~ I ~ Feather in the Wind ~ I ~

~ Jasper ~

~ Historical (fan) fiction ~

~ Chapter 1 ~

1845. After a forced agreement with Europeans, 15 year old Piper is betrothed to Jason Grace, son of the one who has caused much harm to her people. Yet she doesn't know that and it doesn't help the vast rumors of forced marriages with the lightly-colored she had heard of. But yet she never thought that she would fall for him, despite the knowledge that he might leave.

~ An Agreement ~

~ Piper ~

"Feather in the Wind! They've come!" said a cousin in Cherokee, running into her asi. A frantic look spread across her face.

"What do you speak of, cousin?" Feather in the Wind (Piper) said respectively.

"The whites. They've come to settle an agreement with the chief." Her cousin spoke.

"Agreement. Of what?" Piper said, not getting the idea.

"The lands left behind after Grandfather Tom's death." Her cousin replied.

Piper shut her eyes until they turned white. Grandfather Tom had barely passed away and those whites only cared about the land left behind. It belongs to the rightful chief anyway. Her father will clear that away.

"Let's go." Piper said. Together, Piper and her cousin went to where the chief's quarters were. Sure enough there was her father the chief. Chief Gahege, nicknamed by whites as Tristan, is the newest chief after former Chief Hania (meaning spirit warrior, hence his name meaning 'chief'), passed away. Chiefs Hania and Gahege were father and son. Hania being Grandfather Tom. Her father stood boldly with his symbolic feathers as a reminder to the whites that they will not back down in a fight. His lieutenant stood beside him with his feathers as well. Three men approached them: the one seemingly the leader, a younger man possibly his son, and a scruffy man. The two older men looked out hungrily at their surroundings. The younger had a foreign expression from their superiors.

Many of the natives gathered around to see the whites, hiding their children and men hiding their wives.

Piper couldn't stop the feeling of threat and fear settling upon her people and, admittedly, to her. Out of instinct she ran to her father and wrapped her arms securely. These men, prideful and empty, come here with no mercy and will stop at nothing to get what they want.

The whites stopped their path in surprise. The leader looked amused at Piper's sudden action.

Some of the Cherokee had learned and caught on to a few English words. Piper and her father are some of those few. So Piper understood what they said:

"Foolish girl. If this had been pure battle, she would have not seen another daylight." The leader spoke.

"Father, she is just scared—" started the youngest but his leader halted any word. The youngest became quiet.

"Jason, what I said is just commentary. No need to defend." The leader said harshly.

The other chuckled and smacked the youngest's arm. the youngest breathed in as if he were trying to control his anger.

Piper could see all the occurring well in her father's safety. If only she could stay with him.

In their native language, her father gently spoke. "My dear daughter, go and stand with our own. I wish no harm near you and I fear a bitter result out of this meeting."

"Father I pursue to stay with you. I, no other than distrust these people. They may be seeking an agreement but their timing is horrid." Piper said quietly.

"Piper, obey and stand away. Besides, no namely agreement with be achieved with a woman present. They barely let Grandmother June stand and that is because she wishes to know of who will own her husband's land." Her father's eyes were pleading. Besides, he knew a possible outcome, one he did not want to think of happening.

She nodded and painfully let go of her father. The Cherokee chief went inside the chief's quarters followed by those men. The youngest was the last to enter and he gave Piper an apologetic look. Piper didn't understand his gesture. She glared at him.

Once they closed the grass reeds, the people gathered around to listen. Most didn't under English and just stood out of pure curiosity. But others that did understand, listened intensely.

Piper's best friend, renamed Leo by the whites, stood beside her. Piper leaned her ear to the grass woven wall of the asi. She focused and could make out a conversation.

"We will introduce ourselves." The leader said. "I am General Zeus Grace, My son Jason Grace, and my ally, James."

"Chief Gahege but to you I am known as Tristan."

"We understand your former chief has passed away. Yet we have matters to discuss. And new deals." said General Grace.

"New deals?" said the Cherokee chief.

James spoke. "Yes, we own the land. That is set and done. The legal owner died therefore the land passes to the U.S. government. Even though you are the son, you don't follow our same laws for land territorial matters. We own it."

"And that is the reason you have come. So we can arrange a better agreement." The chief said.

"Sure." said the general plainly.

"What are your conditions?" the chief said.

Piper could hear that this was not going in a desirable path. She feared something bad. Yet this does not surprise her.

"You see, my son here Jason, is coming of age to own land himself." said General Grace.

"You want to give him this land?" Chief Gahege spoke questionably.

"Oh no, I come in representation of the United States. This land will not belong to me. It will belong to them. However the U.S has given me the opportunity to… bend… this agreement to my liking." General Grace said with a tinge of emptiness.

"That was not what the messenger said to me. We are just agreeing on the land. Nothing more." Chief Gahege said.

"See, that's the thing. The messenger sent that before the other message was sent. Here you go." General Grace said, giving the chief the newest government letter.

Sure enough, when the Cherokee chief opened the letter the words said by the general were true.

"I have no desire for a battle. My people have been wounded greatly in the last battle. What are your conditions?" Chief Gahege questioned again.

"Like mentioned before, my son will soon own land. But to do so, he has to wed. A woman of our… kind… would be more suitable but less profitable. However if a woman from your tribe marries my son his land with gain much." the General said plainly.

"Father I didn't agree to this. I never agreed to be wed to a Native American. I don't think I can handle tha—"

"Jason, you are my son. You do as I say and I expect no argue!" the general said in an octave higher. His anger trembled through the walls. Piper flinched.

"Father, I can't do this. Besides you can't take the land from these people. This is their home." The one called Jason said, defensively.

"If you have nothing useful to say, get out of here, Jason."

"I'm staying."

The general seemed to give up and turned to face the chief. "As I was saying, which woman do you serve to us?"

Before the chief could speak, the other spoke. James. "Perhaps that pretty girl we saw before we came in."

Are they talking about me? Piper thought. She turned to Leo only to have her suspicions answered. Yes.

"I will not serve you anyone from my people for land. That is unearthly. Specially, not my own daughter." The chief stated.

"Oh I like that girl for my son. They'd make nice offspring, not that it'd matter." The general said absentmindedly.

"Not my beautiful granddaughter!" cried Grandmother June in Cherokee.

"No! I refuse. I will not give my daughter away for land. Said and done." The chief stated once more.

"Well thank you for agreeing her as an option. She'll be the bargain price."

"No, I never agreed! My daughter is not an option!" The chief tried.

"Father, you can't. He has not agreed. Try to make peace." Jason tried as well. Grandmother June cried out loud.

"Piper, you can't be married to a white. They will just hurt you." Leo whispered to her. Piper couldn't get off her shock state. No matter how much her father would try to change it, they had settled that as an agreement. Piper would have to wed the one named Jason. That can't happen. Not again. This cannot be repeating itself.

When Piper was a mere child, her fourteen year old sister, Light of the Moon, was wed off to a white man. She never saw her again. She only knows that she has become a mother.

Light of the Moon told her in their native language: "Feather in the Wind, I will never forget you. Help Father. He is not well. Become like Mother. She would've wanted it like that."

A silent tear ran through Piper's cheek.

Inside, the general gave a threatening look to the chief.

"It's either that or we will have to be forced to… eliminate… your people from our land." James said, supporting the general.

"Father, no! This is an outrage!" Jason yelled.

"Stop with your modesty. Your 'kind heart' will not help you. Do as I say and shut up!" the general burst at his son.

Silence crept after that.

"So what do you say, chief? One or all your people?"

Piper felt herself being lifted. It was until then she realized she fell atop of Leo. Leo held on to her securely. Then the world turned blurry; her surroundings fading slowly.

Leo in his quick thinking found this as an opportunity to save the chief and Piper at the same time. The chief needs to see Piper before he makes a mistake!

He lifted an almost unconscious Piper into his arms and entered the asi.

"Chief, its Piper! She collapsed." Leo yelled standing before the group of whites and the chief.

Before the chief could say anything, he ran to Leo and Piper and took her into his arms.

"My granddaughter!" Grandmother June cried and ran out of the asi.

"What happened?" Jason asked worriedly.

"Your future wife fainted in excitement of your marriage." The general joked. Jason glared.

~ I ~

A healer arrived and make sure Piper was alright. Some worried she might have jumped a bit and was expecting a child. She wasn't. During a cultural ritual, the healer saw no abnormalities.

Once everyone left, after they made sure Piper was fine, the chief confessed everything happening in the meeting. He confessed that he even considered agreeing to their terms. He felt guilty and that it took this happening to her to realize to stop.

"You mother would have never forgiven me. I'm sorry!" the chief held on to his daughter's hands.

The warm surroundings of he asi made Piper fall apart.

With a tear strolling down her cheek she said, "As much as it hurts me, I agree to their terms. I can't let my people bleed much longer. If it's me they want as a price, I will not refuse. But for your tranquility, I am doing this only for my people. Not the pressure."

"I only seek your happiness. I know that with these people you will not live to enjoy a bird's song."

"But if I don't do this, my people will not live at all. Let me be father. I know how to respect myself. Nothing of the said in the past will happen to me."

A feeling of understanding surged through them.

"May the spirit of the wind guide you, my sweet Feather in the Wind." The chief gave her his blessing in Cherokee.

"I guess I'll have go by Piper now. It is my white name."

"No, dear daughter, you will remain Feather in the Wind to me no matter what you beg for. Let me keep at least that. Now rest up for sunrise if you are to wed the one named Jason."

Piper faintly smiled and laid in her cot until sleep wrapped her up in a blanket. Her father stayed with her until then.

~ I ~

The next morning her father came and woke her up. She dressed in more subtle clothing and headed with her father the asi were the three men spent the night. On the way, he told her to keep her roots as far as she could, literary and in code. He basically told her to keep her language as far she could and not speak English. It could brighten her chances in returning.

The men were up and almost leaving.

"My daughter agrees to wed your son." The chief said, looking in his daughter's eyes. Piper looked away and tried to level out her feelings.

"Good decision, girl. Now your father can keep his land and people. See it's not so hard. You'll be in good hands." The general said with a devilish smile.

Piper felt instantly insecure by the general.

After goodbyes to Leo and her family, the men settled on horseback with Piper riding with Jason. That ride felt foreign yet strangely comfortable. After hours of riding they decided to take a break for sunset was settling upon them. They sent camp, ate dinner (Piper not eating at all), fell into a deep slumber.

Piper thought of escaping. She thought it millions of times during a minute. But her father's voice came right after the thought. After debating much she fell asleep.

A/N: I know I shouldn't do this but if I don't, I never will. In history class I am studying Native American History. And everyday, this thought of uploading a story with this theme just clicked. Besides, Piper is Cherokee; BAM!

BTW, Piper is named Feather in the Wind in Cherokee in my story, hence the title and asi is a Cherokee home.

Haha! Enjoy! I'm sorry if things are wrong. I am still learning about these strong amazing people! I love their culture, period.

Note for faithful readers: I have started to write the new chapters for my other stories. Perfectly Reflected with be uploaded when I get halfway. I don't want to regret it. And I will take my time in updating stories. Better written good than bad, right… Thank you for understanding.

PLEASE REVIEW!

~BeautiWind -heart-

PS – Did I mention that I like pressing that new story button…