Cassandra was talking softly while staring at Kairen, their eyes not leaving each other’s a single second.
“O, God of Water, our ancestors taught us love. Help us teach our children too. We’ll share that love to all of your children, from all rivers they come, from all seas they come. Let us speak of love, and let our hearts beat together. Let your love flow in our veins and words, for you showed us how to love with your rain. Gather your children together under the rain, gather us, and remind us how to love if we forget. Teach us to be patient, kind, sincere, and truthful. Teach us love, teach us how to cry, and pray. Fill our lives with love, water, and grace. O, God of Water, your children are thankful today, as with love you teach us the way again.”
On the side, Kareen shed a little tear, impressed. Even the servants were all feeling sensitive to the words of Cassandra, and the prayer that echoed in the walls despite the rain. Both sisters took a little pause, breathing deeply before reciting again.
“O, God of Water, your children will remember. We will remember your love is patient, kind, sincere, and truthful. We shall not give in to anger, and we shall not give in to evil. We shall not lie, and we shall not betray. Your children promise to remember, each day the rain falls, how love is patient, kind, sincere, and truthful.
O, God of Water, your love has no beginning and no end. Your love is blind and deaf. Your love is infinite.”
Missandra’s voice suddenly broke into tears. Something in her memories kept her from going on. She kept hanging her hands in front of her, but she was crying, unable to continue. Cassandra understood why it hurt so much for her sister. She took a deep breath, and continued alone, while Kareen walked over to gently hug Missandra’s shoulders.
“O, God of Water, your children of the rain shall not lie, and they shall not hurt. I will be blind and deaf if I can’t see or hear love.
O, God of Water, your children gather today, in harmony, to love again.
O, God of Water, hear our prayer. Your children will give up their wealth, their bodies, and their mind for love.”
Cassandra took a deep breath and gestured for Kairen to take one of the ends of the silk thread, while she took the other.
“Rain has come to us blind and deaf. Rain will witness our love today. I give my wealth, my body, and my mind for this love of mine.”
She mimicked with her lips for Kairen to repeat her words.
“I give my wealth, my body, and my mind for this love of mine.”
“I will love eternally, in the eyes of my beloved, and in the eyes of the Water God.”
“I will love eternally,” repeated Kairen, “in the eyes of my beloved, and in the eyes of the Water God.”
“I swear to keep my love patient, kind, sincere, and truthful until I die. I swear to honor the Water God in every way, until I return into his arms, side by side with my beloved.”
Once again, the War God repeated without flinching.
“O, God of Water, love is infinite. Love is mine. You are mine.”
“Love is infinite. Love is mine... Almien.”
Cassandra was surprised to hear Kairen had translated the last word by himself. She was shocked and incredibly overwhelmed.
They stayed silent for a little while, staring deeply into each other’s eyes. There was no sound around but the rain, falling quietly around them, the downpour slowly turning into a gentle rain. Cassandra smiled and took his other hand, linking her fingers with his. Then, she stepped forward, and they exchanged a long, deep kiss.
Their kiss had a fresh taste of rain and eternity. Despite the cold around them, Cassandra’s heart had never felt warmer than at this moment. They exchanged that kiss in a religious atmosphere as if they were sealing their promise. When they gently stepped back, a drop rolled down her cheek, but no one would have been able to tell if it was a tear or the rain. Cassandra was smiling, and it didn’t matter much.
Then, they both pulled on the silk thread at the same time, and, to his surprise, it separated perfectly, leaving two little bracelets wrapped around their wrists. The people watching were confused. How did that long thread separate into two so easily, and in such perfect knots, too?
“We’re done for today,” whispered Cassandra.
“Done? Already?” repeated Shareen, surprised.
The young concubine walked over to her sister, hugging Missandra in her arms to try and calm her down. They went to shelter themselves under the roofed part of the room, where the servants rushed to bring them thick towels.
“Yes. Both partners usually keep this thread around their wrists until the next rain, and it is done.”
“I was expecting something much bigger! Do you have any idea what hassle the wedding ceremonies are here? Let alone the ones in the Imperial Family!”
“The Rain Tribe isn’t the... showy type. As long as the God of Water has been able to witness it, any kind of ceremony is holy and perfectly valid. We don’t need grand ceremonies, decorations, or a lot of people. As long as both parties were sincere, we are now acknowledged as lifetime partners; this is all that matters.”
“It was a beautiful ceremony, Cassandra,” said Kareen, glaring at her daughter for her to shut up. “Your tribe has a beautiful tradition. I prefer it to the ones here. We are all about the grand celebrations and showing off, while this feels much more intimate and sincere. That prayer was beautiful.”
