"I think this is the fort they were to come to."
Stands Strong heard a male voice say these words in English, the sound of the words used similar to the manner in which his wife spoke, but he thought little of it until his wife grabbed hold of his arm and whispered, "Did you hear that man's accent?"
"A little," he replied.
"Well, it sounds…it sounds a lot like—"
"A lot like?"
"No, never mind. It couldn't be."
But, when the man continued to speak, her grip upon his sleeve increased, and she said, "It sounds…it sounds like…no it couldn't be."
Stands Strong frowned and looked toward the three white people—two men and one woman. But, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he turned away while Matsowá'p again caught hold of his sleeve. She said, "I…I…have heard that voice before, and yet…."
Suddenly, the woman laughed and turned toward one of the men, her profile showing her to be an older woman, but not too elderly. It was then when he heard his wife gasp.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I…I…" Matsowá'p's eyes were wide, and her face turned suddenly white as though she were staring at a ghost.
Matsowá'p's voice was a mere whisper when she asked one of the men, "Frederic? Is it you? Mother? Father?"
Mother? Father?thought Stands Strong. But, weren't they dead?
As though in complete unison, all three people turned to glance at his wife, and, looking down upon her, Stands Strong could see she could barely speak. Yet, she managed to ask, "Is it you, truly? Frederic? Mother? Father?"
"Czanna!"
Then, all at once, Stands Strong's world seemed to spin as Czanna and the three strangers ran toward each other. And, as he looked on, he saw his wife collapse into the three strangers' embraces. George, he noticed, joined the foursome with a wide grin upon his countenance. And, as Stands Strong stepped back to give the five people more room to talk, he heard the one woman with the group say, "Czanna! György! I cannot believe it is really you. We have looked for you everywhere!"
"But, I thought you were… I thought you were… I received a letter… I was given to believe you were no longer alive!" Matsowá'p said. "But, here you are! I cannot believe what I am seeing! You are here! You are here!"
By this time, not one of them, not even George nor Matsowá'p's father's eyes, were dry.
"But, here I am, forgetting my manners." Turning, Matsowá'p reached out to Stands Strong. Taking his hand into her own, she brought him forward to stand beside her. She said, "Frederic, Mother, Father, let me introduce you to my husband, Stands Strong."
Matsowá'p's father reached out his hand to shake Stands Strong's, and, at his woman's urging, Stands Strong took the man's hand, feeling a firm grip there.
"Oh my, Czanna! You have married!" It was his woman's mother speaking. "Welcome to our family, young man. Welcome!"
Stands Strong nodded.
"Oh, you're not getting away with that. Come here!"
And, Stands Strong allowed himself to be pulled into the older woman's embrace while she planted a kiss on each of his cheeks. He wasn't certain he was supposed to return the same, but he found himself kissing both of her cheeks anyway.
"And, that man over there," Matsowá'p said as she gestured toward a corner of the room, "is my husband's friend, First Rider."
First Rider nodded.
"And, this mountain man you see here is our own Cousin Alfred. Do you see? I found him, Frederic! I found Alfred, our cousin."
"You did it, Czanna! You have done what I thought was impossible!"
"Yes, but it was not I who found him; it was my husband who discovered where he was and brought all of us there. But, please let me continue. Beside our cousin Alfred is his Pikuni wife, Pretty Ribbon Woman, and standing there beside her is her brother, Black Beaver. You know, of course, Mr. Henrik and Miss Liliann, who are standing next to First Rider. First Rider is the man who saved Mr. Henrik's life with his medicine man's treatment, when Mr. Henrik had suffered an injury that would have otherwise taken his life."
"I thank you, Mr. First Rider," said the elder man. "Mr. Henrik has been with our family for so many years, he is almost like one of us."
When Stands Strong translated what his father-in-law had said, First Rider smiled, but only a little.
"Oh my, you are here!" Matsowá'p said. "You are alive, and you are here! Oh, I am so happy!" Matsowá'p then turned to Stands Strong. "Oh, what am I to do, my husband? I did not know this kind of happiness would ever be mine. Oh, what am I to do?"
Leaning down toward his wife, Stands Strong whispered, "Perhaps you could invite them to our lodge. We should have a great celebration, and then there should be much talk."
"Yes, yes, of course," she replied. Then, turning toward Frederic and her parents, she asked, "Won't you all please come to our lodge, where we may speak of the many stories we have to share? Come, follow us. Oh, what a grand night this will be."
