A/N: Yep, there are a lot of kiddos in this tale- for Connor and humor's sake, anyway. The order from oldest to youngest is Caroline (14), Amelia (13), Martha (11), Eliza (9), Alice (7), and Samuel (5), while Ann is Terry's daughter at age two. I decided to also put in dates the old fashioned way for an easier flow.
Music Inspiration: Lorne Balfe- 'Homestead'
Home Is Where the Heart Is
28 June 1770
The five Burnett girls beamed proudly at finishing their beds for the night as they set them up in the warmest area of the house (the right) to call that space their own. Well, as much as they could, anyway. After unpacking their belongings and helping their parents set up the fireplace for their meal later in the evening, there was only time for placing their mattresses on the ground. Their father had designed their trundle beds from wood he'd cut back in New Hampshire but would set them up tomorrow morning since the trip had worn them out for the day. Two trunks lay vertically at the foot of each lumpy mattress as Amelia and Caroline shared one bed so they would need equal access to their clothing. Martha and Elizabeth shared the second in the center while another had been given for Alice and Samuel. Most of the time, however, Samuel scuttled off to sleep in his parents bed and Alice scooted her mattress against Martha's to feel safe next to her sisters. Little Alice feared being separated from her family at night as she believed monsters could appear to swipe her away into the unknown but Martha and Elizabeth kept her safe.
"We can sleep and still walk around" Alice giggled as she raised her slim arms to run in small circles and the girls chuckled to the perky seven year-old. Being the youngest girl, she was ecstatic to her first home and eager to sleep with her corncob doll, Henrietta, in her arms.
"Amelia, Caroline, come help me with supper" their mother beckoned as she looked over the iron pans hanging over the fireplace and grabbed a medium sized one for cooking meat. She placed the clean three-legged pan over the burning logs that were being tended to carefully under her watchful eye. If the flames grew too hot, the food would burn and if too low, it would take hours to cook their meal. Her two girls bounded up with their dress sleeves pushed up to the elbows to help tend the fire and Catherine ordered them quickly, "Keep an eye on the flame and blow on the ashes to keep it lit."
Each girl would take a turn poking the logs to rile the fire since the hot embers would have to keep burning throughout the night. They didn't need a blazing fire in the hearth until winter came and simple heat from embers cooked food quickly for the large family. The hot ashes were collected on a tin pan and would be covered in the night to make sure they would be warm by morning to make breakfast.
"Martha, cut slices of cheese and set the table with Eliza" their mother asked the young girls and they dropped their fabric adorned stick dolls to obey quietly.
Elizabeth moved to a small wooden crate positioned between the dinner table and fireplace, opening it to reveal their dinnerware. There were two neatly wrapped tablecloths of navy blue and another of printed wildflowers but Elizabeth grabbed the former. Their mother would set the printed one during Christmas or special occasions but their trusty blue one would be set tonight with their wooden utensils rather than silverware. Their father had bought the small set to give their mother on their wedding day and Catherine polished each utensil with care as the gift had been incredibly thoughtful and a little expensive. The silverware and a little china dish that their mother owned for holding butter were the most valuable items in the home. They were rarely used like the printed tablecloth and the children usually saw them at Christmas or when they held a dinner with friends from towns. It wasn't much but the Burnetts didn't require much either.
The front door opened as Godfrey returned from setting the horses in the stables of Davenport manor as Achilles had extra room for four horses. The old man had been kind enough to offer refuge for their steeds since Elizabeth and Alice insisted their horses have a good home too. Their mares, Dolly and Molly, were sturdy horses but they deserved their rest after the heavy haul since it had been a year without moving. He placed his trusty red hat with the little round ball (which Samuel liked poking) onto the table and sighed aloud with concern, "Catherine, you didn't have to cook tonight- we have smoked dry meat and bread."
"I think we deserve a little celebration, small as it is, for our first home in Massachusetts" she smiled sweetly with bright blue eyes for their first night in a new land as she placed dried pork into a pan of cooked beans. It would be a small meal but the taste would be delicious as her children enjoyed tearing the salted pieces into strips. When it was freshly fried, they loved it even more and pleaded to eat fried pig skin that southern settlers called cracklings. She wiped her hands clean on her white apron to welcome her husband inside as she left her oldest girls to tend the fire and stated humbly, "I have nothing but hope for us here, Godfrey."
He sat down on the table to drink an ale for the evening and smiled at Elizabeth as she folded their cloth napkins neatly into triangles like her mother taught her. The copper haired girl nabbed a few crumbs from Martha's cutting area and placed it on a napkin for him, offering the tiny snack. Godfrey allowed her to have it and patted the top of her small head as she picked the morsels off happily. His children were delighted with the simplest of things in life and he agreed with his wife, "We hit a stroke of luck and our children will benefit with a little hard work."
"I don't think we're ever minded a little hard work" Catherine chuckled softly since they made everything from scratch and lived off the land when they weren't inside towns. She leaned over the warm fireplace to carefully remove the hot pan by wrapping the end of her apron over the end of the long handle and called out with a smile, "All right, children, come gather your plates."
They owned a small table and two chairs only since the lack of space in Boston forced the Burnetts to sell two other chairs to maximize space. Their children, however, didn't mind sitting on the bare floor as they smiled to each other for actually having space to sit down that wasn't their beds. Each had an equal share of food, save for Alice and Samuel since they were the youngest.
"Everything tastes better out here" Elizabeth giggled loudly as she ate a spoonful of beans and savored the taste of salty pork mixed into it. Catherine withheld from lecturing her not to eat with her mouth open since it displayed bad mannerisms but chuckled with her husband. The copper-haired girl held her head proudly for sliding out of that one since she was the one that earned the most lectures about etiquette.
In the distance, they heard a wolf's howl over the crackle of the fireplace and the children sat upright to the new sound. Did it mean danger? Would it come closer? How many dangerous creatures dwelled in the forest of Davenport? Caroline's stomach felt uneasy since she knew her siblings would want to walk the trails and didn't want anything to happen to them.
"Papa, is it near?" Alice asked fearfully and was ready to bolt from her seat to her mother for protection against danger. Amelia set her utensil down to offer a one-armed hug to the small brunette girl to stop her light trembling and Alice smiled shakily for the sisterly support. If her parents couldn't protect her, she knew Caroline and Amelia would. Elizabeth tried to appear unaffected by a second howl that answered the first but the young girl was frightened on the inside as she realized the wilderness wasn't as innocent as she originally thought.
"Oh no, it's far in the mountains with its family" he soothed gently to calm their little hearts and Caroline was glad for the lack of windows as a single glimpse would've sent her to bed. He motioned for the children to resume their meal as he bit into a roll of bread and moved his free hand towards the walls of their home. He'd chosen this specific area for its safety away from the dense forest and assured his children with a confident smile, "Your uncle Terry and I picked a safe spot where dangerous animals won't wander but I'll be keeping an eye out."
"But can it come inside?" Martha asked worriedly as she eyed the doorway suspiciously and Caroline was certain she'd place her trunk against the door to fend off intruders. Alice might be the shy mouse of the family but Martha was highly cautious and fretted over every little thing that could pose a threat- even writing ink was down on her list.
Godfrey chuckled to set their fears aside and shook his head to motion to the logs of the cabin, "These logs are sturdy and strong enough to keep bears out, if possible. If one decides to come at our door, my rifle will have them running with a tail between the legs."
"Boban, can mother read us a story after supper?" Amelia asked softly to lighten the mood away from what dwelled in the wild and he nodded to her idea. She was the sensible one of his lot as she kept the peace and never uttered a word of complaint, even if she disagreed. Caroline, on the other hand, would fight tooth-and-nail to find an answer to inquiries and protect her say as she followed her heart to do what was right.
"Eat your food before it gets cold" their mother ordered the curious children as they began to name specific tales from their culture but obeyed.
30 June 1770
Caroline cut a piece of blue thread between her teeth as she finished altering the hemline on one of Martha's skirts. Out of all of her siblings, however, Elizabeth was the one that added the most items to sew in her pile- defeating the younger Samuel. Martha had reached a small growth spurt and she'd promised to help her sew a new skirt once they settled into their new home. Most of the time, she traded clothes with Amelia since her younger sister almost matched her height despite the one year difference. Her mother assured she'd grow taller over the years since her father's family grew tall as white pines, or so she put it. Caroline wasn't certain but she didn't mind trading clothes since it meant she could wear different things without having to sew new clothing. Alice would be the luckiest girl since she would have four sisters to hand down clothing as she grew up.
"Màthair, are there any more clothes to mend?" Caroline asked aloud as she folded her sister's blue cotton skirt to place it inside the small trunk where all of Martha's clothes were kept. Due to her father's line of work and constant search for a homestead, they didn't own very much furniture and trunks were incredibly useful. She and Amelia owned a small dresser that their father had given them during Christmas in 1767, enjoying their first piece of furniture more than the pieces of candy they also received.
Mrs. Burnett halted as she churned butter across the room and handed the task to Martha as the young girl held dairy ingredients to make sure the butter would have the right consistency. Their mother fiddled with a few clothes in a pile sitting on top of one of the chairs at their dining area and handed a green dress to her oldest. It had been one of hers that she'd passed to Amelia but the younger girl had outgrown it last winter and her mother instructed, "Cut the threading to disassemble it and fold the pieces into my sewing bag. We can reuse the fabric for dresses for the girls."
"May I go outside to finish it?" she asked softly to make sure there were no other chores to be done in the morning. Her mother ushered her outside with a kind smile before returning back to churning the butter and Caroline hoped it would be finished by tonight to eat with bread.
Caroline carried her bundle into the sunlight as the warm morning rays greeted her freckled face, smiling at her siblings that played outside. Today, Amelia played keeper for them as Elizabeth lay on the grass chewing on a blade of grass, Alice played with her corncob doll wrapped in fabric, and Samuel tumbled around the area. Their homestead was quiet but there were echoes of shouts and hammering of nails as her father worked on the Davenport manor for his second job. He and Terry were supplying the logs needed for repairs on the old house and Lance O'Donnell, the new artisan, was helping in ensuring the original design wasn't compromised. It was a stunning piece of architecture and her father assured Achilles that the old house would be brand new as they replaced the deteriorating wood with fresh hardwood oak. Apparently, the manor was in such a bad condition on the inside that Connor had almost fallen through a floorboard during one night. Achilles, more attuned to his home, used his cane to test the strength of the flooring before walking forward to save himself a bad fall.
"That house is beautiful" Amelia commented with awe as she pointed to the white manor that was obscured by trees as it made their cozy home look tiny. In her hands was a school slate, one that she and Caroline owned from their older school days back in New Hampshire. Amelia often practiced her old lessons and those their mother continued but today, she had used her pencil to draw an image of the manor. She used a soft sponge to wipe the flat surface clean as her picture came out wrong and mused aloud with a modest smile, "Could you imagine if papa owned one? If you could find another job and next year, I could begin too . . . we could save our money. We could even buy our own windows!"
Caroline chuckled to her optimism but doubted she'd find a profession in their tiny community and that her father would allow her to walk to Boston (it wasn't close). Living in a large household and being of low stature, she was expected to bring an income to help the family or marry once she was of age at eighteen. In Boston, she'd helped as an assistant seamstress to a tailor to earn a few pounds by sewing basic things like buttons, adjusting hemlines, aprons, and skirts (the easiest to stitch). Although it was a meager pay for long hours that left her exhausted, it made a difference when the lumber business became competitive. Her hands ached terribly for the first few days but she kept a strong will by repeating with each stitch that it was all for her family. Also, she'd lied about being sixteen as she made herself appear older to nab the job. There was nothing she wouldn't do to help her family thrive and although she didn't have a formal education, she tried her best. Even Elizabeth had helped but Caroline and her father would never tell her mother. Distracting competition gave their father an edge to sell their inventory when buyers came to see merchandise and it put food on the table. Her crafty sister had erased prices on the slate boards of competition and replaced them as Caroline had played the best salesman to draw clients.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Connor running down the wooden bridge over the river towards the cove where a ship was currently being repaired. She'd often taken her siblings to see the large broken ship from a safe distance but kept her distance since proper young ladies should never be in the company of strange men. Still, Caroline admired the size of the formidable war ship and could only wonder what damage it could deal if it was in perfect shape. Whoever commanded that vessel would have a resilient ship as her father supplied the best wood he and Terry could find in the surrounding forest.
"He's a quiet one" Amelia mused softly as she caught the sight as well but returned to drawing a new image on her slate to keep herself occupied. Connor sought them when he required aid from her father or Terry and to see how they were faring in the new environment.
"Culture can play a part but he is rather courteous- I like that" Caroline agreed with a faint smile since their recent interactions portrayed the young man as thoughtful and kind despite his quiet demeanor. He never pried into one's business as he maintained respect and Caroline failed to see the stereotypes colonists slammed the natives with. Where was the savagery? Where was the evil in the natives? Connor was flesh and blood just like her, no different, and Caroline would make her own opinions rather than following the norm. The boy disappeared into the wind just as soon as they'd spotted him and she smiled warmly, "Mama and Aunt Diana were so happy when he brought that skinned hare after a hunt. I don't care what others say but a boy that helped my boban find a home and continues to be kind is a good person in my view."
"I want his beads" Elizabeth butted in with a toothy grin as she overheard their conversation and plopped into Amelia's lap like a playful imp. Connor had become the newest sensation of gossip for the children since they lacked any friends to play with and wondered if the boy would like to join in their games. Most of the time, there was only a flicker of color as the boy faded into the trees as he kept a solitary life and their mother reasoned he was busy with Mr. Davenport. She lay on her back as she relaxed with her older sisters and watched the puffy white clouds in the sky to ask curiously, "You think Mr. O'Donnell can make me some?"
"Mama would cut them right off your hair and you'd be bald" Caroline replied firmly but burst into a fit of laughter since their long hair required ribbons, not beads. She could already imagine her sister trying such a thing and earning a spanking for ruining her copper hair. Caroline held the deepest ruby hair of all her sisters while Alice and Martha were the only brunettes, taking after her grandmother. Elizabeth and Amelia had the prettiest hair in her opinion as golden undertones mixed into their copper hair while hers resembled a cranberry.
"Then I'll grow it right back and do it again!" she insisted defiantly as her spitfire attitude clashed against her eldest sister. Elizabeth tended to roll over her sisters like a mad horse but Caroline corralled her as she'd walked in the same rebellious steps when younger.
Amelia shook her head as the two eyed each other, deciding whether to continue the argument, and she murmured absentmindedly, "Carrie, wear your bonnet. Mama will stitch it to your head if she sees you without it one last time."
Elizabeth giggled mischievously as Caroline made an error with her appearance and the eldest girl replied offhandedly, "Then I'll make sure it's my prettiest one."
Amelia sighed mentally to her response and thought with dismay, And the two fail to realize how alike they are.
10 July 1770
"Good afternoon, Mr. Davenport" Caroline and Elizabeth greeted with a polite curtsy as they met the old owner near the stables where logs had been cut and fashioned into smooth wood panels. The clearing was full of panels of varying sizes as the walls and flooring would be rebuilt in the old manor while Lance would be looking at the woodwork inside to make sure the stairwell and cabinets were in fine condition. They didn't want Connor walking around with a splint on his leg or for Achilles to be bonked on the head from dilapidating wood.
"You as well, girls, be careful in your steps" he smiled genially to the young children and pointed his trusty wooden cane towards the working area. The peaceful tranquility was gone as the entire manor was fixed but he enjoyed socializing with his new neighbors. An evening smoking the pipe and discussing the conflicts growing between the colonies and the kingdom of Great Britain was one way to pass the time nowadays. He held an empty wooden bucket with brushes as he headed to tend to his stallions and smiled at the girls to inform gently, "It's as dangerous outside as it is inside."
"I'm small so I can fit almost anywhere" Elizabeth replied confidently with a toothy grin as she raised her chin and Caroline chuckled softly to her gumption. She caught notice of the bucket as he made a beeline for a tawny quarter house and brown thoroughbred that stood in their separate stalls. Elizabeth's blue eyes lit up at touching the beautiful horses since their own were made for farming and pulling rather than racing. She left her sister's side to ask eagerly while pointing to the two lean horses, "Papa told us you have horses. Is that them?"
"Yes, James is the quarter horse and Roger the thoroughbred" he answered her inquiry as he pointed to each gorgeous stallion that neighed when someone passed by and her eyes brightened. Oh, their big brown eyes made them look utterly sweet! Caroline could see the glee ready to burst from Elizabeth since her sister adored horses above all else, even her schooling. Achilles chuckled to her enthusiasm over animals since the two horses had been his best company before Connor arrived and offered pleasantly, "Would you like to feed them? I'm actually on my way to feed and brush them- you can be my little helper."
"Could I?!" she exclaimed with excitement but stopped herself from running off on her own. Oh, if only she was old enough to do as she wished! Her mother had left Caroline in charge of her for the short trip and Elizabeth pulled on her sister's hand to plead hastily, "May I go, Carrie? Please, I'll be good for the rest of the day. Please?"
"All right but I want you back here in fifteen minutes" she allowed with a gentle smile to placate her and grabbed a wrapped bundle of food from her sister. Their mother had sent them to deliver a small lunch for the men since they were working from sunrise to sunset to finish the manor first as they concentrated more hours towards it than the Aquila. She placed a hand on top of Elizabeth's head as the girl practically hopped on her feet and ushered her onwards, "You can tell papa about the horses and check on Molly and Dolly while you're there. Now, what do we say when someone is kind to us?"
Elizabeth beamed at Achilles with a full smile that was missing a few baby teeth and chimed sweetly, "Thank you, Mr. Davenport."
The old man chuckled to the polite Burnett children, even little Ann Galloway was on her way, and smiled faintly, "You children bring life back into these old bones."
"But you have a cane, you can whack people to gain their respect" Elizabeth encouraged with a grin to show he was more powerful than he assumed and pretended to swat invisible people. A cane was quite useful and she liked picking up walking sticks to walk the trails around their home. Achilles was amused by the young Burnett girl as she lacked reserved language like the others and led her towards the open stables.
Caroline watched the two depart as Elizabeth's voice echoed with questions about horses and knew she'd talk Mr. Davenport's ear off by the end of those fifteen minutes. She balanced the new cloth bundle in her arms and proceeded to find her way through the maze of stacked wood to find her father. Boy, carrying three bundles and a pail of water could be tiring rather quick. Her search didn't take long since the nailing had stopped due to the men's lunch break and the boisterous voices as they chatted carried into the wind.
"Papa, I brought lunch" she announced with a bright smile as she approached her father and Terry as the two sat down on makeshift log benches. She greeted her unofficial uncle Terry politely and placed the meals on an empty table that she assumed was being used for drafting plans. The two men returned the greeting since either she and Elizabeth or Amelia and Alice dropped off food during their working days to keep their stomach filled. Caroline unwrapped the cloth bundles by untying the knots on top to reveal the hot food of freshly roasted hare, cheese slices, and bread to inform modestly, "Mama and Aunt Diana are hanging the clothes to dry so Eliza and I came to drop off the food."
"Where is my little Eliza?" Godfrey asked curiously as he failed to spot his little troublemaker and wondered if she'd hidden to spring out on him. She often did so when he returned from work and had either Samuel or Alice join in on her fun. His three oldest girls were becoming young women and acted with propriety expected of them but his other three children maintained their untamable innocent sparks.
Caroline pointed to the stables where James, the tawny quarter horse, was being brushed by a mop of braided copper hair and replied pleasantly, "Playing with the horses at the moment. Mr. Davenport is with her while he feeds them."
Terry handed a damp washcloth to Godfrey to remove wooden debris from their hands and grabbed a slice of yellow cheese to sigh with delight, "I've been waiting for this since the last two hours."
"I brought another pail of water too" Caroline added in helpfully and set the pail in her right hand on a nearby workbench to avoid leaving water stains on the table. She'd become accustomed to bringing her father a meal for years and remembered arriving home from church school to skitter into the nearby woods of New Hampshire to deliver food with Amelia or her mother. The large openness didn't bring a sense of safety since there had been times she'd heard the calls of dangerous wildlife but Davenport finally gave her a small sprinkle of it. She smiled broadly as she felt a sense of purpose helping her father and building their new community warmed her heart. Glancing over her shoulder to the unpainted panes on the left side of the manor, she could only imagine how beautiful it would look inside.
"Thank you for the meal, Caroline" her father smiled kindly since his children had been taught to be caring towards others and knew they'd make him proud someday. Well, Eliza might give him some trouble but Caroline had been the same up until a year ago.
She nodded in return since thanks weren't required from family and they noticed another bundle dressed in a red checkered cotton cloth next to them. Caroline grabbed it quickly before she forgot her other assigned task and smiled sheepishly, "Mama and Aunt Diana made cinnamon bread for Connor. Is he nearby?"
"Those women will turn that boy plump" Terry laughed aloud with cheer as he shook his head since the women always baked an extra helping for the young man to ensure he'd grow properly. Both men were sure Connor was doing just fine since the boy was quite tall for his age already, towering over Caroline whenever the two met on the trails.
Godfrey waved his arm in the air to beckon Lance from his workspace underneath a tall oak tree and called out, "O'Donnell, come help yourself to some food."
The woodworker had been pouring his focus into the original house design and had papers splayed over his drafting table, his head raising when called. Time had passed quickly for him and he noticed the angle of the sun at the top of the sky- was it past noon already? He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes to clear away the strain on his vision as he scribbled notes to pass onto Terry and Godfrey as they built the manor. Despite being lumbermen, the two had experience building homes and basic furniture which worked wonderfully by keeping their team small.
Caroline greeted the man politely as the three shared a meal and Lance sat down beside the two to sigh softly with a bright smile, "My, time flew by for me today."
She prodded her father's left shoulder gently to call his attention before all of them flew into a conversation and asked, "Have you seen, Connor, boban?"
"He's somewhere around the outside, saw him just a few minutes ago" he replied earnestly since the boy was overseeing the construction as well to learn how settlers crafted their homes. He was the quietest boy he'd met since children of the colonies could talk endlessly with friends. Connor, however, was one that pertained to himself and sought others to see whether they needed help. When his children invited him to play, he simply watched until asked to join in and kept his interactions modest.
Caroline headed off to track down the new owner of her cake and found him sitting on a tree stump at the edge of the property on the right side of the home. His feet were firmly planted against the side of the stump as he leaned forward to whittle a piece of pine softwood with a knife. Caroline couldn't determine what he was creating since the piece had yet to have a form and slowly approached to greet softly, "Good afternoon to you, Connor."
The young boy paused his woodworking and turned his head to see the auburn-haired girl in a pink calico dress approach him. Hadn't Amelia worn that dress once? No matter. Ratonhnhaké:ton often heard her mother chastise the girl about lacking a bonnet on her head and it was free of it today as one braid rested on each shoulder. It briefly reminded him of his mother's hairstyle as she braided her raven hair each morning and applied bear grease to keep her hair neat with a hint of polish. There was one instance when he'd been eager to have the same sheen in his hair and his five year-old mind decided the entire clay bowl full of grease would do. Needless to say, his mother spent hours rinsing his hair in the nearby river and Ratonhnhaké:ton never attempted it again.
"Here, compliments of my mother and Mrs. Galloway" she smiled pleasantly and presented him with the wrapped bread loaf as he sat on the tree stump. As always, she was ready to refute his polite declines since he was too kind to accept the gift. Amelia tended to match his polite demeanor and sometimes returned with the loaf in hand, which led Caroline to marching back up the trail. Her arched eyebrows rose in amusement as he eyed the covered loaf with a hint of bashfulness and chuckled warmly, "You should admit defeat against my mother, you know. The more you fight, the more she'll mother you into submission with deliciously baked goods."
"She has many mouths to feed and Boston is not a short distance" Ratonhnhaké:ton reminded with reason since the family was not small in the slightest and they'd yet to send their first convoy into town. They had earned an income for the time being with rebuilding the manor and the Aquila but they would have to store inventory to export once the projects finished. Ratonhnhaké:ton could only wonder how much food was required to feed the entire family since he often had leftovers from his catches or food that Achilles sent for on a wagon.
"We might be colonists but my parents lived off the land back in New Hampshire and Scotland" she explained humbly with a small shrug of her shoulders since her father's location during jobs determined their lifestyle. Davenport offered opportunities to live in a small community to run a business from while tending the land to grow a garden. Her mother was already eager to plant seeds in the growing season of upcoming April to increase their food supply. Caroline clasped her hands over the skirt of her dress to smile sincerely with the utmost gratitude, "We're not quitters and this is one opportunity we'll be clinging to. A thousand thank you's to you and Mr. Davenport for allowing us to live here because if it wasn't for you, we'd still be searching for a new home."
Ratonhnhaké:ton nodded courteously to her heartfelt words since he'd only done what was right but found their thanks encouraging to his confidence. Many settlers in the colonies frowned upon him due to his culture despite his people lived on the land first for centuries before white occupation. The residents of Davenport homestead failed to show the same distaste he'd encountered when he wanted to trade items and often felt the flicker of shame when he couldn't read their language on signs or papers. He'd been yelled at by traders on more than one occasion for not being able to read the hours of business. Thankfully, Achilles had taught him about currency so he wouldn't get swindled and had allowed him complete access to his library of books. Ratonhnhaké:ton could be living in worse conditions after leaving his tribe and admitted genuinely, "There is no need for thanks, I merely thought of helping one in need."
"Not many would do so, given how the times are changing" she commented quietly with a faint smile to the troubled times that were looming upon the horizon and wished to be a young child that worried only about playing with her dolls. Caroline often heard her parents discussing the ongoing conflicts in Boston, especially after the massacre, and she still remembered hearing the shots that fateful night. Amelia had been frightened as they talked in bed before the sharp sound echoed and they'd huddled together while Alice and Samuel sobbed in her mother's arms. Those were moments she could live without and she decided to change the topic before they both turned gloomy, "May I ask if your tribe hails from nearby?"
"No, they live farther northwest but I am on my own" he informed evenly as he pocketed his knife in his leather belt and briefly glanced in the direction of his birth home. He missed them every day since they were all family and his tribe had been everything for him after losing his mother but he was on a different road now. He couldn't look back and wonder on what could've been but keep treading onwards with determination.
"You can't be older than sixteen" she sympathized with a whisper because she still sought for her purpose in life once she reached sixteen years of age and could find a job legally. She'd yet to know how old the young boy was but he carried maturity in his eyes, gait, and manner of speaking that could match a grown man's. It was a change from boys that kept trying to impress girls, boasted about joining the military, or dreaming of a life full of reckless adventure. Caroline hadn't had the opportunity to make friends when moving to Boston since she'd immediately sought to find a job to cover living expenses for the family. The only time she interacted with children of her age was after a church service or a thanksgiving festival.
Ratonhnhaké:ton found himself surprised by her meek question, "Do you happen to have friends here?"
Achilles was. . .well, he wasn't his age and more of a teacher. . .no, no, he didn't.
"Friends are not a commodity I can afford at the moment" he stated solemnly since his duties didn't include finding camaraderie and Caroline smiled empathetically after experiencing the same. Ratonhnhaké:ton found the Burnett children kindhearted whenever they talked and it was rather nice to have people his age around the homestead. He lifted the loaf of bread to emphasize the object that brought her there, her eyes briefly watching the single braid in his hair sway forward, and he informed courteously, "If you would excuse me, I must attend to a few matters inside the manor. Thank you once more for your kindness and forward it to your mother and Mrs. Galloway."
"If you ever find yourself in need of friendly company, my siblings and I have plenty of time to spare after chores" she suggested to be a courteous neighbor since she'd be living with her family on the land for years to come, which meant the two would cross paths continually. It would be the first time since arriving in Boston that she could make a permanent friend and Connor seemed an ideal choice to her- regardless of what colonists thought about it. His lips parted slightly in hesitation to the offer but Caroline clasped her hands behind her back and piped up with enthusiasm, "Samuel and Eliza are always asking questions about you."
"None too ill, I hope?" Ratonhnhaké:ton asked with the faintest of smiles since he hadn't had time to interact with people near his age for quite a while. His first meeting with the children after they moved in had led Elizabeth to asking about his beads and where she could find some to collect them. Samuel had taken a shining to the feathers he carried and proudly shown his new neighbor a brown speckled one he'd nabbed from a hen back in Boston that he'd liked. Ratonhnhaké:ton was certain that the hen ended up at their supper meal but said nothing, merely nodding in curiosity to appraise the boy.
"Far from it, they'd enjoy a visit and you're more than welcome in our home" she admitted sincerely with warm eyes and excused herself before she took up too much of his time. Her mother sent her to deliver food, not dawdle in conversation and linger behind on her chores. She still had to peel and cut vegetables for their supper tonight, stepping backwards over the loose dirt as she excused herself with a bright smile, "Keep yourself safe in your travels, Connor . . . do you have a last name?"
"My true name is Ratonhnhaké:ton but I use Connor for my interactions with settlers such as yourself" he answered truthfully since his birth name would baffle white settlers and would rather hear the name from his own people. His self-concept after learning of his father and new life in Davenport conflicted with his identity as he started feeling like an outsider in both worlds with the passage of time. He hadn't visited Kanathséton in the last months and his native language was lost to the wind as he wandered through the colonies for missions, using a foreign tongue and name in a society that eyed him with suspicion. Caroline was the first civilian homesteader to hear the name as she listened intently and he added in quietly, "It is easier to pronounce."
"I can see. . .but I think I can learn it with time" she promised confidently because she was eager to learn of the new world around her and the boy, Connor, was part of it. True, there were a lot of vowels and different movements of the tongue but it could be managed. Ratonhnhaké:ton wasn't optimistic about that since a single utterance would never tie into memory but he could always repeat it on another day.
Caroline waved in farewell with a sheepish smile since she hoped he'd visit soon and ran off to find her father to tell him her task was finished. Ratonhnhaké:ton walked towards the back of the manor and carefully opened the bundle of bread to inhale the aromatic scent of cinnamon. He would politely decline the loaves but they sated his sweet tooth as he found them delicious, especially when dipped in milk.
Achilles shuffled past Ratonhnhaké:ton with his slow gait as he finished feeding his stallions and had returned an ecstatic Elizabeth back to her father. His nose inhaled the scent of cinnamon as he ascended the steps towards the back door of the manor and paused for a moment. The young boy held an uncovered cake in his hands, the familiar shape telling Achilles that his student received another gift from the women of Davenport. His brow rose in amusement since he'd often enjoyed a slice with tea and mused with a pleasant voice, "Another cake, I see."
"Yes, they are in endless supply as far as I can tell" Ratonhnhaké:ton replied awkwardly since he wasn't accustomed to receiving gifts from white settlers but it seemed he would have to.
"They are delicious, now take it inside before insects start to buzz" Achilles instructed with a fatherly tone and motioned with his cane for the boy to head inside. The sweet scent from the honey lured insects like a moth to a flame and he wasn't going to allow the women's hard work to be ruined. Ratonhnhaké:ton quickly opened the door to step inside their home and held it open for his mentor to enter, looking to the cake once more as if it were a puzzle waiting to be solved.
Ratonhnhaké:ton, unfamiliar to receiving gifts in this new culture, wanted to offer the same kindness and asked for clarification with an uncertain face, "What can I give in return? I haven't done so after two cakes."
"Nothing, it is their way of offering thank you" Achilles chuckled softly to the boy's bafflement and urged him inside with a gentle whack of his cane to the back of his knee. Ratonhnhaké:ton jumped inside the manor to the light tap, the floorboards creaking under his weight since he'd been trained to expect almost everything from his mentor. Achilles might be old in age but he still had tricks up his sleeve since assassins never forgot their skills and he needed to mold his student to topple deadly Templars. He pointed towards the kitchen so Ratonhnhaké:ton could place the bread in a cupboard and turned around to close the door shut. His student moved to help him since he carried the horse grooming supplies in his other hand but he ordered gently, "Go on before flies enter the house."
As always, Ratonhnhaké:ton obeyed quietly.
A/N: I like young Connor and Caroline but hearing the AC3 main theme on my iTunes reminded me that they'll grow up and Caroline's road will lead her to the Aquila while Connor will be the unsung silent hero. I'm still fiddling with the Ratonhnhaké:ton/Connor switch due to the third point of view narration between residents and Connor's own thoughts in the story. We'll explore with Connor learning the English language next time as he attends 'school' at the Burnetts and Davenport will send out their first convoy.
Thank you for your alerts on this story, it keeps me hopeful on flourishing it since there's a lot of homestead residents to introduce as Connor grows up alongside his new family. As for my first chapter reviewers, a gracious thanks for the feedback, and my response as well:
grayfox1991: I agree with you, I was a bit sullen when I realized they ended because I loved doing each of them- especially Norris' courtship missions. The story's been outlined for more than twenty chapters since I want to go past the ending since all Connor has after the game is Davenport- Achilles is gone, Templars are dead, his tribe has left. . .I just want to hug the poor guy. With the US giving land to buyers, I can only wonder what the new government would say about Davenport since they were tight on white men owning property and their community is diverse. Also, the ending with the slave trade auction going on tells me Connor's going to want to fight that injustice since the country wanted freedom and equality for all.
NinjaxSketcheartx: I know, there's a bunch of kids running around wild that they even boggled Connor. I chose to switch between both names as he struggles with his identity after being thrust into a new culture and since I write best in the third person view, I wanted him to refer to himself as Ratonhnhaké:ton to maintain that identity to his people. When other characters interact without him, they'll use the name Connor since that's what they recognize him as or like Caroline- call him that in her mind. Connor's the first character that acknowledges two cultures and tries to blend his self-concept with both- with the exception of Altaïr's parents due to religion but Ubisoft didn't delve further. I'm glad you like it and for your timeline question, I decided to input dates so it's more easily read. The story starts from the year 1770 and will head past 1783 as I decide whether heading south to fight slavery, the west to discover the new frontier, or maybe Europe to the French Revolution. :)
Luresia: Thank you for liking the first chapter, I'm no expert either but I love researching facts to make the time period accurate for all of the characters. After learning about colonial kitchens, food preparation, clothing, horses, courtship, modes of communication, and other things for this story, I can rest easier.
Thank you for reading my tale to readers around the globe and I love reading your feedback, it truly makes my day. Now, I must head on to finish the next chapter while Connor enjoys his cake.