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Journey to the East

Elann knew in part how her husband felt about her traditions. She had a vague perception on his views of her God, and as long as he stayed true to his word, he wouldn't offend him; particularly when it came to Elann, his favored. With her explanation done, it seemed that he indeed had been thinking along such lines as she had guessed, and as he apologized, she shook her head to show that he shouldn't.

"That sounds great."

Feeling the need to put his mind at ease, she brought her hand down to her own stomach to meet his, where she lay her hand upon his to still it for a moment.

"I don't want you worry that I feel bad because we did things differently or because our party isn't going to be the same. I loved our wedding..." she said as she pulled the golden mangalasutra out from underneath her dress to rest upon the space between her breasts. "...and to me it was special and heartfelt. Even if we hadn't been married, the bond between us also shows our steady devotion to one another, and unlike a bond of friendship, I think ours was forged in trust and love for one another." She then thought a moment and added, "On top of the friendship."

A grin then took her as her chin started to shiver, showing she was starting to get cold.

"So with this festival, you have trees that blossom? Like flowers?"

Elann hadn't been out enough to know or notice that there were such things as blossoming trees. With the spring rains, it often was that the whole reaches of the desert would come alive with budding flowers that only lived a couple days, but trees were rare, and those she had seen in Yahebah when there were never in the season of blossom as they often went to supply and trade in summer and fall months.

Journey to the East

"Sure," she voiced after he had looked down to give her an expression of understanding. In the earliest stages of their relationship as friends, she had come to be irritated with his silence, but now she was seeing it as a form of communication in itself. It had made her feel bad before, realizing this, but now she had moved on and enjoyed his silent behavior.

She pressed her palm to his cheek and took in a breath as she thought.

"Weddings in my land are huge events. They are a matter of survival and are a matter of great importance to both families. We read the stars for compatibility in our matches, ask the Gods for wisdom in our choices, and lay out great wealth to ensure weddings are as perfect as possible. Most girls dream of the day they are married and can provide more for their family. Most of it comes down to money exchanging hands between the parents, but occasionally people marry for love too. Once the parents have sat down and discussed with the groom's parents, they come to an agreement after a lengthy interview. Once money changes hands from the bride's family to the groom's, the two are betrothed."

"After that time, the woman is purified and the man begins his journey in the desert, seeking after Yahal. The guests for the party start to arrive at that time before the wedding and the bride greets them. They can arrive up to a week early, which usually betrothal is a week before the wedding. If the husband's journey to find Yahal is under a week, he too will greet guests as they arrive, but the bride will not see the groom from betrothal day until the wedding."

As the wedding party is being set up by the groom's parents, it is customary for the bride and groom to be sat on a throne. At the actual ceremony, the bride greets all the guests who show up from the throne and the groom is surrounded by those who have arrived, who then sing to him. At that point, a clay pot is shattered by the bride's mother, which symbolizes a showing of commitment-- just as a pot can't be repaired, so too a broken relationship can never fully be repaired."

"Next comes the veiling of the bride by the groom and his family. This shows his commitment to cloth and protect his wife. The couple is married in the center of the group of people instead of at the front like our wedding, and shows unconditional hospitality to others in our lives and is always held outside unless you are a priest."

"The bride then circles the man in a single ring to show unity and that she is figuratively building a wall or hedge of protection around her husband, then the bride sits next to the groom on his right hand side. The officiant then says some words and blesses us. Then he brings two cups of wine to us. The first one we are taught by the officiant our responsibilities to one another and we drink the first cup in understanding, the second we are led in prayer to Yahal for purity and faithfulness, and we drink to understand to that."

"Next is the giving of the mangalasutra, and in clear view of witnesses, declares his vows to the bride, places it on her head, and at this point, they are married. Then comes a reading of the Penita Scrolls, showing why this bond is sacred. A document is made, showing two witnesses have stood up with the couple in legal binding contract, and it is beautifully and artistically made on a piece of hide and given to the couple. A second copy is given and written on a scroll that is delivered to the temple in Yahebah for census reasons.

Next is a customary dance the bride performs around her husband's throne as she and everyone sing. The couple is then escorted to a hall where a meal, designed to bring joy is. There is music, dancing, and much celebrating with feats of acrobatics, juggling, and wooden swordplay. After the meal, we are given another lesson in the Penita scrolls on devotion to each other and how to do right by each other in our bond, and then the festivity ends by sending the groom to be with his wife on their wedding night."

"The feast itself consists of all kinds of local foods, wine from different areas, and lots of flower petals spread over the floor."

Elann knew it was a lot to take in, so her explanation was slow, and her hand would drift to his chest to lightly play at it to keep his attention as she explained. Focus wasn't his problem. Noah wanted to know what the wedding party was like. It was the whole thing, and that explained it all to him. It showed how much she sacrificed to marry him and what she had set aside from her customs for him. She figured he would think them silly, but to her, they meant a lot.

"Are you asking because of the party coming up? You know I don't require anything like that...Just a celebration with some food and drink is fine."

Journey to the East

With her hand in his over his heart, she took in a deep breath and lay back into her hair that rest on his leg. She averted her gaze a moment to think and squinted as she reached for why exactly she didn't leave.

"I'd say I'm comfortable inside, sure, but this has given me such an appreciation for being outside that I kind of don't really like being inside so much anymore. It all started when we went hunting for the first time. Where before, I feared the walls, guards, and throngs of people, now I kind of dislike them. Not that I don't like the people mind you, but I just like this...looking up and seeing the stars, just being with you, seeing the moon and hearing the sounds of nature. It can be very quiet in a tent, and very...gross...in syliras. Here the air is like home, clean and fresh, and I don't have to be apart from it."

Thoughts of the terrors of nature obviously were far from her at the moment as she sought his comfort and thankful so, as the roaring bears, giant river gods, vicious birds, and raiding bandits were more than her simple mind could take. He was her comfort, and if they were not on good terms, it destroyed her. Slowly her heart was having a chance to heal itself from the trials they had been through, the loss of her parents, and the traumatizing events that had taken place.

The chill of the night air had yet to set in, but it was drawing close as the temperature was dropping. Should it have been summer, the time would linger where it would stay warm into night, but as it was, it was dropping below freezing this night, just enough to frost the grass. Elann could feel it already, being hypersensitive to the cold; but in his arms, she felt much warmer than she would have otherwise.

Journey to the East

The wounds had all but been forgotten as Elann had gone through sore and sharp pain quite often, even severe in the case of her hand, so while it at first was hard to deal with when it suddenly came on, it was all but ignored in the present moment. Her present thoughts were on her subconscious insecurities and admiring his bodily form before her. She too saw him as a handsome man. As he asked her what she was looking at, she squinted to the nose poking and then delight filled her.

"I thought that much was obvious. I'm looking at you," she said in a loving way, full of appreciation. "You are a handsome man. I've not known someone more good looking than you."

It was the truth, and she honestly didn't expect her husband to one day be someone so attractive to her senses. Like an animal who the male had danced before her, she had seen him as worthy in his physicality, mentality, and personality; all the moreso recently and it was felt in her bond.

Slowly she rose, looking away from him toward the fire briefly as she got on her hands and knees. With a little crawl, she closed the distance between them and lounged her upper half across his lap so she could look up at him. She laid partially on her side, but mostly on her back facing toward him and there she began to play with the skin of his chest and shoulders with her fingers - that surprisingly were warmed by the hot bowl - instead of the cold icicles they normally were.

"I've lived my whole life in a tent and in Syliras. But on this journey...I've really loved just being out in nature like this with you. I didn't like being cramped up in that apartment day after day."

With that she happy sighed and reached up to brush at his cheek lightly with her thumb as her other hand lay across her belly.

Journey to the East

Another giggle came from the Benshira as he dipped his spoon into her bowl and stated he was eating hers. It was restorative how the two of them were getting along, and Elann had almost all but forgiven him and forgotten about her past failures, instead focusing on future successes. She hoped that the bond between them would become even stronger than Lanna's and his mother's bond. Only time would tell.

"Well hurry up..." she stated in her own devious way after his mischievous smile came over him. She inched the bowl closer still and head tilt to the side. A brilliant smile and twinkle came to her eye from the fire as she opened them to him, almost tempting him with her eyes, her smile, and the bowl.

It was hard to believe sometimes that her husband didn't seek out her physical qualities. It was hard for Elann to get over, but she knew he loved her and did find things about her attractive in an different sort of way. She could be bare before him and he would stare at the shimmer of her eyes instead of her body. She chalked it up to the fact that perhaps her beauty was not so great in his eyes. It wasn't that hard to see. She had always been quiet among the tents of her father, and if he were not chief, she would likely not have been married off. She was too skinny and though beautiful, Elann had a poor self worth of herself; her husband's lack of physical appeal only cemented that image.

Still, it was enough for her in that moment to know that he loved her and brought to their relationship a wonderful dynamic of playfulness and young love. Elann with her bowl inched closer to him, not particularly attempting to tempt him, though not avoiding it either. She was just enamored by him and wanted to be closer. All she wanted to do was to be held by him again, but she knew whatever else happened, the last thing she would want was for them to go to be apart from each other.

As the last of the meal was taken, she would take his bowl and set it down on the ground with the other and would turn back to him with a big grin on her face and adoration in her bond.

Journey to the East

Elann could feel him staring, but was too preoccupied to take note of his feeling his wound at his side. Though she felt it through sharing pain, she likely dismissed it as his normal movement. He was not longer near the fire, and her very observant eyes were able to socially pick him out of a crowd easily. While she could not see anything naturewise, she was very attentive to patterns of clothing and the presence of her husband.

She found him quickly after retrieving the bowls and came beside him. As the fullness of the food began to take her a few bites in, she eventually stopped. She flopped slightly to show she was done and he scooped out of her bowl. Tingles of happiness were coming from her as she sat there, passively looking toward the fire. The blaze had caught her eyes once her food was done, and she subconsciously just held the bowl for him to take from. The happiness showed though that when his spoon took from her bowl, it was what had made her happy.

She glanced up to him to see his chewing smile and she returned one of her own, only to see him lean in and smooch her cheek repeatedly. A small giggle came from her as she curled toward her shoulder, but it was clear from her bond that she loved it. Her eyes then rose to meet his, a sly suspicious look on her face. It wasn't very like him to often show her silly affection, but whenever he did, she loved it, so she was looking to see if he had a reason besides just loving her.

In her sly gaze, with eyelids slightly shut more than normal, she grinned.

"Eat your food," she said with a playful tone, holding the bowl more toward him, but inside there was the tiniest hint of desire.

Journey to the East

It was strange that Noah looked to the sky when she asked of him to stop, but he did, and more than that, he listened any turned back. It was much more comforting to see the coming fire grow larger as they approached and Elann's nervousness faded away.

Elann saw the cook and Aimee, and hugged about her husband's side, she wished he was able to go hunt with his sister once more. It had been far too long. She hadn't broached the subject, but she was unsure of whether or not she could go hunting again. Whether it was a form of ptsd or not, the images of the roaring bears, the helplessness of the situation, and the blood shattering explosion of the bear's face as it pounced at her still flashed from time to time in her mind. On top of all that was her inability to help her husband in any way. Him bleeding into her hands as she carried him back. All of it was horrible for her, despite the comfort of Yahal and Zulrav's presences.

It felt good to be in nature again with him and to not have something go wrong. As the dinner bell rang, Noah would feel her slide from him steadily.

"Stay here, I'll get it."

Much to his expectations, she zipped off to ensure he had enough food. She herself got a smaller bowl of food for herself so there wouldn't be as much leftovers for him. His enforcement of making her eat a bit more had made her a bit more cautious in piling the food on. She brought her bowl back along with his after patiently waiting in line, and he would see his had a nice serving on it and hers only filled about half the bowl. Granted, compared to the normal 1/4th of a bowl she would eat, the amount was more than normal, but less than what she usually had for him.

She ate in silence at his side for the most part, only commenting how Aimee's food was getting better, if it wasn't just the cook who made it. Perhaps Elann's lessons before had helped her to understand to use her nose in smelling the food and how it would taste better? Either way, Elann thought it was delicious and especially enjoyed the potatoes more than the meat. In the end, she only ate 1/4th of her bowl, and the remaining 1/4th was all meat and if he wanted it, she would give it to Noah.

Journey to the East

It wasn't the first time she had suggested the idea of him going and being with Zulrav on the air and being one with his true self. She had pressed so hard for him to be human, she had been pressing to show him that she did love the true self of him, but it seemed that each time she had mentioned it, it was not taken as it was now. She stood firm as he turned his gaze to her, showing her intent and love for him. She was purely serious and there was no lie, no trying to suggest this to make him feel better. She really wanted him to do what he loved because she loved him.

It seemed he was grateful and she took it as a sign he would, but in her mind she knew he had not said he would; she could only hope. He took up her hand and she curled her fingers as he kissed her knuckles. Whenever he was romantic, she swooned, and his firm embrace made her all the more. She was immediately clothed in his warm embrace, though not as warm as if he were wearing a shirt, but it was better than her own chilled self.

She curled into him, enjoying the warmth and it was only after a long period of time did he let her go. Elann's eyes closed as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and where she was once cool to the touch, she warmed from head to toe. They pulled apart and he took up her hand once more. She didn't know what had driven him to silence, but she understood. He meant to walk further down the road.

The more they went, the more nervous Elann grew until she voiced, "I don't want to get too far from the caravan, love. Lets walk back a bit, and if you want to walk some more, we can turn around again."

Journey to the East

A parting smile was given to her sister and as her and her husband headed for the road, she walked at his speed, not her own. Elann was a very fast walker, but here with him, it was much more careful and slow, almost romantic to her senses.

He pointed out the moon to her, and raising her eyes to view Leth, she smiled. Her mind had been more focused on his safety, silently praying in her mind to Yahal, and enjoying the winds that blew about her. Though they chilled her, she had learned to take a minor bit of satisfaction in them rather than a hatred for making her cold.

Once she was done focusing on the moon, she let out a happy sigh and smiled up to him. He spoke then about the road and his breaking in flights around this area. Perhaps it was her womanly intuition or perhaps her own past knowledge of him, but she knew what he was thinking, or thought she did.

They had traveled down the road a little bit and were out of immediate sight from the caravan, but she stopped as the words she wanted to say came to her.

"I feel injured in my heart when I think about how you can't fly. I know how much you love it. After all, it is your true self- the eagle."

She pulled his arm carefully so that he would face her more and she brought her hands up to his cool cheeks. Her hands naturally were freezing, but she wasn't trying to warm herself on him. There was intent in her eyes, a subject yet spoken of.

"I know you want to stay near me, but when you are healed, I want you to soar and enjoy yourself. Go to Zeltiva if you want. Fly into the clouds, into the mountains, I don't care, but I want you to get as far away from these blasted wagons as you can and enjoy yourself okay? I think you deserve a little break for how much you've suffered. Aimee and I have been able to play with kids and do all sorts of stuff and you just have been forced to lay there. It breaks my heart...so please, go be the eagle you are for a while."

Journey to the East

While Elann wished she could alleviate the feelings of those in the center of the camp, she stayed with her husband. She didn't neglect that he too was injured. He had nearly lost his own life, lost his wife, and was suffering from brutal injuries to vital parts of his body. However it happened all before the attack. It didn't mean to Elann though that he should be left alone. She had already comforted those who suffered loss, used her gift upon them, and helped them process the grief. They didn't look it, but they were healing.

Soothed, she sent waves of comfort through the bond to her husband as he played with her hair; sending tickles through her divine marked skin as the hair danced along her back. She herself was lost in the blaze of the fire after looking to it. She had spoken to Aimee, comforting her, but now she had settled into this moment of relaxation and thankfulness to her and their safety.

Soft fingers danced along his stomach as she romantically and soothingly caressed Noah's skin. Aimee's voice piped up quietly that she was going to help the cook and Elann looked to her and nodded.

"Make something amazing!" she said with a playful smile, encouraging her on.

Elann's eyes then stole up to her husband's and lingered there a moment in silent communication of her love for him.

"Come on..." she said softly to him a few moments later, backing a step away from him with a hand sliding into his. "Let's walk down the road a tiny bit and back."

The road had the least hills and bumps that he could trip on and would seem nice in the pale moonlight to walk on. She positioned herself on his weak side with the most injuries so that if he did fall, he could use her as a cushion there, and if he was willing, walked with him down the road.