AN- I really hope that the guys aren't out of character, but in "The Patriot" you only see one side of them, so I took a little bit of liberty. I hope it was believable.
William Tavington paced in his tent, swearing profusely. He was being ordered not to leave the camp. Rebecca had provided him with important information. She had provided his superiors with information about troop numbers and movements, and they were just going to leave her to die. He couldn't do that, she was too important to him.
Tavington waited until he was sure that all of his men had retired for the evening. He didn't want the men to have to deal with any repercussions. He quietly led his horse away from the camp. He mounted quickly and turned his horse to find Captain Bordon and a few of the men in front of him,
"We are ready, sir."
Tavington studied Bordon,
"Ready for what?"
"To brave the rebels and rescue Miss Rebecca," he responded seriously.
Tavington looked surprised. Bordon shrugged, giving a rare smile,
"I always wanted to rescue a damsel in distress."
Tavington gave a grim smile,
"Let us not keep her waiting then."
Rebecca watched the preparations for her execution. Out of respect to the boys, General Gates had decided that she would not be executed until after the main forces left. The main forces would be including her nephews, who were being taken to family in Charleston. She was thankful that the boys weren't going to witness her execution. She knew that someday they would find out what she had done, but hopefully they would be old enough to understand why.
Rebecca choked back a sob; she wasn't even sure why she did it some days. She shook herself and wrapped her good arm around herself, trying to get control of her emotions. It wasn't going to do her any good to cry like a ninny now. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath thinking back to better times. Times before the rebels had ruined her life.
Her mother was in the dining room discussing the dinner menu with Mary, her older sister. Father was discussing the spring planting with Peter and Mark. William was coming to dinner that evening. Her mother had smiled gently at her agitation and sent her out to take a walk along the river's edge, to "get her out from underfoot".
The soldiers posted to guard her noticed the smile on her face, but couldn't figure out why on earth she was smiling hours before she was to be executed.
She came back early to prepare, and her best friend Elizabeth had helped her to get dressed in her now gown. It was a lovely blue that brought out her eyes. She ran her hands down the skirt smoothing it down as she heard the knock at the front door that signaled William's arrival. She looked into Elizabeth's dark eyes suddenly frozen in panic,
"I can't go down there, Elizabeth. What if… What if he is only being polite?"
Elizabeth led her to the door, and clucked her tongue,
"Calm down, Miss Rebecca. The way that that man looks at you has nothing to do with him being polite."
Rebecca had hugged Elizabeth and smiled, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She opened the door and walked toward the stairs. She paused half way down the stairs as her father and William had looked up at her arrival. Their conversation broke off as they both stared at her. Her father had looked at her with love and pride in his eyes, while William's gaze had burned over possessively making her feel warm, even in the cool evening air.
By the time that Tavington and his men had reached the edge of the rebel encampment most of the forces had already left. There was not even one whole regiment left guarding the woman they had condemned as a spy. Tavington saw the thick rope hanging from a nearby tree and had to work to control the involuntary shudder as he thought of his beloved Rebecca hanging from that tree. He turned to his men,
"We will have to make this quick, and clean. We will move in when they bring her out to that tree," he said motioning to the tree on the edge of the encampment, "I cannot order you to follow me. If anyone wishes to leave now, No one will gainsay him."
No one even moved. Tavington nodded appreciatively,
"I… Thank you."
Rebecca opened her eyes when she heard Colonel Macavoy enter the tent,
"It is time, miss."
Rebecca stood up, a little shakily from the pain in her shoulder, and nodded. She followed Col. Macavoy out of the tent, and the two guards posted at the entrance of her tent fell into step behind her. She was almost to the tree when all hell broke loose. Shots were fired, and the small group surrounding her immediately dropped to the ground and turned to find the source of the firing. A small group of horsemen were almost upon the small group. Rebecca recognized William immediately, and stood up. He reached down and lifted her onto his horse, moving them away from the small group of continentals.
The other Dragoons made quick work of the remaining continentals. Rebecca turned her face into Williams jacket, not wanting to think about death anymore. AT the edge of the forest William dismounted and pulled Rebecca off the horse. He quickly cut the ropes binding her and pulled her to him, holding her tightly, as if the convince himself that she was real, and not a figment of his imaginations.
William let go of her as he registered he quiet moan of pain. She bit her lip as he studied the wound on her shoulder. He cursed quietly, as he looked at her again,
"You are never again allowed to leave the safety of the house I shall provide for you."
Rebecca couldn't help it, she laughed quietly,
"I agree."
William closed his mouth, the tirade he had been about to launch into momentarily stopped,
"You agree?"
Rebecca nodded,
"I agree."
William looked taken aback,
"You don't want to argue with me?"
Rebecca delicately shrugged her good shoulder,
"Would it do me any good?"
William's expression sobered immediately,
"Not in the slightest."
He gently pulled her close to him, breathing in her scent, and enjoying the feel of her in his arms again,
"I can't lose you again, Rebecca. You are the best part of me, and God help us all if I should lose you."
Rebecca pulled away from him for a moment, shocked to see the tears in his eyes,
"Oh, William," She said softly, "I am so sorry."
Rebecca ignored her injured shoulder and threw her arms around his neck. She dimly heard a warning shout from one of the Dragoons, and saw movement from behind William. Using her terror to add to her strength she pulled with all of her might to put her body between William and the shot she distantly heard fired. Suddenly a searing pain in her chest dimmed the pain in her shoulder. She faintly heard William's pain filled cry of denial as she collapsed completely into his arms.
William gently laid her on the ground cradling her body, unaware of the blood covering his hands,
"Rebecca! What have you done?" he cried out, terror- stricken.
She opened her eyes slowly, the fire in them fading, clouded by pain,
"You are safe?" she whispered.
William looked at her helplessly,
"Why?"
Rebecca slowly smiled,
"I love…" she coughed violently for a moment, blood coming up.
William shushed her, desperately trying to remain calm,
"Stop!" he commanded her, "Save your strength, you have to live."
Rebecca wanted to laugh, but she couldn't. She used the last of her strength to lift her arm and put it to his face,
"I love you, William Tavington."
William closed his eyes briefly against the tears that threatened to fall, before saying sternly,
"You're going to live, and when you are better, I am going to lecture you for a month."
Rebecca's eyes filled with tears of helplessness,
"It would have been an honor to have married you," she whispered feeling her eyes begin to close.
William's panic broke through his control and the tears began to fall,
"Rebecca! Please, don't leave me here! I can't… Don't leave me!"
Rebecca couldn't even hold her hand to his face any longer,
I'm… sor…ry, William."
"Rebecca!"
"Wil…"
William hunched over as the pain took his breath away. He was aware of someone sobbing. It took a few moments for him to realize that he was the one sobbing. His men gathered in a circle, silently. William clutched Rebecca's body to him, and sobbed, pleading incoherently for her to come back.
William buried his betrothed in her family's plot where the rest of her family had been buried. He never cried or laughed again. Later, his men would recall what he had said to Rebecca in their last moments together, 'You are the best part of me, and God help us all if I should lose you.'
Colonel William Tavington turned into one of the most ruthless leaders of the southern campaign. His reputation was established after the fall of Charleston on May 12, 1780. Six days after Rebecca's death, he led his unit 40 miles north and killed the 350 troops found under the command of Colonel Buford.
He was killed several months later by, "The Ghost", Benjamin Martin, at the battle of Cowpens. The few remaining men in his unit made sure that he was buried next to Rebecca.