A choosing ceremony

I gazed off into the horizon. The moons are high in the sky this morning. The air is cool, a light breeze touches my indigo skin. I raise my face to receive the blessings of Netta, the goddess of my lands. I close my eyes and inhale deeply.

Today is my 20th moon day, which means I have been here  for 20 years

 (KNOCK KNOCK) Someone is at my door. I walk off my balcony and step into my bedroom. 

There standing in my doorway leaning against the doorframe is my brother Kai.

 Kai  also wears the markings of a warrior. Red tattoos the color of blood covered his chest and arms; it’s an intricate pattern woven into his skin.

 Kai stands there like some god surveying my bedroom with his nose turned up as if he disapproves

 Kai  also wears the markings of a warrior. Red tattoos the color of blood covered his chest and arms; it’s an intricate pattern woven into his skin.

 " We need to head to the Gallery our parents are waiting here to talk to you," he finally announces and turns to leave.

 I groan, my parents can be a bit overbearing ever since the goddess blessed me to lead my people; I just hope it’s not to their end. 

 I grab my robes and follow behind Kai to the gallery. As I walk through the halls, I take notice of everything, the commoners walking, talking, laughing and being free, something that I could never experience.

 I am monitored too closely for that type of behavior. Goddess forbids I act out of character, not the leader my parents want me to be.

 I just might be tarred and feathered. I chuckle to myself as I walk through the gallery double doors, I'm awed by the beauty of this place, every time I walk through these doors.

 The room is filled with greenery and the floor is carpeted with

plush grass as soon as you take a step your feet sink in. There Are four stone pillars in the center of the room with wild vines crawling up each pillar and in the center of those tall stone towers rest a pool with the clearest water.

  At the bottom of that pool rest the healing petals of the Sung tree. 

Standing around that pool is my brother and parents. My father stands straight, squared shoulders with his hands folded behind his back.

 He looked at me with a stern look, a look of disappointment. I nodded my head and smiled at him, anyway. I turned to look at my mother. She radiates beauty. She was a tiny woman next to my father, but she stood regally, head held high with confidence. She could walk in any room and command everyone’s attention.

 She was a slender woman with a long graceful neck with beautiful white tattoos etched on her indigo skin from the top of her head to her lower back indicating she was a married woman.

 I bowed my head in greeting and looked towards my father’s frowning face. I knew what was coming, but it still hit me like a ton of bricks 

“Son, today you have been blessed to see a new moon cycle, your 20th cycle to be exact; it  is time for you to take a mate,”.

 “We will host a Choosing ceremony in a couple days, you will have your pick of any female in our lands. I trust you will pick the perfect female to help you govern our lands.” my father announces. 

I take deep breaths, I inhale and exhale slowly, this is not what I want, this is not happening. 

“I've seen and met many females from our  lands  and none of them are what I want or would consider a suitable mate,” I argue. 

Father looks at me with a look of irritation. My mother gives me a slight smile and places a hand on my father’s shoulder 

“Son, this is the way things are,” she whispered. 

 “There has to be another way,” I screamed.

 “I can’t mate with someone I don’t know or love,” I say. 

My father walks up to me with his hands balled into fist, enraged

 “You think this is about you,” He booms.

“This is about your people; our people.” He clenches and unclench his fist.

“How is me mating with a stranger going to affect my people not yours, mine!” I demanded.

 Kai runs up to us, places a hand on both of our chest and tells us to cool it. My father turns away, I still stand there fuming. 

Kai stands there with a wicked grin, I know he would do anything to be where I am. They raised Kai to be the Chieftain. My father groomed him to perfection. But on my sixteenth moon I awoke with golden eyes blessed by the goddess Netta herself. No one could believe it. 

I was no warrior; I wasn’t someone people listened to. But somehow the goddess thought I was the perfect person to lead my people.

 This infuriated my father. He thought Kai was the better candidate but Kai wanted the position for all the wrong reasons, Kai was hot tempered and he wanted to rage wars. 

He knew nothing  about diplomacy.

 Kai is a great General, the best even with a fierce love of our people. He would have been a better Chieftain than me. He knew war and what it takes to win one. But the Goddess chose me.  

 “Kane, your father means well, we just want what's best for you. 

If you have a mate, it would take some load off of you, you can share in your responsibilities, she can be someone

you bounce ideas off of,”

 I turned to my mother. Usually she is wearing a warm smile, but her lips were pulled thin. She had a look of concern on her face. I knew she wanted to say more, but something was holding her back, or someone.

 “Mae let’s go” my father calls,

 My mother turns to face him with a look of irritation. She looks at me and gives a soft smile and says

 “You are a magnificent leader,”

 I fidget a little and muttered  “thank you”

 My mother gave an exaggerated sigh and turned to leave.

 I stood there for a second contemplating my next move. A choosing ceremony, two nights from now.

 How was I going to get through this? 

“Why so glum?” Kai asked  

“Have you met any of the females from our land?” I asked 

“Yes,  I have. Kai answered,  in fact many females from our lands,”. Kai says, wiggling his eyebrows. 

“Even if you don’t find a mate, it would be the social event of the year,” Kai says with a wild gleam in his eyes. 

I shake my head, Kai would never see things the way I do, it’s hard for him to understand sacrifice, when anything he wants it’s giving to him. I frown, this was too much 

“I have to go,” I tell Kai.

 I walk off.

 Back through the gallery doors. I walk through the corridor, lost in thought. I didn't take notice of the group of people

gathered around the statue of Netta.

 “Did  you see that” I hear someone whisper?

 “She’s moving, our goddess has awoken!” someone Shouts

 Let us rejoice.

off to the side in a hooded robe with a wicked grin is Dunn, my best friend I knew right then that there was no miracle and Dunn was the culprit. 

I watched as he manipulated Netta. I watched the

 golden tattoos that encircled his hand from his fingertips to his wrist glow as Netta moved along to his beat. 

I didn’t want to end his fun, because fun was so rare around here, and as my chief adviser he needed it more than anyone.  But what he’s doing is cruel. 

 I walked over and placed my hand on his shoulder

 “That’s enough, Dunn,” I said. He gave an innocent smile 

“What? I was just having a little fun” he said while

shrugging his shoulders.

“You should prepare for our meeting with the other   leaders,” I say. 

“Have you thought of any other way to get Zoe and Guii to aid us in this war? Dunn asked.

 I sigh; that's all I could think about, winning this war, being the chieftain that wins the war that has been going on for thousands of years. I shake my head and look off into the distance. I notice the crowd has dwindled down since I interrupted Dunn’s play time. I walk over to the statue and trace the outline of Netta with my fingertips. 

 It’s a beautiful image of the goddess. She stood surveying our lands. Behind her stood the Sung tree,  she held twin ice daggers by her side.  Wind blew pink Sung petals around and they glided through the air. The warrior goddess looked so at peace. I envied her. Her ability to be calm at a time of war when thousands of lives rest in our hands. 

  I turned my attention back to Dunn. 

“Are you ready for the choosing ceremony?” I asked.

Dunn frowned. 

“I’m not sure I Will make it, Siva is due to give life any day now and I don’t want to spend unnecessary time away from her.” I smiled.

 I understood and hated myself for being just a little bit envious. Dunn had already found the perfect mate. While I was stuck with this stupid ceremony, I sighed heavily. 

Dunn laughed and patted my shoulder, 

“come on it's not going to be that bad, who knows?” he said while shrugging his shoulders, “maybe you’ll even find a mate”.  

I laughed and said, “maybe I will”

 I turned to walk away, stopped, looked over my shoulder and asked.

 “What about the meeting?” He ran his hand down his face. 

“Guii will send aid, but Zoe will need a little more convincing,”. He smiled a devilish grin. 

“So let's invite him to the ceremony, fill his belly with drink, show him why the sung people are something worth protecting,”.

 I nod my head, listening while I watch a vidu bird fly right towards me with a message.

 I watch as the silver bird gets closer; it moves with such speed for an enormous bird that I am  awe-struck by its terrifying beauty, as the bird descends I left  my arm so he can rest. I take the note from his red beak and read

WAR COUNCIL NOW!!

IN THE HIGH TEMPLE.

Kai 

“What is it?” Dunn asked. 

“We have to go now to the high temple  hurry,” I say as I grab his arm and make our way through the corridor.

finding the staircase that leads to the high temple. 

  We run past the great hall, past the gallery, through the sacred gardens until we reach a tall tower. The tower’s heavily guarded by Sung warriors. The guards part and let us in as soon as we reach the treachhold, we make our way up the stairs two at a time. I was out of breath by the time I reached the last step.

 We entered the high temple, and I was met with a room full of warriors, some of them blooded or missing body parts. It angered me; I wanted revenge. I searched the room for Kai. He stood with a group of his best fighters, staring at a map of our lands painted on the wall of the temple.

 “What happened” I demanded, and everyone turned to face me.

Some bowed at the waist, others got on their knees and raised their swords and bows up. Kai gave me a curt nod.

 “They spotted Akoma warriors crossing into the sky forest. I sent a legion of men to handle the problem”. 

“They were slaughtered, and this is all that's left of the men I sent,” he said while pointing around the room.

 I surveyed the room. The men were in awful shape.

 “How many men did you send,” I asked frustrated 

 “Four hundred warriors, four hundred damned warriors and only thirty came back,” Kai said pissed.

 I understood his anger; I wanted to fuel it more so he can bring his wrath down upon our enemies. Kai is the best General these lands have ever seen because of him our army was rebuilt and now stronger than it has ever been.

“What’s our next move,”. I asked.

 Kai sighed 

“I'm not sure at the moment, I need to know what Kurron

is up to,”.

“Why his warriors are running through the Sky forest. I need you to use your gifts Kane”, Kai said glaring at me.

 I felt his stare penetrate me; I felt exposed, naked. Kai knew how much I hated my gifts. Sometimes I resent the goddess for giving me these gifts. They felt more like a curse. I stood there for a second before I agreed. I bowed my head defeated 

“I'll do it, give me time to prepare.”

I turned to look at Dunn. He had a look of concern written on his face. I knew what he was thinking in that instant. Was I physically able to handle it? The last time I used my gifts I was unconscious for five days. 

My ears perked up. I could hear someone coming. The warriors already on edge everyone was at attention Bared teeth and weapons out. In runs a kid, one of my father's messengers. He’s out of breath, he bends over, places his hands on his knees and says.

 “Guii and Zoe have arrived there in the Sacred garden with

your father”. I nodded my head in thanks and he ran off.

 I turn to Kai, he’s in deep thought. I wish I could read his mind at this moment to know should I go or should I stay. He looks at me and says 

“Shall we go meet our guest”,  I am relieved to know I won't be facing this alone.