Disclaimer: For all the chapters that are in this: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in The Patriot. However, Mary, Braden, Brielle, Charlotte, Cristabel, Peter, Edward, and Thomas are mine.

A/N: This takes place three years after the ending of Behind The Ice.

Three years had passed since my daughter Brielle was born; in that time much had happened. William's brothers had decided to live in New Brunswick on land adjacent to ours. Edward, Thomas, and Peter helped William and Bordon with the crops and split the profit they made at the market in town. Edward and Thomas also worked as doctors in town not too far from home. Both men had recently married; Edward, about two months ago, to the former Cristabel Heath, a woman whom he had met back in England. She had been married once before, but not a year when she moved to New Brunswick to be with her husband after the war had ended. Unfortunately, they had only been together for a month when he became severely ill and passed away. Nearly a year after, she and Edward began courting, and a year after that, they were married.

Thomas married a woman named Charlotte Alden. She had been an old friend of his, and when he finally had his own home in New Brunswick, he sent for her to come visit him. Needless to say, their relationship grew, and they were married. The only two men in the family who hadn't experienced any significant personal changes in the past three years were Peter and Bordon, for both were still single and still farming, and both seemed to enjoy, or at least, tolerate it. Other than those two much had changed. Even in my own household. Braden was now five years old. And because he kept begging and because his father agreed, much to his little sister's jealousy, he recently acquired a horse of his own, or rather a pony. But it made no difference to Braden. He didn't have to ask to ride William's stallion, or my mare, Ember. However, there were even more changes to come for William, Braden, Brielle, and I.

As I watched Braden ride around the pasture on his pony, Brielle came stomping up to me, her eyes flickering with anger.

"It's not fair Mama! I can ride too!" She said, stomping her little foot.

"Yes you can ride. And when you're five years old, you may have one of your own. No sooner and no later."

"Papa got one when he was three!"

"Yes well, Papa also grew up in a family where children were taught to ride at an early age because they had to ride perfectly at no later than seven." Came a crisp English voice behind me.

I looked up and smiled as William settled down next to me.

"It's still not fair!" Wailed Brielle.

William cast her a stern look and said, "When you're five, Brielle; and it is fair. Your brother had to wait as well."

Brielle made to comment back, but thought better of it and instead, headed off towards Braden.

"Well, we know whose patience she has." I said, leaning against William's chest.

"Mine. Perhaps this one will have yours." Said William, placing a hand on my middle.

"Yes well I haven't been able to sleep at night because it is restless; something tells me this one will not have my patience either."

William smiled.

"In that case, my love, you've only two and a half months left."

I rolled my eyes.

"Thank you for the reassurance." I said sarcastically.

"You're welcome." William replied with a mischievous grin.

"Now, why don't we get Braden and Brielle ready for supper, or there will be another war over the pony."