7th Day of Summer 512 A.V
Her fingers carefully moved over the plates, picking up one after the other, until she got them all. Living in a large family meant everyone had to do their part and Dani's part tonight was helping mother clean up after the meal. It was a rare occasion to have everyone at home. Ariel, Tibor, Erik and Viktor, her father, all remained seated, discussing the hunts planned as well as who would have the boring job (according to Ariel at least) of taking the cattle out. She was jealous sometimes, of how much older and more included in these matters her brothers were, with Erik being the oldest - at 19. Technically, him and his wife had their own home, but as of recently with Johanna being pregnant - they spent a significant amount of time with the family. Tibor, who was 17, had just announced that he will be heading out to travel and hopefully learn more about blacksmithing, as this was his biggest passion. Ariel, the brother whom Dani was closest to, at the age of 15 was a mirror image of his father. Tall, blond, already lightly bearded and very devoted to his clan. His main goal in life - keep those he loves safe. Dani inherited her looks from her mother, well, her mother's sister specifically, as everyone around Endrykas stated. She was quite short for her age, red-haired and green-eyes. Her body already fairly strong, as much of her time was spent following Ariel around, mimmicking what he'd do. All her brothers had already been bonded, bearing Windmarks across most of their upper bodies. All of them had wives or wives to be, making Dani the next one in line. That, however, was a difficult task, since any time her mother or aunt would find what they considered a suitable husband, Viktor would disagree. His little flame, as he called Dani, was to have the best man Endrykas has ever seen - and nothing less. Truth be told, no one had any idea what that meant, so they just tried their best to look for those Dani got along with in general. Many suggested weren't even mentioned to the poor Drykas girl, and those that were, were swiftly disregarded as she was certain her father's approval was necessary.
"Papa, here is your ale", the young Drykas spoke, smiling as she put a mug before the largest, oldest looking man. "I wish I could come with you and Ariel tomorrow", soft words continued flowing as her gaze moved between the two. To everyone's surprise, a deep, rumbling voice responded with "You will, my little flame. Tomorrow, you will meet someone new". Almost in an instant, both the girl's mother and Johanna could be seen peeking in with a puzzeled look on their faces. Viktor smiled, looking up at his daughter first, then around the table and over to the ladies, before continuing to speak "I believe I have found a man worthy of my daughter and I would like you to come meet him. Ladies, prepare something nice for her to wear afterwards, since the young man will be coming here for an evening meal". The man's arm reasurringly pulled Dani in, nodding her way. It was quite a surprise, especially since at that point they have basically run out of options close to her age. The topic made Ariel ponder for a second, giving his father a questioning look. "Yes son, you have hunted with him. A firey boy, much like our little girl", his words further reassured everyone in the group, everyone but Dani.
Quickly excusing herself from the table, she walked back towards her mother and Johanna. Eyes filled with tears and voice weak, trembling "But mother... what Papa said over there. That means I will have to go away, doesn't it? I don't want to leave you, or Ariel. Please mother, tell me it isn't so". Young one's words made the woman sigh, giving her a comforting hug before storming out to the table one more time. Mailah, Viktor's wife, demanded explanations and while he was providing those, Johanna tried her best to comfort Dani, explaining how marriage is, what it means and how close they would actually be. The girl knew it was something bound to happen, but with events prior, she did not expect it any time soon. Just as she managed to settle down, her mother walked back in, smiling. That smile was both concerning and soothing, since the meaning behind it was unclear until the first words came out "You won't leave. Not for a long time still. Your father will not give your hand away for many seasons to come. You will, however, grow with this man, strenghten your bond and support one another. Your brother has met him. A fine young man, he says. With your father impressed, I have no doubt in that. But remember, if there is something that bothers you, speak to me. Making him proud is good, but I don't want you to be unhappy". Maliah was always a very caring, gentle woman, so the last statement came as no surprise to her daughter. Before the girl could even respond, she continued "He bears no windmarks, nor does he know much about The Web. He is not one of our own. What he lacks there, according to your father, he makes up for in bravery, honesty and care." It was difficult for Dani to understand much of what was said, since her mind was stuck trying to decypher everything Johanna spoke about earlier. "Don't you want to know what he looks like'", Maliah asked, brushing over her daughter's hair gently. "Should I?", a question anyone who knew the girl for any length of time could expect. "Silly girl, well, I will tell you all I know regardless and then we will go sleep. I want you to be alert tomorrow, it is dangerous out there. So, he is as tall as Ariel, has firey hair like yours, blue eyes and is quite a strong young man. Apparently.." the woman giggled before continuing her train of thought "apparently, since he bears no windmarks, he paints on his body. It makes him feel closer to our people". As soon as she spoke those words, all three women started laughing quietly. "If father thinks I should meet him, I will. But I will not marry a man who paints pretend-windmarks. He will either stop, or he will get marks elsewhere", Dani added, her comment making the other two laugh even more. The joking and silliness continued for some time, bringing their mood up a bit. After laying down, just as she was about to try and fall sleep, Dani could hear Ariel walk next to her bed. Crouching down, he held her hand and whispered "I will be with you, every step of the way".
Even with all the support she got, Dani still had a difficult time falling asleep. Tossing and turning, she kept thinking about what exactly they were going to do tomorrow. What the boy's name was, how old he was, whether he would like her, whether or not she would like him. Her mind filled with a stream of questions she had no answers to nearly drove her mad. Finally managing to fall asleep just before dawn, the young Drykas knew she'd be a mess during her little date.
Quiet chirping and a nice breeze, accompanied by a ray of light from the tent entrance woke the girl. Rubbing her eyes, she slowly pushed herself into a seating position. Lifting her arms and stretching her legs was something she'd do every morning. As if on queue, her mother parted the tent fabric and smiled. Walking over, she gave her hair a light stroke and put down a simple, ivory-colored dress on her bed. Confused, Dani looked up as if to ask what that was, just to be reminded by a sign stating it was for later. Smiling back, the Drykas girl stood up and walked out to the front part of their tent. Doing her morning routine took a while, but once done, she had all her clothing on, her axe in hand and a braid over the front pairt of her hair, preventing it from falling onto her face.
"Papa!", she exclaimed, rushing out of the tent with the biggest smile she could muster. For a tick, she had completely forgotten about their plan for the day, only to be reminded by her brother Ariel's kissy face, assumingly mimicking what might happen. The very thought of it made her stomach turn, even when empty.
Sitting down at the campfire by her father's side, she looked up to him and bit into a piece of bread "Papa, thank you for taking me with you today". Her voice being more cheerful than last night made her father smile, pull her in and kiss the top of her head. Allowing her to finish her breakfast, the man stood up and silently held his hand on a large Strider. With the last piece in her mouth, she followed her father's lead, climbing up first, with him taking the most protective position he could behind her.
They agreed to meet not too far from there, so the ride didn't take long. It was going to be a warm day, Dani could feel it as she struggled to keep her eyes open against the glaring sun. With the Strider now fully stopped, her father got off first, whisteling in a rather distinctive manner. Soon enough, people she knew from the camp started coming out. She could count five and... one more, the one who instantly made her cheeks fluster. Standing there, his red hair bound by a string, blue eyes contrasting the very beard framing his face. His clothing simple, dark with only two leather wambraces protecting his wrists. His right hand wrapped around a large spear, he smiled the strangest smile she ever saw, before looking at her father and nodding respectively. Viktor nodded back, extending his arm to grab Dani's axe, allowing her to get off the Strider comfortably. Once on the ground, she proudly took her weapon back and stepped just a bit closer to Ariel.
"Marcel! Come, my boy, I would like you to meet our family's little flame", the pride in his voice apparent. Other clan members stood there, watching carefully as the red-haired boy approached. Bowing his head in respect to Viktor, he extended his arm and greeted Ariel before turning to face Dani. His eyes grazed over every part of her face, finding their way to her lips and back up, sending a toothy grin her way. "Hello, Daninna, I am Marcel. Your father told me so many fascinating things about you.".
The Drykas girl kept a close eye on everything he did, how he greeted her family members and how he was now... looking at her. "H...hello Marcel. I have heard a lot about you as well. Father made sure to mention all the best and worst qualities", a statement completely untrue, but used as a defensive mechanism. Her response to embarrassing situations was to laugh it off, so instinctively, she did the same here. Unfortunately for the young man, he was not aware of this, which allowed Dani's words to cause an uncomfortable chuckle.
"Now, now. Don't be rude Dani, I'm sure you will get to mess with him later, but at this time, please behave. You two stay in the back and Ariel, watch over them" Viktor spoke calmly, before walking over to his Strider and climbing up. After smiling proudly at the evil teasing, Dani realized that her father expected her to ride with Marcel. Gulping, she turned to face him one more time and added "So, uhm... Am I going to climb up first?", to which the boy just nodded - clearly more comfortable with the whole situation than she was. Helping her up, he soon followed, allowing his arms to gently move over her sides and onto the horse. He was oddly close, close enough for her to feel his breath on her ear "I'm still confused about your comment earlier, but I am sure you will explain it to me later. Actually, I'd like to speak to you alone some, so if you want, we could sit outside after dinner?". The tone of his voice showed genuine interest, with the respect in his words reassurring Dani even more "I.. uhm, yeah... I would like that", after which they rode in silence. The hunt was successful and rather quick, allowing them to head home quite early - with plenty of time for food and chatting.
