Falcon's Flight

Twenty-Eight

Fen was thankful that the Huns weren’t too strict on their customs, at least for her, perhaps it was because it wasn’t conventional, but either way she wasn’t judged for her mistakes, however big or small.

Once the ceremony itself was over, which was far more colourful than she had expected, Odsar and her children had prepared a large feast. They weren’t the only ones to cook food for the event, the others did too but it was clear that Odsar had been in charge of it.

“I’m married now,” Fen whispered to herself.
“You are,” said Shan Yu. He was smiling and she smiled back. “How does it feel?”
“I don’t really know, nothing has changed about how I feel for you but I just feel… happier after all of this,” she said honestly. “And I’m glad it’s with you, even after everything that’s happened.” He smiled and leaned in to kiss her. Fen hadn’t quite gotten used to kissing but so far she liked it.

Erden played a morin khuur while his wife sat beside him, smiling at the tune. The pair had gifted them such an instrument that the pair had crafted together. It was beautiful, with an intricately carved horse head scroll.

The music was nice as it accompanied the joyous atmosphere natural with this sort of feast. Despite everything that had happened, despite all of the loss and chaos, everyone was cheerful. It was a chance for everyone to focus on the present and the possible future rather than wallowing in the past.

As the day turned to night, the temperature dropped. Some of them weren’t too bothered by it, having drunk too much, while others had started retiring for the night.

“I suppose we should do something similar and head to the ger,” said Fen. “It is getting cold too.”
“We should, yes,” he agreed. They left the few people gathered behind and headed into the warmth of the ger.

Odsar had tried to figure out if she had known what to expect the day before which had led to some awkwardness, at least on Fen’s part. She knew what to expect on the night of her wedding, she wasn’t naive even though she tended not to think about such things. How the exact thing would happen, she wasn’t certain.

Fen sat down in the ger, close to the stove in the centre which was the source of heat. She watched as Shan Yu knelt beside her. He had never knelt for anyone, but here he was, kneeling beside her. Shan Yu placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer. She didn’t resist and instead, she smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Knowing what it would lead to, and feeling more excited than she expected to, Fen smiled.