Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Suzette looked up. A crowd of people, all of them American Indian, surrounded them. But she recognized none of these people. Who were they?
“It is done. These are my people,” said Black Lion, as though he read her thoughts. Though his injury did not permit him freedom of movement, he pulled Suzette into his arms. There were tears in his eyes. “The curse is gone. I can hardly believe it. My people are free at last.”
He was crying. She was crying, and they embraced as White Claw and Irena joined them. Irena took Suzette’s hand in her own, while White Claw said, “Grandson, you are injured. Come, I will attend to you.”
“Aa, yes,” said Black Lion. “And I will welcome your attention, Grandfather, but first let me cast my eyes upon my people, for I have not seen them in many years. My father, my mother…” He held out his arms toward them.
Two people stepped forward to join them. But though the American Indian might have disdained a public show of affection, they, too, joined the embrace.
“We are proud of you, my son,” said a man Suzette thought must be Black Lion’s father.
“My son…” Black Lion’s mother spoke simply.
“It is time,” urged White Claw. “Let us take you to your lodge where I can attend to your wound.”
The two men helped Black Lion to his feet, and Suzette realized there was blood staining the front of her bicycling suit. Her tears spilled down upon it to join his blood.
Blood and tears, and yet so much happiness.
As they trailed behind the men, Irena hugged Suzette and didn’t let go, even when they entered the Indian encampment. Buffalo Bill detained them for a moment along the way.
“Welcome back, ladies. I am happy to see you, though I do admit you both gave us quite a chase. However, I hear you also furnished us with a show unlike any other this afternoon.”
Irena grinned up at him. “Yes, indeed, we did, although I am afraid the show was a one-time-only performance.”
“Then you are not back to stay?” asked Cody.
“I will honor my contract with you,” said Irena, “but then I must follow my heart. Indeed, the reason I came here was to find the love of my life. And at last I have found him.”
Cody nodded, and for a moment he looked sad. “Nice to have you back as well, Miss Joselyn,” he said, his glance taking in Suzette’s ragged appearance.
She smiled. “My pleasure, Mr. Cody, though actually, my name is Mrs. Black Lion.”
“Mrs.? Mrs.? Black Lion?”
“Yes, indeed,” said Suzette. “When you have a moment, ask your chaplain about it.”
Glancing from one of them to the other, Buffalo Bill pulled his hat off, rubbed his arm against his forehead and shook his head. “Well, I wish you women happiness.” He grinned at them both, then he turned to saunter away.
“He’s really not such a bad person, is he?” Suzette commented, watching his departing figure.
“No, indeed,” said Irena. “But he does seem to have a penchant for the opera stars, does he not?”
Suzette laughed. “I do believe he does.”
Later that night, White Claw held a council consisting of himself, Irena, Suzette and Black Lion, as well as Black Lion’s father and mother.
As the day had worn on, Suzette had been given the opportunity to change clothes, as had Irena.
At present, they were both comfortably seated around the lodge fire in Black Lion’s tepee.
Black Lion’s wound had been dressed, and he, too, was wearing his best buckskin. He was also looking quite dear, and fortunately, quite well. As was traditional, the men were seated on the left, the women on the right, with White Claw at the head of the council toward the very back of the lodge.
Lighting the pipe, White Claw presided over the ceremony, ensuring the pipe was properly presented to the Sky, to the Earth, to the Four Winds and was passed to each person in the council, including the women.
When it was done and the pipe was returned to him, he began.
“I have called us together so I can answer any questions you might have. As you know, all our people are freed from the mist at last. It is done. But I fear you may still have questions. We will start first with your wife, Black Lion, for without her quick thinking, the curse might never have been broken.”
Suzette, never one to back away from praise in the past, found herself blushing and averting her gaze.
“Have you any questions, Little Blue Eyes, wife of Black Lion?”
Suzette hesitated momentarily, then said, “I do have one question.”
White Claw nodded.
“What are your intentions toward my grandmother?”
So unexpected was the inquiry, White Claw smiled. “Are you speaking of my wife, the one we know as the Song Bird?”
“Your…wife? Irena, you didn’t tell me,” Suzette accused.
“There has been so little time, Suzie. And there’s been much to do, preparations, and…”
“Well, congratulations to you both!” said Suzette.
Irena smiled, while White Claw spoke. “We are very happy to have your good wishes. Have you any other questions?”
“Actually, yes, I do. It is apparent to me that the song melted the Thunderer’s heart, is this correct?”
White Claw nodded.
“Then if his heart had melted, why did he start to kill me?”
“He has lived too long with hatred, I fear. But when your husband informed him of your condition, not only did the curse end for our people, but for him as well.”
“But who brought the children back to life?”
“This is a very good question, and indeed, it requires a good answer. Our people committed a wrong all those years ago, yes, but the Thunderer was not, himself, innocent. He, too, killed many people, and his heart has ever since been filled with hatred. What he failed to realize is that he, too, must sacrifice, for every life taken is precious. When he threw down his knife, refusing to kill you, he sacrificed a part of himself...his hatred. And as he saved your child’s life, so did the Creator save his children. It has come full circle.”
Suzette nodded. “Yes. I see.”
“Do you have any other questions?”
“No, none I can think of now.”
White Claw nodded. “Then we will ask our champion, Black Lion, have you any questions?”
“I do,” spoke Black Lion. “The Creator gave us the clue to show kindness and decency to our enemies. To help them. And yet, even as I ended the curse, I did not help my enemy. I understand that the song melted the Thunderer’s heart.
Was it this which freed my people? For I failed in my resolve to show kindness. ”
“This is another good question. Indeed, it was not the song that freed your people, though it helped because it started the disintegration of the Thunderer’s hatred.
Yet, this is something I have little understood, for upon the curse being lifted, each champion has voiced much the same concern to me.
Each hero has, without fail, told me he thought he was doing wrong, and that he was sacrificing his chance to help his people by not showing kindness to the enemy.
I have pondered this deeply. I have asked the Creator, and at last I understand.
It was not enough to simply be kind to an enemy, to sacrifice oneself for one’s people and to have only their welfare at heart.
The people themselves had to sacrifice, to give up everything for the curse to end.
And this was the crux of the matter. You, as their champion, were the people.
When you sacrificed their plight, it was you, as the people, who sacrificed everything.
Doing one’s duty, keeping only the tribe and its welfare in one’s heart, could never break the curse. Do you see?”
Black Lion looked confused, while White Claw went on to explain:
“You, as your people’s champion, represented your band of the Clan.
To the Creator you were the people. Therefore, thinking only of the Clan’s welfare and putting your people before all else was, to the Creator, selfish.
Indeed, each hero who broke the curse eventually sacrificed everything, and I think it safe to say that without love, such sacrifice would never have happened.
Haiya! It is this which broke the curse…
it was love. Perhaps we should always remember this: It was love that had the power to conquer a curse thousands of years old. ”
Black Lion nodded.
“Have you any other questions?”
“Only one other.”
“Aa, yes, what is it?”
“Will my wife and I be able to find happiness in this world when there is so much prejudice?”
White Claw grinned. “Aa, you will find much happiness, indeed. Your people need you. Your people need your wife. As it has been before, so it will be. Your lives will be filled with love, honor, and perhaps also with music.”