"Papa?"
"Yes Lila?"
"Who is that?" His daughter pointed at the brown haired woman who sat in a corner of the barn, close to the stables. Clint looked up from threshing corn and into the direction Lila was pointing. "That is a friend, Lila. I guess some more will come soon too."
"Okay!" Lila smiled and approached the woman, who had not moved an inch. "Excuse me ma'am?" She looked up, into the eyes of the small girl. "Would you like to play with me later?"
"Lila, she's exhausted. Instead of asking her to play, you could bring her some more water and something to eat" Clint chided his daughter gently. "She's a guest."
"Ah. Okay. Be right back, Ma'am!"
Wanda watched the small girl leave and looked at Clint with wonder in her eyes. He either had to be incredibly kind, or dumb, letting her and her friends stay. Lila came back with water and soup.
"Here Ma'am. Oh, and Papa? I've seen some people walking towards us. Are those friends too?"
"Let me take a look, Lila." Clint said and left the barn to do exactly that, returning soon after.
"Yes, those are friends too. Cooper, Lila, i want that you go and help your mother. Tell her how many guests we have, and help her prepare something to eat."
"Okay" Cooper said and left, Lila following him.
"…where did you find this place?" James asked, looking at the farm.
"A friend," Nat and Sam answered a smile on their faces.
"I'm guessing Wanda's here as well?" Barnes had to chuckle at that. Who in their right mind would keep wanted rebels in their barn?
"She is yeah," Wilson nodded and grinned as they arrived at the house.
"But whatever you do, don't attack the kids," the Black Widow warned.
"Kids?" the male assassin repeated, confused and surprised.
"Thank you…" Wanda whispered when Lila brought the soup. She eyed it for a few seconds before taking a sip, and letting out a small whimper. It was very good and compared to what they had to eat in their camps, it was God-like.
And then she heard the Barton's talking about more people. Quickly setting the bowl down, Maximoff got to her feet and rushed outside, a relived smile on her face.
"Everyone!" she called and ran towards them, hugging Bucky first.
"You're alive!" she buried her face in his chest, keeping the hug for a few more seconds.
"Yeah… Barely, but yeah. Sorry for the worry," the Winter Soldier patted her head.
"You know him. It's either death or near death," the Falcon laughed.
"Unless he's alone. Then it's usually suicide," Romanoff put a hand on Scarlet's shoulder.
"How are you?" she asked.
"Great… Glad you are all alive," the witch pulled away and only then seemed to notice Rogers.
"…" she was silent, not sure what to do but stare at him.
"He's with us for now," the trio assured her.
Clint was leaning against the barn's door, a lazy grin on his face. Despite the common believe, he once again saw proof that the rebels were just humans too. (The villagers always portrayed them as ruthless killers and monsters.) A whistle from his house alerted him of the fact that the food was ready. "Hey. You done saying hi? Because food's ready. Make yourself at home in the haymow, in the barn." He called over to the group, gesturing to the barn behind him where a ladder lead to said mow. Then he left to get the sort of dinner for them from his wife.
Rogers was amused. They really got Barton to trust them. Which honestly wasn't such a hard task, if one is honest with him and - like Natasha had said - don't harm his family.
Then the Scarlet Witch looked at him, mistrust in her eyes. He nodded at her respectfully. Words were that she was as good as Thor.
When Clint called for them, he smiled at the Archer, who nodded back. Then they went into the barn and up to the haymow.
"Barton is a good man." He said. "And an even better archer. He retired from being soldier and teaching archery though. Quite the loss for the kingdom. The new teachers could never come close to him."
"It's still a bit hard to believe he's letting us stay here…" James sighed and dropped himself on the pile of straw, parts of it flying in the air.
"We met him before… You can trust him," Nat assured, knowing her word was all Barnes needed.
"Agreed. The whole family is very kind," Wanda backed her up, a small smile on her lips.
"Okay, okay, I get it," Bucky laughed and shook his head.
"But what are we gonna do? The army will come looking for us… and they know my face more or less," he looked at the fellow rebels.
"If we leave now, we risk them seeing us. They'll see us leave from here and that'd put the Barton's in danger…" Sam put a hand on his chin.
"But if we stay here, they're in more danger. What if they find us?" Romanoff muttered, thinking about their options.
"Can you not do anything about the knights?" Maximoff looked at Rogers.
"He's considered a traitor – it won't work," the Winter Soldier sighed.
"We could say we threatened to take them hostage," the female assassins suggested.
"Clint already said she's his niece and we're friends…"
"Look, they only know about me. I can try and lead them away-"
"No you won't. Last time you did something like that, you got captured and nearly hung!"
"I know, but what else can we do? We need to get back to camp. Rumlow can't handle it all forever you know that."
"If we leave now, when they're looking for us, we'll lead them right to us!"
"Excuse me…" Wanda whispered, breaking the argument Nat and Buck had.
"…I cannot sense anyone in the camp…" her eyes were glowing until she stopped.
"…" the four shared a look, not sure what to think.
"Maybe we're out of range… Or you're still hurt from before…" the Falcon tried.
"We should get some rest… try and find some food…" the Black Widow looked at Rogers.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Whoever you're talking to, he or she will help me get your food up the ladder." Clint called from beneath them, and Rogers did what Clint had more or less asked for. "Thanks Clint."
"Don't sweat it."
"As for your question, you said it right. I'm considered a traitor. I know some man who would follow me to death if necessary, but i would rather not endanger them anymore than i already did. But I'm not leaving Buck alone again. I want to know why you're rebels, your motive - if you can convince me of your cause, i will be glad to help. If not, well, i can't exactly go back, so if you're okay with it, Clint, i will hide here for a while." The archer nodded, giving him the last bowl of soup, before climbing the ladder up and sitting down on the edge, close to a window from where he could look over his land quite far.
"I would also like to know what you're going to do right now - besides eat, that is. If you're planning to do something reckless and endanger my family, i need to get them away from here."
Wanda was first to start eating the soup, not because it was so good, but also to show her friends, who all eyed the food, it was harmless.
"Steve… You don't have to keep babysitting me… I can handle it…" James muttered, still not eating.
"Sure you can…" came Nat's sarcastic remark as she tried the soup. It took all her self-control to not gulp it down in mere seconds.
"Motive? Well…" Sam let out a breath and slowly ate the soup.
"We just want to live in peace," he shrugged, not really knowing how to explain it.
"But before we go there," Wilson quickly added, looking at Rogers.
"Did you really serve the old King? Howard?" he sounded excited as Steve smiled slightly.
"Yes I did… and I wasn't the only one here who did," he cast his glance at Barnes, who cleared his throat.
"…Then how are you so young?" Wanda spoke up, her bowl already empty.
"It's a hell of a story," Romanoff grinned and looked at her partner.
"You told them?" the Captain asked his best friend.
"Just her… Go on; tell 'em…" Bucky looked nostalgic.
"…Well, it's all true. I served the old King. Those were simpler times…" a smile was tugging at his lips.
"But you see… There was a fair amount of people who didn't like the Starks… It was my duty to make sure they were safe… And that loyalty cost me…" his voice grew a bit grim.
"An old witch from a faraway land came here one day… She had heard of the Stark family and what they were doing. She used her powers to get past the guards and into the castle undetected. But she forgot about me…" he looked at them and saw he had their attention.
"And as she tried to kill the King, I intervened. Struck her down and nearly killed her, but with her last dying breath, she cursed me. I would age very slowly, as punishment. At first I had no idea what she meant, but slowly it came to me… I was watching everyone I know… everyone I care for die before my eyes, while I could not join them unless I was killed…"
"…Then how are you not an old man?" Sam only knew part of the story… not this.
"I 'died' before that… Fell from a horse into a canyon while on a mission to stop the Red Empire. I'm still not sure how I survived… only that I woke up with a metal arm, in an unknown territory. My memory is foggy, but I left that place and stumbled in the woods where she found me. But I'm guessing I got the same kind of curse," he looked at the female assassin, who had closed her eyes.
"…" a bit of a silence hung around them. Wanda and Sam had no idea it went like this.
"As for what we were doing here," Natalia sensed the tension and changed the subject.
"We really do believe the Red have someone in the Castle. They have been one step ahead of you all this time, hence our help on the field a few days ago…"
"Make no mistake," Scarlet spoke, her eyes a bit hard.
"We rebels have no love for Stane or Starks. We lost many of our loved ones to the very Kingdome we thought would protect us… But we hate the Red more."
"True. We have seen things which happened from the Iron. The monstrosities the Lords have committed. But it fails in comparisons to Red Skull," Barnes was glad the change of theme.
"If you want to help us, great. But we won't go around, risking our lives for Stane," the Falcon explained in short.
And then, before anything more could be said, shouts and calls were heard from outside.
"They're here," the rebels jumped to their feet, ready to run or fight.
"Shut up, keep silent and sit down." Clint ordered silently, leaving the mow. His voice didn't let room for arguments. He would think later about all that - if he would think at all and not just decide after his gut feeling.
He got the ladder away from the mow, then left the barn - and saw at least twenty soldiers on his ground.
"And this means what?" He asked loudly, gaining their attention while he crossed his arms over his chest. "Who are you?"
"Jasper Sitwell. You must be Clint Francis Barton, am i right?"
"Yeah. What are you doing here?"
"We're searching for rebels, traitors and their helpers."
"And that brings you to me?"
"Somebody shot the rope with which we were going to hang one of the rebels. You're the best archer in this country."
"That's true, but i was here all morning. I'm a farmer now, and haven't used my bow since Saturday night where i hunted a deer for my wife's birthday. Maybe someone i trained actually made use of it and ran over to the rebels?" Clint explained. Sitwell turned to his soldiers. "Look into the barn."
Clint frowned as three soldiers passed him. "Sir, someone was really threshing here" called one of the soldiers out to Sitwell after a moment of digging around in his barn.
"Do you see a bow? And a quiver?"
"Yes, looks like it hasn't been moved for a bit, and the quiver is filled, there is no arrow missing."
Sitwell narrowed his eyes at Clint, who just stared back. Finally he called his men back too. "Good. You're off the hook for now, Barton. But if i see you, or hear it, that you are near any sort of trouble, i will find you and bring you to the dungeon."
"Good. Try that. Because i haven't done anything. Oh, and just a warning." His frown deepened. "I will put a shield down on the path there, warning every soldier who comes here without a cause that he might end up as my next target practice. I want to live a peaceful life, and that doesn't work with you running around here."
Sitwell snorted one last time, having already turned his back to the archer, before finally leaving. When they were out of earshot, the Archer let out a sigh, went back into the barn and leaned the ladder back to the mow. "You can move again."
As soon as they heard the knights coming, James and Natalia jumped to their feet, weapons at the ready. Steve silently put a hand on his best friend's shoulder while Sam shook his head at the female. For a few minutes, they all didn't move and put their trust in Barton, that he'd be able to talk the guards into leaving, without them using any lethal force.
And then they heard the guards leave. The two assassins relaxed their stands and lowered their weapons, while the others let out a breath they forgot they were holding.
"Well done man," Sam smiled down at the archer.
"You saved us again… Thank you," Wanda was slightly shaking from the still lingering fear.
"You likely bought us enough time to get back to our camp… We'll make sure to repay the debt we owe you," Natasha gave a grateful nod.
"I still don't understand why you're helping us so much… Aren't you one for the Iron?" Barnes wasn't complaining, he was just curious.