Oh, Jason had been up to plenty but it
wasn’t of his doing. Well, not at first. He and Rose Blossom had
been secretly meeting in a nearby cave for the past three weeks.
How could he confess that the shy maiden had in fact inaugurated
their encounter, which nearly knocked the socks of him, that is if
he were wearing any? His shy princess had planned it and he was
overjoyed to learn that his scare didn’t make her think he was
ugly. After their first meeting, Jason thought he’d never see her
again. It had been three months after his niece’s birth and he was
down by the lake trying to catch fish with his home made pole.
Before the Indian maiden approached him from the bushes, he called
out, “I know someone is there, come out.” He drew
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his knife; his Indian training proved a
blessing now. The bushes parted and a brave he’d never seen before
came forward, his hand outstretched to show he was unarmed.
“I do not come to harm white eyes,” he said
in English and although Jason had learned the Apache language, he
was glad the Indian spoke in his tongue. There were still words he
had problems with. “Who are you?” he asked.
“I am Wild Pony, from neighboring village.
You are One Eye?”
Jason hated that name, but he nodded. “What
do you want of me?”
“I have message from Princess Rozene.”
“The princess?” he gasped, unsure if he had
heard correct.
Wild Pony nodded. “She says for you to ride
out, tomorrow at dawn, to the foot of the mountains that looks like
woman’s breasts. I do not like delivering message to the white man
but the princess caught me drinking fire water and threatened to
tell her father. I do not care about her? She is spoiled and
pampered by her father and brother. Besides, Paytha Ouray could
break me in two like twig. I fear the large brave more than
chief.”
The buck tuned and disappeared swiftly as
Jason pondered over what he was just told. Was it a trap? Should he
mention this to his sister? A tug on the pole that he had forgotten
was still in his hand pulled him out of his troubled musings. He
yanked and a fish flapped wildly on the muddy banks of the stream,
fighting for life. Jason threw it back because he was too excited
with anticipation to feel hungry anymore. He’d chance the meeting,
now that he was capable of protecting himself in the
wilderness.
He had gone on a coup with his
brother-in-law awhile back, and he earned another horse that night,
he named Rebel. It was a terrifying and exciting raid, but it was
also great fun to sneak up on a village and come away with a few
horses without the other Indians knowing what had happened. He
offered the mount to Melissa with Blue Thunder’s permission; the
Apache said it was a fitting gift from a brother. Now, as he sat
with Melissa he knew there was no way on God’s green earth could he
tell of the true love he and the princess found. And how they
planned to run away together knowing that they shared a forbidden
love.
“Jason? Jason? Are you leaving?”
Startled and feeling guilt, he snapped out
of his reverie, unprepared for that question; it
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hit to close to home. “Huh? What makes you
say that?” He hoped he didn’t sound as guilty as he felt.
“You have this look about you. Are you
homesick?”
Relief filled him; she didn’t suspect the
truth. “A little,” he continued to lie. What better excuse than to
tell her that he was going home and that might not be a bad idea.
His home was not destroyed. Hopefully the war was over and he and
Rose Blossom could live there happily. He couldn’t wait to tell his
lovely princess that his sister had just given him the solution to
their problem. Why hadn’t he thought of it himself?
Later that evening when Jason met with Rose
Blossom, all had gone as planned. He and Rose Blossom made it out
undetected without Dasodaha’s and her father’s clan’s knowledge. As
they slumbered, Rose Blossom was bitten by a poisonous snake. Jason
did his best to draw out the poison, but she went into shock and
became hot to his touch. He had no option but to bring her back to
her home. As soon as they rode into camp, Indian’s gathered around
as he shouted that the princess was hurt.
Quickly, a large brave ran
to him and shouted, “It is my sister!” He pulled her from the horse
where she’d been cradled in Jason’s arms. Before he had a chance to
explain, he was dragged from his mount and forced into a lodge,
where he was roughly pushed onto his knees. Left alone, he had no
doubts that he would be guarded. He curled himself into a ball and
wept; not for himself but the princess.
How could he live if anything happened to her? He’d
never
forgive himself. He had
forgotten what his mother had told him when he was a little boy
when he’d been disappointed over a failed intention.
Man makes planes, son, and God laughs.
Melissa and her husband sat outside the
lodge with their daughter in his arms. He was watching her making
Indian bread by pounding pecans and wild berries into a past and
mixed with dried buffalo meat but it had to be laid out to dry
before eating. Chief Itza-chu and his son, Paytha Ouray charged
into the camp; Blue Thunder stood and handed Blue Moon to her.
“Stay, I will see what the problem is. Their
faces do not appear to be very happy.”
Melissa’s stomach clutched tight as she held
the baby to her breast. Were they here to fight? But they were only
two and she breathed a little easier. Then the younger Apache
began
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shouting and waving his fists in the air.
She gasped; this was not good, especially upon hearing her
brother’s Indian given name. Her heart froze.
Dear Lord, this was definitely a bad sign.
Then she realized that she hadn’t seen Jason that night. She
groaned inwardly and instantly the problem came to light knowing
that he and the princess had run off together. Her husband returned
looking as if he could strangle a bear cub. His lips puckered and
his vexation was so evident that she needn’t ask.
She flinched and retreated a step before
stating the obvious, “It is Jason.”
Blue Thunder grumbled clenching and
unclenching his fists. She gulped. What could she say? Not a damn
thing in Jason’s defense. Oh, she should have known he’d do a
stupid thing. Touching his arm, she pleaded, “Please, calm down.
They’re in love. You do recall how unhappy we were when no one....”
Her words were ignored.
“I had to promise to go after your foolish
brother. He abducted a princess.”
“Now wait a minute!” she answered in a rush
of words taken offense to that. “He claimed that he loved her and I
would bet she loved him also. He did no such thing!”
It was a good thing looks couldn’t actually
kill. She dropped her lashes quickly to hide the hurt and the guilt
that sickened her for not confiding in her husband. If she had
maybe this could’ve been prevented.
“All right, he wasn’t thinking straight,
I’ll give you that but…” Blue Moon stopped any other words that
were on her mind and began to fuss hearing her parent’s arguing.
“Hush, little one.” Now look what you’ve done!” she snapped and
turned the tables. “You upset your daughter with your ravings. You
better join them only to make sure they didn’t tie Jason to a stake
and let the buzzards eat out his heart.”
She didn’t give him a chance to retort and
she went inside, snapping the rawhide flap in his face. She knew he
did not miss her colorful vocabulary, because she heard him do some
cursing himself. She was glad he stayed away to cool his temper.
After few minutes she cooled down herself and went out side in time
to see him ride away with Itza-chu and Paytha Ouray.
It was days before someone came to see him.
And of all people, it was his brother-in-law, the last person
besides Melissa did he want to see. Jason leaped to his feet but
before he had a
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chance to explain, Blue Thunder silenced him
by pushing him back onto the ground. The brave sat also appearing
as if he’d swallowed a thunder cloud with a cactus chaser. Jason
gulped. Sweet ran down his spine. He was doomed, for sure.
“My brother-by-marriage did a foolish
thing,” Blue Thunder simply stated in an unemotionally tone. The
red man’s expression was one of mute wretchedness.
Jason could only nod.
“I can see you love the princess very much.
Moon Glow is very upset.”
He gave another curt nod, but Jason only
wanted to ask about Rose Blossom, nobody had told him anything no
matter how he had begged for information. His mind had been a crazy
mixture of hope and fear. He was brought food and they saw to his
needs, but no one explained to him whether she were still alive. He
rubbed his weary eyes. The facial growth on his face annoyed him
and he was in dire need of a bath besides a shave.
“You are lucky, the princess lives.”
Jason released a breath not realizing he was
holding one. “Thank God,” he murmured.
Blue Thunder grunted. “You can also thank
your God that she pleaded for your life.”
“I was never worried over my fate,” he
admitted wiping the tears from his eyes, swallowing the despair in
his throat.
“You two are very much in love?”
“Yes,” he replied defeated.
The big brave merely released another grunt
before saying, “Because you brought her home, her father will let
me take you back to my camp, but he has forbidden you two to see
one another again.”
“I can accept his decision. Her life was
more important to me than anything else.”
Blue Thunder nodded and admired Jason for
his compassion over an Indian maiden. He
could feel for the young man, he knows
exactly what his wife’s brother was feeling. He will not say
anything to get Jason’s hopes up, but he will talk with chief,
Itza-chu. He had no idea if the two had slept together and the
chief disclosed to him that his daughter refused to say if they did
also. He left to tell Moon Glow but not after he made the chief of
the neighboring clan promise not to harm the white man; he was
still the brother of his wife. Itza-chu agreed and Blue Thunder
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promised to return in the morning saying it
would be good to let the white man stew for awhile longer.
The next day Blue Thunder thought that Jason
might have a chance to wed the princess if he could come up with a
generous bride price. Itza-chu would save face among his people if
he gave permission for the two to marry. He kept that notion to
himself and Jason was silent as they traveled. Back at camp, his
brother-by-marriage received another tongue lashing from his wife.
Jason told him that he had earned it.
Three weeks went by and Moon Glow was
worried about her brother. His wife told him that Jason was not
himself and she tried to cheer him up.
“I understand how he feels. I love you as my
brother loves the princess. I pray my husband will return home with
good news.”
Blue Thunder kissed her goodbye and left to
seek council with Itza-chu to convince the chief to let the two
join hands. At first Itza-chu refused but the young girl sat in the
corner weeping bitterly. He exhaled a soul-wrenching sigh and
admitted that his daughter wouldn’t eat or talk to him. He
confessed that it was either strangling her, which he could not do
or let her marry the one they called, One Eye. In either case, he
had lost the battle of wills. And if that was
not bad enough, his wife, Sonsee-array sided
with their daughter and he was tired of sleeping on an empty bed of
furs. When Blue Thunder returned home, he told his wife that chief
Itza-chu agreed but he wanted half a dozen horses.
“Dear Lord!” gasped his wife. “That’s a
king’s ransom! I understand what Itza is doing! He’s trying to make
it difficult to save face.” She chose to call him a name she could
handle without tripping over her tongue. “He might as well have
asked for gold.”
He agreed. “I will take a few men into the
valley. If we are lucky, we might be able to round up what the
chief asks. Do not tell your brother until we have returned.”
She nodded.
Four days later, Blue Thunder and a dozen
beautiful stallions galloping into the camp and corralled. He gave
Jason a speedy synopsis on what was expected of the princess and
him and Jason gulped. “You mean I must return to her clan and see
what she does? Suppose I’m not welcomed.”
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Blue Thunder knew he shouldn’t laugh, but he
did. “Believe me, you will be all right. Now, a young warrior, but
in your case you, you are to take the horses to the chief. Normally
it is only two, but in you’re---”
Jason snorted. “I get your drift.”
“Tradition is that the courting brave
seeking a wife first bargains with the parents. Since I did that
for you, you must leave a horse at her dwelling. If she views your
suit with favor she will feed and water the animal. I suspect she
will, and when you see that, you will fetch your bride.”
“That’s all?” he replied a bit
sarcastic.
Blue Thunder lifted his shoulders in an
unconcerned manner. “You are lucky. If the maiden does not accept
her suitor, the parents will kill one of the horses and she would
be given to a brave without her consent.” He had to keep from
laughing when seeing Jason turn a nice shade of pea green.
“I’ve heard enough. By the way, when the
princess and I first met in the cave, I kissed her and she looked
totally shocked. I thought I had repulsed her.” Then his mouth
turned up impishly. “She soon expressed she liked the white man’s
greeting.”
Blue Thunder laughed richly. “Kissing is
unknown to most Indians. My great-great grand- father was white
man. He might have been the one who handed down the tradition.”
A week later, Chief Itza-chu, his wife,
Sonsee-array, which he told Moon Glow meant, “Star takes away
clouds,” rode in, each on one of the horses that was presented as a
bride price gift to see their daughter off with her brother for
Georgia. It was a tearful good-bye for all but especially for Moon
Glow, who said that she feared she was losing her family all over
again.