Christina
Boulder was wise enough to keep his distance and give me time to digest what had just happened. He complied when I asked him to take me back to my room and leave me alone.
Being in a haze, I was unsure if I should be furious, curious, or scared out of my mind.
Everything I had learned on my first year in college about the institution of marriage was coming back to me, and I kept hearing Kya tell me that I shouldn’t go and that I would end up some man’s property. I had wanted an adventure, but not this kind of adventure.
When a soft knock sounded on my door, I turned my back, unwilling to talk to any of the cunning Nmen who had tricked me.
“Hello,” a soft voice called out and got my attention. A woman!
I pushed myself up on my elbows and turned my body to see her, and recognized Laura as she stood by the door with an insecure smile on her face.
“How are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m angry at Khan for tricking me,” I said but waved her closer. “Did you sneak in here, or do they know you came?”
Laura looked pretty with her blue eyes, ginger-colored hair, and a blue dress that enhanced her slim waist. “Boulder asked Magni to let me come see you,” she said and stopped next to my bed. “He’s right outside your door.”
“Who, Magni?”
“No, Boulder. He looks pissed.”
I widened my eyes from her use of the P-word. It was such a contradiction to see such beauty and innocence and then hear such foul language. Patting the mattress, I encouraged her. “Please take a seat.”
I waited for her to sit down before I continued. “I’m relieved to see a woman in this awful place. And obviously now I know why they kept us apart. Surely you would have warned me that they were planning to make me marry one of them.”
“Why? Are you against the marriage? I don’t understand.”
My jaw dropped.
“What?” she asked, her brows drawing closely together.
“Why am I against marriage?” I didn’t wait for her response, but answered the question myself. “Because it’s a ridiculous old-fashioned thing that went out of fashion hundreds of years ago.”
“It did?” Laura asked with great interest.
“Laura, sweetie, you grew up here so you have no idea, but in the Motherlands men are kind and gentle, not like these barbarians. And the women… we’re all educated, and not one would ever marry a man.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“No. It’s an antique way of thinking from back in the day when women needed men for protection, financial security, social standing, or procreation. Women don’t need men for anything anymore.”
“But who protects you then?”
“There’s no crime in the Motherlands – we don’t need protection.”
“But being married isn’t a bad thing. Is it because you don’t like Boulder?” Laura asked and looked so young.
I ignored her question and asked my own. “I suppose this means that Magni is your husband then?”
She smiled vaguely. “Yes, I was lucky that he fought for me.”
“Lucky?” I said incredulously.
“When he was one of the winners, I had no doubt that he was my first choice,” Laura explained. “I think he’s very handsome and I like his name. Did you know Magni was the name of Thor’s son?”
“No.”
“Among the old Norse gods, Magni was the god of strength.”
“Really?” I shook my head. “I don’t know, Laura, I think it’s all a bit silly how they name their boys after heroes and gods.”
Laura’s eyebrows shot up. “But it was Erika, their mother, who named Khan and Magni.”
“They have a mother?”
“Yes, they are some of the few who grew up with a mother. Erika is one of the ancestors of the original women, just like me.”
“And Erika lives here?”
“Yes, she’s been under the protection of Khan ever since her husband died, and she’s very respected by all us women here.”
“All? How many women are there?”
“Only she and I live here at the Gray Mansion. But there are other women in the area. The rest are spread out around the Northlands.”
“Do you know exactly how many women live in the Northlands in total?”
She nodded. “Currently we’re one hundred and seven.” A smile erupted on her lips. “But Laila Michelle is pregnant and expecting a girl.”
“Is she a friend of yours?” I asked.
“Yes, she’s a close friend.”
“But doesn’t it seem strange to you that the males are all named after heroes and gods and the women…” I trailed off. “You’re named ordinary names like Laura, Erika, and Michelle.”
Laura bit her lip. “Actually, Erika means eternal ruler and my name means the favorable one. It comes from the old traditional in the Ancient Rome where they created victors’ garlands from leaves of the laurel tree.” She looked up as if thinking hard. “I can’t remember what the meaning of Michelle is; I’ll have to ask her.”
“It’s okay,” I said and grabbed her hand, a more urgent question pressing on my chest. “Laura, what does marriage mean here?”
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Well, I have no experience with marriage and I’m scared. Will he expect to have sex with me and if so will he demand to have me circumcised?”
“Circumcised?” Laura scrunched her face. “I don’t know what that is.”
“When part of your womanhood is cut off.”
That only confused her more, so I chose to say it without a filter. “In parts of the world men used to refuse to marry a woman with her clitoris still intact. They considered her unclean, promiscuous, and they would suppress her sexual desire by cutting away her clitoris.”
“How awful,” Laura exclaimed.
“So, they don’t do that here?”
“No!” She blinked her eyes. “I don’t know why any man would think that way.”
“But will he force me to have sex with him?”
“Probably. Magni and I had sex on our wedding night, that’s normal.”
“Did you resist him?”
“No, of course not. It’s my duty as his wife, everyone knows that.”
I paled and closed my eyes. “This can’t be happening to me,” I muttered.
“I’m sure he’ll be gentle if you ask him,” she said and squeezed my hand. It made me open my eyes and lock eyes with her.
“Tell me the truth, how awful is it?”
“The sex?” she asked and I gave a solemn nod preparing myself for the horrible truth.
“I like it.”
“You like it?”
“Yes. It feels good.”
I couldn’t believe that she would actually say that, but I had to ask. “So he doesn’t force you? You do it voluntarily?”
“Uh-huh. Sometimes I’m not in the mood, but once we get started it’s nice.”
My mind was exploding and I knew I had to change the subject away from sex. “And what about last names? Did you have to take his last name?”
“Of course. My maiden name was Laura Metz, but now I’m Laura Aurelius.” She looked proud when she spoke the name and it made me shake my head in frustration.
“I’m not giving up my name. No way will I be Christina Boulder, that’s just ridiculous.”
“What’s your last name?”
“My middle name is Sara and my last name is Sanders.”
She tasted my name “Christina Sara Sanders. I like it.”
“Exactly. I can’t be Christina Sara Boulder. Even if it’s just for a few months.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m not staying, Laura. I’m here to do a job and as soon as I’m done, I’ll be gone.”
“Oh!” She pulled back. “Does Boulder know?”
“Yes.” As soon as I said it a welcome feeling of calmness spread. The initial shock was subsiding and my haze was lifting. “Boulder knows and he also knows that it’s not a real marriage, so I’m sure he won’t expect any sort of intimacy.”
Laura got up from the bed. “Well, in that case you have nothing to worry about.”
“No, I don’t think I have,” I said and got up from the bed too. “This is all just a big storm in a glass of water, and soon I’ll be excavating all day long and laughing about the whole thing.”
Laura bowed her head. “It was very nice to meet you.”
“When can I see you again?” I asked quickly.
“If you’d like, I could introduce you to Erika; she’s coming back from the east coast tomorrow morning.”
“That would be lovely, thank you, but I’m hoping to get started with my work as soon as possible.”
“I’m sure I could convince her to go on a picnic close to your digging site. That way we could have lunch together.” She smiled.
“I would like that,” I said, but secretly I feared the mother would be like her sons.