"How much longer?" Chicha huffed as she trudged along the uncultivated, misty trail.
"Just a bit longer," Micos, her elderly father replied in a raspy voice. The humidity of the Peruvian forest swallowed them and made the waxy leaves on billowy trees hang especially low. Such surroundings only accentuated Chicha's claustrophobia as they voyaged up the mountain.
Much to Micos' excitement (and her dismay), Chicha had finally become of age and it was time to find her a suitable husband. None of lowly, uneducated men in her village would do for her proud and obstinate father, so he sought out other prospects, connecting with any and every contact he knew in search for a man fit enough to care for his prized daughter.
Despite a lifetime of living in the mountains, the high altitude proved to be troublesome for her father's weakening lungs. The duo stopped briefly as Micos weathered an especially tumultuous coughing attack. He smiled meekly at Chicha, then they continued on.
Chicha worried often about her father and how he would fare living alone. Her mother passed away when she was young, so taking care of Micos became her favorite title. She was the only person who could conquer her father's hard-headedness. She would have been content living in the same village as her father while raising her own family, but Chicha was willing to sacrifice her happiness at the expense of erasing her father's potential worry. She inherited her mother's selfless devotion to her family, along with her strong wit and determination.
They had received news from a messenger that an old friend of her father's had a son in search of a wife to take with him as he began his job as one of the emperor's consultants. He was good-looking and promised with a hefty salary and a luxuriant life in the city.
"This is all you could ever want," Micos told her as they packed for their four-day hike to meet her new husband. "This is all I could ever want for my daughter."
"I didn't know you loved me so much that you wanted to ship me off to a village a four day's trip away," Chicha added playfully, and the two laughed.
"See the clearing over there," her father lifted his knobby walking stick at waved it at the opening between the trees. "Past there is our destination. We have finally reached it. Come, daughter," he said.
Chicha tried to smile for her father, but the continuing feeling of claustrophobia lingered and she trudged along the path. These trails were unfamiliar to her, the birdcalls and plants essentially alien. She wondered if she would have anything in common with this new suitor, or if she had the strength in her to fake her own happiness in their marriage.
They made it past the clearing and were welcomed by the clamor of this foreign village. Chicha smiled at several of the people in the streets, and thankfully her smile was returned. Her father stopped once to ask a group of women for directions, and they all wordlessly pointed to the top of the village.
After what seemed like an eternity, Micos and Chicha finally approached a modest house surrounded by farmland. Despite its domineering presence on top of the mountain, it was evident that this family had just as much money as Micos.
Her father knocked on the rusty door and it opened almost immediately.
"Micos!" a burly man about the same age as him exclaimed and gathered him in a hug. "It has been far too long! I am beyond thrilled that such exciting events have brought us together again."
"Indeed, Raymi," her father chuckled as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I would like for you to meet my daughter, Chicha."
Micos ushered for her to come closer to the door, and she obliged. Raymi took her hand in his. "My, Micos, she looks just like your wife. What a beauty," he sighed, then looked at her father. "I now see why you kept her tucked away in your neck of the forest all these years. It is an honor to welcome you to my family."
Chicha tucked a loose strand of her hair back into her green headband and smiled at him. "If you knew my sense of humor, then you would understand why he kept me hidden from the world."
Her father shot her a look as they entered the modest house.
"Chicha, this is my son, Sumac. I think you will enjoy each other's company," Raymi said, and gestured to the man standing in their living room.
"Why, hello, Chicha," said Sumac, and immediately Chicha was taken aback by his exquisite looks and rich voice. Although he wasn't tall, per say, his stance definitely exuded confidence. His rich, black hair was tied up neatly into a braid that fell at his shoulders, and his clothes accentuated his muscular build. His sharp features only added to his alluring presence. He had almond eyes that glistened as he sized up her narrow waist and childbearing hips. His ears adorned brandish gold earrings that indicated his educated status, and a grin that suggested he had mischievous things on his mind.
Chicha sighed. He was just like the rest of them.
"Hello, Sumac. I've heard from some trusted sources that we would be compatible." One of Chicha's strongest features was her sarcasm, a trait she inherited after years of interacting with arrogant men like him.
Sumac gave her a puzzled look, but brushed it off. "Let me escort you to the dining room," he said and placed his hand on the small of her back—albeit a little past the small of her back—as he guided her into the room. The sheer movement alone irked Chicha tremendously, thus leading the evening off to an unsettling start.