Jonathan managed to find some privacy to ask Helima the question and when he actually managed to get the words out without stuttering or making a mess out of it he was inwardly astonished at himself. Maybe he had changed more than he had realized in the last few years.

"Oh Jonathan, I would pleased to become your wife. I was beginning to wonder if you really loved me."

Jonathan gently put both his hands on Helima's shoulders and held her in front of him. "I love you more then you'll know," said Jonathan as he held her gently. "Besides, I had to go ask Ardeth for your hand in marriage."

"Why?" asked Helima curiously.

"It's the custom where I come from. The man, by tradition, asks the closest male relative for the hand of his female relation. In your case, Ardeth is your closest relative."

"I see," said Helima. "Well, I'm very proud of you for having the courage to face Ardeth for I know my cousin can very...intimidating."

"That's the truth," Jonathan agreed fervently. "I don't think I've been that frightened in a very long time."

"But you did face him and that's all that matters," said Helima giving Jonathan a kiss.

"So are we going to live in England once we are married?" Helima asked

"Actually, I thought I'd stay here," said Jonathan. "I've discovered much to my astonishment that I enjoy teaching and I don't want to take you away from the only home you've ever known."

"But what about your family?" asked Helima, "And your twin nephews?"

"We can always go visit them in London and they can always come here to visit us," said Jonathan. "I mean Evie, Rick, Alex and I have been traveling back and forth for years, so it's not like we won't get to see each other. Besides, it was time I quit mooching off my sister and brother-in-law and had a life of my own."

"What is this mooching?" asked Helima sounding out unfamiliar word.

"It just means I've been living with my sister and her family, eating their food, living under their roof and not really giving anything in return."

"I see," said Helima filing the new English word away in her mind for future reference. "Will I like England when we visit?"

"Yes, you probably will. I will make sure to take you to all the famous monuments and landmarks; London alone has quite a few."

"I am looking forward to it," said Helima with a smile giving Jonathan another kiss. Afterwards, the discussion turned and both Jonathan and Helima talked about the future and how many children they wanted among other things trying to get all the details worked out before the ceremony that would bind them together in marriage.

~~~Rick and Evie~~~

Several days after news of Jonathan's and Helima's engagement got around some of the elders called a council meeting. Ardeth had known that it was a very good possibility that the elders would not approve of one of the Medjai marrying someone they considered an outsider, but he had been hoping that they wouldn't make a big deal out of it. The council of course, couldn't actually forbid Helima from marrying Jonathan; they were there as advisors and to solve the everyday problems so that Ardeth wouldn't have to deal with them. Sometimes, Ardeth would take whatever advice they had to offer and although they had authority to make decisions in certain respects they had no authority over who anyone would marry. Besides, in a way, Jonathan was just as much part Ardeth's family as his cousin or Rick and Evie were and Ardeth had always known that most of the council didn't approve of Rick and his family either, but that since he and Rick were blood brothers there was really nothing they could do about it.

Ardeth paced in front of the council as if gathering his thoughts and the council didn't say a word and by custom couldn't until Ardeth spoke first for he after all was the chieftain of the twelve tribes of the Medjai. It was true that a lot of the Medjai lived in Hidden City but also besides, living in their mountain there were twelve small villages placed strategically from each other and some of the Medjai chose to live in one of them.

"Elders," said Ardeth finally. "I know why you have called this meeting today. I know that word has gotten around about Jonathan asking Helima to marry him and of her accepting. I also know that most of you object to any of our people marrying anyone who is not Medjai; however Jonathan asked me for permission to marry my cousin and I gave it just so long as Helima is happy. What some of our people need to realize is that the world is changing and not all Medjai are going to marry others of what some consider 'our kind'. Not only is that silly it could be very bad for the Medjai in the long run."

Ardeth paused and one of the elders asked, "Why would it be bad if we just stick to marrying other Medjai?"

"Because of the fact that not only do all not feel the same way about outsiders, but that fact, that we need new blood or sooner or later our children will either be idiots from interbreeding or they will be sickly and unable to continue our mission. It's true that probably won't happen for a few thousand years but if we don't get an infusion of new blood it eventually will. Also, it would be unfair to forbid other Medjai from marrying outsiders for if we do then we will lose more than a few of our young men and some of our young woman perhaps lose enough of them that we will not be able to continue what we've been doing for thousands of years."

The elders considered this for a few moments and Ardeth continued before they could come to any conclusion. "Besides, Helima has never been in love with anyone before and she does love Jonathan. I had a nice long talk with her just yesterday and she understands that if she marries Jonathan in many ways it will be very hard for both her and him. Just like you some of our people are so caught up with the idea of the purity of bloodlines that they refuse to realize that it is not the blood that makes you Medjai it is the heart. Blood is nothing more than the liquid that flows in our veins. Rick, Evie and Alex are as much Medjai as any of us who were born and raised in the Medjai ways."

The elders sighed almost as one and knew that they had lost this particular battle. They were older and supposedly wise but they were not the king and although Ardeth listened to them on many issues he still made his own decisions on what he felt was right. Ardeth did what he had to, to lead his people well, but the council and Ardeth were not always going to see eye to eye and they had to accept that.

"As long as we are on the subject of marriage, Ardeth isn't it about time you considered marrying? You're almost forty years old and you have still not married and produced an heir to take over after you are gone."

"I have considered marrying, but I refuse to marry just to have children. I am aware of needing to produce an heir, but I would like to marry someone I love."

"There is nothing wrong with that, but why do I have the feeling that you will not find anyone among your own people?"

Ardeth shrugged and said, "Most women my age are already married and the ones who are not do not want to marry me because they have feelings for me, but because they are interested in being the king's wife and the power that would bring. It's either the older women or it's the young girls throwing themselves at me and not because they care for me as a person, but because I am the chief of the twelve tribes of the Medjai and also most of the time their relatives just want the privileges that come with being related to the chieftain. No, I refuse to marry just to have children."

The elders sighed, but knew they would not sway Ardeth on this subject or any other that he felt this strongly about. Besides, as much as Ardeth gave of himself for his people he deserved to be happy. It was one of the few subjects that most of the elders agreed on.

The elders argued about it for some time but finally had no choice but and let the marriage proceed for they knew they did not want to anger Ardeth to the point that he would replace them with others.

~~~Rick and Evie~~~

Meanwhile back in London

George who had gotten back safely after his trip to Egypt, scheduled a meeting with the drafting board just a day after his arrival back in London. On the flight back George had had a lot of time to think about things and it had made him realize that Rick had found his niche in the world and that made George very happy for his friend. Now if only he could be as happy—but that thought was for another time for now it was time to lie through his teeth about what had happened in Egypt.

"Welcome back George," said General Waterson. "How did you're your trip go?"

"Not very well, sir," said George, truthfully. "Charles and I got there okay and after resting from the long trip we tried to locate Rick O'Connell. Unfortunately, Rick O'Connell wasn't to be found at least not at first. About a week after we got there we heard rumors in the marketplace that Rick was staying in one of the hotels in a bad section of town. When we went to see if the rumors were true, we found Rick alright, but that's only because Rick wanted us to find him. Once we had told Rick why we had come he told us that he had allowed us to find him so he could warn us that Cairo was a dangerous city and that we could get ourselves killed if we weren't careful. Understand sir, Rick wasn't making a threat he was just stating fact for Cairo is one of the most dangerous cities in the world unless you either know how to defend yourself or you have a bodyguard."

"Understood," said Waterson with a nod. "Continue."

"Well after Rick said he wasn't going to come back with us, because he didn't want to risk his family with the war going on Charles opened his big mouth and called Rick a coward."

"What happened then?" asked Waterson intrigued in spite of himself

"Well sir, I know Rick O'Connell and he's a hard man to get mad. In fact, the only thing I know that will really make him furious is to threaten his life or his family in some way. However, both of us soon discovered that Rick had taken a blood oath with an Arab friend of his by the name of Ardeth Bay several years ago, which in effect makes them brothers by the laws of Egypt and although Rick didn't get mad his brother was furious and Rick barely stopped Ardeth from gutting Charles where he stood."

Despite himself Waterson winced almost in sympathy.

"Apparently, the Arabs take insults very seriously and the more hot tempered of them would have killed Charles for such an insult."

"So where is young Charles?" asked Waterson.

"Well sir, I was getting to that," said George trying not to show how nervous he was for here was where he began to lie through his teeth. "Against all my advice and Rick's warnings Charles went out drinking alone one night and when he didn't return Rick and I went looking for him and found his corpse in an alley. Charles's throat was slashed."

"You mean he's dead?" asked Waterson not seeming very surprised.

"I'm afraid so, sir," said George. "Charles had quite a mouth on him and he probably said the wrong thing to the wrong person and got himself killed for his trouble."

"Yes, I'm afraid Charles took more after his mother then his father. His mother didn't know when to keep her mouth closed either," said Waterson with a shake of his head. "And unfortunately, I'll have the responsibility of informing his father not that William Heathersleigh will be surprised—sad yes, but not surprised."

"I don't envy you sir," said George sincerely.

"So can you tell me the reason O'Connell didn't want to come back with you?"

"Apparently, his wife is pregnant and he didn't want to leave her just to risk crossing from Egypt to England to fight in a war. The O'Connells apparently are staying with Rick's brother Ardeth in the village where he grew up. And before you ask I'm not sure of the location, because Rick never took me there and all I know is it apparently out in the middle of the desert somewhere. "According to what Rick told me Evie's pregnancy was rather unexpected, because apparently one of the doctors here in London told them they could never have another child after their son Alex was born and Rick doesn't want to risk his wife or the baby by traveling."

"I don't blame them if this pregnancy was as unexpected as you say," Waterson said sounding suspicious,

"It was sir, for Alex is 14 almost 15 and I think if they could have had another child before this then they would have."

The general nodded conceding George's point. "Very well you are free to go, George and thank you for your dedication in trying to keep young Charles out of trouble."

"I'm afraid I failed at that sir," said George

"Not your fault," said Waterson. "After all, you said that both you and O'Connell advised him to heed your warnings and its neither one of your faults that he wouldn't listen to them."

"That doesn't stop me from feeling guilty, sir," said George with a sigh.

"No, I suppose not, although personally I think the world is a better place without idiots like Charles Heathersleigh in it."

George nodded and politely took his leave.

When the office door closed behind him George let out a sigh of relief and silently promised himself that he would keep in contact with his old friend Rick O'Connell as soon as he returned to London after the war was over and that he would get the story behind the story of how Rick had made friends with such an odd group of men as the Medjai.

And that was a promise he intended to keep.