Page 5 of To Ride the Wind

He didn’t speak, however, and her thoughts returned to his earlier words. He had been watching her and her sisters as they gathered food. Why?

She opened her mouth to ask him, but he spoke at the same time.

“What are the local wedding customs in this area?”

His unexpected words made her forget her own question entirely. She stared at him, unable to fathom what interest a bear could have in such matters.

“You want to know about our marriage customs?” she repeated, sure she must have heard wrong.

He shook his head slightly. “I don’t care so much about the marriage itself, just the wedding. I know the customs differ in different regions.”

She wasn’t sure if his clarification made the question more or less strange.

“You really want to know how the people of the valleys do wedding ceremonies?” she asked, still unable to believe she’d understood correctly.

“Very much so,” he said. “I’ve come here especially for that purpose.”

She gaped at him. The bear had come all the way from the Palace of Light to research how different regions conducted wedding ceremonies? Was he traveling the entire Four Kingdoms, or only the remotest parts? Would he want to know about other ceremonies and celebrations as well?

She hoped he wouldn’t ask her to explain a local funeral because she hadn’t been to one since they moved from Northhelm. In fact, she only knew about weddings because of her cousin’s recent marriage for which they had spent three days at her aunt and uncle’s to join the celebrations.

Perhaps that was why the bear was asking her about weddings in particular. Had he overheard talk about a recent one in the area?

“Since the people of the valleys live so far apart,” she said hesitantly, “we welcome reasons to gather together. Because of that, an occasion as joyous as a wedding is usually accompanied by a celebration of several days. That also gives the opportunity for young people to meet each other.” She gave a small chuckle. “Otherwise there wouldn’t be any future weddings.”

The bear didn’t smile in response, though. Instead, he looked disappointed. “The local weddings last for days?”

“Not the wedding itself,” she rushed to assure him. “Just the celebration around it. The actual ceremony is short and simple. Valley folk work too hard to waste time and effort on weighty or expensive traditions.”

The bear took another step forward, not seeming to notice he was doing so.

“A simple ceremony? What does it involve?”

She shook her head slightly, still utterly bemused. “The bride and groom hold hands in front of their family and friends and make their promises. They promise to support each other through life’s joys and disappointments and to remain loyal. Then the parents each speak a blessing. And that’s the whole thing. I know it’s nothing like the elaborate ceremonies they hold in the cities, but it’s accompanied by just as much joy and love.”

“What if the parents don’t approve?” he asked. “Or they’re not able to be present? Can the ceremony happen without their blessing?”

Her forehead wrinkled. “Since the bride and groom have to be adults, it can still go ahead without the parents. It is merely customary to include them.”

“An exchange of promises,” the bear muttered to himself. “So simple.”

Charlotte straightened, reading an insult in his words. “The people of the valleys might be simple folk, but they are good folk, for the most part. And they’re certainly hardworking. Fancy gowns and elaborate speeches aren’t the mark of good character.”

The bear blinked at her, as if he was just as bemused by her as she was by him. Perhaps he hadn’t meant his words as an insult after all?

“I know that well,” he said in his rumbly voice. “It is merely the simplest wedding ceremony I have yet encountered. But I can assure you I am pleased to hear it.”

He spoke as if he was well-traveled. Had he already been all around the Four Kingdoms for his research? Perhaps he had even been to the kingdoms across the desert or the ones across the sea. Although she couldn’t imagine the white bear lumbering up a sand dune beside a camel string, nor could she picture him on the deck of a ship. Just the thought made her lips twitch upward.

But then an inhabitant of the Palace of Light probably had other means of transportation.

The bear seemed transfixed by the movement of her lips, and it occurred to her that he might think she was laughing at him. A twinge of guilt reminded her that she had been, in a way.

“Would you like to know about other local ceremonies?” she asked, contrite.

“Oh, uh, no, this is fine.” He stumbled over his words for the first time since initiating the conversation. “I think,” he added, “that there is someone else I need to speak to now.”

“Oh, of course,” Charlotte said, surprised at the strength of her disappointment. “I suppose I won’t see you again, then. You’ll be moving on to some other place soon.” She peeped across at him, a little embarrassed, but not able to stop herself adding, “Won’t you?”

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