Page 8 of I Married A Lizardman

After an hour’s ride, I almost asked for a break as I was beginning to feel cramped, tired, and thirsty. However, as if he’d guessed my growing discomfort, Olix announced we were less than ten minutes away. I decided to keep quiet and suck it up.

To my delight, the silhouette of the village finally appeared on the horizon. I’m not sure what I had expected, but not the elegant structures of stone, wood and glass that greeted me. The dark browns and light beige gave it a warm and peaceful aura. The harmonious layout of the village spoke of well thought out urban planning and ingenious design that married the modern elements of the constructions to the natural environmental setting.

The one-story dwellings surrounded a large stone plaza at the end of which a massive building sat. It had to be their gathering hall or serve in some sort of official settings. While most of the village appeared to be covered in packed dirt, some cobblestone paths indicated the main ‘roads’ if that term applied. At a glance, I estimated the village contained a couple of hundred houses surrounded by vast plains on each side, a dense forest in the short distance, and a wide river at the back.

The absence of fortifications or defensive walls around the village spoke volumes about the peaceful nature of the inhabitants of both this area and of the planet as a whole. While the Andturians relied heavily on hunting and—to a lesser extent—fishing, no dangerous predators roamed nearby.

But as we closed the distance with my new home, my innards twisted in a knot at the sight of dozens—if not hundreds—of Andturians of all ages gathering on the plaza to witness our arrival.

“Calm, Susan,” Olix suddenly said next to my ear as he began slowing down the speed at which the mraka galloped. “These are your new people now. No one will harm you. You are among family and friends. They look forward to meeting you.”

I couldn’t tell what gave away my nervousness, or if he was just anticipating what emotions might course through me at this time, but his words helped alleviate part of my stress. I would likely remain a complete mess for the next few days, but every bit of support was welcomed.

“I hope they won’t be too disappointed,” I mumbled, immediately kicking myself for it.

But his answer took me aback.

“No, my Susan,” Olix replied in a strangely serious voice. “It iswewho hopeyouwill not be too disappointed with your new home and people.”

For the first time, I wondered how they might all be feeling at the thought that I would be judging them as they would be judging me. Did my opinion really matter to them?

Olix is their ruler… or rather Clan Leader.

Yes, I could see how they might want to meet the approval of their leader’s wife. But it also struck me that, as such, I would fall under even greater scrutiny. How humiliating it would be for him if his ‘subjects’ found his ‘queen’ pathetic? I didn’t want to embarrass him or cause his authority to be undermined.

That thought gave my already knotted stomach another nasty little twist.

But all meanderings fled my mind as our mount came to a stop under the cheers and the greetings of the clan. I didn’t know where to look with so many lizard faces surrounding me. To my shame, if not for the different colors and patterns on their scales, I would have been hard pressed differentiating them. They all looked the same to me, except for the noticeable size and shape differences that separated the two genders. Although my brain recognized variety in their features that made each face unique, it would take it a while to process this information overload.

Olix deftly jumped off the mraka then lifted me from the saddle as if I weighed nothing before setting me on my feet in front of him.

“Susan, this is the Monkoo village, your new home. And this is my clan, your new family,” he said, gesturing at the people and the village in general with a wave of his hand. “People of Monkoo, I present to you my human mate, Susan Jennings from the Southern Fields of Meterion.”

They all slapped their tails on the ground twice while pressing their right hand to their chests in a welcoming gesture. Feeling super awkward, I responded with a stiff smile and an even stiffer nod of the head. Although none of them displayed open hostility, by the way they subtly assessed me, none of them seemed particularly impressed. I had my work cut out for me to prove my worth.

Two females approached us, one clearly older, judging by the thickness of her scales, almost the same hue as Olix’s, the darker color of the strange strands that made me think of braids on their heads, and the number of beads and knots in the tribal jewelry she wore. The other female, visibly younger, but still of adult age, had stunning, blue scales that shimmered like gems under the sun.

“Susan, this is my mother Yamir and my younger sister Luped,” Olix said.

“Welcome, Daughter,” Yamir said in a surprisingly welcoming voice.

“Welcome, Sister,” Luped replied with excitement that made me instantly like her.

I mumbled back a greeting. I didn’t know how sincere their welcome was, or how they felt about me as a wife to Olix, but this initial greeting made me feel much better… less alone among strangers.

Chapter 4

Susan

Inearly panicked when both females each grabbed onto one of my upper arms and started luring me away.

“We have to prepare you for your mating ceremony,” Yamir said while pulling me after her.

I cast a worried look over my shoulder toward Olix who smiled encouragingly while getting himself dragged away by a couple of males.

“Do not worry,” Luped said as I followed them, trying not to freak out. “We are just going to adorn you in the traditional colors, then we will bring you back to the square… hmmm… plaza I think you call it. There, our Seer, Molzeg, will bless your union. And then, we will feast and dance!”

I knew a second wedding ceremony awaited me upon my arrival, but I thought they’d grant me an hour or so to relax, stretch my legs, guzzle down a drink, unpack my stuff, and get my bearings. I didn’t even get a chance to take my bag from the mraka.

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