Chapter 17

All was quiet as the warriors rode in to the village in the wee hours of the morning. In a low voice, Ardeth commanded his men to secure the horses and retire for the remainder of the night. One of the horse wranglers held Ardeth's mount still while he climbed down carefully, trying not to disturb the sleeping woman in his arms. He carried her to his tent and laid her gently on his bed, removing her boots and what little clothing she had left on. He covered her up and smoothed the stray hairs away from her face as his long fingers caressed her soft skin. A frown marred his handsome features as he traced the unsightly bruise on her cheek, an ugly reminder to both of them of her narrow escape. He sighed softly, and put the matter from his mind as he rose and walked out of the sleeping room. He was exhausted from the last twenty-four hours, but he had one more battle that needed to be sorted out in his own mind before sleep could claim him.

The living quarters were dark as he paced the front room of his tent, his mind going over the problem from all angles. As he sifted through the arguments in his brain, it all boiled down to the fact that the elders were afraid that Elizabeth would sooner or later lead Ardeth away from the tribe and back to her country. Mixing the bloodline was a weak argument; in fact, it was no argument at all, for the Medjai had mixed with other tribes throughout the centuries. At the heart of the Medjai, it was traditions and honor that held his people together. And therein lurked the problem. The leader of the Medjai usually chose his wife from among his people. Usually. Well, he thought to himself, some traditions would have to change. After all, this was 1931. The Medjai couldn't live in the dark ages forever. He settled his shoulders as he realized the answer to his problem rested in the events of the night. He would address the council first thing in the morning and it would be up to Allah to guide him with wisdom as he battled the elders.

With that course set in his mind, he walked back into the sleeping room and quietly got undressed. Then he carefully slipped under the blanket, trying not to disturb Elizabeth, and rested his head on the pillow. His eyelids had hardly closed when, without thought, he rolled on his side and snaked an arm around Elizabeth's waist, holding on to her as blissful sleep stole him away.

The sun's first rays crept into the valley as the Medjai began rising from their beds. Small sounds came from the camp as breakfast preparations were made. Inside the tent, Ardeth awakened to the sounds of the camp beginning to stir. He opened his eyes and saw a mass of soft, red ringlets blocking his normal view of the tent walls. He realized that sometime while he slept, he had buried his face in Elizabeth's hair, and now he inhaled deeply, letting her essence fill his nostrils. He exhaled slowly and in utter content, as he gently hugged her close to him. The small movement made Elizabeth stir and she rolled on her back, stretching and giving a great yawn, to Ardeth's amusement. He grinned as she finished stretching, letting one of his large hands lazily travel over her bare skin.

Elizabeth smiled as she felt Ardeth's caress and she opened her eyes to find his head propped up on an elbow and looking down at her. She smiled. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you, my beautiful, fiery sunrise," growled Ardeth. The look in his eyes left no doubt as to what he wanted for breakfast, and she opened her arms to him. Ardeth bent his head down and kissed her tenderly at first, but then more urgently as his passion quickly mounted. But too soon their quiet moment was broken by a sound outside the tent and growing louder as it came nearer.

"Mummy!"

It was Eleth, yelling at the top of his lungs. He ran into Ardeth's tent and to the sleeping quarters just as Ardeth rolled off of Elizabeth.

"Eleth!" cried Elizabeth, and he jumped onto the large cushions and into her embrace. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"Mummy! I thought those bad men were going to take you away and I would never, ever see you again." He pulled back from his mother's embrace slightly as he delivered his little speech with pouty lips.

"I told you I would bring her back, my son," said Ardeth gently.

Eleth smiled shyly at Ardeth and clung to his mother. "Yes, you did. But are those bad men going to come back?"

Elizabeth smoothed his unruly hair down and caressed his face. "No, my darling, they will never come back again."

"And we're going to live here in the desert for always?" asked Eleth.

Elizabeth hesitated as she looked up at Ardeth. Ardeth saw the question in her eyes and answered for her. "You are my son, Eleth, and your mother is my wife. You will stay here with me, always. This is your home."

Eleth smiled big and suddenly had ants in his pants as he wiggled and squirmed to get away from his loving parents. "I'm going to go out and play warriors with Little Hamid," he said as he began to run out of the tent.

"Um, well, alright, but just....stay out of the way of the cooks!" Elizabeth called after him. She turned to Ardeth and they both laughed at the precocious behavior of their son. Elizabeth's laughter soon faded, though, as she thought about what this morning would bring. She looked away from Ardeth, inwardly praying for strength for whatever decision the elders came to. Ardeth put a finger under her chin, gently turning her face back towards him.

"I know what you are thinking about, and you must not worry. I said you are here to stay. It is here we will raise many children. Here in this valley you and I shall grow old together. And it is here where we shall be buried, for we are meant to be together."

"Oh Ardeth...", began Elizabeth, but she couldn't voice her concerns for fear she would start crying.

"Trust in Allah, Elizabeth. He would not have let us meet again if it were not to be so." He kissed her gently on the lips and got up from the bed. Elizabeth merely sat, watching him as he dressed, marveling again at his wonderful physique, yet frowning slightly when she saw the bruises from the prior night's battle.

"Ardeth?"

"Hmm?"

"Do I ... do you want me to go with you? I mean, when you meet with the elders?"

Ardeth finished putting on his over-robe and sat back down on the bed to put his boots on. "Customarily, it is not allowable for a woman to go into the council chamber."

"Oh." Said Elizabeth. She had thought perhaps she might be able to help persuade the elders.

"But a thought came to me last night as I dreamed."

"What?" asked Elizabeth.

Ardeth finished pushing his heel into his last boot and turned towards her on the bed. "I am not going to call a meeting only of the council of elders, but of all the people."

Elizabeth gave a small gasp. "Ardeth, do you think that's wise? I mean, it's easier to convince a small group of men and then the people will follow them, but to try and convince your entire tribe...."

"I believe it is the only way. This way, we shall all be bound by the same truths. There will be no errors in translation of the council meeting. I think it is the only way."

"Whatever you say, Ardeth, I will do as you wish."

Ardeth looked down at her soft skin and a devilish gleam came into his eyes. "I would wish that we would make love right now," he growled. His mood quickly shifted back to the seriousness of the situation. "But that will have to wait. Get dressed while I have my warriors gather everyone to the tables." Ardeth walked to the doorway of the partition of the tent and turned back. "But make no mistake. Tonight, you and I shall have an undisturbed evening. We have five years to catch up on."

"Five years of history to catch up on, you mean," snorted Elizabeth.

"Not tonight," replied Ardeth. "Tonight, there shall be no words, just you and I together."

Elizabeth saw the hunger in his eyes and blushed as she glanced downward. With a groan of frustration, Ardeth took the two strides back to the bed and lifted Elizabeth up to him, fastening his lips on hers. Elizabeth clung to him as he ravaged her mouth, giving back as much as she took. After a couple of minutes, they reluctantly separated, both of them breathing heavily. Without another word, Ardeth walked out of the tent and Elizabeth shakily began to get dressed. What a kiss, she sighed to herself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ardeth stood before all of the tables as his people slowly came before him. Some of them sat while others stood, and eventually all of the villagers were gathered before him. He noticed his grandfather in front and off to the side, watching him intently.

Elizabeth had finished dressing and stood outside his tent, watching Ardeth's personal warriors wander among the people and speak quickly and quietly to them. The mothers gathered up the children and herded them towards the tables, while the men walked in small groups, whispering amongst themselves. Elizabeth noticed that this time, there was no division of the sexes or age. All had gathered together and, as one, became silent in the morning sun. Ardeth stood straight and tall, only the gentle wind moving his robes slightly back and forth against his legs. Elizabeth hugged her arms to herself as he began to speak.

"My people," began Ardeth in a commanding voice, "I come before all of you today, instead of just the council, for what I have to say affects us all." The dark lord's eyes went from face to face during his speech. "We have accomplished great things in the past five years, having sought and destroyed most of the marauding bandits in our territory and the surrounding areas. We have formed alliances with neighboring tribes and our village thrives on the trading amongst them. In all this, I have led you as my father had taught me to. Now, it is my turn to teach the next generation, and I will start with my son, Eleth."

At this statement, there was a small murmur throughout the villagers. Elizabeth saw Ardeth gesture and suddenly Eleth walked from among the crowd and towards his father, taking his place at Ardeth's side. Elizabeth smiled as she saw Eleth glance up at his father and then back to the villagers, standing straight and tall, trying to mimic his father.

"I am sure by now," continued Ardeth, " most of you know that his mother is English, and she is here in this camp." A few of the tribe glanced in the direction of Ardeth's tent where Elizabeth was standing. She felt goose bumps all over her skin, and tried to calm the quickening of her pulse, hoping against hope that Ardeth's people would be open to his words.

Ardeth paused for a moment until his people grew quiet, all of them waiting for his next words. "She is here in this camp because I intend to make her my wife." General consternation took over as people turned to discuss this news with their immediate neighbor. Ardeth held up his hands for quiet, raising his voice above the hubbub. "I know what your concerns are, and I can tell you now that they are unfounded. She will not betray us to the English, nor will she tempt me back to her country."

"My lord, how do you know this?" asked an anonymous voice from the crowd.

"Last night," began Ardeth's narrative, "she had several chances to go back and be among her people, yet she chose to stay here with us. As we battled against the English, she shot and killed her captor, who was her own countryman and self-proclaimed fiancé. What woman would do that if she intended to return to her homeland?" Ardeth looked around the crowd as they considered this fact. "The council has been clamoring for me to marry and produce heirs to become the next Medjai Chief. I have already produced an heir, and I am now going to marry the woman who not only bore my son, but is the heart of my heart."

Elizabeth saw Anara turn towards her and give her an encouraging smile, which she answered with a half-hearted smile of her own. Anara faded to the back of the crowd and held out her hand to Elizabeth. Elizabeth quietly walked over to her and grasped her hand, holding on to it for strength. They both turned back to the Medjai chief and listened.

The great chief looked over the crowd, knowing that the final test of his words was coming up. He wanted them to understand his position and accept his choice, and perhaps they eventually would, but for now he knew it would have to come as a commandment. These were his people, and obeying the lord of the Medjai was all they understood. It was something they had done for hundreds of years, to follow without question, but that didn't mean he couldn't try to convince them this was the right thing to do. "I do not ask for your approval. I am telling you how it will be. I am the Lord of the Medjai and Elizabeth shall be my wife. In time, you will come to accept her, and perhaps then bestow your blessings on us."

A long pause stretched over the people standing in the mid-morning sun. Anara looked around, then looked to Elizabeth, and, dragging her by the hand, led her forward through the crowd until both women stood directly in front of Ardeth. "My lord, you have my blessing, for I know Elizabeth is the one for you." She gave Ardeth a brilliant smile and gently squeezed Elizabeth's hand. Footsteps to the right of Anara announced Hamid coming to stand beside his wife.

"Even though she has not consulted me," said Hamid with a wry look to his wife, "Anara speaks for both of us." Hamid turned towards the villagers. "To all of you standing here, I should hope you would follow our example, from one who was supposed to marry the Medjai Chief, and from one who is second only to the Medjai Chief." Hamid turned back to Ardeth and bowed, immediately followed by Anara and soon, all of the tribe fell to their knees, some slower than others, as they still didn't entirely agree with what was going on, but didn't want to stand against their chief. Ardeth waited until his people finished genuflecting, then spotted Bakkar off to the side. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand and together they walked over to the elder council member.

"Bakkar, I know you still do not approve, but I would ask you, if you would perform the marriage ceremony for me and my chosen?"

The silence stretched over the village as everyone looked to Bakkar, awaiting his words. Bakkar glanced at his people, then back to the Medjai Chief. He sighed heavily. "My lord, I will marry you to the one you have chosen. But understand, I do this out of respect for our people and my Chief. I still do not agree that this is right, but I do not want to be the one who causes dissent amongst that which we have fought and died for over the past years - a harmony among our tribe and others. I believe it will be up to Allah and time for her to prove herself."

"Allah brought her back to me, Bakkar. He has shown that this was meant to be. In time, I hope that you will come to accept Elizabeth, but for now, I will take that which you can give. The ceremony will be tonight."

Bakkar's eyes opened wide. "Tonight? But my lord, I need time to prepare for the ceremony...."

"Tonight," interrupted Ardeth.

The look on the Medjai Chief's face left no room for argument. Bakkar sighed once more. "Tonight, then, I shall marry you to this woman."

"'This woman' has a name," growled Ardeth softly.

Bakkar swallowed as he saw the dangerous gleam in Ardeth's eyes. "Tonight I shall marry you to Elizabeth."

Ardeth's anger faded and he clapped a hand on Bakkar's shoulder. "Thank you, old friend."

"You are just like your father, Ardeth, stubborn to the last," Bakkar said dryly.

"I thank you for the compliment," grinned Ardeth, and he turned to the throng of people. "Tonight," his great voice boomed out, "I shall marry Elizabeth and there will be much celebrating, for with this marriage, a new chapter of the Medjai people will start. It would make my heart glad if all of my people would attend this ceremony."

There was a moment of silence as the people looked at one another, then Hamid stepped forward. "Raise your voices high! The Medjai Chief takes a wife tonight!" As Hamid and Ardeth's warriors began whooping it up, the rest of the people were caught up in the excitement and began going off to their separate duties, in preparation for the coming ceremony. Ardeth took Elizabeth's hand in his and raised it to his lips. "Tonight, we share a tent as man and wife." He kissed the back of her hand as the passion flared in his eyes.

Although still mildly trembling inside, Elizabeth gave him a bright smile. "Oh Ardeth," she breathed, but didn't get any farther because right then, Anara and some of the other village women lead her off to the wash tent. Once again, Elizabeth found her self stripped of her clothing and washed by several ladies, Anara being one of them, but this time Elizabeth didn't mind. It was their way, and she would get used to it. They bathed her and washed her hair, then put a drying robe around her and took her to Anara's tent. There she was pampered, with perfumed oils rubbed on to every part of her skin, her hair dried and combed until the ringlets shone in the midday sun. She was made to eat a large meal "for the pleasure of the Medjai Chief will be unbounded and she would need the nourishment", the women giggled. Elizabeth blushed at that, but ate everything set before her. Then she was made to rest a while, for the celebration would last late into the night.

Anara awakened Elizabeth in the late afternoon and helped her into the ceremonial wedding garment of white silk trimmed with gold thread. "Oh Anara!" exclaimed Elizabeth, "this is beautiful!" she said as she ran her hands gently across the delicate fabric.

"Of course! It is for the wife of a Medjai Chief to wear. Although Ardeth is in love with you just the way you are, tonight you must look especially pleasing, for you are not only marrying the Chief of a tribe, but you are taking your place among us and the wife of the chief is a very important role. Our people will look up to you."

Elizabeth's smile faded at that remark. "Well, maybe one day they will look up to me. It will take time, I know."

"There are quite a few of us that already believe in you," said Anara gently, "and the rest are not far behind. Only Bakkar holds out, and possibly a few of the other elders, but soon, they will see Ardeth's wisdom in choosing you."

"I hope so Anara," replied Elizabeth fervently.

Anara and two other village women helped Elizabeth into the wedding garment, tweaking it here and there as they made adjustments. The final touch was a white veil that flowed down her back and mingled with her long, red ringlets and the face covering that left only her eyes uncovered.

"You look beautiful Elizabeth", smiled Anara.

"Thank you Anara," blushed Elizabeth.

The sound of music outside the tent made Elizabeth realize that her dream was finally coming true. She was about to marry Ardeth Bay, the man she had been in love with ever since she first saw him over five years ago. Anara began to lead her out of the tent, when Elizabeth stopped suddenly. "Where is Eleth?" she asked apprehensively. She was ashamed of herself for not having thought of him for the past couple of hours.

"Oh, he is with Hamid and Little Hamid, helping the cooks by making sure the food is just right for the ceremony."

"You mean, if they haven't eaten it all already."

Both women laughed at that, and then sobered up as one of the elders came to the tent. "Anara?" he called out.

Anara went to the tent door and lifted the flap. "We are ready," she said somberly and she motioned for Elizabeth to join her.

"What do I do?" asked Elizabeth.

"When we walk out of this tent, I will lead you through the center of the people. They will have cleared an aisle for us that leads straight to Ardeth and Bakkar. I shall leave you with Ardeth and then Bakkar shall marry the two of you." Anara looked at the worried expression in Elizabeth's eyes. "Do not worry. It is a simple ceremony. And afterwards, there is much celebrating!" Anara grinned and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, leading her out of the tent before Elizabeth could say anything else.

Outside the tent, Elizabeth saw that it was exactly as Anara had said. The people were arranged in two halves, with a center aisle left open. This time, Elizabeth noticed that the men were towards the front while the women and children were towards the back. Hmph, thought Elizabeth to herself, that was one thing she hoped she could change. But not tonight, for she could see Ardeth standing tall and looking devastatingly handsome in his dark robes. He was standing with Bakkar in front of all the people, patiently awaiting her arrival. As Anara and Elizabeth took their place to walk up the aisle, Elizabeth could feel everyone's eyes on her, making her a bit nervous. She looked around until her eyes came to rest on her future husband. He was looking at her, his eyes seemingly filled with wonder and joy, as he watched her walk towards him. What seemed like forever was a matter of mere minutes as Anara finally placed Elizabeth beside Ardeth and took her spot towards the back with the women. Ardeth took Elizabeth's hand.

"You are beautiful," he whispered down to her.

Elizabeth blushed again and glanced downward, making Ardeth bite his tongue as his desire for her came up suddenly. A very low growl came from deep within his throat that only Elizabeth could hear and understand. She looked back up at him, her eyes shining brightly with love and desire for him. It's really happening, thought Elizabeth, as Bakkar started the wedding ceremony.

Bakkar, being stubborn to the last, spoke the ceremonial words in his native tongue, so Elizabeth didn't understand very much, but she didn't mind. It was more important to her that the event was actually happening, and besides, she thought to herself, she would have Ardeth translate it all later. She turned her attention back to Bakkar, who asked Ardeth some questions to which he replied in the native tongue also. She let Ardeth guide her as he took her hand in his and slipped a gold band over her finger. As Ardeth kept a hold of her hand, he spoke some words which Elizabeth assumed was some sort of vow, while Bakkar wrapped a golden cord around their joined hands. Then Bakkar put a hand over theirs and prayed to Allah, with the villagers repeating what Bakkar said, line for line. Soon, it was over, and Bakkar unwrapped the cord that had bound them together throughout the ceremony. Ardeth gently took the face covering off of Elizabeth and for a moment, she thought he was going to kiss her. But then he turned her towards the crowds and stood beside her. It was quiet for a moment, and Elizabeth wasn't sure what was going on but then Hamid let out a cry, "Blessings on the Medjai Chief and his new bride! May Allah favor them with many children and long life!" Others took up the cry and soon all of the villagers were chanting the blessing over and over. Ardeth grabbed Elizabeth's hand and held it up high as the cries continued. Then he led her back through the throng of villagers and to the tables, where food was waiting for all. He brought her to a table that was specially decorated for the happy couple, which confused Elizabeth, as Ardeth brought her to sit beside him.

"Ardeth," she whispered to him, "I thought the wives were supposed to serve their husbands."

"They do and you will, but not tonight. For the marriage feast, the women will serve both of us first, then they will tend to their husbands." Ardeth brushed his lips against the back of her hand as the women began serving their plates.

As the feasting went on, several villagers got up to perform songs or dance for the newlyweds and Elizabeth was entranced with it all, so much so, that she hardly touched anything on her plate. Ardeth noticed her plate still full of food and frowned.

"You must eat. You are still too thin to be a proper wife to the Medjai chief", he chided gently.

"I will, Ardeth, I will, but this is all so wonderful! I can't believe we're really married and I was so worried that Bakkar would...." Ardeth put a finger against her lips stopping her.

"I told you not to worry, that Allah would make everything right. Now, eat", he commanded.

"I will Ardeth, but,...look!" Elizabeth pointed to the center where Eleth and Little Hamid took the stage. Elizabeth and Ardeth watched as the two boys put on a mock battle, ending with Eleth standing victorious over Little Hamid, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead. Eleth let out a victory cry which started the other children whooping and hollering around the camp. The adults laughed and some even joined in the yelling until finally the children were worn out. It was getting late, so Anara and the other women of the village rounded up the children to take them to bed. After the children were finally tucked away for the evening, Ardeth gave Hamid a look which Hamid answered with a nod and a grin. Ardeth stood up and held out his hand to Elizabeth. "Come" he said.

Elizabeth looked up at him, bewildered. "Where?" she asked.

"It is time for us to share a tent as man and wife" he replied huskily.

"But Ardeth, the celebration is still going on! We can't just leave in the middle of it!" she exclaimed.

"We can and we will," he said as he pulled her to her feet, "for I can wait no longer." Elizabeth could see the smoldering passion in his eyes and knew he would soon be out of control.

"Well, if we must, then we must," sighed Elizabeth in mock resignation. But Ardeth could see the love and passion in her eyes as well, and this banter was a part of her that he had come to love dearly.

Ardeth smiled big, and Elizabeth put her hand in his, letting him lead her away to his tent. There was some jovial bantering in Ardeth's native tongue as they walked by his personal guards. Elizabeth just smiled through it, almost glad that she couldn't understand what they were saying. They arrived at the door to his tent and Ardeth pulled the flap aside, letting Elizabeth go in first. Ardeth took one last look around the camp, nodded once more to Hamid, then followed after her.

Elizabeth had her back to him as he entered, and he walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. He noticed her head was bowed so he peeked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. Elizabeth was looking at the ring on her finger, twisting it around as she looked intently at it.

"Ardeth?"

"Hmm?"

"What do these strange markings on this ring mean?" Elizabeth held her hand up for him to see the gold band.

He took her hand in his as he spoke. "It says 'Heart of my Heart'. This ring was given to my mother by my father."

Elizabeth gasped. "This was Rameth's ring?"

"Yes. You see, the elders did not approve of my parent's marriage. My father chose someone he loved instead of bowing to tradition."

Elizabeth turned around in his arms. "But I thought Rameth was of your people?"

Ardeth smiled. "No. My father had only been the Medjai Chief for a few years when he and his warriors came upon a group of bandits. They had made off with some women who were marked for slave trade. My father and his warriors killed the bandits and took the women back to Cairo, but my mother would not go back. She would not speak, but she clung to my father's saddle with silent tears streaming down her face. My father pitied her and brought her back here. She eventually learned our language, but she would never tell us where she was from. She was a beautiful woman, and eventually my father fell in love with her. As with you, the Elders disapproved of my father's choice, but in the end he got his way and they were married."

Elizabeth smiled. "And then you were born."

Ardeth's smile faded a little and he turned away. "Yes, I was born. But I was the only one born to them. My birth nearly killed her. After me, she was never able to have another child. You see, it is very important for the Medjai Chief to bear many children, for it is not unusual to lose children when they are young to sickness, or marauding bandits, or even to the poisonous creatures that walk these sands. Of course, if the Medjai Chief has no children then the position is passed on to the next strongest, but that is looked upon as a bad omen. For many generations the leaders of our people have come from the Bays."

Elizabeth walked up to Ardeth and gently laid her hand on his arm. "So that's what the elders are afraid of. They see in me Rameth and your father all over again."

Ardeth turned to her. "Yes."

Elizabeth looked away from Ardeth as she thought about what he said. Ardeth gently lifted her chin with his finger until she was looking up at him again. "Elizabeth, know this. If Eleth is the only child you ever bear me, it will be enough for me, for you are the heart of my heart."

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "And you are the heart of my heart, Ardeth."

Ardeth bent his head and kissed her gently at first, but then more urgently as his passion came up swiftly. Elizabeth put her arms around his neck and buried her fingers in his long raven locks. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the sleeping room, where he laid her gently on the bed. Ardeth removed his head wrap, boots and over-robe, then laid down on top of Elizabeth. She looked into his eyes and saw a sudden concern there.

"What's wrong, Ardeth?"

"Telling you of my mother's past made me realize all she must have given up to stay with my father....," he began but Elizabeth stopped him.

"Ardeth, I belong here with you. I think I've known this ever since that night long ago when we said goodbye, but when we met again...oh my, has it only been a week since we met again? Well, anyway, since that moment, I knew my place was here with you." Elizabeth caressed his face gently with her fingertips, trying to ease away his worries. She saw that he must have come to some conclusion in his mind for the desire in his eyes began to blaze like a beacon in the night.

"And it is here you will remain, for I will never let you go," he said fiercely.

The sounds of the celebration outside the tent faded as Elizabeth and Ardeth lost themselves in the joy and pleasure of each other. For Ardeth, he finally found the woman that made him whole, one that not only loved him and supported him, but one that would also challenge him when he needed it. For Elizabeth, it was the beginning of a new life, a new family within a culture so different from her own, yet for all its differences, she finally felt at home.


THE END
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