| 11. The price of freedom | Heiger has had the night to think about what he's going to do about his involvement with Lina. Having neither money nor personal freedom, he's not sure what his options are, even though Karzer expects him to come up with an answer. Luckily Lina has been doing some thinking of her own.
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| 12. Friend or foe? | Karzer's purchase of Heiger's indenture contract makes it possible for Lina and Heiger to wed, which in turn prevents Azer and his unborn half-brother from having to grow up fatherless. Discretion regarding Heiger's low caste requires that he be seen but not heard at the wedding announcement.
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| 13. Competition and cooperation | Lina's parents have announced the double-wedding to their clan. Heiger has met the other groom, Atgar, who is betrothed to Lina's sister Mina. Atgar's natural blessings intimidated Heiger at first, but his diplomacy skills built up a friendly rapport between them.
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| 14. Production and consumption. | There is a short gap between the announcement and the actual wedding, to give Lina's and Mina's clan time to get ready for the 3-day wedding ceremony. During this time, the immediate families are getting to know each other a little better.
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| 15. Pilgrimage | As many members of Lina's and Heiger's clans as could be rounded up on short notice are walking through a mountain pass in the general direction of southeast, towards Lina's ancestral village and clan shrine, where the rites will take place.
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| 16. Covenant | The two couples have finished an ancient rite to test them for biological suitability as husbands and wives. Having passed, they are now officially married, but the wedding isn't finished until they have made wedding vows and their sacred covenant.
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| 17. Followers and leaders | The wedding rites are completed. Heiger is Lina's lawful husband, and Atgar is Mina's. Karzer has another rite in mind, that will make the new grooms his lawful issue for purposes of inheritance. The rite traditionally involves the use of ash from auspicious ancestors. Those who are participating in this rite will go to a site where some of Karzer's ancestors were cremated.
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| 18. Consent of the followers | Karzer, Atgar, Lina, Heiger, Zantar, and Azer are still on their way to the site where the next rite is to take place. Karzer is using the time to instruct his sons-by-marriage on leadership of family and community.
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| 19. Death and damnation | Karzer is leading Heiger and Atgar to a site significant in his clan's history, where he will perform a rite to name them as his lawful issue for inheritance purposes. Heiger intends to perform the same rite for Azer, for purposes both of raising him as his adopted father, and for passing the inheritance along. Lina has tagged along because she wants to participate in the rites, and Zantar has joined them for added security.
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| 20. Lessons learned | Heiger was happy at first to have such a pretty and sensible wife, a clever little adopted son with one of his own bloodline on the way, and highborn and prosperous parents-by-marriage, but the whole thing having been just a little too serendipitous, he is worried that it must be too good to be true. His worries only got worse when he started noticing evidence of his adopted clan’s past trouble. The trouble started eons ago, but events that happened 26 of our years before the story are enough to get some rough ideas of its nature. |
