56th of spring 497
As always, the sun was glorious. It's yellow rays beamed upon the glittering jewel of the desert and acted as a beacon for all that a city could aspire to be. It was still early in the morning and the sun had not begun punishment for the denizen's of Ahnatep that had not sought shade. Instead Syna simply highlighted the dusty stone and spread her light across the city as a gift to the waking citizens.
Golden beams broke through the young Adam's window and assaulted his bed, only to find him already dressed and bounding to the window. His bright eyes sparkled at Syna's touch, his brown eyes reflecting the golden light with delightful detail. He sucked in a lung full of air before spinning on his heel and racing through the door. As with all children, Adam had boundless energy and a lack of restraint when excited. Why was the chestnut haired child so excited? It probably had something to do with the performance he had attended last night. His gilded father had taken him to the Amphitheatre of the North Winds where Adam had witnessed the Semhu. The troupe had impressed on Adam the pliable nature of the inexorable force that kept the boy on the ground. The young lad's heels thudded against the stone steps like a drum roll announcing his presence. In imitation of them, Adam rounded the bottom of the stairs by leaping at the outside wall and pushing off with one leg. Adam soared through the air and landed with all the grace of a rock tumbling down a hill. The momentum was more than he had expected, and as such Adam's feet could not keep up with his speed. He planted his first foot and barely landed the second, by his next step his torso was ahead of his knees and Adam fell to the ground. Children are notoriously rubbery though, and Adam took no time to recover. He simply tucked his chin and rolled in to a seated position, legs thudding against the cool floor. He was up quickly and had brushed himself off by the time his mother had found him.
“Adam, you scoundrel, what was that?” His mother folded her arms but had a knowing smile on her face. Adam shrugged and tiptoed sheepishly in to the kitchen. Not even nine years old, the child had already learned to use his good looks to avoid trouble. His ear to ear smile would be a potent weapon for the rest of his life. He leapt into his chair, and beamed at his parents with enough cuteness to melt hearts. His father ruffled his hair before bidding his family goodbye as he left for a profitable day at the markets. As Adam bit in to his breakfast, a healthy chunk of bread and some figs, his mother began fixing his hair.
“What will you do today child?” Adam's eyes widened as he briefly pondered how much to tell his mother. His decision would not matter though, since as he began to speak, he realized that a mouth full of bread obscured the finer (and gross) points of articulation in his speech. His mother gave a motherly sound, expressing appreciation for the cuteness and disapproval of his rudeness. Adam swallowed hard and took a breath before speaking again.
“Kahjidah and I were going to walk around the eye of Syna.” Adam tried to sound nonchalant but his heart fluttered at the mere mention of his belle's name.
“You two have been spending a lot of time together lately. She's a very pretty girl. Anything a mother should know about?” She cooed as her delicate fingers added the faintest hint of gold blush to Adam's cheekbones. Adam had given up fussing a long time ago and instead chewed extra slowly on his figs as he contemplated an answer.
“Mom, we're friends!” This was mostly true, they had kissed once. Adam's heart skipped a beat and he did his best not to blush. Realizing that this was a hopeless struggle, Adam slid off his chair and hugged his mother. He stuffed his cheeks full of food before jogging out the door. His mother chuckled to herself.
