I am terribly sorry about the huge delay, had a few problems back home that I had to deal with. So with an 11 hour travel, I had finished writing this chapter(s).
I hope you like this chapter, and I got the idea from the ever paitent MindnightThief. Esca will be arrving in two chapters.
Two weeks have passed since Marcus left our villa. Where was he? Mother did say he was coming to stay with us instead of his uncle. My bare feet padded across our rough rug silently, I was biting my nail impatiently awaiting his arrival. But it was already mid-day and no sign of the carriage coming up our road. Marcus, where are you!
"Be patient darling." Mother said while hemming a pair of my brothers' shirt. She hummed softly, each tune carried in the wind to create a nice melody.
"He should have been here by now…" I sighed out, looking out our window with squinting green eyes. I scanned the area in front of me, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything.
"Cornelia, come here." My mother said, whilst putting down her project.
I turned around grumpily and saw outstretched arms beckoning me over to her. "Come." She said once more, waving those hands towards herself. I trudge over to her and she engulfed me with her arms. A smile in place.
"Now, Marcus will be here soon okay?" She lifted my face up and moved a brown lock of hair away from my eyes. "Cheer up?"
"Okay…" I smiled fully, showing teeth and all.
"Hello?" An all too familiar voice questioned outside our room.
I scrambled out of mothers lap, probably almost hurting her in the process to get to the main room. "Marcus!" I shouted happily, eyeing his sack of clothes, I then shouted for Calista.
"Yes?" She questioned brightly, a smile on my face.
"Take Marcus's clothes to his room." I said, handing her the bag gently.
"Of course." She replied before walking off into the depths of our villa.
My tongue went instantly over my teeth as I saw her parted ones. I then turned my attention back to Marcus who was standing there solemnly.
"You miss your father?" I questioned, putting a hand on his shoulder. My sunny disposition darkening slightly.
"Yes." Was all he said.
"Well don't worry! They will be back soon, along with the standard." I smiled and then looked at his necklace. A wooden eagle stood proudly on his chest. "Did he give this to you?" I asked, tracing the carved in feathers with a small thumb.
"Yes." He said once more.
My eyes crinkled in annoyance, what would ever get him into a better mood? Only after a moment of thinking, I tried instantly, a grin staining my face. I pushed like all the times before, he only stumbled briefly before looking at my wildly.
"Why do you do that?" He accused.
"What?" I replied, grin still foolish.
"This." And for the first time, he actually pushed me back, I stared in shock before speaking again.
"You're saying that I did this:" I then pushed him back in defiance.
"No, it was more like this:" He then shoved again.
That continued until we both had a few scrapes from falling down, and we couldn't breathe from running and laughing to hard. We collapsed onto our backs, looking up at the darkening sky. The yellow wildflowers swayed lightly in the wind, towering over our forms. The bugs began to sing, while the birds were saying their goodnights. This spot would become our land, our home for the summer months to come while Marcus lived with us.
Three months have passed, and we lay in our bed of wild flowers. Our cheeks flushed with red from the sun, I fiddled with flowers, trying to create something out of it. While he, was sharpening a rock for some unknown purpose.
That man my father wants me to be courted with came around much more often, and on more days than not, he talked to my father with me, holding my hand. It was uncomfortable to say the least…But what else could I do? I sighed, weaving in tall grass to strengthen my flower project.
"What's wrong?" Marcus asked, looking up from his lap.
"Well, I am turning of age soon…And so, I am to have a husband." I muttered out the sentence.
"To whom?" He asked, bewildered.
I began to describe the older man's looks, and he was reminded quickly of one of father's guest.
"Black Beard?" He asked with a scrunched up face.
I laughed, that was our nickname for him, for obvious reasons.
"You don't have to marry him." He stated with a big smile.
It was now my time to look bewildered. "How?" I asked skeptically.
"I will be your husband." He said simply.
"Would that work?" I asked happily.
"Well you can't have two husbands!" He said, getting him and me up off the ground.
"Your right…" I said with a wild grin.
"How do we get married though?" He asked with crinkled eyes.
I began to think of the lessons mother taught me, and what I learned at my older sisters' ceremony. I loosened a chain around my neck and began to put it around his.
"This is my…" I tried to think of the word: "dowry." I finished. "Now, you have to give me a ring like my mothers.
"I don't have one." He said slowly, before taking off his wooden eagle. I held wide eyes as he put it around me.
"Are you sure?" I asked, thumbing the eagle.
"Yes, I know father is coming back before long, so…" He finished his sentence. "What now?"
I grimaced slightly as I thought of the last I remembered. "We have to sacrifice something."
He looked around before he spotted a rather large bug, he then turned to me and I nodded. We both squashed it with our leather sandal
"Okay, we are now married." I said awkwardly with a small smile. I placed the flowered crown around his short brown hair. "But don't tell anyone yet." I said, before sitting laying on the ground. I closed my eyes but soon after I began to hear scraping against wood. I looked up lazily and saw his back turned to mine.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Well, come look." He said, moving over to accommodate me next to trunk of the tree. It was todays date carved deeply into the wood. "So we won't forget." He smiled before pulling me off the ground and closer to my home.
"We should go now." He mumbled out, and we began to walk to the villa.
I know I wasnt the most correct about the whole cermony, but I put it into a kids perspective.
Hoped you liked it, and thank you for the reviews, they mean a lot. :)