Cult of the Lamb: The Aftermath

Chapter 3

The Lamb gleefully dragged Narinder to the temple. She looked at him, sensing his fear and bewilderment, and felt deep satisfaction. Yes, this is the god she conquered, her trophy. Her rise from mere vessel to godhood. And now she is going to flaunt him to everyone.

"My sheep! We are going to perform a marriage ritual first today."

Her followers gasped, looking at Narinder in incredulity. Feeling gazes upon him, Narinder tried in vain to free his hand from the Lamb's grasp.

"Would you like to do the honors, Hutou?"

"Yes! Yes!"

Hutou poked his head out and scurried over. The Lamb held out her hand, and a book immediately materialized: her doctrine. Flipping it to the page of marriage, she handed the book to the eager cat.

"Read this page, please."

"Of course!"

The Lamb then raised both her arms, releasing Narinder in the process. Her fleece turned white as she cast a spell using her Red Crown, and Narinder's red robe turned into a black ceremonial garb. He looked down at his garment in shock. The Lamb has been dabbling in such ornamenting pastimes using his crown, in addition to fighting. He had to admit it was quite impressive for an immature god like her to use it so well, however bitter he might be.

Once the Lamb gave the signal, Hutou began to perform the ritual. The words he spoke described the Lamb grandiosely, of her past achievements and future endeavors, and of her benevolent yet brave nature. Narinder was wholly confused by the whole process, wondering how it got to this point. Did the Lamb plan to have this marriage from the moment she spared him, or was this just a momentary whim?

"Do you, Great Leader and the Promised Liberator of The One Who Waits, take Narinder as your wedded husband?"

"I do."

"And do you, Chained One, take the Lamb as your lovely wedded wife?"

"Huh?"

The Lamb shook her head and sighed. This was too much for him. Poor thing. But, it felt very good to see this previous god so flustered. Narinder, taking her actions as a sign of her anger, felt sweat drip down his back. Thankfully he is now wearing black, and the stains are not visible.

"I-I do!"

Narinder hesitantly looked at the Lamb, and saw her blossom into a sweet smile. For a second, he forgot he was held here against his will. His heart beat in confusion... and with a trace of expectation. Perhaps the Lamb really did plan all this. That speech and those marriage vows... how could they appear out of thin air? Maybe she secretly had feelings towards him since the beginning. He did save her, after all.

But! Just because the Lamb likes him, doesn't mean he has to like her back. Did this Lamb seriously think that this puny marriage will make him succumb to her? At least on the surface, he'll show a bit of affection to get on her good side, but his heart will not be conquered so easily!

"You may now kiss!" Hutou said with fervor. The crowd erupted into cheers, urging them. Responding to her followers, the Lamb inched closer.

In this nerve-wrecking moment, Narinder closed his eyes, bending forward rigidly. He felt the Lamb holding his hands in hers, and held his breath. Just as he was agonizing over how long this minute was, he felt a soft kiss land on his cheek, accompanied by a small, whispery chuckle. His face heated up, embarrassed at what he was expecting.

The crowd erupted into more cheers, with congratulatory phrases thrown their way. The marriage ritual was finally over, and the Lamb moved on to her daily sermon. Narinder felt friendly pats on his back as he made his way through the crowd. Normally he would not have let them touch him, but his mind was too jumbled to protest. The sermon came and went as a blur; he couldn't remember even a single word by the end.

Finally, the grueling day was over. Narinder followed the others out with a sigh. On his way to the follower shelters, he heard a peculiar set of footsteps approach him. He turned, and sure enough, it was the Lamb.

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep..."

Narinder's eyes widened in horror as a grave thought popped in his mind. No way she's going to force him to spend the night with her, is she?!

"I was just going to tell you where your shelter is. What were you thinking?" She said with a snicker, obviously amused. Narinder's face burned up in shame. He has never been teased like this before!

He grumbled as he quickly stormed off to the area the Lamb pointed to, hoping the next day would be better.

*****

As the Lamb watched Narinder's back getting smaller, her warm smile disappeared. She planned the marriage mostly to humiliate him, but he was too dense to realize. Did he not hear the irony in Hutou's speech? Does he not realize that being her follower is yet another form of imprisonment?

How could he... integrate into his new life so well?