Note: looks like we made it to the second to last chapter folks. I have chapter 10 followed by an epilogue and then this story will be done. Thank you for the reviews of the last chapter and don't worry Cierra, I have it all planned out. I do have plans for a possible other Uncas/Alice fanfic after I finish this one for those of you who would like more. And now, onto the story...

Chapter 9

Magua and the Huron Land

She must have fallen asleep against him, because moments later it felt as though he were shaking her awake. She looked up at him, confused and he pressed his fingers to his lips, signaling her to be quiet. He looked off to the side and she followed his gaze. Alice saw nothing but whatever he saw had him pointing down the fissure and pulling her to her feet.

"Go back to the others," He whispered, "I'll follow in a moment"

With a small push he sent her back down to join the others. She went silently, feeling that familiar wash of fear come back over her. No one noticed her as she came silently down the fissure. Cora was dozing lightly in Nathaniel's arms and Duncan was trying to tend to the wounded soldiers. True to his word, Uncas did come back down the fissure. He and his father shared a look as Nathaniel got to his feet. Chingachgook turned and began to speak to his white son in Mohican, Uncas looked between them but didn't comment. Alice didn't understand any of what was being said, but her sister seemed to.

"Yes, go ahead," She said, interrupting them. Nathaniel looked at her with his heart in his eyes.

"I want you to go."

Duncan jumped angrily to his feet, though he didn't quite understand what was happening, he still didn't like it.

"What the bloody hell plan is this?" He demanded.

Uncas came over to Alice while Cora spoke quietly with Nathaniel. She looked up at him with wide eyes, she knew that he was leaving. Even if Cora hadn't said it out loud, she would still have known.

"We have no gun powder, if we leave now there's a chance we can track them back to you," Uncas explained.

"The Huron's are coming, if they find us here they will kill us."

Alice looked up into the face she had come to love so much and swallowed back a sob. She would not see him dead, not when she could save him by letting him go.

"They may take you to Huron land, do what they say. Don't give them any reason to hurt you."

What he really meant was, don't give them any reason to kill you. If the dog soldiers were a vicious lot, they might hurt her regardless but he didn't want to think about that. Alice ducked her head to keep from crying, she had to be strong. She had to be strong for him, if not for herself. Uncas fingers closed over hers and she looked up into his eyes.

"We will find you," He promised then shook his head, "I will find you."

Alice took his face in her hands and kissed him, one more moment to last until she saw him again. When it was over he turned from her and grabbed his things. His father went through the waterfall first, Uncas was right behind him. When they were gone, only Nathaniel was left. The american spared one more glance at her sister before he too was gone. Alice wandered to Cora's side and hugged the older girl fiercely, feeling her heart breaking.

"We will see our men again, Cora," Alice whispered. "I know it."

Cora nodded mutely and hugged her sister back as firelight began to filter down from the top of the fissure. The wounded soldiers hobbled in front of the sisters with their muskets raised, Duncan moved in front of the soldiers. Alice watched as a group of Indians with their faces painted black made their way down the stone embankment. She and Cora huddled together like to frightened children. The Indians approached swiftly, knocking Duncan to one side. One kicked him in the head and he lay still. Two others grabbed the Soldiers and threw them to the ground. Tomahawks flashed in the firelight, there was a pained grunt, then the soldiers moved no more. The small band parted as another Indian came forward and Alice had to fight not to scream. Half of his face and half of his chest was painted black. She knew this Indian, even if she lived to be a senile old woman she would know him. It was the man that had killed her father.

He came forward with an arrogant stride, his eyes piercing. He stopped before them and reached out for a strand of her sisters hair, turning it in his fingers. Alice shut her eyes to keep from being sick.

"If he touches me, I will scream," She thought wildly.

The red man did not touch her. Instead he spoke in a foreign language to the soldiers around him. Alice opened her eyes as they came forward with rope. Silently, they bound her and her sisters hands and pulled them up and out of the waterfall. Alice went quietly, head down and eyes averted.

"Don't give them any reason to hurt you," She repeated to herself.

Once back in the forest, Magua took their shoes. She learned his name only from listening when the other men spoke to him. He had taken their shoes, Alice assumed, to trade later. When Cora had fought them they had hit her, once, twice, then three times. She gave up the shoes only when Alice did. The dog soldiers marched them all forward on bare feet, as they would travel for the next few days. It proved to be a very unpleasant next few days.

Magua marched Alice and Cora to exhaustion the first day, stopping only when it became too dark to see. For food, he threw them scraps and fed them no better than a pair of dogs. The next day was worse, She had Cora walked their feet bloody stepping on sharp twigs and rocks. At one point, Alice's feet hurt so badly that she collapsed to her knees. The dog soldier in charge of her pulled sharply on the rope that bound her hands. When she didn't rise he yanked hard on the rope and sent her sprawling on her stomach in the dirt.

"Stop it," She heard Cora yell. There was a sharp pain along her shoulder and she struggled to her knees. Another stinging slap hit the middle of her back and she glanced over her shoulder to see the Indian whipping at her with a length of rope. She pushed unsteadily to her feet as she felt something warm and wet slide down her back. The dog soldier had drawn blood. She was pulled roughly forward and stumbled to keep upright on her damaged feet.

By nightfall, both girls feet were a raw, bloody mess. There were cuts both deep and shallow running all over the soles. The cuts were now packed with mud and dirt, putting both girls at high risk for infection. They lay huddled together near a tree, their feet tied together so they wouldn't run. As if they could anyway, both could barely walk.

"Alice," Cora whispered in the dark, "Are you awake?"

"Yes," she whispered back, clasping her sister's fingers with her own. They were facing one another but it was so dark they could hardly see.

"Remember when we were children, and we said we would marry on the same day so as to never be apart?"

Alice smiled at the memory, they were only six and nine at the time.

"Yes."

"Promise me it will still happen, that we will make it through this alive."

Alice squeezed her sister's fingers against her chest.

"We will have to, we are marrying brothers." She responded, even in the darkness she saw Cora smile. The smiled faded a moment as she scooted closer to her sister.

"Oh Alice, are you sure this frontier life is what you want?" Cora asked, almost sadly. Alice sighed a little in the dark.

"I know only that I want Uncas, Cora," she responded quietly.

"He cannot fit into my world so I will have to try and find a place in his."

Cora was silent for a long moment, Alice thought she might have gone to sleep.

"I hope you're happy in the end, my sister. I truly do."

The third day was unbearable for Alice. Magua marched them at first light up and down hills and over worn deer paths. By midday, Alice felt her legs stiffening. They were not moving nearly as easily as they once had. Her feet burned as if a branding iron was being pushed against them. The pain was making her head spin, her legs were so tired from the constant walking. She took a few faltering steps forward then fell to her knees. The dog soldier pulled again on her bound hands, trying to haul her upward. Alice looked at him for a moment then fell forward into the grass. She was semi-conscious, enough to hear a little of what was going on around her.

"Alice," She heard her sister cry out.

"Miss Alice," It was Duncan's voice.

There was the familiar sting of the rope hitting her shoulders, she couldn't make her body move enough to get up again. The rope was biting into her back, it hurt, but she couldn't move.

"Stop it," She felt her sisters body fall next to hers, she was shielding Alice from the Indians rope.

"Can't you see she can't walk?" Cora was yelling at them. Through her foggy senses, Alice could hear the one called Magua talking. He gave a sharp order, her sisters weight was gone. Alice felt herself be lifted into unfamiliar arms. They carried her effectively, but not comfortably. There was no tenderness in this man's arms for he did not love her. She sank into darkness with that unpleasant thought.

Alice was jostled awake roughly, she opened her eyes to find them at the entrance to a village. The solider that was carrying her, practically dumped her onto her feet. Her legs crumbled immediately. With a look of annoyance he hauled her back up and kept her standing with one arm around her waist. Alice leaned heavily into him, her legs almost dragging on the ground.

They were taken through what appeared to be an Indian village, maybe these were the Huron lands Uncas spoke of. He half dragged, half carried her through the village. She tried to get her feet to move but every movement burned. Her head slumped forward a little and she got a good look at her feet. Her toes were caked with dried blood, not one seeming to be free from it. Alice's eyes burned with the need to shut them, she didn't know how much more of this wretched journey she could take.

Magua stopped them in an open area, where a large number of people gathered. Alice lifted her head with effort to see an old man being led to the central area. The women helping him made him comfortable on a pile of furs. Once he was situated, Magua began to speak. Alice didn't understand any of what was said so she let her head slump forward again. The dog soldier shook her roughly when she started to go limp on him and it made her come around a little. Within a few moments she was slumping again.

What really brought her around was the sudden whooping and hollering. She might not have opened her eyes to check if it hadn't been for Cora.

"Nathaniel," She called, her voice desperate. Alice's head shot up, If Nathaniel was here, then Uncas might be too. She looked around but saw no one else, just Nathaniel. She knew there was more conversation ensuing, some in french and some in Huron but she heard very little. She must have passed in and out of consciousness because she only heard the tail end of what Duncan was translating.

"The youngest Munro girl will go with Magua so that the gray hairs seed will not die and Magua's heart is healed. The dark-haired child will burn in our fires for Magua's dead children."

Alice's head shot up. Cora, they were going to kill her sister. The movement made her head hurt, her vision swam again. Duncan was yelling, so was Nathaniel. Pain shot up Alice's legs as the dog Soldier scooped her back into his arms. She tried to see what was happening but her vision went black as they bore her away.

Chingachgook and Uncas watched the village from near the cliffs. Looking for any signs of either the girls or Nathaniel. So far there was no sign of either and that was not good. Uncas was more worried than he let on, it had been days and anything could happen in that short span of time. Off to the left he saw Magua's men began to move again. One of them was carrying something that looked heavier than trading goods. He looked closer and caught sight of long skirts and a flash of blonde hair. What he carried was Alice Munro. If she was in no fit state to walk it meant one of two things, the first being that they hurt her. The second was that she was injured along the way. He was betting it was probably the first option.

Without realizing it, his hand came down on his fathers shoulder. Chingachgook looked up at his boy intently. There were no words exchanged but the look spoke volumes.

"I have to go," Uncas seemed to say with his eyes.

"Why," His fathers asked back.

"Because I love her," Was what he said back. Then Uncas scaled the hill and was gone.