Chapter 18

"Your mother and I watched your meeting with the White Buffalo on the news. That's how we knew to go to the ranch," said Lucy.

"Pardon?" William was not aware that there had been a television camera at the ranch.

"Someone filmed the whole thing with their video camera. It was on the television within half an hour of it happening."

"So what did you think?"

"Strange. It was like you weren't there. Your face was blank. Your voice was strange with an odd echoing quality to it. When the White Buffalo rolled over and changed colors, I thought it was all over. Then they explained that according to legend that after the White Lady changed into a Buffalo, she was first black, then brown, then red, and finally white. It's like she's turning back."

William tried to peer into the future, but it was blank with respect to the White Buffalo. He grinned and said, "At least my time in the spotlight will only last three months. I feel sorry for the warrior who is chosen. The poor guy has no idea what his life is going to be like afterwards."

Lucy rolled over on the bed and looked at William. She asked, "So what is your time in the spotlight going to be like?"

"Well, with my picture in the news, I'm sure that our fellow students will be all over us trying to learn more about what happened. Reporters are going to be hiding in the bushes trying to get a news story," answered William.

"Oh." She hadn't considered that. The announcement of their engagement had brought her lots of unwanted attention already. She had plenty of experience with dodging overly aggressive reporters. She'd even gotten used to reading outrageous stories about herself in the tabloids.

"Ling is going to send us bodyguards. There's no way to put that off any longer," William said with a sigh. All chance of privacy was effectively gone. The kooks and nutcases would emerge with death threats.

"You're going to have bodyguards?"

"You'll have bodyguards too."

"Me?" Lucy asked surprised at getting a bodyguard. The idea of having a bodyguard was both a rush and something to dread.

"Yes, you. As a result of this, we're going to lose all privacy. You won't even be able to go to the bathroom in a public place without your bodyguard following along," William said.

"Surely I won't have to worry when we're apart."

William looked at the attractive young woman lying in the bed next to him. He knew that the upcoming months were going to be hard for her. It tore at his heart that this event would make her life more difficult. She was entering her senior year of college and didn't need to have any further complications added to her life. He sighed and said, "That will be when you are most vulnerable."

"Why?"

"It is a whole lot easier to grab one than two, particularly when one of the pair is a highly trained fighter."

"Grab someone? What are you talking about, grabbing someone? We were talking about keeping crowds and reporters away."

"The crowds and reporters are minor irritants. The dangerous ones are the nut cases who want to make a name for themselves by doing in someone famous, the fanatics who are against what I am doing, and the creeps that have become obsessed with me," William said. Shaking his head, he added, "The most dangerous ones will use you to get to me."

Lucy sat up and stared at William in horror. The idea that someone would use her to hurt William sounded like something a paranoid person would say. Seeing the expression on her face, William said, "I'm sorry that you've gotten dragged into this."

She wondered if he really meant that they were in danger. It just seemed so unreal to her. The idea that he was becoming paranoid scared her. She asked, "Are you really serious about me being in danger?"

"Very serious," William answered. He took a deep breath and explained, "You know that my family is very high profile. I can't tell you how many times my fathers have been attacked. You've seen the scars on Ed. They weren't from accidents. John Carter had even more scars than that. You haven't met the bodyguard for the Reverend, but he's covered in scars."

The reminder of his father's scars made her reconsider his assessment of the situation. She hadn't realized that the Reverend had a bodyguard, but it made sense that a religious leader working towards peace among different religions would need one. It dawned on her that William was in much the same position as the Reverend. He was a very visible religious leader who was working for the betterment of his people.

"I remember having to go to the safe room on a couple of occasions when I was much younger. Corrupt businessmen, criminal groups, and terrorists would try to take out the family. They even tried to use missiles once, but that was before I was born.

"I'd stay in the safe room with my brother and sisters waiting for the all clear while Ling and the security team took care of the problem. The attacks never lasted long, but the aftermath dragged on forever. Sometimes, my parents would have us kids wait in our rooms so they could clean up the mess left behind," William said.

Lucy and William had talked about his childhood on many occasions. His stories were about playing games with his family, studying at schools, and learning about the desert from Ed. The way he talked, he had an ideal childhood filled with love from his parents and siblings. This was the first time he presented any negative experiences. She said, "It must have been frightening."

"Not really. We understood what was happening. I even understood why it was happening. My mother, Ling, always thought she was hiding it from us. She wanted to protect us from the harsh realities of the world, but I knew. John and Beth knew as well. We weren't scared, just disappointed in people," William said.

"You were disappointed in people?"

"Yes. It is horrible to learn that there are evil people who will kill good people. My family has helped so many people, but there are those who want to hurt them. I can't get angry. The only feeling that I can manage is one of disappointment," William answered.

Lucy put her arms around William and hugged him. Wanting to comfort him, she asked, "Have I told you that I love you?"

"Yes, I think you did that about the second time you came. I definitely remember you screaming something to that effect. Maybe it was, I love this," answered William with a smile.

"Oh, you're terrible. Here I am trying to be all sweet and nice while you're making jokes," she said with a smile.

Suddenly serious, William caressed her face and said, "I love your body. It excites me more than I can express in words. I could spend all night making love to you. I love your mind. It captivates me and astounds me with its depth. I could spend all night talking to you. I love your spirit. It makes me feel as if I'm the luckiest man in the world that you love me. I could spend all night basking in your love."

His words melted Lucy's heart. Misty eyed, she said, "I'm the lucky one in this relationship."

"I love you so much," said William kissing her passionately.

When they recovered from their passions, Lucy glanced at the clock and said, "We're supposed to meet in the dining room in fifteen minutes."

William grinned and said, "Thirty minutes. I told dad that we'd been fifteen minutes late, so he changed the time."

"You knew we'd be late?"

"Knowing that the two of us would be naked and alone in the room, did you think we'd be on time?" asked William with a grin. He'd also told his father to reserve a table with three extra seats.

"Uh, I didn't think about it," said Lucy.

"Besides, we'll need to wait for Ling to arrive. That reminds me, I had better call the dining room to request an extra three seats at the table," William said.

William and Lucy entered the dining room. The entrance was next to the bar where a bunch of men were lounging around drinking beer and talking. One of the men looked over at William and snorted. Pointing at William, he shouted, "Hey guys. Guess who just came in? It's Whines Like an Animal."

"That's not his name. It's Shits Like An Animal."

The first man barked a laugh and, making reference to an old joke, said, "Nope. His name is Two Dogs Fucking."

As some of the other men in the bar laughed, Lucy froze in shock at the insults. William turned to look at the man. Staring at the men around the table with narrowed eyes, William assessed the danger represented by the men who insulted him. The first man who had spoken represented the greatest threat. He dismissed the others as insignificant.

William turned his attention back to the first man and knew there was something important about this moment. He wasn't sure what it would be, but the man was going to play an important role in his life at some point in time.

One of the other men said, "It's just another one of the red niggers who's getting too big for his britches."

The entire place turned quiet as Native Americans scattered around the dining room stopped eating and turned their attention to what was happening at the bar. The general mood in the restaurant went from happy to tense in seconds. More than one man stood to confront the four white men at the table.

Ed Biggers walked behind the men and looked down at them. Seeing his father and knowing they didn't notice the Druid standing behind them, William decided to address their prejudice directly. He asked, "So what would it take for me to earn your respect?"

The first man laughed at the suggestion that the kid could earn his respect and answered, "You could stand up for yourself like a man."

A look of surprise came over Ed's face. He recalled his first meeting with John Carter and how he'd had been put down with ease. It was as if history was repeating itself. Looking over at William, he said, "He's telling the truth."

The man turned and saw Ed standing behind him. In a low voice, he said, "Oh shit, it's a fucking Druid."

"Dad, are you telling me that if I fight him that he'll actually respect me?"

"Looks like it, son. He meant it when he said it."

Realizing that the Druid was the father of the kid he had just insulted, the man looked as if he had just swallowed a lemon. Even in the country it was well known that you didn't make a Druid angry. Backing off, he said, "I was just joking."

Ed grimaced as the lie grated against his truth sense. Irritated, he said, "Don't lie to me. You were serious."

"Is there a legal way for us to fight?" William asked with a feral grin. He could see how the situation would progress. The knowledge of the future reassured and comforted him.

"I'm sure that if you both agree to a basic set of rules and have a referee to enforce them, that there won't be a problem," answered Ed. He frowned after giving a second thought and said, "Of course, you'll have to warn him that you are a trained fighter and can kill him without breaking a sweat."