"Up!" a stern voice commanded. A bucket of water was thrown on Nicole, instantly waking her. She shot up, cowering in the corner. "Out, unless you pay you can't stay," he commanded.
Haught nodded without a word, quickly covering herself up while shamefully picking up her belongings as she led Lex out of the stables. She tightened the straps on his saddle and handed the innkeeper a few coins before escaping from any further embarrassment. Her core shivered during the four-hour ride, tightening her ever dampening cloak around her shoulders to fight off the cold. As they traveled across the dirt paths, Nicole felt her face begin to freeze from the low temperature and burn from the sun. She covered her face once more with her scarf, gripping the reins until her knuckles turned white.
Very rarely did Nicole feel so humiliated, but getting caught in uniform paired with the decreasing distance from the person she cared for most was becoming more than an inconvenience for her. Her teeth clattered when a brisk wind caught her damp clothes, sending an arctic chill through her body. In a panic, she searched beneath her jerkin for the younger Earp's book, finding it partially untouched by her rude awakening. She opened the book to where she last left off, her steed following the same road as he would for the next several miles. Really only reading when she was forced to, Haught had had a fair amount of difficulty reading the author's sonnets, but the plays quickly became her favorite pieces in the book.
Nicole chewed at the inside of her lip, focusing on her surroundings and the shaking lines that she had to follow with her index finger. She was always impressed when Waverly studied novels, she could recite as fast as she could read. The more Haught thought about her beau, the more homesick she became. She gnawed at the tip of her gloved middle finger with her eyes transfixed on the transcript rather than the small signs pointing her in various directions. From what Nicole picked up on through the lines and stage directions, the play was one she could merely relate to in her dreams, the longing of the four men and the way they all chased after the young birds, all of whom toyed with their strengths and desires.
After a dizzying few hours, Nicole closed the book and replaced it under her jerkin. She redirected Lex to the right side of the road, passing yet another farm, but now encroaching upon the hills and mountains that protected the Purgatory valley. With so much time riding solo, she thought about the ensuing attacks on the fief, thinking about how swarmed they would be if Robert Svane sent his men down all around them. That tactic would spread them thin, but fighting was not something she was quite confident about with her current students. Nicole covered her face with her hand and sped up to a canter.
The final hour crawled until she came upon the familiar Cloody's Pass, their jagged rocks threatening her every moment traversing through them. Her heart pounded in her chest once the glades enveloped her, leading her straight to the castle. She broke into a gallop, now only ten minutes from the Earps. Haught felt her heart race and the cold air scratch at her eyes until she teared up. Once in town, she slowed to a trot and regained her composure, waving at the civilians that greeted her. At the gates, Nicole dismounted Lex and left him for Crofte to care for while she went to greet the Earps.
Trudging through the ankle-high snow, Nicole picked her feet up, hopping and jogging her way to Waverly's chambers. She reflected on how ridiculous she must have seemed to an outsider, stumbling, and fumbling until she reached the servant's entrance of the castle. Nicole sprinted through the manor, wet prints tracking her every step as she got to Waverly's door, stopping and bracing herself on the frame to catch her breath. Haught knocked, restlessly tracking a hand through her damp hair with a grin on her face as she heard the quick movements from the other side. Waverly opened the door, shock instantly taking over her otherwise normal demeanor.
"I'm back," the young knight whispered.
Waverly covered her mouth tentatively reaching out before fully embracing her. Nicole laughed and caught her, hoisting her up by her leg and back so she wouldn't slip. Earp kissed her lover, gripping onto her shoulder with one hand while the other rested against her jaw. Nicole smiled, her fingers gripping harder into her leg as she leaned into her, her heart burning with desire for every bit of contact they made.
Haught finally pulled away to speak, even though Waverly pecked her a few extra times. "I'm sorry I'm late."
"Oh my god!" she whispered in a cracked tone that vibrated against Nicole's shoulder, "I thought the worst when you didn't return."
She took a few steps in and kicked the door closed behind herself. "It's okay, it's okay."
"Your clothes are soaked," Waverly noticed after a few moments.
"Yeah, I got a bucket of water to the face this morning."
"Why?" she asked, sliding back to the ground.
"I just was being stupid but I got- oh my god, Waves, I'm so sorry," she suddenly remembered. Nicole pulled out the book of sonnets only slightly dampened by the morning's events. "It's not in bad shape, but still. I'm sorry."
Waverly took the book from her hands and shrugged, "I don't care about this as much as you."
Nicole removed her cloak and outer clothes while her partner stoked a fire. She flipped through the book, leaving it open by the small flame so it could dry. Finally able to rest in her damp base clothes, Haught sat with her knees pulled against her chest, uncomfortably tugging at her undershirt as it stuck to her skin while trying to stay as modest as she could.
Her partner grabbed a box from her dresser, placing it on the ground by her side as she knelt in front of her. She threaded her fingers through her hair, leaning over to peck her before jesting, "You know, maybe a week was a bit too long."
"My timing wasn't too great," she noted with another peck on her lips. "What- umm- what has happened since I left?"
Waverly opened the small box to retrieve a neatly rolled cigarette John had given her. "Not much," she admitted, sticking the tip of the cigarette close enough to light. "Wynonna mocked up a plan. She can tell you more when you're ready." Earp knelt down in front of her partner, taking a drag off of the fag before offering it over.
"What is that?"
"C'est le tabac," she said in French, a small smirk peeking at the corners of her mouth.
"Tobacco, is this from the colonies?" Nicole asked, looking at the hand-rolled paper.
"Yes, Holliday gave it to me as a Christmas gift."
Nicole partook in the fun, inhaling the finely crushed and rolled cigarette. She coughed a bit, earning a chuckle from her partner. "Thanks. Any updates on the plan?" she finished handing the smoke back to Waverly.
"Wyn wants to lock everyone inside of the gates with our soldiers defending from the outside-"
"That's suicide," she interrupted.
"It's the best we can do."
Nicole shook her head and took another breath full of smoke before exhaling to propose a new plan, "What if instead, we had some trained scouts go and thin the herd, you know, make it a bit easier. We would, of course, have to be ready to fight the next day, but any advantage helps. Mm," she thought, Waverly, plucking the cigarette from her lips, "we could have the people locked inside to shoot from the windows and battlements to help." Nicole took the book of sonnets from her side table and placed it closer to the heat.
"I'll have to tell Wynonna tomorrow," she smiled. "How did you enjoy the book?"
"It was fine, you were right about his plays though, I enjoyed the humor. I wish I could have seen them in person," she dreamed.
Waverly offered her the last few breaths, plucking it from her lips once it reached the remaining paper, and tossed it into the fireplace. She regarded Nicole's silhouette against the fireplace, wanting to reach out to flatten some of her fly-aways. Her heart became transfixed on the other woman's movements, the way she mindlessly rocked in silence with the dancing flames that jumped out at her to flash the curve of her lips and her jaw in the dim room. Waverly glanced at the form that was revealed beneath her base clothing. It made her wonder briefly what blemishes- she caught herself too deep in thought and refocused her efforts on the more important matters at hand.
"How were the Pressmans?"
Nicole shrugged, "Oliver passed away very recently so they are still grieving but on the other side, Joseph just had a son, and Shae is actually getting remarried." She rested back on her elbows, hiding from the harsh light of the flames. "I apologize, but I wasn't able to elicit any help from them."
Waverly read her emotions in the flickering light, catching her melancholy demeanor. "I'm so sorry for your loss. How are you coping?"
"I'm fine," she lied.
"Are you sure? Is that the only reason why you seem so… glum?"
"I'm just sad about Oliver, he was like a father to me," she whispered, still hiding from the fire.
"Really, I mean," she quickly walked back. "I apologize for picking your brain, but I know you and you seem a bit… distracted by something else."
"What do you mean?" Nicole questioned defensively.
"Nothing," she corrected, "nevermind."
Haught caught her tone and took her hand, "I just need to rest."
She took her cloak from the chair and enveloped herself in the damp fabric. Nicole curled up on the ground, closing her eyes as her partner stroked her arm. She hated feeling bad for people who didn't deserve it, she was told it was her weakness but pity and guilt always worked hand in hand with her emotions. Even though Shae could be controlling, she still cared very much about her, and regret ate away at her stomach as she thought about her harsh words. In her mind, she wondered if she was too harsh or if it was the correct thing to do. Nicole rolled into her partner, wrapping her arms around her waist. She felt Waverly lie down next to her, wrapping herself in the remaining length of the green and purple cloak.
The morning sun and a soft click woke Nicole up, still wrapped up in the cloak and intertwined with her love. She slid out of their embrace, covering her with the rest of her brat before gently lifting her from the ground, her dead weight stirring before curling back against her. Nicole placed her on the bed and kneeled before her, pressing her lips against her forehead. She then collected her clothes and left for the kitchen. Haught joined the servants feasting on their meager winter rations, taking a spot by Dolls.
"Welcome back, Haught," he politely greeted.
"Good morning," she smiled, collecting a ladle of gruel on her plate. "How did the past week treat you?"
"I've been writing to old mates, you know, to see if anyone can come to help."
"Did anything come of it?" Haught inquired as she picked at the meal.
"I was able to recruit a few retired soldiers to join us. Have you reached out to any old contacts?"
"Only the Pressmans, but no promises."
"Maybe you should write to your mentors or friends," he suggested, sensing her limited input to their conversation. "I'm going to train, would you care to join me, Haught?"
Nicole nodded, "Yes, I would."
Another on her list of regrettable actions as Dolls took her through his routine. The moment she was properly dressed, he took her on a jog from the main hall through the sleepy streets and into the forest, hugging the mainstream that wove around the glades. Her mentor slowed down a few times but Dolls mostly commanded his companion to keep up with him. Nicole felt the contents of her stomach churn with every hard step, only pushed by Xavier's encouraging tone. When they stopped, he began to clear out an area with his feet, kicking around sticks and weeds until it satisfied him. She followed him through the bizarre workouts he performed to stay in fighting condition. Her entire body screamed at her with everything she did, cracking and popping in ways she could only remember as a young page. It was only after she had given in and could no longer move that Dolls began to form a circle of rocks around them as a mock arena. He tossed two training longswords in the center and knelt by her.
"You give up, yet?" he playfully teased.
"No, I haven't," she laughed, pushing herself back up. "How do you do this every day?"
"I do it every day," he shrugged. "It helps me focus in all of this turmoil."
"I did wonder how you managed to keep it together," she muttered. "You did hear about Wynonna's plan right?"
"The suicide plot, yes."
"There must be a better way to protect our people."
"I suggested pulling a few strings but Earp wants to take the reins on her own," he explained. "I almost think that a night siege could work but that would be extremely dangerous, just another suicide mission."
"Good lord," she seethed in pain as she picked up the wooden sword. "I was thinking the exact same thing, maybe we could do the job. I am assuming you are professionally trained at killing like me?"
"I wouldn't say killing, that seems a bit extreme," he corrected, "but I was trained to fight. Are you ready to begin?"
Nicole nodded as they sparred, both parties catching the other at every weak point. Dolls was quite impressed by her skills especially as a Duke's soldier, but all knights seemed to come from the same three academies in England. From her style, he could tell that they had similar mentors. The way she danced around the weapon, letting the strikes land where they may be ready to pull back from any brute blow.
He jumped back for a brief moment, "Were you ever deployed?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Were you?"
"Yes, ma'am." Dolls took an apple out of his bag and began to slice it. "I was in that war in the New World, against the Indians, that was my first one. My most recent deployment was to fight for John Sigismund's right to the throne. You?"
"I fought against Uskoks," she huffed. "Nothing since then."
"How old were you?" he questioned, passing her the other half of the fruit.
"Eighteen."
"Do you carry any fond memories?" he wistfully inquired.
"Only stones and tokens I can't see."
Dolls watched as she picked out the seeds, interested by her lack of enthusiasm that he had assumed she always had. "Are you alright, Haught?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied.
"Are you sure?"
"You know, I would love to get back to sparring, old man," Nicole teased with a playful kick to the shin.
Waverly woke up with a big yawn, stretching in her bed to her confusion. She looked around the room, noting that Nicole's clothes were gone save for the plaid brat around her. It sort of hurt her to have been left alone, but it was kind of her to place her in bed. After washing up, Waverly folded Nicole's cloak and went next door to deliver it. She gently knocked on Haught's door to no response so instead, she slipped in to set the cloak on her bed. Her id took over as she peered around the room, spotting the few belongings Nicole had that littered the tables like a stack of journals on her desk. Waverly approached the old desk, glancing down at an address book and the journal of letter paper, ready to be cut. She opened the leaflet, tracing the flowing script and the small notes she wrote to identify her connections.
"I didn't want to bother you," a soft voice explained. "How long have you been awake?"
"Oh my god," Earp giggled with a hand clasped over her heart.
"I'm sorry," she chuckled. "What, um… what are you up to?"
Waverly glanced between her partner and the address book before pulling out the blessed pendant from her pocket, "I was just… I was returning your cloak and Saint Michael necklace-"
Nicole shook her head, "I want you to keep it, Waves."
"No, are you sure?" she warily inquired. Nicole approached her, clasping the medallion back around her neck. She brushed her thumb over the raised image, a small grin on her lips. "Where did you get this?"
Haught took a quick breath, dropping her hands back into her pockets, "It was my brother's, Kyler. I told you a bit about him, right?"
"No."
"Oh," she smirked, "my mother gave it to him for his birthday."
"You said, was?" Waverly carefully prodded.
Nicole nodded before nonchalantly stating, "He passed away in a very stupid, but very Kyler way."
"Oh, sweetie," she tried to console her love, bringing her palm to her cheek.
"It's okay," she tried to brush off, "he lived a short but fulfilled life, in my opinion." Nicole hummed out a laugh as she lowered Waverly's hand. "It's a good luck charm, so I want you to keep it." Earp furrowed her brows and leaned over to kiss her, "Please don't… pity kiss me."
Waverly shot her a confused look before indignation flooded her veins. "It's not a sign of weakness to show sympathy for someone you treasure, Nicole," she rebuked. The younger Earp tucked her hair behind her ear and placed her hand on the soldier's solid shoulder. "You do know that I care very much about you, right?" Nicole averted her gaze- mortified at her reaction- and hid her face with her hand. Waverly shook her head and lowered her arm, "Don't, sweetie, please. Just- you can talk to me- with me- if anything's going on, okay?"
Nicole bit her lip as she weighed her options between keeping her beloved in the dark about her previous relations or becoming the center of possible judgment at her licentious past. She nodded, "Okay, I will. I'm going to write to a few friends, see who's interested in accepting our plight." Haught pecked the back of her hand and sat at her desk.
Once her back was turned, Waverly silently seethed at her partner's stubborn attitude. She decided to distract herself with the more important matter at hand and went in hot pursuit to her sister's room… which was empty. Waverly backtracked to Curtis' office where she heard the familiar twang of the harpsichord. She gently rapped on the door, hearing the player instantly freeze.
"I don't need anything," Wynonna told her as if she were one of their servants.
"It's Waves," she called from the other side.
"Oh," she whispered, unlocking the door. "Hey, good afternoon, sleepy-head."
"Hi," Waverly smirked. "So apparently Nicole wasn't able to recruit anyone from Harewood."
"I told you so. At least she made it back in one piece."
"I'm glad, too. She is writing to some of her old friends. Oh, and she suggested a different tactic for the battle," Waverly began, sitting on the small bench before the harpsichord with her sister. "She's right… the more I think about it, our original plan is really dangerous," she finished with an aimless sigh.
With a furrowed brow, the older Earp asked, "What's up baby-girl, you only sigh when you're hungry or upset."
"Yeah, I am famished. I woke up and went to find you. I think I'll grab a small bite," she quickly switched, sliding out of her sister's grasp. "Oh, and you should ask Nicole about her plan."
"Okay. Are you sure you don't want to talk about something else? Something about… um… you and Nicole?"
"What do you mean?" she instantly shot back in defense.
Wynonna held up her hands, "I'm just asking. I kind of… I mean- nevermind. Is there anything bothering you because if you say no then I'm gonna hogtie and loogie you like old times."
"I'm stronger now than in the old times," she taunted.
"Do you really want to test if I'll still win?"
"Fine," she huffed. "Nicole was acting a bit weird last night when she came home. I don't know why but, part of me thinks that it has to do with her old friend Shaelynn. She says they were close, but I have a feeling that they were closer than she admits."
"Close like you two are?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Wynonna closed her eyes, debating on whether or not to tell her. "I swear I was only going to check on you because I had a question, but I saw you and Nicole on the ground this morning."
"Wyn I swear-"
"I should have knocked… are you two- I'm not judging but…" she sputtered.
"Yes, well, kind of… yes," she tried to explain. "We haven't been together but we are together."
"Oh, okay. Despite her acting weird, are you happy?"
"Yeah, I am," she reflected. "I just wish she would tell me why she was acting so off when she came back."
"Well, I know how to get her talking-"
"Don't say it-"
"Getting drunk," she laughed, grabbing the keys to her liquor basement.
"Make good choices and stay within the castle walls."
"Drunk Wynonna cannot be stopped by anything, not even her sober sister's rules," she cackled on her way out. "I'll update you tomorrow morning!"
The older Earp sister rushed to the basement, grabbing a jar of mead and a bottle of rum before running to Haught's room. She knocked on the door with the bottle, hearing Nicole invite her in soon after. The young knight was hunched over her desk with a few sealed letters by her left arm. Wynonna placed the mead on the stack of finished notes and took her place on Haught's bed.
"So, what are your tactics, strat brat?" she smiled.
"Let me finish this then I'll tell you," Nicole whispered, focused on her letters. After a few minutes, she removed her signet ring to seal the letter. She opened the mead jar and sniffed it, smiling at the sweet aroma. "Mead, getting fancy, she smirked." Nicole took a long swig from the ceramic pot before explaining herself. "So, I was hypothesizing that Dolls and I would infiltrate the Revenant's camp sometime near the end of February and kill some of the sleeping troops. It'll make it easier for us. We could also have the older citizens and non-battle ready Purgatorians learn archery. Do you have anyone who can teach them?"
"I know we have a family of hunters who are great with an arrow and a spear," Wynonna thought before taking a sip of her liquor. "I'll have them train the others, then. Was that all?"
"Well, it's something," Nicole shrugged, curiously watching her mistress as she slid off of the bed, legs splayed out in a wide V. "What was it like growing up here?"
Wynonna patted the open spot next to her, "Pop a squat, flammenkopf" Nicole cocked her head to the side and joined her. "Bring the mead, I need a nip if I'm gonna tell you this stuff." she ruefully chuckled. "I hated growing up here. Every day was another lesson or shadowing my father as he poorly presided over his subjects. I almost wish I was raised to be married off like my sisters, at least they were allowed to socialize with other people their age."
"I can see why you want mead," Nicole noted as her mistress mixed the rest of her rum with the sweet spirit. "Oh, I didn't want that."
Wynonna perked up her eyebrows for a moment before continuing, "The only people I was close to were the Gardners, an old Purgatory family. The heads of the house were aloof, to say the least, and their kids were pricks, well except for… no, even Mercedes," she finished with a snicker. As Nicole took a drink of the new brew, Wynona continued, "It's funny, I haven't seen Mercedes in years. She was the only person my age who was nice to me, well to an extent."
"What do you mean by that?"
"She is an interesting character, even compared to me," Wynonna began. "She was the life of the party while her family somehow knew how to suck the joy out of every event they attended. I remember thinking Milo and Grace were vampires because I never saw them in daylight."
"Where are they now?"
"Milo and Grace are dead and so is their son, Tucker. I think Beth is still in the house and keeping track of their money while Mercedes is most definitely traveling," she pondered with a nostalgic grin. "She was the one that inspired me to leave, you know."
"I didn't know that."
"She was the only person who didn't blame me… so when she said she was going to explore Europe with her cousin I tagged along. Don't tell Waves, I think she'd get the wrong idea..." Wynonna trailed off, distracted as the young knight finished off their rum-mead in three loud gulps. "I can't believe you hogged the rum. Okay, then. What about you? What was your childhood like?"
"I don't really remember. I try not to remember."
"A bit dramatic, why?" she prodded, lapping up the last drop of liquor, glumly sighing, "Why is the rum gone?"
"Because I hogged it, smartass," she scoffed, "I just remember the academy. It took up most of my life anyway."
"Is there any reason why you've blocked out the memories, Thespis?"
Nicole shrugged and stood up, slightly swaying from the booze, "No, I guess it just wasn't important enough. I don't even remember my actual family."
"Actual family?"
"You've seen my heraldry, right?"
"I haven't studied it."
"I have a bend sinister on it because the Haughts are not my true relatives."
"Do you recall anything about your actual parents or how you ended up with the Haughts?"
"Not really, they celebrate my age for when they brought me in," she nonchalantly explained as she went through her dresser drawer to retrieve another bottle of liquor.
"Ooh, a secret stash, naughty-Haughty," she taunted. "Well, what do you remember from the academy?"
"It was so strict but the cooks were really nice to me. They always gave me the largest roll for dinner and lunch," she recalled with a grin. "But outside of the galley, everyone had to be perfect, almost perfect. We were a unit from twelve to eighteen for the most part but I began my mentorship early."
"Try-hard."
"It helps when you're the favorite."
"I'm sure you were everyone's fav," she snickered, taking a drink from the strong brew. "What is this poison, Nicole?"
"Practically moonshine, newb." Nicole took a long drink from her bottle, gagging at the burning liquid. "Oh my lord, that is vile."
"See."
"I'm not going to waste it, maybe just down it," she suggested taking a longer swig from the bottle. "Oh, nope, nope. I can't, it's too gross."
"Where the hell did you get this?"
Nicole coughed a few times before answering, "From this polack a month ago." She read the bottle and recited, "Jan Mikołaj Miączyński. Poison… poison… actual poison."
"Well, follow me Reddy-Setty-Haught, I want you to meet a fairy," she joked.
Nicole choked down half of the bottle of liquor, the world spinning as she swallowed the strong ethanol. "What?"
"I got this liquor that I've been meaning to try, come on," she giddily laughed, dragging Haught out of her room with the bottle tucked against her chest. "Stand up you fiend."
Nicole stumbled to her knees, crawling to her feet as she caught up to her friend. She slung her arm around the back of her neck and asked, "So, who is this fairy you speak of? Ariel, Titania, Oberon, Puck, Mustardseed," she mumbled.
"Mustardseed?"
"Shakespeare!" Nicole exclaimed. "I think I might be sick."
"What a lightweight."
"Go on then, I gave you about the same amount I had. Why don't you catch up?" she laughed, lifting the bottle to the Lady's lips. "Come on, drink at least a bit of it."
"Fine," she whispered, downing the bottle. "How much was this, Haught?"
"Five pence."
"I can't believe you two," Waverly piped in from her room. Nicole ducked behind the elder Earp, holding onto her waist. "I can- nevermind. Don't be stupid I want you back by dawn."
"So I can go outside?" she beamed, shaking as Nicole used her to stand back up with her chin resting on her shoulder. Wynonna patted her face, "I'll take good care of you."
Nicole nodded and clung to her while she was led to the basement in her drunken blackout. She closed her eyes as her head dizzily lolled around her neck, the walls spinning until it hypnotized her into a dead stupor. Getting completely wasted seemed to be the only way for her to self-reflect sometimes. Nicole closed her eyes, trying to block out the world as she ingested every drop Wynonna gave her. Old memories and dreams seemed to constrict her thoughts.
It wasn't a lie, she couldn't remember her childhood, not in full sequences, just fragments. She could recall that she was young but all she saw were James and Cameron in their parlor room, kneeling before her with Dacien and Finnian playing in the corner. Glimpses of the ancestral halls she would soon call her home and flashes of her siblings. Echos of questions from Cameron asking her if she knew where her parents were while James talked to their wet nurse who must have known more about her. Nicole's vision cleared when water began to be poured onto her face, but everything went dark again. She thought back on her nurse wiping her face with a rag, scrubbing as she soothed her. Everything was dark around them, only flickering light in her sight as she focused on the dark-skinned woman.
"Oi!" a loud voice called to her through her hallucination. Nicole was slapped back into reality as Wynonna took out some flatbread. "Eat something, we're going on a booze cruise, Red." She hoisted her up and led her from the basement to a side gate.
She gripped onto the Lady's lapel and revealed, "I remember something. My childhood-"
"Shh, it's way past curfew, we have to be quiet," she intently whispered.
"Okay, shh, yeah," she mumbled as she blacked out yet again.
Nicole always had trouble getting along with her older siblings. Dacian was a self-righteous prude who found it far too difficult to accept a bastard into his family. She fought with him endlessly, even when she returned from the war in Italy, he wasn't quite amicable. She remembered the fight that sealed their fate, a tussle when she was ten that ended in him with a broken nose and her broken hand. Her older brother always managed to know more than her about her past. He never said more than he must have been allowed to but he tended to call her Bulshar's Bastard when they fought. Nicole never understood but as she grew older and traveled around the kingdom, she found traces of her past everywhere she went. Not enough to piece together, but flashes from the scars she guerdonned and the connections she fostered.
Haught flickered back into her true realm, head falling forward as she locked eyes with Wynonna. Their hands clasped while they battled over strength. They wrestled for position, Nicole unable to muster her weak muscles to beat her opponent. She twisted her hand and threw her competitor's arm down into the table with enough momentum for her to fall out of her own seat. She closed her eyes in pain, only opening them when she felt pressure on her diaphragm.
"What the heck?" she gasped, cracking her eyes open. Wynonna loomed over her with a glass of water tipping, a bit dribbling on her lips and in her nose until she opened her mouth.
"Oh! You remembered something from her childhood."
In her lucid state, Nicole sat up and downed the water. Wynonna slid off, leaning against the table. "Yeah. I'm Bulshar's Bastard," she chuckled.
Wynonna choked on wine, chuckling after swallowing her drink. "What?"
"I just need to get in contact with Dacian."
"Da-what?"
"No, wait…" Nicole gulped for a moment, her eyes rolling to the back of her head as she collapsed again. "Brother. My brother… ugh…" she droned. "Where are we?"
"Bruin's Inn."
"Where is that?"
"You found it."
"Are we in Haven or Derelict?"
"Haven," she confirmed, lying down next to her. "So you're a cultist's bastard daughter and I'm doomed to deal with Revenants."
"Cultist? I don't… that's not true… shit," she tittered. Nicole covered her eyes and punched Wynonna in the side.
"What was that for?" she groaned, curling in pain. "Oh my god, I think I'm-" Wynonna rushed to the chamber pot, far out Nicole's sight.
"Sorry, I thought it was gonna be a love tap."
"Ugh… I feel better now," she sighed with her head against the wall before passing out.
Nicole shot up out of her sleep, a major headache pulsing in her skull from the night before. She licked her lips, only tasting the previous score's bile, and looked around the room in search of Wynonna. With her head pounding relentlessly, there was no way she could recall how they got here nor what they had talked about before inevitably passing out. All she remembered was that she had not drunk that much since her time in London, but now she couldn't bounce back as easily. Nicole slowly walked to the door, the handle getting rammed into her pelvis.
"Shit," she grumbled in pain.
"Oof," Wynonna sympathized, and then offered, "I brought food."
"Thank you, I can feel the inside of my stomach eating itself." Nicole took a plate loaded with sausage, potatoes, and buttered bread, sitting on the ground while her partner in crime set down two glasses of cheap wine. "I can't even look at that right now."
"Come on, hair of the dog that bit you," she tried to convince her.
"I know, but just looking at it makes my stomach churn." Nicole closed her eyes and sipped from the wooden cup. "I feel like such a chump."
"Better than a Champ."
"Excuse me?"
"Don't worry about it. Why?" she inquired, setting her plate across from her friend.
"I just feel guilty about how I talked to one of my friends," she tried to explain. "I was very rude to her but I feel if I write to apologize they- nevermind. I can't focus right now." Nicole chuckled, shielding her eyes from the sun before taking another bite of her meal. "Do you ever have weird dreams when you drink?"
"I never remember." Wynonna began to gather her belongings, picking up a coat, "Yours?"
"No. I just- I had the strangest fever dream."
"About?" she asked, picking through the pockets.
"Wynonna," she berated before describing, "I'm not sure, but it felt nostalgic."
She pulled out a coin bag and knife, pocketing them both. "I think… you said something about your childhood? Hey, you were stationed in Haven, right?"
"I was supposed to be but I never came here. Derelict was a heavy job," she yawned. "Back to my childhood, did you remember anything I said?"
"We should talk to Loblaw, maybe get some help from her. Maybe later," she noted looking at herself in the grimy reflection of their mirror. "Do you ever wonder what people do in here?"
"Wynonna!"
"Oh, um… Mason, you said something about Mason or Casey… Darcy?"
"I don't know anyone by those names," she mumbled.
"Excuse the fuck outta me, then. Oh," she gasped, "Bulshar, you definitely said that name last night."
"I don't know that name either," she sighed in a defeated tone.
"I do. Come on, Waves is expecting us," Wynonna sighed opening the door to the blinding morning light. "Jesus shit."
"Oh my… ugh, pfft," she huffed. "How did we get here?"
"I think we walked, I did. I don't see any horses here. Let's go, we have a ways back home."
"Why do I always get into things with you."
"You make that sound like it's a bad thing," she joked, catching a glare from Nicole, "It's supposed to be fun. You had fun, didn't you?"
Haught rolled her eyes to hide her smirk, "I need a drink."
"I got you covered, but now you've opened a tab with me, so…" she smirked, pulling out a flask as they made their way from the lodge to the main road.
"Oh my god. No, thank you."
"I have to say, Haught, you're kind of a lightweight."
"I just really wanted to get drunk. The only Pressmans who partake in libations are Joseph and Shaelynn, other than that, pious prudes."
"Damn, if you think they're prude they must be saints."
"Shut up," she chuckled. "Do you think it could have been a different name I told you?"
"I honestly don't know. You were pretty drunk."
"You were pretty drunk," she huffed back as they meandered down the dirt road.
"Where were you two?"
"Shh, please be quiet," Wynonna commanded her sister. She stood across from Nicole, now dressed and clean of the filth and grime they must have stumbled through last night. "We're busy, Waves."
"Doing what?"
Wynonna closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sobering up, to be honest. You can punish us with your motherly tone later."
"Nicole?" she pled, Haught clicked her teeth and glanced away. "Wow, okay."
"Shit," Nicole cursed as the younger Earp left. "I'm in the dog house."
"Trust me, you were already there." Wynonna sighed. "Now back to- are you listening, Haught-stroke?"
"Yes, sorry."
"So, I thought I recognized the name you mentioned last night, Bulshar. When I was going through my uncle's journals, I found this excerpt in one he had written in when he was… twenty," she paused, looking through the dates on his small leather-bound diaries. "Here. So, he says that my dad mentioned him on a hunting trip. Something about the game being low because Bulshar was encroaching upon our fief again. Um… other than that, he only mentions him a few other times and it's all stuff my father tells him. That's all I know, take these, maybe you'll find something I couldn't," Wynonna offered. She rested against the desk, watching her friend's mixed emotions. "Go, you are dismissed, Nicacado."
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
Nicole grabbed the journals and followed the sound of echoing footsteps, jogging until she caught up with her partner. "Hey, I'm sorry. Um… we can-"
"What's going on, Nicki?"
"What?" she defensively reflected, clutching the journals to her chest.
"The weirdness two nights ago, the secrecy, letting Wynonna kick me out, what's going on? I'm starting to worry about you," she wearily inquired, restless tears in her eyes, which she quickly darted away.
"I'm just trying to figure some stuff out," she stumbled, taken aback by her tone. "Look, I'll make it up to you. Let's take a turn around the halls."
"How about outside, fewer ears to listen in."
"Okay, I just need to drop some stuff off," she promised, rushing to her room while Waverly returned to Curtis' office.
She rapped on the door frame, watching her sister pour over a few letters she had received. "Did she tell you anything last night?"
"Nothing that made any coherent sense," she partially lied. "I know she felt really bad about being standoffish to you, that's for damn sure. She wouldn't shut up about how guilty she felt."
"Oh, but nothing about why she was acting like that."
"Nothing that didn't make sense."
Waverly nodded, then paused. "That's a double negative, Wynonna."
Her sister's eyes went wide for a brief moment, "No, er- wait. Nevermind. I'm busy."
"Did you lie to me? What did she tell you?"
"It's very complicated, and I see the flame-head at the end of the hallway, ask her yourself," she quickly explained, ushering her out. "Have fun, be safe, and be back by dawn."
"Wynonna!"
"What was that?" Nicole inquired as she approached her partner.
"Wynonna being Wynonna, come on," Waverly sighed, slipping her hand in her lover's and leading the way. "How was last night's exploits?"
"It's still coming back to me but a night to remember… and forget. Not my proudest moment," she scoffed. "What have you been up to since we chatted?"
"Oh, I spoke with Gus about our wool export, that was fun," she sarcastically recalled. "Not as much fun as getting completely lagered, I would imagine."
"It had its ups and downs. Um…" Nicole released her hand and trailed off as they left the boundaries of the Earp manor. "I don't think I'll be doing that anytime soon."
The young couple silently meandered around the glades until they reached the secluded stream of the Purgatory woods. The wind rustled through the bare branches enough for clumps of old slushy snow to fall in their hair and clothes. A playful electricity spontaneously flooded Waverly's spirit while they continued their tiresome trek through the juniper and old barren oaks. She didn't quite understand why they came out so far until she spotted her familiar fallen tree and now frozen stream. Nicole brushed off the snow and sat down, feeling the petrified lumber bow under the new weight in its frail condition.
"How did you remember where this was," Waverly asked, sitting by her side.
"I kept coming here after we met. It's a peaceful spot to rest. I can see why you escaped here in the fall," she simply explained. Nicole looked at the frozen twigs and rocks beneath the stream's thin ice, watching as they flowed beneath before getting caught in the slightly thicker areas that graced the pebbles. "I'm sorry for acting like an asshole. I really should have explained how I was feeling."
"How were you feeling?" she carefully inquired.
Nicole pondered the question and responded, "Confused."
"Why?"
"That's not the right word, maybe… guilty and confused? Or pity. I shouldn't have asked to talk with you."
"No, no, no. Speak your mind, what's going on? Is it about the Revenants? Did something happen in Leeds?" Waverly gently pressed. "I'm just curious."
"Yes to both," she confirmed, catching her partner's concerned and slightly jealous eye. "Not what I think you think."
"What do you think I think?" Waverly asked.
Nicole took a deep breath and shrugged. "I got into a disagreement with Shaelynn when I left. One of my few… people I am- or was- close to. I just feel bad for being so regrettably vile towards her before I returned. I shouldn't have been so impulsive."
Waverly silently nodded, watching as Nicole refused to meet her gaze. "Were you two close, and you know what I mean by that."
She rolled her eyes behind closed lids and took Waverly's hand, "Yes, but not since last year."
"Is she the only other person you've been with." The younger Earp brushed her thumb against the back of her partner's hand as she watched for her tells.
"My conversation with Shae is what bothers me the most," she informed her. "Why were you snooping through my address book?"
"I was just curious… I'm sorry."
"I'm not mad, I just wanted to know what you thought you'd find."
"I'm not sure. I felt the need to know what was bothering you," she processed, looking down at their hands.
"Please don't do that next time," she grumbled in a lower tone. "Trust that I will tell you what's going on."
"I'm sorry," Waverly apologized, a flash of vexation when her love pulled away from her grasp. "Why-"
"Wait," Nicole whispered.
"Well, well, well, look at this," a rough voice flatly interrupted in the woods. "Little Waverly and her new boo."
Her eyes flicked about the monochromatic woods to find the source. She whipped around to spot a gruff looking man in the distance. The snow deafened his steps as he crept closer to them, every tattoo becoming clearer as he approached them. Nicole turned back around, spotting a few different Revenants in the distance. She dropped from the tree into the stream, the ice cracking and nicking her ankles while frozen water soaked into her trousers.
"Baby, you need to go," she whispered.
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Fine," she whispered, "but you don't have a weapon."
"Do you think I don't carry something to defend myself?" Waverly asked.
"Whatcha packin'?" Nicole asked, drawing her short sword.
"Nothing deadly, but if I whap 'em hard enough it should get the job done," she nervously smiled.
Haught counted their opponents, two against four. In her mind, she just wanted to be sure that they could at least fend them off until an opening came in to escape. As they encroached upon the fallen tree, Nicole glanced at their armes One of them had a bow and arrow- meaning she had to be taken out first-, two had bludgeons- which scared her for Waverly- and the last brandished a shortsword.
She took a deep breath and waited for the Revenants to get closer before taking on the great beast with a club, dodging a loaded blow that made a deep crater in the snow. He head-butted Nicole in her side, knocking the breath out of her.
She stumbled to the side and quickly slashed at his obliques which merely exposed his skin to the open air. Her opponent hopped away as he loaded up another strike, this one aimed at her shoulder. Nicole rushed at him, her blade pointed for a jab into his gut. He let the blow land back in the snow, using it as a crutch for his kick to her body.
She landed on the frozen ground, trying to regain her footing after the attack. She crawled back to her sword while he chuckled at her pain. Nicole gasped for a breath before scrambling to her feet and looking around for Waverly. She gasped again and stumbled forward as a piercing pain tore through her leg, an arrow now sticking from her thigh. Nicole broke off the long end of the arrow and chased the archer who got a few more shots off that merely scratched her arm and flew past her shoulder before she had tackled her to the ground. Nicole used the hilt of her sword to knock her out, bringing her sword back up for a fatal strike.
"NICOLE!" Waverly shrieked.
Haught whipped around at the sound of her name to see the large brute throwing another shot to her head. She rolled partially out of the way with her shortsword pointed up. He groaned in pain as he impaled himself on her weapon and fell to his knees. Nicole tore her blade through his stomach and ran to help Waverly who was dealing with the fellow with a short sword. She never noticed what Waverly had, but she whipped her assailant with a short wooden staff, rolling and avoiding most of his slashing and jabbing strikes.
Nicole took a heavy blow to the back and fell hard enough to feel her knees crack against the icy soil. She glanced over her shoulder, ducking under another blow that would have most definitely killed her. The bulky young man swung his ax to her back, falling from a patch of icy grass. Nicole let out a small chuckle at his feeble attempt to regain his footing. She kicked the heavy weapon from his hands and stuck her sword into his neck, watching as he spasmed and died with a gurgling blood-filled scream.
Waverly dodged a slash from the Revenant and jabbed him in the stomach, leaving Nicole to give him a mortal stab to his ribs, the shortsword twisting out of her hands as it became wedged in his costal muscles. Nicole ripped it out of his chest and took Waverly's hand.
"Come on," she heaved, running with her back to Purgatory.
"Oh my god, your back!"
"We have to go!" she repeated, dragging Waverly along.
They raced from the woods, blood dripping through her clothes, as they drew the attention of their citizens. Nicole's body seared with adrenaline while it tried to stave off the pain until she could rest. It wasn't until they reached the gates that she finally collapsed from pain and exhaustion that the blows she had dealt on her. Waverly knelt by her side, shaking her as her partner went into shock, but the guards quickly lifted her to her feet and dragged her to the only apothecary in town. Nicole clenched her jaw as her peers lugged her from the gates back out through the streets. She heard Waverly's concerned voice echo through the village, calling even more attention to the scene. Haught craned her neck around, desperately looking for her.
In her current adrenaline-laced panic, she called back to Waverly, "Go tell Wynonna!"
Waverly rushed to her side, Croft behind her, trying to lead her away, "But what about-"
"I'm fine, I'll be fine," she seethed as one of the guards pressed his hand against the slice on her back. "Alonzo, careful."
"Sorry, Madam." he quickly apologized.
"Go, Waves."
"But-"
"Crofte," she commanded their servant.
She gritted her teeth as the guards laid her on the table, their local medical man going to work on her while commanding the guards to hold her down. The sounds around her echoed to the low beat of blood pulsing in her heart and head. She involuntarily yelped in pain as the apothecary pulled the arrow out of her leg and roughly pressed a cloth against her leg. Nicole tried to fight back, her arms getting squeezed and held against the bed, while the professional's assistant prepared a bandage. She gritted her teeth tight enough to make her jaw hurt while her caretaker wrapped her thigh up.
Haught noticed the elder gentleman speaking to her, nodding while he commanded the guards for more help. She was rolled to her side, feeling cold air make contact with her back when he split open her corset. With all eyes on her, Nicole felt hot embarrassment reach her cheeks, only stopped when Ezekiel knelt down before her, trying to console his peer.
"What are they doing?" she murmured in her more lucid moment.
He glanced over her shoulder and explained, "He's numbing your back with something. What happened?"
Nicole shook her head, "Revenants in the woods. I know two are dead but the other's I'm not- I don't know." Her eyes rolled to the back of her skull for a moment while she tried to fight off the encroaching darkness.
"Hey, stay with us," he tried while slapping her hand, earning a weak nod. "Tell me-"
"What's going on?" Wynonna asked as she was briefed about the situation.
"Wynonna?" she wearily asked.
"Please, I just need a bit more time, Earp," the apothecary huffed, his voice fading out like Nicole's consciousness.
Haught opened her eyes, exhausted from the pain she endured, but let her head fall to the side. She noted the stark darkness that surrounded her, suffocating her of the human contact she needed to distract herself. She let out a small sigh- which hurt her back- and looked around the dark room she was in. The way the cloudy moon lit up her room with shadows cast to look like ghostly specters along the foot of her bed. Nicole squeezed her eyes shut, a low groan escaping her lips when she rubbed her back against the bed.
"Nicole?" someone asked in the darkness. Earning no response, they continued, "It's god."
"Wynonna?" she scoffed.
"Yeah," she nodded, "I can't see shit, the lantern went out and now I-"
"Where am I?"
"Your room," she explained, stumbling through the pitch-black room. "What happened?" After a few more minutes of silence, she found her bed and sat down, "You still awake, Haughty-body?"
"Yes," she whispered. "We were out in the woods and got ambushed by a few revenants."
"Looks like they got a few good hits in," Wynonna mentioned, "and you, too. Did you see where they went?"
"No, I told Waverly to run. Where is she?"
"She's fine, I think she's asleep. I told her I'd keep watch."
"With no light."
"The lantern went out," she explained again. "Sounds like you held your own from what Waves said."
"Your sister was pretty impressive, too. Where'd she learn to fight like that?"
"I wouldn't know." Wynonna stood back up, looking around in the black room. "I'm just gonna sleep on the ground."
They rested in silence for a while with the sounds of the guards talking below them and the servants bustling about the halls. Nicole looked at the ceiling and then to the drawn curtains which revealed the starry night.
"Hey, you still awake?" she inquired.
"Yup."
"You got your flask?"
"No," she chuckled. "Besides, I'm not sure you could actually hold anything in with all the holes you got in you now."