CHAPTER 9:MARIEL
For the next hour, I tried in vain to discourage my parents from forcing me to go with them today. It was a mistake, I assured them. They should meet him and tell me about it first. My father claimed to already have met him on several occasions and that he could take no more of my bridal jitters, and that I was going. Period.
My siblings accompanied us as far as the base. From there, we hopped a jumper to another, smaller space port. This port was small ship reception and dispatch. It brought home the seriously wounded and the dead. It also sent the replacements back to the domeship the transport was registered to.
Ajaht and the rest of his family lived in proximity to this port. I didn't care what anyone said, neither Ajaht nor this horrible place was what I wanted for the rest of my life. I didn't want to see him, I didn't want to know him, and I didn't want to be bound for him 'forever and ever amen.' I didn't even want to think about being the mother of his children. I would probably end up saddled with his whelp within the year while he went off to fight. He would come home expecting everything to be great between us and leave me with yet another child to raise on my own. If he was like most men, he would be cold and distant so it wouldn't hurt so bad to leave us behind knowing that he might never return. Neither of us would be able to afford becoming attached. It would be this way until he retired or was injured. Maybe after the kids grew up, he and I would finally have time to really know each other. War would demand a sacrifice of all of us.
I tried to shake it off, but the more solutions to my imagined life that I came up with, the worse I felt.
The jumper docked on the south side of the base and we disembarked. Estrid, Ajaht's little sister was there to greet us. It was a miracle that she wasn't a complete mess after all she had been through. I couldn't imagine being sent off on a suicide mission with three complete incompetents and being the only survivor. The details were yet to be released, but everyone knew that the mission to assassinate the Abomination had failed miserably. I suspected that it was never meant to succeed, but I kept it to myself.
Estrid was about fifteen, so she wasn't really that much younger than me. She was a genius, but she couldn't fathom my discomfort. As far as the sciences went, there was no better, but as for domestic issues, she was naïve. The plans for her marriage had been long in place and she was ecstatic. She could hardly wait for the week to come when she would be in my place.
Let me say a few things about matrimonies. They are a week long ordeal. Each family has their separate celebrations. Everyone attends except the bride or the groom. If it was the bride's family giving the social, she was present. If it was the groom's family, he was present. On the third day, the actual wedding happened.
A wedding starts with a religious leader standing in the center of the witnesses. Beside him is a screen. On one side of the screen are the groom and his father. The male guests stand back on that side of the screen as well. There is some ritual rambling, and then the bride is called for. On her side of the screen, all of the female guests part so that the bride and her mother and her father may walk down the center. The bride formally bids her mother farewell and walks the last few steps with her father. The brides' father gives her hand to the religious leader and goes to stand with his wife. There is more ritual muttering, then the screen is pushed aside and the bride is supposed to leave her father and go to stand beside her husband.
The rest of the week is one party after the other. At the last of them, the bride is officially a wife and she and her husband depart for home. That's the short version of what is going to happen to me.
Sigh.
>You must be Estrill. I'm Ajaht's sister, Estrid-Corill-Darath. I welcome you on behalf of my family,> Estrid chirped. When I didn't say anything she prompted, >Our names sound a lot alike. Do you like to be called Estrill?>
>No,> I replied shortly.
>What would you prefer I call you?>
>Ottahere,> I said without thinking. My father kicked my heel sharply.
>Pardon?>
>Mariel,> I said Mariel. She regarded my skeptically, but said nothing about it.
>Follow me please; I will take you to where the rest of the family is waiting.> I wondered how far the genius would go before she realized I had no intention of following her, but my father nudged me onward. He made me walk in front of him. It was strange and I felt that I was on display, which I was.
I followed Estrid obediently as she led me to my fate. It was like following death to the underworld. I saw, in the distance two figures that I took to be Ajaht's parents. Great, he couldn't even come to meet me himself.
When we reached them, civil introductions were made and Ajaht's mother apologized profusely for his absence. I was irked, but I really couldn't care less. We all made polite conversation as we progressed into the family's property.
>There you are! We were wondering what had become of you,> Ajaht's mother said by way of greeting her son. She stepped aside, to allow him a better view of me. Ajaht's mother brushed some imaginary dust from his shoulder and he smiled down at her. He was elegant to say the least as he turned to me,
>I am Ajaht-Litsom-Esth and I am pleased to make you acquaintance. Would you be Estrill?>
>Mariel,> I corrected him with a courteous smile.
>Come with us to the scoop and we will get into some detail about the week's arrangements,> Ajaht's father invited my parents to come with them and leave Ajaht and me alone. I watched them go with a sense of utter abandonment, and then I turned back to the problem at hand. I turned my stalk eyes first and caught Ajaht contemplating my butt. I turned to face him, but he was composed by then.
>I had my doubts about you when I first heard what a little firebrand you were,> Ajaht said as he circled me slowly, >but after seeing you for myself…> He let the sentence hang until he had come back around to face me. Before he could say another thing, I eyed him and said as resolutely as I could,
>If you think for one minute that I'll roll over and give you anything, you have another thing coming. I'm not impressed by academy records, Ajaht, as they do nothing for me.>
>If you think that I am put off and won't take what I want from you, you, my dear, have it coming. I will own you by this time next week. Why, did they not tell you? They don't have the time to wait for you to come around, he smirked, and neither will I.> He said the last bit with subdued malice.
>Is that a threat?> I demanded weakly.
>Consider it a promise.>
>Upon my father's honor I will suffer your company, but if you ever say anything like that to me again, I will be force to relieve you of your ego. It's a promise and a threat.>
>Such ugly words for such a pretty face,> he reached for me and I backed away, >You may be more trouble than I first anticipated, but if you turn out to be half as good as you look, the challenge of breaking you will be worth my while. It might even be fun…for me, that is.>
I smoldered and growled. It was a strange noise and I didn't even realize that I issued it until he spoke again,
>Growl all you want, little girl. Soon you won't utter a sound without my commissioning it.> His smile was cold, like that of a predator after a thrilling chase. I was no longer feeling bold. My anger had deserted me and left only fear and loathing.
While we were locked in a battle of wills, our parents approached.
>It's good to see you getting on so well,> Ajaht's mother chimed in hopefully.
>We are indeed,> Ajaht replied, turning to look at his mother with his main eyes, >she will be perfect.>
That son of a bitch! His mother turned to me and I force myself to smile comfortingly at her. My mother noticed my unease and gently eased us out of conversation. We said our good-byes and my parents and I retraced our steps back to the base. I could rest, however, for Ajaht had taken it upon himself to escort us.
I bid him farewell and as I boarded the jump ship, he put his hand on my back. I stopped and turned my stalk eyes back to him.
>I am sorry that you are scared of me, but try to understand that I will have no foolishness from you. Don't make me be cruel.> It was, I guessed, the closest he could get to apologizing, so I was prepared to let it go. Then he did the unthinkable.
As I walked forward up the ramp, he didn't remove his hand. Rather, he let it slide the length of me back and down my thigh. I whipped my tail and rapped his knuckles with the back of my blade.
>Next time, I won't turn it,> I said to him on a private channel.
He pulled his hand back smarting and shot me a dangerous look as the door closed. I just batted my eyes.
On the way home, I thought about Ajaht. I was almost ready to forgive him. I had even begun to consider that he wasn't that bad and it was my attitude that had made him seem unpleasant. I tried to see it from my mother's point of view. If I had to marry a stranger, he might as well be rich, handsome, and absent most of the time. For the time being, there was nothing I could do. I would just have to put up with him.
That is, until I devised a suitable plan.
