Page 36 of The Boy Bride

“I’ve never been to one,” Lill admitted.

The night before, Lill and Halza had been moved to Tirtu’s house, where they were installed in a chamber on the second storey, smaller and darker than the round infirmary, with a window that looked out onto one of the fruit trees near the well yard—in fact, it was the tree that Lill had climbed into when Halza was dragged into the yard, and dropped out of to take Tirtu hostage. Tirtu’s house was the one directly across the path from Vanu’s front door. It was the house where Lill had heard people fucking when he first explored the village. Tirtu, of course, lived alone.

Mikhi plopped down a cushion on the floor between the two beds, which had been brought over from the infirmary, and sat down on it. Khatu remained standing behind her. He was doing a better job of interpreting this time.

“That dress you were wearing when you came over the wall—that was a bridal dress?”

“Yes, I guess so. And the headdress, I know they wear that.”

“We’ll try to fix it. My sister Susami and Na Gurti are both good at stuff like that.”

“Halza might know more about weddings,” Lill said. “He’s downstairs taking a bath. I can ask him later if you want.”

Mikhi shrugged. “I don’t think it matters. Do you?”

“Yes, I do!” Khatu protested. “You’ve got to have a⁠—”

“Not talking to you, Khatu.”

“Oh, sorry, right.” He cleared his throat and translated for Lill: “I don’t think it matters, do you?” He grimaced.

“No,” said Lill to Mikhi. “I don’t care what it’s like. Just have it however you usually do.”

She nodded approvingly. He twisted the gold ring on the middle finger of his left hand, wondering whether he should have tried to sound more particular or more knowledgeable. She didn’t care, but Khatu seemed to have opinions. Would the others think it strange—suspicious, even—if Lill didn’t express any desires about the wedding?

When Vanu’s daughter was gone and Halza returned to the room, he raised the subject.

“They’re asking what weddings are like in Akramarra, and I didn’t have any intell—any experience. Have you been to a wedding before?”

Halza’s eyebrows rose most of the way to his hairline. “Of course, several. Have you not?”

“No,” said Lill, and didn’t offer an explanation. He wasn’t concerned with seeming plausible to Halza.

“Well. That’s surprising. What did she want to know? You should have asked me. You know I’m—I was—to be married myself this summer.”

“Yes, I recall that. I’m sure you still will be.” He meant that, but it didn’t sound particularly sympathetic, because it wasn’t. Halza’s chances of living to be married were as good as they’d ever been since he climbed the ladder after Lill, and much better than they’d been yesterday.

“Well, what do you want to know?”

“What’s something I might want to have at my wedding? What do brides usually want?”

Halza gave him an incredulous look. “Not to be locked up and forced to marry a monster?”

Lill slapped his pallet angrily. “We’re not locked up—they put us in here to keep us safe from those idiots and their father. And I’m not being forced.” Marrying Vanu was part of the mission; he wouldn’t be completing the whole thing if he left out that part. And now that nobody was being thrown over walls, the mission was back on. “I mean a wedding thing. Uh … food? Or music?” Surely they had such things at weddings.

“Yes,” said Halza, still looking like he didn’t understand the question. “You could ask for some food that you like, I guess, or music—but I don’t know that they’d be able to get anything for you, even if they were willing. We are trapped in a mountain stronghold with no way in or out … ”

Lill rubbed his eyes irritably. “I realize that. But they’re asking what lowland weddings are like, and I want to tell them something helpful.”

“Oh. Rosewater cookies,” said Halza after a moment. “They could probably make those. They’re what the bride’s mother is supposed to bring when she goes to invite the neighbours to the feast—but of course that’s not happening here … ”

“I’ll just say they’re for the wedding. What else?”

“I suppose technically you’re betrothed now, because of that ring—not that that was done right at all, but they might be insulted if we said they should do it over. You don’t have a dowry, so you don’t need the dowry-boxes or to do the Silver Night procession … But there should still be a procession for the wedding morning. It all depends where the wedding is going to be held. I mean, it should start at the bride’s house and go to the groom’s, but as you don’t live here—perhaps they mean for it to start in this house? I wonder if they’ll want someone to act in place of your father. I could do it. “

Lill shook his head. “I don’t think you should volunteer. You never know what the bride’s father might be expected to do up here.”

“Ugh. I never thought of that. Maybe all the wedding guests gather around and hit him with sticks.”