Swift Horse

“Nothing I ever do for you is any trouble,” Swift Horse said, seeing the tears of joy that this brought to his sister’s eyes. He took her from Edward James, drawing her into his gentle embrace. “After the noon hour,” he said, smiling into her eyes. “I must leave to take care of business, but when I return I will see that my sister becomes a wife to my friend Edward James.”

Then he stepped away from her and stepped up to Edward James. “Keep an eye on your sister while I am gone,” he warned. “I will double the sentries around my village.”

“No one will ever be able to harm my sister again,” Edward James said tightly as Soft Moon eased to his side, his arm sliding around her waist and holding her next to him.

“I will return in time for your wedding,” Swift Horse said, then swung himself into his saddle and rode away.

Chapter 27

Some silent laws our hearts will make,

Which they shall long obey.

—William Wordsworth

A miracle seemed to have touched Soft Wind, for today, the day of her marriage, she had gotten up from her bed after a peaceful night of sleep and felt completely well! The scar from the terrible accident was now only a pucker of skin, and she was almost as strong as before the day the arrow had slammed into her shoulder.

Marsha gazed at her as she stood with Edward James, the two exchanging wondrous words as Bright Moon presided over the special event. The marriage ceremony was all but over and soon would come much merriment.

Marsha could not help but feel the excitement building inside her heart knowing that soon she and Swift Horse would be exchanging vows, too. She had secretly hoped that they could speak theirs along with Edward James and Soft Wind.

But there was not enough time for Marsha and Swift Horse to ready themselves for their own nuptials, and it seemed that it was only right that this was Edward James and Soft Wind

’s day.

As Bright Moon was now speaking of the Supreme God in the Heavens, who was the Master of Breath, to her brother and Soft Wind, Marsha looked slowly around her. She had not known about this huge rotunda, which was used for ceremonial functions such as weddings, diplomatic negotiations, and assemblies of various kinds, particularly special meetings between Creek clans. It was larger than the council house that sat in the center of the village.

This was a circular building, thirty feet in diameter and made of logs. A low tunnel entranceway led into the council chamber, and seats lined the walls all around the circular room. More seats were positioned a few feet away in the same sort of circle, leaving room for people to walk between them.

The seats were filled now with people of only the Wind Clan, the ceremony having been decided upon too quickly to send invitations around to others.

Marsha was disappointed for only one reason. She had hoped to see how One Eye reacted to his invitation—whether he would have come or not. She had not expected him to, for the wound to his head would prove that he was the one who accosted her and who had spread death and destruction everywhere.

She was trying terribly hard to understand why Swift Horse had not yet gone and spoken with One Eye. She assumed it was because he was afraid of what he would uncover—that just perhaps he could not handle the truth.

She shifted her thoughts back to where she was now, and why.

“You seem restless,” Swift Horse whispered as he leaned closer to her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered back, taken by how handsome he was today. He wore a full outfit of fringed buckskin, heavily beaded, and a neckband of fur that denoted his rank as chief, which he wore during special functions such as this.

His thick, long hair hung down his back to his waist, and his headband, also of fur, matched his neckband. A lone eagle feather hung from a coil of his hair at the right side of his face.

“If you are restless, I can understand,” Swift Horse said somewhat louder, yet in enough of a whisper that only she could hear. “The ceremony is long, but so shall ours be.”

“I assure you that I won’t be restless during our ceremony, for I so look forward to it,” she whispered back to him. “I am so impressed by everything—by the people, the ceremony, and this lovely building. It is so huge.”

“It took many days and nights to build it,” Swift Horse said, looking with pride all around him, and then at the high, pointed ceiling. “One can feel the Master of Breath here.”

His eyes were drawn quickly away from Marsha and again to his shaman as he was finalizing the ceremony.

“Our Supreme God, our Master of Breath, is the Father and Creator of us all, red as well as white,” Bright Moon said, sliding his gaze past the two newlyweds and smiling at Abraham, who sat at Swift Horse’s right side. “And he is also the Father and Creator of those whose skin is black.”

Marsha looked around Swift Horse, at Abraham, and saw how he was beaming to have been singled out for a blessing during the ceremony.

“I appeal to the spirits of the universe—the sun, moon, and other of nature’s spirits—to bless these two beloved people in marriage,” Bright Moon said. His eyes fell upon Soft Wind, and then Edward James. He reached for their hands and placed one on the other, then placed his own on theirs. “I bless you,” he said solemnly. “Go forth now and be happy.”

Tears came to Marsha’s eyes when she saw the joy and peace in her brother’s eyes as he twined his arms around his wife’s waist and drew her next to him, gave her a soft kiss, and then swept her up into his arms and swung her around, laughing merrily.