Deep in the Forests of Hanover, the rain was pouring down as the sky was blacked out by clouds. A rolling thunderstorm had found its way over the land and was about to sweep through where Isabella, Arthur and Rosalyn had ended up. Isabella on the ground bleeding from a wound in her abdomen that came from a fallen tree branch. Thrown from her black mustang violently she had braced most of the impact keeping Rosalyn safe. The blonde merely getting the wind knocked out of her and now was kneeling at Isabella's side completely panicked over her.
"Oh my God Izzy," Rosalyn said teary-eyed.
"Calm down. It's not that deep." Izzy said and looked over it.
"Looks pretty deep to me," Arthur said kneeling beside her.
"I can't ride with it was sticking out like this," Izzy said and touched it before letting out a sharp painful groan.
"Hold on! Hold on! Hold on! It might be plugging an artery or something." Rosalyn said and shooed Arthur back who was about to attempt to pull it out and looked at it closely herself.
"A what?" Arthur asked.
"An Artery it is a thing that carries the blood! Honey mentioned it. If we pull it out, she might bleed to death." Rosalyn said
"How do we stop that?" Izzy asked.
"Um... that's a Honey question," Rosalyn said rubbing her neck.
"Need I remind you that the rest of those O'Driscoll boys are going to come after us. They know you're in town and I highly doubt Colm is going to visit you for a friendly dinner now." Arthur said and glared at Rosalyn.
"What is that suppose to mean?" Rosalyn asked in response to Arthur's hostile tone of voice.
"If you had just kept your cool, we could have left with no problem at all but you, stupid had to turn around and shoot them."
"Hey, Arthur wait a minute." Izzy wanted to interject.
"Excuse me! Do I look like a piece of meat? I should just let him put his hands on me, own me because I was a whore? If you hadn't stormed off after Izzy none of this would have happened!" She screamed furiously.
"Rosalyn calm down." Izzy tried to talk again.
"Me! Izzy started it!" Arthur complained
"What!" Both of them said in unison.
"You both couldn't have left me alone. Instead, you get me drunk, steal my stuff and expect me to get into a gunfight with the O'Driscolls with a couple of harlots. Well, Guess what, I'm outta here. You're on your own." Arthur said and turned around and headed back for Princess.
"Arthur Morgan!" Izzy commanded in a loud voice.
"Morgan?" Rosalyn wanted to ask, but Izzy raised a finger at her when she stood up fighting back the pain. Arthur walked up to Princess and frightened the straps of the saddle. He didn't respond.
"I'm sorry I took your journal and did all that stuff. I... should have used better judgement last night." Izzy said and fought through the pain of the wound, and the apology itself. I was hard to tell which was worst. "I slept with you out of revenge. I admit it, but I'm not to steal your stuff but keep her away from you."
"Me!?" Rosalyn asked rather dumbfounded.
"Yes, you! I knew you had the hots for him and despite me trying to warn you, you still take him up to your room. Now shut it" Izzy bitterly stated approaching Arthur who was mounting his Horse.
"Doesn't explain why you stole my journal, speaking of which. Ms Bush. My journal, now." Arthur said and collected his reigns before extending his hand out to Rosalyn who looked embarrassed.
"I just wanted to see if you were still riding with Dutch," Izzy said and stood to his left.
"Well?" Arthur asked as Rosalyn approached taking the journal out of her bag once Isabella waved her over.
"I didn't look," Izzy replied.
"I did," Rosalyn said, and they both looked at her as she handed it to Arthur.
"I didn't give it back because I wanted you to stay longer. I get it. I'm stupid." She said hanging her head down. Arthur was eyeing the two suspiciously but watched as the look of heartbreak and disappointment crossed Rosalyn's face. He took a sharp breath and tensed waiting as she rubbed her eyes. She looked like she was about to cry.
"Listen, Arthur. We are dying out here alone. If any of Colm's men see us, they will kill us on sight. We need your help." Izzy asked.
"After all that, you think I am going to help you?" He asked glaring at Izzy.
"If you don't, not only is she going to cry but you would have killed a true American legend."
"You?" Arthur asked.
"Rosalyn." She said and turned to her friend who looked at her with puppy wide eyes.
"She saved my life Arthur, Once I got to Washington there was nothing there for me. Dutch was right. I had no family waiting for me.
I was surviving off scraps from the trash like a fucking animal. When I stumbled into the tavern, Rosalyn didn't turn me away. She bathed me, clothed me, fed me and sent me on my way with $100 bucks. You know what I did? I bought a rifle and grabbed a bounty from the sheriff and wrangled me some cash.
I did that for weeks. Hunting and killing anyone who hurt people as you hurt me. I was so angry at you that I ran into gunfights I should have lost. Drank till I couldn't walk and wasting away. But Rosalyn was there again. You brought me back, and I promised never to let anyone hurt you. I am a man of my work Arthur. If I can't take her back, you have to. I'll stay behind and lead them away, so you two have time to get everyone out of Strawberry and flee."
"Izzy! I'm not leaving you out here!" Rosalyn ran up and grabbed Isabella hand and held it. Arthur, however, had never taken his eyes off Izzy. The images of her starving in the street at the mercy of the big city lowlifes flashed in his mind. Knowing he put her there.
"You must, I can't ride like this I'll just slow you down, I'll meet you at the gate tomorrow at sun up, if I'm not there leave without me I'll find you just leave me a clue," Izzy said and whistled for Aristotle who wasn't far and trotted back to them at the command.
"Izzy, what if." Rosalyn's voice cracked, and Isabella embraced her.
"Hey, it's okay. I've gotten out of worst situations." Izzy held her tight and ran a hand over the back of her head and kissed her on the forehead before peeling her of and escorting her to the horse. "Go on. Get outta here we've already wasted enough time."
"Izzy." Arthur finally spoke as Rosalyn climbed up onto the horse struggling to keep herself together.
"Just take her back to the group. Honey will know what to do." Izzy said as Arthur rode up to them.
"I'm sorry Washington wasn't everything you hoped it would be. I'll take care of Rosalyn, but we're even." He added
"Deal. Go through the trees and cover your tracks and don't come back for me." She said as Arthur grabbed hold of Aristotle's reign's and escorted Rosalyn away.
"You're going to come back right!" Rosalyn called out.
"I always do! Besides I still have Bijou with me." Izzy responded as her dog sat next to her as they watched the two horses leave.
"You better!" Rosalyn waved as they darted off into the trees.
"Okay, Bijou. Come here." Isabella said and knelt down painfully next to her dog.
"I need you to go," she said and removed the collar from her neck before throwing it far off which Bijou bolted after to catch. Isabella was quickly turning and marching around the fallen log to go back into the field. As she looked out into the valley, she saw in the distance. Twenty mounted cowboys headed her way. She started taking deep breaths and tapped the wound on her side making it sting on purpose. She then pounded her chest with her fist and gave out a holler before taking off into a full sprint into the field away from Arthur and Rosalyn. The wide-open field was impossible to hide, but every step she could take would give Rosalyn that much more time to escape.
Up in the trees Rosalyn and Arthur had dodged around the trees and were travelling on the path which rounded the far side of the field.
"She'll make it back right Arthur?" Rosalyn asked.
Arthur's eyes were currently focused on the trail ahead, quiet and withdrawn as he came to terms with what had just happened. He turned to Rosalyn as she called for him, the tears streaming down her face hidden by the rain. Her eyes and nose cherry red against her pale complexion from the cold. From first-hand experience, he knew how this day was going to end.
"Yeah, I'm sure of it." He lied. As they rode Rosalyn was having an easier time riding Aristotle, the handsome beast well trained and obedient so he was able to return control of the horse to her and let her ride ahead of him on the path. Worried to take his eyes off her.
"What happened to the Duke?" Rosalyn asked again.
"More questions, Duke will be fine. he will either find his way back or be happy living in the forest now stop complaining and ride!" Arthur barked at her but quickly turned over his shoulder noticing something in his peripheral vision.
"Okay" Rosalyn fearfully responded while Arthur was distracted. He could see something in the field and took out his binoculars to get a better look as they rode.
"What is it!? Is it Izzy?" Rosalyn asked noticing what he was doing and stopped her horse making Princes halt behind them.
"Shh!" Arthur said almost losing his seat and put the binoculars back up to look. In the field, he could see a line of mounted O'Driscolls surrounding a red figure who had to be Isabella.
"In the middle of the field, what are you doing." He whispered to himself and tried to zoom in and focus.
"What do you see?" Rosalyn asked.
Arthur said nothing as he watched, Colm O'Driscol riding lead talking with Isabella at gunpoint.
"Arthur!" Rosalyn complained
"Shh!" He hushed her taking his eyes off the lens when pop was heard in the distance. Rosalyn gasped as Arthur quickly looked back only to see Isabella no longer standing and a puff of smoke coming from Colm's pistol. For a second, his heart stopped. Slowly slowing the binoculars to his lap with a blank expression on his face.
"Arthur?" Rosalyn stared at him as he looked back to her. A long pause of silence between them.
"We have to go."
"No." Rosalyn started to hyperventilate again.
"Miss, please. We cannot stay here." Arthur said a little choked up too, but despite the overwhelming rage which bubbled deep inside but, he pushed on, slapping Aristotle on the rear to making him run.
The two horses galloped through the rain as the thunder rumbled in the distance, the darkness engulfed to the sky which reflected the emptiness which tormented Arthur's mind. What was supposed to be a fun hunting trip had turned into a tale of heartbreak and despair. Rosalyn, his new burden had just lost her longtime friend and protector, and he wasn't sure how to cope. Death was no strange thing for Arthur, many people he cared for had met their end in depressing ways out in the west, but Izzy was different. There was a history, and even though it was clear the two would never be an item, but now she was gone. All because of some stupid journal. As they reached Strawberry galloping at full speed, they tore into town straight for the hotel. As Arthur leapt off his Horse, Rosalyn went to dismount, and he stopped her.
"No no, you're going to hide in the stable with the horses. I'll get Honey. Which one is she?" He asked. Rosalyn rubbed her nose with her sleeve trying to stop crying. "She's has grey hair, older, wears glasses." Rosalyn hiccuped and covered her face with her hands.
"Rose keep it together," Arthur said and put his hand up onto her lower back as she verbally started to shake.
"It's all my fault." She sobbed.
"We all fucked up, go hide in the stable and try to keep outta sight. Some of O'Driscills boys could already be here looking for you," he warned her as she slipped off the horse with his help before she embraced him aggressively. Arthur decided to give her the moment of much-needed comfort needed to be provided, and he held her close. Her gentle sobbing aching is heart while he scanned around looking for anyone suspicious outside.