Disclaimer: I don't own squat, not a damn thing. Well, I own a rather nice pair of red Converse high-tops, but that's it. As far as Ardeth, Evy, or Rick, no, sorry, not mine. The OC, however, is mine. Flames will be used to light my backyard barbecue pit. Please R&R, especially if you read the old version.

-Belle

Lira was particularly determined to wake up on time that morning. Not only did she not wish to irritate the Med-Jai chief by being late, but she had to admit she was just a little anxious to get out of this tent and do something. The added incentive of learning swordplay from a master ensured that, right at sunrise, she was headed out to a spot just south of the camp where the Med-Jai would often practice. For the sake of mobility, she decided to forgo the sweeping robes and stick to the tunic and slacks. The light gauze material would keep her from overheating and still protect her skin from the harsh sun. She'd long since had her old clothes disposed of. They'd been destroyed anyway, and they no longer seemed to suit the person she was finding in herself. For so long her existence had depended greatly on her relation to others. At the orphanage she had several friends, and it was her relationship with them that defined her. The same with Joshua, and then with the sword maker in Turkey. This was the first time she truly found herself being let alone for long expanses of time, and she was slowly beginning to recognize her own dreams and ambitions.

The Med-Jai had already arrived, and no big surprise. He was sharpening that wicked blade with great concentration. His layers of robes as well as the bandoleers were laying over the topmost beam of the short fence around the enclosure. It was in place primarily to keep the training men from getting too carried away and moving into the crowd that would often gather to observe. For a moment she stood, her arms crossed and resting on the fence, her chin on her hands. He was facing the other way, oblivious to her presence. Lira took the opportunity to observe him. At the moment, he wore black trousers and a black robe which protected him sufficiently from the sun, but consisted of only one layer. In the absence of the billowing robes, leather bandoleers, and tagelmust. He wasn't so terribly intimidating after all. Finally, Lira stood up straight and opened her mouth to announce her presence.

"I was curious when you'd decide to speak up." she heard his muted low voice. His tone had a certain air of humor to it, and she just stared at him for a moment in disbelief.

"How long have you know I was here?" she asked,ducking down, tucking in her leg and squeezing between two fence beams.

"Ever since you walked up." he replied, finally turning around and holding the sword up under his scrutinous gaze, "Med-Jai cannot afford to let people just sneak up behind them, you know."

"Right, right, with your whole mission and all." she chimed in, eliciting a stern look and raised eyebrow from the man in front of her. Still, he chose to ignore her skepticism and continue with the task at hand.

"Now, you will be using one of my own weapons. I think it's only fair that you fight with a weapon equal to your opponent's."

"Sounds fair," she shrugged. Ardeth handed her the weapon he'd only recently been working on. When she raised a questioning glance, he merely withdrew an identical weapon from the scabbard at his side.

"I had time to sharpen them both."

"What are you trying to say?" she quipped, raising one finely curved eyebrow and stepping back, swinging the weapon around by her wrist before bringing it front and center and placing both hands on the hilt. She was impressed with the sword's balance and stunned that it wasn't as heavy as that scimitar she'd dragged through the desert. She may not have remembered her rescue, bus she did remember a good deal of her trek over those miserably scorching sands.

"Nothing at all." he respond, swinging his own blade, much as she had, to the left and right of his body before leveling it in her direction. "First, I want to see just how far you've come in the art of defense." At that, he came forward in dominant, ground eating steps. He swung in from the left, and she blocked easily. He rebounded from the right, and again she thwarted him. What happened from then became an intricate series of attacks and parries. It looked almost rehearsed as the two battled

It was not long before a few members of the camp heard the commotion and made their way to the sparring circle. What became glaringly obvious was this woman's infinite patience and impressive stamina. Time after time she blocked and refused his blows. Aside from the sweat collecting on her brow, there was no indication of her tiring. Her breathing was even and steady, her movements were natural and fluid. Instead of trying to drive him away by strength, which she knew she could never do, she kept in motion with his swings, allowing herself to move with his advances and deflect his blows so that he was making the greater effort to pin down a target that kept moving.

Finally, it became clear to Ardeth that she was a fair opponent and that he must stop coddling her. It was another three minutes after he made this decision that it finally paid off and he was able to disarm her. He had to admit that the sword smith had taught her to defend herself well, but her whole technique was defense. Her tactic, though effective, would never allow her to take the upper hand. Eventually she would tire, though right now she looked perfectly energized with her green eyes flaming with the very essence of life itself. He realized that this was her element. She had the strength and stamina required, and she reveled in the art of swordplay.

"Very good," he encouraged as a light applause came from some of the people in the crowd. Med-Jai women knew how to defend themselves and seeing an outsider exercise comparative skill was admirable.

"Thank you." she said shortly, bending down and taking up her weapon. She knew she was no match for the man before her and his praise was meant merely to bolster her confidence. Still, she stood firm and looked him straight in the eye. His deep brown eyes seemed to study her for a moment, a reflection of deep thought painting his face.

"I will say that your patience is definitely to your credit." he concluded. Lira smiled a faint smile. that almost sounded like a compliment. "The problem here is your size. It is very unlikely that you will overcome any opponent through strength. We need to use this fluid, flexible tactic to your advantage. We just need to find a way for you to make attacks without expending too much energy." Lira nodded in agreement. She had a fair amount of upper body strength, but there was no way she could overcome an opponent through brute force. For a moment, the man in front of her didn't speak a word. His brow was knit tightly and his eyes moved up and down along the length of the sword in his hand. In a flash, though, he snapped from his pensive state and looked around at the crowd. He commanded them loudly in Arabic, and they reluctantly dispersed.

"I'm rather glad there won't be an audience to my humiliation." she quipped, watching them as the filed back between the rows of tents and went about their lives.

"You needn't be so apprehensive. You have the skill and the patience for this. All you need is a little instruction and a little practice." Ardeth reassured. Lira turned to look at him. It was perhaps the first time that she really took him in. Ever since the night of the raid on her camp, when she'd been forced to kill a man in order to escape certain servitude and humiliation, she'd been rather preoccupied with the woman she was discovering herself to be. For just one moment, though, she began to look at the Med-Jai chief through unclouded eyes. Here was someone who stood on his own, assuming the role as leader at what seemed to her a young age. He was, at the moment, indefinable to her in her knew consciousness. She had just begun to see people as independent beings, not restricted by her relationship to them. Just as she was discovering that she was not defined by those around her, she saw that in no way was this man bound by those around him.

"Well, there's nowhere better to learn I suppose." she shrugged, taking up her weapon and assuming the stance she'd held before their last combat. Ardeth looked her up and down, a grin pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"First, we're going to have to work on that stance."

Ardeth had in no way intended for the lesson to go on as long as it did. The fact was, she had a remarkable amount of stamina and a great deal of resistance to the desert heat. For his own part, he had to admit he was increasingly eager to see just how far he could push her. To her own credit, she was a patient student. She listened and took instruction with dignity. On the same note, when the sparring began, the fire of defiance would light her features and he swore that if ever she learned the full range that any Med-Jai warrior knew, she would be a formidable woman. A part of him much desired to instruct her, to see just how far she could go, but he also realized that no such progress could be made in one day. So, somewhere around one in the afternoon, six hours since the sun had risen, they stopped.

Lira felt revived by the flourish of activity, and she remembered for the first time in years the exhilaration of swordplay. Joshua had, of course, forbidden such behavior of his betrothed. He was grooming her to be a proper lady, and "...not some barbarian Turk wench." As Lira thought about that comment, she wondered how on earth she'd put up with the man. Of course he hadn't meant it to be malicious, it was simply the way he saw the world, misguided as it may have been. She had always found it hard not to forgive him. When he'd come home from long trips and she'd complain of his absence, all he needed was to flash that smile and all was forgiven. She reflected now that it wasn't the most ideal situation to be in.

"That's enough for today. Perhaps we can continue at another time." Ardeth suggested, taking the weapon from her and placing it back into the scabbard at his side.

"Tomorrow perhaps?" she asked, trying to mask the hopefulness in her tone. Ardeth smiled in spite of himself, and she was amazed at this newfound warmth.

"I take it then that you have officially forgiven me." he chided. Lira blushed slightly and shook her head with a smile.

"I overreacted, must you bring it up?' she sighed. A light breeze began to pick up and what few strands of hair that had not been drenched in sweat now played around her face. To her surprise, the Med-Jai chief offered her a hand. Lira took it expecting a handshake, only to have him bring her hand upwards and plant a soft kiss on her knuckles. Her heart leapt into her throat for a moment and he released her hand, a look of dismay written on his face. She gazed at him questioningly and finally he shook his head, the expression scattering to the winds as he did so.

"Tomorrow we will meet three hours before sunset to resume." he sad confidently, plucking his robes and bandoleers from their resting place. With a nod he passed through the fence beams and out of the circle, leaving her to return to the healer's tent or do whatever she so desired. He in turn passed silently through the camp, contemplating the feelings that had swept him over as he had kissed her hand. He recalled his visions, the way he seemed to be looking out from an actual person. Whoever this person was seemed to be somewhere deep inside him, and as he placed his lips to her elegant fingers the man inside was brimming with a despair that rang through his very soul. It didn't take much to figure it out. This man in the past who pined for the exotic slave girl never once came in contact with her. More than likely he'd never spoken to her, and he had lived out his days forever infatuated with the unattainable and never coming closer to her than that guard post at the south gate of the pharaoh's palace.

A/N: This is kind of a rushed post. My gracious thanks to Pirate Gyrl. I hope you got a chance to read the rest. Let me know what you thank. The same goes for the other 25 people who've read this far. You know who you are.