Hey first off I want to thank those who reviewed my fic. You're the reason I write. Secondly I know it's confusing that I changed the title from Behind The Scenes, but ever since the second day I was writing and I looked at the title and thought "yuck. What was I thinking?" I've known that it needed a new name. Still not great. I suck at naming things, but better I think.
Thomas stepped out in front of the tree trunk wall once more. Where was she? It was getting late and she had been missing all day. Dread consumed him that she might have gone to the stream and been taken captive, but when he had gone to the stream he hadn't seen any sign of her. Hopefully she would be back soon. Still, he was feeling rather uneasy, so it was not a wonder he almost shot John Smith when he snapped a twig close behind. "Easy Thomas it's me." He said.
Thomas gasped. "Oh John. I could've killed you." But John just laughed.
"Not aiming like that you wouldn't." he came over to Thomas to demonstrate. "Keep both eyes open when you shoot. You'll see twice as well." Then he was gone. With one more look around for her, Thomas stepped back inside the safety of the camp.
There the gov was questioning John about where he had been. "I was out scouting the terrain, sir." Smith answered.
"Excellent." The governor replied. "Then you must know the Indians' whereabouts. We will need that information for the battle."
"What battle?" Smith interrupted almost angrily, it seemed to Thomas.
"We will eliminate these savages once and for all."
"No! You can't do that." Smith was definitely angry. But why? Thomas stared intently at his curious captain almost forgetting the girl with his curiosity.
"Oh. Can't I?" replied Ratcliff so coolly that Thomas felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Look. We don't have to fight them." That was it. Thomas couldn't remain a spectator. He was too interested.
"John, what's gotten into you?" he interrupted.
"I met one of them." Smith answered simply. Thomas was taken aback. Apparently so were the other men who quickly joined the conversation.
"You what?" one interrogated.
"A savage?" Thomas accused.
"They're not savages." Smith replied impatiently. "They can help us. They know the land. They know how to navigate the rivers. And look." He pulled something strange from his bag, "It's food."
"What is it?" the men wanted to know.
"It's better than heart attack and gruel, that's for sure."
"I like gruel." the pathetic brown-noser Wiggins felt the need to add.
Ratcliff had heard enough. He interrupted angrily. "They don't want to feed us you ninnies! They want to kill us! All of us! They've got our gold! And they'll do anything to keep it!"
"But there is no gold." Smith interrupted.
"No gold?" all were in disbelief.
"And I suppose your little Indian friend told you this?" Ratcliff teased.
"Yes." Smith replied firmly, holding his ground.
"Lies!" Ratcliff attacked. "Lies! All of it! Murderous thieves! There's no room for that kind in civilized society."
"But this is their land!" Smith countered.
"This is MY land!" The governor was enraged. "I make the laws here! And I say: 'Anyone who so much as looks at an Indian without killing him on sight will be tried for treason and hanged!"
Kokoum looked up. In the distance he could hear war cries. "The warriors are here!" he heard shouted and everyone ran to the riverbank to welcome their allies. Kokoum followed, not sure what to think of the arrival of these warriors. It would mean that their war would begin soon. But he mustn't appear so unhappy. Their arrival was good news. People would be suspicious if they saw his uncertainty. Then he saw Pocahontas. Finally he would be able to talk to her about his new found love. He walked over to where she stood with Nakoma. "There you are."
"Kokoum." Pocahontas seemed surprised. He didn't want to embarrass her thinking that maybe he interrupted some secret conversation and took this opportunity to fortify the idea that he was happy that the warriors had come and that he hadn't noticed her embarrassed surprise.
"Look at them." He began and he anchored her shoulders with his arm in hopes that she might get the message that he wanted to talk to her. "Now we have enough warriors to destroy those white demons." Something inside him hurt with these words for he knew them to be false. He did not want to see these strange men die. Well, he did not want to see a particular woman put in danger.
The two chiefs turned to their people and Powhatan spoke. "Now that we are joined by our brothers, we will defeat this enemy." Again Kokoum's heart plummeted and Pocahontas was gone before he could stop her. Disappointment filled him anew.
Anxiety filled him as the counsel gathered. Why should he feel this way about her at all? It was all so strange. They didn't even speak the same language. But he felt like he knew her. Like he really could read her soul through her eyes. They were truly very expressive. More expressive and bold than any eyes he had ever seen. But what seemed so strange to him about them, what appealed to him most, was that they seemed so trusting. Perhaps it was her naivety that led her to be so trusting. But it was different. It was as if she knew he wouldn't hurt her. Not that she never considered the possibility. As if she could see past his stoic façade to what he really thought, what he really felt. He had looked into other eyes before, but had never known until he met her that he only looked at those eyes, not through them. He sighed heavily. Maybe that was what made her so attractive. Before he had seen her pale skin had held no appeal. The strange new men were ugly. Their skin looked sick. But hers didn't. She was flawless. And that had to have been because he cared about her. It was true. How could he deceive someone so trusting? How could he not live up to her expectations of him? He couldn't stop thinking about her.
Rebecca sat by the campfire. The men were still awake so there was little chance for her to escape. But hopefully they wouldn't stay up too late tonight and she could go to the clearing soon. Idly, she stared at the flames. The fire. The burning passion and heat rippling before her. She had never felt passion like this before. Lust, sure. But this… this was different. This strange man could have killed her 3 different times now. But now he was hers. And she was his. And even though she couldn't talk to him, she knew he would never hurt her. He knew that there was more to this than lust. She had seen it in his eyes. His reluctance to get too close to her at first. His need to do exactly that. His fight with himself because of these battling forces within him. And finally the incredible joy that shone in his eyes when he chose the right side and passion won.
But was it just that? Passion? Surely not. Because he had hated his attraction to her at first. She had seen that when he saved her from the other Indian men. How he had grudgingly given in to the fact that he couldn't see harm happen to her. How he wished he could have looked at the situation objectively. No. This was more than passion. But what was it?
"Yeah I heard Smith talkin' 'bout his Indian friend today." Rebecca's attention was suddenly fully centered on the man who was speaking. "He's got himself a pretty little squaw and he's not sharing." Rebecca would have been disgusted if she hadn't been so shocked by the news that John Smith also had an Indian lover. Then maybe nothing bad would come of it after all.
"Yeah I heard about that." Another man chimed in. Rebecca moved closer. So did many others. "Heard he's gonna get in real good with her so she trusts him, you know? That way we have an advantage. You know, find out what their weaknesses are." Rebecca almost gasped aloud. Her heart was pounding. So it was a trick. He was deceiving the poor girl and was going to use her to get to the chief. How cruel.
For an instant she doubted the sincerity of her own lover, but then she remembered those eyes. They couldn't lie to her. He couldn't lie to her. After all, they spoke different languages. And she could read his eyes like the pages of a picture book.
"Yeah it's a new strategy 'cause they're a real tough group o' injuns. But Smith's smart. And he knows his way around a savage or two. We're sure to win this battle." Rebecca felt sick. She knew she needed to tell Kokoum as soon as possible. But… how?