My Pharaoh

Chapter 11

Paloma

We're close to the village now. All I can think about is seeing everyone's faces. And taking Ramses to my favourite spots. Showing him the place where my heart belongs.

We leave the horse at the stables and feed him some hay and carrots.

Then head to my house.

As we walk there, everyone greets me, and then looks over at the mysterious handsome man I'm walking with and their smiles change into something more mischievous and they rush away to tell anyone in their view.

I feel like the whole village is following us but whenever I quickly turn my head around to catch them, there's no one except a few people going about their day. It's strange.

Just before we get to my house, Aba greets me. Her face transforms into a huge smile and she rushes to hug me. I hug her back tightly.

"I've missed you so much," she says, and her voice cracks like she's about to cry "I knew it couldn't be too long until you'd come back after the first rain."

She breaks the hug and looks at me. I look down at her stomach...she's pregnant. My eyes widen and she laughs.

"Crazy right?" She smiles "Sadik and I got lucky, I thought I'd have to have this baby in the worst drought this country's had in decades. But Tefnut has blessed us..."

She looks to my side and realises I'm not alone.

"Aba meet...Amun, and Amun, this is Aba."

She smiles at him and shakes his hand.

"Anyway," she says and picks up her basket "I suspect your whole family is in their waiting for you, please come over for dinner one of these days, you're both most welcome. It was nice to meet you Amun, Sadik is a good companion if you start to get bored of Paloma and her fathers intense endeavours."

She looks at me and bites her lips in amusement before leaving.

"Intense?" He asks with a smile.

I shake my head. "She's exaggerating...I think."

***

My father and Ramses have been talking for hours now.

It's weird, how some men just bond like that.

Ramses is polite and educated, and a great hunter, as every King should be, not that anyone in the village knows that. So my dad can't resist asking him question upon question.

"We have to go hunting sometimes" I overhear my dad say, he likes this man, almost as much as me it seems, I smile to myself and my mum catches me. I cough my smile away and carry on helping with dinner.

She smiles "he's perfect for you." She says.

"What?" I ask, I wasn't expecting her to say that.

"I wonder when he'll ask."

"Ask what?"

She scoffs. "For your hand."