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"I know how we're going to find the Brittle Brothers," King told Django and Sara who looked at him expectantly. "The first plantation is owned by a Mr. Bennett, his main money maker is cotton, but a close second is his African flesh." He explained.
"Big Daddy Bennett? He run tha pony ranch." Django explained.
"I'm sorry- what is a Pony?" King asked.
"It's a comfort girl." Sara explained and Django nodded, pointing at Sara when he did.
"What's a- oh." King's face fell as he realized what they were saying. "Right, well, we ride in and say we're looking for a pony for Django, while we're doing business, Django and Sara have a look around, and if the Brittle Brothers are there, we kill them." King explained his plan.
"What am I doing?" Sara asked.
"You will play the role of my beautiful wife," he explained as he took her hand making her smile.
"I think I can handle that." She told him and he kissed the top of her hand.
"But that leaves Django," King looked at their new friend.
"To gain access to these plantations, we'll be putting on an act," King was explaining to Django in the middle of the Chattanooga house slave uniform store while they went over the plan quietly. "You'll be playing a character." Django picked up a top hat and put it on before looking at King who shrugged and then waved his hand back and forth.
"No?" Django asked and King shook his head with a smile.
"In the middle of the act, you can never break character," King explained. "Do you understand?"
"Yeah," Django looked at him. "Don't break character."
"Your character is that of the valet." King continued.
"What that is?" Django asked.
"It's a fancy word for servant." King explained.
"Valet." Django tried out the new word and then grinned.
"And now Django, you may choose your character's costume."
"You's gonna let me pick out my own clothes?" he leaned towards King looking at him doubtfully.
"But of course." King confirmed.
When the two walked out of the store they found the dress shop that Sara had gone into. There they found Sara standing in front of a mirror with a woman who was buttoning up the back of a dress. Sara turned around and smiled at the two. Django couldn't help but notice she was holding herself differently than usual; she seemed to be standing straighter, but stiffer than usual. She was wearing a dress made of a beautiful chocolate color, it had a long perfect skirt that fell to her toes in two tiers, and had beautiful flower springs embroidered on the skirt. The dress went off her shoulders, and the ruffled sleeves went to her elbows. It was a v-necked dress, thus showing off her most feminine of curves.
"What do you think?" she asked and Django nudged King discreetly making King smile.
"My dear," he stepped forward, and took her hand. "Every waking moment I marvel at your beauty, and I consider myself to be the luckiest man alive." He kissed her knuckles, making her smile. "But in this dress," he continued. "You reveal yourself to be the goddess I know I married."
"Are you responsible for her?" the shop owner asked.
"I'm afraid my good woman, she is responsible for me." King replied without breaking eye contact from his wife.
"A girl like her ought not be walking the streets alone, not in her condition. Where is her maid?"
"You're quite right madam." King looked at her. "The truth is our last maid proved to be too much of a nuisance, therefore we are on our way to purchase a new one, but this, like any other engagement, called for a new dress for my darling wife. We'll take it."
"Will you wear them out?" the woman asked Sara who nodded.
"Them?" King asked.
"The dress and the corset."
"I'm afraid you are mistaken, my wife is pregnant, and obviously so. She doesn't wear a corset."
"It's a maternity corset." Sara explained as she ran her hand over her stomach. "It is different from any other corset and it gives support to the baby as well as myself." King didn't look pleased, but he paid for the dress and the corset without another word.
When they got back to camp they made dinner and discussed the plan one more time for the next day before deciding to call it a night. Django was almost asleep before he heard the married couple talking in hushed voices. "This thing is cutting into your skin." King hissed in disgust.
"It's been many months since I've worn one," she countered. "It will take me some time to get used to it again."
"It's tangled," King muttered, before there was a ripping sound and a gasp.
"Are you kidding me?" Sara asked loudly and Django smiled to himself lightly. "You're buying new laces for that."
"Yes dear." Django could tell King was smirking by the sound of his voice making Django chuckle lightly and roll over before going to sleep.
"So what exactly happened earlier?" King asked Sara as the two of them looked at horses.
"What do you mean?" she asked and he scoffed lightly before looking at her pointedly. "Oh that." She sighed and he nodded.
"Yes, that." He looked at her as she inspected a painted horse, and then moved along. "Well?" he asked and she looked at him.
"Well it all started when we got to the house." She told him.
When the three of them rode up to the plantation Sara giggled under her breath before leaning towards her husband. "He sticks out like a sore thumb, you had to make him wear that ridiculous outfit?" she asked.
"I let him pick out his own clothes." King looked at her. The two shared a look before she chuckled again and shook her head.
"How are we going to play this?" she asked.
"I was thinking about the fatigued expecting mother." He shrugged and she nodded.
"I can do that." She agreed.
"Yes, Sara, I remember that part-"
"You asked me to tell you what happened, I'm telling you." She cut him off and he quietly let her finish.
"It's against the law for slaves to ride horses in this territory." Mr. Bennett looked the group over, squinting slightly at the sight of the black man in question sitting on a horse like he belonged there.
"This is my valet, my valet does not walk." Dr. Schultz called back up to Mr. Bennett.
"I said slaves-"
"His name is Django, he's a free man, he can ride what he pleases." King looked at Mr. Bennett pointedly.
"Not on my property he can't. Not around my slaves he can't." Mr. Bennett snapped.
"Perhaps we've gotten off on the wrong foot." Sara offered with a small smile.
"I think my wife is right, allow me to unring this bell. My name is Dr. King Schultz, this is my wife Sara, our valet Django, and our horses, Tony and Fritz-" Fritz bowed his head making all of the young ladies around giggle. "Mr. Bennett I've been led to believe you're a gentleman and a businessman. It is to these capacities that we've ridden from Texas to Tennessee to talk with you now."
"... State your business." Mr. Bennett snapped after a moment of thought.
"I wish to purchase one of your beautiful gals." King looked around at the young ladies with a charming grin.
"You, your wife, and your Jimmie rode from Texas to Tennessee to buy one of my gals, no appointment, no nothin'?" Mr. Bennett asked doubtfully.
"I'm afraid so." King looked at him.
"Well what if I say, I don't like you or your fancy pants valet, and I wouldn't sell you a tinker's damn- what-cha got to say about that?" Mr. Bennett asked.
"Mr. Bennett," King looked at Sara with a small smirk before looking at Mr. Bennett. "If you are the business man I've been led to believe you to be, there are five thousand things I might say to change your mind." King held up his hand, making Mr. Bennett pause, consider, and then smile widely.
"Well come on inside, get yourself something cold to drink." He waved his hand towards the house, suddenly feeling a lot more accommodating to the three.
"Actually, I'm feeling a bit lightheaded, if you don't mind, perhaps Django can take me for a turn around the house before I come inside." Sara looked at King who looked at Mr. Bennett.
"Of course honey," Mr. Bennett nodded as Django came to help Sara off of the cart. She put her hand on his forearm, over the sleeves of his jacket making sure not to touch his skin.
"Oh- perhaps while we discuss business, you could have your loveliest black creature show Sara and Django around?" King looked at Mr. Bennett who nodded as though it was the best idea he had ever heard.
"Absolutely- Betina!" a pretty young woman who had been petting Fritz's nose snapped to attention quickly and turned to look at him.
"Yes sir Big Daddy?" she asked.
Mr. Bennett whispered something to King who replied quickly before Mr. Bennett spoke to Betina again. "Betina Sugar, you take Mrs. Schultz and her Jimmie Django here and you show them around the property, show 'em all the pretty things." He told her.
"Yes sir Big Daddy."
King and Bennett spoke softly again before Mr. Bennett looked at the young woman again.
"Betina,"
"Yes Big Daddy?" she asked.
"Django isn't a slave, Django is a free man, do you understand?" he asked. "You can't treat him like any of the other slaves around here because he ain't like any of the other slaves around here. Ya got it?"
"You want I should treat 'em like white folk?" she asked and unseen to Big Daddy King nodded while Sara shook her head, she knew what the owner was like, he wouldn't have that.
"No." he insisted almost before she even asked the question, confirming what Sara had assumed.
"Then I don't know what you want, Big Daddy."
"Yes, I can see that." He chuckled. "What's the name of that peckerwood boy from town, works with the glass? His mama works at the lumber yard… He come fix the windas when we have problems."
"Oh you mean Jerry." The house slave spoke helpfully.
"That's right, you know Jerry don't'cha Sugar?"
"Yes sir."
"Well there we go. You treat him like you would treat Jerry." Mr. Bennett smiled. "And when the Missus is ready an' feelin' better, you bring her on up over here for a cool drink, y'hear?" he asked and Betina nodded quickly.
Django, Sara and Betina walked along, listening to Betina talk about different areas of the property, and the different buildings on the property. Django looked down at Sara when she sighed and she rolled her eyes. He smiled lightly and she nodded to him, meaning it was okay to ask now.
"Betina, honey," Sara spoke up first.
"Yess'um?" she asked.
"We need to ask you something," Django pulled her over towards a tree.
"What you want?" she looked at Django without interest.
"We lookin' for three white men. Three brothers. Overseers. Their name Brittle, you know 'em?"
"Brittle?" she asked.
"Yes, Brittle. John Brittle, Ellis Brittle, Roger Brittle. Sometimes they call him Lil' Raj."
"I don't know dem." She shook her head.
"They could be using a different name." Sara offered. "Have you gotten any new overseers in the past months?"
"They woulda come to tha plantation in the past year." Django agreed.
"You mean the Schaffers?" she asked.
"Maybe." Sara nodded.
"Three brothers?" Django asked.
"Ah-Huh." She nodded.
"Are they here?" Sara asked.
"Ah-huh." Betina nodded and looked at the white woman curiously.
"Can you point one of 'em out to me?" Django asked and Betina looked around before pointing to the cotton field.
"Well, one of 'em right there in that field." Django drew one of King's spy glasses out of his bag and looked through it at the man on the horse overseeing. He moved the glass from his eye and looked at Sara before nodding.
"Is that who you lookin' for?" Betina asked.
"Yeah Sweetie, that's him." Sara nodded. "Where are the others?" Betina looked like she didn't want to say and Sara sighed. "It's okay. I've seen and heard it all."
"They by the stable, punishing Little Jody for breakin' eggs." She told Sara.
"They whippin' Little Jody?" Django asked and Betina nodded. "Point me where they at."
"You go to that tree," she pointed to a particular tree. "And then go that'a way." She pointed to the left.
"Go find that white man we come with." Django ordered her, she rushed off and Django looked at Sara.
"I've seen it all, I've done it all." She told him.
"Let me kill 'em." He told her and she nibbled at her lip for a moment before nodding. He took her hand and led her in the direction they had been pointed in by Betina."John Brittle!" Django shouted when they got there.
There was a young black girl tied to a tree screaming. The top of her dress had been ripped off of her back, exposing it to the man who was holding a whip. "Remember me?" he asked darkly, before activating the sleeve gun King used, and shot John Brittle right in the heart. "I like the way you die boy."
He breathed while the one Sara assumed to be Lil' Raj fumbled for his gun, swearing. Django grabbed the whip and turned it on Roger Brittle who lay shrieking on the ground, trying to defend himself from the blows. A large white man rushed over, looking like he was going to step in, but Sara held her gun out, pointing it at him.
"Not another step." She growled before Django finished what he started, shooting the younger Brittle Brother in the face until the gun clicked. At that point King rode up on Tony and jumped off of the horse as he looked around at the scene.
"Who are they?" he asked as Sara stepped towards Little Jody. The girl whimpered and flinched away as Sara approached.
"I'm not going to hurt you." Sara assured her. She untied the girl's wrists holding her to the tree and then helped cover the poor young girl's chest and back up.
"Where is Ellis?" she heard King ask and Sara looked over as Django pointed to the field.
"He's the one high tailing it across the field right there." Django pointed to Ellis who was riding across the field, smacking his horse with a horsewhip, urging it to go faster. King held up his rifle and pointed it at Ellis while Sara walked over to watch.
"Are you sure that's him?"
"Yes."
"You're positive."
"I dunno." He muttered.
"You don't know you're positive?"
"I dunno what positive means." Django explained.
"It means you're sure." Sara supplied.
"Yes."
"Yes what?" King pushed.
"Yes I'm sure that's Ellis Birttle."
The gun went off, and almost in slow motion blood splattered across the white cotton while Ellis fell off of his horse.
"I'm positive he's dead." Django looked at Sara who nodded.
"Django, Sara!" King shouted to the two of them-
"Okay my dear, I know what happened from there thank you." King sighed.
"I like this one." Sara said suddenly and King looked over at his wife while she stroked the muzzle of the small red horse.
"Aye lass, she's a good 'un." The man who was selling the horses spoke with an accent similar to Sara's, though it was admittedly thicker, stronger, he obviously had spent more time in the old country than in this one.
"What's her name?"
"She's not got one." he replied as he stared at the small red horse.
"How much for the little red devil?" King asked as the horse tried to bite the brim of his hat.
"Twenty five." The man nodded.
"The horse won't lame on my wife will she?" he asked as he started to count money.
"Healthy horse, she turns real good, strong little thing." The man nodded. "Was my daughter's."
"Why is she selling it?" Sara asked.
"Klan killed her." The man told them making Sara look at him in surprise. "Her an' my wife. My fault for bringin' them down here. Expectin' everyone ta treat her right. Told her if she was my wife they'd not bother us." He scoffed. "Tryin' ta make money to bring 'em home to bury." He nodded to the back of his cart and Sara felt her throat start to tighten at the sight of the two bodies wrapped in cloth.
"We're having our own issues with the clan." King told the man who shook his head.
"Get out of their way." He told them. "Just get out of the state, stay away from those crazy sons a bitches."
"What was your daughter's name?" Sara asked.
"Margaret." The man replied.
"Maggie?" Sara asked and the man nodded.
"We'll take the horse." King nodded, the man brought a beautiful new saddle over and threw it onto the horse and tightened it up, the horse didn't move while the man did that, nor did she protest while the man slipped the bit into her mouth. King helped Sara get onto the horse and she rode her around in circles for a moment while King paid the man.
"She's a beautiful creature." Sara told them and they nodded.
"What will ya call her?" he asked.
"I'm going to call her Maggie." Sara told him and he nodded.
"Thank you for your help." King shook the man's hand before getting onto Fritz who was trying to smell the new horse. He led Fritz away from Maggie, leading Sara back to the spot they had agreed to meet Django at.
"You see the Marshall?" Django asked.
"We did, were you able to pack things up?" King asked.
"Much as I could." Django replied.
"So there are things we part with." Sara nodded. "Possessions aren't forever."
"This your horse?" Django asked as he looked at the little red horse.
"Yes." Sara smiled.
"What her name is?"
"Her name is Maggie." Sara smiled.
"If you'll excuse me for a moment, I need to prepare the other part of the plan." King excused himself before riding Fritz away. Django helped Sara off of Maggie who walked over to Tony with interest.
Sara opened the cart and went to see what was being left behind, when her fingers connected with a paper wrapped package. She gasped and pulled it out of the cart quickly. "Django, where's my bag?" she asked quickly.
He handed it to her and she quickly pushed it to the bottom of the bag, letting out a small sigh. "What that was?" he asked.
"It was a gift." She sighed.
"For Schultz?" he asked and she shook her head.
"From him?" he asked.
"No sweetie, from his brother." She sighed. "Look- Don't bring it up to King. Let's get through tonight and perhaps one day I'll tell you about it." She looked at him pleadingly. "Please don't mention this to King."
"I won't tell no one." He nodded as he saw how serious she looked.
"Good, thank you Django." She nodded. "Now, let's get ready," she picked up her bag and started to pack up Maggie. "We have an eventful night ahead of us."
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