I thought that the bunch got too nervous and would back out from our deal since nobody came forward to volunteer for a while. I kept my cool, patiently waiting as if I did not care if they go through it or not. Eventually, since they trust each other, in particular, their healer friend's words, somebody came forward after a few minutes.
It seems that the first part of the oath that Reiss casually said as part of the ritual was a common phrase the elves and heralds use to signify a promise to start a partnership or to form a relationship with a woman. The bunch seemed to be clueless about its full effect once the other half was uttered by the other party though. I don't think the elders or those that call themselves "high elves" will bother explaining that this ritual have permanent soul-binding effects if it were completed to the "commoners" and "slaves".
