Empires of Faith

Chapter 29: Unions

20 Dhul-Qa'dah, 1663

The desert winds blew the hot sands about in a gentle wave. Clouds of dust rose from under the galloping hooves of the three horses that carried their riders, clad in white and brown garments, through the desert. As they neared the sandy cliff, the foremost of the riders brought his horse to a stop and the others followed suit.

He peered over the edge into the humble city down below, a town hidden in the desert mountains. Modest buildings of baked clay topped with woven sheets as coverings and tents filled the valley. There were trees of varying size and stature lining the city streets, most notably a pair of palm trees tied together in an X shape standing tall and proud at the very centre of the city, marking the city's most generous well. Also lining some of the streets were several little market shops, offering various products and services to the public.

Out in the city's further limits there were patches of green and brown plants and vegetation. In this area, many of the town's folks brought their livestock to graze and feed. The numerous gates and pins spread out nearby would hold the animals in the owners' possession and near their homes until it was time to be fed or slaughtered. It was a simple lifestyle down there, albeit trying in practice. But today, that humble city would be one changed. Indeed, today was a day for great change....

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Zubayr rode into town, he and his companion eager to return to their homes. It had been a long time coming, after a difficult and tiring journey through the vast deserts and dry wastelands, through the lifeless towns and dangerous trails. However, they'd braved it all, taking the quickest shortcuts to arrive in time, and by the Mercy of their Lord, they had. Zubayr was pleased to have arrived hours before the night of his sister's wedding.

"As-Salaamu Alaikum," Zubayr greeted his family as the wooden door was opened to him. There inside stood his mother, Atiyah, his older sister Raihanah along with her four children, and from the backroom of the house three voices could be heard. Zubayr was welcomed in by his mother and sister with hugs and smiles before kneeling down to greet his nephews and nieces.

The first to come was the oldest child, an eight year old named after his father, Adil. He had the same blue eyes as his father and the curly brown hair of his mother. At his side came the second oldest, six year old Hadia, with her wide brown eyes and beaming smile. She was joined by her toddling little brother, three year old Ismail. His messy curls were of a brownish-blonde blend, a near perfect mix of his parents. The only child whose appearance was an exact blend was the very youngest, baby Nasira, who rested in her mother's arms. From the blondish-brown hair mix to the unique pattern of her eye color, with the left being blue and the right being brown, she held a perfect mix of their most prominent features. Even in the thinness of her lips like her father, but the extra skin on her procheilon like her mother, there was a perfect balance.

Zubayr greeted all of his nephews and nieces with a kind smile and the oldest three hugged him. He turned to Raihanah, asking to hold Nasira, the one child of hers he hadn't met until now. As he took the baby in his arms she began to tense and stir until she peeped her eyes wide open. Raihanah knew what was coming and soon Zubayr found himself taking an earful as Nasira wailed out in tears. Her cries echoed through the house as Zubayr awkwardly tried to soothe her, to no avail.

"Here," Raihanah said, stifling her laughter at her befuddled younger brother. She took the child into her arms and rocked her gently until the crying stopped and the tears ceased. "Don't feel too bad," she said to her brother. "She seems to cry around any man besides her father. Even our father can't hold her for long without an earful."

"I received more than an earful," Zubayr said, wiping a bit of drool from his shirt. "Those cries were like a stake being driven into my brain; I think I'm getting a headache."