Chapter 17: Back Home

"D...D...DUTCH!" Her voice echoed loudly. The girl fell to her hands and knees. She was breathing heavily. "...Duuuuutch..." she struggled with the name.

Why could she not recall anything? She knew the name Dutch, but she could not remember how or why. What was her own name? She could not remember that either. She could only remember digging herself out of wet mud. She died, but now she was alive. How? How was this possible? She lifted her eyes and saw people. Strangers the girl did not know. The girl panicked and scooted backwards into the tent.

"Lillian! Are you okay?!" a man yelled.

Who was Lillian? She got up and tried to find something to defend herself with. Ah, an empty bottle of alcohol. The mud covered woman picked it up and broke it. This whole place was a mess. Who lived here? Three men ran into the tent looking flabbergasted. One of them had a lantern.

"Lilly, be calm," the white haired man said. "We just want to talk, okay?"

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?" asked the dark haired one. Both those gentlemen were in suits without jackets. When the second man tried to approach the girl with amnesia, she slashed at them all angrily.

"Stay back, ya hear me?! STAY BACK!" her voice clapped like thunder. Two of the men did as they were told but not the third. The third was the youngest in a white shirt, gray pants, black boots, and he was soaked through. He had a beard and dirty blonde hair with strands of little curly J's, and light blue eyes. He was incredibly handsome, she found, and was drawn to him immediately. He took a step forward but Lilly slashed at him again. "BACK OFF!" she shouted.

"Lillian, we aren't goin' to hurt you. I promise. Now, give me the bottle, darlin', and let's just talk for a minute," the man explained.

"Who is Lillian?!"

"You. Don't you recognize any of us?"

"No! Now BACK UP!"

"Your shout doesn't work on me."

"What? What shout?!"

The man stared at her with an incredibly intense gaze. It almost made her lose all resolve, but he took a step closer and her will hardened once again. The girl went to hit him but the man caught her wrist. He put his free arm around her. "Lilly, look at me."

"Let go of me!"

"Lillian!" he shouted. "Look. At. Me." Lilly looked at him with a furious stare but he seemed unmoved by it. "What do you remember?"

"I only remember climbing out of the ground!"

"That's it?"

"Yes!"

"Then why are you here in our tent? How did you get back here to camp?"

The woman scrunched up her face. "Our tent?"

"Yes. Our tent." He looked at the other men. "I think she needs her chamomile tea."

"On it!" The white haired man said as he left but the dark haired one stayed.

"Don't you know us, sweetheart?" the dark one asked. "I'm Dutch. You said that."

"Dutch. Yes, I said Dutch. That dunna mean a bloody thing!" The muddy woman snapped. "I said it so ya must be pullin' me leg!"

"What about Arthur? Or Hosea? Or Da and Athair? Or...what's that word she calls you?"

The woman shook her head and with all her strength, she shoved the man and he went flying into Dutch and out of the tent. "STAY OUT!"

"You alright, Arthur? Shit, how did she do that?" Dutch asked as the wind was knocked out of him.

"I'm fine. I don't know, but when I went to her grave there was a-"

"Whose grave? Mine?! Was I really dead?!"

"Yes! Darlin', come on out and let's talk!"

The alleged Lilly kept her bottle with her. "We can talk from here, ya fuck!" She heard Arthur laughing with glee. What was wrong with him?

"What is going on?" a woman asked. "Is Lilly in there?!"

"Yes," Dutch said.

"But she died!" the woman exclaimed in shock. "It's impossible!"

"No shit, Miss Grimshaw! Unfortunately, she doesn't know who we are! And she practically threw Arthur halfway across the room and into me!"

"ENOUGH!" the Irish lass shouted so loud the ground shook.

"Whoooooweeeee, heh heh," Arthur said with a loud breath. "She's a lot stronger too. Did you feel that?" Arthur laughed again.

"How can you laugh at a time like this? She was dead! And it seems to me she's even scarier than before!" Miss Grimshaw asked.

"Because my wife is alive! You expect me to be unhappy?! And she don't scare me! Never has!"

"...Your wife? I'm your wife?!" the girl asked with disbelief in her voice.

"Yes, mo stóirín, you are mostly certainly my wife. My Irish, red-headed, pathologically ill-tempered wife!" he laughed almost into a fit.

"Prove it!"

Arthur cackled. "I'm...okay, hmm. Ahem. The ring on your hand. Two sapphires for your eyes and one emerald for Ireland!"

The woman looked at her ring finger. The man was correct. But still. "You obviously saw it!"

"Hey, what's goin' on?!" a man with a scratchy voice yelled.

"It's Lilly. She's...alive, and in there. And she is mad. Soooo mad," her alleged husband Arthur began cackling again.

"But she died! That's impossible!"

"We know, John, we know! Dutch, can you take care of crowd control, please?" she heard Arthur giggle.

"Is Aunt Lilly in there?" a boy asked. "I thought you said she had to go away?"

"Aunt Lilly?!" The girl yelled.

"Yeah, I'm your nephew Jack!"

Lilly gasped. Jack. That name was significant. "...That was my...father's name..." she whispered to herself.

A smoke stack falling on a ship. A man and a small girl being crushed to death as it lands.

"Abigail, will you please get Jack back to bed?" Dutch asked. "He shouldn't be here for this."

A woman falling to her death. A small child screaming with a baby in her arms.

"Oh my God." Lilly held her mouth shut and tried not to sob.

"I want to see my Aunt Lilly!" Jack cried. "I miss her!"

"I know you do, Jack, but she's a bit upset right now." Dutch ensured.

"I got her tea!"

Lilly grasped her head as tears rolled down her cheeks.

A boy of sixteen being beaten by two men. The boy gets shot in the head and the red headed child screams. "Brian!" One of the men steals a pocketwatch from the boy's corpse.

The pocketwatch. Her father's pocketwatch. Lilly suddenly remembered being flogged. And poisoned.

Lilly woke up in a dimly lit room with her wrists and ankles bound with rope. Something was holding her up in the air. The girl looked up and saw a hooked chain. Oh no. Ow. The pain in her head throbbed and she looked down. As she struggled and tried to pull her legs up, they were quickly pulled down by a set of rather large hands.

"Well, well...look who's awake," A British man spoke in the dark. Lilly looked up. A man walked up to her. "Hello, Lillian O'Callaghan" the man said. She recognized him.

"Mr. Pierce? Why are you doin' this? I don't understand. Did...did Sir Patrick put you up to this?!"

Mr. Pierce laughed. "No, that fool would never allow any harm to you. Lovesick man as he is. Strange how you manage to inspire love wherever you go. With him, with your fiancé, your Da and Athair...even with Papa."

As her blue eyes narrowed, Lilly tried to kick the man but he backed up with a laugh. "Do not speak tah me about that man!"

Mr. Pierce sighed. "Anyway, let us get on. If you would start the flogging, Brutus."

"...What?!"

"Yes, I'm afraid you need a to be tortured. We need to bring her out."

"Who? Bring out who?!"

A rather large man in a mask and a leather apron came into view with a weapon. A cat o' nine tails whip dripping with goop. Oh fucking hell. Brutus went behind her and Lilly started struggling with her bonds. There was no chance in hell she was going to go free. Not yet, at least. She trembled and shut her eyes, trying to prepare herself for the first lash. As her breath quickened and her body tensed, Lilly heard and felt the barbs slice into her shirt and skin and she screamed. Lilly cried as each lashing hit her. Why was this happening? Why was she being tortured? Lilly tried to focus her thoughts on Arthur, her fiancé. Lilly knew he'd have no idea where she was. No one knew. Wait, where were Brian and James? Her wolves. Where were her wolves?

The thoughts ceased as her back was continually torn by the barbs of the whip. Lilly couldn't help but count each lash because that was the only coherent thought she could make that was short. The pain was excrutiating. Why wasn't she passing out? The pain was that bad that anyone would pass out...but not her, she figured. Lilly was not to faint at anything. However, by lash ninety seven, Lilly finally lost consciousness.

Lilly began to panic. Mr. Pierce. It was a name she barely knew. Who was Patrick? Another name she barely knew. Lilly looked around the room. It was so messy. Did she really live here? As she saw the bloodstains on the bed, the memories of her flogging came back to her.

"Hmm," Mr. Pierce said as Lilly woke back up. "You are a strong woman, aren't you?" Mr. Pierce grabbed Lilly's satchel from the floor and pulled out her father's watch. "Well I'll be. You still have it. Your father would be proud."

Lilly shivered as she glared at the man. "When I escape, yer goin' tah be the first one I kill. And it will be a slow, slooooow and painful death. I promise ya that." Lilly turned her head despite how much it hurt to do the motion. "And then I'll kill ya next. Yer death will also be slow and painful."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. We poisoned you." The man put the pocketwatch inside his jacket.

"Ya did what?!"

"With the whip. It had poison on it. We are done here but we can't very well let you live. Sir Patrick would be furious if he found out I had anything to do with this."

Lilly heard howling and she smiled. "I suppose you didn't account for those two."

"Dammit! Brutus, I thought you said you got them!"

"I did! There wasn't no way they could survive a shot like that!" Brutus shouted in a Cockney accent.

"...You! Girl! Did she follow you here from Ireland?!"

"Who?" Lilly shouted with a questioning tone.

"Dammit! We need to get on the train and go back home before we miss that ship, Brutus! Come along." Both the men ran from the room.

Lilly looked down. So much blood was on the floor. She had to escape. Lilly shut her eyes tightly and held her breath as she swung her legs back and forth, and the girl supressed a scream by groaning loudly as she lifted her legs high and caught the chain between her legs. As she did, Lilly removed the rope from the hook. Her legs flew back down and she landed on her feet.

Lilly went to the broken mirror and removed her vest. She tossed it to the bed and unbuttoned her shirt. When she turned around and lowered her shirt to catch a glimpse of her back, she covered her mouth once more. She had scars. Horrible scars. Deep, criss crossed scars in every damn direction. How many times did that bastard flog her? Lilly removed the whole shirt and sat on the table. The scars were just everywhere. But how long was she dead for? They were healed up. Had she been dead for a month? Two months? Lilly turned around and examined herself. She certainly didn't look like she'd been dead for two months, that was for sure.

"Lilly, are you okay in there?" Arthur poked his head in and Lilly around. "Oh, um...ahem..."

Lilly glanced down. "Oh." She put her palms over her breasts. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I got your tea."

Lilly tilted her head to one side. "What tea?"

Arthur walked in with a tin mug with steam rising from it. "Your chamomile. You always have chamomile after a night terror, so I thought this might help calm you down."

"Oh. Um," Lilly turned around to grab her shirt when she saw Arthur's face in the mirror. He looked as if his heart had been torn out. "What's the matter?"

Arthur crossed the area between them, set the cup down, and stared at her back. His eyes looked so sad. "Jesus Christ, Lilly..." he frowned. "Your back."

"Oh. That," she replied casually. "How...long was I dead?"

"Five days."

Lilly's mouth parted and her eyebrows went up. She faced him angrily. "Five days?! How did they heal in five days?"

Arthur looked like he was trying not to stare down at her bosom. "Uh...I have a theory. See, you kinda died once before as a kid. Nasty gash on your head from an accident. But then you were fine and when I checked, the gash was gone. I thought my mind was playin' tricks on me that day, but-"

"How long have we known each other? I'm young and you're...well..." she smirked a little.

"Hey!" Arthur looked offended. "I'm not that old."

Lilly raised a brow. "Never dreamed of it. Just sayin' I look really young and you...don't look as young as me."

"Hmph. Memory loss or not, you're still a little shit."

Her eyes narrowed and her mouth went wide as she made a sound of disgust. "Do you always speak to your wife that way?"

"Yes," Arthur said with a teasing pout. "You call me lots of names too."

"Like what?"

"Asshole, bastard, fuck, swine, gobshite, piece of shit, shall I go on?"

Lilly blinked a few times. Did she really treat him that way. "How the hell are we married if I treat you so horribly?"

"Because the sex is wonderful," he growled lightly and suggestively with a tilted jerk of his head.

Lilly blushed hot red. "Oh." That was a very unexpected response. One that made her feel hot in other places. "I see." Yes, this was her husband but she didn't know Arthur, and he knew she didn't know him. Lilly glared into his eyes. "You're a cad!"

"You like that, though." Arthur pushed himself into her and Lilly hit the vanity table. "You love it, in fact."

Lilly scoffed at him, but she was liking the banter. "Ya feckin' reprobate."

"Ha! I sure am! You use that as a pet name. You call me-"

"Bithiúnach," they said at the same time.

Arthur smiled. "See? You remember."

"It's the word for 'reprobate'. It makes sense I would call you that."

"Yes but there are at least two other words in Gaeilge that mean it. Rógaire and alfraits."

Lilly eyeballed him. "You speak Gaeilge? You're not Irish and you speak the words well!"

"Rinne mé staidéar ar feadh ceithre bliana," Arthur spoke with four fingers up. "Díreach chun cleas tusa, mo stóirín." [I studied for four years. Just to trick you, my little darling.]

Lilly gaped at him. "What the hell kind of relationship do we have?!"

"A good one." Arthur looked down at her chest. "One where I get to suck on those a lot."

With a gasp and an expression of alarm, Lilly slapped his face. He almost fell over. "DO NOT SPEAK TAH ME THAT WAY AGAIN!" her voice boomed.

He started laughing as he looked at her and rubbed his cheek. "Ouch! That hurt, Mrs. Morgan!"

What in the ever loving hell was wrong with this man? "What are ya, a masochist?"

"What's that mean?"

"It means ya get off on bein' hurt like that!"

"Well, I dunno. If I say somethin' naughty again, are you gonna hurt me worse?" Arthur grinned as he stabilized his footing. "I might just love you more if you do, you little sex kitten."

Lilly shoved him and he fell backwards onto the bed. This was outrageous. Indecent. How could she ever love a man like Arthur Morgan? "Are we legally married? I recall ribbons. We were handfasted, weren't we?"

"No, not legally, but you told me a handfasting would do."

"Why?"

Arthur frowned at her. "We were gonna get married the right way, but you were on your deathbed when we handfasted. It was your final request before..." Arthur stopped. He sat up and stared at her with the saddest of expressions. "Before you died, Lilly. I saw the life go out in your eyes and..." Arthur lowered his head. "It broke me."

This was another unexpected thing. Lilly sighed, walked over to him, and lifted his head. "Alright. A handfasting lasts one year and one day. Considerin' I died five days ago, we have three hundred sixty one days left of our marriage. I abbor the idea of it, but..." Lilly groaned. "Ya may sleep in the marital bed. Eventually, but no sexual relations unless I allow it. And-" Lilly paused. There was a gold watch hanging from her vest. "What is that?"

Arthur yanked it, pocketed it, and got up. "Nothin' you need to know about, apparently, since it wouldn't matter to you anyway!" he snapped.

"I was buried with it!"

"My wife was buried with it. My wife would never kick me out of the marriage bed and mean it! My wife would never hit me for makin' sexual advances! My wife loved that. We spent four years flirtin' before she gave me her maidenhead! I loved my wife! I still do!" Arthur got in her face and pointed at it. "I know she is in there somewhere but she is bein' too god damn stubborn to come out! And when she comes out, I will be there to have her back! But until then, you are just a god damn stranger!"

Lilly frowned. For some reason, that pained her in the heart and Lilly knew it showed. Suddenly she burst into tears. "It's not me fault I don't remember ya! I died and came back tah life, ya eejit!" she sobbed. "The least ya could do is show some feckin' compassion and sympathy, ya god damn barbaric arse!"

Arthur sighed. He pulled out the watch, opened it, and showed her the inscription inside. "Read!" He shoved it in her hands.

Lilly read it out loud. "Mo Chuisle, Mo Fear Álainn, Mo...Bithiúnach. Love, L.R.O'C." Lilly blinked and more tears fell.. "Those are my initials?"

"Yes. Feel free to inspect the rest, banchéile bréagach." [false wife.]

Lilly gaped at him. False wife. How could he be so cruel? "You're a horrible man, Arthur. False wife? Fine." Lilly tossed the watch at him, took off the ring and slammed it into his hand. "Consider our marriage annulled! Now get out!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes at her. "My wife wouldn't cry in front of me, either! I'll be back for my things in the mornin'!" He turned and stormed out of the tent.

Lilly grabbed her shirt, buttoned it up, and stormed out after him. "Ya need to clean up yer mess in here, fear céile bréagach! [false husband!] A false wife is under no obligation tah clean up a false husband's shite, ya fuckin' pig!"

Arthur stopped and turned around to glare at her. "And what are you gonna do about it?! Cry some more!?"

"Arthur Morgan!" Miss Grimshaw shouted. "Shame on you! She is your wife!"

"This bitch ain't my wife!"

"Arthur!" Dutch snapped. "Don't talk to my daughter like that!"

"She just called me a pig! How is that okay?!"

"Oh, I apologize. I didn't realize we was dealin' with two teenagers havin' a love spat!" Dutch shouted.

"I'm yer daughter?" Lilly looked at Dutch. "You aren't even Irish!"

Hosea stood besides Dutch. "We're your fathers. Adopted fathers."

"Oh. Wait, both of ya? Are ya two, um..." Lilly raised a brow as she spoke. "Are ya both Uranian?" Hosea and Dutch made confused faces. Lilly sighed. "I'm tryin' not to be offensive here, gentlemen. Are ya...both uh...in a relationship with each other?"

"No!" both the men snapped. "Lillian!"

"I'm sorry! I was only askin'!"

"Good God, way to smooth things over with them, Lillian!" Arthur snapped. "Real suave!"

"Oh shut up, ya swine!" Lilly snapped back at Arthur.

"Fuck you, Lillian!"

"Fuck you too, ya bastard!"

"Cock sucker!"

"Arsehole!"

"God damn prig!"

"Unworthy, dickless coward!"

Arthur shoved her. "I am not a coward! You are!"

Lilly shoved him harder and made him fall over. "Yes ya are! And ya know what? I am goin' back home!" Lilly turned and stomped towards the tent.

"What?!" Arthur shouted.

"Tah Ireland! I need tah get my father's watch back! That bloody Mr. Pierce took it!"

"Woa woa, what? Mr. Pierce did this?!" When Lilly didn't stop, Arthur shouted again and chased after her. "Now you wait just a god damn minute, Lillian Rose O'Callaghan!" Lilly paused and he bumped into her. "Good! Now you-"

"Ow!" Lilly grabbed her head.

Laughter. A child playing in an oak tree with the red child. "You look like a rose, Morgan!" young Lilly says.

"That's your middle name!" the red child giggles.

"Yes! That's where I got the idea from!" They both giggle.

A family in a big manor eating at the mahogany dinner table. "Father, tell us about the godslaying story again!" young Lilly shouts with glee.

"Not at the dinner table, ya silly chiseler," her mother says.

Lilly fell to her knees. "Ow ow ow! God that hurts!" When Lilly was certain she didn't have any more memories flooding in, she stood up. "Wait a minute," she turned and gaped at Arthur. "I'm a feckin' Countess?!"

Arthur sighed. "Yes. In fact, you and I were goin' to Ireland so we could sell your estate for the money!"

Lilly scoffed. "Sell me birthright? Oh, clearly I knocked a few screws loose in yer noggin if ya think I'm givin' that up!"

"You agreed to it!"

"Well I don't now, ya smelly commoner!" Lilly turned and began to walk but Arthur grabbed her arm and tried to swing her back around. However, her feet stood planted stronger than the oak tree on the hill by her home. Lilly growled, got her arm free, and sent him flying with a knock to his chest. "Touch me again, Mr. Morgan, and I'll rip out yer heart and eat it fer breakfast!"

Arthur sat up slowly and groaned. "Oh yeah, because that's how a real lady talks," he spat sarcastically.

"You will address me as My Lady or Countess O'Callaghan, sir!"

"You're my wife! I'll address you how I want, ya evil little shit!" Arthur got back up.

"Oh really? What was that you said before?!" Lilly yelled. "This bitch ain't my wife!" Lilly said...in Arthur's voice. Both of their jaws dropped. Lilly suddenly grinned evily with her eyes narrowed at Arthur. "I'm Arthur Morgan and I got beat up by a girl!" Lilly said in his voice again.

Arthur and the rest of the gang stared at her. "...How are you doin' that?!"

Lilly laughed in Arthur's voice. "I don't know! But I'm gonna keep doin' it just to piss you off!"

"Stop it, Lillian!"

"Stop it, Lillian!" Lilly repeated.

"Lilly, that's just childish," Miss Grimshaw said.

Lilly stared at Susan like she was Lilly's new victim.. "...Lilly, that's just childish," she said in Susan's voice. "Oh my God!" Lilly laughed in her regular voice.

Little Jack came bounding up. "Me next, Aunt Lilly!"

Lilly laughed at him, knelt down to his level, and smiled. "I'm glad you like this, kid," she said in Jack's voice. Lilly cackled herself into a fit. "Wait, wait, let me just..." Lilly put a hand on Jack's shoulder and spoke in his voice. "Maybe you can sound like me. Try it."

Jack cleared his little throat. "How is this?" he said in Lilly's Irish accented voice. "Oh my! It worked!" Jack and Lilly both fell over laughing.

Arthur snatched Lilly up. "You knock that off!" Arthur backed away. He just talked in Lilly's voice. "What in the hell?"

Lilly smiled at Arthur, pushed him down, and straddled his midsection. "Speak, commoner!" she shouted in Arthur's voice. Arthur kept his mouth closed and stared up at her defiantly. He tried to get up but Lilly pinned Arthur's arms above his head. "Talk, Mr. Morgan, or I shall make you talk. I am a noble and I demand that you speak." When he refused, Lilly sighed. "SPEAK!" she shouted loudly in her own voice.

"Aunt Lilly, please don't shout like that!"

"I'm sorry, mo nia. That means 'my nephew', by the way."

Jack skipped up to her. "I know. You were teachin' me some words in Irish."

"Was I? Which ones?"

"Madra. Capall. Mac Tíre. Duine. Fear. Bean."

"Excellent, my young pupil!"

"Excuse me!" Arthur snapped in Lilly's voice.

Lilly turned her attention back on her false husband. "Oh, so the man does speak my tongue." Lilly giggled. Arthur kept his mouth shut. Lilly smirked. "Labhair, mo chreach." [Speak, my prey.]

Arthur stared up at her in awe. "What did you just call me?"

"My prey." Lilly cocked her head to one side. "You don't know that word?"

"...I do. It's just...somethin' you used to call me."

34-year-old Arthur watched as Lilly was swimming naked in a lake somewhere near Blackwater. It was late evening in the summer. It was strange being back there after twelve years. But it was familiar, at least. As she dove under and swam around under the surface, Arthur quickly undressed and swam to her. When she came back up, his arms enfolded around her.

"Hello, you little minx," Arthur whispered in her ear. "You're skinny dippin' without me?"

Lilly chuckled and pressed herself against his naked body. "Didn't you see my note?"

"I did."

"I got impatient waitin' for you, mo chreach. Even predators can get bored."

"Mmm. What's that mean?"

"My prey. Mo chreach amháin. My only prey. You are the only worthy one, you know that."

Arthur prodded her neck with his nose. "Good. Because if you ever find another, I will kill him. You are my predator. No one elses."

He heard Lilly gasp as he tickled her tummy. "Arthur, you are so jealous."

"I am. But you like it."

"I do," she giggled. "I love how possessive you are. Makes me...hmm," Lilly turned around and put her arms around his shoulders. "Makes me want you more," she said with a wink.

Lilly blinked at him a few times. "I remember that. I..." Lilly sat up as she let go of his arms. "What kind of relationship is that to have?"

"The one my wife and I had," Arthur spoke in his own voice. "Before she became my woman."

Lilly cocked her head to one side and smiled gently at him. "Really?"

Arthur nodded with a smirk. "Uh huh."

"Well," Lilly chuckled and leaned down to his face. "It's a shame I'm not your wife." Lilly got up and walked to her tent. "I will clean up your mess, false husband, and I will have your things out by morning."

"Wait a minute, Lilly!" Sean said. "I need you to do somethin' real quick!"

Lilly stopped and looked around. She spotted a red haired man in a green bowler cap. "And you are?"

"Sean MacGuire. Your deartháir."

Lilly crossed her arms. "Funny, I don't remember...oooohhh. Yes I do. Hello Sean!" Lilly went and hugged him.

"Why do you remember him and not me?!" Arthur demanded to know.

"Probably because I've...known him..." Lilly gaped at Sean. "...My family. The ship. Oh God, Sean!" Lilly covered her mouth and nose with both hands. She started crying. "I watched them die!"

Sean hugged Lilly and patted her back. "I know, I know."

Arthur walked to both of them. "Wait, how do you know about that, Sean?!"

"Because I was on The Emerald Star with my Da. We saw her mother fall too."

Lilly wanted to change the subject. "What was it you wanted, Sean?" Lilly asked as she wiped away her tears.

Sean smiled at her. "Sing."

Lilly gaped at him. "No. You know how I feel about that!"

"I just wanna see if it's...amplified. Ya got super human strength, yer shout is scarier, and now you can switch voices with people. I'm an interested party."

Lilly sighed. "I don't want to."

"But Lilly-"

"I SAID NO!" her voice boomed.

"Okay okay, geez, I'm sorry."

Lilly sighed and looked at Arthur. Fury and hurt was etched on his face. "What are ya gawkin' at, Mr. Morgan?"

"He gets to call you Lilly but I don't. He knows about your life but I don't. Why?"

"Maybe perhaps your Lilly didn't trust you with the knowledge. I certainly don't, not that I would know. I have a big menory gap, in case you haven't noticed," she said calmly. Arthur frowned. He looked even more hurt and it made her heart ache. But she would not cry and she would not show him weakness ever again. "Now, I am packing up and heading home. I have a watch to get back and a different man to marry. Or did she not tell you about the arranged marriage?"

"...She did. Lilly told me some things."

"Hmph. Poor judgement on her part, if you ask me."

"Do not speak so poorly of my wife, you cretin!" Arthur snapped. "My wife was a good woman! A wonderful woman! Not some stuck up snobby Countess! Oh, by the way, she wanted to stay here! She even rescinded her title! For me!"

"As you said, Mr. Morgan, I am not her," Lilly said in a pained voice. Lilly backed away from the both of them. "Excuse me. This cretinous, stuck up, snobby Countess needs her rest." Lilly huffed away and back into the tent. And as she entered, Lilly ran to the bed and cried hot tears into her pillow. Oh, she hated that man! She hated him profusely! But after she was done crying, she began packing up his things and tossing them out of the tent. Then she began packing up her things for her trip.

"Lilly, sweetheart? It's Dutch. May Hosea and I come in?"

"Yes, you may enter," she said.

The men entered and Dutch sighed sadly. "I know you're upset, sweetheart, but you shouldn't take it out on Arthur. He's upset too."

Lilly began cleaning up the mess. "Why would he be upset? He's just a damn slob!"

"He's not a slob. He was grievin' your death. All he did was sleep and drink."

Lilly stopped and looked at them both. "For five days?"

"Yes."

Lilly frowned. "I didn't want to be so mean, but he was comin' onto me and I didn't like it, and then it escalated. He called me 'false wife' in Gaeilge. He is a horrible, cruel, perverted, stupid brute and I want nothin' to do with him!"

"Alright, well, thing is...we wouldn't feel right about you goin' to Ireland without him. He isn't just your husband, he's your guardian," Hosea said cautiously.

"My guardian? How did that happen?"

"You first met him when you were seven, and he saved your life that day. Twice. Then you came to live with us and he's protected you ever since."

"Not well enough, apparently. I have the scars to show how bad he is at his job."

"Lillian Rose!" Dutch shouted. "Shame on you!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Yes, I said it. You are bein' unfair! He has guarded you for fifteen years!"

"I'm twenty two?"

"Twenty one. Your birthday is coming up."

"Huh. How old is Arthur?"

"Thirty six."

"Hmm, I see. Well, my intended is thirty two. Guess it makes sense."

"You mean Sir Patrick? He didn't have anything to do with you dyin'?"

"No. Mr. Pierce said as much."

"Well, honey, um, Sir Patrick might not marry you."

"Why not?"

"...You had an accident when you were eighteen, and it made you go barren."

Lilly's jaw dropped and she plopped sadly to the bed. She looked down at her stomach and started to cry. "I can't bear children? What happened?!"

"You fell out of a tree. Big stick punctured you on the way down."

Hosea and Dutch sat on the bed next to her. They both put their arms around her and she hugged Dutch. "I wanted children. This is so unfair! How did I fall? What was I doin' in the first place?"

Hosea hugged them both. "Branch broke. But um...you were up there flirtin' with Arthur."

"What?!"

Hosea saw a flash of light from above the trees and laughed. "Hmm, must be Lilly," he said to himself.

"What's that?" Dutch asked as he looked for a pair of socks.

"Lilly's in a tree usin' binoculars."

Dutch growled and grabbed his own to look. "I'm gonna go climb that tree myself when I...oh. Um..." Dutch lowered his binoculars and blushed. "She's...undressing!"

"What? Why?"

"I think she's showin' somebody!"

"Holy...who?" The both looked around and Hosea spotted Arthur using his binoculars. Hosea's mouth dropped and he wheezed out a laugh. "Oh my God, it's Arthur!"

"What?!" Dutch laughed and looked at Arthur. "I'll be god damned!"

They both looked at each other and marched happily towards Arthur.

"...you saucy flirt," Arthur growled lightly but happily.

Hosea and Dutch backed up and started laughing quietly. Dutch punched Hosea lightly in the shoulder. "You gotta be kiddin' me," Dutch laughed breathlessly.

This made Hosea happy. "No wonder he's been...you know, I bet this is why he's less grouchy. Do you think they're havin' a secret affair?" Hosea whispered.

"Let's find out," Dutch whispered back. Dutch cleared his throat and ambled over to Arthur with Hosea close behind him. "What are you lookin' at, Arthur?"

Hosea saw Arthur tense up and he covered his mouth to hide his laughing. "Trees," Arthur said immediately before putting the binoculars down and pulling out his journal.

Lilly blushed. "I see. So...he wasn't kidding when he said I...Lilly liked that sort of thing." Lilly sighed and lowered her head. "I'm a Countess. That is so-"

"You weren't raised a Countess. You were raised an outlaw. That isn't your fault. But you can be both, you know."

Lilly looked at Hosea. "How can I possibly be both?"

Arthur didn't like this. He was now single, his real wife was gone and replaced by a different woman, and now he was back at his gun cart. Lilly's horse was gone and he wanted to say good riddance, but at the same time, Arthur felt like he made a huge mistake letting her go. He wanted the new Lilly, but he couldn't get over her...not being the old Lilly.

However, as soon as Arthur saw her riding up with Micah, he was overjoyed. She hadn't left, after all. Oh, and the wolves Brian and James were with her. They finally decided to come into camp. The boys saw Arthur and went racing towards him. He laughed, got on his knees, and played with them as they jumped around him. He scratched them vigorously and Lilly walked up to him.

"Mr. Morgan," Lilly said with a stiffness that irked him.

"My lady," he said back just as blankly. "Is there somethin' your Ladyship requires?"

Lilly rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Not from you, I guess," and she walked off.

Arthur dropped his head. "What is it?"

"I wish to go on this train robbery Mr. Marston mentioned. I was wondering if you would..." Lilly sighed and walked back to him. "Assist me in relearning how to use a gun."

"You can't ask anyone else?" he barked.

"Dutch said you're the best one to learn from."

Arthur sighed. "Fiiine." He got up. "Why are you wantin' to rob a train? I thought you was goin' back to Ireland?"

"I have no money. I must earn my ticket. And..." Lilly lowered her head. "I...was told I'm...unable to produce an heir for Sir Patrick." Lilly started fiddling with her fingers. "I only wish to go home and reclaim my title." Arthur frowned. He was unhappy she found out about that, but the fiddling made him smile unconsciously. Lilly saw him. "Does my plight amuse you, sir?"

"No. Just...you messin' with your fingers is somethin' my wife would do when she'd get self-conscious."

"...Oh." Lilly frowned and stopped. "Shall we start my lessons, Mr. Morgan?"

Arthur nodded and walked over to the horses with her. "So, which gun would you prefer?"

"All of them."

"How about your bow? Charles would be the better teacher for that."

"Miss O'Callaghan!" Mr. Pearson shouted.

"Yes sir?"

"That bear meat you brought this mornin'! How big was that beast?"

"Humongous!" Lilly chuckled. "Apparently much bigger than the bear I killed with my chiselers up north...or so I was told!"

"Excellent! Glad to have you back!"

"...Me too!" Lilly said with uncertainty. "...Not that she is, but..." Lilly whispered then stared at Arthur. "...Yes, I took down a bear. A scarred one up by O'Creagh's Run."

"Oh. We..." Arthur sighed. "Dammit."

"What?"

"Nothin'."

Lilly eyeballed him. "Let me guess. That was supposed to be your wife's kill?"

"Our kill. We was gonna do it together."

"...Sorry," she said genuinely. "Just tryin' to earn money to go home." Brian and James whimpered. "What?"

"They goin' home with you or they stayin' with me?" Arthur asked.

"Me. Why would they stay with you?"

"Well," Arthur scoffed. "They're my chiselers too!"

"You don't even know what a chiseler is!"

"Children! They're my children too!"

"Well they're the only children I'll have! You've got plenty of your own walking around, I'm sure!"

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "You go find a different instructor, m'lady." This was not something he wanted to do anymore and he turned to walk away when she fired her gun. "What the hell?" He jerked around and looked at her.

Lilly had a revolver aimed at a tree. A bullet was in the trunk...but she wasn't looking. When Arthur gave a look of disbelief, Lilly fired five more shots without looking. They all hit the tree and she began to reload. "Huh. Guess I don't need help after all."

"Then why ask me?!" Arthur snapped furiously.

"Dutch and Hosea are making me try to know you as part of the agreement."

"What agreement?"

Lilly smirked at him. "Oh, they didn't tell you? That is unfortunate."

"What didn't they tell me?"

"Well," Lilly holstered the gun and ambled over to Arthur. "I can't very well fund myself with this endeavor other than purchasing a ticket...sorry, four tickets, so I must use my dowry. But I cannot use it unless I am accompanied by a guardian on my journey. And that guardian is you."

Arthur squinted his eyes. "Dutch! Hosea!" He looked around for them. "Where are you fuckers at?!"

"Oh, they went fishing down at the river. You can find them there but I assure you, you are coming with me, Mr. Morgan. They will not change their minds and neither will I."

"Why me?"

"Because out of everyone besides Sean, Dutch, and Hosea, you are my best bet at recovering my memory. And...you are to accompany me as my husband. Sean and Karen and the wolves will be coming too. Liath, Ennis, and...what's your horse's name?"

"...Rose."

Lilly looked taken aback. Her blue eyes softened. "...I see. The depth of your devotion to your Lilly is...heartwarming."

Arthur closed the gap between them. He saw his wife, but only for a moment. He wanted to see her again. "Yes. I am extremely devoted and very much in love with my wife. And I miss her. Very, very much."

Lilly's eyes softened more. "I...uh..."

"Yes, m'lady?"

"...If you want her back so bad, why not come with? Perhaps I will change my mind and rescind my title once I recall...us."

Arthur smiled. "I'm bettin' you will."

Lilly cleared her throat. "Let us place that bet. If I win, you return home. If you win, I return here with you."

"Deal." Arthur and her shook hands and Lilly pulled her hand away from him as if she was hurt. "What's wrong?"

Lilly fluttered her eyes and looked away. "Had a memory."

"Of what?"

"...When we first met. You...really did save me."

"I did."

Lilly looked at him briefly. "I look forward to beating you in that bet. Now, the horses will accompany us on the trip. Quite frankly, I can't imagine leaving Liath here. I...I feel like he suits me. He's a war horse and...well, he doesn't make me look like I'm-"

"Freakishly tall?" Arthur laughed.

"Yes. Something your Lilly would say?"

"Yes."

Lilly smiled briefly. "Well, I should-"

"Wait, how did you get Micah out of jail?"

"...I charmed the sheriff to let him go."

Arthur laughed. "You used your shout, huh?"

Lilly fiddled with her fingers. "...No. I...I sang, Mr. Morgan."

"...How does that work?"

"It renders people...immobile. Makes their eyes look...empty. I abhor doing it, but my shout is very loud and I didn't want to attract unwanted attention."

"I see."

Lilly lowered her gaze. "I should go speak to Mr. Marston." Lilly walked away from Arthur followed.

"I better help with that. John has issues with how a noble talks."

"You mean big words?"

"Yes," Arthur smirked at her.

Lilly smiled warmly, which set Arthur's heart ablaze. It was his wife's smile. "Very well."

Lilly walked ahead but Arthur immediately stared at her bottom. It was the same lovely round ass of his wife. Maybe she was more like Lilly than he originally thought.