Vell was born into a family that belonged to the couq tribe. The couq tribe had a tradition where a boy, upon reaching the age of 12, would be betrothed by their parents. Vell had just turned 12, and his parents had already found a suitable match for him. The girl's name was Yana, and she too belonged to the couq tribe. Vell had never met her before, but he knew that he would have to marry her soon. This was the way of the couq tribe, and Vell knew that he had no choice but to accept it.

Chapter 1: The Betrothal

Vell woke up to the sound of his mother calling him. "Vell, wake up! Today is your big day," she said.

Vell rubbed his eyes and sat up. He knew what his mother meant. Today was the day of his betrothal to Yana. He had never met her before, but he knew that he would have to marry her soon. He got out of bed and got dressed.

As he was getting dressed, he could hear his parents talking outside his room.

"I can't believe our little boy is all grown up," said his mother.

"Yes, it seems like just yesterday he was learning to walk," said his father.

Vell smiled to himself. He knew his parents were proud of him, but he couldn't help feeling nervous about the betrothal. He had heard stories of couples being betrothed to each other and not getting along. He didn't want that to happen to him and Yana.

As he walked out of his room, he could see that his parents had already started preparing for the betrothal ceremony. There were flowers everywhere, and the house was filled with the scent of incense.

"Vell, come here," his mother said. "I want to show you something."

She took him by the hand and led him to a room that he had never been in before. Inside the room, there was a table covered with a cloth.

"Sit down," his mother said.

Vell sat down at the table, and his mother brought out a small box. She opened the box, and inside was a ring.

"This is the ring that you will give to Yana when you meet her," his mother said. "It has been in our family for generations, and now it will be passed down to you."

Vell looked at the ring. It was a simple gold band with a small diamond in the center. He knew that it was a valuable family heirloom, and he felt honored that it was being passed down to him.

"Thank you, Mother," he said.

Just then, his father walked in.

"Vell, it's time to go," he said.

Vell stood up and followed his father out of the room. They walked outside, and Vell could see that there were already people gathering for the betrothal ceremony.

As he walked through the crowd, he could see that everyone was looking at him. He felt a bit self-conscious, but he tried to hide it.

Finally, he reached the front of the crowd, where his parents were waiting for him.

"Vell, this is Yana," his mother said, introducing him to the girl standing next to her.

Vell looked at Yana, and he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous. She was a beautiful girl, with long black hair and bright green eyes. He knew that they were betrothed to each other, but he didn't know anything about her.

"Hello, Yana," he said.

"Hello, Vell," she replied.

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments, not knowing what