Warrior's Queen

Chapter - 8

With a flick of the wrist, the rope tying the dirigible to the pole split into two, and the dirigible was off. Jasmine smiled as she felt the playful breeze caress her cheeks. Compared to the plane ride from their previous adventure, this was ten times better. They didn't have a sandstorm with Imoteph's face on it chasing after them, for one.

She raised a hand and waved to the carefree children below, a small part of her itching to join them, running around and yelling in excitement as the dirigible lifted higher and higher into the air. They were soon nothing but tiny dots in the distance. Ardeth saw the happiness in her face and smirked a little, making Jasmine blush when she looked at him. Jasmine was lost in her thoughts when Ardeth joined her by her side.

"I can see you like children, you must be very close to your nephew," Ardeth remarked, joining her by the rail and making her jump in surprise. She hadn't heard him approach her. Then again, as a respectable member of the Medjai, stealth must be a beneficial trait to possess.

Jasmine nodded, feeling warm and fuzzy at his proximity. Even after all these years, her feelings for him hadn't changed, and she knew she would always act like an idiot around him. "Yes, of course. He's a part of my life. I've helped Rick take care of Alex for all these years now, after all." Suddenly feeling self-conscious when she realized that the two of them were alone after a long while, she absently began twirling a strand of her hair.

"Ami has been pressuring me in to start a family," Ardeth murmured, and Jasmine could detect faint amusement in his voice. "You have no idea how many women the Medjai presented me with."

"Was Areena one of them? " She raised a brow at him.

"Yes... But I said no to her, on more than one occasion."

"I know" Jasmine smiled.

"You...know...?" Ardeth repeated slowly, looking at her to explain.

"I looked into Areena's memory, I saw her looking into your tent and everything that followed.." She said without looking at him as she remembered what she saw and that caused her to blush all over again. This did not go unnoticed by Ardeth.

"What did she see when she was outside my tent?" Ardeth said moving closer to her making her step back. Soon Jasmine was trapped between without a was out.

Jasmine opened her mouth to say but words got stuck in her throat, she blushed when she remembered what she saw but he reached forward and caught her hand in his own, using his other hand to tuck her stubborn strand of hair back behind her ear. "tell me" Ardeth whispered.

"it's gone," Jasmine sighed changing the topic to an important one, not wanting to tell him, "The locket, I mean." Ardeth noticed it but decided to let it slide, for now, he can tease her all he wants later when all this is over and he won't let her get away then.

Smiling Ardeth squeezed her hand. "Ah, but now that I am here with you, Rohi, we no longer need a locket, correct? I will protect you with my life...Always. And whatever happens from here on out, we face it together. We know what we must do and We will overcome this"He laced his hand into hers, she could feel the roughness of his hand. He didn't give her time to speak as he added, "And besides, You have spent enough time taking care of your nephew. You deserve a family of your own."

Jasmine's heart skipped a beat and she felt her cheeks burn at his words. "Ardeth, I..."

Ardeth pulled her against him, tightening his arms around her as though he never wanted to let her go again. "You have no idea how much I missed you during these long, painful years, Rohi."

"I missed you so much, too," Jasmine whispered, feeling tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks. Not wanting him to see that she was crying, she buried her head into his chest and hugged him back just as tightly.