Flowers
12 July 1773
Ratonhnhaké:ton was on his way to the Burnett household to meet Caroline for their scheduled walk to a nearby stream to catch fish. With summer in full bloom, she took pride in catching plump fish to bring to her family for roasting. She tried to catch the tiny pinky-sized silver fishes that flowed between rocks to fry them on a skillet and eat them as a crunchy snack with salt. They would divide their catch of the day but kept their fishing to a minimum to prevent harming the natural balance of the species. As much as he enjoyed fishing, spending time with Caroline was his secret delight. Her parents never batted an eye when she left with him and he promised himself to never break that trust.
Every summer, the pastures north flourished with beautifully bright wildflowers that were stunning against the mountain backdrop. He had brought flowers for Alice last year for her pressed flower book and she loved them. So, with that in mind, he traveled there and used it as a reason to pick flowers for both. It amused him how a bouquet delighted the sisters but he enjoyed making their day.
Despite his eagerness to see the young woman that ensnared his heart, he was also nervous at bringing her a gift. His mind always dwelled on the possibility that Caroline would see through his gifts at his true sentiment which terrified him. Colonists didn't exactly choose natives as romantic partners so he was at a heavy disadvantage to begin with. He appreciated her open-mindedness from the very beginning and though he hoped that she could return his sentiment one day, he wasn't holding his breath on that. Life had not been particularly great to him thus far so another hit to the heart would not be surprising.
Knocking on the door, he didn't get to the second knock when it opened fully. Caroline stood at the doorway with a beaming smile that drew one from him instantly. He was happy to simply see her no matter where they were. Her kindness radiated and he resembled a drunken honeybee to nectar. Straightening his posture, he remembered that he was there for a reason and politely asked, "Are you free to walk south for fishing?"
Caroline grinned with amusement since she ditched her fluffy dresses by sewing herself a pair of trousers. Her mother gently reminded her that ladies didn't wear pants but she didn't care. How could one fish in a full skirt? She lived in the countryside and certain pieces of clothing didn't fit in the terrain. Stepping through the doorway, she practically hopped in sheer excitement for their day trip and piped up, "Of course! I agreed to yesterday and I keep my promises."
He refrained from laughing when she raised her right hand in a pledge. She really did make him happy when he was home and away from danger. Mustering his courage, he raised his right hand from behind his back to show her the wrapped flowers to say sheepishly, "I brought these for you. . . and these are for Alice's book."
Her blue eyes widened with surprise to the beautiful array of bright colors and she squeaked, "For me? Oh, you shouldn't have."
Caroline grasped both bouquets, noticing one held large flowers while one was petite with smaller petals. Her little sister still enjoyed pressing flowers into books for safekeeping to remember her summers on their homestead. She hoped to pull them out when she reached adulthood to remember the good times they all had as children. He found it amusing when her cheeks flushed rosy in embarrassment and she cleared her throat to thank him, "They're beautiful."
"I didn't want to arrive empty-handed" he admitted quietly to avoid overstepping his boundaries with the family by visiting too frequently. They had all been extremely kind to him for the past three years and he didn't want to ruin that relationship. Caroline and her siblings, however, didn't mind the company due to having few to no friends.
"I never have such expectations" she stated frankly because she wanted to see him, not gifts. He could give her an old leaf and she'd be happy. The bountiful flowers were stunning, shaking her head with gratitude to his generosity. How could she not adore this young man? Not wanting to appear rude for a gift, she smiled widely to finish, "But I appreciate the sentiment. They smell divine."
Ratonhnhaké:ton managed a faint smile in return to calm his wildly beating heart as she held the bouquets. He couldn't help but watch her sniff the flowers, her freckled cheeks returning to their fair color, but his own cheeks darkened when her blue gaze shifted to him. He almost expected her to profess that she knew his secret or returned the sentiment. Instead, a fond smile graced her lips and she told him, "Let me give them to mother for our dining table. It will make it shine."
She ushered him inside with her free hand and he smoothed his hands down his regular attire, adjusting the collar of his long coat. Stepping inside the cozy home, he kept to the open doorway out of modesty and not to draw attention. Amelia sat in the farthest corner, deep in concentration with a book in her hands. Martha sat across from her as she stitched together patches on the skirts of her sisters that were all jumbled into a wicker basket. Elizabeth and Samuel were gathered on the floor, a fishing box set between them as the little redhead explained how fishing was done with it. Alice sat by the window closest to the door, reading to her little grass and canvas dolls, but watching her siblings on the floor with shy curiosity.
Caroline grabbed the wooden vase that her father chiseled for her mother off the table, removing the withering flowers held inside. They were from an earlier bouquet from Ratonhnhaké:ton from another area of the forest. Now that they were wilting, they would be used as mulch for their garden to make use of them again. Replacing the new flowers inside, she dumped the old ones into the mulch bucket by the fireplace that would be tossed in the evening over the garden.
Catherine was hard at work with churning butter that morning and uttered a hearty greeting to their native neighbor. Ratonhnhaké:ton blushed modestly at being addressed by the family matriarch but Catherine simply laughed. Caroline already informed her of their plans and though she suspected something was amiss between the two teens, she said nothing. Speculations did nobody good and the kids were happy.
Caroline scuttled over to her siblings on the floor and asked eagerly, "Who's ready to fish?"
"I am!" Samuel called out excitedly, earning a glare from Martha for his disruption. Amelia hid a laugh behind her book, trying to refocus from her amusing siblings. She fluffed her green skirt to readjust her book in her lap to continue her reading.
The two redheads shot up to their feet with the box, eager to follow their eldest sibling. Like Caroline, they were also dressed in similar clothes which Elizabeth was proud to wear instead of silly skirts. Alice raised her left hand, lowering the book into her lap, and she asked tentatively, "C-Can I go watch? I promise I won't go in the water."
"Of course you can but stay close to your sisters" Catherine assured with a fond smile at seeing her shy daughter break from her shell. With most of her children heading out that day, she trusted them to look after her. Summertime brought the most excitement and she would let them wander to safe places to make happy memories. Alice beamed happily at her sisters and brother at joining them, stirring a laugh from Caroline.
The three young siblings darted out the door faster than Caroline could stop them and Ratonhnhaké:ton smiled to himself when she gave chase out the door.
12 July 1788
"Istá!"
Two perky voices at the entrance of their home brought Caroline to the front door, exiting the kitchen area to abandon her chores. Brushing her freckled cheeks with the back of her hands and smoothing back the stray red hair from her bun was a quick way to correct her appearance. The white apron of her powder-blue dress was covered in loose flour from her earlier preparation of bread, which would hopefully be done in about half an hour. With the summer heat rolling in through Davenport, she was not a fan of opening that clay oven. Still, her mother taught her to be always presentable.
She smiled happily when the pitter-patter of feet crossed the floorboards and her oldest daughter stepped through the door. Cora hopped happily to her mother, her dark braided plaits neat as always, while her pink dress carried only dust at the hem. Her raven-haired daughter reminded her of Amelia more with each day, especially with her bright blue eyes. Her husband affectionately called them the Burnett eyes. Cora hugged her mother's skirt, reaching for her waist and Caroline leaned down to hug her eldest. Her fair freckled cheeks were flushed pink so she must have run all the way home. Had she escaped her father again?
Turning to the right, she spotted her husband as he caught up to their little wild deer. Ratonhnhaké:ton did not lose sight of Cora on their trek back from the hike but she was quickly learning to take after him in speed. Thankfully, she was an obedient child so he let her run through the town only since it was always a safe place. In the forest, neither of his daughters left his sight or they would turn around to return home. He met the gaze of his amused wife when she caught a bouquet of flowers in his hands and he told her cheerfully, "We're back."
Their youngest, Charlotte, hung from his back as she enjoyed piggyback rides from her father. Her toothy smile beamed happily at her mother and Caroline was not surprised to see her brunette hair unkempt from root to tip. It shrouded her round little face like a curtain but her honey-colored eyes glinted proudly as she claimed, "We brought you flowers!"
"Rakeni picked the flowers" Cora corrected matter-of-factly to give her father the credit since he insisted on cutting the flowers. She and Charlotte picked out which ones they liked and from that input, he created their mother a bouquet. Many years ago, he would trek the pastures alone to find a bouquet for her until Cora's birth. Afterward, it became a family tradition each summer and the girls enjoyed it.
"Only because I didn't want spider or bug bites on you" Ratonhnhaké:ton pointed out to prevent any resentment from his fatherly protection. His daughters pouted humorously for being denied flower picking but Cora understood his reasoning.
"No bug can fell me" Charlotte insisted bravely to emulating her father since her sister ran from buzzing bugs. She patted her father's chest with her right hand to signal her release and he kneeled to let her go. Charlotte landed neatly before skittering off to join her mother and sister, reaching with eager arms for a hug from Caroline.
She leaned down to squeeze her little ones in a tight hug, kissing each of their foreheads with affection. As much as she wanted to pick up her three-year-old, her current pregnancy made it a bit difficult. Ratonhnhaké:ton didn't want her lifting anything heavy so close to her due date and that meant their affectionate Charlotte. Caroline still found ways to convey her motherly love and asked her family, "Where did you go?"
Ratonhnhaké:ton looked over the bouquet one last time before handing it over to his wife. Caroline batted his right arm playfully for the summer tradition that stretched over fifteen years. Even with so many years behind them, she still found herself loving her husband with the same strength as their youth. Raising the bright bouquet of wildflowers to her nose for a sniff, Cora informed her mother helpfully, "The northern trails."
"They do have gorgeous flower fields" she acknowledged with an amused smile, cupping her husband's cheek before leaning in to kiss his lips. She expected the three to make a run for the general store that morning or to visit family, not a family hike. Their daughters never tired of exploring the bordering forest under their guidance, stirring up their own memories from the past. Neither she nor Ratonhnhaké:ton were young teenagers anymore but adults in charge of caring for their family and town. Smiling proudly at the three, she spoke with polite gratitude, "Thank you, all of you."
Their daughters smiled with accomplishment, giggling together for making a pretty bouquet. They would eat dinner that night with a pretty table full of pink, blue, white, and lilac flowers. Ratonhnhaké:ton smiled with affection to his wife, who would soon deliver their third child, and spoke earnestly, "I promised my bride a bouquet each summer before they wilt."
"We've been married for nine years" she chuckled sheepishly to his sharp memory and her heart fluttered as if they were that age again. He made her feel youthful despite the passing years and now understood how her parents maintained such happiness through their long marriage. She and Ratonhnhaké:ton would often reminisce about their time as children with their mothers, especially now that their Cora was almost ten. Their children were gradually growing like they had so many years ago. Clutching her bouquet close, she was briefly reminded of their wedding day and teased him, "You speak as if we're still engaged."
He had a perfect reply to that modest remark by stating matter-of-factly, "You will always be the same age we married in my eyes."
"Don't be fresh" she chuckled sweetly because they would grow wrinkles and white hair at some point. Still, the opportunity to grow old beside him was something she feared would be ripped away years ago during their fight against the Templars. Thankfully, that matter was settled and she had a safe home alongside her beloved. Her daughters would have a father that would be by their side for their formative years and if he traveled, he always sent a letter for them. Gazing down at their little ones, who were staring back at them with amused curiosity, she told them, "I love you all even more with each day."
There was happiness in seeing that yearly bouquet of flowers but she wouldn't forget the trials they faced to reach this point in their lives. She blinked back tears from the overwhelming emotions, which couldn't be helped with her pregnancy. Ratonhnhaké:ton understood her withheld sentiment since Charlotte was their only child that didn't experience danger. He promised to always protect his family and he hadn't failed, nor did he plan to, yet.
"Now, who wants to help istá set these on the table?" Caroline piped up with enthusiasm, clearing her tight throat to return to her peppy self. She raised the bouquet to wiggle it like an incentive prize to her daughters. Their girls eagerly raised their hands to help their mother and she placed her hands on her lower back to sigh with humor, "Because your little brother or sister is kicking in my back."
Her pregnancy with Cora had been the worst with symptoms while carrying Charlotte had been a blessing. Her newest baby had brought little symptoms of unease and she hoped that was a good sign. She had been terrified of childbirth as a teenager after witnessing Hunter's birth but after helping her sisters and experiencing her own, it was just another milestone of life. Her husband, however, would also be exhausted by the end with the numerous chores she gave him to help with coping.
Ratonhnhaké:ton offered an apologetic expression before removing a smaller bouquet from his coat pocket. The navy coat he wore concealed the flowers behind his arms in comparison to his previously bright white overcoat. Caroline raised a curious eyebrow, already formulating an idea, and he informed his family, "We have one last job to deliver these to Aunt Alice. She's pressing flowers each summer for your little cousin."
Despite the years, her husband's kind nature and generosity never changed. Each of her siblings lived their own lives now but they looked over them as the eldest of their generation. Although Alice had stopped pressing flowers when she began teaching, the hobby returned after her marriage and her first baby. Charlotte raised her arm quickly to go on another trip with her father and exclaimed perkily, "I'll go!"
"But what about me?" Cora pointed out shrewdly on being left out of the trip and having to do chores. It seemed she was always doing chores while her little sister wandered with their father. What happened to her time of exploring and finding adventure?
Caroline pouted at her husband with a humorous edge and accused playfully, "You've turned them all against me."
Cora raised her chin to be the responsible daughter of the family to irk her little sister and proclaimed, "I will be a good daughter and stay with istá to help."
Charlotte's light brown eyes narrowed to the slight of being labeled a bad seed and she looked to her father for help, "I'm not a bad daughter! Rakeni!"
Ratonhnhaké:ton and Caroline tried not to laugh at the brief flicker of sibling rivalry but Charlotte was a feisty child. Cora was growing into a dignified little lady like her level-headed aunts but carried a cunning tongue that Ratonhnhaké:ton blamed on his father. He leaned down to pick up his youngest daughter when she began sniffling to being deemed bad, clutching her tightly in a hug to comfort her.
At seeing her only sibling upset, Cora felt guilty instantly and relented on her remark by correcting, "You're not bad. I just . . . I don't like being left out."
"You're my sister, you're always with me" Charlotte murmured weakly as she wiped her bleary eyes, peeking down at her sister. They appeared nothing alike with Cora's bright blue eyes and onyx hair which contrasted against her own warm brown eyes and hair. Only the freckles on their cheeks connected them.
Caroline looked to her husband for a solution since they were quarreling over bonding time with him. Just as she had been close with her father, Charlotte was very attached to Ratonhnhaké:ton. Cora had been without a sibling for six years until her birth so they had to juggle equal attention for them to prevent sibling spats. After watching the Burnett sisters squabble in their childhood, Ratonhnhaké:ton was not having any of that with his girls. Looking to them with a firm but fatherly gaze, he instructed them with a solution, "Why don't we help istá first and then we can go deliver the flowers?"
The girls agreed instantly to traveling together and Charlotte hugged her father around the neck before wiggling out of his arms. Releasing her carefully onto the ground, he watched Cora grab her little sister's hand and the two scuttled off into the dining area to begin their chore.
"Do you think we'll have taters for supper?" Charlotte piped up excitedly to her sister, who always had all the answers for her. Sometimes, she wasn't keen on that but when it came to food, the insight was appreciated.
"I did see some grated cheese so maybe" Cora replied with a warm smile for her little sister's endless love for potatoes. The last time their mother made mashed potatoes, she formed snowmen on her plate. She never played with her food but her little sister was a different little girl, much like their aunt Elizabeth.
Caroline grinned with admiration and amusement to his fatherly skill, kissing his left cheek before following the girls, "Impressive work, rakeni."
Parenthood has to get easier, right?, Ratonhnhaké:ton thought worriedly before following his wife to get the table fixed and visit Alice at her homestead.
A/N: This oneshot came together to dive into the family dynamics of Connor and Caroline's family once everything is done with the canon storyline. I know readers have been eager to know about their children and the continuation of their family story was something I wanted to delve into. So, this presents a bit into what I hope to write once the main story is done and continues into the 19th century with the new Burnett family. Cora and Charlotte have that cute and benign sibling rivalry but they will depend on one another to protect their younger siblings as they age. Just like their mother who had her native nickname for her father, so do the girls for their parents.
Thank you for reading!
Jmw: I am glad you enjoyed the oneshot for Amelia! There's tiny scenes that could have been used in the main chapters but switching them here for oneshots is a suitable alternative. I can work in the past, present, or future of the timeline and maybe even explore alternate reality, haha.