Beaches of Cheyenne
Disclaimers! I am sad to say that I own no characters from Assassin's Creed III, but my own characters who I will mention in a few chapters ahead. Neither do I own the song, The Beaches of Cheyenne by Garth Brooks. Just decided to make a character Cheyenne. Just, listen to the song and you will get it, I think.
Author's Note: Welcome to Beaches of Cheyenne, my third installment of Assassin's Creed in Revolutionary America. I have only played up to the 2nd or third sequence, so I'm really watching walk throughs of the game til my PS3 is back up and running. So the first chapter will be either before or during the voyage to the Colonies before I will add in the history with Connor and Achilles. Happy Reading. And if you haven't read Travel Through the Darkness or Alone For Now, I would suggest you do that.
Chapter One
The sun was setting early, considering it being June, it's colors changing the sky brilliant pinks and purples when five year old Cheyenne McDougal came storming from around the bend. It was nice to be outside as she sent her Highland pony, Faol over fallen trees and small ditches when she came upon her homestead. It was homey, the servants were well taken care of and even though it looks like ill lurks in the walls, it was a peaceful place to live.
In the trees, her father has taught her how to listen to the glens and winds for it was the voice of loved ones calling to her to hear their stories of old. She halted Faol as the wind carried a soft song that it was lulling her into a sleep. Cheyenne was asleep by the time she dismounted and waited for Faol to lie down with her.
Oo
It was close to the middle of the night when Cheyenne awoke to screams coming from her home. Faol was already alert and waited for Cheyenne to mount before taking off like a jackrabbit. They pass through the gates to see her mother, Georgia running at them and she collapsed.
"Ma!" she cried. Being five, Cheyenne tried to get her mother onto Faol, but she was just a child. Faol went down and gave Cheyenne a helping hand with her Ma. It was an hour later when the trio galloped away, Cheyenne with tears in her eyes. Since her home was high in the highlands, it was a long way away from Edinburgh. She went past Wick when her Ma finally awoke.
"Cheyenne, ye musta go away." her mother grasp her small shoulders.
"Ma, ye must come with me. I willna leave ye behind. Yer all I have left of Da now." Cheyenne cried.
"Me wee bairn lass. Ye are stronger than me when I was yer age. Be that strong fer me." Georgia dismounted after Faol stopped and began walking away.
"Ma! No, don't leave me!" Cheyenne cried. A Highlander heard the little girl's cry and stopped her mother.
"Why are ye leaving the wee lass alone?" he grabbed hold of her ma's shoulder. He was a Fraser by his plaid and Georgia was afraid that he would kill her.
"I canna live without her father. I would rather die than be alone without him."
"But, she is parta ye an' ye canna leave the bairn alone on her own." Looking at Cheyenne, he nodded to her to say, "I'm laird of these lands and ye can stay with us til ye are ready te leave."
"Thank ye, Laird." Cheyenne folded a fist over her heart to signify her respect to him. He had a hearty chuckle and after placing Georgia on his horse, he waited til her daughter caught up to them.
"Who was yer hoosband?"
"Laird McDougal. He was murdered yestereve or this mornin."
"Yer bairn is verra respectful. Why would ye leave her all alone?" his horse slowed to a trot before stopping, looking at the little girl.
"She was stronger than me. At her age. Cheyenne was the verra light of our lives before yestereve."
The girl walked her horse beside the adults. She looked at her mother and asked, "Were ye gonna leave me, Ma?" Her hair was a golden brown color that her mother possessed, but her eyes were a sky blue. He felt sorry for the girl.
"Yer Ma is grieving fer yer da. Let her be, lass."
"Where will we go? Who would kill da?"
"Cheyenne, being so young, ye might not know about the pains of life. Is there a ship heading to the Colonies?" Georgia asked.
"Aye. Sometime tomorrow in Thurso. We're heading that direction right now." he sent his horse on a gallop and they made it to Thurso by early evening. Cheyenne, he realized was the girl's name was asleep in her saddle and her mother was still weeping silently.
"What's yer name lass?"
"Georgina. Me Ma was English. What aboot yers?"
"Alexander." he dismounted, helping Georgina down and then picked Cheyenne off of her pony to enter the inn.
"We need a room." he said to the innkeeper.
"Laird, it's good te see ya. Yer wife an' bairn?"
"Nay, a cousin's who has been killed in a raid."
"We only have one room left. Ye sure yer alright with that?"
"Aye, I am sure aboot that. We're staying til tomorrow. Do ye know of where I can have clothing fer me cousin's wife and bairn?"
"Aye, me wife just past away and the lass had dresses that would fit the wee one and her Ma. I'll have a maid bring it up te ye when I get them together."
"Thank ye," Alexander said. Carrying Cheyenne and keeping a supportive hand on Georgia, he walked them upstairs and left the women alone.
Oo
Alexander walked back upstairs to see if Georgia and Cheyenne were alright and saw both the girl and woman asleep, hugging each other and not wanting to let go. Georgia had a darker color of hair than her daughter with grey slightly showing, she must have been around thirty or forty, her standing was a head shorter than him, Alexander standing at 6 foot two, and her body was frail.
Her daughter, on the other hand, was treated fairly by life, with her brown hair reaching her hips, her standing at her mother's hips and the baby fat wasn't present in her features, suggesting that she was running and training really hard.
Georgia was just stirring when he noticed that he was staring. Looking away, he placed the dresses on the bed, stating, "The innkeeper gave us his wife and bairn's dresses and you should get Cheyenne ready for your trip."
Georgia nodded and shook her daughter awake. Alexander walked out of the room, giving the women time to change.
Oo
"Ma, I'd like the Laird to come with us."
"He canna, Cheyenne. He has a family te take care of too. We will go te the Colonies te find a new life." walking out of the room in their given clothings, both mother and daughter walked downstairs to thank Alexander. He was at a table and waited for the women to come down, already having their breakfast served.
"Ohh, it's porridge!" Cheyenne said. Georgia laughed and sat down beside her daughter.
"I'm sorry, Alexander. I promise to find a way to repay you for your hospitality towards meself and me daughter's safety and for the clothes."
"It was nothing. I have family in Boston that decided to move down there since they were growing bored with the Highlands. I have a letter already written to them and will send ye and yer bairn there til ye can find a job in the town." Alexander handed Georgia the letter and allowed them to eat their meal in peace.
Oo
Georgia waved from the deck and Cheyenne was in tears since she had to leave her pony behind. Alex had promised that if he was to go and visit the Colonies that he would bring her Faol with him. With the land finally leaving the two women on deck, Georgia picked up Cheyenne to go visit the captain, Captain O'Hara.
An elderly man with greying hair and striking green eyes, a trait of some of the Irish folk, Captain O'Hara made Georgia feel like she was with her father again.
"Captain," Cheyenne called. Georgia knocked on the cabin door, waiting for O'Hara to open up.
"Cheyenne, what a lovely surprise. Lady Georgia. What can I do for you two?"
"I just wanted to thank you for taking us at short notice. And when do ye supposed we would be in the Colonies?"
"Depends on the weather. Storms and hurricanes plague these waters this time of year. Do not leave her," he pointed at Cheyenne, "alone on the deck. If ye do, she might just be food fer the fishes."
"Can I stay below deck and play?" even though she was mature for her age, Cheyenne was still a five year old girl and still would like to play.
"Aye, just stay below deck." and both Georgia and her daughter walked out, heading below deck to find another family with children her age.
"Hello. I'm James." a boy called out. He was about seven and had carrot red hair and brown eyes, and was still carrying around his baby fat.
"Cheyenne. How do ye do, James?"
"Alright. And ye have a pretty name. Do ye want te play?"
"Aye! Ma, can I play with James and the other children?"
"Aye, ye can, me wee lassie." Georgia watched her daughter run off and noticed a woman looking at her funny.
"Can I help ye?" Georgia asked.
"I recognize ye from somewhere. Georgia McDougal?" the woman pointed out.
"Marie Dupont?" a quick nod from the woman and the women embraced like old friends.
"It's been a while." Marie said. Georgia nodded, telling her about what had happened to her husband.
"That's so tragic, Georgia. I was heading to the Colonies because of the British being too harsh on me and James. Do you have family in the Colonies?"
"No, but I had to get myself and Cheyenne away from Scotland only because of her da's murderer was sure to try to kill both myself and me daughter."
"Oh, you poor thing! Come with us and we can keep your distance from the Redcoats."
"It's fine. We ran into Alexander Fraser and he already supplied us with a place to stay until I find a place and work for both myself and Cheyenne."
Oo
It was day twenty-three when The Noble Maiden hit the worse of storms the crew had suffered through the whole trip.
It was about midnight as Cheyenne was finding it hard to fall asleep while her mother was weeping for her da when there was a flash of lightning and the disturbance of the growling thunder interfering with the night.
"Ma. Ma, somethings happening outside of the ship." Cheyenne said, she decided to use proper English since there might be no way of using her thick accent again when they arrive in Boston.
"Cheyenne, it is just another storm. Go to sleep."
Wiggling out of Georgia's embrace, Cheyenne walked out of their cabin to go up on deck. The waves were bigger than she was and the continuous roar of the sailors yelling at each other to man the sails. O'Hara was at the wheel and Cheyenne followed one sailor to the side of the ship. A wave crashed into the boat, splashing the already wet sailors and Cheyenne began to slip towards a canon hole.
"Ahh!" she shrieked, and a sailor caught her, hoisting her onto his shoulders.
"Thank you," she said over the splashing of the waves.
"No problem. Hope yer safe now, but why di' ye come up 'ere?" he asked. The man was in his 60s and he still had the strength of a twenty year old.
"Ma was sleeping and I wanted to see the sea at this change of atmosphere. I'm heading back. Thank you!" Cheyenne jumped off of the man's shoulders and slipped getting to go down into the cabins. Her head connected to the ground in a good thunk and got back up to go lie down with her mother.
-There, a perfect ending. Well, not really. Cheyenne's pony, Faol is gaelic for Wolf and just wanted to add that in. And to clear up confusion, O'Hara is a good friend of Georgia's and her husband. It was coincidence that he was taking a ship to the Colonies. And Georgia's mother was from England and her father from Ireland and they decided to meet in one place and that was Scotland. Georgia grew up in McDonald land and she was married to Laird McDougal.
-If you are reading Alone for Now, I am grounded off the iPod and chapter 7 is on it. So late update for that story.