A note from the author.

This story was published for the first time in early spring of 2001.
I finished the first two stories: The Downside and Equilibrium, and was then ambushed by another plotline. Thus I never got around to finish The Upside, the third (and last) part of this storyarc.

When I returned to the arc, on September 9 2002, the story seemed immature and strange to me. I would not, at that point, write such a story again. I no longer liked some of the plot. A lot of it seemed unrealistic and even Mary Sue-ish to me. Some of the writing felt immature.

Before you, you see chapter 1 of The Downside, version 2.1. It has been not so much revised as it has been rewritten, and those of you who have read the old version before I took it down, will probably no longer recognise it as the same story.

Disclaimer:
I own the The Mummy and The Mummy Returns DVDs, a couple of ticket stubs from when they were in the cinema, a stack of resource material on Egypt and Arabic society, and my own rather active creative mind. The (for now nameless) female character is also my own creation. The rest is all provided by the nice Mr Summers. I make no money by writing this (but it'd be cool), and the only awards I gain are feedback and the fact that the muses will stop bugging me if I write it.

A note on Changes:
[October 14, 2002] While I was writing chapter 6, I got into a lengthy discussion with Sean, and we basically concluded that while a bit of creative freedom is fine, outright lying is something else. As of today, I have rewritten the injury of the female character to be a fracture of the tighbone, not a dislocation. (I was under the impression that a dislocation healed faster than a break, but I was proven wrong by Sean, who has experienced both and assures me that breaks heal much faster). Hence the change.

A note on language:
I use bits and pieces of Arabic in this story. (in my experience it helps to set the ambience) The words are – obviously – written phonetically. I have used Lonely Planet's little 'Egyptian Arabic' guide so it should be more or less the right regional language. Arabic is a beautiful language and I claim no knowledge of its grammar.
Translations will be at the end of each chapter.

A note to romance fans:
At points, this may seem a little raw to you. I came back to this fandom after a break of more than a year, watched both the films, and came to the conclusion that Ardeth Bay is not, in essence, a very 'nice' character. His responsibilities weigh heavy on him, and I have a hard time imagining him just putting aside his duties to be cuddly with a woman.
He might warm up, he might come to care and even love, but it would all need some time. It might also cause doubts in him as to in how far he betrays his duties by spending time with a woman.
Readers of Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' series may note a hint of D'reg here and there, and Ardeth is starting to take on a slight 71-hour Achmed tendecy..

Note on weapons:
Sean told me that the weapon the Medjai use is really called a Flambergé : "A double-edged sword, usually over 18 inches in length, with a wavy multiple-curved blade"
Since that word brings up strong associations of crêpe flambé, I've decided that I cannot possibly use it in a serious descriptive sentence. It would make me burst into giggles each time. This is why I am going to stick with 'sword' and 'scimitar' even though 'scimitar' doesn't actually refer to the sword Ardeth carries in the films. Most fans are used to it being described as 'scimitar' anyway. Hence, not strictly accurate, but the best word in the end.

Note on realism:
As I am very much interested in Egyptic–Islam society, I enjoy getting as much of it right as humanly possible. Naturally, some of it will be right, some will be near-ish, and some will not even touch reality if it had a ten-foot pole.
The Medjai are besides Muslim also Medjai, which means that their tribe law quite likely differs from Muslim laws at some points. Also, I have borrowed heavily from what I could find about Tuareg society, which to my surprise and fascination differs significantly from the more urban Muslim world. With the excuse of creative freedom, I've used this little space to expand on a little. A large part of The Downside cheerfully elbows its way into the gap between Muslim society and its differences with the Medjai culture.

Note on begging:
Feedback is wonderful. It warms my heart, speeds up my fingers, makes me think of my plotlines in different ways, inspires, stimulates and motivates me. If you find interesting things in this story, have comments, critique, praise or just want to heckle, please do. Use the review function or email me. I will adore you for it.

Now, read on and have fun. *smile*

Cheers,
Arwen Lune