Okay, so this is really short, and I'm really sorry about that! I just wanted to get something up for you guys! And I'm pretty stuck right now, but I think I just need to go re-watch the movie, which I will do within the next couple of days. Enjoy! :)
Since I had trouble sleeping that night, I was ready well before dawn and soon heard the camp start coming to life just before the sun began to rise in the east. I ate the bland meal I was brought for breakfast even though I wasn't hungry, but I knew I needed something in my stomach in my stomach for the long day ahead.
"Miss Martin, you will ride with Wilkins until a horse is secured for you." Tavington said when I met up with the group of Dragoons just after dawn. Captain Wilkins helped me up onto his horse and we started off into the woods. I led the Dragoons through all the invisible rails and short cuts in the woods that I knew, but I was hesitant to go into Black Swamp.
"Is there a problem, Miss Martin?" I heard Tavington say behind me.
"I am not as familiar with the swamp as I am with the woods." I lied smoothly. Really I knew my way through the swamp almost better than the woods, but Colonel Burwell told me that my father and the militia had set up their camp somewhere in Black Swamp and I didn't want to lead the Dragoons right to them.
"We need to cover as much ground as possible. Lead on." Tavington said and I sighed as we continued to move forward.
We rode on for a few minutes until I yelled, "Wait, stop!"
"What is it now?" Tavington said through clenched teeth.
"The ground has sunken down much more just ahead and we will need to walk around it. Head off more towards the left, Captain Wilkins." I said.
"I thought you were not familiar with these parts?" Tavington said, mocking me. I chose not to answer him, which was probably a good idea for me, as my cheek still burned from his blow the previous night. As we rode on, I could feel that we were being watched, but I didn't know by whom. We didn't get attacked, but I could see men dart from tree to tree, waiting for an order that never came. By the time we got back to the camp, it was well past dark and I was exhausted. I refused the food that was offered to me and went straight to bed so I could be alone, not wanting to have to talk to any of the Dragoons. Then next few days went by in a similar way and every day I still had that feeling of being watched and could see shadows moving in the trees, but an attack never came and I began to wonder if it was my father and his men that were watching us. A week after we had started scouting (I assumed that's what it was we were doing, though it was never officially called that) I had my own horse and the only three people that went with me were Colonel Tavington, Captain Bordon, and Captain Wilkins, and we could cover a lot more ground with just four people. That particular day, I didn't see any men among the trees and that feeling of being watched wasn't present, which made me very suspicious, but we returned that night without anything happening. I usually went straight to my tent after such a long day, but that night I decided to talk to Captain Wilkins about what I had seen in the woods and swamps all week, but not that day.
"James? Can I talk to you about something?" I asked him before he went inside his tent.
"Of course." He said and walked over to me.
"Well, since we have been out in the woods and swamps the past week, I have noticed something. Except for today, I think we were being watched." I said.
"Yes, I noticed that as well." He said, surprising me.
"And you haven't told Colonel Tavington?" I asked, thinking that that would be the kind of thing that would need to be reported.
"There's no need. He's not interested in chasing shadows." Wilkins said, which I found hard to believe.
"Really? I though he was obsessed with trying to find this Ghost?" I said, confused.
"Sarah, I know the Ghost is your father and that the men out there are his men. I have chosen not to inform the Colonel of any of this for you safety." He said quietly, stunning me with that information.
"But, why?" I asked.
"You do not realize how much I do actually care for you, do you?" He said.
"Oh, well, I suppose not." I said, looking down.
"Well, I do. And I know that Colonel Tavington would show you no mercy if he knew those men were out there." Wilkins said, scaring me a little bit.
"Thank you, James." I said and went into my tent. I had always known that James cared for me on some level, but the way he said it made me think that maybe it was more than I thought. Then there was the matter of Tavington. He had a very hard, cold exterior, but I suspected that he had a much softer and warmer interior and just never showed it because of his reputation. That day I had noticed how Tavington would glance my way every so often and it was not always with a look I appreciated, but a few times, his eyes were not the normal icy blue that everyone associated with him, but were much warmer, like a clear blue ocean, and I knew he was not all cruelty and deceit. The longer I stayed in the Dragoon camp, the friendlier everyone got with me. I mostly just talked to Captain Wilkins and Captain Bordon since their tents were closest to mine, but some other Dragoons would join the three of us at meal times and such. On one of the days we didn't go out in the woods, Tavington came over to the small group I was talking to, surprising us all.
"Martin, Wilkins, come with me." He said curtly, then turned and walked back the way he came. I exchanged a very confused look with Captain Wilkins and we hurried after Tavington. We followed him into his tent and he led us over to a map that was spread over a table.
"Do either of you know anything of Pembroke?" He asked and I began to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. I knew Captain Wilkins had grown up in Pembroke and my family's farm had been close to there.
"A bit. I only ever passed through there." Captain Wilkins lied smoothly.
"I have only been there a couple of times." I said, hoping my lie was as smooth.
"Could you get me there?" Tavington asked and I nodded as Captain Wilkins voiced his confirmation. Tavington got a dangerous look in his eye and said, "Good," then dismissed us from his tent.
"I cannot believe you lied like that." I said quietly once I was sure we were out of earshot of Tavington.
"You did as well." Captain Wilkins said.
"Yes, but I did not grow up there." I said.
"Well, I think he has something planned but I'm not sure what it is, nor do I know when he plans of doing it. I just hope it won't be anything too bad." He said.
"So do I." I said, then we quit talking about it as we rejoined the group.
"What was that about?" Bordon asked.
"Colonel Tavington just wanted to know something about the area." Captain Wilkins said, which seemed to be a good enough answer for everyone else since no one said anything else about it.
Again, I apologize for the shortness, but I really just wanted to get this part up and don't really know where to go with this next, but I'll figure something out! I would love to hear what you all think about it! Thanks! :)