The water was warm and gentle. The scent of salt floating on a soft breeze. The sun peeked above the horizon, golden streaks awakening the upcoming dawn. Elisabeth took a deep breath in and closed her eyes.

She loved the ocean. Perhaps because it reminded her so much of herself. Calm and serene but also fierce and rough like a storm. After all, weren't the most innocent faces often the wildest? A hidden facade to the outside world.

It was no secret she preferred the coasts of Egypt over anything else. The Nile had its charm and she loved to dip her feet into the sweet flowing river of blueish green. But nothing compared to the ocean. Where gulls flew, fish jumped, and the sound of crashing waves always calmed her mind and soul.

If she could stay there with her feet wading through the water and heels and toes pressed down into the sand, she would.

Unfortunately she was not here for pleasantries. The day was about to begin and she had work to do. Elisabeth stepped back from the shoreline, her heart feeling heavy for a second as she slowly made her way back to the streets of Alexandria.

The French Foreign Legion was the next step of her quest in finding the American. It was the only lead she had deemed worthy so far and she hoped it would prove to be fruitful. How much the Légion étrangère would be willing to share with her, she did not know. The picture she carried with her was all she had to show them.

::::::...::::::

The building was much smaller than she'd expected it to be. The ground floor windows were knife shaped and mostly obstructed by tall standing palm trees. As impressive as Elisabeth hoped the Legion office would be, it felt to meet the image she'd conjured up in her mind. To make sure she was standing in front of the right building, she double checked the address written down on a piece of paper. She tucked it back in her bag, stood up straight and entered the building with confident tread.

In the centre of the lobby stood a large dark mahogany den desk. A sign on the left, written in French, English and Arabic, revealed it to be information services. Elisabeth walked over the the young man occupying the seat behind it. With his body slumped over a stack of papers, he did not acknowledge the woman standing there.

She waited about twenty seconds and by the time she counted thirty, it was clear nothing was going to happen until she would announce her presence herself. Loudly Elisabeth cleared her throat causing the boy to look up with a startled expression.

Apparently he really had not noticed her standing there. He quickly gathered himself and bobbed his head in a polite manner before standing up, smiling shyly at her. "Mademoiselle."

His dark blond hair was a messy mop and clung to his face from the humidity. Now that she got a good look at him, he couldn't be much older than she was.

"Bonjour." She replied giving him a comforting smile.

"Can I help you with something, ma'am?" He asked her.

"Yes, I certainly hope so." Elisabeth answered as she placed her hands on the desk and leaned slightly forward. "I am looking for Colonel Paul-Frederic Rollet."

The boy cocked his head and frowned at her. "Colonel Rollet is not expecting anybody at the moment. Might I ask who you are?"

Elisabeth gasped and placed her hand in front of her mouth. "Toutes mes excuses, officer. My name is Lillian Beaufort."

Using her best French accent, courtesy of her mother whose pronunciation she'd copied and perfected over the years, hoping to convince the man in front of her of her ethnicity.

Though he still eyed her sceptically, it seemed he bought it and told her to wait there for him. As he vanished from sight, Elisabeth let out a deep breath. Using her French name was one of the better cards to play nowadays. Especially considering she was standing inside a temporary office of the Légion étrangère. Using her birth name, which was of German origin, never got her anywhere nowadays.

It didn't take long for the young man to return, only this time he wasn't alone. There was no doubt in her mind that the man walking behind him was someone of high command. You could always tell by the way a person carried themself if they were of significant importance.

They halted a couple of feet in front of her. The boy raised his hand to his head and clicked his heels together before crawling back behind his desk.

"Madam Lillian Beaufort. Allow me to introduce myself, Colonel Paul-Frederic." He gave a short bow. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Something told her that the only reason why he had bothered to come out of his office was to see why a woman was asking for him. Not that it mattered. Being a woman worked in her benefit when it came to moments such as these. It was how she managed to get the information she required on most occasions and this one would not be any different.

Despite disliking the look he was currently giving her, she wasn't going to pass up on this opportunity.

"Please, Colonel, the pleasure is all mine. However, I am indeed in need of your help." Elisabeth paused and reached for the photograph stowed away in her bag. She held it out to him and the Colonel took it with a slight frown.

The man had one of the lightest blue eyes she had ever seen before in her life. His dark brow beard was long and his moustache twirled upwards in a curl. Although the Colonel must be near his fifties, he was quite dapper looking for his age.

"I am searching for the man in that photograph. Do you perhaps recognize him?" She eyed him with a hopeful look and bit her bottom lip.

Paul-Frederic glanced up and hummed together for a second. "He was with the Legion?" He then asked.

"Yes, I believe so. He is an American."

At the word American the Colonel's eyes diverted for a second. "We get a lot of good men from all over the world, Madam. But it is true that not many of them are American, at least not stationed in this part of Africa. You said you are looking for him?"

Elisabeth nodded. "It has been a year since this man was last seen. I have it on good authority that he got lost somewhere in the Egyptian desert. I'm trying to find out where his mission was leading him. Perhaps that ought to give me the chance to find him myself."

His brow stayed in a frown as he looked at the picture once more. "I am afraid that I cannot divulge any information on that subject, unless you yourself are a member of his garrison." He chuckled, knowing fully well that this was not possible. Women were not allowed into the Légion étrangère.

"You might have better luck with the people he was with,-"

He handed her the picture back, but Elisabeth shook her head. "Actually, it would seem that those people are also still missing."

"Excusez moi?"

The man behind the desk suddenly cleared his throat. "Sir, perhaps I can help,-"

"Taizes vous!" The Colonel shouted at him to be quiet. He turned his head back to Elisabeth and looked at her without any emotion.

"I am afraid your search ends here, Madam. I do not know this man. We are but a small office as you can see. Not here to keep tabs on disappearing garrisons. I suggest you either go all the way to Algeria and ask for more information there or simply give up the search. If this man really got lost in the desert, I doubt he is still alive as well as his fellow soldiers." With that said the Colonel turned on his heels and walked out of the lobby back to his office.

Elisabeth bent down to pick up the photograph he had dropped on the stone floor. Verdammt. Damn. It was a long shot to come here, she knew that. But the way the old goat had shot her down actually hurt her pride a little bit.

Just as she was about to stand up somebody else approached her. Elisabeth looked up at the face of the dark blond man from the information desk. He offered her his hand, which she gladly accepted.

"Might I see the picture?"

She stared at him with surprise and quickly handed him the photograph. "What is your name?" She asked.

"Luc, Luc Bonnet." He answered.

"Thank you, Luc." Elisabeth smiled at him.

His eyes roamed over the photograph for a couple of seconds. Could it be that he knew the American? If that was the case that would make this journey more than worthwhile. If it all went well then she would be able to travel back to Cairo tomorrow early in the morning.

Finally Luc looked up. "You said he went missing somewhere in the desert last year?"

"Yes. I didn't get the chance to tell the Colonel, but I care very much about this man." She glanced over her shoulder and stepped closer towards Luc. "I will do anything to find him."

Just as she thought the man was about to help her out, he narrowed his eyes at her with scepticism. "What is his name?"

This was a question she knew might get asked. It was a well-known fact that people who joined the French Foreign Legion are recruited with a newly given identity. But after the first year you are allowed to change back to what it was before you entered. Now Elisabeth could give Luc a fake name and hope he would buy her story. Whatever the outcome, she had to take the chance.

Elisabeth giggled coyly. "To be honest, I don't know if the legion is familiar with his real name?"

"Which is?"

"John Miller." It sounded like it could be a valid name. But the only way to convince someone else, was to sound confident as if you have known the piece of information for years.

She heard Luc sigh and tried to catch his eyes to be able to tell if he'd bought it. Thankfully he gave a short nod and handed her the photograph back. "Meet me tonight at the entrance of the port. Sunset. I don't know much, but I will tell you what I know."

Elisabeth smiled and placed her hand on his for a second, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you, Luc Bonnet."

::::::...::::::

The sky had turned into a dark shade of purple on the horizon. Waves crashing against the boats resting in the port. Only this time the ocean could not calm her nerves. Elisabeth fidgeted her fingers behind her back as she stood at the entrance of the port waiting for Luc Bonnet.

It was a rather peculiar place to meet up, but at least there was a slight crowd of tourists walking around. She was curious as to what he had to tell her and how much he actually knew about the American. He told her he didn't have a lot to tell her, but anything was better than nothing. Elisabeth cursed herself after leaving the Légion étrangère.

If she'd asked Luc earlier, she wouldn't have had to deal with Paul-Frederic Rollet. The less people she involved in finding this man, the better.

"Miss Beaufort?"

Showtime. Elisabeth conjured up a smile before turning around to greet Luc Bonnet. His hair was less messier than this morning, he was still in uniform but held his kepi pressed between his ribs and left arm.

"Good evening, Officer Bonnet. I was worried you wouldn't show up." She told him. "I really appreciate you taking the time to help me."

The upper right corner of Luc's mouth twitched. "My father taught me to always help a lady in distress. Considering you seem desperate to find this man, I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't help you in any way that I can."

"And for that you have my gratitude." Elisabeth bowed her head slightly. She was laying it on thick today, but it appeared that the more she buttered up to Luc Bonnet, the more the man was willing to share with her.

"As I told you earlier, Miss Beaufort, the knowledge that I have regarding your friend is not much. But it might be helpful,-" He then paused and let out a soft chuckle. "If you believe in superstition that is."

An odd choice of word to use, superstition, and Elisabeth frowned at Luc. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Well,- The garrison I think you might be referring to, made a short stop at our settlement last year. They'd come from Libya and were on their way to a location somewhere into the direction of Minya, though I am not entirely sure about that."

Minya was about two to three days from Cairo with a caravan group. But Elisabeth did not believe for one second that the burial site of High Priest Imhotep would be that close to civilization. She honestly hoped Luc had more to tell her than this.

"That city does not sound very mythical to me, Officer Bonnet. If I may be so blunt."

"Ah, that is because I still have to get to that part. However,-" For a second he looked around the two of them. He stepped closer to her and placed his free hand on her arm, lowering his voice. "It is best if we speak somewhere more secluded of this."

Her skin tingled all of a sudden. A warning sign not to trust this man completely, no matter how innocent he looked. Her eyes wandered towards the ocean on her left, which had suddenly grown more restless. The purple streaks of the setting sun were now completely gone. Elisabeth moved her right foot and could feel the cold steel of a knife she'd hidden on the inside of her boot.

"Of course. Please, I am willing to hear everything you have to tell me." She replied.

The smirk on Luc's face was slightly unsettling and Elisabeth made a mental note to choose the place of conversation next time, as she usually did in Cairo. The Frenchman guided her to a more secluded part of the port, not too far from the entrance but still more hidden away for passers-by to notice.

They came to a stop and before continuing their conversation, Luc glanced over his shoulder one last time. Almost as if he thought somebody was following him. He set his kepi down on the floor and grabbed hold of Elisabeth's arms as he stood back up.

"How much do you know of Egyptian mythology?" He asked, his tone serious.

"More than I'd like,-" She replied with a frown, not really caring for the way he was pinning her arms against her sides. "Why?"

Luc licked his lips. "Have you ever heard of,- Hamunaptra?"

Hamunaptra. She knew that name. Menna told her stories about many places and the City of the Dead was one of the places she used as a threat whenever Elisabeth tried to stall her bedtime as a child. Then all of a sudden it clicked. As if struck by lightning, a jolt ran through her body and the woman gasped out loud.

The rumour she had heard a while ago regarding a garrison belonging to the Légion étrangère, that supposedly went missing during their discovery of the City of the Dead. Could that be the very same garrison the guy she was looking for belonged to? If there was one thing Elisabeth did not believe in, it was coincidences.

It all made sense now why her father presumably met with the American. The man might know the location of the City of the Dead. Hamunaptra. Which automatically meant,- Her eyes widened. "The burial place of Imhotep."

The place Ardeth Bay and his Medjai protected with everything they could within their power. Although not with everything, because Elisabeth would not be here if they'd actually managed to do so.

"What?" Luc asked having missed her whispers.

"Officer Bonnet, do you know the name my dearest friend used in the legion?"

The young man cocked his head and squinted his eyes. "No, I do not. But are you not at all surprised about this? Do you actually believe what I told you?"

But there was not a doubt in Elisabeth's mind. She was certain of one thing and that was that Luc Bonnet was not lying to her about that. No matter how unreal or insane it might seem, she honestly did believe the rumour and she had Ardeth Bay to thank for that.

The Chieftain as well as the curator both had told her about Imhotep. How the Medjai were tasked with protecting the world from the rise of evil. However, it was Ardeth who made it clear to her that the High Priest's burial site must never be discovered.

"No one is to know of the location where Imhotep is buried. That burden is only meant for the Medjai.

What better place to hide a man of pure evil than in one of the most dangerous mythological places known in Egypt. Hamunaptra.

"Perhaps, but you have given me very useful information and for that I thank you." Elisabeth smiled broadly at him and pecked him quickly on the cheek.

Stunned and slightly flushed, Luc Bonnet looked at her. Then his expression suddenly changed, as if he had just made one of the biggest mistakes in his life. He tightened his hold on Elisabeth's arms and leaned in closer. "You seem awfully happy about my words. I think I deserve a bit more than a simple thank you, don't you think?"

Uh,oh. The woman recognized that look. It was her own fault for not keeping her distance. You'd think after all these years she would be a bit more careful when dealing with eager young officers. "We could go to the hotel I'm staying at, if you'd like?" She suggested biting her bottom lip.

But it appeared Luc did not care about a hotel. He practically smashed her against the wall behind her, causing Elisabeth to let out a loud yelp. He pressed his body against hers, pinning her against the bricks. There was no way she would be able to reach for her knife now and she started to slowly panic.

"Luc, you're hurting me,-" She breathed trying to wiggle free from underneath him. He was definitely stronger than she gave him credit for.

His breath was warm and his mouth let out a moan next to her ear. Next thing she knew something wet touched her skin as his traced the shape of her neck with his tongue. A shiver ran up her spine. She had to push him away from her somehow. Elisabeth tried to move her legs, a knee kick in the groin was always a good idea to fend a man off. Unfortunately Luc's own legs were situated between hers, making it impossible for her to get into the correct position to hurt him.

"Sa'dony!" She yelled out loud, her voice hitched in her throat. "Sa'dony!"

Luc pulled back, let out a low and eerie chuckle before hovering towards her mouth. More than ready to silence her screams, when Elisabeth noticed a dark silhouette appear right behind him. The man lifted his hand and hit the officer on the back of his head with something heavy. Luc Bonnet let out a grunt and hit the ground sideways.

"Mein Gott,-" Elisabeth's chest heaved up and down and she stumbled away from Luc's now motionless body.

She glanced up at the tall stranger who had very well just saved her from being assaulted. He was clad in a long black robe accompanied by a turban. His face was covered, the only part visible were his dark eyes.

"Ardeth?" Elisabeth couldn't believe it, what was the Medjai doing there? More importantly how did he even know she was in Alexandria?

He huffed before removing the cloth obscuring his nose and mouth and smirked at her mischievously. "Hello, Zahrah."

Her jaw dropped. It wasn't Ardeth who had come to her rescue, it was his younger brother and her sometimes friend. "Samir."

"I'll let Akhi know he was the first one that came to your mind when seeing me." The man replied.

"If that was a joke, it is not funny." Elisabeth retorted.

Samir made a face. "I agree with you. I actually feel insulted , if you must know."

His eyes moved towards the young man on the ground. "I see I came just in time."

It was not that she wasn't happy to see him, even more so because he'd just saved her. No, what she wondered most of all was what he was doing there. How did this man always seem to pop up at the most unexpected times? She wasn't even in Cairo for goodness sake.

"What are you doing here, Samir?"

"Do I not get a thank you?" He arched an eyebrow.

Elisabeth let out a quiet laugh, "I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head against his chest. "Thank you." She felt his body relax against hers for a second, before gently pushing her back.

"Now, to answer your question. I am here to obviously keep an eye on you."

It didn't come to her as a surprise. Samir had the habit of doing so. She learned that thanks to Ardeth and the curator two days ago. Which was also the reason why she wanted to murder him up until recently.

"And under whose orders are you to keep tabs on me?" She asked.

Samir raised his hand, holding up three of his fingers. "I shall give you three guesses, but based on who you mistook me for, you probably only need one,-"

Elisabeth rolled her eyes and did not even bother to pronounce the name of the Medjai Chieftain.

Thank you all so much for leaving messages on the last chapter.

It makes me happy reading all your thoughts and feedback. I wasn't sure if that would happen since this story is currently still taking place in the past before the events of the movie, so I am overjoyed with the kind words you're all giving me.

Thank you all for reading! Loved to hear what you thought of this one :) Until next time!