The Egyptian sun blazed above the crystal waters of the Nile as Laini took in a deep breath and stretched her arms to indicate her contentment. She was pleased for a single reason: her father and brother were returning from Memphis with Pharoah Khafre and he always had a story to tell.

A story of dark things that stalked the shadows of men and how he would be summoned by his order to aid in eradicating such creatures. She was always fascinated by these stories but she wasn't quite sure if she believed him. She wasn’t like her brother in that regard. They may have been twins, but they were different in ways that annoyed their parents.

Her skepticism of her father's work, for one.

Nebedtka was a student, a boy who hungered for knowledge and would gladly travel great distances for that knowledge. He even dedicated himself to the priesthood of Sefkhet, and would bring them scrolls and tapestries from all the places he could reach. It has been like this since they were at least twelve. Ever since he learned how to read and chisel his own thoughts, his thirst for wisdom would be insatiable. He was easier to convince that these creatures existed.

“There are accounts stretching back for hundreds of years, Laini!” he would protest whenever they got into an argument over the subject. “How can you discount the experiences of thousands of people?”

She chuckled at the thought.

As for Laini, she had an adventurous nature, and Nebedtka made her promise that if she ever came across anything interesting, she would tell him so that he could write it down. Her adventure, though, was often limited by her father’s duties. Being the daughter of a well-respected priest led to some aspects of her life being dreadfully boring but she would sneak out and savor the sites and sounds of her people as often as she could.

If she were a man, she knew she would be in the military. She loved her people and wanted nothing but their prosperity and would never hesitate if someone needed help. She would always imagine just how big and beautiful Egypt could become and it made her swell with pride at the thought. Khafre noticed this about her and said as much and Laini took it as a compliment. 

And a compliment from the Pharoah on such a matter was a great honor.

In the midst of her thoughts, she failed to notice her mother behind her, giving a slightly disapproving look as she watched her daughter stretch her hand into the river and let the cool water wash over her arm. The sounds of the fisherman, the wind through the reeds and the shadows of palm trees dancing on the ground. Laini was a beautiful young woman and wonderfully decorated the scene with her smile. Hardly a man alive could ignore such a creature. 

Even women would blush when she walked by.

“Isn’t it about time you return home? Your father will be here any moment…” she said and rolled her eyes at the men on the boats who had stopped to stare at her child.

“They didn’t say if they would arrive by boat or by horse,” Laini replied, standing to greet her mother. Her mother was a far darker skinned woman from further south of where they lived in Thebes. She gladly accepted the Egyptian lifestyle and her love for her husband made the acceptance much easier. But, despite her acceptance still maintained a colorful variety of clothing and beadwork unique to her people. She never spoke of them much but when she did, it was always with a sense of loss. Laini always found it suspicious but also never questioned it. Whatever happened to her mother resulted in her mother being just slightly overprotective and it truly rubbed against Laini's enterprising nature. 

Sympathizing with despair, declared or otherwise, was not her strong suit. 

A trumpet sound in the distance caught their attention and, lo and behold, the Pharoah and his counsel were arriving by boat.

Excitedly, she and her mother took each other by the hands and Laini bounced on her toes as they watched the procession. Everyone stopped what they were doing to bow to their king as he sailed into port. She pointed when her brother jumped out of the boat to help the servants bring it closer to the docks. Khafre gave him a light tap on the head with his scepter and smiled wide. He was happily greeted by other members of his court and several others behind him scattered in various directions. Nebedtka and her father headed to them.

“Pawha! My precious Nebedtka!” her mother called out and they waved as they ran closer. Nebedtka broke from his father and headed straight for Laini and the similarities between them were striking. He was just as beautiful and well-sculpted as she was. Identical twins despite the gender difference. Same smile, same kind of hair, same nose, same eyes. Except for the color. Nebedtka’s eyes had a much lighter brown hue that was striking to anyone who looked at them. 

He smiled and grabbed Laini by the waist.

Family embrace. That’s all they wanted when the men finally reached them and when they were together, they were the happiest. Anyone around them would instantly feel better by such displays of affection.

“Aisha...my dearest Laini,” Pawha planted a kiss on Aisha’s cheek and held Laini in his arms. “I’m sorry to make you wait. There’s a…”

He hesitated with a finger on his chin.

“Well, there’s a problem…” he said, wrapping his arm around Aisha’s shoulders and the four of them began walking towards their home.

“Hope it’s nothing too bad…” Laini remarked, her brother poking her in the side as they walked. She elbowed him in the chest to get him to stop teasing her but he put his hands on her shoulders and rocked her back and forth.

“Powerful and bad omens have been descending around Memphis and seem to be spreading. Pharaoh has asked us to begin setting up defenses here but we require much to do just that,” he replied but shook his head. “Anyway, I hope that you two were doing okay down here.”

Pawah was a gentle and caring man. Slow to speak, always deep in thought and Laini loved him. As much as any daughter could love her father. This calm he exuded was enough to ease the concerns of anyone and he took to the priesthood quite naturally. And it was also this calm that made him quite the fighter on spiritual fronts; always studying, always observing and never going in unless he had everything he needed. He wasn’t always successful but what he learned helped others to succeed where he failed. A pioneer, he was called by the priests in his order.

Laini felt herself smile. Her family was finally together again and after being apart for far too long. What a wonderful end to an already wonderful day.