The banquet hall was prepared according to the most rigorous standards of the day. Long tables were piled high with roasted meats and exotic fruits. Plentiful quantities of wine were served by cheerful servants. Three dais were erected in a half circle at the head of the room. In the center sat the men: Elijah, Jerusha, Nikklaus, Tomakai and their father Abramas. To their left the women were seated: Anya, Myra, Evine, and their mother Syrrah. Each was opulently outfitted; the men in deep purple, the color of wealth and power, and the women in white, the color of purity and virtue. The three girls were partially veiled with lace so that they were presented as modest, but shown off to the men of the room as prized potential brides.
Abramas rose to his feet and the room which was previously humming with chatter went silent.
"My friends, guests in my home, please join me in welcoming our most honoured guests, the family of Karloff Petrovisky. Soon our two families shall be one in marriage," Abramas addressed the crowd.
The musicians on hand struck up a celebratory tune, and through the doors began the procession arranged by the Petrovisky family. Servants filed in, their arms weighed down with gifts from chests of gold and silver to silks and pottery. A calf, fattened and painted gold was lead in on a lead rope attached to a jewelled bridle. Each gift was more extravagant than the last, and the crowd was appropriately enraptured.
Then came a parade of dancing girls in gossamer costumes than concealed little, writhing about suggestively for the crowd's amusement. They were followed by costumed drummers. And this was followed by a half dozen shaman, in long hooded robes, chanting an eerie blessing. These caused the crowd to go silent.
Finally, the actual family began to file in. First was Karloff with his long dark beard and piercing black eyes. He was dressed in robes similar to the shaman's but with far more ornamentation. On his arm was the matriarch of the family, his wife Demitra. She would have been beautiful with her long hair and well-kept figure, but her face was disfigured with a battle scar; the long line of a sword blade carved from her left temple to her right jaw. Her appearance caused the crowd to whisper a thousand speculations about how such a wound had been acquired. Their daughters followed close behind. First, was Olga. She was dressed in all black and heavily veiled; a widow, her husband lost in battle. Then were Antonia and Renata, thirteen and fourteen, dressed in flowing white with half veils, and a air about their walk that suggested numerous improper thoughts to the men present.
Finally, the bride-to-be emerged. She was weighed down by the sheer amount of lace and beading and gold on her gown, so she walked slowly towards the dais. She wore a floor-length translucent veil. Her family took their places at the third dais, leaving her to stand stock-still before Abramas.
"Rebekka," Abramas presented. "We are most pleased to announce that she has passed all tests."
The crowd whooped, hollered, and raised their chalices in toast.
"The next moon rises in three days time. On this day, you shall be wed. So now, let us feast in the name of our bride!" Abramas declared, and there was much rejoicing.
AN: How's everyone liking the story so far?