Epilogue
The poems, 'The Promise' and 'Queen of my Heart,' were written by yours truly.
It was the first time in almost two weeks he had time to himself, and as he always did when he needed to think, he went to the cliff overlooking Hamunaptra. His side still ached, and he still tired easily while his blood replenished itself. But he was recovering, and he was *so* tired of having people fuss over him. His mother, his two sisters, even Anatol fussed over him the last several days. It was annoying as well as humiliating.
Celia, on the other hand, never hovered, never fussed. She spent a few hours a day with him and a few hours with Evy, practicing. Celia balked at that in the beginning. Evy was pregnant, after all, and Celia feared harming the baby. But Evy convinced her that it would be fine, and Celia finally agreed. They practiced for an hour or two each day, and Miranda never left her side in all that time. The little girl was finally growing confident once more that she would not be taken from her mother, and that her mother would not be taken from her.
Imhotep was a source of worry, though he remained in his tent most of the time. He was still immortal, but he was no longer the bringer of death. And much to Ardeth's chagrin, he noticed Imhotep staying close to Celia when she wasn't practicing with Evy or with Ardeth. His mother believed that Imhotep recognized within Celia a kindred spirit. They were both strangers here, and unsure of their welcome. That was what brought Ardeth to this cliffside today. He informed the Council that Celia would be his bride. They accepted this, far more easily than he anticipated, then asked him to leave while they discussed this matter amongst themselves.
Which did bother him, but his mother assured him that she would speak for Celia. As would Anatol, Garai, and Ardeth's sisters. Altair said very bluntly that his happiness came first with her, and Celia made him happy. Besides. It would be very difficult for them to say no to the reincarnation of one of their greatest heroines, even if she was an American. And during the last two weeks, Acacia and Aleta began teaching Celia the Med-jai ways.
'I thought I might find you here,' a soft voice said as a pair of arms slipped lightly around Ardeth's waist from behind. Ardeth smiled as the arms slid around until Celia was at his side. She said, 'You always come here when you're troubled. Evy just told me that the Council shut you out of the meeting. Acacia also told me about that, and she said it's standard, whether a warrior is marrying a Med-jai girl or an outsider like myself.'
'You are no outsider, Celia Ferguson. You have treated us with honor and dignity. But some of the Elders believe that the return of Lady Ardath should have been heralded by a prophecy, especially when her reincarnation was set to marry the Lady's own namesake,' Ardeth replied, putting his hands on her shoulders. More memories were awakened during the last several days. Not just of Rameses, but other lives, when he drove this woman away from him.
And in each lifetime, he failed his people in some way, perhaps because he shut himself off from love, perhaps because he held himself apart. But the end result was the same. He whispered, needing to hear the words, needing to know things would be different, 'And I fear, Celia, that I will drive you away. You have not yet seen my dark side, my Celia, and I do not wish to frighten you.' Celia reached up, cupping his face in her hands.
'You cannot frighten me, Ardeth Bey. I have seen you near death, and I have seen you laugh. I have seen you angry enough to kill, and I have seen you protect what is yours. I have known you, and loved you, in a thousand different forms over three thousand years. You cannot drive me away. It would be a waste of your energy to even try,' Celia replied. She smiled then, adding, 'Besides. Who said life would be easy with me? I'm thirty years old, I'm stubborn, I have a four year old daughter with a mind of her own, and Anck is still around.'
'Stubborn? You? I had not noticed,' Ardeth teased and Celia responded with a mock glare which would have made him laugh, if his ribs didn't still hurt. Ardeth continued, 'Well, my sweet Celia, it would appear that we are, as O'Connell would say, stuck with each other.' He paused, gave her a rueful smile, then added, 'Although, I must remember to call him Rick now.' Celia grinned, obviously remembering the incident in question.
They were on Izzy's plane, heading back to the Med-jai encampment. Ardeth, secure in knowing that Celia would be at his side, slept briefly. He awakened as Izzy settled the plane a short distance from the camp, and Ardeth murmured something to O'Connell, only to have the other man retort, 'Oh for. . .Ardeth! My name is RICK! We've saved each other's lives so many times.' Both ignored Celia's exasperated snort at this, and O' Connell continued, 'Don't you think it's time you started calling me Rick, or do you need an engraved invitation?'
The imp called 'Anatol' piped up, 'Actually, that would help.' Both Ardeth and Rick glared at the young warrior, who just grinned and scampered from the plane. The American helped Ardeth up, stabilizing him, before carefully leading him from the plane. Celia lifted the drowsy Miranda into her arms, carrying her off the plane, and Evelyn followed suit with Alex, then Jason. The last to disembark was Imhotep, which almost led to a riot.
'Wellllll,' Celia said, drawing the word out as she often did, and drawing Ardeth's attention back to her, 'I'm glad you've finally figured out that you're stuck with me. Rameses, schmamses. That's over. It's just us now, it's time for our love story to be written.' She cocked her head to one side, a faint smile appearing on her lips. Ardeth was learning to fear that expression. It usually meant she was up to no good.
He was right. She began, switching to ancient Egyptian, 'I swore I would always love you, a thousand years or more. I told you that I would find you in each life. This, above all, I swore. My word is my honor, you should have known that I would still be your wife. Our names have changed, our situations, too. But here we are again, my king, and one thing remains true. My heart still belongs to only you.'
Those words were hauntingly familiar to Ardeth, but it took him a few minutes to place them. By that time, Celia was smiling up at him and she said softly, 'The Promise. Written by a young Greek girl. Now, what was her name? Oh, yes, now I remember. Thalia. She fell in love with a handsome Med-jai warrior who could not accept her love. Ardath's memories aren't the only ones I have at my disposal, my love.'
Ardeth wanted to scowl at her, but he knew of the memories she mentioned. They lived during the time of Cleopatra. He remembered being Rameses, and shamed by his behavior, could not accept the love of that young Greek girl. She refused to accept that rejection and remained among the Med-jai until her own death. There was no answer to the poem, 'The Promise.' He was the first reincarnation of Rameses to successfully reunite with his Ardath.
So it was up to him. He stared down at her, studying her face intently, and answered in the same language, 'My heart, my angel, my queen. I never dreamed that I would be allowed this, to hold you again and taste your lips so sweet. I thought your quiet strength I would forever miss, I should have had more faith in you. In my Ardath, who could forgive me anything. My lovely queen, the woman I can never refuse. The woman who could make the lowliest peasant into a king.' A delighted smile was his reward.
'You made that up yourself,' Celia stated, looking very pleased with him, and Ardeth allowed himself a shy grin. He wasn't sure. The words were simply there. Were they Rameses' words, or his own, or someone between them? Ardeth didn't know, and he supposed it didn't matter. The words pleased Celia, the queen of his heart. That was all that counted. He would have kissed her. He most assuredly *wanted* to kiss her. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.
Mainly, in the form of his mother and sisters, all of whom came up the hill to join him and Celia. Altair Bey told him proudly, 'The Council has arranged the day for you to marry Celia. Anatol spoke up for her, telling of her courage in facing Khaldun. Acacia told of her willingness to learn our ways. And Aleta told them that she showed great kindness in hearing of your childhood stories. I told them that she made you happy, and Garai told them that she was the reincarnation of Lady Ardath.'
Celia shifted in his arms, and Ardeth's mother gasped, 'Oh, sweet girl, forgive me! I did not see you there!' If it were not so disrespectful of his mother, Ardeth would have rolled his eyes. As it was, the matriarch continued, 'There is but one restriction. As the reincarnation of one of our greatest heroines, the Council wishes you to court Celia in the ways of the Med-jai. That means you cannot wed her for at least three weeks.'
Three weeks. Ardeth waited for this woman for three thousand years. Three weeks would not be that difficult. He hoped. Celia just smiled, her eyes filled with joy, as if this was greater than she could have hoped for. Acacia added, 'It will not be easy, Celia. As I thought, there are many young women in our village, and others, who wished to marry Ardeth. But I have faith in you, and word will spread that I regard you as my sister.'
'Perhaps you should have a word with Anck-su-namun, Celia,' Aleta put in, 'you did mention that she was staying her to watch over you. And already, there have been several unexplained accidents, involving women who regarded themselves as the most likely to win my brother's heart.' Acacia stared at their younger sister in shock, and Ardeth could almost hear his sister thinking, //so that is what happened!// Aleta added with a mischievous smirk, 'Mind you, it was quite funny.'
'I should talk with her anyhow, try to keep her from doing anything dangerous. Ardeth, are you sure you want me? I mean, like I said, I'm a stubborn thirty year old woman with a small daughter who has a mind of her own. And not only will you get a stubborn wife and a determined daughter, but you'll also get a ghostly sister-in-law who isn't above pulling dirty tricks if she's so inclined,' Celia observed, looking up at Ardeth with a faint grin.
Life would get very interesting, but Ardeth Bey would not wish things to be any other way. He replied, smiling down at her, 'A stubborn wife to give me stubborn children. A little girl who insists on receiving a kiss each time her mother does. Further adventures with the O'Connells. And a sister-in-law in the Underworld who delights in playing pranks. Far be it from me to separate the forever friends and I cannot imagine anything that would give me greater joy, my Celia, than to have you at my side. Regardless of the complications.'
'Then, my love, you are indeed stuck with me,' Celia responded, laughing. Ardeth decided to throw caution to the wind. This woman was now officially his betrothed. In full view of his mother and sisters, in front of all the Med-jai who might be watching, Ardeth Bey, chieftain of the Med- jai, kissed the woman who would be his wife and the mother of his children to come. The queen of his heart, and his own forever friend.
The End of the Beginning
Thanks!
Jonathanrules: Thank you very much! Be careful what you wish for. . .you might get it, though not in the form you were anticipating. You'll see your wish granted in the fourth story in this series, 'Priorities.'
Deana: My eternal reviewer, without whose aid he last two stories wouldn't have been written. My thanks, to one of the ruling h/c queens in 'The Mummy.'
Cindy: I'm glad to hear it. . .I'm not very good at fight scenes, so I watched the various confrontations in TMR repeatedly to help with the visualizations. And I LIKE doing stories that are different.
Author's Note: As promised to nefertirioc, even though she is no longer with us, here is a cast list for the original characters in the fic.
Celia Ferguson/Lady Ardath: No specific actress here, because Celia's hard to pin down, but the best candidate would be Dana Barron, who played Casey in 'The Magnificent Seven' tv-series.
Jason Ferguson: Andy Kavovit, who played JD in the same series.
Miranda Ferguson: Jodelle Ferland
Khaldun: Nick Kiriazis, perhaps best known for his role as Father Antonio on Sunset Beach.
Anatol Bey: Alexis Cruz, of Stargate
Altair Bey: Another character difficult to pin down, but for sheer imagination purpose, Andrea Martin of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' That's subject to change, if someone else makes me mutter, 'that's Altair.'
Acacia Bey: Claudia Black, Aeryn Sun of Farscape. Ignore her blue eyes and Australian accent, and she does bear a striking resemblance to Oded Fehr, enough to make them plausible siblings.
Aleta Bey: Mili Avital, the original Sha'uri in Stargate.
Suleiman Bey: Francesco Quinn. I happened to catch an episode of 24 that he did, and I did a double take. He reminded me very strongly of Oded Fehr.
Garai/Sennefer: Andreas Katsulas, who played G'kar on Babylon Five
The rest of the Med-jai are being 'cast.' Kaphiri, Hanif, Andreas, Nicodemus, et al. . .although I'm leaning toward the young actor who played Yusuf in '24' for one of the Med-jai, I just have to figure out which one. And if someone else comes to mind for the above characters. . .go for it. I once received an email, telling me that a reader dreamed about a storyline I was working on, and in her dream, my OFC for that fandom, Adriana, looked like Sandra Bullock. Hey, I can live with that!
Coming soon (after I catch my breath): the sequel to 'The Forever Friends,' 'A Med-jai Wedding.' In which Imhotep struggles to find his place in this new world, Jason tries to make amends, and Ardeth and Celia prepare for their wedding and struggle to overcome their respective insecurities. Oh yes, and we mustn't forget. . .Anck playing pranks!
The poems, 'The Promise' and 'Queen of my Heart,' were written by yours truly.
It was the first time in almost two weeks he had time to himself, and as he always did when he needed to think, he went to the cliff overlooking Hamunaptra. His side still ached, and he still tired easily while his blood replenished itself. But he was recovering, and he was *so* tired of having people fuss over him. His mother, his two sisters, even Anatol fussed over him the last several days. It was annoying as well as humiliating.
Celia, on the other hand, never hovered, never fussed. She spent a few hours a day with him and a few hours with Evy, practicing. Celia balked at that in the beginning. Evy was pregnant, after all, and Celia feared harming the baby. But Evy convinced her that it would be fine, and Celia finally agreed. They practiced for an hour or two each day, and Miranda never left her side in all that time. The little girl was finally growing confident once more that she would not be taken from her mother, and that her mother would not be taken from her.
Imhotep was a source of worry, though he remained in his tent most of the time. He was still immortal, but he was no longer the bringer of death. And much to Ardeth's chagrin, he noticed Imhotep staying close to Celia when she wasn't practicing with Evy or with Ardeth. His mother believed that Imhotep recognized within Celia a kindred spirit. They were both strangers here, and unsure of their welcome. That was what brought Ardeth to this cliffside today. He informed the Council that Celia would be his bride. They accepted this, far more easily than he anticipated, then asked him to leave while they discussed this matter amongst themselves.
Which did bother him, but his mother assured him that she would speak for Celia. As would Anatol, Garai, and Ardeth's sisters. Altair said very bluntly that his happiness came first with her, and Celia made him happy. Besides. It would be very difficult for them to say no to the reincarnation of one of their greatest heroines, even if she was an American. And during the last two weeks, Acacia and Aleta began teaching Celia the Med-jai ways.
'I thought I might find you here,' a soft voice said as a pair of arms slipped lightly around Ardeth's waist from behind. Ardeth smiled as the arms slid around until Celia was at his side. She said, 'You always come here when you're troubled. Evy just told me that the Council shut you out of the meeting. Acacia also told me about that, and she said it's standard, whether a warrior is marrying a Med-jai girl or an outsider like myself.'
'You are no outsider, Celia Ferguson. You have treated us with honor and dignity. But some of the Elders believe that the return of Lady Ardath should have been heralded by a prophecy, especially when her reincarnation was set to marry the Lady's own namesake,' Ardeth replied, putting his hands on her shoulders. More memories were awakened during the last several days. Not just of Rameses, but other lives, when he drove this woman away from him.
And in each lifetime, he failed his people in some way, perhaps because he shut himself off from love, perhaps because he held himself apart. But the end result was the same. He whispered, needing to hear the words, needing to know things would be different, 'And I fear, Celia, that I will drive you away. You have not yet seen my dark side, my Celia, and I do not wish to frighten you.' Celia reached up, cupping his face in her hands.
'You cannot frighten me, Ardeth Bey. I have seen you near death, and I have seen you laugh. I have seen you angry enough to kill, and I have seen you protect what is yours. I have known you, and loved you, in a thousand different forms over three thousand years. You cannot drive me away. It would be a waste of your energy to even try,' Celia replied. She smiled then, adding, 'Besides. Who said life would be easy with me? I'm thirty years old, I'm stubborn, I have a four year old daughter with a mind of her own, and Anck is still around.'
'Stubborn? You? I had not noticed,' Ardeth teased and Celia responded with a mock glare which would have made him laugh, if his ribs didn't still hurt. Ardeth continued, 'Well, my sweet Celia, it would appear that we are, as O'Connell would say, stuck with each other.' He paused, gave her a rueful smile, then added, 'Although, I must remember to call him Rick now.' Celia grinned, obviously remembering the incident in question.
They were on Izzy's plane, heading back to the Med-jai encampment. Ardeth, secure in knowing that Celia would be at his side, slept briefly. He awakened as Izzy settled the plane a short distance from the camp, and Ardeth murmured something to O'Connell, only to have the other man retort, 'Oh for. . .Ardeth! My name is RICK! We've saved each other's lives so many times.' Both ignored Celia's exasperated snort at this, and O' Connell continued, 'Don't you think it's time you started calling me Rick, or do you need an engraved invitation?'
The imp called 'Anatol' piped up, 'Actually, that would help.' Both Ardeth and Rick glared at the young warrior, who just grinned and scampered from the plane. The American helped Ardeth up, stabilizing him, before carefully leading him from the plane. Celia lifted the drowsy Miranda into her arms, carrying her off the plane, and Evelyn followed suit with Alex, then Jason. The last to disembark was Imhotep, which almost led to a riot.
'Wellllll,' Celia said, drawing the word out as she often did, and drawing Ardeth's attention back to her, 'I'm glad you've finally figured out that you're stuck with me. Rameses, schmamses. That's over. It's just us now, it's time for our love story to be written.' She cocked her head to one side, a faint smile appearing on her lips. Ardeth was learning to fear that expression. It usually meant she was up to no good.
He was right. She began, switching to ancient Egyptian, 'I swore I would always love you, a thousand years or more. I told you that I would find you in each life. This, above all, I swore. My word is my honor, you should have known that I would still be your wife. Our names have changed, our situations, too. But here we are again, my king, and one thing remains true. My heart still belongs to only you.'
Those words were hauntingly familiar to Ardeth, but it took him a few minutes to place them. By that time, Celia was smiling up at him and she said softly, 'The Promise. Written by a young Greek girl. Now, what was her name? Oh, yes, now I remember. Thalia. She fell in love with a handsome Med-jai warrior who could not accept her love. Ardath's memories aren't the only ones I have at my disposal, my love.'
Ardeth wanted to scowl at her, but he knew of the memories she mentioned. They lived during the time of Cleopatra. He remembered being Rameses, and shamed by his behavior, could not accept the love of that young Greek girl. She refused to accept that rejection and remained among the Med-jai until her own death. There was no answer to the poem, 'The Promise.' He was the first reincarnation of Rameses to successfully reunite with his Ardath.
So it was up to him. He stared down at her, studying her face intently, and answered in the same language, 'My heart, my angel, my queen. I never dreamed that I would be allowed this, to hold you again and taste your lips so sweet. I thought your quiet strength I would forever miss, I should have had more faith in you. In my Ardath, who could forgive me anything. My lovely queen, the woman I can never refuse. The woman who could make the lowliest peasant into a king.' A delighted smile was his reward.
'You made that up yourself,' Celia stated, looking very pleased with him, and Ardeth allowed himself a shy grin. He wasn't sure. The words were simply there. Were they Rameses' words, or his own, or someone between them? Ardeth didn't know, and he supposed it didn't matter. The words pleased Celia, the queen of his heart. That was all that counted. He would have kissed her. He most assuredly *wanted* to kiss her. Unfortunately, fate had other ideas.
Mainly, in the form of his mother and sisters, all of whom came up the hill to join him and Celia. Altair Bey told him proudly, 'The Council has arranged the day for you to marry Celia. Anatol spoke up for her, telling of her courage in facing Khaldun. Acacia told of her willingness to learn our ways. And Aleta told them that she showed great kindness in hearing of your childhood stories. I told them that she made you happy, and Garai told them that she was the reincarnation of Lady Ardath.'
Celia shifted in his arms, and Ardeth's mother gasped, 'Oh, sweet girl, forgive me! I did not see you there!' If it were not so disrespectful of his mother, Ardeth would have rolled his eyes. As it was, the matriarch continued, 'There is but one restriction. As the reincarnation of one of our greatest heroines, the Council wishes you to court Celia in the ways of the Med-jai. That means you cannot wed her for at least three weeks.'
Three weeks. Ardeth waited for this woman for three thousand years. Three weeks would not be that difficult. He hoped. Celia just smiled, her eyes filled with joy, as if this was greater than she could have hoped for. Acacia added, 'It will not be easy, Celia. As I thought, there are many young women in our village, and others, who wished to marry Ardeth. But I have faith in you, and word will spread that I regard you as my sister.'
'Perhaps you should have a word with Anck-su-namun, Celia,' Aleta put in, 'you did mention that she was staying her to watch over you. And already, there have been several unexplained accidents, involving women who regarded themselves as the most likely to win my brother's heart.' Acacia stared at their younger sister in shock, and Ardeth could almost hear his sister thinking, //so that is what happened!// Aleta added with a mischievous smirk, 'Mind you, it was quite funny.'
'I should talk with her anyhow, try to keep her from doing anything dangerous. Ardeth, are you sure you want me? I mean, like I said, I'm a stubborn thirty year old woman with a small daughter who has a mind of her own. And not only will you get a stubborn wife and a determined daughter, but you'll also get a ghostly sister-in-law who isn't above pulling dirty tricks if she's so inclined,' Celia observed, looking up at Ardeth with a faint grin.
Life would get very interesting, but Ardeth Bey would not wish things to be any other way. He replied, smiling down at her, 'A stubborn wife to give me stubborn children. A little girl who insists on receiving a kiss each time her mother does. Further adventures with the O'Connells. And a sister-in-law in the Underworld who delights in playing pranks. Far be it from me to separate the forever friends and I cannot imagine anything that would give me greater joy, my Celia, than to have you at my side. Regardless of the complications.'
'Then, my love, you are indeed stuck with me,' Celia responded, laughing. Ardeth decided to throw caution to the wind. This woman was now officially his betrothed. In full view of his mother and sisters, in front of all the Med-jai who might be watching, Ardeth Bey, chieftain of the Med- jai, kissed the woman who would be his wife and the mother of his children to come. The queen of his heart, and his own forever friend.
The End of the Beginning
Thanks!
Jonathanrules: Thank you very much! Be careful what you wish for. . .you might get it, though not in the form you were anticipating. You'll see your wish granted in the fourth story in this series, 'Priorities.'
Deana: My eternal reviewer, without whose aid he last two stories wouldn't have been written. My thanks, to one of the ruling h/c queens in 'The Mummy.'
Cindy: I'm glad to hear it. . .I'm not very good at fight scenes, so I watched the various confrontations in TMR repeatedly to help with the visualizations. And I LIKE doing stories that are different.
Author's Note: As promised to nefertirioc, even though she is no longer with us, here is a cast list for the original characters in the fic.
Celia Ferguson/Lady Ardath: No specific actress here, because Celia's hard to pin down, but the best candidate would be Dana Barron, who played Casey in 'The Magnificent Seven' tv-series.
Jason Ferguson: Andy Kavovit, who played JD in the same series.
Miranda Ferguson: Jodelle Ferland
Khaldun: Nick Kiriazis, perhaps best known for his role as Father Antonio on Sunset Beach.
Anatol Bey: Alexis Cruz, of Stargate
Altair Bey: Another character difficult to pin down, but for sheer imagination purpose, Andrea Martin of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' That's subject to change, if someone else makes me mutter, 'that's Altair.'
Acacia Bey: Claudia Black, Aeryn Sun of Farscape. Ignore her blue eyes and Australian accent, and she does bear a striking resemblance to Oded Fehr, enough to make them plausible siblings.
Aleta Bey: Mili Avital, the original Sha'uri in Stargate.
Suleiman Bey: Francesco Quinn. I happened to catch an episode of 24 that he did, and I did a double take. He reminded me very strongly of Oded Fehr.
Garai/Sennefer: Andreas Katsulas, who played G'kar on Babylon Five
The rest of the Med-jai are being 'cast.' Kaphiri, Hanif, Andreas, Nicodemus, et al. . .although I'm leaning toward the young actor who played Yusuf in '24' for one of the Med-jai, I just have to figure out which one. And if someone else comes to mind for the above characters. . .go for it. I once received an email, telling me that a reader dreamed about a storyline I was working on, and in her dream, my OFC for that fandom, Adriana, looked like Sandra Bullock. Hey, I can live with that!
Coming soon (after I catch my breath): the sequel to 'The Forever Friends,' 'A Med-jai Wedding.' In which Imhotep struggles to find his place in this new world, Jason tries to make amends, and Ardeth and Celia prepare for their wedding and struggle to overcome their respective insecurities. Oh yes, and we mustn't forget. . .Anck playing pranks!