Goddess- I have returned, and have begun again to write on this fic. I apologize for the wait. There was a lot of crap to deal with since school started, but I'm getting better!
Calypso- YAY! we're back in action!
Goddess- your not supposed to be here. People are going to start thinking I'm crazy.
Dushu- It's a little late for that.
Goddess- Your supposed to be working on another fanfic.
Calypso- yeah yeah. Disclaimer goes here. We don't own the mummy, Ardeth, or the Medjai. But we do ownthe girland the Nameless One, as well as the created tribesmen, and all other characters you don't see in the movies.
Ardeth POV
"Who was she Ardeth?" I heard a soft voice ask
"Another nameless one, just like you. She came to let me know that you are not only under the protection of her father, but hers as well." I said.
"Is she a Goddess then?" The girl asked.
"Yes, from what she's told me, she is the daughter of Anubis. I am inclined to believe her." I said.
"Why?"
"She saved my life." I replied, looking at her finally.
"She did? Why do you seem upset with her?" She asked me.
"Her very being upsets my beliefs. We have little experience like this, since when we served the pharaoh. But I do believe she can be an asset to our cause against the creature." I said.
"You cannot expect her to help you without first helping her. That's the way of the world, and it will be that way for a long time. As a Goddess, she is bound by rules, even if she seems omniscient. They do not exist for our sake, we gave them more direction and life, and they in turn gave us order. But we cannot forget that to them, we are but ants. But without us, their existence looses itself in chaos." She said.
You have wisdom that belies your memory, young woman." I said, bringing her into the healers quarantine tent. It was empty.
"Just because I do not know who I am does not mean that I do not think." She said.
"This leads to a question. We have no name for you." I said.
"We can leave that for tomorrow. For all the time I spent in the sun, I am very tired." She said.
"Then sleep well. There is much work ahead for us all, and I get the feeling that you will be involved in it all. If the Nameless One speaks truth, things will be very dangerous." I said and left.
I sat down with a sigh. My tent was blissfully empty, except for my hawk friend in the corner. I thought over the events of today, and of what had happened at Hummanaptra a month ago. O'Connell and the woman, Evelyn, were to marry soon. Maybe they would help with this problem if it could not be solved by my tribesmen. As the Goddess has said, the girl was under her protection and that of Anubis. Far be it for me to allow the leaders to kill her, and bring the wrath of such a notorious God upon us all.
"I apologize for causing a disturbance, Ardeth. I understand that you do not control the decisions made here." The Goddess said.
I spun around, her sudden appearance startling me. She leaned against a pole at the center of my tent. I stood and moved towards her, she did not flinch as I began to speak. It unnerved me, most women did not meet my eyes as she did, a steely gaze that no doubt would make most men think twice about speaking to her.
"I do not try the Gods patience, do not try mine. To you I am nothing more than expendable flesh, a tool to get what you want. Do not dare question my judgment nor wishes. I answer to one God, and it is not you!" I shouted. I was more unnerved when she did not avert her gaze in shame, or fear. I had to keep reminding myself she was not human.
"Do not DARE put words into my mouth, Ardeth Bay.! In your tribes eyes, Allah's eyes, and yes in my eyes, you are FAR from expendable! Humans were never tools to us! You gave us more purpose than the utter chaos created from the untamed wilderness that is the spirit of the world. Do not dare to think I would use you as Set would. He is the reason I am here! You, your friends, and your tribe are far from safety!" She yelled in return.
"The Gods of the past meddled in the lives of humans for centuries! They promised humanity many things and all we received was suffering and tricks!" I shouted.
"Tricks fah! Do not blame those of us with dignity for such things human! My kind spoke with yours, visited in flesh! In flesh we are vulnerable! Where is your God? Where is Allah? He is silent, contemplative and judgemental of a people he has not hazarded to meet and get to know!" She shouted back.
Without thinking, I struck her. The sound seemed to echo throughout the tent, and the camp. Her eyes seemed to flicker with a dangerous light.
"I suggest you not speak of Allah in such a way. I will not accept such words, even from you." I said, breathing heavily.
"Don't get me wrong Ardeth. I've spoken with Allah on many occasions. The God's are much like you humans. We have our own, small world. We engage in the same activities. I am ignored, looked over. All because I was born a millennia too late. After the heyday of the God's most of the world over. When all had been settled in their duties. And I had none of my own. But your God, Allah, treats me as an equal of sorts, not a nameless creature that is worth nothing more than a breath. He has a good many people that are descended from Egypt and my father's children of faith." She said, having barely moved from the moment I struck her.
"What is your point?" I growled at her.
"I don't care that I am not worshipped. I just wish to be treated with respect and equality from all the other Gods, by you Ardeth. It was you that weighted the scale, making my decision to get involved instead of watching you die. I cannot turn back, and neither can you." She said, so close to my face suddenly, I could smell the Jasmine in her hair.
"Respect is not something we give lightly. You have to earn it, like all others I meet. The same goes for that girl. I will promise only this, if she proves herself worthy, she can stay, otherwise I will try to send her to England." I said. She tossed me a Jasmine flower.
"Call her Jasmine. Mysterious, sweet, pure. Be careful with her though, she knows how to defend herself." She said.
"Jasmine it is." I said.
"Remember my words. Set wishes to thwart my plans of clearing my father's name. He cannot kill you outright, otherwise you would already be dead. He's been trapped, but all evil God's have power on earth when there is one about who will listen to their whisperings. Be careful of coincidence. And do remember, it is you who must give me my name." She said, beginning to fade.
"I understand that. But why can't it be another that names you?" I asked.
"Because it was for you I acted. It was for you that I crossed the barrier that no God has crossed in many centuries. And it was for you that I risked my immortality." She said.
"You risked your immortality?" I asked.
"Yes. I broke the rules, it is easily overlooked, but there are many things working against me. Because you awoke mysterious emotions within me Ardeth. Only humans are allowed such emotions. An unnamed one such as myself will be torn asunder by such things. You are the one to whom I am linked in this human world, and so it is you that must give me a name. Otherwise I will cease to be, and all that I protect will be in grave danger. Until we meet again, my Medjai." She said. And was gone.
I sighed and rubbed my eyes. IF she was correct, and not playing tricks, then I had to be careful. The girl, Jasmine, only made things that much harder. I sighed again and looked at the flower. This Goddess did not jest. Things were as dire for her as they could be for my tribe. I began my prayers for the night, asking Allah for guidance.
Goddess- Tadaaaa. That was an interesting chapter. Please let me know of spelling errors. I write these chapters in my word processor, but apparently that won't catch all things. Especially words such as Hummnaptra. Let me know it's correct spelling if possible! I must be off. I need to be up in less than 8 hours!