She approached and knelt before him. His golden brown eyes sparkled like topaz as he held out his hands to her, and she rose to stand next to him. His answering smile as the throng of people cheered in front of them told her all she needed to know. **** The joining of hands had been timed to coincide with the summer solstice. Two days before the fête, Iaun led her to the hut near the forest where the holy women of his tribe dwelled. Holy women were known to Lys, but her own people had none, so she was anxious about meeting them. Iaun explained that their approval of the match was a formality, but a necessary one. “Why do I have to spend the night here?” she asked as they approached the two young women waiting patiently near the entrance to the woods. “It’s a necessary ritual. To make sure that we are fruitful,” he said. “The holy women’s blessing will fortify my seed.” His gaze as he said that had been rather easy to decipher. She knew he would not have waited to bed her under ordinary circumstances, but their handfasting symbolized a union between her tribe and his.
