“Let me add something,” Roman said. “I lived in Rome for eight years. Olivia arrived over one and half years ago—that’s where we met and fell in love. Olivia is a clever woman—strong and intelligent.”
He reached for my hand and squeezed it.
“I can see that by how she holds herself,” Earth Bear said.
“She was the one who figured out that Marcellious and I were brothers,” Roman said.
Marcellious lifted his head and scowled at me.
“I didn’t know Hunting Wolf and I were brothers,” Roman continued. “I only knew I had a twin, so I searched for someone who looked exactly like me. But since we’re not identical, I didn’t know what I was looking for. I only knew Marcellious as my enemy. We’d been at odds with one another from the time we met. We were about to kill one another in what is known as the Colosseum in Rome when Olivia sent us here, back to the time we were before.”
“Colosseum?” Earth Bear said, his eyes wide.
Roman continued. “It is an enormous structure, twice the size of your encampment. People came from miles around to watch men fight against other men and animals.”
Earth Bear and his father exchanged glances.
“What a wonder,” Earth Bear said in Sioux to Grey Feather. “I wish white people would pay to watch us fight them. We would give quite a show.”
Grey Feather laughed. It was a deep, rumbling sound that seemed to well up from his toes. “And we would win.”
The rest of the tribe seemed to enjoy this exchange, whatever sense they made of it, as a few chuckled.
“Yes,” Earth Bear said, sharing in the laugh. Then, he turned back to me. “How did you know? How did you find out about the kinship between two brothers?”
“Marcellious? Would you like to contribute to this story?” I asked, recalling the time he kidnapped me, tied me to his bed, and began his mad ravings about his past. That was when he kept singing the words meant to send someone time traveling.
Marcellious’ mouth worked around, but no words emerged. He pushed his food around and around the basket.
“Have you grown mute, Marcellious?” I said. “Why are you staying so quiet in front of the chief?”
My voice emerged louder than intended.
Grey Feather drew himself up to his imposing countenance.
The entire gathering stopped what they were doing and focused on him.
“Hunting Wolf is ashamed of his actions,” Grey Feather began.
He wasn’t precisely yelling, but his words carried the weight of a charging elephant.
“You left the tribe without ourpermission,” Grey Feather said accusingly.
Marcellious pursed his mouth and seemed to vibrate like a volcano about to erupt.
“How dare you leave the tribe and your home without our permission, without saying goodbye. After everything we have done for you, is that how you show respect to us?” Grey Feather growled.
Marcellious drew his shaking fists by his side but continued to say nothing.
“Do you have something to say, Hunting Wolf?” the chief prompted.
“You’re a liar! You lied to me about my identity!”
Grey Feather reeled back.
The person to his right reached out to steady the elderly man.
Marcellious continued his tirade. “You lied about where I came from. I overheard a conversation between you and Dancing Fire. Dancing Fire was angry with your father, the great chief. He was angry because my mother had taken my brother instead of me. You told me my father was a great warrior who died in battle. What you didn’t tell me was that my mother was alive!”
