Patrol 4: Storm & Calm

Chapter 16

"Vania." T'kanna smiled at her. "I have a present for you. Come with me." She grabbed Vania's hand and pulled her down the hallway, calling to Eddin, "We'll be back, D'merdon!"

"T'kanna," Vania said as she hurried to keep pace. "What's the rush? And why do you feel the need to give me anything?"

"For the wedding!" T'kanna replied. She threw open a doorway and pulled Vania in. Gesturing around the room piled with skeins of thread and bolts of fabric, she beamed. "I remembered you like to sew. So, as my gift to you for your marriage to my brother, I'm giving you fabric and thread. You can make your wedding dress! And I'll help best I can!"

Vania stared at the piles of fabric, then turned to T'kanna. "T'kanna. This is very generous. But, I... hadn't planned to make a dress. I was just going to wear..." she shrugged. "...I don't know. I hadn't thought about it, I guess. I'm not sure I have enough time to sew an entire dress, though."

"But, you'll have help!" T'kanna insisted. "And, since you have no cases to work—"

"Aside from my parasite," Vania interjected with a mutter.

"—you should have time to make something. I know you don't like extravagant; simple will do, which means we should have time."

Vania looked around at the fabric again helplessly. "I... don't know what to say."

"Start with 'thank you,'" Eddin suggested from the doorway. "Unless you want sis to buy you a different gift. You are allowed to refuse a present, after all; that just means she'll need to find a different one. One you'll accept."

"What?" Vania turned and looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Traditions." He stepped into the room and joined the women. "When an a'marlon man gets married, each of his siblings gives the bride one gift."

Vania frowned. "I'm not a'marlon."

"No," Eddin replied, smiling at her, "but I am."

"And you want a traditional a'marlon wedding, Vania, trust me," T'kanna added. "Otherwise, D'merdon's respite from the front will only be a year. After a year, you're no longer considered 'newly wed' so the exemption from service is lifted."

"What?"

Eddin sighed. "T'kanna. Please, will you let me—"

"Unless you'd rather go the other route, which is to have a kid or two right away. They don't take parents of young children, either. That rule's from the same era as the newly wed clause. But, that, too, is a mere temporary solution. Once the child is five, it's deemed there's been enough time to build bonds and memories, so the military spouse will then be sent away from their young family. So, unless you want to have a kid every three or four years until the war in Hursa is done," T'kanna paused, looking at Vania's look of discomfort, "which I don't think you do, then that's not a very viable solution. So, a traditional a'marlon wedding it is!"

"T'kanna... why does the type of wedding matter?"

T'kanna looked over to Eddin. "Do you want to explain it, or shall I?"

Eddin pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering, "Go ahead. You're doing fine."

"D'merdon." T'kanna looked at him. "I'm trying to be helpful and let Vania know exactly what to expect."

"I know," Eddin replied levelly. He turned to look at Vania. "I'd meant to tell you these things, but I was trying not to overwhelm you with everything at once."

"And that's fine, but you only have nine days! If you do things your way, you won't be married for another nine years!"

Vania bit back a smile and stepped over to Eddin, taking his hands. "Eddin. I love you." She squeezed his hands. "I appreciate you're helping me not go crazy by overwhelming me with everything at once. I don't care how we get married. Or where. As long as I'm with you, everything else is secondary." She smiled. "I promise, if it starts to get overwhelming, I'll let you know." She stepped to his side and turned so she was facing T'kanna, letting herself lean against his side.

Eddin sighed and slid his arm around her shoulders.

"Aww, you two are so cute," T'kanna said, smiling.

"I thought you were explaining things?" Eddin replied.

"Yes." T'kanna focused her gaze on Vania. "So. Vania. As you know, traditional a'marlon society is matriarchal. That means, in your marriage, you will have final say in matters. So, any contract D'merdon signs, if you don't approve, you can declare it null and void."

"And his service to the military is considered a contract...?" Vania asked.

"Precisely," T'kanna answered, smiling.

"But... he signed that before we were married. Why would I get a say in it?"

"Any contracts pre-dating your marriage are brought up for reconsideration. You have only a few days from when you hear about it to disapprove of any already-established contract. So... say... the day after your wedding... you write a letter to the head of the military, requesting to review his contract. Once you see the signed paper, you give notice whether you approve or disapprove. If you wait too long, your approval is assumed, so don't tarry." T'kanna paused, then added quickly, "And none of this applies if you, as a non-a'marlon, don't have a traditional a'marlon wedding."

Vania's brows furrowed. "That is very complicated. Why so many rules and stipulations?"

"To annoy and confuse you, of course," Eddin replied.

Vania snorted. "I don't doubt it! There's probably a secret sect of high-ranking a'marlon who meet once a month to plot what strange, convoluted rules they can add to society to make things more confusing."

"Something like that," Eddin chuckled. He added, "It's actually due to the vows. Non-a'marlon weddings don't have the same vows required of the husband. Part of the five vows an a'marlon husband promises his bride at the ceremony puts her at the head of the household and gives her power over all his decisions."

Vania looked up at him. "Eddin. I mean, D'merdon." After he looked down at her, she said sternly, "I do not approve of you signing that contract with the military. I want it ripped up post-haste."

He smiled. "I appreciate the sentiment, but we're still not married, so you're not allowed to question my contracts. Yet."

"So," T'kanna said. "Traditional a'marlon wedding?"

Vania and Eddin both nodded.

"Good!" She clapped her hands. "That's settled! So. Vania." She smiled and gestured around the room. "Do you accept my wedding gift to you?"

"Yes, T'kanna, I do. Thank you for your kindness and generosity."

"Good! You'll need to let me know how I can help; I can also recruit servants to assist with the sewing project, as well. But, for now, I must attend to household business. Mother's due back this afternoon, and my fifth suitor will be at dinner tonight." She cast a worried glance at Eddin and said quietly, "Do try to be there, D'merdon. I really want you with me when I meet him."

Eddin nodded. "I will be there."

T'kanna smiled, nodded, and walked out the door.

Vania looked around the room, sighing, then looked up at Eddin. "Well. That was a lot."

He nodded and tightened his arm around her, causing her to lean on him. "Yeah. And we're just getting started. Let's go for a walk, and I can tell you more about what you just agreed to."