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“Yes. I think I am.”
“I support you then. And if you change your mind, our door is always open. You will always have a place in our home. You’re family, Aura.”
“I know. Thank you.”
We ate in silence for a while, then Joseph started telling us about his plans to renovate the kitchen next year and make it bigger. Mina didn’t seem excited about the prospect of having her kitchen turned into a construction site for months, but she didn’t want to discourage him either. She loved he was doing so much around the house. He also had a plan for expanding the house by building another room.
They had so much work to do, and the baby would come soon... They didn’t have any time or space for me. No matter how much they loved me, and I loved them, I wasn’t their responsibility. And no, I wasn’t ready to marry a complete stranger, but it wasn’t like I had any other good options.
I decided to go to the Temple the very next day. Before I could change my mind. Before Mina could change her mind about supporting me in this.
* * *
I was lucky that the nearest Marriage Temple was at the edge of our town. It served the neighboring towns, and from what I’d heard, it officiated many arranged marriages. I personally didn’t know any women who’d gone to the Temple, but I knew there were plenty. This was not something people talked about openly. When a young woman sent her blood to the Temple, she only told her family and her closest friends, if she had them. And at some point, she simply disappeared. If she had family, they would receive the credits the husband had paid for her, and they would have a better life, at least for a few years. If she had no family, truly no one heard anything about her again.
No one would hear anything about me either. If I went through with this, for a while, my old neighbors would wonder where I’d vanished. Mina and Joseph wouldn’t say anything, and then people would forget. Maybe they would miss my scarves and mittens. I could only hope...
I packed lightly, since I hadn’t been able to save much from the fire. Mina insisted I took two of her dresses and a pair of boots that were newer than mine. We said our goodbyes, shed our tears, then Joseph helped me into his sleigh and took me to the Temple. There, we hugged, and I almost begged him to take me back when I realized I might not see him and Mina again.
Who knew where my arranged husband lived? There weren’t a lot of monster communities in these parts. The mountains were harsh, the woods deep, and the winters a nightmare. I’d heard dragons lived in lush kingdoms. No one in their right mind would choose this climate over a warm, beautiful place in the south. If I was lucky, maybe my husband was from somewhere nice and sunny.
At the Temple, two servant girls took me in. They gave me a room that was comfortable and all mine, with a four-poster bed, a huge fireplace, and even a bookshelf.
“We will send word to your arranged mate that you have arrived. For now, rest. We’ll bring you lunch later, and help you bathe and get dressed. He might be here later today, or tomorrow.”
“Does he live around these parts?” I asked.
One of the girls smiled as she took my coat and inspected it. “This needs a thorough cleaning. Do you mind?”
“Not at all. Thank you. But can you tell me anything about my... um... mysterious husband?”
“We have been asked to be discreet.”
With that, they took their leave. I stood there, baffled, not knowing what to think anymore. Why was his identity such a mystery? Was this normal? But I was here now, so... what else could I do but go along with it?
When the servant girls returned with my lunch, they seemed on edge. As they waited for me to eat, they debated over what dress was the right one for the occasion, and what to do with my hair.
“So... does this mean my husband will be here today?”
“Yes,” one of them chuckled. “We thought we’d have more time to get you ready, but alas... Do you prefer to wear your hair down, or can I braid it for you?”
I tucked a wild curl behind my ear. “I’d rather wear it down.” My hair was known to have a will of its own. I’d inherited it from my mother. It was long, auburn, and so curly that it was hard to tame.
“Are you finished?” the other servant girl asked me.
I looked at my plate. I’d eaten half of the veggies and barely touched the meat. I felt full, though, or maybe I was just nervous at the thought that in only a couple of hours, I’d be a married woman.
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’ll run you a bath then.” She disappeared into the bathroom.
Her friend motioned for me to get up from the table and stand in front of her. She held up a few dresses, her brows furrowed in concentration.
“I’m thinking... this one. It goes well with your eyes. What an unnatural color. They’re almost golden.”
I had my father’s eyes. My parents told me that when I was born, my eyes were truly golden. They were so shocked that they immediately changed their mind about my name. Initially, they’d wanted to call me Rosemary, like my grandmother on my mother’s side, but when my father saw me, he said the name Aurelia popped into his head. So, they named me Aurelia. Which meant “gold”, or “golden”, or had something to do with the precious metal. In what language, I had no idea. They called me Aura, for short.
The bath was ready, and the girls helped me wash. I was embarrassed at first, but they were so quick and efficient, and they chattered all the time, and that helped me relax. As they dried me with towels and helped me slip into the dress, I was glad I hadn’t eaten too much. It was all happening so fast... Suddenly, my life felt like a train that was going a hundred miles an hour, and I couldn’t stop it. The girls brushed my hair and sprayed various products in it, and for the first time, when I looked in the mirror, I realized that my hair wasn’t wild. It simply had... character. And it looked the prettiest it had ever looked.
