Ismera Ramses

A few days after Zainah's failed Ceremony.

Sett let out a heavy sigh as he stepped out of his mother's room. She'd been in a foul mood, and her discipline had hit harder than usual. This time, he wasn't even allowed to see his girls for the next few days. Typical.

He trudged down the hall, still shaking off the sting of her words, when someone caught his eye. He stopped mid-step.

She stood on the palace balcony, where towering date palms swayed, their long fronds dappling the smooth limestone floor with shifting patterns of gold and green. 

The sun blazed beyond the courtyard, turning the desert into a shimmering sea of heat, but here, beneath the shade, the air was cool, laced with the sweet perfume of crushed figs and blooming lotus.

"Grandma!" 

Sett's face lit up, and he bolted toward her.