We rode into the village and the men spread out. Colonel Tavington and I were mounted on his horse talking in harsh whispers. "Tell me what you know and none of these people shall be hurt."
"You know I can't William." Angry tears rolled down my cheek. "They are all supposed to die here." Tavington narrowed my eyes at me.
"So this you would not change? You know exactly what happens even though I have not mentioned a word of the plan to you and you would do nothing to stop it?" He pulled her closer. His lips brushing against my cheek "Who here should be feared more, you or I? It seems you only meddle when it will get you what you want." He hissed in my ear.
"You are the one who decided to burn everything William. Do not forget that?" She snapped. He planted a kiss on my neck. Then turned my face toward him and kissed me deeply.
"Very well." He moved hercules forward and into the church with me still on the horse. "This town has given aid to Benjamin Martin. Anyone who comes forward with information may be forgiven for their treason." I looked over every single person standing in that room and finally landed on Anne howard. She was just as pregnant as I. Looking back at him he had noticed her too.
"Colonel? Please?" the words came out barley over a whisper.
"You had your chance, Stasi." His lips bruised over my ear as he seemed to breathe out the words.
"Wait." A man stepped forward. My head Snapped toward him.
"I'll tell you William please just let these people go." I said as I started at Anne and her parents. He grabbed my chin. I winced as his thumb was digging into the bruise from brandon.
"Where is he?" His eyes bore angrily into mine. "And believe me there will be consequences if you lie to me." I searched over his face.
"There's this place 30 miles north of here. You will see a group of trees covering a cave." I heard the people in the church shift nervously.
"Can anyone confirm this location?" Mr. Howard stepped forward.
"I can. I've been there many times as a boy." The whole church was silent.
"Very well." He began to back the horse out of the church then stopped. I turned to look at him. He kissed me deeply "Get them out once we are gone. " Then pushed me off the horse and continued back out of the church.
"You can't Just leave me here. What about the baby." He ignored me. There were several village people looking at me.
"Shut the doors" He started to back out of the church again.
"But you said we'd be forgiven." He froze.
"And indeed you may.." He shouted cockily. "But that is between you and God." He stared at me as the doors closed.
James Wilkins POV.
I watched as the doors closed and Lady Tavington was left inside. I could not understand why the Colonel had left her there. "Ready to fire the town on your orders sir."
"The town." Scoffed my commander. "Burn the church."
"There's no honor in this. Your wife is in the church." A million thoughts flew through my head. How could he ask such a thing and leave his wife there to burn.
"Didn't you say all those who stand against England deserve to die a traitor's death… Burn the church capitan," He rode off to stand a distance away. I looked around me solemnly coming to terms with my order. Interested in why Borden of all people had not spoken up about the colonel's wife. That he was going too far. His own wife which we all knew he adored. We could all see they were perfectly matched
"Give me the torch." I choked out to a nearby private. Who handed it to me. I looked back at the colonel as I positioned myself to throw the torch and hesitated for a moment. Praying that the girl from the future had some way of escape that we did not know of to save herself and the neighbors I had known for most of my life. I threw the torch and watched it land as the windows closed shut and the screams began as I stood there and watched the church begin to burn. The sound was terrifying and it's a sound that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I turned after a moment and headed away from the church to my home passing the Colonel.
"The honor is found in the end not the means. This'll be forgotten." He turned and rode off with Bordon,
Stasi's Pov
As soon as the windows shut I ran over to Anne. Who was crying, grieving the life that she was just about to start. "I'll get us all out of this. Anne I promised." The others began trying to break the windows or bang down the door.
"How can you promise me something like that? Who are you anyway?" She screamed at me. "You came in here with him. He was kissing you. You could have lied to us before he led you in here."
"I'm his wife. I understand you are scared but i can get most of us out alive if not all." I let go of her hands and made my way to the middle of the church and looked around. In a moment I noticed what I had been looking for. A slightly off colored floor board. You would have to have known it was there to beagle to see it. I pulled out my knife and knelt down. The others looked on curiously. As I used my knife to pull up the board. Some men came over and helped once they saw it was coming up. It left a space big enough for someone to go through that went under the church to the woods. Several of them tried to make me go through before them but I refused until everyone else was out. Just as the beams started falling I went through the hole and quickly made my way down the tunnel that came out in the woods. As I came out of the tunnel. Anne came and hugged me.
"Thank you!" The towns folk all around began cheering me.
"I'm sorry I put you all in harm's way. I should have lied to him sooner." I brushed the soot off my dress. "Well since you are all safe now I must go catch up with them." Anne's eyes went wide.
"You can't possibly be thinking about going back to him after betraying him like that he will kill you he already tried to kill you once."
"I have to. He is the father of my child. My husband,"
"How can you be married to the butcher?" He laughed.
"It came as a surprise. Cornwallis made it happen without my knowledge. It has been however not all entirely bad as surprising as that might be to you." I turned and began to head off and after a while I found myself at a river.
As I approached the water I Spotted a soldier in the water with his jacket open and shaving. "WILLIAM JASON TAVINGTON!" I shouted angrily.
He looked up and smiled. " I knew you would find me." Tavington said. "Did you get everyone out?" He asked as he rose and made his way toward me.
"YOU LEFT ME INSIDE A BURNING….wait what?" He pulled out a few pages of paper from his jacket pocket. I recognized it as an essay I had been working it had been typed and printed as my rough draft. It was a theory that there had been a passage under the church which had been used for the underground railroad. The theory was that it had been there when the church was originally built. I took it from him looking it over to be sure. "You're telling me you risked 33 lives on a theory. What if I had been wrong?" I pushed him away angrily and turned from him.
"Don't forget Stasi, I gave you the option to tell me before you were in the church with the other's." I spun around to face him.
"Don't you dare try to make this my fault! You still chose to burn the church." He pulled me to him and cupped my cheek. I swatted it away. " With me fucking inside."
"Indeed I did. I have a reputation to maintain in this war. I regret the monster I have become. I've seen far too many die in this war. Many of them from my hand." He tangled his fingers in my hair. " I want to be a better man for you, my love and for our children." He cupped my cheek again and pulled me towards him. He was about to kiss me when Borden began to shout.
"To Horse to horse!" William Narrowed his eyes at me but saw the look of surprise on my face
"Stay here." He pushed me behind a tree, turned and ran toward Hercules grabbing his gun and sword.
"WILLIAM!" I stood there for a split second debating if I should listen. Turning I saw Borden being shot and watched as he fell to the ground. I made my way to the nearest horse fighting my way toward William. I got to him just as he was shot and fell to the ground. I dropped to my knees by his head. What if things changed and this is where he dies? I began to cry. I looked up as I saw Gabriel was approaching with a knife. WIlliam's breath stilled. "No William!" I shook his shoulder. "Wake up." I looked back at Gabriel. "Please don't do this Gabriel." He pulled the knife up to stab William. He kept his eyes on William.
"AHHHHH." William spun around quickly and plunged his sword into Gabriel's stomach and pushed him to the side. Standing up he removed his sword and grabbed my arm and we mounted Hercules and made our way back to camp with the few that had survived the attack.
Making it to the Medical tent I sat there as the doctor attended to William. When Cornwallis entered. "You'll be missed tomorrow, Colonel."
"Missed my lord?" William questioned as he stood pulling his shirt down and stood.
"Your Wound." Cornwallis stepped forward.
"It's nothing."
"William, Please just don't fight tomorrow. You know what will happen." Cornwallis turned towards me.
"Lady Tavington?" I looked between the two of them and William shook his head. "What are you talking about?" I looked back to Cornwallis.
"Tomorrow… At the battle William fights against Benjamin martin. William gets killed." Tears once again began to flow from my eyes. I ran out of the tent.
Tavington's POV
"Knowing this you still wish to fight? What of your wife? The Child?" Cornwallis questioned.
"She will find her way back to her time. She will be fine there. I will still fight tomorrow, my lord."
"That is your choice. I stand on the eve of my greatest victory of my career. Don't fail me."
"My efforts in no small measure have brought you here." I turned fully toward the general.
"I grant you that small measure, in spite of your failure to deliver The Ghost to me."
"Thus far. Knowing what happens tomorrow will give me the upper hand against him."
"I will not tolerate a premature charge born of your eagerness for glory...Wait for my order." Cornwallis turned and began to leave. Gathering up my belongings I left the tent and headed back to the fort to talk to Stasi.
I arrived at our room and she was getting ready for dinner. She said nothing to me as I entered and had not looked at me. Before I was ready she had left. I heard her in the other room with the girl I had brought back before hearing them both in the hallway descending the stairs. Dinner was a tense affair. Half of the men attending knew that I was most likely to die tomorrow and therefore quiet. As soon as Stasi and the child were done they left and went back upstairs.
Soon after I made my way upstairs to find Stasi in the girl's room. I stood in the doorway neither one of them noticing me. "...All you need to fly is faith, trust and pixie dust! Said the boy. He grabbed the fairy from the air and shook it over each of the other children and they began to float in the air…." Looking upon this sight I looked down. I would never witness my wife tell stories to our own children. I would never even get to see her have the baby. I cleared my throat and Stasi looked up. "They began to fly out the window. Second star to the right and straight on til morning. Yelled the boy enthusiastically." I entered the room and sat down on the edge of the bed as she continued her story. Soon enough the girl had fallen asleep. "I will be sleeping here tonight." I stood up.
"This could very well be our last night together and you are going to spend it here?" I turned my back to her clenching my fist angrily. I heard her shuffle around on the bed and her footsteps as she came up behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist.
"William. You can change the outcome. Tonight doesn't have to be our last." She moved to be in front of me and I wrapped my arms around her. Tears slid from her eyes and I cupped her cheek, lowering my face to hers. I pressed my lips to hers.
"I have to fight tomorrow, Stasi. You don't understand what it is you are asking me to do."I ran my fingers through her hair. "I'm a Soldier." She pushed me away. Wiping the tears from her eyes. She backed away and sat back down on the bed.
"So you choose war over your family? The baby? Knowing what happens." She moved back to the bed with the sleeping blond. "Get out." I stood there as she pulled back the covers and laid down pulling them over her. I slowly moved toward her.
"It is my last night on this earth, most likely stasi. As much as I would like to be here and see our child born, see them grow up, teach them to ride, I still must do this. If I do not I will be branded a coward and our family name will be a laughing stock once more." She looked up at me as the moonlight came through the window. She grabbed my hand and sat up as I knelt next to her side of the bed.
"Goodbye William." A tear ran down her cheek as she leaned forward and kissed me. I deepened the kiss before she pulled away. "Good bye." She turned away from me and I stood to leave the room.
I closed the door behind me and rested my head against the door that held my family inside. "I love you." I stood there a moment more wanting nothing more than to go back inside and hold onto the family that I never dreamed of having. My hand rested on the door knob ready to give in to that desire. Everything I've been through and fought for lead up to the battle tomorrow. I could not throw all that hard work away. The name I've rebuilt would be destroyed once again. I let go of the door and made my way to the room adjourning. Stasi will understand in time.