by Tara Brown
Murphy nudged her. “Yeah, Nan.”
She shoved him and gave my dad a look. “I’ve lived under worse conditions than these ones; I know I’ll survive if get sent out of the gates. I don't fear the king. I fear the slavers.” Her eyes narrowed even more. “I remember my time there, quite clearly.”
My dad lifted his brows. “No one will ever discount that. But the king isn’t likely to listen to anyone suggesting a campaign against the slavers, not while the city is still recovering.”
I wrinkled my lips. “But they took as big of a hit as we did.”
“They were also a bigger city,” Murphy added.
My father agreed.
My mother waved her hands in the air. “No one wants to talk about war on a fine day like today.”
Nan’s face went red, making Murphy laugh and kiss her cheek. She shoved him again but he wrapped an arm around her waist and forced her to take the affection. She shot me another look. “You see the dress for your wedding yet?”
I nodded, feeling the scowl crossing my face.
“You wipe that face clean of that look, young lady. You will be grateful for the work being done.” My mom had really started sounding like the ladies from The Lost City and not like the ones from our city.
My dad gave me a sneer. “I saw it.”
It was hideous. “I just don't understand how Anna got to wear that white dress that was so pretty and I have to wear that huge frock. My whole face is covered and the dress is so frumpy Lyle won’t even know I’m in there.”
Murphy laughed. “Oh, he’ll know it all right.” Nan swatted him, making his face go red. “I meant because you’ll look like there are two of ya in there, it’s so big.”
Nan hit him again but my dad and I both agreed.
My mom sighed and walked into the house. “At least Lyle is dressed handsomely.”
My jaw dropped. “He is?”
“I believe the man is the center of attention in a royal wedding. The king to be is far more important than the lowly bride.” Murphy nodded, stealing a bun from the counter as he sat down.
“How exciting.”
Nan sat in his lap and stole a chunk of his bun. “At least it will be over with and you can stop sneaking out—” she paused, swallowing hard.
I shot her a look.
My mom’s gaze narrowed. “The king gave you a rule.”
I shrugged. “I haven’t done it in a long time. It was only a few times, in the beginning.”
Angelina found her way in the door with a basket of fresh eggs. She handed them to my mom, grinning.
“You want to make something?” Mom asked.
Angelina nodded excitedly.
Nan and Murphy did too. They ate more than anyone I had ever seen, and combined could eat more than the entire army.
I walked to my room to take off my ridiculous crown and dress. When I got to the room I jumped, seeing a figure standing by the window. Lyle put his finger to his lips as he crossed the room and closed the door. He placed a chair under the handle and helped me undo my dress. He had already changed into his work clothes. “I couldn't wait to see you.”
I smiled wide. “This whole thing is ridiculous. They can’t expect us to be separate for another month.”
He pulled me into his arms, running his hands along my bare back. “I don't think they need to know.”
I smiled wide, kissing him passionately and pulling him into my bed.
When he snuck back out the window, I quickly pulled on clothes as he rounded the house and knocked at the front door. I hurried back out, dragging on my leathers for work that I had made over the winter. They weren’t nearly as short as the ones I had gotten from the river folk, but they were short enough that I could work and not die of heat exhaustion. My mom saw my outfit, wrinkling her nose as my dad let Lyle in.
“Why are you wearing that?” She nearly spat her words at me.
I scowled, looking down. “I need to go and help with the horses. We have mares giving birth and stallions to break. Just because the king doesn’t work on his Sunday, doesn't mean the rest of us get a day off.”
Nan and Murphy got up as well, Lyle and Murphy shaking hands quickly.
My mom offered Lyle a bun. He took it and smiled wide. “We’ll be back for dinner.”
Dad nodded and sat back down to the book he was reading about ancient wars and Mom and Angelina continued cooking. Nan and Murphy headed out into the sheep field to check the lines, gates, and fences, while Lyle and I headed for the barns.
He held my hand innocently, kissing the back of it, as we headed across the long grass to the barn.
We both paused, looking back at the town when we were clear across the field. Neither of us had to speak to know we were each enjoying the view of the life we had never dreamt of coming true.
It was a sight to see the bustle of the people, even on a Sunday. Lyle’s hand slipped from mine as he knelt to the ground and pulled something from his pocket.
“Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a boy who loved a girl. She didn't exactly know who he was, not really. She knew him from school and on occasion from the clubs, but unfortunately he had never been able to reveal who he really was to her. But then one day, everything fell apart and she discovered him for who he really was, and she left him. So he went out into the desert to find her, certain she had made a mistake and had lied to him for a reason he didn't know about. He nearly died trying to find her, following footsteps and garbage. The whole time he didn't care a single thing for himself, all he wanted was to see her just once more.” He revealed the thing in his hand was a shiny ring. I had rings like it, with fancy jewels in them, in The Lost City. But this one had a large sparkly jewel in the center of it. It sparkled like the masks for the club. The ring was silver with a clear gemstone, so big it picked up every bit of light the sun offered.
He smiled but I could see the emotion in his eyes as he lifted it into the air. “From that moment on, the boy did everything he could to win her heart. He did amazing things and the wrong things at almost the exact same intervals. But somehow he got the girl to agree to marry him. Only he hadn’t been made aware of the custom that had once been part of their people’s legacy. A man was meant to present a woman with a ring before the wedding date: an unending circle that represented their unending love for one another, with a large jewel. This ring signified their commitment to each other before they married. So when he discovered this, he got one made and it arrived this very morning, and I couldn't wait to give it to you.”
I scowled as he slid it onto my left hand. It fit perfectly. “How did you know about this? Why are you kneeling?”
He shook his head. “I don't know. It's a part of the ritual of giving the ring. The man kneels and the woman agrees to marry him.”
“But I already agreed. We’re getting married in a month—I have the hideous dress to prove it.”
He stood, laughing and kissing me softly. “You really are one of a kind. This was all the rage once upon a time as you so fondly like to say.”
I kissed him back and looked at the sparkly ring on my finger as it caught the sunlight. “It’s so pretty.”
“Like you.”
I leaned into him, closing my eyes and sighing. “I cannot believe this is how we live now.”
“I can’t either. The road to this place was long and painful, but we got here. We made it. And now it is full of possibility.”
We linked hands, me with a sparkly gem and him with calluses and cuts, and walked across the field to the barn where the horses would be waiting.
The world didn't look the way I had imagined it would on the day I got paired. I didn't look the way I had imagined. But that was the thing about imaginations—they were dangerous. They led to all kinds of mistruths and possibilities.
In my case they weren’t even close to the impressiveness of my life or the path it had taken. I never could have imagined a better life, even if the road was long and hard.
Now even
if I was scared of what the future held, I knew we could tackle it.
This was how we lived, free of the strings that made us weak.
Did I know what would happen in the future?
Not anymore.
The End
I hope you enjoyed this book. If you did, please consider checking out the BORN trilogy or The Seventh Day