The wind was blowing heavily, whipping up a frenzy of sand that made it nearly impossible to see beyond a few meters. A man sat atop a camel and shouted towards the front camel.
"Honey, hold yourself together. We will survive!" he called out, desperately trying to reassure his wife who rode ahead.
There was no response from the front camel, leaving him anxious and unable to check on his wife's condition. He felt powerless against the forces of nature and blamed his choice.
"Just hold on, please," he pleaded silently.
— A few weeks ago —
"You need to go there. Only you can do this," a man in his early sixties commanded from across the table.
"But father, it will create tension among the others. You should send the first or second brother," Samir Aurora replied from the other side, awed and respectful.
"I know you don't desire my position. However, none are as suitable for this task as you are, and I trust my judgment. This time, we must seal the deal with the new sultan. If we can establish a relationship with him, our family will flourish rapidly. And, I have faith only you," the man explained, taking a pause before continuing. "You should take your wife with you. I've heard the Sultan adores his first wife a lot. Your wife may be of great help.", seeing that Samir understood his hidden meaning, he decided to end the conversation. "Your caravan will leave in three days. Now go and prepare."
"I will try my best, Father," Samir replied, standing up and glancing at his father, who had already shifted his gaze to the parchments on the table.
Bowing slightly, Samir left the office, his mind filled with the tasks that lay ahead. First, he needed to meet his wife, and the head butler after. As he made his way, he encountered his sister, Serena Aurora, the eldest daughter of the Aurora household.
"How did the visit go?" Serena asked.
"Well, Father wants me to lead this caravan," Samir replied honestly.
"Heh! Those two won't like it," Serena jested.
"I informed Father about this fact, but he won't listen," Samir said, attempting to clear his name.
"I will talk to them, don't worry. After all, family comes first," Serena reassured him, offering her support.
"Thank you, sister," Samir expressed his gratitude.
"Where are you headed now?" Serena inquired.
"Um, to the warehouse," Samir hesitated.
"Tell the head butler something good about me. Also, meet Mother this afternoon. She has something to say," Serena suggested, laughing as she walked away.
Entering his room, Samir found his wife, Isika, sitting on the bed, knitting. Yarns of different colors were scattered around her, and a half-finished product rested on her lap. Curious, he asked, "What are you making?"
"A pajama for our child," she replied without diverting her focus.
"But we can't have a child," he said quietly, his voice tinged with sadness.
Isika flinched, setting aside her work. She looked at Samir and spoke with conviction, "Yesterday, I visited the Life Temple with Mother. And, last night, I met the Life God in my dream. She smiled at me and said my wish will be fulfilled soon"
Wanting to change the topic, Samir mentioned, "Father wants me to lead the caravan this time."
"For how many days?" Isika inquired, once again focused on her knitting.
"This time, our destination is Marsai Oasis, the new capital of the Sahama Desert. So, it will take around two months, I suppose," Samir estimated.
Isika paused her work again, looking up at Samir expectantly. "Can I visit my father? I haven't seen him in years," she expressed her longing.
Samir paused, considering his response carefully. After some hesitation, he replied meekly, "The patriarch has asked you to come along this time," then hastily added, "I promise, I will accompany you to your home after we complete the trade."
Isika glared into his eyes without saying a word. Samir also stared back at her, waiting for her answer. A silent war started brewing between the couple.
After a few moments, Samir surrendered, saying, "Please."
"Okay," Isika answered with a smile.
"Well, if you don't want to, I..." Samir began.
"I said I will go with you," Isika spoke each word distinctly, clearing Samir's misunderstanding.
"Ah!" Samir became surprised. He had devised numerous strategies in the previous silent war, but all his efforts seemed in vain as the enemy surrendered without any bloodshed.
"Good, good," Samir exclaimed, happy about his unexpected victory. "Let me treat you to a meal in the King's Pavilion," he suggested, coming up with a brilliant idea to lift his wife's spirits.
"Then let me tidy up here," she said, and started to gather the yarns and put them inside a bag. As Samir approached to help, Isika swiftly slapped the back of his extended right hand.
"Ouch!" Samir winced in pain, nursing his hand with the other, and stared pitifully at Isika for an explanation.
"Don't," Isika said sternly, then added, "Just wait outside, I'll join you in a moment."
"Okay," feeling triumphant that his plan had worked, Samir left the room.
Once he was gone, Isika spoke, her voice soft but commanding, "Give me your report," still focused on her task.
A shadow materialized in front of the bed, gradually taking the form of a woman in the standard Aurora housemaid uniform. If Samir were there, he would undoubtedly be shocked, as the woman was Isika's personal maid who had come from Isika's house.
"After visiting the patriarch, he met with the eldest daughter on his way here," the maid reported.
"Then where did that snake slither off to?" Isika could already imagine the conversation that had taken place between them.
"The eldest daughter went to the matriarch's room. I also saw the two eldest sons heading there at the same time," the maid replied, accustomed to Isika's way of speaking.
"Ah, two greedy foxes and a snake convening in the raven's nest. So, those two foxes are banding together this time," Isika mused. She placed the last yarn in the bag and took the half-finished pajama. Waving her hand gently over the fabric, she whispered to herself, "I will meet you soon."
"Do you truly believe in that succubus's words?" the maid expressed her concern.
"Well, she came all the way from the capital just to show me what I want to see, so I need to show them what they want to see," Isika said, carefully putting the pajama inside the bag. "It's good to meet everyone's expectations," she added, and walked toward the wardrobe, preparing to change into clothes suitable for an outing.
Before opening the wardrobe, she glanced behind her and threw a question at her maid, "Do you truly believe that succubus can outsmart her senior?"
The maid didn't answer.
"Okay, you can go now and attend to your duties. I have a date today, and I can't keep my partner waiting for long," Isika declared, looking at the wardrobe before opening it.
####
Three days later, just the sun started to arise in the eastern sky...
A crowd had gathered in front of the administration building of the Aurora household. Murmurs filled the air as people conversed among themselves, occasionally pointing toward the front. Fifty camels stood peacefully in formation in the front yard, representing almost half of the prized camels owned by the Aurora Merchant Family. This was the first time the Aurora family had organized a caravan of this size. The previous record was only fifteen camels. Children huddled together, asking their friends what might be hidden inside the bags hanging from both sides of the camels. Adults gossiped about the significant movements of the Aurora family. Also, some shady characters were lurking around, attempting to gather as much information as possible.
As the sun fully illuminated the eastern sky, the doors of the administration building began to open. The commotion gradually subsided as the crowd shifted their attention toward the building. An old man emerged from the door, followed by more than ten people. But all eyes were on the first man. And why not? He was the patriarch of the Aurora family. As he stood before the crowd, a sense of awe spread through the onlookers, overwhelmed by the influence of his dignified presence. The people who accompanied him stood in an orderly fashion just behind him, emphasizing his superiority.
"Good morning, everyone," the old man's booming voice resonated and reached every corner of the gathering. People became amazed at the depth and clarity of his voice, and wondered how powerful the patriarch became! However, among the crowd, some individuals snickered to themselves.
"Good morning, Patriarch! Long live the patriarch! May the fortune god be with you," the crowd echoed in chorus.
The unexpected enthusiasm and unity displayed by the crowd caught the attention of those individuals, leaving them taken aback.
"Well, aren't they a rowdy bunch? So, you are proud of these lowly peasants, you senile oldie!" someone hidden in the folds of his robe thought, blending in with the crowd.
The patriarch waved his right hand in appreciation and said, "Thank you, everyone. I appreciate all of you for gathering here. You are all well-wishers of our family," he stated, glancing briefly at the hidden individual before smiling at the crowd.
The hooded man lowered his hood even more, wondering if he had been noticed.
"Today is a very important day for our family," the patriarch continued, turning to look behind him at Samir and nodding his head. Samir stepped forward and stood beside his father, just slightly behind.
The patriarch proudly addressed the crowd again, saying, "My third son will lead the caravan." Upon hearing these words, some people standing behind him became dissatisfied. Ignoring their discontent, the patriarch went on, "We seek to strengthen our relationship with the people of the sand and establish a trade treaty with the new sultan, Sultan Akbar of Sahama. He is a great man who earned his throne by unifying the sand people and eradicating the sand bandits," he paused for a moment before continuing, "So, this treaty will not only bring fortune to our family, but it will also bolster the kingdom's economy. It will also make a friendly bridge between the two nations. Thus, my third son has a crucial task at hand. I ask that you pray to the fortune god for the success of our family and my son."
"Praise to the fortune god."
"Praise to the fortune god."
The crowd chanted in unison.
Feeling the power in their voices, the patriarch added to further emphasize his family's influence, "We have gifts for everyone. We hope that nobody will go home empty-handed today," he said, once again casting a glance towards the hidden individual.
Upon hearing his words, the people applauded even more enthusiastically. Meanwhile, the hidden man seethed with anger, thinking, "Treating me as a beggar, are you? Enjoy your moment! Enjoy it! Until the day comes when you weep." he left the place.