Thanks so much for the comments y'all! I'm really happy you're liking my rewritten version of this story, and I'm happy that some of the old readers are enjoying the new version! I hope this version is living up to my original version!
Some hours later in the town of Daughtrey, Sara was lying in her bed at the inn, her fingers tracing shapes on her stomach when she heard a sound and then a thud against the door to their room. She picked up the pistol from the bedside table and sat up, cocking the hammer back and pointing it at the door. "Who is it?" Django and King had told her all about the events while she had been in the general store, and the idea that the pissed off residents of town would want some sort of retribution was fresh in her mind, and she was not going to go down without a fight.
"Sara, put the gun down," King's voice came from the other side of the door. "It's only me." It was silent for a moment and Sara made no move to put the gun down as she waited, as both she and King knew she would. "Öffnen die Tür Meine Liebe." 'Open the door my love' He spoke through the door.
"It's open." Sara lowered the gun and he slowly opened the door with his hands raised before looking around the door to see her moving to lay back on the bed. "Where's Django?" she asked as she settled herself while King smiled to himself as he thought about the conversation he had just had with the aforementioned man.
"I've spoken to the innkeeper, and while he still insists on refusing service to you he told me about a place down the road that houses people like you." Django was a little concerned with how little this man seemed to know about transporting slaves.
"The slave house?" Django asked and King frowned at the disgust in Django's voice.
"The what?" he asked.
"Tha's what they call the side of the barn they put out to traders movin' cargo." He explained. "Beds is like tha ones in tha slave house, more like wood stalls, they cuff ya in, put a guard on ya all night. I'd rather sleep in tha cart then go inta one'a them places again." Django shook his head, before pausing. He didn't know why he had even brought up the cart, in fact, thinking about it, that cart was probably where Schultz and his Missus slept when they weren't sleeping in an inn. Sure a woman like her could offer to clean up his wounds, and she could talk to him like an equal, but she'd rather burn that cart then sleep there after a former slave had.
"Why Django, that's a marvelous idea." King snapped Django's mind away from the dark place it had just been. "I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, we'll put you in the cart for the night. You'll be very comfortable in there, no chains, no guards, you will be just behind the Inn," King listed off, obviously thrilled with the idea. "And then when we have the money from the Marshall, we will begin our journey to finding the Brittle Brothers."
"Now, I don't wanna do nothin that'll upset your wife," Django tried to say, but King was already figuring out the logistics for that evening.
The next thing Django knew, they were next to the cart while Schultz moved things around, Django heard a thud and he turned around looking at the cart as a string of small swears, or what he assumed were swears, he'd have to speak German to know what the man was saying. King climbed out of the cart, rubbing his head, but nodded with a proud smile.
"I've pushed a few things up to the side, and I spread the robe out, so you should be both warm and comfortable," King explained. "There is a latch from the inside, and if the boxes are in your way, you can move them to the front of the cart, no one will touch them." He assured Django before rubbing his hands together. "In you go, before you get sick from standing in the cold." He clapped his hands together and Django nodded before he stared at the German man awkwardly- what did he say right now? This man had turned his life around in less than twenty four hours, and he was happily treating him like no one had ever done before- like an equal. Django felt awkward, he didn't know what to say, and as if King could read that on his face, he spoke again. "None of that," he clapped his new friend on the shoulder. "We will talk in the morning." He nodded knowingly and Django gave him a small nod before getting into the cart.
A thick hide of some sort had been laid out on the ground of the cart, though it was too large for the entire cart, it was pushed up along the sides a little. Django laid down on it, letting his fingers move through the coarse fur, and he looked around the inside of the cart. There were small shelves along the side that had been made into more pockets than shelves to prevent things falling over while the cart was in motion.
King had indeed rearranged a few things in the cart, putting things on top of the shelves that obviously didn't live there before, as well as pushing up a few wrapped packages, and a pair of women's boots and dresses bundled up to the side, trying to make more room for Django.
Even with those parcels there was plenty of room for the newly liberated man, who after locking the small latch, took off his boots and laid back on the hide again, the last thing he was aware of as he fell asleep was the feel of the fur under his fingertips, and the sound of the rain as it began to fall outside.
"He's sleeping in the cart." King told his wife. She nodded as he removed his jacket and laid it on the trunk at the end of their bed. He took his shoes off and walked over to Sara as she sat up and slipped off of the bed to stand in front of him; she started to unbutton his shirt from the bottom down as he ran his fingers through her hair. He tilted her face up and she smiled as he leaned down and kissed her.
"What are you thinking so hard about?" she asked after he wrapped his arms around her and sighed deeply.
"Just… Imagine not knowing how to spell your own name." he replied, a sadness in his voice as he explained what he was thinking about, Sara sighed when she realized what he was so preoccupied with and straightened up.
"Ah," she nodded against his chest as she rested her hands on his hips. ""You have to remember, not many slaves are given the chance for much education honey." She explained to him. "Many of them are born on plantations, and not many plantation owners believe in education for slaves. They're born slaves, and most of them die slaves."
"It never ceases to amaze me how much you know about all this." He told her as he looked down at her, resting his hands on her upper arms and giving them a small squeeze.
"I almost married a trader, in case you've forgotten." She teased and he scoffed as he looked away from her, his hands dropping from her arms.
"How could I forget." he grunted as he pulled away to finish undressing and Sara smiled as she followed him.
"Yet it's you I get into bed with every night." She reminded him and he smiled gently as he took his shirt off, glancing at Sara in the mirror as he laid the shirt over the chair next to the dresser and mirror in the room. "If you'd like, and he wants it, if he stays around after we get the Brittle brothers, I'll offer to work with him some." She shrugged and he thought for a moment and then looked at her with a small smirk.
"And to think you almost married a trader." He quipped, making her roll her eyes and move back to the bed. She climbed back into it and laid back as he chuckled at himself before he went to the lamp and blew it out. He walked around the bed and slipped beneath the blankets before stretching out. She shifted, curling up into his side and he smiled as he wrapped his arm around her tightly, kissing her temple, her cheek and then her lips, moving his hand to the back of her head as he deepened the kiss and then pulled back, looking at her in the dark night. "Meine Liebe," he spoke against her lips as he looked at her adoringly, though Sara could see the small hint of sadness in his eyes as he looked at her. "I sometimes wonder if this mission we're on is all for naught."
"You can't think like that," she told him, as she had told him many times before. "If it's meant to happen, it will, and in the meantime, we will face every obstacle we come across together," He sighed and he nodded and then gave her another kiss and settled back on the bed, Sara cuddling up against his side and running her fingers through his chest hair lightly as he wrapped his arm around her, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder as she soon drifted off and King lay there staring at the ceiling.
The next morning Sara woke up to find King had already gotten dressed and left. She let out a long sigh and stretched as best she could with the baby pressing down on her back. She stood up and felt the baby shift slightly, groaning softly as it did, before she took off her nightgown and stood in front of the mirror for a moment, looking her body over. It never ceased to amaze her how much her body had changed and yet still looked somewhat the same with her pregnancy.
Obviously she understood that her body would change after she became pregnant, but as she turned around in the mirror she couldn't help but think about her hips, and while they had never exactly been girlish, they were wider now, her stomach was swollen obviously with child and she ran her hand over her stomach, thinking about the miracle of life that was growing within her. She turned then, showing her back to the mirror where the thick scared lashes lay across her back, scars that would never change, never fade, scars that reminded her of what her life had almost become and scars that made her thankful every day for the life she was now living.
After standing there, surveying her body, she finally moved to the bag that King had brought in front the cart and started to get dressed, her stockings and boots were too difficult to do herself, so she would have to wait for him, but her chemise, pants, and her dress, those she could do herself. After getting dressed to the best of her ability, she stood in front of the mirror, running a wide toothed comb through her curly red hair, pulling the tangles free before the door opened and King walked in with a plate and a mug in his hand. He froze when he saw the bed empty and then turned to see Sara standing in front of the mirror, the jovial look on his face falling as he took on her appearance.
"You're already awake," he didn't even try to hide the disappointment in his voice and she smiled as she looked over at him.
"Try not to sound too disappointed," she quipped and he resumed his smile as he walked over and lay the plate and the mug of coffee down on the dresser. He turned, smiling as he did and kissed her forehead before tucking his knuckle under her chin and lifting it to kiss her lips gently.
"Of course I am not disappointed," he assured her as he looked down at her lovingly. "I just thought-" he shrugged as he gestured to the plate and coffee and she looked at the breakfast he'd brought before it seemed to click for her.
"Is that for me?" she asked and he chuckled as he nodded, maybe a little bashfully.
"It was meant to be breakfast in bed." He shrugged and she smiled, touched at how romantic King could be when he wanted to. "In fact-" he moved then, hooking one arm under her legs, and the other around her back and lifted her up, the sudden move made her yelp as she clung to the front of his suit, and he chuckled gently as he moved across the room with her.
"King, put me down!" she ordered.
"Your wish," he plopped her down on the bed before returning to the dresser to retrieve the plate. "Is my command." He handed her the plate and she sighed with a smile. He ran his hands along her legs before he reached her feet and taking one foot in his hands he started to rub the sole of her foot with his thumbs, eliciting a groan of pleasure from his wife.
"Did you talk to the Marshal yet?" she asked as she picked up her fork and took a bite of her eggs while he rubbed her feet.
"We are to take our two hundred dollars and leave town, preferably before noon." He informed her.
"My my, sounds like quite the talk." She replied as he moved on to the other foot.
"Indeed it was my dear." He nodded, playing along as he dug his thumbs into the sole of her foot.
"Mm- and pray tell why wasn't that tenacious young woman you call your wife there?" she asked as she continued to eat and then reached over and picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip.
"Well," he continued as he sat on the edge of the bed, taking both of her feet onto his lap and rubbing them gently as she smiled at him. "My tenacious young wife hardly gets to spend a moment to herself, especially as a soon to be mother, so I thought I'd give her such a moment while I had to deal with an undoubtedly confrontational man before my poor wife had to ask for help with her stockings and shoes and then get onto the cart and we had to continue on towards Tennessee," he explained as he looked at her with an adoring smile. "And he was very confrontational, and it would appear to me you do need help getting your stockings and boots on, so was I right to assume you needed a little time to yourself before we continued on towards Tennessee?" he asked.
"I suppose," Sara replied as if she was put out, but after a moment the two laughed and he walked over to the dresser and picked up her stockings. He walked over to the bed again and sat down, lifting her feet back onto his lap and then slipped her stocking over one foot. He rolled it up her leg, stroking her leg as he did before doing the same to the other as he helped put her stocking on.
Sara put her plate on the bedside table and sat up as he ran both of his hands along her calves and then started to move them higher, turning to kneel between her legs as he moved over her, giving her a long kiss as he settled his hips against hers.
"Mm," he leaned in, kissing her neck and moved one hand to the back of her hair. "Meine Leibe," he said against her neck.
"King," she chuckled but it only encouraged him to grind his hips against hers a little more.
"Sag es wieder, meine Liebe" 'Say it again, my love' He groaned against her neck and she smiled, she couldn't help it as she tilted her head to the side, giving him more access to her neck as she bit her lip. The feeling of his beard, his lips and his teeth against her neck made her breath hitch in her throat as King kissed, sucked, and nibbled at her neck, one hand in her hair, the other moving to her waist.
"King," she complied, running a hand through his hair. He groaned against her neck and moved his hand from her waist to the front of his pants, adjusting himself before he started to pull her stocking back off of her foot before a knock at the door interrupted the moment. He let out a dark sigh and rested his forehead against her shoulder, before he pulled back, climbed off the bed and went to the door.
Django stood there, looking from Sara who was sitting up on the bed, sipping the last of her coffee and then to King who looked mildly put out.
"Are we all packed up?" King asked Django.
"An' the Marshall's sayin' we best get outta town soon." Django confirmed.
"Yes, I'm sure he is." King nodded. "Well, Sara, are we ready?" he looked at his wife who nodded.
"Whenever you help me put on my boots we are." She smiled at him.
"Ah, of course," he scooped up her boots and returned to her bedside to help get the boots onto her feet and lace them up before he took her bag and waited for her to do a quick scan of the room and then turned to him.
"Okay, we're ready," she nodded and he offered her his arm. She looped her arm through his and allowed him to escort her downstairs to the cart. A small group of people had gathered round to catch a glimpse at the people who had murdered their beloved sheriff and who had gotten paid for it.
They scrutinized the team as Dr. Schultz put his wife's bag into the cart. And the woman who wore her hair down around her shoulders with no bonnet or anything looked around at the people and didn't crumple or break down under their scrutinizing eyes. Instead she met the eyes of some people, who looked away, horrified that she would look them in the eye before she turned to the man to her left who watched the scene with interest. "Django, will you help me?" she asked, making some of the townfolk start to mutter to each other. They could almost excuse the man for his casual association with a slave, former or current, he was foreign, but the woman, she almost sounded like she was from the states, and the idea of her not only supporting her husband, but choosing to associate with the man herself, that was a scandal the people of Daughtrey were not prepared to witness.
Django knew that as he listened to the whispers and he looked at Sara who looked unashamedly at Django as she stood next to the step to get onto the cart. He didn't want her to be looked down on in town, she seemed like a nice person, even if her husband had no idea how the world worked. "You husband ain't gonna want me-"
"By all means my good man." King encouraged, interrupting his gentle protest. "I have to finish hitching Fritz to the cart." Django looked at her, slightly unsure, before he offered his arm. She took his hand as she took the side of the cart and started to hoist herself up. Django instinctively helped her onto the seat by putting his hand on her lower back and giving her a supporting push.
"Thank you Django." She smiled at him as she sat down. She looked out at the townspeople who looked horrified, before King finished hitching the horse to the cart and got into the seat next to her.
"Ready Django?" King asked and Django walked over to Tony and mounted his horse.
Again the crowd started staring in shock and slight horror at the sight of the young man on a horse. The whispers started through the crowd again and Sara rolled her eyes before looking at her husband.
"Can we leave this filthy town?" she asked and he chuckled.
"As you wish my dear." He looked at her, and with a crack of the reins he complied with her request, leading them out of Daughtrey, Django following on Tony as he looked down at the horrified and stunned faces of the people of Daughtrey, Texas. Soon they put the town behind them and were off on their mission to find the Brittle brothers and earn Django his freedom.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of y'all who celebrate it- I'm thankful for all of you who continue to encourage me to keep writing this story, and to those of you who review, your reviews help me decide what stories need to be updated faster!