[centre][img]https://i.imgur.com/vVKfCjO.png[/img]

[colour=f7941d][i]Level 7 Dormant-Goddess of Magic (Pacts)[/i]
[b]Might[/b]: 50
[b]Free Points[/b]: 11
[b]Concelmeant/Detection[/b]: 10[/colour]

[hider=Summary][i]The events in this post are still before the Realta invasion[/i]

Yara marries Gadar[/hider][/centre]

'It's so beautiful,' Hirana stared wide-eyed at the solitary red rose sitting on the small dressing table in Yara's room. The little girl - now eight years old - had seen the wilted rose more times than she could count. But she had been stunned, over the last few years, at how with every passing day life seemed to seep into the plant until it was now in full bloom, trembling with barely restrained life and beauty.
'You say that every time you come in here, Hirana,' Chjekaya chuckled. The girl turned around and beamed at her mother, who was brushing Yara's silken onyx hair. Sat beside them on the bed was little Xoka, Hirana's six-year-old brother. The other two, Kaga and Harosh, were both at home with the girl's grandmother and great-grandmother.
'Auntie, why did that happen?' Hirana rushed to Yara and leapt into the woman's lap - to a reprimand from her mother. The Witch-Priestess wrapped her arms around the little girl and rained kisses on her.
'It is the way of things. Life emerges from death, and death from life.' She said simply.
'But you always said that it was not dead - you always said that it had melted and burst.' The little girl said accusingly.
'Yes, it had. And now it has been brought together again.' Yara looked at the rose in full-bloom and smiled slightly.
'It has been brought together again by love, is that what you're saying,' Chjekaya said teasingly. Yara blushed and looked down.
'Well, maybe...' came her response. Hirana looked at her wide-eyed, her pretty brown eyes shining with curiosity. Yara chuckled and squeezed the little girl's cheeks, causing her to cry out in protest and jump off.
'Not long before you have ones of your own scurrying all over the place. I've been told the quiet ones pack more than meets the eye,' Chjekaya was saying conspiratorially.
'Oh stop it!' Yara snapped, though she could not help the slight grin that played around her lips, or her increasingly red and flustered face.
'I mean, you two have hardly been able to keep your hands off each other. I bet when no one's look-'
'Chjekaya!' Yara cried disapprovingly.
'What, I'm only being honest,' the younger woman laughed, 'I'd be surprised if you two have actually managed not to jump eac-'
'By all things holy, talk about something else - please. The sun. The trees.'
'Yes yes, and the birds and the bees. I think it's beautiful that he's agreed to remain on the temple's grounds. Mind you it's probably the closest thing to home for him, isn't it? Though take this from me, you tell him to make it bigger - in a few years you'll be tripping over your own feet in a one-room hovel like that.' 
'It's not a [i]hovel[/i],' Yara said defensively, but she considered Chjekaya's words seriously. 'Though that might be a good idea. I mean we need to make sure we're as comfortable as possible and everything is ready for...well. Yeah.'
'Yes, tell him to make it four rooms, not one. And more spacious. And tell him to build a staircase to the roof - but put a good door at the top so no little ones can get up there on their own.'
'Four rooms is a bit much isn't it?'
'No, it's not - and it's better to have too many than not to have enough.' Chjekaya was saying matter of factly as she continued brushing her mentor's hair.
'I guess that makes sense. I'll have them put it in the contract.' She glanced at Xoka and Hirana, who were now sat on the floor talking loudly to one another, a little doll in each of their hands.
'No no, then the big djinni ated up all the bad horses people, so you're dead,' Xoka was saying, taking the doll from Hirana's hand and placing it on the ground, where he proceeded to bash it with his own. Naturally, an argument ensued and Chjekaya went tutting over to them. 

The Witch-Priestess allowed her gaze to wander to the blooming rose, and there was a small smile on her lips, a certain distance in her eyes. There had been a certain tension between her and Gadar for a long time. Indeed, she had not even noticed it much at first, but they had for a long time been as two Firewind Wolves circling one another, testing the other for weakness or doubt. Gadar's overtures - the staff he had made her, his strange ability to appear anywhere and take her by surprise, his casual confidence, the way he saw through her as no one else could - had both alarmed and intrigued her. But most of all, it was his loyalty, the utter certainty of the fact that he would always be there for her when she needed him. He would not abandon her, and he would not forget. And so here they were.

When she stepped out of the temple and descended the temple steps later that afternoon, it was to see the gathered crowds - many of them priestesses, many of them her students and former-students, their families and those who had come to her over the years. And they had all come to eat and make merry and celebrate the marriage of the Witch-Priestess. There were cheers and there was laughter, and there in the middle of it all, standing by Sister Malikhet and a small round table in a clearing, was Gadar. His one good eye visibly lit up on seeing her in all her beauty and [url=http://www.palestineheritage.org/p3_woman.JPG]embroidered wedding dress[/url]. She lowered her gaze and smiled shyly as she descended the steps and was led to the table by Chjekaya. She did not dare look at Gadar, fearing that the strange heat pulsing through her chest would annihilate her completely if their eyes met again. She felt his strong, calloused hand take hers, and she instinctively squeezed it tightly and moved closer to him. Seats were brought and the couple were seated round the table, and Malikhet sat before them.

'Yara, daughter of the Master,' Malikhet said as she wrote Yara's name on a large piece of parchment. Her parents being unknown, she was simply the daughter of the Master in the eyes of the Temple, 'and Gadar, son of the Master. You are come before the hearth of the Master today to pledge a pledge, to make an oath, to sign a contract with one another, a contract unbreakable and firm, blessed by the Master and accepted by all who dwell beneath the stars.

'Say this, and repeat after me,' Malikhet turned to Yara, 'I pledge myself completely and absolutely, without reservation or condition, to Gadar son of the Master, as his loyal wife, his support; to care for him always and forever be true. To be pious and call him to piety, to be faithful and call him to faith, to be modest and call him to modesty, to be dutiful and call him to duty, to be humble and call him to humility, to endure all difficulty and call him to endure, to be gracious and call him to graciousness, to be kind and call him to kindness, to be charitable and call him to charity, to be diligent and call him to diligence, to be compassionate and call him to compassion, to be steadfast and call him to steadfastness, to be courageous and call him to courage, to be dignified and call him to dignity, to be generous and call him to generosity, to be honest and call him to honesty, to be honourable and call him to honour, to be patient and call him to patience, to be selfless and call him to selflessness, to be ever warm and call him to warmth, to be rest for his heart and peace for his soul and joy where it can be had. Before thee, Master, do I pledge this pledge, so aid me and make it ease for me not difficulty, joy for me not misery.' And Yara repeated after her and gave her pledge even as Malikhet wrote it all down. The priestess then turned to Gadar.

'Say this, and repeat after me: I pledge myself completely and absolutely, without reservation or condition, solely without any other partner, to Yara daughter of the Master, as her loyal husband, her protector and support, to care for her always and shield her from all harm, and to forever be true. To be pious and call her to piety, to be faithful and call her to faith, to be modest and call her to modesty, to be dutiful and call her to duty, to be humble and call her to humility, to endure all difficulty and call her to endure, to be gracious and call her to graciousness, to be kind and call her to kindness, to be charitable and call her to charity, to be diligent and call her to diligence, to be compassionate and call her to compassion, to be steadfast and call her to steadfastness, to be courageous and call her to courage, to be dignified and call her to dignity, to be generous and call her to generosity, to be honest and call her to honesty, to be honourable and call her to honour, to be patient and call her to patience, to be selfless and call her to selflessness, to be ever warm and call her to warmth, to be ever strong and call her to strength, to be rest and safety and shelter for her heart and peace and security for her soul, and to make her ever loved. To be joy where it is to be had, and to protect from all evil where it is certain. Before thee, Master, do I pledge this pledge, so aid me and strengthen me and make it ease for me not difficulty, joy for me not misery.' And Gadar also repeated even as Malikhet wrote it all down. With that she looked up at Gadar and spoke. 'I remind you, Gadar son of the Master, that you enter into this contract bringing with you all that you own, and after today all that you own will be owned also by Yara daughter of the Master. All that you earn, you earn for yourself and for her and for your progeny. You are reminded, and if you remain then it is.' And Gadar did not move, and so it was. 'And I remind you also,' she said, 'that Yara daughter of the Master enters into this contract with all that she owns, and after today all that she owns she will own alone, other than that whose ownership she willingly shares. And that all she earns she earns for herself alone and none have a right in it but herself. You are reminded, and if you remain then it is.' Malikhet looked at the two for a few moments. The two remained and she wrote it all down.

'I now turn to you, Yara daughter of the Master, and invite you to add any terms if you have any to add.' Malikhet looked at a small open scroll to her right before continuing, 'First, do you have any terms regarding your physical relationship with Gadar son of the Master?' Malikhet turned to Yara. The Witch-Priestess shook her head.
'To what the nature of this contract permits and obligates, I have nothing to add.' Yara said. Then Malikhet turned to Gadar and asked him also, and his response was the same.
'Then it is written: We do permit for ourselves all the customary physical freedoms permitted husband and wife, and consign ourselves to all the customary physical obligations of a husband and wife.' Then Malikhet turned once more to Yara. 'Yara daughter of the Master: do you have any terms to add regarding the home in which both you and Gadar son of the Master shall dwell?'

'I do,' Yara responded, remembering Chjekaya's words, 'my first term is that our home be on the grounds of the Temple of the Bond, until such a time when we of our own will choose to live elsewhere, or unless our situation changes so drastically as to make it impossible. My second term is that our home have, at the least, four rooms, and that there be a staircase to the roof.' Malikhet turned to Gadar when Yara's terms were spoken.
'Gadar son of the Master, do you accept these terms?' She asked him.
'I do,' he said. And Malikhet wrote it down. 'And do you, Gadar son of the Master, have any terms regarding the home in which both you and Yara daughter of the Master shall dwell?'
'I do: that she shall carry out the customary duties of a mistress of any household with regards to any place we come to call home.' Malikhet turned to Yara who nodded, accepting the term. And the priestess wrote it down.
'Yara daughter of the Master, do you have any terms with regards to the right to terminate this contract?' Yara was silent for a few seconds.
'I...would like to place a term giving us both a right to terminate this contract at will.' Malikhet looked somewhat surprised, and looked to Gadar. Yara did not see his reaction, but Malikhet soon wrote the term down. The usual state of affairs was that neither husband nor wife had a right to terminate the marriage at will - such could only be done if there had been a serious breach of the contract. That was exceedingly rare however, almost taboo, and it was death that terminated nearly all Vetruvian marriages. But Yara was well-aware that things fell apart - no amount of trust she had in Gadar would blind her to that truth. People change, and sometimes you need a way out. And sometimes people just...abandon you. There would be no reason, sometimes not even a warning. And you would be alone again.
'Yara daughter of the Master, do you have any terms to add regarding inheritance of your property?' Malikhet then asked.
'I do: should I die, all my property shall go to my husband. If we have children, half shall go to my husband and half shall be split evenly between our children. If my husband is dead, all my property is to be split evenly between my children. If my husband is dead and we had no children, my property is to be handed over to the Temple of the Bond,' Malikhet turned to Gadar, who accepted and put in a similar term.
'Are there any further terms you would like to add?' Malikhet asked the both of them. Yara shook her head, and Gadar seemed to have done likewise for Malikhet then turned the piece of parchment to them and told them to place their mark. A small pin was given Yara, and she pricked her thumb slightly to allow blood to flow out, and she smeared her blood beside her name at the top. Gadar did the same and the parchment was taken and rolled up by Malikhet. The [i]Taal-e Aqd[/i] was done.