Chapter 161 The spectacle

Chapter 161 The spectacle
As they passed over the Panne River, Koth reflected on how different this journey had been. Again, the heads of the temples didn't travel alone. Fortunately, they had held off from bringing as large a following as they had done for the battle at the stone circle. They just brought three clerics and one priest or priestess each. Still, it made for a noticeable procession. It was when they met the first other travellers that he and Irin got a real shock. The priests handed out small bags to everyone they met.
"What is that?" Irin asked Jacob.
"What do you mean? It's tradition for the wedding party to hand out small gifts to those they meet," he answered. Irin looked at Koth; he just shrugged.
"Yeah, but that is when they head from their homes to the temple on their wedding day," she pointed out.
"Since you have decided to get married on your father's estate, we discussed it and felt this was appropriate," he insisted. Irin looked as if she were about to say something, then changed her mind several times.
"Thank you," she finally said. Koth understood. She had wanted to say that it was too over the top, too expensive, and many other things, but couldn't bring herself to refuse her high priest. Koth was usually on board with spoiling Irin, but even he was floored by the gesture. This was something reserved for when a princess or noblewoman was married off to another kingdom. After watching the priests hand out gifts all morning, Meghart and Nenhir joined in the fun and started shooting off colourful sparks and creating illusions of butterflies and pixies. The end result was that their group left happy, confused travellers in their wake.
"Isn't this a little bit too much?" Irin whispered to Koth.
"Maybe, but everyone is enjoying it, so I don't see the harm in it," he told her. On their second day, they passed by the stone circle and continued to ride until it was almost dark to avoid making camp close to it.
In the afternoon on the fourth day, they passed Nenana, and Koth shared Irin's excitement of almost being at the end of the journey.
"Everyone will know about this in less than an hour," she told him as they watched priests hand out sweets to children just outside the city. "It will be fun for them to have something new to talk about," she added.
"If I remember correctly, your family home is not far from the city, am I right?" Jacob asked.
"You are; it won't be long now. We will sleep in beds tonight," she answered. Koth thought the high priest looked relieved as she said it. He was an older man and hardly used to travel and sleeping on the ground. Koth's own excitement grew as they turned off the main road and followed the tree-shaded road to the estate. The family must have had a lookout waiting, because when the large party arrived, the entire family was waiting for them. Even though Irin had warned them about who was coming, it didn't look like any of them had expected the spectacle that came with travelling alongside the heads of the temples. The banners, clerics, and priests were a little much.
"Welcome," Irin's father said, bowing to the heads.
"Thank you for having us," Jacob told him.
"Dad!" Irin called out as she got down from Glima. He gave her a big smile and opened his arms. She ran straight into them, then was passed around the family for more hugs.
"Koth," her father said, shaking Koth's hand. "It's nice to see the two of you again."
"Thank you. It's nice to be back. It looks as peaceful as ever," Koth told him.
"It has been. I was hoping for a little excitement, at least, but I should be happy with peace and quiet."
"I think we have brought enough excitement to make you wish for the peaceful days," Koth said, looking over his shoulder. Both he and Irin's father chuckled. Koth introduced his friends and Melir, and the entire family welcomed them as if they had known them for years.
"We have dinner ready; let's head into the dining hall," her father said, taking the lead.
"I think we have used the dining hall twice, as far back as I remember," Irin whispered to Koth.
"Well, they are hosting a lot of important people," he replied.
"No, silly. Dad doesn't care about that. It's because we have finally run out of room around the kitchen table," she told him. He looked at her, and when they entered the dining hall, he understood. The table there was enormous, clearly made for grand parties. "Last time we used it was when Junior and Junia got married," she told him. He nodded, and they sat down at the table. The food was amazing – almost as good as Irin's cooking, according to Koth. The conversations around the table sounded cheerful, and Koth noticed Jacob speaking with Irin's father. Dinner went on for hours, as everyone was having too good a time to want it to end.
"May I have your attention for a short moment?" Irin's father asked. Everyone grew silent. "Thank you. Tomorrow, we will take a day to let those who have travelled far rest. The rest of us will decorate and make the final preparations. The next day, my eldest daughter Irin will be marrying Koth. We are very happy to welcome him into our family, and we ask that all of you join in the celebrations. To Koth and Irin," he said and raised his glass.
"To Koth and Irin," the rest of the people around the table echoed, raising their glasses. Koth grinned as he took Irin's hand and placed a kiss on it. It wasn't long after that her father came up to them.
"Would you join me for a walk? I could use some fresh air," he said.
"Of course," both told him and walked outside with him. They walked underneath the fruit trees in silence for a while. Koth noticed they were no longer covered in flowers.
"I have been thinking about whether I should let you know or not," her father said as they reached the small brook. They all stood and looked out over the field on the other side. The sun was setting, and the summer evening was filled with different sounds.
"Something that has to do with Mother?" Irin asked. Koth put his arm around her.
"Too clever for your own good sometimes," her father said, and ruffled her hair as if she were five. "Yes. A letter arrived the day before yesterday from her. I haven't told the others. Junior knows everything; I haven't told the others yet," he explained.
"What does she need?" Irin asked, her voice cold. For a moment, it looked as if her father was about to object to how she spoke about her mother. Maybe out of habit. He changed his mind.
"She said things aren't going as well as she had hoped. Her..." He paused as if he needed to collect himself. "Her son doesn't have a firm grip on the throne, and she has a lot of enemies at court, he said," he continued. Koth wanted to laugh. He could have predicted it by the way the man had acted. He would have a hard time doing anything without asking his Mother for advice. Koth also guessed that some of the other princes didn't have that personality. Some of the more active princes probably had mothers who were either bullied or killed by Irin's Mother, and they would be out for revenge.
"Sounds plausible," Irin said.
"She wanted me to ask if you could help them. They saw Koth's strength. He has become a legend in Esnon. They are calling him a demigod," her father said, and it made him smile. Koth chuckled.
"There you go, little one. You are marrying a demigod," he told Irin. It made her smile.
"I already knew that," she said. Then she turned serious. "I'm not going to help her," she told her father.
"I know. I wrote back the same day I got the letter and told her as much. I also told her she had no right to ask for things from any of our children, and especially you. She needs to live with the choices she has made," he told them. Irin gave him a warm smile.
"I'm proud of you, Dad. I know that had to be difficult. Thank you for being on my side," she said.
"Of course. Always," he said, and drew her in for a hug. Koth released his hold on her and watched father and daughter share the moment. When they let go of each other, Irin's father looked at Koth. "Just over a day until the wedding. Do I need to ask Junior to lock you up so you don't run?" he joked. Koth chuckled.
"Have you seen what your daughter can do with a sword? I don't dare to try to run," Koth joked back. All three of them laughed. Koth may have a screwed-up family, but he was at least getting a really good one this time.