The shamans tent

The shamans tent was spacious, filled with herbs and other fragrant medicinal ingredients, a bench had been set up for visitors however they were barren. Semta is stood at the end of the tent, flanked my a much shorter orc coated in tattoos, "let's get this over with" Semta says with a scowl. Quinara ignores her brother and marches up confidently with me in tow.

"Are we expecting anyone?" The shaman asks, "no I don't imagine many would want to see my sister commit such an affront to our clan" Semta says. "He bested him in the rite, this was the gods will" Quinara spits back, "yeah but you intervened, you distracted, the gods will not look kindly on you" he replies with venom. I finally pipe up, "if the gods are to judge anyone it should be you." I growl, Semta glares at me before turning back to his sister "Zihans horse is in the stable, I'll have us prepare it. I suggest after this you take it and leave." The meaning of his words clear, we were no longer welcome, he was essentially exiling his sister. "That's sound advice" Quinara says, if the implication had phased her she wasn't letting it show.

With the venomous back and forth out the way the shaman begins the ceremony crushing several things from jars in a pestle and mortar, they looked to be things like roots and dried insects. I didn't know what this was for but I wasn't about to ruin my own wedding so I remain silent next to Quinara as the shaman works. After crushing up the mixture the shaman uncorks a jug and pours what looks like oil into the bowl, he then passes the bowl to Quinara she without hesitation takes a drink from the bowl and then passes it to me. Only when being handed the bowl does the smell hit me, it smelled foul and it didn't look any more appealing, I look down at the bowl of thick grey sludge. "Drink." The shaman commands, I look to Quinara who's looking at me with expectation, I steel myself and tilt the bowl to my lips. "ACK!!!" I splutter as the foul sludge slides down my throat, the shaman glares at me but Quinara pats me on the back "don't vomit just keep it down" she says encouragingly. I hold in the urge, my eyes watering as I try and get through this, "the human is weak" the shaman says, "the human passed the rite of the paramour." Quinara snaps back defending me, I felt bad for embarrassing her, I said I didn't want to ruin my own wedding yet here I was hunched over trying not to be sick.

"I'm fine, I'm sorry it was er strong stuff that all" I joke trying to diffuse the tension as I straighten up again, "I don't know what you see in him" Semta remarks, Quinara who for the most part had held it together for this long finally snapped. "Of course you don't! You never even tried to understand me, when I wanted to learn to fight I begged you to teach me and you said no. When I learned how to fight and showed father you urged him not to let me join in defending the clan. When father died you married me to him and you knew what he was like. When he hurt me, and he fucking HURT me, and I begged you to do something about it. You did NOTHING!! He understands me, he cares, he is a good person. Now you either shut the fuck up about him or leave" she snarls, Semta says nothing but leaves. I see Quinara shaking with anger, she turns "finish the ceremony."

The ceremony finishes pretty quickly, unlike human weddings there was no reading of vows or anything it was just the shaman giving us the blessing from the gods and some ritualistic words in a language I didn't understand. "May the gods grant you happiness" the shaman says to us as he packs up, I could tell he didn't believe his words but even a false gesture was welcome when otherwise we'd been met with only hostility. Leaving the tent we made for the stables, "I'm sorry runt... I tried to keep it contained but..."
"Nothing to apologise for" I reassure her, I can see in her eyes a sadness that wasn't about to just go away. "I just don't know why he doesn't care, he's my brother..." I grab her hand and hold it tight "I don't know either but it's not your fault", Quinara takes a deep breath and smiles, at least somewhat reassured by me. "Honestly I should be apologising if I didn't almost spew up that stuff it would have at least been a bit more civil" Quinara chuckles "this is my second wedding: one went flawlessly with the whole clan there and one almost had my groom sick and was interrupted with an argument. Both weren't dream weddings but I would take today every time." I smile at her, "so what was that stuff anyway?" I ask carefully not wanting to offend orc customs by calling it foul sludge, "it's a sacred herbal blend, makes us infertile for the next month" she explains. "WHAT!? WHY!?" I exclaim in disbelief wondering why they would want that, Quinara rolls her eyes. "I never get why non orcs find this so odd, it's so that you can enjoy all the pleasures of being newly wed without any of the consequences..." she leans in closer "and I plan to make the most of it."