~EARLY The Next Morning ~
Cora felt as if she were fighting a losing battle as she argued with her father over the fact that Hawkeye had helped several colonials leave the fort on the day before, to protect their homes from being pillaged. Colonial Munro was planning on charging Hawkeye with sedition and hanging him.
"Father, you CAN'T do this! Please!" Cora yelled to Colonel Munro, with Heyward standing in the room nearby as well.
Colonel Munro looked up at Cora and frowned.
"Cora, I'm sorry but he committed a crime and so he MUST be punished just like any other criminal." Colonel Munro replied strongly. "No matter what he's done for my children!"
"No, but he was only doing what he felt was right!" Cora argued loudly.
Cora looked at Heyward with pleading eyes.
"Duncan do something." Cora pleaded to him.
Heyward looked at her with a slight frown and then looked away and nodded. He thought of Natalia, Natalia was of course Hawkeye's brother and Natalia was the woman Heyward was in love with.
"Colonel Munro couldn't we give Nathaniel Poe another chance?" Heyward asked in a low voice. "After all, he did save Cora, Alice and myself from danger."
Colonel Munro looked at Heyward with a frown. He couldn't believe Heyward was defending such a man such as Hawkeye, especially seeing as how Heyward had always looked critically at someone like Hawkeye in the past. Colonel Munro had wondered what had changed Major Heyward.
"NO, Major Heyward, I am sorry but this man HAS committed crimes that are beyond excusable and subject to be hung and that's final and that is justice."
"Justice!" Cora yelled. "If that's justice, then the sooner the French blow the English army away with their guns, the better it will be for the people here!"
"You do not know what you're saying!" Colonel Munro yelled.
"Yes I know exactly what I'm saying!" Cora yelled with emotion. "And if its sedition, than I'm guilty of sedition too!"
Cora angrily marched out of the room and Heyward sighed with a raised eyebrow. He couldn't let this happen. Natalia would be devastated if her brother was killed. He had to do something.
"Excuse me for a brief moment, will you Colonel Munro?" Heyward said.
Colonel Munro nodded, without even looking up from his paper at Heyward.
"Major Heyward?" Colonel Munro called out, before Heyward left out the room.
Heyward stopped and slightly sighed again.
"Yes, sir?" Heyward replied.
Colonel Munro looked at Heyward sternly.
"Don't EVER refute me in front of Cora again." Colonel Munro scolded. "My decisions are final, and I'm not sure when you started siding with these—these colonials, but I must prefer the old Major Heyward, the Major Heyward, who couldn't stand to give a bit of relief to those who don't live their lives by OUR leave, I prefer THAT major, to this new, 'colonial, Indian loving' one that is of absolutely no need to me and my army, is that clear?"
Heyward looked down and blinked repeatedly, while swallowing hard. Heyward nodded hesitantly.
"Yes sir I understand and I apologize." Heyward responded in a low voice before walking out the room.
Heyward left the room to go find Cora, he had looked for her for almost twenty minutes and finally found her on her way down to where Hawkeye was being held in a cell in the fort. Heyward quickly grabbed her arm lightly.
"Cora," Heyward said lightly. "Don't worry about Nathaniel. I'll keep talking to your father and trust me, Nathaniel won't be hanged. I give you my word."
Cora looked at Heyward with tearful eyes.
"How can you be so sure?" Cora asked. "My father was very adamant that Nathaniel—"
"I'll KEEP talking to him, I promise." Heyward said with assurance. "He's Natalia's brother and I love Natalia, Cora, so I promise I won't let Nathaniel be hanged"
Cora stared at Heyward with surprise. She had never seen Heyward say he loved anyone other than her before. It was surprising and also relieving to hear him speak lovingly of someone else other than her. She nodded and he quickly hugged her close.
