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He wondered what his father would make of the current situation. Was this war just another burden to be borne?

Maybe it was.

His mother certainly wouldn't have been quiet about it, though.

Asad didn't think that he had ever seen two more different people than Salim and Yasmin Najir. How they'd ended up married--much less, happily so--he still struggled to wrap his head around.

He'd heard from the reapers that their union had been arranged, then called off, then rearranged, then called off again, before finally going through. Apparently, the drama had arisen from the uncertainty between the two Hahls, rather than between the bride and groom. No doubt, the families had seen their opposite natures and been concerned.

But for whatever reason, it had worked out. His mother never seemed to mind his father's stoicism, and his father never seemed to mind his mother's temper. In fact, his father was perhaps the only person who was ever spared from her biting wit.

While it might've been an exaggeration to say that their marriage had been openly "affectionate," Asad did remember the occasional moment of tenderness between them.

He wished that he'd realized sooner how special their relationship was. They'd made it look easy, never arguing--at least, not in front of him.

Compared to his own marriage, the memory of theirs felt like some far off dream.

He didn't want to think about that right now, though.

They were expecting another major offensive from the Calthosi any day now. The last few attacks had only been harassments, probably scouting for weaknesses in their defenses. They weren't likely to find any, though. Asad had been walking the lines, checking the comms, and assessing the troops and ordnance all day long--and he wasn't the only one doing that, either.

The Uego Desert was a death trap, just waiting for the enemy to try and cross it.