"I'm WHAAAT?!" Erza screamed. He must not have heard the chief lady correctly.

"You are to be married to Lorelei, the town blacksmith's daughter tonight." Chief Marnelle stated. Erza could not believe this had happened. There was no logical reason for this proposed marriage that he could think of. "Have you noticed how all the young women wear clothing covering their entire bodies?"

Erza shifted uneasily trying to offset the weight of the sword he wore, "Yes, but what does that have to do with me?"

Marnelle smiled slightly in amusement, "Have patience and I will tell you. It is a custom in this land that women who have not yet been married cover themselves until the day of their wedding. This serves two purposes. First, it keeps the young men from being easily distracted. Second and most important, it forces relationships based upon who the woman is rather than what she looks like. It's no secret that all of the young women have fancied you since your arrival. You bound yourself to her the moment you saw her face."

Erza put his hands on his hips in defiance, "What happens if I refuse?"

Marnelle shifted a stray lock of her black hair out of her face. Staring intently, she said in a foreboding voice, " You will be exiled immediately. Definitely wouldn't bode well for your goodwill mission between our two nations, would it? Think carefully before speaking."

Anguish filled him to his very soul. There was no way he could go back to Lox as a failure. Life there was bad enough simply to be the king's servant. If he failed, it would guarantee that he would never find a woman willing to have him. He was stuck and this blasted woman knew it. better to marry a stranger than fail and be forever alone.

With a long sigh of surrender, he asked, "I'm obligated to see this through aren't I?"

"Yes. The wedding will be tonight. Afterward, we will have a gathering to celebrate the newest couple in our community. Young people taking their eternal vows is always news, but your wedding has exceptionally caught everyone's attention. Nothing like a wedding to strengthen the bonds between peoples," Marnelle commented.

She definitely had him where she wanted. He had known that the people of Yosa had strange customs, but nothing could have prepared him for this. "One more question chief. I take that back, a few more questions. What do I have to do for this wedding? Do I have to wear anything in particular, and can I talk with Lorelei before all of this?"

Marnelle was delighted with the boy's change of heart. 'Excellent questions. The wedding procession from your standpoint is very basic. All you have to do is stand by the shaman and when prompted say 'I do.' Then you give... Ah, the rings! We'll have Lohhram's shop to see what we will do about them. But as I was saying, you then place a ring on the third finger from her thumb on her left hand. Simple isn't it? The other women are busy preparing everything, including your clothes. So, we'll make sure they fit after we see Lohram. Alas, I don't believe there will be sufficient time for you to speak with Lorelei before the ceremony but we shall see. Any further questions before we begin?"

Not wanting to delay the inevitable he said, "No, let's get this over with."

Marnelle stood with a bound, "Then we're off to Lohram's shop to see about the rings. Follow me and step lively. There is much to get done if you are to have the time to speak with your bride." She immediately stepped out the door of her wooden office. Erza had to nearly jog just to keep up with her through the crowded street. Colorful lanterns hung from the corner of every building they passed. He was couldn't help but feel humble for the amount of work the townspeople were putting into his impromptu wedding.

Stolen story; please report.

"Do you always do this much just for a wedding?" He called after her.

"Weddings are a big deal here, but your's is special. It's been years since we had an outsider among us, and now you're getting married to the most well-liked girl in the entire town. So naturally, everyone is buzzing over this rare opportunity. Ah, here's the smithery now."

The blacksmith's shop was a low square building with a large chimney in the center for the kiln. The smell of molten metal and wood smoke saturated the air. Farm tools of all kinds hung on two of the unfinished walls. The blacksmith's personal tools and weapons adorned the other two. Lorham was busy putting logs into the kiln as they approached him. "It's good to see you are keeping busy, Lorham."

The blacksmith shook the chief's slender hand heartily. "The harvest will soon be here. All the farmers will be coming in for whatever tools they will need. What can I do for you Marnelle?"

"Straight to as always, I see. I'm here with young Erza to see about the rings for tonight's ceremony."

Lohram glance over, finally seeing the young man. "Ah! My son-in-law. I didn't realize you would be coming. Lorelei has been beaming since she told me the good news. Fortunately, I already had the rings ready." He reached into a pocket in his leather apron producing a small metal band. "Try it on so I know if it needs to be altered."

Erza nearly dropped it but managed to get a hold of it. It seemed to weigh nothing at all. "What is it made of? I've never held such a light metal."

Lohram smiled in delight, "It is called titum. Stronger than iron but light as a feather. I discovered it on an expedition for iron ore. I only limited amounts of it here so I only use it for special occasions. The rings for my daughter's wedding for instance. Now try it on since I have limited time to fix it if necessary."

Erza eased the ring onto his finger, "It fits perfectly."

"Excellent! One less thing for me to worry about tonight. Please return it to me. I will keep it safe until the ceremony." With some difficulty, Erza managed to pry the ring off. "What do you still have to do, Marnelle?"

"We're off to see about his outfit now. If time permits after that he wishes to speak with your daughter."

"I won't hold you here then. I need to get washed up myself. You are doing me a small service, Ezra. With you wed to my daughter, that blasted Uru will finally leave her alone. I will see you both there." Without another word, Marnelle led Erza back into the busy street.

Who was this person Lohram mentioned, and why was he bothering Lorelei? Erza pondered over the mystery man all the way to the town hall but was no closer to knowing anything.

"Here we are. This is the very building you will be married in soon," Marnelle announces with delight.

"I can hardly wait..." he replied half-heartedly. Despite the notion that he should dread this binding, he was starting to enjoy himself. He had been looking for a girl to spend his life with before his mission, but his lack of position had always damned any attempt. No one wanted to marry a servant despite the trust of the king he held. Here there was no such barrier. All the women had swooned over him since his arrival. So much attention had terrified him at first, but he was starting to like it. Why shouldn't he have happiness like everyone else? He resolved then to make the most of the situation; after all, it was his wedding night regardless.

Within the wooden town hall, over two dozen married women raced around placing white flowers for the fastest wedding they had ever done. White banners hung from every possible location to include the ceiling. Erza scarcely had time to marvel at the decor before six women drug him to a back room. Without so much as a warning, they stripped him down to his underwear. He was so mortified that the rest of the fitting seemed nothing but a blur.

"How was it?" Marnelle pried back in the main hall. He stared off into the void with no answer. "It couldn't have been that bad." He still didn't reply. "It's time for the ceremony."

Erza snapped out of his delirium, "Huh?"

She barely stifled a giggle, "They really did a number on you... I said it's time for the ceremony. The ladies managed to pull off a miracle with your clothing, but miracles still take time. Please go stand next to the man in the white robes.