The Princess and the Wolf
Page 30
Alathom shuddered. “And so, yes, I faked my own death and sent home word of it. But also, within me was the hope that if there was trouble, the two of you might follow me and try to find me. And I hoped that you, High Wolf, would locate the grave and decide that whatever the state of mind of our parents, you now had every right to marry. In fact, if you would be so kind, it is my pleasure to present to you my family, if you would like to meet them.”
“Your family?” This from both Sierra and High Wolf.
“Yes,” he said with the same sort of giggle she recalled from their past. And he continued, “My wife and my two children. Unlike the two of you, I have been quite busy. Come. They are staying with relatives in one of the other villages.”
“I would be pleased to meet your family. Pleased and honored, sir.”
High Wolf simply smiled.
And together the three friends sauntered out of the main Minatarree village, out onto the prairie, where they found, to Sierra’s surprise, horses. The prince’s horses.
“We are going to ride to their village. But it’s only a short distance.”
Prince Alathom merely shrugged. “What can I say? I have been amongst the Crow for so long now, I don’t walk anywhere. Not when I can ride.”
There was a moment of stunned silence, then laughter.
Sierra glanced up at High Wolf then, and taking hold of one of the animals, began to lead it away.
But Prince Alathom soon caught up with her. “The idea is to ride the horse. It does save time.”
“Save time?” she asked. “Well, then by all means, we must save time. After all”—and here she gazed critically at High Wolf—“if we are to give Alathom any competition at all, my love, we will have to become very, very busy. What do you think? Are you up to the task?”
“Up to the task?” For an answer, High Wolf trod toward her, picked her up and began walking back toward the village, away from the horses, away from Alathom. Over his shoulder, he flung to Alathom, “I think I had better show my wife just what I’m made of. We will catch up to you later.”
And Alathom, grinning, saluted them.
Epilogue
“’Tis said she brought our own prince back to life.”
“Yes, she is certainly a princess worthy of all our
good wishes. But then, have I not always said so?”
Gossip between servants at
Prince Alathom’s castle
And so it was that peace was finally established between the two kingdoms in Baden-Baden.
Never were parents so glad to see a son, welcoming him and his Indian family to their home with open arms, even before the legal annulment of marriage between the prince and princess. Further, it is certainly a matter of record that Princess Sierra and the wolf prince ruled a just and equitable reign, and that matters between both families became as harmonious as a lovely melody.
And if several trips were made by the three friends to the American West that they might remember the time when they had all renewed their lives, it was understood by the citizens within their kingdoms that the countries owed their peace to more than simple matters of state.
As for Father Junipero: He had disappeared long before the two couples returned home. And no matter how many inquiries High Wolf made into the matter, not a single soul seemed to know the whereabouts of the man.
Perhaps he had, truly, simply faded away.
Or perhaps he had simply been unable to stand the qualities of love and friendship. For indeed, friendship had proved to be stronger than even the fieriest of hatreds.
After all, didn’t they three have living proof…?
Historical Note: The Steamboat Diana
It is my hope that you will forgive my weaving a bit of fiction with history. The steamboat Diana—built in 1834—did not sink due to fire. She snagged and sank on the Missouri River on October 10, 1836.
In truth, it was the Assiniboine that sank due to fire on June 1, 1835. The Assiniboine was built in 1833, and was a historic, as well as a very important steamboat, in that it carried Prince Maximilian and Karl Bodmer into Blackfeet country, a journey that furnished us much information, as well as many paintings of that time and people.
Now, truth to tell, I could have used the Assiniboine steamboat in The Princess and the Wolf. However, I’m afraid I liked the name of the Diana so much that I found myself using her instead of the Assiniboine.
Besides, I had already used the Assiniboine to carry another heroine in yet a different, earlier book. Do you know which book that was?
At any rate, I hope you will forgive my stretching the boundaries of history a little.
Glossary
For your ease in reading this story, the following glossary is added to help understand a few of the words used that might or might not be familiar.
Mandan Indians—as noted in the story, these were a sedentary group of Indians who made their home on the upper Missouri River. Their origins puzzled many of the early explorers. And it has been speculated that they might be descendants of a fourteenth-century prince: Prince Modoc of North Wales, who set sail with ten ships, never to return. According to George Catlin, Welsh history and legend tells of the prince settling somewhere in North America. Unfortunately, these Indians were almost entirely wiped out due to the smallpox infection brought to them by the traders.
Medicine—a word used to denote something of spiritual power, or someone who has obtained this power.
Minatarree Indians—these Indians are also known by the name of the Hidasta Indians, who were a sedentary group of Indians, and like the Mandans, did much trade with other plains tribes. According to George Catlin, the Minatarree Indians—or People of the Willows—were a small tribe and were found living next to the Mandans, who at one time had given them shelter.
Riccaree Indians or Arikara (Aricara) Indians—according to George Catlin, these Indians were also sedentary Indians and were related to the Pawnee tribe of Indians farther south. Having been attacked by Colonel Leavenworth of Fort Leavenworth fame, these Indians were hostile to all white people in their vicinity. Even George Catlin did not dare to set foot in their camp.
Saaaa—this is an expression used by the Cheyenne Indians denoting an exclamation, much as we might say, “darn.”
Voyageur—at this time, a voyageur was a man employed by one of the fur trading companies to transport goods to the far outposts on the American western frontier. This was done by means of boats. At this time in history, they were often of French descent.
Acknowledgements
Special acknowledgement is due the following people, whose works have documented—luckily for us—different aspects of the life of the scout:
Tom Brown, Jr., The Way of the Scout. This book introduced me to “the water dance of the scout.”
Frank R. Linderman, Plenty-Coups, Chief of the Crows.
L. Ron Hubbard, Buckskin Brigades and The Philadelphia Doctorate Course Lectures.
I would highly recommend reading them all.
About the Author
Praised by reviewers and fans for her insight into and respect for the everyday facets of the American Indian way of life, KAREN KAY maintains that the discovery of her heritage through her great-great grandmother—a Choctaw Indian—did much to enhance her stories.
Karen Kay has written eleven romances for Avon Books. The earlier titles from the “Legendary Warriors” series are Soaring Eagle’s Embrace, Lone Arrow’s Pride, War Cloud’s Passion and Wolf Shadow’s Promise. In the “Blackfoot Warrior” series, she has written Gray Hawk’s Lady, White Eagle’s Touch and Night Thunder’s Bride, and in the “Lakota” series Lakota Surrender, Lakota Princess and Proud Wolf’s Woman.
“With the passion of romance, I strive to bring about an awareness of the vital and powerful forces that helped shape the Plains Indian culture. It is through understanding, after all, that we can, at last, find a common reality, and with that, secure a greater tolerance for one another.”
Ka
ren is always happy to hear from you. Please write to her at Karen Kay, PO Box 29134, Los Angeles, CA 90029-0134 or visit her website at www.novels-hy-karenkay.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.
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Copyright
Excerpts from Sonnets to a Soul Mate: 39 of the Most Erotic and Romantic Poems of Our Time copyright © David Ziff, 2003. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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THE PRINCESS AND THE WOLF. Copyright © 2004 by Karen Kay Elstner-Bailey. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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