Tsalmoth


 Contents
 
 Title Page
 Copyright Notice
 Dedication
 Prologue
 1. Introductions
 2. The Courtship
 3. The Proposal
 4. Choosing the Venues
 5. Exchange of Tokens
 6. Meeting The Families
 7. Inviting The Guests
 8. Outfitting The Bride and Groom
 9. The First Feast
 10. The Gathering
 11. The Supplication to The Gods
 12. The Parade
 13. Writing The Vows
 14. The Big Feast
 15. The Rehearsal
 16. The Wedding
 17. The Reception
 Epilogue
 Acknowledgments
 Books by Steven Brust
 About the Author
 Newsletter Sign-up
 Copyright
 
 
 
 Guide
 
 Cover
 Title Page
 Dedication
 Contents
 Prologue
 1. INTRODUCTIONS
 Epilogue
 Acknowledgments
 Copyright
 
 
 
 Pagebreaks of the print version
 
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 Begin Reading
 Table of Contents
 About the Author
 Copyright Page
 
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 This one is for Sisi, with love, and art, and music.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 PROLOGUE
 
 Have you ever noticed that getting married is like trying to collect a debt from a dead guy?
 If you’re gonna get married, you gotta decide which traditions to keep, and which ones to throw away, and what to do that’s got nothing to do with tradition. And you gotta work it out with someone else—you know, the one you’re marrying? That one? Well, you gotta work with that person to get something that’s okay for you both.
 But if you’re living in the Dragaeran Empire, and all your traditions go back to Fenario, where your family came from a few generations ago, then you got a whole ’nother layer of stuff to get through. It’s complicated, and it’s different for everyone. Just like if some jerk dies owing you money, and you want to get it back, there are a lot of things to consider, and you might start out dealing with it one way, but then change your mind, and you’ll have 
 
 
 1
 INTRODUCTIONS
 
 
 Most marriages among my people, Easterners, start when you meet someone you’re attracted to. I mention that because among the Dragaerans, or at least the high nobility, it usually starts with families arranging things. Sometimes, like with the House of the Phoenix, they arrange for their great-great-grandchildren who don’t exist yet to marry each other if the omens are right, or something like that. Not sure how that works, but it isn’t my concern.
 I also wonder, since they live so much longer than we do, if that makes a difference in how they think about marriage. I’d guess it does, but I don’t know in what ways.
 Funny thing I’ve noticed, by the way: anytime marriages are arranged, it’s like, between a man and a woman, but among Easterners, and with the Houses where people pick for themselves, you get men marrying men and women marrying women or whatever. You can think about that if it’s worth the bother. Me,