Bound by Honor Bound by Love (8 page)

***

After breakfast, Onawa asked Citlali
if he wanted to take a walk with her. Since he had to go and
discuss important matters with the chief instead, she decided to
see how Penelope, Cole and their children were doing. On her way to
Woape’s lodge, Citlali’s brother called out to her.

She halted her steps and pulled the
robe tighter around her body to brace against the bitter chill.
“What is it, Ukiah?”

He pulled a dead turkey on his
travois. “I got him all by myself.”

Noting the pride in his voice, she
smiled. “It’s a large one.”

“
Yes. I don’t think
Citlali’s caught one this big yet.”

“
I don’t think he hunts
much, does he?”

He stopped when he reached her and
shrugged. “He doesn’t like hunting. He does it when he can’t barter
for meat.”

Considering Citlali knew as much about
their history and ceremonies as the chief, it made sense he could
sell his knowledge on such topics in exchange for food. “We all
have our strengths.”

“
While that’s true, it’s
better for the lodge if we can rely on ourselves to bring food
instead of worrying about bartering for it. When a man hunts, he
can go out and hunt again, but if he shares something he knows,
then he only gets one animal. Sometimes the animal Citlali gets
isn’t enough to provide for the whole lodge.”

Sensing his comments stemmed from his
rivalry with Citlali, she shifted uncomfortably as she tried to
think of an appropriate response that wouldn’t cause further
division between them. “Both of you provide good things for the
lodge now that you’re learning how to hunt.”

He shrugged. “If you say so.” Glancing
around, he asked, “Where is my brother?”

“
He’s with the
chief.”

“
With the
chief?”

“
Yes, he has an important
matter to discuss with him.”

Ukiah snorted. “He always has an
important matter to discuss with the chief. He married you, went
off to the chief, left to seek a vision he never had, came back,
and the very next day he’s with the chief again. Let me know when
that gets tiring.”

“
But we’ll need a first
chief once Mahkah dies, and we’ll need one who can lead
us.”

“
I suppose you’re right,
but there’s a price you have to pay for that, and I hope you’re
willing to pay it.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “A
price?”

“
You’re not going to see
him very much. He has a tendency to run off to see the chief all
the time. I hope you’re prepared to spend most of your time
alone.”

“
But he loves me. He told
me so.”

He chuckled. “If he said it, then I
suppose it’s true, but he also loves being a leader in the tribe.
You might have a prominent place in his life, but you’ll never be
first.”

Before she could think of a suitable
response, he walked away, pulling the travois behind him. She stood
still for a moment, not wishing to give heed to his warning but
wishing he hadn’t said it. She’d been basking in the glow of
Citlali’s love for the past week, and even Woape’s hesitation
hadn’t suppressed her joy. But Ukiah knew Citlali better than Woape
did, and she couldn’t argue that the chief was demanding when it
came to Citlali’s use of his time. She didn’t think Citlali had a
choice but to do what the chief wanted. His hands were tied. There
was no denying that. But did that mean she’d have to do without him
most of the time? Surely, Citlali spent as much time in his lodge
as other men did? Ukiah didn’t care for Citlali, but did that mean
he would go out of his way to say something to hurt her when she
hadn’t done anything to him?

She glanced at Woape’s lodge and
wondered if she was in the mood to see her family and the white
couple. If she went there, she’d have to pretend everything was
alright. And maybe everything was fine. But for the moment, it
didn’t seem fine. She turned away from her sister’s lodge and
decided to take the walk she’d wanted to take earlier, even if she
had to do it without her husband. As she passed the chief’s lodge,
she wondered what Citlali and the chief did in there. Too bad she
couldn’t go in there and find out. With a heavy sigh, she continued
forward, hoping the walk would clear her mind of negative
thoughts.

***

Citlali sat in front of the fire pit
and smoked the pipe the chief handed to him. He wondered what Onawa
was doing at the moment. Did she decide to go on the walk without
him? He remembered the brief walk they’d shared the day after their
wedding ceremony. It’d been nice to get away from the others and
talk to her. He wished he was with her now.

She always offered him a smile that
made him feel as if he was the most important person in the world.
No one else ever looked at him that way. Most of the time, they
looked at him with contempt because of his young age. When he made
a decision that was best for the tribe, their contempt turned into
a grudging respect. But it was never like that with her. He wished
he was with her right now so she’d smile at him and remind him that
he wasn’t a failure. He didn’t have a vision while he was away from
the tribe. All he did was bring Cole and Penelope to the tribe with
their children, and he worried that was a mistake.

“
Citlali.”

Blinking, he turned his attention to
the chief who sat beside him on the rug. “Yes?”

“
You are distracted,” the
chief said as he took the pipe from him.

It was true so he didn’t deny
it.

“
Etu and Yepa must get
familiar with their family,” the chief began. “I want you to take
them to their aunts’ lodge and explain to them the ways of our
people. The white people can’t do this.”

“
You mean, Cole and
Penelope Hunter.”

“
Yes.”

Citlali wanted to ask him why he
didn’t use their names but figured he already knew. By not using
their names, he could keep them at an emotional distance. “Do you
want me to go now?”

“
Yes. The sooner the
children are adjusted to the tribe, the better.”

He nodded and stood to retrieve his
buffalo robe. He wrapped it securely around himself before he
headed out into the bitter cold. The children had been to their
aunts’ lodge yesterday. Undoubtedly, the aunts made it a point to
visit Woape’s lodge as well. He wasn’t sure why the chief wouldn’t
let the matter play out between the children’s aunts and their
white parents on their own, but he knew better than to question the
chief.

When he reached Woape’s lodge, he
noted the laughter coming from within and immediately wondered if
Onawa had decided to pay her family a visit. It’d be nice to see
her, even if they wouldn’t be alone. But as he entered the lodge
full of people, he realized Onawa wasn’t there. Forcing aside his
disappointment, he stepped forward and saw one of the children’s
aunts talking to Penelope. The children sat between them while
Woape, her aunts and other females sat around the fire in the
center of the lodge.

Woape was the first to notice him.
Rising to her feet, she asked, “Are you looking for
Onawa?”

“
No,” he replied, glancing
at the children. “The chief thinks it would be good if the children
had a chance to visit their aunts’ lodge.”

“
They’ve already been
there.”

“
When?”

“
Yesterday, shortly after
they arrived. Their aunts have been coming here.”

“
Perhaps they might like to
go there today.”

Woape glanced at Penelope and the
children. “But the children are exhausted, and the girl isn’t
feeling well. Taking them across the tribe right now is not a good
idea.”

The chief wouldn’t like hearing this,
and there was no way he was going to go back and tell the chief
they wouldn’t comply with his wishes. But his wishes had been for
the children to be more familiar with their Mandan family, not
necessarily go to another lodge. Inspired, he said, “Will their
entire family be coming here to see them?”

He noted Penelope’s
furrowed eyebrows and the annoyed expression on Woape’s face before
Woape said, “I told you they have been coming here throughout the
day. The children and
their parents
are already getting acquainted with the ways of
our people.”

Noting that she’d emphasized the words
“their parents,” he understood that the chief’s plan to have the
children stay in the tribe would be met with resistance, and as he
examined the way the little girl and boy leaned against Penelope,
he also understood the attachment they had with their white parents
couldn’t be undone simply because the chief wished it to
be.

Relenting, he said, “I’ll tell the
chief they are getting acquainted.”

Though Woape seemed skeptical, he saw
her body relax. “Is there anything else?”

He thought to ask her if she knew
where Onawa was but feared it would give his feelings away, so he
opted to end the conversation and go on his way. “No.”

As he turned to leave, he could feel
their eyes on him, probably relieved to see him go. It was like
that most of the time, and he’d learned to ignore it so much he no
longer noticed it. Except for today. Today, he was aware of it. He
was also aware of their disapproval of him for doing what the chief
wanted. The people in Woape’s lodge were in favor of changing the
ways of the tribe. They had close ties with the white people in one
form or another, and those bonds would not easily be severed. He
hated to think where things were heading. A showdown was
inevitable. The only question was, who would win: them or the
chief?

***

“
Is something bothering
you?”

Onawa glanced over her shoulder from
where she sat on the outskirts of the tribe, surprised to see
Citlali walking toward her. She cleared her throat and shook her
head. “No. I am fine.”

Fine, so it was a lie. His brother’s
words bothered her. How could they not? They only emphasized her
fears ever since she’d learned she was to marry Citlali. Unable to
maintain eye contact with him, she turned her attention back to the
Missouri River not too far from her.

He sat next to her, and her heart sped
up since he was close enough to touch her. She took a deep breath,
not wishing to betray her excitement around him. She marveled that
he could always keep his emotions under control. No matter what the
situation, he knew what to do and acted accordingly. She wished she
could be as confident.

“
I thought you would be at
your family’s lodge,” he said. “I looked for you.”

“
Did you?” she
asked.

“
The chief told me to make
sure Etu and Yepa got acquainted with their Mandan family. They
were in your family’s lodge. I thought you might be there,
too.”

She wasn’t sure how to take that. Did
he mean he only thought of her after he went to her family’s lodge
or did he think of her first? When he didn’t say anything else, she
decided to put the matter aside.

“
Are Etu and Yepa getting
acquainted with their family?” she asked.

“
Yes, but I think their
white parents are their family now, don’t you?”

She shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about
it. Penelope and Cole are their parents now, so yes, they are their
family.” After a moment, she added, “Woape is friends with
Penelope.”

“
I remember seeing Penelope
when your father, brother and I found Woape after she went missing
from the tribe.”

She studied his face to see if it
upset him that even though Woape had been promised to him for
marriage, she ended up running away and having another man’s child.
Despite the circumstances, he’d been willing to honor his word and
marry her. Had it not been for the fact that Woape’s husband turned
out to be alive, Citlali would have married her. She wondered if
the whole thing had bothered him at the time. As she studied him
now, she was assured that it didn’t bother him anymore. She could
tell that by the tone of his voice. But back then? She wanted to
ask him but didn’t feel comfortable enough to do so.

“
Etu and Yepa have grown
attached to their white parents,” Citlali softly said.

She nodded. “That’s to be expected.
Penelope and Cole adopted them and raised them as their own. They
love Etu and Yepa. You can see it in the way the children stay
close to them.”

“
Yes, you can.”

“
Does that upset
you?”

“
No. It’s good Penelope and
Cole have been good to them. I doubt many white people would be as
kind to Indian children.”

“
So it’s good that Penelope
and Cole are their parents?” she ventured, sensing something wasn’t
quite right but not knowing what that something might
be.

“
I think it depends on who
you talk to,” he mumbled.

Her eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t
understand. What’s wrong?”

With a heavy sigh, he looked at her,
and she sensed the pain in his eyes. “Some do not wish it so. Some
question if it’s good for the tribe.”