"We're getting married today??" Caspian was near panic. His plan was failing miserably. It seemed the woman, whose face he hadn't even seen yet, was going to marry him before the sun set.
"Yes. It is extremely brave of her to marry you after you glowered at her," Cora chastised him. "I imagine she wants to have it all done before she gets scared and changes her mind about you. Now go retrieve ingredients for a meal so that she can cook you something."
"Ingredients?" Caspian was baffled. "What ingredients?"
"It is a beautiful tradition of her people. You will bring her ingredients, she will cook a meal for the two of you to feed each other after you remove her face covering as part of the ceremony. It's about the partnership of marriage. I'm ironing out the rest of the wedding details with her to blend the traditions, but you must go get some things for her to cook now."
"I..." An idea popped into his head suddenly, "Yes, Mother."
She walked back to her hut where his bride apparently lurked in waiting like a spider to trap him. The corner of his mouth quirked upward. The desert-dwelling castoff wanted ingredients? He would get her some ingredients.
____________
A knock at the door of the hut made the ladies jump. Their discussions and plans for the wedding were in full swing, and the interruption was mildly startling.
"Yes?" Cora sang out musically.
"Ingredient delivery," Caspian's voice seemed... pleased? Naomi squelched the hope within her that he had magically had a change of heart and was now eager to wed her. It was more likely that Cora had given him a lecture on being nicer when she sent him on the errand.
Naomi pulled her face covering up so that only her eyes were visible again before Caspian entered with a wooden box.
"Do you want any help cooking, Naomi?" Cora asked.
"No, I must perform the task alone. If I might have the use of your cookfire, I would be grateful." Naomi had noticed that there was a fireplace inside, but it was not currently lit. She deduced that in warmer weather, the cooking must take place primarily outside.
"Of course. Mayra, would you mind helping me choose some of the decorations while she cooks?" Cora asked. Mayra nodded and followed the older woman out, leaving the engaged couple with a brief moment of solitude.
Naomi swallowed with trepidation. She wanted to call her friend back, but that was silly. This man would be her husband within a few hours, and they would spend the rest of their lives with vast quantities of time alone together. There was no reason to shy away from it now.
Caspian took a few steps forward, evaluating her. She resisted the urge to shrink beneath the scrutiny.
"Here are the ingredients," He set the box on the table. Naomi nodded, not bothering to look inside. Whatever it was, she would persevere.
"Thank you," She replied simply. There was not much more to say.
"Why are you here?" He said after a moment of silence.
"To be married," The question had confused her.
"To a stranger in a strange land." He filled in.
"Yes."
"Without even letting him know what you look like first." He pressed.
"Would you feel more at ease if you saw my face before the wedding?" She asked.
It was Caspian's turn to be confused. "Is that allowed?"
"Not on the wedding day, usually, but most couples would have seen each other before that time." Naomi filled in. "As this wedding is already outside of many of my traditions, I will bend this one if it will help you."
His eyes focused on hers with a complex expression. He looked as if he were... planning? Maybe preparing his face to react appropriately so that she would not be offended by his reaction.
"Then please, do show me the countenance I'm to look at forever," He gestured toward her face and gave a brief, polite smile. His eyes tightened, as if bracing himself for the sight.
She frowned, but then changed her expression to a more neutral one before reaching up to lower the veil.
She kept her eyes downcast for several seconds after revealing her face, allowing him to absorb the sight without her scrutiny. It seemed he had been working to prepare a proper reaction, but she wanted him to not feel pressured to do so.
When Naomi finally raised her eyes to his, she observed that his mouth was set in a thin, straight line, and his jaw was tense. He was... angry?
She had no words. Should she ask him what he thought, as though she were desperate for a compliment? She keenly wondered whether he found her satisfactory or not. She was scared stiff that he found her terribly unattractive... but she didn't know why. What did that matter, so long as he pledged himself to her?
She lifted the covering back in place, suddenly feeling naked without it, and felt a little braver again.
"Now when you see me at the ceremony, you can put on whatever expression you think best, without having to be surprised," Naomi turned away, toward the box of ingredients on the table.
She did not react to the things in the box, although she was incredibly relieved to see shrimp. What a wonderful coincidence that Mrs. Sherman and she had already cooked these together before! That would make things much easier. She relaxed a little, confident she could make something delicious.
"Though it is not required, you may remain while I cook if you so wish it," Naomi wasn't sure why he was still in the hut. His presence made her nervous, though she tried to hide it. She was being far more talkative than she was comfortable with, reminding herself over and over that Cetoan women were expected to be assertive.
She tried to mimic Mayra's example and state things as they came to mind. It was exhausting. Why couldn't she just work quietly in the background and be ignored? Her life had trained her well for such a role.
Today, however, she was a bride. Apparently being the center of attention would be required of her. She would brace for it as best she could. At least it would be over this evening, and tomorrow she could be just another wife of the Sea People.
Caspian seemed to consider the offer as he studied her. He looked between her and the box and frowned.
"I suppose I have nothing better to do," He finally shrugged as if preparing for their wedding was not of importance. Naomi's eyes cut over to him and he met her gaze evenly.
With most of her face obscured, she felt safer looking at him openly. His eyes drilled into hers, then changed swiftly into a bored expression and drifted up to her head covering. She realized he hadn't seen her hair, and wondered if he wouldn't like the dark curls that could rarely be tamed for long.
He quirked one of his eyebrows in a silent response to her stare. She blinked and moved away, wondering what he'd been thinking. He didn't seem at all worried about getting her to like him. Almost the opposite, if she were honest.
Perhaps women here were not easily offended, and so he felt no need for manners. If that was the case, she would also refuse to be easily offended. Picking up the box of ingredients, she moved outside and took up a place at a cooking fire.
It looked like Cora must have set out the pots and utensils for the bride's usage, and she smiled at the thoughtfulness. If nothing else, she could be grateful for that.
There was a large stone nearby, and the groom sat lazily on it. Close enough to stare at her in boredom and unnerve her, but slightly too far for conversation to comfortably flow as she worked.
Naomi sighed and closed her eyes for several long seconds. She reminded herself that he was likely having a hard day, and was marrying her out of duty. It would be kind to overlook any rudeness he displayed.
She opened her eyes and turned to the box. She took out the net full of shrimp first, and rinsed them with some freshwater from a basin kept next to the fire. Then, with only the slightest bit of awkwardness, she began removing their shells and tails.
Caspian frowned deeply at her as if intensely irritated at her cooking methods. Was she doing it incorrectly? If she was, he didn't say so. She made a mental note to ask Cora the best method for cooking these at some point in the future.
She sat there, calm and patient as she could, peeling the shrimp. She faltered only once or twice, when her eyes slid over to where he sat staring back at her like a storm cloud.