Kept my promise! Here's chapter fourteen! I have re-watched the movie (it's actually the extended cut, I lost my copy of the original while back) and know what I want to do with this now! This is a little bit shorter than what I usually do, but you'll see what I've saved for the next couple of chapters. Enjoy! :)
The next morning, I was woken up very rudely by Tavington storming into my tent.
"Get up, get ready. We are to meet up with a supply line going to headquarters." He said, then left as abruptly as he came. I sat there, confused, for a few moments before I got up and began to get ready. As I stepped out of my tent, I saw Captain Wilkins coming out of his.
"Captain Wilkins, might I ask you something?" I said as I approached him.
"Yes, of course." He said, pulling his gloves on.
"Why exactly are we going to meet up with a supply line?" I said.
"Recently supply lines have been intercepted by colonial militia. Along with the Dragoons, there are extra men that will be in the wagons in case the militia shows up again, and everyone is certain they will." He said as we walked to get our horses. I just nodded in understanding as everyone mounted their horses. We met up with the supply line about five miles away from the camp and followed out of sight of the road. We stopped when we heard a long whistle, one that I would know anywhere. I wished there was some way I could warn my father of what was about to happen. Before I knew what was happening, the Dragoons charged over the hill we were on, Tavington ordering me to stay where I was. As they started the charge, I heard guns firing and knew that I could not just stay where I was. I rode to the top of the hill to see what was going on and my father and his men began to run as the Dragoons got closer to them. I began to ride down the hill in hopes that just maybe I could get away from the Dragoons once and for all. I saw my father and Gabriel look at me, and I longed to be able to get away with them, but as I neared all the commotion, Tavington saw me and I knew I was in trouble. Eighteen of my father's men were captured as prisoners and were to hang in the next few days, and because of what I had done, Tavington put me in the makeshift jail with them at Fort Carolina, where Cornwallis had relocated. All of the men were surprised to see me there with them, but I mostly kept to myself, only talking to the Reverend every so often. On the second morning, he asked me about everything that had happened to me.
"Sarah, I was wondering if you would tell me what has happened to you since being with the Dragoons. I have noticed that you seem very distressed." The Reverend said, sitting down beside me.
"Oh, well, nothing really terrible yet, hopefully not ever. I just wish there was some way I could help Father and Colonel Burwell with this war, even if I am a prisoner to the Dragoons. This is really the first time I've felt like a prisoner through this whole war, though. The first time I was taken I stayed in the headquarters of Cornwallis and was treated well by most everyone and even had my own maid to help me with the everyday things. She was a spy for the Continental Army. I got away one night when I went back to headquarters by myself, Colonel Burwell met me in the woods and took me to the camp. By the next day Tavington had found me and as hard as Colonel Burwell tried to keep me with him, I knew I couldn't risk he or his men getting hurt and went with the Dragoons again, but this time I stayed in their camp. Thankfully I wasn't completely alone though, James Wilkins is with the Dragoons and for a while he was the only person I would ever talk to except for when Tavington insisted on questioning me again. Tavington had me lead he and his men through the woods and swamp since I know the area well and I was terrified of leading him straight to my father's camp, but I never did. I knew you were all out there, watching us. The first couple of days I had expected Father to give orders for an attack, but that never happened. Slowly I began to talk to the other Dragoons as well, none of them had ever done anything against me so I saw no reason why I shouldn't be polite to them. And now I'm here, a true prisoner and I will never get out this time." I said.
"Your father is a very clever man, he will find a way to get all of us out of here. Let us pray together, if you wish." He said to me. I nodded and he prayed with me for the safety of myself, the men, and my father for whenever he comes with a plan of getting us all out of here. The fourth day we were there, John Billings asked the Reverend to write a letter to his wife and son. I had grown more acquainted with the men by then and sympathized with John, knowing how much he cared for his wife and son.
"Yes, of course. But first let us pray." The Reverend said and began to pray. He started to end the prayer with "In the name of the Father, the Son-" but John Billings interrupted him, standing up and saying, "The Holy Ghost," which caught all of our attention. We all stood up and went over to the bars to see my father riding in the big gates of the fort carrying a white flag. He looked over to us and I could see the determination in him to get all of us out of that jail, including me. He went into the fort to discuss releasing us and all we could do was wait at that point. He came out with General O'Hara and we were all hopeful.
"Release the prisoners!" O'Hara said and I knew that I finally had my freedom, but O'Hara came over to where I was standing and said, "Not you." I stared at him, shocked, then looked over to where my father was. He wouldn't look at me and I knew then that no matter how hard he tried, he could not negotiate my release for anything. Tavington rode into the fort then and saw my father. I didn't see the confrontation between him and my father as the shock of what just happened hit me. The next time I looked up, Tavington had come over to where I was.
"You will come with me. You will not try to escape again and from now on your tent in the camp will be guarded day and night by one of my men. Do not argue with me on any of this, it will not do you any good." He said, then walked away. That night, he took me back to the camp and he went immediately to Captain Wilkins' tent, dragging me along with him.
"As you were." He said to the men as he stormed through the camp. Then said to Wilkins after waking him up, "Plantation, seven miles from Wakefield on the Santee east of Black Swan. Who lived there?"
"Benjamin Martin." Wilkins said and I really couldn't understand why Wilkins was being questioned with me standing right there.
"He's the Ghost." Bordon said.
"What do you know about him?" Tavington asked.
"Hell, everything. I could tell you the size of his boot." Wilkins said and I knew Tavington had a plan for something.
"Does he have family? Where would he hide his children?" Tavington said and my eyes went wide as I realized he meant to go looking at Aunt Charlotte's plantation.
"Well, there's one standing right behind you, why don't you ask her?" Wilkins said.
"I trust your answers far more than hers. She is not a Loyalist, you are." Tavington said.
Wilkins hesitated before saying, "His wife's sister has a plantation. It's not far."
At that point, Tavington dragged me to my tent and ordered one of his men to guard it while the rest of them were gone.
"You will stay in here until we get back. Do not try to escape again, you will suffer the consequences if you do." He said, then left with the rest of the Dragoons, heading for Aunt Charlotte's plantation. I wanted to try to escape again, but I knew it would be a bad idea, Tavington's wrath was no unknown to me, so I just had to sit there in my tent for the rest of the night until the Dragoons got back. I was sure it was at least midnight or later when I heard the beat of horse hooves on the ground, and I ran out of my tent, not caring about the guard posted outside. I saw Captain Wilkins walked back to his tent and confronted him.
"James, what happened?" I said.
"Sarah, go back in your tent." He said, refusing to look at me.
"James Wilkins you will tell me what happened! That was my aunt's plantation you all went to and she and my brothers and sisters were there and you know it!" I said.
"We could not find them in the house or anywhere around the house. I do not know what happened to them. We burned the plantation." He said still not looking at me. I gaped at him slightly, taken aback by this news. I wish I knew what had happened to my family, but I was sure that I wouldn't know until after the war ended.
"Sarah, I'm sorry. Now please, go back to your tent." Captain Wilkins said, finally looking at me and I could see the distress in his eyes. I walked slowly back to my tent and tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't because my thoughts were plagued with thoughts of what could have happened to my family, whether they were alive or not, and what would happen to me now. I hoped that everyone was all right and that nothing would happen to me. I eventually fell into a fitful sleep, having nightmares of my family being harmed in ways I could never imagine possible.
Thanks everyone for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on this! And I was thinking about doing a few chapters after the end of the movie, put my own spin on what happens to everyone after the war. What would you all think about that?
