Page 178 of A Thousand Nights Before Dawn
The Pharaoh King smiled. “We will get there faster if we ride.”
Chephren let out a high-pitched squeal as he was hoisted onto his father’s shoulders. He grabbed his father’s curls. “Forward, Victory of Henen-nesut!”
The Pharaoh King mimicked a horse galloping down the stairs. Chephren laughed in glee. Waaiz stumbled back as they passed, letting out a deep belly laugh. “Don’t go too far!”
Lush gardens greeted them. The Pharaoh King took the boy by a fountain of stone. It had a silver monument on top of an eagle and hawk lifting a cobra into the sky. It still shone as brilliant as the day it was crafted, and Chephren looked at it with awe as they passed. His attention was quickly captured by the appearance of a small girl in front of them. “Tausy!”
The Pharaoh King slid to a stop, helping the boy off his shoulders. Chephren took off as soon as his feet touched the ground, tackling his twin sister in a hug.
Tausret laughed, her curls bouncing and her black eyes crinkling. “Cheph, not so tight!”
“There you two are,” the Pharaoh Queen’s voice chimed in.
Namir looked up and smiled. “What do you mean? We were the ones waiting for you,ib ib.”
Zahra raised her eyebrows. The scar on her face had faded into a thin white line, and her dress revealed the faded scars on her back. Her mother’s scarf sat on her shoulders, and her eagle necklace rested against her chest. She placed a hand on her swollen belly and tilted her head with a smirk. “Is that so?”
“Let’s go on a walk, Mamá,” Chephren said. “I want to see the hidden garden!”
Zahra chuckled, hooking her arm through Namir’s. “Let’s go!”
Namir and Zahra walked as the twins ran, tripping over pebbles and running into each other. The gardens were morebeautiful than they had ever been with sculptures and other works of art made by Aurans and Ionians alike.
A statue of an eagle sat in one of the flower beds, a gift from Pesha and her husband. Their village was the first to unite with Aur. Their people enjoyed the benefits of the Iteru, which ran south for a long distance and had created much fertile land. Aur was still growing, and there were still many that refused to accept Aur’s friendship, but the Pharaohs were content with what they had. They knew a future of a united Aur would one day come, and they would wait patiently for it.
Zahra moved her hand on her belly, groaning slightly. Namir wrapped his arm around her back. “Is it…?”
“No.” She smiled softly. “Not yet, but soon.” Her hand bounced as the baby kicked. “I had a dream about her last night.”
Namir watched the twins smell flowers and laugh, his hand on her shoulder. “What did you see this time?”
“She has your eyes and my nose. Chephren and Tausret will love her so much. I have seen them playing together—all four of them.”
Namir’s brow raised slightly. “Four?”
Zahra grinned. “One day. Chephren needs another boy besides you to play with.”
“But I like our games.” Still, Namir smiled with pride in his chest. He could not wait to meet the other two.
“Come on, it’s this way,” Tausret said, leading them into the garden. The thorny brush had been replaced by a wooden door. There was a smaller one beside it, one the children ran through with glee. One day, they would be too tall to fit and would be forced to crawl through.
A familiar face gave Zahra and Namir pause, and they waved. “Ramses!”
Ramses waved with a grin, walking toward them. He limped slightly, but otherwise, his old injury was barely noticeable. Hiswife’s arm was looped around his, a girl named Sophia from Heba’s village. She waved, signing to them. “Fancy seeing you here!”
Zahra and Namir laughed. Namir signed to them. “What has you out and about?”
“A break from the kids,” Sophia explained. “Ramses was insistent he show me where he used to train—again.”
“Always the nostalgic one,” Namir said with a laugh. “Well, we won’t keep you. Have a great time with your memories, old friend.”
“You should come with us,” Ramses said. “You tell the stories of our battles better than I do.”
“Perhaps next time. I’m a little busy at the moment,” Namir said, gesturing to Zahra.
Sophia signed with an excited face. “How soon?”
Zahra smiled. “A few days, I think.”
