A Matter of When
An Evil Choice

Through the mischief of two Hobbits Rick discovers his family line travels further back than he could have imagined.

~~~~~~~

Arms folded and eyes set towards the sands, Evelyn stood in silent wait at the door of a large tent at the Med-Jai encampment. Their fates were as yet undetermined and these Med-Jai seemed about as close to a decision as the moon was to this earth. They were very cross with her, that they had no trouble knowing. They blamed her for this and spoke in harsh, furious tones about what she had done and what the party of warriors had not done to prevent this. They argued of consequences and justifications and punishments. 'Let the westerners fend for themselves' one angry voice had suggested, only to be argued down by another, who tartly informed his brother-warrior that if they made that choice the creature would surely kill them all, regenerate and become invincible. She had even heard one suggest that she herself be given as a deterrent to keep the creature busy while they searched for a way to stop him.

Evy wasn't stupid. She knew exactly what part of the blame she was responsible for and just how dangerous her little expedition had become. How could she have known what would happen, though? How could she have possibly known that waiting for her in the desert would be the gravest mistake she had ever made? "What harm ever came from reading a book?" she whispered to herself, trying to flush out the heated voices from behind her. What harm indeed. Aragorn had informed her that before his little trip to Egypt he had walked into a room with two creatures he called Hobbits and one of those had been reading from a book as well, quite possibly the one responsible for the mess he and his Elvish friend were into. Books weren't exactly as harmless as she had once imagined.

Absently, she turned her head to view her companions and saw two glittering blue eyes watching her and inwardly it made her shiver. Eyes like O'Connell's eyes, only softer, more refined and gentlemanly. Instead of looking away at being caught, Aragorn bowed his head and offered her a reassuring smile, which made her chills all the worse. Oh, honestly, girl, she thought to herself, smiling and turning back to the view outside. These two strangers were another of her worries, for their presense brought to mind Rick's absence. Not that she thought she and ruffian were going to go anywhere. In the darkest place in her heart she could admit only to herself that yes, she found that lout attractive. He was dashing and witty and totally wrong for her. It would end in heartbreak, she knew, which was why it would never begin at all. After all, she hardly knew this man. But even still, she didn't want to see him get hurt.

Men, of course, were the least of her worries, however. Right at the very forefront of her mind was that chilling scream, that call into the darkness of an ancient name that struck a chord in her. She hadn't spoken of this to the others, of course, but when that voice called her Nefertiri there had been no doubt in her mind he had been speaking to her. The reasoning for that remained to be seen. Perhaps it was merely that she had been the only female in the group of warriors or something else, but there had been one brief second of certainty and it did not want to leave her alone. This creature, this Imhotep person, seemed quite angry with her, or who he perceived her to be. She shuddered to think what he would do if he truly did get a hold of her. Begging for death was not exactly on her list of favored activities.

And then there was Jonathan. He wasn't too bad off, but neither was he in pristine condition. All in defending her from the very thing she had caused. If these Med-Jai decided to protect only those Imhotep wished to consume, if they left she and Jonathan and the other two to the mercy of the creature…Jonathan would have little chance of survival with his new limp—courtesy of an injured hip, not to mention the danger she and the strangers would face.

From behind a commotion pulled Evelyn from her broody thoughts. "What have you done with the young captain?" one of the Med-Jai, a seasoned man of medium build, demanded of Legolas, causing those once serene features of the Elf's to sharpen. "They tell me when Ardeth Bay disappeared, you were found in his place. By what sorcery have you taken him?"

"I shall explain again, if the word of your man is not good enough," the Elf replied in a hard but civil tone. The Med-Jai narrowed his brow. "My friend and I were transported by some spell and brought into your world unwillingly. I know not who you are, nor to whom this land belongs, but if your captain is indeed where I came from I assure you he is well kept and will come to no harm. Perhaps if you stopped wasting time with small, meaningless intimidations and accepted our help we could find a satisfying end to this trouble."

Man and Elf shared steely glances and Evelyn was not sure what to make of these desert people. They frightened her, true enough, but in some of their conversations she could discern something of the ability to compromise. This man before her spoke with a hard, fearsome voice, yet had been against leaving them to death in the desert. His eyes shadowed a keen intelligence and wisdom as he eased off reluctantly. "Perhaps," he replied gruffly, washing the group of westerners over with weary vision. "Perhaps, indeed. We will see in the end what is true. But you are right. We are wasting time and my son would agree, were he here. I am Abdul-Medjid Bay and you, who have replaced my son?"

Evy noticed the glare of Legolas lessen. "I am called Legolas. I understand your worry for your kin and I regret this has happened, but again I assure you that if he is from where I have come, Lord Elrond will see him safely home if at all possible."

The bold-eyed Med-Jai nodded in concession. "For the sake of myself, my son and you, I pray your words are correct." He paced a few steps and turned his eyes on Evelyn now, causing her to flinch. "You are the woman that awakened Imhotep? The one he called Nefertiri?"

"W-well, yes, I…I am," she replied nervously, thinking again of that hot, deadly desert. "Please, don't take it out on these others. It was my fault completely. I…I woke your creature. My brother had nothing to do with it."

Bay cocked his head back thoughtfully and regarded her. "You take full responsibility, then?" She nodded. "You have a brave heart. And you knew the path to Hamunaptra? You coerced your companions to join you against their will?"

Her heart sank at those words. No lie would get past this man and he likely would blame the men regardless of intent, for they should have stopped her from coming if they were against it. "I paid a man to bring me and my brother out here. These others, these Americans were met along the way. But my brother came for my protection."

"And not the gold." It wasn't exactly an agreement and his features were decidedly unhappy with this business. "You know nothing of the desert or what it holds. This thing that you have done is no simple incident. You may have well awakened hell upon this earth by your western need to explore things that should remain forgotten. And now I lose the best of my warriors." He exhaled lengthily and looked around, then met her eyes quickly. "Tell me what I should do to fix this?"

Evy looked down at the slight tinge of certainty in his voice, certainty that she would have no answers. She would not be mocked. Fire would be fought with fire and her eyes captured some of that as she glared up. "Well, first of all you could try explaining this creature to us. We know who he is and that he's the doom of the world as we know it and all that, but we still don't understand exactly what this thing is. What is his nature? What are his powers? This curse that was done to him, what does it mean? Is there anything that can stop him, aside from anger?"

The Med-Jai watched her little parade of questions mildly, then smiled at her conclusion. "You are indeed a brave woman. Strong and fierce. Perhaps if you had told me you coerced your brother and the man you paid, I would have believed after all." Spreading a hand, he motioned her to the table of warriors, nodding for one to exit his chair. Bay even pulled it out for her and she sat down uncertainly as he turned to her companions. "By all means, if you would help us, please come to the table. As much as I love my son, we have bigger problems to worry about. He may not have a home to return to if Imhotep reigns."

He sat down as the others drew near, Legolas and Aragorn taking a chair and the Americans hovering in the background. Jonathan remained seated in the corner for these proceedings with a wet rag, tending a large slash on his arm. Abdul-Medjid leaned back in his seat and fixed a neutral gaze upon the strangers. "Chieftain," began Naseen, clearly not happy with this arrangement. "Are you sure that this is wise? I…"

The younger man closed his lips upon a glare from Bay. "You will learn your place, son of my brother." Inwardly Evelyn decided she sort of liked this man. He turned to his guests. "My apologies. You know the history of Imhotep and now ask his nature and the simple answer to this is we simply do not know. Some of the ancient texts have been damaged and forgotten. The Med-Jai's most urgent duty was to see that no one awakened Imhotep and we do not fail our duties often. We know his powers will bring on the ten plagues, which explains the darkness outside and assorted other occurrences as of the past few days. My cousin in Cairo has a few theories, but I fear a dispatch there, research and return would come too late. The creature is awakened now and seeks now to destroy. We cannot know his mind fully, but rest assured that whatever goodness may be in his heart, the curse would most certainly drown that out."

"It is my understanding that this creature wishes to consume the life of certain members of our party," Aragorn spoke for the first time in a while. Bay nodded to that.

"He will need to regenerate himself to become fully empowered. I imagine this is the most important thing on his mind right now."

Aragorn looked up at the men in question. "Then our first priority is to protect them at all costs. I have seen for myself that weapons do not harm this beast. If you need to confer with others in another land in order to stop this thing, then we should take them with us."

The Med-Jai shook his head at that. "Better that they stay in the protection of numbers, wouldn't you say? If they were caught together in the desert and consumed he would be fully powerful and more dangerous than we could possibly conceive."

"But he knows which way we came," Evy interjected. "He didn't follow us, but it was a straight path with no turns. All he has to do is follow this path and find us here. Do numbers matter against this thing?"

"I do not know." Restless unease spread through those gathered around the table. "I doubt it."

The oppressive night outside kept them in a dimly lit, shadowy atmosphere that breathed an ominous chill into her soul. She could still hear it in her mind, him screaming that ancient name. Evelyn looked to Abdul-Medjid and said, "Who is Nefertiri? Does he speak of the daughter of Seti I?"

Bay nodded slowly. "Yes. She is whom he speaks of, though why he should confuse you for her is beyond my reason."

"He also called me Ancksunamun."

That produced a more visible reaction. The older Med-Jai narrowed his brow and looked her over. "Ancksunamun was his lover. Why would he call you by two separate names? It makes no sense."

Salih spoke up from his chair near to Legolas. "If you were locked in a casket for 3,000 years it's entirely possible your perceptions would be off as well." He grinned with his uncle.

"Burns," Henderson supplied with a shrug. "He had bad eyes and that's where this bastard got his sight from. Maybe after sucking that Egyptologist dry he could see clearer."

Abdul-Medjid shook his head and crossed his muscled arms. "This is all beside the point. Taking the remainder of Imhotep's targets into the desert is a dangerous task, but we have little other choice. Have you any skill, strangers? Guns? Blades?"

Sitting back in his chair, Aragorn gripped the hilt of his great sword and offered a quiet smile. Bay shared this expression for a moment, somehow voicing a challenge through those black eyes of his, then quickly turned to Legolas. Now reunited with his swords he had two weapons in his care. "I have skill with blades, but my preference is in the bow and arrow."

The Med-Jai nodded slowly, then looked to the Americans. "Guns?" he assumed and wasn't disappointed. Bay then addressed Salih. "Outfit them all with guns, including the woman. Give her a knife for emergencies."

Evelyn's eyes widened. "I…I wouldn't know…" she stammered at the prospect, having never touched a weapon to use against another in all her life.

Bay's smile was soft and reassuring…and amused. "I suggest you learn quickly, then. For Imhotep will not care about delicacy when it comes to attack. You might not be able to kill him, but he is certain to gather allies. You might come face to face with a fight." He chuckled at her speechless unease. "We will take the fight to Cairo, then. Naseen, select some warriors from your men, but leave some of the more able here to defend our people should the creature come here. You may consider also moving the encampment, but I will leave that to your discretion in my absence. Salih, you will come with me as I lead the convoy." Immediately Naseen and Salih left the tent and their Chieftain leaned forward against the table, his fingers finding a cup of water and rubbing against the rim as he focused on Aragorn once more. "I give you weapons because I see something akin to myself in your eyes. I pray you do not betray my trust."

"If there is honor in your word, there is honor in mine," he replied with a short bow of his head. "If your cousin is a master of lore then perhaps he would have help for our situation as well, that you regain your son and the other that is missing."

"One can hope."

~~~~~~~

He studied the weapon intently, his perfect hair blowing in the breeze and his perfect brow creased in thought. Jonathan cocked his head and smiled, gratified that this person seemed ignorant at least about one thing. He swirled the water in his clay glass around. "I say. Having a little trouble there?" he asked pleasantly and the so-called Elf looked up with a shake of his head.

"Nay. I can well discern what manner of use this weapon has and how that would come about, but it is a question that troubles me." He held the gun up towards Jonathan and looked down the barrel.

"Bloody hell!" With a little jump Carnahan was off his seat and out of the path of the bullet he just knew would come shooting out of the weapon at any moment, whether by accident or something a little loftier. He wasn't entirely sure he trusted these people. Legolas smirked and turned it down to the sand.

The blonde turned his fixation back upon the handgun. "I was instructed in its use, but what troubles me is the nature of the weapon itself. This the Med-Jai did not explain. How can a small piece of metal be hurled at speeds enough to do great bodily harm and even kill through such a device? Is it achieved by some sort of power?" He frowned at that. "I feel nothing remarkable about this weapon."

Taking the gun, Jonathan shook his head. "Not magic, my good son. Modern ingenuity. You see when you hold the trigger it ignites a powder inside that explodes, for lack of a better word, hurling the bullet out and into the heart of a villain before his brain can register the shock." He handed the weapon back and nodded to a nearby backless, wooden bench. Taking a last drink, Jonathan set his cup on the seat and dragged the bench into the open to be backdropped against the desert.

Legolas watched him curiously as he approached again, then pulled him back a few paces. The Elf followed him a good ways back and once they were good and far, Jonathan stopped and pointed. "Give it your best shot. The metal gets a little hot when you shoot, but not intolerably. Point and squeeze."

The Elf furrowed his brow in thought and held the gun up, gazing down the barrel in concentration. Rubbing his sore arm absently, Jonathan watched and waited. After a few moments and the Englishman's certainty he would miss the first time, a blast filled the air, followed by the tinkle of broken pottery. His cup immediately scattered into a thousand pieces and Carnahan whistled in appreciation. Legolas looked down at the weapon in his hand thoughtfully. "This is a good weapon. I should like to take one back home with me and examine it more closely."

"Yes," Jonathan said, clapping the younger-seeming man on the shoulder as they began towards the center of camp again. Footsteps behind made both men turn to see Salih, with a worried expression, bound into the area. He stopped breathlessly and frowned when Jonathan grinned and waved. "Would be a far cry from using swords and arrows all the time, hmm? You, my boy, need to get behind a Panzerschreck."

"Panzerschrek?" the other questioned.

The Englishman nodded. "Rocket launcher made in Germany. Lovely piece, or so I'm told. Think of a bullet with fire inside and enlarge it to the size of your fist, with a tail on the hindquarters for good aerodynamics, of course. Where once there stood an Orc will be but an empty hole in the ground." Legolas grinned. Perhaps he could be trusted after all. "Say, I don't suppose you care for strong drinks, do you?"

The Elf wasn't a disappointment in that department. "Aye, of that I am quite fond. My father's brewers are known for their talent at winemaking."

With a sly smirk, Jonathan raised his eyebrows in thought as a pleasant idea came to mind. "Well then, we might just have to take a side trip to this little bar I know of in Cairo. Quite a fine selection of drinks, but don't tell Evy. We'll keep it hush-hush, hmm?"

As they stepped into the center of camp where preparations were being made the woman in question eyed them from her place beside Aragorn. Legolas offered a smile, then looked conspiringly to her brother. "I shall look forward to pitting your bar against my customary drink then."

Carnahan gripped the other's hand and shook it, sealing the deal. "Excellent, my Elven lad. Excellent."

~~~~~~~

Author: Ruse – jedinineofnine@hotmail.com
Disclaimer: No infringement intended. Naseen and Salih are mine.
Feedback: Yes! By all means, my precioussss, lemme know how I'm doing!
Archive: Sure, just please let me know if you will, so I can stop by and see your site.

A/N: Do I still have an audience for this one? :-O

Reviewers:

Patty – Thanks! I'm glad I got Boromir down good then…I lurve that boy! ;-) Four times? Not enough, says I! I could see it a billion more! :-D Hope you're still enjoying and oh, yes, Aragorn does hurt beautifully. That was so cute when that horse nudged him! :-D

Mommints – Thank you muchly, my friend! I'm glad you're enjoying! Being sick SUCKS! So I understand! Great chapter on Heroes…I haven't read your new one yet, but plan to when I get the ability! :-D

Marcher – Lol…sorry, but I just thought it would be so natural, Rick wanting the ring a little bit. ;-) Now Boromir fighting Rick? Nice thinking! ;-) That could be a hot little fight, huh? And thanks for Boromir compliments and liking the Gandy-stick scene…lol. I thought it might be pushing it, but Gandy does seem to be a bit of a smart alec when he wants. Thankie, my friend!

Marx – Yes, Aragorn is a hottie-butt. ;-) He and Ardeth would so be a cool team to watch. I'd love that! As for that Aragorn scene, it's the opening scene of their part of the tale, the first time you see Aragorn I believe. It's just so theatric and I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. Just like in FOTR, when they're all coming over the ridge with the LOTR main music on. Love it! Thanks!!

Lady Dragon - Thanks! Hot guys everywhere good thing. Don't worry, I won't leave Imhotep a corpse forever. I gotta get my mummy-oggling in before the end of the tale! ;-D I've read Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, but not Return of the King, so if this story merits enough interest to travel that far, you all might have to wait a year for that portion cause I'm staying as spoiler free of that as I can. :-D

Karri – Well, I was going by what I saw in TTT…some of those men had a bit of an Arab thing going with their costumes, the ones with the elephants (I refuse to use that other word! ;-). And the Easterling soldiers had the lined eyes and tannish skin? :-O Thanks muchly…I'm glad I'm not shredding these characterizations. ;-)

Deana – Hehehe! I'm glad you thought that was funny! ;-) Thanks, my friend. I'm happy you're enjoying. You should see the movies. ;-D lol.