Uncas had never been called a liar in his entire twenty-six years.

To hear it from Alice was akin to driving a dagger into his heart.

It hurt - but now was not the right time to mull over his feelings.

He had to get her out.

"We have to leave now." He replied stoically as he used his tomahawk to break the chains at her feet. Her feet were bare and Uncas inwardly cursed himself for not having the foresight to bring a pair of moccasins for her. Being in a coma for a month had addled his brain. He grabbed her arm and hefted her up. It was too dark for Uncas to physically assess her further but she felt alarmingly fragile under his fingers. He tugged her gently but she did not budge. "Alice. Cora is waiting for you. If you want to see her again, we have to leave now." He stated succinctly, asserting more pressure on her arm. He heard her exhale a shaky breath before she tentatively began to move.

Alice stumbled blindly after Uncas as he guided her out of the campsite, her hand firmly encased in his. Her injured ankle throbbed with unbearable pain but she bit down on her lip hard and kept up with his brisk pace. He had come for her... but what had taken him so long? In retrospect, Alice acknowledged Uncas probably had his reasons but deep down, Alice had been deathly terrified that he had abandoned her. That she did not mean much to him at all. That everything that happened those days, months ago has been a figment of her imagination, a passing affection on his part, driven by pity and a deep-rooted sense of honour. That had caused her to lash out at him earlier - she hated how her vulnerable she was, how insecure she felt.

Uncas and Alice joined up with Chingachcook and Elki just beyond the clearing. Chingachcook scanned Alice from head to toe as the couple approached him, noting her shabby appearance, shuttered expression and unyielding body language. She had suffered, Chingachook surmised gravely. As to what extent, he did not know. It was not a subject to be broached by he or Uncas - the person had to be a woman, and had to be family. For now, they just had to ensure she did not have to endure more physical pain and reassure her that she was now safe. Judging from previous experiences, trust was usually an issue with women who suffered from a similar fate as Alice. His son had to tread very carefully if he did not want to lose the English girl, both in mind and spirit.

Alice realised Uncas had not come alone when Chingachcook and another Indian stepped out from behind the trees. "Alice." the elder Mohican enunciated, nodding his head. Alice bobbed her in reply but she did not look at him in the eye. "Elki, my cousin." Uncas introduced quickly - he did not want Alice to think a stranger was travelling with them. "Miss Alice." Elki greeted politely, purposely keeping his voice light and his stance non-threatening. Alice bobbed her again but did not voice a response. "Let's go." Uncas murmured, lacing his fingers tighter around hers. He could sense her resistance but he could not bear to release her hand for now.

Alice nearly fainted in relief when they finally stopped about three hours later. The pain in her ankle was excruciating. Her feet were probably cut and bruised in several places - but she felt nothing. She had been going barefoot for ages - no one had given her new shoes since her pair fell apart while she was still with the Huron. She shook her hand free from Uncas and this time, he relented. He had held her hand throughout as they traversed the forest, refusing to let go. They had not exchanged a word since they left the Ottawa grounds. As she hobbled towards a tree, she heard him swear. "Your ankle is injured." he remarked worriedly, following behind her.

Alice collapsed on the ground, her head lolling against the tree trunk. Uncas knelt in front of her, struck a match and held it up in front of him. It was time to get a good look at her. What he saw tore him apart. She had lost so much weight that her cheekbones were hollowed, her lips were chapped and bleeding, her eyes wide and vacant and ringed with dark shadows. Her honey blond hair was in tangles around her frighteningly slim waist, her buckskin outfit hung loosely on her waifish frame. The sleeves of her top left her lower arms bare and he could see cuts and bruises, old and new, mottling her porcelain skin. Her skirt brushed her ankles so he could not see the state of her legs.

His gaze slithered to her feet and he had to exercise self-restraint to prevent himself from punching the tree behind her. Her left ankle was so swollen that Uncas was amazed she had not made a sound for the past hours. The pain had to be killing her. In his urgency to get as far from the Ottawa as possible, he had not noticed she had been limping. Her feet were torn, battered and scrapped raw. She had not been wearing shoes for awhile. Forcing himself to remain composed, he slowly turned her feet up to check the soles. They were a web of tiny gashes and blisters. Uncas gently took one of her hands and flipped it over - more blisters and raw, scrapped skin. Uncas could bear it anymore. He abruptly got to his feet and walked away.

She repulsed him. Alice concluded numbly as she watched him stride away. Alice had not looked at herself in a mirror since the day she left the fort. He returned a few seconds later carrying a small, flat bundle. He held it out to her, his expression inscrutable, "Cora sewed these clothes for you. There's a stream nearby - you can wash there." Cora. Her older sister had probably been frantic with worry over the last few...months? Alice had no clue how much time had passed. For her, time had suspended since the first night in Magua's captivity. Time did not matter after that. Nothing mattered after that. Yet... she could not help counting every night.

Alice took the clothes from him wordlessly. Uncas pointed to her injured ankle, "I'll wrap it up later." He led her to the stream and left a hide on the grassy bank for her to wipe down. Alice waded into the water until it lapped above her waist. Uncas knew he should look away but he did not - he wanted - needed - to know how badly she was hurt. She tiredly yanked off her top and skirt, and tossed them away carelessly. She was not wearing a shift underneath. She swept her hair to the front and ducked her face into the water, leaving her back exposed.

Uncas stared at her back, his throat working furiously. Scars, most faded, some still red, from lashes crisscrossed her milky skin. He also spotted a healing burn wound in between her shoulder blades, and another on her left arm. Where had she gotten them from? They were not simply wounds from scalding - they were definitely caused by contact with fire. Alice, the gently-bred English girl who cooked him soup at the fort, had been whipped, burnt and probably beaten over the last few months. Just because he had failed to rescue her that day at the cliffs.

Alice shivered at the iciness of the water but she welcomed it. The last time she bathed at a stream was when she was still with the Huron. The Ottawa brought her a bucket of water to wash every two days, thinking she would try to escape if they allowed her to bathe at the river. On the other hand, the Huron did not have to worry since Magua personally watched over Alice when she washed at the river. Those beady black eyes scruntinising her as she stripped her clothes from her body... Alice gasped in shame at the memory. She forgot she was underwater and water filled her nostrils and mouth. Gagging and choking, her arms fumbling to find something to anchor herself to. She was going to drown...

Suddenly, muscular arms encircled her waist and yanked her upright. Uncas. Pressing the back of her head against his chest, one of his hands came up to rub the water away from her face. "You're safe." he whispered tautly as he deftly bounded her hair into a knot at the top of her head. Alice shook her head violently in denial, "No...Magua..." Uncas wrapped his arms around her again and pulled her flush against him and reiterated, "You are safe, Alice." Alice gulped in a big breath of air and went still. She was safe.

Uncas realised belatedly he was holding a very naked Alice in his arms. He wanted to kick himself for not bringing the hide with him but he had reacted on instinct when he saw her flailing about in the water. He did not want her uncovered in front of him - he was very afraid she would associate him with her sufferings under the Huron and Ottawa warriors. She could not associate him with them or he would be rendered powerless to help her get through her ordeal.

"Stay here. I'll get the hide." Alice heard Uncas mutter over her head. It then hit Alice that she was completely naked. She had flung her buckskin clothes away earlier, not wanting to see them ever again. She felt another wave of embarrassment and shame engulf her - what was she thinking stripping in front of Uncas without a care? What would he think of her? Alice had gone through the motions automatically after weeks of doing do while with the Huron, where she had clamped her eyes shut each time she bathed, pretending Magua was not just a few steps away, with her in full view without a stitch of clothing.

A few seconds later, a worn hide was hastily thrown her over shoulders and Uncas guided her to the bank where her clothes lay. Without another word, he headed to a spot a few metres away and faced the trees, giving her privacy. Alice quickly put on the long-sleeved cotton dress, grateful that Cora had included a shift. "I am ready." she squeaked as she walked towards him. He gave a brief nod in acknowledgement and began to lead her back to the others.

Darkness fell. The group had travelled for another few hours before arriving at their campsite for the night. Alice had napped for a few hours in the afternoon while the men discussed their plans and route for the rest of the journey. Uncas took the first watch as his father and cousin rested. He did not intend to sleep at all - he was going to keep an eye on Alice the whole night. She had barely spoken during the evening meal while the men tried to act normal and maintain a running conversation. Uncas knew his father was watching Alice as well, but wisely refrained from asking sensitive questions. "How is she?" Chingachcook had inquired after the meal, when Alice was out of earshot. "I don't know." Uncas admitted. Chingachcook sighed heavily, "She's a quiet child. Won't be easy."

Alice was buried under a blanket across from the men. Uncas studied her with a frown. She did not seem to be asleep. He crept closer and like the previous night, he heard her mumbling mechanically. He drew the blanket away. Alice eyes were half-open, her fingers knotted under chin, counting with so much concentration that she was unaware of Uncas' presence. Uncas reached out to touch her cheek but he snatched his hand back, recalling her reaction the last time. Was that how she got through each night? Counting and desperately hoping...

Three months ago.

"Are you all right, sir?"

Uncas swivelled his head to see the younger Miss Munro approach him shyly. They had arrived at the fort a couple of hours ago. He was in the surgery, trying to get some rest after having his wound stitched up by Cora. He nodded. She thrust out her hands, which cradled a bowl. "I co-co-cooked you some soup. You must be hungry." she stuttered, blushing adorably. Uncas held back an amused smile and took the bowl from her, "Thank you, Miss Alice."

"Alice." she corrected him, and cheeks becoming pinker at her audacity towards the Mohican warrior. "Alice." Uncas let her name roll off his tongue. He liked the way it sounded. Hell, he liked her. He liked everything about her: her winsome beauty, her quiet gentleness, the way she looked at him with wide-eyed curiosity. And interest - genuine interest beckoned in those grey depths. To his surprise, she did not seem revolted by him, his father or his brother. White people usually took quite awhile to get used to Indians but Alice seemed to have skipped that step altogether. She was shy and a little wary, but she was not frightened or disgusted in any way.

He was so beautiful. Alice could not take her eyes off the tall, strapping warrior next to her. He had polished off her soup a few minutes ago and now they sat in companionable silence in front of the hearth in a room next to the surgery. He kept a respectable distance between them and Alice was inexplicably charmed by his manners. He was supposedly a savage but he seemed to treat her with more reverence and care than most. "Sir - " she began. "Uncas." he interjected smoothly, his dark eyes boldly searching hers. "When do you leave?" she blurted out. Uncas did not answer her immediately. "The day after tomorrow but..." he trailed off uneasily.

"But what?" Alice countered nervously, noticing the anxiety written across his chiselled features. "The fort will fall to the French - there are no reinforcements coming. It will fall." he divulged baldly. She had a right to know since it was her father who was going to be defeated. Colonel Munro would protect her if that happened... but Uncas could not explain the sense of forbidding that lingered stubbornly on his mind. He could not forget the look of vengeful hatred on Magua's face on George Road. The Huron had wanted to murder the two women. He was not going to stop until he accomplished his goal.

When Uncas saw Alice's stricken expression, he resumed, " When that happens, stay close to your father. If you are attacked along the way..." "I will do what I can to survive." she finished for him, her tone world-weary. Uncas was a little astonished by her pragmatism but figured the Munro sisters had been bouncing from fort to fort since they were young. They were not totally clueless or useless in the face of war. "You do that...and I will come for you." Uncas said seriously.

Alice's gaze flew to his eyes. He meant his words - sincerity and promise underscored every single syllable, his eyes simmered with fierce tenderness. To lighten the mood, Uncas inched nearer and related, "When my brother and I were young, my father used to tell us to count to ten if we happen to be lost or face danger alone. He told us to count to ten, open our eyes and believe there will always be a way out. Someone - or something would come." When Uncas grew up, he knew it was Chingachcook's way of teaching his sons patience and stillness in adversity, and the simple belief that one should never give up hope, no matter what they encounter. There was something spiritually powerful about hope that drove human beings to survive and overcome obstacles.

Alice smiled at the tale and teased, "What happens if I count to ten and you do not come?" Her heart skipped a beat when Uncas' hand stole across the space between them and twined his fingers around hers like a vise, "Count again. I will come."

Alice had been grasping at straws, pushed to her limit, for her to count so religiously every night while in captivity. Uncas did not know what to do to make things right. He dawned on him he could not make things right. He could not erase what had taken place over the past three months. Before he could say anything, Alice reared her head. Their eyes met stormily, tension crackling between them.

"Sleep." Uncas coaxed gruffly. Alice sat up, her eyes clouded with desolation, "I cannot sleep at night." Nascha - owl. That was why she was nicknamed as such. "You don't sleep at night? Every night?" Uncas demanded harshly. The image of her sleeping like a log earlier in the afternoon now made perfect sense. He had thought it was odd how her nap seemed too deep to be a result of travel fatigue. There was a pregnant pause before she replied, her tone devoid of emotion, "He came at night. They came at night. Only at night."

Alice heard Uncas swallow thickly at her confession. She had confirmed his deepest fear.

Count again. I will come.

She had counted, night after night, despite her dwindling hope and dissolving determination to stay alive. Many times she had thought of taking her own life. But she had not. She had counted instead.

Because Uncas had asked her to. Because he had promised he would come for her no matter what happened.

He had come.

But he was too late.

She was no longer the Alice he knew anymore.