by Rita Hestand
"Really?"
Lucy socked him on the arm. "Really. She is very happy with Angus. Blackfoot women are jollier than most. And find humor everywhere. She is fun to be with. I had several Blackfeet friends when I was younger, they'd come to our village and we'd do all kinds of stuff. They didn't war all the time and they appreciated their lives more."
"Where did they meet? Angus and Pumpkin?"
"He came to their village, to trade and the chief's son introduced her as she cooked his meals while he was there. They got to talking and I guess more than that. And he traded his pack horses for her."
"His pack horses, that must have set him back a little." Aiden chuckled.
"It did, they had to go down to the fort afterwards and he traded some for more provisions. He killed four bears to make the trade. He told her she was worth every bit of them and more. Now, that is love."
"I guess it is." He chuckled.
But Aiden couldn't sleep, and he got up. It was too early. He didn't know why, only being close to Lucy did things to him. "Walk with me, will you?"
"Sure," she smiled wiping at her eyes.
He was silent, but he took her hand as they walked. Aiden turned around and saw her staring, suddenly he reached down in the snow and formed a ball then threw it at her. She ran, getting far enough away, she reached down and formed a ball of snow and threw it at Aiden as he chased her. Laughing he chased her until he fell upon her. The intimacy that the action caused, shocked them both. They stared for a long moment. He reached a gloved hand and stroked her cheek. She held her breath as her cheeks bloomed. Her head leaned against his hand. Then his eyes drifted to her lips. She lost breath once more. He was about to kiss her when Angus came up to them.
"Don't mean to butt in, but we got company." He said with a smile.
Aiden got to his feet and helped Lucy up.
They walked back to camp to find three Sioux warriors sitting on three beautiful Paints.
Lucy walked up to them, she pet one of the horses then looked up at them, she spoke to them and turned to Aiden and Angus.
"They will ride with us to the camp." She told him.
"Tell them there is fatback and biscuits if they are hungry.
The Indian got down and ate and talked to Lucy and Aiden for a while. Angus got up and Pumpkin followed.
Lucy nodded with a smile.
They helped keeping the fire going by bringing more wood, and they talked with Lucy, Pumpkin, Angus and Aiden.
They were all laughing and suddenly Gloria walked up to them. "Have you asked them about Peggy?" she asked.
Lucy shot to her feet, pulling Gloria away from them. "We will get to that later, these are not the men to talk to."
"But…"
"Gloria," Mr. Winters called to her and she went to sit with him and eat. It was obvious she was upset, but she didn't say another word.
"If you want to get Peggy back, it would be wise to keep your mouth shut. You aren't running this show…" her husband said loud enough for the others to hear.
Chapter Seven
When they finally reached the Sioux camp, they were approached by several warriors, when Lucy told them what they had come for and who she needed to speak with, they took the others to a tepee. And a warrior stood outside, as though guarding them.
There was much going on in the camp, many teepees were set up and someone was beating a drum. Children ran about, playing. Women were cooking. Warriors were sharpening knives and tomahawks.
Gloria and Frank watched in pure fascination. Obviously, they'd never been in an Indian camp before.
"I thought it would be different somehow." Gloria mumbled.
Aiden looked at her, "You thought Indian did nothing but prepare for war?"
"I guess I did. But they are sharpening their knives and tomahawks. So, I would suppose they are getting ready."
"That is an everyday thing for them. As they are great hunters and kill their food every day. They are just people, a different language, a different culture, but still just people."
Lucy had been led into a well decorated teepee. Aiden watched from a distance. He knew she was speaking with Sitting Bull himself at this moment. He hadn't thought about the dangers Lucy might be in. He couldn't stop worrying over her. After all, he got her into this.
He wouldn't be telling Gloria and Frank his concerns either. He paced inside nervously. No one else knew how much he had asked of Lucy to help with the child.
Angus came up to him after a long while, "She's been gone a while. You think it's a good sign?"
"I hope so."
"Yeah… " Angus nodded. "You know as well as I the chances are slim, she can pull this off for them."
"With anyone else, I'd agree, but she has some real powers, Angus. They really believe she is a Spirit Woman. Although they aren't her people, they believe it too."
"I guess that's in our favor, then." Angus replied as he looked around too.
"That Gloria woman has sure been quiet. I thought she'd be walking the floor."
"Lucy talked with her. She knows she'll do her best to get the child back."
Pumpkin said something to Angus, and he repeated it. "She says if anyone can pull it off, Lucy can. She has heard of her power for some time and she believes in her too."
Aiden shot Pumpkin a smile. "Lucy really likes her, says she has a sense of humor."
"All her people are that way. At least, once you get to know them. Unless you are from the wrong tribe, they are really friendly. They like trading."
"What's wrong? Why are you so tense?" Gloria demanded to know. "They won't hurt us, will they?"
"I'm not nervous for us. I am for Lucy, though."
"Lucy?"
"Yes, Lucy. She is speaking with one of the most powerful chiefs in this territory. She's the one sticking her neck out for you, ma'am. They take this mourning war very seriously. It is justice to them. A life for a life. That's how they see it."
"Why? I thought these were her people."
"Her people are the Cheyenne, these are Sioux, and they aren't exactly friendly right now. Not after what Custer pulled."
"What do you mean, what did he actually do?" Gloria asked.
"He led a raid on the women and children of the camp while the warriors were gone. They killed many women and children. What she asks of them is not something they will like. We interrupt their mourning war and they will be upset with her about it. But they just might fear her enough to listen."
"Fear her? Are you serious?" Gloria almost laughed.
"Very. She might be little, but she has a power of understating that surpasses most people. She understands everything but herself."
"Why would they fear her?" Gloria scoffed.
"It is known to all the Indians in this area that she is a Spirit Woman. It's her hair mainly. It is an unusual color for one so young, and her crystal blue eyes. They look at her, and think she has power. They will listen to her and pray to their Creator and if he accepts her wish, they will give you the child."
A drum beat in the distance, it meant they were in the sweat lodge and praying.
The drums were constant now.
Gloria came up to him, "What's taking so long? What are those drums for?"
Aiden glanced at her and answered. "This is no easy task and you must learn now to be patient if you want your child back. What she must ask them is not something they will want to do. But since she is a Spirit Woman, they will listen to her. The drums mean she has gone into the sweat lodge to have a vision."
"Spirit Woman?" Gloria questioned, a brow shooting upward. "Visions, you believe in all of that too?" she scoffed at him again.
Aiden nodded. "Yes, I do. I have seen her heal the sick at ten years old. I have seen her stop attacks, start attacks. She has that much influence over them. It doesn't matter what I or you believe, it's what they believe. She possesses great wisdom. Like a Shaman, a medicine man if you will. She has understanding for all peoples. It is a gift, she calls i
t."
"I see. So, they will listen to her, because of this?"
"Yes. Otherwise, you'd have no chance of getting your child back without her. No chance at all. And they'd probably kill us all."
Mr. Winters joined them now. "So, it's all up to this young lady?"
"That's right." Aiden nodded.
"You really think she possess such a power?" Gloria laughed.
"It's not important what I think, it's what they think. I've always been told that the power of suggestion is a mighty thing. And who are we to judge?" Aiden reminded her.
"Well, I suppose you are right about that." Gloria firmed her lips, "I suppose if she succeeds, I will owe her greatly."
"Yes ma'am, you will." Aiden nodded again.
"How long have you known her?" Gloria asked sitting beside him now.
"Since she was ten." Aiden answered.
"Then why didn't you rescue her from them?" Gloria asked her expressive frown stared at him.
"I wasn't much older, only fifteen when I first met her. I came with an older fur trapper. He sort of raised me."
"Raised you, what happened to your folks?" Gloria asked.
"They died in an Indian raid."
"Both of them?"
"Yes, and this trapper came along and found me living in my folks house alone and took me with him."
Gloria glanced outside again but Mr. Winters came up to him, "So why didn't you rescue Lucy?"
"I asked Frenchie, the fur trapper the same question. He said she belonged there, she'd been there too long. She'd lost her real parents he thought in the wagon train raid, and the Cheyenne were the ones that cared for her and raised her. To love two families in one lifetime is something, but to love them both and leave it would be too hard to adjust, and we were both men, so we didn't think that right, having a little girl along with us all the time. I realized he was right. But it always kind of stuck in my craw to leave her, because she is white. If you knew how the white women scorn a woman that has been with the Indians, thinking the worse of them. That they slept with them too. She could never have fit in after four years with them."
"He should have taken her away then, so she could grow up with her own kind, into a lady, into a Christian." Gloria insisted.
"She is a lady, and her own kind then and now is Cheyenne. And she is Christian, she reads the bible even now. Probably knows it better than I. Either her white folks died or didn't care enough to look for her. That's why she thinks so much of you. You came after your child. It is the reason she speaks for you. Either way, she grew up Cheyenne. She loves her people, although, I have to admit, she does seem curious about the whites."
"Curious, she is white. I heard you tell her you wanted to take her to the fort. Why doesn't she stay while she's there?"
"I guess you'll have to see it for yourself ma'am. She could, but I'm afraid she'll never be accepted by her own people. Not now. And I for one don't want to see her hurt any more than she has been. I think when I do take her to the fort, you'll begin to see why she can't live with them." Aiden told her and moved away from Gloria.
"She's a white, not a half-breed, but a white. Why wouldn't she fit in?" Gloria insisted.
"You're not from around here, so you wouldn't know, I suppose. For the same reason you thought she slept with me!" He turned and walked away.
"I'm sorry, I regret that."
"Tell her, not me! You see, Lucy likes you Mrs. Winters. She wouldn't stick her neck out like this for someone she didn’t like."
Mr. Winters nodded, "He's right. She's been with them too long, my dear. I've heard stories at the fort. They tell of many white women who tried to come back or were forced to and didn't fit in. Some killed themselves, some ran off, and some died from broken hearts. She could never be a lady like you. She's more like a man, than a woman."
"I wouldn't go that far Mr. Winters," Aiden turned to look at them both, "she might not be a proper lady, but she's damned sure a woman!"
"Well," Gloria looked a bit sarcastically at the men, "She never had relations with that Indian husband of hers, so I'm not sure how much a woman she is either."
"What?" Aiden came up to her close and frowned into her raised eyebrow.
"She told me herself, she never had relations with him."
"And you tell us this, as though it is our business? How could you talk like that about her behind her back? She befriended you. She's fighting right now, for your daughter and here you are talking about her, behind her back. You are like the women of the fort, you think because she's been raised Indian, she is less a person. Well, you are wrong. She's more woman than you'll ever be!"
He walked outside, pacing he was so angry.
Angus walked out too and stared at him. "Some women no matter how refined, are ignorant." He told him.
"I'm realizing that."
"You really like this Lucy gal, don't you?"
"Always have," Aiden admitted and wondered why he admitted it. "Always will."
"Maybe you ought to tell her sometime. Because I think she likes you right back. Son, don't tell her you know."
"Why, what do you mean?"
"Look, I don't know her like you do, but she confided in Gloria, because she's white, she thought her being married, she'd understand. It would hurt her to know that the first white woman she did talk to talked about her. So, you can't tell her son, that you know. She told Pumpkin too."
Aiden nodded slow, "I see what you mean."
"I think I got her pegged right. She's got a little war going on inside her. She's basically all Indian, but when she gets around whites, she starts trying to think and act white. She's confused Aiden. She's come of age and don’t know what to do about it."
Aiden nodded, "Your right, but she's been fighting this war all along. She thinks no whites ever cared about her, that she's unworthy of being loved by the whites."
"Then maybe it's time someone told her how he feels." Angus smiled at him. "I mean, if he does feel that way."
With that Angus walked away. Aiden stood stunned and waited for Lucy to return.
It wasn't a time to talk about feelings. But deep down, he knew Angus was right.
Aiden went back inside and saw Pumpkin's face screw up into a frown and he heard Angus. "You folks just don't know when to shut up, do you?"
It was almost dark before Lucy returned. Her face looked pale, and tired.
Gloria came up to her immediately, "What did they say? Will they let me take my daughter?"
A bit overwhelmed, Lucy took a long breath before answering. She stared into her eyes. She licked her dry lips and tried to think. "They must speak to the council, then the parents. If they agree, you can have your daughter back." Lucy told her. "With one condition."
"And if they don't?"
"If they don't, they'll let us leave peaceably, but you won't get her back." Lucy told her.
"But they must. I have to get her back… " Gloria cried out.
"I have spoken to them, trying to convince them that the Creator would give back what is not theirs to take. They believe I speak the truth. Still, it must go through all the channels and they must have their Shaman study on this too and pray to the Creator."
"How long before we know?" Gloria was groping for anything to keep her hopes up.
"Tomorrow. But that is not the real test."
"What do you mean?" Gloria's eyes narrowed on her now.
Lucy took a long breath and leaned against a pole that supported. She stared into her eyes for a long moment. "Even if they do agree, it is up to Peggy. If she wants to go with you, and their Shaman agrees, then she can go. But if Peggy refuses you herself, she will stay as they believe their Gods demands it. They do not think a child should be forced one way or another."
"But she's just a child… She can't make that kind of decision on her own."
"It is their way and their custom, we cannot change it. Even if they do not approve if Peggy sees you and wants you, then they must let her go."
"I can see her tomorrow?" Gloria asked her voice resounding with hope.
"As far as I know, yes" Lucy sighed. Lucy glanced around the teepee, suddenly she almost fell over if Aiden hadn't caught her to him.
"Are you okay?" Aiden asked her pulling her away from Gloria and her questions.
"Yes, we have prayed together to the Gods and to the Creator and we will await the answer. Then you will be taken to her and it will be her that decides." Lucy said with a long sigh. "It is their custom and their way. And you must abide. To try to take her against her will, will mean certain death, I can assure you, for all of us! So, you must get very strong and do as I tell you, it could mean your life."
Aiden took her into his arms and carried her to a blanket that was laid out. He laid her down and covered her, "Get some rest."
He bent and kissed her forehead.
"Thanks Aiden," she whispered.
And Indian woman came inside the teepee and began preparing a meal for them. But as she put the food on the fire, she turned and brought something to hang over Lucy where she slept. Gloria watched in fascination.
"What is that, that she hangs?"
"It's called a dream-catcher. It is to keep out evil spirits as one sleeps." Aiden explained.
The squaw hung it and turned to Pumpkin talking with her a moment. Then she went to tend the meal for them.
She glanced many times at Lucy, and she chanted as she cooked. She seemed to watch her and finally she went to bend over her and pulled the cover up closer to her chin. She smiled at her and went back to her cooking.
"Why did she do that?"
Aiden smiled crookedly. "Because she cares. That is Walking Dove, Lucy cured her of a white man's disease once. She has never forgotten her. She respects Lucy greatly. Lucy was still a child when she cured her. She was only ten at the time. I was here, I saw it. You don't understand, you see here, Lucy is very important, they think she has special powers and they respect those powers. And I'm not so sure she doesn't have them. For a child healed this woman, and the woman is eternally grateful."
"Why is she singing?" Gloria wanted to know.
"It is a prayer for they consider her what we would call holy."