For King and Country

The Festival

Chapter 4

The next morning, the girls were put in their best frilly pink dresses, Da shaved, looking much to young to have a seventeen year old daughter, Morris scrubbed his face, and Mother looked ravishing in a pale lavender gown. She'd put me in a pale taupe colored dress with white laces in the back. My mother had woven matching ribbons into the elaborate up do she'd spent a solid hour perfecting, and we set off for town, ready for a day of mother selling dresses, father drinking with the men, Morris betting, the girl's teasing each other, and Micah and I preparing for the future.

He met me at the gate, and we filed into the throng of other couples made of proud looking boys and giggling girls. Most of them would have a different companion for next year's ceremonies, and only a few would wind up engaged. There would be dancing that night when the little ones had all gone off to the Midwife's house with the spinsters to play in her garden and listen to stories of Princesses and Kings. Everyone would stand in a circle, clapping to the fiddles as the sunset over the town. The commons would be a mess by the end of the festival, but grass could always grow back.

Micah and I didn't do much that day, other than mill around and admire pretty things. I chatted with one of Micah's friend's young wife, who was already heavy with child. The poor girl looked quite uncomfortable in the summer heat, but she smiled like a lady. Her husband didn't notice, so I cleared my throat and told Micah I needed a rest. He of course, invited the pair to join. I didn't miss her thankful look. Some of her friends joined us as we sat, watching the boys kick a leather ball around each other. Soon the conversation turned to me, and how this time next year, I would have a babe growing in my belly. I shifted uncomfortably, making them giggle. I had no intentions of giving Micah a baby so soon. Lord, he'd be lucky if I let him consummate our marriage by then. I didn't tell them that.

The night came quickly, and everyone gathered at the commons. I spotted Elijah Thomas, surrounded by a few men I'd never seen before. Then I spotted another group, led by a greasy haired boy who sneered at me, his eyes raking down my body. I'd blushed, but hurriedly buried myself in the group of young ladies, hoping to avoid his gaze. The first dance would involve a young man of the Seer's choosing to skip across the divide, bow theatrically to the girl of his choosing then offer her his arm. The old wizened lady pushed out George O'Leary, the son of a tailor, who quickly made his way, in quite the dramatic fashion, to a pretty blonde named Sarah. The two wove the intricate dance to the happy claps and cheers of the group before the next boy took his partner, and the next and the next, skipping to the beat. Micah took me before anyone else could spinning me so that my paneled skirt with white embroidery dizzyingly swung around me. We mimicked the other dancers until we were all just one body, one group, the future of the village. The music stopped with a flourish and the seer stepped forward to bring the first pair into her tent, first the boy, then the girl, to read their futures. She had never read mine, but Micah told me his prediction was that he would marry the shyest sun, he would be the one to make it dawn. It didn't fit me, but I didn't think on it much.

The lady made her way through the crowd, stopping to scour each couple appraisingly before moving away as suppressed whispers and giggles sounded through the crowd. Then she stopped in front of me, as she had every time since I had attended my first festival three years ago at fourteen. But she didn't move away. She stared and stared before offering me her hand. My mouth fell open and the crowd gasped. Why didn't she offer her hand to Micah? Micah looks as confused as I felt. When I took her hand and began to pull Micah along, she stopped.

"No," She snapped. "You, you walk a path that he cannot follow." My throat stung and my face turned red from anger and embarrassment. I looked back to Micah as she drug me away, his face confused as the music struck up again, the town still whispering as another girl took my place in his arms.