Title: So Unaware Of The World

Chapter 1/?

Disclaimer: I don't own Cold Mountain, or any of the characters, because if I did, you'd better believe this is how the story would go. ;)

Pairing: Ada/Ruby.

Thanks: Huge thanks to Alicia, Kimmie, and Katie for taking their time being my beta readers. I love you guys!

Notes: Hello again. First of all, before you comment and say something such as "that's not how it is in the book!" I'll just tell you right now, I didn't read the book, so I suppose this is all based off the movie only. This is just my version of how I see things played out between Ada and Ruby; take it for what it is. The rating of this is definitely going to change, for now it's just PG. By the time it's complete, it'll be rated R. Oh, one more thing. Don't read this if you don't like femmeslash. The first chapter contains no slash, but the second chapter is when it kind of starts, and it only gets slashier as it goes on. For now, the story is kind of told from Ruby's prospective of things, mostly just because I connect with Ruby a lot easier than I do with Ada, but also because she's awesome ;D As the story goes on, you'll start to see both of their views on things. Kind of opposite of the movie, I guess =)

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"The Comparison"

She remembered the day Ada arrived in town vividly. There had been talk of a new revered for months after the former revered died the winter before, the sermons had been preached by whoever wrote one quick and proper enough.

They had taken the train from Charleston, their carriage set and ready to take them off to their new residence the moment they stepped off of the train. The carriage was drawn by two ebony, well-defined Shire horses, their muscles rippling with each hoof beat. They had probably been the result of years of good, selective breeding, and trained with care not by a young boy trying to make some pocket change, but someone who had spent time with the animals, making sure their every move was perfected and simultaneous. Both were well groomed, not a single bit of mud could be found caked to the insides of their hooves or anywhere else. Their massive necks held back by the baring reign, their manes, feet feathers and tails graced the wind, moving like a ripple of wind through a wheat field on a clear day. They moved as one, each step in harmony with the other, their hoof beats sounding as one. Even the harness used was polished, each piece of silver and each leather strap, glinting in the early afternoon sky. The reigns could be traced up to a young man's careful guiding hands, keeping the animals in line. Seated next to him were probably the two most distinguished people the town had seen. She was tall, thin, and wore a large sunhat on her head, protecting her porcelain skin from the sunrays. She sat with her pale hands folded on her lap, over looking the town as they passed from underneath her hat. Her dress was like a cloud around her, yet silky, probably woven out of the best silk and material in the country. No, it had probably been from Europe. Even by the way her eyes moved from object to object made her seem well educated, pausing for a moment to look at each fence post, then the farm as a whole, making up stories in her head as to what the people who had lived there would be like and what they'd think of her before moving on to the next. Her father was seated next to her, snow-white hair and beard, kind eyes and smooth hands, having never worked in a field before. He sat quietly, keeping his eyes forward, hands also folded on his lap. The carriage continued at a steady pace, passing farmhouse after farmhouse, the inhabitants pausing from their work to place their secret judgment on the newest edition to their town.

Ruby paused for a moment, plow between her hands, listening intently to the simultaneous clip clopping of heavy hooves and wagon wheels that were on their way down the dirt path, anticipating to see what the new folk were like. So this was who had bought the old farmhouse. She had worked all her life for a farm like that, now two rich folk just move in and buy it, without any work at all. Dawning a look of disgust on her face, she eyed the two as they passed. She could feel the old horse getting anxious between the wood and leather between her hands, but she remained still, not taking her eyes away from the path. Her horse snorted and pawed the ground, causing Ada's attention to shift from the haystacks ahead to Ruby. They met eyes for a brief moment, Ruby still outwardly disgusted, Ada's calm and detail wrenching gaze upon her. They studied each other for just a few seconds before Ada faced forward once more, losing interest in the poor farm girl and eager to see their new plantation.

Ruby shook her head, still disgusted, and clicking her tongue, urging the old mare to go on. Her horse certainly wasn't of the purest breeding, her coat covered in mud and manure, still shedding her winter coat. Ruby had broke her herself when she was a young girl. Her father had brought the mare, then a filly, home one day, having won her in a bet. He told Ruby if she could break her, she could keep her to plow the fields for herself one day. It was one of the few good things her father had done for her. The mare was getting older; her once gleaming bay coat began to dull. She was surprised she had made it through the winter, and she had said the same thing last spring. It seemed just downright dastardly that these people could just move in and lay claim to something they had never worked a day in their life for. She shifted her eyes over to her own small farmhouse. It wasn't much, but she could pride herself in knowing that she built it. Every piece of wood, every nail, every shingle was her handy work. That was something the city folk never had.

It was that moment she realized that's what she wanted. She wanted the well-bred Shires taking her from the train to a new plantation with slaves to do all the work. But the work kept her busy, what would she be doing instead? It didn't matter. The dresses, the farm, the education, the beauty, she'd probably never worked a day in her life for any of it, Ada. While Ruby was off getting lost in the woods and setting traps for food to fend for herself, Ada was in front of a chalkboard in a school house, learning about rivers in Europe and dead languages, though she wasn't sure where it would get her in life. Yes, she wanted what Ada had from the very moment they laid eyes on each other. She would inwardly mock them instead, what the other woman had, pretending she didn't want anything to do with it, only because she knew she'd never have it.