Disclaimer: I do not own The Patriot or Lord of the Rings.

This was from the book version of 'The Patriot', and the script version (or movie version) of LOTR.

In this chapter, I'm doing some 'skipping' of parts that aren't necessary like I did in the first chapter.

2. Nathan's Discovery

A lit candle in his hand, Ben Martin headed downstairs from bidding his younger children good-night. He had just seen his oldest daughter, Margaret, show little Susan how to find the North Star. The North Star represented their late mother, and that sort of love distributed among his children filled his heart with joy...and sadness from the remembrance of his wife.

Thomas lay before the blazing fireplace, lining up his pewter soldiers on the hardwood floor. They were once painted scarlet for the British Army, but Thomas decided that dark blue was the best color for them.

Gabriel, the oldest of his siblings, sat low in a comfortable chair, pretending to be reading his book. As Ben passed them, he couldn't help but notice both boys stealing glances at him as he came near the table which bore the mail. Mail does not come often, and when it does – it's an enormous event.

Ben lingered, and waited for the two brothers to eventually cast an annoyed glance at each other, and resume back to what they were previously occupied with.

"So, what was in the mail?" Ben piped up.

Gabriel and Tomas leapt to their feet, and rushed to the table.


"Psst! Samuel, wake up!" Nathan whispered into his half-asleep brother's ear. "Sam!"

Nathan had waited until his father was downstairs before he went on with a plan he was putting together since that morning. He wanted to see it himself.

"What is it? I'm awake," Samuel whispered back, rubbing his eyes.

"Father's downstairs! Hurry!" Nathan tiptoed to the door, and waited. With a sigh, Samuel kicked off his blankets, and quietly crept over to his brother.

"Now, we need to move fast, all right?" Nathan whispered to his nervous brother. Samuel nodded in reply.

Quickly, they slipped out of their door, and along the hallway, slowly and carefully passing their sisters' door so as to not wake them and get told on. Finally, they reached their father's bedroom.

Holding his breath, Nathan turned the doorknob, pushed the door open just enough so that they can slip the little bodies through to inside the room. Nathan's heart was pounding when he rushed over to the bed, and pulled the blankets up to reveal his father's old army trunk underneath the bed.


"The New York and Pennsylvania assemblies are debating independence, and a vote is expected by the middle of March," Gabriel read aloud from a paper that came in the mail.

"What about New England?" Ben asked.

"In the town of Chestertown, they burned the Customs House and tarred and feathered two magistrates," Gabriel answered. "They died of their burns."

"Foolish men," Ben muttered in reply.

"Who, the rioters or the magistrates?"


"Here it is!" Nathan whispered excitedly as he reached under the bed, and pulled out the trunk, causing the sound of the trunk being drug across the floor to be louder than his whisper.

"Nathan!" Samuel whispered. "Father will hear us!"


Ben glanced up at the ceiling. What was that sound? Was someone in his room?

He thought about going upstairs to make sure – but he shook the thought from his head when he noticed a small note tied with a red ribbon sitting amongst the mail.

"Father..." he heard Gabriel pipe up. "Peter Cuppin joined the Continentals."

Ben froze. He didn't answer his son. He knew was he was implying – and he knew what his answer to that implication was going to be: absolutely not.

"He's seventeen!" Gabriel insisted. "A year younger than I!"

Ben decided not to answer him at all, but he picked up the note tied with the red ribbon.


There was no lock on the trunk, so Nathan quickly opened it. Inside was the tomahawk, the scarlet coat, and the little sack. The sack was Nathan's interest.

"I saw father last night take this out," he took out the sack, and loosened the drawstrings. Then he upended the sack, and the ring with the silver chain spilled out into Nathan's hand.

Samuel was immediately taken by it. "Can I hold it?"

"No!" Nathan hissed rather aggressively, standing up and clutching the ring to his chest. "I want to try it on first!"

Samuel stood up as Nathan stepped away from him, removing the chain from the ring. Then he slipped the ring onto his finger...and vanished into thin air!

Samuel gasped, his jaw agape with complete shock.


"The Assembly is being convened in emergency session the day after tomorrow," Ben announced after finishing the letter. "I've been called to-"

"Charles Town?" Thomas interrupted with eagerness. "We're going to Charles Town?"

Ben seemed a little annoyed, but brushed it away as he removed his glasses. "We'll leave in the morning..."

"Nathan!" Samuel's panicked shriek emitted from above their heads. "Nathan, were are you?"

Quickly, the three were on their feet, and running up the stairs. Ben followed his son's calls until he reached his own bedroom, and found Samuel in his night shift, standing beside his open trunk, looking very frightened.

"Samuel...?" Ben stepped forward, and bumped into something that wasn't there – then it was! It was Nathan holding his ring! Ben was about ready to flog him, until he noticed the horror on the boy's face.

"Father..." he whispered. "I think I..."

"Nathan, why did you take this?" Ben knelt down, and gently removed the ring from his hands, which were trembling with the rest of them. "Nathan? Nathan, what's wrong? What happened?"

He looked into his father's eyes.

"I think I just did something horrible..."

At the moment, a deafening sound of an explosion filled the room, the house, and beyond their property lines. Accompanied by the terrific explosion was a flash of blinding white light, causing all in the room to cover their eyes and run for cover.

The ground shook, but the white light was gone. Margret's screams were heard from the next room, but no one could move. With a few seconds, it was all over.

Ben slowly lifted his head from where he was kneeling. He pulled his son out of his arms, and looked at him with a glare in his eyes.

"Nathan, why did you take it?"


Kinda of a dumb cliffie, but it was needed! Hope you guys liked it!