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He stared at her list of compliments. "I thank you for those words, but, nevertheless, I am. Big Knife for one." He let that sink in for a moment. "For I want to take a wife and my wife to be is in love with him. The Sioux for they have more strength and more people. I want to be the best that I can be. And I'm not arrogant, I merely want to be better than I am. And confidence is part of the answer to being better."
He took her hand and kissed it, then smiled, "The truth is, I want you to be happy, Sasha, and I fear I have made you unhappy by asking for you for my wife."
"If you truly feel that way. Why did you ask my father for me?"
Black Knife paced about for a moment. Then looking at her his brow furrowed. "Because," he turned to stare at her. "I need a wife that will challenge me in many ways. One that will speak up and tell me when she thinks I'm wrong about something. You see, the women in my tribe would not speak up against me. For they don't see me as a man, but as a Chief. They cannot see both. I am a man first, a chief next. I want my woman to love me and trust me beyond any other. And I suppose I should have taken one of my own people, but sometimes you can know your own people too well. Can you understand that?"
She studied his words before speaking. "Yes," she said softly, "and sometimes you cannot know them well enough. Sometimes you can be a fool, by thinking you know them, when you don't."
He stared at her now.
When she saw him staring, she changed the subject. "Have you had many women?" She asked softly.
"Yes, many!" he chuckled. "No, only one a long time ago."
"What happened?"
"She died like your mother, of the smallpox. We raided a wagon train back then and brought captives back and one of them was sick and gave the disease to my people. I took that as a lesson from the Creator that taking captives was not a good idea. For my tribe did this many times. I have finally convinced them it is not a good thing."
"I'm sorry, that's so sad."
"We lost many back then. It taught us an important lesson. Taking captives is not always wise. I mourned her three years, and then one day I got up and I made up my mind, she was dead, and I was alive, and life had to go on. I loved her, was going to make her my wife. But I was young and foolish back then. We were too young."
"Where did you get fifteen horses?"
He grinned. "From the dead Sioux."
"Oh." She grinned.
"The white man does not always think to take the horses and weapons of the dead. But the dead have no use for them. So I take them. Horses and guns are valuable to any tribe, so it is wasteful to leave them lie with the dead."
"I suppose in a strange way that makes sense." She chuckled. "But isn't that disrespectful?"
He smiled at her now, relaxed. "When they are alive it is, but once they are dead, all you are respecting is their body. It is wasteful to leave guns and horses for the dead, as they will never use them again. Now, let me ask a question."
"Alright." She looked up at him.
"Where did you learn to be a healer?"
"From my grandfather, he was a Shaman. He taught me so much before he died. We would walk the land and he would point out the healing herbs to use in teas to ease pain and heal the sick. Many things he taught me were very old things that few knew about. As I knew how to write, I wrote them down so I would not forget them."
He smiled.
"How did you get elected as chief?" she queried.
"My father was a chief. When he aged too quickly and could no longer ride, I was to become chief. But I insisted on an election like the white men do. And I won."
She chuckled. "I am not surprised."
"It is good to see you laugh." He said softly.
"Are there many in the tribe who want to be your wife?"
"Sasha," he came closer now, staring into her face with amusement. "Many would be my wife, but only because I am chief, and it would be a great honor. Still, I wanted a woman who thinks for herself. And one who stirs a fire in me. Like any man I want a wife that will love me, someday at least."
"A fire?" she repeated staring at him now.
"Much like the one you stirred when I kissed you."
