Chapter 16: Ribbons, Lace and Leather
Uncas laid propped up on his elbow, running his fingers across Alice's silky smooth skin. The sun had just begun to awaken in the morning sky. Small streams of sunlight broke through the thin cracks in the wooden window covering. The meager amount of light was just enough to make Alice's hair glow through the darkness, illuminating it like a halo atop her head. His fingers drew further down her body, resting on her slightly swollen belly. Uncas began scooting his body down the bed. He had realized early on, that where he was an extremely light sleeper, Alice could sleep through even the most violent of summer storms. He curled onto his side and rested his head against where his child grew inside her. He began softly speaking in Mohican, telling the baby stories of his father's people, stories of his childhood, stories of the people he loved…
...Weeks had passed since the night of Pru's confession. Hearing the truth of the death of her innocence had been ghastly. Knowing that she spent all those years holding it in to protect them, to protect Nathaniel was even harder to bare. When she and Chingachgook returned to the cabin, the room had fallen completely silent. She had turned to him first, he was leaning against the wall next to the hearth, and she gripped his hand in hers. She leaned sideways on her shoulder against the cold stone and stared deep into his eyes. Uncas had mirrored her position and laid a gentle hand on the side of her cheek and smiled, very much in the same way he did when he was ten years old and had first encountered her sorrow in the forest. Prudence leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose and then moved away near Sampson. She placed her thin hand atop his shoulders and bent forward to kiss the top of his head, reassuring him that she was indeed alright. Prudence moved silently past Nathaniel, whose hair she ran her fingers through as she passed and gave a slight playful tug on before making her way to Martin. She stood directly in front of him, elevated by the tips of her toes and whispered something into his ear. She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him tightly to her body. Martin hung his head low into her shoulder and clutched her tight against him. After several long moments, she slowly released his waist and taking his hand in hers, led him out of the common room and into the privacy of their bedroom.
In the days that followed, Chingachgook and Sampson made certain to speak to everyone in the cabin individually. They did not want anyone asking Prudence any questions. She would reveal who she wanted to talk to and about what. In the end, the only person Prudence spoke to about it further was Martin, firmly believing that she had nothing left to say to anyone else, even Nathaniel. She had done all she could do and it was now his choice to move forward. Which he did. He threw himself into his own future, drawing up plans for his cabin and discussing with Cora what their new life would entail. Though Uncas knew that Nathaniel still suffered for Prudence. It was in every carefully cloaked look he gave her. Uncas understood all too well the difficulties of moving past her admission, but he also knew that ultimately it was what was best for her. Uncas had resolved rather simply that if she could come to terms with it, so could he. As the weeks passed, it seemed that with the snow had also come a peacefulness that he so desperately hoped would remain.
Uncas focused his thoughts again on their baby and continued whispering in Mohican. He began encircling Alice's belly with his fingers. Round and round in the same repetitive small circles, until he felt the gentle caress of a palm on his head. Uncas's eyes fell closed at her soothing touch. She stroked the back of his head lightly, her fingers gliding through his completely loose hair. Uncas smoothly climbed over top of her, casually dragging himself up towards her delicate face. His hair fell long over his shoulder and down his back, its tips swaying across her soft skin with every minor movement he made. Uncas only touched the bed as he made his pursuit towards her, carefully sliding his fingers along the soft sheets. He was deliberately waiting to feel her, drawing out the moment for as long as he could bare. When finally he brought his face up to hers. They stared, for a moment, lazily into each others eyes.
Alice brought her naked legs up and around his waist. She placed her palms on his stomach just below his belly button and slowly dragged them up towards his neck. She shifted his loose hair behind his back and let it fall over his right shoulder. He was not even touching her and her body tingled all over. Uncas wrapped his right arm under her back and lifted her up towards his body. He gripped her tightly with both arms now, pulling her completely off the bed. She dangled there in his arms, her hair hanging off her, draped over the pillow. Uncas was overwhelmed by her beauty in this moment. Her back slightly arched, making their baby seem to bulge out more. How her head tilted back into the brightening rays of the morning light. Allowing the sun to bath her in its thin streams of shining brightness. He could not believe that she was his. He could not believe his good fortune. They had survived everything, the massacre, the fight on the cliffs and through it all they managed to stay together. Him, her and their baby. Their baby that may never have been had any event turned out differently.
When he thought he could bare it no longer, Uncas rolled his body backwards into a sitting position. Alice sat atop him, her legs still swaddled around his hips. Uncas supported her position with his left arm and began to trace the features of her face with his right. His fingers glided along her eyebrow, the top of her cheekbone than to her thin lips. Alice put her mouth against his fingertips and kissed them. He let his palm fall past her mouth, down her chest, across her belly wrapping his arm tightly around her back. Alice placed her forehead against his, their mouths so close that she could feel his warm breath all over her face. Uncas could be tempted no longer. He enveloped her lips with his own and began kissing her with yearning. Alices clutched her arms around his broad back, pulling their naked bodies into each other. She broke away from his mouth just enough to softly utter his name. Uncas shifted her slightly atop him, entering her. A faint gasp escaped her open mouth as she began to move atop him. Her purposefully slow motions were undoing him. Uncas felt his body dissolving deeper into her with every fluctuation of her hips. Alice loved watching him come undone by her. She reveled in the response his body gave her, every quiver and shake. The way his palms felt on her skin, leaving her shivering at even the smallest touch. Uncas' scorching stare bore down upon her. He was close, she could feel it. Alice's breath hitched as he grabbed firmly to her hips pulling himself deep inside her. She flung her head back and he buried his face in her neck. A tingle in her core began to spread throughout her entire body and without realizing, Alice had began to move faster atop him. His breathing became rapid and sweat began to pool atop his skin. She could feel the slickness of his chest as hers slid easily across it. Alice lifted her head back up and began kissing him fiercely until her mind went blank and she could no longer focus on what she was doing. When Uncas could feel her release, he let go of the last bit of control he had been so painstakingly holding onto and then joined her in paradise.
Uncas rested his head atop her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Good morning."
Alice could not help but giggle at him. She pulled her face back to better look into his rich brown eyes and said, "Good morning my love."
Prudence and Cora stood wrapped in blankets atop the snow covered porch. A small winter storm had passed through overnight, blanketing the farm in a heavy frost laden covering. It was not too deep, even in the spots where the snow drifts had formed high mounds across the frozen earth. The women stood sipping hot tea and watching the sun raise higher into the perfectly cloudless blue sky.
"It is the first snow of the season." Cora casually remarked.
"Hmm, many more to come I am sure." Prudence responded.
"It is quite close to Christmas, is it not?"
Prudence smiled widely at her. This had always been one of her favorite times of the year. When she was a little child, the Dutch women who raised her was very found of celebrating Christmas. Here at the farm, Prudence had always made a rather grand display of the religious event. "Yes it is, only a mere week away." Prudence eyed Cora and continued, "We will play music, make a grand feast and exchange a small gift in honor of the holiday."
"You do not attend church?" Cora was slightly aghast.
"No. The weather does not always permit us to travel and we just prefer to observe the time at our home in our own way." Prudence continued to sip her tea.
"What type of gift do you exchange?"
Prudence turned to Cora and smiled, "Whatever you are able to make."
Cora was intrigued by these new yet beautiful traditions. She smiled back widely at Prudence and said, "Well I suppose I shall have to get started on gifts!"
"Just one gift for one person." Prudence winked at her. "I am making Lydia a small doll. Martin has carved both boys a small wooden pistol and I have just begun making Sampson new handkerchiefs with his initials sewn into them."
"When did you do all that? I feel as though I am with you almost every waking hour!"
"Almost every waking hour!" Prudence said with a wink of her eye.
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by Elijah and Ash running past them on the porch and promptly throwing their bodies into the snow. The boys rolled around tossing handfuls of snow up into the frigid air. Until it playfully escalated into them launching fists filled with the ice covered snow at each other. Elijah was the stronger of the two boys, but Ash had the better aim. Elijah and Ash continued in this rowdy fashion for several minutes before Martin and Nathaniel came up behind Prudence and Cora.
Martin promptly wrapped his arms around Prudence, pulling her back tight against his body. Her dwindling frame had not gone unnoticed by him. Over the past few weeks he had tried to be vigilant in making certain that she was eating enough, despite her nasty bouts of sickness that seemed to occur almost continuously throughout out the day. Martin slid his hand under her shawl and gently rubbed her belly. Prudence encased his arms with hers and let her body lean against his sturdy frame as they watched their sons play happily in the pearly white snow. Nathaniel strode towards Cora and snaked his long arm around her waist, drawing her neatly into his side.
"Pru says we will celebrate Christmas." Cora straightened her neck upwards to better look into Nathaniel's eyes.
"Yes. Pru adores the holiday. She has celebrated it every year, in the way she did when she was little.", Nathaniel answered her.
"Which reminds me, I will need you two to chop me some fresh wood, about two or three feet in length." Prudence had arched her head up against Martin's chest.
"Yes ma'am.", Martin replied looking down at her.
"What for?", Cora asked.
Martin smiled at Cora and said, "You will see!"
Just then the Elijah and Ash both hollered in unison, "Papa!"
Martin and Prudence both turned their faces back towards their sons only to see them smiling widely with fists full of snow. Ash made to advance on them and Martin quickly spun around with Prudence in his arms, exposing only his back to the boys. He knew perfectly well that the neither boy would throw anything at their mother but it was more fun for them if they played along. Ash launched the snowball directly at his father's back. It splattered against him, flinging bits of snow off in every direction. Martin kissed Prudence on the neck and whispered into her ear, "Do not worry my love, I will defend you to the death!" Prudence giggled at him and placed a soft kiss on his lips. Martin released her and leapt over the porch rail, chasing wildly after his children.
Cora looked up at Nathaniel and said, "Well…are you going to help him or not?" A wicked grin formed across his face and he jumped from the porch straight to the crunchy snow, skipping all the steps in between. The two women stood and watched as Martin and Nathaniel ran circles around the boys throwing ball after ball of snow at them. Screaming and laughing blissfully, well into the morning's retreat.
The days passed rather quickly as everyone began to prepare for the Christmas celebration. Martin and Nathaniel had done as directed and chopped two and three feet size pieces of wood. Prudence had arranged them atop a small table by the hearth, staggering them slightly so they represented a tree pattern. Elijah and Ash had taken Lydia outside with them and broken small twigs off of a rather large pine tree. With every piece they snapped, the boys would shake the excess snow onto Lydia's little head. She would squeal with joy and try to grab it out of their hands. When the children brought back the broken branches, Prudence shoved them randomly throughout the logs. She had expertly constructed a makeshift little tree. She secured sturdy metal hooks throughout the logs and fastened thick white candles into the hooks. Prudence went to her sewing equipment and plucked out a long piece of red ribbon that she draped back and forth around the front of the little tree. The end result was beautiful. The children clapped their hands in excitement. Alice and Cora had never seen anything like it, the simplicity of this little makeshift tree was absolutely brilliant.
"Well done." Martin came up behind Prudence and wrapped his arms around her waist. Prudence smiled widely at him and rubbed his forearms.
Uncas came over to them, interrupting their quiet moment and softly asked, "Pru, could I look through your sewing equipment? I have an idea for something I want to make for Alice."
Prudence smiled up at him and led him into her bedroom and over to a large chest that sat next to the wardrobe. She lifted the heavy lid, exposing a wide variety of random pieces. There were contrasting colored shades of white lace, several different rainbow colored satin ribbons, various sized buttons as well as an assortment of needles and string. She also had several panels of fabric leaning up against the side of the wardrobe.
"Help yourself to anything you would like." She touched his arm and left the bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her.
Uncas looked down into Prudence's chest, it was not surprising how full the chest was. She had saved every extra piece from everything she had sewn for the past ten years. Uncas wanted to make something special for Alice. Some type of decorative ornament that could act as a token of his love for her. He began rummaging through the different pieces. Despite Prudences' usually organized nature, the chest was anything but. She must have just thrown the unused materials into the chest without any concern for its future use. He continued to scour through the chest, until he found several different pieces of cloth. Shifting through the pieces, he came across a relatively untouched patch of cloth that had once been a part of the shirt he had worn that day on the cliffs. He was certain Pru would have discarded it, but here in his hands was a small piece that was completely unsoiled by blood and filth. He held the green fabric in his fingers and continued his search, the possibility of an idea blooming in his mind. Uncas pushed his way through the chest until finally he saw it. Several thin strips of Alice's dress from that same fateful day. He laid the floral printed cloth atop the green piece in his palm. Uncas realized they had also worn these same clothes when they made love for the first time under the falls, the night their child had been conceived. It was perfect. Uncas dug through the chest once more, pulling a long piece of white ribbon free from its hiding place. Satisfied that this was all he would need, Uncas closed the chest and left the room to begin making his gift for Alice.
Christmas morning had arrived with the presence of yet another snowfall. Soft snowflakes drifted down from the heavens encasing them in their own winter wonderland. Uncas rose to the excited stomping of child size footfalls coming thunderously down the steps from the loft above. He rolled to his side to find only an imprint in the bed where Alices' body had once laid. His brows lifted in surprise as she was never awake before him and he rolled off the bed to dress. As he pulled on his shirt he could make out the delicious smell of freshly baked biscuits. He opened the door to the bedroom and strode out to see, Chingachgook and Sampson sitting at the table while Alice and Cora were hard at work constructing a rather extravagant breakfast. Uncas noticed that Nathaniel was still asleep on the sofa and Prudence and Martin had yet to come out of their bedroom.
"What is all this?", Uncas said as he crossed over to the table. Alice turned at the sound of his voice and simply smiled. He slid his long body onto a bench and pulled himself into the table. Cora began placing large bowls of food all around atop the wooden surface, while Alice continued to keep a steady eye on the still brewing pots. Calling over her shoulder, Alice told Elijah to go and wake up his mother and father. Then gave Ash and Lydia permission to jump all over Nathaniel until he was quite awake. Elijah went straight away to his parents bedroom knocking gently on the door until he was welcomed into the room. Ash and Lydia did exactly what Alice asked and together made a running leap for Nathaniel. Taken completely off guard as he was, Nathaniel yelped in shock and quickly hurled his body forward from his prone position on the sofa. As he stood up he grabbed Lydia throwing her over his shoulder and took ahold of Ash by the back of his trousers. He trudged towards the table with both children in tow.
Prudence and Martin appeared with Elijah at their side and made their way towards their family. Prudences' shocked face was exactly what Alice and Cora had hoped for. "Happy Christmas!" The sisters said in unison. Cora walked over too Prudence and Martin and ushered them towards the table.
"What? How?" Prudence began but never really found the words.
Cora snaked her arm through Prudences' and brought her and Martin to the end of the table and cheerfully declared, "This is Alices' and my gift to you." Prudence and Martin stared at the elaborate breakfast before them. "It is for all of you.", Cora continued turning to face the rest of the table.
"You have all done so much for us. There are no words to describe our gratitude." Alice sweetly stated and made certain to make eye contact with every single person at the table, even the children who she gave a little wink.
Prudence turned to Cora and wrapped her in a tight embrace. They held each other for a long moment before Prudence looked past Cora's shoulder and opened her one arm wide gesturing for Alice to join them. Alice happily shuffled over and was readily embraced by the two women. The moment was broken by Ash's young voice, "Mama?"
"Hmm?"
"May we eat now?"
Prudence threw her head back and laughed. "Yes of course darling."
Breakfast had been a wonderful way to begin their day. Sitting and eating together as a family. Reveling in each others company. They had all chatted and laughed merrily, with the familiarity that they were all so accustomed to. Reminiscing over childhood shenanigans and long ago adventures. The air around them was lighter, more breathable to their worn lungs. A peaceful veil had fallen over them and they were enjoying every moment. It felt like the dawning of a new time for them as a family. The beginning of a fresh chapter in their lives. They all collectively felt as though the darkness was behind them and only happiness and good fortune seemed ahead of them now.
After breakfast, Cora and Alice had insisted on cleaning and clearing all of breakfast just the two of them, ushering the family towards the common room to make themselves more comfortable. The family had momentarily scattered across the cabin to retrieve their small gifts for one another. Once Alice and Cora were finished with the cleaning and had retrieved their gifts, the group was almost ready from the exchange. Prudence stood and took a small stick to the hearth, when it was a flame she went around and lit the white candles that decorated their makeshift tree. When finally they were all lit she tossed the small stick back into the hearth and the thin piece of wood became quickly engulfed in flames. The little white candles glimmered through the darkened corner that housed the makeshift tree. Prudence turned away from the tree and saw the flickering candlelight reflecting in her children's youthful eyes. The flame danced around their pupils, mesmerizing her for a moment. Prudence kneeled down in front of her little babes and smiled. "Are you ready my darlings?"
"Yes Mama!" Elijah said, speaking for the three of them.
Prudence looked over at Martin, who nodded his ascent and she began passing out the expertly wrapped gifts to her children. They eagerly took the gifts and waited as patiently as possible until they were given consent to open them. Prudence could see Ash's thumbs twitching and silently laughed to herself. The anticipation was torturing them. Prudence rolled back and sat crosslegged on the wooden floor and rather dramatically said, "Go!"
The three children tore through the wrappings and exposed their gifts. The boys instantly hopped to their feet and pretended to fire their weapons at things around the room. Lydia held her doll out in front of her, then quickly brought it to her chest giving it a strong squeeze. Lydia looked up at her mother and climbed into her lap, curling up there with her little doll gripped tightly in her arms. Prudence ran her fingers threw Lydia's hair and indicated with a palm up for everyone to continue.
Martin stood and placed a small, elegantly wrapped gift in Sampson's and Chingachgook's hands. Both men nodded their heads and smiled in acceptance of their gift. Sampson opened his first to find several white linen handkerchiefs with his initials sewn, in perfect cursive, into them in dark blue thread. He looked up at Prudence and blow her a sweet kiss. "Thank you my dear." Prudence just smiled, satisfied that he liked it.
Chingachgook opened his next to find a perfectly crafted knife. It was small, only the size of his palm. The blade had been well forged and the handle had intricate leather braids twisted throughout it. He knew Martin had always been good with his hands but this was truly a work of art. Chingachgook looked up at Martin and put his hand to his chest, directly above his heart. His way of bidding Martin thank you. Martin smiled at the gesture and looked to Nathaniel to continue.
Nathaniel took Cora's hand in his and placed a small brown leather pouch into it, closing her fingers into a fist around it. Cora gently pulled the string at the top open and dipped her thin fingers inside. She pulled out a thin leather string, dangling from it was a small wood carving. When she laid it flush in her palm she could see it was a beautifully carved little flower. She looked up into Nathaniel's eyes and said, "It's beautiful." And she quickly placed it around her neck allowing the little flower to fall just between her breasts. Nathaniel seemed quite happy with her response and grinned wickedly to the necklaces perfect placement on her body.
As if reading his mind, Cora gave him a gentle shove on his shoulder. Then reached beside her and pulled out a small gift, passing it into Nathaniel's hands. He pulled at the thin string that held the wrappings together and as it fell away, revealed a similar looking necklace. It was a long black leather cord and hanging from the bottom was an arrowhead. Cora had attached it to the cord using a combination of red, black and white string. Nathaniel stared at in awe, he had never received anything like it. Cora carefully took it out of his hands and placed it around his head, letting fall onto his smooth chest. Nathaniel rubbed his fingers across her soft cheeks and pulled her into his body, wrapping his long arm around her shoulders. He then made eye contact with Martin, subtly indicating it was his turn.
Martin slid off his chair and and crouched next to his wife and daughter. He pulled from behind his back a scroll like piece of parchment encircled with a delicate strip of bright white lace. Prudence let out a small laugh as she exposed from behind her a similar looking gift. Only hers was strung together with a bit of green satin ribbon, as it was Martin's favorite color. They exchanged their scrolls and gently slid the bindings off. Prudence opened the pages to see graceful notes delicately scribed throughout the parchment. Martin had composed a song for her, Prudence never ceased to be taken back by his ever romantic gestures.
Martin had been taught the violin at a very young age by his mother, of all his siblings he was the only one to express any interest in the instrument. He would sit at his mother's feet as she would play, as though he had been lulled into a trance by the beautiful sounds of the instrument. He was naturally gifted and had he lived in another part of the world, he may have made a successful career from it. After his mother had died, he had completely stopped playing. The music had no longer brought him joy, until Prudence. Now he only ever played if she wanted to hear him. Prudence reached up, grabbing a small handful of his shirt and brought his mouth down to hers and kissed him. When their mouths broke apart she asked, "Will you play it?"
"Of course, for you I will always play." He smiled softly at her. Alice and Cora seemed to light up at the knowledge that Martin played the violin. It had been such a long time since they were able to hear the sweet sounds of any musical instrument, that the sisters almost clapped with joy.
Prudence gestured for him to open her gift. He slide the green ribbon down and off the scroll, opening it fully to view. She had written him a love letter. Martin sat frozen in his position reading every line with determination. He could feel his eyes glass over as tears began to form around them. He looked down into his wife's blue eyes, he had no words. Not a single one. He positioned his body next to hers on the floor and wrapped his strong arm around her. He pulled his lips close to her ear and whispered something to her. Prudence smiled and touched her forehead to his, understanding perfectly how he felt.
In the spirit of this romantic moment, Alice decided to hand over her small gift to Uncas. He took the piece of cloth from her hands and carefully pulled the wrapping away from her gift. When both sections of the cloth had been pulled apart, he could see that Alice had cut a piece of her silky blonde hair from her head and had weaved it perfectly into a tight braid. She secured it at the top and bottom with a thin leather strip that he noticed was from a larger piece he often used to tie his own hair back with. Uncas was so moved by her gift he too brought it to his chest above his heart and softly said, "Thank you."
Alice was quite pleased with his reaction, blushing slightly when he put the braid to his chest. Uncas drew from his lap a small, perfectly wrapped gift and silently passed it into Alice's hands. She held it firmly in her palms and simply stared into his eyes for a moment. She had found over the years that she was not always the best with words and so decided to try and convey her overwhelming emotions through the sky blue of her eyes. When she finally tore her eyes away from him, she began to unwrap the little gift. She trailed her fingers across the soft fabric, tears welled up within her eyes. Uncas had made her a bracelet. He had used the fabric from his old green shirt and a piece from her floral gown and braided it together along with a white ribbon. He connected the bracelet by the white ribbon leaving a small elegant piece to dangle from the back. It was breathtaking. Alice instantly slid it onto her wrist and as she traced her fingers around it. She thought of the cliffs and how very close she came to losing him. She shut her eyes tight against the painful memory. To bare a life without him would have been impossible. Alice knew in her heart that if he had fallen into death that day, she would have followed him mere moments later. Uncas was the beginning and the end for her, regardless of youth or old age. Alice knowing she could never confess this truth, opened her eyes granting a few tears leave to fall and wrapped her arms around Uncas' neck. She buried her head in his shoulder and whispered ever so softly into his ear, "I love you." Uncas held her soft body against his, until he realized that everyone in the room was staring at them. He made brief eye contact with his father, who responded in kind with a soft insightful smile. Uncas did not want to pull away from her embrace. However, understanding that this was not just his private moment with her, he began to ease her arms down from around his neck. Alice immediately understood and turned towards the group, her blue eyes shining brightly against the redness of her flushed face and began patting her tears away with the back of her hand.
Martin seeing the self conscious expression on Alice's face, thought to draw attention away from her, stood and walked towards the bedroom. He went into the room and pulled an intricately carved box from beneath his bed. He brushed his finger across the wood shaking the dust free. Martin lifted the clasp open and pulled his mother's violin loose, then made his was back to the common room. After retrieving the well maintained violin, Martin stood calmly before them violin in hand. He stared directly into Prudence's painfully blue eyes and began to play, lulling his family into utter peacefulness with every movement of his bow against the perfectly taut violin strings.
Author's note: I needed something light after the last chapter, so came about this little (by little I mean long) chapter. I had been wanting to shine some light on Uncas and Alice and Christmas surrounded by a winter wonderland seemed like a nice setting for romance.
**In case anyone was curious... I actually wrote Martin with his secret talent several chapters ago, but when I was writing and rewriting, it sadly got cut!
For BlueSafire: Pru's inner strength comes from the promise she made to herself the night Chingachgook found her in the forest. She had decided then to survive and always make the most of the life she had been given. She will always aim to keep that promise herself. Plus, as Nathaniel's sister she can't help but be bold and brave!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed BrynnaRaven, BlueSaffire,TiaMaria710 and my story's guest. Your support really means a lot to me!
Thanks for reading :)