“Family,” he said, covering her hand with his.
He gazed at her belly, which was as round as a ball with the child that grew in her womb.
Then he gazed intently into her eyes. “As soon as we see that my people—our people—are settled into their newly built lodges, we will have our marriage ceremony,” he said. “It will be a time for celebration, my love. We will become as one, you and I.”
He chuckled as he looked at her belly, then into her eyes. “You and I and the child will become as one,” he corrected himself.
Then he gazed over at Lone Wing, who rode tall in his saddle with Lee-Lee still behind him on his horse. Now that Lone Wing was his people’s Historian, he had been told that he had earned the right to ride a horse instead of a pony.
“One day there will also be a wedding between those two who are so in love,” Thunder Horse said. “It will be a day of celebration when the band Historian takes a wife whom he obviously loves with all his heart.”
“The age difference between them seems not to matter,” Jessie said. “Although she is older, she is still a child compared to the adult that Lone Wing has become.”
“Ho, Lone Wing has matured right before our very eyes after having so many responsibilities placed upon his shoulders when the Old One died,” Thunder Horse said, smiling with pride for his nephew.
“I am anxious to see his first records of the Fox band’s history,” Jessie said.
“No one but he will see them until much later, when he hands his duties over to someone else,” Thunder Horse explained. “He records, then puts his records away. The important thing is that he does his duty. It will be many years before the things he draws will be interpreted and acknowledged.”
“I see,” Jessie said. “I still have so much to learn about your customs . . . about your people’s lives.”
“You are now one with my people, so do not refer to them as ‘your people,’ ” Thunder Horse said. “Although we have not spoken vows yet, you are already a part of the Fox band.”
Thunder Horse looked over his shoulder into the distance, where far behind him was the only home he had ever known.
He then looked slowly around him again, at what was becoming his new home. “No people ever loved their country or enjoyed it more than we Sioux,” he said, pride in his voice. “Oh, how we loved the beautiful streams by which we made our homes, and the trees that shaded our tepees. We loved the green stretches of plains with gardens here and there of golden sunflowers over which hovered and played myriads of yellow-winged birds.”
He went silent as he gazed straight ahead.
“We will love this new land as much some day,” he said, his voice breaking. “Memories will be born here that will sustain our young people as they grow into adults and have to say farewell to those who brought them into the world. Ho, I must think of the good to come, my woman, or a part of me would break into a million tears.”
Those words touched Jessie so deeply, she had to fight back the tears. She heard such pride in her beloved’s voice, and also such pain.
If the president could see the pain and suffering of these beautiful, innocent people, oh, surely he would regret what had been done in haste.
“We will be happy, and so will our people,” she quickly said. “Happiness is born of trust, love . . . and hope. I see so much of all those in our people’s eyes today.”
“Ho, I see it, too, and hope it will build within them so that the days and weeks and years ahead will be good ones,” Thunder Horse said.
He then broke into a broad smile when he saw many of his warriors who had come ahead and were already living on the reservation riding toward him.
“There is Wind Eagle!” Thunder Horse cried, eagerly waving a hand. “Do you see the warrior who rides ahead of the others? My woman, that is my friend Wind Eagle, whom I appointed chief in my absence.”
Wind Eagle came up beside Thunder Horse, his dark eyes filled with pride and happiness. “My chief, it is so good to see you,” he said, drawing rein as Thunder Horse and Jessie halted, as well.
Thunder Horse and Wind Eagle clasped hands, then gave each other a bear hug.
“Things are well at the reservation but will be even better now that you are here,” Wind Eagle said. As he leaned away from Thunder Horse, he slid slow eyes over Jessie.
His gaze moved to her belly, lingered there for a moment. Then he questioned Thunder Horse silently with his dark eyes.
“My mitawin, my woman,” Thunder Horse said as the other warriors on horseback circled around him, their eyes anxiously gazing at their chief, and then at Jessie.
“This is Jessie,” Thunder Horse announced for all to hear. “She will soon speak vows with your chief.”
Again the eyes went to Jessie’s swollen belly.
“She is with child, but the child is not mine,” Thunder Horse said, knowing that he would draw gasps from his loyal warriors. “She is a woman wronged in many ways. I took her in. She will be my wife, and the child she carries will be raised as my son, or daughter, whichever is born to her.”
Jessie was worried by the strained silence among the warriors. Then she inhaled a breath of relief as, one by one, they came to her and took her hand, kissing it and smiling. At that moment, the other travelers joined them and there were greetings all around.
“Let us go home now,” Thunder Horse said, sinking his heels into the flanks of his horse and riding off with Jessie at his side, his warriors and people close behind them.
“For a moment I—” Jessie began, but Thunder Horse interrupted her.
“All is good now,” he said, nodding. “No one will question who you are again.”
“But what about those waiting in the village who have not yet seen me?” Jessie said, swallowing hard.
“Ho, you are right to be wary, but I will see that you have no reason to worry ever again,” Thunder Horse said.
He gestured toward Wind Eagle, drawing him up beside them. “Wind Eagle, ride ahead and explain about the arrival of my woman so that we will see no wonder in their eyes when we arrive there,” he said. “She deserves better.”
Wind Eagle nodded, clasped his hand with Thunder Horse’s, then released it and rode away at a gallop.
“So you see, my mitawin, I have taken care of that,” Thunder Horse said, riding again alongside Jessie.
“As you do everything,” Jessie said, smiling up at him. “Thank you. I mean pila-maye.”
“Hearing the Sioux words being spoken by you brings gladness to this chief’s heart,” Thunder Horse said.
When Jessie smiled broadly at him, he knew that once again he had chosen the right words to make his woman feel comfortable in her new role.
Tomorrow, after the lodges were erected, he would take the time to exchange vows with Jessie. She would wait no longer to become this chief’s wife.
“Tomorrow, my mitawin,” he said suddenly. “We will marry tomorrow.”
Jessie felt a radiant glow within her. Finally! She had her own life and someone she truly loved to share it with.
Nothing could get in the way now.
Nothing, and especially not her cousin!
Chapter Thirty-one
Thunder Horse was dressed in a deerskin jacket, with bright-colored beads down the front. He also wore his long-fringed leggings as he prepared himself for the wedding that would take place today.
He slid his feet into his porcupine-quill-embroidered moccasins and folded his best robe about him.
Sweet Willow stood behind him and brushed his long, glossy hair with a brush made from the tail of a porcupine, then perfumed his hair with scented grass before arranging it in two braids with an otter skin woven into them. Since he was a powerful warrior and chief, Sweet Willow added an eagle feather to his hair, held there by a beaded headband.
Thunder Horse had risen early today and brushed the horse that was his gift to Jessie until it shone. Then he had woven wreaths of sweet grass around its neck and tied eagle fea
thers to its tail and mane.
“It is your day, and Jessie’s,” Sweet Willow said, stepping around in front of him. “My brother, you deserve this day and all the happiness that comes with it. You have brought your people on a long journey and helped them through much sorrow and sadness. Today is for laughter and loving. It is your day.”
“My woman will be beautiful as she comes to me today as my bride,” Thunder Horse said thickly. He stepped up to the entrance flap of his newly built tepee and gazed outside, over at Sweet Willow’s lodge, where he knew Jessie was being helped by Jade and Lee-Lee to get ready for the short ceremony.
“The horse you chose for her is lovely,” Sweet Willow said, clasping her hands together as she gazed at her brother’s handsomeness.
“The husband-to-be always takes pride in the fine horse his bride will ride, especially in ceremonial parades,” Thunder Horse said, gazing at the tethered horse that stood outside his lodge.
He silently admired the white-faced bay with its white hind legs. The horse was made even finer by the handsomely beaded saddle trappings that were also a gift to Jessie on this, her and Thunder Horse’s special day.
“Do you think Jessie is ready for you to go to her?” Sweet Willow asked as she stepped to his side and looked past him at her own lodge a few feet away.
Smoke spiraled lazily from the smoke hole. Her son had lit the fire late last night, and it would not be allowed to go out until next year when the spring days arrived with the deliciousness of the sun’s warmth.
“I will give her more time,” Thunder Horse said, stepping back from the entranceway. He sat down before the fire, and Sweet Willow sat next to him. “This is a moment in my life I will savor, especially when I have troubles heavy on my mind. These moments with my woman will erase bad and add good to my memory. I will make Jessie happy. I will bring comfort to her heart when she bears her first child. And then the time will come when she bears me a son from our own union. And . . . then . . . a daughter.”
Jessie’s heart pounded as Lee-Lee and Jade fussed over her, helping to arrange the gown of whitened deerskin that was heavy with beads and long fringes.
Her belly pulled too tightly at the dress that Sweet Willow had secretly made for her before they left for the Dakotas.
Sweet Willow had not expected Jessie to be this big with child when she married Thunder Horse.
“I love the fringes and beads,” Jessie murmured, but blushed when she saw the swell of her bosom where the dress fit too tightly across her breasts.
She saw too much cleavage, but Lee-Lee ingeniously corrected the problem by placing a cluster of white mountain flowers at her neckline. The blossoms not only hid her cleavage, but also gave off a sweet aroma that smelled like rich French perfume to Jessie.
“You are so clever,” Jessie said, giggling. “Now I won’t have to blush so much when I step before Thunder Horse’s people to speak vows with my beloved.”
She sighed with appreciation when she gazed down at her leggings, which were trimmed with quills of porcupine, as were her moccasins.
“I will complete you now,” Jade murmured as she dusted the part in Jessie’s hair with pulverized ocher ore, as well as the dried powder of a prairie dustball.
She used a small piece of doeskin to pat some vermilion on Jessie’s cheeks.
“And now matching flowers in your hair,” Jade said as she placed sprigs of white flowers above Jessie’s ears.
“You smell like jasmine,” Lee-Lee said, sighing.
“I cannot tell you how I feel,” Jessie said, again giggling. “I just feel so . . . so . . . heavenly.”
“And soon you will be married to a powerful, wonderful, and caring Sioux chief,” Jade said, taking a brief peek through the entrance to see if Thunder Horse was on his way toward the tepee.
She gasped when she saw him step from his lodge. She placed her hands to her cheeks, sighing when she saw just how handsome he was, and how radiant his smile as he stepped up to the most beautiful horse Jade had ever seen.
“It is so beautiful,” Jade said, looking over her shoulder at Jessie.
“What is so beautiful?” Jessie asked. She hurried to the entranceway and stepped up beside Jade. She looked outside and gasped. She felt herself melting when she saw Thunder Horse take the reins of a beautiful white-faced bay.
“I wonder if it is to be mine,” she murmured, having heard that he would be presenting her with a special steed today.
“Surely it is,” Lee-Lee said, coming and squeezing between Jade and Jessie. She, too, sighed with pleasure as she saw the horse and the handsome man now mounting it.
“I just know that Lone Wing will be as handsome as his uncle when he becomes a man,” Lee-Lee said, blushing as she gazed over to where Lone Wing stood with others around the huge outdoor fire, awaiting the marriage ceremony.
Much food had been cooked this day, and now stood in large pots around the edge of the fire, staying warm until it was to be eaten.
The drums and other musical instruments of the Sioux awaited the moment when Thunder Horse would give the sign to begin the music. Dancers were clustered together in bright clothes, ready to dance and celebrate their chief’s wedding.
It was all magical, and Lee-Lee wanted the same one day when she could marry Lone Wing.
Jessie continued watching Thunder Horse as he mounted the horse, holding the end of a lariat tied about the animal’s neck. He guided the lovely horse altogether by the motions of his body.
“Why, the horse seems to be entering into the spirit of the occasion,” Jessie said, admiring its graceful movements in perfect obedience to his master.
Thunder Horse had told her in advance that when he got close to where she was waiting, it was the custom to pull his robe over his head, leaving only a slit to look through.
That was what he was doing at this very moment. Then he stopped just outside Sweet Willow’s lodge, directly in front of the entrance.
Jessie knew what she was supposed to do next. She had been taught about the ritual between a man and a woman just prior to speaking their vows.
If she wanted to hear what the man had to say, she would step outside and listen. If she didn’t want to hear him, or marry him, she would stay inside the lodge until he turned and left.
Wanting him more than anything, she hurried outside.
Although she could only see a portion of his eyes, she saw how they widened when he saw her. She knew then that he approved of what she wore, even the flowers thrust between her breasts.
“I am so glad that you came to me,” she said, knowing those were the words she was supposed to speak if she wanted him as her husband.
“I bring you the gift of a horse,” Thunder Horse said, not dismounting until she said she accepted it as her own.
“I love it, and, yes, I want it,” Jessie said. “I also love you and want you.”
He flung aside the robe and dismounted.
Jessie sighed with appreciation when she saw his handsomely beaded outfit. She trembled as he approached her now, like one would approach any shy creature of the earth, gently, slowly, one step at a time. Indeed, her heart felt as shy as that of a young antelope trembling behind a cactus plant.
Then he took Jessie’s hands and led her out of the lodge. Lone Wing came and took the lovely steed away and placed him among his uncle’s other prized horses.
The drums began softly beating, and someone played a flute in the distance. Several women started to sing softly as the shaman came and stood before Thunder Horse and Jessie. All the people of the Fox band stood around them, smiling and watching.
The drums and flute continued playing as the shaman, Hawk Dreamer, ministered to the two who were seeking his blessing today, as well as the blessing of the Great Spirit.
“You now speak words to each other that can come only from your hearts, for I have said all that I can to bless this union of my chief and his woman,” Hawk Dreamer said, slowly stepping back and suddenly disappearing amid
the crowd.
Thunder Horse held Jessie’s hands as he gazed into her eyes. “Today I take you for my wife, to protect and love you forever and ever,” he said with deep emotion, his eyes searching hers. “What is mine is now yours, for my shaman has not only blessed us, Jessie, he has married us. We are now as one with each other. Your heart is joined with mine. Our souls are as one until the day we part from this earth, and even then they will remain united, for nothing can ever separate us. Not even death. Jessie, from here on, I will care for you and the children you bear me. You will never be out of my mind. My mitawin, my wife, you are with me now for always.”
Jessie was amazed that she was already married and had not even been aware of when Hawk Dreamer had joined them as man and wife.
But she was glad that the ceremony wasn’t as complicated as she’d thought it might be.
She was Thunder Horse’s wife!
She could hardly hold down her excitement, but knew that she must, for she had words to say to Thunder Horse, too, words to tell him of her love and commitment.
“My love, my chief, my husband, I will always be here for you, as your wife and the mother of your children,” Jessie murmured as his hands gripped hers gently. “However you want me to be, I shall be. I want never to disappoint you. When I bear children, I will eagerly hand them over to you to hold and to love. My darling Thunder Horse, my husband, I love you now and forever and ever.”
He drew her into his arms and kissed her gently at first, and then more ardently and passionately.
The singing began again, and the drums beat more loudly. Many other instruments added their voices to the music, sending the wonder of it heavenward.
And then Thunder Horse took Jessie by the hands and turned her so that they both faced all of his people, which now were definitely also hers. “My people, may I present to you my bride?” he cried.
Cheers and chants rose into the sky.
Dancers began dancing around the huge fire.
Thunder Horse grabbed Jessie into his arms and carried her at a half trot to their new lodge.
Savage Arrow Page 22
