I'm so sorry for this way waaayy overdue update! I honestly got stuck with the story due to a dozen of plot bunnies with regards to this story, as well as some others, hopping around in my brain. I simply could not decide which direction I wanted this story to go.
Should I incorporate a time skip so it'll be 1926 already? Do I keep Ardeth and Elisabeth together? Should I let Samir back into the mix.
As I said, there were too many ideas going through my head and I couldn't go with one for a long time. But all of that is resolved now and as to what will happen. Well,- you'll have to read this new chapter in order to find out. A big thank you to all of you who left a message and for still sticking with the story.
Enjoy this new chapter!
Chapter 21 - Surprises in broad daylight
The Medjai chieftain had kept his promise and by the time the sun finally showed its face through the open window, Ardeth had managed to sleep no more than give or take four hours. But that was all he needed for he felt incredibly energized, which was a bit funny considering what he'd been doing throughout the night. He turned his head to the side and watched the woman next to him, sleeping peacefully. At least, he figured she was asleep. Her back was turned to him and her chest seemed to move in a slow manner.
He stretched his arm and gently touched her golden-brown hair. The action caused Elisabeth to emit a sound and she stirred. Without waiting, Ardeth immediately moved closer and wrapped his hand around her waist, pulling her naked body against him. He pressed his nose against the crook of her neck and inhaled deeply, letting out a low growl as his senses were hit by a scent of flowers and oranges.
"Sabah Al Khair." Elisabeth said softly.
"Mmm, Sabah Al Nour." Ardeth replied, wishing her a good morning too.
"Did you sleep well?" She asked.
He had. Just like yesterday, he had another most peaceful sleep. Only this time it had been better. This time, he hadn't woken up with the thought that she might have left him in the middle of the night. They'd been intertwined for most of it so she couldn't really have escaped, even if she'd wanted to. But Ardeth felt it in his soul that Elisabeth had no plans on walking out on him. Not anymore. He wasn't sure why he was so certain, as yesterday morning he had indeed thought she'd disappeared and abandoned him in the desert.
"Did we sleep?" He questioned her, a coy smile forming on the lower half of his face. He felt Elisabeth chuckle.
"I'm not sure." She replied eventually and she finally turned to face him.
Playfully, she slipped her leg over his thigh, inching closer and Ardeth could already feel the lower part of his body respond to her eagerly. Apparently there was no lack of sleep down there either.
"You want to 'not' sleep some more?" Elisabeth whispered and she licked his bottom lip.
Naturally Ardeth answered in the only manner he was capable of at that moment. He slanted his mouth over hers and slipped his tongue inside. At the same time, he maneuvered himself in such a manner that his tongue was not the only thing currently slipping into Elisabeth. A moaned escaped her and soon Ardeth and Elisabeth resumed their dance of intimacy until the sun had fully risen.
::::::...::::::
About an hour later, as they were finally getting out of bed, a loud knocking coming from the front door drew the pair back to reality. Quietly, Ardeth and Elisabeth turned their heads towards each other.
"Are you expecting company?" Ardeth asked her.
Elisabeth shook her head. "Probably somebody from the market coming by with fresh fish. Something Menna arranged a while ago, that way she can pick out the best fish before anybody else can. If we're quiet, they might go away." She whispered as she pressed her index finger against her lips and tiptoed towards the window.
But as she'd soon find out, it wasn't somebody from the market either and the person was not planning on leaving anytime soon. Elisabeth's former nanny, Menna, had already opened the door by the time she reached the open window.
"Sabah Al Khair." Menna greeted the man in front of the door. "May I help you?"
"Good morning, Madame. I'm looking for Ardeth Bay." The infamous voice of Dr. Terence Bey sounded. "My sources tell me he is currently staying at the Borchardt residence. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to gather him,-"
"Ardeth Bay?" Menna repeated.
Elisabeth's eyes widened and she quickly turned away from the window. Terence Bey. This man was going to be the death of her one day. She looked up at Ardeth, who had also noticed who it was standing in front of the house, searching for him no less.
"This is unexpected." He noted as he stepped towards Elisabeth.
"Unexpected? It's a nightmare." She hissed at him. "How does he know you're here?"
She glanced over her shoulder again as Menna and Terence Bey continued their conversation.
"I do not know a man with such a name." Menna told the curator.
Elisabeth couldn't believe what she was hearing. Menna knew very well who Ardeth was. Well,- very well was a bit of an understatement. But she knew who he was as she'd met him once before. Was she purposely lying or had she simply forgotten his name? She wasn't as young as she used to be.
"You sure? But perhaps you have seen him? Tall man with dark hair and a dark beard. Tattoos on his face?" Terence pointed at his own cheekbones as he said the latter.
Menna took a while to answer and Elisabeth cursed under her breath, if she had been lying about knowing Ardeth by name, Terence Bey would now surely know that the old woman knew something.. "I have seen the man you describe. But it was a long time ago. I'm afraid that at the moment it is only me who is here."
"Funny. Because I do believe that I spotted two horses standing right outside in this garden and one of those horses belongs to the man I am looking for."
Dr. Bey pointed to his right and Menna actually stepped out of the house to go and see. Sure enough, there were two horses standing right there next to each other. Now, Elisabeth couldn't see Menna's expression from where she was standing, but the woman rapidly turned around and headed back inside.
A loud and heavily accented, "Elisabeth!" sounded from the downstairs area.
"Mein Gott." Elisabeth exclaimed with a groan.
Menna hardly ever called her by her name, unless she was upset with her. Which she apparently seemed to be. It was her own fault for not letting Menna know in some way that she'd arrived at the estate last night, but considering she'd brought Ardeth with her, she had been planning on avoiding her former nanny for as long as was possible.
"I think it might be best if I go down there and greet him." Ardeth said and without further ado, he walked back towards the bathroom where he'd left his clothes the day before.
His outfit might not be in the best shape as they were still dirty from the desert's sand, but he couldn't show up in front of Dr. Bey without any clothes on. However, when he entered the bathroom, his pants, his shirt and robe were no longer there. Only his turban. The Medjai frowned and turned around to see Elisabeth entering the room behind him. She quickly reached for a bathrobe and put it on.
"Zahrah? Where are my clothes?" He asked her.
"I put them away. They were covered in sand." She stated matter-of-factly.
"And my saddlebags?" He continued, as he did have more than one pair of clothing with him. Thankfully, as it now turned out.
But he didn't like the way Elisabeth pressed her lips in a tight line. Because what Ardeth didn't know and she did, was that the saddlebags were indeed in the house. But unfortunately those were nowhere near her room or the bathroom. He let out an irritable sigh as he realized he was very well sort of stuck in this current situation.
"I will take care of Dr. Bey." She told him and she tightened the cord around her robe. "You wait here and don't go out like this into the hallway unless you want to scare,-"
Elisabeth didn't get the chance to finish her sentence as the other door, connecting the bathroom to the hallway, flew open. An elderly looking woman stood in the entrance and her eyes immediately widened at the sight of a naked Ardeth and scarcely dressed Elisabeth standing before her. Just like the first time they'd met, Menna screamed from the top of her lungs and Ardeth quickly stumbled out of the bathroom back into Elisabeth's bedroom.
"Menna..." The young woman ran up towards her former nanny and grabbed hold of her shoulders. With a gentle nudge she managed to push the elderly lady back into the hallway.
"What is this, habibti? What did you do? Why is he here?" Menna stared, still wide-eyed and her hand pointing at the now closed door. "He is Medjai!"
"Yes, ammah. I know. I'm sorry for not telling you I'd returned with company."
As best as she could to divert from the obvious elephant in the room, there was no point in denying what had happened behind closed doors. Menna might be old, but the lady was no fool. She'd been young once too. Elisabeth could guess with almost a hundred percent certainty that Menna knew what she'd done.
"Company? My eyes do not deceive me, Elisabeth. This is not right. He is not your husband." Menna went on. "If your father was here,-"
Elisabeth wasn't going to win this battle. Not now at least and there was still the matter of Ardeth being in there with no clothes and Dr. Bey currently downstairs waiting for probably anyone to show up. Thank the heavens her father and mother were nowhere near Egypt at the moment.
"Menna, we will talk about this later. I want you to go downstairs and fetch,-" But again for the second time that day she was interrupted by a door opening up behind her. It was Ardeth, wearing his dark black robe from yesterday. Apparently he'd found it in the basket meant for washing clothes.
"Madame." He greeted her. " Salaam Al Khair."
Menna opened her mouth but no words came out. Her eyes moved back and forth between the Medjai and Elisabeth. Ardeth bowed his head and then veered off into the direction of the staircase. Elisabeth hurried after him.
"Ardeth, where are you going?"
"To meet Dr. Bey. That is why he is here." Ardeth replied as he kept descending the steps.
"Yes, I know the reason for him being here. What I don't understand is why you are listening to him?" Elisabeth questioned. "If he sees you with the way that you look, then he will,-"
Abruptly Ardeth halted at the bottom of the stairs and Elisabeth placed her hands quickly on his shoulders as to not crash into him. He turned around and looked up at her. He could hear concern in her voice and it was also evident on her face. But he didn't understand why. He had a hunch though.
"Then he will what?" Ardeth arched one of his eyebrows.
"He will,- well, you know." She motioned up and down with her hand a him. Ardeth may be wearing his robe, but even Elisabeth could tell there was nothing more underneath. No pants, no undershirt. On top of that he wasn't wearing any shoes either. If Dr. Bey saw his fellow Medjai this way as well as Elisabeth who was wearing just her morning robe, even someone like the museum's curator would be able to put one and two together.
"Am I correct in thinking you don't want him to know about what happened between us?" Ardeth eventually asked.
"You most certainly are." Elisabeth confirmed.
The chieftain frowned. "Why?"
"Because,- that is obvious, isn't not?" But when Ardeth didn't reply, Elisabeth continued. "Because you are you and I am me. The Medjai chieftain and Ludwig Borchardt's daughter sharing the same bed? He won't accept it. You saw Menna's reaction, nobody will accept it."
Ardeth let out a sigh and grabbed hold of Elisabeth's face with both his hands. "I accept it, Zahrah. Is that not all that matters?"
His dark brown eyes searched hers, but his words had rendered her speechless. Did Ardeth really not care how others might feel about this? He was a chieftain and not just any kind, but one of the Medjai. He was a highly influential man amongst his people and the tribes that resided in the desert. He helped persevere Egypt most well kept secrets. Kept important treasures and artifacts safe from the Western world. And what was she?
The daughter of an Egyptologist who desecrated several tombs of kings and queens. A man who found and then smuggled the famed statue of Queen Nefertiti out of the country. If that wasn't reason enough, Elisabeth had committed her own fair share of crimes. Sure, she'd done some good deeds here and there for Terence Bey at some point, but that didn't take away the fact that she was also a criminal. A manipulator, a tradesman, who had sold multiple ancient artefacts to those willing to pay the most.
Could they really have a peaceful relationship at some point even if the whole world turned out to be against the two of them being together?
"Ardeth,-" But Elisabeth paused as she spotted Dr. Terence Bey walking through the front door and entering the grand hallway.
Whatever was to happen next, there was no possibility for Elisabeth nor Ardeth to hide what was going on. It was more than obvious for anybody watching the scene before them and as expected, Terence stopped a couple of feet behind them. His gaze observed the pair closely and the upper corner of his mouth moved upward, but it was not a smile. He cleared his throat loudly and Ardeth lowered his hands from Elisabeth's face.
"Miss Borchardt." Terence nodded, his voice low and short.
"Dr. Bey. I'm sorry for the wait. To what do I owe the pleasure of your unexpected visit?" The woman greeted as she stepped around Ardeth in her white robe.
"Actually, the pleasure, it would seem, is his." Dr. Bey turned his head towards Ardeth, though his comment more than obviously held a double entendre. "I'm afraid we have a situation on our hands and we need to talk. At the museum. Immediately and alone." He added.
Ardeth straightened himself and bobbed his head. "Of course. I will follow you within five minutes."
The other man let out a seemingly annoyed huff, but bowed his head slightly nonetheless. "Very well. Goodbye, miss Borchardt."
He then quickly made his way out of the estate and Elisabeth let out a shuddering breath.
"That was highly unpleasant."
"Something tells me it will be even more unpleasant if I don't head there as soon as possible. Where are the saddlebags?" Ardeth asked hastily.
"In the study." Elisabeth told him and she guided him towards said room.
As said, the bags were on the floor. Ardeth quickly crouched down and opened the one containing his clothes. He pulled a fresh pair of pants, a shirt and a wrap for his turban. The robes the Medjai wore were too big to carry an extra pair of when traveling, thus the one he was currently wearing on his shoulders would have to do. He'd clean it later after his talk with Terence.
Elisabeth shut the door to the study as Ardeth changed as fast as he could. When he was done refastening his robe, he turned to the girl and threw her a small smile. "I'd better go."
"Yes, I'm not in the mood for another visit by Dr. Bey if I'm being completely honest." Elisabeth replied shortly.
"Agreed." Ardeth stepped closer and slipped his hand behind her neck. "I will return shortly. Will I find you here?"
"Most likely."
Ardeth leaned in and captured her lips with his. This conversation with his older friend better be over soon. He followed the deep kiss with a shorter one and then pressed his forehead against Elisabeth's. "I'll be quick."
He left the room before Elisabeth managed to say a goodbye, but perhaps Ardeth leaving so swiftly was for the best for both of them. For as Elisabeth turned around to move the saddlebags to a different location, something on the floor caught her eye. It was a book of some sort. Leather bound. It looked incredibly familiar, in fact,- Elisabeth bent through her knees and picked it up. This was hers.
Her journal. The one she'd brought with her to Minya. Through the desert. And then the attack on the camp happened. The most horrid night of her life where she'd almost lost her dear friend, Samir. An image of Ardeth's brother flashed through her mind and Elisabeth stood back up with her journal in her hand. She thought she'd lost it somewhere along the dangerous journey to the Medjai camp. Apparently she hadn't for here it was and it had fallen out of Ardeth's saddlebags.
Her heart suddenly pounded deeply in her chest and a weird sensation shot through her stomach. How did he find it? But more importantly, how long and why had he been keeping it from her?
The Museum of Antiquities
Ardeth wasted no time with getting to the museum. The sudden appearance of Terence at the Borchardt house had indeed been quite the surprise and he wondered what the older member of the Medjai wanted from him. He'd said it was something that simply couldn't wait but apparently also couldn't be said in front of Elisabeth. He hurried into the museum and up the steps towards the curator's office. Without knocking he opened the door and entered. Terence was already sitting in his chair at his desk, hands folded against each other and pressed against his lower lip.
"Ah, there you are. For a minute I was afraid you were going to take your time." The bald man commented, earning himself a stern glare from the Medjai Chieftain.
"You have no reason to doubt my words of promise, friend. Now that I'm here, I would like to get to the point. You said there was a situation that needed my attention?"
"Yes, but it seems,-" He paused and pushed his chair back. "That there is more than one situation now that needs our attention, which I will address first."
"Please, speak." Ardeth ushered the man.
"This morning, I was enjoying a stroll through the neighbourhood where Miss Borchardt just so happens to live, when all of a sudden I noticed two horses, very familiar horses, having their breakfast in the very same garden where, as I said earlier, Miss Borchardt just so happens to live. As I had not received any notice whatsoever of you being in Cairo, I figured something important must be going on. So, I took matters into my own hands, walked up to the door and hoped for the best."
Terence walked around his desk towards the fire place, where he traced the outline of its mantel. "I might have exaggerated my knowledge in knowing if you were really there, but the reaction I got from that elderly kind lady was confirmation enough. Though to be frank, she seemed just as surprised as I was with your presence there?"
"They stay was only for one night. We arrived in Cairo at a late hour and the easiest option was to spent the night in Miss Borchardt's house."
It wasn't in Ardeth's nature to lie. But if he told Terence the truth, on how they'd arrived last night just as the sun had set and they'd only been planning to stop for a few hours before continuing the search for the American, the old man would most certainly doubt the younger Medjai's leadership qualities. Thinking he might choose a woman over his duties as chieftain.
Terence Bey stared at him, pursed his lips and then clacked his tongue. "Am I wrong to assume,- that you spent the night in rather close quarters of Miss Elisabeth Borchardt?"
It was obvious what the man meant, he didn't have to literally say it and although in any other circumstances it was none of his business, considering who Elisabeth was, perhaps Ardeth owed him some form of explanation.
"You are not wrong. Miss Borchardt and I,- we've gotten close these past few days. Unexpectedly so. A lot has happened since she left Port Giza and met up with Samir in Minya. You've received my letter on what took place?"
This time Ardeth waited for Terence to reply, though a part of him saw no need to justify his reasons for haven fallen in love with Elisabeth. Fallen in love. A tingling feeling erupted in his stomach and Ardeth felt a warm wave embrace him. He hadn't used that word to describe his feelings for her before. Not for himself. He'd used it for how his brother felt about Elisabeth, he'd used it as a question for Elisabeth if she loved his younger brother. But not once had he used it to describe his own feelings. That what he was feeling for her,- was love.
"Ardeth, I applaud Miss Borchardt for saving the life of your brother. As well as for managing to get him back home through the desert while he was mortally wounded. That was no easy feat, and it shows how courageous she is. But I also recall you telling me that she'd kept information about the American and the knowledge her father apparently had on Hamunaptra. Don't tell me you forgot about that?"
Of course Ardeth hadn't. But in the end, they were minor things compared to what he had seen from her over the past weeks. The real side of Elisabeth. The part where he saw there was more to her than a woman who he initially believed to not have any sort of honour or morals unless it had to do with money. But as time passed by, he'd seen a woman who protected those she cared for without valuing her own safety. In the end he knew she would always turn down money and treasures if she had to choose between that or the people she loved.
"I did not forget." Ardeth replied. "But Elisabeth and I,-"
"Oh, you have lost your senses. Elisabeth and I?" Terence exclaimed with a shake of his head. "I cannot believe what I'm hearing. Of all the women you could have,- Miss Borchardt? Elisabeth Borchardt?!" Terence's voice had turned into a high pitched shrill by now.
He began pacing around the room, rubbing the back of his neck, halting and turning his eyes towards Ardeth again. He muttered something and went back to walking across the floor. The Medjai Chieftain knew his confession was bound to stir some emotions within his family's friend. But it seemed the old man was more shocked by the news than he'd expected him to be.
"You're not serious about this. You simply can't be! She is the daughter of a man who stole various artifacts of our people. Desecrated multiple tombs. Lied about exporting incredible things of value overseas. Not to mention she's also infamous for having committed the same sort of crimes,- Like father, like daughter."
"I thought the reason for asking for her aid in finding the American was exactly because of all of that? You suggested it yourself." Ardeth reminded him.
"I never suggested it, I agreed to it. It was your brother Samir who inspired the idea. I was against it because I figured she would ultimately choose her father's legacy over helping persevere the history of our people." Finally Terence Bey stopped his nervous pacing and he reached into his pocket to pull out a small white piece of cloth.
He pressed it against his brow. "But Samir assured me that she would support our cause over her father. Considering he is your brother, I trusted his judgement. And now that this has happened,-" He waved his hand. "You know, I would have expected this to happen between her and Samir at some point."
Ardeth angrily ignored Terence's latter comment as it was something that at some point had come extremely close to actually happening, but it was not something he wanted to think about. What he had to do now was set the record straight. That he knew what he was doing and that he was going to always be committed to his own people and the job the Medjai had in this world.
"You think she's clouding my judgement?"
"She's a woman. Of course she is clouding your judgement. You know the consequences of what happens to those who betray the trust of the Medjai. I'm not saying it will happen. Your brother certainly doesn't think so. But if, in the end, she does misuses her knowledge of Hamunaptra,- you'd better be ready to deal with it."
"It won't come to that. Like my brother, I also believe she won't betray us."
Dr. Bey let out a deep sigh, but seemed to accept Ardeth's words. It wasn't that he disliked Elisabeth. No that honour was reserved for her father. But Terence didn't want Ardeth to make a mistake simply because he might think he was feeling something for that German girl.
"Fine. Now, as for the other situation I need to inform you on." He began as he walked back to his desk and sat down in his chair.
The Borchardt residence
Ardeth had only left a few minutes ago, but Elisabeth hadn't moved an inch since. She'd opened her journal and was flipping through the pages. It was best to assume Ardeth had most likely read it. All of it. But how much he'd been able to decipher was a question she wouldn't get an answer on until the man himself would provide her with one. She knew he didn't understand German, thus those parts had most likely not been read. But there were plenty of entries written in English and Arabic. Which meant Ardeth probably found out that Elisabeth had learned a lot more about not just Hamunaptra but the American as well. Things she hadn't mentioned to him at all.
But why was she feeling guilty about that? There had hardly been any time for that talk. She'd discovered all of those things when she was traveling with Samir. Before the attack on camp and before her stay at the Medjai tribe. Yes, she could have talked to Ardeth about her discoveries during her stay there. There had been more than enough opportunities for it, so why hadn't she? It no longer mattered, he knew enough now. But then why hadn't he told her that he knew? Shouldn't he be angry? Ardeth always got angry when she didn't immediately inform him of things. Though, that was before she saved Samir's life.
He must have known this for a while now. Was that why he joined her on her journey back to Cairo? Was that why he'd kissed her? Told her she was beautiful? Slept with her? All because he needed to stay close to her because of what she knows? No. She didn't want to believe that. Her hands trembled slightly as she placed the book on a bench, deciding on leaving it in plain view, next to Ardeth's saddlebags. They were going to have this talk. No matter the consequences.
Elisabeth walked out of the study and entered the hallway. Another thing she had to take care of now was have a conversation with Menna before that matter got out of hand or worse, before he father was to hear of it. Though she was certain she'd be able to convince Menna to keep it a secret from her parents. At least, she hoped so.
She placed her foot on the bottom step of the staircase when for the second time that day the bell hanging at the front door chimed too cheerfully through the hall. Elisabeth clenched her hand into a fist and frustratingly walked into the direction of the front door, each step of her bare feet clapping loudly on the cold marble stones. With a scowl adorning her face, Elisabeth pulled the door open and narrowed her eyes as the rays of the sun shone brightly into her face.
"Oh, good morning." An unfamiliar voice greeted her and the man who'd spoken took a step to the side to shield Elisabeth from the intense glare of the sun.
Elisabeth blinked and looked up at the gentleman standing in front of her. Within a split second her eyes widened and her lips involuntarily parted. If she'd been holding anything in her hands, she would have most likely dropped it. Her mouth went dry and the palms of her hands began to perspire. He looked different from the picture she had of him. His brown hair was messy and hung just above his cheekbones, his beard scruffy and unkept. But there was no doubt about it. She recognized him immediately.
"Hello, my name is Richard O'Connell and I'm looking for Ludwig Borchardt?"
Cliffhanger? Of course, I had to. Are you surprised to see Rick show up? I hope you are, otherwise I feel like quite the lousy author. Only took 21 chapters to have him show his face properly.
As you can guess, no time skip for now!
Hope you enjoyed the read and also that it won't take me another half a year to update again...
Would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter (or anything else). Until next time!