"I hope you had a good time in the states, Nadia," Nasir told his daughter.
"Oh, yeah, Aeon and I had a great time, Father," Nadia said practically glowing. "We visited his parents as soon as we had checked in to our hotel rooms and they had a great meal already prepared by the time we got there. The taste of the food was foreign, but since we were in a different country, that's not surprising, and doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. I could get used to the food in the states very quickly actually, though I doubt very much it will ever compare to his mother's baking."
"I agree with you there. Mom is a great baker and would be even without her bakery magic to help her along," Aeon said.
"Bakery magic?" Nasir asked with a raised eyebrow never having heard Aeon mention that term.
"It's where she adds a little magic to whatever dessert she's making instinctively," Aeon explained. "It makes whatever she's working on even more delicious than it would be otherwise, and it keeps people coming back for more. Whenever she starts a bakery it's always successful, even with inflation and crooked politicians, making it hard on everyone."
"She did this chocolate pudding cake when we visited, because it's one of Aeon's favorites and he hadn't had it in years," Nadia said. "It was absolutely scrumptious and it could become a favorite."
"It's basically vanilla cake with chocolate pudding inside," Aeon explained. "Nadia is absolutely correct it is one of my favorites, something my mother would have known."
"His mother scolded him for not visiting for a couple of decades," Nadia told her father, smiling at that revelation.
"You did mention that when we talked over the link and I would certainly scold you if you disappeared on me or your brothers and didn't visit or even call," Nasir said.
"I did call every few weeks so they knew I was OK. I just didn't visit," Aeon said look sheepish. "It's just that so many people seemed to need my help. I just never took the time off to go visit them and I've already promised, I'll visit more often with Nadia now that I've met my mate."
"We also went to New York because that's where his cousin Marcus owns a jewelry shop at least for this generation. I got a lovely ring," Nadia added, showing her father the ring on her finger.
"Why go all the way to New York to your cousin's store just to get a ring," Nasir wanted to know. "It seems like it would be just an inconvenience. I'm sure they're plenty of jewelry shops in Florida. Not to mention the expense of traveling to a different city, especially for such a minor errand."
"For one thing, I knew Marcus would give me a discount," Aeon begin to explain. "Also, I got to see him and his mate Emily and their children. We had lunch while we were there and I haven't seen either one in years, so it was kind of a twofold mission. Also, I had only met Emily once at their wedding, as I was lucky enough to be invited, so this was a chance to get to know her better so you can see I had multiple reasons for us going."
"Marcus also scolded him and said he'd heard all about how Aeon hadn't visited from his mother Shonda Hotchner," Nadia said, chuckling as she remembered. "Apparently, he got quite an earful from his mother who then gave Aeon a lecture."
"He wasn't really scolding me just telling me that I need to visit more often," Aeon said, "and they are right I do."
"It is good that you have so much family, as a lot of people do not," Nasir told Aeon. "You have been part of the Medjai for a long time, even though you're not technically part of the tribe I have considered you so ever since I became chief and so did my father and grandfather. It is good, however, that you have family related to you that actually cares about your welfare and so want to see you every so often. Not everyone is so lucky to have a family that cares for them for multiple reasons."
"I'm very well aware of that my friend and you're absolutely right, I am lucky. My family will smother Nadia with love and affection and many other families aren't like mine at all," Aeon said.
"I'm looking forward to getting to know your family better and meeting those I have not yet," Nadia said. "I am definitely looking forward to more of your mother's baking."
"My mother isn't the only one that inherited the bakery magic as at least 80 percent of my siblings did, just not me," Aeon said. "No my talent is to heal or at least encourage the body to heal faster, depending on the injury or illness."
"And I've certainly always been grateful that you had such a talent," Nasir said. "It is too bad others do not, as sometimes we need the help and I know you could use it."
"Healers are actually quite common in the magical community, though I don't know of any here in Egypt specifically. I just never bothered to discover if there are any magical here in this country, though they're probably are. If I do discover a magical community, there's no guarantees that there is a healer amongst them. If there is they might or might not be willing to help you out when needed," Aeon said. "Only two of my siblings got the talent, but they're female, so I know they would not be well received among your tribe."
"That is unfortunately true," Nasir said gravely. "I know you can't always be here, wearing yourself to the bone, when we need you so we need to come up with a solution and if there is a magical community hidden in this country, we probably need to discover them and ask if they'd be willing to help if necessary."
"Just so you are aware it's quite possible that at least one of our children will inherit my talent to heal, but there's no guarantees," Aeon told Nasir and Nadia. "My mother has said that the gene would be dominant in my case instead of recessive, so it's very possible that a lot of our children will get the talent to heal just like I have."
"If that happens, at least it's possible we'll have a healer if they decide to make Egypt, their home base. By the way, Nadia, I'm afraid some of the Medjai protested you marrying an outsider. They tried to convince me that Aeon isn't even an Egyptian much less a Medjai and I should forbid you for marrying him," Nasir said.
"He isn't an outsider," Nadia protested vehemently. "All right, so he's not Medjai or Egyptian, but then, Azim wasn't Medjai either even if he was born in this country, so I don't see why they're kicking up such a fuss now."
"Because they want you to marry one of them so that they'll have more status, because you're the chief's daughter," Aeon said understanding what Nasir wasn't saying.
"They have no chance of becoming chief, as I have four brothers, and they'd have to kill off all of them and their boy children to even have a chance at becoming chief," Nadia protested. "A Bay has been chief for hundreds of years now."
"They're just greedy and selfish," Aeon said, "and they'l have status, even if they'll never become chieftain. Also, you've already married outside the tribe once and they'd rather you not do that a second time. I doubt they would dare try to kill me off as Nasir would take action if they did. I'm simply too useful for them just to knock off. They don't know anything about immortals and mates. It's one reason why only the chief of the tribe knows that I'm immortal, because if there's anything I know it's that people can be greedy and selfish and would try to kidnap me for my talent or for ransom. Even Medjai, are suspectible to the darker side of human nature."
"This is true my friend and I have, of course, told them that you are engaged to be married and that I approved of the match as you asked my permission first," Nasir said. "They won't get anywhere with their protest, I promise you, because I know their reasons are less than altruistic. No, Bay would ever give their daughter away in marriage against her will. That is not what the Medjai stand for. We've never arranged marriages for our girl children and we're not about to start."
"Do you think they'll cause trouble?" Aeon asked Nasir intently. "I will not have Nadia harmed, just because they want to marry her in order to get closer to being chief. I know there are certain privileges that go along with being a member of your family, but I don't care about that. I've never cared about status, though I won't say some people don't, even in the states, but my family definitely does not."
"They are more then likely to come after you then Nadia, but still, I would watch your back daughter," Nasir said. "Never go anywhere by yourself until this dies down."
"It might be better if we go to Cairo at least until it does dies down," Aeon said. "I will not have Nadia come to harm by a bunch of selfish men who won't care about her feelings just want to marry her, because of who she's related too. That, even if I wasn't in the picture, that Nadia wouldn't have anything to do with them if they wanted to court her, has totally escaped their understanding of the situation. They can't try to force you into marrying them as Nasir here would stop any such nonsense and if he was dead, your brothers wouldn't put up with it. Those Medjai would find themselves in more trouble than they were prepared to handle."
"They've had every chance to try to win my affections," Nadia said her contempt obvious, "and they never even tried."
"They were likely waiting until you had finished mourning your husband, even though it's been three years, so you're right, they've had plenty of time," Nasir said. "It isn't your fault that they never had the courage to approach you and ask for a chance to court you like Aeon did. Besides, if we didn't marry, those not part of the tribe, we would have ceased to exist due to inbreeding so their argument holds no weight."
"They are only interested in me, because I'm your daughter and it has nothing to do with them having any sort of affection for me, much less love," Nadia said. "I will treat their complaints like they deserve and ignore them. I doubt very much they would treat me with respect at least, and probably see me as someone to bear children and to fix their meals."
"That kind of attitude is prevalent, even in more civilized countries, so it just isn't Medjai men," Aeon told the pair. "As for trying to knock me off, if I get a knife in the belly, it isn't gonna kill me permanently, but then my secret will likely be out when I come back to life."
"If those men cause too much trouble, then they'll be thrown out of the Medjai," Nasir promised. "I think its better if you head to Cairo for awhile and we'll see what happens sometime in the next week or two. I insist you take at least a couple of guards with you just in case, ones that I know are loyal to me and the Medjai."
"I have a guest room she can use until we're married," Aeon offered. "She'll never be alone, I promise you that. She is now at the center of my happiness. As for those Medjai guards you mentioned, it's probably a good idea as they can camp out in the den, because while I have other guest rooms, those rooms haven't been dusted in ages nor the sheets changed. It's not like we didn't have a guard when we went to Cairo before so this really won't be any different."
"I don't want to run away like a coward," Nadia protested. "They'll think I'm running from them."
"Be reasonable Nadia. I know you don't want to leave under these circumstances, but give your father time to assess this threat before you come back. If we have to leave Egypt for a few weeks we'll do so, as those Medjai aren't about to follow us out of the country."
"That might be necessary, but let's hope not," Nasir said. "You just got home, but still, I knew I had to tell you about those five Medjai that protested you marrying an outsider, even though he's unofficially part of the tribe. If they didn't want you to marry someone outside the tribe, then they should've approached me long before he came into the picture or at least right after you started seeing each other, not waited until the last minute to protest your upcoming marriage," Nasir said.
"They probably thought that there was no way Nadia would agree to marry me," Aeon speculated. "They were probably shocked when Nadia agreed to let me court her, but probably figured that we'd break up before long and that they'd have a chance with her. That that didn't happen is probably something they didn't predict."
"I doubt I would've given them the time of day, but it would've been the proper thing to do," Nadia said. "Fine, I guess we'll leave and go to Cairo for awhile, but I do so under protest, even if I know you're both right."
"Good, that's very good," Nasir said pleased that Nadia wasn't going to argue. "It's better if you leave under cover of darkness while everybody's asleep. I'm sure they'll guess where you've gone, but if they try to follow you, I'll warn you. In fact, I think I'll send them to patrol the buried city, along with one of your brothers. I'll make sure I fill them in on the situation. The fact, that your brothers, all approve of Aeon means that those that protested you marrying him really don't have a leg to stand on."
"They love her, so I'm glad that they approve of me, even if they don't know about the whole mate bond thing," Aeon said then added speaking to Nadia. "I know you don't want to take this course of action, but it's probably for the best."
"No, I don't, but I suppose it's sensible," Nadia sighed. "I'll go pack."
"I'll come with you, as you shouldn't be alone until we're out of here," Aeon said immediately. "Thanks for the warning, Nasir. I really appreciate it."
"Of course, Aeon. No matter what those motherless donkeys think you have been part of the tribe for a very long time and the fact that you make my daughter happy makes your relationship OK with me," Nasir said.
Nasir watched his daughter and her intended left and worried about the Medjai that had protested Nadia marrying someone they considered an outsider no matter how much he did for the tribe. Aeon was always willing to give his time to the tribe and help heal things like the desert sickness so Nasir had no problem with letting him marry Nadia.
If those Medjai didn't like that, then that was too bad, because if they went too far, he could easily take their lives for they would prove themselves gutless, motherless donkeys. He would gut them himself, and that was a promise as he would not let them harm Aeon or his daughter.
~~~Aeon and Nadia~~~