Many Horses 6

Eagle cries spotted his brother riding in very slowly and quietly. He got the hint and quickly but silently peeled off into some trees. Walks Far rode in closer to Many Horses who seemed to be looking off into the far horizon studying something intently. He wondered for a brief second if there were riders in the distance but knew even the Cheyenne would not be stupid enough to have come this far and think they could make it back to their own people once the snows began.

Many Horses looked over as he pulled along side her but didn't seem very surprised to see him.

"thank you?" she said quietly rubbing the horses neck.

Walks far simply nodded trying to discern exactly what she was looking at.

"when I was eleven summers my people spent the summer there. We camped with many other Cheyenne and made friends with the Lakota but I think it was for the purpose of showing that if anyone came against us we had many men capable of fighting.

Walks far remembered what she was saying, he had been a young capable man then and had ridden with several others to take a look at what was going on.

"I first met kills many there but I didn't like him, he was arrogant and liked to show off"

"he did not change much, he still has a very big ego"

Walks Far bit down on her lip. She was at least smart enough to know that defending Kills Many would get her nowhere. Kills Many had changed, that was why she had finally agreed to marry him.

"you were never young and cocky?"

Walks far took a deep breath and looked over at her "I was, for a time but I had to become more serious about things. I had to take on responsibilities"

"your parents?"

"not just my parents and my father has only been unable to hunt for a short time"

"Then who?"

"that is not for now" he said turning his horse to the right and nudging it into a lope

"how much do you know about me?" she rode after him shouting. The black look in his eyes was not enough to stop her

"I don't think you took me because you wanted me"

"I want you, and not just because of the child"

"there is no child" she said furious

"I have eyes"

"you see what you want to see and you are not telling me what I want to know"

"I know everything I want to know about you"

"why did you take me?" She'd had enough and was more determined than ever to get answers

"because he killed my wife and my child" Walks far shouted finally "she was still with child and he just shot her in the chest"

Many Horses was so stunned she stopped the horse, Kills Many had done this?? Not the man she knew.

"you did not have to lie to me" she said quietly

"I had no reason to take another woman" he said angrily "I did not want another woman but I would not let Kills Many have what he took from me. Now he knows"

Many Horses felt as though her heart would stop beating. What he was telling her was so atrocious that she all but believed it. She was just a pawn, nothing more. Perhaps anything would have been better than that.

"you knew it would be harder for me to return once I had a child" she deduced out loud

Walks Far expected her to reject him right then and there, he'd let himself become too far involved in this and prepared for the worst.

She did nothing more but jump from her horse and give in to the heaving of her stomach. Then mounted her horse and rode to where he had stopped his.

"I am not something to be used any more. I am your wife" That is what she had decided in those few moments on the ground and she would not change her mind. Changing his advantage was the best thing she could do now, he was stuck with her.