Chapter 1
The path twisted and turned as Jack rode off int the woods. He paused when he was always into the woods and looked back, trying to see the tall white church or some of the old buildings at the edges Hope Valley. His heart was in two. Half was still there, with Elisabeth while the other was still in his chest, pulling him towards the Northern Territory's. God did it hurt. He knew that if he didn't get moving now, he would turn that horse around and go flying back to Hope Valley and Elisabeth and never let her go again. So with the pain cutting into him like a knife, he rode faster into the woods and didn't look back again.
It took him three days to makes it to his post. When he got there, he could see just how bad it was. There was flats land all around him and two big tents set up towards the back of camp. One for battle plans and one probably a makeshift hospital. There were smaller tents for two Mounties each. He hadn't eaten lunch the past two days. Elisabeth had packed him most of his food, with help from Abigail. He would miss her cooking and the cafe. He thought about the night he proposed to Elisabeth. Abigail had helped him set up the candles. He thought about the talk he had had with her that early afternoon. He had asked Abigail to take care of Elisabeth when he left. He know that she might not even eat if no one forced her to. She would be worried sick and it wouldn't do her or the children any good if she stayed home in bed doing nothing. He knew that Abigail was strong enough force her to move if she needed to. He had asked Cody to tell all of the children to especially good for the next week. He hadn't touched the food that Elisabeth had made because he knew he would miss her too much. It was also one of the two things that he had from Elizabeth. The other was a picture of her that he had drawn. He had showed it to her once to see what she thought and she had loved it. One night he had been away on a short assignment that lasted just a day but that night he had really missed her. As it turned out, Elizabeth had written a small message in the back at some point, he didn't know when she had done it. It read, "My heart is always with you as yours is with mine. Love, Elizabeth".
As Jack swung off his horse, he saw some Mounties with broken arms and legs; most of their faces were covered in dirt and had scars on them. He could see many of the younger ones who looked less then eager to be there. "Jack!" He turned to find Corporal Williams walking towards him. "I am pleased you made it. We need you." "What do you need me to do?" Jack got straight to the point. I need you to lead a squad of Mounties." "Done." "Let me show you where they are". Jack nodded and followed Williams further into camp. He left his horse there knowing that someone would come to take care of him. As he was led between the smaller tents, he started to notice the small fires that had been built in between them. Many men were gathered around them, huddling in blankets and trying to keep warm. It was late fall and it was cold enough to want coats and blankets but not cold enough to snow yet. He was happy about that because that meant that Elizabeth wouldn't be too cold back home. Williams stopped behind a group of young men, probably young graduates fresh out of the academy. "Gentleman", he addressed. The group of six all turned and when they saw the higher ranking officer, they jumped up and quickly fell into line; saluting and still. "This is Constible Jack Thortan. He is your commanding officer." He then turned Jack. "They are eager to learn but don't have that much experience in the field. I'll leave you to it." Jack nodded but his eyes didn't leave the men. It was time to wip these young ones into shape.
