Ah, Gentle Reader, it's been awhile. I've missed writing and hope to do more. I hope you'll indulge me in this little songfic (which also fits into the old Standards Challenge at the Ranch). Moonglow is a special song for me and my youngest. Each baby gets a special lullaby, and this was hers. It was also the kind of music my grandfather loved. So for me, this song is all about love. It's timeless and made for dancing. And I also thought it was time Buck got some love. And thanks to Beulah, this story has a happy ending :) Thanks for reading!
The deep blue of the night sky was the perfect backdrop for the millions of stars that seemed to twinkle above. A few wispy clouds sailed quickly overhead, the warm, summer breeze sending them quickly on their way and revealing a large full moon. Buck smiled at the perfect display of nature's beauty. It was the same kind of lovely evening that he had first found her. In fact, if it hadn't been for the full moon that night they might never have met.
The other riders had often commented on Buck's ability to sense things, and that evening had been no different. He'd started out in the bunkhouse with everyone else, but something seemed to call to him. It had been this way since Ike's death. His soul seemed to be searching for something, and this need would draw him out into the darkness from time to time. Ike's horse had called out to him when he entered the barn, so he saddled the gentle steed and rode into the darkness. His intuition and the night breeze seemed to call him toward the river, and when he reached its shores the light danced on the water. And that's when he saw her.
Or should he say that's when he heard her? The gentle whooshing of the river seemed to envelope him, but he could make out the sound of someone crying. For the briefest moment he wondered if he should leave and not intrude, but a voice seemed to whisper to his heart that he needed to stay. He tried to ignore the fact the voice sounded like how he'd always imagined Ike's.
His eyes scanned the darkness, but it was the moon that showed him the way. A beam of moonlight broke through the trees and framed a young woman in silhouette. Buck approached her slowly and called out in a soft voice. The young woman gasped, startled by his presence. As if fixed in place they both stood staring at each other for a long moment, before she launched herself into his arms and began to weep on his shoulder.
Taken aback, Buck was struck dumb until the familiar voice told him to move. He wrapped his arms around her and murmured all the soothing words he'd heard the Kid whisper to Lou when she was overcome. It wasn't until she finally spoke that he realized he'd been using his native tongue to soothe her. This shocked him less than the fact that she had answered him in kind. Hearing the language of his mother's people was like finding his way home again. There was a kind of magic to this moment, and he was afraid to break the spell.
Laughing Robin. It took a while before he heard her laugh, but when she did he instantly knew. Her name suited her, and it enchanted him. She was heartbroken when he found her, torn between two worlds. And Buck was the one man who knew just how she felt. Something about meeting someone who spoke the same language moved them both. Or maybe it was the kinship of their troubled pasts. Or maybe, just maybe it was the magic of that moonglow.
They talked until the light of the full moon began to give way to the dawn. Every second had felt vibrant and alive. Her tribe had left her behind, and the white world refused to accept her. Buck knew that as hard as his life had been, it would have been worse for a woman. But still her spirit sang. Her tears gave way to joy at the wonder of their meeting. When he'd first answered her in their shared native tongue, her shock had quickly turned to wonder and then to happiness. They seemed to connect on every level.
He'd taken her back to his home with the other riders, planning to hide her away from the cruelty of the townspeople while forcing his family to take her in. But no force had been necessary. Teaspoon had taken one look at her and simply held out his arm as if to escort the finest lady in town. Rachel had invited her to stay in the big, white house until she could get settled in her own place. And Lou had taken one look at him and Laughing Robin before slyly stating that Robin would never have a place that was "just" her own. As for his brothers, they all took great pleasure in teasing him relentlessly but remained respectful and protective of her.
By the time the next full moon came around, Robin had made herself a welcome addition to their unconventional family. Buck felt a sense of contentment he'd never before known whenever he watched her tease Cody or face down Jimmy's glower. Though the boys could be flirtatious, it was clear from the start that Robin only had eyes for Buck. Only a few moons later, they would walk along that same river and agree to join their lives as one.
The stars in the darkening sky couldn't compete with the brightness of her eyes as they exchanged vows by the river with their friends around them. Teaspoon officiated as they promised to share this life no matter the blessings or challenges they faced. Buck and Robin had been stunned when their makeshift family presented them with two horses. Kid explained that they'd learned that Kiowa tradition usually involved presenting the bride's family with horses. And since the young couple would be making their own way, the horses were for them to use to start their own ranch.
Though Buck had embraced the white world, he had always held onto his Kiowa heritage with pride. The spirits rewarded him with great happiness. The horses he bred were strong and swift. The home he built with Robin was warm and welcoming. And after many moons passed, there came his greatest blessing...
Robin brought Buck to the river one evening on their daily ride. She had been ill recently and wanted to enjoy the night air. He had watched her anxiously, the moonlight making her face seem even paler. But what initially seemed pale became radiant when she shared her happy news. They would have a child when the spring came. Buck thanked the Great Spirit for his many blessings as he swept his beautiful wife into his arms.
Buck now came to the river with someone else, another lady who seemed made for the moonlight. His daughter had been a revelation. Delicate features and a head full of raven black hair combined to capture his wife in miniature. Never was a child more doted upon… Until the arrival of her sister a year later. Buck could always be found with at least one daughter holding onto his pant leg and often with the other riding on his broad shoulders. And Robin soon blessed him with two sons and another daughter.
Success had many measures. To the white man it often meant money and influence, while the Kiowa valued power and prestige. Buck and Robin measured success on their own terms. Their children were healthy and happy, their ranch was respected for the quality of their horses, and their friends were so dear as to be counted as family. The faced hard times with hope that goodness would soon come, that light would overcome the darkness.
Months turned into years, but Robin never aged a day in Buck's eyes. Their babies grew into children, but love and laughter seemed to keep Buck and Robin forever young. Challenges came, as they always do, but the Great Spirit blessed them with protection and peace. As long as they clung to each other, trouble seemed to roll off their backs.
Buck often joked that Robin should change her name to Songbird. She seemed to find music wherever she went. If she wasn't busy pointing out the rhythms of nature to one of the children, she was singing herself. Buck loved to hear her sing the songs of their Kiowa heritage and the songs of their white family as well, but his favorites were always the songs of her own creation. The heartfelt lyrics of their simple lives: dancing with a fussy baby just before bedtime, crooning to a sick child, singing over the supper. He was endlessly fascinated.
Each night, as the sun fell below the horizon, was like a trip back through time. The children abed, husband and wife came together to enjoy the velvety length of darkness. And each month, as the moon made her trip across the heavens, they would slip from the house like young lovers eloping together. Even in the bitter chill of winter, they would make their way to the place they met so many years before.
Time seemed to grow wings and fly whenever happiness reigned, and though Buck and Robin never seemed to notice the effects of the passing years, their children grew up and started families of their own. Raven hair became more and more gray. Lines marked faces. Shoulders began to stoop. Grandchildren scampered about, reveling in the affection of their elders. And Buck offered thanks to the Moon for all she blessed him with, Robin singing by his side.
edited to add: It was brought to my attention that these lyrics may be copyrighted. I have removed them on the side of caution. There is a very good chance that the LYRICS might be public domain (as they were written in the early 1930's and would have required a more complicated renewal process than exists today), but that would require checking the Copyright Card Catalog at the Library of Congress. And since I used all my frequent flyer miles visiting Narnia last fall, I can't make the trip right now to check.
If you wish to look up the lyrics (and if you aren't familiar with this song, you should listen to it and memorize the sweet words with all possible haste), you can certainly find them all over the internet. And if you do look it up on YouTube for a listen, I recommend the 1934 recording by Ethel Waters over Billie Holiday's recording from the 1950's. And the Benny Goodman instrumental is magic. The asterisks replaced the lines of the song, so if you want to read with that in mind...