Dream
/driːm/

noun

1. A series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person's mind during sleep.
2. A cherished aspiration, ambition, or ideal.

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"...A whole new world, With new horizons to pursue, I'll chase them anywhere, There's time to spare, Let me share this whole new world with you..." - A Whole New World - Disney 'Aladdin' 

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A single dream is more powerful than a thousand realities 

Muffled shouts of excitement and haggling roused Zahra from her unconscious state. As she slowly came to the volume increased in her ears. Her weary eyes scanned her surroundings, she was clearly in a dream. Her study space had been swapped for a sandy village. Taking in the mud brick homes, while the blazing sun beat down on her exposed skin, she had to guess that she was in an Ancient Egyptian town.

This was by far one of her most realistic dreams she had ever had and it excited her. She could feel the warm grains of sand scratching into the soft surface of her palms from where she sat on the loose terrain. Feeling her fingers sink slightly into the piles.

Raising herself from the ground she swayed slightly, leaning against the nearest wall. She could feel the grooves of the textured walls against her tingling finger tips. Stepping cautiously with leather sandal covered feet--which she had only just noticed, she peaked around the corner of the building, taking in the sight.

There were worn sheets of linen draped between buildings, creating a speckled strip of shade in the alleyway. Along the edges were numerous weathered stalls cramped into the tight space. Her nose was assaulted with a mixture of warm spices and fresh herbs, causing a low rumbling in the pit of her empty stomach. 

Edging further into the marketplace she noticed a slight difference between herself and the villagers that surrounded her...and it wasn't for the fact of her blonde hair.

It was the garments worn. 

And in some cases...the lack there of.

Her interest was piqued as she observed how the sheath dresses, hung in such an unflattering way on these otherwise beautiful women. They were all the same length, just above their ankles. If she had to, she would guess that these 'dresses' were kalasiris, going from their style and shape, seeing them in such detail in her dream was utterly confusing for her. 

What interested her the most though, was how women were depicted wearing these kalasiris in many murals. From what she had studied, women were painted as if it was a tight fitting like dresses, which were sewn at the side, held up by two straps which were attached from the back. Most included women working and bending, with the dress staying perfectly firm against their bodies. 

However, from what she could see around her, that was not the case, instead the material sagged in multiple places. Linen truly wasn't the most flattering material, especially on women's figures. This small detail, caused her to chuckle quietly to herself. It appeared that people nowadays took inspiration from the Ancient Egyptian's with altering appearances, except people now had all these different apps and editing tools.

The difference she noticed between hers and the other villagers garments was drastic, her dress was decorated in beautiful beaded designs which had been sewn into the linen in intricate patterns. There was a gorgeous gold thread sewn into the edges and slight floral design which glinted under the sunlight. There were subtle pleats and even a slight fringe added--which she knew from her many studies indicated status, she found it interesting that she would dream of herself as a noble woman in this time. While her shoulders were wrapped with a transparent material.

Another detail she noticed was that not many--if any villagers wore shoes. Occasionally she would see a pair of either leather or what appeared to be woven papyrus, sandals scuff through the loose sand of the market. 

What she found interesting amongst the men, was that their skirts were different lengths. Now she knew from her many years of studying that this was an indication of status, poor men often only wore linen loin cloths while they worked. Whereas, upper-class men wore knee length kilts, usually made from a piece of linen with pleats or sometimes with a stiffened front. 

However, she assumed most of these villagers would be on the poorer side which is why it interested her. Guess her dream wasn't being completely historically accurate. Clearly she's had too many late nights. Oh well, she would enjoy it while it lasted, which so far seemed like it would be for a while. 

It made sense that she would dream about this. Considering she had just been studying the canopic jars, so her mind was rich with this ancient world. It still truly amazed her at just how surreal this dream was. She had never had a dream so realistic before...it felt like she was actually there. And she wasn't sure if she was ready to wake up just yet.

She watched avidly as a merchant excitedly sold an item, she couldn't tell what it was from where she stood, but what she could see was the scales. She observed as he placed the item in question on one side while on the other side it appeared that he added small objects, he kept adding until both sides of the scales were equal weights. She realised the small objects being added were debens, which was a unit of weight, it helped determine how much an item cost. In some cases merchants and customers would barter livestock for items.

Trekking further into the market, she made her way through the throng of clustered people, bumping into firm figures while shoulders dug into her back as she struggled to weave between the warm bodies. Trying hard to ignore the blatant stares settling heavily on her, bearing deep into her very being. What was with her dream? It was...strange.

She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle. Someone was watching her. Trying to discreetly look around her surroundings to see if she could find the one in question, turned out to be harder than she thought. All around her, eyes were fixated on her as she briefly stopped to glance above heads. Until she saw them.

Deep kohl lined orbs staring intensely at her figure, causing her heart to pound unsteadily as she tried to leave their line of sight by weaving around the jutting stalls. There was a nagging at the back of her mind while her gut churned nervously. Casting her eyes down, hushed whispers flooded into her ears. Shaking her head she tried to push the voices out of her ears but she was unsuccessful. They easily pierced her ears, flooding her body with dread as she felt an overwhelming sense of insecurity was over her.

"Who is she?"

"A noble?"

"Maybe's she's in his harem?"

The last two words stuck in her mind. 

His harem. 

She could only assume by how they whispered 'his' that they were referring to their Pharaoh, her assumption was further proven when she heard them mutter the word harem. It was a common practice for Pharaohs to have harems, it ensured they had many heirs. Although, they still had to stay dutiful to their Great Royal Wife, which was their first wife. 

Noticing a gap break open through the clustered bodies, Zahra dashed forward savouring the fresh air that she could finally breath instead of inhaling the warm breaths of the surrounding villagers. Just as she went to lean on a wall a shriek of freight left her ruby lips as he body jolted in shock.   

The weight of a large, warm yet rough hand landed on her delicate shoulder. Causing her heart thundered rapidly against her shuddering rib cage. Throwing her head over her trembling shoulder to find the person responsible for the scare, she squinted her eyes as the blazing sun burned brightly in her eyes.

Shielding her aching eyes with her hand, the figure standing behind her slowly came into view. He was large, with bulging muscles glistening with a sheer layer of sweat along his caramel skin. His matured face was angular, while his khat covered head shadowed Zahra from the sun as he looked down at her. 

She opened her mouth to reply but no sound escaped her lips, the background noise which had once been overbearingly loud had slowly tuned out until silence greeted her eardrums. She could no longer feel her body, her limbs felt tingly as her spine shivered from an invisible chill. Lastly, the bright sandy scene in front of her slowly merged into an incoherent blur of colours as she felt herself fall backwards into a black abyss.  

A/N: Hi guys! So sorry for the long wait, I've been struggling with writers block and have been working more than usual (so tiring haha).But here it is, Chapter 3 of Ancient Love! I hope you all liked it, it was shorter as it's her dream. Please let me know what you thought in the comments below <3

Please don't forget to vote, comment and share would mean a lot to me