A/N: trigger warning attempted rape.
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Baldric = it's the belt that you put your sword in
"Colonel, there has been a sighting of the ghost and his rebel militia." I turned toward captain Borden as I left the room, satisfied that the girl would give something up after a few days locked away with nothing. Borden followed me as I went to my room to grab my sword.
"Where?" Walking out of my room I fastened my baldric around my the captain and I passed the girls room and started to descend the stairs ignoring the loud pounding and screaming coming from the door of the girls room.
"Just an hour hard ride sir."
"Gather the men, Captain." I called out to a corporal passing by four heading out to meet the chickens when I feel like someone's watching me. As I mounted …. I looked back at the mansion and saw the girl standing in her window staring down at me angrily. Smirking I gave her a nod before turning to ride out with my dragoons.
Hours later we returned covered in blood, tired and hungry. The ghost had escaped me yet again. I was now in a foul mood from the events over the past few hours. I will get him soon enough though. That girl knows where he is hiding I'm sure of it. "You there.." I snapped at a slave passing by. " have someone draw me a bath." The slave bowed and ran off to fulfill my order. I thought of going to the girls room to Interrogate her but I would do no good in the mood I am in if I lose control. As I climbed the stairs I kept my original plan. I would wait until she sat around with nothing for a few days. I made my way up the stairs to the first landing and I could see the door to the girl's room was open.. Shit! As I started to run up the stairs the girl was screaming from inside the room. "Get off me!" I burst into the room, the corporal too involved in what he was doing to notice I was there.
"Quiet and keep still, this will hurt a lot less if you do so." The corporal sneered as he started to undo his pants while holding a knife to the girl's throat. I stepped closer withdrawing my pistol, cocked it and aimed it at his head. He froze as he heard the click of the gun.
"I believe the lady said to get off her corporal." My tone is dangerously low. A tone many have come to fear here in the colonies..While the corporal was distracted the girl bit down on his hand that he held the knife causing him to drop it. He slapped her hard across the face, she whimpered in pain.
"Why? So you can have her all to yourself. Word around camp is that she's a whore you captured on one of your raids." She clawed at him in an attempt to free herself.
"I'M NO WHORE." She screamed at him.
"Get off her corporal. Unless that is you'd like to be shot." His head turned to look at me in shock.
"You would kill me over a bloody whore?! Whatever this… whore isn't worth it. She isn't worth anything." He spat at her then climbed off. "Useless and used up" Fixing himself he headed for the door.
"Oh and Corporal… don't let any of my men or I catch you anywhere near her again." I said to him, warning me in that same deadly tone.
"Oh, I get it now! She's not your whore. All 200 Dragoons are fucking this whore." I raised my pistol, along his head and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered over the burgundy wall and onto the door frame. The corporal's body falling to the floor with a thud, blood began to pool around the body. Slowly turning back to the girl I holster my gun.
I slowly started to approach her not wanting to startle her after the events that had just occurred. "Are you ok? Are you hurt?" There was that hint of concern in my voice again. This girl although a colonial was having a strange effect on me. I pushed the thought out of my head. She's here for me to gather information from only. She shook her head no and stood up from the bed. The corporals knife falling to the floor with a clang. "I'll have someone fetch Margaret or Aberdeen and have them attend to you." Anastasia looked up at me, tears streaming down her face. She's even pretty when she cries. I passed that thought out of my head as well, just as she clasped and once again I found the girl in my arms.
"I'm... I'm." Her expression changed from one of shock to one of realization. "I'm alright Colonel, thank you." We both looked toward the door of the room as we heard footsteps approaching. The girl let go of me and rather unsteadily moved back toward the bed and sat, pulling her ripped stays together. I took off my jacket and draped it over her. She looked away from me pulling my jacket over her more. I turned to the door as the footsteps stopped. Captain Borden and Wilkins were standing in the door. They both averted their eyes at the sight of the girl's state of undress.
"Borden, Wilkins. Get someone to clean this up and send for one of the female slaves for Miss McKenzie." They did as I ordered. I looked back at the girl ,as she curled up in the bed my jacket was still around her. "Margaret will be up soon to take care of you. I'll have dinner sent up for you as well unless you would rather join everyone downstairs." She shrugged and once the body had been taken away I made my way to the door. I was about to close the door behind me when I heard the quietest whisper coming from the bed.
"Please stay" I looked back over my shoulder at her, my hand still on the door knob. She was curled up pulling my jacket tightly around her. I stood there for a second. I must have heard her wrong. Letting go of the door knob I turned and took a few steps closer to her.
"You want me to stay?" I said in curiosity. She nodded. " Miss McKenzie, I hardly think that it is appropriate in your current state of undress. Margaret will be along shortly" I looked at her in her vulnerable state as she gave me a pleading look. Heavens above I'm going soft. "Very well, but only until Margaret arrives to take care of you." I pulled the chair away from her desk and brought it beside her bed, sitting down next to her. I looked over her face and I started to take in her features. I now had the time to admire her beauty. Her hair was burgundy and long flowing over her shoulders across the pillow becoming wavy at the end. If she were standing her hair would easily reach the middle of her back. Her eyes were the greenest that i have ever seen contrasting with her hair perfectly….. My thoughts got interrupted when I heard a voice coming from the doorway. I looked up to see Borden holding the girl's bag as well as the slave girl carrying new clothes for the girl.
As I stood the girl reached out and grabbed my arm."I'll be in the next room while you are being attended to." She nodded and dropped her hand from my arm. I left the room, Bordon following me next door.
"William what the bloody hell happened in there?" Captain Stephen Borden and I had known eachother since we were seven and was the only one here in the colonies I allowed to call me by my first name. He placed the girl's bag on my desk as I poured us both a glass of whiskey. Turning to him I handed him one of the glasses.
"Upon our arrival I had come upon Corpal Harris attempting to rape Mis Mckenzie."Throwing back my whiskey i eyed the girls bag. "He went on to say I just wanted her all to myself. I told him to stay away from the girl and to not let any of our men see him around here again. Thats when he said the whole company of dragoons was fucking her.'' I took another shot of whiskey feeling the burn as it went down my throat. "That's when i shot him"
Borden raised his glass to his mouth. " Despicable piece of crap." He said before shooting back the fiery liquid. " Never liked Harris much. Is she alright?"
"I don't know what that girl has been through in her life Stephen, but i have a feeling this isn't the first time something like this has happened to her." Leaving out that I had seen bruises all over her back. "From now on only one of our own will guard her." Borden nodded and I looked back at the bag on the desk curiously. "We will deal with that after dinner, Captain." He saluted me and left closing the door behind him. I quickly cleaned myself up and changed for dinner, no longer having time to take a full bath. I had just finished pulling on my boots when there was a knock on my door. Oh bloody hell what now! I opened the door forcefully ready to yell at one of my men. " Miss Mckenzie?" My look softened. " Did you decide that you are up for supper?"
" Yes. Colonel I have. Plus i wanted to talk to you." I raised my eyebrows at her questioningly and she stepped back out of my room.
"Is there information that you have that will assist me in any way with the war?'" I closed the door behind me, locking it. She shook her head gently, her hair falling out of place to frame her heart shaped face. ' Very well then." my eyes becoming hard once more thinking of the events that had happened leading to the ghost escaping capture again.
"Colonel, I'm um.. That is to say…. Thank you for what you did." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear looking at the floor.
I paused mid way down the hall and gently took her arm, stopping her to stand by me." This isn't the first time something like this had happened to you is it?" Her head snapped up looking into my eyes. Her's were filled with sadness and pain as she looked at me. " I apologize that was too forward of me, mis mckenzie." she looked away briefly composing herself.
"Unfortunately no, Colonel it is not." She began to walk again and followed to keep in step with her. " The man who raped me... before. I knew or thought I knew. I was to marry him." I stopped in my tracks.
"The man who you were to marry?" I became rather angry. And she stopped and turned back realizing I was no longer next to her. "If it's not too bold miss mckenzie. It looks like you have been whipped on your back. Was it him?" she stiffened and hesitated for a moment..
"Yes, we had been courting for a while. He was sweet and gentle at first, always surprising me. Everything changed a few months before we were to be wed. One day he surprised me with my favorite flowers and a dinner at my favorite restaurant. After dinner we were in the park walking he was trying to convince me to….. Be intimate with him that night, but i said no i wanted to wait until after the wedding. When I refused he beat me and raped me in the park." a blush came across her face when she spoke of being intimate.
"Right there in the park!?" I exclaimed. She nodded and then continued.
"He continued to beat and rape me for the next two months. Sometimes using a belt as well. One day he even did it to me because his coffee was just a touch too cold. The last time he did this was before you and your captain found me. I had just attempted to end the relationship for a third time. But I was in New York city. I have no clue how I ended up here." she remained as calm as she could as she told me the things that happened to her but tears still slid from her bright green eyes. She wiped her tears away and almost as if she were putting on a mask the sadness and pain vanished before a smile took its place. "He will never find me! He would have never expected that I would be found. Probably thought I was dead and headed back to New York. I don't care how I ended up here!"
"Yes I'm sure he will not, being so far from New York." I raised a gloved hand and tucked another stray lock of her burgundy hair behind her ear. Her eyes held one of confusion as she looked up at me and she backed away.
"Why do you even care?" Her eyes flashed with anger. "You're trying to Manipulate me to get information I do not have." How dare she speak to me like that. I became angry and clenched my fist at my sides to keep myself in control. It would do no good after the things she's been through to hurt her. I would end up getting none of the information I knew she held if I were to do so.
"Miss McKenzie, for one you came to me of your own accord and told me of your past. I did not manipulate you. Secondly Miss McKenzie you are under my charge. That includes my protection." I was getting more frustrated by the minute and I was getting harder to control myself.
"Protection? Protection? You're supposed to be figuring out if I'm a spy or not. Not protecting me." I took a step toward her standing almost toe to toe with her both of are anger flaring.
"Funny. You don't seem to have a problem with me protecting you when I stop the carpet from raping you. Even went as far as asking me to stay." Her eyes searched my face angrily and her mouth opened and closed like she was searching for something else to say. All of a sudden her mouth was upon mine. They were soft and tasted like honey. My hands made their way to her waist as the other tangled in her hair pulling her closer.
Just as suddenly as the kiss started I stepped back my hand falling away from her back to my sides. No sooner than the case was over she looked at me in shock of what happened washed over her. Her face blushing with embarrassment a moment later she rushed off back to her room slamming the door. The bloody hell was that about. Throughout the evening I could not keep the events that occurred since I returned. Dinner could not end soon enough.
On the way out of the dinning hall Borden and Wilkins approached me. "Colonel, we found some rather interesting items in the girls bag. Including two books one says it was published in 1981 the other was a history textbook published in 1987." I looked at them perplexed.
"Clearly you are mistaken captains. Unless you are insinuating that Miss McKenzie has traveled back in time of a period over 200 years." I turned and headed over to the staircase the captains followed me. "Time travel." I scoffed. " preposterous." They gave each other a look as we got to the top of the stairs. "What?" I growled clearly irate. Wilkins stopped and turned to address me.
"Colonel, we thought it was impossible as well until we went through the other items in her bag. Some of which I have no clue what they are. There was an identification card made out of unusual material." Wilkins stated as we arrived outside my door. Borden reached into his jacket and pulled out a wallet that buttoned close with the letters A.M branded into it. Opening it I immediately found the identification Wilkins spoke about. The picture was clearly of the girl although it could not be a painting. It was so clear that it was like I was looking right at her. Scanning over the rest of the card my focus shifted to the date of birth.
"What on Gods green earth? Born may 5 2000." I looked up at both my captains. This is impossible. I will have to question her later. I opened the door to my room and made my way over to the desk where her bag was sitting. Grabbed it and dumped the contents onto the desk. Three bottles rolled and almost smashed to the floor. I stood them up and looked at the label. "The-que-la?" I looked to the captains and they shrugged. I opened one of the bottles and poured three glasses of the liquid. Taking a sip it tasted different than whiskey but the burning sensation was the same. "Bloody hell why was she carrying three bottles of this?." Looking through the rest of the items I found the text book titled early America: 1642 to 1864. "That's almost a hundred years of history past us! Geez! We could use this book to our advantage." I flipped through the book until I stopped at a page speaking about a battle happening two year hence. "Bloody hell" I exclaimed in disbelief and slammed the book shut.
"What?" they said in unison as i put the book down and rested my hands on the back of the chair staring at the book. I turned my head to look at them.
"According to this text we lose the war and I get killed in battle two years from now." I sighed. " and If we are to believe that she has time traveled this book is full of information that we can use to change the course of the war." I grabbed the bottle of golden liquid that had been transported with the girl and took another drink. "The book and this Girl can change everything". A moment later I had a plan formulated. A sinister grin spread across my face. I knew that this girl knew something. I just didn't know it was this prodigious. " do not tell any one of what was discussed, especially the girl. I want her to give me information herself." I stood straight up and dismissed the captains for the night. They left and I went through the other items. She had a black rectangular object called an ipod whatever that was. A change of some ridiculous looking clothes, a rather nice knife, several food items and a box with something called tampons in it. Looking over the box my eyes widened and I quickly threw it back into the bag in disgust realizing just exactly what they would be used for. There was also a book called warhorse. I'd have to read that if i had the chance. Sound interesting set during World war 1? I made a mental note to ask the girl about the world war and how many there were as it seemed like there was more than one. Of course that would be after she gave me information and admitted to being from the future. Then I saw it shining in the light of the candles. A silver engagement ring. There was a bigger stone in the middle surrounded by several smaller stones. Putting the ring aside I blew out the candle and went to bed.
A/N: I wanted to show that Tavington isn't just a monster and that he has a gentler side to him. next chapter in Anastasia's pov!