First Comes Marriage, Then Comes Love

[Daanarri Meorrrei]

Daani shoved another chunk of meat into her mouth, chewing slowly so she wouldn’t miss any words. Rai, married? She’d skipped being mated for so long Daani had assumed Rai and T’ye were allowed to make love matches, if they wanted.

Daani was only now old enough to hear such conversations, and really hadn’t been living around her family since she was about eight. All the talk of her own impending adulthood and need for a mate had seemed very unfair, seeing as Taa had never enforced such a thing on Daani’s older sisters.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

Rai had felt elevated by the news that her mother would name her as Baroness. When she insisted that Rai would be married, the elation turned to horror.

"Marrrjied?! Mother, jI...jI can't!"

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jYou can and jyou wjill."

The Rrou'fai's voice was clear and authoritative as she pointed to Rai'faani with a bloody finger.

"That'ss onljy a hjint of what jit takess, Netaali. jYou musst be jojined to a housse of qualjitjy to ssecurre jyourr possjitjion, orr jyou wjill appearr weak and vulnerrable. Housse Meorrrei jiss made sstrrong bjy the connectjionss we forrge. jYourr ssjissterrss Aleeha and Taaliaala took arranged hussbandss cjycless ago to ssoljidjifjy ourr place. jIt'ss long overrdue that jyou all do the ssame."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

T'yeellaa's ears twitched with words she hoped she hadn't heard. The sick plummeting feeling in her stomach insisted that she'd heard correctly.

"What do jyou mean motherr?"

[Daanarri Meorrrei]

Daani kept as quiet as a sajoi, watching her elder sisters start panicking. She'd been the target of so many pointed words about her eligible status that her mother's words didn't phase her. She wasn't of age yet, anyway. And even if she was, a husband seemed like a strange, weird concept that she couldn't quite wrap her mind around.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jI've sstrruck arrangementss wjith the Houssess Orraitoyya, Ciinaaharree, and Reeiarrrei - all strrong houssess jin the Oljigarrchjy, to jojin thejirr next avajilable ssonss to jyou."

She glanced to Daani, inclining her head slightly.

"Au'laana wjill wajit one rrotatjion, of courrsse, untjil sshe'ss of age. But jI jintend forr each of jyou to do jyourr dutjy. Ourr possjitjion asss the mosst powerrful famjiljy jin the Oljigarrchjy musst be majintajined, sso that Netaali'ss trranssjitjion to Barronesss and mjy elevatjion to Fjirrsst Mjinjissterr can prroceed wjith due ssupporrt."

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

Dazed, T'yeellaa could only shake her head.

"jI can't...jI can't marrrjy now. Motherr, jI have a carreerrr! Motherr, jI..."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

"jYou can and jyou wjill be marrrjied, Sailla!"

Taa's voice raised as she knocked aside her dish, which clattered loudly. The men working the carcass stopped what they were doing, looking from the women to each other. The Senator glanced at them with irritation.

"jYou thrree, leave!"

The servants quickly made themselves scarce, leaving the room to the aristocrats.

"jI've gjiven jyou a lot of leewajy overr thesse jyearrss, Sailla'hee. jYou turrned jyourr back on jyourr rressponssjibjiljitjiess beforre. jIt could have been jyou at mjy ssjide todajy. jIt could have been jyou to ssucceed me asss Barronesss, but tjime and agajin jyou've ssquanderred jyourr bjirrthrrjight and thrrown jit back at me. Enough!"

Taataani stood from the dais with her hands at her hips.

"Netaali wjill be jojined jin one month. jYou wjill be jojined jin thrree. jI gjive jyou that much tjime to do what jit takess to be rreadjy, but don't defjy me agajin. jI've been morre than generrouss wjith jyou. That can change."

[Daanarri Meorrrei]

Daani had a lot of things she would have liked to say to her oldest sister, but her time in the palace had taught her the value of keeping silent when necessary. She caught T'ye's eye and gave a sympathetic grimace when she was sure their mother was looking at Rai.

Being matched in a year? The thought of it wasn't as weird as it might have been just a short while ago. Saanjarra knew it had been brought up enough by the priestesses, hells, even the Pride Mother had murmured about Daani's status. She wasn't a stupid child anymore. A match made by her mother was likely to be more agreeable than one created by the Sun Palace.

Daani turned to her mother and bowed with a show of respect. "Motherrr..." she switched to their native tongue, though she was not as fluent as she should have been. <"I look forward to my match, but I have one question. Which of these houses will my mate be chosen from? And please make sure he is not,"> her Cizeri stumbled, "ljike, ssuperr old."

Daani looked up at her mother as she towered above her daughters with righteous indignation, and used her most innocent smile.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

<A month...>

Rai whispered to herself, still in shock. She quaffed down her wine all at once, trying in vain to think of how to get out of this. But that was the trick, wasn't it? Mother had perfectly leveraged her ascent as Baroness to taking a husband. How could she refuse now?

Daani insinuated herself in a way that was almost envious. Her question opened up fresh new dread. Taliaala and Aleeha had married two plain and unattractive suitors. Was that what she had to look forward to? Some trout-shouldered blue blood with a weak chin and thin lips? An insufferable shrew eternally devoted to keeping an interest on where she went and the company she kept? Not to mention cubs. Cubs! There were so many more interesting things in life that awaited her than to be anchored down by a needy, mewling litter. Obviously her mother had taken a perverse interest in raising a village, but Rai had no desire to shoulder the ordeal at all.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

While T'yeellaa quavered, Taataani turned to Daani with a small smile. At least her youngest seemed ready to do her duty. Perhaps her service in the Palace hadn't been such an odious assignment after all.

<The suitors are young, I'm told. The Ciinaaharree boy is the youngest at seventeen cycles. The Orraitoyya boy is the eldest at twenty. We must match him with Netaali since their house is the most prestigious of the three, and her station requires that importance. You may choose between the other two, whichever suits your liking.>

Her eyes returned to T'yeellaa.

<I'm certain that Sailla will accept whoever remains.>

[Daanarri Meorrrei]

<"Perhaps Sailla and I can discuss what would be ...most pleasing to us, between the two."> Daani sat up and slipped her hand into T'yeellaa's, and gave it a squeeze. She was desperate to spend time with her oldest sister alone anyway, this was as good an excuse as any.

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

They'd shifted seating somewhat, and Daani had crossed over to sit with T'yeellaa out of what the older sister guessed was solidarity? T'yeellaa averted her eyes.

"Motherr, jI can't..."

She looked at Daani, and shook her head.

"jI can't. Ssamuss, Ssamuss, he'ss..."

[Taataani Meorrrei]

<Your pet human, Sailla, really?>

Taataani gave an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes as she paced.

<You foolish girl, I don't give a toss what you do with Samus Dage, so long as you marry a man of quality first.>

She snatched up her wine glass, only to finish the dregs.

<Humans are for fancy. Fuck them, marry them, whatever you want, but you should always marry a Cizeri male from a good family for your first. You'd think I'd taught you nothing!>

[T'yeellaa Meorrrei]

She'd had enough. Whether it was a good idea or the most foolish one, T'yeellaa's back was against the wall and her options were growing fewer by the minute. She slipped her hand out of Daani's, standing next to her little sister, and standing up to her Rrou'fai.

"Motherr, jI'm prregnant!"

[Daanarri Meorrrei]

Daani dropped her sister's hand awkwardly, her attempt at smoothing things over failing miserably. She had nothing to add to this conversation between T'ye and their mother, and didn't know what to say even if it had been her place to butt into it.

When T'ye blurted out her news, Daani grimaced. She looked surreptitiously toward where her clothes were folded, and quietly began cleaning herself up from the meal. No one seemed to have much of an appetite left.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

Rai gawked at the bombshell T'yeellaa released under duress.

<Ai'kosa, sister! Pregnant! From Samus?!>

[Taataani Meorrrei]

Taataani drew a sharp intake of breath, balling her fists as she closed her eyes and muttered to the ceiling.

<On the ashes of my great grandmother...>

She drew across the distance, anger etched stark on her face.

<Your Myomarian slut has caused his fair share of problems for us, now hasn't he? What a disgrace. He's disgraced you, and in turn, disgraced us all!>

[Daanarri Meorrrei]

Daani knew about birth control and she was only fifteen, so it was beyond reason that T'yeellaa had come into this situation by accident. If she wanted to have a half-breed cub with her human boyfriend, Daani didn't really care except that she knew it was socially and culturally a terrible idea.

As the older women in the feeding pit were all distracted, Daani edged backwards toward her clothes.

[Rai'faani Meorrrei]

Daani met up inadvertently with Rai'faani, who'd also tested the winds and determined a withdrawal was in order.

<There's going to be a fight, little sister, and I think it's been a long time coming.>

Rai looked to Daani, and held her hand.

<I don't know what to feel anymore. Thrilled or fearful?>