Chapter 8: The Hanged Man
"She still remembers a time that was uncomplicated
But sure as the sun rise, she's seen things that you'll never see
Losses and heartache amount to her strength
But, oh, how they all take their toll
She's still here fighting
Better know, there's life in her yet
Time will take us all
And turn us into stone
It leaves us with regret
And picks apart the threads
Hung over fragile bones
Let her go
I can't let her go
I can't let her go
Her hands tell the story
Of hardships that we'll never know
Her face is a map of
A lifetime on well travelled road
But those eyes tell nothing
Of a soul that is spared
A heart that is longing for death
She's still here fighting
Better know, there's life in yet
Time will take us all
And turn us into stones
It leaves us with regret
And picks apart the threads
Hung over fragile bones
Let her go
I can't let her go
I can't let her go
Let her go
I can't let her go
I can't let her go
Let her go
Let her go
Let her go"
-Life in Her Yet
Rag'n'Bone Man
(For Pru)
Pru leaned her head back, watching the green leaves as they smiled and waved back at her. Their splendid waltz from the branches above begging her to share in their sweet contentment of just being. She stared between the dancing emerald sky, fighting with her eyes to peer into the sun's stinging rays as she silently searched in Mother Nature's glory for something, anything to strike her from the state of numbness she now found herself in, when she saw it. She angled her head, her blue eyes fixated on the intricate pattern that weaved its way through bark of the tree just beyond where they were sitting. Her mouth fell open as the curve of the bark popped out at her. A face. A nightmare. Pru quickly pinched her eyelids shut, desperate to force away the image from her mind. She sucked in a small shallow breath filled with the suffocating moisture of summer, letting the burn radiate out through her limbs. Her eyes drifted swiftly across her the blackness of her eyelids and she watched in paralyzed horror as her nightmare broke its way free to the day.
"No! Stop!"
Pru pushed her arms up and out, fighting her hardest to push the solid mass that hovered on top of her away. She kicked with her legs, now bare and fully exposed, against his thick hairy legs. She slapped and scratched at his face. His filthy skin and blood embedded deep under her nails. "Stooo!" She screamed again. Her voice shifting from words to a strangled cry when she felt her bones crack and break beneath the skin of her palms. Her body arched upwards against the pain and she heard him whisper…
"Ahhhh…so pretty."
"No! No! No!"
"Pru…Pru…"
She froze. The voice, soft and gentle. She shifted her head in the dirt, her eyes peering east as the sun began to ascend upon her.
"Pru…I'm here."
"Keesog?"
"Pru…"
Suddenly she was in his arms. Her head against his chest. Her body curled up tightly in his lap. She felt his tender touch as he glided his palms up and down along her back.
"Pru…I'm here."
Pru blinked rapidly, unable to determine what was real and what was memory. Was her Keesog there? Had he driven away her nightmare? No. Something was different. She could feel the weight of the whiskey, deluding her rational thought and making her head whirl with a rhythmic pounding that was cracking at her skull. She reached up and stroked her face, vigorously dragging her fingertips down the length of her sweat covered skin. Until they fell in white knuckled fists into her lap. Her head was consumed with dark flashes from a night she knew she was desperate to be free from. Was she still in the darkness? Pru could see his face, hovering over top of her. His long hair brushing against her cheeks as he forced himself inside of her. She could see his brown teeth curling into a wickedly contorted smirk as her back scratched against the forest floor. The tiny pebbles that littered the ground, each finding a way to bury themselves in her naked skin. How the feel of the cold night air licked at her exposed skin, making her forever hate the chill of the nighttime breeze. Pru could feel her chest suddenly tighten. The way it had when he pressed his hand down hard upon her, forcing her down deeper into the cold hard dirt and she unconsciously grabbed frantically at her chest. "NO!" She screamed, as she clutched at the restrictive fabric along her breasts. Her fingers yanking hard at her bodice with shaking hands as she frantically tried to set herself free of it. Hot tears had begun to stream down her cheeks and her body instinctively began rocking itself back and forth, desperately trying to usher herself into a state of calm. She continued to fumble with her dress, somehow managing to knot her own thin fingers in its laces. When suddenly, silently, she felt a soft, warm touch upon her skin and her frightened eyes finally flew fully open. Pru stared straight ahead, her vision a blurry mix of sweat, tears and booze and instinctively began cowering away from the tender touch.
"Pru?"
She stopped. Frozen in place at the sound of the voice. It was different than the one in her dreams, not quite laced with the sweetness of honey though still familiar, calming and soft. She knew it, recognized it.
"Pru? It's Nathaniel," he softly spoke, his voice like a whisper on the air as it filled her ears. "I'm going to pull your fingers out of the laces of your dress and then I am going to untie the top so you can breath a bit better…okay?"
Pru gulped hard, her throat burning against her saliva and slowly nodded her head yes.
"Okay. I'm going to do it now," Nathaniel said, keeping his voice soft and steady as he carefully unwound the laces from around her now swollen and red fingers. After freeing her hands from her dress, he held her palms for a moment, rubbing the tips of her bulging fingers before gently placing them in her lap and moving back up to the bodice of her dress. "I'm going to undo the laces a bit now. Not a lot…just a little okay?"
Pru nodded her head yes, peering into her brother's bright blue eyes and seeing him clearly for the first time allowed her body to slump slightly.
Nathaniel smiled softly down at her when he realized she was staring back up at him and knowing that she was coming out of the state of fear she had been momentarily gripped in. He shifted his eyes from hers, focusing on the knots in her laces began swiftly untying them one at a time carefully exposing a small portion of her white shift and listening intently as she took her first sound breath in several minutes. He sighed with relief when her breathing returned to its normal functional state and leaned forward placing his forehead against her own. "I am here with you. Uncas is here with you. Martin is here with you. You are safe…I promise you," he whispered into her worn face.
Pru blinked her eyes a few more times before lifting her hands around his back and curling fully into his embrace. "I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Nothing to be sorry about," Nathaniel said into her hair as he peered over her head directly into Martin's completely forlorn eyes. He could see the dried lines that ran down his friends cheeks telling the tale of his own fallen tears. Tears that he had made no move to wipe away. They shared a silent moment of pain between them, a muted understanding deeper than any conversation they could have ever had with words. Both seeming to thoroughly realize the sheer terror that she had faced that night. Nathaniel eyes lingered on his friends for a moment then remembering Uncas, shifted his gaze towards his little brother.
Uncas had pulled his legs up into his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around them. His head was downcast, buried in the crook of his own arms while he rocked swiftly back and forth on his bottom and heels. Nathaniel could hear his heavy sobs, though slightly muffled beneath his head and hair and he reached out with one arm placing his wide palm atop his brother's head. "Shhh…it's okay. Everything is okay," Nathaniel soothed, not sure whether he was talking to Uncas or Pru, or even himself or Martin. He glanced over at Martin, silently pleading with him to help him and began tilting his head repetitively in Uncas' direction.
Martin quickly snapped out of his paralyzed state and scooted over to Uncas, wrapping his long arm around his back and pulling him tightly against his side. Nathaniel mouthed thank you and slowly withdrew his hand from his brother's head, knowing that he could truly only comfort one of his siblings at this moment and right now it needed to be Pru. He shifted his weight and tugged her tighter to his side. When he was taken off guard by her hoarse voice.
"I see his face…hovering so clo….close to mine," Pru breathed through her tears, her fists clutched against Nathaniel's lean back. "His filthy brown teeth…his mouth looked black, completely void of any light. That's how all of my nightmares begin. In a wave of darkness." Pru pressed her face against Nathaniel's chest, muffling her voice and continued, "Until suddenly there is a flood of bright golden light and I see…" She trailed off mid thought and tilted her head up towards Nathaniels', tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she whispered through a croaked voice, "…my Keesog."
Nathaniel smiled softly down at her, gently caressing her head with his hand. It was in this moment that he truly understood his sister's feelings. How her mind and heart had intertwined themselves. He had been just outside the cabin door when they first arrived at the farm and he had heard her call Martin Keesog, her sun. He had hardly acknowledged it at the time but now he understood the inner battle that she silently fought. A battle that she had mentally enlisted his best friend to help her fight. Her light in the darkness. Nathaniel could not help the growing smile that crept across his lips, knowing that of all of the men that walked this earth, his little sister's heart was in no better hands than his best friend. He peered over at Martin, trying to gauge if he had heard Pru's words and quickly realized he was oblivious having been too distracted with Uncas. Nathaniel sighed with relief and rested the side of his head atop her own and whispered, "I understand now." He heard her hum something unintelligible and only a moment later felt her body sag against his own and her breathing settle to a soft murmur. Knowing she had fallen asleep in his arms Nathaniel finally turned his attention to a still weeping Uncas. Martin was holding him similarly to how he was holding Pru and while Nathaniel knew Uncas had begun to calm a bit, he knew that this moment was not going to be something that Uncas would easily overcome. He reached out his hand, nudging his little brother's shoulder and said, "Uncas...look at me."
Uncas breathed heavily against his forearm. A mixture of snot and tears staining the skin and spreading its way across his forearm. His body was tilted into Martins' and he could feel his friends gentle touch upon his head. Over and over again, Martin ran his hand along his long hair, down to the tips and back up again. The soothing sensation had just begun to calm his racing heart when he heard his brother's voice echo through his ears. Uncas peeked up just over the his glistening forearm, tentatively glancing out at Nathaniel still holding Pru's slack body in his arms. Her face was blotchy, a rough combination of tears and summer heat smudged haphazardly across her cheeks. Her eyes were closed in a serene peacefulness, of which Uncas was immediately grateful. He could hear a soft murmur of sound slipping from her lips as she unconsciously nestled herself closer into their brother's warm body. Uncas took the smallest bit of solace seeing her that way and lifting his head away from the protection of his arms said, "How could I have asked that? How could I have brought up something that I know has caused her so much pain? What was I thinking?"
"You were thinking the same thing we all have. We all want to know. We all want to ask. The whiskey just loosened your tongue."
"She'll hate me now," Uncas softly sobbed, once more losing his battle to with calm.
"No she won't," Nathaniel said as reached out and placed his left palm on Uncas snot covered arm. "Sometimes I wonder who exactly she was meant to be with more…me or you," He finished with a soft smile.
Uncas cracked a small, almost hysterical smile. Since the moment he met Pru he felt an instant connection to her, an instant type of kinship. Something he could no sooner describe as could describe why the sky was blue, as it just was. He knew Nathaniel acknowledged it and even further that he never questioned it. Only ever saying once that she had come into all of their lives for a reason and not just his own. Uncas took a deep breath and rested his weary head on Martin's shoulder, suddenly feeling heavy and drawn. His eyelids began slowly fluttering between open and closed as he tried focussing on Nathaniel's face once more. Trying his best to hold onto the blue of Nathaniel's eyes, Uncas whispered, "You really don't think she'll be angry at me?"
"No little brother...I don't."
Chingachgook and Sampson loomed over top of their four sleeping children. Nathaniel lay flat on his back, his right arm extended out with his forearm acting as a makeshift pillow for Pru's head. His legs were spread out in a slight V shape and his left arm was draped lightly across his belly. Pru was curled on her side, facing away from all of the boys, with her head resting atop Nathaniel's wrist and both of her palms loosely clutching onto his right hand. Martin and Uncas were both leaning back against the thick trunk of the tree that shaded them. Uncas's head nestled against Martin's shoulder, while Martin's arm laid protectively around his back. All four of them so deep in slumber, that none of them had heard, their fathers approach not once but twice.
When first they were discovered, Chingachgook and Sampson had frantically begun shifting between them as they both began quickly examining them for any signs of injury. Both father's touching random limbs and pulses. Until Sampson knocked his foot against an empty glass bottle and recognized it immediately as one from his stock. When he lifted his head towards Chingachgook and saw him holding a half drunk second bottle of whisky, his concern swiftly faded into the same fury tinted annoyance that now plagued his friend's face. Both men rising to their feet and heading back to the cabin, only to return with two, filled to the brim, buckets of water. Chingachgook stood in front of Uncas and Martin, while Sampson stood before Nathaniel and Pru, and after a quick nod between them, each tossed the water from their buckets onto their sleeping children.
The sudden shock of the chilly water had had its desired effect. Martin, suddenly shocked, slipped sideways and collided roughly with the dirt on his left side. Instantly waking him from his drunken stupor. While Uncas, still unconscious from drink, landed neatly with his head in Martin's lap. Nathaniel flayed about his arms and legs, unsure for a moment of what was happening. The rapid movement of his arms having knocked Pru's head off of him and into the dirt, where she had rolled onto all fours and began violently coughing.
"Pru?" Nathaniel said after recovering his bearings.
"You worry about you," Sampson said pointedly and in a rather harsh tone to Nathaniel as he squatted down beside Pru, who began repeatedly vomiting. He gently twirled her loose hair around his left fist and began softly rubbing her back in an up and down motion. "There, there...you're okay sweet girl," he cooed into her ear.
"Sampson?" Chingachgook questioned, beside a still unconscious Uncas.
"She'll be alright, Chingachgook. Just needs to get it all out of her system," Sampson said reassuringly.
Chingachgook sighed at the state of his children, shaking his head back and forth, and frustratedly kicked Nathaniel's thigh and firmly said, "Up. You and Martin take the buckets." When neither boy made a move he emphasized, "Now!" Chingachgook hardly ever raised his voice not only to his children but in general and it was enough to send both boys quickly to their feet, each grabbing a bucket in their hands. He then slung Uncas up and over his shoulder, his son's long, lean arms dangling well past his back and grabbed Nathaniel by the back of the neck, walked over to Sampson and Martin.
Sampson stayed crouched beside Pru for another moment, giving her all the time she needed release her stomach. When she seemed to have retched her entire belly, Pru leaned on her knees, wiping the remaining vomit from her mouth and sheepishly peered behind her. "I don't feel well," she softly stated as she wrapped both arms around her middle and rested her head against Sampson's shoulder.
"I would bet you don't after a bottle and a half of whiskey," Sampson said rubbing the back of her head and scooping her up in his arms. He lifted her up off the ground as he rose to his feet and turned to Martin and Nathaniel, "Go to the lake, bathe and bring back water for Uncas and Pru. Be back before sunset." Then turning on his heels, began following Chingachgook back to the cabin.
"That could have been worse," Nathaniel said, watching as their fathers disappeared into the forest's thick foliage, Uncas and Pru both dangling helplessly in their arms.
"It's because Pru got sick. The doctor in Sampson temporarily deferred the angry father," Martin said hoisting the bucket up onto hip. "We better go quickly. It'll be dark soon and we won't be forgiven twice in one night."
Chingachgook and Sampson sat across from each other at the wooden dining table, enjoying mouthful after delicious mouthful of fresh venison stew. The fire in the hearth was strong and with the heat that radiated from it combined with the day's humidity, both men had gone through the cabin opening up every window in the hopes of relieving some of the cabin's sweltering stuffiness. Not a single word had been spoken yet since the boys return from the lake and the looming silence in the cabin made every small sound echo like a war cry before battle. The crickets sweet symphony played loudly in the background, mixing with the soft thrashing sound of the leaves in the trees just beyond the glade. Nathaniel and Martin sat each beside their father, staring at the bowl of slop that had been set before them as their supper. They glanced from their food to that of their fathers, both boys salivating as they watched Chingachgook and Sampson happily enjoy their heavenly smelling meal. The stew gave off a glorious aroma of perfectly seared meat, mixed with the starchy smell of potatoes seasoned with expert precision from a variety of different spices that invaded their noses and made their stomachs churn with unfulfilled desire. The serving of disgusting glop for their supper was certainly a punishment for their thieving and drunken ways and while Nathaniel and Martin were thankful that they did not find themselves in a worse way when they returned to the cabin. The idea of consuming such a disgusting meal while their fathers emphasized each delightful bite of their own food, was less than enticing.
"What's the matter boys, not enjoying your supper?" Sampson said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Eat, eat. After the day you had, I would imagine you are both extremely hungry," Chingachgook added as he spooned another mouthful of stew into his mouth and licked his lips as a small dribble seeped from his mouth. "This came out even better than the last time you made it," Chingachgook said raising his spoon to Sampson in appreciation of a meal well cooked. "Did you use different spices?"
Sampson smiled widely and said, "I may have experimented a bit more with my recipe this time. I'm glad you are enjoying it."
Nathaniel and Martin stared across at each other, each fighting desperately against the urge to roll their eyes at the way their fathers were flaunting the deliciousness of their meal and began slowly, rhythmically, spooning mouthful after disgusting mouthful of slop into their barely parted lips. Until finally they had reached the bottom of their bowls and each dropped their spoons, clanking them against the wooden table in weak triumph of having actually finished their grotesque supper and quickly grabbed for their cups of water, knocking them together in a bizarre sort of toast and began hastily guzzling down the water, effectively cleaning their pallets of the gross taste.
"Father? Sampson?" Nathaniel began after placing his cup back down on the table, "Can me and Martin sleep outside tonight?"
Chingachook looked up at Sampson, who nodded his head so slightly had he not been seeking out some sign of agreement he might have missed it, then turned his attention back towards boys and said, "This will never happen again. Do you two understand me? While you two seem to think you are old enough or healthy enough to withstand the consumption of that much drink, I can assure you that Uncas and Pru are not. Uncas has still yet to wake up and will, I am sure, suffer tomorrow from the pains of drink. And Pru…," He leaned forward, his eye darkening with anger, continued with, "…Pru," Chingachgook tried to continue and could not. Listening to Pru's drunken babbling from their walk home had nearly put both him and Sampson in tears as she unconsciously recounted bits and pieces of the night that he had found her in the forest. Descriptions of things that he knew she would never recount had she been sober and making his heart ache all over again.
Sampson reached out and placed his palm on Chingachgook's shoulder in quiet understanding and said, "Sometimes the whiskey opens up you lips and heart in a way that you might not want it to. Whatever was said between you all in the forest, should stay there in the forest. Do you boys understand me?"
"Yes Father."
"Yes Sampson."
Both boys said almost immediately and in unison.
"Then off you go outside to sleep or vomit up that disgusting supper…whichever comes first!" Sampson said with a mischievous grin and an exaggerated wink of his eye.
Nathaniel and Martin laid in the cool grass just in front of the cabin. Their backs nestled softly into nature's lush pillow as the thin blades of the glade tickled up at their skin. The air was cooler now and they could feel the soft caress of Mother Nature's sweet breath as the breeze filtered in around them, relieving them of the days hot and sticky sensations. The day had been long and staring up at the glistening diamond dusted stars had been both boys only escape from the plethora of thoughts that currently plagued them. That is until Nathaniel heard Martin's breathing shift and his feet began smacking rhythmically against each other. The agitated sound melding into nature's chorus like a soft drum beat. Nathaniel waited a moment, hoping whatever thought was in Martin's head would subside, before he delved into his friend's semi silent thoughts. When seconds turned into minutes and Martin continued his flustered movements, Nathaniel rolled onto his side and said, "You want to talk about it?"
Martin slid his head along the grass, facing Nathaniel and asked, "Who is Chaska?"
"Chaska is our friend at the Delaware camp," Nathaniel snickered.
Martin pulled himself up into a seated position and shoved Nathaniel backwards into the grass, "You think this is funny?"
"Yeah kinda!" He said rubbing his shoulder and pulling himself back up.
"Pru's not stupid. That question about my eyes...," Martin trailed off and covered his face with his hands. "Ugh!"
Nathaniel leaned forward and wiggled two fingers in front of Martin's face and said, "Two things happened with that question. One, you got to hear Pru give a very beautiful, dare I say, heartwarming speech about your eyes! The color of springtime...if I remember correctly," Nathaniel winked and even in the darkness could see the bright crimson that had flooded its way into Martin's cheeks. "And two, because you got to hear it, now you know," Nathaniel said, tilting his head to the side and raising both his eyebrows in silent understanding.
"Know what? She was drunk. What if she didn't mean any of it?" Martin said tugging at the grass on either side of him in frustration.
"Yeah, just like she didn't MEAN any of the other stuff she said," Nathaniel said leaning back on his palms and staring up into the night sky as his mind filled with the heartbreaking image of Pru panicking from the afternoon. Her painful expression speaking to him in a way he knew her words never would. Why did this have to happen to her and why had fate been so cruel as to force them apart at such a young age, leaving her defenseless without her big brother to protect her?
Martin pinched his eyes shut and dug his nails further into the dirt below him. He, like Nathaniel and Uncas, had wanted to know what had happened that horrific night. They had each almost asked her several times last autumn and when presented with the opportunity, they had each cowered away from it. When Uncas drunkenly blurted out the question he had felt an odd mixture of eagerness and disdain at potentially learning what happened that night. Though his eagerness quickly vanished when Pru became consumed by her nightmarish trance. Watching her disappear into the darkness was enough for Martin to vow that he would never be party to asking her about it again. If she wanted to talk about it he would listen, but it would be her choice. Martin took a deep breath, opening his eyes and said, "Nathaniel..."
"I can't talk about it anymore then you can," He said turning his face away from the stars and peering into Martin's eyes. "Listen, don't worry about Chaska. He's our friend and nothing more...alright? You can't control how anyone else in this world feels about Pru. But I wouldn't worry too much friend, as it is Pru literally wore out your maroon shirt. She'll prob be needing a fresh one before we leave," Nathaniel finished with a wry smile and a soft nudge at Martin's shoulder.
"What does keesog mean?"
"Oh no you don't. If you want to know...ask Pru," Nathaniel said with a laugh.
"Fine," Martin conceded and threw a handful of grass at him. "And what of your woman...Tanda."
Nathaniel easily dodged the grass and said, "Tanda is...beautiful. She's kind and funny. Mostly quiet, but you can tell that's only because she is assessing the world around her. She works closely with Pru under the nentpike's guidance."
"And?"
"And...we laid to together before we left to come here." Nathaniel turned his head back to the stars and continued with, "It was my first time with a girl and it was incredible. I've never felt anything like it in all my life." He mused over the stars for a moment, silently wondering if she too was staring up at the night sky and longing for him the way he longed for her. He closed is eyes silently reminiscing about her touch, her feel, the smell of her breath and without realizing whispered, "I think I love her."
Martin leaned back on his own palms, not wanting to disturb his friend from the visions he knew were dancing in his head right then and let his own mind wander off to a place of comfort and warmth. A place where all he could see was the thick weave of a dark brown braid and the intoxicating hue of Pru's cerulean blue eyes.
Uncas gently pushed open Martin's bedroom door, peaking his head in through the small crack between the door and its frame. The room was still relatively dark, with only a small stream of morning light wafting in through the window. "Pru?" Uncas whispered, "Pru, are you awake?"
"Hmmm?" She cooed from her snuggled up sideways position on the bed.
"Pru?"
Pru knew without opening her eyes or turning her head away from the comfort of her pillow who was whispering her name and lifted her right arm up high into the air, beckoning her little brother into the room with a few wiggles of her fingers. Uncas slid silently in through the small crack he created and after carefully closing the door behind him, tip toed across the creaky floorboards over to the bed. He stood silently beside the bed, shifting his weight from side to side until Pru peaked out at him through her one slightly opened eye and reached out for him. She circled her fingers around his left forearm and yanked him into the bed with her. Uncas giggled as he rolled onto his right side, positioning himself so he was nose to nose with her and said, "Pru...I'm sorry about yesterday. I didn't mean to..."
Pru snaked her right arm around his back and slid her left out from beneath Martin's pillow, pressing her pointer and middle fingers up against his lips and softly whispered, "I love you Uncas."
Uncas felt his eyes well up with the same hot tears of the day before and gently touched his forehead to her own. It was the only thing he could hear right now that would have put his heart at ease and she knew it. Uncas reached up between them and laced his fingers into the ones still pressed against his lips. He drew their joined hands to his chest and gently rubbed her knuckles with his thumb. "I love you Pru," he whispered into her drowsy face as he peered down his nose at her and watched as her eyes fell shut again in an easy slumber. A tranquil state as though nothing had ever happened between them. Uncas draped his left arm across her waist and after kissing the tip of her nose, let his own eyelashes fall droopingly over top of his eyes as he too drifted back into sleep.
Chingachgook stood with arms across his chest, leaning against the doorframe to Martin's bedroom and watching Uncas and Pru as they lay snoring peacefully beside one another. He had heard their whispered 'I love you's' from between the wooden walls and as any father would, rose to check on his children. What began as a moment had turned into an hour as he just stood silently observing them, taking in each soft sleepy breathe as it passed through their lips and filtered out into the room. In and out, over and over again. Their long limbs tangled up around each other, just like when they slept on the hides in the wigwam. Chingachgook sighed as he watched them, wordlessly wishing that they could stay as they are in this moment, young and pure, for just a little bit longer. He swiveled his head to the left at the sound of Nathaniel's illustrious laugh and smiled softly as he watched him and Martin tentatively peer into the bubbling pot that hung in the hearth. No doubt both boys hoping to find edible food for themselves, after last night's gruel punishment. He chuckled to himself at the thought, letting his eyes linger on his oldest son. Nathaniel had seemingly grown over night, standing several inches taller than he was only a few short months ago when they first arrived at the farm. His hair was longer and wavier than it had been and a soft stubble had begun creeping its way across his cheeks. Where had the time gone? He thought. It seemed only yesterday he was waddling naked to the stream for his bath shaking his pewter rattle wildly in his hand. Watching him now, Chingachgook knew Nathaniel was a man. It was clearly defined in all of his movements. He had transformed before his very eyes from a rascally little boy into a strong warrior and kind man. Someone who would love with his whole heart and do anything for those he gave that heart too, no matter the sacrifice on his own part. Chingachgook swelled with pride as he stared at his son. Proud of the man Nathaniel had become and proud that he had been honored by The Great Spirit to raise him. Though with this revelation, he knew as was life, that it was only a matter of time before Nathaniel would move on from their small family of four and one day take a wife of his own, blessing this world with his own children. While it pleased him to think of his son's future, Chingachgook could not help but winced as a pang of loneliness radiated throughout his chest. First it had been his beloved wife to leave him and now Nathaniel could be gone at any time. He heard a soft murmur from the bedroom and turned his eyes back to Uncas and Pru as they began to stir to the noises of the day. Sighing once more to himself, Chingachgook silently called out to The Great Spirit and calmly requested that he might at least hold onto Uncas and Pru as children for just a little while longer.
Author's Note : Never have I heard a song that so perfectly encompassed Pru...and well many other things... for me as "Life in Her Yet" by Rag'n'Bone Man. Thank you BrynnaRaven for bringing it into my life! Though try as I might I could not get my computer to center it, so it's just hanging out on the left. ;)
Pru experiences a pretty wicked case of PTSD here. She had a small episode in Bound Together, but here she is younger and the whole situation is fresher. First she falls into her nightmare, then spirals down further the rabbit hole and begins feeling like it is actually happening all over again. Seeing her like that was terrible on the boys. Martin begins to silently cry, while Uncas damn near has a panic attack for asking the question in the first place and leaving Nathaniel as the only semi calm one to take the lead and try and snap her out of it. Which I think he does brilliantly. Though even he feels overwhelmed at one point and silently begs Martin to help him out with Uncas. The poor guy only has two hands. And Poor Uncas who took this so so hard, knowing that he was the cause of Pru's breakdown...When I have them connect at the end, I wanted it to be clear that Pru was not angry at him for asking the question. Instead, beckoning him to come back to sleep with her. She doesn't want to talk about it, doesn't really want to even think about it and since she never really wanted them to know, will go above and beyond to not address it.
I threw in there a little punishment, Sampson and Chingachgook style. And a bonding moment between Nathaniel and Martin. Obviously, Nathaniel is well aware of his best friends feelings for his sister and even gladly accepts them. You will see how powerful that acceptance is later on.
Then the end...Chingachgook wishing his children could stay children for just a wee bit longer. This is important because it will play a large part in an upcoming theme just a few short chapters away...
** Keesog...Mohican for sun
The title...The Hanged Man is meant to reference the Tarot card The Hanged Man- Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy Reversed: Selfishness, the crowd, body politic.
Thank you to everyone who viewed/reviewed MohawkWoman, BrynnaRaven, Evermore22, AsterLaurel, KuBu14, ELY72, BlueSaffire your support is amazing and truly soooo appreciated! Thank you ;)
**It'a VADER: Thank you for your review. I really appreciated it!
Thanks for reading ;)
