"O'Connell does not want to believe he flies like Horus towards his destination," Ardeth lamented later that night to Irene and Jonathan. The three were huddled together, giving Rick and Evie some much-deserved privacy. Irene understood how much the loss meant to Rick and Evie, and this privacy was the least they could give to them.
"Tell me more about Horus," Irene requested, reaching over to stroke the magnificent bird at the same time Jonathan spoke eagerly, "Yes, yes, very interesting...Tell me some more about this...gold pyramid."
Ardeth looked between them, debating which question he should answer. Sensing his uncertainty, Jonathan playfully glared at Irene. "I asked first!"
Irene rolled her eyes. "Very childish, Jonathan. Haven't you heard the saying 'ladies first' before?"
"Who's being childish now?" Jonathan said triumphantly, making Irene stick her tongue out at him in defiance. "Go on, Ardeth!"
Giving up, Irene snuggled closer to Ardeth, feeling his warmth sweep over her. She was content just staying by his side, hearing him speak with the accent she adored so much.
Ardeth shifted, swinging one arm over her shoulder as he began the explanation. "Well, it is written that since the time of the Scorpion King, no man who has laid eyes upon it has ever returned to tell the tale."
"Where is all this stuff written?" Jonathan wondered in awe. Noticing the gold stick that Rick had stolen from him earlier fall next to him, he reached out and grabbed it quickly. "Got it!" He hastily shot a look at Izzy, who was too busy checking the map to see that his prize had gone missing.
Jonathan smiled at Ardeth, showing off the stick to him. "Pretty nice, eh? This is all I have left in the world. The rest of my fortune was lost...to some rather unscrupulous characters, actually."
Irene snorted at his exaggeration.
"If the curator reacted to it the way you say it, it must be very important. If I were you, I'd keep it close," Ardeth suggested.
"My friends, the gods couldn't take this away from me," Jonathan reassured him dramatically, not realizing that his raised voice had caught Izzy's attention.
A struggle immediately ensued as Jonathan tried to hold onto the stick tightly, but Izzy was eventually successful in taking it back. "Keep your hands off it," he warned Jonathan.
"Those two," Irene muttered. She wanted to say more, but soon her mouth formed a yawn instead. After dealing with so much in just one day, she was exhausted.
"You must be tired," Ardeth echoed her thoughts, lowering his head so he could kiss her on top of her head. Irene's cheeks felt warm as she nodded. "Get some sleep. I will alert you if anything happens."
Smiling gratefully, Irene closed her eyes, and it didn't take long for her to fall into the world of dreams.
Ardeth sent Horus off to deliver a message to the other Medjais the following morning. As Irene watched the bird soar off into the brilliant sun, she stepped next to him. "How have you been these past few years, Ardeth?" she asked hesitantly.
"I must have trained more than I have ever done so in my life," he admitted. "Only training allowed me to not concentrate on anything else. You should have seen how I was then. Amira gave me Horus to take care of so I could do something...more useful."
Irene smiled fondly, imagining the elegant woman scolding Ardeth for wasting his time.
And speaking of training..."Ardeth? Do you think you can teach me how to fight? I...I learned the basics of using a gun from Rick, but I still feel so useless. Everyone I love is sacrificing their lives in battle, and there's nothing I can do except to stand and watch. It's incredibly frustrating."
Her hand clenched into a fist.
"I cannot teach you everything in one day," he reminded her, "But I can show you the basics of Medjai training. At least so you will be able to defend yourself."
Irene nodded determinedly. "I'm ready."
"Show me what you can do first, Rena. Come and hit me," he instructed, gesturing to her already clenched hand.
Irene did as she was told, putting all the strength she could muster into her attack, but Ardeth simply caught her hand in his own and pulled her against him. "Too slow," he breathed huskily into her ear, his proximity making her shiver. "Again."
She took a deep breath and tried again, but this time lost her footing and tumbled right into him. "S-Sorry!" she squeaked apologetically. "I'm really not suited for this, am I?"
Ardeth steadied her, gazing at her thoughtfully for a few moments. "In Hamunaptra, you stopped Imhotep from taking that man's life. It was also you who stopped the fight between your men and mine. I think you are meant to prevent battle, not take part in it."
"He's got a point, Rena," Rick joined in. Irene had been too absorbed by her lesson to realize that the others had gathered around to watch. "You've never liked violence, anyway."
"But Alex - " she began protesting, but her brother cut her off. "I'll be enough to save Alex, Rena. You don't have to worry."
Irene pouted. She was annoyed with herself for being so clumsy and messing up constantly. Why, oh why couldn't she get anything right? "It's not only Alex, Rick," she told him firmly. "I want to be useful when I...when I..."
She trailed off. She realized that she had not spoken to Rick about her decision, and who knew if he would let her go easily? He had always been so protective of her, and Irene knew he would be upset if he knew that she was leaving him.
She coughed to correct herself. "I just want to learn," she finished lamely.
"You should see her gun skills," Rick teased, tossing Irene a handgun.
Irene barely managed to catch it. "What do you want me to do with it? Shoot you?"
"You'll miss," he pointed out smugly.
Oh, I'll show you, Irene vowed, cocking the gun. Maybe she wanted to impress Ardeth, or maybe she just really wanted to prove her brother wrong, but when she took aim at the ground next to Rick's foot, it struck its target.
Rick jumped to the side, twisting his face in mock pain.
"Hey! Don't hurt her!" Izzy called from his post, pointing at the small hole that Irene had created in the dirigible's floor.
"S-Sorry," Irene said sheepishly, then turned and smiled at Rick. "How was that, big brother?"
Ardeth dipped his head in respect. "That is impressive. Perhaps you have some fighting spirit, after all," he decided.
"Only some?" Irene pestered, feigning hurt.
Evie smiled a little from where she stood to the side. Irene was glad that her sister-in-law was feeling better - she had been worried about Alex since last night. Irene couldn't stop herself from feeling slightly guilty that she had managed to sleep so well while Evie probably stayed up all night.
"Ardeth, teach me more!" she insisted, dragging him away from Rick and Evie. She didn't want them to see her embarrassing attempts at training again.
"Very well," he agreed. "But be warned that I will not go easy on you."
"Of course!" Irene accepted, preparing herself for the worst.
Throughout the rest of that day, Ardeth continued to teach Irene how to defend herself in battle. He taught her many moves, including different types of kicks, punches, and even how to use swords. It didn't take long for Irene to feel utterly exhausted, her muscles sore and her entire body aching. She had never exercised so much in one day.
When Ardeth had said that he was not going to go easy on her, he had really meant it.
"I'm - never - doing - this - again - " Irene managed between gasps, collapsing against Ardeth for support. If the enemy had attacked them just then, she didn't think she would be able to lift a finger. To her annoyance, Ardeth didn't seem fazed by their training session at all. "Are all you Medjai like this?" she asked curiously. "Not feeling tired after a fight? This is so unfair!"
Ardeth chuckled. "You will get used to it," he promised, hugging her to him. "You have done well."
"She's never been that good a student when I was teaching her," Rick remarked.
"As chieftain, I have taught many Medjai," Ardeth explained. "It is an honor if a young warrior is chosen to be my student."
Irene curtsied to him. "I am honored to have you as my teacher, Mr. Bay," she said, half-joking, half-serious.
"And I am honored to share my knowledge with you, Miss O'Connell," he returned, bowing slightly. "Your brother as well," he added after a pause, looking pointedly at Rick.
Irene stared at him, her brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, that Rick...?" She turned to Rick for answers, but he flipped out his knife and busied himself with it, taking his time to answer. He was saved for the moment by the timely arrival of Horus, having returned from delivering a message to the other Medjai.
"If a man does not embrace his past, he has no future," Ardeth continued, taking the message from the bird as Horus landed onto his arm.
"Look," Rick began. "Even if I were some sort of...sacred Medjai, what good does that do me now?"
"It is the missing piece of your heart," Ardeth explained. "If you embrace it, if you accept it, you can do anything."
Irene sat down between the two men, feeling more confused than ever. She had no idea how her brother was involved with Ardeth's tribe.
"Sounds great," Rick said sarcastically. Seeing the confusion on Irene's face, he pulled down his wristband wordlessly, showing her the Medjai mark. Irene had never remembered seeing it on his wrist before, but then again, they had been separated as young children and she hadn't gotten a chance to see him for years. She nodded, smiling slightly at the thought that their family was more connected to the Medjai than she had ever expected.
"Listen, what can we expect from our old friend Imhotep?" Rick continued, turning back to Ardeth.
Ardeth looked grim. "His powers are returning quickly. By the time he reaches Ahm Shere, even the Scorpion King won't be able to stop him."
Irene shuddered at his words, recalling the first time she had encountered Imhotep back in Hamunaptra. She almost jumped when Ardeth hugged her against him, silently reassuring her that the Medjai would try anything and everything to stop him. But she knew that with the powers that Imhotep possessed, the future didn't look so good.
And if it cost them their lives...she didn't know what she would be able to do.
A/n: I'm really sorry I haven't updated in so long! I can't believe it's already been a year.
But thank you all so much for not giving up on the story - it really helps me to keep writing! After rereading the previous chapters, I knew I really want to finish Rena's story, so I will definitely see it through to the end. Here's a chapter to make up for my lack of updating, and look forward to more chapters to come! :)