Poem is "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" by anonymous. Chapter is rated M for mature sexual content.
Chapter 16: The Grave
The next morning, Lilly and Arthur made an announcement to the whole camp about their engagement and everyone was ecstatic. Da and Athair said they'd pay for a proper wedding, although Arthur and Lilly felt they had to get married immediately. When Dutch and Hosea asked why, Lilly looked at Arthur as if asking for his approval.
"It's your letter, darlin'," he said. "It ain't up to me."
Lilly smiled, took a shaky breath in, and gave both her adoptive fathers the letter from the twelfth Earl of Galway. "I will answer questions after you finish readin', not before" Lilly said in a stern voice.
As both the men sat down to read the letter, Susan came up to Arthur with a letter for him. "Huh, speakin' of letters," Arthur chuckled. "Who is it from?"
Lilly bit into an apple and began to chew when Miss Grimshaw said who it was from. Arthur's ex-fianceé, Mary Gillis. Lilly almost choked on her apple. "Ha! We both got letters from our former betrothals! Right after gettin' engaged, too! That's feckin' hilarious!"
A cackle escaped Arthur and Lilly offered him the apple. "Mm, thank you," he said as he bit and chewed. "It says Mary Linton," Arthur spoke with a mouthful of food.
Lilly took another bite and smacked as she chewed. "She musta got married, mo chuisle. Well, read the damn thing. I gotta go answer questions. Show me after, 'kay babe?"
Arthur wheezed out a laugh. "That pet name is so peculiar."
"You don't like it?" Lilly offered him the apple again and he took a bite gratefully.
"Ionno, I ain't never heard it before, babe."
Lilly finished chewing with a giggle and took another bite. "Mmm, well, shit." Lilly slapped him on the butt.
"Ow!" he said with a laugh.
"Oh that didn't even hurt, ya big baby!"
Arthur grabbed her ass and pulled her close. It made her yelp. "You're my baby..."
Lilly broke into a giggle fit as she blushed. "Arthur, that's...are ya into that sort of thing?"
"I have no idea."
"Lilly?" Dutch and Hosea called her over.
Lilly kissed Arthur's cheek and as she turned to walk away, she heard a muffled slap and felt a sting on her butt cheek. "Ow! Arthur!" she laughed
"Who's the big baby now?" he yelled playfully.
Lilly rolled her eyes and sat down with her fathers. "Hi."
"The Emerald Star?" Dutch asked. "You were on The Emerald Star?"
"Yes."
"Did you know Sean and his father were on it too?"
Lilly, for a moment, felt a sense of panic but she did not let it show.
5-year-old Lilly rocked her crying baby brother as the boat hit the water. She could hear people screaming and dying and she wanted to cover her ears but Lilly had to comfort her brother. James was more terrified than she was. Brian put an arm around her. "Hey. We'll be fine, deirfiúr beag." [little sister.]
Lilly started crying. "But Mummy and Daddy and Janet...they're gone! I saw them go!"
Brian kissed her auburn hair and rocked with her. "You remember the lullaby Mum used to sing to you?"
"Y-Yes?"
"Why don't ya sing it tah wee Jamie here?"
Lilly gaped at him. "Brian, ya know how I feel about that! Ya know what will happen!"
"I know, but it's not like I'm askin' ya tah shout," Brian whispered. "Do it for Jamie, aye?"
Lilly stared around at everyone bashfully, then looked down at the crying bairn. "But I can't do it. I can't stand seein' people...look like that when I sing."
The man from before scooted over to Lilly with his son. "Hey there, lass. It seems to me ya got an ear fer music?"
"...I do, sir."
"Well, I fer one could use a song tah comfort me. As could me son. How about everyone else?" The man looked around. "We could all use a song right now."
When everyone on the boat agreed with the statement, Lilly looked at everyone and frowned. "Okay. Don't say I didn't warn ya all." She looked at wee Jamie and began to sing.
Suantraí sí, a linbhín [Fairy lullaby, my little child]
Luasc go mall sa chliabhán [Swing slowly in the cradle]
Lú lá luí, a linbhín. [Lu la lee, my little child]
Dún do shúil, a naíonáin [Close your eyes, little infant]
Everbody in the boat stared at her wide eyed, including James and Brian. There was something in her voice that was angelic. It had an echo that bounced over the water and soon everyone on the ship and in the lifeboats within earshot stopped crying and screaming.
Seoithín seoithín seoithín seó. [Lulla, lulla, lullaby]
Seoithín seoithín seoithín seó [Lulla, lulla, lullaby]
Seoithín seoithín seoithín seó [Lulla, lulla, lullaby]
Suantraí sí, a linbhín, [Fairy lullaby, my little child]
A thaiscidh, a stór [My darling, my love]
Lilly gandered around at everyone looking at her. As per usual, the pupils of their eyes were dialated. She looked at James and Brian. Their eyes were too. She hated doing this to people.
Luí go socair, luí go ciúin [Lie quietly, lie calmly]
Codladh sámh, a ghrághil [Sleep well, little fair one]
Fan id' shuan, a thaiscidh buan [Stay asleep forever, my love]
Go n-éirí tú ar maidin [Til you wake in the morning]
When the song was finished, James was asleep and Lilly sighed in relief. She dared not look up at anyone but the man patted her shoulder and she stared at him. He was smiling. "Now that is a very good song. Me wife would sing it tah me son here. Ya sung it well, lassie."
Lilly smiled. Brian did too. "Thank you, Mr..."
"MacGuire. Darragh MacGuirre. And this is me son, Sean."
"Hey, Lilly!" Hosea snapped his fingers and Lilly shook herself out of the memory.
"Oh, sorry. What was the question?" she asked.
"Did you know Sean was on The Emerald Star?" Dutch repeated.
"I think he mentioned it a while ago, yeah. Next question," she said with a bite of the apple.
"Your family died on the ship?"
"Yes. Aside from James and Brian and me. Next."
"Your birthright?"
Lilly groaned. "Okay, uh...my father. He was..." Lilly sighed. "I'm the second Countess of Moycullen."
They both went slack-jawed. "You're a noble?"
"Yes, but only because my father was given the title of Earl and was knighted. My mom was made Countess, so that makes me the second one."
"What did he do?"
"Um, Sir Liam endorsed him. Life long friends, you see. Ahem, next!"
"Nasty business in Saint Denis?"
"Nope. Next."
The men laughed. "Okay, uh...Dara...what?"
"Darach ar an gCnoc. Oak on the Hill. Our estate. It was a manor."
"You lived in a manor?"
Lilly sighed. "Really, Da. Molly is high born, why is my past in Ireland so surprisin'?"
"Because it was never brought up until now, and you're...well," Dutch looked at Hosea, then back at Lilly. "You two are apples and oranges."
"She was raised different. Next."
"So, this Patrick guy. What makes him think he can just pluck you from your life here?" Dutch asked humorously.
"We had an arranged marriage."
Dutch raised a brow. "Huh. Okay. That explains why you guys want to get married so quickly."
"Wait a second," Hosea interjected as he waved his hand and lowered his head. "How..." Hosea raised his head with a confused expression. "Forgive my lack of knowledge on the subject, but if he marries you, how will you...well..."
"Provide an heir? I can't. I told Mr. Pierce, his...manservant, that much. Royal Decree or not, Sir Patrick won't have any legal reason to hold me to the obligation. But, um...I do remember him bein' quite adamant about our engagement."
"How adamant?"
Lilly held her forehead. "He called me the "light of his heart. And he would brag to everyone about our engagement. Everyone. So, even as a little girl, I was the object of envy for every god damn lass within fifty fuckin' miles and the apple of every lad's eye within twice the distance. Not to mention he spent the last fourteen years lookin' for me. You think he'll just give up?"
"Good point."
"Well shit," Dutch said as he looked at Hosea. "Time to break out her marriage savings."
Lilly gaped at them both. "What?"
"We've been savin' up for this. And we were smart about it. We put it all in a bank," Hosea explained.
"...How much have ya saved?" Lilly asked.
"About, oh...seventeen thousand dollars."
"...You saved all that money and you aren't usin' it to get us the fuck outta here?!"
"No. You and Arthur deserve a real wedding," Dutch said.
"Arthur!" Lilly yelled. "Get over here! Now, please?!"
Arthur came over looking grim. "Yes, Lilly?"
Lilly saw his expression. "Okay, what is the priority right now? The letter you got or the fact that these two god damn knuckleheads have seventeen fuckin' thousand dollars saved in the bank for my...our wedding?!"
"Hmm." Arthur smiled at both the men. "You managed to get that much?"
"Wait, you knew about this?"
"Yup. I put money into it too. As did most everyone here." Lilly blinked a few times. Arthur sat down next to her and laughed. "What's wrong?"
"I think I'm havin' a feckin' stroke or I've gone into some other dimension where a well paid wedding takes precedence over survival! Well, I will not be acceptin' that money! We need it for the gang!"
"That amount ain't enough to get us out of this mess, Lilly," Arthur said.
"But it's a good feckin' start!"
"Now Lillian, be reasonable here," Dutch said. "You are my daughter, you are Hosea's daughter, and you are goin' to be Arthur's wife. You, especially, deserve a very nice wedding fit for a...Countess."
"A handfasting would be good enough," Lilly said angrily. "And yes, ya won't know what it is but it is where the term "tyin' the knot" came from. It is literally tyin' a knot while the groom and bride hold hands. Very old Irish tradition. Very old West European tradition that is actually taken very seriously."
"Then we'll put it in the wedding!" Arthur snapped. "Lillian! What is-"
"And what about a dress?! If ya think I'm gonna be wearin' a dress, think again!"
Arthur cocked his head to one side and glared at Lilly. "You're not wearin' a dress? Not even for your own wedding?"
"Nope!"
"But Lilly! You have to wear a dress!"
"The fuck I do! I don't need a god damn fancy wedding! I don't need a god damn dress! I don't need seventeen thousand dollars to have a wedding!!! I'M NOT DOING IT!"
Dutch and Hosea snapped up and backed away, but Arthur, of course did not. He smiled at her. "You know that don't work on me."
Lilly smirked, then looked at Dutch and Hosea. "I'M NOT-"
Arthur grabbed her face and kissed her deeply. "Please? How can you not want a real wedding? You were gonna get one with Patrick so I know you thought about it like any other little girl. It's what all little girls think about."
"No they don't. Expensive weddings are for rich people. We ain't rich."
"How much is your estate worth?"
"...What?"
"Darach ar an gCnoc. What is it worth?"
Lilly sighed. "Well, if it's been kept up and maintained..." Lilly looked at all three men. "Just over two hundred twenty thousand pounds."
Dutch and Hosea sat back down. "How many dollars is that?" Arthur asked.
Lilly blushed and lowered her head. "Two hundred eighty thousand dollars. But that's if it's been maintained over the years and I doubt it has."
"What about acreage? How much is that worth?"
"...at least a hundred thousand dollars. But Arthur, how am I supposed to sell it? I'd have to go over there!"
"Then let's do it!"
"...What?"
"You and me. Let's go over to Ireland and see what you got!"
"But...that would take forever!"
"No it wouldn't! It would take us, what? Maybe half a week by train to get to New York. It would take us a week, maybe a week and a half to get to Galway by boat! How long would it take to get to your estate?"
"Just a couple hours, I would think. But who is goin' to want a run down old...no we can't. We need to get Sean back first! I'm not leavin' him in Blackwater! And we don't even have money to get...to..." Lilly paused and looked at her fathers. They were smiling.
"We'll lend you the money from your savings account. Think of it as an investment to get us the hell outta here and back out west. Hell, we could move everyone to a new country if we wanted!"
"Lillian." Arthur held her face and kissed her lips. "Patrick can't find you if you ain't in the country, can he?"
Lilly repressed a smile. "...You brilliant eejit! But I want us to be married first! The handfasting will do...for now. But when we get back...we'll get married. And then we will get the hell...oh no."
"What?"
"I...I don't know if I can handle goin' on another ship, Arthur."
"We'll bring your tea."
Lilly looked at Dutch and Hosea. "And what about you guys? Can you handle things while we're gone?"
"Of course!" Hosea said. "We may be old, but we're not senile!"
Lilly laughed and looked at Arthur with a big smile. "Okay. Let's do it. We do a handfastin', get Sean back, and then we go. Molly!!!" Lilly got up and started jogging around. "Molly! I need a favor! Oh shit! Arthur!" Lilly turned back around. "What did Mary want?"
Dutch and Hosea looked at Arthur in shock. Arthur frowned. "She needs my help with somethin' but I-"
"Oh go do it!"
"Really?"
"Yes! I know ya need yer knight in shinin' armor fix since I ain't a damsel in distress and I trust ya! Go do it! Molly!" Lilly went walking around. "Molly, where ya at?!"
Lilly passed by Kieran Duffy, the O'Driscoll gang member they caught up in Colter. He was still tied to a tree. "Please, Miss O'Callaghan. I can't stay tied up any more."
Lilly stopped and looked at him with a devilish smirk. "Well, ya better start talkin', then."
"I told ya, I don't know nothin'," he begged pathetically.
Lilly sighed. The man sounded hoarse. Lilly opened her canteen of water. "Thirsty?"
"Yes," he said with his head bowed.
Lilly approached him and gave him some water to drink. "There you go. Oh, have the rest if you want, ya greedy little piggy. I can always get more."
Kieran finished it all off and took a few breaths. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now..." Lilly looked around for a chair. When she didn't find one, she sat on the ground with her legs crossed and her knees help up by her inner arms. "So, you gotta know somethin', man. I hate seein' you like this."
"...You do?"
"Of course! You seem like a decent man. But you gotta know somethin'. Colm O'Driscoll ain't got no love for any of his members. Why are ya bein' loyal?"
"I...I don't know. I just, I don't like bein' disloyal." The man bowed his head again.
"Hmm, I can understand that. But how long you been runnin' with them boys?"
"Only a little while."
"Hmm. Well, you know my Da over there? He just loves loyalty. So, how about you give me some information and I go talk to him about lettin' you go?"
"You'd do that?"
"Sure! I give a little, you give a little!" she said with a smile. "Seems fair, right? And maybe I can talk him into lettin' ya in our gang. But," she stood up. "I can't promise you that bit. Just the lettin' go part."
Kieran nodded enthusiastically. "Okay. Um...O'Driscoll's is holed up at Six Point Cabin. It's in Cumberland Forest."
"Ah, I see. Well, do ya mind if I go check it out first before I talk to Dutch about lettin' you go?"
"I suppose," he said glumly.
"Okay. I'll see about you gettin' food too." Lilly made her way over to Dutch. "Hey Da! I gotta run out. Please see to it that Mr. Duffy gets some food," she breathed as she walked by.
"Why?"
"He gave me a lead."
"How? Where?"
Lilly whistled for Liath. "By bein' nice! I'm checkin' out Six Point Cabin!"
Dutch laughed. "You want someone to go with you?"
"Nah I'll be fine! Pretty sure my wolves will accompany me if they're skulkin' about! Might go huntin' afterwards!" Lilly climbed onto Liath then trotted out of camp and sure enough, Brian and James were waiting for her. "God, you two are still growin'? Are you wolves or prehistoric bear cubs?!"
Lilly was only teasing, but she was thinking they were still growing. Their gray and black marks were disappearing a bit more each day and she wondered if they would be completely white one day. She clicked her tongue and they galloped to the north. Lilly was so excited. She was going back to Ireland, to Darach ar an gCnoc! It was going to be so good to see it again, and her oak tree. But then she remembered it was dead. Balls. It took a little while to get to where she was going but she managed to find her way. She'd found a hill, got off her horse, and peeked over the tip. She crawled on her belly and...yep. There were plenty of O'Driscolls about. The wolves started sniffing about and suddenly they charged.
"Hey! Wait a-oof!" And everything went dark.
Arthur and Hosea got back to camp after nightfall. They had gone out to rob a carriage from a fences' relative, after Arthur came back from helping Mary Linton, formerly known as Mary Gillis. Married a guy but he was dead now. Poor Mary. Arthur saw Lilly's horse was gone. "Hmm, guess she's out huntin'."
He dismounted and walked over to the stew pot to spoon himself some stew. He was hungry. Hosea grinned as he spooned his own bowl. "Well, that was a nice take."
"Yes it was. I think I might be in the wrong business."
Hosea laughed at the joke. "You may be right."
Arthur took a spoonful of food when Dutch approached. "Hey, son. How did things go?"
"Fine," Arthur replied gruffly. "Stole a stage coach, saved a kid from joinin' a cult, just the same old, same old, Dutch. Hmm, did Lilly go out huntin'?"
"Yes. Said she might after checkin' out Kieran's information."
"What information?"
"Apparently she was nice and the boy told her about some place called Six Point Cabin. Somethin' about O'Driscoll's bein' over there in Cumberland Forest somewhere," Hosea explained casually.
"Mr. Dutch! Sir!" Kieran started shouting. "Did you let her go out there alone?!"
Dutch turned around. "What? Ha! Lilly can handle herself! She even got two wolves to go with her!"
"But...but, but Colm was there!"
Dutch, Hosea, and Arthur glanced at each other. Uh oh. Dutch looked at Kieran in disbelief and slowly walked to him. "Colm O'Driscoll? You didn't tell her Colm was there!?"
"I did...I...I think!" Kieran flinched. "I thought I did! I swear I must've told her!"
Dutch went to hit the boy but Arthur blocked his arm. "Easy, Dutch. Lilly's gonna be fine. She took Brian and Ja-" Arthur heard barking. He smiled. "See? That's probably her now. I'll go see."
Arthur turned and went jogging over to the horses. He went down the trail and saw James and Brian running in. "Well, hey there boys! Ya have a good huntin' day?" They stopped in front of Arthur and barked at him repeatedly. They circled around him and kept barking. Arthur shook his head and knelt down. They licked his face and whined before running back towards the trail. "Ha! You pups sure are strange!"
Arthur spotted Lilly's horse Liath coming in slowly through the entrance. Lilly was in the saddle. She seemed tired. The pups ran up to her and barked. They seemed frenzied. Arthur chuckled. They were probably riled up. "Well, what did you get today, darlin'?" Arthur asked cheerfully as he ambled down the path. "Some bison? And elk? An O'Driscoll?" As he got closer his gut told him something was wrong. There was nothing on the back of her horse. The pups kept running back to him and then to Liath. "Lillian?"
He started running to her and when he got to her, his blood ran cold. "Holy shit!"
Blood was dripping down her legs and Liath was just stained with the color. Lilly glanced at Arthur weakly. "...Arthur...help...me down..."
Lilly grabbed his hands and she fell off on her ass. "Lillian! What happened?"
"Just help me to bed, please." Arthur nodded and helped her up. He clung to her hands as the boys and Liath followed. "James, Brian, go on ahead. I'll catch up."
The boys went running into camp and barked like mad dogs. "What happened? Did Colm O'Driscoll do this!?" he asked angrily
"It wasn't Colm. Wasn't O'Driscolls. Someone else...did this..." Lilly fell to her knees.
"Lillian, I gotta carry you. Now," he embraced her and when he put his hands on her back, Arthur assumed it was sweat he felt but she screamed out.
"DON'T TOUCH MY BACK!!!" she sobbed.
Arthur tried to keep calm as he pulled back his arms. Blood. Lots of it. "Oh my God. What did they do to you?"
Lilly looked at him. She was sweating and was deathly pale. "Don't look. It's bad. I don't want you to see. I don't want anyone to see. Just get me home."
"Arthur!" Dutch and a few others came running. Arthur turned and showed them the blood on him. "Jesus Christ, what happened to her."
"JUST TAKE ME TO THE GOD DAMN TENT, YA QUEASY ARSES! IT'S JUST BLOOD! AND DO NOT LOOK AT-"
Arthur helped her up and shushed her. "Lilly, we need to look at it. Stop bein' stubborn, okay?"
"You don't understand, Arthur...they..." Lilly slumped down and Arthur picked her up. She was out. He tossed her over his shoulder. "Let's take her around the side. We shouldn't let people see her like this."
Arthur went through the trees just outside camp and Dutch, Hosea, Charles, and Miss Grimshaw all met him at the tent. Arthur went inside and laid Lilly face down on the bed. Susan lit a lantern and gasped. "Oh my God."
Arthur grabbed his knife and cut her shirt open. When he pulled the fabric apart, he froze. Her whole back was completely cut up. Slices and cuts criss crossed her whole back. What kind of weapon did this? And there was black ooze everywhere. What was that?
"A-Arthur..." Lilly lifted her head, or tried to. "Flogged."
"...Flogged?" Arthur went to her head. "Babe, listen. Who did this? If it wasn't Colm, who did this?"
"Colm didn't do this?" Hosea asked.
"No, she said it was someone else."
"...Arthur, they...I need you to stay until I'm...I'm gone..." Lilly panted out.
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Gone?" He kissed her head. "No, you ain't goin' anywhere, mo stóirín. I won't let you." [my little darling.]
Charles knelt down next to him. "Arthur...she's been poisoned. I've never seen anythin' like this kind but she's...uh..."
Arthur glared at Charles. "Do not tell me she's dyin'!" Arthur turned back to her. "You aren't dyin', okay? You stay with me. You've had close calls like this before, sweetheart."
"...Not this time, Arthur," she groaned. "Just talk to me in Gaeilge, mo chuisle."
Tá muid chun pósadh! Fanann tú liom, mo bhean chéile!" [We are to marry! You stay with me, my wife!]
"Ní féidir liom fanacht, mo ghrá," Lilly said weakly. "Tá brón orm nach bhfuair tú chuig mo thír dhúchais." [I can not wait, my love. I'm sorry you didn't get to my home country.]
"I am your home, Lilly!" He grabbed her hand and put it to his heart. "Hertis rote, remember?"
"...I'm sorry I never told you Papa was still after me but I...had to protect you...and Da...and Athair...from him. The less you knew, the safer you were..."
"That's why you never told us? To keep us safe?"
"Yes. But you'll be safe when I'm gone...keep my boys safe, okay?"
"No! You're gonna keep them safe!"
"Da? Athair? Please take care of Arthur...and...Arthur...I..."
"Lillian!" Her breathing was slowing and he knew she was fading. "No, please don't go, Lilly. I love you."
"And...I love you, Arthur Morgan...mo fhear céile. [my husband.] Now and forever. I will...find you...just wish we coulda got married. Handfastin' woulda been nice."
"Can we still do that?"
"...If I can wait...I think I can...ribbons or cords will do."
Arthur heard Miss Grimshaw move around. "I'll get Molly!" A few minutes went by and Molly came running in with ribbons. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Lilly's back. Molly covered her mouth and cried.
"Two...will do, Molly."
"...Two what?"
"Two ribbons, silly. Take my hand, Arthur."
Arthur took her hand and Molly started wrapping the blue and red ribbons. "You know how to do this?"
"I'm Irish, of course I do," Molly cried sadly. Everyone else was crying. Molly finished tying an infinity knot. "Now, vows."
"I, Lillian Rose O'Callaghan...ugh, take Arthur Morgan as my husband and soulmate...now and forever. Because death...is but a dream. I will meet you on the banks of Tír na nÓg."
Arthur trembled. "I...Arthur Morgan, take Lillian Rose O'Callaghan as my wife and soulmate, now and forever. Because death is but a dream. I will meet you on the banks of Tír na nÓg."
"Now you are bound together."
Lilly smiled. "Thank you Molly..."
When the newlyweds pulled their hands apart, the ribbons formed an infinity knot. Lilly looked at her husband. "There we go. That wasn't so hard now, was it?"
Arthur laughed sadly as he stroked Lilly's hair. "That was great."
Lilly chuckled. "If I see Isaac and Eliza and Bessie and Annabelle, I'll tell them y'all say hello." But then she exhaled slowly, her eyes darkened, and her arm went limp. Arthur just saw her die and he fell on his rump.
"Oh no..." Molly sobbed.
She got up and embraced Dutch. They both were crying. Arthur just stared at his dead wife. He pressed his forehead to hers. "Is breá liom tú, mo bhean chéile." [I love you, my wife.]
Lilly had been dressed in a blue and white suit for her funeral. She hated dresses. Arthur insisted she not be buried in one. He stared at her dead body in the ground. She looked so peaceful with her auburn hair all around her. Lilly looked like she was sleeping, but Arthur knew better. He knelt down and put his customized pocketwatch in her vest pocket. He kissed her, got up, and started burying her. Charles and him made fast work of it. Charles carved her a very nice headstone into the oak tree she was being buried by. Practically into the base of it. Lilly always loved trees, especially oak trees.
Arthur sat in the tent staring down into the bourbon bottle. He'd shaved his beard for Lilly's funeral. He chugged the last of the bourbon and passed out in their bed. The sheets were still covered in blood but it still smelled like apples and Arthur didn't have the heart to wash them or throw them out. Time seemed to stop in camp for the five days that went by, except when they finally got Sean. He was devastated to hear of his deirfiúr's passing and Sean found it difficult to laugh. They all did. Arthur mostly stayed in his tent and drank. He'd been there for five days and Arthur's place looked like a pigsty. When Miss Grimshaw had come to clean for him, he'd called her names and kicked her out.
As he slept, he had a dream about her. Each night he slept, so he stopped sleeping for a while but then Arthur would miss Lilly and he'd drink into a stupor so he'd dream about her. He'd dream about making love to her, about sleeping together, but mostly about being with her. But this dream he just woke up from was different. There was a giant red wolf in it and it talked. It sounded like a woman and it kept telling him to go see Lilly at her grave. But he dismissed it when he woke up. Arthur missed his wife. He got out of bed, looked at himself in the vanity mirror, and that's when he got angry. He kicked it over and started throwing things around. The nightstands, the chairs, the mirror of the vanity table, the clothes, the chests...but when he went to throw the books, he stopped. Those were her books. There was one book in particular that caught his eye and he grabbed it. Irish Love Poems.
32-year-old Arthur was in his grizzly outlaw outfit walking through the woods when he saw a bare foot dangling off a branch. He looked up and smiled up at Lilly. She was reading.
"What are you up to, Lilly?"
Lilly was in her custom gunslinger outfit but was in blue jean shorts and her auburn hair was down. Lilly looked down and her eyes lit up. "I'm readin', Arthur. Why are you dressed for cold weather?"
"I uh, just got back from up north."
"Oh yeah. How did that go?"
"Fine. Did uh," Arthur got closer to the tree. "Did you miss me?"
"Nope." Lilly smirked before licking her fingertip and turning the page.
Arthur laughed. "Liar."
"Hmph!" Lilly looked down at him. "Well, what would you say if I did miss you?"
Arthur chuckled and took off his hat and coat. He climbed up into the tree and sat on a branch next to her. "I'd tell you I missed you."
"Uh huh. And uh, what would you do?" she said with a suggestive eyebrow raised.
Arthur leaned closer. "I'd screw you."
Lilly laughed. "Well then." She dropped her book and climbed over to Arthur's branch to sit on his lap. Lilly faced him and messed with his leather vest. He smiled up at her and held her by the waist. "I really, really missed you," she said with a seductive tone. "So now you have to screw me."
Arthur pulled her down and licked her earlobe. "You couldn't handle it, O'Callaghan."
"Yes I could. Try me. I dare you to try me, Morgan. You know why?" she whispered into his ear.
"Why?"
"Because," Lilly giggled. "Maybe I would like to actually fuck you one day."
Arthur's breath stopped. Oh my fucking God. "Lillian, you talk so bad," he cackled.
Lilly grinned and jumped down. "Let's see if I can break you today."
Arthur flashed his teeth and climbed down. He noticed her book and tilted his head. "What's that?"
Lilly suddenly panicked and grabbed the book. "Nothin'." She held it behind her back.
Arthur smirked and pushed up against her. "Oh, is that so?" He brushed his lips on one of her cheeks and fondled the other with his palm. "Is it embarassing?"
"No, just private."
He stuck a finger in her waistband and shoved it down slowly. Lilly gasped and Arthur swore he touched some of her pubic hair. He felt a hardness in his pants and he groaned. Maybe if he dared to go further... "Say the word and I'll touch you."
"You..." Lilly shuddered. "You are touchin' me."
"Further, Lillian." His finger went down just a tad more. "Do you want me to go further?"
Lilly grabbed the sides of his head and put her lips close to his. "You are makin' a dangerous play, Arthur."
A chortle escaped Arthur. "Oh, I know." He knelt down slowly and tugged on the front of her shorts. He took a little peek in before grabbing the book she dropped. The smell of her was intoxicating and it made his cock want to burst out of his pants. "You smell good."
Lilly laughed. "Down there? Really?"
Arthur shot up and backed away with her book in his hand. "Oh yes!"
Lilly squealed and jumped on his back. He laughed and started reading. "I am stretched on your grave, and I'll lie here forever...what is this?"
"Stop, Arthur!" she giggled.
"Nope! If your hands were in mine, I'd be sure we'd not sever. My apple tree, my brightness...Lilly, are these love poems?"
Lilly snatched the book from him. "Irish love poems, Arthur. Don't hold it against me!"
Arthur smiled at her. So there was a mushy little woman in there after all. "I won't, I just didn't know you liked that sort of thing."
Lilly fiddled with the book cover. "I don't, not really. But...my mother, she had this book in Ireland and I saw it in a store a while back, so..."
Arthur sighed. "Ah. I'm sorry, Lilly. But it was a pretty poem. What's it about?"
Lilly gave him a soft smile. "A man who lost his love, so he sleeps on her grave to mourn her. And he just...stays there because he's too heart broken to leave her."
Arthur opened up the page Lilly left a bookmark in. He read the poem out loud. "I am stretched on your grave and would lie here forever. If your hands were in mine, I'd be sure we'd not sever. My apple tree, my brightness, 'tis time we were together...for...I..." A teardrop hit the page and Arthur wiped his face. Was he crying? He hadn't cried in years. Never needed to. "I smell of the earth and am stained by the weather. When my family-"
A loud thunderclap boomed so loud it startled Arthur out of his misery. He took a deep breath and continued reading. "When my family think that I'm safe in my bed, from night until morning, I am stretched at your head. Calling out to the air with tears hot and wild, my grief for the girl that I loved as a..." Arthur sat on the bed and began to weep. "Loved as a child..."
God, that poem really hit home. what a coincidence that he would find a poem describing everything that he was going through. Arthur loved Lilly as a child. She smelled like apples. She was his brightness. A lot of it fit. And it broke him. He burst into a crying fit like a baby. Another thunder strike hit and Arthur shouted at it. "Shut up!" he sobbed.
He could hear the rain pitter pattering on the tent. Arthur wanted to go visit her grave. Probably because of the poem but also because of the wolf in his dream. It was night, it was raining, and he only wanted to sleep near her one more night. He got himself dressed in gray pants, a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, suspenders, and boots. He ran out of the tent to his thoroughbred he decided on naming Rose. Arthur saddled her up and ran out into the rain on her. Lilly was buried a bit west by the river. She loved that river. He galloped hard to where her resting place was. The lightning flashed and the thunder boomed and when he got to Lilly's oak tree, Arthur wiped his eyes from the rain pouring down and he saw Lilly's grave. It was empty.
"...What in the hell?" He dropped to the grave and dug around. "No!" Had she been eaten? Dragged off? There was no blood, but there was that black stuff. No marks of any kind, but...yes, there was. Three sets of paw prints. Two wolves and...a much bigger wolf. "Where is she?!" More lightning and thunder clashed in the sky. The rain fell harder and Arthur stood up. Where the fuck was her body? "FUCK!" he shouted.
"Mr. Morgan," a woman said behind him.
Arthur turned around. He saw James, Brian, and a red headed woman with blue eyes and a red silk dress. No shoes. Arthur eyed her suspiciously. "Who the hell are you?"
Lightning flashed and thunder clashed again. "I am The Morrigan. We've met before."
Arthur took a step forward. "Are you the red child?"
"Yes. Among other things."
"Did you dig up my wife?"
"Yes...and no."
"Where is she?"
"She went home."
Dutch took another shot of whiskey with Hosea, Molly, Sean, and Karen. They were still grieving.
"I don't think we should sell Liath," Hosea said. "He is...was Lilly's horse."
"I know, Hosea," Dutch said. "But I can't...it's too hard."
Hosea pat Dutch on the back. Lightning and thunder clashed but the rain started letting up. "Ah, good. Storm is passin', I think."
Karen took another drink. "I really wanted to be there for their wedding day."
"Me too," Sean said. "But...I...fellas, ladies, I got somethin' to say about Lilly. She...agh," he took a drink. "I know she hated singin' and she never did it, but I heard her. Once."
"Ha! When?" Molly asked.
"As The Emerald Star was sinkin'. She never said this but Lilly-"
"Yeah, we know," Hosea said. "She showed us a letter the day she-" Hosea lowered his head. "She was on that ship too."
"And I know she knew you, Sean. Lilly's good at a lot of things but she's so bad at lyin'," Dutch laughed. "Or...was."
The storm passed and soon the air was thick from the wet aftermath. Sean sighed. "Yeah, she sang to her baby brother and man...it was beautiful. Voice of an angel, that one." Sean poured them all shots and lifted his glass. "To Lilly. The best damn deirfiúr, daughter, best friend, hunter, warrior, and...wife anyone could ask for."
They all clinked and took their shots. "We should go get Arthur," Hosea said. "I know he got real mad at Susan yesterday but...he needs to be around family right now."
Dutch nodded. "I agree. I'll go get him." Dutch got up and waltzed over to Arthur and Lilly's...well, just Arthur's tent now. He wiped his eyes. He lost his daughter and he wasn't sure he'd ever get over it. When he got to the tent, he announced himself. "It's Dutch. You in there, Arthur?"
Dutch paused before swinging the flaps open. He dropped his shot glass when he saw the state of the tent. Things were flung everywhere. Clothes and empty bourbon bottles were all over. And Arthur was in the corner but Dutch could only see a silhouette.
"Arthur, you want to come have a drink with us?"
The shadow in the corner shook its head. "D...D...Du-"
"Dutch!" Arthur shouted behind Dutch a ways. He opened the flaps and walked out. "Uh, Arthur? Where did you go? And..."
Arthur grabbed Dutch's arms. "Lilly's grave is empty."
"Um. What?"
"Her grave is god damn empty! And there was this woman who said she dug Lilly up and-"
"D...D...DUUUUUUTCH!" a mighty voice shouted from inside the tent.
Arthur, Dutch, and the rest of the grieving party stood outside the tent. "Arthur, there's someone in your tent. I thought it was you but-"
The flaps opened and a soaked, mud covered Lilly O'Callaghan in her blue and white suit came staggering from the tent. "D...D...DUTCH!"