After the caravan left, the mood of village seemed to lift a bit. Perhaps the departure of the forest girls had allowed the villagers to move on. The villagers had been divided on how they felt about selling them, and when the decision was finalized it was as if a burden had been lifted from the town.

It had became common knowledge in Timbervale that Midelia had overpowered me and escaped. Most simply considered me stupid for not simply leaving her to the slave masters, and considered the mistake simply to have been the typical foolishness of a nelak. This brought a great deal of teasing from the Odot brothers. Telina was the only one who seemed suspicious of the story, but she said nothing.

Wedding plans continued for Finiel and Arlea. With the town now all interested in the event, it had been moved up a month. The entire town decided to attend, and the day quickly arrived.

My foot was finally feeling better and I no longer had a need for crutches. I attended with the rest of the Theos family, of whom I was starting to feel a part. The loss of the money I would have had from the sale of Midelia weight on my mind, and had crushed my hopes of ever getting to Avalid. My conversation with Midelia, as well, had continued to replay in my head. I finally realized what a fool I had been. Adrelia was as kind as she was beautiful, and I had taken it as her making advances on me. I realized now the foolishness of an imata falling for anyone, let a lone a nelak. I had been slowly allowing myself to transition into life in Timbervale.

It was a beautiful day as we filtered into the pews of the sanctuary. Everyone was dressed in their finest clothes. Almir had loaned me a suit of his own. Telina wore a light blue dress with white flowers on it. She had white ribbons in her brown hair. I did not think I had ever seen her look more more beautiful. Once again we sat beside each other during the ceremony. It had been happening regularly now, and I was pretty sure it was be design. I had grown to care for her, however, and enjoyed having her beside me.

It was the first wedding I had seen on Orth, and in many ways it was similar to what you would expect in a wedding. The sanctuary was covered with flowers and plants, and looked and smelled like a flowery jungle. The room became silent as the pastor arrived at the front, and Finiel followed him. Finiel stood there, fidgeting nervously while while he watched the back of the sanctuary with expectation. The silence was broken with a ripple of delighted murmurs from the congregation as Arlea appeared in the back of the sanctuary and began to walk toward the front. She wore a long white gown, far more complex and intricate than any I had seen at a wedding on Earth. She wore no veil, yet had two long white ribbons in her hair, trailing down behind her. She carried in her hands a large bouquet of flowers bursting with color. Something about the gown, ribbons, and flowers gave her an ethereal beauty — the type of beauty that, rather than attract, makes you want to hide in awe.

As she walked down the aisle the congregation began to sing. The song lifted up to the high walls of the sanctuary, echoing and reverberating. The lyrics had something to do with the joining together of two hearts, and the hopes of a fruitful bounty of children from Phatia. I could hear Telina’s voice beside me and I admired it as it melded with the others. The sound was beautiful and full of life as it echoed off the rafters. I found myself moved by the sound and caught up in the melody.

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As Arlea reached the front of the sanctuary the singing stopped. The echoes drifted for a few seconds longer and all became silent again. I could feel Telina slip her hand into my arm and lay her head on my shoulder. I smiled, placing my hand lightly on hers for a moment. It was nice having her beside me.

The prophet addressed the group, made some introductory remarks, and then began a short sermon emphasizing their beliefs on marriage and expressing the hopes for many children between them. Then he bade all in the room to kneel. We all did so. I had been to many services at this point, yet there was something different this time. Whereas our weddings are a happy event, weddings in Timbervale were viewed as a deeply sacred event. While it was true there was joy, the feeling of the sacred was thick in the air. Not a sound could be heard as all knelt. The prophet led all in a prayer to Phatia asking for her blessings on the couple who were about to make their vows, and once again exhorting her to bring them many children. He then asked Phatia to speak to any present who needed to hear her, and to give a sign if the union was to be prevented.

The room became deathly still. My heart raced as I though of the prophet’s words. “she told me she will speak to you”. My ears rang with anticipation as I looked around. There was not a sound to be heard, nor a sign to be reckoned with. The prophet then ended the prayer.

“Please stand”, the prophet said. I, and all present stood as the sound of of moving bodies rumbled against the walls. Telina took my arm again and smiled up at me. I smiled back, but my mind was racing with how foolish and gullible I had been, believing that Phatia could be real.

Finiel and Arlea then faced each other. “You may now exchange vows, bonding yourself to each other for life”, the prophet said.

Then Arlea reached up to her hair, untied her ribbons as her silky blonde hair fell more fully over her shoulders. Taking Finiel’s hand she placed the ribbons in his hand, “With these ribbons, in the presence of Phatia I solemnly vow to commit myself to you as your wife”, she said, “I submit myself in obedience to you in all things and pray that Phatia make me a vessel for your children”.

Finiel took her hands in his, the ribbons between them, “I receive this ribbons, with my love and affection. In the presence of Phatia I vow always to care for you and protect you. I accept your obedience with love and pray that Phatia will walk with you in motherhood”

With that, they kissed, their hands still holding the ribbon. The congregation erupted into cheers and applause. I looked at Telina who, obviously moved by the experience had a few tears on her cheeks, her smile beaming.

My mind was far away, however. I was now dwelling on the ribbons in the ceremony. Adrelia had given me her hair ribbons before she left. I had seen it as simply a gift, but I now understood that in Orthian culture, the giving of ribbons was seen as a symbol of betrothal or promise of love. I was stunned. Everything Midelia had told me was a lie.

The applause was loud. So loud that no one noticed the rear doors of the sanctuary being opened. The guard posted outside was yelling through the opened door, yet was drowned out by the cheering inside. The first sign that we had was the prophet frozen in shock, his mouth open in surprise. Finiel and Arlea, too were staring with bewildered expressions at the main entrance. Noticing their expressions, the clapping quickly died down as everyone turned to face the back of the church.

As the silence was reduced to stunned murmurs the sound of a child could be heard. “Mama! Mama!”. It was Alus, Lilena’s child that had been captured during the raid. He and 4 other young boys who had been captured were now standing at the entrance to the sanctuary.