Title: Southern Terror

Author: Tanith

Disclaimers - None

Rating - NC17

Pairing - Ardeth/others/Jonathan

Summery - Contains violent rape


Southern Terror
by Tanith
****

Anyone knowing the Med-jai, would think they had quite an east life, roaming the deserts of Egypt, with only the occasional resurrected mummy to contend with. But this was far from the truth. There were other tribes, the Nomads from the south and the really northern people that caused them no end of trouble.

It was normal over land, revenge and other issues and many of the Med- jai had died protecting their people. There were 12 Med-jai tribes altogether and Ardeth Bay was the commander of one of them.

But after Ahm Shere, he had been made commander over all the tribes, a great honour and not one done very often. Word soon got round and reached the ears of Nazeem, leader of the Nomads.

He hated the Med-jai and had had several battles with them but he hated Ardeth Bay the most. He blamed him for the death of his wife a long time ago, in a battle down in the south of Egypt. It hadn't been Ardeths fault but Nazeem believed differently. Now he was Chief commander of all the Med-jai and Nazeem was going to make Ardeths life hell.

"He is going to die this time Jihad" he said pacing up and down his tent.

"We don't want any more of our people to die" Jihad replied "and they will if you pursue this"

"Oh I am not involving the tribe, this is personnal. I want you and Marid to come with me plus say half a dozen others. I want Ardeth Bay, I don't care about the rest of them. Without him, they are nothing"

"But how are you going to just get him, there are always others there"

"He goes off on his own, always has. We'll get him then. We go tomorrow"

"So it's straight in, kill Ardeth and back here, so no-one knows who did it" said Jihad.

"No, no, my friend, we are going to make him suffer. The one place they won't look for him is Hamunaptra, we'll take him there, I want him to enjoy what I have in mind for him"

"But Hamunaptra"

"Not scared are you, there is nothing there but myths. I will have no arguments, we leave at dawn"

True to form, Ardeth had placed his tent a little way away from the others. Not that far but far enough to be able to be on his own. As he lay in the tent, he thought about Jonathan. Evy's brother, the most annoying man he had ever met and also the most attractive one. He had found he had feelings for him ever since the first time he met him at that first battle in Hamunaptra. He could have killed him then, but when their eyes met in that split second, Ardeth couldn't do it. They had never admitted to each other how they felt but they both knew.

But he had gone back to London and until Ahm Shere a few weeks ago, they hadn't seen each other for nearly 10 years. But he knew he felt the same when he saw him in London.

It was about 11pm and Ardeth was sure that he heard a noise from outside his tent, but looking round he could see nothing. He went back and laid down and was soon asleep.

Nazeem crept into the tent, his men were keeping an eye on the rest of the camp, just in case the others came out. Jahid was beside him and they crept over to where Ardeth was sleeping. He put his hand over his mouth and Ardeth tried to jump up but was held down by strong hands.

After a struggle he managed to get away from Nazeem and was just about to run out of the tent to alert the rest of the Med -jai when he was hit over the head with the butt of Nazeems gun and fell to the ground. They put a gag in his mouth and tied his hands behind him. Then they quietly dragged him out of the tent and across the sand to where their horses were and threw him over one of the horses and mounting his own, Nazeem and the others rode off towards the City of the Dead.

The next morning, Masala went to wake Ardeth and tell him that the meal was ready, as they all ate together. He went into his tent and within seconds ran out, shouting for the others, who came from all directions.

"Ardeth is gone, he has been taken" he said.

He showed them a scarf that had come off in the fight with Ardeth and the other senior member of the Med-jai came over and took it.

"The Nomads. They have been here, it would be safe to assume that they have Ardeth. We now have to find them and hope it is not too late for our leader"

"But where have they taken him and when did they come?" asked Masala.

"They have had a few hours start on us. Trouble is they could be anywhere"

They gathered their things together and began the slow hunt for their leader. They knew that if they didn't find him quickly, they would be too late, the Nomads were ruthless and violent towards prisoners.

The Nomads reached Hamunaptra and took Ardeth through a secret passage that had not been sealed, deep in the city. He was still out and they dumped him in a corner of a small room. It was one of the very few that had doors on it and they bolted it behind them. Parts of Hamunaptra had been used as a prison as well as a place for making mummies. There were about 6 of these rooms in the bowels of the city. They were dark, cold and damp, even in the desert. Nazeem would leave him a while and then see what he thought of his new home for the foreseeable future.

Nazeems men had been left outside with the exception of Jihad and Mirid. He knew they would enjoy what he had planned for Ardeth Bay. After they had eaten, they went down to see Ardeth, he was still pretty much out of it. Nazeem grabbed him and turned him over and threw some water over his face, he gasped as he woke up. He sat up quickly but soon fell back down as his head throbbed and he tried to focus his eyes in the dim torchlight.

"Bring him to the other room, I will deal with him there" said Nazeem.

They dragged him out of the small cell and up some stone stairs to the room where they had been eating. There were some rugs in a corner and they threw Ardeth down on them. He slowly turned to see where he was and who the men were who had brought him here. His face paled as he saw Nazeem standing there.

"Na…zeem, why?"

"Why, to revenge the death of my wife, which you caused Ardeth Bay"

"I…I never….did…that" Ardeth gasped, his head hurting every time he moved.

Ardeth never said any more as a hand slammed across his face. His vision blacked out and he slumped to the floor.

"Take his clothes off" shouted Nazeem to his friends.

Ardeth couldn't fight them as they tore his clothes off him. He moaned and held his head as they turned him so he was face down on the rugs.

"Please…no..not this" he pleaded.

"Get his scarf and gag him."

Ardeth felt his legs being spread and he felt the two friends of Nazeem, sit on each of his legs. He felt Nazeems cock press against his opening, he tried to move but the men sitting on him wouldn't let him. He tensed up as the cock was pushed in.

"Oh, so tight and sweet" moaned Nazeem.

The man pulled out a bit and using some wine that he had been drinking, oiled his cock and tried again. This time it went in. Ardeth had never felt such pain, waves of agony flooded over him. He screamed into the gag.

"Yes, almost there" shouted Nazeem as he pushed all the way home.

"You feel that Ardeth Bay, you are going to be fucked real good."

He pulled put and then thrust back in, violently. With each thrust, Ardeth felt the tissue ripping and tearing, a burning pain shot through his colon and he felt sick, as Nazeem trust into his body for the best pain.

"Yes….gonna cum…. Yessss"

As soon as he had finished filling Ardeth with his cum, he withdrew and signed for one of the other men, jihad to take over. This man was worse than Nazeem and Ardeths screams of pain were silenced in the scarf gag.

Jihad thrust in so hard that Ardeth thought his hips were going to split and the man also grabbed his hair and pulled his head back as he thrust into him, riding him like a horse.

He slammed into him as hard as he could each time and after what seemed like hours, he came and then the man withdrew. Ardeth thought he was in for another session when Marid took his turn.

But this time he felt a hand and then fingers close round his cock. His balls were pulled tightly against his body, then teased, one at a time and then both at once. He pulled down on so hard on his balls that Ardeth felt the tissues tear and he passed out with the pain. He woke to find himself on his back, Marid was raping him now, his cock tearing into his body with long thrusts. His legs were spread in the air and pain radiated from his cock and balls. The man noticed that he had woken up.

Marid pulled down on his balls, which were bruised and damaged, Ardeth screamed and sobbed into the gag, he had never felt such pain in his life and these men knew how to break him.

After Marid had cum and got off Ardeth, he heard Nazeem get up and without warning kick him in the side. He gasped at the sudden pain and tried to move away, but he couldn't. Several times he was kicked violently in the ribs. Then he was turned over on his stomach and raped again by one of them.

Then he felt two fingers inside him, then three and four, then the thumb as Nazeem put his whole hand up inside Ardeths passage. His moans of pain became screams of agony as the hand moved deep inside him, the arm tearing the inside of him.

"I'm fucking you good, Ardeth yes…. You love it don't you, you wife murderer"

Ardeth could feel the hand going deeper inside him, tearing and ripping as it went, the pain was like nothing on earth and he felt himself blacking out again.

When he came too, he found himself alone, but he couldn't move. The pain was too intense, blood was pouring from his back passage and the pain in his stomach was coming in cramping waves.

At that moment, he wished he could die. He even wished Imhotep was there, fighting him would be a pleasure after this. He took a deep breath and tried to pull himself up but a stabbing pain surged through him, from his ribs to his crotch and he passed out in the pool of blood.

Ardeths men had managed to find one of the Nomads, sneaking round their tents a few days later. When they questioned him, they found out that Nazeem had taken Ardeth to Hamunaptra.

"Look, you have to find him, Nazeem and his two friends will kill him"

"Why should you care, you would kill him too" said Masala.

"Yes, with a sword I would. But they will rape him repeatedly till he dies. That is what they do. They have done it before, I won't do that to anyone. Some of us are not animals Masala. Believe me if you don't find him soon, you will wish he had died by the sword."

"My God, how can they do this. What do we do Masala" asked one of the other Med-jai.

"There is one person who will help us find him. Jonathan, Rick O'Connells brother-in-law. He is still in Cairo. I will go to him and get him to come here. If they have taken him to Hamunaptra, then he is the only one who has been in the city. He knows the place well, we have never entered the place."

"Will you go and find this Jonathan, Masala?"

"Yes I will leave now. It won't take me long to get there on this horse. If things work out we should be back in 4 days"

"Four days, that could be too late"

"It has already been day, it could already be too late but we have to try something. If we go in the city, we could get lost, never find him anyway. We need Jonathan"

Ardeth woke up and the pain in his stomach made him violently sick. Even in the torch light he could see he was bringing up blood. He felt weak, dizzy and in a lot of pain. Every movement was agony, especially when he was sick.

Suddenly he had a vision of Jonathan, and he wished that he was here, helping him.

"Jonathan….please….help…me" he gasped as blackness took him again.

Jonathan was in the bar when Masala came in. He went to greet him but was taken by the arm and dragged out into the hall where it was quiet.

"Masala, I assume you are glad to see me, but please, what's this about?"

"We need your help, at Hamunaptra" said Masala.

"Oh no, I am not going back there, if you have Imhotep wandering around, this time you can deal……."

"It is not Imhotep, it is Ardeth. He has been kidnapped and we fear for his life"

Jonathan took him to a room just off the hallway and closed the door. He made Masala sit down and tell him what was going on. Afterwards, he got up and looked out of the window, tears stinging his eyes. The thought of what those men could be doing to Ardeth, sickened him and angered him. He had feelings for Ardeth, strong feelings that had been there since they had first met. He knew Ardeth felt them too but neither man had had the guts to do anything about it. Ardeth stayed in the back of his mind until a few weeks ago when they met again in London.

Since Ahm Shere, he had thought about nothing else except Ardeth. Evy was different since the day she had died and was brought back to life by Alex, so she went back to London and he stayed in Egypt. That was why he was in the bar,. He turned to Masala, who came over and put a hand on his arm.

"I know you care about him, Jonathan, you are the only one who can help"

"Yes, I care…..come on….let's go"

Ardeth woke to someone whispering in his ear.

"Are you ready for me again, warrior" said Nazeem

With that, he pushed into Ardeth, who gasped at the pain because Nazeem hadn't used any oil this time. Nazeem slammed into him and Ardeth screamed, tears flowed down his face, as the onslaught continued, he gradually blacked out for a few minutes, only to find when he woke that he was still being raped. Suddenly Nazeem came and slid out of Ardeth. Then Jihad came over and grabbing his shoulders, pushed his crotch against Ardeths arse.

"Please….no..more" gasped Ardeth, his whole body hurting when he spoke.

"Oh baby, I love it when you fight back" said Jihad.

"let..me…go"

"Oh no, you're not going anywhere"

With that he punched him hard, knocking his face into the sand. Jihad reached down and grabbed his balls and twisted, Ardeth screamed in agony and tried to pull away.

"You bastard, shut the fuck up"

With that he flipped him over and slapped him hard across the face several times, Ardeth lay there, dazed. He lifted his legs and spread them apart. He inserted one, two then three fingers into Ardeth tried to bite back the pain and tears as he burned inside again. Jihad called Marid over and told him to play with ardeth, he didn't want him missing out.

Marid stroked and pulled at Ardeths limp cock and he felt the tears as his body responded against his wishes. Jihad slammed into him as Ardeth moaned at the inpending orgasm that he was getting. Suddenly he went over the edge and took Marid with him.

"See you loved to be fucked don't you."

For what seemed an eternity, Ardeth found himself being raped in turn by the 3 men. His anal tissues were raw and bleeding and the pain inside him was becoming overwhelming. He struggled to stay conscious, when he did black out, Nazeem punched him round the head to wake him up. Blood poured from a gash on his face as well as other places. He thought he was going to die as he went in and out of consciousness, as he was continually raped and beaten by these men.

Then eventually it stopped and he was left alone. Spasms of pain shot through his body, making him sick. Everytime he was sick, he blacked out.

He knew that if someone didn't find him soon, he would be dead. Some death for a Med-jai leader. He was glad now that Jonathan hadn't seen him like this.

Jonathan and the other Med-jai reached Hamunaptra and saw that their men that were left there had killed about 6 of the Nomads who were outside guarding the place.

"I would assume that the others are inside. There tents are out here so they have to come out sometime soon. We will wait till dark and then go in if they have not appeared" said Masala.

About two hours later, they saw three men come out of the city. They knew one of them as Nazeem, the Nomad leader. Before they knew what was happening, the Med-jai had jumped them and killed all but Marid. He was tied up and then interrogated by Masala.

"Where is Ardeth, what have you done with him?"

"Don't kill me please, I will take you to him. Nazeem made me do this, he was a nasty person, anyone disobeying him were either beaten or killed."

They pulled him up and he led them deep into the city. It took them about an hour to get through to the depths of the place and then he stopped.

"He's in there" he said.

The men went to go in, but Jonathan stopped them.

"If these men have done what I think they have, it is best I go in alone, then I will call you"

"Okay, you are right, it would be best." Said Masala.

Jonathan took the torch and walked into the room, what he saw scared the hell out of him. Ardeth was laying in a pool of blood and semen and Jonathan thought for a minute he was dead. But low moans told him different. He went over and wasn't sure at first how to touch him without hurting him.

"No…..please…no….more" whispered Ardeth.

"Ardeth, baby, it's me Jonathan, it's all over, I'm gonna get you out of here"

Jonathan lifted Ardeths head into his lap and gave him a drink from his water bottle. He could see the injuries on the outside but didn't know how much damage had been caused inside. Ardeth slowly opened his eyes and saw a pair of concerned and tearful eyes looking down at him.

"Jonathan…..is…it…really you?"

He nodded and grabbed Jonathans shirt and hung on tightly. Jonathan laid him back down.

"I'm gonna get a blanket from over there and then we'll leave this place okay"

He grabbed the big fur blanket that was laid in the corner and going back to Ardeth, carefully wrapped it round him. Then carefully he lifted him up to carry him out, there was no way he could walk. Ardeth cried out as he lifted him, the pain was too much and he passed out in Jonathans arms.

"Masala, in here I need you" he shouted.

"Oh my God" said Masala running in.

"He's in a lot of pain and passed out when I moved him. We have to get him outside and into a tent and get these wounds seen too. I don't know what internal injuries he has, I can only guess"

It took 3 of them to carry him out and they laid him in the big tent that had been erected near the city. Jonathan acquired hot water, oils and creams so that he could tend his wounds, and food and drink. He didn't think he had eaten for days and strong wine would keep him out of it while some of the injuries healed.

Tears ran down Jonathans face as he tended his wounds. He had to inspect his anal passage to see what damage had been done, but he couldn't tell, there was so much blood and tears that all he could do was wash it out as best he could and then pack it with a cloth covered in oils and creams.

Ardeths balls had been torn as well and they could not be bandaged so all he could do was bathe them and his cock and cover them in creams. Masala had managed to get two bottles of wine down Ardeth and he was out totally.

"Do you think he will be okay Jonathan?"

"I have no idea, he is injured so much inside and that is what I can see. But even if they heal, his mental state is going to take longer if it ever heals at all"

"You will stay with him, won't you?"

"I am never leaving him, not now. I realised today when I saw him, how much I loved him. But even if after this, he never loves me in that way, I will never leave, I can't"

Tears ran down Jonathan's face and Masala put a hand on his shoulder and left him alone with Ardeth. He knew that if anyone could bring him out of this, Jonathan could and they would help all they could. For three days, Jonathan sat with Ardeth, making sure he stayed unconscious. He had a raging fever and his temperature was through the roof. All he could do was bath him, change the dressings on his wounds and stay with him.

On the fourth day, Masala came in.

"Right, that's it Jonathan. You have to get some rest yourself. You haven't slept or eaten for three days. I will sit with him while you get some food and rest"

"No, I'm alright, I won't leave him."

"That is not a request that is an order. When he wakes up he will need you, and if you are ill then you won't be able to do that. Come on, now"

Jonathan got up to change the water in the bowl. But he had been sitting for too long and he swayed as he stood up. Masala grabbed him and sat him down.

"Right that's it, come on there is a tent next to this where there is food, drink and a bed. Go in there and get some rest. Please"

He knew Masala was right and he was helped by one of the other Med- jai into the tent and onto the bed. He was asleep before his head touched the pillow. He slept for 36 hours before waking up. When he did, he found Masala sitting there.

"Don't worry, Abdul is with Ardeth. He is still out of it, but I wanted to make sure you were okay and to make sure you ate. You slept so long I was getting worried about you too. Please eat."

"Thank you Masala, I didn't realise I was so exhausted. The food is good. I will eat and drink and then go back to him. Is there any change?"

"No, he still has a fever and has been thrashing about in his sleep. It seems to be nightmares that are doing it as well as the fever. It took 3 of us to hold him down last night. Do you know what happened to him in there?"

Jonathan finished his meal and poured a glass of wine and told Masala what he thought had gone on, from the injuries and what Marid had told him. Masala was shocked.

"How could any man survive that kind of torture"

"He is a Med-jai leader, he is one of the bravest men I have ever met. He would not go down without a fight. What happened to Marid anyway"

"He killed himself last night. He was probably ashamed of what he had done and couldn't face his people if they found out"

Once they had finished, Jonathan took over from Abdul and dressed the wounds again. They seemed better and he decided that he wouldn't give him any more wine, he would let him wake up himself, hopefully when the fever broke.

That night the fever did break and his breathing evened out and his temperature went down. Jonathan took Ardeth in his arms and held him for the first time since getting him out of that place. He fell asleep himself.

"No, get off me, leave me alone" shouted Ardeth struggling in Jonathan's arms.

"Ardeth, hey it's me, it's Jonathan. Come on it's alright, no-ones going to hurt you any more"

His eyes opened and he calmed down when he saw Jonathan was holding him. With an cry, he broke down and his body shook with sobs as Jonathan rocked him and stroked his hair, whispering comforting things to him. It was a long time before Ardeth stopped and fell asleep with exhaustion.

Jonathan looked at him and laid him down, his face was red and puffy and Jonathan got a cloth and wiped the tears away, his own tears mingling with Ardeths. At least he was just asleep now, the fever had gone but it was not over yet, not by a long way.

A week later, Ardeth was slowly getting better, at least physically. The pains inside had stopped and he was eating again. The tears were almost gone but he was still having problems with the back bit. It was sore still and bled occasionally. Jonathan had stayed with him, nursed him, held him when he needed it and was falling deeply in love with him.

"Morning sunshine, how are we today" he smiled one morning

"A lot better, thanks to you. Masala has told me what you did"

"It was nothing, you know me, help anyone"

"Yes but it must have been hard for you to see….see what they did, I…."

"Hey come on, it's over now, you're safe and no-one will ever hurt you like that again. I promise"

He made himself comfortable on the rugs next to Ardeth and handed him some tea. Ardeth took it and drank it, but Jonathan could see his hands were shaking. He took the cup and put his hands on ardeths. He leaned over and rested his head on Jonathans shoulder. Jonathan wrapped his arms round him and held him tight, no words, just warmth and love.

"Jonathan, how can you hold me, when I've been so violated. I …. I feel so dirty and not worth the care you are giving me"

"Ardeth, listen to me. What happened to you, wasn't your fault. Luckily the men who did this are dead or God help me me, I would kill them for what they've done to you. I'm here because I care about you… no because….because I love you"

Ardeth looked into his eyes and saw the love there and tears filled his eyes. He buried his head in Jonathan's shoulder and cried quietly.

Jonathan kissed the top of his head.

A little later when they were sitting there eating, Ardeth moved so he was on his side looking at Jonathan.

"You alright Ardeth?" he asked

"Yes, it's still sore if I stay in one place too long"

"I'll put some more stuff there when we have finished. It's going to take time to heal completely. What you need to do is go for short walks, it would help"

"No, no way, I can't face them out there. They know what happened. I have lost their respect as a leader. I will have to step down and leave the Med-jai"

Jonathan was shocked to hear Ardeth speak like that.

"Don't be silly, no-one out there blames you for what happened. If anything you have more respect now than before"

Ardeth argued with him over this and then told him to leave him alone. Going outside Jonathan went to find Masala and he told him what Ardeth had said.

"I guessed something like this would happen" replied Masala "Ardeth is a proud man, if he allos something to happen to him, he feels it reflects on the Med-jai. He has to be seen to be the strongest one here and he feels he had lost face. In fact doing this has made him one of the more vulnerable of us, protecting us, he forgets himself"

"What you're saying is he neglects his own welfare for the sake of his people. And if anything goes wrong, he blames himself. That's crazy. He could have got himself killed in there or anywhere for that matter"

"At Ahm shere, you didn't know what happened while you were in the pyramid do you?"

Jonathan sat down and listened to what Masala was telling him.

"No, I killed a guy to stop him killing Ardeth in the jungle, the next time I saw him was on the horse, when it was over"

"When he saw the pyramid starting to disintergrate, he broke down, because he thought it was his fault you were all there. If he hadn't gone to London, none of you would be in danger. It took a while for me and Abdul to convince him that it would have happened anyway. You, Rick, Evy would be dead if he hadn't gone to London to warn you.

There would have been no-one to destroy the scorpion King nor Imhotep. They would now rule the world with the army of Anubis and we would all be dead too."

"How do we help him. I love him Masala. I know you people would rather him take a wife but I can't help how I feel"

"I know you love, you've loved him for a long time. I could see it, even if Ardeth couldn't or wouldn't. you are the only one who can help him Jonathan. I will talk to him then it's up to you"

Jonathan got up and went to head back to ardeths tent, he should be in a better mood now. Masala called him back.

"I've had an idea. If Ardeth is well enough to ride, a camel would be best. Head north for 3 miles, you will come to an oasis, this one is gorgeous. There is a small lake surrounded by trees. Take a tent, food, everything you need and stay there for a while, as long as is needed. To make it easier for Ardeth, I will get the men to come out on scout round the city. You use that time to leave"

"Thanks Masala, it might work"

Later that day, Jonathan helped ardeth onto the camel and they headed out to the oasis. It was still just about light when they arrived and Jonathan put the tent up and got it ready while Ardeth cooked some food.

By the time it was ready, it was dark and they sat by the fire and ate in silence at first. Then Jonathan poured some wine and handed it to Ardeth. He took it and leant back on a tree to drink it. He was relaxed for the first time since he had started to get better.

"Ardeth, while I clear up, why don't you go for a swim in the pool. He would do you good, I will make some tea for when you have finished."

"That sounds like a good idea, it might help the aches and pains. Thanks Jonathan"

Jonathan smiled at him as he walked down to the pool. While he was gone, Jonathan made the tea and then went to tell Ardeth that it was ready. As he got to the edge of the pool, he saw Ardeth leisurely swimming across. He stood by the tree and watched him.

He glided through the water like a God, his slim lines lit up by the moonlight. Jonathan could see why he had fell in love with him, he was exquisite, beautiful and he wished he could join him, but he didn't dare put him that position at the moment, not after what he had been through. That could wait till he was ready.

Ardeth swam to the side of the pool and climbed out. He saw clean clothes by the side and guessed that Jonathan had brought them down to him. Why hadn't he stayed or said something. Whatever had gone on, he wanted Jonathan, he knew he loved him but he was scared that Jonathan wouldn't ever feel the same.

Being ill, he hadn't really heard Jonathan when he told him he loved him, only bits of the conversation were remembered.

He dressed and walked back to the camp, Jonathan was inside the tent with the flaps open so that the light of the fire shone through. He was laying on the rugs with his arm behind his head. Ardeth stood there and looked at him, then picking up some tea walked in and sat beside him

"why didn't you come in with me?" he asked

"Oh…sorry, I didn't think you would want me too. I thought you wanted the space"

"Is that all, I thought perhaps it was because you really couldn't bear to look at me after that place"

"For Gods sake Ardeth. How many times do I have to say this. What happened to you hasn't made me feel any different than I did before. When will you believe me"

Ardeth sat down beside him and hung his head, his wet hair flowed round his shoulders. Jonathan sat up and pushed ardeths hair back and lifted his face so that he could look at him. Tears were in Ardeths eyes and he looked pale and tired. Rubbing a thumb across his cheek, Jonathan took the bull by the horns and gently kissed Ardeth on the lips.

He knew if this had been the wrong thing to do, when ardeth ran out of the tent. But he didn't, instead he brought a hand up to Jonathans face and kissed him back. They sat there for a while, just giving each other little kisses, then Ardeth pushed his tongue inside Jonathan's mouth and deepened one of the kisses.

Their breathing quickened and they moaned into each others mouth. Jonathan pulled Ardeth down with him onto the rugs and didn't break the kiss once. Then they stopped and lay in each others arms, not saying anything for what seemed like hours. They must have fallen asleep because it was light by the time they woke up and Jonathan found Ardeth had moved out of his arms but was still snuggled up against him. He laid there watching him for a while then got up and cooked breakfast.

Two days went by before either of them mentioned what happened that first night. Ardeth was sitting by the pool, watching the water in the sunlight, a tree shading him. Jonathan waked over and sat beside him.

"Ardeth, look I have to know, did I do the wrong thing the other night when I kissed you. I've been too scared to mention it in case you were angry about it"

"Oh Jonathan, I am not angry about it, I kissed you back remember. It was only then that I knew you wanted me"

"But something is wrong, please tell me"

"I love you Joanthan and it's taken me a long time to realise or admit it. But I am terrified of what kisses will lead to. I'm scared that it would hurt, being touched and that I couldn't handle it and you would then hate me for it"

"Ardeth, I love you more than anything in the world. But I would never push you into anything. We have all the time in the world for that. I don't care if we never go the whole way, but I do want to show you that it will never be like that in your life again. If I have to spend the rest of my life showing you that, I will"

Ardeth laid back in the sand and opened his arms to Jonathan, who laid with his head on Ardeths chest. They stayed there for a while and then Ardeth moved.

"I'm going in the pool, the water will be lovely now. Come with me"

They undressed and walked into the water. It was cool and it sparkled under the sunlight. Ardeth swam over to the far side, Jonathan wasn't a good swimmer so stayed near the edge.

"What's wrong Jonathan, it's lovely, come on" said Ardeth.

"I'm not very good at swimming, I nearly drowned when I was a kid, never got used to it again. I'll stay here, I'm alright"

Ardeth came over to him and took his hands and slowly walked backwards in the water.

"You asked me to trust you, now you trust me. Come on, you'll be alright, it's not that deep, I've got you"

"I'm not sure ardeth. I do trust you but I don't trust the water"

Ardeth laughed for the first time in ages and kept walking backwards till they were in the deepest part of the pool. He kept hold of Jonathans wrists tightly and told him to take his feet off the bottom and just float. It took a bit of persuading but Jonathan eventually did. Slowly Ardeth walked in a circle with him, telling him to kick his legs.

"Come on, you're doing great, you'll be fine. Now I am going to let go of you, use your arms and legs, I'll be here."

"No, Ardeth, please I can't, I'll drown"

Ardeth let him go and for a couple of minutes he was fine, he was actually swimming.

"That's it Jonathan, you've got it, that's great"

Suddenly, Jonathan lost concentration and started to sink to the bottom, arms and legs splashing about. Ardeth made a grab for him and pulled him up, coughing and spluttering. It was only about 4ft deep in the middle and it took a while for Ardeth to make him put his feet down and stand up.

"You're okay, calm down, just take a deep breath"

Jonathan did what Ardeth asked and found he was still alive at least. Ardeth took his hands and led him out of the water onto the sand. He sat him down while he went and grabbed a fur rug from the tent and going back wrapped it round Jonathan who was shaking. He had been really scared and it brought back memories of when he was 10 years old.

"Jonathan, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made you do that, I didn't know you were that scared of the water"

"I'm not, that's the stupid thing about it. I was 10 years old, my father said I should be able to swim, so instead of teaching me, he threw me off a pier by the sea and told me to either swim or drown. I was drowning and then a man jumped in and pulled me out. They didn't think I would make it and I never forgave my father for that. He just stood there and watched. I still love water but will only go in where I know it's safe. I didn't know it was safe in there, even with you beside me. Do you understand?"

Ardeth put an arm round Jonathan who was still shaking, even with the sun and rug on him.

"Come on, I think you need to get warm" said Ardeth. "Let's go back to the tent and I'll get you a drink."

When Ardeth came back in with some wine, Jonathan was still sitting there with the blanket wrapped round him. Ardeth handed him the drink, which Jonathan downed in one go. Jonathan was still shivering, he wasn't sure whether it was cold or shock, Ardeth put an arm round his shoulder and gave him another drink.

"Drink this, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have pushed you"

"It's not that, it was only 4ft deep for Gods sake. I'd love to get over this fear but I don't think I can"

Ardeth kissed his cheek and Jonathan felt a fire start to build inside him. He leant into the kiss and then looked at Ardeth. He had forgotten he was wearing anything and for the first time, Jonathan really looked at the man beside him.

"I'd better put some clothes on" said Ardeth suddenly.

Jonathan grabbed his arm and stopped him, taking his face in his other hand and kissing down his face, ending at the parted lips. As he pushed his tongue into his mouth, ardeth closed his eyes and brought a hand round and under the blanket and was touching skin. Their breathing became faster and eventually they laid down, still kissing, their hands caressing each other. Jonathan knew to take it slow and to let Ardeth set the pace. He might just get up and leave if it got too intense but at least this was a start to his healing proper.

"Touch me Jonathan, please"

"Are you sure Ardeth, we don't have to go that far yet"

"No….I…need…you..to….touch…me"

Jonathan moved his hand down to Ardeths now hardened cock and gently stroked it, he felt Ardeth tense up.

"It's okay, relax. I'll never hurt you, only give you pleasure"

Gradually he felt him relax and he moved down and took him in his mouth. Gently licking and sucking, not going too fast and ready to stop if Ardeth wanted him to. He glanced up at Ardeth as he sucked him and saw him, with his head back and gripping the rug, he was moaning.

"God….don't stop….please…don't stop" he gasped.

Jonathan sucked harder and teased his balls with the other hands. Ardeth was arching into him as he brought him closer and closer to the edge. Suddenly he went over and he came in Jonathans mouth, screaming his name. As he finished cuming, he grabbed his stomach and rushed outside, before Jonathan could move.

Hurrying out after him, he found him by the back of the tent being sick, doubled over holding his stomach, as he finished he passed out.

Jonathan ran to his side and picked him up in his arms and held him, not knowing what was wrong. Gradually he came round and saw a worried man looking down at him.

"Ardeth, whatever happened, are you alright?"

"God, it hurt Jonathan, when I came, these cramping pains inside, like it was on fire. Is it going to be like that every time I do anything?"

"I don't know, maybe it was because it was the first time since….I really don't know. Come on let's get you inside and you can get some rest"

He helped him up and laid him on the rugs and covered him up. He laid facing away from Jonathan and cried softly. Jonathan decided to leave him for a while. He really hoped this wasn't going to happen every time or they may have to seek medical help in Cairo. Maybe something was wrong and Jonathan, not being qualified wouldn't know.

Stoking up the fire, he made some food and tea. He borrowed one of Ardeths robes, he couldn't be bothered to dress in his stuff. He sat by the fire as Ardeth was asleep and thought it best to leave him a little longer. He was dozing when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he nearly fell over trying to jump up.

"Jesus, warn a man, you trying to give me a heart attack"

"Sorry, I woke up and saw you out here. Didn't mean to scare you" said Ardeth trying to stifle a laugh.

He sat down and got himself some food and wine before trying the tea.

"How are you feeling?" asked Jonathan

"Fine, no problems at all. As you said it was probably the first time, since what happened. Maybe it will be alright next time"

"If it isn't, maybe we should get you to Cairo and see one of the doctors there. It could be something inside that hasn't cleared up"

For the next week, they ate, slept, talked and generally relaxed. Ardeth was almost back to his old self. The only they hadn't tried again was sex, of any description. Then one night, they drank two bottles of wine between them and were a little drunk, they were laughing and chasing each other around and ended up in the water.

"Er Jonathan, I think we should have taken our clothes off first" laughed Ardeth.

"I think you are right" giggled Jonathan trying to take his trousers off in the water.

He fell over with a splash but didn't care. Getting out he took them off with a bit of trouble and then saw Ardeth had already taken his robe off and was swimming. He sat down and watched him. He came out and laid next to Jonathan.

"I wish you would come in with me, it is nice in there"

Come on then" said Jonathan running in.

Ardeth chased him and caught up with him nearer the middle. Jonathan was breathing heavy, he was scared but as Ardeth took his hand he calmed down a bit. He calmed down even more when an arm went round his waist and pulled him closer.

Lips took his in a searing kiss and they held each other tight in the water. Ardeths hands gripped his cheeks and ground his cock into his thigh. Then Jonathan took his hand and led him out of the water onto the sand and pulled him down on top of him.

Moving down, Ardeth took one of his nipples in his mouth and sucked on it till it was hard and then moved to the other one.

Jonathan arched up and moaned softly. Then moving down even further Ardeth took him in his mouth and sucked expertly, which wasn't a good idea as Jonathan came within minutes.

"Sorry, you are too good, I couldn't last" he gasped trying to get his breath back.

"I haven't finished yet, just lay back and enjoy, I owe you this"

He inserted a finger into Jonathan and then two, wiggling and stretching, touching his sweet spot everytime. Jonathan bucked his hips and Ardeth had to hold them down with one hand. He hooked a leg over his shoulder and finger fucked Jonathan till he could stand no more.

"Need….you…inside me, now"

Taking out his fingers, Ardeths placed his cock against him and pushed in. He was nervous but knew he had to try and Jonathan needed this as much as he did. He pushed till he was fully sheathed and then thrust slowly at first.

"Harder, please Ardeth, harder"

Ardeth thrust into Jonathan, who was stroking himself at the same pace. Suddenly Ardeth felt himself going over the edge and he filled Jonathan with his seed. Jonathan came at the same time, shouting Ardeths name. They collapsed beside each other and Jonathan looked at ardeth to see if he was alright.

"Was it okay this time babe?" he asked

"It was fantastic. I was nervous of trying but I had to. I am so glad I did. I love you Jonathan. Will you touch me, you know, there"

Jonathan sat up on one elbow and looked at Ardeth laying beside him. He was exquisite, his hair tussled and wet and his body glistening in the moonlight.

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes, I have to try and I think I have had enough wine to stop me being too scared"

He leant over and kissed Ardeth gently, moving his hand down his body, not breaking the kiss. Gently he inserted a finger and then two, slowly moving inside him, touching his prostrate as he did so. Ardeth felt a fire begin inside, but not one he disliked. This was a need, a need for the man he had fell in love with.

Over the next half hour, Jonathan made love to him, gently and lovingly, making him feel pleasure, not any pain. They both came together and laid in the sand, getting their breath back.

"Jonathan, that was heaven. No pain just a glorious feeling, I think I am going to be fine sweetheart."

"I am glad it was me you wanted to be with the first time. Come on, it's getting cold out here, let's get back in the tent. I want to go to sleep with my lover in my arms"

"Your lover, that sounds nice. Is that what you want me to be Jonathan?"

"Only if you want it too. There is no way I am leaving you, you're stuck with me now. You know you have one more ghost to face don't you?"

Ardeth looked at him as they went into the tent and didn't answer till they were snuggled down in the rugs.

"The Med-jai, my people, I know. I think I can face them now. We'll leave tomorrow, they will be wondering what has happened anyway. We can always come back here, whenever we like"

"Oh, I think they know you are alright. I've seen Masala on the hill a few times, never stays long but he has been keeping an eye on us"

"You never said anything, why?" asked Ardeth.

"Because apart from me, he was the most worried about you. One question?"

"What's that?"

"Do you feel well enough to fight mummies?"

"I think I could but I also think I will give it a miss, thank you Jonathan"

Jonathan laughed, he knew with that comment that Ardeth was going to be just fine. He had meant what he said, he wasn't leaving him, he loved this Med-jai commander and he loved him. What more could a man want in this life.

High on the hill, just behind them, a man sat on a camel, watching them. He had also fallen for these two men, but a friend of theirs had tried to destroy him but hadn't succeeded the second time. He would never hurt them but he wanted them and would have his way. After all, he was Imhotep, he could get whatever he wanted.



Will do the sequel soon.