Wedding of Jiller and Jonn

The wedding of Jiller and Jonn took place during the summer following Rowan's adventure in the town of Maris and his Choosing of Doss as the new Keeper of the Crystal.

The ceremony took place under the great tree above the bukshah field and then a feast at tables set up nearby, and was attended by every villager of Rin safe for Sheba, every Traveller and the Maris man Perlain of the clan Pandellis.

Rowan and the Zebak
In the summer following Rowan, Jiller and Jonn's journey to the town of Maris, Jiller and Strong Jonn were to be wed. On the day of the wedding, Rowan felt uneasy and strange all of a sudden, as if there was a summer storm on the way, however scanning the sky, he saw that it was blue and clear, except for the cloud that always covered the tip of the Mountain. His little sister, Annad, was dancing excitedly by his side in a new pink dress. Rowan made himself wave and shout a greeting as Jonn came in through the gate to the cottage garden in his wedding finery and swinging Annad into his arms.

The people of Rin rarely lay aside their everyday cares for festivals and holidays, but a wedding was always a cause of celebration, and in particular the wedding of Jiller of the Field and Jonn of the Orchard, who was well-loved by every villager. Rowan, Rin's greatest but most unlikely hero, was the reason this wedding was more than a simple village celebration. He had conquered the forbidden Mountain and faced the Dragon at its top, he had allied himself with the wandering Travellers to save Rin from the Mountain berries, and it was whispered by the people that he had joined to the Maris people on the coast by his strange bond with their leader, the Keeper of the Crystal.

The day before, the three great Traveller kites owned by the Forerunners, had appeared in the sky above the Rin valley, and since then the tribe that always followed them had made camp on the hills surrounding the village to the east, ready to join the party and make music. The Maris man, Perlain of the clan Pandellis, had come from Maris to represent his people and bring gifts, leaving the sea and salt spray of his home gladly, though Maris skin dried and cracked quickly inland, and the journey had not been comfortable for him.

All the villagers in Rin, safe for Sheba the Wise Woman, attended the wedding. Everyone was secretly glad that Sheba had decided to stay home, as she would have been an uncomfortable wedding guest.

Together Jiller and Jonn walked to the giant ceremonial tree above the bukshah field with Rowan and Annad behind them, a crowd waiting there. Rowan again felt the feeling of dread, but reminded himself that it was time to celebrate and be happy like the crowd. Rowan noticed that, despite looking like bright birds in their vivid silks, their long, curling hair threaded with ribbons, beads and feathers, the Travellers' faces were watchful and they were standing very still. The eyes of the nomad tribe's leader, Ogden, were grave. Jiller and Jonn noticed nothing, smiled and bowed to the Travellers, and Ogden bowed low in return, but his gaze looked beyond them at Rowan, his eyes a question. They seemed to say: "Something is wrong in the land. We feel it. You feel it, too. I can see you do. What is it?" Rowan shook his head slightly, as if saying: "I do not know."

At the front of the crowd stood Perkain with Allun the baker and Marlie the weaver. Allun and Marlie were smiling and handing flowers to Jiller, but Perlain stood stiffly, his hands pressed tightly to his sides, the hood that helped protect him from the drying sun pushed back in respect. His eyes were fixed and staring, and he looked afraid.

Suddenly the Keeper of the Crystal spoke in Rowan's mind, warning him that there was danger in the land. He had warned Rowan as he had Perlain a moment before. As Jiller and Jonn stood before Lann, and the ceremony began, Rowan decided that he should keep quiet, no matter how much of a hero he was, as people would simply think he was trying to stop the marriage. There was a time that Rowan had hated the thought that Jonn might take the place of his father Sefton, but now he knew that no one could ever fill that spot, in Jiller's heart, or his.

Under the giant tree Jiller and Jonn said their final vows as the crowd was silent, and then the village elder and officiant, Lann, pronounced them wife and husband, and a loud burst of clapping, cheering and congratulations followed. The Rin adults surrounded the newlyweds and took them to the feast which had been set up on tables nearby, however Rowan stayed at the tree, watching.

Jiller and Jonn sat down at the head of the main feasting table, laughing and talking. All the tables were loaded with the best the village could provide. Platters piled high with fruits and salad vegetables, the best bukshah cheese, the softest bread rolls that Allun and his mother, Sara, could fashion and toffees, jellies and cakes of every kind from Solla the sweet-maker. For drinks there were great cool jugs of hoopberry juice and slip-daisy wine.

The Travellers' music began, and Ogden decided it best to continue with the festivities as though nothing was wrong. Rowan was leaning against the trunk of the giant tree, trying to collect his thoughts, when suddenly Annad called his name. She was standing by the fence around the bukshah field and told him that the animals were dancing. The bukshah had pressed themselves together in an unbroken circle, and many were pawing the ground; it really did look like a sort of dance. Annad wanted to go down with her brother and see the animals close up, but he refused, thinking it impolite to abandon the party. He watched as Annad went down alone, expecting to see the bukshah break formation, but they did not. Suddenly he realised that the calves born that had been born in the spring were missing, even the smallest, black one. He was even more surprised to see the leader of the herd, Star, jerking her head at Annad to try and push her away. Rowan realised that Annad was in danger, and called her name, but his voice was drowned by the sound of the party. Annad hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward and again stretched out her hand, but this time Star's push was hard enough to send her tumbling onto the grass.

The bukshah would not break their circle, and then Rowan understood why. The calves were inside the circle, enclosed and hidden by the larger animals. Rowan scrambled through the fence and ran towards the stream, calling Annad's name, but already it was too late. In a moment, a winged beast plummeted from the sky, snatched Annad up and took her with it towards the Land of the Zebak across the sea, east of Maris.

Aftermath
Following Annad's abduction, the Rinfolk immediately put the blame on the Zebak, their ancient enemies from across the sea. After failing so many times to invade by sea, the people of Rin realised that they would attempt to do it by air this time. Knowing that a hard time was approaching, the food on the feasting tables was stored inside the coolhouse, so that they would not run out of things to eat in the coming troubling times. Then a rescue was planned. Rowan of Rin, Zeel of the Travellers, Perlain of Pandellis and Allun the Baker soon set out in Perlain's boat to head to the Land of the Zebak, in order to rescue Annad from the Zebak.