Laying curled up within her bed, a young woman dreams of riding her horse through the wilderness with no care in the world. Riding between trees with the glimmer of the sun filtering through the trees, nothing but the scent of fresh air and horsehair filling her nostrils. There was nothing freer than that feeling. Unlike the feeling of being dragged down by a boss who looks down upon you, but are forced to remain to pay the bills and being able to feed yourself. She took the moments she had on the back of her horse preciously.
However, the scent of early dew, clean air and green filled her nostrils as she dreams. It was almost real. Wincing as the light of the sun hit her eyes, she opened her eyelids slowly and expecting to see the stream of light filtering through the window of her room. However, she frowned and clenched her eyes closed as she thought she saw an oak tree. She opened her eyes and widened them, she had indeed seen an oak tree. It was above her and she slowly sat up, looking around her surroundings in disbelief. She shivered slightly as her pink, Minnie Mouse pyjamas were damp with dew on them and it stuck to her skin, causing goose bumps over her body. She glanced at the grass she was seated on, looked up at the mountains around her and flinched upon hearing the crow of a raven flying in the sky above her.
This is a dream!
Clenching her eyes closed and pinching herself hard, she reopened them to find she was still here. She had no idea where she was or how she got there. She had been living alone in her small cottage house with her golden retriever, two horses, a large garden and chicken coop, and her mind immediately went to how they were. She slowly stood up, only to feel a sudden dizziness in her head, making her grimace and sit back down, holding her head as it throbbed and caused her vision to blur. She crawled to the tree and placed her hand on the trunk to brace herself as she slowly stood up, her legs were incredibly shaky and aches began to reveal themselves over her body. She quickly inspected herself and saw she had no physical injuries.
This just so strange…
The girl had no idea where she was, the world was so quiet aside from the sound of the wind breezing past her gently. She huffed, glancing at the mist that formed from breathing out, and took a step away from the tree. She decided to search for a sign of where she was. She definitely knew this was not where her property was. It was on an acreage with rolling hills, there were not any mountains nearby. So, she knew this was no where near home.
I have to find my way home, the animals need me!
She walked ahead, she was not walking very well and it frustrated her. She wondered if someone had drugged her, but for what reason? There was nothing at that cottage that was worth anything, and she had nothing to give. She shakes her head, not knowing how to work this out. Her vision blurred again and her head throbbed, she braced herself against another tree and leaned down, placing a hand on her head with a grimace. This was not her ideal start to the morning.
She rubbed the bridge of her nose and paused for a moment. She heard the sound of horse hooves ahead of her. She wondered if she was near another homestead, that would be really good. She walked forward and followed the sound of the hooves, however they quickly fade away and she just thought it was horses galloping around in a paddock. However, she gasped when she nearly did not see the edge of a steep cliff. She stepped back, her heart nearly skipped a beat and she glanced around. She didn't see anyway to get sound safely from where she was, but she turned to her left to walk around to see if there was a way down. She made her way over a hill and she lifts her hand to block the sunlight, it was very bright at this time this morning. She blinked and she heard horse hooves again.
Smiling slightly, the girl picked up her pace a little as she was excited to see horses and people. However, once she walked over the hill, she saw a road ahead of her. However, it was not a tarmac road, it was a dirt road and she saw a man riding a horse in a western saddle. The clothes he wore were not modern clothes and he had a broad rim had on his head. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, not believing what she saw. She felt like she took a step back in time.
But what really got her, she saw a black Shire and a dark, chestnut Belgian pulling a stagecoach. It appeared to have people sitting inside the coach, a man and woman wearing clothes she only knew were around in a time before her time. She stumbled backwards, finding herself sitting on a boulder as she stared in disbelief. She recognized the coach too.
It kind of looks like a stagecoach I would see in Red Dead Redemption. But…that's a game! This is definitely a dream.
She slapped herself across each cheek hard to see if that would wake her up. No, it did not. She could not believe where she was at all. None of this seemed real! It should not be real! She glanced at her hands, they were shaky and her headache worsened, making her vision blur again and she saw dark spots fill her vision as well. It was making her feel nauseous, she wanted nothing more than just to wake up.
"Ma'am?" She frowned, looking up and glancing around, the girl did not see anybody, but her vision was still very blurry. "Are you okay, ma'am?" That voice! It was so familiar. "You seem to be disorientated, I am right behind you."
Behind me?!
The girl turned her body slightly and widened her eyes slightly as she was able to just make out an aged man looking back at her with warm, brown eyes and wearing a white, sleeve shirt and goldish, brown vest. "Ma'am?" He lifts his hand, waving it in front of her eyes. "Your eyes are shaky, you might need to see a doctor."
No…it can't be…this is just a dream!
She slid of the rock suddenly, backing away from the man as she began to breathe rapidly. "Woah! Easy there, ma'am!" The man said, raising his hands and walking towards her slowly. "I am not going to hurt you, I want to help you. I am no bad man, miss. You are in no state to be out here. Though, how did you get out here?"
The girl wanted to know that too. But she turned around and stumbled, trying to get away from him. She wanted to believe she was dreaming, but her legs suddenly give out from under her and she felt her body sway. Before she hit the ground, she felt a pair of arms catch her.
"Woah, woah!" He looked at her with bewildered eyes. "You can't be walking. I'll take you to see a doctor, a'right?" She shivered a little and clenched her eyes again. "Hmm, hopefully I can get permission to have a doctor look at ya anyway."
She opened her eyes slightly and saw a silver, grey horse ahead of her as the man carried her towards it. It appeared to be a Turkoman, although she couldn't quite tell. She felt too weak and sick to really take notice. Her muscles began to relax unwillingly, she was still very scared right now and she had no idea what was happening.
"Stay with me, miss, you're gonna be okay," The man reassured her, lifting her onto the front of the horse. Her first instinct was to grab the reins, though a hand stopped her. "You definitely can't ride like that, miss."
She grumbled a little, feeling the man's body behind her. She felt herself slumping against him as he kicked the horse into a fast canter. She looked around lazily as the world went by, feeling the wind flying through her hair and the scent of fresh air. This was most definitely a dream. Her eyes finally closed as all of this was just too much, and everything goes completely black.
She wakes up with a start, her heart was racing and she found herself not in her own room again. She sat up slightly, she widened her eyes to see she was inside some kind of tent. The tent fabric seemed to be made of cotton or wool, it was white and she was laying on a bed with a thin mattress, a feather pillow and blankets over her. There was an oil lamp dimly lit on a nightstand by the bed, a table and chair and a chest at the end of the bed. Now she knew she was no longer dreaming.
She glanced at the ground, thankfully there was no wood boards that would groan under her weight from getting up. She felt a lot better, no longer dizzy or aching, though she still had a slight headache. She stood up slowly, there was some sunlight filtering through the crack of the tent flap, and she heard voices outside. Familiar voices outside. She stepped up to the tent flap to peer outside carefully.
She found she did not recognize where she was, it was in a slightly drier area than what she was used to from the game. It probably was not Horseshoe Overlook or anywhere near New Hanover, though she could see things she recognized. A tent that only the leader of this gang slept in, a small coach with a comfortable bed and shave kit that belonged to a gunslinger she knew and, everyone's favourite place, Pearson's stagecoach. She could smell the stew from there. However, she turned her eyes as she heard a conversation.
"I don't understand why we don't get a doctor, Dutch!" The man's voice argued with someone in a frustrated tone. "The girl seems very young, not more than eighteen I can assume, and she was out in the woods while I was out looking for that lead to the chest I have with this map. She was clearly disorientated, maybe drugged and left out there for the animals."
"We can't have locals in, you know that, Hosea!" The familiar, angry, smooth-talking man responded. "I understand that the girl needed your help, and we can take care of her. You know a bit of medicine, Hosea."
"Yes, but I am no doctor! She has no fever, that is good, but that does not explain how she was. You weren't there to see it!" She tried to see where the men were, only to notice their shadows on the ground. They were right outside her tent! "And she's been asleep for two days now!"
Wait? Two days?!
There was no way she was asleep for two days! She stumbled back, feeling as though she was going to faint again and quickly walked back to the bed to lay on it. She took deep, silent breaths so she could keep listening to the conversation outside her tent.
"If the girl does not wake up or improve, we can take her into town. But, for now, we can keep an eye on her." Dutch paused, she assumed he was smoking a cigar or something. "And what about her clothes? We have not seen clothes like that before. Miss Grimshaw said they are made of cotton."
"I cannot answer that either. And that is what concerns me. She probably doesn't even know where she was, I just hope she knows who she is." Hosea paced outside her tent, the girl kept still in case he notices she is awake. "But…you know the strangest thing was when I found her the other day?"
Dutch grumbled a little. "Oh yeah, she had a shining eye for you? Maybe that is why she fainted. You did have the way with the ladies, old friend."
"I am afraid that is not it. In fact, it almost seemed like she recognized me." There was a slight pause, she could sense the disbelief from the men. "She couldn't see me well, I don't think, but she seemed to recognize me. And I've never met this girl in my life! I would never forget a face like hers."
"You can say that again," Dutch agreed, pausing slightly and she heard him puff out his breath, meaning he was indeed smoking. "Arthur has been out looking for clues so we can figure out what happened to her. He hasn't been back since."
"Gentlemen." She tensed when she heard Grimshaw's voice, she grits her teeth as she knew who all these people were. "I am going to check in on the young lady and see if she has woken up yet. She would have to be very hungry and thirsty."
"Of course, Miss Grimshaw, please check on her," Hosea said to the woman, he sounded almost as if he was pleading. "I know we don't know her, but anyone who is innocent I worry for them."
"I know, I know." Dutch sounded like he was smiling at that and the two men step aside to allow Susan throw.
She found herself scrambling around the head of the bed, clutching the bars of the head rest and cowering behind it as the flap opens. Grimshaw froze and looked at her in shock, she had no expected the girl to be cowering. But, her expression softens slightly when she saw how nervous she was.
"It is good to see you awake, young lady," The woman spoke in a calm tone, she heard Hosea gasping when he heard Grimshaw. She stepped closer, making the girl tense and tighten her grip on the bars. "There is no need to be afraid, dear. You are safe and in good hands. I am sure you are very hungry, you have been asleep for two days." She did not respond, a lump was in her throat because she did not know what to saw. "Alright…how about some water?" She nods slightly. "Good. Hosea, can you see if one of the ladies can bring a jug of water and a cup over, this girl will need it."
"On it!" Hosea responded quickly, walking away briskly.
Grimshaw stepped closer, making the girl lower her head shyly. "It is okay. Please, come out from behind there. You don't need to be afraid." Again, she got nothing from her. "Alright…at least tell us your name. We need to call you something instead of girl all the time."
Swallowing made her wince, but she opened her mouth a few times before saying her name weakly. "S-S-S-Sa-Saphira."
"Saphira?" She nodded to confirm with Susan that it was her name. "What a lovely name. Suits your eyes. You know, we have someone in our gang with green eyes too, except they are not as bold and emerald, green like yours."
Yes, she did know. Saphira looked away from them, feeling a great wave of sadness wash over her. She was in the world she only knew from a game. She knew all the gang members, she has seen them go through the worst part of their lives and lose what they had. Saphira did not know what to do. She was scared of being there because she didn't know why she was there, and she was scared of watching everything she knew would happen unfold before her very eyes. Especially with a certain man with green eyes, and another man with brown eyes, dark hair and a distinct scar on his face.
"Miss Saphira…" Saphira flinched and looked up, her eyes locking with a man who had bright, brown eyes, black hair that has been sleeked with pomade, a fancy black vest and a white undershirt with a clean moustache. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Dutch van der Linde, I am the leader of the gang living in this area. You are most welcome here and you are free to recover before choosing what you want to do next. You will be well protected here as well."
Saphira said nothing to him, only to lower her eyes and look away. She was still too nervous to speak. Grimshaw sighed and turned on her heel. "About time!" She snapped harshly, making Saphira jump. "It doesn't take thirty minutes to get a jug of water Karen!"
"It hasn't even been five!" Karen snaps back at the woman.
"Watch that fucking mouth of yours, woman!" Grimshaw took a deep breath and turned to face Saphira. "I apologize for that. Now, I will place these here for you." She placed the cup down and filled it with water before placing the jug down. "Let us know if you want anything to eat."
"Has she said anything?" Hosea asked, approaching the tent with a concerned expression.
"Just her name. Miss Saphira." Dutch smiled, lifting his cigar to his mouth to breath in the smoke. "A most wonderful name!"
Hosea smiled slightly and looked at Saphira. "Everything will be okay, miss. You are safe now. Rest and take it easy." He glanced at Dutch and Grimshaw. "I think we should leave her be for now. I will check up on her later."
The woman and leader nod, walking out of the tent and closing the flap behind them. Saphira remained clutching the head of the bed for several more minutes before she made any kind of move. She walked over to the table and drank greedily from the cup, refilling it several more times until she was satisfied. Saphira ran her hand through her black, velvet hair and sat on the bed. She did not know what was going to happen now. Arthur was not at the camp, but…was John Marston there? She wanted to act like she didn't know the gang, but she knew that Dutch and Susan could tell she recognized them. They weren't that stupid. Saphira had to think of exactly how to tell them she was from the future...telling them they are actually a game story might not be a good idea. For now at least.