My New Beginning: Part 1

Chapter 17 The Lost Memory

-Pocahontas's Village-

After a strenuous hike through the forest, Pocahontas and her archery men and women-led us into their village. The wigwams looked familiar to me. I remember seeing those designs.

"Ya'at'eeh aliil yee."

I turned to see where I heard his voice and spotted him walking toward us using his walking stick for an aid. I smiled and decided to give him a surprise.

"Ya'at'eeh Achak."

He smiled at me and turned to see my traveling companions. "I see you've brought your memories, awee. You have all of Emma's memories, but you seem troubled."

After I exhaled, I disclosed, "I have a memory that's missing. The ritual won't be able to work if I don't have it."

Achak seemed quite troubled by what I just told him. He motioned for Pocahontas and me to follow him. Pocahontas told one of the women to escort everyone to the center of the village, where they can sit around where they have their gatherings. She joined Achak and me on our way to the shaman's wigwam.

"What is lost can be found, awee," he said as we entered the wigwam, "Please sit."

Pocahontas and I took a seat as Achak waved his hand then a fire started. I watched as he picked up a bowl with some orange colored powder. He started humming.

He chanted, "Hum ah hi yah hi eee yeah yeah! (took a handful of orange powder then sprinkled it into the fire) Yum peh nah man. Yum peh nah man."

A pillow of smoke shot up to the ceiling, forming what looked like a storm cloud, but it began to develop a vision of the Enchanted Forest.

"The memory you seek can be found. It lies in your darkest past." I continued to watch as we were taken on a visual journey through the forest. He continued, "A dark curse was cast across the river separating the recipients and the caster. A fragment is left in the ashes."

Drums were pounding, and there was no one else in the room with us playing them.

"Once you look among the ashes, the memory will show itself to you."

I watched the vision in its entirety, then the smoke cleared, and Achak was gone. Pocahontas stood up.

"Come time is against us."

"Us?"

She looked at me. "You and I can cover more ground faster than anyone else in your traveling party."

She had a point, even Katherine would have slowed me down, and she has magic like I do.

"Alright, let's go."

* * * * *MY NEW BEGINNING* * * * *

-The Forest-

We traveled by horse through the thick forestry, and I decided to get to know this woman.

"Tell me about yourself. I've heard so many stories about you that I don't know which is true and which is completely bogus."

She continued to keep a lookout while she answered me, "What have you heard? I saved John Smith, had a romance, married John Rolfe, and died."

"Yes," I answered, and she laughed. She replied, "I had helped the foreign men by giving them food from our village and taught them how to hunt. I had a friendship with John Smith. He was held captive in our village because of a shooting of one of my people by one of John Smith's people. My father wanted him dead, and I talked him into keeping him in the village as just a prisoner. When he left, I stayed away from the foreign people. When John Rolfe came around, I became friends with him. I had a stronger bond with Rolfe than Smith because John Smith was always thinking of himself. I had no romantic relationships with a man, not even with one from my tribe. I still haven't met my true love yet because the prophecy didn't happen."

I made my horse pick up speed so I can catch up to her.

"Who is your true love?"

She looked into my eyes, and we both stopped our horses. She smiled and said, "It's you and Emma's son, Henry. Achak showed me when I was supposed to meet him, and it never happened. Regina, I have been experiencing extreme loneliness because I've never gotten to know him. Please, for my sake and Henry's, find that memory."

She took off, and I got my horse up to speed with Pocahontas, and I decided to ask some more questions.

"What happened to your father?"

"My father died from the sickness those people brought over. He made me the new chief on his death bed. I loved my father. He was my guiding force and my protector."

I smiled. "Your relationship with your father sounds like the one I had with mine. He would do anything to make sure I was happy."

"My father was like that, too."

The wind picked up, and Pocahontas got her horse to stop. I stopped my horse and watched this beautiful woman listen to the sounds the wind made.

"Remnants of something evil in a pile of ash."

I rolled my eyes and chuckled, "The remnants of my dark curse must be nearby."

There was a rustle and the sound of a horse. The chieftess and I exchanged worried glances then I conjured a fireball.

"Woah! Mom, it's me."

I was shocked. "Henry? What are you doing here? Where's Ella and Lucy?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "I left them at home. I told them that I needed to find you, and I have no idea why you are back here!"

"Long story, why don't we catch up?"

After we rode for some time, I explained everything, and Henry said, "Wow, so Ella is not my true love, and Pocahontas is. Why didn't we meet?"

Pocahontas smiled and explained, "The prophecy of your moms didn't happen; therefore, you and I didn't meet."

"Well, we're here together now."

Pocahontas and Henry exchanged a smile. I decided to pull back to give them two alone time, and I needed some thinking time. I can only think of where I cast the curse, but what fragment could have been left behind besides the ashes? I decided to replay the memory in my mind.

"Mom."

I looked at him, and I got my horse to stop. He looked forward, and when I nudged my horse to go ahead, it was massive destruction. The curse began here, and this was affected the most. I looked across the river to see Snow and David's castle. I dismounted the horse and secured the reigns on a low branch. Henry and Pocahontas followed my lead as we walked up to the cauldron left behind.

"We will leave you alone, Mom. Pocahontas, and I will keep a lookout."

I nodded, then I knelt among the ashes. I could hear laughter from my two lookouts, and I know keeping watch is not part of their 'leaving me alone' plan. I searched all around the cauldron, digging among the ashes and found nothing. I began to branch out away from the cauldron. I dug and bore, nothing. I branched out, further continuing to dig and not leaving one stone unturned. Finally, I remembered what Achak told me to do when I was lost; listen with your heart. I closed my eyes and cleared my mind. The wind picked up, knocking my hair out of the ponytail. Where are you? I asked myself, and then I heard something by the large uprooted tree. I quickly opened my eyes, fixed my hair back in the ponytail, and didn't have to look too long for the large uprooted tree. When I got there, I chuckled at what I saw.

"Um…am I interrupting something?"

Pocahontas and Henry were sharing an intimate moment. She blushed as they were straightening themselves up. That gush of wind had to be true love's kiss that I felt.

"Mom, it's not what it looks like!"

I laughed as I replied, "Henry, you don't have to explain. You're a grown man, and she's a beautiful woman. You both have needs, and I happened to walk in on it just getting started. Next time, wait until I'm not around even though that was kind of kinky that your mother was a few feet away…"

"Mom!"

I decided it was enough torture for now. I'll torture them on the ride back. Right now, I have a memory to find. As I looked around the roots, I didn't find any ashes, so I made my way around and bingo! I ran to the only pile of ash there was, and I began to dig. Ashes were flying everywhere! Could have sworn I was a dog in a previous life by the way I was digging! Suddenly, like a movie, I tossed the long sliver of paper with the written spell on it into the cauldron than the curse beginning to spin like a tornado before us played out. After it finished, I looked at a small piece of the spell that was left behind. I picked it up and smiled.

"Soon, Emma, very soon."

I began walking to the horses, and I decided to call out to the new love birds. "Finish doing what you're doing and meet me back at the village!"

"Mom, how the hell do you know!"

I smiled and replied, "Because your Ma and I would have been doing the same thing."

I heard Pocahontas laugh, and Henry replied, "Way to kill the mood, Mom."

"To tell you the truth, we would have been making love instead of making out."

"Mom!"

Pocahontas was laughing so hard, and Henry was blushing bright red. Mission accomplished. Mom: four points. Henry: zero.