The Kidnapped Bride

Different Worlds

Julio was in the training grounds, training on his wrestling and weaponry. He lived in a village far from the small cities on the island of Sardinia. When done with his training, he got on his jeep to go to the village where he lived. Once there, he was greeted by many people; everyone knew one another. Julio merely smiled at them and went on his way. As he was getting home, he thought about the women he walked past by; they were married. However, marriage in Sardinia differed from the outside world. The truth was that many women in Sardinia were kidnapped and forced to become wives. 

The people of Sardinia were descendants of the Visigoths and Roman soldiers. When their ancestors arrived on their island, they knew they could be in danger from attacks. They decided to learn the ways and training of Spartan warriors, for their training regime was ruthless. As the years progressed, the Italian Government found out about the Sardinians. The Government was impressed and asked the men of Sardinia to become part of the Italian military and train other soldiers.

The Sardinians refused to train people outside their island; they did not fully trust the Government. The Sardinian men didn't want to risk losing their traditions and knowledge to a corrupt force. However, the Sardinians accepted the offer to join the Italian military to fight for them. Throughout the years, many Sardinian men fought in different wars until the current ones in the twenty-first century. 

One of these men, Julio Rossia, was one of the soldiers who fought in Afghanistan for more than two years and was one of many who experienced the withdrawal of the troops from the country. He and the island's people didn't want to admit they were tired of constant wars, but their pride in their traditions was stronger. Due to the Sardinian's loyalty, the Italian Government gave the people a good education, medical care, education, jobs, and more. 

Even though there were some positives, there was a problem in Sardinia. Since the island was small, the population was not that high, and many families tended to have more boys than girls. Females were scarce on the island, which caused many conflicts with the male population since the 17th century.

It wasn't until the 19th century that the Sardinian leaders brought back an old tradition practiced before the first Sardinians arrived on the island: bride kidnapping. Bride Kidnapping was practiced in different parts of the world in the past, even into the present day. However, the island leaders decided there would be no violence, and the women in the village would have to participate so the most robust and innovative men could get the women. Many women born on the island didn't mind the tradition, while some didn't like marrying a man they had no feelings for. 

In the past, women escaped the island and went to Italy, never to be seen again. It had gotten so bad that Sardinian leaders decided to make stricter laws that would punish women. They even communicated with the Italian Government about the situation. The Italian Government knew of the population problem since they desired Sardinian male fighters. The Italian Government sent some of their country's soldiers and police to keep an eye on any visitors from Sardinia and ensure no woman would escape. 

Women who were found trying to escape were either imprisoned, forced to marry a man of the leaders' choosing, or, if they refused, death. Even with all the laws and restrictions, the population was still an issue in Sardinia; the Italian Government decided to assist the island in bringing more women to Sardinia. The idea was to lure many women from different countries with job opportunities and would offer to pay for them to live on the island. The idea was thought of in the early 2000s and seemed to work. Chosen women would be lured and never return home once they went to the island. 

Families would ask about their missing female relatives, but the Government would pretend to help or give families false information to make them lose hope.

As for Julio, he still didn't have a wife. Some of the single women on the island didn't catch his interest even though many were beautiful, dutiful, and flirts. He knew many Sardinian men preferred obedient and submissive wives, but Julio wasn't interested in that type of woman. During his travels, Julio couldn't help but be impressed with strong-willed women unafraid to fight for their beliefs. That was what he wanted in a wife: someone who was strong yet feminine. The young man eventually arrived at his small home, went inside, and sat on one of the sofas in the living room. He decided to turn on the television to see if there was any news regarding the upcoming Bride Kidnapping tradition. 

To his luck, every Sardinian channel had an announcement that women would be arriving on the island tomorrow. Not only that, but the Sardinian leaders also chose a certain number of single men to participate in the tradition. The chosen men would receive a text message tomorrow morning. Julio sighed profoundly and hoped he would be one of the chosen men. A couple of times, he was chosen, but most of the women who arrived on the island didn't interest him, so he let his other competitors win. He hoped that one of the women arriving tomorrow would catch his interest if he were chosen.