Page 12 of Ghosts and Ginger Tea

“I’m not sure. It was destroyed not long ago.”

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end as I studied the strange landscape. A bundle of rocks sat to the side, making me wonder if the site was once a heiau, or something like it. But a person had to be crazy to destroy a heiau, a sacred temple and worship site of the gods…

“You will love it here,” Peter said, distracting me from my thoughts. He seemed reserved, not out of shyness but out of caution. It seemed he studied Kiki and I as much as we studied him, debating if we could trust one another or not.

A blush touched Kiki’s cheeks anytime he spoke to us, and she averted her gaze.

I placed my hands on the railing. It wouldn’t be so bad if Kiki and Peter fell in love, would it? He was one of the chief’s captains, and thus could provide a comfortable life for Kiki. Maybe they could have the romantic relationship any girl would dream of.

A relationship I could only dream of. I shook my head. Being married to a man who loved me was not possible for me. Survival in the next month required me to use my intelligence and cleverness. Fantasies of a happy marriage were a luxury that I had no time for.

We arrived at the palace in a carriage. The palace was so fancy, I couldn’t take it all in. While the outside of it was coated with gold embellishments and dark walls, the inside was even more extravagant. I felt disoriented, as if I had crossed into another dimension and was completely out of place.

Peter, however, was kind enough to escort us to our quarters.

“The wedding will take place this evening,” he said before taking his leave. “Servants are ready to attend to you.” He addressed ‌me at that point.

I gulped and nodded, not wanting my mother to see my nerves. She was too weary from the trip, and when I glanced at her, she coughed. It was an awful cough, and she tried to hide the blood in her handkerchief.

Kiki forced a smile too, but kept fidgeting with her hands. Our “quarters” comprised multiple rooms: a washroom, two bedrooms, and a grand view of the shore. Everything looked so fancy, I didn’t want to touch anything. What if I broke something, or my fingers left prints?

A large, gold-framed mirror sat on a vanity in the corner, and as I approached, I couldn’t help but feel self-conscious.

There I was, so plain and boring next to my gorgeous younger sister. It was hard not to feel embarrassed. Soon I would face Keanu, and we’d be married. He probably wanted to get it over with as much as I did.

Besides, the sooner we got the wedding over with, the sooner I could investigate how to break his curse. I had no direction and no clues on where to start with curse-breaking. Before I left my hometown, I went about the village asking the oldest and wisest people I knew about their knowledge of the night marchers.

But they had no answers for me. The night marchers were a mystery to them too.

Kiki gasped. “Look, Oli!” she hurried to another corner, dragging me with her. “Your wedding dress.”

I blinked. I was going to wear that? It was too shiny, too embellished with gems and beads, too white. It was anything but me. I was just a poor girl who spearfished to provide for her family.

What am I doing? I asked myself, wondering if I might speak with Keanu and put this whole thing off. But I had to marry him, because if I didn’t, we’d probably get shipped back home and I’d end up with a drunk fisherman for a husband…

I can’t afford that. Not when we were so close to providing a good life for my mother and sister. I gulped down my insecurities and embarrassment, forced a smile, and obeyed every order from the servants who entered.

Even though I felt vulnerable and embarrassed, especially when they scrubbed me from head to toe in the bath, I continued to tell myself that this would all be worth it, or so I hoped.

I never really imagined my wedding day, maybe because I knew my father would marry me off to someone I didn’t care for.

But the wedding I was in now, as the bride, was something straight out of a fairytale. The servants helped Kiki and mother prepare for the ceremony, then ushered them out, leaving me alone.

I stood in front of the mirror, trying to take in the stranger staring back at me. The wedding dress was breathtaking and suffocating all at once. The corset hugged my curves tightly, with a sweetheart neckline dipping just enough to hint at elegance rather than daring. Delicate white lace crawled up my collarbones and over my shoulders, forming sheer sleeves that clung to my arms like the touch of an island breeze. Every tug of the corset’s ribbons had drawn the fabric closer, molding it to me until it felt like a second skin. The layers of heavy satin and tulle fanned out dramatically from my waist, pooling in a train so long it seemed to swallow the floor behind me.

I had to lift the hem carefully to walk, for fear of tripping over the weight of the fabric or catching the intricate embroidery that crept along the edges like tuberose. The pikake lei around my neck added a natural charm that softened the dress's sharp angles and curves.

The maids had washed, oiled, and smoothed ‌my hair. I didn’t even know my frizzy hair could be as smooth as a ti leaf. A white orchid lei po‘o adorned my head, and its expert crafting surpassed the stunning appearance of any golden tiara or crown.

I took a breath and couldn’t deny how the dress and new look transformed me. The girl from the sea cliffs of Ka‘u was gone. In her place stood someone regal, someone meant to stand beside a king.

A king… My soon-to-be husband…

I don’t know how long I waited, my stomach growling and my legs pumping with anxiety, but someone finally knocked on the door.

When I opened it, an older man stood there, his brown eyes kind and his dark skin weathered.

“Your Highness.” He bowed.