CHAPTER EIGHT
The ceremony the next morning was not as flashy as the one Rina had seen as a small girl. There were fewer brides, and fewer rich ones, and that undertone of fear hiding underneath. Rina recorded it with her camera phone for Vipin’s sake.
As an anthropologist, he had been intrigued to learn that the words of the wedding ritual were based on an ancient rite, one used for conquering kings to wed a number of princesses from subjected kingdoms all at once in order to cement the conquerors’ political ties to their new realms.
Vipin would appreciate being able to see what that might look like. Well, he would appreciate it if they all lived through this, anyway.
The wedding ceremony was followed by a feast and a dance, but Rina did not get to participate in either of those. Inst
