Game of Destiny

“Wife!” A man’s excited voice echoed in the four corners of the room, and the beautiful woman sitting on the rattan bed smiled as soon as she heard him call her the most precious word that she has been dreading to hear since she was a little girl. Gone are all her worries and happiness is now evident on her face. Her hazel brown eyes speak of how much she loves the man she’s staring at. She still can’t believe that this handsome and talented man who has the most beautiful smile in the world is already his husband. She shortly reminisced about their simple but happy wedding last night. Though others didn’t approve of her as the future tribemaster’s wife, still she was happy that they all attended and celebrated with them. Being tied down to her husband made her feel once in her life that she finally got the acceptance that she ever wanted. Growing up as a runaway slave who lost the only family she had, life has never been easy for her. But after being saved by his husband’s family, she was able to live the life any slave wouldn’t be able to have. Though they are living outside the civilized world, still nothing compares to the happiness and bliss that she felt while living with the tribe, especially now that she is finally an official member of her adopted family. “Brandon! I was scared when I woke up noticing that you were not at my side. I tried calling you but you were nowhere to be found.” She said while hugging his husband. She couldn’t dare to go outside and find him because they have strict rules within the tribe. A married woman can’t go outside their room without her husband after their first night together, as it would be a form of disrespect, both to his husband and to all the tribe elders. “Sorry for making you worry, father called for an emergency meeting with the council. I wanted to tell you, but you were sound asleep. I didn’t want to wake you up.” He explained while caressing her cheeks. “Is that so? How was the meeting? You sound happy and excited. Any good news?” “Well dear wife, I am very happy to tell you that we finally get a hold of the next fertile land across the plains. We will be moving down the mountain tomorrow morning. Finally, our tribe’s years of arduous hard work pays off.” He said cheerfully. Freya doesn’t know how to react. She got bewildered for a second, not sure how to respond to her husband’s remark. She knows so well how big his husband’s responsibilities are as the future head of the tribe. Acquiring a land, especially a fertile land at that isn’t as simple as it seems. Apart from that, she thinks that getting nearer to the city would mean immense danger to her, to Brandon, and to the whole tribe. “You don’t look too happy wife, is there anything wrong?” He worriedly asked. “Dear, are you sure about this? You have all the power to stop the council from making rash decisions. Why would the neighboring tribe easily give up the land which had saved their people countless times from hunger? Something feels not right.” She voiced out. “Frey, I might be the headmaster’s heir, but everyone in the council already agreed to take the land. Besides, it is the neighboring tribe who offered it to us first as part of the blood money that they owe to us. You know how much I want everything to be resolved in peace. As much as possible, I don’t want to see another bloodshed right in front of my eyes. I’m already grateful that the elders agreed to accept their apology and blood money for my cousin’s accidental death. Please know that I am only doing it for you, for the tribe. I want a peaceful and quiet life for you and our future children. So please trust me with this.” Freya sighed while nodding at her husband, indicating her submission to him. “I’m sorry for making you feel like I don’t trust you enough. Rest assured that I will always follow your lead from now on. I promise that I will be a good wife who will follow your decisions for the rest of my life.” She said, giving her husband a reassuring smile. Though she still feels uneasy about moving down the mountain the next day, still she tries to brush off her negative thoughts for her and her husband’s peace of mind. ********** “Why are you alone here? And what’s with the long face?” Natalie, Freya’s best friend for years asked her with arms crossed. It hasn’t been long since they went down the mountain, but it seems like Natalie has already adjusted with the place. “I went here to take a look at the scenery. Look, the mountain where we came from looked too small from here. Looking from afar brings back all the good memories we had back there.” “So, you are sad about leaving the mountain top? Come on Frey, we’ve been stuck right there almost half of our lives, just think of us moving down here as a breath of fresh air. Don’t be too emotional over it. If other tribe members will see you in that state, they’ll think you are unhappy with your marriage with Brandon. Wait, speaking about your husband, I haven’t seen him around today.” “He’s out on a trip to the neighboring tribe. As the tribe’s next headmaster, he has to be there during the war pacifying ritual.” Freya answered with a weak smile. As much as she wants to tell Natalie about her uneasiness with the tribe’s migration, she keeps all her thoughts to herself knowing how much their ideals and grounds always clash whenever she talks about things which go against the tribe’s decisions. Her friend always sides with the council as she is molded to become the council minister’s heir. She always thought that Natalie could have been Brandon’s wife if she’s out of the picture. She and Brandon both think for the tribe’s long cause. Both are brave, share the same goal with the tribe and the council, unlike her who cowers even just at the thought of living near the place she had escaped from. And whenever she thinks about this, she would always feel like she doesn’t deserve Brandon. “Nat, how do you feel about my marriage with Brandon?” She asked her out of the blue. Natalie was taken aback for a second. “Wh-why are you asking me that? Of course, I am happy that you two finally get to have your love sealed with the mighty bond of marriage.” She hesitantly answered her. “I just want to be sure that I don’t get to step into someone’s happiness- especially yours. You know that everyone in the tribe always thought that you and Brandon would end up together. If I hadn’t come in the tribe, you and Brandon would have been-" “Enough of this Frey, how many times do I have to tell you that for Brandon and me- having a thing is as impossible as mixing oil and water. Brandon has only his eyes fixed on you, so please stop saying impossible things.” Nat cut her off looking displeased with how their conversation went. “I better go back to my tent; it’s near sunset and I still have to prepare for the night’s sparring sessions.” “I-I ‘m sorry Nat. I promise I’ll never talk about things like this again.” “You better not talk about this again, or else others might think that I’m getting in the way between you and your husband’s marriage. You better go back to your tent too. Brandon might arrive anytime soon.” And with that, Natalie left the scene. Freya bit her tongue upon realizing how much of an i***t she is. How could she let her own insecurities make her spew such nonsense in front of her best friend? She took one last look at the mountain top and decided to go back. She suddenly remembered that Zaina, her mother in law, asked her to come for afternoon tea. How could she totally forget such important arrangement? Surely, her mother in law will go nuts in reminding her the proper etiquette of being the future headmaster’s wife. “A good headmistress should never ditch anyone whenever she made arrangements with them as it would affect her reputation within the tribe.” She could hear her mother-in-law’s voice in her head. Sometimes she would wonder why the tribe’s rules feels the same with the rules within the palace that she once worked with as a slave. They are a small tribe after all, yet unlike other tribes, they have their own detailed rules and system of governance which is rare for uncivilized people like them. No matter how much she thinks about it, she still couldn’t connect all the dots. Maybe it’s all coincidence? She shrugged the thought away and decided to pick flowers on her way to appease her mother-in-law.