Chapter Two

    She lay on the bed, weeping, but when he entered, she sat up and wiped her tears.  "I dishonor your house!"  she wept.  "I act like a child before your guest.  I will apologize in the morning.  It is only that I love you so much!  When my father first suggested our marriage I did not like the idea, especially after my first husband.  But you are so different, and my sisters have been so kind!  For the first time in my life I have been happy!  I fear anything that might destroy that happiness!"
    2  "I, too, thought your father's offer strange," answered Gray Deer, "but I, too, have found great happiness from our joining.  Now that you carry a child my joy is even greater!  Do not be afraid, no matter what happens.  Even if your family stops your allowance, we can get by."
    3  He began to softly caress her, and to kiss away her tears.  Then as they knew each other and slept, her fears were gone.  In the morning the whole family seemed happy, as breakfast was being prepared, except for Little Deer, who kept staring questioningly at Red Blossom and The Voice.
    4  "Young man," said The Voice, "your eyes ask questions without your tongue ever moving!  What races so fast in your mind?"
    5  "I was wondering, sir," answered Little Deer, "which Red Blossom was...a prostitute or a whore."
    6  Gray Deer swung around. "Watch your tongue, young man!" he snapped.  "Such a question deserves the strap!  How dare you say such a thing?"
    7  "Wait!" interrupted The Voice. "Tell me, young man, why do you ask such a question?"
    8  "One of my friends is a worshiper of The One.  And he says that because my father has more than one wife, they are prostitutes and whores, especially when our men let them sleep with guests.  They say that shows we do not love our women when we will let just any man know them!"
    9  The Voice looked at Gray Deer.  "I think," he commented, "the boy has a legitimate question, and deserves an answer."
    10  Gray Deer sat back against the wall and looked at his son. "Joy of my heart," he began, "sometimes you perplex me!  First of all, what do men of The One know of love?  Do you know how the men of The One get their wives?"
    11  The boy shook his head.
    12  "When they are eleven seasons old they have their Ceremony of Manhood, and their father goes out and arranges for a bride. For a year they are betrothed and then when the boy is twelve he is taken to the temple, where he meets his bride and they are married.
    13  He then takes her home and knows her, and they live with his parents until the young man can afford a home of his own.
    14  The wife is considered little more than cattle.  She must obey her husband in all things.  She can own no property, even the very clothes she wears belongs to her husband.
    15  If her husband mistreats her, she can say nothing.  If her husband does not like her, he simply takes her to the temple, stands her before the priest, and says 'I will have her no more.'  If her family will not take her back, and most will not, she knows no trade, no business.  The only thing she can do is give herself over to a house of pleasure to keep herself alive.
    16  We, on the other hand, court our mates.  We keep each other company for some time, learning each other's likes and dislikes, before we make contract.  And after we make it, we are bound by it.
    17  We cannot beat our mates, we must provide them with lodging and food, and half of our house belongs to them.  And all property we give them is theirs.
    18  If for some reason we are displeased with a mate, we have to show good cause why a contract should be broken.
    19  As for having more than one mate, Red Blossom and I were joined for three years but had no children.  When her cousin's husband was lost when his ship sank on the lake, she had no other place to go, so we took her in.
    20  And a great affection grew between all three of us.  So we decided that she should be part of the family.  And we weren't mated a season when you came along.
    21  Now, a widow of The One is not allowed to remarry.  She has to fend for herself the rest of her life.  If your mother had been a daughter of The One you would have never been born. And when your mother was sick with the birth fever, and her milk was poisoned, The Healer gave Red Blossom milk so she could nurse you while she also cared for your mother.

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