- Ar'ox -

“I now declare you husband and wife.”

The young woman with the mouth-unfriendly name Caroline smiles for the first time today, and I understand that the ceremony is nearing its climax. It's being conducted in strangely pronounced speech, but I understood almost all of it.

Emilia is looking up at me expectantly, and I place a hand behind her neck and kiss her deeply, as I usually do. And now I can't control myself, because she looks like a woman from the old myths. She's done something new to her hair, and now it doesn't cascade over her shoulder, but is collected in an elaborate structure on the top of her head, so her graceful neck is bare. Her hair has interwoven reams of cloudberry fabric, although until today I had no idea that still existed anywhere. In her hands she has a little bunch of flowers, which I understand is tradition among her kind. To my relief they're not killvines.

She also has on a new garment that I think Gur'ex must have made. Only he could. It reaches to the ground and is a deep black, with the tribe's traditional blue stripe. She looks wonderful in it.

The girls are laughing and making whistling sounds, and it brings me back to reality. I slowly disengage my lips from hers and hold her hand tightly. “What now?”

Her deep, dark eyes are moist and her smile is blinding. “That was it. We're married.”

I look at her in disbelief, but indeed it seems that it's true. I'm certain this ceremony must be much different from the way men and women were married in my tribe when we still had women there. This seems too easy, as if it's a trick of some kind. Only this to be Emilia's mate and husband for life? Surely a ceremony like that should be more difficult and dangerous, with trials and tests and so on for the male? How else would he prove himself worthy? I'm half expecting a tribe of enemies to come out of the bushes and attack me.

“Seems simple, doesn't it?” Jax'zan says right into my thoughts as the other girls embrace Emilia. “This is the way they do it. But don't be fooled. Your trials begin now and will go on until the day you die. Still, it's the sweetest torment you can imagine.”

“I see,” I say, not quite understanding what he means. But he should know. He's been married for weeks to the Sophia woman. I'm astounded to find an outtriber like him to be such an honorable warrior. Surely the Rexvi tribe must be closely related to mine, if they can produce such members.

Former members, I should say. He's an outcast as well, and that makes me feel less bad about my own status.

I stand there for a moment, a little apart from the others, just looking at the view from this little hill over the cave. In the distance I can see the mountain that they say is Bune. It's hard to believe, but Jax'zan agrees that it is the mythical mountain.

I wish Gur'ex could be here to see it. It was he who told me about the holy mountain where some believe the Ancestors live. Indeed I have a strange wish that he could be here to see me get married to Emilia. It feels as if that would be proper. But now I doubt I'll see him again. I will never return to my former tribe.

And really, this is a fine little tribe all on its own. It still seems unreal that there are as many as six women on Xren, but I can live with that as long as I have Emilia. They even have a shaman with a white robe. And say what you will about Hen'ex, he didn't have that.

Their cave is well ordered and they have enough food and water. They have weapons and fabrics, although rougher than what Gur'ex could weave. They're clearly thriving in a way that my tribe isn't.

I have taken a look at the little creek that runs nearby. It has some red deposits here and there, and it makes me happy to see, because it means I can make iron. I have already seen a spot that would be perfect for building a forge.

The girls laugh and giggle, and it seems the ceremony isn't quite over yet. Four of them gather in a little group, and then Emilia stands a little bit away from them and turns her back. She then tosses her flowers behind her, and the girls all reach out to catch them amid happy screams and exclamations. Finally the one with two flat, transparent stones on front of her eyes is holding the flowers aloft, while they're all cheering and laughing.

The spectacle is so full of life that it boggles the mind. In a flash I understand that this is what a healthy tribe looks like. So noisy and energetic and alive. Truly I'm privileged.

My new wife comes over to me and places her hand on my chest. She's made a garment for me from the cloudberry fabric, a very white thing that feels stiff and confining around my chest and arms. She calls it a 'shuht'. It only covers my upper body, and it stretches all the way to my wrists. I think I look completely ridiculous, but I suppose that's their alien custom. At least my stripes can be seen through the thin fabric.

Emilia strokes my chest slowly. “How does it feel to be married?”

“Surprisingly similar to not being married,” I confess. “And at the same time much better than I thought.”

“Cool,” she says, using one of the those all-purpose words that her language possesses. “Only two men on this planet are married. And now you're one of them.”

“And you're one of the wives.”

“Wives and future mothers,” she agrees.

I like the sound of that. “Mothers? You will mate with me and then attempt to produce offspring? Can it be done?”

She squeezes my hand. “It can. Where I come from, that's how all children are born. We don't have Lifegivers at all. You're about to see that it's very possible. Also, not only can you and I have children together. We're going to. About three hundred days from now you'll be a father.”

I'm confused, and when I look at the others, I can see that they're all quiet and observing us very closely. There is tension in the air, as if there's something important going on that's completely passing me by.

I scratch my chin. “Very well. Three hundred days? Is it so I can prepare? I mean, I'm not sure how to do it. Is it different from our normal mating?”

She has a strange smile on her beautiful face. “Oh, you know how to do it, warrior. Don't worry about that. You've done all you need. The mating is done. And the child will be born in about three hundred days, if Delyah is correct about converting our days to yours.”

She's lost me, and I look to the horizon. “Ah.”

“See, imagine that a child grows inside a woman like in a Lifegiver. Also imagine that there's a tiny little fetus inside me right now, and that it's going to grow to the size of a newborn. It will be a mix of you and me. And it's there right now.” She points to her abdomen.

It's dawning on me. “You mean ...”

She's beaming. “We have successfully mated and I will give birth to our child in ten cycles of Yrf.”

I can't help it. I pick her up and hold her to me, a deep happiness and satisfaction filling me. “It has happened? We have mated? For real?”

“Yes,” she laughs happily as I swing her around, holding her tight. “For real and forever.”

The others are laughing too, and Jax'zan comes over, smiling. “Don't worry, Ar'ox. They had to explain it to me, too, when I was told that Sophia is expecting. The details are interesting.” He frowns. “And terrifying.”

I set Emilia down carefully, suddenly aware that she's more fragile than I thought. I'm overcome with emotion. A child? A mix of her and me? It seems too good to be true. In this moment there's only one thing I can say. “I love you.”

“Kra tun kateh,” she replies in my own language, and now her dark eyes are watery again.

I just hold her and look at her for a while. I can stare into those warm eyes forever.

And now I will. She's my mate.