I woke up with a gentle light shinning on my face. A small smile broke its way between my cheeks, as I felt more comfortable than I ever had before. Turning around I faced the large pillow behind me and snuggled my way into it without opening my eyes. A feeling of comfort and security overflowed me as I was brought, somehow, even closer into the feeling of warmth. I didn't know how to explain it but I think the last time I felt that safe was when my dad gave me a hug the night before the incident. I buried my face into this solid but soft wall and/or pillow, trying to permanently engrain in my mind the way that I felt at this very moment, in hopes to never forget it. A loud sigh of content sounded above me, my eyes opened quickly at the same time my body was brought on top of my pillow as it, or rather he, turned on his back. I looked up to see Ian's sleeping and content face as his arm secured my waist to his chest and our legs twinned together. My heart raced in fear and…excitement? No. That couldn't be it. I was only terrified of this close proximity with Ian.

I tried to push away, but in his deep sleep, he must not have realized, and he tightened his hold on my waist even more, this time with both of his arms, nuzzling his nose in my neck. My heart began racing even faster than I thought possible.

My hands rested on either side of his strong chest, I felt his heart beat, strong and steady, just like him. With our faces so close I could actually look at his features. With his strong jaw and sharp nose, he looked like a warrior. But, the way his long eyelashes framed his face and the slight pout to his lips as he slept made him seem so much more innocent, if that was even possible.

I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I began to trace the strong line of his jaw, which earned a strong squeeze from his large arms. Feeling our bodies pressed together, my toes grazed his thighs and the width of my shoulders was smaller than the width of his torso. My finger traveled up to his lips and traced them gently. Ian's head moved back down to my shoulder and, in his sleep, he kissed my neck. The cool feeling caused my breath to hitch and a small noise came from the back of my throat.

The noise I made must have woken him up because Ian took a deep breath and his eyes fluttered open slightly. My chin was resting on his chest, looking up at him as our eyes met. Ian smiled sleepily, but then the situation must have registered in his mind because his hands shot to my waist, swinging me around gently so that I was sitting up straight, leaning against the pillows next to him as he shot straight out of the bed, giving me a scared look as he surveyed me from afar, acting like he was afraid I was going to break in half.

Grr, fear me I am definitely the seven foot tall grounder in this relationship. Not that this is a relationship. I meant situation…yeah.

Ian looked me up and down, "I'm so sorry, Calista." He said softly, sorrow filling his eyes, "I didn't mean to-"

I shook my head, allowing my hair to go crazy over my face. Oh, shit. Bed head. "It's partially my fault also. I wanted you to stay with me last night."

I tossed my blanket aside so that I could stand up, trying to ignore how suggestive what I just said sounded. When I stood up on the nearest fur with my bare feet, looking around I tried to find the clothes that I was wearing yesterday, or any clothes for that matter. Turning around, I faced Ian who was running a hand through his hair and holding out some tan-white fabric. I raised an eyebrow, "What's that for?" I asked suspiciously.

"It's your dress…" I filled in his pause. It was my dress. For the freaking wedding. I sighed and held my hand for him to toss it to me. I noticed that he wasn't meeting my eyes, which was fine because that's what I was suppose to be doing to him, right? He was a man. A powerful man who could take advantage of me any second. Fear quaked through me but I couldn't find it in myself to fear the giant grounder that stood before me.

"Right. We're getting married."

"Calista," Ian started, still on the other side of our hut, not looking fully at me, "you should know that our marriage rituals are a little… different."

Holy crap I've read about this in books. I'm gunna have to consummate the marriage in public or something crazy like that. Or is it I have to break a plate…with someone's head? Is that grounder style? I think Ian could sense that my brain had moved to a thousand different scenarios, none of which were very good. "Don't worry it's nothing gruesome, it's just a very long process and there will be a lot of words spoken in grounder that you might not understand, but I'll translate for you. Also, It's bad luck for me to see you before the wedding so I need to go, I'll bring some tribe woman in here to help you get ready."

And with that he walked out of the giant doorway of my, well I guess our, hut.

All of a sudden, when I was getting used to the silence of being alone, three middle-aged women ran into my hut in a loud swarm of words I didn't understand. It was like a burst of life and happiness bombarded the once tense hut. They paused when they saw me, only to squeal in delight and practically tackle me so that I was standing in the middle of a little circle that they created. They marveled at my blonde hair and one lady began squeezing my waist and feeling my hips. I jumped at the woman's grabby hands, and she giggled at my reaction, but then looked at me with a frown, "You're skinny. Too skinny. How do you expect to have a warrior baby if you're too small?" I frowned at that then shuddered at where my thoughts lead. I wasn't going to make a baby with Ian, the grounders just needed to think that I would.

Then the women took it to a whole new level and began to pull my clothing off of me. "WHOA! What are you doing!?"

The women exchanged glances then looked at me as if I was a child that couldn't quite grasp that one plus one was two. "We're getting you ready for your wedding." I pushed their greedy old hands off of me before they completely stripped me.

"Just give me what I need to wear, I can take off my own clothes."

All movements stopped and they looked at me like I just committed the biggest crime in the world. But, the woman in the center looked at me with sympathy, "Our culture is that the bride shouldn't do anything on the day of the wedding. She's suppose to be waited upon on hand and foot until the ceremony ends, then the only person that should wait on you is your husband until one of your souls reunites with the earth." Basically he was suppose to do whatever I wanted him to do until one of us died…didn't it use to be the other way around. "We believe that a strong woman is the greatest gift that we could be given. And that every man should treasure the strong woman in their life, especially because it is women that lead us, and are the brains of our tribe, but men who fight and protect for us."

I sighed deeply but went limp and allowed the three eager women to take over, despite my mortification. And trust me, was it mortifying. They bathed me, primped me, dressed me…need I go on. And throughout it all I was unable to lift a single finger. It was hell. And when I would shield away from their eyes, they giggled thinking I was adorable. I. Was. Not. Adorable.

When they were done, the one who explained tradition to me before turned to me again, "We're going to get you a veil, you must stay sitting you your bed and put this on your upper thigh." She gave me a lacy elastic-looking thing. "It is you who must put it on, and only your husband who can remove it." My face turned pink at the thought. "When we come back, the ceremony will officially begin, you're supposed to continue not to work. Don't worry."

I wanted to roll my eyes at this. Oh yeah thank god because I'm just so glad I can't scratch my nose without offending the gods that the grounders worship. I awkwardly pulled the scandalous lacey thing up my thigh, but I didn't know just how high to put it up, so I put it a little higher than what my fingertips would reach if I were standing up. But ya know, standing up requires work, and I can't do that without being smite-ed by Zeus or whatever.

The women came back with a beautiful piece of fabric. One of them came up to me and placed the veil on the crown of my head, gently sticking pins to keep the long veil in my hair. Damn, maybe I should have pretended every day was my wedding day, and then I could have used something as efficient as a veil to cover me up instead of a hood. They brought a mirror toward me and I glanced at my veiled covered face and my two piece wedding gown. The first top was fitted and fell to the middle of my stomach; only a sliver of skin was shown before my long flowey skirt that had a slit up my skirt. I wasn't aloud to wear shoes, because I wasn't supposed to even touch the ground, and I honestly didn't know how that was going to work out but…whatever.

One of the women disappeared only to reappear with two men dressed in matching outfits. They didn't have shirts on, all they had were man-skirts or something that went to their knees. With one strap of cloth connecting to the fabric and going across their chests, around one of their shoulders. "These are the two men that Ian has chosen to be your protectors if you were to ever need protection and he was not around. They're called your chosen warriors, and they will carry you to begin the ceremony."

Carry me? What the hell was I a doll? …Okay bad example. They got the bottom of a chair-like thing, both holding one side, and instructed me to slide onto it carefully. I scowled but sat on it carefully, the two of them easily lifted me up, and they began to tow me out of the hut and into the harsh light of the village.

The people of the village lined up, one on each side, in a long line of people, like a path. When I passed, they all touched one of my feet with a flower that they held. I didn't understand it, but I allowed it to happen as I was carried slowly down the aisle. The small petals caressed my feet, as we turned another corner of the path, until I saw Ian at the end. He was wearing a skirt, just like his chosen warriors, but instead of one strap, he war two. He had tattoos on the front of his strong chest, and I couldn't help but admire his sculpted body as a blush covered my entire body. He looked up, his gaze seeming to catch mine even through the veil. I felt like he could see through me and everything felt like it stopped. When I finally got to the platform that he stood on, there was a pedestal that seemed to fit the chair-like thing I was sitting on. The two men rested me down on the pedestal, making me up high enough that my feet couldn't touch the ground.

An hour must have passes as the man spoke before one of us moved. Ian got down on one knee before me, reaching for my left hand and grabbing it gently, before sliding a beautiful gemmed-ring on my ring finger. He traced it gently with the tips of his fingers, before kissing it gently, and finding my eyes once again. A man standing behind us began saying words in his grounder language. Ian grasped onto one hand and one foot, grasping them in his much larger hands and began translating for me. "With this ring, it will unite us, you will be my everything and I will be faithful to you forever." His hand on my foot slid up to behind my knee, gripping it in a firm grip and getting on both of his knees, scooting closer to me. My heart pounded and his other hand let go of mine, before placing a solid metal ring in my hand, "Now you slide this onto my finger and repeat what I said" His voice was light and gentle. I nodded, sliding the ring onto his large ring finger saying, "With this ring we are united, you will be my everything and I will be faithful to you forever." I may have messed that up but oh well.

A smile peeked at his lips, then his hands came up and he gently pushed my veil away from my face. "I'm going to kiss you now, and it will show the rest of the world that I am yours, and I will protect you forever." Then his plush lips came down on mine. My heart rate increased, as his large hands caressed my face gently as he moved his lips against mine in rhythmic patterns.

I moved my hands to grasp his shoulders and try to pull him closer, but he pulled away as the audience began to clasp and cheer, as music filled the village and dancing began. Ian swept me up in his arms, carrying me to a table with large piles of food. He sat down at the largest chair at the table, placing me on his lap, and wrapping his arms around me, my head being tucked under his chin when I leaned back. "Do all married couples do this?" He paused his hand tracing my skin in gentle patterns on the skin that showed on my stomach. "Yes…" but the slight pauses made me think that maybe no, this is not what they all do. But if it wasn't, why was everyone sneaking smiles at the two of us with admiration and adoration in their eyes. Plus, why would Ian do something like this if it weren't required. My heart fell when I reminded myself that this was just an arrangement for the 100.

Whoa thinking about the 100 was a weird feeling. I had been thinking about so many other things, like the man that was currently sending shivers from his innocent touch. Was he planning on consummating the marriage tonight? I knew he said no but…it was hard to believe that with the way he was looking at me like that.

The party continued for hours, and I ate more food than I thought I could. Ian continued to laugh at my reactions of the random people approaching me and giving me presents, like jewels and clothing and pretty much anything a girl could ask for. My veil was put back on my head after the kiss, so it was more content for me to not have to know that everyone saw me. But with Ian sitting there, I could hardly expect many people to notice my small frame.

I craned my neck so I was facing him, giving him a look of concern, "Are your legs getting numb, I've been sitting on you for-" Ian smiled which made me stop talking.

"Of course not, three of you could sit on me and they still wouldn't be numb"

"I bet that would make you happy wouldn't it?" I mumbled sarcastically but gasped when I saw a teasing light in his eyes. Where was the shy giant that I talked to this morning? Like the second he put a ring on me he gets all greedy.

A large dessert came through the crowed and was placed right in front of me, a wide smile broke across my face as I almost flung myself at it, but Ian's hands moved me back. My back rumbled with his deep voice, "I'm suppose to feed you your first bite, and then you'll feed me before the rest of the people can eat."

I nodded my head and watched as Ian grabbed a fork and dug into the large treat before he raised it to my lips. I happily opened my mouth as he put the sweet substance in. It wasn't like cake but it has a similar taste to it. I hummed in appreciation and took the fork from Ian's hands, and digging in a giant bite, one twenty times larger than the smaller one he gave me, putting it near his lips. Ian's smile was contagious as the whole village laughed when he opened his mouth as wide as he could and I shoved the treat into it. Only half actually reached his mouth, the rest being smeared all over his face. The roar of laughter set off my giggles as Ian wiped the remaining cake off of his face. He used his other hand to lift the veil and sweep some frosting-like delicacy on the corner of my lips. My tongue shot out to lick it and I saw his eyes follow the motion.

The villagers began to eat the cake and I turned away from Ian, even though my body didn't want me to. What was I doing? Was I starting to have feelings for a grounder? What about Bellemy? ... The name sounded so foreign to me. It had only been a day but I felt like a year had passed since I last saw him. Now here I was allowing the not-so-shy-anymore giant to win my heart. Was that fair to him? But when a shudder went down my spine from Ian's laugh, I thought about how it wouldn't be fair to me if I didn't live in this moment right now.

Ian made me feel…safe. Bellemy made me feel like a prize, but Ian made me feel like nothing would stop him from protecting me. All the rules and dictators in the world didn't apply to him when it concerned me. But how could I feel that way? Was it just from the way he held me when I woke up, or the way he kissed me, or even just the way he held me right now. I was delicate, but I was the powerful one.

The way the grounders lived was so different, the women being the one to rule and the men their servants. I didn't like the idea of Ian serving me, but I did like the idea of me being his world. I didn't know where the sexism started or began. A world where the woman was the slave and the man was powerful, or the opposite? Either way seemed wrong, but in this community it didn't seem at all like a priority, but a blessing. The men were blessed to serve and protect their family.

Turning back to Ian I saw that he watched children play and chase each other, all while palming my small stomach and rubbing it gently. I didn't know what this gesture meant but, I thought before this was all for an agreement. Why would Ian wish for a future he knew would never happen?

The music finally came to a stop as the grounders tired out. They all said goodbye to Ian and I and, until they were all gone, we sat their thanking them, me just repeating what Ian said in grounder and I'm sure I pronounced everything wrong.

Ian carried me to our hut, because apparently that part of the evening wasn't over yet. He gently set me down on the bed and I gave him a wary look. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair, "Don't worry, Calista, I just need to take the guarder off of your leg to complete the tradition."

I nodded, blushing and pointed to the leg it was on silently. I didn't know if it was intended or it was just easier for him, but Ian trailed his hand from my ankle up and when he reached up my thigh my whole body was quaking and I was surprised I didn't pass out. His hands reached up farther and I now knew I put it to high up. When he got to it, he stroked the surrounding skin and pulled off the fabric, but not before his hand traced the dreaded place. No not that place you pervert. Ian had found the scars that the guard's long nails had left on my upper thigh. His eyes shot to mine in one of panic. Gently pushing me father down the bed he began to pull up my skirt. My hands shot down and I glared at him, "What do you think you're doing!?"

His breathing was labored, "Calista, I need to see. I am suppose to protect you and you have scars on your body, let me see."

My skirt flew up and Ian's sad and fearful eyes landed on the long white scars trailing up my thigh. "Who did this to you?" He asked quietly. I pulled my skirt back down and tucked my knees into my chest, hiding my face away, "A very bad person."

Suddenly Ian was beside me, cradling me in his arms and letting me cry into his chest. He rocked me from side to side promising that nothing like this would ever happen again, because he was here.

I cried for, who knows how long, until I looked up at him with a deep sigh, and started to rub my eyes, "We should get ready for bed."

I started to get up but Ian grabbed me harder, "you're still not suppose to do anything" I furrowed my brow "I thought the ceremony was over" Ian nodded, "It is, but a newly wed shouldn't do anything that her husband can do for her." That's how I found myself facing away from Ian as he untied my dress. But, strangely enough, I wasn't scared, I was more of nervous that something might actually happen, and I wouldn't be able to stop it.

Ian pulled me out of my clothes, but not in a creepy way, nor did I feel violated. He didn't look at me, just grabbed a shirt of his and pulled it over my body, only to the pull off my skirt. So there I lay, on my wedding night, in only my husband's shirt but not doing the nasty. Ian paused at the side of the bed and I looked at him, nodding. He climbed in with me, without a shirt on, I might add, and pulled me to his chest, once again nuzzling my neck. His steady heart beat began to lull me to sleep as I cuddled into him and we both sighed. But Ian gently pushed me onto my back before I had fully reached being asleep and spoke right against my lips "Just one more time, before I have to wake up" and pressed his lips lightly against mine in the most loving kiss I had ever received, only to pull away and pull me on top of his chest in a position much like the one we had woken up to.