A/N: Arabic in italic
Ancient Egyptian bold
(anything about the Egyptian Gods is made up for my story)
His Desert Flower Ch. 4
(Immediately after the Battle of Ahm Shere, The Underworld.)
Sitting on his throne Anubis watched in disgust as his fallen army cowered at his feet, pleading for his forgiveness, but he knew that would not come so easily. Turning his eyes towards his fallen champion, a mere mortal was able to defeat him and send him back to the underworld. Shaking his head, his eyes found the former Akkadian kneeling in front of him, desperate for another chance to prove himself, rolling his eyes he was almost tempted to send him to the Hall of Final Judgement.
Slamming his hands down on the sides of his throne, Anubis stood quickly which sent shock waves through his palace, "You have failed me Akkadian! 5,000 years I have waited, and in mere moments you were sent back to me, by a human!" Removing his golden mask, he stepped down towards the man, pleased to see the fear rolling off his body, "I should send you to purgatory for your failure!"
Refusing to lift his eyes from the floor, he was once a great warrior, a mercenary whose name struck fear into all that heard it, and until his first defeat at Thebes an undefeated King. Swallowing some spit that was filling his mouth, "I have given my soul to you, Lord Anubis, please."
Gripping him by this throat, Anubis growled that even with the body he gave him, he failed, waving his hand, smirking as the Akkadian screamed in anguish as his demon body melted away and his mortal one took its place. "You are unworthy of the strength I have bestowed upon you." Tossing his naked body to the ground, chuckling at the sound of his body hitting the marble floor, "For now, you are to be at my side, perhaps one day I will have something for you."
Turning on his heels, he made his way back to his throne, his eyes finding the fallen priest Imhotep chained to the floor, pain etched all over his face. Licking his lips, Anubis hated this man more than his fallen Akkadian, twice he was resurrected and twice by the same man sent back to him. This mortal, Rick O'Connell was a worthy adversary and perhaps if things were different, he would have offered him immortality to be the General of his Army, but over the eons, the power of the ancient Gods were nothing more than fairytales. Closing his eyes, he could remember the power that they once had, but as man evolved their new God gained all their love which left them all but extinct.
"The Creature that the Medjai feared rising," he taunted, "only to be slain twice. But this time realizing that his love for Anck-Su-Namun was but a fairytale." Kicking him in the chest, Anubis pressed down onto his neck, smirking as he clawed at his foot. "Where was this fight with my Akkadian? Hmmm? Too busy cowering in the corner like a snake, waiting for your moment to steal his victory?"
Imhotep could see the anger building in Anubis's eyes, while under his mask he looked like a normal man, but his eyes were that of a jackal. Doing what he could to get air into his lungs, but finding it nearly impossible, "Please." He begged.
Glaring down into his eyes, Anubis could feel his neck breaking under his foot, pressing down a little harder, "Be gone from this world and the next." Raising his hand high above his head, Anubis could feel the heat radiating from the blue fire, "May you never find peace." Launching the flame at the human under his foot, he watched in morbid fascination as his physical and spiritual body disintegrated into nothing but ash. Unable to control himself, Anubis tilted his head back howling into the night, pleased to hear the jackals for the underworld returning his call.
Mathayus couldn't help but shiver in fear, it was one thing to be sent to the underworld, but most passed through the gates that led the to their peace, however, it was another to have Anubis or any of the other Gods destroy your soul, you would become nothing, you would know nothing, and you would feel no peace. After 5,000 years of being frozen as a monster to only find himself back in the clutches of the demon that transformed him, he knew it was only a matter of time before the God got bored and killed him as well.
Exhaling slowly, knowing that while all powerful, Anubis was not all knowing and that was a weakness that in time he would be able to exploit. Perhaps, if he could learn who angered the God so by this defeat, he would be able to bring back his head, and earn his way towards his eternal peace. But for now, he would do what he could to stay out of Anubis's way and plot his escape from his palace, for he may be the defeated Scorpion King, he would never stop looking for a way out, for he was an Akkadian first and foremost.
1933-Present Day
Dalia wanted nothing more than to jump into the nearest body of water, but that would have to wait until the caravan stopped for the evening. Using her veil to wipe the sweat that was dripping down her forehead, Dalia was never more grateful to hear Ardeth call for the caravan to stop and set up camp. There was another week or so of traveling ahead of them, and she knew that it was going to be a little harder on her than the rest of the Tribe.
Because this was her first time crossing all of Egypt in such a manner, with her father it was paced out over the course of a month, but this sect was able to accomplish such a journey within two weeks. Pulling her head covering a little higher on her face wanting to cover everything but her eyes, Dalia couldn't help but sigh out in frustration, not because the caravan was moving so swiftly, but that she didn't even think to ask him or anyone about this crossing.
Feeling as though her mouth was dry, she attempted to reach for her water and felt instantly dizzy, if it wasn't for a strong grip on her forearm, she would have fallen off her horse. Turning her head towards her savior, she found herself looking into the concerned eyes of her husband. Embarrassment filled her, gripping the reigns a bit tighter she could only nod at him, "Thank you."
Ardeth kept ahold of her arm until he dismounted his horse, taking ahold of her waist he lifted her off not letting her go until her feet were on the ground. "You never have to thank me." Removing her headscarf, frowning at how flushed she looked, "Why didn't you tell me you needed a break?"
"I didn't want to be a bother." Frowning a bit as he stepped closer to her, moving some of her hair out of her eyes, "My father's sect never made such a fast-paced journey before. It was my fault for not preparing myself better." Attempting to take a step to give him his space but found his hands gripping her shoulders preventing her from moving away.
Tilting her head, not understanding why he was holding her, "Have I embarrassed you?" A little worried that she finally found the one thing that would anger him.
Bending down, Ardeth lifted her into his arms resisting the urge to smirk at her stunned face, "You never could embarrass me, I am concerned for your wellbeing." Swiftly moving through the camp, desperate to get her some cool water. It wasn't until he reached his families fire when he finally put her down, reaching down for some water, holding it to her lips, "Drink, please." Worried that she would outright refuse his help, but to his pleasant surprise she did so without even a scowl.
Dalia had to keep herself from guzzling the water, knowing that if she did so, it would just make her sick and that was the last thing that she needed. Wiping the water that had dripped down her chin, she found Ardeth staring at her, turning her head, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "Thank you."
Tilting her head so that he could see into her eyes, Ardeth could see she was uncomfortable with what had just happened. Unable to stop himself, he gently rubbed his thumb against her bottom lip, "Dalia, you are most welcome." Feeling a set of eyes on him, Ardeth turned his head ever so slightly, finding Menes watching with interest, shaking his head, he turned his eyes back towards his wife, her pale blue eyes staring into his with an expression he wasn't familiar with.
Tucking some of her hair behind her ear, enjoying being able to be so close to her without her flinching away, "Get some rest, I will be back soon." With a last look, Ardeth headed deeper into the camp, making sure that everyone was getting set up and that they were safe.
Holding her breath as he walked away, Dalia didn't know how to interpret what had just happened because it was far more than just making sure she was OK. Before she could really let her mind delve too deep into what that was, the twins pounced on her, demanding that she got up and play with them.
Menes couldn't help but smile as Dalia sat with both girls at her side, it was clear to him that when the time came, she would be a fantastic mother. Glancing over to his left, he could see that his Chief was watching her intently, leaning over, "Have you talked to her yet?" he asked him.
Sighing, Ardeth shook his head, "Not in detail no. I don't even know how to start a conversation with her, the last time I even attempted to, she had shut down completely." Hearing her laugh, his eyes snapped up, smiling when he found his nieces attempting to braid her golden blonde hair.
Rubbing his beard, he knew that this wasn't going to be easy, because he was certain that if Ardeth attempted to force her into compliance she would fight him so much harder and that would not bode well for their marriage. Leaning on his knees, Menes could understand the Chief's frustrations, Dalia was a lot of things, but simple minded, weak, or blindly obedient was not any of them.
Ardeth found himself sitting there watching her for about an hour or so, but soon enough, he watched as she slowly made her way from their fire, but instead of heading towards their tent, she made her way towards the horses. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ardeth followed behind her wanting to see what she was doing and hopefully finding the opportunity to have a conversation with his wife.
Kissing the girls on the cheek, Dalia excused herself from around the fire and made her way towards the corral that held her horse, figuring after a long day she would like some treats and a good brushing. Whistling slightly, pleased to see that Adaj immediately trotted over towards her, lifting her hand to pet the bridge of her nose, "Thank you for today," she whispered. Reaching into her pocket Dalia pulled out an apple, chuckling as she heard her nickering with joy, "You deserve this my girl."
Rubbing her neck with the brush, Dalia found comfort in being near her, she was the only thing that could just speak her truth with, without fear of being shamed. "I embarrassed myself in front of Ardeth," she said, not realizing that he was standing right behind her. "The man already sees me as a nuisance in his life, and now he knows that I am not built for such a strenuous journey."
Sighing a bit, Dalia knew that any negative attention towards herself was probably going to make their already unorthodox marriage even more distant. Feeling Adaj push her with her nose, Dalia couldn't help but chuckle, "I'm sorry, did I stop brushing you, forgive me."
She was so focused on brushing down Adaj, that it wasn't until she felt a warm hand on her shoulder that she realized that she wasn't alone. Jumping around her eyes found herself looking into the concerned eyes of her husband. "What are you doing here?" she asked him. A little worried that he may have heard her.
Listening to her speak to the horse just hurt him even more, for this is how he had made her feel, unwanted, a problem, and just in the way in getting what he wanted. Ardeth knew that he had to mend what he had broken, but it was clear to him that if there was ever a chance for them to love the other, at least from her was hopeless. His only chance of anything now was a friendship and he was certain that was a longshot as well, cursing his name for the millionth time, Ardeth knew that if there was a chance now would be the time.
Reaching out to her shoulder, he was worried that she would yell at him for taking such liberties, but to his genuine surprise Dalia turned quickly, however, it was the fear in her eyes that upset him. Stepping closer, Ardeth watched as she swallowed her fear, "I wanted to make sure that you were alright." Looking over her shoulder at the horse he gave her, smirking a bit as it looked at him with suspicion in her eyes, her horse was protecting her.
Turning his eyes towards his wife, amazed how her eyes practically glowed under the moonlight, never in his life had he seen anything so beautiful. "You are not a nuisance in my life, and for me to make you feel like that, I can only apologize and promise to do better. If you would allow me." He said, not realizing that he was holding his breath, scared of what would come out of her mouth.
Dalia tilted her head, surprised that he not only heard what she had said, but his response to her words. But it begged the question, why now, what had changed, she was still the woman he rejected all those months ago. Wrapping her arms around herself, doing what she could to try and protect herself from the feeling of unworthiness, seeing him move a hair closer Dalia snapped her eyes towards his, seeing a little of the truth behind them.
"Why is this so important now? For the last 3 months you seemed perfectly comfortable with how things were, why are you so adamant to change it?" Cringing a bit as she heard the pain in her voice.
Ardeth could see the pain in her eyes, hating himself that much more, but he knew that if he didn't speak his truth that anything else was a further insult to her. "Dalia, I hated myself from the moment I opened my mouth our first night." He was so tempted to tuck some of the loose hair behind her ear, but he resisted, "As for why it's important to me, while we haven't had any in depth conversations, what I have been able to learn about you, you are amazing, and I want any opportunity you will allow me to truly know you."
Inhaling deeply, placing a hand on her stomach, Dalia watched as several emotions danced across his face, she could see his guilt, fear, and sadness. Curiosity taking over, "And what exactly do you think you know about me?" unable to stop her thought as it left her mouth.
Unable to stop himself, Ardeth couldn't help but smile, for he was certain that even if there was not tension in their marriage, she would still challenge him. "I know that you are aware of your surroundings, which tells me that you have training." Seeing her eyes go wide, "Out of every woman I have met, my sister included, you are more comfortable with riding on a horse then being placed in the wagons, which tells me that your father took pride in teaching you how to survive in the desert." Stepping closer, he could feel his fingers twitching desperately to touch her face, but he gripped his robe instead. "Or am I wrong?"
Chewing on her inner cheek, Dalia shook her head, a little surprised he was able to pick anything that detailed up, but it now made sense of why she always felt that there was someone watching her. Blinking rapidly, "You were there that day by the river, you watched me with my staff?" Her eyes never leaving his deep brown ones.
Nodding, "I did," unable to resist touching her, Ardeth moved the loose strand that was touching her cheek, "I never seen anything so beautiful in my life." Moving a bit closer, "Ask me anything, please." He said to her, curious about what she was going to do.
Dalia stood there for a moment, her brain screaming at her to tell him to keep his fucking hands to himself, but she trusted her gut more. And right now, it was telling her that whatever this was to him was important, and if she allowed this perhaps that there was a small chance of happiness. Rubbing her temple, doing what she could to quickly weigh the pros and cons of allowing him to know her, but nothing was sticking out as a real danger to her.
"Other than your father taking your choice away, why did you really reject me that night?" It was the only question that she really wanted answered.
Placing his hand on her shoulder, Ardeth gently maneuvered her towards a couple of rocks, taking a seat, pleased to see that she sat next to him. Her eyes staring straight into his, he could feel his heart pounding in his chest, blinking rapidly, he couldn't help but sigh.
"When I envisioned myself getting married, I wanted a woman that had a fire about her." Seeing some confusion in her eyes, "My mother was what you would have expected a wife to be, obedient, quiet, and completely dependent on her husband. That was something my father enjoyed about her, that she was the 'perfect' wife. If my father picked you, it was because he thought you were just that, because I am certain if he would have known that you were better than I at the staff you and I wouldn't have been married."
Ardeth could see that she was processing his words, "I judged you because of my father's choices in what he wanted in a wife." Hanging his head in shame, "My biggest regret, was letting my pride get in the way, I should have pushed that feeling aside and taken the opportunity to get to know you. But I was an ass, and for that I will never be able to make it up to you, nor would I expect you to forgive me."
Perhaps it was just the seriousness of it all or perhaps it was her papa's words ringing in her ears, that made her chuckle a bit. Covering her mouth, Dalia could see that he was staring at her like she had lost her mind, waving her hand, "I'm sorry, it's just on the way towards your sect, my papa kept telling me over and over to behave. I fought him you know; I had every intention of riding my horse to the camp, but he said that it would be strange, and we couldn't afford you or your father to reject me."
"But you eventually relented? Why?" he asked her. Curious about why she would just give up.
Turning her eyes towards the stars, "My papa's brother, Mostafa." Exhaling slowly, "Papa almost died at Ahm Shere, and with no living son, Mostafa would take control and he wanted to marry me." Shivering at the thought of it all. "He always told my parents that I was not their child by blood, so he should be able to take me as his wife, but papa refused him, saying that I was his niece."
Turning so that she was able to see him, anger radiating in them, "Instead of praying for my papa's health to return he was already planning our wedding. That is why my family had me marrying so far outside of our sect, not to get rid of me because I was 'free-spirited' but because of my uncle. They knew I would be safest here, so that is why I didn't fight or just be me when we first met, because if your father rejected me, it was only a matter of time before I would be his wife and I would rather not."
Ardeth could feel his blood boiling in his body, her uncle wanted her, while it wasn't surprising, she was a beautiful woman, but instead of praying for his only brother he was planning on a wedding. It was sad, really, while most of the Medjai people were honorable, there were a few that fell victim to the greed of lesser men. Placing his hand on hers, "I will never allow anything to happen to you, if I was taken from this world, my family would protect you." Even from her 'uncle' no one would hurt her as long as he drew breath.
Giving him a small smile, "Thank you." Glancing down at their hands, feeling a little uncomfortable about him touching her, Dalia slid her hand out of his, while she could appreciate a more open dialogue between each other, she wasn't sure how she felt about touching. "What happens now?" she asked him. Wondering what he was expecting now, while he was being generous about not forcing himself on her, as her husband he had the right to if he so chose.
He'd be lying if her pulling her hand away didn't hurt, but it was his doing that kept her from being that comfortable around him. Hearing her question gave him pause, realizing that all he wanted from this moment with her was the truth between them. "I want you to be my wife, in every sense of the word, but that is not just my call, it is for you to decide as well."
Watching her inhale, he knew that wasn't what she expected of him, "Dalia, from this moment, I will let you set the tone of our marriage, if you want to go back to how it was, I will never bother you again, if you want to just be friends, I will gladly accept, and if you want to be my wife, the mother to our children, I would be honored." Hoping that she would choose the latter, but he didn't think that would be a possibility.
Staring into his deep brown eyes, Dalia could see that he was serious about this, he was going to let her choose how the rest of their lives progressed. Her knee-jerk reaction was to go back to what they were, because there was a familiarity about it. However, she knew that in the beginning it was his pride and stubbornness that led them here, but it was clear that he recognized his error and was willing to give her control of their relationship. That was unheard of in the Medjai tribes, especially for the Great Chief of the twelve tribes, so if she let her stubbornness make this decision, she would be making the same mistakes that he did.
Slowly standing, Dalia watched his face fall, it was the visual confirmation she needed to make her decision, exhaling slowly Dalia gave him a small smile. "All I can offer is a chance to learn about each other." Extending her hand, blushing a bit when he took it and pulled himself up. Tilting her head up to look into his eyes, she could see something swirling in them, not that she was sure what it was.
Ardeth could feel the heat coming from her body, this was the first time since their wedding that he had been so close to her, and for a moment his mind couldn't help but wander back to seeing her in nothing but a sheer robe. And while he wanted to let himself get lost in the memory of her beauty, there were other things that needed to be attended to, like the fact that she was willing to open herself to him, and he her. Touching her cheek, letting his thumb gently caress her skin, "I would love for nothing more." Pleased that she wasn't swatting his hands off.
Tilting into his fingers, "After dinner, when we are alone in your tent, we take about an hour each night, ask a million questions, nothing off limits. Is that agreeable to you?" She asked him, hoping that he would let himself be as exposed as she felt the last couple of months.
Leaning down, Ardeth placed a small kiss on her forehead, "Dalia, there is nothing you can ask me that would keep me from taking this opportunity. But the question is, will you really give me a chance, even though I probably do not deserve such things."
Exhaling slowly, she as a lot of things but she was not a liar nor a manipulative person but that wasn't something he would know about her. "You probably do not deserve it, but just the thought of living the rest of my life in such a manner is depressing."
Taking a step back, wanting to get a little more breathing room between them, because while she was willing to try to learn about the man, she wasn't going to give her body to him until she knew who he truly was. "But yes, I will give you a chance, as I hope you would give me." Even though he was handing her the power in this situation she wanted everything to be balanced, for the perfect husband would be someone that was a partner to her, not one that chose to boss her around nor gave into her every whim.
Taking a hold of her hand, Ardeth couldn't help but smile at her, there were a million things that he wanted to say, but he knew that until he proved himself that was all they would be, words. So, for now he would remain quiet, but over the next few weeks he hoped that his actions would prove to her that he was serious and that he was committed to her in every way that he could be. Leading her back toward their tent, Ardeth could feel the tension in her hand, glancing down he could see that her eyes were wide, almost as though she was scared.
Leaning over to whisper in her ear, "I am not expecting you to lay in our bed until that is what you want." He said, taking a guess that was what she was worried about.
Dalia couldn't help but blush a bit, "It's appreciated, but you and I both know that someone will notice that we are unfamiliar with each other, so perhaps lying in bed together would ease that tension. I'm just not ready to give you all of myself." Hoping that he wouldn't push the issue.
Using his forearm to open the tent, Ardeth could feel his heart pounding in his chest, that was not what he expected from her at all. But she wasn't wrong either, his eyes noticed that his father, while happy that he had taken his wife, had been watching him more intently. Turning her towards himself, Ardeth slowly undid the braid that his nieces placed in her hair, "I do not want you until you want me." For the idea of lying with her in the way that a husband can lie with his wife excited him, but it would mean nothing if she was doing it now out of obligation than desire.
Smiling at the relief on her face, "Ready yourself for bed." He instructed, his eyes following hers until she was behind the washing curtain. Taking a deep breath, he waited patiently for her to be done, which he learned from watching her she never took too long.
Dalia found herself staring at him as he slept, this was the first time she had shared a bed with anyone other than her mama and it was a little strange for her. It was the moment he tossed his leg over hers, that was what woke her up, the feeling of skin touching hers. At first, she was scared that he had lied to her and was going to force himself upon her, but he was dead asleep and just moving to get himself comfortable.
It was strange for her, because she was certain any other man that would have his wife in their marriage bed would expect their wife to perform their nightly duties. But Ardeth seemed to be built different, not that she didn't think that he was above consummating their marriage, but it was clear that he was a man of his word.
Knowing this about him made her feel a little safer in his presence, letting out a deep breath Dalia let herself relax enough to get some sleep, because tomorrow was going to be another long day of travelling. Closing her eyes, she pulled her pillow a bit closer to her body and soon enough her brain shut down long enough to fall asleep. Her dreams were filled with images of new possibilities and while it was exciting, she wasn't in a rush.
Menes could feel a small shift rush over his body, tossing some of his special herbs into the fire, smirking a bit at what he was seeing. Rubbing his face, Menes watched as the smoke revealed the huge cracks in their marriage starting to mend and from what he was seeing the biggest one was slowly starting to repair itself. Closing his eyes, Menes prayed to Allah to continue to give young Ardeth the strength and fortitude to continue this path of self-healing.
"Allah, please watch over our young chief, for he is finally on the path of healing." Tossing more herbs onto the fire, Menes smiled at the signs, but there was a dark cloud that was on the horizon. Tilting his head, Menes knew that he would need to speak with his Chief in the morning. "It shouldn't be possible." he mumbled to himself, but the signs were there, "Anubis, you need to get your underworld in order or chaos will reign and you might find yourself without a kingdom." While he wasn't sure if the former God would be able to hear him, he would send his prayers to Allah hoping for a way to communicate with the Jackal God.
Mostafa stared at his brother, with each passing day his anger fueled his rage, Abasi knew that he wanted Dalia and yet he kept denying him. She wasn't his blood daughter, so in the eyes of Allah it wouldn't be a sin for him to take her as his wife, but both his brother and his useless wife told him no. Why his brother kept Zahra was a wonder in on itself, while she was a beautiful woman even at her age, she was barren, produced no children for her husband and the only mildly remarkable thing about her was her bring little Dalia home.
Closing his eyes, Mostafa couldn't help but think of the last time he saw her, it was the day before his brother left, another lie, telling him they were going to the cities markets. If he had known the truth, he would have done something to prevent it, but he was taken for a fool. The sound of Abasi laughing, made his eyes snap open, staring at the man hugging on his niece, hating that the man was happy, he swore in that moment he would wipe that smile off his face. Because of his eldest brother, he lost the woman that would have been the perfect vessel for his sons, but now he was to be married to a lesser woman.
Sparing his brother one last look, he knew that he would get his revenge soon, and perhaps when he was in control of this sect, he would march towards the Great Chief and see his Dalia.
