Uncas told Alice that she must wake him up at dawn and that is what she does. With the sun appearing timidly in the sky, she shakes him softly, speaking his name. She hates the idea of waking him up, realizing that probably the man needed to rest a bit more. And he seems so in peace when he is sleeping…Alice has been observing him all the time, focusing on every detail of his face and body. Partially it was in a vain effort to remember him and partially because there is something she can't deny: he is incredible handsome.
As soon as Uncas' eyes open and repair on her, he can't help a smile coming to his lips. He had the irrational fear that she was going to vanish the second he fell asleep.
"Have you rest enough?" Alice asks politely, as the warrior gets up.
"Yes, and you? Did you sleep well?" He asks back, offering her his hand to help her getting up.
Alice nods, grabbing it. "And where exactly are my sister and your family supposed to be?" Alice asks, wanting to understand better where they are heading and how long the journey will last.
"We decided to meet at the Delaware village, so…".
"Are you Delaware?" Alice cuts him off, her curiosity coming to the surface. She had read a lot about the native tribes before coming to America, but she never thought she would meet any of them in person.
"I'm Mohican, like my father. But my mother belonged to that tribe, so I have Delaware blood as well". Uncas explains proudly, as every time he talks about his heritage.
"Belonged…?" Alice asks, realizing what it means.
"My mother died when I was a child. I barely remember her" A sad expression crosses his face and Alice understands that feeling very well.
"My mother also died. When I was born, so I've never met her"
"I know".
Alice wonders how many more things she has already told the warrior in front of her.
"The Delaware village it is not very far from the place they were the last time I saw them. So by the time we reach the village, they should be already there" Uncas keeps on explaining, while he prepares all the supplies in his travel pack. Fortunately, he found some powder in the packs of those nasty settlers that will be really useful. "Though, it will take us more than a week to get there. It might be a hard journey for you Alice, but I will help you" He adds, not wanting to hide the truth about the difficulties that the journey may bring for someone who is not used to travel in the wilderness. Though, he knows she is strong enough to manage. After all, she has faced worse perils before, despite the fact that she doesn't remember about them.
"I'll manage" she simply says, confirming what Uncas already knows. "I need to see my sister, no matter how long it takes me to get to her". She doesn't have a clue about how a well-bred English lady like her is going to walk through so many miles through the wilderness but she makes a promise to herself. She will do anything she can to not be a burden to the man in front of her. He has already helped her more than most people would have done and if she can help him somehow along the way, she will do it.
"Now we have to follow the course of the river for some miles. It will be easier than walking through the forest" Uncas explains, pointing at a canoe that is abandoned in the shore. Alice nods and follows him. He offers his hand to help her accommodate in the canoe and then he pushes it into the water. Sitting right behind her, he grabs the paddle and begins to row.
Grabbing both sides of the canoe, Alice observes amazed the beauty of the landscape around her. The reflection of the sun at dawn in the river and the wild nature in the shore, mixed with the relaxing feeling of the canoe moving slowly through the water. And the silence…Alice has always found peace on it, but it was difficult to find it in the crowded streets of London.
Uncas observes her from behind, noticing pleased how she seems to enjoy the beauty around her. Beauty that can't compare to hers right now. Her loose hair moves slightly with the soft breeze and shines with the sun. At some point, she turns her head and her gaze meets his. She smiles timidly and averts her gaze, blushing slightly.
The simple gesture makes the Mohican fall in love with her all over again.
After being silent for a while, Alice finally speaks. "Everything is so beautiful…you are really lucky to live in a place like this".
Uncas smiles, pleased by her words. You could live here as well…with me. "Yes…there are so many wonderful places here that I never get tired of explore".
Alice notices a spark of sadness in his voice and she suspects the reason. Surely, he would prefer for this land to remain untouched as it had been until the Europeans came. Somehow, that thought makes her feel bad.
"You will have the chance to enjoy the nature along the journey. And the landscape is even more beautiful in the Delaware land". Uncas says in an animated tone and Alice admires his ability to set aside the sad thoughts to focus on the good things.
"Oh, it must be incredible then" Alice says, amazed. "Thought I'm not used to such a hot weather" she adds, noticing that despite being early morning, the weather is already quite warm. "If I could swim, I will throw myself to the river for sure". Uncas chuckles at her comment and she feels ashamed of having said it out loud. A proper lady shouldn't think about swimming in a river. What will he think about me?
"Well…maybe there is a better way for you to refresh yourself" Uncas says in a playful tone and without thinking on the consequences, he splashes some water over Alice.
She looks at him totally surprised and, for some seconds, Uncas is afraid that maybe he has crossed a limit with her. English ladies are not used to such jokes, especially if they came from a total stranger. But then, a big smile spreads over Alice's face and she splashes some water over him as well.
"Now you will learn how to treat a lady" she says, giggling animated.
Realizing it's the first time she seems totally happy in a long time, he decides to keep on joking. "If I were you miss, I wouldn't do that again. On the contrary, you could be thrown to the water".
"If I were you sir, I wouldn't try it. On the contrary, you could end in the water with me." Alice replies with a mischievous smile.
Uncas chuckles amused, clearly defeated by the woman who owns his heart without being aware of it.
They remain silent for the rest of the journey along the river.
Sitting peacefully by the fire, both of them eat the last pieces of the animal Uncas hunted. He had left Alice hidden in a small cave, while he was going to hunt with his rifle. It didn't take him much time to find a prey and when he came back, Alice insisted on helping him to cook it. He was pleased about her interest in learning new things. And she was pleased when the Mohican explained her how his people always apologize to every creature they had to kill in order to survive.
"Can you tell me the whole story about what happened to me and my sister?" Alice asks, hoping that hearing about all the events can bring her some memories.
Uncas breaths heavily, trying to find the best way to approach the subject and then begins to speak. "As I told you, the English army that travelled with you and your sister was attacked by a group of Huron. I was near, along with my father and brother, and we were alerted by the screams and the fight noises. We arrived on time to save you and your sister, along with Major Heyward, but you were the only survivors".
The story that Alice had found so unbelievable the day before, now that she has begun to know Uncas a bit more, it's beginning to make sense.
"We offer to escort you to Fort William Henry, but when we arrived there, the fort was being besieged by the French…"
"Was my father alright?" Alice cuts him off, with a worried expression.
Uncas needs all his self-control to not reveal his emotions at the vision of her, so worried about her father. A father who died but she doesn't remember it.
"Yes, he was fine" Uncas simply replies, his heart breaking at her sigh of relief, before keeping with the story. We spent a few days there until your father was forced to surrender. The French allow the soldiers and the people to leave the fort in peace but a group of Huron, the same that ambushed you in George Road, attacked us again.
"Why? Such a horrible coincidence…"Alice asks innocently.
"It seems the chief wanted some kind of revenge towards your father. But I don't know the details". Uncas explains, not wanting to give too many details that can disturb her mind even more.
"Revenge? Towards my father? I don't understand…Does it mean that he wanted to kill us?"
"Yes. But my family and I found you and your sister in the battle and we escaped in a canoe along the river. We hide ourselves in a cave behind a waterfall, hoping that they lost our trail…" He pauses, hoping that the mention of the cave and the waterfall could bring her a memory about them…or about their single kiss. But nothing happens, so he keeps on resigned. "However, they found us. My family and I were forced to jump through the waterfall before the warriors arrived…"
"Did you abandon us?" Alice can't believe what she is hearing.
"It was the only way. If we had stayed, they would have killed us and then you have been at their mercy. There were a lot of them and only three of us to fight them with barely weapons. That way we could follow your trail later" Uncas explains and Alice nods, now understanding their hard choice. "That's what we did and finally we found you at a Huron village. You had been taken as prisoners".
There are too many emotions on Alice's mind right now and she realizes the worst part of the story is about to begin. But she finds the strength to ask. "What happened then?"
"My brother went to talk to the Sachem, asking him to release you, but things were not as good as he expected. He agreed to release Cora but you…well, the Huron chief claimed you as his wife."
"What?" Part of her now is relieved that she has forgotten everything about that horrible nightmare. She can't think of a worse fate…
"We were not going to allow something like that to happen. So when the Huron left the village with you, we decided to follow your trail. But my brother was severely injured on the leg, so my father had to stay with him in order to protect Cora and that is why I came for you alone" And because I love you and couldn't bear the thought of someone hurting you, but he can't say it out loud. Not yet.
"And then you found me in the woods" Alice finishes the story, trying to take all the information she has just received all at once. "I can't remember anything about it. My last memory is when we were at Albany, planning our trip to the fort. And then I woke up in that indian village…I hadn't had an idea about how I arrived there".
"Was Magua there?" Uncas asks, trying to understand why he was not in the war party who was taking Alice.
"Who is Magua? It's the first time I heard that name…"
"The Huron chief" Uncas gives her a brief description about the Huron warrior and he is even more surprised when she tells him that she has not seen a man like him before.
"And my sister and your brother…? Alice tentatively asks.
"My brother is white, if that is what worries you. My father adopted him when he was a child" Uncas simply says, partially hurt that she seems to be worried about her sister being involved with a native.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind if he was a Mohican like you. You seem a good man, so I'm sure he is like that as well. It's only that is surprises me that my sister has fallen in love. She has never paid many attention to men until now" Alice quickly justifies herself, noticing that maybe she had hurt his feelings.
"I can tell the same about Nathaniel" Uncas says amicably, realizing his mistake about her. "But I think she plans to stay here with him".
"I shouldn't be surprised. Cora is very brave and she has never liked too much the life in high society" Then Alice repairs on something. "What about my father? And Duncan?"
I can't tell her the truth. Not yet. After all she has been through, the last thing she needs right now is to discover that her beloved father and friend have been killed in such a brutal way. He hates the idea of lying to her, though sometimes it's necessary to protect someone's heart. She is strong and she will have to deal with the truth at some point, but he is sure that if she tells her about their deaths now, her poor soul will be destroyed and the trauma will be even worse. And he doesn't consider himself the right person to tell her about it. It will be better for her if it's her sister who has the conversation with her. "I don't know. We didn't see them in the battle". At least, I'm not giving her high hopes about their survival.
"Oh, I'm sure they have survived then! Both of them are really good soldiers" Alice innocently says. "When we reunite with my sister and your family, will you help us to find them?"
Uncas' heart breaks at her hopeful words. The poor girl has been so overprotected for all her life that she is unable to realize that surviving a massacre like that is rarely possible. Especially for British soldiers, who are not used to the natives' fighting strategies.
When Uncas doesn't answer immediately, Alice insists in a desperate tone. "Please Uncas, you have to help me". She reaches for his hands instinctively, grabbing them between her own. "I need to find my father. He must be broken, believing that his daughters are dead, and I miss him so much…"
Tears begin rolling down Alice's cheeks and Uncas feels his heart being ripped out of his chest. If Munro was alive, he would travel the whole continent to find him, in order to his precious Alice to be happily reunited with her beloved father again. But it is not the case and he fears that his lie might bring him consequences in the future. However, there is no other way.
"Please don't cry Alice. I will help you to find him" Uncas says looking at her eyes, and then lows his gaze to their intertwined hands. Right then, she realizes the impropriety of her gesture and releases them, blushing deeply.
"Thank you, Uncas" She says solemnly, looking at his eyes and she wipes out her tears. Believing that the fact that it took a bit for him to agree to help her had been for another reason, she adds. "And don't worry. My father won't be able to do anything about Cora staying with your brother. She has a fierce spirit and she always gets what she wants. And he will be grateful for all you have done for us".
Uncas nods but his mind is still in the image of their intertwined hands.
"Uncas, I would like to wash my dress in the river now…". Alice says a bit embarrassed. Removing my clothes when a man is near is not proper at all, but I feel so dirty in this filthy dress… She has not washed it since she woke up that day in the Huron village and she suspects it has not been washed for all the time she has worn it.
"Of course. I will wait behind those trees to give you some privacy. Don't worry, I will be near in case something happens" Uncas says and goes to the trees.
When she is out of his sight, Alice begins unbuttoning her bodice. He is a noble man, so she knows he won't try to spy on her. Finally, she slides the dress down her body and what she sees makes her freeze in place.
The state of her undergarments, that she has not seen until now, makes her scream of pure terror.
Sitting behind the trees while he sharps his tomahawk, Uncas is alerted by her terrified scream. Getting up immediately, tomahawk in hand, he runs to her. Then, he is shocked by the vision in front of him.
Alice's long shirt, the one she wears under her dress, has several blood stains. And one of her sleeves is torn in the area of the upper arm, as if someone has ripped it in a violent way.
"Alice…what happened to you?" Uncas asks afraid of the answer, approaching her slowly as if she was a wounded animal. "What have they done to you?"
Alice is trembling from head to toe, her gaze unfocused and unable to speak. Her mind still lacks of recent memories but she knows what the state of her undergarments mean. She was aware that she wasn't wearing her usual corset, but she thought she had got rid of it, realizing how impractical it was to travel in the wilderness. After all, since she woke up in that village, those men had never touched her once. But that possibility had been always there, though she decided to ignore it. Now there are no doubts and her worst fear has come true.
Uncas sees her eyes close and her body staggering, her conscious leaving her, and in a quick motion, he holds her in his arms, before she collapses to the ground. Supporting her back with one arm and putting the other one under her legs, he lifts her unconscious body in his arms and carries her to a tree.
Sitting on the ground with his back against the trunk and Alice sitting on his lap, he caresses her face delicately, trying to wake her up. "Alice…" he murmurs softly, as he picks his canteen and brings it to her lips.
Alice's eyes open slowly at the feeling of the cold water in her mouth. The last thing she remembers is that she was in front of Uncas and her vision went black. Now she is on his lap and he looks at her with a worried expression.
"Alice…who did this to you? Was it Magua? Or were his men?"
Alice shakes her head violently, as uncontrolled tears begin to run down her cheeks. "I don't know. I can't remember anything".
She sobs desperately against Uncas' chest and he can't find the right words to comfort her. However, he holds her tightly in his arms, closing his eyes and wishing to be able to travel time and save her before anything happened to her.
With her hands grabbing his shirt, Alice can feel the Mohican's heartbeat through his chest and the steady rhythm makes her own heart to begin to calm down. His hand is in her head, caressing her hair in a soothing pattern, and slowly, her sobs progressively stop and she rests against the Mohican's chest.
For some reason that she ignores, despite all the madness, she can't help but feeling safe in his arms.
Author's note: Sorry for the delay, but a new update is finally here! And in this chapter, it seems that Alice and Uncas started to create a bond again, but some problems appeared and there are some more to come...
Thank you again for always being there with your constant support and patience!