Author's note: Next chapter, hope you enjoyed it.
A few weeks later. Agnarr, with his oldest daughter Elsa, walked to the main cabin. They entered and found Arthur walking up to Reverend Swanson. "I thought you were reading him his last rights. Now i see you've introduced him to your other passion." He said to Swanson. "I'll mind you to show me some respect, Mr. Morgan." Reverend put his Morphine syringe away. "Mind away, Reverend." Swanson leave. He nods in acknowledgment at Elsa and her father.
They nod in return and walk up to John. "So you still here, then?" Arthur sits on a chair next to him. "I owe you." John said with a raspy voice. "Yeah, and you'll pay me. But for the moment, just rest." Arthur said. "Those wolves really got you, huh?" Elsa asked. "Yep." John said. The door opens. "Arthur. I think it's time for the train." Dutch said. "You want me to come?" John asked. Agnarr was about to tell him that he was in no condition to help. But Dutch beat him to it. "Of course I do, but... look at you." Dutch said. "I was always ugly, Dutch. It's just a scratch." John tries to get up, but Agnarr and Dutch hold him back. "Lie still, son."
Then the doors opens and Abigail and Jack come. "Hello, Abigail. Jackie." Dutch acknowledged them. "The boy wanted to see you, John." Jack looked nervous. "Well, he's seen me now. Or, what's left of me." John said before looking at his 'wife'. "What about you?" He asked. "Guess I was hoping to see a corpse." Abigail replied. "Bide your time. You'll see plenty of them." John said. "You're a rotten man, John Marston." Abigail said. "He is an idiot, Abigail. We all know it. Now railway, men." Dutch steps outside with the others following. "Bill, now you ride ahead and set the charge... at the water tower, just before the tower." "Ain't a problem." Bill said as he mounted his horse and took off.
"Why are we doing this? The weather's breaking, we could leave. I-i thought we was lying low." Hosea joined. "What do you want from me, Hosea?" Dutch asked. "I just don't want any more folks to die, Dutch." Hosea said. "We're living, Hosea. Look at me. We're living. Even you. But we need money. Everything we have is in Blackwater. You fancy heading back there?" Dutch asked. "No. Look, Dutch. I ain't trying to undermine you, but I just wanna stick to the plan, which was to lie low, then head back out West. And now suddenly we're about to rob a train." Hosea said. "What choice have we got?" Dutch asked. "Leviticus Cornwalls no joke, Dutch. He's - " Hosea started until Agnarr spoke up. "Who is this Leviticus Cornwall?" He asked. "He's a big railway magnate, sugar dealer, oil man." Hosea said. "Well, how good for him. Sounds like he has more than enough to share." Dutch said.
"Dutch!" Hosea begged, but the leader ignored him. "Gentlemen! It is time to make something of ourselves! Get your horses ready. We got a train to rob!" Dutch said. Agnarr walked up to him. "Is there anything we can do?" He asked. "When we get back, we'll be moving on. So why don't you help the others get packed up." Dutch said. Agnarr nodded and watched Van Der Linde mount up, and he and a big group headed out. Agnarr walked past Hosea, and he and his daughter trudged back to their cabin.
"Go help your mother and sister pack up what you got. I'll help everyone else." Elsa nodded and ran inside. Agnarr walked to Pearson's hut to pack up food. After that, he helped Susan in getting the clothes on the wagons.
It was late afternoon until Dutch and his boys arrived. Shortly after, Arthur came up too. "Oh, for Lord's sake. Put that book away and go help." Miss Grimshaw ordered Mary-Beth. Agnarr and Iduna were with Dutch and Hosea. Arthur walked up to them. "So, we gettin' put of this hellhole?" He asked. "We're gonna try. the weather seems stable." Dutch said. "And we just robbed a Leviticus Cornwall train." Ossa argued. "We got money in our pockets... the worst is behind us, fellas. So the question is, where now?" Dutch asked. "I know this country a little. I told you we should set up camp in Horseshoe Overlook near Valentine. We'll be able to hide put there, no problem. As long as we keep our noses clean." Hosea said. "Well then, let's go. Clean noses and everything else." Dutch agreed.
Agnarr ran up to help Bill put John in one of the wagons in the back. "Agnarr, Iduna, Elsa, Anna. You 4 are in that one. Arthur and Hosea, you two ride up front of their wagon. I know you two like to talk about the good old days and what's gone wrong with Old Dutch." Dutch boarded his wagon.
As soon as everyone and everything was loaded, the Van Der Linde gang started riding out of Colter. They begin their trek throughout the mountain. The royal family was mesmerized by the beautiful landscape as the left Ambarino behind for New Hanover. After a long time, they were finally out of the snow.
"Lenny! Micah! Get over here!" Dutch called out for his men. "Yes, boss?" Micah asked. "You two ride up ahead, make sure there are no surprises. We've had enough of those." Dutch said. "Me, with the boy?" Micah asked. "Just go." Dutch said impatiently.
"Come on, kid. You can buy me a whiskey." Lenny and Micah ride off ahead. The gang was nearing a river. On the last wagon, Anna woke up from a nap. And she found the wilderness to be breathtaking. As they entered the stream, the wheel suddenly came loose. "Get us out of the stream." Hosea said up front. Arthur tried to slow it down. "You need to keep us moving, but calm." Hosea warned. As they exited the river, the wheel broke off, and a few supplies fell off too. "Whoa!" Agnarr gasped.
"Ah, shit!" Arthur groaned. "Okay... let's take a look." Hosea said as he got down. "You alright back there?" Bill asked from up ahead. "Does everything look alright?" Arthur asked sarcastically. "Well, what's going on?" Javier asked. "I broke the goddamn wheel!" Arthur groaned. "Alright, let's get it fixed." Hosea said. Agnarr got down to help the old man. "You need some help?" Charles asked as he walked up. "I reckon we can handle it." Hosea said as he, Agnarr, and Charles manage to lift the wagon far enough for Arthur to roll the wheel towards them. As soon as he was there, he lifted the wheel up and onto the axel. And he starts bashing it in with his shoulder. Then, he grabs a wrench and starts turning the bolt. Then the wheel was fully attached, allowing the boys to let go. They started getting the fallen supplies back on.
"Papa, look." Elsa said as she pointed at a nearby cliff. A few men were watching them. Indians. "What do you think?" Arthur asked Charles. "If they wanted trouble, we wouldn't have seen them." He replied. Hosea waved at them. "Poor bastards. We really screwed them over down here." He said. Come on. Let's not push our luck. Agnarr, you wanna ride up ahead with me?" Hosea asked. "Alright." The former king said.
"What happened?" Arthur asked as he grabbed the last basket. "Well... get in, and I'll tell all of you." Hosea replied. Arthur hands Iduna the basket, and he and Charles climb onto the back as Agnarr joined Hosea. The king commands the horses to move forward.
"Not too far now. Stay on this trail." Hosea said. "We'll follow the river then cut left inland." He said before he started telling the story. "So... yes, the Indians in these parts got sold a very raw deal. This is the Heartlands we're going to, good farming and grazing country, they lost it all. Stolen clean away from them, it was. Every blade of grass. Killed or herded up to the reservations in the middle of nowhere." Hosea said.
"And how's that different from anywhere else?" Charles asked. "Well, maybe it's not. I just heard some of the army out here was particularly, uh... unpleasant about it." Hosea replied. "Unpleasant? How do you rob and kill people pleasantly? We don't, in spite of Dutch's talk." Charles said. "I fear I was perhaps trying to simplify something more complicated for the benefit of our blockheaded friend back there." Hosea motions to Arthur. "Hey, don't blame it on me. Never forget. This here is a conman, fellas. Born and bred. Just cause it sounds fancy, don't mean he knows a damn thing about what he's talking about." Arthur said.
"So, Charles. Did you have a tribe?" Agnarr asked Charles. Cause Mr. Smith told him about the fact that he was part indian back in Colter. "I don't even know if I have one... least, not that I can remember. My father was a colored man. They told me he lived with our people for a while, a number of free men did, but... when we were forced to move from our lands, the three of us fled. I was too young to really remember much. All life, I've been on the run. A couple years later, some soldiers captured my mother, took her somewhere. We never saw her again. We drifted around. He was a very sad man and the drink had a mean hold on him. Around 13, I just took off on my own." Charles said.
"That was about the age we found young Arthur here. Maybe a little older. A wilder delinquent you never did see. But he learned fast." Hosea said. "Not as fast as Marston, apparently." Morgan replied. "Wait... I don't understand. What's the problem between you two?" Charles asked. "Arthur?" Hosea motioned for Arthur to tell his and Marston's story. But all he said was, "It's a long story."
"Are we still heading the right way?" Iduna asked from behind Hosea. "That depends... are we still heading West, in search of fortune and repose in virgin forest as we planned? No. Are we heading in the correct direction on our desperate escape from the law eastwards down the mountains? Yes, I believe so." He answered her question. "You know this place?" Elsa asked. "A little. I've been through a couple of times. There's a livestock town not to far from here, called Valentine. Cowboys, outlaws, working girls. An outlaws kind of place." Hosea said.
"O'driscolls?" Arthur asked. "Probably them too." The old man replied. "Pinkertons?" Arthur asked uneasy. "Let's hope not." Hosea said. "And this place we're going... wait, what's it called again?" Agnarr asked. "Horseshoe Overlook." Hosea said matter of factly. "Is it a good place for us to lie low?" Arthur asked. "It'll do for now." Hosea replied.
"And how low do you think Dutch is really going to lie? It's just... you know, maybe it's me who's changed, not him, but we kept telling him that ferry job didn't feel right. You and me had a real lead in Blackwater that could've worked out." Hosea said to Arthur. "Maybe." He replied. "It just... isn't like Dutch to lose his head like that." The second founder of the gang said. "Things go wrong sometimes. People die. It's the way it is, always has been.
Me, you, Dutch. We've all been in this line of work a long time. And we're still here, so I figure we must've got it right a hell of a lot more than we got it wrong." Arthur said to Hosea.
Agnarr noticed Hosea crafting something in a bowl. "What are you working on there, Hosea?" He asked. "Just some Yarrow and Gensing. Good for the health. Better than that stuff people buy in the store. Here, Agnarr. From me to you. I'm at the point where I can do it with my eyes closed." He gives the bowl of ingredients to Agnarr. "Well, thank you." He puts it away.
They continue the ride up a hill, then the ground is covered in grass. "There you are, brother." Javier said from the nearby woods. "Head in there and follow the track for a bit." He pointed to the barely visible trail. "Hey, slow up! I'll jump on." Javier walked up to them then climbed onto the back of the wagon. "Hi, Uncle Javier." Anna greeted him, now seeing him as her uncle. "Hello." He returned. "Okay, let's go." He said to the driver's. They move again. "Any trouble getting in here, Javier?" Hosea asked him. "No, it went well. This is a good spot." He replied. "Excellent." Hosea said.
"I think this'll work for us, Arthur. For now, anyway." They continue driving until they reach a clearing where the rest of the gang was. "Here we are, ladies and gentlemen. Home sweet home." Hosea said. "It's not too bad here." Elsa said. "You weren't wrong, Hosea. This place is perfect." Dutch said. Everyone climbs down. "I hope so." Hosea said back.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have survived." Dutch said. He was at a table with Tilly and Uncle. "For now." Iduna walked up to them with the girls, Charles, and Javier. Agnarr, Hosea, and Arthur beat them to Van Der linde. "Now it is the time to prosper." Dutch said eagerly. "Arthur and I were about to prosper in Blackwater. We were on to something big, then Micah got you all excited about that ferry and here we are." Hosea said to his friend.
"We have all made mistakes over the years, Hosea. Every last one of us. But I kept us together. Kept us alive. Kept the nooses off our necks." Dutch said to the group. He grabbed a cigar and lit it as he got up from his seat. "I guess I'm just worried. I ain't got that long, Dutch. I want folks safe before I go." Hosea said. They all walked to Dutch's big white tent and watched the sun. It was evening now. "Me too." Dutch countered. "And now we are stuck, east of the Grizzlies and out of money. And a long way of our dream of virgin land in the West. "I know, my brother. But we are safe. We make a bit of money here, then we move again... head out around them. Be west of Uncle Sam. And in a few months, buy some land." Dutch explained his plan to them.
"I hope so." Hosea muttered. "Would you all just look around you. This world has its consolations." Dutch said as they walked to the outskirts of camp near the cliff, before a German man, the royal family came to know as Leopold Strauss walked up to them. "Gentlemen, I am going to head into the local, and you know, see if I can strike up a little business." He said. "Of course, Herr Strauss." They watched him leave. "I prefer robbing banks to usury... seems more dignified somehow." Dutch said.
"Now, everyone put your tools down for a moment." He called out to the others. He marched back to his tent as everyone else, including the Arendellians, joined him. "Come on, gather around. Quickly now." He ordered. "I know that things have been tough... but we are safe now, and we are far too poor. So it is time for everyone to get to work." He said. "Get to work, but stay out of trouble." Hosea spoke up.
"Remember, we are itinerant workers." "Laid off when they shut down our factory to the North. Now get out there, and see what you can find. Uncle, Reverend Swanson... no more passengers." Dutch said, and everyone chuckled. "It is time for everyone to earn their keep." Dutch said. "There is a town, a little way down the track name of Valentine, livestock town. All mud and morons of I remember right. That seems a decent place to start." Hosea said. "And... we need food... real food... that means every day, one of you." Pearson said from the crowd. "And remember, whatever it is that you find, the camp gets its slice." Dutch grabs a chest from his tent. "Now be sensible out there." Dutch finished his speech, and everyone disbands to fully set up camp.
"The girls have your tent ready, Mr. Morgan. Come with me. You guys, too." Agnarr, Iduna, Anna, Elsa, and Arthur follow Susan. "Yiu two will be ready shortly." She said to Dutch and Hosea. "The boys found an extra tent back at Colter. You guys can use it." She led them over to their new tent first, before showing Arthur where his was. They all remove their coats.
"So, what now, Agnarr?" Iduna asked. "We don't have any place to go and Arendelle is on the other side of the world. I guess we'll stay them." He said. "Anna, Elsa. Why don't you two go play while we set up." The girls nod and run off to play with their new friend Jack. "So we stay here." Iduna said.
Author's note: That puts an end to chapter 3. Next up, chapter 4.