#after 62+hours of agonizing I'm turning this loose before it kills me

[annastrxng]

Annlett: The Great Escape? Or the Great Defeat?

Chapter #1: I’d Come For You

Anna’s pale face is caked with several days worth of dirt, dried blood, and grime. Her dark locks fell in a wild tangle to the side of her neck, in the form of a sloppily decaying bun. Craters and cracks formed across her gentle ripe-peach colored lips, which, seem to remain pursed in perpetual anticipation of what was to come.

Sharply bristled cords dig deep trenches in the soft flesh of her wrists with every minor movement Anna makes. The ripping of her skin serves as a constant reminder that she is no longer a free citizen of the colonies, but rather a prisoner of His Majesty’s army.  

Bruises inflicted by boots and fists practically sing against her stays with every breath she takes. Anna had been dealt with harshly by her captors; not that she could blame them. They were after answers, not awards for hospitality.

The charges against her were right on the money: sedition and spying. Having been captured with treasonous correspondence on her person, Anna could scarcely refute the claims; even if she wanted to. She had been tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang.

Anna’s soul was exhausted from the time it spent wavering between carefully weaved fictions and the gospel truth. She didn’t want to have to lie again. Her words had destroyed the only thing she had left to fight for, Major Hewlett. He was an unforeseen casualty of her career as a spy. An innocent man caught in the nasty tangle of strained friendships, loyalties, ever shifting-morals, and sides.  

The brunette’s hands were empty. She had nothing left to give after devoting everything she owned to the Rebel Cause. Anna had sacrificed her all in the fight. Unfortunately, not even her life would be spared.

Her shoulders slump in defeat. They seem to have taken on the weight of the world and it is a burden too heavy for her to carry. There is no hope of a rescue, not even a minuscule flicker. No one in the Culper Ring would notice that Anna was in danger for several more days. By the time they would realize it, they would be too late. The near solitude of her confinement was to be her only and final companion.

Long dark lashes slowly flicker upwards to examine the ever darkening sky, on this, her final night of life. There, twinkling against the deep grapefruit oranges, cotton candy pinks and blues, and the calm lavenders, were the first evening stars. Anna’s vision blurs as silver orbs overwhelm the rims of her eyes and coldly wash down the curves of her cheekbones. In spite of the brunette’s great efforts to contain them, a series of agonizing sobs escape her heavily wracking chest.

Keeping her head angled defiantly up at the sky, Anna sputtered between tattered breaths. “Why did you say that you loved me for all that I am…and all…that I be, Edmund? Why? Why di…. did you…then… leave when… when you finally saw… the r… real me?! Why… did I ha… have to fall in love with you wh…while star gazing?! I… I should have… known…better. Play…wi…with fire and d…deserve to get burned. But I lo…loved you. Y…you…still, h…hold my heart even if, you be un…unaware of it. I…I should h..have told you when I had the chance. Now, you’ll …never know.”  

Her hoarse and wavering tone continues to entreat,“God… be this your way of p…punishing me? Are you… to use my last hours… to taunt and t…torment me?! Am I… to die alone fo…for all of my sins?! Is… this my… comeuppance?” Anna didn’t really blame God or believe he was behind this. God was the author of all good things. But right now, nothing felt very pleasant and He was the one in charge.

No audible answers to her questions could be heard emerging from the mocking and heart-breaking silence. However, Anna could hear the laughter of her guards as well as their crude remarks regarding her pain.

The brunette curls into a ball and attempts to pray. Four words hesitantly pass over her lips as she resigns herself to her fate. “Thy… will… be … done.” It is all that Anna has the strength to say in conversation with the benevolent Creator of the Universe.

What hour she ceased keeping vigil for the morning light escapes her. The hours drain one into the next, very slowly and without much significant change. Heavy laden lids pressed closed and a sudden darkness envelopes her slender figure.

That is, until she becomes acutely aware of another presence in her cell by the sound of leaves crackling under their foot. The guards had come for her and she would soon have to meet her fate.

I’m going to die today. Anna reminds herself.

Startled, Anna jolts out of her dreamless slumber and pulls away from the other’s reach. The rebel spy wasn’t as ready to be lowered into the ground as she had tried to convince herself she was.

Swallowing thickly the brunette pleads, “w..wait…I…I be unprepared. G…Give me but a m…moment… to pray.”

Anna blinks back the fog of grogginess still clinging to her maple-syrup hues. It was still quite dark outside. To add to her problems, everything was still fuzzy from having an ocean’s worth of tears pour from her eyes. She could just barely make out a blur of vibrant scarlet and white.

The other’s large and amiable hand comes to rest upon her cheek. The touch, as gentle as it is, is met with a frightful fit of trembling. Anna can easily recall the brutality with which, the regulars had presented her the past few days and it filled her with great dread.

“Pl…please. D…don’t h…hurt me. I’ll…do…do wh…whatever… you ask of me,” the brunette supplicates. The word ‘whatever’ hitches in the back of her throat the moment she recalls the Queen’s Ranger by the name of Tanner and what he had demanded of her. She subconsciously shudders, hoping the guard would not request such things from her.  

“Anna… Anna, easy. It is only me,” a patient and familiar voice beckons. The man crouches down beside her. “My God, what have they done to you? Have you been molested by any of the men here?” He murmurs softly, his callous fingers gingerly brushing back the thick mat of her hair from her wretched face. The major could not comprehend how ‘gentlemen’ serving under the King’s command would be brazen enough to treat even a rebel woman so horrendously.

More tears slick her lashes and her lips quiver violently. Why was she seeing the form, hearing the voice, and feeling the touch of Major Hewlett? Was this just another vision coming to devastate her already crushed soul?

It takes her a few moments to realize that Edmund was equally as physically present as she was. Unable to find her voice she shakes her head “no”. It is not an entirely honest answer. But it was the only one Anna had been semi-prepared to give considering the circumstances. She had been beaten a few times for the sake of gaining information but her stubborn tongue remained unwilling to offer the Regulars things of use, instead of insults. It made their treatment of her more hostile. What would it matter if she was already going to die? Cowardice has never been her style.

Edmund knows that Anna has been put through hell. He can see it in her gaze and he can sense it in the way she reacts to even the most adoring and affectionate touches. After all, Hewlett had once been a prisoner of war himself. He would not wish such ill-treatment on his worst enemies. Correction, maybe he would wish it upon Simcoe but never his beloved Anna. Tight knots form within Hewlett’s stomach as he considered everything his fellow countrymen might have forced Anna to endure.

In spite of the internal turmoil raging within him, Edmund’s thin lips sweep upwards to offer her a toothless smile in an effort to comfort her. “It’s going to be okay. I’m here now,” he breathes.

“Anna, I need you to hold still. I prefer not having to inflict further injury on you,” the Major commands, producing a sharp stiletto blade from his uniform coat. He motions in the direction of her tightly bound wrists to let her know his intent, lest she become even more fearful of him.

Even if, Anna had never loved him, Edmund felt determined to try and still win her affection. This dark-eyed enchantress was what made abandoning the terrible colonies so intolerably difficult for him. Somehow the news of her capture and impending death had softened his hardened heart once again, for her. Yes, she had injured him very deeply with her betrayal. It would have been extremely easy for a lesser man to let her hang; but not him. Hewlett could not let her die, not when he had the power to do something about it.

Besides, the longer Edmund dwelt on her actions, the less convinced he was that Anna had told him the truth about her feelings when they had last parted ways. There was something about her silent ‘no’ that just didn’t feel right. Perhaps, it was just the hopeless romantic side of him that found it amiss. Still, he couldn’t think of a reason for Anna to have saved him from one of her eldest and dearest friends, that didn’t equate to some level of love. Or at the very least, proclaim a twinge of respect.

The still trembling brunette braces her bruised figure against the logs used as a wall for her cell and whispers, “I…I’ll try.” The more she strives to quell her nerves, the more fiercely her poor limbs quake. Anna pulls her knees towards her chest and drapes her bound arms across them, in an effort to provide the major with the stillness required to free her.

The major quickly kneels beside her and wordlessly begins to saw at the thick and tightly wrapped cords.

Studying his stern features, Anna can not determine if he has truly come to rescue her. Or if, adversely, he has come to hand her over to the hangman. After all, one good betrayal deserves another. The uneasy knots return to her stomach and her heart is sent into a maddening series of thundering thumps. She knows that the Major has more reason to see her hanged than saved from the noose. Yet, personally sending people to their deaths just didn’t seem to be Hewlett’s style. That was more Simcoe’s way. Besides, Edmund had just vowed that everything would be ‘okay’. In all of the time, Anna had spent with the Major, she had discovered him to consistently be a man of his word. Would this be the first time he’d break her trust? Anna wasn’t a hundred percent certain. But trusting him appears to be the best and most logical option she has. Especially, compared to the alternative.

“E…Edmund? Wh..what are you doing here? Y… you’re s…supposed to… to be on…a ship …headed for Scotland?”  Anna murmurs. Her tongue sticks to the roof of her dry mouth as she makes the not-so-veiled inquiry. Hewlett’s sudden return to her life both baffles and vexes her.

A nervous and half-breathy laugh escapes Edmund as he works through the first of the tight cords. “I was all but boarded when the news of your detainment reached New York. I knew I had to come.” The Major was kind of surprised that she hadn’t quite considered herself worthy of saving. Yet, he knew that was Anna’s way. She’d save others a thousand times over before thinking of herself.

In his rushed attempt to get her bindings undone, Hewlett slips and scratches her with the blade. A disapproving frown finds his lips as inky red blood is drawn from his mistake. He internally chastises himself for not being more careful with the poor woman. “My apologies, Anna,” he breathes in a contrite tone.

She winces slightly as the blade nicks her skin. Her wrists were so numb she barely felt the scratch. Instead, the brunette reacts to Hewlett’s abrupt frown and his words. “I be fine. There is no need to fret,” Anna assures him.

Anna had experienced far worse injuries growing up with predominantly male friends. Dearest acquaintances, who, on occasion inspired the need to embark upon dangerous adventures. The same group of male friends still managed to pull Anna into their high-risk stunts. With age, came the intensification of the consequences for their actions. No longer were they risking broken bones by dueling with sticks or jumping over fences, they were risking life and limb. Plus having been beaten at the hands of the Regulars for days, Anna had built up an almost scary indifference to pain. Besides, Hewlett was doing his best to free her. It would hardly be proper to chastise him for an unintentional mistake.

Anna’s head lowers shamefully and she murmurs, “I be sorry.” She can’t help but feel incredibly guilty for making him miss passage back to his homeland. In fact, she can’t even meet his gaze as it fixes upon her.

The Major stops his work to fully consider her. He can’t help it. His brows furrow together in bewilderment. Edmund repeats, “Sorry?”

“For having you come all this way…for me and…for making y….you miss your ship,” Anna returns.

A sigh escapes his parted lips. “Anna, look at me,” he implores. He uses the fingers of his free hand to lift her chin upwards. Edmund wants her to comprehend every word that spills from his tongue because it is imperative. She is more important to him than his home could ever be. His darling Anna had been since the day she jumped from the rebel boat; even though, he later discovered her ulterior motives.

Anna swallows sharply as her chin is lifted towards him. At his request, tired eyes locked upon his pools of root-beer and foam. It was strange how his eyes still radiated so much love and concern even after months of being apart.

He waits until he has her attention before continuing, “I would have traveled three times the distance and missed the very last ship home if it meant that I got to see you safe. Besides, if it makes you feel any better, I am confident that there will be other ships bound for Scotland.”

“A….after everything I…I’ve d….done?” She queries in astonishment, her tone wavering ever so slightly above a pained whisper. Several fresh and unbidden silver orbs journey down her cheeks.

Now it is Edmund’s turn to be bashful. “You protected me from dangers that I could not see and you did so at your own peril. You valued my safety over my good opinion. While it wounded me terribly, I am still alive. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?” He gives a brief pause before asking, “Will you forgive me for being so ungrateful for your efforts?” His trembling fingers slowly wipe away her tears. Despite the muddy mess covering Anna’s countenance, he presses his lips chastely to her cheek.

A rosy pink sweeps into the upper crests of her dirtied cheeks. She is unaccustomed to such extreme displays of kindness and appreciation for her work. Yet, she should have expected nothing less of a gentleman like Hewlett. “The…there be nothing for me to forgive, Edmund. You be far too good and compassionate a man. I don’t deserve friends like you.” The brunette tips her head to the side to kiss the lowest corner of his jaw in return. Anna inhales slowly, taking in the scent of his shaving lather. While it was not sweet like flowers, it was certainly not pungent. In fact, it was kind of addicting scent. “It be I…who, should… ask for absolution,” she whispered in return.

Hewlett blinks back at Anna in shock. Her lips were warm but rough like sandpaper against his skin. He closed his eyes to savor the moment before the corner of his jaw would be surrendered back to the cold absence of her affection. Any semblance of anger he had clung to in an effort to keep his heart from getting broken again, crumbled like dried bread under the heels of a boot. Edmund finds himself once more at her mercy; even though she is the one still secured by the cords that he had only begun cutting. At the thought of her poor wrists, he gently removes his hand from under her chin and returns to the task of freeing her.

“Anna? There is something you should know…” Hewlett starts, before letting his voice trail off. His tone comes out sounding rather distant, tense, and slightly troubled. The knife is worked hurriedly against the ropes until he finally earns Anna’s complete freedom. Then, just as quickly as the blade was furnished, it is re-hidden within the confines of his uniform jacket.

The brunette smiles up at him as she rolled her wrists to regain a semblance of feeling back. The smile falters at the sound of his anxious tone. “Aye? What be that?” Anna prompts. She internally braces herself for whatever he will say next.

Edmund lets out a slow exhale. “I didn’t officially obtain permission to govern a rescue or secure your release. I… I persuaded the guards to take a small bribe. We need to get out of here and soon…before they change their minds.”  His words are laced with apprehension. When he said small bribe, Hewlett meant a small fortune. However, he was too polite to tell Anna just how much her rescue cost him. She was worth every cent he spent and more.

“Judas priest!” She whispers, her eyes widening considerably at the revelation. Anna was completely stunned he had gone to such lengths for her. This was the man who, on day one of his Setauket occupation said that ‘law, order, and authority were everything’. Here, Edmund was breaking the law and risking his own life for her. She was quite impressed by his ingenuity and surprised by the drastic change that had fallen over him. Then again, if Anna truly thought about it, she too had changed considerably from that day.  

Hewlett hurriedly returns to his feet. He extends his hand to Anna and helps her up as well. “Are you okay to stand?”

“I be fine, Edmund,” she answers.

From under his uniform jacket, he pulled a bundled scarlet-jacket, white vest, and breeches. He is quick to extend the uniform in Anna’s direction. A sheepish expression finds its way onto his face. “C…Can you be quick in changing? Getting you out of that dress…” He pauses to swallow sharply, fighting back improper thoughts about her. Clearing his throat he continues, “might help us get out of here undetected.”  

“Aye,” she answers. The brunette didn’t even wait for him to turn around before she starts shedding her gown.

His eyes linger upon her wonderfully elegant curves. To his delight, Anna moves gracefully even in the tense situation; even-more-so for a bruised and battered prisoner of war. The sight of the ghastly purple and blue patches made his blood boil. Yet, Anna wore them so valiantly that it was hard not to find some beauty in them. He let his thoughts about her carry him away. Realizing that he was unintentionally ogling her and that it might make her uncomfortable, Edmund’s face flushes. Quickly and respectfully he turns his back to her.

It didn’t take Anna long to redress once her stays had been removed. A widened grin slides upwards on her lips when she noticed a faint hint of pink branding Hewlett’s cheeks before he turns away from her. Her heart skips a few beats as she realized just how deeply her heart was tethered to his. It took all of her strength not to confess how ardently she felt for him. Now was not the time for such things. They had to focus on escaping. Maybe such confessions could come later.

But first, she had a small and rather urgent problem. Anna had never worn breeches. The brunette had washed many pairs but never dare to try them on.Anna hadn’t the faintest idea of how to button them. Or even how to keep them from sliding down her considerably smaller waist, without taking them in several inches with a needle and thread. “Uhmmm… Major…” The brunette prompts, in a demure tone. Her own face taking on a tomato coloring as she peers over at him.

“Yes?” He quizzes, tilting his head to the side to look at her from over one shoulder in case she was not yet decent. “Ah… yes. Let me help you,” he breathes, without reflecting too greatly on what he was helping Anna do. He turns and strides the three steps it took to get to her side.

It seems the poor woman was confounded by the multitude of buttons on the front of the uniform breeches. So much so, that she had done them up quite awkwardly. Edmund takes a deep breath as his hands find her middle and he focuses on re-buttoning her. His knuckles accidentally brush against Anna’s bruised but warm skin which, is only covered by the thin fabric of the undershirt. As a result, his thoughts take an unholy turn. The officer struggles to control his passions. There is nothing he wants to do more in that moment than kiss her and claim her as his; with her permission, of course.

A small sweat breaks out upon his forehead as he tries not to gaze into her eyes or down at her chest. Edmund fears that in his eyes, she might discover all of the shameful thoughts he had and still has about her. Hewlett redirects his attention to the danger that would find them if, they lingered any longer than necessary.

Anna can scarcely breathe as his gaze is directed to her. The coincidental sweep of Hewlett’s knuckles against her filled her with a maddening desire that she had no choice but to conceal. She could not, however, pry her gaze away from Edmund as he studiously works on adjusting her uniform. If only she could know what was going through his mind. Did Hewlett still find her as attractive as she found him? Or had she somehow become repulsive to him? Why did it feel so natural being beside him even in this state of undress? Her thoughts are so loud, she is surprised that Hewlett can not hear them.

Edmund clears his throat when he realizes just how big the breeches are on Anna. They were still slowly drooping towards the ground in spite of his work. Thinking quickly, the major fashions a belt out of the extra coil of rope. Fortunately, Anna was small enough that it worked. “There….” He proudly states, appraising her with a once over glance. He can not help but be impressed by how stunning she looks in the uniform of his choosing. If only it had been her own as well…..

“Thank you, Edmund,” Anna gushes. Her upper row of teeth drags slowly against her lower lip as she contemplates kissing him. It is a thought that is quickly dismissed when he hands her the vest that belongs over the undershirt. At least this garment was a little more fitted to her figure. It was also much easier to button than the breeches had been. After the vest is secured, Anna is quick to shrug on the enemy jacket.

“I’m afraid that is as good as we are going to get. That is, until we can find some water…to clean you up with.” Hewlett remarks, removing the black uniform hat from his head and placing it upon Anna’s head. The hat too seemed slightly large. Although, this could work in their favor. Hewlett hopes that it is just big enough to cover her feminine facial structure. Still, if people didn’t look too closely, she could potentially pass for a recently recruited Regular. Anna was by far the prettiest Regular Edmund had ever seen.

It wasn’t until he mentioned water that Anna found herself craving some. Instinctively she licked her parched lips.

The subconscious gesture hadn’t escaped his notice. Hewlett wordlessly slips his flask to her with one hand, the other coils protectively around her waist. Hastily he ushers her out of the make-shift prison, into the camp, and towards the woods.

She is grateful for the drink. It had been at least two days since she had a proper one. Anna chokes with the first sip but takes the second one anyways. Semi-hydrated again, Anna steps briskly to keep up with the Major’s fast strides. The brunette doesn’t vocally thank him for fear of getting caught but she gives him a nod of appreciation. Her own fingers instinctively and unintentionally remain locked around his flask.

In the distance, early rising birds begin to chirp the first forewarning that everything would soon come awash with brilliant yellow light. The appearance of the sunshine would make their escape far more difficult. Nothing draws more attention than a pair of cherry red coats traveling through the leaf-barren forest. Attention was the very last thing they needed to attract. But first, they had to get out of the camp which, was, unfortunately, starting to awaken all around them.

((To be continued))