Well! 3 reviews!! Thats pretty good! That's more normal! This fandom is soo much different to the other ones i've done, but my review rate is pretty good! Thanks guys! At least, they'll only be a short fwd!

Kathy:Yeah, well no! I don't think i'd get anymore reviews, this story is pretty narrow but ff.net is screwing around a bit lately huh?

Deana:You are such an angel! An angel! *reads the review* Oh......*swears loudly* I completely forgot about his blood loss! ARGH! I always forget the nitty gritty details! Damn! Well, can u just pretend he's superman and went fwd in time and had a blood transfusion? *winces* I guess not.

Sirithiel: You're welcome! After i finish this story i'm going to do a serious Aragorn and Legolas one when they were younger......one day.....

****

Shahin watched Ardeth Bay with veiled eyes as he waited for the teenager to wake up. He didn't know for long he had waited for this moment to arrive. He had lost count many, many, years ago. He had been born just for this purpose. It had been indoctrinated into him from his 4th birthday.

And he would fulfil his destiny and return a hero to his tribe.

An evil light played around the man's face and seemed to make his light ashy brown hair sparkle with an iridescent darkness. His pale green eyes revealed nothing and stared with intense hatred at the boy lying still before him.

He noted with distaste the remains of vomit on the teenager's black robe and with revulsion scuffed his boots in the teenager's direction, sand dusting the Med-Jai's robes before he settled down onto sitting on his heels.

He had only been sitting in this position for around ½ an hour before his vigil was rewarded with a painful sigh and a groan from the limp, black-robed figure. He turned his dead green eyes upon the boy's face and watched with an impassive face as the Med-Jai opened his eyes and locked his black eyes onto his green ones.

The boy croaked but Shahin didn't say anything, lean forward or respond in anyway. Bay ran his tongue quickly over his chapped, dry lips and tried again.

"Where am I?"

Shahin considered his options while his face remained expressionless and his eyes veiled. After a while, he noticed the boy about to repeat his question so he answered in a toneless voice, the hatred barely concealed underneath it:

"You are at the beginning of the end."

Before he got up and walked away without a backward glance.

****

Ruwaid looked up from the map that he was consulting with Mikail when he noticed the shadowy figure coming towards him with deliberation.

"Mikail, who is that?"

Mikail looked up from where his finger rested on the map, took in the figure with a frown and returned to what he was doing while muttering, "Shahin."

"Shahin? Who's that?"

"The person that is walking towards us." Mikail answered with blinding obviousness.

Ruwaid rolled his eyes and replied, "I know that Mikail. How come I haven't seen him before?"

Mikail shrugged his shoulders while still poring over the map, "He only just joined a couple of months ago. He was eager to begin his work so we put him pretty much straight into espionage work and he went into the Med-Jai camp. He was the one that was leaking us the information that let us capture Bay. Its kinda strange actually. It was like he was born a spy, he's got like these natural born talents. Fitted in perfect." At this Mikail looked up to view his chief's expression.

"Hmmm. I see." Ruwaid rubbed the stubble on his chin, his beard not quite long enough to stroke.

The figure in question had reached where the two men stood and bowed respectively from a respectful distance from them.

"Can I speak my lords?" The man asked.

Ruwaid nodded graciously and gestured for the man to come into their space, "Enter friend. Tell us of the news of the sleeping Med-Jai camp. Tell us what is bothering you."

Shahin entered and without a second glance at Mikail proceeded to tell Ruwaid all he wished to know.

Mikail frowned slightly. The closer he got to Shahin, the more……strange…..the man felt. He shrugged again and went back to his navigation, half an ear on the conversation being played out around him. Who was he to judge a man? To tell whether he was good or bad? Only Allah could do that, only he could see into a man's heart and proclaim him worthy. Maybe when they had completed this task, Allah would look on them more kindly.

"The Med-Jai has awoken. I believe that he is completely conscious."

"That's good. Do you think that we'll be able to get under way today?"

"It is not really my place to say, after all, that is the Healer's domain. But it is my considered opinion that the Med-Jai will be able to travel today. If he is not ready, then we shall make him ready."

"Hmmm yes. Shahin? That is your name is it not?"

"Yes, my Lord, that is my name."

"You have done commendable work. Your work in the field, especially while infiltrating the Med-Jai camp is astounding and admirable. You have the thanks of your chief." Ruwaid spoke formally and inclined his head slightly to the man standing in front of him.

Shahin kept his face neutral but inwardly he was raging and grinning insanely. 'Your chief' indeed, he thought. If only you knew. If only you knew what was going on. All this he kept secret and hidden. Instead he replied with false sincerity squeezed into his voice:

"Thankyou M'Lord. Now if you wish to follow me to see the Med-Jai?" He bowed once again and withdrew a polite distance away and gestured for Ruwaid to follow.

"Mikail!" Ruwaid's sharp voice cut through the man's thoughts and the man in question looked up.

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Stay here. Map out our way home. We want the most quickest, easiest and fastest route home. When my son returns from wherever he is loafing about, tell him where I am and send him to me. Understand?"

"Yes, my Lord. He will be told."

"Good. I will return soon anyway."

With this final commandment, the chief of the Sami-Nhir turned away to follow Shahin across the sand to look at the Med-Jai. The journey was completed in silence, strained and full of tension.

Ruwaid was glad for once when the black robed figure swam into view. He saw the Healer bending over the Med-Jai child and doing medicinal……..stuff. He stopped right in front of the child and drew in a breath at what he saw.

Bay looked much healthier and better then the night before. The night before it had looked like the boy wasn't even going to make but now…….

Now, Ruwaid realised just how strong the Med-Jai tribe was. The reason why they dominated the sand. Not because the other tribes respected them, but because they had the power. They were powerful and ruled the sands with an iron fist. Those that did not bow down were mown down. Even those that were innocent were taken as sacrifices and used to make an example of.

Ruwaid knew this from first hand experience. The sight before him only strengthened his perceptions of the Med-Jai.

The child was wide awake, his dark brown/black eyes sparkling with defiance, only a hint of pain visible in the irises. His head was held high with pride and it was ironic that his tilting of his head highlighted the black tattoos upon his cheeks.

The tattoos that marked him as Hashim's son. The heir to the leader of the tribes. The tattoos that meant virtual royalty amongst the Med-Jai circles. To Ruwaid, these tattoos made him a murderer.

He could still remember the village. He had returned with the rest of the hunting party, expecting a joyous return. He remembered the grey desolation of the place. He remembered the red blood spilt crimson upon the sands. He remembered the bitter-sweet, charred smell of burnt human bodies. He could still taste the grit and dust in his mouth. He could still feel the smoke stinging his eyes.

He could still remember finding Zora. Finding his wife. Her face was swollen and pale and her dress was torn and ripped. Her eyes were open, terror and fear etched into every line of her face. She was cold. Oh! So cold. Her big, dark, bottomless, black eyes were wide open, staring into nothing. Ruwaid had fallen to the ground on his knees, black bile rising up his throat as he cradled her head. Tears fell from his eyes and ran down her bruised face. Her beautiful pale face. Her lips were blood red and had a trickle of blood running out the side of it. Her luscious lips which he would never again be able to kiss. Her cold arms which would never envelope him in a warm embrace again.

It was miracle that the fire had not devoured her. Not that that had helped her in the end. She was dead. The Med-Jai had killed her. She had died in his arms. Her eyes not even recognising him. She had choked out her last breaths and had died.

She was dead.

Dead.

Med-Jai had killed her.

Murderers.

Ruwaid snapped back to reality, hatred burning hotter then ever in his eyes. This Med-Jai had killed his wife and slaughtered his village.

No mercy. Revenge would be sweet and vengeance would be his.

****

Ardeth Bay woke up, asked a question, received a strange answer and was left alone. Not long after, an old man came over and tended to his wounds. Ardeth guessed correctly that he was a Healer.

While this was still going on, (the Healer had this strange habit of muttering to himself that had begun to unnerve the Med-Jai youngster), another strong set man had returned with the man that had answered his simple question with such a strange answer.

As soon as the strong man had set eyes on him, something had stolen over his face and the man was forced to close his eyes. When he reopened them, Ardeth was physically struck by how much hatred there was in their depths.

The man stepped forward and Ardeth had to control himself, in an effort to not involuntary flinch.

"I am Ruwaid, leader of the Sami-Nhir. You are our prisoner. You will do what we say, or we will punish you most severely. Understand?" The voice was stony and held solid ice within it.

Ardeth was astonished but found his voice. Raising his head defiantly he said, "How dare you hold me! Do you know who I am? I am Ardeth Bay! Son of Hashim Bay - leader of the Med-Jai! My tribe will not lie around restlessly, they will hunt you down. You shall not command me for I am my own self!" Ardeth was proud of his little speech, but Ruwaid and Shahin were not impressed.

A split second later, Ardeth's head snapped around and he felt his cheek burning and with a trembling hand touched his cheek, feeling the heat there. Ruwaid lowered his hand, panting. Ardeth turned his head back to face the Sami-Nhir chief, and licked the blood that was running down his chin from a split lip.

Ruwaid had just struck him. Ardeth hadn't been struck before in his whole, entire, sheltered life. The chief didn't say anything but Shahin didn't hold his emotions in.

As soon as Ardeth was able to clear his head and realise what had just happened, he found himself slammed into the sandy ground, a hand gripping him tightly around his throat.

Ardeth panicked and squirmed, trying to get out of the iron vice, his air being choked off slowly and painfully.

"You filthy scum! My name is Shahin. If you try anything like that again, I will be overjoyed if I can be the one to punish you. I will enjoy making you scream Med-Jai. I will make you hurt so much that you'll wish you had never been born. I will make you plead until you wish I had ripped your voice-box out. By the time I've finished with you, you'd rather kill your own mother then do something like that again. Understand me you Med-Jai bastard?" Shahin emphasised his point by pushing the boy's head further into the sand before getting up and kicking him in the ribs.

Ardeth slowly sat up gasping and retching. One hand he used to support him, the other rubbing his throat. He had just been warned. That man was physco. Next time, he wouldn't get out of it so easily.

"I-I understand." Ardeth choked out while still massaging his throat.

"Good. I will send my son to get you ready for the journey." Ruwaid stated coldly as he turned away.

"Journey?" Ardeth couldn't help but ask.

"Yes. Journey. We are returning to the Sami-Nhir camp, victorious." Ruwaid grinned, a grin showing all of his teeth.

Great. Fabulous. Wonderful. It couldn't get any better, Ardeth thought sourly.

He was wrong.

It could get better. Or a lot worse.

****

Was that chapter anymore interesting? Sorry, it was a bit short and a bit late wasn't it? Sorry, sorry, sorry! Please forgive me!! *roz begs for forgiveness*