Joe nodded, “But are you sure it is me? Is it my drive and effort? If so, then it is me, but what if my drive and effort was to be a great farmer. Would this still interest you?”
That gave her a great pause, she sighed deeply and looked back at him before nodding, “I can understand your meaning.”
Joe smiled, “This is why we need… time. Would you marry a man who saw you as a great beauty and desired your beauty?”
“Why would I not?”
“Would he stay with you when you age and lose your beauty?”
“By then, we will have grown in our love.”
“Maybe. Or maybe he is that poor of a man. How would you know?”
She nodded at that thoughtful for a time before continuing, “Then… it is like… if a man would marry me only for my parents business.”
Joe smiled at that, “Exactly. Does the man desire you or your business? If he desires your business, once he has it, will he stay with you?”
Her thoughts were much more intricate this time and Joe watched them flitter across her face, concentration spiked by concern, fear, and sadness before she sighed and looked at Joe.
“And my actions likely made you feel I am seeking your power and wealth, not you.”
Joe smiled, “It felt a little like that, but I think it … you may want me as well. I’m just not sure if you have known me and explored our relationship enough to know for certain that you desire me, and not my wealth or power or ability to help you reach your goals.”
“And you do not wish for this marriage?”
“Is that kind of marriage common amongst your people? To seek mutual gain and nothing else?”
Kilniara considered for a bit before she nodded, “It is the tying together of fortunes. Yes.”
“And true love is not… well known?”
Kilniara scoffed, “True love is a fairy tale.”
Joe smiled, “Yet have I not spoken to you of this again and again? Haven’t I been showing this? Because amongst my people, it is not. There are some… it can sometimes seem rare, but there are some who seek and find it.”
Kilniara stared at him at that, her thoughts mysterious and Joe now found himself uncertain of what was whirling through her mind. Her response was softly spoken, “Truly? I thought you mainly spoke…” she shook her head in disbelief and Joe frowned to see it.”
“Is it really so unbelievable?” Joe asked.
Kilniara looked at Joe and snorted, then pausing when she saw Joe was being serious, “It seems so… to me. How could you believe this to be true?”
Joe smiled, “I believe my parents found it.”
Her eyes widened in surprise and Kilnaira breathed a soft whoosh of surprise at the revelation, “And you seek it with me?”
Joe’s smile grew, “Of course.”
Kilnara searched his face, “How?”
His smile fell at that, a small grimace forming, “That’s the hard part. And… that’s where the time comes in… and the promise.”
Kilniara nodded, “It is a very powerful vow!”
Joe nodded, but simply stared at her.
“You would give it to me if I was to be your wife?”
“Of course!”
“Even me?” Kilniara breathed again, with wonder.
Joe smiled, recognizing it for personal musing but decided to answer more fully, “If we find, together, that we truly love one another… we truly seek and desire only one another and not what the other has to offer. Oh… what they have to offer is enticing, and wonderful, but it is a distraction to true love. If love is honestly found, then what is offered is of course gained as well, but we must seek out if our desire is pure, first. If so, then desiring the rest is … obvious, and easy.”
“And how is that done?”
“I think, in this situation, the easiest way is to make sure that you have access to those things even without the marriage. If you still desire me even after having access to the wealth and power… and that wealth and power becomes yours as well, through your own work and effort, then you can decide if you desire me or these things. If you desire these things, you will know and we will no longer be lovers and no longer seek marriage. We will simply become friends and move on. You have gained what you seek, and I gained what I sought.
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“What did you gain?”
“Certainty that you are not my true love.”
She paused at that, thinking deeply, “I… think I understand you a bit more. But even if what you say is true, and I think it is, while your wealth and power are very enticing, I still… want you!”
“You are certain?”
She nodded, “Yes.”
“I will give you all my cores now and train you to be as many digits as I have. You do not have to be my girlfriend.”
She shook her head immediately, “No. I don’t care.”
His smile came back a bit brighter, “But let’s make sure.”
“With time?”
He nodded, “With time.”
She stared at him a bit more before taking a deep breath, “I’m sorry that I hurt you. Truly. I did not understand that it was… painful. This is very… strange to me. And my people … my mother and father have always told me it is folly.”
Joe smiled and shook his head, “Some people of my plane decide marriages similar to your way as well. And some of them… they see it as folly as well to seek out such. I can understand. Some make very foolish decisions when choosing their spouse for marriage because they do not consider other aspects. Some people really are just poor… spouses. For this, one must make sure to find a strong, kind, diligent, and honest individual who will put their effort into you as much as you do into them.”
“But it must hurt to think I do not desire you.”
His smile wavered but he said nothing.
She stared at him, then leaned forward, “You may be right. I may be… swayed by your wealth and power, but I really… I truly do not think I am. I think it’s you.”
He stared at her but said nothing once again.
“But I am willing to wait. And I am willing to take that vow with you! Utterly in every way.”
The finality of that statement ripped that last of the pain from his heart and he smiled a bit, sighing, “It is strange to you, though.”
“Very.”
“Truly that strange? What is strange?”
“Why do you seek a ceremony?”
Joe cocked his head, “Hmm… You do not have wedding ceremonies? You kind of hinted you didn’t?”
“Celebrations after, yes. But the confessions and vows are considered quite private.”
Joe frowned at that, “Why?”
Kilniara’s answer was a similar frown of confusion, “I … don’t know why. It just is, and it… is a deeply intimate moment. Why would you invite others to watch you in your incredibly intimate moments with one another? Why do your people do it?”
Joe hoofed at that, “OK. That… kinda makes sense? I guess? Our people do it to witness the vows. It’s hard for people to try to break the vows if everybody has heard and seen your vows. You can’t really run away or lie about the vows then. It would be seen by all your friends and family and if you break or fail it, you got a lot of people watching who are going to keep you accountable to keep your promises.”
Kilniara blinked at that, then started turning a bit red in the cheeks even as her thoughts whirled. Embarrassment seemed to be predominant, but there was no little amount of fascination and fear as well. She stared at him for a while, then asked a soft and worried whisper, “What is your… ceremony.”
Joe smiled, “You want to know my people’s ceremony?”
She nodded with some worry, her cheeks tinging red again, “Yeah? Maybe?”
Joe found it interesting, but since she seemed so embarrassed, he didn’t want to push it and simply passed by her embarrassment, “Well, amongst my people, there is a person who has been trained to do the ceremony. The husband stands at the front with his best men; friends that have been beside him for his life. Your greatest friends would also be at the front. For most, it is only two or three, although some large ceremonies may have more. The rest of our other friends and family would watch on in the seats. Then you would come in with your father…”
Joe paused at that and frowned sadly, “I’m… sorry.”
Kilniara blinked away a soft tear, “No. You did not mean it … and I asked. Please, continue. I … this is interesting.”
Joe’s returning smile was a bit sad, “The bride’s father would lead his daughter down the aisle… there is a space between the crowds watching the ceremony. Traditionally, the friends and family of the man are on the right and the woman’s are on the left… I think? I… really don’t know… now, but I think so? Anyway…
“The father leads his daughter forward and hands her to the man. It’s symbolic in our culture for the father saying the young woman is no longer a part of his family and now the new husband and wife make a new family separate from the man’s and woman’s family. They then have a speech from the ceremony master. The kind ones make it a bit short…”
Kilniara giggled at that and Joe continued.
“Anyway, then the vows are offered and they agree to them, promising each other to keep the vows with everyone watching that both promise each other honestly and truthfully and then the ceremony is done. Although, there is a large festival where everyone eats and dances after, so…”
Kilniara stared at him, wide-eyed, “You really are a rich clanner!”
Joe giggled and shook his head, “I… guess I can see how that is. How is your ceremony?”
Kilniara shook her head, “We do not have a ceremony, not as you described. It is a simple promise between the two.”
Joe frowned a bit, “And if one lies and says they did not promise or something like that?”
Kilniara seemed shocked by that, “Why would anyone break a vow. It would be foolish.”
Joe opened his mouth to reply, surprised by the naivety but paused, reconsidering, “Why would it be foolish.”
“No one would break a vow. It’s just…”
A moment of clarity came to Joe and his eyes opened wide. Oh… the system enforces… ooh! Mana! The Matriarch’s guards when they made their vow… wow… ok… uh… Joe’s mind whirled with the possibilities and really rethought the vows as he’d described them. If there are… Joe’s thoughts were interrupted when Kilniara spoke up.
She seemed pensive and spoke with trepidation, “I know you spoke of this before, but… I still know so little… but I feel that I understand… more! I can understand now how important it is to you. My commitment to you would not have changed, ever, with or without the vow. I would have been yours.”
Joe grin grew at that a bit, “I thank you. That is also very important, but amongst my people, we want the heart. I want your heart.”
She stared at him a bit, confused, “You want my heart?”
Joe laughed, “No. Not your physical heart. Amongst my people, it has a meaning. It is the … whole of you. The totality of you. We want to be so important in your life that everything else is of less importance. Everything you have and do is to be for the other’s benefit. Entirely.”
This caused her breath to hiccup, “You wish me to … be your slave?”