Karia was in the open yard beside her family’s house when the messenger from the Wise Woman arrived. The teen was seated at a stool, working at the loom weaving cloth. Kneeling beside her was Abina, the family’s slave girl, holding the basket of thread for her while she worked. The two girls looked very similar, within a year or two of each other, both with dark brown hair tied up in braids, dressed in loose, brown tunics of homespun wool cloth and leather sandals. It was only the thin, bronze collar around Abina’s neck marked her as a slave while Karia’s bare neck proclaimed her as a free, unmarried, girl.

Karia turned her head as she heard the tell-tale jingling of bells, coming up the winding packed dirt road, curved because it had once been a goat trail long ago when the city of Aca was little more than a village. Heading towards them was a girl, a few years younger than Karia or Abina. The dyed, patterned cloak she wore over her tunic, the hem hung with the jingling bronze bells, marked her as one of the apprentices of Kuwa, the city’s wise woman, keeper of traditions and ancient lore. Someone you did not disrespect, even if it was only her apprentice and not the old woman herself present at the moment.

“We greet you on behalf of the house.” Karia said, getting off the stool and going to her knees, head bowed.

“Karia, daughter of Shem?” The apprentice said, regarding the older girl. “The Wise Woman instructs you to meet her at the marketplace by the tenth bell of morning.”

“I understand.” Karia said, keeping her voice calm and still, even as her eyes widened slightly in surprise and alarm. So it was happening today. There’d been talk, true, but she thought she’d have a little more time…

“Good.” The apprentice nodded and, with a farewell, moved on, but only to the next house. Karia watched as she rapped on the door and was let in by one of the neighbor’s slaves. She knew the house next door had a daughter, about Karia’s age as well, living with them. It confirmed to the teen what she suspected.

A moment later, the door to their own house opened. Outstepped Karia’s mother, Hethna. Hethna was a close match to her daughter in looks, though time and hardships had lined her face. “Was that the Wise Woman’s apprentice who just came by?” She asked, sounding a little nervous.

Karia nodded. “She told me to go to the marketplace, immediately.” In the doorway, Hethna’s face went pale, a worried expression crossing her face a brief moment before she pushed it away.

“One does not ignore a summons from the wise woman.” Hethna said. “Not the Master of the City and not you. I’ll get your cloak.” She turned and went back inside.

When she had gone, Abina spoke up. “What is going on, Mistress?” she asked, confusion clear in her voice. “What is this summons? What is it for?”

Karia smiled. She’d forgotten, though she had the looks of one from this region, Abina had been taken from a distant village in a raid the year before and claimed by her father as his share of the spoils. She didn’t know of the tribe’s traditions. “It is an old tradition, shared between us and Stian.” Abina glanced eastward, to the other city across the river. “Every few years, the unmarried maidens of the city gather…” she started, but was interrupted by her mother’s return, Karia’s cloak clutched in one hand.

Karia stood and let her mother slide the cloak around her shoulders. “I wish this wasn’t happening now.” Hethna said, pinning the cloak with an artfully worked brass pin. “You know we’ve wanted a husband for you for some time, but could never afford the bride price. Maybe next year, your father might have gone with the Master on another raid…”

“It will be fine, mother.” Karia said. “I hope.” She added in her mind, keeping the thought off of her expression. With a farewell clasp, the two broke apart. Hethna took Abina back inside to assist her with another chore while Karia turned and walked down the winding road to the city marketplace…

***  

When Karia got to the city marketplace, she immediately spotted a crowd of young women dressed in cloak and tunic, gathered at the eastern end where the road, a fine, straight avenue of cut stone bricks, ran from the market all the way down to the eastern gate. Karia recognized some of her friends among the bunch; Juta, the innkeeper’s daughter, Reia, the second born of Utar the blacksmith, Thesta, whose parents had died of the fever two years before. None of them, as far as Karia knew, was betrothed.

Joining them, Karia chatted with her friends, exchanging the usual polite banter and gossip. None of them spoke about what they knew was coming. As they waited, a few more stragglers headed into the market, heading straight for the group. Around them, the marketplace was largely empty. Karia saw only a few elderly men and women haggling in the corners, keeping their distance from the growing group of maidens.

At the appointed hour, the Wise Woman made her appearance, walking into the market, tapping her staff on the pavement ahead of her, stooped over so the fringe of her cloak dragged along the stone, bells jangling discordantly. Behind her, her two apprentices followed, stooped over carrying a pair of large, woven wicker baskets.

“Good day to you all.” She addressed the girls in a creaky voice. Her face swept over the crowd, as if she could see them, though her eyes were heavy and greyed. Somehow, though, she’d know who was there among them. A frown on her face told Karia a few of the chosen girls hadn’t shown up. Though there was no, official punishment for that, Karia knew the families of those girls would have to work hard to get back into the Wise Woman’s graces, before the next time one of them came down with the fever or one of the women was with child. Their neighbor’s to, would avoid them, knowing the Wise Woman’s power could bring bad luck to those who displeased her and wouldn’t wait to catch it by proximity.

After a minute, perhaps giving the tardy a last chance to arrive, she spoke again, her voice cheerful. “Rejoice, young maidens. You are about to take part in one of our cities oldest traditions, going back to the days of our distant ancestors, to ensure the strength of our city and friendship with our closest allies.”

“What must we do, Wise Woman?” One of the maidens standing closest to her asked. Along with the other girls, Karia leaned forward as well, curiosity on her face. Though she had some idea what was to happen, no one had told her the exact details. It was considered bad luck to tell a maiden before it was time.

The old woman motioned to her assistants who brought their bundles forward. “You must leave the city at once, carry these down to the river…” she said, reaching over to one of the basket lids. “And do the laundry.” She pulled away the lid, so they could see the piles of cloth filling the basket.

There was a pause. “Laundry?” The girl who had spoken asked. The other girls voiced their confusion as well.

“Yes. You’ll be wearing them for the ceremony, so be quick about it and do a good job.” The old woman replied, flashing them an all-but toothless grin.

“What then?” They asked.

She merely smiled cryptically. “You’ll know at the time.” From her expression, the maidens saw they wouldn’t get any other answer. Murmuring among each other, two of the girls hoisted the bundles onto their backs and the whole group headed down the road and to the gate. The stone pavers continued half a furlong from the gate, before they ended, but a dirt road continued after, following the winding trail that led to the great river Chast. Karia couldn’t remember how many times she’d walked the trail down to the river, just like all the other women of the city, to gather water or, ironically, to do her family’s washing by the cool banks on a hot summer day.

There was a ford at the river, known to them all, that was good for that kind of work. Where the soft sand could scour the toughest stains and there were plenty of large, rounded boulders and long branched trees where they could lay the clothes out to dry in the sun.

As they got closer, Karia couldn’t help but cast her eyes further out, knowing, though she couldn’t see it through the trees that lined the riverbanks on either side, Acha’s twin city, Stian. The women from that city also came down to the river to gather water and wash. Sometimes they would get together and chat, neighborly, with each other as they worked. And sometimes the boys of the city would sneak down and… Karia didn’t see anyone today, though, not that she expected to.

Stopping on the shore, the two maiden’s carrying the baskets set them down with some relief and opened them up. The others crowded around. Inside, they found several blocks of soap, of ash and animal tallow, scented with wild flowers, and below that the clothes. They looked at them, confused as they pulled them out.

“What are these?” Reia asked, holding up the one in her hands. It was a fine piece of cloth, woven of linen, dyed many colors and fringed with tassels. But in dimensions, it was only one and a half handspans across, but nearly two yards in length.

“The wise woman said we were to wear these for the ceremony.” Karia said, examine the ones she’d grabbed. They were much like the one her friend had. “Maybe there are some other pieces further down?” They dug into the basket, pulling out dozens more of the odd clothes, but not finding anything like a dress or tunic they could see.

“Well, she told us to wash them.” Karia said with a shrug. “Might as well.” She reached up to unclasp her cloak, letting it fall to the ground. Then, with only a slight amount of trepidation, she pulled her tunic up, over her head, so she was completely nude. Around her, the other girls were also stripping down. Kicking off her sandals, Karia took up several of the odd cloths and some soap and waded out into the cool water of the river. The next half hour was spent scrubbing and washing, until all were clean. They were laid out by the riverbank, on the rocks and in the branches, to dry. While they waited for that, some of the girls stretched out in the sun, letting it dry their naked skin, while others stayed in the water, playfully splashing one another, giggling and trying to dunk their friends. They were having a good time, enjoying themselves, not paying attention to anything else going on.

Without warning, a signal was given, a high, clear horn blown three times. From the far river bank, half a dozen men appeared from their hiding places. Bare-chested, in linen kilts, they were masks, fanciful designs of animals and spirits, hiding their features. With a shout, they charged into the river after the maidens.

Those maidens on the near shore turned and ran, directly for the city. Before they’d taken more than a few steps, they were surprised as a dozen more men appeared from hiding spots in the brush behind them. Most of the girls were grabbed before they had a chance to stop and turn to flee, adding their cries to the shouts of their assailants. The rest, and those still in the river, now found themselves trapped between the two converging

Had she time to assess the situation rationally, Karia might have spotted the well-known hunter’s trick. The first group were beaters, driving the prey towards the second, waiting group of hunters. As it was, she was preoccupied finding some way out of the trap. The first group was almost across the river towards them now.

“Into the water!” One of the other girls shouted. Nimble as a fish, she dove into the river, quickly kicking her way downstream. Karia and the others followed. A few who were too slow were grabbed as they swam past the men. Karia felt a hand grab at her ankle, but a frantic kick freed her and she was soon swimming quickly with the current.

A hundred yards down, Karia and the few remaining maidens stumbled to shore. Shaking water off her naked body, Karia risked a look back. About half the men had stopped the chase, concentrating on holding the squirming, struggling maidens they had captured. The other half was still in hot pursuit of the yet-free girls, sprinting along the shore towards them or swimming down river at them. With a cry of fright, she and the other maiden’s ran, scattering in all directions.

A dozen yards on, Karia against glanced over her shoulder. Three of the men were following her and another girl; a tall, broad shouldered man in a bull mask, a shorter, fat man in a satyr mask and a third shaped like a lion. She yelped slightly, seeing how the men gained on the two of them. Turning back, she concentrated on running as fast as she could.

Behind Karia, the other girl gave a brief cry as she tripped over a stone and fell to the ground. Karia didn’t stop, sprinting for all she was worth, but a distance onward, she again risked turning back to see where her pursuers were. The unfortunate girl that had tripped hadn’t been able to get to her feet before they caught up with her. The Lion-faced man had reached her first and was now struggling to throw the kicking, squirming maiden over one shoulder for the long walk back to the riverbank. The other two had kept on, chasing Karia. The bull-faced man was in the lead, his companion lagging further and further behind, his tiredness evident.

Karia prolonged the chase a minute longer. Then, she stumbled as well, going to one knee. An instant later, the bull-masked man was on top of her, his arms going around her torso, lifting her up. She kicked and struggled briefly as she was thrown over one shoulder, more for appearance sake than trying to get free. She was caught and she knew it. Her captor turned, carrying her back towards the river. After a minute, he caught up with his companions. Karia glanced at the other maiden, slung over the shoulder of the Lion-faced man, the girls exchanging looks of nervous anticipation. Behind them, the Satyr-mask wearer shuffled along after, breathing heavily and looking enviously at this companion’s naked prizes.

Back at the riverbank, the raiders gathered with their catch. One or two of the swiftest maidens might have eluded capture, but it looked to Karia as if all of them had been rounded up. The lucky men set to work, securing their captives while the empty-handed raiders could only stand by and watch, jealously. The strips of fine cloth the maidens had cleaned proved to be excellent material for binding helpless female hands and feet, as muzzles bound between their teeth and blindfolds, covering their eyes and bringing an early darkness to their vision.

A moment later, Karia once more felt herself being lifted up and carried. Below, she could hear running water, and feel it splashing against her bare skin as her captor waded across the ford. This time, he only carried her as far as the other riverbank. Than, she was once more set down on her feet. She felt a hand take hold of her upper arm and lead her onwards. Blindfolded, she was completely helpless and reliant on her captor to lead her up what felt like a rough dirt pathway underneath her bare feet. Nearby, she could hear the muffled murmurings of her fellow captives. Their captors, though, remained silent. As best she could tell, having gotten turned around a bit since her blindfolding, they were heading vaguely northward, away from both cities and into the wilder territory beyond.

The odd procession kept walking for what seemed like several hours. Karie could feel the hot, late afternoon sun on her bare skin. It quickly dried her hair and skin after her repeated soakings in the river. It also dried out the bands of cloth circling her body. They grew tighter and more uncomfortable as they dried and shrank. More muffled cries rose from the captives as they protested their bondage, but their captives either would not, or could not, stop to retie them more comfortably.

Eventually, the group came to some sort of structure. Karia’s first clue was when she was led through the doorway, feeling the shady interior on her skin, the rough stone floor beneath her feet. The room was somewhat small, with walls of brick, judging from how the captive’s cries echoed in the space. The young maiden was brought to a halt by her captor and lowered into a seated position. Soon, two other girls were seated on either side of her, the captives pressed close together in the confines of the room.

There they waited. Outside, Karia assumed, the sun must be setting as night wore on. If any of the maidens had escaped, they would have certainly made it back to the city by now. Karia wondered if they were going to be fed anything while they waited. Her stomach was an empty bit, as she hadn’t had any food since that morning. The damp cloth muzzle had, initially, provided her some moisture, but after it dried out, it had reverse, sucking the saliva from her mouth, leaving her parched and thirsty. Alas, it didn’t seem like they’d get anything until after it was all over…

Eventually, their captors came for them. Karia was lifted to her feet and led out of the room by a different door then the one they had come in. They came to some sort of large, open area, paved with stone. A large crowd was gathered, Karia could hear their murmering and movement nearby. Beneath the blindfold and the strap of her gag, the young woman’s face flushed red with shame, knowing her naked body was on full display for them to see.

The maiden was led to what felt like the center of the area. She felt a thick, soft cloth underfoot. The man holding her arm pushed her down, helping her into a kneeling position. She felt him kneel down beside her. Then, they waited, as the other men and their captives got into position as well.  The sound of the crowd intensified for a moment, than, abruptly stopped, as if someone had motioned for silence.

“Warriors bold have gone forth in secret…” a strong, but elderly voice said. “And brought back maidens fair. As in times of old, we follow our ancestors path, let blood be mingled and our two people’s be one.”

“Remove the blindfolds.” A second, quieter voice, instructed the captors. Karia felt a hand scrabbling at the knot of her blindfold, which had grown tight as the cloth dried out. Eventually, it was loosened and the cloth pulled away. She blinked, after several hours in total darkness even the light of torches ringing the square were bright. Ahead of her she saw the Wise Woman, beside her another, similar woman she took to be the Wise Woman of Stian and with them, their respective apprentices, holding the sacred implements.

Behind them, the families of both cities were gathered, kneeling on their own blankets. She spotted her parents near the front and unconsciously straightened, trying to look her best, though that was difficult kneeling, bound hand and foot, naked. Her mother smiled back, no doubt remembering the time, many years before when she knelt like that, having been taken by the river by her husband.

Karia turned, now getting a good look at the man who had taken her, today. He, and the rest, still had on their masks, but up close there was no doubt. She blushed again, remembering summers past, as a young girl, meeting him down by the river, sneaking a quick kiss or two when she could get away from her mother and the other women for a moment, hidden in the trees by the shore. Behind her gag, she smiled. Beneath his mask, he returned it.

At the front, the Wise Woman spoke again. “Brave Warriors, are you pleased with the maiden you have stolen away from her home?” Across the plaza, all of the men spoke now, in affirmation. “And Fair Maidens, do you find yourselves drawn to he who has stolen you?” Along with the rest, Karia grunted affirmatively into her gag. The two elders started the traditional marriage prayer, while their apprentices stepped forward, going to each couple in turn, calling the spirits to bless the union.

Karia and her new husband grinned, as they were joined together. They grinned even more as their families came forward, bearing plates and platters with the wedding feast. As neither group had had any food since that morning, both were starved and both ate their fill, though Karia had to rely on her husband to feed her morsels while she remained bound. It was considered bad luck to untie the bride during the wedding. She would stay bound, hand and foot, and likely regagged, as they and the other new couples retired to the nearby huts for the night to consummate their marriage. Then, tomorrow, she would go with her new husband and start her new life with him…

***

Excerpt from “The Bonds of Matrimony: Marriage Ceremonies of Achastia”

The roots of Achastia’s ancient traditions are traced through oral legends to the twin cities Acha and Stian. According to legend, long ago, two tribes settled on either side of the River Chast around the year 500, during the Early Age of Humans. Almost immediately, the two tribes began to feud over water rights to the river and over lost livestock. Duels of honor led to honor killings, raids and counter raids and at times direct warfare. However, for most of the feud, the violence was contained to the menfolk. Both sides, by mutual agreement, considered the women and children of the tribes safe from attack.

All that changed one summer afternoon. In response to an ambush and murder of his cousin, Chief Nicha of Stian led a group of his warriors down to the river Chast and hid among the trees. As they’d expected, not long after, the women of Acha appeared, heading down to the river to wash their clothes in the water. Falling upon the helpless maidens, Nicha and his warriors seized them, binding them with the laundry they’d brought and spiritied the captives back to Stian before any alarm could be raised.

Locked behind the walls of the city, there was no way for their menfolk to rescue the abducted maidens. The feud grew in bitterness, until a year later, Chief Colas of Acha led his warriors to raid the women of Stian, as they ventured out of the walls to perform religious ceremonies, binding them and leading them in coffle back to Acha as captives and concubines.

Ironically, even as the feud reached its peak, the seeds of its end were laid. Before long, the two groups of captive women gave birth to a new generation, who came of age as warriors. It became increasingly difficult to carry on the feud, no man knowing if his opponent was secretly sired by a captive kinswoman. None dared risk the god’s wrath through kinslaying, even unknowingly. Those of the elder generations also desired to know what had become of their lost sisters and daughters and a truce was brokered.

The truce was to stand the test of time. Uneasy peace gave way to trade and mutual prosperity. Unable to fight each other, the warriors of the two cities banded together, battling and raiding tribes further out, bringing back wealth and captives. The close alliance between the two growing cities was key in their dominating the region that would become Achastia and the seeds of that alliance were laid with the abduction of the women of Acha.

In the years after, desiring to maintain the kinship ties, the two cities developed an elaborate marriage ritual. Every few years, when one city had a surplus of unmarried maidens that had come of age, the Elder of the city would arrange for the maidens to go down to the river, just as their kinswomen had, so long ago. There, they would arrange for the men of the other city to lie in wait, until a signal was given and the men give chase. Every girl would run as fast as she could, so only the best man could claim her, every man pursuing as hard as possible, to claim the best maiden as wife.

Once caught, the maidens were bound and gagged with clothes that became increasingly formalized and elaborate as the age wore on, and taken to neutral ground between the two cities where the families of both sides gathered for the wedding ceremonies and feast.

Even today, in Achastia, many still follow the old traditions, having the groom, assisted by his best men, stage an elaborate, mock-kidnapping of the bride-to-be along with the handmaidens that form part of her dowry. In the next chapter, we shall examine some of these ceremonies more closely…