RIPTIDE - Neteyam fanfic

eight

" this is Ronwin. The son of Amar and Satari el'car.", tonowari introduced them.

"Very nice to meet you." Stelle' bowed her head. There was no reason not to be polite.

"He is from another one of our communities further down the reef. I think it could be helpful in bringing us closer together if you got to know him better"

This was the moment Stelle' feared. The moment her father became set on having her mate with the person that he chose for a reason that is not love or genuine attraction but more so benefits for the metkayina people. It hurt that he valued status and their contribution to the family in a person for her than just how much she likes them  in the first place.

"Of course father. I would love to get to know him." But she had to make him proud. Who cares about her feelings anyway and if the lay in the hands of another boy. It didn't matter in her father's eyes.

"Perfect. We will arrange a dinner tonight then.", said father. Ronal only stood by him, quiet. Which was unusual of her. She was usually the most opinionated one. "You can return to your duties now, stelle'"

"Thank you father." She bowed her head before departing the hut, tears brimming her eyes. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself . Tears never fell. She couldn't let them. It was a sign of weakness and she was anything but weak.

Instead of wallowing in her feelings she decided to distract herself with more acts of service. She helped prepare dinner, cleaned the tables, made sure each hut had their own supply of water, and more. She was tired but distracted which was all that mattered.

Night fell quickly when she busied herself and she went to her hut to get ready for dinner. She would plan on wearing something nice. A seashell dress, typical of the metkayina people. It had been made by her mother. She only wore it on special occasions and the dinner could be considered one.

Once she was ready she began to head back to her parent's hut, finding tsireya, announg, and the sully's on her way there. They were on their way to dinner by the kitchen.

Tsireya eyed her sister. "Why are you dressed so nice? we are merely eating dinner." Stelle' looked at the floor and tsireya immediately knew. "Oh."

Neteyam looked at stelle' in awe. She looked so perfect under the starlight in that dress. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to hold her in it. So incredibly badly.

Announg sighed. He too had realized what was going on. He felt for his sister. "Has father set you up with a boy from the village?"

At this Neteyam snapped back to reality. "What?" He hadn't meant to make it so obvious he was concerned by that, it had just slipped out in the moment. Kirri shook her head at his reaction.

Tsireya frowned. "So you will not be joining us for dinner tonight?"

Stelle' shook her head. " I am afraid not."

Tsireya reached out to hug her. Stelle' wrapped her arms around her sister surprised to here her whisper in her ear. "Rebel. Do not let father control your life like this. It is not right" then she pulled away.

She was surprised to have heard that coming from her. Tsireya was always the good child. The best of all of them. She was the last person to be supporting rebelling against their parent's orders. She assumed that maybe now that she had experienced the feeling of truly liking someone she had realized how horrible it would feel to get it taken away.

Stelle' nodded at her and continued on her way to the hut.

if only it were that easy.

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