It has been way over five months since the last update. A lot has been going on lately (all good I assure you) and things are finally settling down. However I am terribly sorry for letting you all wait that long.

I am incredibly happy with the support you have been giving me in the meantime. Whether it's with this story or with any of the other ones I've written. Thank you all so much!

Shout out to 19irene96, LadyVioletta24, Vintage Scotch, Anonymous, Angela and guest. Thank you all for reviewing! They were all such lovely words and they made me incredibly happy.

Enjoy this new chapter!

Just a little bit M rated...Hope nobody minds!

Chapter 20 - The turning point

When was the last time he'd had a peaceful sleep? One without vivid dreams which were filled with turmoil and countless concerns. His mind never stopped thinking, never stopped worrying. A consequence of being a Chieftain of the Medjai. The responsibility for taking care of his people, protecting them from the elements of the desert, weighed heavy on him. He did it with love, but most nights or anytime he would sleep, Ardeth would be restless. Never sleeping as soundly and vast as one should. Because if his thoughts were not occupied with his tribe, it would be with Egypt, the Gods and their ancient culture which he was also tasked with to protect and persevere.

But that had not been the case this time. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Ardeth had closed his eyes as the sun slowly crept up and showed her face from behind one of the sand dunes on the horizon. His thoughts slowly began to vanish, perhaps never really disappearing, but enough to make way for something much purer, more serene. There was a gentle weight tangible on his chest and something had a firm grip on his right shoulder. Ardeth inhaled deeply and a sweet flowery and earthly scent filled his mind.

She smelled like the desert winds, the woman who rested her head against the nook of his arm. It was intoxicating and he couldn't stop himself from pressing his nose against her golden tresses. inhaling deeply and many times to please his senses. It didn't take too long for him to drift off into a peaceful slumber. He kept her close, his arm loosely draped over her waist, but his finger gently caressing her back. He wouldn't mind staying here if it meant to feel this way for all eternity.

After a while, Ardeth moved his head once again, expecting to feel the slight tickle of Elisabeth's hair against his nose. Yet somehow the familiar touch of it never touched his skin this time. He moved his fingers but found it to only be met with nothing but air. Eventually he moved his other arm, which took no effort at all unlike before when it had been pinned down by the woman next to him. Ardeth frowned as it soon dawned on him that the pressure on his chest and shoulder also seemed to be missing.

Finally, he decided to open his eyes and see what by the heavens was going on. He looked at the spot next to him. It was indeed empty, he saw nothing more but the broken white colour of the tent and the red carpet he'd been sleeping on underneath him. Ardeth slightly lifted his neck and gazed down towards the entrance of the tent. He was most definitely alone. This could not have been a dream. No, he was most certain of that, her scent still lingered around him.

Ardeth jolted forward and took one last look around him. No trace of Elisabeth, just his headwrap and the bedroll they'd slept on. She was gone. Frantically the Medjai burst out of the tent and scrambled up to his feet. The sun was standing high in the sky indicating that half a day had already passed. But all Ardeth could think of was where the woman had run off to. He turned to the firepit and noticed the logs had completely turned to ashes, even part of the hole was already covered with sand.

His heart sank immediately and he quickly turned his head as a heavy sensation settled in the pit of his stomach. Had she left him? He couldn't believe this was happening. This was exactly what he had feared, although he had not expected it too happen this soon after he'd confessed his feelings to her. Had she purposely waited for him to fall asleep before getting up and leaving him just like that? Ardeth didn't doubt her capability of committing such an act, though he hoped by Allah he was wrong.

"Elisabeth!" He shouted loudly.

Ardeth paused and listened for a reply, or anything that could tell him that she was still there, but he was only met with the soft sound of the wind. This could not be happening. She could not have been gone that long. He clenched his hand into a fist. "Miss Borchardt!"

A loud neigh sounded a couple of feet behind him and he spun around. The horses. If Elisabeth was gone, she would have most certainly taken Samir's horse with her. She was no fool, she wouldn't tread the desert on foot even if she knew the direction of where she was going. The Medjai ran past the tent towards the large rock where Amun and Sawsan were supposed to be. As soon as he rounded the stone he stopped dead in his tracks and exhaled with relief as he was met with the sight of both horses standing in the exact same spot where he'd secured them last night. Though it wasn't until his attention was drawn to the person standing next to the creatures that he finally felt able to breath again.

She was there.

"Miss Borchardt!"

Ardeth's legs were already moving as he spoke. Within three strides he was standing next to Elisabeth who looked up at him with an arched eyebrow. Completely oblivious to the fact it would seem that he'd been looking for her, calling out to her. How could she not have heard him?

"Did you just call me Miss Borchardt?" A short laugh escaped the woman.

But Ardeth didn't see what was so amusing. Had she no idea how worried she had made him by leaving him alone like that? He grabbed hold of her upper arms and pulled her close, inhaling deeply through his nose as he pressed his face into her hair, almost as if to make sure that she was in fact still there with him. He breathed in once more before pushing her slightly back so that he could look at her with a stern gaze.

"This is no laughing matter. Have you any idea how concerned I was?"

She stared back at him, slightly surprised by his reaction. "Why would you be concerned? I was right here. Everything is packed, except for the tent. I didn't dare to wake you, you were in such a deep slumber."

"I thought you'd left for Cairo without me." Ardeth said, ignoring her reasoning as to why she'd let him be.

Elisabeth cocked her head. "Why would I leave for Cairo without you?" But then she paused and blinked her eyes as it dawned on her. "Oh, I see,- because I tend to do things like that?"

Ardeth didn't have to explain himself to her. She knew very well why the thought of her running away had crossed his mind. Elisabeth was notorious for making a run for it when she felt cornered. It was very easy for her to make such spur of the moment decisions without telling anyone. But she couldn't help feeling a little insulted that he had honestly thought she would leave him just like that. Old habits die hard, it would seem.

"Well, you needn't worry, Ardeth. As you can see I am still here."

The hurt was apparent in her voice and immediately guilt settled within the Medjai chieftain. He reached for her cheek and stroked it with his thumb. "I am sorry."

"No, don't be. I know my reputation. There's no need to apologize."

"Yes, there is. It was insensitive of me. A misplaced fear."

"Fear?" Elisabeth repeated.

"Of course. I finally manage to express how I feel about you and then to be faced with you leaving me already,-" He stopped, not knowing what else he could say about it. It was very difficult to put into words how the sheer thought of Elisabeth rejecting him was making him feel.

She gazed into his eyes, intensely. Surprised by his confession. She moved her hands upwards on his chest and grabbed the front of his robes to pull him towards her face until her lips touched his. Ardeth was lost once again. He wrapped his arms around her and hungrily kissed her back. He'd made a mistake. A misjudgement. That wasn't like him at all. He worried a lot, this was true, but never when it concerned a woman. Yet when it came to her it affected his logical trail of thought. Somehow Elisabeth had bewitched him, body and soul.

He slowly pulled his head back and lowered his eyes at her. Her cheeks red, her mouth still parted. Ardeth hadn't felt this hungry in a long while. He licked his lips and cleared his throat.

"I do think it is time we leave for Cairo. It's best if we arrive before it gets dark."

Elisabeth nodded. "Agreed. I'll wait for you here while you break down the tent?"

The upper right corner of Ardeth's mouth twitched. He felt reluctant to leave her alone with the horses, a little voice in the back of his mind telling him that there was still a possibility that Elisabeth might make a run for it. By Allah, he was really losing it and the woman in front of him clearly seemed to be aware of it as he caught her chuckling.

"You can tie me to one of the horses if that makes you feel better?" She suddenly said, a playful smile adorning her face.

Alright, perhaps he deserved her mocking him. But that didn't mean he was going to let her get away it. "I believe there is a rope in Amun's saddlebags."

Elisabeth's eyes widened slightly and she scoffed loudly. "Very funny."

"You weren't serious?" Ardeth arched an eyebrow.

"Good grief, Ardeth." The woman chuckled and shook her head. "With you I can never tell when you're joking or if you're actually serious."

That caused the Medjai to smile broadly. He reached for her hand and kissed the back of it, then turned it over and kissed the inside of her wrist. "I'll be right back."

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

The journey only took a couple of hours and by the time they rode their horses onto the crowded streets of Cairo, the sun was already setting. During this particular time of day, most people were already on their way home or just returning from the market. Ardeth followed Elisabeth quietly as she led the way towards her parental home. Not that she needed to for he knew it by heart as he had been there before. At first Elisabeth had protested as she was set on continuing to the nearest hotel first to ask around for the American, but Ardeth in the end convinced her that getting to her house for a quick washup and a change of clothes was a better idea.

It wasn't that he didn't want to find the man as quickly as possible, even if those chances were already limited, and thankfully Ardeth had eyes and ears within the town, surely someone must have picked up on something. But there was one thing which Ardeth wanted more. Ever so selfishly.

They rode into a street. A place where all of the houses were impressive and grandeur. This was one of the most expensive neighbourhoods in all of Cairo. Most of the owners in the area were foreigners. Families who'd come to Cairo at the beginning of the 20th century, just like the Borchardt family had done. Many of them diplomats, doctors and archaeologists. Though Elisabeth's father was one the Medjai had kept their eye on since the day he set foot in his first Egyptian tomb. This happened before Ardeth took over the role of chieftain.

Elisabeth slowed down as they arrived at the entrance of her parents' property. A seven foot high white wall surrounded the house and an iron gate at the front currently kept them from going inside. Ardeth wondered if the Borchardts were home, but he sincerely doubted it. Elisabeth would not have brought him here if they were, of that he was certain. She knew how the Medjai felt about her father.

"One second."

Ardeth watched as Elisabeth, as ungraceful as always, got off Sawsan and walked towards the entrance. She pushed the gates open, apparently they had not been locked at all, and motioned for Ardeth to get off his horse. He did as she asked of him and he went through, taking Amun by its reins as he did. His eyes landed on the lemon trees which adorned either side of the pinkish red bricked path. They were no longer in bloom and some of the citruses were already showing signs of dehydration.

For a second Ardeth thought back to the time when him and Samir had been hiding in the bushes underneath one of the trees to keep an eye on Elisabeth Borchardt. It was right after she'd come back from Alexandria. Ardeth had told his younger brother that it was necessary to spy on her because of the lies she had told them about what she'd discovered about the American. But that had only been a small part of it and Samir had seen right through it, even if Ardeth himself had not.

He had not dared to acknowledge that he had been worried about her wellbeing after having heard from Samir that Elisabeth had been attacked in Alexandria. She was under contract with the Medjai, and thus it was only with the best of interest for Ardeth to make sure that the woman would have been able to continue her mission. At least that's what he'd told himself at the time.

Elisabeth suddenly halted and quickly began to secure the horses underneath a wooden canopy in the garden. After making sure the animals were comfortable and provided with food and water for the next couple of hours, Elisabeth took Ardeth towards the back of the house and told him to wait for a second. With a frown the Medjai chieftain watched as the woman opened a door and slipped inside. After a minute she came back and told him it was safe to come in.

"Safe?" He whispered with a confused frown. This was rather odd and unexpected. What could the reason be for her tiptoeing about. Perhaps he'd been mistaken and her parents were in fact home? Ardeth was no stranger when it came to sneaking around, but not in this type of setting.

"Yes. I was worried Menna might be here. She most certainly would have an opinion on you being here. Either that or you might frighten her as you did the last time you were here. Don't tell you've already forgotten about that?"

Ardeth needed no reminder of that event. The second Elisabeth's former nanny had opened the front door, she had screamed from the top of her lungs. The old Egyptian woman was obviously familiar with the lore surrounding the Medjai and she probably never expected to meet one of them in person. She had not been pleased at all that Elisabeth was familiar with him. That feeling was only going to increase from now on, Ardeth reckoned.

"She doesn't need to fear the Medjai." He assured Elisabeth.

"Yes, I know. Not intimidating or scary at all." She sounded serious, but her eyes were definitely laughing. "Come on, follow me."

The chieftain stuck close to her as she led him through the house. It was dark and quiet. Not a sign from anything or anyone. Were they really completely alone? An odd sensation stirred inside of him. He felt like a young boy about to cause some serious mischief. Which was ridiculous, he was a grown man. An adult. He was here on business, sort of. If that business concerned him roaming around the house of another without their knowledge. An insane thought, as this was Elisabeth's home and she was there with him. Somehow that did not diminish the sense that he was doing something he shouldn't. Which in turn only excited him more.

Elisabeth went up a flight of stairs. Broad and mahogany coloured steps, with a beautifully carved railing attached to it. Ardeth knew these houses well enough, but he had never stopped to look at the wealth they obviously displayed. It was a different world compared to his. Finally the woman stopped in front of a door. She opened it, still ever so quietly, and behind it was a bathroom. Simple in the sense as it was smaller than Ardeth had expected it to be based on what he knew about the place. There was a tub in the centre, white coloured and oval shaped. Ardeth had no doubt in his mind that this was probably one of the few houses in Cairo which had indoor plumbing to its disposal. A luxury he actually quite liked, if he had to be honest.

"Let me fill the tub for you so you can wash yourself." Elisabeth suddenly said and Ardeth turned towards her.

"Where will you go?" He asked.

The woman smiled. "I will wait until you're done before I take my turn. The warm water is a little dubious. The longer you use it, the colder it will get over time." She then walked over to the bath and turned the silver handles. Water flowed out of the tubes and soon steam was visible filled the surrounding area.

"Wait here while I'll find a towel for you."

"Elisa,-" But she was gone before Ardeth managed to finish his sentence.

The room was rather quiet all of a sudden and all he could do was wait patiently, something he'd already been doing enough of as of late and frankly, he was getting a little tired of it. Though it was his idea to head to the Borchardt residence, they were on a tight schedule. Time was of the essence. He walked back to the tub and lowered his hand towards the water. It was warm indeed. Without contemplating, Ardeth reached for the clasp on his robe and began to undress himself.

In all honesty, he wasn't sure what he was expecting to happen, but he did know what he was hoping for. By the time he'd stepped into the bath, the door, through which Elisabeth had left earlier, opened up. She halted and blinked at the sight of Ardeth's naked behind greeting her. A blush crept on her cheeks, as she made her way over to a nearby chair upon which she set a pair of towels down.

"How's the water?" She asked. Her gaze focused on anything but him.

"Warm." Ardeth replied as he glanced sideways to her. A grin appeared on his face as he lowered himself into the tub.

Elisabeth cleared her throat. "Good. After traveling through the desert, a nice warm bath is just what one needs to sooth the muscles."

She finally dared to turn around as she heard him splashing water over the sides of the tub on accident. "I'll leave these towels here for you. If you need me,- I'll be in the room adjacent to this one."

"Wait!" The Chieftain said out loud as she was about to leave the room again.

"What's wrong?" Elisabeth frowned.

"I,- Do you have any soap?" He asked instead of the real question currently lingering on the tip of his tongue.

Elisabeth grabbed a bar of soap lying on the washing table next to her and walked over to him. She extended her hand as she stood about a feet away from him, her eyes shifting towards the water for a split second. Ardeth pushed himself upward and reached for her arm, the water sloshing over the sides of the bath once again as he moved. Instead of taking the soap from her, he wrapped his hand around her wrist firmly.

"Stay with me." He told her.

"Ardeth,-" She replied with a short chuckle, but he could feel a slight tremble beneath his touch. Quickly he licked his lips and pulled her closer.

"Ana ayezek." He breathed. I want you.

Elisabeth stared at him with a look of surprise and her lips slightly parted. Her breathing hitched in her throat as she felt a shiver surge through her. She swallowed the lump away and sat down on the edge of the bath. Ardeth moved back until he set down. His chest heaving up and down as he watched Elisabeth dipped the soap into the water. He'd half expected her to laugh and leave him alone, but she hadn't.

Allah.

The Medjai let out a shuddering breath as she began to wash his chest. He closed his eyes and a groan escaped him as he felt her move her hand up and down slowly over his skin. She managed to drive him mad with even the littlest touch. Ardeth turned his head and looked up at her. Elisabeth was still fully dressed, her golden-brown hair messy and tangled up. She caught him eyeing her and smirked.

"Don't get used to this." She said with a serious tone.

Ardeth cocked his head and the upper right corner of his mouth twitched. Unexpectedly he grabbed her hand and she dropped the soap into the water. He didn't know why, but the way she was sitting there trying to act tough in front of him, as if she wasn't affected by any of this in the slightest, caused a stirring deep within him once more. He tugged on her arm, quickly wrapping his other around her waist and pulled her into the tub. Elisabeth shrieked loudly as she hit the water.

"Have you gone completely mad?" She shouted loudly. But the smile was obvious in her voice and told Ardeth she wasn't angry at all.

"I have." Ardeth replied softly as he grabbed hold of her chin and pulled her face towards him.

The kiss was warm, wet, and everything he wanted. He wasn't going to stop now. He probably even couldn't if he tried. Hungrily, he continued his assault on her mouth. Her noises, moans and gasps for air only urged him on even more. He was practically seeing stars. Elisabeth found herself having trouble breathing. Ardeth's boldness was one she had not expected to happen. Least of all in her bathroom of all places. She pulled back and placed her hands against his bare chest.

"I haven't even washed up yet." She said hoarsely.

"That can be arranged." Ardeth told her. "I remember there being soap somewhere around here."

Was he actually making some sort of joke? Elisabeth let out a laugh. This was a part of him she never could have imagined. But then again, he was incredibly hard to read. Ardeth skilfully turned her around until she was positioned between his legs with her back towards him. He reached for the hem of her dress and told her to raise her arms. Elisabeth's heart pounded in her throat as Ardeth lifted the linen garment over her head. The Medjai was a little disappointed that he couldn't see the front of her as her bare back was slowly revealed, but considering how far they were already going, he knew it only to be a matter of time.

He reached for the waist of her pants and pushed them downwards as he leaned forward to nuzzle his face against the side of her neck. Elisabeth gasped softly at the unexpected touch on an apparently sensitive part of her body. Ardeth smiled and kissed the exact same spot, causing another moan to come from her.

Elisabeth shimmied, a little bit awkwardly, out of her pants and tossed them over the tub where they landed with a loud splosh on the tiled floor. Like Ardeth, she was now completely naked. Slowly, she leaned back against his chest. Skin against skin and she felt butterflies erupt in her stomach. Or perhaps it wasn't butterflies but Ardeth's hands roaming across her stomach, supposedly in search for that bar of soap. But he never managed to find it, instead he decided that there were plenty of other ways to clean her thoroughly.

He traced the outline of her breasts, towards those pink coloured nubs where he touched one of them with his thumb. Elisabeth bit her bottom lip, surprised and entranced by his confident behaviour. Suddenly though, his hands were gone and he positioned them to rest on her hips. Why he had paused she didn't know. Was something wrong?

She opened her eyes and glanced over her shoulder to look at him. He seemed lost in thought, doing nothing but stare at her intensely with his dark brown eyes.

"Am I your first?" He asked her before he could stop himself.

Ardeth was unsure why he wanted to know. He himself had been with another woman before. More than one even. Still, he wanted to know somehow.

Elisabeth cocked her head and blinked at him. "Does it matter to you?"

"No." He replied a bit too quickly.

He hadn't thought about what answer he would like to hear in this situation. Because although it didn't bother him if she wasn't a virgin, the thought of somebody else having been with her did anger him slightly. She shifted in his lap, and he hissed through his teeth a little as her behind touched the tip his already present and rather throbbing member.

"You are not my first." She answered honestly.

"Mmm."

"Am I your first?" She asked despite already knowing.

"It is my first time with a German woman." Ardeth replied.

Elisabeth shook her head playfully. "Well, you know what they say about German girls?"

"They are stubborn and don't listen?" There was the Ardeth she knew. Perhaps he was trying to be funny, but she knew perfectly well he was actually saying what he truly thought.

"Yes. Just as Medjai are very easy to 'dishonour'." She countered wittily.

Clearly the chieftain wasn't entirely sure he understood her comment, until he felt her fingers tracing his inner thigh until they reached a rather sensitive part of his lower regions. He honestly couldn't contain himself any longer. He wanted her, needed her. Now. But curse him for choosing this setting to try and have her. It was incredibly inconvenient.

"What is through that door?" He asked as he nodded towards the wooden door across from them.

"My bedro,-"

Elisabeth didn't even have to finish her sentence as Ardeth suddenly stood up and stepped out of the bath. He wrapped one arm around her waist and slid his other one underneath her legs, hoisting her up in one swift movement. Wet and naked, he carried her towards the other room, kicking the door open with his foot. His gaze landed immediately on the mahogany canopy bed standing at the far end of the wall.

With only but a few strides, he stopped at the foot of the bed and gently lowered Elisabeth onto the ochre yellow bedspread. He crawled over her and captured her already parted lips with his mouth. There was no turning back from here. He was exactly where he wanted to be. As was she. Elisabeth grabbed a fistful of his hair as she pulled him even closer on top of her. She moved one of her legs and placed it over him, just below his buttocks. Ardeth tilted his head back for a second and looked down into the woman's blue-green eyes.

"Zahrah..." He whispered.

"Don't stop." She replied softly and of course Ardeth could do nothing but oblige.

He bucked his hip forward and slid into her just a little. Elisabeth smiled and adjusted her position to make it easier for him to go in all the way. The Medjai chieftain held her close to him as they began to move in a synced rhythm. It was different from what he'd experienced with anybody else before.

Maybe because she was so unlike anybody he'd ever met before. Or perhaps it was something else. But for what it was worth. He was never going to regret following his heart, no matter the consequences.

Ardeth kissed her deeply. Her mouth, her cheek, down her jawline towards that soft spot between her neck and collar bone which made Elisabeth squeeze her inner walls around him tightly. Rather unexpectedly, that was when she came undone. Her voice was loud, yet sounded ever so soft as she rode out her wave of ecstasy. Ardeth followed right after that, but to the best of his abilities kept his eyes on her beautiful face.

He placed his forehead against hers and breathed heavily, staying exactly where he was. Something warm touched his cheek, it was Elisabeth gently stroking his skin with her fingers. She smiled at him. A look he'd never seen on her before, but it was mesmerizing.

It had all happened rather quickly, but if it was up to him, the night was far from over and judging from the look on Elisabeth's face, she was thinking the exact same thing.

I think I will leave it here. You know...end on a happy note for now as it as been so long since there was an update.

I truly hope this chapter did not disappoint. Writing love scenes is...well,- not the easiest thing to do. Capturing emotions and such :)

Also, Samir is not out of the picture. (In case any of you are still rooting for something to happen between him and Elisabeth).

I would love to hear your thoughts. Whether it's on this chapter, Ardeth and Elisabeth or anything else.

Thank you all so much for reading and sticking with the story. Until next time!