The Professor Day 09: Committment

Late in the day she saw houses through the trees and cleared fields. She was tired and thirsty and approached cautiously. In the center of the cluster of houses, she spied a well. She waited until no one was around and went for a drink. She lowered a bucket and was in the process of cranking it up when a middle-aged woman approached.

"A young stranger! Where did you come from?"

"I'm sorry. I was thirsty."

"Then you should drink. Are you alone?"

"Yes."

"And probably hungry, too."

She nodded.

"And with no rings. Come with me. Let's get you out of sight." She led Elena into one of the houses and served her a bowl of cold soup with some bread. "Eat and then tell me your story."

The woman began to prepare a meal, grinding grain on a quern. "Well, go on."

"I ran away from the orphanage."

"I suspected as much. Where are you headed?"

"I don't really know. Mother Witta wanted me to marry and I was scared."

"What's your name?"

"Elena."

"Hello, Elena. I am Marta. First, Elena, don't you know how dangerous it is for a young woman to be seen without rings?" She shook her head. "You are fair game for the first man who wants to drag you off and sell you to the factories."

"What happens in the factories?"

"I've heard stories. Some of the girls are treated well, but many are worked until they collapse and die. The factory managers use them like animals. Some of the factories are simply brothels. Stolen girls are sold to the most unscrupulous of them."

"So any girl without rings . . ."

"Oh, they'll get rings, all right. The factory owner puts rings on them that say I own this girl. Then she is trapped. If she runs away, anyone who finds her can get a reward."

"If she marries, is she also trapped?"

Marta laughed. "No. Rings say you have a place in society. It may be a bad place, like a factory, or it may be in marriage. But if you have rings, no one can touch you. It would be a death sentence to remove them." She fingered the simple ring about her neck. "And I would never give this up. My husband saved a long time for it."

"Are you married?"

"Of course."

"What's it like?"

Marta was completely puzzled by the question. "Some marriages are better than others. Some husbands are better than others. A good husband is a companion and a best friend. Someone to share the burdens and spend the rest of my life with."

"He doesn't beat you?"

"Heavens, no. He wouldn't dare."

"What stops him?"

"He loves me. He doesn't want to see me hurt. Where do you get these strange ideas? What do they teach you in the orphanage? Not enough clearly. Here he comes now. Stay right where you are." She rose to greet him at the door.

"Hello, Marta." He kissed her lightly and she took his lunch bag from his hand.

"We have a visitor."

"Do we now?" He looked Elena over carefully. "And who might you be?"

"This is Elena. She ran away from the orphanage and we must take her back."

"Indeed we must. It isn't safe for a pretty girl with no rings. I'll take her first thing in the morning. In the meantime, Elena, don't let anyone see you. Understand."

She nodded. That was the second time someone had called her pretty. The first was a bad man who wanted to hurt her, then Marta's husband who seemed kind. Could it be true? Could anyone look at her gangly height and her dark hair and eyes and find them attractive?

The next morning Marta gave her a cloak with a hood to cover her head and disguise the fact that she wore no rings. "If anyone asks, say you are his daughter." they all laughed at that suggestion. She was a head taller than either Marta or her husband and looked nothing like them.

They were back at the orphanage within a few hours. She thanked the man and found her way to Mother Agnes.

Mother Agnes took her in her arms. "Where have you been? We were worried sick about you." Elena recounted the events of the past day and all that she had learned about the world. Mother Agnes shook her head in sympathy. "Perhaps we have sheltered you too much here."

"But now I still have to make my decision."

"Mother Witta has asked to talk with you again."

Elena went back to Mother Witta's office and agreed to meet with the family. They were expected the next day.

Mother Witta had instructed Elena to be respectful and demure and to listen carefully. The parents were very warm. The son kept quiet. Surprisingly, he was a tall as she, and seemed to have those characteristics older girls described as handsome. After a bit of small talk, the father conversed with Mother Witta, "I have some matters to discuss with you. Perhaps Pietra and Elena would like to take a walk." Elena bowed her head and stepped to the door. The young man followed awkwardly.

Outside she tried to coax him to talk. He was clearly shy, which amused her. Men aren't supposed to be shy. She filled the silence by telling him all about the orphanage. He asked a few questions and gradually became more comfortable. This made her feel good. She stopped feeling defensive about living there. By the time he said goodbye, she felt she had made a friend.

Elena went back to Mother Agnes and reported.

"Did you like him?"

"I suppose. He asked some questions about me an about the orphanage, but he didn't say much about himself."

"That's a very good sign. You will have a lifetime to learn about him, but he has shown that he thinks first of others."

That pleased her. "Mother Agnes, tell me about rings. Why do women have to wear them?"

"There are two stories to explain them. I don't know which is correct -- probably neither. Some people say that in the old times marriage was by capture. Men would go out, see a woman they liked and take her prisoner. He would put her in chains and bring her home. The marriage chains are a memory of that time and the rings symbolic of the chains. Perhaps that is true, but I like the other story better."

"Tell me."

The Story of Adema

"A long time ago, this island was divided into several kingdoms. The most powerful was ruled by King Jutta and Queen Meda. They had no children even though he loved her very much. Meda became sick when she was still a young woman. None of the doctors could help her and she died. The king went into morning and so did the people because she was much liked. Now there were certain men who started a rumor that she had been poisoned by his neighbor, King Albus. The people clamored for revenge. Unfortunately, King Jutta was so overwhelmed by his grief that he could not resist them. In his heart, he did not want war, but he needed to defend his honor and he mustered his forces.

King Albus' lands were smaller and weaker. He called together all his armies, but everyone knew they could not defeat King Jutta. They prepared to sacrifice themselves for the honor of their land. Thus the two armies assembled near the border. There were good men on each side who looked upon the war as unnecessary and evil, but more who were eager to seek glory on the battlefield.

Now King Albus had a daughter of marriageable age and very beautiful. Her name was Adema. She took matters into her own hands. She told her maids, "Dress me in my finest gown as though for a wedding." Then she told the king's men, "Put me in chains like a prisoner. Then in the dark of night bind me in the field between the two armies." She forbade anyone to stop her.

When the two armies arrayed on the battlefield, there she was, staked out like a sacrifice. King Jutta himself saw her and came to meet her alone.

"Your highness, my father would never have done anything to harm your beloved Queen Meda, but some of his enemies dishonor the truth. To show his goodwill, my father offers me to you as your slave. Take me. Treat me as you like, but accept me as compensation and stop this war."

The king saw the foolishness of what was about to occur. He ordered her chains removed. Then he took Adema by the hand and went with her to King Albus. "Brother, is it true you sent your daughter to atone for the sins of some of my advisors?"

King Albus was perplexed because he knew nothing of Adema's actions. "I would never force such a fate on my daughter."

"Than she has made herself a peace offering. She is clever and brave as well as beautiful. There can be no question of war against such a noble family now or ever. But I would be honored if she would consent to take Meda's place as my queen."

And so they were married and the two kingdoms had peace between them ever after. Today all the kingdoms on this island have become one, but brides today wear chains in honor of Princess Adema's courage.

"That's a beautiful story," Elena said.

"When the groom has rings put on his bride, he is stating his intention to look after her the rest of her life. When she accepts them, she is accepting him as her master and protector. It doesn't matter whether the rings are made of gold or inexpensive wooden ones. The meaning is the same."

"Tell me more about them. I have scarcely seen any."

"They can be made of any material. Wealthier people prefer precious metal such as copper and sometimes use several rings to show how much they value their bride. When the two halves are joined together about the bride's neck, they are attached in such a way the neck ring cannot be taken off without destroying it. The same is true of the wrist rings. It is customary to decorate the rings with a symbol of the man's family. At the wedding ceremony, the groom attaches chains to the rings as a symbol of her submission. Those are taken off afterwards. People have mixed feelings about them. Some couples have long conspicuous chains of precious metals to display their wealth. Others use very short restrictive chains as a way of showing trust and intimacy. Many people think both extremes are vulgar."

"Thank you, Mother. You have given me much to think about."

Pietra visited again the following week. Elena was called to meet him and they walked again through the garden. This time she asked questions of him. He modestly played down his background, but she sensed there was more behind what he said. When they reached the far end of the garden, he sat down asked her to sit beside him.

"Elena, I understand you are hesitant about my family's proposal. Don't speak. Let me finish. Yes, I do know you tried to run away. It is understandable to be afraid of such a commitment and that must have taken a lot of courage. I admire your desire to take charge of your own life. I want to ask you myself: Will you marry me? You would make me very happy and I will do my best to please you."

"Thank you, Pieta. You are very kind. But why would you choose me? I don't belong anywhere."

"Because you look different? You have an exotic beauty that mesmerized me the first time I saw it. Your height and strength told me you would make a wonderful partner and will make beautiful children with me. That is why my family and I chose you."

"There is something else you must know about me before I can say yes. I have no moiety. I am a nobody. My children will be nobodies"

"I am fully aware of that. Can you trust me when I say that is makes no difference?"

"If you are speaking the truth, then I would be honored to be your wife."

"Then I will be happy forever. Now let me tell you more about myself, and if you change your mind I will understand. My grandfather is the first minister of the Wintom moiety. My father married a Wintom woman so it is likely I will succeed him. You may know that the Wintom moiety will probably be chosen to lead all the people. That will put us into position to do much good."

"Then you would become first minister of the island?"

"That's right. I didn't want you to know, because I wanted you to accept me for myself, not for wealth and power."

"Oh, I do."

"I'm not done. My wife will have to play a public role. A tall forceful and woman such as you can make a big difference."

"But won't my lack of identity hurt you?

"I don't think so. I don't want to present myself as the leader of a moiety making a political marriage for power. If that is what I wanted, I would have chosen a Smit or Bran woman to win their support. Then she would be the target of both partisan support and resentment. No. I want us to be seen as who we are and what we stand for. Marrying a woman with no ties can be an important step away from a system that thinks of moiety first and the common good second.

"You look concerned. Are you afraid I chose you only for political reasons?"

"That did occur to me."

"Let's just say I needed to justify the fact that I fell in love with you. Will you still marry me?"

"I will."

"Can you put up with power and wealth?"

"I will."

"Then I will put up with having a strong and beautiful wife who will steal everyone's attention away from me."

A month later, Elena was called to Mother Witta's office again. "The ring fitter has arrived."

Elena was ushered into a side room for the procedure. The workman was waiting for her, and so was Mother Agnes, who filled the traditional role of witness. Elena seated herself.

"Elena, do you accept these rings from Pietra and pledge yourself in marriage to him?" Mother Agnes asked.

"I do."

She turned to the craftsman. "Then you may proceed."

The ring fitter opened a wooden box and revealed the half rings that Pietra had chosen for her wrists. They were made of ivory, inlaid with ebony and lapis flowers, symbols of his family; a bull, representing his moiety; and ornamental leaves. At the end of the design was a stylized sailing ship.

"What is that symbol?" she asked.

"Pietra designed it to signify a new moiety. It represents the ship that brought you to this land, and it will be borne by your children. Do you accept these rings?"

"Gladly."

She opened a second, larger box. This contained the neck ring, or rather rings. There was a set of eight copper rings.

Mother Agnes gasped. "I have never seen anything so beautiful."

"He must love you very much, the fitter said."

"Then sit back and relax." He began with the wrist rings. Placing the halves together around her wrist, he inserted a series of pins into small holes. The pins would be clipped and filed down to invisibility and the ring would stay in place until after her death. When he had finished with the wrists, be began with the neck. Each ring was carefully bent and closed. When all were in place, he soldered them together one at a time.

Mother Agnes was holding up a mirror so that Elena could examine the rings when Pietra entered. "Are they to your liking?" he asked.

Elena bowed her head and answered, "I will wear them with pride. And you may make my wedding chains as short as you like."

The wedding was held at the Pietra's family estate with most of the important families in attendance. At Elena's suggestion, all the orphans were there as well, a vision of elegance and hope they would never forget.

Elena wore her bridal rings with pride for the rest of her life.

Stephen finished and put down the paper.

"You've opened up a whole new world, or at least a continent. I will never think of wedding rings in the same way again."

"And do you think of them?"

"Sometimes. But that is a long way off. Oh, I almost forgot. I'm leaving tomorrow and I haven't given you your present." She ran to her room and returned with a carton inside a bag from Sam's Club. He opened it - an entire case of Saran Wrap.

She smiled apologetically. "I think I need to lose some weight. I heard about this simple trick . . ."

"I'm not exactly sure whether this present is for me or you," he said.

"Both of us. That's the beauty of it. Like the boots," she added.