That evening Julia ate alone near the horses. She expected Kieran to sit with her, but the man had a better company than her that night.
She saw him seated at the table with Mary-Beth who was talking about the book she had been reading in those days.
Apparently, Kieran couldn't read, so the young girl proposed to teach him. He wasn't sure at first, but Mary-Beth convinced him with a few good words. They were so cute, and their relationship seemed so easy at Julia's eyes.
She finished her plate of stew while staring at the fire. She was thinking about her little fight with Morgan, about how sorry he looked and about her decision to take separates ways for a while.
Why did she say that? She didn't want to, she just wanted to make things clear with him and instead she messed things up even more. She had been taken aback from his sudden apologies and that look on his face…
Exasperated, she left the empty plate on the chair she was seated on and walked towards her tent.
Her eyes moved across the camp and stopped when she saw Charles seated on a chair, making some arrows.
Julia drew closer, fixing some of her hairs behind her ear.
"Hey, how are you?" she asked the man.
Charles looked up at her and then continued his work.
"Good" he said shortly.
"You shouldn't do that without light, it ain't not good for your eyes" said Julia seating next to him on another chair.
"I'll take my chances" answered the man and Julia slightly smiled at him.
"They need your eyes. Thank to them they eat every day" she said looking at the other members spread across the camp.
"There's always you" replied Charles glancing at her.
"I'm not gonna stay here forever, Charles. And as I said to you before, you don't have either" Julia said putting a hand on his arm.
The man stopped what he was doing and sighed. He had thought about what Julia had proposed him. And the idea of leaving the gang and live a proper life what very tempting. But Dutch had given him a chance, food, and a strange sort of shelter. How could he let him down?
Charles looked at Julia who smiled at him.
"I'll think about it" he said in the end and the young woman nodded.
"Alright. I'm going to sleep…stop working and rest, I can tell you need it" she said getting up and before she left, she squeezed the man's shoulder.
The next morning, Julia got up with the first lights of the day. She took a cup of coffee and some oatcakes and then walked towards the harbor where she sat and looked at the sun rising.
She observed a flock of birds dancing in the pinkish sky above her while a gentle breeze caressed her cheeks and moved her hair behind her shoulders. She closed her eyes for a bit and inhaled, feeling relaxed and calm.
The camp was slowly waking up behind her. She could hear Miss Grimshaw saying good morning to Strauss, who made a gesture with his head before he continued to sip his coffee while reading his ledger.
She turned around and saw Uncle walking in only his red suit with a bottle of beer in his hands. He sat near the fire where Javier was cleaning a rifle. The old man greeted him with an idiotic smile and Javier looked at him and shook his head slightly continuing what he was doing.
Julia continued to sip her coffee and after a couple of minutes, two voices reached her ears, breaking that moment of peace and quiet.
"For the love of God, stop giving me that lost puppy look" said Dutch.
"So you're speaking to me at least" replied the redhead woman.
"It's always about your need, isn't it? I've never known a woman with so many needs" yelled Dutch from his tent.
Julia rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"You don't know the first thing about a woman's needs" talked back Molly pointing her finger at him.
"How selfish are you? Are you even aware of the price on my head, the pressure I'm under?" said Dutch standing up and leaving his book on the cot.
"If you'd only talk to me, I could help. I want to help you, Dutch, but there's this wall…" said Molly in a pleading but the man shook his head.
"You can help by leaving me alone so I can actually think for once" he yelled again.
"You're a bastard, Dutch Van der Linde" said the woman, her face contorted in anger.
Julia got up and watched at her stomping away, then she headed towards Pearson's wagon to leave her empty cup.
On her way, she glanced at Dutch now leaned against the support of his tend.
"Oh, don't look at me like that" he said looking in turn at Julia.
"I'm not saying anything" she defended.
"No, but I can hear what you're thinking behind those judging eyes"
Julia sighed and shook her head.
"If you think your love problems interest me, then you're an egocentric bastard" she said and then continued to walk away.
She was about to reach the supplies wagon when she felt something hit her leg and turning around, she saw Jack on the ground while rubbing his forehead.
"Are you alright?" she asked helping him on his feet.
"Sorry, I didn't see you" said the little boy.
Julia smiled.
"Oh, it's okay. You're hurt?" she asked studying his forehead
"I'm okay" he answered, and Julia smiled at him.
Julia heard some hurried steps and turning around she saw Abigail coming closer to them.
"Jack, I told you not to run in that way" she reproached the little boy.
"I'm sorry momma" said Jack lowering his head.
Abigail stopped and looked at Julia.
"I'm sorry, he…"
"Don't apologize, it's alright" Julia cut her short.
Abigail nodded and then stretched her hand towards jack who took it.
"Come, you have to practice on your reading"
Julia looked at them walking away and her eyes fell upon Charles who was still making arrows.
She shook her head and walked towards him, looking around while crossing the camp.
"Please, tell me you didn't stay up all night" Julia said once she reached the man.
Charles didn't' look at her and instead continued what he was doing.
"I've been on watch" he answered after a while.
Julia sighed and sat near him.
"Have you slept at all?" she asked looking at the man concerned.
Julia had forgotten about how much Charles worked. She remembered that back in the day they were used to wander together, escaping the law he had always something to do, and even if it could take just a couple of hours, he took his time.
"A little bit, until reverend woke me up"
Julia huffed.
"What he done?" she asked crossing her arms on her thighs and leaning forward so she could see Charles's face.
The man frowned and stopped what he was doing.
"He just yelled that he was sorry. It's been a couple of weeks now that I hear him say that in his dreams and when he's drunk"
"Always then. Don't worry about him" answered Julia and looking around the camp she saw Arthur near Dutch's tent, talking with the man.
Dutch seemed stressed out and Julia had the impression he was passing the buck to Arthur.
She stared at them for a while until the felt Charles getting up, so she moved her eyes on him, giving him a questioning look.
"Where you going?"
"Hunting. You want to come?"
Julia thought about it for a moment. She didn't have anything to do so she nodded at the man and got up.
"I'll go take my things" she said and headed to her tent where she took her pistols and hat.
However, when she reached the horses, she noticed that Charles was talking to Arthur. The dark-skinned man nodded and turned around to put the saddle he had in his hands, on Taima.
"Err, I thought we were going hunting" she said reaching the men and looking at Arthur.
"Dutch want us to take care of something. You ready?" asked Arthur looking at her.
"Am I coming with you?" asked Julia raising her brows.
Arthur hummed checking his horse.
"What if I don't want to?" said Julia, now with a challenging tone.
"Then go talk to Dutch. He's the one who wants you to come" answered the man sighing and then got on his horse.
Julia looked at Dutch in the distance. He was watching them while smoking a cigar and he gave her the classic look of a man who didn't want to be questioned about his decisions.
Julia huffed and walked towards Wind Catcher.
"Alright" she murmured following Arthur.
They followed him out of the camp and then they reached the road where they sped up the pace, heading to Rhodes.
"Where are we going?" asked Charles.
"Dutch wants us to have a…talk with Trelawny about these bounty hunters who are coming for us. Hoping he can tell us who they are, or where they're coming from" explained Arthur.
"Oh, is he sweating now?" mocked Julia making the man chuckle.
"I guess. Have you heard about bounty hunters after us when you were on our tail?" he asked.
Julia shrugged.
"I didn't hear any name, but I knew someone else could be looking for you. The money is good, how can you blame those bounty hunters?"
"What about the Pinkertons? Have you talked to them lately?" asked Arthur looking at her.
"No. I'll go check the post office and see if they left me something. Or maybe I'll pay a visit to them" she answered thoughtfully.
"You think they suspect of you?" asked Charles.
Julia looked at him.
She never thought about it, but now that Charles had pointed it out, maybe there was a reason why agent Ross didn't like her much. Or maybe it was only her imagination.
"I never gave them a reason to doubt me. What about Trelawny? I noticed he never stay at the camp. I've only seen him once, the day we saved Sean. How can Dutch trust him?" Julia asked looking at Charles.
"I've only met him a couple of times, but he's…he's a strange one" answered the man frowning.
"Fear not, he's a cockroach in fancy britches. But he gets into nooks and crannies the rest of us can't. We just need to find him before he scurries off again" said Arthur and no one added anything more.
They reached Rhodes and passed the town without entering it, heading just a little bit further where they found a few old caravans used as houses.
"I think it's just up here" said Arthur.
They dismounted their horses and Julia soon noticed how that place looked abandoned, but then she noticed a figure behind a window and knew that they were being observed.
"Reckon it's that one with the fire outside" said Arthur reaching one of the caravans on the left.
Julia and Charles followed him but soon they stopped and looked at the caravan.
Something wasn't right. The windows were broken and from outside the place seemed to be messed up.
Arthur was the first to get inside, Julia soon after him and then Charles, who stayed outside for a while, making sure there was no trouble.
Once they got into the caravan Julia noticed the mess in the kitchen and the bed untidy right beside it. There were signs of fighting all over.
"Shit, this don't look so good" said Arthur.
"Those bounty hunters must have arrived before us. Or maybe he had some debts to pay" said Julia looking around.
"Knowing Trelawny that wouldn't surprise me" answered Arthur looking around the caravan, Charles had reached them.
Julia walked towards a curtain and opened it, a hand over one of her pistols just in case, but when she moved the thin floral fabric aside, the thing that caught her attention was the bathtub, where there was a cloth covered in blood.
"Guys" she called, and the two men reached her in a hurry.
"Shit, that ain't good" hissed Arthur.
"They continue that way" said Julia pointing at the stains of blood on the wooden floor.
"Let's see where they take us" said Arthur glancing at her before he led the way.
Charles looked at Julia for a moment and then followed him.
They got on their horses, and after a moment of discussion, Charles decided to let Arthur led the way by following the tracks.
While she followed them down the path the tracks were, she heard them talk about Trelawny. Apparently he was a showman, looking for opportunities, and liked to live in luxury even if he couldn't afford it and for this reason, he kept putting himself into trouble. For that and for Dutch, Julia thought.
"They could be twenty miles away by now" said Arthur catching Julia's attention.
"We can track them that far if we need to" answered Charles but the look Arthur gave him made Julia understand that he wasn't going to waste all that time for him.
Apparently, Charles noticed it too because the next thing he said was:
"Depend on how much you want to find them"
"Yeah…I still ain't sure about that" answered Morgan a little bit annoyed.
"Are you two planning on leaving that man die for Van der Linde?" asked Julia.
They looked at her for an instant and then exchanged a look making Julia giggle.
"See? They must've crossed over the tracks" said Charles ignoring her.
They hurried up, staring carefully at the ground to make sure they didn't lose the tracks that, after a moment, Charles noticed led into the forest in front of them.
They just entered it when Arthur noticed a couple of fellers camping in an open area.
"Hey, look. Let's go see what those fellers have to say" he said and both Julia and Charles nodded.
They got down their horses and drew closer to the two men who clearly were bounty hunters. Julia could recognize the fancy clothes and nose in the air like they owned the goddamn country.
Arthur was the first one to reach them, Charles moved so he was facing the other while Julia stayed behind them, her hands on her pistols.
"Excuse me" said Morgan catching their attention.
"Yeah?" said the man seated on a chair.
"Have you seen…we're, uh…we're looking or our friend" said Arthur, not sure about how to question the man.
The man looked at him while his companion who was laying down sat up and fixed his eyes on Charles.
"I don't think he's here" answered the man.
"Nah…you seen a strange sort of feller…sort of formal?" asked again Arthur.
"Strange, sure. Formal, no" answered the man now with a sort of angry tone.
Julia noticed Charles bent down and when he got on his feet again, he was holding a walking stick.
"He uses a cane, looks a lot like this one" said Charles throwing it away.
The two men got up, while Arthur sighed and closed his hands into two fists.
"Alright you two…where the hell is he?!" he yelled and moved closer to the man in front of him, punching him hard in the face.
"You better get out of here!" yelled the other one pushing Charles away.
Arthur punched the man another couple of times, making him pass away while Charles had a little bit of a struggle trying to not kill or knock out the other.
In the end, he pushed him on the ground and blocked him there with his foot.
"You stay there" he said while Arthur and Julia drew closer to them.
Arthur took the place of Charles, grabbing the man by his neck and punching him on the face, not hard enough to make him pass away but enough to break his nose.
"Where is Trelawny?" he asked.
"I don't know anything" said the man.
Arthur punched him again.
"Tell me where he is" threatened again Morgan.
"You got to hell!" yelled the man.
Arthur punched him twice.
"You better tell me now, you son of a bitch!"
"Okay…okay, for Christ's sake. They took him to a cabin, over by the cornfields. Left…down the path there…by Braithwaite Manor"
Arthur looked over at Julia who made a gesture with her head. He tightened his grip around the man's neck and after a couple of seconds they heard a loud crack and the man fell dead onto the ground.
"Alright, that should do it" said Charles who headed to his horse with Arthur.
Julia, however, took off her necklace and warmed it over the almost dead fire in the camp. When the eyes and mouth of the dog-head got bright orange, she moved towards the man who had passed out and pressed the necklace into the skin of his forearm, marking him.
"What are you doing?" asked Arthur.
"I'm making sure no more bounty hunters will follow us. If others will see this, they'll know who your lives belong to. And if they decide to ignore it, they know what will happen to them" she explained getting on her feet.
"Yeah, but he's not dead" said Arthur.
Julia looked at him, then took out her pistol and shot the man right in his head.
"Now he is" she answered before she moved to the other corpse and marked it as well on his forehead.
She got on her horse and followed the two men down the path towards the Braithwaites' manor, as the man had told them.
"Follow me. I think there's a way around, so we don't need to go through the Braithwaite's place" said Charles.
"Yes, I've spent enough time there. After you, then" answered Arthur and then turned around to make sure Julia was following them.
When they reached the path that led to the main gate of the manor, they turned left and followed another one alongside the property, so they were never actually in it.
"What do you think they want with Trelawny?" asked Charles.
"Could be any one of a hundred things. Just depends if any of them involve us" answered Arthur.
"We just have to hope he didn't sell us to the bounty hunters to save his ass" said Julia.
"You think he'll talk, Arthur?" asked Charles.
"Of course he'll talk. He'd sell his own sister to save a train fare!" exclaimed the man.
"And this doesn't bother Dutch?" asked Julia frowning.
"Yeah, why Dutch still deals with him?" asked Charles.
"He'd got his uses and, well…loyalty matters to Dutch" said Arthur, not so convinced by his own words.
"Of course, but is Trelawny loyal?" asked again Charles.
Arthur sighed.
"Kind of…I guess Trelawny ain't exactly disloyal…just got a big mouth. Don't worry. If he talked, I'll goddamn find out what he said" said in the end Morgan.
They continued to follow the road that brought them far from the Braithwaites' property, so far that Julia thought for a moment that they had taken the wrong path. But then, Charles turned right, leaving the main road to follow a small path into the wood and when they got out of it, she saw again the fence of the Braithwaite's property and a gap marked by a small wooden sign where was written:
Corn farm. No trespassing
"I hope no one will see us. Hosea's is trying to do business with them. I don't think they'd be pleased if we start shooting in their fields" said Julia looking around to see if there was someone, but the only thing she could see was the wide spreads of grain.
"Don't worry, we're far from the manor, the only ones who could hear us are their employees if they have some" answered Arthur looking around as Julia was doing.
"That must be the cabin. Come on" said Charles catching their attention.
Julia saw a little cabin up on a hill a little further ahead. It seemed unused because unlike the others she could see in the distance, the wood of this one was black and the porch, as much as the door and the windows, were giving the idea of falling apart any minute.
They got down their horses, but they did not have the time to do anything else that the door opened, and three men came out of the cabin.
One of them was Trelawny, his face was covered in blood while the other two men, who were obviously bounty hunters, were dragging him.
"Get out there, come on boy" said the older one.
"The thing is, after that shack, this will be remembered like a good time" said the young laughing.
Julia, Arthur and Charles took out their pistols and pointed them at the two men.
"Put the man down, gentlemen" said Arthur.
The old one left Trelawny and started to run down the hill while the other looked at them for a minute and then did the same.
Charles ran towards Trelawny and cut the rope that was keeping his hands tied together, and then ran after the two bounty hunters.
"That the lot of them?" asked Arthur.
"I-I think so" answered Trelawny.
Julia looked at him and then at Charles.
"You keep an eye on him, Charles and I take care of them" she said to Arthur and then started to run down the hill.
There must have been others because while she was running, she saw three of them and not two anymore.
When she reached Charles, however, she couldn't see them anymore.
She looked at Charles, panting and he did the same.
"We have to kill 'em" she panted.
"They're hiding in the fields. I'll go this way" said Charles before he went right.
Julia went left, walking between the high fields. She could see little, her pistol high and ready to shoot at first sight. Suddenly she heard a movement near her, and she stopped in her feet, looking around.
"Where are you son of a bitch?" she murmured.
She heard some steps behind her and turning around she saw one of the men running between the plants.
He was about to disappear again, but Julia was faster and shot the man in the leg.
He fell onto the ground, screaming while holding his wound. She reached him still pointing her pistol at him.
"No…please… "pleaded the man but Julia did not listen and shot him in the head.
Off one, she thought and at the same moment, she heard a gunshot coming from the other side of the fields.
That must've been Charles, so now there is only one left.
Julia continued to walk around, trying not to move any plant and make no noises.
She was moving backward when suddenly she felt her back hit someone and turning around she met eyes with Arthur. Their pistols were pointed at each other for a brief moment before they realize who the other was.
"You seen any more of them?" she asked.
"No, there must be just another one" Arthur answered.
"Where's Trelawny?" asked Julia looking around.
"I left him on the hill. Hope he doesn't run, or I'll beat him" answered Arthur making Julia smile.
They heard a gunshot in the distance and before they run towards it, they exchanged a look.
Arthur was ahead of her, Julia just behind him but suddenly she felt something grab her foot and fell down, raising a cloud of dirt.
Arthur didn't seem to notice her falling and continued to run, disappearing from Julia's sight.
She turned and looked at her foot only to see that it was trapped between the roots of two plants.
She grunted and pulled her leg, getting on her feet and dusting off her pants.
That was embarrassing.
She reached the other side of the fields when she noticed a man laying on the ground and another one behind him who seemed to have a rope around the man's neck.
It was Arthur.
The bounty hunter was talking to Charles while Arthur struggled for air.
Julia moved quickly, reaching the man from behind trying not to make a sound. A step out of line and he would've snapped Arthur's neck. Not that seemed so easy, but she couldn't risk.
When she got right behind him, she took out her knife and grabbed the man from his hair, cutting his throat in a smooth and quick movement. At the same time, Charles had thrown a knife, hitting him in the stomach.
The man loosened his grip on the rope and fell on the ground while Arthur tried to take the rope off from around his neck.
Julia kneeled near him and cut the rope with her knife and then cheeked on him.
"Are you alright?" she asked with a concerned look on her face that made Arthur's heart skip a bit.
Was she concerned for him?
"Y-yes. Thank you, both of you. You should have taken the money Charles"
"I know. I'm a fool. I'm going to check that barn. I think there are a couple more of them hidden in there" he said and then walked away.
Julia checked Arthur's neck, seeing a dark red bruise on it.
"Son of a bitch" she hissed giving the corpse near her a dirty look.
"I'm fine" said Arthur trying to get up.
"You sure?" asked Julia looking at him.
Arthur rubbed his neck and then took his hat from the ground placing it on his head.
"Yeah. Come on" he said and gently pushed Julia from her shoulder towards the hill.
They run towards the barn where two men were shooting at them, one from the high window of the building and the other from the front door that was wide open.
"Take cover" yelled Charles hidden behind a bale of hay.
They did as he said and began to shoot in turn. After a couple of seconds, Arthur hit the man at the door while Julia hit the man who was shooting from the window, making him fall.
He wasn't dead, but Charles put an end at his suffering with another bullet.
"He should be the last of them" he said putting away his pistol.
Julia looked around before she copied him.
"Yeah, I think so"
Arthur nodded at them.
"Let's go back for Trelawny. Let's see how badly they beat up the slippery feller" he added then leading the way.
"I wonder how much trouble he's brought with him" said Charles.
"Guess we'll soon find out" answered Arthur chuckling.
"Seems like we can't catch a break now, Arthur" continued Charles and looking at him Julia noticed the concern he hadn't expressed in his voice.
"Our luck's held this long…we got outta worse scrapes than this one" reassured the man.
"Things have changed. Your methods and habits are not enough anymore against this world. I told this to Hosea, but it seems no one wants to hear the truth" said Julia.
"And you know the truth?" asked Arthur looking at her with a brow raised.
Julia stopped and stared at him.
"I'm not a fortune teller, if that it's what you want to hear. But it is bounty hunters and Pinkertons we're talking about. Not to mention Cornwall's men. I don't recall situation worse than this and until you'll be safe, I won't pretend this isn't a mess you've got yourself in"
Arthur and Charles looked at her a little bit surprised by her harsh but truthful words. And even if Arthur didn't want to admit it, she was quite right. He couldn't think about a situation worse than that, and what was even worse was that he couldn't think about a solution for it.
Once they reached the cabin, they saw Trelawny seated on a chair in front of the fire, staring at it with a blank stare.
"Well, he's still here at least" murmured Arthur exchanging a look with Charles.
"Put your feet up, why don't you?" he yelled soon after.
Julia hit him in the chest and reached the man, checking on his wounded head. He had a couple of scratches, no one of them seemed to need stitches.
His lip was split, and his nose had stopped bleeding.
"You okay?" asked Charles.
"Never finer" he answered.
"Thank you, my dear" he added looking at Julia who nodded.
Arthur reached her and helped Trelawny stand up.
"They were bounty hunters…attached to Cole Stoudemire" answered Trelawny, finally getting up.
Arthur helped him down the steps of the porch while Charles brought Taima and Tundra near them.
"They weren't looking for me…per se" he added the man staggering towards the horse.
"What you told them?" asked Arthur.
"Not much. I…told them I was an intellectual…come down here from Oregon…looking for a job at the university" explained Trelawney while Arthur helped him to get on Tundra.
"Course, they didn't believe me. Seems you stirred up quite a hornet's nest in Blackwater" finished the man.
"So I keep hearing" said Arthur walking towards Charles.
"It might be best if I stay with you gentlemen for a while. Can't go back to that caravan now" said Trelawny.
"Alright, Charles, you take Trelawny back to camp…Julia and I will catch up with you"
Charles nodded and turned his horse. Trelawny did the same and then followed him out of the Braithwaites' property.
Julia and Arthur looked at them until they disappeared from their sight.
Then Arthur sat down on the steps of the porch, touching his neck.
"You alright?" asked Julia when she noticed him.
"Son of a bitch almost ripped my head off "he answered and hissed when he touched a sore point.
"Yeah, I noticed that. You want to see a doctor?" she asked.
Arthur didn't answer for a while and then he just shook his head.
"No. Just leave me at the camp and then go talk to the Pinkertons" he said.
"Aye-aye, sir!" she saluted him.
Arthur shook his head, but Julia noticed his amused smile.
"Come on, you old fool" she said taking his arm and helping him on his feet.
Julia whistled for Wind Catcher and when he arrived, she got on him and took the foot out of the stirrup so that Arthur could get on him too.
"By the way, why you gave Tundra to Trelawny? He could've gone with Charles or me" she said waiting for him.
Arthur put the foot on the stirrup and helped himself on the saddle behind Julia. He did just sit when Wind Catcher gave a harsh yank at the reins, catching Julia and Arthur off guard.
"It's okay boy. Calm down" she murmured petting his neck.
"He doesn't like it when other people are straddling him. He only wants me" she explained when noticed Arthur worried look.
"Oh, The Count's the same with Dutch. I tried to ride him once. He unhorsed me faster than I could even think, never tried to get on him again" he said.
Julia smiled picturing the scene of Arthur being unhorsed by The Count.
"I wish I was there" she said ramming Wind Catcher.
"To help me I hope"
"To laugh at you and tell you you're an idiot" Julia chuckled.
Julia could feel Arthur's chuckled on her back along with his warmth and strength. It was calming and somehow it felt like home.
She didn't need a reason why he gave his horse to Trelawny, not anymore. She was only glad he did.
"Let's get out of here before someone sees us" murmured Arthur in her ear making her shiver.
"Yeah, right" she said feeling her cheeks burn.
She spurred Wind Catcher to go faster and after a moment she felt Arthur's hands around her waist.
She couldn't' help but smile and relax against his touch.
When they arrived at the camp, Julia stopped just outside the wood.
"Here we are" she said and Arthur hummed.
Julia waited for him to get down, but when he didn't, she turned around and looked at him.
Arthur was staring at her and he did nothing to hide it.
"Thank you for saving my life. I shouldn't have doubted you…"
"It's alright" said Julia smiling at him.
They stared at each other for a moment, then Julia's eyes moved lover to his lips. They were so close, so close she just could kiss him.
Should I?
Asked a voice inside her head.
No, you shouldn't, answered her conscience.
Arthur cleared his voice, waking her up from her trance.
"Err...better if I go" he said and got down Wind Catcher.
Julia gulped.
"Yeah, right. See you later then"
"Bring us good news" he said with a cocky smile.
Julia rolled her eyes.
"Stop bossing me around or next time I won't save your life"
Arthur chuckled and walked into the wood disappearing from Julia's sight.
She huffed and closed her eyes for a moment.
What the hell was she thinking of? Kissing him? Why should she do such a thing?
Maybe because you have feelings for him?
Suggested her internal voice.
Fuck she hissed.
No, no, no. I can't. I won't. It's Arthur for Lord's sake. And he's not interested anyway. He loves…
At the thought of Mary, Julia felt her stomach twitch and a strange desire to kick something overwhelmed her.
She took a couple of deep breaths and then spurred Wind Catcher.
Let's go boy she murmured.
It just can't be.
...
HI EVERYONE!
So, here it is the new chapter, I hope you liked. It was a little bit of an odyssey writing it, I've to admit, but I did it in the end. Hopefully, I didn't fail completely.
By the way, thank all of you for the support and to keep reading this...hobby of mine. I never thought you'd like it so much, so thank you!
Alright, I'm gonna go now. I'll see you next week.
KISSES!