Disclaimer-Don't own them. Never will own them. Except Catlanda, her Spire, Geb, Isis and Marok plus anyone else you don't recognize are mine.
Summary- Three Medjai travel to London only to find out that a past problem really hasn't gone away after all.
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All Over Again
A figure cloaked in black rode across the desert. The horse soon stopped in front of a tent and his rider climbed off and walked inside to find a man waiting.
"It's about time. I was getting worried," he said
"Ardeth, how're you doing?" asked Catlanda, giving him a hug.
He smiled and hugged her back.
"Catlanda, what do you say about going to London to visit Evie and Rick now?" he asked her.
"Alright, I'll go. I'm not going alone I hope you realize," she replied.
Ardeth laughed.
"Of course I'm not going to let you go by yourself," he told her. "I'll be joining you."
She looked at him, shocked.
"Really? Don't you have things here to do Ardeth?" she asked.
"You're right, I do. That's why I want you to start without me and I'll join you as soon as I possibly can. I'll try and not be more than a day behind you," he replied.
She gave him an 'I don't believe you' look and sighed.
"I'm glad you're coming with. I don't think I could ever be so far from home without you," she said.
Isis rubbed against their legs and purred loudly. They knelt and rubbed her back. Catlanda looked at Ardeth with sad eyes. He sighed, looking upwards as giving up.
"I give up. Yes, you can take Isis," he said.
They walked out of the tent. She climbed onto Geb with a smile on her face.
"I'll see you in London then?" she asked.
"London, it is," he replied.
A fellow Medjai ran up to them just as Catlanda was about to leave.
"What is the matter Marok?" asked Ardeth.
"Problem...must come quick. Both of you," he replied. "It's urgent. We have intruders coming from the direction of the temples."
The three hurried towards the desert to find exactly what the man had said. It appeared to be a small group of them heading towards them.
"They appear to be of no threat but we have to be on our guard," Ardeth warily said.
He was right for a yell suddenly came from behind the three. Ardeth pulled out his sword and tried to defend himself from the oncoming attacks as did Catlanda and the other Medjai but they were soon overcome by the forces.
Ardeth turned to find a man right behind him, who shot him in the shoulder. He fell to the ground and gave a cry of pain.
"Now your days are over," he snickered, lifting the gun.
A shot was heard but he never pulled the triggor. The man fell dead to the ground. Marok lowered his gun and he rushed over to Ardeth, protecting him.
"Spire, blind them!" cried Catlanda, lifting the Spire into the air.
A bright light came from the eyes and the intruders had to blind their eyes from it. When the light died down, all that was left of them were bodies running into each other and everything else. She hurried over to Marok and Ardeth, who was bleeding profusely.
"Ardeth," she said with a gasp. "Bind the wound with this. I have to get Geb over here and ready."
She handed Marok some bandages before whistling for her horse, who came galloping over to them. The two helped Ardeth onto Geb. The Medjai leader cried out in pain.
"Geb, take him straight to the camp. Don't stop for anybody until you get there. Stay there as well," she told him.
He neighed and ran off. Marok held Catlanda's arm and began to pull her to safety.
"Walking home it is then for us," he said.
"Yes indeed," she replied with a sigh.
She walked forward and free from his grasp. Marok gave a deep sigh himself before looking at his hand. There was a small amount of blood on it. He looked up at her and smiled, giving a laugh.
"It's just like you to do that," he whispered.
He started to follow her to the camp.
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Geb ran into the camp and hurried up to the tent with the healers. He loudly neighed and reared up, causing the healers to come out to see what the problem was. They saw Ardeth huched over and the blood all over his shoulder. They helped him down and took him inside the tent.
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Marok and Catlanda walked into the camp. A fellow Medjai saw them and ran up to them.
"Catlanda, Ardeth requests to see you immediately," he said.
The two looked at each other before she began to run to the tent he was in. She walked inside and saw him lying on the bed and the healer next to it, finishing the bandages on his shoulder. He saw her and told the woman to leave. She did as she was told.
"What now? You were intending to come with me," Catlanda told him.
"I know, I know. I still want you to go anyway. Don't let me spoil the plan. You need to meet some women your age and Evie agreed to let you stay with her and help you with it," he said.
He lifted his good arm and wiped away some tears from her eyes.
"Go on. I'll be fine," he told her.
"I'll go but the earliest won't be until tomorrow," she replied with a smile.
"Oh yeah, tell Marok to go with you. I promised that you wouldn't go alone and I don't intend on breaking it," Ardeth said, shifting his position.
He groaned in pain. He looked at her and she nodded. She left the tent to let him rest. She soon came to Marok.
"Marok, you're joining me to London," she told him.
"But...I'm needed here," he protested as she walked past him.
Catlanda turned and stared at him with anger in her eyes.
"Now listen to me and listen well. I know I'm not really Ardeth's daughter by blood but that doesn't make a difference here. Ardeth raised me from a baby. This tribe has accepted me so well, they have been calling me his own since I was five and that I might as well be his own. I am the chief's daughter essentially. That means that everything I say, goes as if they were taking an order from Ardeth himself. Understand? Besides, he said so himself. Now if you want to go against the orders of both the chief and his daughter, go right ahead and be punished for it," she angrily explained to him.
She started off towards her horse and lynx. She climbed onto Geb and looked at Marok, who rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.
"Fine. Just because you ordered me to," he said, climbing onto another horse.
TBC...
