Hello everyone! I know it's been a long time-almost three months, yikes!-since I last posted this chapter but unfortunately I had some unexpected things happen in my life that effected my ability to write my stories. Rest assured, I have no intention of abandoning them and will see them through to completion. This will be the last true chapter of this first installment of the FAWH tales as the next chapter will be the epilogue. But I already have a sequel in the works, with new characters and travel and adventure so this is not the end (and Between Two Worlds continues as well). Special, special thanks for this chapter goes to BrynnaRaven who was so generous with her time in answering my many questions regarding black powder rifles and eighteenth century firearms! Please enjoy this chapter, as always notes and translations are at the bottom.

Song Listing for this Chapter:

Yorktown and Return Home by John Williams (The Patriot Score)

Chapter 34-The Fire

Nathaniel banged on the door again, exchanging a quick, worried glance with Cora. Every moment they were outside and visible to the other watchers in the woods surrounding the farm was a moment they were in danger. But that worry was small compared to what they felt for their friends. Nathaniel tried to reassure himself by the fact that they had seen no evidence of anything destructive yet but the fear lingered. Where was everyone? Had they…? No, he couldn't let himself think of that.

The sound of muffled footsteps came from inside the house, along with low whispers that neither he or Cora could make out. But he recognized the tone. Breathing a sigh of relief, he looked up just as the door opened a crack. "Nathaniel? Cora!" Samuel Winthrop's low tone was filled with relief. Quickly pulling the door open for them, he ushered them inside and then shut the door behind them. After bolting it, he placed a hand on each of their shoulders, drawing them close. "Thank God." He said simply. "We were worried no one could make it through. All the militia gathered here have told us of the war parties in the west." "They're not in the west anymore, at least one of them." Nathaniel said grimly. "They're coming here. That's why we came." Samuel's eyebrows shot up quickly but he quickly composed himself. "I feared that might happen. We've been scouting the area nearby every day and haven't seen anything but it's been quiet. Too quiet." He said. Cora and Nathaniel nodded. "Nathaniel! Cora!" A familiar Scottish brogue came from behind Nathaniel and he turned just in time to embrace Ian who threw his arms around him. "You're here! Alone?" He asked, his eyes questioning even while his face showed concern at their arrival. "Yes." Nathaniel nodded. "Not much time to explain so let's get the others together. We're going to have to move fast on this one."

"They should be in Canajoharie soon if they aren't already there." Cora told Katherine, finishing telling Katherine the latest news of her daughter and their family as they began carefully but quickly began filling the extra powder horns for the militia from the powder barrel they had just opened. Almost immediately after Ian had greeted Nathaniel, Katherine had come downstairs to see what was going on. Cora had been relieved to see that her friend looked stronger than she had the previous summer, despite the winter season. So had Thomas who had joined Nathaniel and Ian in gathering the members of the militia together. Katherine had shown her where the spare powder horns and powder barrels were kept and together they had Taken them out in order to fill them. Regardless of what kind of plan of attack there would be, they would need plenty of powder.

Katherine nodded, scooping out a measure of powder from the barrel. "I know Chingachgook will take good care of the girls and Jack, as will Alunsakw and Shaonaxen. I haven't seen them for years now but Jack has told me about the help and aid they've given him and the militia over the years." Cora agreed, wondering briefly about her friend's childhood especially after she and her brother had met the Mohicans at school. But there was no time for that now. She finished filling one of Nathaniel's spare powder horns and then picked up another one of the militia men's. The wives of the militia had offered to help but both Katherine and Cora had quickly pointed out the need for them to stay with their children. Cassandra had offered as well, but had quickly agreed to help keep order with the women and children. They were now in the basement, which had been quickly decided upon as the safest place for them with its two ways of escape, trying to keep their children calm and quiet. All of the boys thirteen and older had been assigned to help in various ways with their fathers and the other men from what Cora could tell by the movement around them. She shook her head a bit to settle herself and focused on the task at hand. Time was something they were rapidly running out of.

As soon as they were finished loading all of the spare powder horns, both women made their way over to the circle of men in the front room. All of them had been listening to Nathaniel, who with input from Thomas and Samuel, had been outlining a plan of attack. "Are you sure about this, Nathaniel?" Ian asked as he accepted a powder horn from Cora. "There's no way to get our families out?" Nathaniel shook his head. "No, afraid not. There's lookouts posted throughout the woods around here and the war party is already on its way. Any attempt would be fatal." Ian nodded grimly, not looking surprised. He knew it had been a futile hope but he couldn't help asking. "They are all settled in the basement." Cora tried to assure him as she continued to pass out the powder horns. "Janet has your spare musket with her and several of the other women are armed as well." The Winthrop gun wardrobe had been put to good use by everyone. Reaching Nathaniel, she handed him his extra horn. He nodded his thanks as his eyes dropped down to the horn she had secured around her body. He raised an eyebrow briefly before looking back up at the men and boys gathered around him. "Let's move into position. Remember to use the element of surprise that they think they have against them. They're not expecting us to be ready for them." Everyone began to move off, and Nathaniel remained with Cora. "You intend to fight?" He phrased it as a question even as his voice made it sound like a statement, which he knew it was. He had known Cora would join in somehow in the defense of the Winthrop farm. It was her tenacity and strength that was part of what had made him fall in love with her, even as part of him warred with the need to keep her safe and away from the fighting. Cora nodded. "We need every shot we have. Katherine will as well." She hadn't missed Katherine filling a powder horn of her own or the musket she had taken from her parent's gun wardrobe for herself. Glancing over his shoulder, Nathaniel caught Thomas and Katherine out of the corner of his eye having a similar conversation by the looks of it. He couldn't help smirking slightly before looking back at Cora. "Stay inside, by the windows. I'll give the signal for you to open them. We'll be outside fighting in the open once they're here." Cora agreed. "Godspeed." She whispered as they crouched down together by the parlor window to wait.

"They're here." Nathaniel nodded at Thomas's words, leaning back from his place at the window in the parlor to make eye contact briefly with him from where he was in the dining room across the hall. He had seen them too, in the faint light that touched the farm and the surrounding woods. The woods were still encased in shadows which he knew the war party would be counting on to help make their movements almost undetectable. But they weren't counting on the militia to be ready and watching for them. Every man among them was used to eyeing the woods that surrounded their farms and fields, looking for the slightest change or warning. "Let's go." He said, and he and Thomas quickly rose from their positions along their respective windows along with the other men. Cora and Katherine remained where they were, their eyes fixed outside. A few of the other militia men and some of the older boys remained too while the rest quickly gathered by the front door where Nathaniel and Thomas had headed. "We're going to have to push these out as quick as we can." Samuel spoke up, gesturing to the empty barrels. They would need places to duck behind and maintain cover in front of the house, but they couldn't risk setting them out in advance. "We'll run behind them. Thomas and I will go first." Nathaniel ducked behind the first barrel and prepared to push, bracing his feet against the floor. "Robert, you open the door for us when I tell you to." He told one of the boys. "Open the windows at the same time." He called out to everyone staying in the house, including Cora and Katherine. There was a cacophony of shuffling and scraping noises as everyone go into position before an expectant silence filled the room. For a few moments, all that could be heard was everyone's breathing and quick heartbeats. Then the familiar ear-splitting noise of a war cry came. "Now!" Nathaniel yelled. The door was thrown open and he and Thomas pushed with all of their might as the other men followed. Quickly turning the barrels right side up, they aimed their weapons towards the war party that charged towards them, taking their first shots. "Looks like we surprised them all right." Nathaniel thought with grim satisfaction as he quickly reloaded after dispatching a Huron warrior. Several younger members of the war party had stumbled and even stood still albeit briefly when the men had appeared with their barrels and weapons at the ready. But it would not be enough to stop them. Catching sight of the leader of the French Irregulars, Nathaniel took aim and fired. The Frenchman tumbled dead to the ground. Most of the French Irregulars who had been coming from behind him stopped and made their way to their fallen leader, as he had hoped they would. But the Huron and the Ottawa warriors, along with the French Irregulars who had been in front, kept coming. Some of the militia had met them in hand-to-hand combat, trading blows with knives and tomahawks. Again, he reloaded, lubricating the silk patch with his saliva and placing it atop the musket ball before driving it down into the barrel of Killdeer with his ramrod. Swinging it to his shoulder, he fired at an Ottawa who fell mere inches from him, tomahawk still clutched in his hand. Reloading again as quickly as he could, he was ready for his next shot. "Samuel!" He heard Thomas yell beside him. Looking over to where Samuel and Ian were fighting he saw Samuel clutching his stomach, a large wound obvious even through his overcoat along his right side. Moving together, he and Thomas ran towards him, as Ian clubbed a French Irregular over the head with his musket who had been trying to finish Samuel off with a knife. Weakly Samuel tried to stand, only to collapse until Thomas and Nathaniel gripped his upper arms and hauled him to his feet. "You're needed here!" He rasped weakly. Both of the younger men ignored him, although Nathaniel allowed Ian to take his place while he provided cover for them to drag Samuel into the house. The waves of gun smoke combined with the dim light made it increasingly hard to see. Gritting his teeth, he fired at yet another warrior and began the process of reloading. From what he could tell, most of the militia and their sons were holding their own well but that didn't matter. Anything could occur in battle as evidenced by several men limping or being helped towards the house. The war party's numbers had diminished quickly but they were not through yet. 'I wish you were here nimahtes.' Removing the ramrod as quickly as he could from the barrel of Killdeer, he shot again only to hear a shot come from behind him on his right side. Cora's pistol was still smoking as she began to reload it. "Get back inside!" he yelled, the thought of her being hurt or lost forever to him unbearable. "You need someone else out here!" She yelled back, her eyes lit with their innate stubbornness. There was no time for anything else to be said.

She finished reloading and took aim at one of the few remaining Frenchmen and fired, her bullet meeting its intended mark. Nathaniel had already dashed back into the fray, meeting the remaining warriors with his tomahawk and knife. Her fingers stumbled a little with the priming process, forcing her to look away. A guttural cry came from somewhere and she looked around to see George Winston fall to the ground, blood pouring from the back of his head where part of his scalp was now missing. A young Huron warrior, his grisly token in hand, was now making his way towards the open door of the house. 'No.' She fired her pistol but the shot was not good. The warrior's left arm was wounded, but that was all. He moved towards her, skinning knife raised and still coated with blood. She began to run to lead him away from the house but he followed her. Spying the large apple tree that grew a short distance from the house, she dashed towards it, hiking up the hem of her cloak as she did so. Reaching it, she grabbed a low branch and began to hoist herself up, the snow and ice making it hard to tell which branches would hold her. 'Just keep going!' She grabbed another branch only to feel a sudden jerk on her ankle. The warrior was pulling her down. "No!" she shouted, kicking at him. Feeling her body begin to give way, she wrapped her arms around the tree trunk and kept kicking. He wasn't giving up but neither would she. Suddenly, she saw a large branch covered in a heavy amount of snow and ice that was almost torn from the tree. One more good kick and it would fall directly onto the warrior. Swinging her free foot into its base, she kicked it with all her might. It fell onto its target, just as a shot rang out and the warrior was truly dead. Closing her eyes for a moment, Cora breathed into the snowy bark of the tree trunk, willing her heartbeat to slow down.

"Didn't think you were one for tree climbing, miss." Nathaniel's voice sounded directly below the tree. He looked up at her, Killdeer already secured against his back again, a sign that the fight was over. From her vantage point in the tree, she could see that the uninjured militia men were making their way into the house to join their wounded friends and their families who were now safe and sound once more. Cora let out a shuddery sigh. Her husband's way with words had their intended effect in bringing her back to the world. "Well, you did say I came from a breed apart, sir." She said as she allowed herself to drop into his waiting arms. "And I told you in your case, I would make allowance." He told her, setting her on the snow. "Particularly today." Despite their mutual grim and relieved expressions, his eyes shone with admiration for her and together, they made their way towards the house.

"We are fortunate that we did not lose anyone." Katherine said as she gathered the fabric scraps that had fallen on the floor during the bandage changing process. Cora agreed as she re-corked the bottle of grain alcohol that they had used and began to count their remaining medical supplies to see if they were running low on anything. It had been nearly three weeks since the battle, and they had put the Winthrop's supply to good use. But fortunately the Winthrops had a large supply on hand and there was still plenty left. Glancing around the parlor where she, Katherine, Cassandra and several of the other women had set up a makeshift infirmary, it was good to see that many of their patients were on the mend and almost all were already up and about. Samuel and George were the only ones remaining on bed rest, but both were mending as well as could be expected given their injuries. Samuel was resting in he and Cassandra's bedchamber, bemoaning the fact that he was laid up for the time being, which had made Cassandra shake her head at her and Katherine in mock weariness as they had worked together to change the dressing on his stomach but she could tell that the older woman was pleased that her husband was being so vocal. "Menfolk." She had sighed when they had closed the door after exhorting him to rest. "It's good I love him so." Both Katherine and Cora had smiled at her in mutual understanding.

George's condition had been extremely worrying at first, since a scalping wound was no small matter and could easily become infected and lead to death. He had lost a good deal of blood and the back part of his skull was now exposed to the elements. Fortunately, it had not been a complete scalping and after a thorough cleaning, Cora had made her first attempt with a new medical procedure she had heard of at Fort William Henry from Mr. Phelps. After witnessing the men scalped at the George Road ambush, she had asked him if there was anything that could be done if someone was still alive after being scalped. He had told her of a technique called scalp boring, in which an awl was used to bore small holes into the skull itself. It was a long and difficult process but one which promised the best chance for survival along with keeping the wound cleaned every day and properly bound. She had kept the information tucked away, praying that she would never have to use it but grateful to have it all the same.

While the process had been as difficult as she had been warned, so far it had been a success. George had no sign of either a fever or an infection. He might or might not ever have hair again on the back of his head but he would live and that was what mattered the most. Amelia, his wife, sat with him now on a low stool beside his pallet where he rested after changing the bandages for him. Cora had shown her how to change the bandages and re-dress his wound so that she could do it herself, as the wound would take a very long time to heal. Getting up, she went over to them and gently inspected it. Amelia watched her, waiting. "Good work." Cora said with a smile as she rose, taking her hand and squeezing it. Amelia smiled back. She reminded Cora of Alice in a way, her sweet nature and caring heart with a hidden determination inside it.

Moving back to the front hall of the house with a basket of soiled bandages, Cora saw Nathaniel standing with Thomas and Ian, deep in some sort of discussion. Seeing her, he stepped away from them and came to her. "Everyone doing all right?" he asked. "Yes, everyone is healing and nothing looks too troubling anymore, not even George." She answered. "Good." He said and led her over to where Ian and Thomas were, Katherine joining them as well. "How is Lochlan doing?" Katherine asked Ian, knowing that his oldest son was likely still feeling embarrassed about what had happened during the battle. At just twelve years of age, both Ian and Janet had wanted him to go down into the basement to be safe but he had begged to be allowed to stay up and fight. With his parents' reluctant agreement, he had taken a spare musket from the Winthrop's stores but in his enthusiasm, he had forgotten to pour his powder measure into the barrel while attempting to load his musket and the musket ball had gotten stuck in the barrel. Katherine had taken charge, trying to help him get the ball unstuck while the fighting raged outside. They had eventually succeeded but Lochlan had been bitterly disappointed that he had not been able to help during the fight as he had wanted to.

Ian chuckled. "He is doing fine. I expect he will not forget the importance of his powder measures so soon again though." The adults joined him with their own laughter. "We've been talking," Thomas spoke up after a few moments, "and it looks like it will be safe to travel in a few weeks to start our trip to Canajoharie." Cora felt relieved with the news. As necessary as their time at the farm had been and was for now, the separation from their daughter and Chingachgook was beginning to wear on both her and Nathaniel, especially given the circumstances. She noticed Katherine and Thomas were exchanging eager looks themselves, their separation from Margaret having been so much longer and of course with Jack being their brother and brother-in-law it made them eager to reunite with all of their family as well. Cassandra and Samuel had expressed their concern over their son's condition multiple times, but of course there was no way for them to travel themselves anytime soon with Samuel's own wounds.

"I'll help see the other men head off towards their homes first before Janet and I and our boys head back to ours." Ian said. He was unofficially Jack's second-in-command of their militia and he would take his place in seeing them off safely for the time being. Nathaniel agreed, promising that they would report the same news to Jack. "In the meantime," Cora spoke up, "there is plenty of work to do here." Breaking off to their respective duties, Cora felt an eagerness in her step that she had not felt since before they left their cabin.

Nathaniel looked over the flintlock rifle that he held in his hands, examining it carefully. The reddish color of the cherrywood that it was stocked in shone, while the brass inlays gleamed brightly even in the weak sunlight of early spring. Running his hand down the barrel, he hefted it to his shoulder and tested the weight and feel of it against himself. Fingering the trigger, he pulled the hammer back before setting it down again and removing the rifle from his shoulder.

"You won't find another one like that sir." The Dutch gunsmith, Myndert Wemple, told him. "It's one of the few flintlock rifles that I've made myself; I've mostly repaired ones from time to time. Most people around here prefer fowlers or muskets." Nathaniel nodded, continuing to examine the rifle. Myndert Wemple had come recommended to him after asking Samuel and Thomas where he could find a good gunsmith. He had heard of his name before as well from his time in Canajoharie, as he had a reputation for good work at a fair price among the Mohawks and the other Six Nations since Sir William Johnson had sent him to the Seneca a few years prior to serve as a both a gun and general smith. While he had not been sure that he could create the gun he wanted, he had decided to visit him while they were in Albany getting some early springtime supplies for the cabin with Katherine and Thomas before heading on their way to Canajoharie. But to his surprise, the gunsmith had produced a flintlock rifle already made, saying that the man who had commissioned it a year before had never collected it. Looking it over again, he saw that it was a well crafted rifle in every way, even possibly rivaling the beauty of his Killdeer. 'Cora will love it.' He thought. Looking into the gunsmith's eager eyes, he nodded. "I'll take it." Before beginning the negotiating process, he tapped part of the brass inlay. "I want this engraved. I have a name in mind."

Exiting the gunsmith's later, he smiled to himself as he put his money pouch which was noticeably a little lighter back in place. 'It is worth it.'

Standing in the entry hall of the Winthrop's Albany house the next morning, Cora's eyes filled with tears as she took the flintlock rifle from her husband's outstretched arms. "For me?" she said quietly, not quite believing it although logically she knew that it was. Nathaniel smiled and nodded at her, letting her take it in. She looked it over, running her hands up and down its length. It was beautiful, the cherrywood shining and the inlay gleaming around it. The brass inlays had a delicate pattern of swirls that complimented the red hued wood beautifully. It was every bit as beautiful a weapon as the one her husband carried. Turning it over, she saw that the inlay right above the patch box had a name engraved into it. Pathfinder. Touching it, she looked questioningly at Nathaniel. He smiled at her again. "When we met, niu, and began our lives together I realized that I had found a new path with you and I knew that you had found one with me. So I thought the name fits you and her. We walk the same path together now, and you are fully part of my world now." He said, touching the rifle. Not trusting herself to speak without, Cora grabbed the back of Nathaniel's head with her free hand and pulled it down so she could kiss him. "Thank you." She said when she trusted her emotions. Nathaniel only smiled again and pulled a woven strap out of his journey bag. Gently turning her around, he secured the rifle against her back in the same way that Killdeer was against his back. "Come on." He said, taking her hand and opening the door. "Thomas and Katherine are waiting on us."

"I can't wait to see Margaret again. We've missed her so much all these months. And Jack-I've missed that big brother of mine too. We can never repay you for all that you have done." Katherine said to Cora as they sat beside each other on the bench behind the main wagon seat where their husbands currently sat. Cora smiled and shook her head at her friend. "No need for that. I daresay our families have had plenty of mutual aid already and will have more in the years to come." Katherine agreed. Falling into silence briefly, Cora thought over the last few days. The first day they had arrived in Albany, they had met some Palatine acquaintances of the Mohicans from Canajoharie. They had assured them of Jack's recovery and the wellbeing of their family and Delaware friends. Relieved to hear the news, both couples had set to stocking up on springtime supplies for their farms. That night, though, both Nathaniel and Cora had agreed that the time had come for them to tell their friends about Margaret's tattoos.

"We only did it because it was the only way to keep her and Juliet safe to a degree if they were taken or became separated from us." Nathaniel had said, looking solemnly across from his chair to where Katherine and Thomas sat. "The tattoos mark us as Mohicans and as family, and whoever bears them is under our protection." He stopped talking, allowing them to take it in. Cora reached out and touched his hand, offering her silent support to him. Their friends did not look angry but surprised and a bit concerned. "Well," Thomas said, his features relaxing again, "We did say that you could do anything necessary to protect her. We know you wouldn't have done it if you hadn't believed it was absolutely needed." Katherine nodded her agreement. "We know that it might make her life harder, especially in the future, but she will not be alone. Juliet bears them too as do I." Cora offered up, knowing what they were likely thinking. Both of the Lees waved this away. "What's done is done." Katherine said, her voice and tone like her husband's showing that she didn't harbor ill will, "we will take things as they come." Relieved that this topic was behind them, they had moved on to preparing for the journey ahead of them.

"We're here!" Thomas called out as the wagon began making its way up the road towards the palisade. The closer they got, the eagerness they all felt to be reunited with their family grew. No sooner had they arrived inside the palisade, then Cora heard a loud "Nkek Cora! Nooch Nathaniel!" from Juliet as she sprinted to meet them, Margaret right beside her, squealing with joy at the sight of her parents. Bending down to catch her daughter in her arms, Cora relished the feel of her in her arms. And when Nathaniel joined them, holding them both tightly in his arms, she closed her eyes and smiled. This is where we belong.

Nimahtes: my younger brother (Delaware)

Niu: my wife (Mohican)

Nkek: Mother (Mohican)

Nooch: Father (Mohican)

Well the fight was waged and everyone survived (mostly intact). As I said at the beginning, BrynnaRaven was instrumental in helping me write this chapter by giving me hands on and in depth knowledge of flintlock rifles and eighteenth century gunmanship. She was the one who sparked the idea for Ian and Janet's son Lochlan to have the ball get stuck in the barrel because he forgot to pour in his powder measure first which is the necessary step for a black powder gun to ignite and fire. The ball apparently is quite hellish to pull out-let's just say Ian is right and Lochlan likely won't forget his powder next time! I also want to thank EmoryRose for her continued help in being my sounding board and for encouraging me to go with my idea of having Cora and Katherine take part in the battle. I just couldn't picture those two sitting back and doing nothing.

The treatment for George's scalping wound is based on historical fact albeit from a slightly later date (the Revolutionary War). Although victims of scalping were often scalped after they were already dead, it was not unheard of for victims to be left alive either. A frontier man by the name of James Robertson learned the technique from a doctor named Dr. Patrick Vance in 1777 who showed him how to treat a scalped head by boring holes into the skull as it became black. In addition, the wound had to be cleaned and bound every day in order to prevent infection. The recovery period was slow (with an average of two years for full recovery), but the success rate was high and in some cases hair could grow back (although this was not true for everyone hence why I put it as a possibility for George's hair coming back rather than a certainty). While this is a gruesome part of war, as shown in the movie, it was a real part of it during this time and was practiced on all sides so I felt it was accurate to show it during this fight scene.

Myndert Wemple was a Dutch-American gunsmith who actually lived in the Mohawk Valley region during this time period and was sent by Sir William Johnson to the Seneca to serve as a gun and general smith for them. From the research I have done, it does not appear that there was ever much creation of the flintlock or long rifles in New York at least during this time period and most people relied on fowlers or muskets. That is why I have the flintlock that Nathaniel purchases for Cora be a rare find. I thought that it was time for a little (or big) upgrade for her from her pistol and I just love the idea of Nathaniel and Cora making their way on the frontier with their flintlock rifles strapped against their backs. Much of this story in regards to Cora has focused on her "becoming" (or unleashing) a new sense of self and I thought that it was likely that Nathaniel would present her with a rifle of her own to show how she has become fully part of the world that he and now she inhabits.

Next up we will see our family a couple of years ahead into the future and then we will be on to the sequel! Stay tuned.