A Perfect Bride

by Ginny Sterling

  “As a leader, you must take up the mantle and protect all. Not just a favorite here or there.” Her adopted father’s words, the words of their chief, struck home with both of them. She watched Daniel’s face flush in anger as the implication was there. He had set his cap on her and only taken care of her when it suited him, according to their chief.

  While true, it was a fine line he was walking between betrayal and loyalty. He had been nothing but a proper soldier, yet that soldier had been feeding them on the sly and caring for them.

  Stepping back into place, she took her position meekly near the chief as habit dictated from years of experience. She watched him mount his horse yet again, his features now a mask hiding any emotion. It physically moved her to see the frozen, expressionless face that he showed to the other men. He was open and moving towards her and she found that she liked that facet of his personality.

  “Thank you for the scarf and the company, Daniel,” she said politely, “and it’s Colleen.” This admission garnered a sharp, angry look from the chief as she spoke out of turn from behind where he stood. It felt like it was worth it to see the cold expression fall from the lieutenant’s face. Daniel’s eyes burned brightly as he realized she had just provided him with her given name.

  They marched on relentlessly, hoping to stop soon and make camp. The weather was getting worse as time passed. September had brought heavy rains. But now, the waters were high in the rivers and ponds. She had been told by Daniel that they would be heading south once they crossed the Ohio River. The river was said to be quite wide and deep, so they would be ferried across.

  Two of the soldiers rode ahead and came back with grim news. The river had too much ice to ferry them safely. They would be making camp here until it was safe to cross. Looking around, she saw that there would be a natural windbreak from a line of rocks that jutted forward. She just prayed that it would be enough protection from the elements for all the weary travelers.

  As for her, she was glad to simply be stopping for a bit. This meant shelter, hunting and, hopefully, food for them all. She was luckier than most and had packed wisely for those that would let her help them. They had not known how far they would have been travelling.

  So, she gathered tools for every occasion and packed for every season, focusing heavily on winter. Unfortunately, due to the losses they had along the way, it had increased what they carried resulting in some of the goods being left by the wayside. It was simply too much burden to carry in their weakened states. The bout of cholera they had all dealt with had really struck a blow. Now recovered, she felt better but couldn’t imagine another outbreak of illness.

  Days, weeks, a month? Without a true shelter, they could be devastated. Instead of focusing on the negative, she would look for any positives to be had – any at all. She was here, safe and with her adopted family. She was also here with the handsome lieutenant. A small city of wagons and few tents were erected in the shelter of the rock, dubbed Mantle Rock.

  “Little Fire… Colleen…” Daniel began. “Sleep close to the rock so you are away from the biting winds,” he instructed quickly, pulling her and the chief aside. Her adopted father had not left her side much since he realized that the soldier was interested in her.

  Everyone was grabbing space and staking claim quickly. They took off to claim a spot underneath the cover of the large windbreak that was free from snow and ice. Perhaps they could fashion a small lean-to since the People had no real tents to speak of. It was only what they could carry, and structures had not been a part of it.

  Setting her pack down, she stretched. Relieved to be done with that burden for the time being. She was thin and wiry. Thinner than she had ever been due to lack of food and so much walking. She hadn’t wanted to say anything or admit it, but all of them were looking gaunt. That night, they were handed their rations but, unfortunately again, there was no meat or true sustenance. She crawled under the stiff, smelly fur hides they had carried and slept against Hidden Doe for warmth.

  The wailing woke her the next morning. Grim faces, broken gazes and tears as she saw several of the People had perished in the night. Their frozen bodies stood no chance against the harsh, bitter climates. Glancing up, she saw the stricken look on Daniel’s face as she spotted him. There was snow and ice frozen to his hair. His lips were blueish in the cold. He looked exhausted and made a mental note to give him his scarf and blanket back.

  Devastation raced across his face. He took it personally that this had happened. The weather could not be prevented and there was only so much he could do without being labeled as a traitor or shot himself. He could not go against the general’s orders. Looking away from her, she saw him talk to another officer. They walked off in the woods together.

  Later that evening, after they had taken the time to make a cairn for the bodies, she saw Daniel had returned. The ground had been too frozen to bury them. He looked exhausted and still appeared half-frozen. He and another soldier had returned with several deer that would need to be cleaned and cooked.

  Unwrapping the scarf from around her neck, she felt the bitter wind and knew it was the right thing to do. She gathered up the wool blanket he had given her and walked towards him.

  “Thank you, but I think you need this.”

  “No. You keep it.”

  “I insist,” she countered, “Your cold and your lips are blue.”

  “So, you are looking at my lips?” he asked quietly, for her ears alone. The tremulous smile he gave revealed that his teeth were chattering, causing her to laugh.

  “You are stubborn, you know that?”

  “Like recognizes like, my dear,” he said, shrugging. “I’d like to kiss you right now, but I’m afraid we’d freeze together and be found out by your chief. He’d have my hide and rightly so,” he admitted. “You’re right. I’m freezing cold. However, I have a tent. And I think you need those blankets more than I do.”

  “Daniel,” she said thickly, moved that he had admitted he wanted to kiss her. “You have been the one person who has cared for me and tended to me. Don’t put yourself in danger with the cold. I will stay warm and bed down with Hidden Doe.”

  “Then, I envy your sister very much, Colleen,” he said with a grin. “Maybe, someday, I could collect that kiss from Little Fire and warm up?”

  Blushing, she shyly looked away. She handed him the articles she held, with a firm push. Pulling the hide snugly around her, she stepped away from him.

  “That’s not a ‘no’,” Daniel taunted as she turned to walk away. “Still not a ‘no’, Little Fire,” he said, even louder than before. Several people and officers looked his way, causing him to finally grow quiet.

  The next several nights brought more of the same. Frozen bodies in the morning that had died from exposure. Little Fire was truly becoming concerned that they would be here long enough for someone she cared for to die. She was tired of saying goodbye to friends and loved ones. She had started saying goodbye way too early in her young life.

  Over the cook fire, she found herself meeting Daniel’s troubled gaze. He was watching over them as best as he could. She found a crudely made hand muff near where she slept. The irregular stitches were widely spaced as if it was made in a hurry, for function not for beauty. It was flattering that he paid so much attention to her, yet disheartening that it was under such horrific conditions. Was it guilt he felt over what the army was doing to them?

  Listening, her ears perked up as she heard them discussing how much ammunition remained and their location.

  “We’ll need it to protect them.”

  “They are slowing us down.”

  “It’s our duty to make sure they make it. All of them, dammit.”

  “Well, we’ve already messed that up – haven’t we?”

  “That’s not funny, Jones.”

  “I’m not being funny, I’m being honest. They are hard to keep fed and keep in line. So, what if the locals are angry?”

  “We don’t want to have a ri
ot on our hands.”

  “Give them what they want then!”

  “They want the Indians gone. Dead.”

  “What’s the problem then?”

  Daniel grew silent, staring at the fire. The blond solider who had not been far from him during the last few months, Lieutenant Joel Taylor, patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. Taylor then quietly muttered something that irritated the others around the fire. This caused them to get up, cursing and kicking at the snow around them. Time was short and tensions were high. They needed to get moving, not just due to the weather. It was for all their safety, too.

  Chapter Eight

  Still waiting days later for the river to become passable by the ferry, that is when the illness began again. It was, at first, a few sniffles here and there. Then, came the coughing. Fever spread throughout the camp, this included where Little Fire and the others were tucked neatly against the rock face.

  Great, wracking coughs and shaking overtook her body as she fought the cold she had caught. Hidden Doe seemed to be in the same boat as she was. However, others were much worse off. Bodies were being carried off each morning, more and more each time. They were dying off, slowly but surely, as they waited for the river to become freed up for crossing.

  Little Fire felt like her entire body was cramping and shaking from the effort to keep warm. She could feel and hear the rattle when she coughed. Pulling the fur around her closer, she just couldn’t get warm enough and this made her so sleepy. Hearing footsteps, she struggled to crack open an eye and spotted Daniel nearby.

  “Drink this,” he ordered, concern burning in his eyes.

  She didn’t question him in the slightest. She felt too awful and too weak to even bother. The hot liquid was extremely bitter and pungent, burning a trail down her esophagus to her stomach. Gasping, she pushed the cup away.

  “What was that?”

  “A little something that I hope makes you feel better,” he replied tenderly, feeling her forehead. “You’re burning up.”

  “I’m freezing actually.”

  “It must be the fever. Is anyone else sick?”

  “Hidden Doe is and several others that direction were coughing yesterday but I haven’t heard them today. I guess they are sleeping or…”

  Her voice trailed off as she opened her eyes to see where they were laying. “They are dead, aren’t they?”

  “I’m afraid so. I want you to drink this as much as possible. Do you understand me? Keep it down, too!”

  “You think I’m dying, too?” she asked, terrified, feeling tears well up in her eyes as she stared at his concerned gaze. “Am I?”

  “Not if I can help it.”

  “I don’t want to die, Daniel,” she whispered softly, feeling a tear run down her cheeks as she stared at his gentle expression. She reached out and grasped his hand, almost desperately as if to tether herself to him. His warm hand was much larger than hers and she could barely close her fingers around his palm, but it was comforting to simply have the contact between them.

  “I don’t want that either,” he admitted tenderly, stroking her cheek to wipe the tear away. “You have to be okay when we are ready to travel again. I’m hoping that is soon, but Berry…” he stopped, closing his eyes briefly in frustration and taking a deep breath. “Berry is in no hurry to ferry your people across and has increased the prices. I have heard rumor that the people that live nearby are quite angry at him and the Army for bringing you here.”

  “We aren’t exactly happy about it either,” she said lightly with a smile, sipping on the strong brew. It tasted like honey, alcohol and something else that she couldn’t put her finger on. Whatever it was, it was warming her up from the inside out and making her dizzy.

  “No, I know. I will be back later with more. Don’t worry about Hidden Doe – Taylor brought her some of the medicine, too.” This made her feel relieved to know that she was being taken care of as well.

  “Thank you, Daniel,” she told him, releasing his hand and reaching out to touch his worried face. The whiskers on his cheeks were cold and prickly, yet his skin was warm to the touch under her chilled fingers. He grabbed her hand and brought her fingers to his mouth, kissing the tips of them.

  “Just get better, Colleen.”

  “It’s Little Fire,” she reminded him softly, as he got to his feet. The expression on his face was indescribable as he looked at her. Finally, he walked away to rejoin the other officers around the fire.

  Shouts woke Little Fire from a strange dream. She felt extremely out of sorts and confused at the commotion. Sighing, she tried to shake the fog in her mind as she slowly came out of her fog. There was running and screaming all around her. Staring, she lay there under the blanket huddled for warmth.

  Hidden Doe crawled towards her. Her hot hands grasped either side of Little Fire’s head, calling her name. She could see Hidden Doe’s lips moving but the sounds were garbled. What was going on? Pulled free, she saw Daniel had come to her as well. His dark head was surrounded by tree branches and the darkening sky above him.

  “Colleen, you have to get up!” he shouted over the commotion surrounding them. “Colleen! Little Fire!” His hand grasped her chin and then tapped her on the cheek in an attempt to wake her.

  “What is going on?” she slurred weakly, pushing his hands away from her face. She swatted blindly but missed. Her arms didn’t feel like they were working properly. “I feel terrible.”

  “Colleen, you have to get up and come with me!”

  “No, the People,” she began to argue but lay back down as the world around her suddenly began to spin. Taking several deep breaths, she opened an eye slowly and glanced to her right to see where the others were. Blood and broken bodies were on the ground in the distance. Both eyes shot wide open as she saw the destruction around them. Her horrified gaze made contact with Chief Mighty Banner’s tired and defeated eyes as he nodded to them. “What is happening?”

  “We are being hunted and I have to get you to safety,” Daniel interrupted from behind her.

  “No, we have to all go then or we have to fight.”

  “You are in no condition to fight,” he countered.

  “I cannot leave them!”

  Just then, she heard the chief’s voice from a distance. He sounded so far away and everything was so confusing. So much chaos, so many garbled sounds. “I can’t,” she whispered to Chief Mighty Banner. “I can’t leave the People, my family.”

  “You cannot stay. I told you change was coming and it’s here now. Take Hidden Doe with you. Go and be strong. Teach our ways,” he ordered her firmly. In a daze, she saw him suddenly beside Daniel. How did he get there so fast? Shaking her head, dazed, she heard her adopted father instruct Daniel. “Take her and her sister. Make sure they are cared for.”

  “I can’t start over again,” she whispered brokenly, staring at the People that had gathered around the chief. They knew what was coming, they all knew and were prepared for it. She felt tears running down her cheeks as she struggled to get to her feet and join them. She was so very weak and they looked so far away from where she was at. Where they were at. She was near Daniel and Hidden Doe, against the rock face where she slept, wasn’t she?

  “Daniel?”

  “You are coming with me, but we have to leave now and be quiet,” Daniel told her gently. He sounded so far away. “Put your arms around my neck,” he instructed, but she was too tired to fight or question it, much less actually do it. As her arms when slack, he picked her up bodily and carried her. “Taylor, if you are coming, let’s go! Get Hidden Doe on that horse now!”

  Little Fire felt like she was being jostled about and it made her feel sick to her stomach. The cold air on her face was the only thing keeping her from retching at the movement and the swaying feeling that she had going on in her head. She tried to open her eyes but couldn’t. Instead, she sagged against the warmth she felt behind her. In the back of her mind, she heard pops and eerie yells from a distance until it all
faded to black.

  “What happened?” Little Fire asked groggily in a voice she barely recognized. Simply talking burned like fire and the sunlight stabbed at her eyes.

  “Shhh, you need your rest,” she heard Daniel tell her from nearby, making her head hurt. “Just drink this and get some sleep.” She was on a horse, that much she knew. She was glad to simply not be walking again like she had done the last several months. Don’t fight it, she thought, I’m finally warm. Keeping her eyes closed against the brilliant sunlight, she let herself fall asleep yet again. She felt safe.

  Later, she knew she was lying down because the rocking movement had finally stopped. She was colder and the heat she had felt, was gone. She heard a voice instruct her to drink something, but didn’t recognize it. Shivering, she obediently sipped the bitter liquid that touched her cracked lips and fell back into a dreamless sleep.

  Cracking an eye open, Little Fire flinched as the sun beat down on her. Reaching her hand up, she saw it tremble. Her hand ached as it shadowed her eyes. She saw Hidden Doe nearby, stirring a pot over a fire. Lieutenant Taylor was near her, talking. It surprised her to see any interaction between the two simply because of Hidden Doe’s shy nature.

  “How are you feeling?” Daniel’s voice interrupted her thoughts as she slowly turned her head the other direction and spotted him close by.

  “Like I have been through hell and back,” she whispered. Her voice was weak but it didn’t hurt to talk like it had.

  “You might have been there,” he retorted. “You had us all worried for a while.” She lay there, watching him as he looked her face over, feeling her cheeks and her forehead. “I think the fever has finally broken. Do you feel up to eating or drinking something?”