July 10th, 1865

Lealan residence

Upstate New York

Margaret found her home in the middle of being packed up.

Several men were out, moving some of her furniture and some suitcases to an already loaded down wagon.

"YAH!" She shouted as she urged her horse closer. Most of the men, who were too busy with their tasks that they didn't hear her approach, dropped whatever they were carrying in shock. Margaret drew herself up. "What are you doing? Those are my things!"

"Sorry ma'am." One of the movers apologized. "Just doing what we were paid to do."

"And who told you to do this?!"

"I did."

Margaret turned towards the door, where her mother-in-law, hunched over the cane that was supporting her, stood in the doorway. She took a deep breath to keep from completely blowing up in Aisling's face.

"And who, pray tell, gave you permission to do this?"

"No one need give me permission to do anything." Aisling stated. "I am taking my grandchildren west."

Margaret was furious as she dismounted her horse and marched up to the Irishwoman's face. "You're not taking my children anywhere."

Aisling barked out a laugh. "Your children? You're barely even home. I don't even think you remember their names."

Margaret was so shocked by that she took a step back as though she had been physically hit. Aisling took advantage of the pause in the conversation, quickly ushering the children out of the house and directing them towards the wagon. Margaret only snapped out of it when she processed the sight of her youngest, Lillian, being taken by the hand and forcibly dragged toward the wagon by her grandmother.

"Don't you dare take my children!" She shouted, almost borderline hysterical. She ran forward, firmly placing herself between the four people and wagon. Margaret knew the first tenant of the Creed was to stay her Blade from the flesh of the innocent, but she would slit her mother-in-law's throat if it meant that her children stayed with her.

"You have shirked your duties as a mother for far too long. You forfeited the right to see your children when you didn't return home for four years and left me to raise them." Aisling sniffed haughtily. "Just as well, it seems. Now your children can grow up with good morals and an understanding of their duties."

That was the gently breeze that sent her teetering over the edge.

"HOW DARE YOU?! I have been gone for four years because I had a duty to fulfil. I risked my life on the battlefield, fighting for the freedom of countless others and so that my son didn't have to pick up a rifle and be out there himself. Lionel and I both have sacrificed everything to protect our children! And I'll be damned if I'll let you take them."

Aisling, having placed the children behind her back in an effort to protect them in case Margaret lost her cool, sneered at her, which only fueled Margaret's anger. "I knew Lionel shouldn't have married you. You are far too unstable."

"What did I do to you to deserve your hate of me!?" she begged. She hated how tears burned her eyes. "You have been on the warpath against me since the first day I met you. And putting up with you has been the worse experience of my entire life."

"If I was such a burden to you, then why did you bother?"

"I did it for Lionel! He loved me and never understood why you were so harsh with me. But he loved you even though you were far too cruel." Remembering what her husband had said on his deathbed brought tears to her eyes. "I loved your son. I put up with every snide comment, every haughty sneer and sarcastic side comment because of him! Now he's gone. I held his hand as he died. I stayed by his side until he drew his last breath. Watching him die was the most horrid thing I witnessed but I didn't grieve. I fought on. I charged out onto battlefields with young men and boys not old enough to shave yet. SO, DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME UNSTABLE UNTIL YOU KNOW THE HELL THAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!"

Margaret caught her breath as tears cascaded down her face. With the anger drained out of her, Margaret felt…. empty.

Lifeless.

Nothing like the happy woman that had wondered her property with her husband only four years, nearly a lifetime, ago.

Her knees gave out from under her. She didn't have the strength to get back up.

Just…...completely broke down.

Four years of seeing death, witnessing the horrors of the war, fear of making it to see another sunrise crashed down on her at that moment. She wasn't ashamed that she was crying, practically sobbing, in front of Aisling, but she didn't care. Margaret watched through teary eyes as her children were taken away from her.

Margaret Everts will return

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Special thanks to all that have stuck with me for this story. The next WIPs will be out in April of 2022. Everyone please have a safe Christmas and a very happy New Year