Winds and Dreams
Ardeth Bay was irratated, it had been a long day in the hot sun, and now as the night fell and the first cool breezes settled across the dunes, Ardeth finally felt himself start to relax. He couldn't understand why he had been so irratable lately, it was possibly his inpending talks of marriage with another tribe, Ardeth was reaching the age where he was aging, still young, but starting to make everyone nervous that he would not have a son to take his place when the time came. Whispering softly to his black stallion in arabic, urging the animal to a quick trot as his watch took him around the backside of a crumbling ancient city. Hamperta was barely more then a memory now, and with Imhotep seemingly gone forever, sent to the underworld along with the Scorpian King, Ardeth felt his razor edge going dull. There had been nothing but wind these past few nights, wind and dreams that whispered softly into his mind, something that was just below councious level, a faint trace of a dream memory. Shaking his head to clear it, Ardeth continued his trek around the crumbling stones scolding himself for getting lost in his thoughts. An enemy could have had him dead by now without Ardeth even knowing what had hit him. Pulling his horse's rains as he stopped at the top of the slope quickly, he squinted through the darkness into a small catacobe that had been created by the rocks and crumbling buildings, feeling his heart beat quicker as he confirmed what he had first thought he had seen, Light. Spurring his heels into the horse's flank, Ardeth quickly rode down the dune and into the confines of the ancient place.
Feet soft on the sand, not a sound came as Ardeth, with scimater in hand, towards the intruder known at the moment only as light. As he neared the small out cropping, Ardeth caught a glance of the intruder and felt his breathing quicken. What was a women doing here? Doubting that the woman was alone, Ardeth qucikly glanced around for any others that might be wandering around near by. Strangely, Ardeth saw no others with this lone intruder. Watching the woman for a few seconds, Ardeth noticed that she seemed to have her dark head buried in some partchment while she was aranging things around the camp, muttering softly to herself. Ardeth carefully moved around the rock, carefully making sure nothing else stirred besides this strange woman. Once he was certian no one else was near, Ardeth quickly came around the rock, and a well placed throw knocked the partchment from the woman's hand, leaving his knife quivering in the tent post, the partchment carefully caught by it's right corner. The woman was looking from the partchment and then back to Ardeth again, her soft grey eyes betrayed her emotions of fear and awe at this great show of finely honed skill. Backing up slightly she was reaching for something behind her, carefully she caught his eyes his hers,
"Who are you? What do you want"
Ardeth lowered his scimtar slightly, trying to place her at ease that he had no intent to harm her. Pulling the cloth away from his face, trying once more to calm the woman, Ardeth softly spoke in a soothing tone,
"Ardeth Bay, Leader of the Medjai and you are tresspassing Miss..."
"Emira, Emira James."
Ardeth arched an eyebrow, Emira was an Arabic name, and the young woman defeniently looked as if she belonged in the desert. She had straight black hair, and sunbaked skin that was fairly smooth, minus the scars that dotted here and there. But James was an english or American name, and come to think Ardeth had noticed her accent was slightly strange.
"Well Ms. James, As I said before you are tresspassing. I will give half an hour to leave."
Ardeth was turning to return to his horse when his danger flew back through the air and landed with a nice 'thunk' against a small fallen statue. Turning from the offending stone, Ardeth looked quickly back at the young woman, a defient smirk was pasted across her face, her cobalt eyes laughing as they danced with the moonlight.
"You might be needing that, and I am NOT leaving."
Ardeth looked hard at the young woman, he had never understood the ways of the Western women, speaking out in turn, never taking proper orders, something novel and strange to him. The woman once again shook her thick dark hair, which, Ardeth noticed, was long, falling down her back, landing near her waist, slightly curling here and there. Her dark blouse was contrasted by her bright yellow skirt, far too bright in the night to blend into the sand that Ardeth was now rubbing his booted heel into, annoyed that he might actually have to physically remove the now bothersome discovery, the first in weeks. Ardeth sighed heavily, and reached behind him to remove his knife, never taking his eyes off the intruder, wandering if he had been thrown off by her apparent beauty, her outside innocence, she could be some forgien scepter sent to once again attempt mass chaos. Adding a hard edge to his soft voice, Ardeth once again brought up his scimitar, on guard now,
"Ms. James, I do not know who you are, but you are tresspassing upon lands you have no reason to be upon. Go home. I do not wish to forcefully remove you."
Watching, Ardeth noted that the woman's eyes became harder, her body straightening up quickly, her mocha head raising slightly, curls tumbling totally free from her shoulders as she placed her small hands on her hips, glaring hard at the Medjai leader, half hidden in the shadows.
"Mr. Bay, I will not be leaving. I have waited my entire life to come to Hamaneptra, and I will not be leaving until I finish my studies here, then I will return to the University in Cairo. Now, please sir, if you don't mind, you are in my way. Very much so in my way."
TBC... Shortly
Authors Note:Reviews are not only read, but celebrated. An artist lives on the feedback from the audience, so please, review if you do have the time. Constructive reviews, questions, and comments please. Any flames will be captured, and added to the kiln. I do not own the Mummy, the Scorpian King, or any of the characters, minus Emira. No touchy please. I will put everyone back when I am done playing with them. If you are planning to sue me for money, forget it, I'm a Classical Vocal Performance Major, and I'll only be able to offer you the moths in my wallet. Which, if you want, you can gladly have them as well.