Disclaimer: I own nothing save a few characters, you all know who they are.
Princess of the Nile
Chapter 5: Home Again
It took most of the next morning to reach the Medjai village. Ardeth rode in first with Emira on one of the horses taken from the Americans directly behind him. The warriors were greeted by the village as they entered it, riding to the centre of the village, where there was a large space for such occasions and other meetings or sports, the villagers gathered round as they slipped from the backs of their steeds, young children running forwards to take the horses back to the stables or to throw themselves into the arms of their fathers.
"Oh yes, this is definitely how I remember it." Emira whispered to herself as she studied the crowd, those of the women around her age were either moving towards their husbands or lovers with most of the other women or smiling flirtatiously at Ardeth, though he was apparently ignoring the looks he was receiving off them, Emira began to wonder if he had a wife. He had never said in any of his letters, but there was always a chance he was married.
"Emira-El-Nil!" a shout came from the crowd - many people turned to look at her, noticing her for the first time, a buzz of whispers rang through the crowd - and she grinned wildly as an older man stepped forwards.
"Father!" Emira cried, speeding forwards and throwing herself into the mans arms. He pulled her close against him, hugging her for all he was worth
"I did not think I would see you again." He murmured to her "I thought we would only stay in contact through letters.
"You can't keep me away father." Emira replied, tears streaming from her eyes as she buried her head into her fathers shoulder "Nothing will ever stop me." Her father smiled and pulled away from her, looking at his daughter for the first time in nine years
"You have grown beautifully." He remarked, raising her head with one hand and frowned at the bruises on her face "What has happened?" She pulled away from him and lowered her gaze to the floor
"I will tell you after. Ardeth will need to hear it as well." She mumbled. Her father nodded and pulled her into a hug again
"I am happy to see you again." He told her "You have made an old man happy to see his first child again."
"I am happy to see you too, father." She replied, "Though you are not old."
"I am my child, there is no denying it." He said, "Your brothers will be happy to see you again." Emira looked at him with a smile
"They are both here?" she asked
"Fareed returned from Cairo a couple of days ago, he has said that he will be staying a while. Zameel is a warrior, you would have seen him yesterday but his wife was having his first child, or should I say children, he stayed behind." Emira grinned and followed her father through the crowd to where her brothers stood.
Fareed was the youngest of them, nineteen years old with short cut brown hair and green eyes, though he kept the same skin colouring as his sister. They were on good terms, but not exactly the greatest of siblings, and he merely nodded as she walked up with their father.
Zameel was only a year younger than his sister, and every bit of a Medjai warrior. He looked a lot like their father, with shoulder length black hair, dark brown eyes and a good build. Unlike his younger brother, he bore the tattoos that many of the Medjai did on his face, and pulled his sister into a hug as she stepped over.
"Emira." He said as he hugged her "I haven't seen you in ages."
"And I you Zameel." She replied, "What is this I hear of your wife?" Zameel smiled down at her, he was not a tall man, but Emira had always been small for her age, and was over a head shorter than her brother.
"Al-Shama gave me a pair of beautiful girls last night, you must come and see them." Emira nodded and allowed herself to be pulled off by her brother, noting Fareed's look of distaste as she went.
Next Update: I suck, I'm the worst for remembering the date and remembered at 3am that I'd promised an update. I swear, the next one will be on the 25th March.