What? Shame?
He shook his head and signed, "Never."
"And yet, when you came upon David and me arguing, it was because he wanted me to be his second wife, and when I refused, he said he would tell the other warriors in camp that he and I were married according to your custom, and, worse, if he demanded it, these Pikuni warriors could disfigure and shame me for refusing to be his second wife."
Strikes Fast shook his head.
"He…he also accused me of being intimate with you, and, even though it was untrue then, he intended to paint me as an evil, dangerous and morally loose woman. And, if he were to do this and be successful in convincing others that he spoke truth, I knew it would bring shame to you and to all of your family. And, after you had been so kind to me and…" She gasped and glanced away from him.
"Is this the reason you left us?"
She nodded.
Strikes Fast found he couldn't speak. Try though he might, he couldn't control the rage which this very moment had been lit within him. At last, however, he looked up at her and signed, "For this, I will kill him if you wish it. It would not be thought of as murder because he has harmed you, and so deserves to die."
"Kill him? Oh no! You mustn't!" she signed at once. "I could never be the cause of David losing his life."
"And yet," countered Strikes Fast, "this is the right and correct revenge for what he intended doing to you."
"But, he hasn't done it."
Strikes Fast frowned at her. "We do not know this yet. He may be telling lies about you even as we sit here."
"Please, Strikes Fast, no," she signed. "I did not tell this to you so you would feel you must kill him. Please, I do not wish our marriage to start out with the murder of my former fiancé. I beg of you, please do not kill him."
He saw her signs. He understood them, and yet the desire to avenge her honor was so strong within him, he could barely look at her, knowing the urge to slaughter this man would be mirrored within his eyes.
After some moments, he signed, "If you demand and urge me not to do this, I will try to cool the fury within me. As you wish, I will not kill him. I will, instead, challenge him. We will fight to the death, then, in a fair fight."
"No!" Her signs were with emphasis on the word. "No!"
He breathed in deeply, once, then again, trying to control his rage. More silence fell between them until at last he signed, "Then we cannot live in the Pikuni village because I will kill him if we set up our lodge there. And, although I have not the Creator's permission to leave the Pikuni at this time—"
"You need the Creator's permission to leave?"
"It is true. I should not leave their camp yet, because my acts against the Pikuni are not yet excused. Yet, I would have us go elsewhere. Otherwise, I will kill this white painter. I know I will. Perhaps we could go back to my people and live with them instead. But, before we decide this, let me ease your mind if I can, since you do not know the Pikuni custom. But, let me say first there is no shame in what you did.Éeh, it is true about the Pikuni warriors; they have authority to sometimes disfigure a woman for infidelity, but it rarely happens. Do you think you are the only young woman who has loved a man she didn't marry?"
"I…I don't know."
"There are many young women who can and have fallen victim to the charms or the promises of a young man who does not intend marriage. It is why a young girl is watched so closely by her relatives and why young men and women within our camp do not speak to one another after a certain age. And yet, these girls who have been so charmed by a young man still go on to marry another man with no shame brought to her. Many of these young girls settle down to live a good life, as do the boys, and usually they become good parents. Also, you should know it is not a custom of my own people, the Crow, to disfigure a woman regardless of what some might think is her crime. My people look upon a man who would do this to a woman to be a very bad man since the man himself often has more than one woman whom he loves before he is married and even after he marries.
"Besides, since we are now married and I am as much a part of the Pikuni tribe as this painter, he would have to face me and fight me to the death if he ever said anything bad about you. But, even in this, I do not think we should make our home with the Pikuni since I would be always tempted to kill him for what he said and did to you."
"Even if I beg you to not kill him?"
"Even then. A man does not disgrace a woman or threaten her without consequence. I would be the consequence he would have to face."
"But," she signed, "please, all my friends are in the Pikuni camp, and I would like to live close to them."
He frowned. He had overlooked this fact. And, after a moment, he signed, "This is true what you say. Also, your new family lives there. Perhaps I could fight him until he cries out for me to stop, showing himself to be the coward he is. It would be almost as satisfying to me as killing him."
"Yes, if you feel you must do something, what you have suggested would be best. But, perhaps we could find a way to settle the differences between my former fiancé and me without any fighting."
"It is unlikely," he signed.
"And yet, we must try." She paused, then she continued and signed, "Truly? I would bring you and your family no shame?"
"My tongue does not lie about this. You are missed by your new family…our family. Their hearts were heavy when you left. If we agree to return there, you will bring them much happiness."
Sharon set her lips firmly together and hiccupped, trying to stop herself from crying, but it was of little use…to be so accepted affected her deeply.
"Oh, Strikes Fast!" she exclaimed in English as she came up onto her knees and threw herself into his arms. "Thank you, thank you for telling me I would bring them happiness and no shame. No wonder I love you as I do."
With this beautiful woman in his arms, Strikes Fast felt himself let go of the need to seek revenge—at least momentarily—and a sense of calm came over him. He closed his arms around her and brought her in more closely against him. And, as he did so, he became more intensely aware of her state of undress.
It reminded him that this was his woman and this was their chance to satisfy their mutual desire and love for one another, and he was quick to manipulate her into a position where she was lying beneath him. In Crow, he murmured, "It is a good morning. It will always be good when we speak to each other, I think, and we should celebrate our courage in opening our hearts to one another as a man and his woman should." And, when he signed his words to her, he proceeded to show her exactly what he meant.
