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Chapter Text

There was a very ancient tradition in the Medjai community that took place the day when boys became men and fully entered the adulthood, pledging their allegiance to the cause (protecting ancient relics and cursed sites). It was called “the look at Destiny”.

In all the Medjai tribes (which were twelve in the twentieth century) was a witch, highly respected and called “the prophetess”. She was as much a healer, as a fortune-teller, but also a sage who gave directions to the Medjai in times of great distress.

The witch from Ardeth Bay’s tribe was called Ramla. She was so old already, when the boy came in age to reach his adulthood, that no one truly remembered her age, nor a day when she hadn't been a part of the community. She had been the one to predict the destiny of all the Medjai chieftains since several generations, and she had always been correct in her predictions. She was a true sage who was as feared as she was revered, and when the fateful day came, Ardeth was as excited as he was afraid. His father had told the boy one day, when he was still very young, that the witch had predicted his meeting with his mother, and the great love they would feel for each other, and the son that would come out of it, but also that she wouldn’t survive very long after Ardeth’s birth.

The morning of the celebration, young Ardeth was washed meticulously before he was dressed in a long white tunic with golden threads on the extremities. Then, they placed large golden bracelets on his forearms and a golden pendant around his neck that represented the symbol of the Medjai warriors: the eye of Horus with a pyramid and the solar disk behind it, an Uræus guarding each side of the top of the eye.

Barefoot, head bowed, the boy left the tent he was sharing with his family to walk slowly across his tribe’s encampment and towards the witch’s tent. She was the only one who’s tent was black, and people said the sun never pierced the never ending night inside of it.

The people of the tribe followed the young man silently during his journey, encouraging and hopeful. It was known that Ardeth Bay would be the one to become chieftain of the twelve Medjai tribes once he grew older. The prophecies that were about to be made could then deeply affect the whole community.

Young Ardeth finally reached the witch’s den, and, in a last show of great dignity, he didn’t let anyone see his fear as he entered the darkness, head high.

Everything was dark in there, except for a large wooden table at the centre of the tent where a candle was burning, cancelling some of the darkness. A strong smell of incense floated in the air and stayed caught in the boy’s lungs. Every sensation in there was overwhelming and fear increased in his heart as he saw no one within the small patch of flickering light.

Suddenly, a voice, raspy and grave but with a soft undertone, came out of the darkness, from the far end of the tent.

“Come close, Ardeth Bay. Fear not, young prince, for I am sure your destiny will be a great one.”

The old witch came out of the shadows and sat in front of the table, indicating to the boy to do the same. He obeyed, and sat quietly in front of the sage.

She wasn’t scary, as the children or young adults described her. She had a very gentle expression under all of her wrinkles, and you could see clearly the knowledge and intelligence that brightened her gaze. She looked at the boy and smiled, and he felt the knots in his stomach loosen a little.

“Here, boy. Take my hand, please, and I shall tell you what I see.”

Ardeth did as he was told and his slightly shaking young hand took the old and wrinkled one firmly. He felt a mysterious sort of electricity coursing through his veins, and could swear he saw unnatural rays of light connecting his skin to the witch’s. His mind was amazed and blank at the same time. He couldn’t think of anything and simply waited for the moment to pass. Finally, after several minutes of heavy silence when the old woman left her eyes closed to the world, she opened them again, and smiled warmly.

“As I expected, I see for you a great destiny.” She said, and her raspy voice seemed even deeper than before, a strange light still lightening her dark eyes. “You will face times of great distress, and our people’s fate will depend on your ability to make the right decision when needed. But you shall not be alone when the trials of fate will fall upon your young shoulders, and I see strangers, who are not part of the Medjai community, helping you along the way. In this group of strangers, I see a light brighter than the rest, a young witch from a far away land who is also inhabited by the darkness. She will be the one in your heart during every time of doubt, every trial, and she will be the one who will love, protect and support you every time you will need it. You will know who she is for she shall be the one to call you “נשמה”.”

When Ardeth came out of the tent, he didn’t tell anybody about what the witch had told him, except that he was destined to great things. His people yelled and congratulated him, pleased and reassured. But even if the boy would never speak again about what he had been told in that den of darkness, he would always think about the witch’s words and about the image of the pale woman with long black hair and bright turquoise eyes he saw in so many dreams since that day.

*

The three-faced Goddess appeared to Dana the day of her 7^th birthday.

Night had already fallen upon Sept-Tour and the carved pumpkin lanterns she had made as scary as she could shone bright in the darkness on her windowsill. She had escaped the party her family was throwing for her “special day”, incapable of standing the tension in the air much more. At the age of 7, witches normally came of age to enter their community, the local coven and to be recognized by the Gods as true magical beings. So, naturally, everyone was afraid for Crowley. They all feared that the Goddess would be claiming him the following day, and that they would never see him again, or not the way he had always been, at least, a joyful, sweet and carefree little boy. A destiny as a servant for the Gods was too much to handle for a child so young, they all thought. But they were wrong.

Dana, sitting in a lotus position as her mother had taught her, slowly breathed in and out, letting her stress drift away alongside with her untidy thoughts until her witch’s eye opened. It was still a little hard for her, even if she was quite a natural at witchcraft, though less than her twin brother. Something new appeared in her line of sight. A bright golden-green light, slowly turning grey, then golden-green again. Dana opened her eyes.

The three-faced Goddess was there, in front of the little girl, smiling tenderly. Her appearance would change with every blink of Dana's eyes, passing from a young and beautiful maiden, to a fully grown and powerful woman, to an old and gloom crown.

“My child.” She said, and her voice was mesmerizing, just as bright as her persona.

The little witch stayed quiet, half-surprised, for a moment. What were you supposed to say to a God? Her mother was the only one of the family who had ever seen her, and she never talked about it, though Dana and Crowley, faking to be asleep, had heard their parents arguing quietly many times next to their bedroom about it. They said that she would come to claim “the child” one day, and that they didn’t know what to do about it – couldn’t do anything about it, Diana said, and always ended up crying. So they wouldn’t say anything to their children, but always kept a wary eye on Crowley, as if they were expecting him to disappear at any moment. Dana wouldn’t let that happen.

“My parents say you want to take my twin brother away.” The little girl simply said when she finally found the strength to speak to the captivating deity.

“And why would I do that?” The Goddess asked, amused.

“I don’t know. They say they have to pay the price for asking you for your help.” Dana replied, shrugging, feeling her tension melt as something familiar grew in her distant memories.

“And they think it means that I’m going to take your twin brother away? Is that why you called me?” The deity inquired, her mysterious smile widening.

“Yes. So I want you to take me instead. My brother is weak and a coward. He wouldn’t serve you well.” The little witch was being mean with her brother on purpose, she didn't think a word of what she was saying, and she didn’t deceived the Goddess who could see clearly in her young and pure heart.

“I see…” She decided to play Dana’s game for a little while. “But you would?”

“Yes, I think so. I’d do anything you ask. I'm not afraid of anything.” The little girl exclaimed, her soft voice echoing through the room.

The three-faced Goddess smiled widely, the light around her almost blinding now. She was perfectly satisfied with Dana’s reaction. She was going to be a good servant, the deity thought, and one day, she’d be rewarded with the greatest gift of all. But the little girl wouldn’t know it yet. She'd have to prove herself first. And prove herself, she would.

“Dana, it is you who I was waiting for all along. Not your brother. Be reassured, child. I will leave Crowley alone. And I won’t take you away from your family… yet.”

And she disappeared with those last words, leaving Dana with her heart full of joy, but also full of a new kind of fear.

Chapter Text

The sun was already high in the sky when I finally stopped crying. I was sure my face was a mess of tears and blood, since I cried both as a warm blood and as a vampire. I didn’t care, though, I was all alone in Transylvania. I had bought that castle specifically for the peace and quiet, and even the ghosts that haunted it didn’t dare to bother me when I was in my tower. It had been a difficult bargain with old Dracula’s family to let me have it, but we all decided that it would be for the best, in the end. His descendant didn’t live there anymore anyway, preferring the pleasures of more civilized parts of the world. Not me.

Dracula’s castle, that I had nicknamed “L’ombre sur la montagne”, was a gigantic place, cold, humid and very, very dark, surrounded by forests, rivers, lakes and mountains that no warm blood dared to cross this far. The region still had a bad reputation from the old vampire’s days, and I took advantage of it by keeping the castle a secret from outsiders.

I had always been a hermit, though it was difficult to tell since I spent so much time surrounded by people – mostly from my family – but I found great comfort in solitude and stillness. The only one that always broke those two things without ever bothering me was my twin brother, though I would never admit it aloud. He was already enough of a narcissist for me to worsen his case. But my time in Egypt had broken my habits a little, always having O'Connell around, or people to work with all day. It was an odd sensation then, that the cool stillness of my old castle after years in the sun, surrounded by people.

It was strange to see so much green and blue, so many trees and so much water, after a little longer than three years in Egypt, and a lot of time spent in the desert.

I had needed a little time, after my awakening, to realize that it really did happened, and I only figured it out because of the tattoo on my wrist that was still engraved there. I had always been fascinated by Rick’s pagan tattoo that he was given in an orphanage in Cairo when he was younger, and, after some time, we had finally found out someone who could do the same carving for me. I was going to wear this reminder for the rest of my life now, and I wasn’t sure what to think of it. My heart was still broken after Ardeth’s departure – which was quite logical, since it had happened only a few hours before, though it felt like years.

Even the perfect landscape of Transylvania and it’s amazing peace and quiet wouldn’t cheer me up this time. Something heavy was caught in my throat and I had only stopped crying because I didn’t think I had anymore tears for my body to produce.

Logic was perfectly on Ardeth's side, and I knew it. I was a woman of logic, a scientist, working alongside with my parents in their researches in creatures genetics and History. So why was I so badly affected? I didn’t know, and I tried, times and times again to convince myself that I was just an idiot to let my irrational emotions affect me this way and that I should already be doing something else instead of wasting my time in mourning for a love that I had never had in the first place.

Ardeth was a Medjai chieftain. From an other century. From an other world. He had a whole tribe to take care of, and many responsibilities. He was a human.

I was a scientist, an academic, with a doctorate in both History and Sciences. I was from the twenty-first century. From a world full of creatures who were just as good or bad as the humans, but with many more abilities and years to live for the majority of them. I had a family to take care of. I was a hybrid, half-witch, half-vampire. I was a de Clermont. And I was a servant to the great three-faced Goddess.

Nothing could have ever happened between us two, nothing permanent at least, or it would have been way too complicated anyway. What was I thinking of, crying and mourning and being such an immature crybaby for a man that I almost didn’t know anything about? An idiot. That’s what I was. And I didn’t intended to continue on that path. It wasn't me. It wasn't who I was. I was a cold, independent, strong and fierce woman who didn't feel love and would roll my eyes every time I saw my parents kiss.

The only little infringement to my own rules for “L’ombre sur la montagne” was about reception. My father and uncle would have killed me if I hadn’t installed the internet and a very correct cell reception there. I spent so much time in Transylvania that, most of the time, it was the only way for me to keep in touch with the "real" world. Add to that my little problems of not controlled time-travel, and I was completely lost. Thankfully, our good old twenty-first century had mobile phones.

And the one I kept in my bedroom was fully charged when I turned it on and I tapped my PIN code with a soft angst before the date finally appeared before my eyes. The 5^th of June, 2020. I left a strangled cry and smiled into the palm of my hand.

Back to were I started. Good.

Chapter Text

Ardeth was galloping as fast as his black and strong stallion would allow it towards the big city. He had finally found an excuse for the elders to leave his chieftain's responsibilities to them and go to Cairo. He had pretended he wanted to honour the memory of the late Terence Bey – which was also true anyway – after he had sacrificed himself in the battle against Imhotep, and find a new curator for the Museum of Antiquities. What he didn’t tell them was the real motive for his departure, and also that he already knew who he was going to choose to look after the museum, and that they probably wouldn't like it.

Streets were as crowded as always when he crossed the main streets, now on foot and face hidden beneath a dark scarf. It was hard to dissimulate his tattoos otherwise, and he didn’t want any enemy of his people to recognize him. He knew Imhotep still had worshippers in the capital. And he didn't care for the scared, or at least surprised, stares he got from the common folks who saw his face either.

It didn’t take long for the Medjai chieftain to find his way to Dana’s flat. He ran so fast climbing the stairs leading to the wooden door of her home that he had to wait for a long minute before knocking on the door, since he was a little out of breath.

The smile on Ardeth’s face faded when he saw who opened the door.

“O’Connell.” He said, almost coldly.

“Ardeth.” The American replied on the same tone, maybe even harsher. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to see Miss de Clermont, I had something to ask her, and something to give her too.” The Medjai explained, a little irritated.

He didn’t like how familiar Rick was with the young woman. He felt the man was almost defensive against him. But the heartbroken expression on the American's face quickly dissipated Ardeth’s irritation.

“Something happened, my friend?” The Medjai asked softly, voice tensed now.

“Yes.” O’Connell's own voice broke a little, and it scared Ardeth even more, as he knew how hard it was to faze the strong American. “Please, come in, I think we should talk in private.”

The tall man stepped aside to let the other enter the flat before closing the door behind them. Everything was exactly like the Medjai remembered, only a little dustier. Also, Dana’s bedroom door was closed this time, but Rick’s was opened, and the man could see several suitcase piled up on the bed.

“You are going somewhere?” Ardeth asked, trying awkwardly to engage the conversation.

“Yes, we…” Rick passed a hand on his face, battling internally with the numerous contradictory emotions he was feeling at that moment. “It seems like my buddy Beni didn’t intended to leave Hamunaptra empty handed, but he died during the fall of the city, so we thought that it would be a shame not to take and share what he had already stolen from the treasure chamber. The bags were on the camels we took to come back here, and we didn’t even realize it before our first stop to rest in the desert.”

“Well, it is a small compensation for what you did for all of humanity's sake back there.” Ardeth replied, a small smile on his lips.

“Yes, I suppose. I’m glad you take it that well. It was the treasure of your people, after all.” The American said with an uneasy smile.

“We don’t care about treasure.” The other just stated, eager to change the topic. “So, where is Dana?”

Although he had learn to like Rick’s company very much, he wasn’t there to see him, and he was beginning to feel quite impatient. He had waited for too long already (two weeks almost, an eternity, really) to finally come back to Cairo to see his love, and he really didn’t feel like waiting for much longer.

But O’Connell’s expression immediately turned sad and gloomy again. And it was quite scary.

“She’s not here, Ardeth.” The American said coldly. “Not anymore. She went back home.”

“I… don’t understand.” Ardeth stammered, his heart beginning to pound painfully fast in his chest.

“She…” Rick sighed, a hand dishevelling his hair once more, as if unsure to what to say, then continued. “When you left us without a word of goodbye for her, she was heart-broken. She thought you just abandoned her there, like nothing had happened between the two of you. That's when she got... called back to her real home, and why she accepted to go.”

The Medjai chieftain felt the world suddenly spin madly around him. He stumbled slightly before he could get to the couch, and sank into the cushions, heart hammering in his chest.

“Where does she live?” He finally asked when his voice came back, though it was still faint. “I’ll write to her, I’ll go to see her there, I’ll do anything! I can’t let her think that. I… I love her. I came back here as fast as I could to give her that.”

And the man took out of his robes, hands shaking a little, a beautiful pendant made of gold and lapis-lazuli that represented the Ankh with Maat’s feather in the middle. It was a gift from his mother before she passed away, passed down through generations, for the destined wife of the Medjai chieftain. Rick didn’t need any explanation to understand what the pendant meant as he saw Ardeth devastated expression. He felt like his own heart was crushed.

“I’m so sorry, Ardeth." He whispered, a hand resting on the other man's shoulder. "But you won’t be able to reach her where she went. It’s impossible. She is not even from our era. She was a witch that was sent to us from the future, and it seems like she was just here to help us deal with Imhotep. When she finished her task, she was called back to her own time, and I think the only way that she could have stayed is if she had known that she had a future with you. But since she thought you didn’t feel the same as she did, she just... went back.”

The Medjai warrior felt a hot, humid sensation on his cheeks, though his body was feeling freezing cold. His vision was blurry, and it took him a little while to understand that he was crying. He couldn't even remember the last time it had happened. Probably the day his father had died, just before he was announced as the next Medjai chieftain. The pain was so strong inside his chest that he had a sudden urge to rip open his ribcage and to take out his heart from there and throw it across the room.

“Hey, easy, easy there, buddy.” Rick tried to sooth him in his own awkward way, shaking him by the shoulder a little. “She left a message for you, just before she disappeared.” And he wasn’t sure for the hope he saw in the other man’s eyes if he should tell him or not, but an encouraging nod from Ardeth – and his loyalty for his lost best friend – made him speak almost against his will. “She said that the word she called you, “neshama”, was an old hebrew word that meant that you would always be in her heart and soul, forever. She said that she would never love anyone else as much as she loved you, and that she really wished she could have stayed by your side.”

“Neshama…” Ardeth whispered, lost in his sorrow. Then he raised his eyes towards O’Connell and said in a very different voice: “I need to bring her back.”

Chapter Text

Crowley was the first person I called after I finally recovered a little. Or more like he called me and I accepted the call. Of course my twin knew I wasn’t okay. He felt my emotions as if they were his own even if we were in two opposite places of the world.

“Dana, what happened?” Was his way to greet me.

“Hello to you too, brother. What do you mean?” I asked, knowing perfectly I wasn’t going to fool him, but I still wanted to tease him a little. I missed this.

“Ne me prends pas pour un imbécile.” He groaned, apparently in a very bad mood. “I wake-up with the sensation that I hadn’t seen you in years and it freaked me out. We just saw each other last monday. We both know what that means. I love you, but not that much, sister. So, I repeat my question: what happened?”

I sighed, as some of my happiness after hearing my twin’s voice after such a long time faded away.

“Well, this is going to be a long story.”

“I have all my time.”

So I told him everything. My meeting with Rick after I time-travelled while I was asleep and crashed into the ancient City of the Dead. Our escape in the desert. The men in black who observed us from afar.

I talked to Crowley about my life for three years in the Egypt of the 1920’s. My friendship with John, then Evy. My meeting with Terence Bey, the curator of the museum of Antiquities, how he gave me a job and a roof, the fact that he died without me ever being able to tell him thank you properly. I felt guilty, but as I looked by the window, I felt like all of these events belonged to some very far away past life.

Then I had to speak about the day when I found the library destroyed, and when I met Ardeth Bay. I tried not to linger too much in my description about the man’s appearance, his beauty, the tranquil force that emanated from him, his serious looks that hid his incredible kindness, the way he didn’t seem pleased to have to threaten me, and how he grew to protect me instead some time later. But there was so much to say, and I really wanted to talk about him, now that I had begun.

My twin sensed my eagerness, but asked me to go on with the story. We could talk about “that Ardeth” (I quote) later.

So I told him how we travelled back to Hamunaptra because of Evy and John, our little misadventures on our way there, but how that was much compensated by our arrival at our destination, as the librarian beat us all to the gates of the cursed city.

I took my time when I described the underground temple, the rooms we visited, I jumped ahead a little to speak about the treasure chamber we discovered the third time we were in Hamunaptra, and all the riches and history hidden in there, now buried under the debris of the fallen city. I was a historian after all, and my brother was quite a History enthusiast too, so he gladly listened to all the details I could give him.

I stopped my speech about ancient history to go back to the tale of my recent adventures. Came the part of the discovery of Imhotep’s sarcophagus, with Jonathan, the pickaxe and the pebble, and how he almost got me killed. This made Crowley laugh for a solid 5 minutes, and when he finally recovered, his first reaction was to say that he wanted to meet that man too. I couldn’t resist talking about how endearing my Johnny boy – indeed – was. His dry humour, his sarcasm at the worst moments, his fearfulness, and yet his courage when it came to defend his loved ones. I think my twin fell in love with the Englishman just with that description.

But there was so much more to say that I had to go on with the story.

So I described the Medjai attack on our camp at night, how I kicked Ardeth’s ass in front of his men (and ours). I felt bad about it now, though I think it earned me some points with the Medjai, when he saw I could defend myself perfectly. He didn’t seem to hold a grudge after that anyway.

I had to speak more about the handsome Medjai chieftain after that, because we had our first normal conversation the night that followed those events, and it was probably the moment I really fell for him and let it happen, though I didn’t realized it until much later.

But, once again, Crowley interrupted me, growing impatient – it was, indeed, a long story – and I changed the subject to explain to him about Imhotep, why and how he had been cursed, how Evelyn had awakened him, the plagues that followed him, the conditions for his full regeneration and what it might lead to after it happened. At that moment, my twin brother seemed more interested about this part than my love-story with Ardeth, and I felt a little upset. Not for very long, though, because I had to put all my mind and emotions at the service of remembering the whole course of events.

With that long introduction about the High Priest, I could explain better why he followed us to Cairo afterwards as we tried to ran away from him, how he killed the three Americans and the Australian Egyptologist to regenerate, and his obsession with Evy to the point of kissing her while she was asleep, then kidnapping her to serve as a human sacrifice to bring his dead girlfriend back to life.

My teeth were clenched when I talked about the failed spell, as Isis interrupted me when I tried to defeat Imhotep on my own to protect my friends. I felt a little guilty about Terence Bey’s death. If only I had been stronger… But there was no use to think about this now. What is done is done.

I earned a new laugh from my brother as I described the feeling on flying when you’re tied to a plane’s wing. Not fun to do, sure fun to remember, yet not doing it ever again.

It was less fun when we lost Winston, or when Jonathan’s arm got eaten by a flesh-eating scarab. At least, we were able to save John’s limb afterwards.

I felt my heart beating faster as I grew close to the end of the story. Because after the treasure chamber’s discovery (which I didn’t described again, you can see how reasonable I can be sometimes), there was the undead priests' attack, which led to Ardeth’s attempt to sacrifice his life, which led to me leaving my friends to save him, which led to the kiss. And having my heart broken soon after. And I didn’t want to talk about that yet. Because it felt stupid and irrational, and so far from character for me that I felt ashamed of myself. Only a weak person gets their heart crushed by a nearly stranger like that.

I didn’t need to say much about all this, though. Crowley understood me perfectly without even needing a word from me, and he began scolding me.

“It’s not being weak, Dana, come on!” He cried in anger mixed with a certain frustration. “You just fell in love for real for the first time in your (quite long) life, and you want it to be rational? You can’t. It's the less rational thing in the world. But it’s also the best. I don’t know precisely what happened between the two of you and why you felt like he left you and didn’t return your feelings, but I’m sure there is much more to it than just what you see right now, as you are sad, and angry, and that it happened so recently. Par les dieux, D’, you know vampires usually mate only once in their lives, and it’s always requited. And don’t start with mum and Gallowglass, or I’ll get definitely mad. The Gods would never allow you to fall in love just to take it away from you like this. It can’t be the end. You can’t give up. Love is the most wonderful thing in the world, and I won’t accept the thought that our Gods took that away from you when you already did so much for them and had so little in return.”

And I knew Crowley was right, of course. I had had enough personal experience with the Gods to know how they worked. Everything that felt like a cruel trick had always ended up being just a necessary experience to grow up, and I got over it eventually, stronger and wiser than before. I maybe was a servant of the three-faced Goddess, but she had never been cruel to me, quite the contrary, despite all what my mother or aunt Sarah could say. And that realization made this whole story even more irrational than before.

“I don’t know, Crow’.” I said after a long pause. “Maybe I was wrong, and it wasn’t mating. Maybe it was just hormones because he protected me while we were so very close to die. Maybe…”

“Dana, stop, please. We both know you’re just trying to convince yourself. You always do that. You’re incapable of handling feelings, so you just push them away, hoping they’ll just leave you in peace. Breaking news: it won’t work, not for something this big, whatever you may try.”

He sighed loudly, and I could perfectly picture him in my head at that moment, my witch’s eye wide open, as he ran a nervous hand in his long red-hair, trying to calm down when I knew this particular side of me drove him crazy.

“Listen, I’m sorry, okay?” He finally said. “I understand you’ve just been through a lot, and you need to rationalise it all to make you feel like you can recover some kind of control over your life. I get it. I just… I’m afraid you will just let it all go to protect yourself, and you’ll end up missing something very important. You know I don’t talk about it much, but you were there the day I came back from “Eden”, and you were the one who supported me the whole time I mourned Aziraphale. I still miss him every single day of my life, but I had decades by his side, and I just feel like the luckiest man in the world when I think about it now. I got to live the greatest love story of my life – probably – and I would do it all over again if I was given the choice. The price is worth all the pain it can bring along with it, D’. Try to remember that, please. I can’t let you make such a big mistake without trying to talk to you against it first. Listen to me for once, please. Tell me you will.”

“I’ll try.” Was all I could reply before I hung up, incapable of continuing with that conversation.

Chapter Text

Ardeth spent his night in Cairo in Dana’s bed, gracefully invited by O’Connell who gave him his late room-mate's key, before scurrying away with some of his bags, eager to seek Evy’s comforting arms after an afternoon spent talking with the depressed Medjai about the best friend he himself couldn't stop thinking about.

The American still had difficulties to believe how badly the warrior was impacted by the news, though he reflected that if the same thing was to happen to his own love, he would probably handle it the same way. Rick gave a last, pitiful look at the man still trapped inside the sofa’s cushions, then closed the door behind him.

Dana’s bed was fresh and welcoming after the Medjai succeeded in moving again somehow. The sensation of the clean white sheets against his naked skin soothed his pain a little as he imagined his lovers’ hands on him, instead of the light material. He remembered how she had nuzzled her nose against his neck when they were in the car, driving towards Winston’s den. Her breath had tingled his skin and made him feel things he couldn’t quite define. The memory made him blush slightly, skin burning.

Ardeth, eyes still open on the dark of the night, remembered every little detail of the young woman, as he just looked absent-mindedly at the invisible ceiling. The determination in her eyes when she had punched him the first two times they had met, her loyalty to her friends even when she knew they were making bad decisions and couldn’t reason with them, her dry sarcasm that easily competed with Jonathan’s in the most dire of situations, the sweetness of her voice the night he had heard her sing in the desert, drawing him towards her, making him go out of his way to speak with someone (who was back then) the enemy.

There was also her skills in battle, the glow of her skin when she used her magic, the way she clanged to him naturally when she needed comfort (Ardeth blushed at the memory of that fateful night inside the underground temple, when she had grabbed his wrist, invaded by powerful emotions, in front of his men, and without any kind of shame), the way she scolded after a big scare, and finally, the way she kissed.

Ardeth Bay, chieftain of the twelve Medjai tribes, wasn’t a man who sought feminine attention, nor cared for it much, even if his handsome features, good nature, glowing reputation and important position made of him a very desired man.

The only adventures the warrior had allowed himself to have had been teenager experiences and – what he would now call – mistakes. It had been before he even became chieftain of the Medjai and when hormones began poisoning (as he would say) his brain, and take away his rational thinking when beautiful young women tried to seduce him – and succeeded.

But it was never for long, and, one particular time when a particularly stupid mistake almost forced him to marry a girl he didn’t even liked in the first place, sobered him definitely and, leaving behind his “happy” teenager years, closed himself to the fairer sex and employed all his strength and attention in service of accomplishing his duties towards his people.

Maybe this had been the reason why, the day Ardeth met Dana de Clermont, he was so taken aback by her attractiveness and immediately decided that he disliked her. Which had, of course, been a lie he told to himself all along, the few more times they met, until the night they finally got to talk alone, as equals, and not enemies, when the Medjai chieftain had realized that he had no reason to hate her like that, and instead felt his heart a little lighter when she was near.

He had realized since then that his previous desire to beat her, to trap her, to dominate her, had just been an instinctive impulse as he wanted her never to leave his sight again, that he had mistaken for wanting to defeat an enemy of the Medjai, and instead was an unexplainable need to be with her and never let her go.

He remembered the sensation of her delicate flesh in his hand, as he squeezed her throat back on the steam-boat, making sure he wouldn’t really harm her, controlling perfectly the way he strangled her. A warm and unpleasant feeling of shame and resentment for himself spread inside the man’s chest as he pictured, as clearly as if it was happening all over again before him, their short and violent encounter.

It had been – after his attitude in the museum – the first time since his teenage years that he had ever used his charm (because, let’s not be fooled, he knew he had a lot of it) on a woman like that, and he had known perfectly well what he was doing when he had spoke in her ear, leaving his breath tingle the soft skin of her neck, as he reprimanded her for her stubbornness for returning to Hamunaptra.

Her replies, so far from what he had expected – he hadn’t expected her to reply at all, in fact – had disconcerted him, and broke the seductive mask he had been trying to pull.

And then she had punched him again, and thrown him over the rail, and Ardeth couldn’t even find it in him to be angry at her as he saw the concern in her eyes before his body hit the cool waters of the Nile unpleasantly. At least he had had the courage at that moment to admit to himself that he wouldn’t be able to kill the intriguing woman with his own hands. He got too distracted every time she opened her mouth or just looked at him with her mesmerizing turquoise blue eyes.

That night, alone in Dana’s bed, naked under her soft sheets, his mind and his body tired from the travel to Cairo, the emotions of the day, and all the tears he had cried, Ardeth dreamt of the woman he loved, the one he knew to be his destiny, all alone in a very large castle, sitting on the cold stoned floor, hugging her knees and scrutinizing without seeing it a tattoo at her wrist, a tattoo identical to the one Ardeth Bay wore himself.

Chapter Text

A disturbing noise brought me out of my peaceful sleep. Since I was back from Egypt, I rested a lot, some days not even getting out of bed, others just dusting the castle absent-mindedly, not eating much, not ever feeling truly rested. But today, a week after I came back, it seemed like my family had other plans for me.

The booming voice of my favourite cousin shook the ancient stone walls and crossed the castle from its far entry to my bedroom. I groaned, knowing I had only a few seconds before being disturbed, and took the pillow from under my head to clench it against my tired face. My bedroom’s door opened under a powerful kick that would have splintered the wood if the owner of the incriminated foot hadn’t controlled himself a little. Thankfully, Gallowglass de Clermont knew better than to break my door.

“Rise and shiiine!” He sang unpleasantly.

“What do you want?” I groaned, face still hidden with the fluffy pillow.

“Crowley’s been worried for you all week, it ended up getting on my nerves, and I see he was right to be preoccupied. Get up, get dressed, and join me outside.”

An other of my muffled groans was interrupted when the strong vampire tore the pillow away from me, revealing his sadistic grin before my tired eyes.

“All right, all right.” I mumbled, incapable of staying angry at him.

The red-haired Viking gave me a last, nicer smile, before getting out of the room, closing the door behind him. I slowly got off the bed after that, tiptoeing around my bedroom to find presentable clothes to wear – presentable for someone living in the middle of a forgotten part of Transylvania, that is.

I hadn’t see Gallowglass – nor talked to him – in more than three years (for me) and he had been one of the people I had missed the most. Unlike the bond I shared with my brother, that sometimes didn’t even felt like a choice, the bond I had created over the years with the Viking had taken time and effort, but it all had been for the best. The level of trust that existed between us was beyond anything I had with anyone else, even my parents, and he had been the one I usually went to see when I found myself stuck in the past or lost in the present.

My mother, Diana, had once told me that my birth had been a blessing for Gallowglass and the rest of the family, in the sense that an incident between him and my father had greatly affected the rest of our clan, and my cousin hadn’t even dared to appear before my father's eyes until he met me. I never knew what had occurred between the two of them, no one wanting to talk about it, even less Gallowglass despite the trust he had in me, and I never insisted, respecting his silence, but I had heard once or twice my father say that the Viking had came back to his senses after he had met “the twins”, which could have been Rebecca and Philip, but finally revealed to be Crowley and I, and I was very glad about it. Gallowglass loved his family more than anything, and took care of us all greatly, and it would have been a terrible loss not to have him close and happy.

I would always remember my first meeting with my cousin.

I was four years old, already all dressed in black, never accepting lighter colours, and my already long hair was tied in a series of delicate braids attached to my head in a sort of bun with golden rose's pins. Mother and father had left me, my twin brother Crowley, and our two older siblings who were also twins, Rebecca and Philip, at Sept-Tour, a gigantic and old castle, main home of the de Clermont family and residence of our grandmother Ysabeau, a three thousand years old vampire with the face of a young woman, small and thin frame, golden blond hair and clear blue eyes.

I had decided not to play with my siblings in the garden, preferring the loneliness and silence of the farther end of the courtyard already, and was petting the future mother of my beloved mare, Rida. Her name was Ruqayyah, “the gentle”, and she was a beautiful dark bay Arabian horse, who was going to transmit her strong frame and gorgeous colour to her daughter several years later, but with a much nicer temper, earning her place of favourite horse of Ysabeau. I would, later, prefer my Rida’s difficult temper and her playful and energetic spirit.

I didn’t really care when I heard the stables' door open and continued my task of getting rid of all the knots in Ruqayyah’s mane, when a raucous and masculine voice slightly disturbed me. I had never heard it before, but something, call it witch instinct, told me that I should have known the man it belonged to.

“Shouldn't you be playing in the garden with you siblings, little Dana? It is not safe here all alone. You are so small and those horses are so tall. Aren’t you afraid?”

I finally deigned to turn my head to look at the red-haired giant talking to me. He was wearing ripped jeans, a metal band t-shirt and large buckle boots, a leather black coat in one hand, the other resting on the paddock’s door. Typical Gallowglass, I would learn later. If I had been more attentive I would also have heard his huge motorbike parking in front of the castle doors a few minutes earlier. He had deep blue eyes, a full beard eating his angular face, shoulder-length wavy hair and a tall, strong frame. But despite his intimidating appearance, his kindness and mindfulness shone in his clear eyes. I frowned.

“I am not afraid, they won’t harm me, they know me and I know them, and we respect each other.” I replied in my tiny, cold voice.

Despite a rather happy childhood, I had never been a cheerful kid, and if my smiles were rare, my laughters were even scarcer. A constant serious expression ate my beautiful face – I was the daughter of a vampire, our nice physique was kind of requirement since meant to help us capture our preys – when it wasn’t bored or just blank, and I spoke very little, to the point that my parents had thought I couldn’t talk at all when I was younger, until someday I decided to open my mouth – I don’t even remember why – and expressed myself very naturally, as if I had known how to speak properly all along. One thing I could remember from that day however, was the faces my parents and grandmother had made when they heard me, which was quite priceless, and which image would never leave my memory.

Gallowglass laughed at this, clearly not taken aback by my cool attitude, and took a step closer to pet the horse by my side.

“You definitely are your mother’s daughter.” He declared after a small, not uncomfortable silence. “I heard that the first time she rode a horse in presence of your father, she took her foot off her callipers while Rakasa was galloping as fast as she could and almost ended up face first against a tree.”

He threw a bright smile at me as I observed him, not really knowing were he was going with that, but glad to hear the anecdote. People always compared me to my father, and it was a nice change to hear about my mother instead.

“Dad once said mum used to walk with her eyes closed, arms floating around her, and that scared him very much the first few days they met.” I commentated reflexively.

“That doesn’t surprise me much.” The stranger retorted, still beaming.

And that’s how Gallowglass came back more and more often at Sept-Tour, spending the larger part of his time there with me, teaching me anything that passed through his mind (music bands, the meaning of his tattoos, ancient legends and mythologies, stories of his past, how to take care of a motorbike, etc.) and, with some time and effort from both parts, healed his bonds with my father who ended up trusting him all over again, as if nothing had occurred between the two of them.

Simple black jeans and a large t-shirt with one of the covers of my favourite metal band’s (Sonata Arctica) album on it, completed with a pair of trekking boots, was the outfit I chose from the scattered clothes on my bedroom’s floor, before I opened the window and just flew out of it to meet with Gallowglass, all the way down the entry. He smiled widely at the sight, always enjoying the displays of my magic, and gave me a bones-crushing hug when my feet finally touched the ground.

“So, will you tell me what happened to you?” He asked after a long minute, slowly stepping away from me.

I knew Crowley had probably already sold the story, at least to Gallowglass, since he was the one who took the most care of me when I was upset – or the only one I accepted, that is – but my cousin apparently wanted to hear it all from me, in a confessional and cathartic manner he knew was necessary for me. So, after a few moments of reflexive silence, I just said:

“Why don’t we take a walk?”

Chapter Text

The museum of Antiquities of Cairo was in a terrible state. Of course, the library was still just as Evelyn had left it, weeks earlier, destroyed as if a storm had just passed though it, broken artefacts, books and loose pages scattering the floor and everything in sight in the vast room. Plus a thin layer of dust and sand. The shelves, at least, weren't broken, but all on top of each other, making it impossible for the librarian alone to put them back in place. Thankfully, Evelyn Carnahan, in her usual loose blouse and long skirt, expression shameful yet determined, had the help that day of two strong men - and her brother.

Ardeth Bay sighed at the sight of all that had to be done to open the library to the public again, and even louder when, climbing upstairs to the late curator's, Dr. Bey, office, he saw all the damages that had been caused by Imhotep's enslaved zombie troops. It was a good thing that the authorities responsible for the museum were Medjai, or it would have been rather complicate to find a rational explanation as to what had occurred in there.

Terence Bey's office - soon to be Evelyn Carnahan's office, though she didn't know it yet - was crowded with trinkets and ancient artefacts, books and mountains of papers and documents. The Medjai chieftain didn't mourn for his dead friend, but said a quick prayer in his head to honour the memory of his fallen comrade. The little old man, a fierce warrior and devoted to his tribe, had served his purpose until the end and sacrificed his life for Ardeth, Rick, Jonathan, Evy and Dana to kill the undead High Priest and save the world. He would be remembered as a hero, within the Medjai tribe, and would surely be proud of this.

After cleaning most of the late curator's papers, and before going to the library to help his ex-enemies and now friends, Ardeth felt like he needed a pause, his night not having felt very restful, and his eyes still sore from all the tears he had shed the previous evening. Behind the museum, in a small backyard partly hidden by high palm trees, was some old stables, place of rest for various Medjai horses, who looked at the newcomer lazily, flies buzzing around their eyes in the heavy heat of Cairo. The warrior made a mental note to tell Evelyn about the animals, and to find a new stable boy to care for them now that the old curator wasn't there anymore to do so, when a particular bay horse caught his eye.

It was a beautiful Arabian horse, athletic and proud, with big dark eyes that seemed to read the man's soul. Dana's horse.

Ardeth approached the animal slowly, as if afraid to scare him, though the proud horse never showed any kind of distress, then raised a slightly shaking hand to caress his head. Rayham looked at him a little longer before closing his eyes, appreciating the attention. On his stall's door, a note, written in a delicate and elegant writing, with large capital letters that almost looked like illumination.

"Dear Dr. Bey,

Thank you for everything you did for me during those last three years. It has been a wonderful time, and I shall always remember warmly the memories I made at the museum and in your wise company. I leave you that horse, whose name is Rayham and who is a great steed, as a gift to show you my appreciation and as a way to tell you, since I’m quite bad with spoken words, that even if we had our differences lately, you are still a very important person to me.

Please accept this gift, I know you will appreciate his energy and good character.

Your old friend,

Dana de Clermont"

The Medjai chieftain felt his breath caught in his lungs for a moment. His eyes stung again, but he caught himself, and put his stern mask back on. As he kept caressing the animal's soft head, he read the note, again and again, engraving those few little words in his mind. He could almost hear the witch's voice, and see her shy yet joyful expression, throwing her arms around the steed's neck before burying her face in his hairy shoulder. She had mentioned, during the very little time they had had alone, that she had learn how to ride before she could even walk, and that she had a family of wonderful horsemen (and women), and with the little he had seen her ride, the Medjai warrior knew it had to be true.

Thinking about "the witch" ("his witch"), Ardeth suddenly had an idea. And he felt his heart jump just as the thought crossed his mind. It was so much adrenaline and anticipation all at once that the serious and responsible chieftain almost jumped on Rayham's back to run back to his people right away.

But the Carnahans and O'Connell were still in the library, cleaning, and Ardeth hadn't said goodbye nor had time to speak to Evelyn about the new responsibilities he wanted to grant her, so he stopped his sudden impulse, and instead headed back inside the tall building, eager to finish his tasks as soon as possible to go back to his people - and to, he hoped, the solution to his worries.

*

The Medjai’s encampment was much larger than one would expect for one hosting a secret society. Protected by strong spells, no one could find it without “the key”, so the "nomad tribe" actually never moved much over the centuries, to the point where some families had even constructed houses of hard stone, or took residence in ancient Egyptian constructions that they repaired from time to time. Of course, it was mostly the women, elders and children that stayed there, the warriors, them, spending the majority of their time crossing the desert from sacred site to cursed temple, and the one who were still single often preferred large tents to their family's hard stone home. So, it was a familiar sea of eclectic accommodations that welcomed Ardeth Bay, chieftain of the twelve Medjai tribes, upon his return in his tribe - that, and a lot people. The chieftain was a popular man after all.

Though the Medjai chieftain loved, not the attention, but to see his people united and happy, the encampment buzzing with activity at nightfall, as the heat of the day dropped, but the weather wasn't freezing yet, Ardeth probably would have preferred a calmer arrival, something much less drawing attention, for him to quietly execute his plan. But his serious face broke into a soft smile as children waved at him, followed by the grown-ups. The latter also tried to get his attention to resolve various of their problems, or just to spend some time in his wise and nice company, but the leader was exhausted, and definitely impatient. Thankfully, when he finally got down from Rayham's back, his best friend and second in command came to his rescue.

"Okay, people, easy. Could you let the man some space to breath, please? I'm sure you can talk to him tomorrow, when he is not looking like a walking dead man anymore. Come on, move along!" The young man finished, with a large grin that excused him for his rudeness.

People listened to him, walking away, most of them smiling at the impertinence.

"Thank you, Dakarai." Ardeth told him, resting a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I really couldn't deal with all of this right now."

Dakarai, a handsome dark and tall young man with bright blue eyes and a dashing smile that stole the heart of most single girls in the tribe, was what Ardeth considered most like a true brother. They had been raised together, educated together, understood each other from a half-word and trusted each other with their lives. The slightly younger Medjai had a mischievous character that contrasted greatly with Ardeth's apparent seriousness, but they were very much the same in the end. Devoted to their tribe, with a kind heart and great skills for fighting and riding, it was only natural that, when Ardeth had been made chieftain several years earlier, Dakarai had soon followed as his second in command, when Ardeth father's second in command had also passed away.

"Don't thank me, brother, you look terrible! What happened? I didn't know an easy journey from Cairo to here was so tiring. Are you getting old?" Dakarai joked, smile wide and pinching his friend's arm.

"Ouch!" Ardeth protested, then joked too. "Is that all the respect you have for your leader?"

"You know how much I respect and adore you, my old friend, but seriously, you're scaring me. You defeated a terrible curse we heard about our whole lives and never thought we would ever actually face it one day, and instead of celebrating your victory - like everyone else does by the way - you just look grim and more serious than ever. Did something happened you didn't tell the rest of the tribe?"

The chieftain looked at his best friend for a moment, before deciding not to tell him about Dana yet. He needed answers first, not more questions he couldn't answer to. His friend seemed to understand his silence, as always, and took a step back, throwing his hands in the air.

"Okay, okay, as you wish! You will tell me when you feel like it." And he stopped Ardeth before he could thank him. "No. Now, you go to your tent and have a good night's rest. We will talk again tomorrow."

And Dakarai went away swiftly, waving his friend goodnight.

But Ardeth wasn't ready to go to sleep yet. And, questions bubbling in his troubled mind, the chieftain slowly walked around the camp, where he was quite certain not to meet anyone, nor to be seen, and made his way to the witch's den.

The dark tent was exactly as he remembered, inside and out. The only difference between that moment and the last time he had been there, was that he wasn't afraid anymore. Ardeth didn't like magic because he couldn't understand it, but he respected those who could control the gift, and meeting Dana had made him fall in love with the electricity that it produced, and the possibilities it gave to desperate people. Like him.

"Ramla?" The fierce warrior, feeling like a teenager all over again, asked quietly.

But the witch had heard him anyway and came out of the shadows of the depths of the tent to sit in front of her large wooden table where a large decorated candle was always burning, inviting the man to do the same with an ample gesture of her wrinkled hand.

"What can I do for you, chieftain Bay?" The old woman asked with an enigmatic smile, like already knowing the reason why the man was there in the first place.

"I need your advice." The warrior explained, almost shy. "I feel lost and I think that only a powerful witch like you can answer my questions."

"Go on, tell me what is troubling you, young prince." The witch said softly.

Ardeth stayed quiet for a minute or two, before the words seemed to escape his trembling lips.

"I think that I have met the woman of the prophecy you gave me when I took my oath as a true Medjai." He declared, voice raucous. "She is a wonderful witch, and she saved my life during the fight with the Creature, and I think she is the one that I shall love my whole life. But she is not from here. She is from a far away kingdom, and she's been called back there, and I don't know how to reach her now without magic. Can you tell me how I could ever see her again, or if it is even possible?"

Ramla looked at the young chieftain with bright eyes and a large smile, before she took his hand and closed her eyes. Ardeth witnessed again the light emanating from their joined hands, and felt the electricity of the magic in the air, far from the power Dana emitted, but yet similar. Then the spell dropped and the old woman let go of his hand gently. Her eyes, when she opened then again, were no longer black, but a golden white that glowed in the dark, far more impressive than the first time the warrior had received a prophecy from the witch.

"The Gods have spoken, my young prince, and they agree that you shall be reunited again with your love, who has been all along your destiny. Tomorrow, when the full moon shows Khonsou's divine face in the sky, go to the centre of the temple of Karnak, where you'll find the pools where those who adored the ancient Gods looked at the future, and sit there praying the Goddess who protects your witch to show you the way to her. She'll answer, and you shall be taken where your love is."

The witch's eyes turned back to their usual black, though they still hosted that mystical spark of light that had amazed the young Medjai the first time. Ardeth thanked her various time, before he stumbled out of the dark tent, feeling dizzy, a powerful mix of emotions crashing down on him as he slowly walked to his own large tent.

Chapter Text

Sept-Tour had always been the place where I most felt like home, even after I bought “L’ombre sur la montagne” and even if my parents actually had their own “little” castle in France, near the de Clermont HQ. Moving between France, England and USA, Sept-Tour had always been the “place that never changed” when I was a child, and even more when I began time-travelling, and that I would go there to find, in the past, the master of the place, Philippe de Clermont, my impressive grandfather. So, it was with a new spark of energy that I jumped mid-air from the helicopter about to drop me and Gallowglass in the courtyard, and landed near the principal entry’s door, where Ysabeau, my grandmother, was waiting for us with her usual little smile.

Regal in her posture and crown of golden hair, grand-mère Ysabeau de Clermont was a vampire of 3000 years old who looked like a young woman, and kept most of the family’s secret with an amazing nonchalance. Her smile – with no fangs – was wide when she opened her arms to welcome me home and kiss me on both cheeks.

“We were wondering if you would arrive soon.” She said in her vampire-made melodious voice. “There is so much to do and your brothers are on edge with all the agitation.”

“Don’t worry, I’m here now.” I replied with a smile.

Passing through the first corridor and it’s rigid alley of empty armours gently bent towards the newcomers, they spares menacingly held up in the air, then a half-hidden door and a sinuous staircase, I arrived to the kitchens, where several members of the family were already standing, Marthe and Fernando cooking, and Marcus, Jack and Crowley looking at them. My arrival didn’t seem to trouble them, engaged as they were in an animated discussion.

“I just think it’s impressive you waited this long!” Crowley was saying, half lying on the table, long limbs spread like a starfish.

“It’s not like we exactly had a choice, you know.” Marcus, our older brother, was protesting. “There was way too much to do after we succeeded in revoking the covenant.”

“Beside, vampires don’t have the same appreciation of time than warm-blood.” Fernando, step-father of Gallowglass and my favourite uncle, added calmly.

“I know, I know, we, mere mortals, can’t understand… but still!” My twin protested, though probably out of argument.

“Just drop it, Crow. Can’t you just be happy for them?” I interrupted, giving the stubborn red-haired a tap of the forehead.

“Thank you for having my back, sister!” He complained, massaging where his skin had became a shade more pink. “And here I thought you would be happy to see us.”

But his wide smile betrayed him, and he was soon hugging me tight. I protested weakly, trying to regain a serious composure.

“You, no, the others, maybe.” I said, and earned a strangled gasp in response.

Crowley took a step back and put his hand over his heart, feigning a shock.

“How could you? Me, your adorable twin brother, unloved, just like that!”

I couldn’t suppress a laugh by seeing him like that, feeling somehow too euphoric, overwhelmed by the joy of seeing my family again after three long years. I hugged each of my brothers, then Fernando and then Marthe, Sept-Tour house keeper and greatest confident of our grandmother.

“Welcome back, child! I heard you’ve been quite far away from us lately.” The old vampire said, smiling gently.

“Yes, but I am back now.” I declared, feeling my throat tightening suddenly.

There was not an other commentary, as my brothers and I went upstairs to meet with the rest of the family.

Part of the main quarters were already decorated with white silk strips and flowers, the antiquities moved to other and more private rooms and replaced with less fragile items. Strangers were walking all over the place to adjust the decoration or move heavy furniture aside. The wedding was to be set outside the following day, but you never knew if rain wouldn’t come out to ruin the party, and that was a possibility the de Clermont would never let happen.

Matthew and Diana were talking to Phoebe Taylor, future Phoebe Whitmore, and Andrew Hubbard, our adopted brother Jack’s biological father as he had been the one to turn him into a vampire. The two men looked just as serious as always while the two women looked almost ecstatic. My mother was talking about her own wedding at Sept-Tour in 1590, during her first time-travel with dad.

“And I wore the more scandalous dress I had ever seen. I don’t remember how many layers of clothing I had on me that day, and my collars were so high I almost couldn't see anything. I wish I could have had a camera that day…”

“You were beautiful, my love.” Matthew said with a tiny smile, kissing Diana’s wrist gently.

“Mom, dad, some decency please!” Crowley teased, as we joined the other group.

Our parents chuckled and passed an arm around each other, always close, hardly getting away from each other from time to time. I wondered if that was what true love really felt like, for creatures like us. The vampire’s possessiveness surfaced way easier after one had mated, I had been told, and that feeling was even stronger when the other part was a warm-blood. Knowing that the person you love more than yourself will inevitably die before yourself must be devastating. I often saw the pain of that realisation in my father’s eyes, when he looked at my mother, or at us, the four twins who would live longer than normal warm-bloods, but would still die way younger than most vampires. And we couldn’t do anything about it.

My eyes met Hubbard’s and we exchanged an amused smile. My father had needed quite a while to get used to the man’s presence in our family, but Jack often needed him, his complicated temper requiring special attention, so there had been no other choice. On my side, I had never been bothered by the quiet and religious vampire, and quite frankly admired him. I never listened to his religious sermons, but was always attentive when he talked about his views of the world. He had been the first to reunite vampire, daemons and witches under the same clan, despite the Congregation’s (now revoked) covenant, and had protected many of us – notably my brother – over the centuries. The man probably knew about love as much as I did (in other words, very little), and we were often amused yet softened by Matthew and Diana’s shows of affection for each other.

“Dana! Good to see you, I needed to talk to you!” Phoebe interrupted my thoughts with a contaminating energy.

She took my arm, almost dragging me out of the room and into an other, more private, space. The young vampire gave me a radiant smile as a door closed behind us and presented something before my widening eyes.

The thing was a bridesmaid’s dress, in a dark turquoise green, with a very simple, yet elegant, cut. Of course, I hadn’t expected to wear black for my brother’s wedding, and the dress Phoebe had chose was indeed beautiful, but I still didn’t like formal-wear. I took the fluid fabric in my hands and lifted it up to take a better look at it. At least it wasn’t silk nor satin.

“It will go wonderfully with your eyes!” Phoebe continued, not caring for my uncertain expression. “Marthe told me she could tie your hair in an elaborated braid, and I already picked some flowers and hairpin to put in it.”

I just nodded, clearly not having a word to say in the matter, and just hoped that the shoes I was going to wear wouldn’t be as deadly as the rest of this outfit.

*

Artemis’ ancient temple, now just a few ruins in the woods behind Sept-Tour, was truly a magical place. The witches of the family, while staying in the castle, would often go there to receive messages from the Goddess, meditate or just tap into the powerful energy that surrounded the place.

That day, however, was about to go differently. We had set large tables full of food in a clearing nearing the temple, then disposed several rows of chairs facing the ruins, terminated by a wide arch made of branches, white ribbons and white flowers. Father Hubbard had accepted to direct the ceremony not in a church, but there, on the ancient site of the temple of the Goddess that protected our family.

It had been a difficult choice to make, as mom’s aunt, Emily Mather, had died there, killed by an other witch while trying to protect our family, but we had finally decided that a good memory there could only be beneficial for all of us. And Diana had agreed.

At least I wasn’t alone in my pain while trying to ignore the sensation of the wind on my naked arms. I wasn’t used not to have my hair covering the upper half of my body, and now it was neatly tied in a long braid behind my back, decorated with ribbons and awful golden pins. Rebecca, my older sister (who, because of my frequent time-travels, was in fact younger than me), and Margaret, the daughter of family’s friends who was the same age as Rebecca, wore the same outfit than I did, and only the latter seemed happy about it.

The ceremony was as intimate as a wedding in the de Clermont family could be: a hundred people (the minimum, really, and Marcus had argued for a long time with our dad to come to this number), plus all the residents of Saint-Lucien, the nearby village, willing to assist. There were a lot of people I recognized, many Knights of Lazarus, since Marcus was the head of the organization, other family members who arrived in the morning, friends of the family… Even several members of the Congregation were there, Domenico, a vampire, recent and unexpected ally, Agatha, a daemon and the mother of Marcus’ best friend, and Janet, a hybrid and friend of our mother.

People slowly took place around the temple, warm-bloods sitting on the chairs and vampires preferring to stay standing. Jack, the best musician of our family, softly began to play, silencing the assembly as Marcus appeared, beaming in his black and white suit, waving at people as he took place between Father Hubbard and his three best men, Nathaniel (Margaret’s father), Crowley and our brother Philip. Then Jack changed the song to begin a bridal march, and we all turned to look at Phoebe, radiant in her long white dress, led by Matthew (her parents had died a while ago), walking down the aisle towards us.

It was a beautiful ceremony, even when one didn’t like weddings, simple, sincere, romantic. It was strangely difficult to look at, for me, as every time I blinked I saw Ardeth and I in place of Marcus and Phoebe, and I then spent several minutes scolding myself for such ridiculous thoughts. You kiss a guy one time and you already see yourself married? Come on, girl! You know better than that.

My internal monologue made me miss half of the vows and of the exchange of rings, and I compensated by cheering a little louder than I would normally have. Crowley met my stare, from the other side of the temple, and it was clear that my faked happiness wasn’t fooling him. So, afterwards, as a big and strong adult, I did what anyone else would have done in this situation: I ran and avoided my twin at all cost for the rest of the day.

My desire to avoid any confrontation with Crowley even made me accept an invitation to dance from Domenico, and I was so concentrated on faking having a good time that I almost missed the faint smell that suddenly invaded the air. A familiar smell of leather, horses and warm sand.

*

Here is the drawing I promised! I swear I'm going to train to do better later, but for now that's my best. Sorry for the messy writing too...

Chapter Text

"Where are you going?"

Ardeth jumped at the sound of his best friend's voice. He slowly turned his gaze from Rayham's saddle to Dakarai questionning face. If anyone had to catch him sneaking out of the Medjai camp in the middle of the night like that, it obviously had to be him. The Medjai chieftain took his most pleading look. It was almost funny to see him act like a teenager that had been caught sneaking out.

"Please, don't tell anyone I'm gone and lead our people until I get back, I know I can count on you." He said, grabbing his friend's shoulders firmly.

"But what are you up to?" Dakarai asked, frowning, searching the other's expression.

"I have some... personal business to attend to." Ardeth replied with a sigh, letting go of the other warrior.

"Personal business?" His best friend asked, confused and surprised. "Brother, you haven't had any kind of personal business since you became our chieftain, you are worrying me."

"Please don't." The chieftain insisted. "I know what I am doing and I'm sure it won't be long. Just take care of our tribe until I come back."

Dakarai stared at him for a long moment before he finally nodded, almost against his own will.

"Thank you, my brother." Ardeth thanked him.

And he jumped on Rayham's back before his friend could say anything else to delay him and galloped towards the empty desert.

*

It was already late at night when Ardeth arrived to the ancient temple of Karnak. Rayham was exhausted as the Medjai chieftain jumped from his back and landed in a little cloud of twirling sand. He attached the horse to the nearest pillar, leaving him with a bowl of water and some apples he had bought in Cairo the previous day, then Ardeth made his way to the far end of the temple, where rested waters that had been there since thousands of years.

The liquid in the pool was charcoal black in the night, only reflecting a few rays of light from the shining full moon above the Egyptian land’s, and Ardeth sat near them, on his knees, hands joined in a silent prayer. The man meditated for several long minutes, chasing away all disturbing thoughts, before he finally closed his eyes.

A bright golden light suddenly made him reopen his eyes again, and it was almost a surprise to see in front of him the same beautiful Egyptian goddess that had talked to Dana the day she had try to vanquish Imhotep all on her own with a spell. Isis.

“Hello, child.” The goddess said, and her voice was so magnificent that it was almost hard to concentrate on what she was saying. “What brings you here tonight? I heard that the protectors of our heritage do not believe in us, ancient Gods, anymore, but in this new lonely god that obliterated us.”

“I am truly sorry, all powerful Isis. I did not mean to offend you. I only came to you because I was in need of answers, because I believe you protect and guide someone very dear to me, someone who now is out of my reach, and cause my heart to bleed every second of every day.” The Medjai said, head bowed respectfully, but also because the bright light emanating from the deity was painful to look at.

“I know who you are referring to, warrior who forgot his own Gods and protectors, but you are mistaken. I am not the one who controls your lover’s destiny. The deity you seek, you won’t find here, since this land his not theirs to watch over. But you will find them if you go to the place where the woman you are looking for grew up. Search for an ancient temple in this foreign land, and there, call to the Goddess who’s three faces will give you the solution to the problem you seek to resolve.”

“Thank you, O, great Isis.”

And the golden glowing deity smiled gently before she vanished into the night, living the full moon pale and dark to the Medjai’s eyes.

*

It was almost a miracle that O’Connell had known exactly where to go when, the day following Ardeth’s talk with the ancient Egyptian goddess, the Medjai had came to him to ask for his advice, and now they were on the train from Marseilles to Lyon, crossing France’s south regions to reach the land where Dana de Clermont had grown up in her other world.

The Egyptian warrior would have been amazed by the countryside and by how different France was to his country, if he hadn’t been so nervous during the journey, only watching by the window to have something to do and try to avoid having to make conversation with his travelling companions: Evelyn Carnahan, Jonathan Carnahan and Richard O’Connell.

The man didn’t have time to enjoy the sight of the large city of Lyon either as they arrived to the train station, jumped from their wagon and directly rented a car to drive to the countryside, quite far from the civilized world. Rick’s knowledge of the French language from his service in the French Foreign Legion had been invaluable since their arrival to Marseilles, and Evelyn wouldn’t stop complimenting him, almost making the ex-soldier blush.

After hours of driving around mountains and hills, Rick finally stopped the car after a small village that looked like any other they had passed on the road to Ardeth, and near a pile of ancient ruins. It was obvious that a large construction had once stood upon that particular hill, long ago, but only remained a few stones and broken towers in 1926. The American, not stepping out of the car yet, lifted a hand towards the ruins.

“Dana told me that this should have been a castle, if someone had been here to take care of the heritage in our world. Where she comes from, there stands her family’s castle. The only time she took some time off from the museum, she dragged me here and we searched around for days to make sure no one she knew was alive here. Finally, the only thing we found that looked like the land she knew was an ancient temple in ruins somewhere hidden in the forest near those ruins. A temple dedicated to the very own goddess who protects and guide her and her family since the beginning of times.”

And the Rick met Ardeth’s eyes and the latter felt his heart beating faster as he knew they were on the right track.

*

Artemis’ old temple, now just a few ruins in the woods behind where once stood an ancient castle, was truly a magical place. It had been a little hard to get there in our protagonist’s 1926’s world, because they had had to cross the woods and all its interlacing roots, branches, vines and briars, far different than the sands of Egypt’s desert, to access it, but they had finally made it after a few hours of Jonathan complaining and cursing at every holes the thorns drew in his light clothes.

The four newcomers searched around the place for a little while until the night gently fell upon them, leaving them gathering around a small fire at the centre of the temple to warm themselves up as the cold of the French’s night surprised them a little. June was maybe the beginning of the summer, but the nights in the mountains were still very fresh.

The night had completely covered the sky and the round moon was illuminating it high above their heads as silence slowly took place in the small party. The forest’s noises began to grow louder as the minutes passed, surrounding them, enveloping them, overwhelming yet strangely welcoming as they waited for a sign, something, anything.

The fire, though there was no wind, danced a little beneath their eyes, captivating. Forms began to appear in the flames, a lot of people gathered to talk or dance, flowers surrounding them everywhere, smiles decorating their faces… And then, in the middle of all those strangers, a familiar silhouette, graceful and elegant, talking to everyone, then dancing a little, courted everywhere. Dana.

Just as the little group recognized the young woman, a new face, far nearer and realistic than those visions, appeared in the dancing flames. It slowly smiled and then came out of the fire, unharmed and glowing in a soft green golden light that would sometimes flicker and turn grey as the Goddess changed from a gorgeous young woman to a beautiful middle-age woman to a scary old woman, then young again. It was as fascinating as it was terrifying.

“Welcome, young humans. I was waiting for you, wondering if you would have the courage to come here.” The Goddess said, and her voice was just as mesmerizing and terrifying as her appearance. “Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?”

“Could you take me – us – where Dana is?” Ardeth asked, voice raucous as he was very nervous.

“Are you sure that it is what you all want?” The deity asked, and they all nodded. “So be it.”

A blinding light enveloped them and they felt their bodies float in the white void for an instant. The laugh of the three-faced Goddess accompanied them in their journey as everything stopped to exist around them before they suddenly felt their feet – then their whole bodies – tumble to the ground, leaving them slightly panting and disorientated.

The soft music of a violin was the first thing Ardeth heard as he tried to regain composure, eyes closed to stop the world from spinning around him. When he felt that he was calm enough, the Medjai chieftain slowly opened his eyes, then opened then wide. The little group was still on the ancient temple, but they weren’t alone anymore, and even the forest seemed less wild as before, as wedding decorations covered the nearby trees. Several people had noticed their poor entry and looked at them with the same amount of surprise, unblinking, until a tall slender man dressed in a black tuxedo with a white shirt, hair flaming red and yellow/green eyes sparkling approached them with a smile, perfectly naturally, as if nothing extraordinary had just happened.

“Good evening, I’m Crowley.” The man said, helping Jonathan on his feet. “I suppose you are here looking for my sister?”

Chapter Text

In my defence, I was too caught up in by own thoughts to hear the sudden silence invading the crowded space before it became definitely too quiet to ignore it. To try and pretend that I was happy and that everything was great when I felt my heart heavier by the second made it impossible to actually realise what was going on around me, my brain only able to concentrate on the things I said and showed to the people talking to me, and only one by one. My dance with Domenico finished, I was then “relaxing” a little by talking with my brother Philip about his last discoveries as an anthropology student in Yale.

All my focus was put on trying to understand what Philip was actually talking about, though also a little on my frustration to have so much trouble following his speech while I would normally just anticipate his next few words with ease, and that is why I nearly jumped when I felt a warm, strong and calloused hand, touching my shoulder gently. My brother placed his hands on my back so I wouldn’t stumble with the rapidity of my sudden turn, and my eyes opened painfully wide as I tried to take in the sight of who was in front of me. Athletic build hidden beneath dark robes floating in the wind, long curly black hair shining in the sun like nothing else could, dark eyes with the sweetest expression I had ever seen, marvellous olive skin beautifully decorated with Egyptian tattoos, full lips with a gently smile that just asked to be kissed...

Ardeth.

My first coherent thought was that it had to be a mistake, that I was having visions – it wouldn’t be the first time, one of the “perks” of being a witch – or that it was just someone who resembled him very much. But the smell of warm sand, horses, leather, and all those little things that were just definitely him, made me realize it really wasn’t just an awakened dream made up by my desperate mind.

A single beat of my heart shook me out of my frozen state, painful yet so soothing, and I felt my mouth drawing on my face a wide smile that I couldn’t even control at this point. It’s only when the strong yet gentle hand brushed my cheek softly that I realized I was crying too, a little drop of light red tear lingering on the Medjai’s finger as he draw his hand away slowly, looking unsure of my reaction. That’s when the realisation definitely crashed on me, and I threw my arms around his neck and buried my head in his wonderful curly black hair, to show him how much I had missed him as much as to reassure myself that he was really there indeed.

I heard the man I loved so much take one, strong, breath, before closing his arms around my back, and the world around us just vanished from my perception. I felt the sacred grounds where rested the Goddess' power shaking under our feet, sending a powerful wave of energy into our bodies, and didn’t need to open my eyes to know what was happening. My witch's eye opened wide to witness bright golden chains of light and dark silver chains of shadows emerge around us, enclosing us in a golden and silver cage of light and shadow, before they suddenly crashed on us, uniting our bodies and minds in an instant, before it all vanished as suddenly as it had occurred, leaving behind only the lingering sensation of a thousands little threads of magic uniting me and Ardeth in an unbreakable and ineffable way.

When the feeling subsided almost completely, I gently separated from Ardeth, suddenly remembering where I was and in which circumstances. We exchanged a shy smile as our eyes locked, unable to look away though we were both more and more aware of our surroundings by the second and, namely, all the people looking at us in quiet shock. I knew they couldn’t have seen the display of magic that had just happened around us, but they were still looking at the coldest daughter of Matthew hugging a complete stranger who just came out of nowhere and holding on to him like he was her lifesaver on the crazy waters of a stormy sea.

That is when an other hand, thinner than Ardeth’s, with long fingers and very pale skin, obliged the Medjai chieftain to take a few steps back away from me, his beautiful smile turning into a frown. My very protective vampire of a father looked at the newcomer from all his height (which was only a little taller than the Medjai’s, but looked quite dreadful when belonging to a 1500 years old creature).

“Excuse-me, but who are you exactly?” Matthew asked, almost snarling.

“Dad, it’s okay, they’re friends!” Crowley intervened, standing next to me and earning himself a frightening scowl that didn’t faze him in the slightest. “Seriously, you don’t want to scare your future son-in-law away already, wouldn’t you?”

And all the love that I had just felt for my brother when he defended Ardeth faded away immediately as my face took a very pale shade of red, while feeling like a burning fire beneath my skin for me. My right foot met one of my twin’s knees easily and he almost felt from the disequilibrium. My father looked at me, stare cold and visibly trying to contain his rising anger, then raised a questioning eyebrow at me.

Of course, I hadn’t told my parents – or any person susceptible of telling them – about my three year's adventure in Egypt. They were already angry enough at the Gods for controlling my destiny that way that I didn’t want to add anything on their plate, and they weren’t aware about half of my time-travel problems in general. Vampires were the best at keeping secrets, especially the de Clermont, and I think that I was one the best skilled of my family in that field in particular. Until my twin forced me to break my own rules with his wide mouth, that is.

I threw a last angry look at Crowley, who didn’t even have the decency to look ashamed and just smiled at me, before finally opening my mouth.

“It’s a long story, dad, but Mister Ardeth Bay, here, is indeed a friend that comes from a quite far away place, so please, if you could be a little more welcoming to him, it would be greatly appreciated, especially since he will probably stay with us for a while.”

“What…?” My father tried, but was interrupted by my mother’s gentle tone.

“Well it is very nice to meet you, Ardeth.” She said with a warm and welcoming smile. “But who are these gentlemen and lady there, Dana? Friends of yours too, I presume?”

And it’s only at her question that I realised that Ardeth hadn’t come alone. Rick was holding Evy tight against him as the vampires of my family surrounded them with curious and almost threatening looks, while Jonathan just stood there, looking uncomfortable and displeased with the whole situation, barely controlling his hands from reaching into his pocket to grab his silver flask and take a sip from it.

“I say, we travel all the way to the future just to see you again, and this is the way you welcome us?” The Englishman protested with a wince when Crowley patted him in the back with an amused chuckle.

“Sorry, we weren’t expecting such important visitors today.” I replied, finally grinning at my friends, my heart feeling lighter by the minute.

“Well, we probably should be sorry too.” O’Connell added, looking a little bit more relaxed than earlier. “If we would have known there was going to be such a fancy reception, we would have dressed a little better.”

“As if you ever knew how to dress better, Rick.” I retorted, which caused my friends and several other people to laugh.

The tension dissipated greatly after that, and I was finally able to breath normally again, as I turned my head to Ardeth, who had come closer to me again now that my father had dropped his arm. There were so many things that I wanted to tell him, so many things I wanted to ask, but seeing him there, for real, and so close, made the words vanish from my mind as my only focus became him, and his presence, and how he made me feel. Our eyes locked once more and I felt like if I was drowning into the depth of his dark irises.

I don’t know how long we stayed like this, looking at each other fixedly, just a few meters apart from each other, when someone clearing their throat interrupted our moment.

“Not to be rude, but could you two do this later?” Jonathan complained, now standing by our side, Crowley’s hand still on his shoulder without him visibly minding it. “I don’t think anyone wants to see that, really, and we have more urgent matters to attend to.”

I couldn’t suppress a laugh hearing him and his usual sharp manners, and apologized with a tight hug for him.

“Sorry, Johnny boy. Why are you guys here, anyway?” I asked, half-fearing a new mummy resurrection.

“Nothing bad, don’t worry.” Rick said, reading my mind, then pointed a finger at Ardeth. “Just our pal here who couldn’t live without seeing you again.”

It was the first time I ever saw the Medjai chieftain looking embarrassed, and it was quite a sight to see. The man looked at the floor like a scowled child and began fidgeting nervously with his long robes, his cheek turning slightly red under his beautifully tanned skin. I couldn’t help but smile at that, and took a step closer to him after letting go of Jonathan.

“Is that true?” I teased softly, caressing his cheek with a light hand.

“Yes.” The man just replied, suddenly looking back at me.

“Good.” I retorted, though a little shaken under his stare. “Because I couldn’t live without ever seeing you again either.”

And he gave me the brightest smile I had ever seen from him, grabbing the hand against his cheek and leaning against it with a contented sighed, his eyes closing just for a moment.

Rick interrupted us again, with an amused clear of his throat, and I stepped a little farther from my love while still holding his hand lose by my side.

“Really, I hate to disturb this reunion again, you two are way too sweet, but…” He threw an uneasy glance around, eyeing the creatures and humans all around us that were, for most of them, still fixing us with confusion, and then looked back at me with a little frown that I understood very well.

“Of course, sorry! Please, come with me, we will find somewhere nice for you all to rest, you must be exhausted, and you will have plenty of time to meet everybody later.” Saying that made me startle a little with an other sudden realisation. “You do intend to stay for a little while, right?” I asked with a somewhat strangled voice, feeling my heart beating in my chest painfully again.

“Obviously, if you’ll have us! You told me that the time will be exactly the same as we left it when we come back, right?” Rick quickly said with a pat on my back.

“Yes, of course. I arrived here just the day I left three years ago when I went to your world and time, it shouldn’t change the other way around.” I reassured him, smiling again widely.

“Perfect. Well, shall we?”

And without an other word, and with just a little wave of my hand to tell my parents that I would explain everything later, the five of us – plus Crowley – departed in direction of Sept-Tour, my hand clasping Ardeth’s with a strong grip, the other one lose on Rick’s shoulder, as our little group exchanged pleasantries and recent news as if we never had parted and felt like we would never see each other ever again in the first place.