'This is bittersweet, it is not the way I thought I would ever get married. I have a white dress, a veil and three grooms. My father and mother are rolling in their graves.' Nora thought.
Inside the building, Nora sat in the quiet of the hall on a large pillow nervously contemplating. Liem had dressed her like a queen. She was dressed in a cream-coloured dress that was embroidered with pearlescent flowers that framed her bust. Her thick red curls hung in relaxed ringlets that cascaded down her back and spilled down her shoulders. She wore the white flower crown that she was given by her little brothers-in-law earlier. A veil that was dusted with diamonds and a pearlescent power was draped on her. She looked like a fairy. She was gathering her strength mentally for the new life that was being laid out in front of her and was mentally reviewing the customs and ceremony that would be happening tonight.
Cheers rang out as the building filled with guests. Her grooms entered the building and flower petals were tossed in celebration. Liem looked handsome in his suit. The three of them were wearing different colored tunics and pants. Her second and third spouses were handsome, and their looks were diverse. She could not really discern much, since her vision was clouded by the veil and its adornments. They seemed nervous and hung back from the others. Liem did not undersell their relationships; they seemed to be good friends. She hoped that this would continue as she watched them catching up and their smiles. She would have to be very mindful to maintain impartiality so they would remain friends. She would have to seek guidance from Allurai if there was drama among them, and the thought of that made her uncomfortable. She could stop fights if things got physical, but she dreaded the thought of doing that to Liem.
She watched her three future mothers-in-law excitedly talking out of earshot. It was a good sign that she made the right decision in trusting Liem. The three, at least, had a very good relationship. She knew nothing about these women and their clans, businesses, political positions and family dynamics. She would learn this as she went. At least her status of a 'Northerner' gave her a pass. She lovingly protected her status of an outsider as a life preserver and excuse. They would eventually all get bored with her while she found some security. The room filled with a loud cacophony of excited voices as more family and guests arrived. The atmosphere was lively. Allurai, Amrita and Vida walked over to their sons, who were happily chatting to get ready for the ceremony to begin. They began getting weepy and sentimental. Nora felt like a fish out of water. People began to sit in clusters. A young girl walked up to her gracefully.
"Young Saeri Sedai, greets Matriarch Lenora Quill, congratulations on your binding." Saeri Saedi bowed. Nora smiled.
"Matriarch Nora Quill greets Young Saeri Sedai, it is a pleasure to meet you." Nora gently said and bowed her head. Saeri giggled.
"My brother is really quiet and cold. My fathers practically had to shove him in the transport. He might run away across the planet after, he hates women. Especially stupid ones. Do not do anything stupid." Saeri said and snickered. Nora looked at the little girl in front of her and smiled broadly with an unaffected look. In the young girl's heart she was concerned about her brother. If he did not like her, she would only have one or two men to deal with at first. That was not a big deal to her. She did not want to shrug as it could be considered as offensive.
"I will keep that in mind and allow him the freedom to visit home when he wants to then," Nora answered back. Saeri did not know if she caught the insult. She was probably barely literate.
"Well, it looks like things are about to start. Good luck," Saeri said as they departed and went to sit with Leilanna. The room buzzed with conversation as Nora observed lonely and anxiously from the altar. Nora frowned slightly. Soon soft music filled the hall and the conversation halted in the room abruptly. Soon, the three Matriarch's approached the altar where Nora sat and introduced themselves.
"Amrita Sedai, Vida Halid, this is Lenora Quill." Allurai said quietly before the lights flashed, and a bowed instrument began to play what she presumed was this world's version of a wedding march. Nora fist balled up nervously. Her palms sweated.
"We will talk more after the ceremony." Amrita smiled nervously as the young men made their way up the aisle. Cerez, Liem and Kadir joined their mothers at the altar. Nora felt the gaze of everyone in the room on the small stage that the altar sat upon.
"Thank you for joining us here for an exclusive intimate Binding ceremony. We appreciate your presence here as our families unite for the auspicious event and to witness the naming of a Clan in Callor for the first time in three hundred years." Allurai announced to the room, cheers and applause rang out.
"Today marks the formation of Clan Quill. You may have read about her heroic journey by herself through the snow fields of the North when her family died of a mysterious ailment." Allurai solemnly said. "She sought the greatness of our society as she bravely endeavored through vast terrains of snow and ice to desperately survive". Allurai's speech had everyone riveted. Nora was glad that she could roll her eyes without them knowing that she found this all preposterous.
Nora saw her new spouses glance at her with a look of pity that she did not enjoy. Allurai sounded like a carnival barker as she told the story. She felt like an oddity. Nora felt like she was part of a freak show. Nora was mortified and nervous now. Nora looked at Liem for strength to find him looking back, along with the two other stoic-looking men. She gave him a thumbs up, he knew what it meant. She hoped he remembered.
"By the time she was found she had no food resources and was gravely injured. I can say that her perseverance and intelligence will become a great resource to her spouses. As our families unite, new love is born. I know we all look on with great anticipation of their success that they will obtain together. Let us start!" Allurai said in an excited tone, selling the crowd on the situation.
"Now I will start with the bounding of my son, Liem Allari." Allurai said as her eyes started to water with emotion. She choked up. Allurai nodded to Nora, and she raised her wrist as she was told to by Liem when they went over how the ceremony would go before they had arrived at the complex; she would now have to do this twice more than she expected.
"With this ring I pledge my son Liem Allari to Clan Quill and into your care. May you live in harmony." Allurai said, her eyes brimming with tears. Nora felt odd as Allurai slipped the thin band on to her finger.
"I pledge my loyalty to Liem Allari, until my dying breath and to the clan of Allari." Nora said, in Calloran with an accent. The fact that she had learned the language so quickly was surprising to many in both families and the grooms. They were expecting Liem to translate out loud for her. Liem approached the altar and knelt before her and refastened her bracelet to her wrist with his pendant dangling already from it. Liem was grinning ear to ear with happiness.
"My son, may you live and love harmoniously" Allurai cheered. Nora felt her own eyes moisten in response to his gaze. Vida Halid took her hand next.
"With this ring I pledge the loyalty of clan Halid and my son Cerez to clan Quill and into your care. May you live with endless love." Vida Halid said as she slid her family ring onto the same finger. The rings magnetically clicked together. It surprised her enough to look at her hand and pause for a moment before continuing on with the ceremony nervously. Nora started to tremble, her nerves getting the best of her. Vida squeezed her hand briefly and looked at her. What a pretty little thing.
"With this ring I pledge my loyalty to Cerez, and clan Halid until my dying breath" Nora said nervously. "My son, may you love harmoniously." Vida Halid cheered. Cerez kneeled before Nora and he smiled while attaching his family pendant to her bracelet. He kneeled beside Liem and placed his arm on his shoulder. Nora looked Cerez through the veil. She saw his picture briefly on a screen but it did not do him justice.
Cerez looked at her kindly and tried to give her a reassuring gaze. He felt nervous as well, but she was a complete outsider. He had gleaned bare minimum of information from Liem in his room from doublespeak. She was the last of a society that separated from the current over human rights issues. He was certain that she would not interfere with their goals. That is why accepting Liem's offer took him very little thought. He was nervous because of what would have to happen tonight. Northerners still did that. He followed Liem in attaching a jewel to her bracelet. The Jade dangled swaying like a pendulum. He looked at her face. She looked very frightened, there was no arrogance. There were tears. He empathized with her. He knelt and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, wanting to tell her that it would be alright.
Kadir was the last to approach the altar. His legs felt heavy. His Mother gave him a misty eyed gaze that almost caused him to cry himself. He looked at Cerez kneeling, he thought that he would decline. They had known each other since childhood. He would not fail to raise an issue and embarrass his mother if it suited him. He did not care about repercussions. He could not look back at his mother or he would indeed cry. Her tears, was his weakness. Amrita slid the final ring on Nora's finger and clicked together with the others to form a thin 1mm band.
"With this ring I pledge my son Kadir Sedai to the clan Quill" Amrita Sedai said. Nora responded
"With this ring I pledge my loyalty to Kadir and the clan Sedai, until my dying breath." Nora said. Kadir bowed and then knelt before her and placed his family pendant on her wrist and then placed his arm on Cerez's shoulder as a sign of unity.
"May you live harmoniously, my son." Amrita cheered, weeping a little. The three women removed her veil, exposing Nora to her new spouse. Kadir's gaze fell on her face for the first time and found her soft beautiful features, captivating wet blue eyes and shining sunset-red like hair. She was small and looked very thin. He noticed an intoxicating perfume that smelled like a mixture of Uzuza and something he could not deduce. Kadir blushed, his eyes lingered on her as she moved, rising to her feet. He then realized she was quite short. She was about as tall as his sister, who was a girl. She differed in having a very alluring form of a developed woman though. He regained his composure. Nora stood, and she placed a soft tasteful kiss on each of the men's lips. Struggling to be brave, dealing with the conflict in her heart, feeling excitement.
"May you live with ceaseless joy," Allurai shouted. The crowd cheered. Flower petals were tossed in the air as the celebration began, and the room erupted into a chanting song. Nora looked at the two new men in front of her and smiled nervously as cheers rang out in the hall. Cerez was gazing into her eyes with a perplexed, intoxicated look, and Kadir seemed to smile back after she looked at him. They were handsome. Huge. Taller than Liem. Now that she could see them, she could discern that the pictures of them did not do them justice. She recalled that they too were being forced into this and decided that they all needed to take the time to get to know each other. Tonight was not negotiable and this made her feel bad for them. A buffet was served as platters were first prepared for the matriarchs, which now included Nora.
The spouses of the newly founded clan, Quill filled their platter first which was customary in a binding. Platters of celebrational desserts were brought in. Nora did not know how they were able to get such a quantity of them made so quickly. They had decided everything only a few hours before. After the meal, traditional music was played, which Nora really enjoyed. The varieties of strings and percussion instruments fascinated her anthropologic side as she delightfully observed the event. The air in the room seemed to electrify with the jubilation of the families and guests. Her new spouses were shy, and they talked throughout the whole festivity getting to know her and among themselves. She could sometimes barely hear them over the music and celebration.
Allurai had instructed her to bait the new men to show them the ovulation reading on her Interface before they were to enter the suite to be one for the first time. She nervously opened her Interface and took it out of private mode. She prepared herself to begin the farce. She shyly showed the three men the reading on the screen that she was fertile. Giving them a practiced coquettish look that she learned from her meager experience. Nora felt inwardly mortified with herself.
"This is an auspicious sign in my culture. If a child comes from our joining tonight they will be happy and healthy, and we will have many happy years together." Nora said. It was, of course, a complete fabrication. "It is just about the right time to go to our new home. Shall we try our luck tonight?" Liem said, as he played along perfectly. Nora knew he felt guilty about this as well. It was necessary, but if they found out the truth it could really cause a huge issue. Cerez and Kadir gave each other nervous glances and nodded to Nora.
The group stood. Kadir, Cerez and Liem looped their garland sash of flowers around Nora as the music stopped and turned into a rhythmic drum beat. The room filled with cheers as Liem picked Nora up. The three followed the tempo and beat of the drum and marched down the hall to the new residence to consummate their binding. Petals flew around them, the two men followed behind them. The elders and their spouses went to arrange dowry payments, their new alliance, and housing options. Both Halid and Sedai were prepared to offer lodgings to the new clan. Sedai offered land to build on. Halid also held property in Callor, along with Cerez's Paternal clan. Surrounding lots were soon added so they would not be outdone. Allurai choked at the generosity, it was a lot. She was taking on the role of Lenora's mother and would arrange everything fairly. She also had to be as generous as the other families. Clan Allari could not be outdone. The formation of clan Quill would be watched. Allurai knew that there might have been some trepidation about the alliance that Clan Quill signified. Nora would be highly sought after even if she had sons. Those men would be sought after by other clans. The genetic diversity that she brought was priceless.
The door closed behind them, and they all walked through the building to their new home as the party still raged behind them. The plan hatched earlier commenced with Liem taking the lead in preparing her for their union. The three started first by disrobing Nora in an awkward but ritualistic manner. Her veil and jewelry all came off. She stood in the white gown. Her hair was loosened. Nora felt a lump in her throat and dismissed the guilt she had as she stood as they worked. This was alright and normal to Liem. He assured her earlier that he was happy with their choice and thrilled about their news. This was just all happening too quickly for her. She shivered slightly as they looked at her wordlessly. Liem had a different smile on his face. There was something in the air she could not discern. A musk or cologne?