EHI

CHAPTER THIRTY

Her hands clasped the side of her head in an attempt to block the voices, but, it was of no use.

The voice only got louder as it repeated the same words as a mantra.
The aggressive sway of the ship causes her to scream and crawl in a corner.

"Not here"
"Not again, please!!, I beg you".
"Anywhere but here," Ehi cried out, shivering, frantically taking in her surroundings.

Blood was everywhere.
They were dead, everyone was dead.
Lady Constantine, her sisters, indie.
Everyone she had come to care about, lay lifelessly on the bare ground with their organs splurging out of their bodies.

"Murderer".
"You killed everyone".
"Murderers should be hanged".
"It's your fault"
"It's your fault they are all dead", the voice raged, laughing hysterically as it repeated the words.

She whirled around, searching for the source of the voice.
A familiar door appeared before she, made her blood run cold,

"No, no, it cannot be", she panicked
The familiar cabin only leads to one place, to one person, the one that started it all. The man that continuously haunted her nightmares.

Reaching for the door, she shakily pulled it open, gasping fearfully at the scene before her.
There he was, the usual sneer on his sadistic face, his eyes wild and frantic.
Like a starved man hungry for blood, he repeatedly drove a knife into the Duke's gut.

Ehi let out a blood-curdling scream.
The sound of his awful grunts made her wretch as she tried to claw her way out of the cabin.

_____

Ehi shot up from her bed, soaked in sweat.
Her breathing was erratic as she surveyed her surroundings.

"It's just a dream".
"It's simply a dream".

"You are safe now," she repeated, trying to calm down.
Laying back down, she pulled herself back to sleep.

_______________________

"Riiiiiiiiiseeee and shine m'lady!!".

"It is your wedding day", indie's cheerful voice, rang out as she drew back the curtains to let the sunlight seep in.

Ehi groaned loudly, thinking of last-minute excuses to avoid the wedding and just sleep all day instead.
Her nightmares hadn't occurred in a while, and this particular one left her inner child trembling in terror.
Ehi shook off the bad feeling and decided to stay positive today, after all, it was her wedding day.
Brides were usually ecstatic on this day, but not her, she felt like an animal being sent to a slaughterhouse.

Heaving a deep sigh, she surrendered to the group of women who walked into the room carting different clothing, shoes, and beauty equipments.

"Let's begin," she stated.

Her body was being moved and tugged in different directions, but she felt mostly numb.
Her wedding gown looked as expensive as the price it was purchased.
The trail was as long as every lady could hope for. Silk gloves to match, sliding smoothly on her skin.

The stunning white veil had beautiful roses sewn along the sides, making her breaths fall short of the significance of it.

She was informed, the Duke had it handmade and sent to the estate the previous day.
It was a wedding gift.

Letting her fingers glide along the sides of her veil, she made a mental note to thank him for it.
She loved it, she admitted, blushing at the thought.

The culture, dresses, and practices for weddings were stunning but, she had always hoped to be married in her native attire guided by her traditional laws.
Ehi closed her eyes and tried to imagine exactly the way little, her, dreamed it would be.

~~~~~~~~

The sound of drums sounded in synchronized rhythm with the voices of women singing, dancing, and showering prayers upon the bride.

The whispers and giggles of women, her age and older, filled the room as they adorned her with the customary marriage regalia.
The smooth, velvety texture of a thick red wrapper rolled tightly around her chest, leaving her shoulder bare.
Red coral beads in different lengths called (ivie) adorned her neck, hands, and legs, accentuating the beauty of the cloth wrapped around her.

Her culture had many admirable attires.
But, nothing seemed to captivate her more than the OKUKU(A hairstyle worn by brides on their wedding day).

It is a beautiful hairdo, where the bride's hair is put up in a high bun with pretty beads sewn directly into her hair.

The hairdo is shaped like a crown, and it is finished off with a golden feather-like accessory, giving the bride a royal look.

For it is believed, brides are queens on their wedding day.

Ehi is directed to the mirror as the sweet melody of her native song fills the air.
She looked beautiful.
The beads, her toe length wrapper, the accessories, everything looked remarkable.

Her Okuku stood tall, giving her a bold look that was quite the opposite of how she felt.
Her eyes were darker and her lip glistened from the oil they applied.

Running her eyes over herself one last time, she smiled before allowing the painful tendrils of reality to pull her back into the real world.

~~~~~~~~~

Staring intently at the mirror, she gazed at the wedding dress that hugged her body, elegantly shaped like a ball gown just below her belly button.

She blinked and saw herself in her native regalia again.
Cocking her head to the side, she smiled, finally admitting, she looked beautiful in both cultures.

NOTE
A bit of history never hurt anyone, right?
This might just be my favorite chapter because I was able to show you all a glimpse of how marriages are done in my culture.
It also sheds some light on the beautiful culture and roots of our main character.
EHI means Destiny in my native language.
I am delighted I could not only write this book in my favorite genre, but I could also write a lot about the history of the Edo people during the time of slavery.
Although this book is 70% fiction, the other 30% are well-known historical occurrences and facts.
Stay tuned because we only just begun.