#i think before things started to go sour - maybe before his tuberculosis started to get so bad - this was the kind of person he was | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

layce2015 · 3 years ago

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Red Dead Redemption 2 (Arthur Morgan x Female!Reader)

Visiting Hours

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(A/n: I don't know if I made this clear or not but just to let everyone know, in this story, Arthur doesn't have tuberculosis. It was the original idea to follow the game but then I thought this would be better even though I did like how Arthur goes out. And heck, I changed and gave Joel Miller a better ending why not Arthur?)

"You're a nasty woman, Miss Grimshaw, a nasty woman." Karen's voice shout, which woke Arthur up. He sits up in his cot and sees that (y/n) wasn't sleeping next to him and she saw Jack and Annebeth trying to play but you could tell their heart wasn't really in it. Clearly what happened to Molly yesterday really affected them.

"You think I wanted to shoot her?" Grimshaw asked Karen as Arthur gets dressed. "You seemed to like it, I saw that beady look in your eye." Karen accused. "You're drunk again." Grimshaw deflected. "And you're a fucking murderer!" Karen shouts.

"She broke the rules." Grimshaw said, just as loudly as Karen. "She did no such thing, she was in love, you sour-faced old crone! Damn you, Murderer, Murderer!" Karen screams and she walks away while Grimshaw glares after her.

Arthur sighs and shakes his head at this as he starts to look for (y/n), maybe now he could ask her what Sadie meant before he had to go meet up with her to save John. He walks around until he sees her sitting up against a tree some feet away from the camp.

He walks over to her and saw her looking down as she had her legs pulled up to her and her arms resting on her knees. She looked like she was in deep thought and Arthur hated to have to interrupt her but he was worried about her.

"Hey (y/n)." He greets. She raises her head at him and gives him a small smile. "Hey, Arthur." She said, in a small tired voice. "You okay?" He asked as he sits down next to her. She sighs then scoffs a laugh as she shakes her head. "Just...hell of a couple days, huh?" She said. "Yeah..." Arthur sighs and he noticed that she had some sort've brooch in her hand that she was fiddling with.

"Where'd you get that?" He asked, nodding towards the brooch. She looks at it, sighs then tells Arthur what happened with Oliver and his dad and how he gave her the brooch to pass down to Annebeth. "So now he wants to make up for it..." Arthur grumbles and (y/n) nods.

"Part of me wants to sell it but...I can't help but feel that I should give it to Annebeth when she gets older. It's a family heirloom and, whether I like it or not, she shares the same blood as him and therefore it should be passed down to her." (Y/n) said. "Guess that makes sense." Arthur said and (y/n) looks over at him.

"Thought I'd get more fight outta you.." she said, surprised. "If it's for Annebeth then...I don't have a problem with it." He replied and her smile returns.

"Is there anything else you need to tell me?" Arthur asked her and (y/n)'s smile falters. "Sadie was telling me her plans to save John and she mentioned she did want you to come along but said But not in her condition. What did she mean by that?" Arthur asked her. "And Annebeth said you went to see a doctor. Is everything okay?"

(Y/n) sighs and said. "Depends on how you respond to the news." Arthur raises an eyebrow at this as (y/n) continues. "The last few weeks, I don't know if you noticed, I've been feeling sick. So sick that I tend to vomit and some food tasted weird to me..." she said and Arthur nods a bit. "I remember you saying the champagne tasted odd back at that party." He said.

"Well...I went to the doctor to see what he said, even though I kinda figured out what it might be." She said and she looks into his ocean blue eyes. "What is it?" He asked as he stares back into her (e/c) eyes. She takes a deep breath then slowly let's it out. "Arthur...I'm pregnant." She said and Arthur's eyes widen at this.

"What?" He asked her, shocked. "Now the doctor said it's a strong possibility but I have to wait a few months. But...Arthur, looking back, the symptoms I'm experiencing are the same ones I had when I was pregnant with Annebeth." She explained and Arthur looks her over as if he was making sure she wasn't lying.

"You sure?" He asked and (y/n) looks him in the eyes, without blinking. "I would never, ever lie about this, Arthur. I care and love you too much to do that to you. I promise you that I'm pregnant, and you are the father." She said. Arthur stares at her for a moment then a small smirk appears on his face.

"Well I sure as shit better be." He said and she smiles. “I’m hurt that you would doubt me, Mr. Morgan.” (Y/n) said, feigning hurt with a playful smirk, placing her hand on her chest where her heart is. He laughs at her joke at first then remarks. “You’d be surprised, darlin'.”

The chuckles slowly died down, and Arthur’s smile faded to a deep frown as he looked down at his feet. (Y/n) sensed there is something going on in his head as he looked as though in deep thought.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” She asked.

“What if…what if I ain’t cut out to be a father? Am I worthy to be a good father to our child?” He asked, his voice laced with insecurity. "Arthur…” she said, worried, but Arthur goes on.

“I’m afraid that something could happen to you or Annabeth one day if I wasn’t there. A lot has happened in my life before. What kind of father am I if—?” he started to ramble and (y/n) holds her hand up to him. “Stop.” She said. “Stop beating yourself up like that. You are a good man, and a good father. Annebeth loves you already, and so will the baby once it’s born. You proved so much by the way you helped me and the others at camp. I know you care a lot for us, especially after when the children were taken, and you were hellbent on bringing them back home. Did so much for us yet you feel like you are unworthy. You are anything but that, Arthur Morgan. Deep down, you are a good man. You just need to see that.” she said and Arthur looks at her then moves his eyes away.

“I know a lot has happened, but just know that we’re here for you. You deserve to be happy. Everyone you held close to and lost would want you to have a happy ending you deserve, for them. For us.” She grabs his hand and place them on her stomach where their child is residing. To let him know that he is loved and that the baby would be happy to meet him soon in a few months. Arthur gazes, lovingly, at the small bump he could feel then at (Y/n), eyes brimming with happy tears. “Thank you.” He says and she smiles at him then leans up and kisses him

They share a loving kiss before they pull back and stare into each other's eyes. “Now…how should we tell Annebeth she’s going to be a big sister?” he asked her but before (y/n) could answer, Strauss comes and up and calls out to Arthur, who moves his hand off of (y/n)'s belly.

"Mr. Morgan!" Strauss calls out as he comes up to them. "Herr Strauss." Arthur said. "How are you?" Strauss asked him. "Doing good, all things considering." Arthur said. "Okay. Are you perhaps available for some work?" Strauss asked him and Arthur sighs.

"Debtors?" Arthur asked and (y/n) looks between him and Strauss. "Yes." Strauss said. "I guess." Arthur sighs, sounding like he would rather do anything else than this. "Your commitment to your duties is admirable." Strauss said, smiling.

"Who are they?" Arthur asked. "Well, there's a deserter from Fort Wallace. Head to him first. They're looking for him out on the road near Three Sisters. Man's name is J. John Weathers." Strauss explains. "J. John Weathers..." Arthur mutters. "Then, there's a miner over in Annesburg. He's called...well he's called Arthur...like you." Strauss chuckles and (y/n) could see Arthur rolling his eyes.

"Arthur Londonderry. Family man, desperate. You know the type." Strauss said and Arthur sighs again. "Couldn't one of the boys do this?" Arthur asked him. "I tried. They lacked your vigor." Strauss said. "Vigor, huh?" Arthur scoffs then he sighs again. "All right." He said and Strauss smiles, brightly. "Take care, Mr. Morgan." Strauss said and he leaves.

Arthur runs his hands over his eyes. "I don't want to do this." He grumbles then he looks over at (y/n). "Especially leaving you after telling me the news." He said and (y/n) gives him a sympathetic look. "I know, Arthur. I don't like it either. But you have a job to do. Plus you have to help Sadie save John. Once you finish all that, then we can have some time together." She assures him and Arthur looks at her and gives a soft smile.

"Just stay safe, okay?" She asked him and Arthur nods then he leans in and kisses her. "I'll see you later." He said as he gets up. "Be careful, honey." (Y/n) said. "I love you." Arthur said. "I love you too." She said and Arthur goes to his horse and takes off.

For the next couple of hours, (y/n) kept her mind busy as she helped around the camp. But it made her sad as it seemed everyone, who once acted as a family, were now cold towards one another. And it seemed everyone was trying to not walk on eggshells.

(Y/n) was washing some clothes when she heard a hoofprints pounding on the ground. She looks up and sees Arthur coming in. She started to smile but it quickly disappears when she noticed this look of stern determination on his face as he makes his way to Strauss.

"Ah, how did you get on Mr. Morgan?" Strauss asked after Arthur made his way to Strauss, who was sitting on a large boulder. "Just dandy." Arthur replied, flatly, then he stares at Strauss for a few moments then said. "Just...get up." He said and Strauss looks up at him, startled. "What?" He asked. "Get up." Arthur ordered as he grabs Strauss's arm and pulls him up to his feet.

This startled (y/n) and she and a few other members stop and stare as Arthur takes Strauss to his tent. "What is wrong?" Strauss asked, shocked. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all." Arthur said as he continues to drag Strauss.

"What are you doing?" Strauss asked as they get closer to his tent. "Something I should have done a long time ago. Get your bag. Is this it?" Arthur said as he grabs Strauss's bag. "I don't understand." Strauss said as Arthur grabs some of Strauss's personal items and put them in the bag. "I ain't going to kill you, though I probably should. You disgust me and you shame us, if we could be shamed any more than we already are." Arthur said and he finished packing up Strauss's stuff. "That should do. Go!" Arthur said as he shoves Strauss's bag in his hands.

"I don't understand you. What are you doing?" Strauss asked as Arthur grabs him again and drags him towards the entrance of the camp. "Go and get a job!" Arthur shouts, angrily, as he shoves Strauss forward.

Strauss stumbles then turns back around towards Arthur, clearly shocked at what was going on. "But...I was your friend." he said to Arthur. "You and me, we ain't decent, but those folk, they was. Now, here take that." Arthur said as he pulls out some cash out of his satchel and throws it at Strauss.

"Take that and get lost." Arthur said and Strauss looks between the money and Arthur. "I'm-" he stammers but Arthur speaks over him. "Leaving." Arthur said, in a firm quiet voice. Strauss stares at Arthur and tried to to talk but realized that he would just piss Arthur off.

He collects his stuff and the money and leaves while Arthur watches him. (Y/n) runs up to him and places a hand on his arm. "Arthur, what was that about?" She asked as Arthur turns to her. "I don't want to talk about it. I gotta go." He mutters as he goes over to his horse but (y/n) walks up next to him then grabs his arm.

"Arthur, honey, talk to me." She pleads and Arthur stops and sighs. "I just got tired of his jobs and him preying on desperate folk. J. John Weathers...he has a pregnant wife. And Londonderry, he died and...he left behind a wife and a young kid. A kid about Jack's and Annebeth's age." Arthur said and (y/n) frowns. "Oh, Arthur..." she said, sympathetically, and Arthur shakes his head.

"I just...I couldn't take it anymore..." he said, defeated. (Y/n) gives him a sympathetic look then takes his hand in her, intertwines her fingers with his, and gives it a reassure squeeze. He turns his head to her and she gives him a small smile then she leans up and kissed his cheek.

The two share a look, a comfortable silence between them, before Arthur let's out a sigh. "I better get going..." he said as he goes to his horse. "Be careful." (Y/n) said and Arthur looks over his shoulder at her, a small smile on his lips. "Always." He said and he mounts his horse and takes off.

Sometime later, Sadie and Arthur make it to Sisika and got into the grounds. They thought John was out on the ground with the chain gang, but after shooting a guard they realized that John was not out on the grounds like they thought.

They run up towards the guards they didn't shoot, the prisoners were long gone at this point, and Sadie started to threaten one, asking where John was, but another guard comes up to her and aims his gun at her, threatening her. But Arthur comes up behind him and places his gun behind the guard's head, scaring him to death.

Arthur takes him captive and he and Sadie make their way to the entrance of the prison, still holding the guard at gunpoint. "Jameson!" Arthur yells as they get to the front entrance and a few guards had run along the top level of the prison.

"Is Jameson in?" Arthur asked the guards. "He's in Saint Denis." One of the guards said. "They got Milliken." Another guard exclaims. "Got him and going to kill him. Unless you bring me John Marston right now. You got one minute. I'm counting. One, two, three..." Arthur said but then he leans forward to Millikan.

"Millikan, is it?" He asked. "Yes, sir." Millikan said, shaking. "Will you count for me? I got talking to do." Arthur said to him. "Yes, sir. Of course, sir." Millikan said and he was about to count but then turns his head to look at Arthur. "From one or four, sir?" He asked him. "Very funny. No, we must be at 11 by now." Arthur said and Millikan begins to count.

"11, 12, 13."

"Faster." Arthur orders and Millikan starts to panic and cries. "14, 15, 16, 17. 18." he counts while Arthur talks over him. "Now hurry up. Or this poor fool's going to get his brain shot out and over what? For nothing." Arthur said but noticed that Millikan stopped counting.

"Milliken. Don't stop counting. I can't hear you." He said as a few guards walked away. "Hurry up and bring that asshole out here you bastard. Come on." Millikan cried out to the guards. "Don't cry, buddy." Arthur said. "I don't want to die." Millikan cries and Arthur pats his shoulder. "I know. I know." Arthur said and at that moment the front gates open and out comes John.

"Hey, Hey, John." Arthur said as Sadie goes over to him. "Hey, you two." John greets and Sadie shoots the chain that was linked between John's legs. "Now no funny business or Mr. Milliken here will stop crying once and for all." Arthur threatened as John and Sadie run off. Then Arthur turns to Millikan. "Okay, today's your lucky day. Let's go." Arthur said as he shoves Millikan forward and he starts to run while the guards start to fire at the trio.

"Been a while, John." Arthur said as they hid behind some boxes and started firing at the guards. Sade handed John an extra gun she had. "You're telling me! What took you so long?" John asked. "I'll explain later." Arthur said as they shoot and kill some guards.

"Was that you in the balloon?" John asked Arthur as they start to run again. "Believe me, that was my one and only time flying." Arthur jokes and they dodge and run from the guards and their bullets.

They eventually make it to the boat and get inside of it. "Come on boys, let's move. I'll row. You shoot." Sadie said to Arthur. "Seriously?" Arthur asked her, annoyed. "Let me, you're a better shot." she said as she grabs the oars and Arthur pulls out a rifle. "All right, fine. You just relax and enjoy yourself, John. Leave the real work to them as can still handle it." Arthur said as he takes aim. "Thanks." John said as Sadie rows and Arthur kills the guards.

Finally they make it to Copperhead Landing and they get off of the boat. "I think I liked you better when you was all trussed up like a prized chicken." Arthur told John. "No doubt." John said and Sadie whistles for the horses.

"Hurry up. They're going to on our tails soon enough if you boys keep wasting time." She tells them as Arthur looks out at the water. "That's us told then." He said. "Hey Arthur...thank you." John said to him, appreciatively, and Arthur turns to him and smirks. "Don't mention it." He said.

"Let's go. We should get out of here quick before the law gets wind of this." Sadie tells them as she gets on her horse. Arthur helps John to mount her horse then he gets on his and they take off as fast as they could.

"So what the hell happened in Saint Denis? Is Abigail all right?" John asked them. "She's fine. Jack is too. She managed to escape when they got Hosea." Sadie explained and John looks down. "Hosea. That still don't seem real somehow." He said, shaking his head. "All them years, Arthur, he was like family." John said.

"We lost young Lenny too." Arthur said. "No...what a damn mess." John said, devastated. "What about the money?" He asked. "Lost somewhere at the bottom of the ocean." Arthur explained. "What? How the hell did that happen?" John asked, confused and shocked.

"We hid on a boat, it was our only way out of there. The boat went down in a storm and we ended up stranded on an island somewhere near Cuba." Arthur said. "Cuba? Wait, you're going to have to tell me all this again." John said, his mind running a mile a minute.

"It's a long story, but things ain't been good, John." Arthur said, honestly. "You're telling me!" John said, like it was obvious. "We're holed up now in the mountains to the north near Roanoke Ridge in some caves there. The Pinkertons caught up with us again and we had to move." said Arthur. "Seems Molly ratted us out, the bitch. So she's dead too." Sadie said.

"Jesus. Maybe you should have just left me to hang." John said, sarcastically. "And I should warn you. Dutch didn't want us breaking you out. Said it wasn't the right time, so might not be the hero's welcome you're imagining." Arthur said and John scoffs.

"So much for no man left behind." he grumbles then he sighs. "I can't stop thinking about this. In the bank, when they grabbed me, he saw it, felt almost like he had a moment to do something and didn't." John explains. "Dutch ain't himself right now, or maybe he just ain't who we thought he was." said Arthur.

"Guess we don't need to worry about who's his favorite no more." said John. "Guess not." Arthur said as they make it to camp and Abigail and (y/n) look over and see that they had arrive.

"You brought him back to me." Abigail said, her voice full of tears, as she runs over to Sadie and John. "We told you we would." Sadie said as her and the boys dismount their horses. Abigail and John hug each other and (y/n) goes up to John.

"Good to see you back, John." She said as her and John give a quick hug to each other then (y/n) goes over to Arthur and they embrace. "I'm so glad you're safe too." She whispers to Arthur.

"John! What are you doing here?" Dutch's voice called out and they all turn to him and see Dutch and Micah walking up to them. "Good to see you too partner." John said to him, in a harsh sarcastic voice. "I meant I hadn't sent for you yet." Dutch corrects.

"I went." Arthur said, pulling out of his and (y/n)'s embrace, and walks over to Dutch.

"But I said that..."

"I know what you said. I felt different." Arthur said, interrupting Dutch. "Is that so?" Dutch asked, his voice turning to anger. "Yes." Arthur said, firmly, as he stands in front of Dutch, standing his ground.

"And when springing John brings the law down on all of us, what then, Arthur?" Dutch asked him. "Well I guess we'll have another fight on our hands." Arthur growls at Dutch. "Loyalty, Arthur, it ain't..." Dutch stops then starts to shake in anger.

"I had a damn PLAN!" Dutch yells, furiously, at Arthur then he turns to John. "John, John, you are my brother. You are my son. I was coming for you." He said, trying to assure him. "They were talking of hanging me, Dutch." John said, in a sort've desperate tone. "They was talking, they was talking and now they may come and hang us all." Dutch said and he walks away in rage while Micah glares at them and, slightly, shakes his head at them and walks off.

Sadie, Abigail, John, Arthur and (y/n) all exchange looks before Sadie shakes her head and walks off, John and Abigail head to their tents. Arthur kicks at the ground and (y/n) takes his left hand in her right hand.

"Hey, no matter what...you did the right thing, Arthur." She said, calmly, and she places her left hand on his cheek, her thumb brushing across his stubble. "I know." Arthur mutters as he raises his right hand and placed it over the hand on his cheek. He turns his head and kissed the palm of her hand and she smiles at him.

Then the two head to their shared tent.

@starjane312 @trinswhimsys @reiya-djarin

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jornthur · 5 years ago

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“Unshaken” Chapter 10

Originally posted: June 8, 2020

Arthur Morgan x Reader, Slow-Burn Romance

Summary: You save a mysterious man who is dying on a mountain. Finding out he has Tuberculosis, you use your knowledge and skills with herbs and natural remedies to save him from death and help nurse him back to health. As he slowly starts to recover, you can’t help but wonder: Who is this man? Why had you found him the way that you did, beaten and ill? Only time, patience … and perhaps love … will tell.

•••••

The first mile was peaceful, and Arthur looked around as the wagon strolled down a narrow dirt path through the thick forest. The trees were tall, the hilly landscape like the huge waves of the ocean. His heart almost skipped a beat when he recalled those monstrous walls of water when he was on board that ship. Never again was he ever going on another damn boat as long as he lived.

He took in a deep breath, the smell and feel of the fresh forest air overcoming and relaxing his senses. It felt so good to be out in the wild again, he had to admit. He’d actually found himself missing the familiar scent of wilderness, reminding him of all those nights when he’d been out on his own, hunting, camping, whatever the hell he felt like doing.

Arthur almost laughed to himself then.

He was still here … still alive … still breathing … And the rest of the world believed he was dead, including his old friends — or what was left of them. Anger began to simmer deep within his gut at the thought of Dutch, Micah’s betrayal, what they’d done to him and John, the rest of the gang. He squeezed his eyes shut, lifting his hand to tug at the brim of his new hat, trying to find comfort in the new gift. All he could tell himself was that Marston was safe. The boy was an idiot, sure, but when it came to his family and their safety, Arthur knew nothing would stand in John’s way.

A gentle gust of wind hit him, blowing back his hair and cooling what little heat had begun to grow in his cheeks from the anger he felt. Arthur let out a sigh, allowing the cool feeling to seep into his skin. Looking around, he took in the surrounding views. He knew he was somewhere far north of Roanoke Ridge, but he’d never been up this far before Y/N and Austin had taken him in.

The place was beautiful, he thought, taking in the towering trees around them. He’d learned a few interesting terms from Y/N’s herbalist books. He’d been drawn to those bookshelves of hers many times while he’d been cooped up in that cabin, if only to avoid dying from boredom rather than Tuberculosis. Turned out he’d ended up drawn to the knowledge.

There were so many kinds of trees he could now identify— Spruce, Cedars, Pines, Oaks, and very many Sequoia trees. These trees were extremely tall, forming a thick canopy of leaves far overhead, the sunshine piercing through them in rays, hitting the ground with glowing warm light.

The air smelled so fresh as well, and Arthur took in another deep breath, relishing the real cool feeling in his lungs and the fresh and unique smells around him. There was so much plant life growing up here, all kinds of colorful flowers and foliage dotting the thick green grass everywhere. Damn, this area was gorgeous.

Arthur reached up again and stroked the feather on his hat gently, the bristles soft as, well, a feather. He gripped the crown and took the hat off, lowering it to his lap so he could examine it further. The black leather was worn, but genuine, and he could tell it was made from real cowhide, examining the hundreds of skin pores scattered all over. He ran a finger over the brown braided leather tied around the crown of the hat, similar to how his father’s hat had the looped rope. The texture was rough, but also soft, little furs sticking up here and there from years of use.

Then Arthur looked at the feather, and he squinted, his brows drawing down tight as he stroked the thing with the tip of his finger. It was that of a great-horned owl, a primary feather from the wing, the black and gold colored stripes giving away its identity. He wondered, then … why an owl feather? Maybe it was just something her grandfather hadn’t thought much about, but sometimes a certain kind of bird feather in a cowboy’s hat had a meaning behind it.

Thinking back, he recalled Y/N telling him that her grandfather hadn’t lived ‘the best life.’ That he’d been some kind of wanderer. Arthur found himself being curious as to what exactly she had meant. A wanderer?

What kind of life had the old man lived that had her hesitating to tell him the whole story? And what of the feather?

A cough escaped him, and he lifted a had to cover his mouth, clearing his throat then.

Austin looked over at him with curious eyes, “You alright, cowpoke?”

Arthur couldn’t help but give a small smile as he turned his head to face the young man, narrowing his eyes at him, “I’m just fine, little feller, how ’bout yourself?”

The brother narrowed his eyes in return, showing that he was clearly offended by the term Arthur had used on him, “I ain’t ‘little.’”

Arthur laughed, “Why, sure you is, little feller. As long as you call me a cowpoke, I’ll keep callin’ you little. Sound fair?”

Austin grunted, “Not really.” He reached up to scratch at his cheek, then added, “But you kinda do strike me as a cowpoke.”

“Well, you strike me as little, boah,” Arthur said with a grin, his voice a low rough tone as he patted his chest with an open palm, “And it’ll be much worse if you ain’t careful, son.”

Austin grunted, letting out a huff as if he wasn’t amused with Arthur’s teasing in the least.

Several more moments of silence passed, and Arthur gently placed the hat back on his head.

“So she decided to give you our grandfather’s hat, huh?” Austin asked, his voice sounding a bit sour as he cracked the reins again.

Arthur looked over at him, noting the expression the boy had on his face. He didn’t look angry, exactly, but from his eyes Arthur could tell there was some kind of story. “What do you mean?” He asked.

Austin let out a long sigh, “Well, I know she told you it belonged to our grandfather, and he weren’t the best man when he was alive. I never wanted to touch the damn thing after he died.” He lifted his eyes to meet Arthur’s, “Kinda feels weird that you’re wearin’ it, s’all.”

Arthur took that moment as a chance to find out what he could, maybe the brother could give him some of the information he’d been wondering about. “Who was he?”

Austin let out a sarcastic laugh, “I don’t think that’s for me to say. If she didn’t tell you, I don’t think I should be the one to do so.”

Arthur’s natural instinct would’ve been to reach out and choke the bastard to get the information he wanted. It was a feeling he was used to whenever assholes gave him a hard time, but he could respect the brother for looking after his sister.

Another curious thought occurred to him then, and he couldn’t help but ask, “What were y’all doin’ before you found me up on that mountain?”

He could see Austin freeze up at the question, and the young man turned his gaze over to look at him, “You mean that night? We were travelin’ back from Emerald Ranch. Y/N needed to do a trade for some of the supplies we needed for the horses. We have a few contacts scattered here and there for supplies we need that we can’t get up here, and sometimes we need to travel a ways to get them.

“We were supposed to arrive home sometime in the late evening, but we ran into this strange man on the road. He looked odd, short gray dreads, green bandana around his head, weird old clothing. Said his name was William.”

Arthur stilled at that.

“But anyhow,” Austin continued, not noticing that Arthur had suddenly froze, “he was camping out on the side of the road near Moonstone Pond, and he had all these strange plants he seemed to be workin’ with. Of course, it grabbed Y/N’s attention and he invited us over, so she and I stopped to chat with him for a while.” Austin chuckled as he recalled the memory, “What was supposed to be a small chat ended up bein’ a two-hour conversation. I didn’t really listen to what they were sayin’ since I was wrapped up in a book I’ve been readin’. Eventually I had to pull her away since it was gettin’ late.

“When we were just about to leave, she mentioned a special plant that grew over by O’Creagh’s Run, must’ve been somethin’ they were talkin’ about earlier. I was about to say no, but she gave me this look. She has this thing that she does with her eyes, drives me crazy ’cuz I can’t turn her down when she does it.

“So we headed over there, and I stopped the wagon by the small lake so she could explore the area. I just hung out under a tree with my book to pass the time … That’s when we heard the sounds.”

Arthur lifted his head and narrowed his eyes, “Sounds?”

“Gunshots, shoutin’ — We was goin’ to leave the area as quickly as possible, but — well, Y/N could hear the struggles, fighting, a man in pain, and she couldn’t stop herself.” Austin paused, as if he were deep in thought, “We saw someone runnin’ away from the mountain before they disappeared into the trees. I didn’t really get a good look at the man, but it looked like he had dirty, long blonde hair … someone you knew?”

The fury that suddenly welled in Arthur’s chest didn’t surprise him in the least damn bit.

Micah.

That damned rat.

The rat that weaseled his way in and ultimately destroyed the Van Der Linde gang in such a short amount of time.

Twenty goddamned years of loyalty and service to Dutch, and the old fool had decided to listen and believe someone who’d just joined the gang not half a year ago, a man who’d only been out for himself in the end … Just like Dutch …

“Arthur?”

Austin’s voice interrupted Arthur’s thoughts and snapped him back to reality. “Yeah, sorry ’bout that, kid. Just thinkin’.”

Austin seemed to have picked up on Arthur’s mood, no doubt from the gravel Arthur felt in his throat from the emotion that had just been about to take him over. He couldn’t dwell on such things, not right now. What good did it do?

At that moment another thought occurred to him, “You didn’t want Y/N takin’ me in, did you?” He stated it as fact since he knew the answer, but he found himself wanting to hear what Austin’s response would be.

The boy chuckled darkly, looking straight ahead at the narrow dirt trail. “Honestly, when we heard the gunshots, I thought it was going to be a trap, an ambush of some kind. But Y/N … When we reached that mountain and found you laying on that rock, it was like she didn’t care about anythin’ else in the world but you.” He cleared his throat, “The whole time I was worried that she was going to get herself killed, being so close to a stranger. I feared that something terrible would happen, like you would have a knife hidden on you, or a friend of yours would come leaping out of a hiding spot and shoot her dead.” Austin lowered his head, looking down at his lap as if lost in thought, “To tell you the truth, I don’t know what I would’ve done had that been the case. Y/N is my whole world right now, and she matters to me more than anythin’ else in my pathetic life.”

Arthur’s eyes softened, almost finding himself sympathizing with the poor boy, but he continued to listen.

“When she insisted on taking you to our cabin, I nearly lost it. Watching her take you in and nurse you back to health every day, I couldn’t help but fear for the worst. I still thought you had something evil planned. Some monsters would go to any length to take advantage and trick people like us to get what they want, even if it’s hurtin’ one of their own.”

The boy was smart, Arthur admitted to himself. There were definitely men like that out there, and he should damn well know.

“But when she mentioned you had Tuberculosis, and I began seeing the signs from you, how truly sick you were — I guess … Well, I guess I noticed how stupid I was bein’ at that point — but I was too proud to admit it.

“After you showed your skills with the gun, I realized you could’ve killed us both whenever you wanted long before that point. The thought was scary, of course, but finally seeing that all you needed was a gun or your bare hands to take us both out and you never did? Well, I guess you can say my stupidity wore off a lil’ bit at that point.”

Arthur grinned, amused with Austin’s confession at how much of an idiot he had been for all the trouble he’d given him.

But could he fully blame Austin? The boy was just looking after his sister, and Arthur couldn’t do nothing but respect him for it. “Don’t hurt yourself too much over it, boah. You’re just lookin’ after her, I understand. In fact,” he leaned back and rolled his shoulders, stretching out the tension in his back, “I kinda like that.”

Austin acknowledged his statement with a small nod and a smile. “I love her, I really do. She’s family, and the most wonderful person I know.” He narrowed his eyes at Arthur and teased, “If you ever hurt her, though, I’ll make sure to shoot you square in the chest, got it?”

Arthur threw back his head and laughed at the threat, “If you say so. But don’t you worry — I ain’t got plans for that.” The fact that the young man had the courage to actually threaten him was truly entertaining, and Arthur couldn’t help but note how much smaller the man actually was compared to him. Arthur had a good six inches on him in height, and a whole lot more muscle, despite the fact that he was still sick. The boy worked hard, but they clearly didn’t eat enough for him to gain a whole lot of meat on his bones. He was about as contrasted as he could be compared to Arthur.

He was grateful Austin had finally swallowed his pride down enough in order to ask him how to hunt. They truly did need it, and he would do his best to teach them. It was the least he could do for him and his sister after everything they’d done for him.

The next several moments were quiet, minus the sound of Lily’s hooves hitting the ground and the tittering of birds high up in the trees.

“So what’s it like livin’ up here?” Arthur asked. “It don’t seem too bad.”

“It ain’t,” Austin replied with a shrug, “It was tough for the first few months, but we managed. Built ourselves a camp, then eventually built ourselves a cabin — then the stables for the horses and other animals.” He cleared his throat, “Of course it’s been hard, what with my lack of huntin’ skills, but Y/N absolutely loves it. She enjoys bein’ surrounded by all the wildlife and plants.”

Arthur found himself suddenly more invested, wanting to know more about Y/N and her passions. “And her garden?”

“She’s been in love with flowers since she was a tiny thing. When we came up here, she brought a few supplies that belonged to our mother, and she got to work on that garden right away.” He let out a small laugh, “What started as a small batch of flowers and herbs turned into a small estate of all kinds of plants. She’s been finding different herbs all over the place and replanting them here for the past three years. Every month it gets larger and larger. I’ll admit, it looks pretty damn beautiful.”

Arthur grinned. “That is does,” he agreed with a nod. It did indeed, Y/N’s garden was a pretty good size, and the colorful shrubbery was a marvel to look at, truthfully. He’d been able to see it out through one of the windows as he’d been recovering on that couch all that time …

“So how are you feeling, Arthur?” Austin asked, breaking the silence.

Arthur turned his head to look at him, “What?”

Austin lifted a hand to point at his chest, “Your TB, you were coughing a bit earlier, just checking to see how you’re feelin’ now?”

Arthur rubbed his own palm over his chest, “I’m just fine, you’re sister’s got some healin’ magic goin’ on with those herbs of hers.”

The boy’s laugh was loud and sharp, “Y/N has a talent with nature, that’s for damn sure. I swear she may be Mother Nature herself.”

The two men’s laughter echoed through the trees as they travelled further down the trail. A squirrel skittered across the ground, and Arthur watched it disappear into the thick foliage on the other side.

More time passed, until finally they reached a small clearing. Arthur lifted his finger to point over to a small grassy area. “That’s a good spot to start.”

Austin pulled back the reins until Lily stopped, bringing the wagon to a halt. He looked over to where he was pointing and lifted a brow, “Really? Doesn’t seem like the kind of spot wildlife would be, it’s too open.”

Arthur gave him a bewildered look. “Wildlife don’t always need to be in a particular spot in order for you to track ’em, Austin.” He said, his drawl annoyed, letting the young man know through his tone that what Austin had stated was completely idiotic. He got up and climbed down out of the wagon, walking towards the small patch, “This area’s got plenty of plant-life, tellin’ you it’s a good spot to start pickin’ up trails.” He narrowed his eyes as he placed his hands on his belt, turning his head as he took in the surrounding forest. “It’s perfect for grazin’, plenty of cover ’round here if they need it.”

Austin crawled out of the wagon, grabbing his carbine repeater. It was smart — even though they didn’t need it for killing today, it was better to be safe than get caught off-guard by any wild predators. He walked over to Arthur, and Arthur began walking slowly across the grass, looking down to examine the dirt. “Now whatchu wanna do is look for any signs, footprints, fur, dung, broken branches and whatnot.” He took several steps forward, crouching low so he could see better.

Austin did the same, crouching to help look around for anything they could pick up. “So look for those things, got it.” He said, crawling low to the ground.

“You also wanna be quiet as possible, don’t wanna draw any attention towards yourself or you’ll scare off anythin’ nearby. Same thing can be said about your gun.” Arthur looked over his shoulder at him, “You ever use a bow before, boah?”

Austin shook his head, “Only a couple times when I was young. We got one up by the cabin stored in the shed. Another thing that belonged to our grandfather, but I never touched the damned thing.”

Arthur huffed, amused at the other man’s stubborn nature. “It’s a useful weapon, kid, it can be used to make quiet kills so you don’t frighten off any wildlife in the near vicinity.”

The young man just let out a grunt, “I ain’t touchin’ that thing.”

Arthur just shrugged at the boy’s pride, “Up to you, but I highly suggest you start learnin’ how to use it.”

Over the next several minutes, they examined the grounds, both of them crawling quietly through the tall grass.

“Arthur?”

Austin’s whispered voice reached Arthur’s ear, and he turned to see him waving his arm, gesturing for him to come over. He made his way over, and once he was beside Austin the kid pointed at a few small hoof prints in the soil. He smiled, “Good job there, feller, now see if you can follow them.”

The boy nodded and did just that. Over the next half hour, Arthur continued to help him by pointing out other signs, such as crushed grass, a couple broken branches, and bits of fur here and there. The last sign was several strange marks on one of the trees twenty yards away. ‘Tree rubs,’ of course.

“This way,” Arthur whispered, leading them quietly through a few tall bushes.

Finally they reached a new wide-open clearing. This one had a small pond directly in the center, and in the distance, Arthur spotted the white-tailed buck grazing on some of the lush green grass at its feet.

For a moment, Arthur froze, recalling all the dreams he’d been having. The buck looked so similar to the one in his dreams; the size, the coat, the large antlers it displayed. Every single detail was precise.

Austin sat beside him, and Arthur felt rather than heard the boy lifting his gun.

At that moment, a doe and two young fawns appeared from behind one of the large boulders, the three of them approaching the large buck.

Arthur grabbed the barrel of the gun before Austin could aim the thing.

He watched as the doe came over to the buck with the two young close behind her, and the creatures nuzzled each other lovingly.

It was a sight that Arthur found himself lost in, and he couldn’t help but think of his own family, what was, what could have been, what might have been … If he’d only chosen a different life for himself …

What the hell was wrong with him?

“What the hell are you doin’, Arthur?”

Austin’s voice echoed his thoughts, snapping him back out from his mind. Arthur cleared his throat, “Let’s leave ’em be, kid.” He was going to leave it at that, but then he added “We promised Y/N, remember? Just trackin’.”

Austin gave him a strange look, but after a couple of moments he seemed to decide not to argue with him. “So what now?”

Arthur gazed at the family of deer a few seconds longer, then he flicked his gaze over to Austin, “I don’t know. I reckon we should head on back,” he turned to face the younger man, “You suppose your ready to travel back?”

Again with that strange look, what the hell was Austin seeing? Had Arthur suddenly grown his own pair of antlers? What was running through that boy’s mind?

Finally, he answered, “I guess so, I think I learned plenty today.” They both stood quietly and started heading back towards the wagon. Austin tucked the gun strap over his shoulder, reaching up to scratch at his cheek again. “I’ll admit that was actually quite fun. Thanks, Arthur. You’re a pretty great tracker, in all honesty.”

The compliment felt strange, Arthur thought, especially coming from Austin of all people, but he supposed he would take it. The boy was grateful, having learned something that would be incredibly useful for him and his sister when it came to their survival. “It ain’t no cake walk after this, boah. We still got a long way to go, trackin’ requires a lot of patience — an eagle’s eye.”

Austin nodded, giving him a small smile, “I suppose that makes sense. A lot of patience — kinda like fishin’?”

Arthur let out a genuine laugh at that, “I guess you’re right.”

2 Weeks Later …

Birds tittered high up in the trees, singing there own unique songs as the sun’s rays bore down on your back. The weather was absolutely gorgeous today, you thought to yourself as you knelt in your garden. You were in a cheery mood, humming softly as you pruned several of the herbs and flowers. You looked over your shoulder to see that Arthur was still relaxing on the porch swing, working on something in his journal. Writing or drawing? You had no clue, but you were going to leave him to his privacy.

The last two weeks had been quite the ride.

Arthur’s body was improving, his skin and muscles filling back out with each passing week. Even though his blood still showed signs of leftover Tuberculosis bacteria, it was clear his body was slowly but successfully fighting it off. You continued to give him treatments every other day, and he still took daily doses of honey per your instructions.

But despite the fact his body was getting better physically, you knew the herbs and medication still had a large impact on both his physical and mental state, so you still urged him to be cautious with his actions so that he didn’t overwork himself too much. It was crucial for him to stay in a calm state so his mind and body wouldn’t somehow become unstable.

He’d been sleeping a lot better. Every night you woke up to check on him, and Arthur was sleeping peacefully every time. Truly, it made you happy to see him so relaxed now. Ever since you’d sung that lullaby for him so many nights ago, that nightmare of his hadn’t seemed to come back. Though you still wondered who this John was, no matter how much it bothered you, you didn’t want to risk bringing anymore pain to Arthur.

For the past several days Arthur had been on his feet helping out around the cabin, whether it was doing chores or hunting with Austin, he managed to keep himself busy throughout the day. He was regaining the muscle and healthy tone he’d no doubt once had before, his face, eyes, and cheeks becoming full once more, and he was beginning to gain a tan from being out in the sun so much now.

Ever since you had given it to him, not once had Arthur ever taken off his new hat. Unless he was asleep or bathing, the thing rarely ever left his head.

It really did look good on him.

You had to admit, the man was absolutely stunning. Whenever he worked or did any kind of physical labor, you couldn’t help but watch those muscles in his body sometimes, how they moved and flexed beneath his skin, noting the healthy shine of sweat on his face, his neck, his forearms, and God help you, but sometimes he went shirtless when he worked, and it was all you could do not to throw yourself at the man. Push him to the ground and take him there and then —

What on earth was wrong with you? You shook your head hard, trying to perish those dirty thoughts from your mind. You weren’t exactly a plucked flower, but you’d read enough romance novels to give yourself plenty of naughty imagination.

Letting out a sigh, you plucked another dead leaf. There were so many scars across his body, old and new, but one stuck out to you the most. You recalled the scar you’d seen on Arthur’s chest, just above his left pectoral. There was no doubt it was a gunshot wound, the scar tissue around it having sunken down into the ruined flesh. It had long since healed, but the skin there was still pink, still soft, so it hadn’t been too long since it was inflicted on him. Again you wondered, what had happened to him? Who’d shot him? Why? The thoughts of possibility raced through your head, but going off his nature and what you’d seen of him thus far, you couldn’t come to a conclusion or even imagine why anyone would want to hurt that man.

Reaching out to crush another dead leaf, you smiled to yourself.

Arthur was strong … indeed he was a fighter.

You’d slowly been getting more and more comfortable with the thought of Arthur going out with Austin on his hunting trips, allowing them to start traveling out as far as they needed to go. Food was getting low, and finally you’d told the two boys that they could start hunting for game if they wished. You were proud of them both, for keeping to their word and staying safe.

You could tell your brother was improving with his skills thanks to Arthur, just last week they had managed to bring back a boar, and Arthur had told you that your brother had managed to track it down on his own, but Austin had admitted that he’d missed the first few shots, and Arthur had to kill the boar himself. The two had slowly been getting along, you’d noticed. It was more than refreshing to see.

Arthur had been helping Austin out with his aim several times over the last two weeks, the two of them practicing down by the stream in the late evenings.

You would stay back and watch to observe every chance you got. Honestly, you secretly wished it was you Arthur was teaching. To show you how to handle a gun, how to aim it, how to shoot. You had no idea how to use a weapon, so you picked up whatever you could from the two of them.

Your brother had recently started working with your grandfather’s bow, which confused you at first, since he’d always insisted on using his own carbine repeater. But then he’d explained to you that Arthur had told him it was a stealthy hunting tactic in order to capture more game.

Finally, you’d understood. Winter was slowly approaching, and it was more than important to learn how to use a much quieter weapon, especially when wildlife was so much more scarce during the cold parts of the year.

But — despite countless hours of practice — Austin hadn’t managed to get the hang of it, which worried you somewhat. Poor man, each time he tried aiming an arrow, the thing would wobble in his grip and the shot itself ended up with the arrow landing on the ground only a few feet away. No matter how Arthur instructed him, it seemed hopeless. At one point Austin had nearly thrown the thing into the stream, shouting something about how the bow wasn’t working properly. But Arthur had tested the thing for himself, and of course it worked flawlessly when he’d used it, the arrow finding its mark perfectly on one of the trees he’d been aiming for..

You’d found yourself strangely drawn to the weapon, you had to admit, though you weren’t quite sure why.

The bow itself was very beautiful. The long round limbs were made of dark maple wood, painted with some kind of glossy coating to protect the wood from wear and tear. The handle was wrapped in finely engraved black leather strips. There were several more curly engravings that ran along the weapon itself, and two small metal owl heads were placed at each end, the beaks holding the tight silver bowstring.

A part of you really wanted to try it out for yourself at some point.

The two men were planning on going on another hunting trip today, so it was going to be another quiet evening alone at the cabin for you. Strangely enough, even though you finally felt comfortable with them both being gone, you still weren’t quite used to it.

“How you doin’ there, Y/N?”

Arthur’s deep voice nearly had you jumping out of your skin. You leapt to your feet and turned around to face him. “Arthur!” Your voice cracked, and you cleared your throat, “I didn’t hear you comin’ over.”

Grinning, he let out a soft chuckle, “Sorry bout that, honey, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You’re fine,” you said, waving off his apology.

He looked over your shoulder at the plants behind you, “So what’re you doin’?”

You turned to look down at the herbs you’d been working on, “Oh, well I was just pruning some of the plants.” At his questioning look you added, “Sometimes some of the leaves or stems die and I need to take them off, otherwise it could cause disease and the nutrients inside the plants are wasted trying to feed what’s no longer alive. When I get rid of the dead pieces it allows them to focus on keeping the rest of the plant strong and healthy.”

Arthur nodded, though you had the feeling he was only pretending to understand what you were talking about in order to make you feel better, going by the confused look and his face; his eyes narrowed, his mouth her in a small grimace. “So these herbs,” he cleared his throat, “them what you used to treat my TB with?”

His curiosity nearly had you taken aback. Honestly, you hadn’t really expected him to care enough to ask such a question. “Yes,” you said, your voice soft as you looked up at him, “I — I gather pieces from them from time to time and make several elixirs and medications from their properties.” You pointed to one of the plants, “That right there is Ginger, it’s used as an antioxidant, which can help take care of some of the negative effects caused by most bacterias.” You pointed to several others, giving the names and explaining what each of them did.

By the time you’d named a few more, you looked back at Arthur, and his brows were drawn down tight, his hand rubbing at the side of his temple as if he’d gotten a headache. You nearly laughed, “I’m sorry, Arthur, I tend to get carried away sometimes.”

Arthur lifted a brow as if he were actually amused, “I can tell you really enjoy your work,” he said, a wide grin stretching those lips of his, “It’s really amazin’. You should be proud, honey.”

You lowered your eyes, feeling a blush creep into your cheeks, “Thank you, Arthur. I honestly wouldn’t know as much as I did without my mother’s journal. She taught me so much.” You voice nearly hitched, and you blinked several times in order to keep any tears from welling.

Arthur reached out and laid a warm hand on your shoulder in an effort to comfort you, “I’m sure she’d be real proud of you, Y/N.”

You couldn’t speak, so you just nodded in answer.

Several moments passed, and Arthur spoke again, “Austin mentioned to me that you ran into a man named William?”

Your head jerked up that that, surprised. “He told you about that?”

Arthur nodded, “The night you saved me from that mountain, told me you met an herbalist the same day. Quite a character.”

Your brows lifted, “You know him?”

“Yeah. Met him a few times, a long while ago, before — Well, before all that shit went down.”

“Language, Arthur!”

You both laughed, and he tipped his hat to you.

He was truly adorable, you thought as you smiled at him. You lifted your gaze to look at the hat. “So, how you liking your new hat, Arthur?”

Your question had him letting out a laugh as he ran his fingers across the leather brim. “Keep’s the sun outta my eyes, like you said,” he teased. His eyes softened then, those beautiful sapphire-emeralds seeming to stare directly into your soul. “Thank you, Y/N.”

His grateful smile alone nearly overwhelmed you, and you quickly spoke your next words before you found your idiot-self getting lost in his gaze. “I’m glad you like it. My grandmother made that hat for our grandfather when they were both young. It was … meant to stand for something … but he didn’t do it justice with the life he led. It needs to be worn by a good man. Someone like you.”

Arthur’s expression seemed to change at that moment, and you couldn’t help but notice the softness in his eyes suddenly grow hard.

•••••

A good man.

It was all Arthur could do not to lose himself then and there. To take the hat off and give it back to her immediately, to leave and never turn back even once. Dammit, he didn’t deserve to be here. He didn’t deserve the treatments he’d been given, all the hospitality, the food and shelter that Y/N and Austin had so generously given.

He wasn’t a good man, and he damn well knew it.

It was the second time she’d called him that, and he nearly had to bite his tongue. But what could he possibly say to her at that moment? That he wasn’t the man she truly thought he was? That he’d been a liar? A thief? A ruthless killer?

An outlaw …

Arthur did his best not to squeeze his eyes shut from the sudden pain that welled in his chest. What the hell was wrong with him? There was nothing he could say or do to get past the ache in his heart from those words.

For once, he was extremely grateful to hear that sill boy’s scratchy voice calling out to both of them.

Y/N smiled, looking over Arthur’s shoulder, “Austin, how are ya?”

Austin came jogging over, his face and clothes covered in dust and dirt from whatever work he’d been doing earlier. He stopped a few feet in front of them, “I’m doin’ just fine, sis,” he panted, nodding at Y/N and meeting Arthur’s gaze. “Hey, Arthur, so you ready for our next huntin’ trip?” The young man asked him, a naive yet excited smile spread across his face. Over the past two weeks he’d learned to enjoy the trips, getting to learn something new from them each and every time.

Arthur shrugged with a small chuckle, “That depends, are you?” He nodded at the dirt covering the boy.

Austin scratched his cheek, “Yeah, sorry about that, sir.” He brushed off the dirt from his clothes, “It ain’t nothin’, Just noticed the two of you over here and I wanted to see if you were prepared to head out.”

Over the last several days, Austin had grown the strange and somewhat annoying habit of calling him sir, and Arthur didn’t really know why. Was he trying to show some sort of respect toward him? Maybe after acting like such a dumbass over the past month, he might’ve thought addressing Arthur in that way would gain him redemption? It felt odd, and Arthur really wished he wouldn’t call him that, but he’d go along with it if it made the younger man feel better.

“Well, Austin,” Arthur said, clearing his throat, “Ready when you are, then.”

“Dandy! I found an interestin’ new spot I think we should go check out a ways up north, the wagon’s already loaded up and ready to go.” Austin stated, pointing over toward the stables where the coach stood, with Lily already attached to it. The boy was quick, Arthur thought. He must’ve been busy getting everything prepared while he and Y/N had been working on their own tasks.

Arthur lowered his eyes. On one hand he didn’t want to leave Y/N so abruptly, but on the other he needed to escape the tension that had suddenly risen in his gut from her words. A good man … how could he follow up that line with any further conversation? It hadn’t angered him, but he was tired of hearing it — from anyone. He gave a single nod, “Let’s head out, then.”

As Austin nodded and headed off toward the wagon, Arthur looked back over his shoulder to meet Y/N’s gaze, “We’ll be back soon, honey.” He said softly, winking and giving her a small grin. He hoped she wasn’t disappointed, but he needed to get out of there. Clear his head.

But she didn’t look upset. No, instead her eyes absolutely glowed as she gave him another one of her beautiful smiles. “Y’all stay safe, Arthur.” After a slight moment of hesitation, she returned his wink, “You keep Austin safe now.”

Her teasing helped the tension ease away somewhat, and he let out a chuckle, “Don’t you worry, I’ll keep him in line.”

With that, he headed over to join Austin on the wagon.

•••••

“So where we headed?” Arthur asked as Austin steered Lily up the narrow trail through the tall sequoia trees. He and the younger man waved farewell to Y/N with her returning the gesture as they disappeared around a large rock.

Austin lowered his hand, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it and handed it to Arthur, “There’s this new place I wanna check out, passed by it a few days ago while ridin’ Butch. Seemed interestin’.”

Arthur took the map and held it up, looking over a simple drawing of directions. They appeared to lead up north towards the larger mountains, further into the forest.

The kid pointed at a thick scribble he’d made on the paper, “That area right there, it’s right at the foot of the mountains between the trees. A small area of tall grass. I saw a family of elk there a couple times. If we can spot them again, I’m sure we can bring back enough food to last us for a month.”

What he said was true, one elk could last them quite a while. If they managed to kill one, they’d be set for weeks. Arthur folded the map back up and handed it back, “You seem to know what you’re doin’,” He said with a light laugh.

Austin shook his head, “Only a little, sir, it’s why I thought it best for you to come along on this one.”

Arthur shrugged, “You’ll get the hang of it soon enough, kid,” He reached out and patted the man’s shoulder. “I’ll look after ya.”

The younger man narrowed his eyes, “I don’t need no hand-holdin’, Arthur.”

Arthur’s heart suddenly skipped at those words, his smile dropping from his face as his eyes grew flat.

Those words … when had he last heard those exact words —

A memory flashed through his mind … Lenny …

He flinched, lowering his head as he reached up to tug down the brim of his hat, hiding his expression from the brother. The pain was almost unbearable … coming back to bit him in the ass once more.

The loss of his friends, of his family — it had only been a couple months, and the agony still felt just as sharp, as though it had only been yesterday when his life had completely fallen apart.

… What life, though?

Arthur nearly wanted to laugh at himself from the thought.

His family had meant everything to him, the bond they’d shared more real than anything else in the world.

But Arthur would be lying to himself if he’d thought what they had was any kind of real life. He’d spent the majority of his chasing a dream for a life he weren’t even sure about, along with the rest of the gang who’d followed over the years. He’d failed all of them. Hosea, Lenny, Kieran, Sean, Grimshaw, Mac, Davey, Jenny … they’d all had their own lives snatched away from them so abruptly.

They’d never had the chance for the life they’d so desperately fought for.

And the others … Charles, Sadie, Tilly, Mary-Beth, Uncle … Karen, Swanson, Trelawny … Where were they now?

The wonder of their whereabouts prodded his mind like a hot poker every single day. Even though he tried so hard to move on in hopes that they would do the same and lead normal lives, it was extremely difficult to do so. He only hoped they were all safe. They all deserved so much more after all the shit they went through in the gang.

And Jack, Abigail, John …

Arthur lifted his eyes to stare up at the sky, the sun’s bright rays peeking through the small clouds.

‘You’re my brother.’

Those words echoed through his mind, and he allowed himself a sad smile. He thought back to Sister Calderon, the words she’d spoken echoing in his head. ‘Take a gamble that love exists.’

Arthur wasn’t the religious type, but deep inside his heart he prayed for the sake of John and his family, for their safety, so that they may go on to live the lives they’d damn well earned.

John Marston. The man was a goddamn fool, but he loved Abigail and Jack, and Arthur knew he’d do anything to protect them.

They were safe.

He knew, deep down in his heart something told him. They were out there.

Time passed by quickly, and finally the wagon stopped. Arthur felt the seat lift as Austin hopped out, and he shook himself out of his thoughts, realizing that they’d arrived at the foot of the mountains. Arthur looked around, taking in the small grassy clearing. He raised a hand to lift the brim of his hat, looking up at the base of the mountain, a tall cliff that encircled half of the area. The other half was enclosed by the thick forest of trees that towered over them, their green and multi-colored coming-autumn leaves providing cool shade to the tiny meadow.

“We’re finally here,” Austin said cheerfully as he rolled his shoulders, stretching out the stiffness in his limbs. He walked behind the wagon to grab his carbine repeater.

Arthur examined the area closely. Indeed, it was a great area for wildlife of all kinds. Plenty of grass, soft ground, perfect temperature, and shelter. He narrowed his eyes, noting a small cave opening at the base of the cliff. It was too small for a bear or cougar, so it was probably just a family of deer, he thought. Still, they had to be cautious. It was an unexplored area. He looked over his shoulder as Austin approached him from behind and stared at the gun he held, “You need to get a handle on that bow soon, kid.” He said teasingly.

“I know, I know, and I ain’t a kid!” Austin snapped, “I’ve been tryin’ but I’m just hopeless with the damn thing!”

Arthur nearly laughed at the blush that crept into Austin’s cheeks as he looked away, unable to meet Arthur’s gaze.

He really had been trying his best, Arthur did notice, but the bow was turning out to be the boy’s natural enemy. Either he weren’t a good teacher, or the bow was truly hopeless for him. Where was Charles when he needed him, Arthur thought almost sadly.

Arthur shook his head at the thought, then threw his hand up in the general direction. “Lead the way.”

Austin gave a small but nervous nod, stepping forward and leading them both across the grass towards the cliff. They crept slowly and quietly, staying low to the tall grass to avoid being spotted by any of the nearby wildlife. There were small sounds here and there as Austin examined the grounds, but they were mostly from squirrels or small rabbits. Since Austin only had the gun with him, they weren’t going to risk scaring off any larger game by shooting and possibly missing smaller targets. Arthur had taught him to be careful with such things.

Gradually they got further and further away from the wagon, and Austin led Arthur towards the foot of the cliff. “There,” the younger man whispered, pointing toward some hoof-prints that had been left behind in the ground. They created a trail, and the two men followed it, making their way around the cliff. Finally, the tracks stopped at the base of some large rocks that formed a small ramp towards the top of the cliff. Austin began to climb, and Arthur followed behind him, as quiet as they could possibly be.

Suddenly a small rock bounced down from atop the cliff, landing in the small meadow below, and Arthur looked up, spotting a small glimpse of large antlers just over the peak. “There’s one,” Austin whispered next to him, having seen them as well.

“Alright, get your gun ready,” Arthur whispered back as they approached the top. His heart was racing, but he forced himself to calm down as they reached the top of the plateau. The elevated area was covered in thick foliage, and the two men hid behind the thick shrubbery as they made their way over to a large rock that provided solid cover.

Austin slowly and quietly cocked the gun, peering over at the large creature nibbling on some of the grass by the cliff-edge. It was a huge bull elk, appearing to weigh at least seven hundred and twenty-five pounds. The creature was definitely large, larger than any Arthur had seen in a long while. The creature was magnificent, he thought. The meat on its bones could definitely keep them fed for weeks.

He looked over at Austin, noticing that the boy was breathing hard, creating too much noise. “Calm yourself,” Arthur muttered, “Elk can hear very well, take a deep breath and let it out slow.”

Austin did as he was told, closing his eyes as he did so. “Alright,” he whispered, then he slowly began scooting forward. He crouched carefully, propping the barrel of the gun on the tip of the boulder.

A small loose rock was knocked off as the weapon was adjusted, landing with a small crack on the hard ground. The elk snatched its head up, its ears perked in their direction. It looked over toward their spot, and before Arthur could stop what happened next, Austin quickly stood from behind cover and fired the repeater.

It was so quick, the kid having not given himself the proper aiming stance, and the recoil shot him backwards, the bullet missing the elk as it pinged off the one of the rocks several feet away. The creature jumped, bounding off quickly in the opposite direction. Austin lifted his gun and fired a few more rounds as it fled down the cliff.

“What the hell are you doin’?!” Arthur grabbed the man’s firing arm as the elk disappeared into the forest below, Lily whinnying and rearing in the wagon as the creature sped by her.

The boy grunted from the small pain of his fall, “I’m sorry, sir,” he grimaced as he stood slowly, “I thought — I thought it heard us, I wanted to try and get it before it ran away —”

“Of course it heard us, you goddamn fool!” Arthur snapped, anger boiling in his blood. “But it didn’t see us! Now the whole damn forest knows we’re here.”

Austin lowered his head, no doubt feeling ashamed from his actions.

“All you had to do was stay still,” Arthur growled, snatching the firearm from Austin’s grip. “Start headin’ down to the wagon. Ain’t no hope of gettin’ anything out here now.”

The boy didn’t say anything, only giving a small nod as he turned away and headed towards the rocks. It was more than clear the man knew he’d made a mistake, and Arthur was more than upset with him. The next few moments were quiet as they started making their way down the way they’d came.

As soon as they reached the meadow, Arthur halted in his tracks, placing a hand to Austin’s chest to stop him, “Hold on.”

Austin looked at him questioningly, “What is it, sir?”

Arthur didn’t answer as he skimmed his gaze over the tall grass. Something wasn’t right. It was way too damn quiet …

Just then, a massive wolf lunged out of the shrubs from behind, jumping up and catching Arthur on his left shoulder, its sharp teeth sinking deep as its claws caught his flesh.

“Arthur!” Austin yelled.

Arthur shouted in pain as the force knocked him forward, his hat falling away as the heavy weight of the wolf bore down on his body. The gun was knocked out of his hands, and he hit the ground hard. His heart began to beat fast as sharp snarling noises pierced his ears, sharp claws digging deep into his shoulders, Arthur cried out as his flesh was torn open, and he began to struggle, trying his best to flip onto his back. He wasn’t going out without a fight.

The massive gray wolf was unbelievably strong, but Arthur managed to grip the wolf’s head, crushing its skull between his hands as hard as he could until the wolf let go, jumping off his body momentarily. He looked over to see the gun lying on the ground just a couple feet away.

Arthur flipped himself over just before the beast made another attempt and leapt back onto him, its teeth bared for another bite as it aimed for his throat. But Arthur barely managed to block its target by taking hold of the wolf’s neck with a single hand, using the other to try and reach for the gun. Blood was seeping from his neck and shoulders, and his heartbeat began rushing throughout his entire body as the sharp teeth gnashed and snapped just inches away from his face, getting closer as his strength grew weaker.

He let out a loud guttural sound and gathered all the strength he had left, finally managing to grip the gun and swing it through the air, using the butt of the handle to knock the large beast off of him. He staggered to his feet, aiming quickly as he fired the weapon, hitting the wolf square in the chest just as it rushed towards him again. With a loud whine the thing fell to the ground dead, and Arthur’s head whipped around as he heard more growling.

Two more wolves had crept out of the bushes and had cornered Austin near the cliff. The kid looked absolutely terrified as the beasts stalked toward him, his body having frozen entirely.

“Austin!” Damn him if he was going to let another person die on his watch.

Arthur’s gaze began to spin as he aimed at the wolves. He cocked the weapon, but he was seeing damn near triple of everything around him. He was losing blood fast, and he nearly collapsed as he began to feel light-headed. With no other choice, he let out a hard huff, and with everything he had left he lurched across the grass and lunged forward, pushing Austin aside just in time right before one of the the wolves ran towards them.

The heavy creature tackled Arthur’s body hard, causing him to collapse again as the weapon was knocked out of his hands once more. The butt of the cocked gun hit the ground and went off, a sharp whine echoing through the trees as the stray bullet miraculously hit the other wolf. It ran off, leaving a heavy trail of blood in its wake.

As the last wolf held Arthur to the ground, he thought this was going to be it. He had nothing left, he felt absolutely nothing, his mind having completely turned off as his own blood seeped out onto the ground beneath him, his weak limbs refusing to move as his vision began to dim.

Suddenly, another gunshot went off, and he felt a heavy weight fall onto his body. It was soon pushed off, but he found himself unable to care as his heartbeat started drumming between his ears.

Arthur looked up at the sky, his breathing barely audible as he struggled to take in any air. Everything had happened so damn fast … He could hear someone calling out his name. A man’s voice, but who? A blurry figure appeared over him as a dark red haze began to creep in around his vision, or was that just his imagination? Something hard pressed into his shoulder, and the pain shot through him like a lightning bolt.

Flashes began going through his mind, each one followed by his slowing heartbeats.

Two crosses, placed side by side …

… A large buck, lifting its head as it gazed off into the distance …

… The sun, setting just over the horizon.

Arthur thought of watching the sunrise … the last time he’d had this ethereal feeling … back wherever he’d been. A sunrise, now a sunset …

He felt his body getting lifted … was he finally leaving?

Just before he closed his eyes, a long howl echoed through his head.

•••••

— To Be Continued

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