Chapter 4 A New Land

The forest floor was trampled by the heavy hooves of large, muscled horses, weighted down by their equally large riders. The evening breeze swept through the hair, rustling the trees as the horses stepped out into the vast clearing, a grey field spreading out before them. Bjorn Beowulf's white hair ruffled with the wind and his blue-eyed gaze narrowed at the large settlement a great distance away. His home.

"This was a fruitful week," Dov commented, riding his mount to Bjorn's side.

Bjorn nodded in answer, the murmurings of fellow hunters behind him breaking his momentary peace and concentration.

"At long last!" Dov slapped Bjorn's back with a boisterous laugh as he spoke loudly, "We shall finally meet our Chief's sweetheart! Isn't that right, boys?"

The men roared with a jovial outcry and Bjorn glowered at his best friend. Dov shrugged innocently and kept laughing, ignoring Bjorn's searing gaze. "Lighten up, man," he added, "This is a joyous occasion."

"I wonder how far Sprite is," one of the men commented.

"Not too far enough," Bjorn growled, wishing the travel would take far longer, eternity even. He had been pushing off this union for the past ten years only for his mother to put her foot down and head all the way to Sprite herself to bring back the young woman.

Bjorn gave his mount a light kick and trotted ahead of the others, eager to be away from the jeering men. They hadn't mentioned such nonsense during the hunt. Maybe it had been the excitement from having the clan in sight that roused such unpleasant behaviour from them.

"You have been putting this off too far enough, dear friend," Dov chuckled, his horse darting forward to join Bjorn's. "No need to be spiteful about it."

Bjorn merely grunted in reply.

"Really, at least try to be welcoming. Coming as a stranger to a different place can be unsettling for a lot of people. I wonder if her father has even told her the circumstances of her coming here."

"Don't," Bjorn warned, darting Dov an annoyed side glance. "Don't even..." His lips turned down in a disturbed frown and he stopped talking.

"I guess you would like the evening to yourself?"

Bjorn nodded. "Yes, Dov. I would. Very much."

Against better judgement, Bjorn could feel his stomach churning. He didn't know how to describe the feeling, but he didn't want to call it nervousness. All he probably had was this evening and tomorrow if his mother wasn't staying overnight at Urn.

"Even if she arrives, I hope her family made the sensible decision of raising a proper woman well able to watch over my domain in my absence... and one who would respect my privacy."

Dov raised a brow at his friend and looked away, a smile playing at his lips as he tried to stifle a laugh. "Oh, Bjorn." Dov shook his head. "There is little to no privacy between married partners unless you want your woman to be 'very' lonely." Bjorn frowned but Dov continued, "Then again, I am sure she must be a capable woman."

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Mel stood on deck, looking down at the potted peach-coloured flower her mother had given her mere minutes ago. As she held the clay vase in her hands, she recollected Harriett's trembling hands as her mother gave her the gift.

Anna stood beside Mel, silently watching the young lady trying to make sense of her mother's parting gift.

Mel looked up and glanced back at her mother, her eyes widening as she noted the growing distance between the ship and the harbour as they took to the sea. Harriett stood still, watching the Orion ship depart with her daughter, and Mel's eyes watered, her chest beginning to tighten as she realised she was finally leaving her family behind.

"My lady," Anna whispered, wrapping a comforting arm around Mel's shoulders and drawing the young woman to her side. "It will be alright."

Mel gently shrugged off Anna's hold, holding back her tears with a shake of her head. The wind snapped at her face and she sniffed. She had to be strong. Weeping now on what was supposed to be a joyous occasion would feel like an insult to her new family, and she didn't want to be disrespectful.

"It is a sad thing having to leave a family you've known all your life."

Mel stood at alert and eyed the approaching woman. Eustace stopped in front of Mel and lightly touched her shoulder. "Come in, it will be cold outside the further we go towards the Northern seas."

Mel cradled the pottery to her chest and quietly followed the old woman into the ship. From time to time, she eyed the working men who stole brief glances at her, earning a sharp look from Eustace which made them rush about their business. Some sheepishly greeted the new bride-to-be and went about their way. They walked through the polished wooden confines of the ship and she and Anna followed Eustace into a wide cabin. The walls seemed to shine and Mel stood, marveling at the beauty.

There were barely any wooden constructions in Urn except their ships and vehicles, and only the richest of clans built a few wooden structures. Then again, those were for plants and vines to climb for support. They were never this elegant.

"Here, sit down." Eustace guided Mel to one of the posh divans and the young woman sat down, gesturing at Anna with a nod to sit beside her.

Eustace sat on another divan facing Mel and her maid.

"That is a beautiful piece." Eustace nodded at the potted plant in Mel's grasp.

A sad smile adorned Mel's lips and she nodded, gazing longingly at the lone budding flower protruding from one of the green stems. "This is her favourite plant... was-until it became mine when I was born."

Eustace looked at her silently, a fond look coming across her features. She took a long indrawn breath. "Do you mind if I sit beside you, Mel? I would like for us to be closer since we will become family very soon."

Mel nodded. "Yes. I don't mind." She slightly shifted and so did Ana, even though there was more than enough space for Eustace to sit by her.

Eustace stood up from her seat and eased herself beside Mel with a sigh, facing her.

"Will-will my parents be able to come for the wedding?" Mel summoned the courage to ask. Then she paused, her heart beating rapidly in anticipation. Then again, under the circumstances of this union, would there even be a wedding.

'I should have paid more attention back when mama was educating me about Orion.'

Eustace sucked her lips in and eyed the plant, unable to meet Mel's eyes. "You see, under these circumstances, your family cannot come." She touched Mel's arm and patted it, a sad look on her slightly wrinkled face. "That is how we do things in Orion. However, your family can come anytime, Mel."

Mel fought back the tears that built their way to her eyes and unable to hold back she sniffed and rubbed at her eyes with her sleeves. Anna took the potted vase from the lady's app to prevent it from falling off.

"No. No. I'm sorry. Please don't mind these... tears." Mel laughed nervously rubbing at her eyes.

Eustace enfolded her in a warm hug and Mel wrapped her arms around the old woman, her chest swelling as she vented out her pent-up feelings onto the embrace of her mother-in-law.

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Mel groggily woke up, her head slightly aching. She shifted on the cushioned surface and slowly opened her heavy eyes.

She surveyed her surroundings and realised she had been covered with a blanket while sleeping. Her head was apparently resting on Anna's lap too. She looked up at the sleeping face of her servant and immediately sat up, worried the woman's laps would be sore by now.

Anna kept on sleeping, and Mel surveyed the room once more. Eustace was nowhere to be seen and Mel properly sat up, leaning back against the divan. She took off the blanket and wrapped it around Anna.

Mel's throat itched and her mouth felt dry. She made her way to the door, about to open it and ask for water when it vibrated with a soft knock and was pushed open.

"Oh." She stepped back with a start as Enmel stood before her.

Her future uncle-in-law regarded her with his usual stoic expression. He closed his eyes and gave Mel a short nod. "My apologies for barging in," he said, his voice low and deep. The lack of emotion in it surprised her.

"It's no problem," Mel whispered. "Please I would like to have some water."

"Ah. Of course." He opened the door even wider to reveal a tray holding two metallic flasks and a cup in his other hand. "Precisely what I came for."

Mel smiled and Enmel walked into the cabin, dropping the tray on one of the stools before heading back for the door. Mel stood still, surprised.

He wasn't going to serve the drink to her?

Enmel stared back at her, as if able to read her mind. "We will be at Orion in a few hours," he merely said.

"That fast?" Her eyes widened.

Enmel nodded in reply and left the room as quietly as he came. Mel walked back to her seat and poured the water from the flask into the cup herself. Her hands trembled a bit, causing a small amount to spill on the tray.

She drank the water from the cup and sat still. Her heart tightened as she stared into space. It had been subtle, but she was either being paranoid or she felt a slight hostility from the man.

"No." She warded off the thought and murmured to herself, "Maybe it's not part of their culture? It has to be."

"My lady?"

Mel shifted to see a rousing Anna and a warm smile returned to her lips. "You're finally awake."

As the next few hours rolled by, Mel went to the surface of the ship. The wind was far cooler than Mel expected and she wrapped her coat tighter around her body. There, she found Eustace on deck and had a small talk with the woman, familiarising herself a bit before she noticed the approaching land.

Eustace gave Mel's arm a light squeeze and the old woman's eyes brightened for the first time. "Welcome, Mel."

Excited shouts and whistles from the men on board disrupted the tranquility and a knot formed in Mel's stomach.

Would she really be welcomed here?

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Mel was welcomed with such vigor and excitement that she felt dazed by it. Even Enmel seemed more receptive the moment they got online and the smile on his face shocked her as he met with his family.

Had the journey to her home clan caused such gloom?

'Come to think of it. Father had never really told me what he had taken from them, had he?'

Mel's heart began to ache from a new feeling and a vague understanding of why her family wouldn't be available on her wedding day came to her. They would only dampen the atmosphere.

The harbour, noticeably larger than that of Urn's had been teeming with members of the Grime clan eager to meet with Mel, and quite a number of them had brought small gifts, most of which, she learned, were already placed in her new residence.

A confused Mel was then whisked off in a horse-drawn caravan, shielded from the excitement. Mel peeked through the curtains at the landscape. There were a lot of domed stone structures, with just as many wooden ones, but the streets were wide and the ground was concealed with cobbled stone, unlike the exposed earth in Sprite. The majority of the structures were low unlike the high rising ones back in her country.

It took a while to make out the boundaries where the housing stopped and Mel paused. There were no fences or even gates. Only a clear field surrounded the settlement as far as the eye could see and it seemed pretty small compared to Urn. And Urn wasn't even the wealthiest clan in Sprite. The clan was exposed... why?

Mel's face mirrored the growing panic and worry within her as she lowered the curtain and looked away from the window to find Eustace staring at her across her seat in the carriage. A small smile spread on the old woman's lips.

"Fences," Mel whispered. "The gates. You have none of them... How do you protect against..." Mel brushed her lips with her fingers, unable to string her words together and at loss at the sheer lack of protection against invaders.

Eustace chuckled. "Orion or other beast nation has no need for fences. I believe you should have been taught that by now."

Mel's cheeks grew hot and she covered her open mouth, embarrassed. "I'm so sorry," she stammered. "I have no excuse. I had a few lessons but I would have brushed up on them if I had known when I would be... coming..." Mel swallowed and lowered her eyes to her laps, ashamed.

"No, child. Don't do that." Eustace stood from her seat and smoothly maneuvered through the moving vehicle to seat beside Mel. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Your parents didn't inform you as to our arrival?"

Mel looked up at Eustace and slowly shook her head. "I came to know about it just that morning."

Eustace's brows furrowed, deep in thought. "I see. That's why you looked so under the weather. I thought it was a simple case of not wanting to leave your family."

A wry smile spread across Mel's lips and she shook her head. "There was that too. But I was more annoyed at the moment."

"You poor thing." Eustace hugged Mel to her side and rubbed the girl's shoulder. "Even at that, you don't have to carry the blame. It's on us for taking this long to get in touch with you." She paused and then continued, her voice lower than before, "Not to worry, I will teach you all you need to know about Orion as a whole, including our clan, Grime."

"Thank you." Mel's worry eased at Eustace's tender smile and for a moment, her feelings seemed to be alleviated until a persistent thought came to mind. She gently pulled away from Eustace and straightened. Facing the woman, Mel asked, "I apologise in advance, but I would like to know this. What did my father steal from you?"

For a swift moment, Eustace was dazed, taken aback by the question. Mel couldn't fail to notice it and she paled, wondering if she had offended the woman.

Eustace immediately shook her head, an odd expression Mel couldn't place on her features. Whether it was pity, relief, or surprise, the young woman couldn't tell.

"I don't know if I should be pleased or relieved about the fact that you do not know the answer to that question," Eustace eventually said.

Mel relaxed a bit, but still puzzled, she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Mel. I am afraid I am not in a position to answer that. Even if I did, I am not certain I would still tell you." She took Mel's hand in her slightly wrinkled one and gave her a soft, gentle squeeze. "It is not a mental burden you should carry. Just know that we won't blame you for the sins of your father."

Mel watched Eustace's hand. "But I am... I could have married someone else..."

Eustace sighed and averted her gaze. "It saddens me but you're right. My brother and I tried persuading my late husband and this was the most lenient "instruction" he could give." She swallowed. "We truly wish you no harm. And you shouldn't worry. Your husband-to-be is a very good man. He will take good care of you. We all will."

Mel's heart couldn't help but flutter at those last words. She was marrying a good man. If his own mother said so, then that must be true.

But...

"Why wait this long? I almost gave up. Thought you weren't coming," Mel whispered.

A fond smile graced Eustace's lips. "Well, my son was nervous to a long extent, plus he was busy taking over the clan after his father's passing. He wouldn't have been able to tend to you amidst all that."

Mel smiled, relieved. All those worries might have just been in her head after all. She looked up at Eustace. "But I am still curious and I would like to know, if you're not in the position to tell me, then is it...?"

Before Eustace could answer, they heard a few light taps on the body of the wooden carriage.

"Yes?" For some reason, Eustace's smile widened.

"The Lord has arrived."

Mel's heart thumped hard in her chest. The lord had to refer to her husband, right? Come to think of it, she had never even bothered to know his name. Eustace was a sweet woman, but would she be pleased to know that her daughter-in-law to be didn't even know her betrothed's name?

The carriage was still moving, or was he right outside riding with them? Mel clamped her hands on her thigh, nervous all of a sudden.

"Is he-" she dared to ask Eustace, pausing before continuing to speak. "Is he right outside?" her voice came out in a light squeak.

Eustace looked back at Mel. "No. It just means he and the men are back from hunting... We will get to his residence before him, don't you worry."

"I-pardon me for asking but... I don't want to assume your clan is small or anything, but I saw a considerable large number of people compared to the houses on land... and you have such mighty ships..."

Eustace relaxed in her seat and she beamed. "Majority of our settlements are underground."

Mel's eyes immediately grew wide and she tried to fathom how that could be.

Eustace continued, amused by Mel's surprise. "We have a few markets above ground, but even more down below. It is a beautiful sight down there, and most sections of some houses reside just beneath them. That explains the large spacing between each building."

Mel's mouth opened and closed several times, unable to properly get the words out. "I-I-I do not know what to say. That is beyond... how do you see in the dark-" She immediately shook her head, berating herself for such a foolish thought. Most creatures had night vision and the bear kin were no exception.

"Do not worry. We have light sources down there. In addition, the winters are heavy and harsh, so we usually hibernate or rest underground."

Mel felt the coat still around her. Come to think of it, it had been somewhat cooler than when she was in Urn. It hadn't occurred to her to take off her coat and Eustace hadn't bothered to ask her to remove it. She thought of Anna. Her maidservant had quickly become friends with a few others working under Eustace and she had gone ahead with the others to prepare Mel's new home.

Eustace regarded her warmly. "You will find everything you need here, Mel."

Mel hid a sheepish smile that was about to surface. It seemed she would still have some of the freedom she had at home and she would love to explore this new world. The underground dwellings of the Grime clan were something to look forward to.

She looked closely at Eustace. Aside from her tall height and immense build, she didn't look that much different from Mel. This led to an immediate thought of her husband. How big would he be? Would he be taller than his mother the same way Enmel was taller than his sister?

A discomforting wave came over Mel and she swallowed. "I apologize if I seem adequate. I learned what I could about Orion, but not about individual clans. My mother wouldn't give me such detailed knowledge-"

Eustace raised her hand and shook her head. "It's not a problem, Mel. It honestly saddens me you are more sheltered than I was told, but this is how it is in every nation. We know of each other's general traditions, but not too much of the ones precise to each clan. And you don't need to apologize for anything. Your mother was the one who told me herself that she had neglected to teach you anything after you came of age. It's us who should take the blame for taking this long to inform you about the union," she finished in a whisper.

Mel cast a nervous gaze at the window. Anything to look away from Eustace. Her mother had only given the woman the half-truth. Mel had never been serious with what she learned, even regarding lessons about her own clan. If she had been attentive enough, she would have remembered whatever was necessary even four years after.

"Well, here we are!" Eustace announced and the moment she finished those words, the carriage halted. She held Mel's hand, giving it a warm squeeze as the carriage door swung open.