Erin made her way back to Munro's private quarters. She knocked politely and Cora answered. To say she looked unhappy would have been a vast understatement. She opened the door wider, inviting Erin in without any words, her lips a straight thin pinched line.

Once the door was closed, Cora looked between Alice and Erin with an expression all children knew to mean big trouble. Alice stood with her arms crossed in a clearly defensive pose, her eyes looking rather disdainfully at Erin. So, she had told Cora everything, and by the looks of things Cora had only just finished reading her younger sister the riot act for some reason, now it was Erin's turn.

"Why on earth have you been filling Alice's head with such stories Erin? You scared her half to death."

Alice looked down, avoiding meeting Erin's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to go so far." She turned to Alice. "I'm truly sorry."

Alice fidgeted with her sleeves, refusing to look up, unwilling to take the apology at face value.

"I understand you like to entertain, but to take it so far, to say such things about the men that saved us and guided us here, it is in bad taste!" Cora continued.

"I know, I'm really sorry."

"You must be more aware of your words. To you it's a comical story to frighten Alice, but to these men it is dangerous. Do you understand? It is careless!"

Erin nodded, twisting her hands like a child being scolded.

"Luckily, Mr Poe was very understanding." Cora began to gather more pieces of clothing.

A beat of quietude passed, and Erin's ears rung with this new information, her eyes widening. "What?! No! Why did you tell him any of this?" she whined.

"Silence!" Cora said with a stern look. "Hold your tongue before it gets you in to any more trouble!" She sighed deeply, holding on to her composure, determined not to be goaded into any argument of any kind. "Alice had already asked Mr Phelps if any of this nonsense was true. I could not allow it to get back to those men's ears without an explanation!"

Erin wanted to roll her eyes at just how out of hand this situation had become, but held herself back, feeling as ashamed as she knew she looked.

"By good luck again, I came upon them when this conversation happened and I was able to defuse it!" Cora puffed and wiped the back of her hand against her cheeks, it was far too warm in the room. "I have just explained to Alice that she cannot go asking such sensitive questions just to win a game between you two, when we are in such a dangerous situation! Dispositions are high and..." Cora's words failed and Alice looked away in discomfort, obviously disagreeing with some part of what her older sister had said.

"I have enough to deal with here and I don't have time to be in the middle of your petty squabbles." She glared at each of them, Alice and Erin both looked down, abashed. "Men are dying! Right now, under this very roof, and more need help I cannot give. I am exhausted, and I am afraid, and I have had enough of these school girl quarrels!" She put her hand to her brow, taking in a deep breath. "No more silliness Alice, and no more petty, silly stories Erin. No more foolishness! Am I clear?"

Erin squirmed underneath Cora's intense glare, feeling a distinct throwback to the emotions she'd felt when being disciplined by a teacher. "Yes."

"Yes, Cora," Alice said, still avoiding looking at Erin.

"Make peace and just try and get along until..."

A knock sounded at the door.

"Yes?" Cora's voice was suddenly full of cold politeness.

The handle moved, shifting the door to reveal Duncan, looking very sheepish.

"Cora... I wanted to talk to you, but I'll come back another time." He could easily read the tension in the room and wanted no part of it.

"Talk to Duncan, Cora, I must manage," Alice said, making to leave. "I cannot be an invalid schoolgirl forever." This statement sounded like a slight jab towards Cora's earlier words.

Erin understood her cue to leave and took it. "I'll go and wait for you in the infirmary."

They left, closing the door behind them, the muffled sound of voices fading as they walked away.

"Alice, I..."

Alice glared at her before turning her head in a dance of dark golden hair.

"I am really sorry. You were right. I was cruel and... stupid, and not a good friend to say those things. I was a complete brat."

Alice glanced over again, her eyes searching, expression softening slightly, her stern resolve seeming to waver.

"Then why did you say those things? I want an honest answer, not something you just made up!"

It seemed Alice knew her very well after all.

"I did make up the story, I'm sorry. I really was trying to protect you."

"From what?" Alice snapped.

"From becoming too close. It's dangerous right now, even if he is the best man in the world."

"Who?"

"Uncas!"

"You don't want us to be... friends because he's an Indian?"

Erin hesitated. "No, it's not that," she said, finally. "It's not because of who he is. It's this place, this time, it's dangerous. I want you to be very good friends... just not now."

"I don't understand." Alice's pretty brows drew together.

"What I mean..." Erin took a moment to consider her answer, trying to find true words this time. "Now isn't the time to fall in love or find you have feelings for someone."

Alice's eyes widened. "What?" She laughed, a strained little sound. "I'm not in..." She paused, looking around the hallways. "...in love with him," she hissed, grabbing Erin's arm as if they were talking of deep conspiracies.

"But you like him?"

"It's hard not to be thankful to a man that saved all our lives." She laughed again, deflecting the question, it was a insincere sound. "Erin, you really do let your imagination run away with you."

"Just promise me, humour me, and all my silliness, just step back from whatever you do feel and come back to it when we are safe and far away from here. If you like him... just wait a little."

"Ridiculous... I don't know what you think you've seen... but... ridiculous!" Alice spluttered, but seeing Erin was indeed serious she took the challenge to fight back in her own defence. "Only if you promise never to tell such stories again! I don't like to be teased. It felt very unkind."

"It was unkind. I will never tell a story like that again. I promise." Erin crossed her heart with her fingertip and Alice seemed somewhat reassured and amused by the gesture.

Alice eyed her with a hint of ice to her hazel eyes, fleeting and gone within a moment. "Cora was so angry with me." Alice's tone was clear, this was all Erin's fault and she had to take accountability for there to be any chance of redemption between them. "I had to ask, Mr Phelps, I knew him in London you see..." Alice pulled herself back from falling into a friendly rapport. "He often accompanies Papa on his campaigns. He is an intelligent man with many books. So I knew he would know." She paused, that cool look in her eyes again. "I wanted to prove you wrong. I knew you were!"

Erin gave a slow nod. "I'd want to push the truth in my face too. It was a really bad jest Alice."

"It was. I wondered why you would say such a thing? Up until tonight, you have been kind and funny and very silly, but never mean. I even asked Mr Phelps why."

Erin was both curious and a little concerned as to what the surgeon had said. "He had an answer?" she finally ventured.

"He did, in a way. He said people say very peculiar things when they are in dangerous situations."

Erin couldn't help but laugh, boy was that the truth!

"Especially when they fear things. It reminded me of what you said before, on our way here, about people making up tales to validate their own fears. Do you remember?"

"Yes. I remember." Erin didn't like being measured against that statement, but understood she had brought this comparison fully upon her own shoulders.

Alice's hand slid around Erin's upper arm as they walked, forgiveness seemingly an option, and Erin felt herself warm at the sensation, grateful to be the receiver. "Are you very afraid Erin?"

The question knocked Erin's thinking off balance a moment, Alice was a lot wiser than she knew. "Yes," she finally said, "I am."

"Is that why you made up stories, because you're afraid?"

"Yes." Erin answered truthfully but couldn't force herself to look at Alice.

The young woman glanced at her as if she'd just understood something quite surprising. "Does Uncas frighten you?"

This made Erin stop, her eyes finding Alice's, she suddenly, desperately wanted to clear up this misunderstanding. "No, no it's nothing like that."

Alice looked thoroughly unconvinced.

"I'm afraid for all of us, this place, the battle... it scares me. What could happen..."

"It scares me too," Alice said, re-linking her arm with Erin's and urging her forward.

They walked a little more in silence before Alice turned to her, eyes studying Erin's face a little too closely.

"What?"

"Your drawings," she mused, her soft voice glancing over each word. "I didn't see any self portraits. Everyone else was there. I felt it was a shame, because we had been through everything with each other." She paused and stilled her steps, making Erin stop too. "It felt like you were missing."

Erin couldn't help the inner voice telling her she should indeed be missing in this story!

"I never like to draw... myself." Erin rubbed the back of her neck, feeling a little bashful.

"It made me sad," Alice said, glancing away. "Because..." She seemed be be gathering something within herself. "Your stories, all your stories, not the ghastly dog one, or your silly one about Mr..." She trailed off before picking up her train of thought again. "But the ones about your travels and adventures with your father, they gave me something... like an anchor."

"An anchor?"

Alice nodded. "When we travelled here from England there was a great storm on the sea and there was talk of the ship rolling. It was quite... terrifying. The men on board, they lowered the anchor down." She paused, a small smile of shyness playing upon her lips. "The winds tossed the boat here and there, with big waves crashing into us, but the anchor, it stopped us being washed away."

Erin gave a noise of understanding and reached out a hand to Alice's hand in comfort. "I am glad my stories helped you, in any way, truly."

"They made things feel... less desperate."

Erin understood in that small moment, that this young woman had forgiven her, and she wondered at her tender hearted kindness. Erin wasn't sure she would have been so generous if she had been stood in Alice's shoes. She had much to learn about true compassion and there was perhaps no better teacher than Alice Munro in this moment.

The two women smiled at each other, taking their time in walking down the long narrow corridors and Erin let her mind wander over recent events.

"You are wrong you know?" Erin said, a ghost of a smile finding her lips.

"Wrong?"

"Oh no, not about the stories," Erin said, knowing she had gone off on her own inner tangent. "About you not being strong." Talking to Uncas outside and experiencing Alice's benevolent nature, Erin had understood something, the smallest things really did make the biggest difference, and Alice had already done so many. She could see why it was easy for the Mohican warrior to find so much depth within this young woman.

"Erin," Alice was pulling away, her expression showing clearly she thought she was being made fun of.

"No, I mean it," Erin said, "not in the same way as Cora perhaps."

"Stop, I told you I don't like to be teased! My choices are made by everyone around me. How is that strength?"

"You were made to trek through humid forest for many days and not once did I hear you complain."

"I didn't want to be a burden..." Alice began, trying to rebuff Erin's words.

"Once we arrived here, you were more concerned with your father's wellbeing than the ordeal you had just been through."

"I always worry for Papa..."

Again Erin didn't let her finish. "You went out of your way to check if Uncas was okay, even though it went against everything you had ever been taught."

"How on earth do you..."

"You spend your days at your father's side, making sure he is well cared for, so Cora can be free to do her calling and not worry."

"I..."

"You offered up friendship to a stranger and then forgave her when she badly hurt you."

Alice was speechless now.

"You defended an honourable man against unfair and untrue gossip."

Alice looked shocked, as if she couldn't quite believe all those things had happened either.

Erin sighed. "You are wrong Alice. I see your strength. Sometimes what we think is our weakness, it isn't, it's what makes us strong."

"Riddles now instead of stories?" Alice raised a brow, the mischief back in her eyes. "I'm going to see Papa. I will see you in a while," she said, not giving Erin any further chance to convince her.

"Yes, and thank you Alice for being so understanding."

"I understand why you felt so fearful now. But Erin, you really are a silly goose. I could never... my father... it would never... what you saw... you are such a goose!" She fumbled with her words and, finally dismissing the conversation completely, she shook her head, and with a carefree smile she swept along the corridors, her long hair swaying behind her.

Erin paused, watching her a moment, not really knowing if Alice believed those words or if she had meant them. Erin felt more unsure by the day that she knew these people, emotions were not as plain to read as writing upon a page.

/

A/N

Hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed todays chapter.

I am not sticking to a strict time line of when things happen in the movie while at the fort, so keep that in mind, events may shift about a little.

Thank you once again whole heartedly to BlueSaffire and MohawkWoman for your informative and helpful reviews. Hearing your thoughts helps me stop nit-picking at every single thing and trust that I can tell this story my own way. Thank you for encouraging me :)

I am hopefully going to keep any readers out there guessing where this may yet go.

Thank you to all the readers that have stopped by. I appreciate your time.