CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FOUR

The quest to the north took us up to three days. We used horses to hike the trails of the mountains and stopped from time to time to rest for a while and eat. During the night, half of us would sleep for hours and the other half would guard the dark. We also passed by some groups of people living in the dark side of the mountains along the way. Lucky for us that we didn't encounter those groups that were aggressive and territorial.

After the long nights and the tiring days, we finally arrived to the place. It was located across a river.

The camp was busy. It was a sight of people doing their assigned task, they were busy working but were happy. I saw wide variety of fruits and vegetables in the field. There were those who were feeding the animals and watering the plants. Some were cooking in the big pots and others were blowing fires under it. Cloths were hanging outside and children were playing.

Group of people noticed our arrival.

“They are home! Everyone! Master Dante and others are here!”

Everyone stopped from what they were doing. They were surprised by our sudden arrival. They gathered around and welcomed us with happy faces and genuine smiles. Children run to their fathers and gave them the warmest hug. It was a satisfying scene to see. I wished I had experienced a moment with my father, a memory of me embracing my father after he went from a long journey that I would cherish for the rest of my life.

“This will be our new home, Amara.” said by Aunt Agatha who was just standing beside me. She tapped my back and I returned it with a smile. “Our new home.” I said to myself, still feeling a pang of pain.

Master Dante, the one who had the scar on his right eye, led us to his home. It was an ordinary house just like the houses of most of the people here. Just in the doorway, we were welcomed by a woman of his age and a young man around my age. Probably his wife and son.

“Agatha!” the woman was excited with the sight of Aunt Agatha.

“Habibi, I am so happy to see you again after so many years.” Aunt Agatha said as they hugged each other happily.

The moment they broke the embrace, their attention went to me.

“You must be Amara?” the woman named Habibi asked.

“Yes, I am. It’s nice meeting you.” I answered. I offered a hand but to my surprise she returned it with a hug.

“I heard about what happened. I am very sorry. I hope you’ll find your peace here with us. We will help you. We are always at your side.” she said trying to encourage me with her words.

“Thank you. I am also wishing for the best.” I replied.

After those, they offered us inside their home. A set of wooded chair and a table at the center were decorating the living room. It was not that spacious but could accommodate a family of four to six members. A vase of fresh sunflowers was placed at the middle of the table. Curtains were hanging by the windows. The house was simple yet homey.

Aunt Habibi pulled us to the dining area, just across the living room. I smelled the spices coming from the foods. I felt hungry just by it. The dining table was filled with cooked fish and meat. Fresh fruits were also served at the side.

During the meal, I learned that Aunt Agatha and Aunt Habibi were sisters. Aunt Agatha was my mother’s personal court lady and Aunt Habibi was the head chambermaid in the palace. Master Dante was my father’s personal royal guard and he was married to Aunt Habibi for almost twenty-three years now. Their love story bloomed in the palace and were gifted with two sons.

Just by that time, we were interrupted by a noise coming from the door.

A man who was tall and had nice features was standing handsomely by the door. He seemed to be from a long run as his chest was rising and falling. I saw sweats dripping down his neck.

“Father!” he greeted.

He then joined us in the dining. We stopped eating and watched him go straight to his father. He seemed to be happy seeing Master Dante eating chicken wings.

“I thought you will be home around tomorrow.” He said after giving his father a quick hug. Master Dante couldn’t utter a word since his mouth was still full, so he just shook his head as a response.

“Come on, Zouli! Your father is eating and as you can see, we have guests. Go find a seat and dine with us.” Aunt Habibi broke in. He then finally noticed our presence.

That was when he found my gaze. He stared for a second before saying, “Uh, yeah. My apologies.” then he looked for a vacant seat. He sat across the table beside his younger brother, Sameem, facing me. He seemed bothered. I waited for him to look our way for me to greet him properly but he couldn't even make a glance.

“And this is Zouli, our eldest son, he is two years older than you Amara. You can treat him like an older brother.” Aunt Habibi said after introducing us first to him.

“Older brother. As if.” Zouli mumbled.  

Staying here in the camp helped me move forward in life a lot. The works were keeping me busy and distracted all day that I didn’t have the time to think of the past. During the morning, I would go to the field and help in planting corns and root crops. In the afternoon, I would join the ladies in the river to wash clothes and catch some fish for dinner.

Everyone treated me nicely. I felt how precious I am for them. They would always handle me with care like I was a fragile thing. At the end of the day, I would return to Master Dante’s house, tired and sleepy. My past weeks went that way and I was grateful.

Until one day, Zouli fetched me from the field. It was ten in the morning and I was in the middle of the field, pulling out the wild grasses that were growing beside the tomatoes.

“Father is looking for you!” he shouted from afar.

“Why?!” I asked and shouted back as I stood up from the ground.

“Just get out of there!” he said without answering my question. “Make it fast, Amara!” he added.

“Just a minute!” I requested. But it took me more than a minute to get to where he was. I didn’t want to step on the poor tomatoes so I had to slow my pace.

“Wow. You are fast.” He sarcastically said.

“I am sorry, Kuya Zouli. I was just trying to protect the tomatoes..” I innocently said, making him more irritated.

“Stop calling me Kuya all the time, okay? You are not my sister. Let’s go, Father is waiting.”

When Aunt Habibi told me to treat Kuya Zouli as an older brother, I started adding the word 'Kuya' before his name every time I called him. It’s an endearment meant for an older brother and he hated being called one. He was scary when I first called him that but later on I got used to his complains.