Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it!

GallagherGirls13BYE (Colleen): I'm so glad you like Macey in this story! Thank you for being my most faithful reader/reviewer. 3

bad-girl-always-bad: I'm happy you like my story! Thinking you will like this chapter 😊

Sophie Zielonka: Thank you for your review! Cammie is having a rough time right now, but I have a feeling you are going to really like this chapter…

Now, the moment everyone has been waiting for:

Chapter 13: The Captain Returns

I spent the rest of the winter with my head down and my mouth closed. Mrs. Hopkins found it much harder to punish me when I didn't speak and followed all her instructions without complaint. I needed to get through the winter, as Macey continuously reminded me during our nighttime conversations.

"Why must the winter be so long?" I complained one night.

"It's to test us. Only the worthy deserve the beautiful spring."

That made me think of Mama; winter had killed her. She had barely made it to spring before dying. Had she not deserved to live, then? No. She had made it to spring. She had been worthy.

Macey unwrapped the cloth she carried my food in. She had really outdone herself; there were pastries, bread, and even some cheese.

"What would I do without you, Macey?" I smiled at her.

She returned my smile. "You would have found some other way to survive. I'm just here to make your life a little easier."

I took a bite of pastry and savored the flavor as it melted on my tongue. "Without you, Mace, I think I would already be dead."

Macey shook her head adamantly back and forth, making her long black hair temporarily cover her face. "You are a survivor, Cammie. You are the strongest person I have ever met. We will both get through this winter and the springtime will bring something better."

I took the daily insults and slaps with a blank face and I bit my tongue to hide the words I desperately wanted to shout back. But I knew that I had Macey, and she was what I focused on as the days slowly began to grow warmer.

One day in March, I decided the weather was warm enough for a ride. Chameleon had been biting his stall door with restlessness and I needed nothing more than to get out of the house. After I fed all the animals, I led Chameleon out of the barn. He nodded his head in anticipation. I decided to ride bareback; I couldn't wait to fly through the fields and forest either.

Even though it was cool I left my cloak in the barn. It would flap all over the place as I rode and would be more of a hindrance than a help. I left the bulky winter boots behind as well. I tied my hair into a braid, but I knew it would start falling out as soon as I started riding.

I mounted Chameleon, my bare feet swinging on his sides and my braid hanging down my back. I smiled and kicked his sides.

We were flying.

I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my throat as trees whizzed past. Chameleon ran through my stream, kicking up icy water and splashing me, but I couldn't have cared less. We raced through empty fields and jumped over fences. There were large puddles of mud caused by the melting snow, but we raced through those too. Chameleon's beautiful white-gray coat was soon painted brown. My blue-rag dress was splattered with water and mud. I looked up at the bright blue sky, felt the warm sun kiss my pale face, and I smiled. This was freedom.

When I looked at where we were running again, I almost fell off Chameleon. There was a rider approaching us at a full gallop from the opposite direction. I didn't recognize him, but by the way he was riding straight at me, I knew that I had been seen. I was technically trespassing on someone else's land. I couldn't afford to get caught and punished yet again.

I shifted my weight and kicked Chameleon's left side, quickly turning him. He slid a little in the mud, effectively splattering me even more, but the maneuver worked and we were at a full gallop back to my land. Well, the McHenry's land.

Chameleon was a fast horse, but after all the time spent inside during the winter as well as his use for labor work, he was not in peak condition for racing, and I surely wasn't either. I panicked as I heard the other rider's horse slowly growing closer. Chameleon was growing tired and his stride was slowing.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the stream came into view. Chameleon jumped into the frigid water and slowed to a trot. As we reached the other side, Chameleon stopped and reached down his head for a long drink.

The other rider slowed as he reached the stream, not crossing into my land. I tilted my head as I looked at him. His face was covered by a scarf, but something about him looked familiar.

The man stopped his horse and pulled the scarf away. "Permission to trespass, Gallagher Girl?" I gasped. My mouth dropped open and stayed open. I hadn't seen him in months, but I would recognize those green eyes and that smirk anywhere.

"Zach?" My voice came out as a whisper and I hated that I was trembling, partly from the cold, partly because I felt like crying. How was I supposed to feel? Happy? Excited? Angry?

Zach's smirk softened into a real smile and he kicked his horse forward through the stream. "I didn't know you could ride like that." He dismounted his horse once he was next to Chameleon and let his stallion drink from the stream.

"There's a lot you don't know about me." I dismounted too, suddenly very aware of how little I was wearing. My bare feet and hands were numb from the cold. Since Mrs. Hopkins had decided to whip me through my clothes, my upper back was also completely bare because the fabric had been torn beyond repair. I should have worn the cloak. Damn it.

"You must be freezing." Zach took off his coat and set it around my shoulders. I wrapped it protectively around my body, trying to hide the months of abuse. Zach didn't know how far I had fallen since he had last seen me.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"Did you get any of my letters, Gallagher Girl?"

I shook my head. "Duchess McHenry destroys any mail that I receive."

Zach's eyes widened in shock. "Duchess McHenry? The McHenry's own your land now?" He spoke as if he knew them.

I nodded and looked at the ground. "What did you write?"

Zach sighed and rubbed his hands together. "It's a long story, but I will summarize it for you. Since the war between Gallagher and Blackthorne has ended, the King recently decided to release and pardon his prisoners of war in the hopes of gaining some respect from the former Gallagher citizens." Zach paused, studying my face. His eyes squinted and he reached out and touched my cheek, just below my eye. I winced as his hand met the fresh bruise. "Cammie, what happened to your face?"

"It's nothing, please continue." I swatted away his hand, but that only resulted in him grabbing my hand. Before I could pull away, he turned my hand over and looked at my palm, examining the crisscrossing scars. He grabbed my other hand and ran his fingers over the matching reddened skin.

"My god. What did they do to you?"

I pulled my hands back, suddenly angry with him. Must I always be a source of pity for him? "It doesn't matter. I'm leaving once the weather is warm enough."

Zach ran a hand through his hair. He didn't look at me with pity. His face looked tense, making the white scar beneath his eye stand out. The only emotion I could think of that described his face was…regret? "Show me your back."

"What?!"

"The McHenry's are known for their cruelty. Now, please, show me your back. I thought I saw something while we were riding-"

"Zach, just leave it be. Tell me what you wrote in your letters."

Before I knew what was happening, Zach placed both of his hands on either side of my face. He moved his face way too close to mine, looking deep into my eyes. I had never seen his green eyes look so intense. It was almost frightening. "Cammie, please. Show me."

I slid Zach's coat off my shoulders, still looking into his eyes. I hadn't looked at my back in a while, I didn't have regular access to a mirror, but I could only imagine how terrible it must look. I hated being so vulnerable, but the pleading in his eyes silenced my concerns. Around Zach, I could be Cammie. Not Cameron Morgan, not the former Duchess of Roseville, not an orphan, someone completely alone in the world. I could just be Cammie. He made me feel safe.

I broke eye contact as I slowly turned around, revealing my bare back. I pulled my hair away and over my shoulder; it had all fallen out of the braid, as I had anticipated. I heard Zach gasp. I closed my eyes, willing the tears building up to go away. Why did I only feel like crying when I was around him? I felt Zach's fingers slowly trace the outline of a scar on my back and I shivered.

"Cammie-" His voice broke before he could say anything else, and I turned around to face him again.

"You have a scar too," I said. Zach's eyes looked glassy as if he were going to start crying. A tear dripped from the corner of his left eye, and I couldn't help but raise my hand to wipe it away. I traced the scar under his eye. "See, it's right here."

"I should have taken you with me." Zach looked like he wanted to fall to the ground and sob.

"Taken me? I have always belonged right here. I don't need a hero to save me. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Cammie, those scars will never go away. I can't imagine how you are still sane after such treatment."

I crossed my arms and tilted my head. "I wasn't alone. I had Macey to take care of me. Besides, I've been planning on leaving for a while now. That kept me going. I am not your responsibility, Zach."

Zach wrapped his arms around me in a gentle hug. His body was warm and I let myself sink into his embrace. I hadn't been hugged in…well, a very long time.

After a few minutes of silence, Zach pulled away and looked at my face again, gently tracing my cheek. My whole body felt tingly when he touched me. "Cammie, I found your brother."

I took a step back and my hand flew to my chest. "What did you say?"

"He was in a Blackthorne prison camp. I found him. He has been released and pardoned. He's in Gallagher City. That's what I wrote in the letters. He wants you to come back with me to the city."

My mouth dropped. Another habit I had around Zach. He was always surprising me. "Grant is alive?"

Zach nodded. "He's alive."

"Why didn't he come here? Why did you come?"

Zach ran a hand through his hair and looked at the ground. "He isn't able to travel at the moment. The prison camp, well, they are hard on prisoners."

"He's injured?!"

"Don't worry, he's getting better. He just really wants to see you."

All the tears I had been unable to cry the past couple of years suddenly seemed to come pouring out at once. I couldn't help it anymore. I sobbed. I fell to my knees and wrapped my arms around myself. I felt the mud from the ground stick to the bare skin of my legs, but I didn't care. "Grant is alive." I said again, in between sobs. I wasn't alone after all. I wasn't the last Morgan. Grant, my older brother, was still alive.

Zach fell to his knees in front of me, placing a hand on my tear-soaked cheek. "I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. The roads were blocked with snow. I had to commission a dog sled team to get those letters to you."

My sobs slowly faded. "I want to leave now."

"Will they let you leave?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Of course not. I will need to sneak out."

Zach nodded. "I have a plan."

This is the longest chapter I've written so far! Hope you all like it. Zach is back!

~Faervel the Free