Chapter 1 - A Gift Of Friendship

It was the day after Captain John Smith had embarked on the ship on his return voyage from Virginia to London, England. Some of the Englishmen had returned home on the ship while the other half had elected to stay in America and build the town of Jamestown. Governor Radcliffe was to stand trial for his crimes once back in London. All staying or leaving had wished Captain Smith a speedy recovery and a return soon to Virginia.

Meanwhile in Chief Powhatan's village, the chief's daughter Pocahontas sat in the chief's log-house thinking sadly that day of John Smith's leaving, and of Kocoum's near-death and the near outbreak of war between the settlers and natives that she had stopped from occurring. Though John Smith was much older than her, she had befriended him and wondered when he would return.

The warrior Kocoum had made a swift recovery and was already on his feet again. The maiden Nakoma had helped him recover and the two now seemed to be courting. He could be seen sitting and playing his flute for her amusement. Pocahontas thought this fitting as her friend had called the warrior "handsome" before.

As for the other involved in the scuffle, the ship's cabin boy named Thomas, he had been forgiven by the chief for not aiming the "thunder-stick" and only wanting to make a loud sound to stop the altercation. Kocoum had merely fainted from the exertion of the fight and the unfamiliar loud noise. All involved in the fight were now forgiven, perhaps even on the way to becoming friends, though Pocahontas wondered if the fight had somehow been over her.

It was unusual for Pocahontas to be found in the chief's log-house this time of day, as she usually snuck out of the village and away from the daily chores to play in the forest and on the river with her animal friends. But today she could be found in the dark, cool log-house deep in her own thoughts, though still accompanied by her pet raccoon Meeko and hummingbird Flit. She passed the time crushing berries for paint and dyeing thin strips of leather, crimson with cranberries, cerulean with blueberries, violet with blackberries. Then she braided the leather strips into bracelets. Meeko stole one of the finished bracelets and scurried up into the rafters with it.

"Pocahontas," called her father, Chief Powhatan at the doorway of the log-house. "There is a friend here to see you."

Pocahontas expected her friend Nakoma or even possibly to have to refuse Kocoum again, but in the doorway was the ship's cabin boy, unarmed and with a friendly but shy smile. Chief Powhatan gestured him to enter and he quickly and quietly sat on the floor a short distance away from where Pocahontas sat with her paints and bracelets. She sat with legs criss-crossed under her short doeskin fringed dress, her long raven hair reaching the floor where she sat.

Pocahontas had only encountered him twice now, tragically once at the fight in the woods and then again at John Smith's embarking on the ship. She wasn't sure what to think of him. He was dressed in English clothing, green like the forest. He had hair of a different color than she'd ever seen, red like a cardinal's feathers or the sky at sunset, hanging around his eyes.

"Princess," he said respectfully in English, nodding his head. "I was sent here on a mission of peace by everyone back at the camp. We're grateful for the gifts of food you gave to us. Half we loaded onto the ship for supplies and half we kept in the camp. We're working on building our own village there, called Jamestown. But honestly we don't know what we're doing for food yet. We were wondering if we could come to you again when our supplies run out, maybe every now and then. And what would you want in return?"

"The baskets of food were gifts out of good will," Pocahontas answered. "There is no need to give something in return for a gift."

The boy breathed a sigh of relief.

"We could give you seeds to plant at your village, and make sure you have enough food until you can grow your own."

"And what would you want in return? Perhaps we could trade."

"A fair trade is good," she replied. "But I hardly know what you could give in return. John Smith mentioned the wonderful things you have back in your village of London. But there's no need to worry about it."

"Perhaps we'll surprise you then," he said with a smile. "Much thanks, Princess."

"Out of curiosity, why did my father send you to talk to me?" she asked smiling back.

"He said you're good at English, and he thought we might see eye-to-eye with someone our own age."

Pocahontas laughed. "The second half might be true."

"And what might the princess' name be?" the boy asked shyly.

"Pocahontas," she answered. "It means 'little mischievous one.'" She held out her hand in an English handshake as John Smith had taught her to do. "And what's your name?"

The boy repeated her name carefully to memorize it. Then he said his name in reply. "Thomas," he said. Though instead of shaking her hand he held it with his hand a moment and hovered over it.

Pocahontas repeated his name as well. When she moved to stand up, the boy stood quickly and pulled her up by the hand. Then she grabbed her raccoon, Meeko, from a post and pulled the bracelet away from him. "Here," she said to the boy. "Keep this as a gift from me." She slipped the multi-colored braided leather bracelet around his wrist.

He looked at it a moment. "Thank you again, Princess."

"You're always welcome here in the village."

"And you at the camp, if you'd like to visit."

"Perhaps I will."

He nodded at her, then backed out of the log-house and into the bright sunlight beyond. Pocahontas was left again with her thoughts all to herself.