i. the nile - 3000 BC
the heat pulls the sweat through his pores as he staggers across the sand. it's too hot, even for him. in all his hundreds of thousands of lifetimes he has never experienced this heat, this thirst. in the distance the air shimmers with something like a promise, and his feet pull his unwilling body further across the dunes.
the hours pass. he keeps walking.
he reaches the water, and thanks every god he's ever cursed as he splashes his face, his arms, hell he wades into the lapping waves and submerges himself in the liquid. he drinks, and he thinks he's never felt more alive until he sees her.
she's a shock to his system. in the murky water all he sees is a flash of white and at first he thinks a crocodile is attacking him before he realizes the brush of her floating hair against his skin isn't an assault, it's a blessing. he jerks above the water level again and her head pops out across from him. he realizes that he was so fixated on the gift of water that he hadn't even taken notice of the other gift the gods have thrust upon him.
she smiles. "hello," she laughs, and her smile is like the sun. he blinks, and can't reply.
"i don't believe we've met," she laughs some more, and he dares a smile. "my name is rey."
"…poe."
her eyes crinkle and his chest tightens with something he hasn't felt in a thousand ages.
"it's a pleasure to meet you poe. might i inquire as to how you got past my guards?"
he's confused. "guards?"
"yes, the guards stationed at the river to protect my decency while i bathe."
it's with a flash that he realizes she's naked. it's with another flash that he realizes she's laughing at him with her eyes. he stammers something unintelligible and then she laughs at him with her mouth, too.
"don't worry yourself, poe. the waters quite dark enough that my privacy is quite guarded."
he dares another smile, and his next words are less of a stammer and more of a fully formed sentence.
"i am sorry, i truly didn't mean to intrude. it's just, i— i saw the water and…" he trails off.
rey smiles at him again, and he realizes he's been holding his breath waiting for it.
"well, i must say, although i certainly don't mind your presence in my bath, my guards might feel differently. it would be a shame if they were to run someone like you through. i suggest you swim very far downriver before resurfacing." she winks at him.
he lets out a breath of laughter, but its tinged with disappointment. he does as she says though, her words being the only thing that registers with his addled mind. he thinks that in his current state: exhausted, dehydrated, and quite possibly smitten, he'd walk off a cliff if she asked him to.
she brushes his leg with hers as he swims by and he thinks he might just have a heart attack. he risks poking his head above the surface once more, and asks, "can i see you again?"
this time her smile is coupled with a blush as she nods. "i'll meet you in the market at sundown."
his heart just might beat out of his chest when he swims down the river.
he waits for her in the market at sundown. she doesn't come.