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Hannah awoke early the next day. The sun was just barely over the horizon, with dark clouds covering it's lifegiving rays. She shivered as she left the warmth of the bed she had shared with Susan and Margaret and put on a wrapper. She fastened it's buttons securly and tiptoed into the hallway. She peeked into the boy's rooms and saw them still sleeping soundly in their beds. She smiled gently and closed the doors once more as she had found them. She walked downstairs, her slippers padding softly across the wooden floors. Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of Gabriel's voice. "I'm going back! I'm a soldier it's my duty." He said, his voice strained in oncoming anger. Hannah crept closer and looked around the corner. There she saw Benjamin staring at him in a mixture of anger and disbelief. Charlotte was behind him, her face a mixture of shock and helplessness.
She saw Gabriel grit his teeth and walk away, his brown eyes seeing her as he turned. His face paled but he kept walking forward and past her. She stared at him and jumped as she heard Benjamin's angry voice resound after him. Anger was an emotion she rarely heard Benjamin enforce. It was awkward and strange for her to hear the devoted father yelling at his son angrily. "Don't you walk away from me boy!" It chilled her, but fear really began to strike a chord when she remembered something.
This war will be fought not on the frontier or on some distant battlefield, but amongst us. Among our homes. Our children will learn of it with their own eyes and the innocent will die with the rest of us.
"I'm sorry Father. I'll find you when this is all over." Gabriel said over his shoulder. Hannah looked dispairingly at Benjamin, whose face was twisted in pain. "No! You're not going! I forbid you to go!" Gabriel finally turned, his face red with anger. "I'm not a child!" He yelled. "You're MY child!" Hannah's pained blue eyes took in the scene, father against son, a match of wills. "Gabriel." She said softly. His face didn't turn, but his eyes flickered towards her face. She pleaded with him silently and he saw it. But he didn't respond to her. His eyes turned back to his father's pained face with firm grimness. "Goodbye Father." He turned away and walked out the door.
A sob began to jerk at Hannah's throat before she knew it. She sprang forward, following Benjamin and Charlotte out the door. Then she stopped in her tracks.
Gabriel is doing what he wants to do. Thomas did the same. It got him killed. He's going to do the same thing.
Again she sprang forward but again she was stopped, but this time it was the face of Thomas that stopped her. She heard the words he had spoken to her quietly a few hours before his death as she complained about the waste of the dying men lying in front of her.
Look at these men. They are giving their lives for this 'Cause' that you hate so badly. This suffering is going to bring our world freedom and independence. Maybe they will die, but their deaths will bring life for our world and for our children.
She stood in the doorway and pushed the tears back to the depths of her heart and raised her chin bravely.
As she walked out onto the porch, Benjamin began to speak again, softly this time. "Gabriel, Thomas is dead. How many more have to die before you'll heed my word?" Gabriel turned to his father. His face was pale, his eyes traveled everywhere but to his father's face, but his face was set. Hannah knew that it was useless to plead with him any further. His mind was made up. That was one thing that all the Martins had in common, they were all stubborn. Hannah thought this with a sad smile as she watched Gabriel settle himself in his saddle and ride away without looking back. Benjamin turned around and his blue eyes settled on Charlotte. "I'm losing my family." He muttered as he walked past her.
Hannah's gaze caught Benjamin's eyes and he stopped. "You're going to leave also aren't you?" She said. Benjamin faltered in her gaze. He didn't speak but walked back into the house.
As she had foretold, Benjamin decided to leave that day. She watched him say his good-byes to his children with a heavy heart. She was glad that he was leaving and in a way she wasn't. She was glad that he was fighting for her independence and helping Gabriel, but still. She longed for him to be near her. He was the only semblance of a father that she had since her own had perished. He was the one person she felt could make her world right and she felt that if he left. It was too confusing to figure out. Now it was her turn to say goodbye. He stood in front of her and embraced her gently. "You'll watch out for them won't you?" He asked quietly, motioning to the children. Hannah nodded. "Of course I will. You will take care of yourself Mister Martin?" She asked softly. He smiled and touched her cheek. "I will do my best." He said as he took a step away. "And Gabriel. Watch out for Gabriel, and, and give him my love." She finished. Benjamin smiled gently and nodded, rising on his horse and galloping off into the morning.
Hannah awoke early the next day. The sun was just barely over the horizon, with dark clouds covering it's lifegiving rays. She shivered as she left the warmth of the bed she had shared with Susan and Margaret and put on a wrapper. She fastened it's buttons securly and tiptoed into the hallway. She peeked into the boy's rooms and saw them still sleeping soundly in their beds. She smiled gently and closed the doors once more as she had found them. She walked downstairs, her slippers padding softly across the wooden floors. Suddenly the silence was broken by the sound of Gabriel's voice. "I'm going back! I'm a soldier it's my duty." He said, his voice strained in oncoming anger. Hannah crept closer and looked around the corner. There she saw Benjamin staring at him in a mixture of anger and disbelief. Charlotte was behind him, her face a mixture of shock and helplessness.
She saw Gabriel grit his teeth and walk away, his brown eyes seeing her as he turned. His face paled but he kept walking forward and past her. She stared at him and jumped as she heard Benjamin's angry voice resound after him. Anger was an emotion she rarely heard Benjamin enforce. It was awkward and strange for her to hear the devoted father yelling at his son angrily. "Don't you walk away from me boy!" It chilled her, but fear really began to strike a chord when she remembered something.
This war will be fought not on the frontier or on some distant battlefield, but amongst us. Among our homes. Our children will learn of it with their own eyes and the innocent will die with the rest of us.
"I'm sorry Father. I'll find you when this is all over." Gabriel said over his shoulder. Hannah looked dispairingly at Benjamin, whose face was twisted in pain. "No! You're not going! I forbid you to go!" Gabriel finally turned, his face red with anger. "I'm not a child!" He yelled. "You're MY child!" Hannah's pained blue eyes took in the scene, father against son, a match of wills. "Gabriel." She said softly. His face didn't turn, but his eyes flickered towards her face. She pleaded with him silently and he saw it. But he didn't respond to her. His eyes turned back to his father's pained face with firm grimness. "Goodbye Father." He turned away and walked out the door.
A sob began to jerk at Hannah's throat before she knew it. She sprang forward, following Benjamin and Charlotte out the door. Then she stopped in her tracks.
Gabriel is doing what he wants to do. Thomas did the same. It got him killed. He's going to do the same thing.
Again she sprang forward but again she was stopped, but this time it was the face of Thomas that stopped her. She heard the words he had spoken to her quietly a few hours before his death as she complained about the waste of the dying men lying in front of her.
Look at these men. They are giving their lives for this 'Cause' that you hate so badly. This suffering is going to bring our world freedom and independence. Maybe they will die, but their deaths will bring life for our world and for our children.
She stood in the doorway and pushed the tears back to the depths of her heart and raised her chin bravely.
As she walked out onto the porch, Benjamin began to speak again, softly this time. "Gabriel, Thomas is dead. How many more have to die before you'll heed my word?" Gabriel turned to his father. His face was pale, his eyes traveled everywhere but to his father's face, but his face was set. Hannah knew that it was useless to plead with him any further. His mind was made up. That was one thing that all the Martins had in common, they were all stubborn. Hannah thought this with a sad smile as she watched Gabriel settle himself in his saddle and ride away without looking back. Benjamin turned around and his blue eyes settled on Charlotte. "I'm losing my family." He muttered as he walked past her.
Hannah's gaze caught Benjamin's eyes and he stopped. "You're going to leave also aren't you?" She said. Benjamin faltered in her gaze. He didn't speak but walked back into the house.
As she had foretold, Benjamin decided to leave that day. She watched him say his good-byes to his children with a heavy heart. She was glad that he was leaving and in a way she wasn't. She was glad that he was fighting for her independence and helping Gabriel, but still. She longed for him to be near her. He was the only semblance of a father that she had since her own had perished. He was the one person she felt could make her world right and she felt that if he left. It was too confusing to figure out. Now it was her turn to say goodbye. He stood in front of her and embraced her gently. "You'll watch out for them won't you?" He asked quietly, motioning to the children. Hannah nodded. "Of course I will. You will take care of yourself Mister Martin?" She asked softly. He smiled and touched her cheek. "I will do my best." He said as he took a step away. "And Gabriel. Watch out for Gabriel, and, and give him my love." She finished. Benjamin smiled gently and nodded, rising on his horse and galloping off into the morning.