In the Past.
"Sett, Sett. If you carry me on your back, this princess will be very pleased."
"Shut the fuck up and walk, Nadia."
The three of them—Sett, Nadia, and Ismera—trudged through the blistering heat. Sweat clung to their foreheads, their lips dry and cracked under the relentless desert sun.
They had been walking for what felt like forever.
"You would've carried Zainah, you bastard!"
Sett's eyelid twitched. "Grandma, why the hell did you bring her along?"
Ismera smiled. "Your mother insisted."
Nadia scowled, her red hair practically igniting. "What, you don't want me anymore? I knew it, Sett—"
"Blah, blah, blah, blah." Sett cut her off with a mocking tone, but at the same time, he pulled her onto his back. "You never shut up once you start blaming me. Just climb already."
Nadia grinned and kissed his cheek. "Good little boy."
"Do you want me to bury you in this sand?"
"Of course not, darling."
"Then shut up."
