"Ok, I think that's it. Let's hurry and get back to Dutch and get out of here before any more might catch wind of what went down." Arthur moved out of cover, Celina and Bill doing the same and walking with him back in the direction they had come from.
Dutch greeted them upon seeing that everyone was fine and returning to him, "Seems like these moonshiners are serious about protecting what's theirs."
"Yea," Celina scoffed, "I'd say so."
"Well done." Dutch looked back over at Archibald, "Forgive me, but me and my people must be on our way back to our lives." He walked over to close up the back of the wagon before them and paused, "It seems we failed to destroy the last of the moonshine, would you like us to?"
Archibald stepped forward, assessing the several crates of the alcoholic beverage, "I usually take it for personal consumption... a benefit of the job. In this case, I'd be happy to take only a a jug or two and leave the rest to you boys... and lady?"
Dutch nodded eagerly and handed off a couple of jugs to the deputy, "That sounds good to me, my friend, an idea it is."
Bill, Arthur, Dutch and Archibald each picked up one of the unconscious captives and loaded them in the back of the deputy's caged wagon, sending him off with a wave of temporary parting. Once he was out of ear-shot, Dutch raised his hands in victory, "Finally we have come across a land so stupid, a backwater so backwards, that even we are like geniuses."
Arthur laughed, and Celina smiled, "You think Hosea will be able to find a use for all that moonshine?" She laughed shortly at the knowing look Dutch cast her due to her question. She of course knew whether or not Hosea would find a use for it, and Dutch of course knew what she knew. She shrugged, not being able to wipe the smile off her face, "Just a question, Dutch." She had to play along, act like she didn't know what would happen in the presence of Bill.
Dutch just chuckled and shook his head before securing the back of the wagon, "Bill, why don't you get this outta here?"
He immediately climbed into the wagon, eager to obey any order from Dutch's mouth, "You want me to hide it somewhere close to camp?"
"That would be great, Bill. Remember to tell me where it is, I might need some for... personal consumption myself." The words were out of Celina's mouth before Dutch had a chance to answer.
Dutch looked over at the girl with amusement before calling back to Bill again, "Do as she says, we'll meet you back at camp." Bill nodded at that confirmation and then directed the wagon forwards and away from them. Dutch glanced back down at Celina, "You sure do like to drink, don't you?"
She shrugged innocently, "Just like to have it at the ready in the case I need it."
"In case you need it..." He laughed, "Alright, let's head back before it starts getting dark."
Celina rolled her eyes playfully at Dutch's response and mounted her horse which still needed a name. Once both Dutch and Arthur were on their steeds as well, the three of them took off. Dutch seemed to be trying to create one of his plans, "You know," he spoke both to her and Arthur, "I'm pretty sure if we're careful enough, we will be able to play this town from all sides. The Greys, the Braithwaites and the law. There could possibly be great pay in this... say we get our hands on that rebel gold Trelawny mentioned."
Celina inhaled deeply, "I already told you, Dutch, doing this is not a good idea. A lot of folks are going to get hurt- get killed... do you really want to risk Sean?"
Dutch shook his head and raised his hand in attempt to calm her down, "And I'm telling you, this can be done, we've just got to be careful about it. You told me about the trap they're going to lay, how I see it, all we've got to do is avoid that and we will all walk away fine."
Celina set her jaw, she could feel her bloodpressure rising and it was all she could to to avoid letting her agitation get the best of her. Luckily, Arthur spoke up, giving her the chance to try and simmer down, "I'm worried about you, Dutch... you seem to be getting a little too greedy and it's almost unsettling. Why don't we do as Celina suggests? She has seen what can happen as we both know.. losing Sean, or anyone for that matter is not worth coming out richer."
"The both of you need to stop doubting me, with Hosea's help, we will be just fine."
"Dutch." The word was firm, athoritive as it left Celina's mouth, "Please let it go. The gold, I can tell you that doing what you're thinking wouldn't even get us the the rebel gold that you're wanting so bad. We won't be able to find it. If you want to help the Grays, that would be your best bet since we're already on sheriff Gray's good side. Those Braithwaites- they're nasty people, Dutch, we can't go playing them too and by no means can we get caught doing anything for the Gray's by them."
Dutch waved waved his hand at her in dismissal, "Ok, fine. I trust your judgment, dammit! I just- we just need a win right now, a good and big one. If you say it'll cause more trouble than it's worth though, we'll leave it be."
Celina eyed him in suspicion, something that he didn't seem to notice. What he said was one thing, but did he mean it? She shared a look of concern with Arthur, "Thank you. I know you want a win, we need one to get away and out of the eye of the law but this- this just isn't what's going to bring in the win to us. Bill has something brewing though, going back to the bank in Valentine... a little sloppy but from what I know it'll pay very well. Ten times better than this plan with Rhodes. I say we even leave the Grays alone."
Dutch nodded, his posture tense but at least he seemed to be listening. What Celina feared was that it was all going in one ear and out the other, "Ok, consider the dear Grays left alone. We'll move on, leave Rhodes left unscathed if that is what our dear fortune-teller thinks best."
Celina's face was beginning to turn red, Dutch was making her mad once again. It was more than just anger he was making her feel though, it was fear and sorrow as to what could be to come if things didn't start going differently. What was the point of her being there if Dutch wouldn't even listen to her? She bit on her bottom lip to the point it hurt and rode slower, dropping back behind Dutch instead of riding alongside him. She could hardly stand to look at him, she hoped that he would listen to her, that he meant what he said... deep in her gut though, she feared otherwise.
She felt like a fool in that moment, she wanted to save Dutch, and the gang... She knew that it wouldn't be easy, to achieve freedom with them without losing people or having anyone go of the deep-end... without Dutch going off the deep end she supposed she should put it. But only in that moment did it truly hit her that maybe she wouldn't be able to save both of them.. or either of them. That was still a possibility that she was no where near accepting but it immediately began to weigh heavily on her mind.
At least, at least Arthur, nor anyone in the gang would get sick and die, expecially from TB. That was a plus of course, she had saved them from that, if nothing else. Maybe Celina could pull Arthur away from Dutch and everyone else except Hosea, maybe the three of them could arrange a plan to ensure things wouldn't get as awful as they could.
There she went again though, trying to reveal things and work to change them. What if doing so caused things to go worse than they would should she not try to change anything? What happened with Strauss came to mind again, almost making her want to scream. Once again, she was between an incredibly huge rock and what felt like the hardest place it the world.
"Are you ok back there?" Dutch's voice broke her out of her thoughts.
"I'm fine." She nodded although she was behind him and he wasn't looking at her, "Just admiring the scenery is all. The world isn't like this in 2018, almost all country- open, the air fresh. You guys think civilization is a lot now, try living in 2018."
Arthur grunted, "I could only imagine, must be awful."
"Well," she looked around, "I didn't think it was when I was there, but being here- now? It truly is."
Dutch changed the subject, "You know what we should do? We should have a race, back to camp. What do the two of you say?"
She thought about it for a moment and nodded, accepting at the same time as Arthur who was changing position in his saddle in preparation to take off. Celina moved to line her horse up on the other side of Dutch's.
Dutch looked over at them, as if checking to see neither of them were ahead of him in the slightest, "Ok, on my call... three... two... one!"
Just like that, they were off, Celina spurring her horse forward at once, fighting with Dutch to take the lead but Arthur passing both of them up by a bit just as they rode into the trees. Dutch called out to Arthur, "That horse is going to wear out fast you pushing it that hard so fast boy!"
Arthur called back, continuing to push his horse harder, "Once we get a lead enough on you, we'll be fine!"
Dutch, unfortunately was second place at the moment, leaving Celina in last with no way to get aground him on the narrow trail, unless she went off the trail. Even then she figured by the time she wove through the trees, he'd just have a much bigger lead on her. So she did the best she could, riding right on his heels and cutting in front of him as quickly as she could the second they burst through the trees and back out into the open.
Her lead on him lasted all of three seconds before he raced past her and caught up to Arthur, who's, like Dutch said would happen, horse wasn't galloping as quickly as before, it having grown tired. Needless to say, Dutch was now in the lead on that beautiful white horse of his.
Celina and Arthur were neck-n-neck with one another, Arthur still trying to get a good performance out of the horse. Celina stuck her tongue out mockingly as she passed him, her horses hooves pounding against the earth, Arthur right behind her, his horse having caught a second wind. She laughed joyously. She was having fun, even if Dutch was currently beating them by quite a distance, "Sorry Arthur, you're doomed to be last."
"Oh, I reckon we'll see about that."
She raised her brows at the challenge in his voice, "Oh really? It's on." She spurred her horse onward, it itself catching a burst of speed. She could hear Arthur shout something to her but couldn't quite make it out. She wasn't paying attention to be honest, all she was focused on was beating Dutch back to camp.
It was when he entered the wooded trail that would take them right back to camp that Celina was forced to accept that she had lost, Dutch's lead on her still being no small one. Going through the woods, she slowed the horse to a trott, entering the camp just behind Dutch and Arthur just behind her.
Dutch gloated after they rode at a walk to the hitching post, the three of them jumping down groom their horses. Dutch leaned against the hitching post, everything about his body language and look on his face speaking for now cocky he was feeling, "I should've put a bet on being the victor here. I sure did smoke the two of you, did you forget that we were racing?" He glanced over at the horses who were clearly exhausted, "No, I think you tried..."
Celina rolled her eyes and Arthur crossed his arms, "Is this what you need to make yourself feel good? Beating us?"
"Well of course not, my dear boy!" Dutch chuckled and patted his horse, "For me to so easily beat you brings me great sorrow that over all these years, you still haven't learned to ride a horse very well."
Celina laughed, earning a feigned glare from Arthur. Dutch pointed at Celina, "And you, miss Knoll, we'll see about your true riding skills later." He winked at her, making her cheeks turn pink against her will.
Arthur studied the two of them for a second before shaking his head and walking off, "Good Lord, Dutch."
...
It was dark out by the time Celina got the chance to catch Arthur by himself. He was sitting by the base of a tree writing in that journal of his by the light of a lantern sitting at his side, "Hey, Arthur?"
He looked up from the book, eyeing her with curiosity, "Yeah?"
She sat down on the ground beside him, "Do you think Dutch is ok?"
He closed the book and sat it down, giving her his full attention, "I'm not sure, shouldn't you know though?"
She sighed, "I should... and that's why I think the answer to my question is no. I was just hoping for another answer, reassurance maybe? I don't like how he acted about leaving the Grey's and Braithwaites alone on the way back today... he just..."
He finished her sentence for her, "You think he was just pretending to agree so that we would leave it alone?"
Celina nodded and looked down at the ground, picking at the grass in thought, "I'm really worried, Arthur."
"I know you are, but we don't know that he ain't gonna listen yet. Just because he don't like something doesn't mean he won't come through."
"Yea," she twisted the grass between her fingers, not wanting to look at Arthur and let him possibly see the tears building in her eyes, "I really hope so."
...
A/N: So Dutch doesn't want to listen, who would have thought? Ha, anyway... I feel like everything is starting to get real interesting and come together some, starting to see change in Dutch... worry in Celina and uneasiness in Arthur.
Also, Trelawny is getting close to coming into the picture again!
Questions? Comments? I would love to hear (or read) all of them!
Oh, and thank you to everyone who does comment on this story, it truly makes my day a little more exciting!
Disclaimer: I do not own Red Dead Redemption 1 or 2 or anything associated with it.