Is this Home? [FOT/Chain]

Upon the heat-soaked west, the Sun had opened its all-seeing eye. It looked towards the wilting fields but tears would not fall. It stared upon the abandoned towns but could not muster a sigh. As it watched over poor Parthevia, even the Sun could not feel a single thing.

‘How many years has it been…’

One woman was feeling many emotions in her heart as she looked upon her Parthevian motherland: joy at returning home again and sadness from leaving in the first place. Yes, the lady Zubaidah was home at last.

‘It has been far too many…’ A red-turbaned man offered his hand as she stepped out from the magic circle. ‘And yet, here you are, Battutah.’ She accepted his hand in thanks, smiling with rosy cheeks. ‘Well, what can I say? I could not miss your return, could I!’

Battutah had been her father’s scribe, close enough that Zubaidah counted him family. He had also been one of the few servants who had survived that fateful day, rescuing the young mistress from danger. He had felt responsible for the master Jaffar and his death, however, since he had dismissed the tensions as trivial things. As such, he made sure that Zubaidah found herself in capable hands, asking his friend Silius to raise her like his own daughter. Ever since, he had written letters for her each week, ensuring she had never felt lonely. If Silius had been like a father, then Battutah had been like a loving uncle.

‘I trust you have been well?’ She began placing her baggage upon Batuttah’s carriage, filled with various for his trade. ‘I have fared better than our country, I must say. It has fallen into a sorry state of affairs, ever since the recent troubles.’ He helped her load the carriage, patting his timid mule who seemed uneasy around this new person. ‘Yes, it seems much has changed, I can tell that from a glance. I regret that I did not contact you before since. If I had known what was going on here, I would have come here much quicker than I have. He continued talking with her this way whilst she joined him on the carriage. As they set off, he began telling her more about the precarious situation in Parthevia, since she seemed so concerned.

It had been over a decade since she stepped foot upon Parthevian soil, ever since her family had been made criminals and hunted down. It seemed that Heliohapt had been a part of such measures, taking advantage of those who disliked the nobility. As such, in recent years, Heliohapt had formaised its claims upon Parthevia - as an excuse for invading the southern peninsula. The country was thus torn between Reim in the north and Heliohapt in the south, but neither would give Parthevia the freedom it deserved.

She did not have time to pursue these matters further, however, since they found themselves at their destination shortly after. It was a modest home, not that she had seen better in the past few years. It did have a perfect location near the local well, a necessity in the dry weather, and there looked to be a small patch of green behind. Zubaidah hoped that she could turn that into a garden her mother would approve.

Looking towards Battutah, she smiled warmly and thanked him profusely,  ‘I cannot thank you enough, uncle. You have been… much too generous. He turned his gaze slightly, tears welling in his eyes. ‘It is thanks enough that you call me uncle… I owe everything to your father, as you know, and I could never repay that debt. To hear you call me uncle, well, it makes me think I have done something right.’ She laughed slightly, her amber eyes glinting, 'Why, Batuttah, you have done more than something right. If my father is looking down on us, as I am sure he is, he would no doubt be proud of you. Of us both.'

'Now then, stop tearing up and let’s get these bags inside!'