Chapter 37: Margaret, Mistress of Fucking Danger

Lilly, Arthur, and Sean left the camp together to go on a robbery. The boys joined in as soon as they left, seemingly happy that the couple were no longer fighting. They had an extra bounce in their steps and their tongues hung out lazily as they jogged by Lilly and Arthur's sides, the wolves' lips animated into smiles. This made Lilly chuckle to herself as the men bantered back and forth.

"I ain't like some of them others back there, sittin' around, waitin' to be told. I go after it," Sean said.

"I see you sittin' around plenty," Arthur joked.

"I mean, I don't need no coddlin' like the rest. Dutch knows my value to the cause. Has from the moment I met him."

"You tried to kill him, if I remember the story ri-wait a minute..." Arthur paused.

Lilly and Sean looked at each knowingly, then at Arthur innocently as they continued on their trek. "What?" they both said.

Arthur gave them both a squinting of his blue eyes. "Did you both plan that?"

"No," Sean said. "All I was told was to act with gumption."

"Lilly!"

"I didn't know he was gonna try to rob him!" Lilly barked humorously.

Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "In ainm Dé..." [Oh my God...]

Lilly and Sean laughed. "You really got the Gaeilge down now, don'tcha?" Sean asked. "Cursin' to yourself in it and everythin'..."

"Dún do bhéal." [Close your mouth.]

Lilly and Sean laughed again. "Sean, I hafta say...yer a great teacher," Lilly pointed out.

"Thank you, deirfiúr," Sean replied.

Arthur sighed. "You sure you scoped this place out right?"

"Yes, see? That's why I wanted you along for this. You're still a doubter. I ain't just some dumb kid. I've lived a lifetime of shit already. Unlike you of course, Lilly, you've had it worse."

"And unlike Lilly, you sure don't keep it bottled up inside."

"What about that train job with the oil wagon? Made a good showin' there, didn't I?"

"You got knocked out."

"Ah, that's what you choose to remember. We got paid, we got outta there."

"Got knocked out in Blackwater too, didn't ya?"

"Now that was bloody chaos."

Lilly was supposed to go on that job. However...

Lilly, in her summer gunslinger outfit, was outside reading a book. Pretending to, anyway. Lilly kept glimpsing at Arthur who was busy chopping wood. Shirtless, of course. God she missed him, but they weren't on speaking terms anymore because of how she crossed a line. Lilly touched him by accident. Then she tried to push it and touch him again. Arthur didn't like that and they ended up calling each other the worst of names. He'd called her a whore, and she'd went off on him after that. So now, they were estranged. And Lilly hated it. Arthur glanced at her before Lilly eyed the book again. Dutch came walking up to Lilly with a smile.

"Hey kid. You ready to go? he asked.

Lilly frowned up at him. "I...yes."

Dutch looked over at Arthur than back at her. "Why don't you go talk to him before we go?"

"Because we are not on speakin' terms, Da."

"Was the fight that bad?"

"Yes." Lilly slammed the book shut and got up. "It was that bad. In fact I...I'm thinkin' after this job, I might go out on my own."

Dutch put his hands on his hips. "You what?" he laughed. "You want to leave the gang now because you two fought?"

Lilly scoffed. "I can't stand the sight of him."

"Yet you keep spyin' on him."

"It's hard not to! Especially when he's...flauntin' himself about like god damn eye candy!" Lilly snapped. She looked down at her book. "I mean, look at 'im!"

"Yes. He does tend to flaunt half naked when he thinks you're lookin'."

Lilly's jaw dropped. "That's not why he does it! Chores are a sweaty business!"

Dutch laughed. "Ha! Kid, you can't pretend to be that clueless."

"I guess I am that clueless because I don't understand men at all! Just...oh, bollocks!" Lilly threw her book down and went stomping away from Dutch to Holly. "Let's just go so I can get my take and plan on leavin'."

Dutch chased after her and grabbed her arm. "Hey hey hey, c'mere," he said, holding her by the arms.

Lilly looked down at her feet. "I don't wantah stay."

"Lilly, look, just...how about you sit this one out? Just stay and really think about what you want to do?"

Lilly looked at Dutch. "I can't let you down like that, Da."

Dutch poked her nose. "You ain't lettin' me down, Iníon. You never have." [Daughter.]

Lilly wanted to cry but she held her breath. "Oh Da..."

Dutch wrapped her up in a hug. "Just go climbin' or somethin'. The boys and I got this, okay?"

Lilly sighed and hugged Dutch. "You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Dutch kissed her cheek and went walking. "Go clear your head. That's an order, kid."

After the robbery of the stick up crew Sean got wind of, he left them both their own devices. They decided to stay out with the wolves and go hunting together. They'd killed a buck, three boars, two rabbits, and a racoon. Not a bad take. They set up camp and the boys went off on their own hunting expedition as Lilly and her husband made love in the tent. And when that was done, Arthur proceeded to kiss Lilly's baby bump repeatedly.

"You really like that bump, huh?" Lilly asked with a giggle.

"Yes I do. It's our baby in there," Arthur said, smiling up at her.

Lilly ran her fingers through Arthur's dark blonde curly J's. "I love you, Arthur."

Arthur kissed her belly again and snuggled his naked body against her own. "I love you too, Lilly."

"Can we not fight for a while, please?"

"Sure." A laugh came out of Arthur. "I hate fightin' with you."

"Me too." Lilly yawned. "Ugh, I need a nap."

Arthur laughed. "Wore you out, did I?"

"Yes," Lilly said happily.

Arthur nuzzled her neck with his face. "Yeah, you wore me out too, mo stór. Shall we nap?"

"Yes please," Lilly said with a yawn, rolling onto her side and resting her head on Arthur's chest. "A nap sounds wonderful." Arthur chuckled and kissed the top of her head and it wasn't long until Lilly drifted off to sleep.

Wind. Trees. Howling. Ocean. A ship sinking in a storm. A cave. Darkness. A field of flowers. Night sky. Arthur coughing and falling off a horse. Three women. An island. A man in a blue and pink circus dress. Tobacco fields burning. Horses. Saint Denis. The red wolf. Jack screaming. Rhodes. Gunshots. Incoherent shouting. Blood drops. A flock of crows. A dress ripping. Papa. Sean's dead body on the red dirt in Rhodes, blood pooling beneath his head.

Lilly stands on a riverbank. The sun shines through the leaves of ash, hawthorn, and oak trees. The water is clear, the grass is vividly green, and the smell of nature hits her with a breeze. Lilly hears a child laughing behind her and turns. She sees her parents and Little Janet. Lilly smiles and walks to them."Come here, child. You can't speak to them just now," someone says behind her.

Lilly turns around to see an old woman washing clothes in the river. She has a hooked nose with a wart and is in dark red old maid clothes with a black bandana over her white hair. She's the spitting image of an old hag. "Who are you? Why can't I talk to them, and where did you come from? You weren't here a second ago!"

The old woman laughs. "Oh, so many questions, my dear. All of them the wrong ones, and so demanding to know the answers, too."

"I...sorry, I'm just a wee bit confused. I don't know what's going on."

"You will, child. Not now, but soon. Come help me wash these clothes. I'm an old woman, you know."

Lilly sighs and walks around her, then kneels down and grabs clothes from the basket. They have blood on them. "It's very hard to get blood out of clothes, ma'am."

The woman laughs. "Yes it is. I can rarely get it out."

"Then why wash them?"

"Why not? I've been washing clothes for a long time. Sometimes I get lucky and the blood washes right off."

Lilly sighs and puts a tan jacket into the water. It's wrinkled, dirty, and blood spattered. She takes a bar of soap and starts scrubbing it on the jacket. "So why is it your job to wash clothes?"

"What else is there for an old woman to do?"

"Tell stories to children, pass down recipes to the next generation, sew quilts, things like that."

"Ha! Very true. But this was the job I was given. I like it. It suits me."

"You really don't do anything else?"

"I do. Just not while I'm an old woman."

Lilly blinks at her. "I don't understand."

"All in due time, child." She looks at Lilly. "Well come on, we need to get these clothes washed. I'm not getting any younger. Not yet, anyway," she says with a wink.

Lilly shakes her head and continues with a grin, then she glances at what the old woman is washing. It's a blue shirt with little stripes, also spattered in blood. Lilly recognizes it. It's one of Arthur's shirts. She looks down at the jacket she's washing. It's one of Arthur's jackets. "This is Arthur's. Why are we washing Arthur's clothes? Is he here?"

"We're washing it because Arthur will soon be here. Until the blood washes out, of course, then he can go back home."

"I thought you said blood rarely washes out?"

"I also said sometimes I get lucky. Really, child, you must pay attention."

Lilly flinches when a flock of crows come flying around them. They caw and land in the grass near the old woman. "Are they yours, ma'am?"

"Just about as much as the wolves are yours. By the way, naming them after your brothers? Oh, such a clever girl!"

Lilly shakes her head in confusion. "What? What do you know about them?"

The old woman grabs the jacket and shirt, puts them in the basket, and smiles at Lilly. "You'll see." she gets up and walks away with the basket, then stops and turns around. "Oh, a little bit of advice, my dear. Look out for my crows. They could help you save the others."

Lilly gawks and stands up. "Wait, where are you going? What others? I have more questions!"

"Oh, come back another time, child. Duty calls."

A shout came emanating from Lilly's throat as she woke. She sat up immediately and stopped. Her breath was heavy and sweat stuck to her naked body. Where was Arthur? She looked around. Him and his clothes were gone. She got dressed and crawled out of the tent. His horse Rose and the boys were gone. Lilly sighed. First things first. She took out her journal and wrote down her dream in detail. When she was done, she got on her horse Doc and began to track the giant pair of wolf prints following hoof marks leading away from camp. Luckily, they didn't look like they were in a hurry. It wasn't long until she saw a bunch of circus carts and a man...in a blue and pink circus dress looking rather glum. Oh boy. These prophetic dreams were being real...vague but accurate at the same time and it confuzzled Lilly to pieces. Well, the tracks led straight to the man so she went up to him.

"Excuse me, sir...or...ma'am?" Lilly asked. "Did you happen to see a man with two wolves?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, I did indeed," the man said in a British accent, sitting on his cart. "He's helping me find my wild animals."

"Ah," Lilly said, laughing to herself. "That sounds like my husband for sure."

"Your husband? Oh, so you're the owner of the wolves. How did you ever acquire such magnificent beasts, if I may ask?"

"By accident. Or design. I have no idea," Lilly replied. "I guess you could say we saved each other and they just kinda...stuck around. So, my husband?"

"Yes, he's out catching my zebra for me."

"Your zebra, huh? Well, hopefully my boys don't take the zebra for lunch." Lilly looked at the overturned wagons and sighed. "Do you need help getting those back up?"

"Oh yes, if it's not too much trouble."

Lilly laughed and walked over to one of the wagons. "No trouble at all, ma'am...sir..."

"It's Margaret. Mistress of Fucking Danger."

"Right." Lilly got to a wagon, spit on her hands, and lifted it back upright with a clank. "There, that's one."

"Good Lord, how did you do that?" Margaret asked, flabbargasted.

"Um...gravity doesn't have that much weight with me as it does everyone else?" she guessed.

Margaret laughed. "Ah, a pun! Good show! Say, are you in show business?"

"Nope. Outlaw business," Lilly said, upturning another cart. "Why?"

"I daresay you'd make a fortune on the stage."

"Oh, I know I would, but let's just say I get stage fright too easily."

"Ah! My zebra has returned!" Margaret said as Lilly heard a bleeting.

Lilly turned and saw her husband riding in on a painted donkey and she did her best not to fall over laughing. "Oh, Arthur. Is that yer noble steed?"

Arthur chuckled and got off the "zebra". "Good grief! You've found him! Our zebra!" Margaret exclaimed.

"Ha, well, you can call him that," Arthur said, walking over to a cart while leading the donkey. "Although he's as much a zebra as you are a...lady animal wrangler."

Margaret opened the door on a cage. "Oh dear, you are missing the point, aren't you? It's an illusion. A trick of the eye to bamboozle the senses. Counfound comprehension."

"Hoodwink your audience?"

"Hoodwink our audiences? Heh, dear boy, don't be so dreadfully literal," Margaret said, looking around for a plank. He found and grabbed it. "No one will pay for the truth...they only pay for deception. The allure of the stage. Dreams and reality," he said, dragging the plank over. "What is the greater conjuring trick? Lassoing some poor beast in the plains of Mumbo Jumbo land and shipping it here, so it can dance the polka?" Margaret asked, applying the plank to the cage so Arthur could lead the zebra in. "Or turning, there in the glare of those arc lamps, something mundane into something extraordinary?"

Arthur and Margaret shut the doors and Lilly pat her wolves on the heads. "Good boys." She fed them some meat.

"It's the difference between prose and poetry. It's alchemy. We're selling dreams, dear boy!"

"Well, as long..." Arthur approached the man but paused when the donkey passed gas and Lilly broke into a giggling fit. "As long as you don't pay me with tickets to your show," Arthur said.

"Ah yes, well it's not everyone's cup of tea."

"And speakin' of my payment..."

Margaret held up his hands. "Of course, of course, I shall make it worth your while. But, um," Margaret looked around, "first we shall need the whole menagerie back before we can think about that. My assistant's gone for the tiger."

"Tiger?"

"Yes yes, and taken our remaining lion in case it could lend a paw. They're down there on Caliga Way," Margaret pointed, then clasped his fists. "Please. I hate to ask."

Lilly bounded up to Arthur and clung to his arm. "Oh come on, Arthur. Please?" Lilly batted her eyelashes.

Arthur rolled his eyes at Lilly. "Alright. I'll see what I can do."

Lilly giggled then let go of his arm so he could get going. "Now, Mr. Margaret, is that the last of your show or is there another animal you'd like us to catch?" Lilly asked.

"Well, yes, there is one more. Our last lion. I'm well aware that we're not Royal Command Performance material...Daddy you were right, god damn you! But a cow barn in Rhodes is hardly Drury bloody Lane!"

Lilly chuckled. "So, you have word?"

"Yes. Um, but you better take your wolves with you. The last one can get rather, well, um..."

"Uppity?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact."

"I see. Well, where is it?"

"Someone saw him near Emerald Ranch. So, I'd be very grateful. All kinds of grateful."

"Sure." Lilly whistled. "Brian, James, you're with me!" The boys padded to her and she mounted on Doc. "Let's go!" And she and the wolves galloped off in the directtion of Emerald Ranch.

"Hey uh, I realized I ain't properly introduced myself," Arthur said to the blonde woman. They'd just obtained the ex lion/ex dog and the tiger/cougar together and they'd never exchanged names.

"Sally Nash," she said.

"Arthur Morgan."

They shook hands. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Tell me Miss Nash, how'd you end up in this racket?"

"I...guess it's always been my inclination, you know? Wild beasts and the like. I met Mr. Margaret, we got to talking, and...you can probably tell, in this field, he's the ace of spades."

"He's a card, alright," Arthur said somewhat jokingly.

The joke went above her head, obviously. "It's my modest hope...one day...to be the world's second bravest woman...animal wrangler."

"I'd say you'd got that sewn up and then some."

"You think?" Sally asked happily. "I hope so. Top five, at least. Depends on how many more fellers throw their hat in the ring."

"Maybe one of these days the best female for the job will actually be a female," Arthur surmised.

"Oh, I don't know if that'll ever happen," Sally said in disbelief.

"Sure it will. Hell, my wife Lilly actually took down a cougar practically with her bare hands. And before that, it was two grizzly bears, although she had help with Brian and James for one of those."

"Wait, your wife? She wrangles animals?"

"Not as a profession. For survival. She's uh, very skilled when it comes to wild animals."

"Who are Brian and James?"

"Her wolves," Arthur laughed.

"She's got wolves?!"

"Mmhmm. You'll see 'em when we get back."

"She didn't go after our other lion?"

"You got another dog lion?"

"No. This one's an actual lion."

Arthur stopped the wagon. "Wait, what?!"

"Yes. Odysseus. He's a real bonafide lion!"

Arthur groaned and put his face in his hands. "Not again!"

"What's wrong? I thought you said she took on wild animals?"

"She does, but she's pregnant!" Arthur grabbed the reins and flicked them hard. "I hope she took the pups with her!"

"Brian and James are just pups? Woa! Easy!" Sally exclaimed, bouncing in the passenger seat.

"They're Canadian, so they're pretty big! Let's get back! If your Mr. Margaret sent my wife after a lion, I might have to wrangle him next!" The cart jostled about as they neared the caravan. When they got close, Arthur jumped off and power walked to Margaret. "You!" he pointed. "Where's Lillian?"

"Oh, I sent her after Odysseus with her wolves."

Arthur grabbed Margaret by the throat. "A man-eatin' lion?! You sent my pregnant wife after a real fuckin' lion?!"

"Now now, sir, she is more than capable! You should have seem her, sir! Lifted my carts right up...oh dear, did you say she's pregnant?"

"Yes!" Arthur raised a fist. "I swear to God, if she gets killed, I'll-"

Margaret looked past him. "Oh look! Sally, get the cages ready!"

"Yes sir, Mr. Margaret, right away!" Sally yelled as she ran around preparing another cage.

Arthur turned around and saw Lilly walking a real lion on her lasso while riding Doc. He took a sigh of relief. "Oh Lilly! You scared the shit outta me!"

Lilly laughed as Brian and James padded up to Arthur. "I know. I'm sorry, but I didn't know it was a real one. I was only told he'd get uppity."

Arthur laughed and walked to her. Lilly handed the rope to Margaret who took the lion to the cage. Arthur checked Lilly over for new scars. "Are you okay? How did you...ha, how did you get the lion back here?"

Lilly kissed her husband softly. "With my smile, of course."

Arthur laughed, twirled her around and kissed her deeply. "Mo bean chéile, you are...you amaze me."

Lilly giggled and kissed Arthur on the cheek. "And you flatter me, mo fhear céile."

"What happened to King?" Margaret asked.

"Stripey ate King, Mr. Margaret. I saw her do it," Sally explained.

"And I always thought they got along," Margaret said, looking into Stripey's cage.

Arthur and Lilly approached the cart. "Oh, she liked him just fine. She licked her chops and asked for seconds," Arthur chuckled.

Lilly smacked his shoulder. "You're such a crass man, Arthur Morgan," Lilly giggled.

"Speakin' of crass," Arthur looked at Margaret. "Pay me."

"Yes, of course, of course," Margaret replied. "I have just the thing. And," Margaret climbed onto the driver's seat. "What a treasure it is!" He grabbed something, climbed back down, and rubbed it on his dress. "You're a lucky man, sir. A very lucky man." Margaret presented an emerald in his hand. "From the mines of El Dorado, as green as the rainforest, as clear as the Amazon, and as dear as all the gold in the Andes. One man's labor is but a trifle compared to this jewel's true value." Arthur went to grab it but Margaret flinched it back. "Wait. I shouldn't. What would Daddy say?"

"Your daddy ain't here," Arthur growled. "And we had a deal."

"Yessssss, of course. A promise...is a promise." Arthur grabbed the emerald and sighed. "Sally, get the wagons moving. Good day, sir, madam, and thank you, but we really must he getting along," Margaret said, climbing on a wagon.

"Yeah, we won't keep you," Arthur said.

Lilly waved as they drove off. "Good bye, and good luck on the road!"

Arthur pocketed the emerald and held onto his wife. "Please, darlin', no more animal wranglin' until the baby is born."

Lilly laughed. "I agree. I saw the damn thing and almost shite my pants."

Arthur laughed and kissed her. "Let's head back to the little camp and uh, I'll wrangle you myself for a little bit?"

"Ooooh, Mr. Morgan, you animal. Rawr." Arthur chortled and kissed her passionately. "But before we do that, I need to tell you somethin'."

"What's that?"

Lilly sighed and pulled out her journal. "I've been writin' down my dreams. And...well, read." Arthur opened the book and began to read. "I think Sean is goin' to die," Lilly said with a frown.