"Pocahontas?"
Nakoma's voice rang through the woman's head as she washed her clothes in the winding river that had once given her so much joy, now only made her sad knowing her life had taken one too many turns.
"Pocahontas?" The young woman didn't answer her friend's call until she looked up and saw her approach from the other side of the hill a worried look on her face.
"What is it, Nakoma?"
"I've been calling for you, why didn't you answer me?" Pocahontas started working again, rubbing the rock over the deerskin dress once more.
"I was, thinking," Pocahontas replied after a moment's pause she added, "Yes, about him."
"Why do you trouble yourself so with thoughts of him?" Pocahontas sighed, "because I will always love him, when the wind blows I feel him, when I visit the glade he is always with me, and when the seasons change I will still love him."
A heavy sigh fell from her lips as she took off the other dress she wore and began to wash herself in the chilled water of the river.
Nakoma stared pityingly at her friend but turned away when Pocahontas turned to look up at her again, Pocahontas would not want her pity.
"You must let him go Pocahontas, he is gone," Nakoma said softly and when Pocahontas went to shake her head Nakoma continued, "When someone leaves us, you think that your heart will never mend, that it will remain broken, but life goes on Pocahontas, let him be, so that you may live."
Pocahontas was silent for a moment studying her best friend, noticing sadness about her face. Who could Nakoma have been pining for?
"You loved Cocoum, didn't you?" Pocahontas said out of the blue and Nakoma wore a pained expression at the very mention of him. She had not stopped thinking about him, not these three years passed, not ever. Every time the warriors returned from another village she kept expecting to see Cocoum's dominant form standing out among them, his dark skin shining bronze in the warm sun, his chocolate eyes gazing proudly at her. Yes, she loved him.
"It doesn't matter now does it whether I did or didn't, he is dead," Nakoma said not wanting to talk about it but Pocahontas wasn't giving up.
"If only he had wanted to marry you none of this would have happened," Pocahontas said shaking her head and Nakoma gave a wry laugh.
"But you were the daughter of a chieftain, not I, I had nothing to offer him, if he married you, one day he would be chief and that is where his attraction lay," Nakoma said sarcastically, quite out of character for her normal kind self and Pocahontas turned away.
"I did not ask to be born as I am, I loathe being a princess," Pocahontas said softly and this time it was Nakoma who turned away, so disgusted with Pocahontas.
"You could do so much for this village, but you sit around and play the victim, you do nothing but pine, think Pocahontas, you speak the tongue of the white man better than I, if we could forge an alliance between our two peoples, we could have peace, if only you would care about someone else other than yourself," Nakoma said sharply then she walked off leaving Pocahontas to ponder her words alone.
Nakoma was furious with Pocahontas. Pocahontas had the ability to change the lives of their people, couldn't she see that? Sighing she calmed down slightly as she walked closer towards the glades, where Pocahontas used to go when she wanted to be alone. It had become a haven for Nakoma these days. Nakoma came upon the entrance and smiling she lifted the vines covering the entrance and gasped as a lithe tanned figure stood to face her.
"Cocoum? Is that you?"
Nakoma's voice rang through the woman's head as she washed her clothes in the winding river that had once given her so much joy, now only made her sad knowing her life had taken one too many turns.
"Pocahontas?" The young woman didn't answer her friend's call until she looked up and saw her approach from the other side of the hill a worried look on her face.
"What is it, Nakoma?"
"I've been calling for you, why didn't you answer me?" Pocahontas started working again, rubbing the rock over the deerskin dress once more.
"I was, thinking," Pocahontas replied after a moment's pause she added, "Yes, about him."
"Why do you trouble yourself so with thoughts of him?" Pocahontas sighed, "because I will always love him, when the wind blows I feel him, when I visit the glade he is always with me, and when the seasons change I will still love him."
A heavy sigh fell from her lips as she took off the other dress she wore and began to wash herself in the chilled water of the river.
Nakoma stared pityingly at her friend but turned away when Pocahontas turned to look up at her again, Pocahontas would not want her pity.
"You must let him go Pocahontas, he is gone," Nakoma said softly and when Pocahontas went to shake her head Nakoma continued, "When someone leaves us, you think that your heart will never mend, that it will remain broken, but life goes on Pocahontas, let him be, so that you may live."
Pocahontas was silent for a moment studying her best friend, noticing sadness about her face. Who could Nakoma have been pining for?
"You loved Cocoum, didn't you?" Pocahontas said out of the blue and Nakoma wore a pained expression at the very mention of him. She had not stopped thinking about him, not these three years passed, not ever. Every time the warriors returned from another village she kept expecting to see Cocoum's dominant form standing out among them, his dark skin shining bronze in the warm sun, his chocolate eyes gazing proudly at her. Yes, she loved him.
"It doesn't matter now does it whether I did or didn't, he is dead," Nakoma said not wanting to talk about it but Pocahontas wasn't giving up.
"If only he had wanted to marry you none of this would have happened," Pocahontas said shaking her head and Nakoma gave a wry laugh.
"But you were the daughter of a chieftain, not I, I had nothing to offer him, if he married you, one day he would be chief and that is where his attraction lay," Nakoma said sarcastically, quite out of character for her normal kind self and Pocahontas turned away.
"I did not ask to be born as I am, I loathe being a princess," Pocahontas said softly and this time it was Nakoma who turned away, so disgusted with Pocahontas.
"You could do so much for this village, but you sit around and play the victim, you do nothing but pine, think Pocahontas, you speak the tongue of the white man better than I, if we could forge an alliance between our two peoples, we could have peace, if only you would care about someone else other than yourself," Nakoma said sharply then she walked off leaving Pocahontas to ponder her words alone.
Nakoma was furious with Pocahontas. Pocahontas had the ability to change the lives of their people, couldn't she see that? Sighing she calmed down slightly as she walked closer towards the glades, where Pocahontas used to go when she wanted to be alone. It had become a haven for Nakoma these days. Nakoma came upon the entrance and smiling she lifted the vines covering the entrance and gasped as a lithe tanned figure stood to face her.
"Cocoum? Is that you?"