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#Post#: 2884--------------------------------------------------
We Can Move Worlds Again
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: March 1, 2014, 3:49 pm
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HTML http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa285/Danisvampiress/tumblr_n1kjy3RGPs1so2yfio1_500-1.png
Authors Note: I don't have anything set in stone for this fic so
I'm going to go with the flow and hope it becomes something more
than the ideas currently floating about inside my head. My main
characters are Ardeth, who belongs to Stephen Sommers and my own
original character, Piper. I hope all enjoy this story; and wish
me luck!
Themes
- You Are My Kind
- Forever May Not Be Long Enough
- I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You
Attire
HTML http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=115000317
HTML http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=115000317
#Post#: 2885--------------------------------------------------
Re: We Can Move Worlds Again
DIR By: Maggie Flannery
Date: March 2, 2014, 3:19 am
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Oh my god I love this! The banner's lovely and the themes have
caught my eye. I do so love Piper's style. I'm sure we're all
going to love it! This is the most accurate gif I could find in
my folder to convey my feels right about now. :)
HTML https://31.media.tumblr.com/80d177bb7090db026f6f9e61113c5a00/tumblr_inline_n1oxcqRswu1r2jlg3.gif
#Post#: 2888--------------------------------------------------
Re: We Can Move Worlds Again
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: March 6, 2014, 11:52 am
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I have to comment on your gif usage because I cannot stop
giggling! that is just perfect!
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As I stepped off the train with my rather dainty suitcase
clattering somewhere behind, despite my firm grip on the handle,
my eyes scanned the surrounding area for signs I was able to
decipher. In all the years I had been travelling without
difficulty, here and there by train, I had never felt so
puzzled. My understanding was that I had been aboard that train
for several hours and had finally arrived at Cairo; only problem
was, I knew not how to branch away from the station in order to
garner a lift of sorts toward my desired location. Of course,
not a great many had been so willing to take a woman such as
myself anywhere near so called forbidden destinations, so I
insisted instead on having someone point me in the direction I
wished to go. Even if I was made to walk it, I would much rather
waste my time prancing through the desert than stuck like a lost
pup in an overly heated, crowded and otherwise foul smelling
cross rail. If not for the smell, I wished to be elsewhere in
order to avoid the questioning glances.
“Excuse me, kind sir, might you be able to offer a young lady a
bit of help? You see, I am quite lost and as I have never
travelled to this location before.. have no idea where I'm to go
next.” I asked, approaching a nearby male, who seemed rather old
given his worn complexion, though harmless.
The gentleman turned his head slowly until his eyes were fixated
upon my own. My nerves shot right up through the glass roof
above our heads as he continued to openly stare at me. I
wondered why, but shook it off and marked it down as mere
curiosity. Perhaps he was wondering why a lady such as myself,
dressed as I was, had taken it upon herself to wander about
Egypt for a good time. My attire had not shocked many back home,
but given the obvious climate in this country, I realised how
unfortunate my decision making skills were and this man,
evidently, had similar doubts about my appearance.
“You are terribly mistaken, my dear. This is not somewhere..
someone like yourself.. should be exploring; do you understand?”
he said, his accent thick, in turn giving me a bit of trouble
comprehending, but the look on his face said it all. All I found
myself able to do in return was offer a small nod. But before he
could turn away from me and continue on his way, I blurted out
something else.
“Please.. uh, la afham” I pressed, hoping my pronunciation was a
lot more demanding than my confidence as he stopped walking,
turned and closed the space between us.
“I think you do understand, bourgeois” he hissed, his lips
pressed tightly together as he regarded me in silence for a
moment or two. Why, I did not know. Nor did I understand why he
was being so rude. “Why do you not return to your home, where
you belong? Can you not see this is no place for the likes of
you, to be flailing around showing off your wealth and class,
before those of us who have very little in life?” he continued
his little rant, but left no room for me to budge into the
debate as he turned swiftly once more and took off at a brisk
pace in the opposite direction, leaving me standing there very
confused.
“Child, pay no mind to him. His bitterness stems from an awful
tragedy and though it has long since passed, the memory lingers
fresh in his mind.” A woman's voice disrupted my train of
thought, startling me momentarily.
My eyes drifted from staring at absolutely nothing, toward a
woman not much older than myself. Ebony locks and piercing green
eyes smiled into mine and I felt my lips curling upward at
either corner. At least someone knew how to treat a foreigner,
with extreme politeness and remarkable manners. The woman now
smiled fully at me as she took a hold of my arm, guiding me away
from the billowing crowd and off to a nearby antique store. If
only I had my purse in hand; though in all fairness, I couldn't
very well pay for anything in Egypt with British coins.
“You are in need of an exchange,” she began, noticing my
wandering eyes scanning the exterior of the store and the
obvious pout on my lips, making her chuckle. “We will get that
sorted before you leave here, do not worry. Now, where is it you
wish to go on this venture of yours?” she asked, still smiling.
“Oh.. well, thank you very much for being so helpful. If not for
you, I believe I would have been on the next train home.” I
laughed a little, somewhat uncomfortable with the situation but
thankful to have someone to talk to and perhaps offer a bit of
help. “I wish to visit Hamunaptra...” I added, both our eyes
darting every which way around us as a group of people passing
by stopped, frozen on the spot. Their faces, from what I could
read, suggested that location was not ideal, but I was not going
to let anything else stand in my way now. I wanted to collect
several artefacts, of at least reference for future studies.
“What is your name, miss?” she asked, her head slightly tilted
to one side as she too regarded me in silence, awaiting my
response.
“Piper..” I answered, not willing to offer up my entire name,
should it somehow prove problematic in the upcoming future. I
wondered why my name was of any importance, then came to the
conclusion that maybe she just wanted to know the name of who
she had spoken with and was going out of her way to help me in
the best way she could.
“And you are.. British. Have you travelled all this way, alone?”
she asked.
“Indeed, I have. This is not my first time, however. I have been
abroad many times without anyone by my side. It is a much more
relaxing journey, don't you think?” I joked, hoping to make
light of the situation but that same curiosity lingered in this
woman's eyes and I knew not how to get myself out of pickles.
“And you..?”
“Kalila; it is wonderful to meet someone like yourself, Piper,
but where you wish to go is forbidden territory. You could be in
grave danger, or put others at risk, do you understand?” she
said, her voice both high and low as she spoke of possible
fatalities I might face should I cross the borders into
Hamunaptra. The more information I was able to take in from
everything she told me, the more I feared what I knew I had to
do. There would be no stopping me or holding me back. When I set
my mind on something, I would stop at nothing until I had
achieved that particular goal, or several.
“I understand your concerns and will pay particular attention to
detail, but I must go. There are a number of things I have to do
and all involve me venturing onto that land. Would you guide me
there, Kalila?” I asked, my eyes filled with hope as my hands
came up in prayer, waiting for her to make a decision.
It took her several minutes to decide, but when her lips parted
and the first word passed through them without any hint of
uncertainty, I beamed and very nearly wrapped the poor woman in
an embrace had I not known better. Being so forward and open
around strangers was not often my thing, but knowing I now had
the help I had been searching for made me feel like a completely
new person.
“Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.
I have been studying for many years, all about Ancient Egypt and
it's many hidden wonders and yet, have never stumbled upon any
information about this city. Most find it a gloomy subject,
whilst others refuse entirely to discuss it.” I said, rambling a
fair amount as Kalila guided me toward a group of horses.
“Oh I.. don't know how to ride” I panicked, turning sharply
toward Kalila as she offered the man minding the horses a red
velvet pouch; what was inside it, I did not know, but assumed it
was coins.
“There's nothing to it,” she smiled in understanding before
continuing, her attitude a little more vibrant now she had the
opportunity to show someone the sights, regardless of whether or
not it was ideal. “Just hop up on him over there and do what I
do. If you earn your horses trust, he'll do most of the work for
you – just direct him to follow mine.”
Hopping up onto the beautiful, friesian horse, I found myself
comfortable almost immediately and navigated the reins in no
time at all. Gripping them firmly in the palms of my hands, I
lightly tapped the horses side with my heel and marvelled at how
well he was behaving. Following suit with Kalila and her own
horse, we headed off over the dunes to start our journey across
the vast desert. Rather than ask how long it would take before
we arrived, I chose to be as patient as possible. Though, the
increasing heat all around us made that task all the more
difficult. The lack of trees was one of the things I disliked
most about these areas and the fact that I was unable to see
anything in my line of vision but sand and higher dunes further
ahead, made me a little dizzy. My eyes threatened to close on me
many times as we rode for a couple of hours, not once slowing or
coming to a halt. I wondered if our horses were still alright to
continue still; or if they perhaps needed a little break, maybe
some food or water.
As with ourselves, it seemed the horses would have to be just as
patient. There were no mirages in sight, nor any sign of life,
save for the many scorpions crawling through tiny sand hills
here and there. Thankful for my head wear, I gently patted my
horses neck and he offered a short neigh in response to the
reassuring gesture he had received. I wondered then, what his
name might be, or if he had a name at all. I was under the
impression that not many Egyptian folk gave their animals names.
“Kalila, does this horse have a name, or am I free to choose one
for him?” I asked.
“The man who sold him to us had not given him a name; feel free
to choose. I have named mine Eclipse.. and how about you, what
shall your horses name be?” she asked, turning to throw a smile
my way.
“Liquorice; I think that suits him rather well” I boasted,
already very fond of the name and apparently, my horse felt no
different as he craned his neck back a bit to receive a ruffled
mane.
Onward and upward, we rode over what appeared to be the highest
of all the dunes our horses had climbed since starting our
journey all those hours ago and to say I was tired was an
understatement. I could only imagine how Liquorice must be
feeling, if I felt so worn out from merely riding on his back.
But just as I was about to question our whereabouts and how long
it would be before we arrived, the sights the dune overlooked
took my breath away. Not far from where we stilled, resting on
the edge of the dune and looking down at the land before us,
there sat a couple of structures. They appeared to be crumbling
with age, but were still standing nonetheless. I smiled at the
sight and though I longed to rush ahead and let my work begin, I
held back long enough for Kalila to lead the way.
“Now, Piper.. you have only a limited time here, I hope you
understand. Before the sun sets, we must return to a nearby city
for shelter. I cannot linger, for many reasons” she spoke, her
tone light, yet authoritative as she told me of their
guidelines. “Will you return to my village with me this
evening?”
I picked my head up from its low gaze, having been staring
blankly at my horses back and feeling as small as a child.
Looking over at her, I noticed she held her head high and was
watching absolutely everything that moved around us. We were
riding through the gate now; the smell of damp sand surrounding
us. My horse, with a mind of his own and little to no concern
for remaining discreet, made a beeline for a tiny pool of water
just a few trots from where we had been. My reprimanding skills
were, obviously, not all that wonderful as he chose not to
listen and continued on until the droplets rested on his tongue.
I smiled, despite how unprepared I had been for his departing of
our mini caravan.
“I will do so, Kalila. I've a lot to thank you for; how could I
ever repay you for allowing me to come here? And guiding me here
yourself, no less?” I asked, a glorious smile adorning my lips
as I hopped down off of Liquorice, patting his neck once more
before wandering around the small space around him.
Hamunaptra was nothing like I had imagined it to be. There was
not a great deal here for me to do an awful lot of studying on,
but I hoped we would find something before sunset. My thoughts
derailed and I found myself in a state of panic as I realised my
suitcase was nowhere to be found. Slapping the palm of my hand
clumsily against my forehead, I turned to Kalila with an
apologetic look and she too seemed to understand the
predicament.
“Do not worry. I will have one of our people return to Cairo
tomorrow, to collect your things. I am sure someone sensible
picked up your belongings and put them in a safe place” she
smiled, tying Liquorice and Eclipse together beside the water
pool and ushering me further into what remained of the city.
“Is there much to see here, anywhere, at all?” I asked, my head
turning at odd angles to try and catch a glimpse of something;
anything at all that I might be able to use for my studies. It
seemed void of both life and ancient artefacts, but I was hoping
Kalila could at least offer an explanation.
“This city is guarded by powerful, unstoppable and courageous
warriors. They are called Medjai – they protect the world and
keep it from harms way – by allowing no one to disrupt the
peace. None have entered these parts in thousands of years. You
must understand, this is not a safe place to be. Should we
stumble into Medjai territory, we are liable to be either
banished, or killed” she said, her voice low.
Gulping back a hint of fear, that was now pooling in the pit of
my stomach, I picked up my pace and walked alongside Kalila. I
feared for my life, hers and our horses, should we be captured
by these seemingly dark and dangerous people. No matter the
direction I looked, I could not see anything threatening
lingering in the shadows, or at a fair distance over the dunes
surrounding the hollow. Perhaps it was merely an Egyptian myth,
passed down through the ages to frighten off unwelcome
foreigners or those who sought to steal treasure from Ancient
burial grounds, or such like.
“So, these.. Medjai, they spend their lives protecting mankind,
by murdering those who dare set foot into what most believe to
be a cursed city?” I asked, careful in choosing my words.
Kalila halted her steps. We had been circling the grounds and
keeping an eye out for anything suspicious; and she turned to
me, her eyes brimming with silent rage. “Medjai are not cruel
men. They do what they must, what they had sworn to do since
manhood. They protect life; if by taking life away will achieve
this, yes, I suppose it is murder. But know this – if they
allowed tourists, like yourself, to venture in and out of this
city, some to steal gold or buried treasures, anything could
happen.”
Again, I gulped out of fear. I was not afraid of the woman who
stood before me, but I was now fearful of what I chose to say in
front of her. Yes, she was wonderful and kind in every way.
Though, perhaps I had struck a nerve with my remark; yet I
wondered why she had reacted so harshly.
“Do you.. know any of these.. Medjai?” I asked, my voice quiet,
protecting me from further scolding.
As she looked back at me, we continued to stroll. A hint of a
grin appeared on her lips and I, unknowingly, released a breath
of relief. For a few moments, she said nothing and within those
few moments, the sound of galloping hooves filled our ears and
startled our horses as their heads shot upright out of the pool.
“Yes -” she began, her eyes trailing toward a nearby dune as
mine followed. “One of them is my brother,” she added, her
expression one of worry and concern, though laced with
excitement as she struggled to hide me to the best of her
ability.
#Post#: 2889--------------------------------------------------
Re: We Can Move Worlds Again
DIR By: Wolfy
Date: March 6, 2014, 5:16 pm
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A tight knit group of riders approached, passing through the
gates with ease and in no time at all, they had us surrounded.
My panic would have had me fainting on the spot, had Kalila not
mentioned one of these fearless Medjai warriors was of blood
relation. Though, my throat was dry and any hope for formal
conversation was now null and void. The rider situated just a
little ahead of the others swung his leg over his horse, jumped
down with a loud thud and stepped a little closer. I cowered
like the immature little girl I so often was, hiding behind
Kalila's mane of ebony hair in an attempt to go unnoticed by the
man.
“Laa..” he sneered, staring intently at the gentle woman
standing before me, as to appear a threat, but Kalila made no
move to turn her head or walk away from him. Instead, she stood
her ground and the man continued, now folding his arms across
his chest. “What is she doing here, okhti?”
My brows furrowed and I tried to translate the last word that
had passed through his full lips, but I was unable to place it
straight away. With a slight turn of her head, my new friend
glanced at me through the corner of her eye, where I then
noticed a little twinkle.
“She is my new friend and I would like to have her stay with us
for a while, if you and your men don't mind. I don't suppose it
would be of too much trouble to welcome a newcomer into our
village; we have more than enough room, don't you think?” she
taunted, her lips pressed together as she tipped her chin upward
a little, trying to get that bit taller next to him.
The man growled, removing the veil that had been shielding half
his face since he had arrived and my breath caught in my throat
at the sight. In all my twenty four years, I had never seen such
a wonderful treasure before. My cheeks grew hot at the thoughts
rushing about inside my head and I fought to shun them as Kalila
stepped aside and he moved forward. The closer he got – the
louder my heart thumped against my aching chest. If I could not
calm and steady my emotions, I would surely pay for it with my
life. Of course, I had never been one to act on impulse when it
came to attraction, so I saw no reason why I might stoop so low
this time. Yes, he was a beautiful man, but not beautiful enough
for me to risk my life; a life I very much enjoyed and intended
to keep until I was at least old enough to be a grandmother.
Even thoughts of possible children we might have flooded the
forefront of my mind and I cursed aloud. This, as I looked up to
greet the good looking male before me, did not go amiss. A grin
curled on his lips but he discarded it as quickly as it had
appeared, leaving me no choice but to banish my own amusement.
As any possible humour scattered to the light bustle of wind
around us, I struggled to keep my gaze fixed on his, waiting
patiently for him to speak. When he finally broke that barrier
and offered up a few words, I was surprised by how well he could
speak English; though Kalila had equal talent in that department
and I wondered then if they were perhaps of relation. I wondered
if.. this was her brother.
“What is it you wish to find here, outlander?” he questioned,
now moving to circle me as he waited for an answer I hoped would
be good enough for him.
“I am simply looking to study the site.. it's history, possible
changes in conditions and perhaps even a little exploring
beneath the sands” I replied, trying to keep my focus on
something still in front of me.
With this, however, he looked displeased as he had completed his
full circle and stood directly before me once more. He was
frowning, but also deep in thought. Calling one of the many
other riders over, they spoke in hushed tones for a couple of
minutes and I stood there, feeling very awkward and wondering
why Kalila was no longer backing me up. Instead, she had located
and climbed back onto her horse and was already heading toward
the gates to leave the city.
“Please, do not send me back to Cairo to catch the train home.
I've come all this way; I would hate to leave not having found
anything at all for my studies” I understood that I no doubt
sounded foolish in begging for him to let me linger, but it
meant an awful lot to me.
“Yalla.. come with me” he said, leading me away from his men and
shouting something in words I could not fully understand, but it
seemed to do the trick as they all dispersed and tended to their
horses. “What is your name, girl?”
“Piper” I replied, forcing a small smile at the minor chitchat
he was trying to get going. “And.. yours?”
The man, now leaning idly against a crumbling stone monument,
looked my way briefly before turning once again to watch the
open desert as the sun fell slowly beneath the horizon. “Ardeth,
but my name is not of importance. You should not be here; my
sister should have known better” he sighed, rubbing his temples
as he thought over the situation. “I should take you back to
Cairo – but I am not such a horrible brother – nor do I enjoy
taking things away from my little sister.”
My only response was to stand there, rocking back and forth
slightly as I fidgeted with my hands, twiddling my thumbs in a
childlike appreciation of what he had decided to do. Though I
opened my mouth to speak, to say thank you when he looked my
way, I found myself unable to do so. My words lodged in my
throat; they were ready to come out, but with those chocolate
brown eyes boring into mine, they had forgotten their escape
route. And I had done the same, as he continued to stare.
“I.. uh, thank you so much” I stuttered, my cheeks flushing once
again when I noticed his amusement dancing over his features as
it had done earlier. Only this time, he allowed it and released
a heartfelt chuckle at my reaction to his intense stare. “You
have no idea what this means to me. I've been waiting all my
life for this day-” I added, my thoughts drifting off elsewhere
as I turned, facing the darkening horizon just over the dunes,
in the direction Kalila and I had travelled from.
“You are.. welcome, habibti” he smiled, offering his hand and
pointing back toward his men and their horses and it was then I
realised he was their leader; a chief of sorts.
“Habibti?” I questioned, tilting my head as I pondered on that
word, having heard it somewhere before, but my whispered word
had not reached his ears and before I knew what was going on, I
was being hoisted up onto the back of a beautiful horse.
In realising this, I snapped my head toward the man, looking
puzzled. “My.. horse?” I asked, wondering where Liquorice had
trotted off to whilst I had been so preoccupied. “Where is my
horse?”
“Do not worry, one of my men will ride alongside him on our
return to the village” he answered, then hopping up onto the
back of the same horse and in no time at all, my cheeks were
burning.
As we rode, I allowed him to take full control of his horse and
all the while, I sat there and admired our surroundings. The
other warriors were so focused on everything, it was almost
frightening. But, I figured that was what made them so good at
what they did and I decided in that moment I would not go
against any of them, even with words. I was renowned for getting
myself into impossible debates with others, yet these men looked
as though they would rather fight it out and I didn't much want
to involve myself in that kind of madness, no matter the outcome
it may have. All around us, there were small patches of greenery
with the odd pond in every other oasis. My stories wound
themselves together in my head with every ounce of detail that I
saw and before I knew it, we had arrived at our destination. It
had been a fairly short journey, compared to the almost seven
hour trip I had taken with Kalila this morning.
“Oh..” I breathed, not knowing quite where to look as their
village held so many wondrous things, all happening at the same
time. “You live here..” I smiled, not waiting for any kind of
reply as I struggled to get down from the ridiculously large
horse.
Looking at the ground from over the side of the horses back, I
scoffed. It was a good few feet. I hadn't realised prior to
being lifted and put into place before, just how high it was and
though I was by no means afraid of heights, I didn't wish to
make a fool of myself in front of so many curious people. Those
who lived within the village; many of whom were women and
dressed in brightly coloured clothing or next to nothing at all,
had all crowded around where we had entered, to catch a glimpse
of me – the outlander.
An outlander is what he had called me not so long ago and only
now did I fully understand its meaning; which I deduced was not
all that friendly as far as appropriate terms went. Now in a bit
of a huff, I shimmied down off the side of the horse and landed
with quite a commotion after the horse decided to buck and
knocked me off balance. Landing painfully on my behind, I tossed
all kinds of unpretty words at the careless animal and was about
to swat its rear when a large hand wrapped itself around mine.
My eyes widened as I thought of all the possibilities; who could
it be? Perhaps it was the leader of these people, the man who
was in charge of the village, the decision maker. With my eyes
glued tightly shut, I managed to pry them open as I turned, only
to come face to face – or rather – face to chest – with Ardeth.
“Never lay your hand on my horse, or any other horse, for that
matter” he reprimanded, shoving my hand away and returning to
his duties. As he disappeared into the crowd, I pouted visibly
and wondered where on earth my friend Kalila had gotten to.
“Uh.. does anyone know where Kalila might be?” I asked, praying
that at least one of the lovely ladies could understand English
and tell me where I could find her. “It's quite important,
please.”
“Kalila.. she has gone riding. She will not return until dusk,
miss” one of the women answered.
“Oh I see.. well, thank you for your help,” I smiled, gave a
small bow and felt utterly stupid afterwards for having done so,
not knowing their customs. “I shall see you all around, I
presume.”
And with that, I managed to blend with the crowd as I strolled
through them to find somewhere to take shelter and perhaps try
on more appropriate clothing for a holiday in Egypt. I should
have known better prior to leaving home that this outfit would
not sit well with such warm climates. No doubt, I looked like a
clown to half the people who occupied this village and it now
made sense why those women had flocked around us to get a good
look at the dopey British woman who didn't have a clue about
anything.
As I strolled, I walked by several tents, brown or red in colour
and wondered whether or not I would be staying in one of these
whilst I was here. It did not look too comfortable from the
outside, though they were insanely large and appeared almost
like a house in themselves. I wanted terribly to step inside one
and take a look, but knew it would be rude to do so,
particularly if there was already someone in there. My eyes
scanned the village and I tried to locate the man who had
brought me here, but here was nowhere in sight and so, I
continued to search the place. A small group of women followed
not too far behind, like a gaggle of geese who wandered behind
the new kid at school. Whilst it was not a bother, I was not too
fond of my every move being watched and so, I spun on my heel to
confront them. In doing so, a small child pushed through them
and approached me, holding something fragile in the palm of her
hand.
Stretching that hand out toward me, she smiled and I returned
it, adoring the few teeth she had. As she held her palm up a
little closer to my face, I was able to see a tiny little pearl
resting there, white as snow and glowing under the light of the
moon directly above our heads. The girl giggled and grasped my
hand as I held it out, palm up. Carefully, she tipped hers and
the pearl fell into mine, surprising me with its weight. I
gasped, thanking her for the lovely gift and brushing her loose
locks behind one ear.
As soon as the child scurried off elsewhere, the group of women
who had been following me all around the small village separated
and did the same, at which I sighed. My nerves calmed to a
manageable level and I continued on my way. A few stars came
into view as I looked up into the night sky, admiring the beauty
that met my eyes. But as I dropped my gaze back down, he was
standing right in front of me.
“You..” I started, trying to catch my breath from the sudden
jolt and quickly apologising for my rudeness, “I mean.. sorry,
I've been searching everywhere for you. Where.. uh.. will I be
spending my time?” I asked, removing my hand from over my heart
and trying to ignore his need to laugh.
“You have two choices, whilst you are here, habibti. But you
must obey our rules and live how we live, or you will be sent
home with the next caravan that moves into Cairo two days from
now. Do you understand?” he asked.
“Of course – what are these rules you speak of, oh marvellous
Medjai warrior” I teased, a sparkle in my eyes so he knew,
hopefully, I was simply playing and would under no circumstances
disrespect him or his people during my little holiday here.
With one easy stride, he was standing even closer. So close,
that our chests were pressed right up against one another and
the steady rhythm of his heart clashed with mine, as it beat
rapidly and threatened to break through. The thumping was so
strong, I could hear it in my ears and only hoped he could not
feel it, as he remained so close. In my unfortunate disposition,
I failed to notice him unsheathe his blade and press the tip
against my spine.
“As long as you are here with me and my people, you will follow
orders – you will do as you are told and always what is expected
of you. Whilst you are here, you are my prisoner,” he stated;
though his tone was of little help in allowing me to understand
the severity, or lack of severity, in his words.
“Prisoner..?!” I half yelled, trying to jump back away from him
and forgetting for a split second that he had a blade pressed
against my flesh that could easily, no doubt, pierce and break
my spinal cord if I dared move any further. “Why.. you can't do
that. Do you have any idea who I am?” I retorted, fuming.
“Yes, my lady – you are a foreigner in a country you know
nothing about – and while you are here, under my watch, you are
mine” he grinned; something wicked buried beneath those dark
eyes lingered until he broke away from me, leaving me frozen and
frightened.
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