The Adventures of Pocahontas and John Rolfe: Book I

Chapter 1: The Blood Draw

The Adventures of Pocahontas and John Rolfe: Book I

Chapter 1: The Blood Draw

AUGUST 31, 1613

The sunlight lingered on the horizon as the English ship sailed through calm waters, heading northwest. The peace was broken again when Meeko loosed his stomach contents over the bow for the sixth time that day. Pocahontas wrung her hands, highly troubled at the sight of him. Her furry friend was getting thinner and thinner. The raccoon normally had quite a ravenous appetite, but he seemed repelled of food lately.

John Rolfe walked up behind Pocahontas. He furrowed his brows in concern as he placed a hand on her shoulder, gently alerting the young woman to his presence. "He'll be okay, Pocahontas," he spoke reassuringly. "We're going to make landfall any day now."

It was late summer. The winds had been particularly kind throughout the journey. Storms had been frequent but relatively minor. It seemed as if some great supernatural force was smiling upon them during the return voyage. Pocahontas felt impatient about the length of it though. She was tired of being on the salt water and just wanted to get home.

Pocahontas turned to peer at John Rolfe and smiled lightly. He had been her only source of reassurance for the last few months, helping her to stave off an almost unbearable level of homesickness. She had had no one to talk to regularly on the trip to England, as her brother-in-law Uttamatomakkin had taken an unexplained oath of silence until the start of the summer season. The Powhatan princess suspected it had something to do with a lost bet, but she was not inclined to make any comments to him on the subject.

When Meeko's stomach seemed to calm a bit, he went back to moping miserably around the lower deck. Pocahontas twiddled her fingers as she tried to think of how to express her concerns from the last three months. She and John Rolfe had not discussed the future despite sharing numerous romantic kisses since the dawn of the voyage. The magical M-word had never come up. Marriage, Pocahontas thought to herself. She wondered why he had not asked her yet. Maybe he did not really intend to marry her. The discordant thought dwelled in the pit of her stomach as she stared down at the frothing saltwater. She was afraid to voice the question because the thought of rejection was intolerable. Plus, was it even considered proper for a woman to bring the subject up first?

On the other hand, Pocahontas was charmed by John Rolfe's clear intention not to dishonor her in any way. They occupied separate cabins on the ship and his advances on her had not gone beyond kissing on the hand, cheek, and lips, and hugging. His attraction to her was clear, yet he maintained a perfect gentlemanly distance. If he struggled to maintain self-control at all, he hid it expertly. In fact, the diplomat seemed to be such a jumble of contradictions that it frequently confounded Pocahontas. He wore his heart on his sleeve at times, but, at others, his thoughts were well-guarded. Pocahontas desperately wondered what was going on in his head at such times. The man was an enigma.

While Pocahontas was absorbed in her thoughts, the Englishman gently lifted her chin and kissed her for the umpteenth time that day. Her lips tingled and she kissed him back almost passionately before she remembered it wise to hold back. It would be just too embarrassing for her if he was to pull back first and tell her that she was going too far. She savored the hint of his scent, disappointed when the wind whisked it away as they pulled apart. The word "John..." slipped from her lips before she could stop it.

It was not the name itself but the tone with which she had said it that led John Rolfe to realize she had something serious on her mind—other than Meeko's wellbeing. Rolfe clasped her slender hand in his large warm ones. "What's the matter, my dear?"

Though the heat from his skin was intoxicating, Pocahontas softly pulled away and placed her palms on the railing of the ship. Hesitant at first, she finally managed to follow up with a reply. "I was just wondering what's going to happen when we get back to my homeland?" she finally inquired, shooting him a furtive glance.