Warrior's Queen

Chapter 21

However, he was immediately awake and alert when he heard the sound of riders coming from the direction of the Medjai village. "Jasmine, you need to get dressed." Jasmine stretched like a cat beside him and Ardeth found he was wondering if four times in one day was too many. Then he realized that he had a more pressing issue to deal with.

Ardeth's bare upper body scattered with bites and scratches from a few hours ago, but he knew if anything it would just prove his virility. He quickly pulled his trousers on and was just finishing tugging on his boots when Rick and his companions arrived.

Ardeth grabbed his scimitar and came out of the tent, a dangerous scowl on his face.

Rick leapt off his horse, raising his shotgun at him. "Where is my sister?" he demanded. You have spirited her away in the night and....." he pointed to the marks on his bare chest. "You have defiled her! For that, you must die!"

Ardeth stood his ground. "It is true," he replied evenly. "I captured this woman according to the old ways. I now claim her as mine by right and will challenge any man who disputes that."

Jasmine poked her head out of the tent.

"Jasmine, do you wish to stay with this, this rogue, this bandit?" demanded Rick. Jasmine narrowed her eyes at her brother as his reaction seems rehearsed and he seemed to be having too much fun with this whole situation. Nonetheless, she replied,

"Yes, my dear brother. He did not steal me, but he has stolen my heart." She smirked at the look on her brother's face when he saw her reaction towards his acting, he was expecting some shock or surprise but there were none so instead, he stuck his tongue out to her, just to tease her making her roll her eyes.

Rick lowered his gun. "I guess, I welcome you to our family, again. Bay"

Ardeth could not resist hugging the man. "O'Connell, now that I am a part of your family, you are to call me by my given name, Ardeth."

Rick's face softened for a short minute, but he quickly recovered.

"Chieftain or not, if you make my sister unhappy, you will have to deal with me!" Rick said with a huge smile on his face.

"I shall remember that," responded Ardeth with the utmost seriousness.

After Rick and the other Medjai left. Ardeth turned to his wife. Even though the confrontation had been staged, Ardeth felt the flush of battle coursing through him. He caught Jasmine's eye and smiled a knowing smile at her, which she returned. He stalked towards her with his intentions clear in his eyes. This woman had him wrapped in her little fingers and she doesn't even realise it.

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The wedding celebration of Ardeth and Jasmine was postponed to give guests from the far flung tribes a chance to arrive. Asim was thrilled to be asked to be witnesses. And Jasmine finally got to see what Jamila had been sewing.

"How long have you been working on this, Jamila?" Jasmine reverently fingered the silk robe which was totally encrusted with beads.

"Since the day you arrived at the tribe and when I saw Sayyid run after you"

"I don't understand."

"The way Sayyid looks at you, and the way he ran after you, I knew right away that it's finally time for our Sayyidah to come home. Back to her people and back to her love."

Just then, Ardeth entered his mother-in-law's tent, Jamila acted as Jasmine's mother most of the time, even the said girl would sometimes refer to her as her mother teasingly. "Good morning, Jamila," he said to her. "What do you have there?"