Desert Sand Stories

[Fenrir13]

Naadiya jumped off the boards of the sandship and stretched herself. Another succesful raid. They had made lots of booty and slaves. Soon this Oasis would become prosperous indeed. That is unless the enemy Empire would finally retaliate. She looked over the market stalls hat lined the cave systems entrance and ignored the cheerful shouts of the sellers walking past them. She made her way through the cave system to her quarters equally fast, not visiting the main market, the three tea houses, latrines or the big temple, though it was likely good to take a moment and thank the divine for their success. Naadiya opened to wodden door to her house and called:“Hello, anybody there?“, before entering. She was wearing desert clothes and a light veil. A scimitar and a curved decorated dagger were hanging from her sash. She was only 27 but looked older, if still beautiful. The warrior knew her adopted children were there. She sat down at the low table and poured herself some tea. A small luxury she always enjoyed after fighting. „Come out or I´ll make you come out.“, she added, only half joking. There were few who could match her skill with the scimitar, but she also was a loving mother.

[17JosephLC]

Alexios and Maria were a pair of cute, 10 year-old twins. They both had the pale skin of the Byzanite Empire's people; though Alexios had short, curly brown hair and eyes green as the oasis; whereas his sister Maria had shoulder-length, straight brown hair and eyes as blue as the midday sky. They had come with their parents to the Great Gobara Desert during the Byzanite Empire's first attempted conquest and colonization. They had wanted to seize the lucrative trade routs and spice fields for their own.

Naadiya's tribe of nomadic locals, as well as all the other peoples of the Great Gobara had united like nothing in an age. Nomadic tribes and settled cities unified to throw back the invaders. The war still went on, but it was seeming a stalemate. The twin's colony caravan had been ambushed in the night by Naadiya's tribe. Many had been slain, and those whom weren't were taken as slaves. Alexios's and Maria's parents had died during the raid, and Naadiya, perhaps in pity, had claimed the children as part of her spoils. Though the children had quickly come to love their new adopted mother.

"Mama!" A pair of twin voices cheered, and they soon came running out of their rooms. The children wore a pair of white togas as to not forget where they came from, and because it made it easier for Naadiya when the time came around to apply some maternal discipline to her nicely naughty children. Soon, Naadiya was practically tackled by her children as they hugged her.

"We're so glad you're home, Mama," Alexios cheered.

"I made an offering to the Aspects to ask for your protection," Maria told her, trying to sound mature.

[Fenrir13]

Naadiya smiled as she was tackled by the two twins and hugged them back. She lifted her veil, which had partly obscured her face, to smile at them. "Hello my sweets, have you been good? It is praisworthy to make an offering. After all we are a religious people.", she told the two. "Do you also want some tea? There is enough for the three of us.", Naadiya said. The two both looked rather foreign in their white togas and she had wanted to dress them "properly", but had delayed it as it offered less protection when punishment was necessary. She was kinda lax, but the religion said to punish naughty children and there were things she didn´t tolerate. For this Naadiya kept a short but sturdy switch inscribed with sacred writings that her people used on children...and even sometimes criminal adults, though more on the back then on the backside.

[17JosephLC]

"We've been very good, Mama! We cleaned our rooms and stuff too," Maria told her, hoping that their good behavior might earn them a sweet reward. Like some candy from the caravanserai or something of the like. She preened cutely as Mama praised her.

"What kind of tea is it, Mama," Alexios asked? Alexios was rather hit-or-miss when it came to tea. Depending on the blend, he either swore by it, or he hated it.

[Fenrir13]

"Oh, you did? Very good my children. I will buy you some sweet dates once I am rested.", Naadiya promised. Alltough that meant going to the market and she didn´t quite like the haggling as well having to get up again todayy. Sadly the vendor she had trusted nearby had retired not too long ago.
"Its chamomile tea, very healthy. You gonna love it.", the woman told Alexios. She knew he was rather hit or miss with tea, but never could remember which blend he liked. Naadiya thought his peckishness in this regard wasn´t proper and tried to teach him better manners. But maybe it was hopeless.

[17JosephLC]

"Yaaaah!" The children cheered at the thought of some sweet dates to have.

"Well... Il try it, at least," Alexios reluctantly agreed to have it. This way, Mama couldn't call him overly picky! The children sat on either side of their mother, waiting eagerly for her to tell them stories about her latest adventure against the Byzanites!

[Fenrir13]

"Hush. And don´t you mean thank you?", she said with a wry smile. In truth she was really happy that her children were cheerful. But she still valued a bit of restraint. "Please do that. You are a good boy after all.", she cheered him on and let him have a cup of tea. It was actually really good, but with his peculiar tastes no one could know. Naadiya then leaned back a little, resting her back against the warm surface of the cave. She realized her children expected a story. She was a bit concerned by how easily they accepted stories about the bloody war between their two people. But they were children after all. Easy to influence. "Maybe you want to hear a fairy tale?", the woman offered instead.

[17JosephLC]

"Oh, right! Um, thank you, Mama!" The children quickly corrected, not wanting Mama to decide they needed some "encouragement" to behave, both of them taking momentary glances at the dreaded switch.

Alexios, with reluctance, took the tea and gave it a sniff. It smelled nice at least... so, taking a sip, he smacked his lips together to judge it. "Well... this kind isn't that bad, I suppose," he told her, meaning it passed his completely arbitrary judgement.

"What kind of fairy tale, Mama," Maria asked?

[Fenrir13]

She kept a pokerface but was a little dissapointed they were already afraid of her spanking them. They had thanked her after being reminded after all. Maybe she was too strict? They were still pretty young after all. Well, she´ll see. Now they were spending good family time.
Naadiya nodded when her son said the tea wasn´t bad. "Then please finish your cup. It was expensive.", the woman said. Money wasn´t really a problem for them, she saved most which she didn´t need to keep her scimitar sharp. But it was good to teach children to be careful with money.
The young women smiled when Maria asked what kind of fairytale she would tell. "Well, a colorful one with magic and all.", she promised. Much more child appropriate then a war tale really.

[17JosephLC]

"Okay, Mama," Alexios nodded, as he and his sister then quickly finished their respective cups. Once they were done, they looked up at their mother, eyes wide as they waited eagerly for a story.