"Brother....."

I couldn't believe what I saw before my eyes. My older brother was standing not a few feet away from me in the flesh. I tried not to let my tears drop but they brimmed over flowingly from my eyes and cascade like waterfalls.

I quickly ran to him and embraced the crap out of him.

"Oooaaafff. Wow you've gotten heavy." He laughed. I must have rammed him pretty hard to make him almost tip over.

"How are you, little sister?"

I shook my head, "I'm about to get married in 2 days."

The fury displayed on his face was indescribable. It twisted his features into that of an animal; scowled face, furrowed eyebrows, veins popping from his forehead and teeth bared like a tiger.

"What?!"

Even I took a step back at the anger displayed from my brother.

I quickly spluttered an explanation of what happened when he left to how our parents illegal agreed to my marriage to a local geezer.

It took me a while to calm down his anger, telling him how I fought and kicked the crap out of some suitors calmed him down a bit and he looked quite smug hearing about it.

When he finally calmed down enough to talk (without snarling profanities about our parents) he wasn't pleased.

"Why would they do that to you?" He nearly shouted. I shrugged just as unsure.

"Using that taboo and superstition as an excuse, that is sneaky."

"I know. But I'm not giving up, I will run away and escape this....this.....ty situation."

"Hmm..." My brother assumed a thinking pose with his hand on his chin, pacing back and forth. I just watched him go from one side of the room to the next, back and forth and back and forth.

It took him a minute but he finally spoke. "You can't leave immediately."

I tilted my head puzzled at his words. "What?"

He repeated what he said but with an explanation. "You can't leave immediately. You will have to leave the day of your wedding. Before you are to wed by the morning, you can escape in the cloak of night before dawn."

"Why not the night before, or even now." I asked still confused.

He just shook his head, "Because, they - our parents - would suspect you to do that; leave right now I mean. They would have devised a plan to deter you from clucking out on the one thing that would keep their twisted minds happy. I'm guessing guards and traps. I wouldn't be surprised if that old guy you're suppose to marry has also sent some back up to make sure you go through with this. Same can be said the night before the wedding. It would be expected you would try to flee; someone would tail you and capture you if you did and haul you back kicking and screaming, regardless."

"I see."

"If you leave before dusk at least you will have made the assumption that you finally caved to them and will go through. It will ease their mind and lower their guard. It will be the perfect opportunity to escape."

I nodded furiously in understanding and schooled my face into a determined one, "Perfect, then I will do that. I'm ready to get the Hell out of it."

"Don't worry, " He added patting my back. "I'll help you."

I could only grin widely at my brother. He was definitely someone I admired the most and someone I felt extremely happy to have as a dependable brother.

We shook on the agreement to the plan that we set out into motion immediately.

As predicted my older brother, guards were seem around th