The War Bride

4 | An Inauspicious Marriage

A marriage procession should be full of life, music, and cheers. It should be a joyous occasion to welcome a bride into the family. A celebration of love and commitment between two people.

However, this wasn't the case for Luwen.

This felt like a funeral procession.

The journey back to the land of the Dai clan was grave and solemn. Every footstep was heavy as everyone grieved in silence for the families and friends they had lost in the war. Even though Luwen was sitting in the carriage and hidden from their view, she could feel their anger towards her through the wooden frame of the vehicle.

She couldn't imagine what it would be like living the next couple of months as a hostage in the enemy's home.

Her heart raced with anxiety. To distract herself, she closed her eyes, allowing her mind to wander back into the past. As the carriage moved on, she reflected on how everything led up to this day. How she had joined the Xia clan.

A decade ago, her village faced a severe drought for several months, leaving their land barren. There was no fresh water or vegetation. Because of thirst and starvation, it forced villagers to seek a new home elsewhere.

On their journey, demon wolves attacked them during the night. Her parents protected nine-year-old Luwen then. They both lost their lives first while trying to save her.

She sat helplessly between her parents' lifeless bodies, tears coursing down her cheeks relentlessly. The wolves were still alive, and the fight continued.

There was a wolf staring at her hungrily. It was huge with black matted fur and red gleaming eyes. Saliva dripped from their deadly canines.

Her body froze in fear. She couldn't move. Her breaths were coming in fast and she was hyperventilating. Her parents were gone and everybody else was fleeing. No one would care for a child like her.

Death was all she could think about.

When the matriarch's carriage passed by, it changed everything. She rescued Luwen and the survivors, bringing them into her clan to work.

Luwen, who was grieving, afraid and hungry, obeyed the matriarch and followed her. She revered her savior, obeyed her orders for years, until time and her maturity made her realize she was serving the wrong person.

The matriarch had hidden intentions. To her, saving Luwen's life was a business transaction. It was never more than that.

And thinking about wolves, a shudder ran through Luwen. Her mind strayed back to the Fire Wolves and their owner.

What kind of person was Dai Yichen, the second son of the former lord? The man who emerged from the shadows to save his clan from the war?

Would the new heir be as heartless as the matriarch?

***

As soon as the group arrived at the City of Ember ruled by the Dai clan, their people roared triumphantly.

It was overwhelming. Cheers and applause erupted from both sides as the war fighters and Luwen's carriage paraded down the street. Several flowers tossed in their direction, and one slipped through the crack of her curtained window before landing on her lap.

It was a white chrysanthemum. A flower which symbolized grief for losing their loved ones.

She clutched the flower in her hand tightly. Not long later, something flew through the window again and struck her arm.