Fallen Kingdoms And The Ones Left Behind

Chapter Two

Gari and I ride our horses side by side, until his excitement takes over and he sends Be'ela into a gallop.
The well trodden path is grassy, large oak trees on either side. My brown shawl is barely clinging to my shoulders, my golden-brown hair trailing above it. I see Gari in the distance, Be'ela far ahead. My seventeen-year-old brother has stopped and is waiting for me where the trees open into the Deukis' fields.
I catch up to Gari finally, and Umi'ilo is panting.
"Wait up next time, will you?" I push a stray hair out of my face and behind my ear.
"Sorry." Gari's fingers are gripping the reins tightly, his knuckles white. He looks beyond me, towards the other side of the field where the forest begins again.
I search for words of encouragement, but none come. What do you tell your older brother when the Laupo Army may or may not recruit him? There is nothing.
I simply reach over and tap his shoulder, then take off through the Deukis' wheat field.
"Umi'ilo can't best Be'ela!" I hear, and don't look back.
I hear hoofbeats not far behind me, and I turn out of the wheat fields and back into the forest.
There is a stone path here, leading back into the town. Umi'ilo's hooves beat against the rock, and it is not long before I hear Be'ela's hooves as well.
"Come on girl," I whisper to Umi'ilo. Umi'ilo nods her head in response, and thunders into a full gallop. I hear Gari laughing behind me, excited to finally have good chase.
After a few minutes, Gari catches up to me and grins.
"See you at Yopha!" He races ahead once more, until I can't see him. I sigh, and tell Umi'ilo to slow down, no more need for chase. She slows, and we go along in the dappled forest light. I smile.
About ten minutes pass, and we reach the end of the wood. The road veers sharply to the right, but Umi'ilo pulls against the reins, trying to get me to go towards the grassy field on the left.
I shake my head. "Not today, Umi. We have to go meet up with Gari." I grin. "And Mother."
Umi'ilo gives a sigh, and follows the road out of the forest. I ride out from under the shade, into the bright morning sun. I shade my eyes for a moment, looking over towards the town. I can see a lone figure on a horse, riding in small circles outside Yopha.
I shake my head. At least Gari waited outside the town. As I get closer, I realize it isn't Gari. I smile wide. "Ori!"
The man turns to look at me. His dark black hair- common of the people of Renoi- is messy, one of the reasons I like it so much. He rides up to me, his dappled-brown horse neighing at the sight of Umi'ilo.
"Api!" His crooked smile and golden-brown eyes totally capture me for a moment, and I'm unable to say anything. Then I let out a loud laugh and half jump, half fall off of Umi'ilo into his arms. "Orin!" He holds me tightly, and I almost start crying. It's been seven months since I've seen my betrothed, in custom with Renoi tradition.
A betrothed couple may only see each other once every month for three years, after one of the betrothed turns sixteen. Orin turned sixteen about two years and eleven months ago.
We would've seen each other as often as we could during those seven other months, but Orin had been in Lucipe; a neighboring nation.
Whenever we were together, I complained to Orin how terribly, elaborately, and stupidly complicated the 'Betrothed Law' was. He would gently ask me to stop, and just enjoy our time together.
"One more month."
Orin's words pulled me out of my thoughts.
"What?" I pulled out of our embrace for a moment, not understanding.
He grinned that amazing smile of his, our eyes locked.
Suddenly it hit me, and I started jumping up and down like a little girl.
"We'll be married in a month!" The tears came now, happy ones. " Oh Ori!"
Orin smiled, then became solemn. "Let's celebrate later." He glanced towards Yopha; uncertainty in his eyes. "The Laupo Army has arrived, and Gari's in line to be recruited."
I was shocked. He hadn't even waited for me to arrive in Yopha!
"Why... why would he do that?"
"I don't know."
With that, we both mounted our horses and raced to the town.