Of Arabians and Dancing Swords.
By LatanyaDisclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Mummy (damn) or Ardeth Bey and the Medjai (double damn). NOTE: Tahirah is an Egyptian name, which means "pure". I got the name from babynames.com, which is a site I use to find names all the time.
Chapter two: Horses and kata at dawn.
When they got back to the villa, Tahirah remained in the dress though she removed the veil. Having been in if for several hours now, she had decided that it was quite comfortable and she would have one of her tailors try to copy the design once she got out of Egypt. Ali was tired and settled down in a couch to read a book while she couldn't seem to settle down and kept pacing around her bedroom.
"Why can't I sit down peacefully and do something useful like read or write or sew? By god, there has got to be something I can do to calm myself down!" She cried out softly, resting her elbows on the windowsill to stare out over the desert though she could not see it.
The night had come some half an hour after Mohammad had dropped them off. Through the whole trip back to the Alexander villa, the Egyptian had lectured Tahirah in what she had done wrong while dealing with Ardeth Bey. He then went on to explain why Ardeth had been so shocked at the price she was willing to pay for the horses as no one would pay that much for a horse in Egypt. She had replied that the horses she had brought were worth more than what she paid.
Shivering, Tahirah walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out a pair of black raw silk pants and a high neck, long sleeved shirt. She struggled out of the dress and pulled the warmer clothes on happily before collapsing down on her bed to think.
'Why did he give me that stallion as a gift? I would have paid anything for that horse anywhere else and yet that man gave him to me. It was obvious that they all knew that the black is a valuable horse. They are both so perfect… wait, what am I talking about? The stallion is perfect but I have no comment on the man who gifted him to me. These Arab cultures are so different to my own.' She shook her head and sat up, sure that she had heard the dinner bell. "I must go down and eat."
Walking out of her room, Tahirah proceeded to bound on down the stairs to the dining room where Ali was already seated, along with Jack and Michael, her two guards. Taking her place at the head of the table, the Alexander woman remained silent, even when Ali said grace over the meal.
She was absentminded as she picked at her meal and paid no attention to what was going on around her. Ali watched her carefully, wondering what could possibly be the matter. Little did he know that Tahirah was playing in her mind the whole afternoon that they had spent with the Medjai in order to try and find out why she had been given the magnificent stallion.
When the meal was over, she silently departed their company and disappeared into the bathroom en-suit for a long bath. Tahirah relaxed completely in the water and soon found herself drifting off into badly needed sleep. She convinced herself to struggled out of the bath and to dry off. Doing so, she soon pulled on her nightdress, which was made of similar silk to the dress that Adara had given her to wear. She dragged herself into bed and curled up under the warm quilts and was soon fast asleep.
During the night she had a strange dream about the black stallion that Ardeth had gifted to her. She dreamt that she took the stallion with the other horses back to New Zealand safely and that he proved to be a truly magnificent animal. However, the dream took her on further to one day when she took the stallion out for a ride on in the fields when upon getting off to bathe in one of the hot springs and leaving him tethered to a tree, the stallion turned into Ardeth Bey. He then proceeded to seduce her into his arms and she went willingly to him.
Sitting up, Tahirah gasped for breath, holding a hand to her heart. It had all been so real and she didn't know what to think about it. Glancing about for a clock, she discovered that it was almost dawn and got out of bed, feeling strangely stiff. Getting dressed, she wore a pair of loose silk pants and a long sleeved silk shirt – both items being strong material and both being black. Taking a pair of katana from a draw, she headed down to the courtyard for kata.
Performing her ritual stretches, Tahirah warmed her body up and loosened her muscles before drawing the two Japanese swords and going through some basic, warming moves. Once she felt that she could do kata without harming herself, Tahirah threw herself into the more vigorous and elaborate moves. She cleared her mind of all thoughts but those of how beautiful the dawn was. Everything was instinctive and the movement of the blades through the air calmed her down to the point where harmony with-in her heart, mind and soul was achieved.
Ardeth and his men rode towards the Alexander villa with the horses for Tahirah in tow. Because of their argument over price yesterday, Ardeth had added a lovely palomino mare to the horses that Tahirah had brought. They approached around the back to where the courtyard and stables were with the intent of leaving the horses stabled there. Dismounting his horse, Ardeth pushed open the gate in the high stonewall and walked in. He was confronted with the sight of Tahirah in the middle of kata, the two katana moving through the air in harmony with each other and with Tahirah herself.
"By Allah! She is incredible. Where did she learn to do that? And who does she imagine herself to be fighting?" He asked himself in a quiet voice, not wanting to disturb Tahirah.
She had sensed him enter from the moment her acute hearing had heard the sound of the horses on the lane. Ignoring Ardeth as best she could, Tahirah finished kata and brought the swords to a closing position and held herself that way for a few moments before relaxing and walking over to the sheaths and returning the swords. Stretching herself out again to make sure she would not stiffen, Tahirah kept her eyes on the ever-watchful Ardeth Bey.
"You have brought the horses rather early, have you not?" She asked, forming positions with her body that Ardeth would not have thought possible. "I'm sure you are finding this entertaining."
"Entertaining? No, I find it insightful. Where did you learn to do all that? I have never seen a woman or even a man do something like what you were just doing. But then, I have never seen swords like those which you used."
Tahirah brought her kata to a close and bowed to Ardeth, "It is kata, an ancient process of practicing Ina-do which is Japanese sword fighting. However, you can use kata for any martial art. As for what I just did without the swords, that was simply stretching so that I would not become sore or stiff."
Bowing back to her, Ardeth smiled, "You are very good at this kata with swords but are you any good when it comes to a fight? It is one thing to dance with swords but another to dance with death."
"I have done both dances though I prefer to dance with the swords rather than death. Kata is the practice of being able to go through the movements and by doing so, bring harmony and peace to your inner-self." She returned to her katana's and picked them up before walking over to Ardeth.
"And did you bring harmony and peace to your inner-self while doing that?" He asked.
"Yes, I did. And I cleared my mind of all the frustrating thoughts that were clouding in on me. I am ready now to face the day and whatever it may bring my way. Which is hopefully not my grandfather." The expression of tranquility on her face drew Ardeth into her eyes.
They locked eyes and stared at each other for a few moments without saying a word. Deep brown met opaline blue in a match of wills to see who would look away first and neither of them would give in to the other. It took one of Ardeth's men coming though the gate to break the spell which seemed to have fallen on them.
"Ardeth, do we bring the horses in?" The warrior asked cautiously, hoping he had not disturbed anything.
"Yes do bring them in! I had my servants clean up seven stalls in the stables for the horses." Tahirah smiled warmly to the man.
Ardeth pursed his lips; "You may have to have them quickly prepare another stall for I decided to add in another mare for you. She is another gift; a mare to go with the black stallion. I do hope you do not mind me doing that."
Her eyes were wide with amazement when he turned to look at her again, "My god, you really are a strange man to deal with Ardeth Bey. I do not know what to think of you or even what to do about you."
While the Medjai warriors brought the horses in, Tahirah quickly cleared another stall and tossed fresh straw down on the floor. Filling the water bucket she moved out of the way to let the warrior lead a stunning palomino mare in. When she looked up and saw the black Arabian stallion in a stall at the end, her breath caught in her throat and Tahirah sighed.
"Tell me, do these horses have names?" She asked Ardeth when he walked over to her while she was in the stall with the palomino mare.
"That mare is named Dawn, the dapple-grey mare is named Cloud, the pale chestnut mare is Swift, the liver chestnut mare is Dancer, the chestnut mare with the cream mane and tail is named Cirrus, the pale grey mare is Smoke, the brown stallion is Revenge and the dark cream stallion is Regal. As for the black, he is dubbed Falcon." Ardeth pointed to each horse as he named him or her.
She ran her hands along the palomino's neck gently, "Dawn, what a lovely name for a beautiful mare. Why is the black called Falcon?"
"When he was a foal, he was attacked by a falcon." The warrior chief replied, watching Tahirah attentively.
Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, Tahirah couldn't help but admire how handsome he was. No wonder she had dreamed about him during the night for she had to admit that he was a desirable man. Screaming at herself mentally, she wondered where those thoughts had come from. 'God Tahirah, get a grip on yourself. He probably doesn't even find you attractive and he as likely thinks you are an insolent woman who could do with a good beating to get her to behave.'
She bit her lip and came out of the stall, finding that Ardeth was positioned so that she would have to brush against him in order to get out. He smiled at her faintly and followed her over to the gate.
"Thank you for bringing the horses to me Ardeth Bey. They are truly magnificent Arabians and I am glad to be able to introduce their fine breeding into the bloodlines of the Arabians I have in New Zealand. If you're ever in New Zealand, feel free to look me up and come and visit for I shall make you quite welcome." Tahirah held her hand out to him and spoke formally.
Ardeth glanced around for his men and knew they were outside with the horses waiting for him. Taking Tahirah's hand, he smiled warmly and pulled her against his body to plant a gentle kiss on her lips. "Your thanks are welcome Lady Alexander."
Her eyes met his and Tahirah shivered at the sight of the desire she saw there, "I think you should better join your men. They probably think that I have you doing chores around the yard for daring to add another horse to those which I brought yesterday."
He stepped back, bowing his head. "And should you come back to Egypt again, be sure to look me up. You never know, I might have more horses for you to buy from me at absurd prices."
Tahirah swallowed, knowing she should steal one chance to taste his lips again, "Wait!" She stopped him, her hand on his arm.
"What for?"
"This." She stood on her tiptoes and cupped his face to kiss him hungrily.
Wrapping his arms around her, Ardeth drew her deeper into the kiss that she had started. Though they both knew it was wrong, neither wanted to break away from their embrace.
"Oh god…." Tahirah whispered when Ardeth drew away from her lips and started to kiss his way down her throat.
Ali appeared at the door to the villa and saw Ardeth with Tahirah in his arms and kissing her. "Tahirah!"
They pulled apart and Ardeth hurried out of the gate. Tahirah went to the gate in time to see Ardeth leap onto the back of his horse and give a command to ride. He glanced back to see Ali pulling Tahirah away from the gate and closed his eyes to beg forgiveness of Allah for doing what he had done.
Dragging her into the house, Ali scolded her to no end for allowing the Medjai chief to kiss her like that. "What would every one think if they knew that you had been in a compromising position with the chief of a desert tribe? What would your grandparents on both sides think?"
"It was my fault Ali! I kissed him first!" She lied with tears in her eyes. "Besides, I don't see how a simple kiss can harm my reputation when I have exiled myself willingly from court because I cannot conform to their snobbish ways."
Shaking his head, Ali sat down on a chair and stared at her, "I don't know what to do about this. I think it would be best if I spoke to Mohammad about it. Tahirah, do not even think to argue with me because you know that I have been commanded to keep you safe and I do not think you are safe from that Medjai chief. God knows what he might do! Hell, he could even sneak in here and kidnap you."
"He wouldn't do that Ali and you know it!" She shouted angrily.
"You know nothing about him let alone what he would and would not do Jessica-Tahirah! How do you know that he is not like the other Arab men who find women like you wildly exotic?" He tried to stay calm, knowing that to argue with Tahirah when she was in a mood like this was not really worth ones life.
She growled, turning on her heel and storming out of the room. Ali watched her go with a troubled expression on his face. Well never mind, he would send one of the servants to Mohammad with a letter telling him of what had happened and he would wait to hear of what Mohammad thought he should do about it before acting further.
"Why are you such a handful Tahirah Alexander?" He murmured, finding a pen and some paper to write his letter to Mohammad.
Flinging herself onto her bed, Tahirah buried her face in her pillow and let fall the tears of frustration that she had been holding back for so long. It was impossible not to admit that she had enjoyed Ardeth's touch but Ali was right, she could not risk her good name to scandal like that. While she was not the last Alexander, she was the heiress to the Alexander fortunes and that meant that she was a desirable wife in the upper class and rich society of the world.
'Why did I have to do that? He means nothing to me! Nothing at all! It was just a kiss and I'm overreacting because I'm tired, ill and stressed out from working myself to hard in the wrong conditions. I need a holiday and I need to be pampered. Perhaps I should go home to England and stay with Grandma and Grandpa for a while? Ali would like that because it would make his job a little easier. But what about those magnificent horses I brought yesterday that He delivered this morning? I cannot send them to New Zealand and not go with them. What am I to do?' She recited to herself, her mind abuzz with confused thoughts that she was struggling to straighten out.
Ardeth walked up to the front gate of Kareem Bahil, grandfather of Tahirah Alexander. He was admitted easily because he was a good friend with Kareem. The older man welcomed the Medjai chief joyfully, his face alight with glee at seeing the younger man so healthy.
"Ardeth Bey! Welcome, welcome. It has been too long since you visited me last. What brings you to me this time?" Kareem bid him sit down opposite the desk that he was working at.
"Your granddaughter Jessica-Tahirah Alexander. I met her yesterday in the company of her bodyguards. She is here in search of some Arabian horses, which I was willing to sell her. This morning, I and a small group of my men delivered the horses she purchased to the Alexander villa." Ardeth spoke solemnly.
Frowning, Kareem was shocked to find out that his beloved granddaughter was in Cairo and had not come to visit him. "Did something happen? Is Tahirah all right? Speak man or I shall assume the worst."
Bowing his head, the Medjai spoke, "Her friend, Ali came out and discovered us in a compromising position."
"By Allah!" The old man whispered, sliding back into his chair, "Ardeth Bey, I should have thought better of you! To dishonor my only granddaughter."
"It was only a kiss Kareem Bahil for I would have never let it go further. I thought I should better inform you of what had happened in case Ali came to you with the story and had it blown out of proportion." Ardeth murmured, his head still bowed and a distraught expression on his face. "I will understand if our friendship is broken for I never should have kissed her or let her kiss me."
Composing himself, Kareem thought over what Ardeth had said, "Does she look well Ardeth? Is my beloved granddaughter healthy?"
"She seems well enough to me this morning when we arrived to find her in the middle of something called kata with a pair of swords."
"Tahirah still practices with her Japanese sword fighting. Was she using two beautifully made katana when she was doing kata?"
A smile appeared on Ardeth's face, "She was. They were lovely weapons and I haven't seen many as well made as those."
Kareem nodded, "I had them made in Japan by a master smith. They were my gift to her for her twenty-first birthday."
"Do you forgive me for what I did Kareem?" Ardeth asked.
"How could I not? Her honor is still intact and it was only an innocent kiss. I should hope that she does not delude herself to think that she can pursue you because of it." Kareem spoke sharply. "Not that I would not welcome such an alliance between our two families but I do not think the Alexander family would like something like that to happen. They would accuse me of arranging a marriage for Tahirah when they have been plotting away at marrying her to some rich prince for years."
Ardeth inclined his head gracefully, "If such a thing was to happen, I would welcome a marriage to Tahirah Alexander for she is an intelligent woman who, though of Egyptian blood, is a very westernized woman. But she is beautiful and intelligent and wise and I could learn to live with such behaviors as those which she displays so long as she could learn to behave as a woman should."
"I agree with you there Ardeth." An idea came to Kareem and he smiled gleefully. "Are you asking my permission to court my granddaughter Ardeth Bey? If so, you are welcome to try and tame the wild young woman."
Raising his eyes to meet those of Kareem, Ardeth saw that there was a chance to win Tahirah's heart as his own, "And what of Ali? He will probably not let me anywhere near her so long as he's alive."
"I will have Tahirah brought to my home because I do not like the idea of her living alone with only her servants and bodyguards as protection. And though she shall be here, I will order Ali to stay at the Alexander villa. You will have the freedom to come and go from here to visit her. However, I will not tell anyone that it was you who informed me that she was here and I would advise that you also do not tell anyone. Make it seem like you come to visit me and must endure her company." The grandfather turned to summon one of his servants. "I will send for her now. Is there anything else Ardeth?"
"Do not be too harsh on her for not telling you she was here because she will have her reasons. Besides, she is a woman grown and used to independence." The Medjai warrior stood and bowed his head to Kareem, "Allah is with you."
"As He is with you Ardeth. Will you be here for dinner?" Kareem asked innocently.
"Perhaps."
"Then go in peace and remember what we have said here."
Ardeth left the villa with a joyful smile on his face. If Allah were merciful, she would be his.
