Bodel
"Bodel, you better make sure that fool wants to marry you." My father said under his breath as we watched Bear's boat pull into the shore of our homeland. I sighed. "Yes father." My father had been on my back ever since Bear had gotten sick. He saw the best future for our family as me marrying the future ruler and ensuring our cut of the kingdom. Now that Bear's father had died, he had been pressing me even harder. It wasn't like I didn't like Bear, I noticed him like every other girl did - he was handsome, powerful and the youngest of the villagers to excel in war - But I felt a large amount of guilt about deceiving him. He had been ill, and though he was better now, people talked about how his near brush with death had changed him. He had also just lost his father and half his men and was in a vulnerable position. I also felt badly about how I had treated Sage in the past, the moon that his world orbited around. Lastly, it was just overall, the wrong thing to do. But, if my father had his way, and he always did (until myself and my sisters were married off), then this was how it had to be done - I would marry Bear.
As Bear's boat pulled in, my father pushed me roughly toward it. If he could have seen my face he would have struck me there and then. I stumbled toward the boat, being the first to greet him, "Bear." my voice sounded confident, though I was anything but that, "I told you I would be waiting."
He gave me a slightly confused smile, "Bodel," He began, but was quickly whisked away by others as they rushed to greet him. He made eyes through the crowd that clamoured around him, giving me one last fleeting look before his attention was pulled elsewhere. It was a look of intrigue. He wasn't sure why I had a sudden interest in him, and he wasn't disinterested. Perhaps I had a chance. My father may have had his way, but I had mine.
Over the passing days I had continued my daily chores - three days exactly since Bear and I had made contact. The brief moment we had upon his arrival had left an impression on me - I was determined to get his attention. I draped damp clothing over wooden poles to dry in the sun, all while peering at Bear through the slight crack in the main gathering tent, where people were listening to his stories. I wasn't beautiful, I knew this. My father had made it inherently clear that my only asset was being big breasted. I had caught glimpses of myself in the water from time to time, and today was one of those times. As I washed the clothes in the water's ripple, I gazed upon my plain dirt coloured hair and muddy eyes. My nose wasn't small like other girls, and my lips were small. I didn't have any features that stood out and made me special, and my plump figure was not what men desired. At Least not men like Bear, who cared about things such as these.
I knew he cared because I saw the way he looked at Sage, even when he had told teasing boys that they were just friends. And the way that he looked at other girls... More desirable girls. The type of girls that other boys always looked at. The only boys that looked at me were ones that wanted to make fun of me, or leering old men. The kind of man I would end up with if I didn't convince Bear to marry me. Thus, my ulterior motive.
I had to convince him that I wasn't the person that Sage thought I was, that she told him I was. I knew they didn't hide secrets from one another, everyone knew that. Well, maybe except one. The way they longed for each other, but would never admit it. The truth was, I always made fun of Sage and laughed with frida because I was jealous, and honestly, it passed the time in this barren land. The momentary happiness I got from making someone beautiful feel a certain way, was all I had. Frida had hope of finding someone worthy of marriage, as she was pretty. I didn't really know why she teased Sage. Maybe just to pass the time... Either way, I felt bad about it, and if I was to get in Bear's good books, I needed to prove that to him - even if it meant abandoning Frida.
