Tender Ecstasy

by Janelle Taylor

  Gray Eagle lifted her limp body in his powerful arms and carried her into their tepee. Alarmed, Rebecca mechanically and silently tagged behind him. Observing Bright Arrow’s absence and Shalee’s reaction to the bitter words of her husband, she could easily imagine what was wrong. Dread washed over her lithe frame. She was as helpless as her mute mother had been on such occasions; she could not even ask her terrified questions and be understood.

  Gray Eagle gently laid his unconscious wife upon his mat and stroked her cheek. Anguish filled him, for she desperately needed his comfort and closeness; yet, their son needed his attentions far more.

  Rebecca boldly seized his arm. “Bright Arrow?” she fearfully demanded. When he trained his tormented gaze upon her, she winced at the anguish revealed there. She also paled and wavered. “Please understand me,” she pleaded in vivid alarm. “What happened to Bright Arrow?” At his continued blank stare and silence, she shook his arm and shrieked, “Bright Arrow! Is he…” She could not voice aloud that agonizing question.

  Her outburst drew a reaction and response from the puissant chief, but not the one she had expected. She was stunned when Gray Eagle gazed into her ashen face and earnestly beseeched her in fluent English, “Take care of her, Rebecca. Protect her and my child. Let nothing and no one harm them while I am gone. I must speak with the war council. Bright Arrow was taken captive by the Bluecoats. We must find some way to rescue him. If he still lives…”

  Before she could recover her wits, Gray Eagle was gone!

  Chapter Eleven

  In utter shock, Rebecca stared after him. He could speak English! And what about Bright Arrow and Shalee? But her anger at this deceit was instantly appeased by the terrifying memory of Bright Arrow’s precarious situation. What if her people killed him? What if he was being brutally tortured this very moment? Recalling tales of hideous horror which she had overheard from other whites, she trembled at the fate of her love.

  She hurried to place a wet cloth upon Shalee’s colorless face. When the Princess’s lids fluttered and her eyes opened, Rebecca tenderly coaxed, “Do not fear, Shalee. Gray Eagle and the other warriors will rescue him. Bright Arrow is brave and cunning. Perhaps he will find some way to escape the fort. He cannot die! He cannot,” she fervently exclaimed, tears spilling forth.

  Shalee winced in anguish. How could they ever get him out of that impregnable fort? How could her son possibly escape when the soldiers were certain to have him locked securely in a sturdy blockhouse? No matter how fiercely her husband had struggled to keep the ghastly truth from her, she knew how the soldiers had been dangling the bodies of dead warriors from trees. What if they hung Bright Arrow’s body upon the fort gates as a punishment and warning to the Indians?

  Rebecca’s mind was running in that same direction. “Someone must get inside the fort walls to free him.” The moment she said this aloud, an idea came to mind. “That’s it, Shalee!” she confided in excitement. “I could pretend to let the soldiers find me wandering about after my people had been slain. Surely they would take me into the fort. I could win their trust. At night, I could sneak over to the blockhouse and free Bright Arrow. I know I could do it! They would never suspect a frightened white girl who had seen her people massacred. It’s perfect,” she complimented herself, glowing with relief and quivering with suspense.

  Shalee was staring blankly at her. Rebecca assumed this baffled expression to mean Shalee could not understand or speak English. “I must go to Gray Eagle. He speaks English. He will hear my words. He must agree to this plan! If only he will trust me to carry it out,” she wistfully murmured, doubting he would.

  Shalee cautioned herself to patience. Was Rebecca serious? Pretending to know a little English, she slowly ventured. “Rebecca risk…life…Bright Arrow? Rebecca white. Bright Arrow Oglala.”

  Astounded, she gaped at Shalee. “You speak English, too? Why have you kept silent? All these weeks we’ve worked and lived together and nothing!”

  “Secret. Rebecca white. Shalee Oglala,” Shalee said.

  “Can Bright Arrow also speak my tongue?” she was forced to ask. “After all this time, surely you realize you can trust me! I love him. I can understand your silence and mistrust, but it isn’t necessary. I would never hurt him.”

  “Gray Eagle teach Bright Arrow wasichu tongue. No tell enemies. Bright Arrow hear evil plans with secret. If tell secret, wasichu no talk. Rebecca good. Rebecca stay here. Fort bad. Bluecoats bad.”

  “But I’m the only one who could trick them into taking me inside. I could free him! They’ll kill him if I don’t go! Please let me try,” she implored.

  “You wish escape Bright Arrow? You go fort. Stay? You tell Bright Arrow name! Bluecoats torture, kill,” Shalee fenced, her heart racing madly.

  “No! I would never do such a wicked thing. I love him!” she hotly denied.

  “You white captive. You hate Oglala. You run away to fort. You avenge Rebecca,” she continued.

  “That isn’t true, Shalee. I don’t hate you. You have been very kind to me. I’ve seen what real Indian slavery is. But in this tepee, I’ve known acceptance and love. I would not betray you. Besides, what kind of life could I have there? I’ve seen how squaws are treated. They despise us more than your people do! I love Bright Arrow. I wish to remain with him, even as his captive.”

  “You love enemy? How so?” she asked, lacing her tone with skepticism.

  “I honestly don’t know. It sounds crazy, and maybe it is. But I do love him. I would risk my life to help him,” she earnestly vowed. “There’s so little time. Please…”

  Shalee studied her luminous eyes for a time. She wondered what this girl would say if she knew her father had once been their friend. Could such information increase her loyalty to them? “You daughter of Joe Kenny. Joe Kenny old friend to Gray Eagle and Shalee. Sad to hear of death. Kenny good white man. You good like father?” she asked the shocked girl.

  “You knew my father! How? When?” Rebecca instantly responded.

  “Before you born. Kenny bring white-eyes here in wagons long ago. See trouble. Stop. He fight bad white-eyes at Gray Eagle side. He leave. Live in cabin. Trap furs. Marry girl with silent tongue. That how you learn signing?” she said, knowing the danger of revealing too much too quickly.

  “You know about my mother, too?” Rebecca pressed, intrigued and astonished.

  “Kenny speak of Mary on last visit here. Leave to marry. No see again. How die?” Shalee dodged the question.

  “A fever two years ago. I was taken to live with my mother’s kinsman…Jamie O’Hara,” she replied, shuddering at the recall of her near fate at his insidious hands.

  “O’Hara bad man. Mary no like. Treat bad, Kenny say,” she stated to confirm their past relationship with her parents. “Mary no happy in Louis.”

  “You’re right. He was a wicked man. I hated him!” she heatedly confessed.

  “You say father name. I tell Gray Eagle. Joe Kenny koda. Gray Eagle…’prised. That why he let you stay,” she reluctantly lied out of necessity. She could never tell Rebecca why her husband had despised her, nor pardoned her!

  “But why was he going to send me away?” she broached the subject which Shalee needed to avoid for countless reasons.

  “You white. You capture eye of son. Son warrior. Son next chief. Not good warrior, chief to desire white squaw. Lose face. No take Oglala woman while have you. Not good. Other laugh. Make son look weak. Not good. Understand?” she entreated.

  “Yes,” Rebecca dejectedly answered in a tremulous voice. “But words cannot erase love. I know it is wrong and foolish, but I could not halt the feelings he stirred in me. I’m sorry,” she apologized for interfering in his life and bringing them embarrassment. “Even so, I still love him and want him.”

  “I carry child. Gray Eagle say you stay here to help me. Gray Eagle not wish son to want you much. It bad to love enemy.”

  “Love? Is that what Gray Eagle fears? That Bright Arrow might come to love me, too?”


  “Fear impossible. Love not. This bad. Cause trouble.”

  “What should I do? I would rather die than leave him.”

  “Shalee know. You save Bright Arrow, win much favor in Oglala eyes and hearts. Oglala repay courage and good deed.”

  “They would let me remain as his captive if I free him from the Bluecoats?” she anxiously questioned.

  “Heart say yes; head say maybe,” Shalee replied candidly.

  “Why do you have green eyes?” Rebecca unexpectedly asked as she gazed into them. Shalee smiled, then laughed.

  “Shalee daughter of Chief Black Cloud of Siha Sapa and white squaw. Black Cloud take white woman long before days of hatred and battles. Bright Arrow carry little white blood. Not good take white girl and give sons more white blood. Must join Oglala girl. Then sons carry more Oglala blood,” she clarified.

  “But how could I give him a son?” Rebecca asked.

  Shalee laughed mirthfully. “You sleep with son. Baby come from such touching upon mats. Is not so?” she teased.

  Rebecca paled. “I’ve never even considered it. What would happen to such a child?” she fearfully questioned, eyes wide with dread.

  “Child stay here. Child not true Oglala. Child never follow Bright Arrow as chief. Child like mother, slave. No harm come to him. Shalee promise.”

  Rebecca sighed in relief. “You are indeed a special woman, Shalee. I trust you. Bright Arrow won’t marry either of those two girls who attacked me, will he?” she anxiously and jealously asked, fearing to become a slave to either.

  “Bright Arrow not fool. No marry Desert Flower or Little Tears. Both bad. Punished for hurting slave of other warrior.”

  “They were punished?” she asked in astonishment. Shalee nodded. “But what of Bright Arrow and my plan? Will Gray Eagle agree to it?” she returned their conversation to the most pressing subject.

  “When he come, you stay silent. I tell him of plan. Must tell no one of white tongue. Keep secret. Yes?” she gently demanded.

  Rebecca smiled. “You show great faith in me. I will never reveal this secret. I will do as you say.”

  It was late when Gray Eagle came back to his tepee. He found Shalee nervously waiting for him. To be able to speak freely, she asked him to go for a walk. They strolled around in silence for a time, each lost in thoughts and worries of their own. Shalee halted her aimless roamings beside a tall tree. She gazed up at the full moon while she gathered her wits and courage. She could only pray Gray Eagle would not be overly upset with her for her actions.

  “Gray Eagle,” she hesitantly began. He came over to stand beside her. Without meeting his piercing gaze, she confessed her conversation with Rebecca.

  “Why did you do this thing, Shalee?” he demanded. “She will betray us all,” he concluded, dismay etching harsh lines upon his striking face.

  “No, Gray Eagle. I do not believe she will. When I went to Fort Pierre long ago, my love for you would not permit such a betrayal. Her love for Bright Arrow will guard our secret. With all I feel inside, I think she can carry off this trick. There is no other way to get to him. Even if she lies, what further danger could there be?” she reasoned with her distressed husband.

  “She could tell the Bluecoats we speak their tongue,” he promptly replied.

  “To do so would only prove we liked her and trusted her. That would look bad for her. Our son’s life is at stake. We have no choice but to trust her to help him. She loves him, Gray Eagle. She also hopes to win our favor by doing this.”

  “You said nothing of Powchutu?” he abruptly quizzed, that haunting look returning briefly to furrow his brow.

  “Nothing. It is best she live as Joe’s daughter.”

  “What will the others say about this sudden trust in her?” he fretted.

  “Would it not prove her love for him? Would it not justify his keeping her? You could tell only a few of your trusted warriors about this plan. Then, if it failed, nothing more would be said of it. But if it works, our son will return to us. You can say it was. best that only a few knew of it.”

  “What if Rebecca is caught? They might also kill her,” he said.

  “She said she did not wish to live without our son. Once I knew and felt such warring emotions. It will give her the courage and strength to carry out this daring plan. Do you forget she offered her life in exchange for his at the challenge of White Elk? Perhaps the Great Spirit gives her this chance to prove she is not evil like her father. Perhaps He uses this event to earn our acceptance of her.”

  Gray Eagle pondered his wife’s words. It was true the Great Spirit often worked in mysterious ways. Besides, there was no other way to rescue his son. “Let me sleep upon this idea. I will talk to Rebecca when the sun awakens. The Bluecoat leader is cunning and wise. He will not slay a noted warrior too quickly.”

  When they returned to their tepee, Rebecca was asleep. Her moist cheeks testified that she had cried herself into exhausted slumber. A medallion belonging to Bright Arrow was clutched tightly within her hand, and this sight stirred hope in Gray Eagle’s heart.

  Shortly before dawn, he watched Rebecca arise and sneak out of the tepee. He stealthily followed her. As if by mystical guidance, she sat down beneath the overhanging branches of the same spruce tree where he and Shalee had talked last night. She stared unseeingly at the shiny amulet in her grasp. She wept in fear and despair.

  “I cannot even think of life after your death, my love. Such a very short time to have you…Why did our paths cross if only to have them separated so savagely and quickly? So much hatred, Bright Arrow, and so little time for love. Why must it be so? Please, God, give me the courage to save him,” she fervently prayed. “Even if it costs my life, I must help him. I must see him once more. Do not allow it to end this way. Help me…Give me strength and courage and cunning. Please…” Rebecca murmured words which could be echoes of similar ones spoken countless moons ago…

  Suddenly, Gray Eagle inquired, “You love him this much, Rebecca?”

  Startled, she jumped and looked up at him. “Yes. I would trade my life for his. Send me to the fort. I will find some way to release him. I swear it.”

  “What if you are captured? What if Bright Arrow refuses to leave you behind and risks recapture to free you?”

  “Once I have found a way to disarm the guard and open the door, I will hide from his sight. Later, I will find some way to escape. Will you allow me to return here?” she entreated.

  “You are but a woman, almost a child. Such a dangerous mission would be foolish in your hands,” he replied.

  “That’s why it will work! Who would suspect a woman, almost.a child, of trying to help him? While they sleep, I can.free him. There are doors in the fence which he can pass through in secret,” she protested.

  “What if he loses time by bringing you along?” he asked in a gentler tone.

  “I will not permit it. He can travel more quickly and easily without me. Each night, Oglala warriors could hide and wait nearby for his escape. It might take days before they trust me and no longer watch me so closely. I will only attempt desperate measures if it appears they will slay him before my plan can work. If there is time for words between us, I will demand he leave without me. To leave’together would only endanger both our lives. I cannot move as secretly and agilely as he does. He will know and accept this. I will need to dress as a white girl, for they despise squaws more than you do. They must never suspect I have been captured before. They must think I have miraculously escaped an attack and they have bravely rescued me. Their great pride and hatred will assist me,” she asserted.

  “After the way I have treated you, do I dare trust you, Rebecca?” he asked candidly, his expression challenging.

  She solemnly countered, “Do you dare not trust me? Did you not trust my father? No matter what you have done to me, I must do this for Bright Arrow and myself. Despite how you feel about me, you must also do this for Bright Arrow. I am his only hope for survival, just as he is fo
r mine. Is your pride and hatred more important than your son’s life?”

  He walked away from her, halting with his broad back to her. She wondered what he was thinking and feeling. To realize the life of his only son was in the fragile hands of a white girl had to vex and shame him. She arose and went to stand behind him.

  “Please, Gray Eagle, let me try to save him. If you so demand, I will not return to his side. All that matters is his life,” she issued the words which made his decision for him.

  “Perhaps my eyes and senses are clouded with love and worry for my son. I will agree to your plan, Rebecca. But if you deceive or betray him, I will kill you with my bare hands. If you help him escape, then I will send someone to watch for your escape; I will return you to my son. Even so, a slave is all you can ever-be to him. Is this enough for you?” he sincerely challenged her.

  Her eyes softened and glowed. “Yes, Gray Eagle. Even a small part of him is better than none. I will do nothing to dishonor him before the eyes of his people. One day he will also become a great chief.”

  “Then come. We must do this quickly before they take his life—or I change my mind.”

  They returned to his tepee and related their daring plan to an anxious Shalee. Gray Eagle left the two women to ready his warriors and their horses. As Shalee helped Rebecca prepare for this perilous deed, they chatted nervously. When the white captive was dressed to leave, the Indian princess affectionately hugged her and remarked, “You small and young to face such danger, Rebecca.”

  Rebecca smiled radiantly and asserted softly, “Not too young to save my love from certain death. Besides, I’ll soon be eighteen,” she said wistfully as Gray Eagle entered the tepee to fetch her.

  Both Gray Eagle and Rebecca hugged Shalee and departed quickly before the sun sank too low in the July heavens of azure blue. Shalee watched them ride away, her turbulent thoughts on her endangered son.