Change of Plans

Cara gazed from the mountaintop. She remembered the speeches her father had given the assembled tribesmen, standing above them as if he himself was a god. He might as well be, she thought. Nobody dares go against his wishes. Not before today anyway.

A single tear slid down her cheek when Cara thought about the relationship she used to have with her father. They were inseparable when she was younger, hiking in the Blue Forest, swimming in the fortifying waters of Calming Sea and riding across the desert sands in search of treasure he had buried for her to find.

Now, all he talked about was joining two powerful tribes together through the union of her and Karta. He cared not for her feelings on the arranged marriage, pushing them aside like a pesky insect swirling around his head.

She came to the mountaintop because she didn't know what else to do. The ceremony was scheduled for the next morning. People were coming from miles around to witness the biggest event in recent history. Cara felt bad about what was going to happen, but had no options left.

With a shaky hand, Cara grabbed the base of the sacred tree and steadied herself. She pulled rope from her satchel and tied a secure knot around the thickest branch. She then placed the loop around her neck, knelt, and prayed.

Cara cupped her stomach and cried for all that could have been. She had loved Chufa for as long as she could remember, but her father would not hear of the two joining. When he found them two nights before, locked in a lover's embrace, he drove a sword through Chufa's heart and had Cara confined to her tent.

Cara had railed at her father, refusing to eat or accede to his wishes. She told him arranged marriages were archaic and that she was not going through with it. Her father slapped her, ordered her bound and gagged and decreed the matter settled. He would send someone for her the next morning.

Thankfully, Seta, Chufa's sister, came to Cara's aid and released her from her bonds. Cara made her promise to tell no one she was gone until the next morning, gathered what she needed and ran.

Cara shook the memories off when they turned to the life growing inside her. She could not bear to think of the little one who would never know his father. Squaring her shoulders, Cara stepped to the edge of the cliff.

Looking down, she hesitated. She knew what she had to do, because no matter what her father had done, she could not bring shame upon the family name by bearing a child with anyone other than Karta.

With one final whisper, Cara stepped off the edge.