Although Sarangerel and her daughter lived separately from the other nomads, she was occasionally called upon to offer services to the community.  Today, she was asked to officiate at a local wedding.  Leiyu and Thallios tagged along.

Colorful sashes hung from the yurt where the ceremony would take place.  Family members sat along the walls and elders sipped bowls of airag, a fermented mare’s milk.  The bride wore silver jewelry and an elaborate headdress with dangling beads, while the groom wore a pointed fur khaalag hat.  Both of them wore colorful deel robes with gevreg belts and gutal boots.  In the middle of the yurt was a table laden with roasted mutton, baked goods, yogurt, and dried aaruul milk curds.

The bride lit a stove to begin the ceremony.  Sarangerel draped a ceremonial blue silk khadag scarf over the couple’s shoulders to symbolize blessings for their shared future.  She recited traditional poems, congratulated the couples’ parents, and gave well-wishes of happiness and prosperity.  The bride and groom exchanged vows and the ceremony concluded when the khadag scarf was wrapped around their hands and tied in a knot to symbolize their inseparable bond.

The ceremony was followed by eating, drinking, and toasts to the newlyweds.  Afterward, everyone went outside for music and dancing.  Musicians played the stringed morin khuur while the guests danced.  Leiyu and Thallios sat while Narantuya played next to them.  Thallios watched the dancers with fascination.  Sarangerel approached them and picked up her daughter.

“Are you going to join in?” she asked.

“Ah, I don’t dance,” said Leiyu.  Then he grinned and added, “Thallios is good at it though.”

Thallios blushed.  “I can dance…but in a different style.”

Some of the wedding guests eyed Thallios with curiosity and approached him.

“I think they want you to join,” said Sarangerel.

“Okay,” Thallios grabbed Leiyu’s sleeve.  “If Leiyu joins too.”

“Wait-” said Leiyu as he was pulled along to join the merry wedding guests.  Thallios observed the dynamic flowing arm movements of the dancers and tried to mimic them.  The guests cheered and Thallios smiled and laughed.

It has been a while since he has looked genuinely happy, Leiyu thought.

Thallios eyed him.  “You try too, Leiyu!”

“I don’t know how to dance,” Leiyu protested.

“Ah, but aren’t you a quick learner?”

Leiyu chuckled.  Very well, he would humor him.  He held out his arms and swayed them.

“There you go!”

Though many others were dancing around them, they seemed to fade away as Leiyu focused on mirroring Thallios’ movements.  At some point, Leiyu thought that Thallios was improvising, since some of his movements resembled the dance he did in Ishkhandar.  Thallios laughed and twirled and the hem of his chapan floated in the air.  Leiyu paused to catch his breath and smiled.

***

After the wedding was over, Sarangerel carried Narantuya home as Leiyu and Thallios followed them.

“That was fun,” said Thallios.  “First wedding I’ve been to actually.”

“Really?” said Leiyu incredulously.

“Mm-hmm.  We had festivals at the palace, but not actual weddings…”  His voice trailed off.

“Thallios…is something on your mind?”  

“Oh…it’s nothing…just…”

Leiyu looked at him.  Did today’s festivities remind him of the home he had lost?

“I was just thinking about my parents and how they were already married when they were around my age…”

***

Twenty-five years ago in the Western Region…

In a lone temple in the mountains, a sacred flame flickered in a dais.  Selenia, the Priestess of the Goddess of Fire, performed her daily rituals.  She held her palms upward and murmured some incantations.  The flame danced as if responding to her words.

She sighed.  Day in, day out, it is always the same…

She was a young priestess, around nineteen years of age.  Her mother, the former Fire Priestess, had trained her in all the rituals and duties expected of her before passing on.  She spent her days in solitude, her only company being the occasional visiting birds.  She was quite fond of them and sometimes wished that she could fly away with them.

She heard the sound of horses in the distance.  Though contact with others was rare, people occasionally made the journey up the mountain to ask for her blessings.  Today a group had arrived, although she could not see them from within the temple.

“Who is there?” she called out.

A young man, coincidentally also nineteen years of age, knelt before the temple.  He had a handsome face and wavy brown hair that was tied in a bun.  A simple band with a small jewel stretched across his forehead.  He wore a flowing cape and armor that outlined his athletic build.  A sheathed sword was strapped to his belt.

“Priestess of Fire,” he said.  “I am Prince Xenon of Anaptopolis.  Our small kingdom has been beset by drought and invasions from neighboring kingdoms, so we have come to make offerings to ensure a bountiful harvest and safety for our people.”

Selenia stepped out of the temple.  Prince Xenon looked up and gasped.

Her long wavy auburn hair flowed in the wind and her golden yellow eyes regarded the kneeling stranger before her.  The hem of her simple dress swept the ground as she walked.  Raising one eyebrow ever so slightly, she said, “You may enter the sacred hall, Your Highness.”  She turned around and went back inside.

***

Prince Xenon and his entourage presented Selenia with a chest full of miniature Fire Goddess statues and gold coins.  She thanked them and placed the chest aside before turning to the sacred flame.  She began to chant as she walked around the dais.  Though everyone else’s heads were bowed downwards, Prince Xenon briefly stole glances at her as she walked.

Hours later, the sun began to sink into the horizon.

“The blessing ritual is now complete,” she said.  “Since night is falling, you may stay in the guest quarters at the foot of the mountain if you wish and return to your kingdom in the morning.”

The entourage murmured their thanks and left the temple.

And now, time to clean up, she thought.

***

The next morning, as she was performing her daily rituals, Selenia sensed someone’s presence outside the temple.  She went out and saw Prince Xenon approaching.  As he got closer, he knelt.

“Your Highness, is there something I can help you with?”

He extended his hand, which held a flower.  Her eyes widened.

“My lady, forgive my forwardness…You are beautiful…”

She blushed, then regained her composure.  “Your Highness, that is flattering, but a priestess cannot engage in any relationships and must remain celibate.  I am devoted only to the Goddess of Fire.”

“Isn’t that a lonely life?”

She shifted her eyes to the side.  “It is taboo to do otherwise, Your Highness.”

“And you will just follow that without question?”

“What is it that you want, Your Highness?”

“I would like to have a chance…to get to know you…”

There was an awkward silence.

“I must return to my duties, Your Highness.  There is a lot to be done in the temple.”

“May I assist you in any way?”

“Your Highness…you are a prince.  Do you actually do chores?”

“Anything you ask.  I am from a modest kingdom, so we do not live in extravagance.”

“Hmm…”  She went inside the temple and returned with a broom.  “You can sweep the leaves off the steps and the main entrance…Your Highness.”

“Gladly, my lady.”  He took the broom and began working on the steps.  Selenia raised her eyebrows in surprise and then went back inside.

When she returned some time later, she saw that all the leaves outside, even the ones beyond the steps, had been swept away.

Hmm, not bad, she thought.  “Thank you very much, Your Highness.”

“Anything else I can do, my lady?” Prince Xenon asked.

“Hmm…”

Prince Xenon ended up helping her with many repairs to the temple, which he did gladly with nary a complaint.

“That’s it for now, Your Highness,” She went to the kitchen and fetched some food for lunch.  Pausing a bit, she piled an extra helping onto another plate.  When she returned to the entrance, she saw him still standing outside.

“Still here, Your Highness?  Since you helped out, you can have some food if you’re hungry.”

He smiled.  “Thank you, my lady.”

She paused for a second, then handed him the plate.

***

After lunch was over, she gathered the plates.  “Your Highness, I suppose you should be leaving soon if you want to make it back to your kingdom before nightfall.”

He looked pensive.

“Thank you for your help, Your Highness.  If you ever need anything in the future, please let me know.”

“I…My lady, I never got your name…”

“Oh!  That is true, I never formally introduced myself.  My name is Selenia.”

“How beautiful…”

She smiled.  “Well, Your Highness, it was nice meeting you…”

He dropped to his knees.

“My lady Selenia, I would like to make a proposal…”

Proposal?

“...of marriage!”

She stared at him in shock.  “Your Highness, I have said before…that as a priestess, I cannot engage in any relationships.”

“I know, I remember.  Yet, foolhardy as it may be, I still wanted to see if there was a possibility.”

“Shouldn’t you be marrying a princess, Your Highness?  I’m sure with your handsome looks you should have no trouble finding someone eligible.”

His eyes widened.  Handsome looks?  “It is true that I am of marriageable age and there have been some prospects…talk of alliances between kingdoms…but it all feels so very impersonal…like we’re nothing more than pawns in some game…”

“Isn’t that how it’s always been, Your Highness?”

He frowned.  “Yes, but I do not wish to merely go along with tradition blindly.”

I follow tradition blindly… “Well, we only met yesterday.”

“Heh, if I were to marry a princess from another kingdom as tradition dictates, I would likely not meet her at all before the decision is made for us.”

“So you’d rather marry someone that you have only met for one day?”

“At least there are feelings…”

She looked flustered.  “Well, either way, it hardly matters because I must remain here to perform my duties.”

“Are you happy?”

“What?”

“Are you happy here…in this remote mountain?”

She frowned.  “That is none of your concern.”

“What if…instead of thinking of it as a relationship, you can consider it to be an alliance, a strategic partnership, if you will?”

She gave him a look.  “Were you not just displeased a moment ago with the idea of marrying for political alliances?”

“Indeed, but more so because of the implication that there are no feelings between either person, that neither person really benefits, and it is only done to keep kingdoms from being at each other’s throats.  But if the feelings are there…If you do not feel the same in return or are not allowed to, that is understandable.  However, do your traditions forbid you from entering a mutually beneficial alliance?”

“We priestesses are supposed to abstain from involvement in real-life conflicts.  Also, if I were to join you in your kingdom, who would tend to the temple here?”

“I can build you a new temple in my kingdom.”

“Heh, you are quite determined. And what do I get out of this mutually beneficial alliance?”

“Someday I will be king and you my queen.  We may not be the largest kingdom, but I can offer you a life where you will want for nothing.  You can still perform your priestess duties, and you will be closer to the people who worship the Goddess of Fire.”  He started to rush forward.  “Just say the word and I’ll-”

Her golden yellow eyes began to glow.  “Stay there!  Do not get too impudent!”

Her fiery eyes bore into him and her hair flowed in the wind like a vengeful goddess.  He dropped to the ground in fear.

“Given the abrupt nature of your proposal, I will not give you an answer now.  Return to the foot of the mountain and allow me to contemplate in peace.”

“Yes, my lady…”  He slowly got up and walked away.  Her eyes followed him until he disappeared down the mountain path.

***

A priestess cannot engage in any relationships…

Day in, day out, it is always the same…

Think of it as a mutually beneficial alliance…

If the feelings are there…

The words from their conversation reverberated through her mind.

I have my duties here and I am not supposed to involve myself in worldly affairs.  The most I can do is offer blessings.

She scattered birdseed onto the ground and watched as the birds flocked around her.

Someday I will be king and you my queen.

She laughed.  How foolish…

Are you happy here?

She frowned.  If she stayed here, her entire life would follow the expected path.  Live in isolation, perform daily rituals, offer blessings to people who asked, and eventually have a daughter that she would raise completely by herself.  That daughter would then follow the exact same footsteps.

These thoughts did not fill her with joy.

She reached into her pouch and took out more birdseed.  A bird fluttered into her hand and began to peck at the food.  She smiled and began to contemplate some more.

***

Three days later, Prince Xenon returned to the temple.  He found Selenia sweeping the steps in front of the main entrance and approached her cautiously.

“My lady...”

“You know what is amusing, Your Highness?  You said before that you could offer me a life where I will want for nothing, yet you originally came here because your kingdom is beset by drought and invasions.”

“...”

She stared at him, waiting for an actual response.

“My lady…it is true that current conditions are not ideal, yet it will not always be that way…and I will always hold you in the highest regard and cherish every moment with you…I will do my best to provide you everything you want…”

“Hmm…you do make an earnest entreaty, and to be honest, life here is rather dull.”

She held out her hand.  “Your Highness, I will go with you, but you must keep your promises.”

He dropped to his knees and took her hand.  “I will love you forever, my lady!”

***

Some in the Kingdom of Anaptopolis whispered that the prince was making a mistake in getting involved with the Fire Priestess, but those voices mysteriously quieted down by the wedding day.  He wore fine robes and she wore a gown far more elegant than her simple priestess attire.  A sash was wound around both their hands to symbolize their unity.  After exchanging their vows, they kissed as the crowds cheered.  Streamers and flower petals fluttered through the air.  The newlyweds danced as the musicians played.  It was like a wondrous dream.

***

Thallios sighed.  “My father was originally from a smaller kingdom and it was said that my parents’ wedding was the most celebrated day that kingdom had seen up until then. I sometimes wondered why there was never any talk of proposals when I was getting to be of marriageable age, but I suppose my father did not think I would live to see the day. To some extent, it was a relief to not have to think about it, since I had never even set foot outside the palace for most of my life.”

Leiyu gave him a pensive look.  Thallios glanced back at him.

“Leiyu, will you ever marry?”

Leiyu nearly jumped.  “It’s not something I actively think about…besides, we have more important things to worry about...”

“Ah yes,” Thallios sighed again.  “We are still on the run from the ones who destroyed my kingdom.  One day at a time, I suppose.”