and her eyes searched his face. Her thoughts were transmitted clearly: what happened to you? Without a word [it was completely unnecessary], she kneeled before him, immediately touching his leg. He had been injured. Leven looked up at him expectantly. He didn't sigh or protest or say one word. There was no use in it. He dropped the heavy belts that were wrapped around his waist and shoulders. He came out of the robe. He sat down and that was when she noticed the swelling of his foot and ankle. She hadn't seen his boot off, hadn't noticed anything at all. She had been completely too happy to see him. She didn't touch him, it might prove too painful, but she looked up at him, her eyes concerned and hurt. She removed his other boot and helped him out of his pants.
Helplessly, she gazed up at him. "What happened," she asked. "Baby, please tell me what happened to you."
He wanted to kneel with her on the floor, but he wasn't sure if his ankle could hold out. "I was having dreams, Leven, and I fell. It is no more than a sprain, but I could not continue on." He returned her helpless gaze and tried to block out the horrendous dream images of her. The woman tormenting him in his mind was not his wife, not his Leven. He must remember that. "I am fine, Hafa."
Leven rose up to her feet and sat beside him. "No, you're not. Neither of us are fine, Ardeth." She touched his cheek and turned his face toward hers. "I've been calling to you because I needed you. I came close to coming to you." She saw the look in his eyes, the dawning in them. He had heard her. "You've heard, haven't you?" He nodded. "There is much you don't know that you need to be told. I don't know why you came to me hurt, but I don't think it was due to a good influence, Ardeth. None at all. Something is coming, and the two of us need to be prepared."
He heard her words, understood them, but the images were poisoning his brain, seeping into his subconscious mind. He drew away from her. He sat before her naked and vulnerable, but he couldn't respond to her touch just yet. He nodded. "I understand. Leven, have you been touching my mind as I sleep? Have you been coming inside?"
When he drew away from her touch after such a passionate kiss shared amongst them earlier, she was a bit offended and confused. "Ardeth, I've touched your mind awake, but not asleep. I can't penetrate your dreams no matter how hard I try. I can't do it. I can't."
He turned to her, taking her forearm in his hand. "Leven, you must be truthful to me always. I cannot live with you unless you are truthful. Do you want to go back to your time? Do you want to take the babies and leave forever?"
Leven gazed at him, her brow furrowed in incredulously disbelief. "Ardeth? What are you saying? I've told you a dozen times that my life is here, with you. I've never wanted to go back, even when the cruelty here was at its height." She took his hand away from her forearm and drew it up to the center of her chest. "I swear to you, Ardeth," she said, her eyes boring into his, "I never want to go back. Never. I want to stay with you, grow old with you, and die with you. Whatever you see in your mind or in your dreams isn't what's real. It's not me, Ardeth. No matter how much it seems like it is, it isn't. You don't understand yet, but I think your mind is being overrun by an entity seeking to destroy us."
He didn't understand, her words made no sense. "An entity? What do you mean?"
"Baby, there's something you have to know," she said.
Ardeth reached out to her. "What? What is it?" She tried to speak, to spit it out, but couldn't. He leaned toward her. "Hafa? Speak to me. What?" Nothing but tears. He began to kiss away her tears and before he knew it, his lips were on hers again. She threaded her fingers through his hair and he pressed forward hungrily. He wanted to take her down to the pallet, but his ankle wouldn't allow it, not like he desired. He hissed a little in pain. "My ankle," he whispered against her lips.
"Oh," she sighed. She wanted to draw back and tell him what she needed to, but she wanted him, ached for him.
Leven tried to move, but Ardeth's hands stopped her. "No," he said. "There are other ways. I want you. Talk will come later."
She couldn't deny him no matter what the situation, especially not after the hell she had gone through trying to call to him. He was with her and it was a start. Ensuring that she didn't put any unnecessary pressure on his injured ankle, she bunched up her nightgown and straddled his lap. She brought her lips to his as his hands moved to her back and then slid down. He felt her so very close to him, could almost feel the moist heat against him. It was merely a few inches away. This would not be one of those times where he had the patience to wait. He wanted to touch her, to taste her, but there was no strength inside him. It had flooded out of his body the moment she pressed her lips against his. She lowered her body even more and he finally felt her heated flesh against his. Although he was more than ready for her, the sensation caused a throbbing ache to develop; it was dull and sweet. Before she had the opportunity to guide him inside her, he moved first. His thrust was quick, deep, and delicious.
Once spent, Ardeth dropped his exhausted body to the pallet. Leven inspected his ankle again. It was the left one, the one with the small black mark. With something close to dawning horror, she realized that the mark had grown just a bit larger. It had nothing to do with the swelling of his ankle. As she ran her thumb over it, she leaned down even closer. There were loops and swirls inside the mark now, as if it were a fingerprint. She started to awaken her husband, but the cry of an infant interrupted her.
