Lakota Surrender

by Karen Kay

  There was no mistaking his sincerity. Proudly, his eyes held hers and Kristina was uncertain if she detected a wetness in his eyes.

  Kristina struggled within herself to dispel her timidity. She loved this man without question. She trusted him with the deepest secrets of heir soul. Yet, there were limitations and restraints imposed upon her by society and by her own conscience. These she could not easily cast aside.

  Kristina glanced at him. His pride, his integrity and his unshakable loyalty were to be read in his eyes. Even the tilt of his head spoke of his honesty. There was something else, too. He was not hiding behind his usual stoicism. His love for her, his admiration of her shone in his eyes.

  She breathed deeply.

  “My beloved,” she whispered. “I must love you truly!”

  She parted her thighs to him.

  He touched her there. Immediately, his tongue traced the path blazed by his fingers.

  Kristina, having decided she would endure the embarrassment, was unprepared for the pleasure that threatened to overwhelm her.

  She actually moaned.

  He tormented her, tasting her where she knew he shouldn’t. His tongue finally replaced his fingers and Kristina gasped as the full import of this new sensation swamped her.

  She arched toward him while Tahiska grasped her rounded buttocks and drew her more fully toward him.

  She began to twist. She started to feel things she was certain were shameful. But she was beyond caring. For a while, the whole universe seemed to revolve around this tiny section of her anatomy. And she cried out again.

  Sweat stood out on her brow, all over her body. She began to pant.

  “Tahiska!”

  The pleasure was such that she was uncertain she could contain it.

  She spread her legs a little further and twisted, jerking until a thousand stars burst around her, struggling all the while with the pleasure. It went on and on and Kristina wondered if it would go on forever. Finally, she arched forward and was bathed in glorious sensation.

  She lay still, though her breathing and her heart raced out of control.

  Glancing up, she saw that Tahiska hovered over her, smiling down at her. He smoothed the golden hair away from her face and bathed her heated brow with cool water. Kristina had difficulty meeting his eyes, but gently, he forced her gaze to his.

  “Did you not enjoy my love?”

  Kristina grinned at him timidly. “I am afraid I liked it too much.”

  He laughed softly. “How can this be possible to savor something too deeply?”

  “I don’t know, but I…” Kristina suddenly grasped handfuls of his hair. “Tahiska, how can I be so selfish? We talk about my pleasure, yet you have gone unfulfilled. You have presented me with a bit of heaven, while I have given you nothing.”

  “That is not completely true…”

  “Make love to me again, Tahiska,” she said, pulling him down to her. “I wish to feel you inside of me.”

  Tahiska didn’t need to be asked a second time. His eyes quickly filled with passion as he sank deeply within her.

  Balancing the weight of his body upon his forearms, he drove into her again and again.

  Not content simply to stare at him, exchanging glances of love, she showered his face, his eyes, his nose, all of him available to her with kisses. She played with his nipples while she bore against him.

  He struggled against her. She strained. The rhythm changed. She met his every move.

  The tempo raced. Both were straining, shoving. Their eyes met and held.

  “Kristina,” he whispered, driving into her over and over. He cried her name once. Then again.

  She was close to her peak. Kristina could feel that he strained, that he held back, and she didn’t want that. She urged him on until with one move he poured his seed within her. She held him close, patting him as she might a child.

  It was some while later that Kristina whispered, “I will love you, I think, for all my life. Always.”

  Tahiska relaxed against her. “I, too.” And as they lay entwined, Kristina felt the tears Tahiska had earlier withheld.

  “We are not alone.”

  Kristina’s eyelids flew open.

  “No.” Tahiska had rolled away and was crouched next to her, his eyes scanning the terrain. He smiled down at her quickly, then snapped his attention back to their environment. “We are safe here. We are hidden. But I carry nothing to cause the reflection you saw which led you to the tall grasses. There is someone else this day who shares our bluff.”

  “Tahiska, what can we do? I cannot stay here through the night.”

  Tahiska glanced at her and took her hand in his. “It was never my intention to stay here the night. I will take you back to the fort; we will be careful. Come.” He rose and pulled her to her feet. “Let us dress and I will prepare my weapons in case we meet an enemy.”

  Kristina kept her silence as Tahiska guided their horse along the creek, which afforded them some visible protection. Her husband’s body was tense, his gaze watchful.

  He reined in his mount and jumped from the animal. Crouching low, he tread away. He was back within a moment. He gazed at her; a smile lurked behind the frown he presented her and, standing with hands on hips, he shook his head.

  “You must learn to do these things yourself,” he said as he came to her, helping her to dismount. “I may not always be here to assist you and I cannot worry over you.”

  Kristina nodded.

  “Etonwa, look,” he whispered as he set her down. He pointed to a far hill. “Do you see the dust in the air below the bluff?” he signed.

  Kristina looked; she strained her eyes. She could detect nothing.

  “It is there that we will find the one who shares this bluff with us,” he gestured. “You will stay here and keep the horse quiet while I scout ahead.”

  “Tahiska,” she voiced, and he motioned her to silence. “Couldn’t we avoid them?”

  Surprised, he gaped at her, then signed, “It is what I intend. But to evade an enemy safely, one must learn all he can about them first.”

  Kristina nodded and bent to pick up the buffalo rope the Indian used as reins.

  “Tahiska,” she whispered, and whirled about. He was gone.

  She waited more than an hour. She worried. Several times she considered leaving to find him, only to reconsider when she envisioned his anger.

  She and the pony were hidden in the tall grasses next to the creek. She sat amongst them and occupied her time with scribbling her initials in the dirt, then Tahiska’s name. It occurred to her idly that even if she did marry him, she would never carry his name.

  “What is all this?”

  Kristina jumped up, spinning about.

  “Tahiska!”

  He was grinning at her.

  She threw herself into his arms.

  “I worried about you!” She traced her hands over the bare flesh of his chest. “Why were you gone so long?”

  Tahiska’s glance at her was bewildered. He shook his head, then replied, “I was gone but a short time. Besides, one must be cautious when scouting an enemy. It is not something one does in haste.”

  Kristina examined her husband in detail. Gone was his tension. He stood smiling at her, looking as though he hadn’t a single care.

  “What did you find?”

  “Your father and several warriors.”

  “Did they see you?”

  “No.” He crouched next to her. “Soldiers do not scout well. They would see me only if I wanted to be discovered.”

  Kristina let out her breath while Tahiska watched her closely.

  “You do not wish to meet your father?”

  “No. He doesn’t know I came out to the prairie alone. He would be angry and might take away my privilege of riding on the prairie altogether.” Kristina met Tahiska’s gaze. “I took advantage of his absence today.”

  Kristina braced herself for Tahiska’s censure. In her world and in his a woman did not lightl
y disobey her father. She was guilty not only of disobeying her father, but also her lover. It was therefore enlightening to hear Tahiska chuckle.

  “You are brave for a woman,” he said. “You risked much to see me. It is good. Our love for one another,” he motioned to her in sign as he spoke, “it is strong.”

  Kristina smiled. “It is strong.”

  They sat in silence for several moments.

  “Where does your father journey?” Tahiska asked at length.

  “They go to meet the trade wagon. The scouts came into the fort only last evening.”

  Tahiska sat as though he had suddenly lost all life. No muscle moved, no expression flickered over his face. He betrayed none of his inner agitation.

  “This trade wagon—it will bring more soldiers?”

  “Yes. Most of the soldiers leave each spring with the wagon. In the autumn when they return our population is almost double.”

  Tahiska nodded, then was silent. He stared at his wife, his features revealing nothing.

  “I must leave to see this trade wagon.”

  “No!”

  He clasped her hand. “You must not oppose me in this, Kristina. You will need to be strong. I will require your understanding.” He leapt to his feet, drawing her with him.

  “But I don’t understand.”

  He grasped her face in the palms of his hands, while his thumbs caressed her cheeks. “You will,” he said, then held up his index finger between them. “You must not fight me.” He shook his finger. “You must not.”

  Kristina held his intense gaze, staring back.

  “Promise me.”

  “How can I when I don’t understand? All I know is that you are suddenly tense.”

  “I need your word that you will not fight me in what I must now do.”

  She stared at him, just how much time elapsed, she was uncertain. At length she sighed, then answered, “I will do my best. I will try to understand, but you must realize that I am not accustomed to pledging my word when I know not what I am promising.”

  Tahiska, satisfied, nodded, and releasing her, stamped over the letters Kristina had so carefully drawn on the ground.

  “Come.” Tahiska paced to his pony and jumping on, reached down for Kristina.

  “My father will be angry.”

  “Then it will have to be.”

  Kristina observed him closely. Why had all the tension returned? His eyes were even now scanning the distant hills and in his gaze was a stoicism that revealed nothing.

  All at once Kristina’s earlier observations of Tahiska flashed through her mind: his nonchalance over their trade system, his failure to concern himself with the manner in which business was conducted at the fort, his lack of visits. It was then that she knew with certainty that Tahiska had other business at the fort than mere trade.

  And as she stared up at him, she prayed for his safety.

  “Injuns!”

  Major Bogard surveyed the lone horseman on the hill, then swept his gaze over the rest of the terrain.

  “Correction, Lieutenant. Indian, singular.” Major Bogard scrutinized the man who sat atop the distant swell of the prairie. He recognized his friend.

  Issuing his company the command to halt, the major advanced alone toward the rider.

  Tahiska had been trailing the soldiers for some distance. Never revealing his presence, he waited. He had no wish to surprise the soldiers. Such action would surely court disaster, and he could not afford to draw the possible hostile attention. Not when he had Kristina with him. So he awaited the opportunity to announce himself.

  It came quickly when the soldiers entered a shallow valley between two sloping hills.

  Advancing beyond the soldiers’ march, Tahiska held his mount still, making himself clearly visible upon the crest of the rise.

  Kristina sat on the ground at the far side of the bluff below him, out of sight. He would not allow her to ride with him to the crest or to reveal herself until he was certain the soldiers would not fire on him.

  Kristina had not taken well to this order and had argued with him silently in sign, until, exasperated, Tahiska had walked away, ignoring her completely. Her backtalk was becoming irritating, and he made a mental note to discuss an Indian wife’s role in detail at a later date. He would teach her proper manners.

  Tahiska was glad to see Kristina’s father approaching him alone. He waited until the major was within shouting range, then yelled, “Halt!” in Lakota, signing to the major at the same time. “Wait!”

  Tahiska reined in his steed and turning, sprang down the opposite side of the hill.

  He returned in an instant, noting the major’s swift look at his troops and recognizing the officer’s relief at seeing the company of soldiers awaiting his next command. Yet, the major had just spotted Kristina, who was now settled in the saddle next to the brave, and his calm expression quickly changed.

  Surprise turned to astonishment, astonishment to anger. The major glared at the couple while Tahiska hesitated at the crest of the hill. Then, clicking his tongue, Tahiska set his pony into a slow walk down the hill.

  “Father.” Kristina’s voice was only a whisper as Tahiska pulled in just short of the major. Both horses, the Indian’s pony and the soldier’s stallion, skirted away from each other and the men were caught up for a moment with controlling their mounts.

  “Kristina! What are you doing out here?” The major’s horse whinnied and reared away from the Indian. Containing his steed’s spirit, Major Bogard reined in close to the Indian. He cleared his throat.

  “I… What is all this? This is the second time this Indian has brought you home, Kristina! Do you purposely ride out to meet him?”

  “I can explain…”

  “Didn’t I tell you not to ride onto the plains alone?”

  The major didn’t await an answer. Instead he glared at the Indian.

  “What are you doing with my daughter?” Even his signing didn’t mask the rudeness of the question.

  Tahiska hesitated. While he had no reservations about defending either his or his wife’s honor, he was reluctant to steal the honor of self-defense away from Kristina.

  “I will not speak if you wish to defend yourself,” he murmured to Kristina in Lakota, his steady glare never leaving her father. Then Tahiska glanced at her. He took a good, long look. Because his attention had been taken up with scouting, he hadn’t really observed her for several hours. He had assumed that she was still smarting from her backtalk. He was surprised, therefore, to find that tears pooled in her eyes and her lips were quivering.

  Tahiska came to her defense at once. Setting his pony into motion around the major’s steed, he shouted in Lakota, “Your daughter almost lost her life in a battle against the Fire Spirit.” He reined in his mount, and using only his knees to guide the animal, signed to the major, “It is always a wise man who hears all the facts first before he decides if he is angry. Your daughter has had a narrow escape from the fire. The spirit was awakened upon the prairie where she was passing.”

  Tahiska spun his horse in a circle, then bridled his pony next to the major’s until Indian and soldier were face to face. He lowered his voice while he signed and spoke, “A scolding is not always in order. Oftentimes one shouts when one should give comfort.”

  Major Bogard scowled at the Indian before replying, “The bluff fires are hardly dangerous. And that doesn’t explain what she is doing with you.”

  “I wasn’t on the bluffs, Father,” Kristina said. “I was in the tall grass…”

  “Kristina!”

  “I thought it looked too green to burn!”

  “What were you doing out there anyway?”

  “I was looking for…”

  “And why are you with this Indian?”

  “Tahiska saved my life,” Kristina almost shouted.

  Tahiska trotted his mount away, gaining distance. He set the pony into another series of circles, then, with his gaze on the major, he let go of the reins.
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br />   “I will not allow you to accuse her,” he signed.

  “She is my daughter.”

  “She is my wife,” he said in Lakota.

  “What did he say?” the major asked, speaking to his daughter.

  Kristina didn’t speak.

  “I said,” Tahiska signed, having guessed what the major had demanded of her, “that she is mine to keep safe. I told you that I would ensure her safety, and I do.”

  “How did you find her?” the major inquired aloud.

  “Say what you mean so that I can understand you,” Tahiska signed, anger flashing in his eyes.

  “This is twice that you have found and rescued my daughter while she was riding alone on the plains. Do you follow her?” he signed furiously.

  Tahiska’s head shot back as though hit. His chin jutted out, and with his eyes, he dared the major to say more.

  The two men glared at one another, until at last the major guided his horse over to the Indian. Both men ignored Kristina.

  “I fear for my daughter’s reputation,” the major began. “There is talk of her because you are always with her. Yet you promised me that you would not dishonor her.”

  “Do you say I dishonor her by my presence alone?” Tahiska signed. “Do you mean I bring disgrace to her because I save her? Would you have preferred that I let her die so as not to taint her reputation? I have kept my promise.”

  The two men measured one another as though preparing for battle. “Wait here!” the major finally ordered. He whipped his mount around and dashed back to his troops.

  Tahiska watched Kristina’s father for long moments. At last he said, “He knows we love. But I do not think he has yet admitted this to himself.” He didn’t glance at Kristina or await her reply.

  He stared at the major, a friend who, in the space of a few moments, had turned opponent.

  Major Bogard stared at the young couple up on the hill. There was something occurring here between them… He tore his hat from his head, whacking it hard against his leg. He glanced heavenward, then back at his troops.

  Damn!

  He didn’t like it.

  “Send the troops on ahead. The two on the bluff will be joining us.” He spoke to his junior officer. “Appoint someone to escort my daughter home in the morning.”