Erin was directed to the quarters Alice and Cora had been given and entered just in time to find quite the feast had been laid out to feed them. Plates filled with crispy bacon, cured cold cuts, sharp cheese, freshly baked bread and various fruits, juicily ripe or sweetly dried, awaited their grumbling stomachs. All three women fell upon the food, stuffing themselves until they groaned with regret. They sat in comfortable silence digesting both food and the flurry of memories of travel, threat and soul deep relief the past few days had brought, each lost in their own thoughts as they sipped at spiced claret wine.

The plates were cleared and they were offered fresh hot water for cleaning by a fire with a modesty screen, the water shared but very welcome. It all felt like a luxury Erin had taken for granted far too many times in her own world, where she could just jump into the shower or lounge around in a relaxing bath whenever she wished. Each woman helped the other wash their hair with some kind of substance that Cora said was soapwort root. It acted in much the same way as shampoo to Erin's eyes, foaming and washing away grease and sweat. Erin volunteered to go last and had some explaining to do as the excess red dye turned the water a light pink. Sweet floral smelling oils were applied upon half damp hair and then the strands allowed to dry fully by the warmth of the fire. As Erin sat there in a fresh shift, she marvelled at how different she felt now she was finally clean. It was as if she had been carrying pounds of dirt in her very pores.

They braided each other's hair in the fuzzy warmth in preparation for the longed for sleep to come. Erin tried her best not to doze off right there and then under the pleasant feeling of soft attention.

Cora once again tended to Erin's wounded foot, placing some healing salve upon the many tiny nicks and cuts before bandaging it back up with clean thin strips of silk. Her forearm was re-dressed and her hand left to air, it was healing up nicely. A greasy balm was dabbed upon her lip, easing the tight discomfort of mending skin. Just as Cora had promised the day before, the bruise around Erin's mouth was beginning to show in deep purples, making her overall look somewhat disconcerting. Erin assumed she'd get quite a few strange looks from people wondering if she'd been in a recent bar brawl. She adamantly refused Cora's idea of seeing if there was any red meat in the cool pantry to reduce the swelling, her modern knowledge of bacteria recoiling from the mere notion of placing raw meat anywhere near an open wound.

They were brought basic and homespun clothes, given over by other women in the fort for, what Erin assumed had been a handsome sum out of Colonel Munro's personal pocket. Their stays were sent off to the laundry to be carefully washed, dried and returned by morning.

Refreshed and fed, the three women retired to their shared sleeping quarters in only their clean linen shifts, a large bed bestowed by a high ranking officer in chivalrous fashion for them to sleep, and sleep they did, long and deeply, their bodies and minds in sore need of the respite.

When Erin awoke she was alone, no longer curled against comforting bodies. The loss of the warmth of the two women she had shared such a long and dangerous journey making her feel a little bereft. Erin was heartened to see Alice was still nearby, sat upon a little wooden stool, combing out her long golden hair in front of a small tarnished mirror, fully dressed and looking all the better for a well fitting bodice.

Somehow without that large, overly ornate bodice she'd worn at Fort William Henry, Erin thought Alice looked less fragile, less like a china doll or a girl playing dress up. She looked no different overall, still a teenager not fully ready to shed her chrysalis and become a butterfly, but there was something about the way she held herself that left Erin feeling a little uneasy. There was a change there, a change Erin wasn't really sure was for ill or good. Perhaps it was Erin's own guilty mind that conjured up this unnerving train of thought, because she had come away from all of this with no blood on her hands. Alice had not.

This young woman was not even eighteen and she had been forced into a kill-or-be-killed choice. Not only had Alice stabbed Magua, she had pushed him over the edge, there had been no room, or perhaps even no will, for mercy. Erin found herself wondering if she would have truly done the same. Would she have been brave enough or too scared in that situation to do more than lash out and injure him? If so, she and Alice would surely have perished, if not more of their party. If the knife had been within her grasp, would she have taken it?

Erin didn't know, and she didn't feel she had any right to put herself into Alice's shoes in this moment. To kill someone must change something within, the way you looked at the world, the knowledge that innocence could be lost to cruel reality. Erin silently mourned for Alice's loss.

She pushed the thoughts away. It felt like everything about this situation, the stillness of Fort Edward, her meeting with Uncas last night, seeing Alice now, the future to come... all made Erin feel on edge

"Good morning," Alice said, seeing Erin through the marred reflection.

"Is it morning already?" Erin yawned.

"Nearly noon." Alice returned to combing out her hair.

Erin rose, stretched rather inelegantly, and went to a nearby table that was now covered with assorted breakfast items, some had already been eaten, but there was a portion set aside, meant for her. Dried fruit and freshly baked scones with lashings of golden butter lay upon a dainty china plate, a teapot still steaming with black tea waiting to be poured into a matching cup. Erin didn't need to be told to eat and drink her fill, she inhaled all of it quickly, her tongue savouring every delight of plentiful food with relish.

When finished, Erin offered a cup of tea to Alice who gladly accepted and they both sat sipping their warm beverages in congenial silence. Erin allowed her eyes to take in all the details of the small room, smell the scent of clean linen sheets, and hear the quiet. It was so very quiet here.

"They served breakfast half an hour ago, or so," Alice continued, rising from the stool for a brief moment to add a teaspoon of sugar to her drink before resettling. "You seemed so fast asleep, we didn't want to wake you." She nodded her chin towards a chair where their fresh skirts and bodices had been laid the night before. "Your stays are dry."

Erin made a small noise of understanding, her eyes lingering upon the chair as she took a moment to remind herself that was where she had also left her pockets last night after disrobing. If she had the time and privacy, she should check if her phone was even still working, and her notebook wasn't completely ruined. It had been days since she'd dared even touch her phone, in fear that Magua or one of his men would see it. She didn't think she'd have had the presence of mind to talk herself out of that plight, and then she really would have been killed as a witch.

"Where's Cora?" Erin asked, placing her empty cup back upon the table and taking up the task of pulling on her new stockings. The material was rough and a little itchy but she was grateful for them. Getting them to stretch past her bandages was an extra effort, but she managed after lots of gentle coaxing and tugging.

"Gone to talk to Papa. I assume they will both be in quite the temper." Her eyes danced with molten hues of amber, gleaming in high amusement.

Erin made another noise of agreement. "I hope, in the end, he gives them, Nathaniel and Cora, I mean, his blessing," Erin finished tying her garters in place and moved on to her stays. They were discoloured and a little warped from their rough travels, and then being thoroughly washed, and dried by a roaring fire, but they had held up surprisingly well despite the plastic boning. She pulled them over her head, wriggling a little to settle them into place, and then began to pull at the front laces.

"I do too. But my father is a very proud man."

"Your sister is a very stubborn woman. I think she may be able to convince him."

Alice gave Erin a knowing smile. It seemed for a moment that the young woman glowed, her golden hair a halo. Alice looked happy and contented. Erin could sense she felt safe and calm in a place she knew and understood. It was as if she had bloomed overnight like a flower finding the full force of the sun to revive it from shadow.

Erin felt fleetingly in that moment, that she had never really seen the real Alice Munro, not until now, any knowledge she'd gathered had been only echoes or shadows. This woman was bold and mischievous, a childish fun always bubbling beneath the surface. All of it had been hidden under layers of fear and shock as she went through each traumatic event, the effects stripping her of who she was, a young vivacious woman with a kind heart and a wicked sense of humour. Now that woman was carefully re-emerging into the world, like flashes of bright crystals in sunlight.

"And you?" Erin asked, abandoning her rather half hearted and messy attempt at lacing her stays in place. She suddenly felt unsure if she should question Alice's wellbeing at all, lest it send her into a spiral. "Are you... well?"

Alice placed her cup down and turned to look at Erin over her shoulder. "As well as anyone can be after... everything," Alice said honestly. "I still cannot quite believe I..." her brow furrowed, "with that... foul knife-"

"But it is over now," Erin hurried to reassure.

"Yes, it is over. Papa and Cora are well. I am content." She smiled, but the words rang just a little hollow.

Safe, at last, it seemed to all concerned Alice had found herself again and yet now and then, through their travels here after the cliffs, and now at the fort, Erin caught a far off look, a slight turn of expression, that spoke so clearly that she would never be the same girl she had been at the start of this journey. That girl was lost forever.

Erin wanted to reach out a gentle offer of understanding and comfort, that it was alright to talk about what had happened if she wanted to, that Alice's own thoughts and feelings held merit. That she mattered. Perhaps to even voice a supportive declaration, that Erin knew Alice had made the only choice she could, and that man's life blood did not stain any part of her hands or soul, but Erin wasn't really sure how to even begin.

She guessed behind this seemingly fine exterior, Alice wasn't truly alright. Erin wasn't sure if Alice would ever fully heal from what she had been through, but here, surrounded by those she loved and trusted, it felt like a good start.

"Alice, I wanted to-"

As if on cue to dispel the slightly tense atmosphere, the door opened and Cora bustled into the room, her face flushed, lips no more than a pinched thin line.

"Did it go well?" There was an edge of teasing to Alice's voice and a soft smirk pulled at one side of her mouth.

"Father is impossible! He won't listen to reason, he won't back down-"

"And neither would you," Alice finished airily, knowing exactly how this whole meeting had gone.

"No," Cora was smiling, "I would not. I told him I would marry Nathaniel if he willed it or not."

"And?" Alice pushed.

"He blustered some, called me a silly little fool. Then, he declared he was glad I wasn't dead before he walked out of the room, not even finishing our conversation!"

"Argument," Alice corrected.

"Yes, well," Cora relented, with a tart edge to her voice.

"Papa will see reason. Give him just a little time," Alice soothed.

"I told him we would accompany him back to Albany. He has until Nathaniel, Uncas and their father return from this trip with Erin, to make peace with what will be."

Erin couldn't help the little jump her nerves did at Uncas' name. She had not seen him since the evening before and she supposed every waking subconscious thought and plan since had been surrounded by the approach of their final parting.

Cora seemed to sense the change in Erin and turned to her, words hesitating upon her lips before she decided on a different tactic.

"My father wanted to speak to you Erin, if you can bear him?"

Alice chuckled, eyes half hooded in gentle merriment.

"Sure." Erin lifted her shoulders in acceptance. "Although I don't think he will feel any less frustrated after we speak." Erin again shrugged.

"I will walk with you then," Cora said, decision made. "I promised to lend a hand in the infirmary, not that anyone here seems to be suffering more than sniffles and a few cuts." She turned to her sister, hand reaching out and met by Alice's own. "Are you alright dear one?"

"I keep telling you all, I am perfectly well."

Cora seemed unconvinced but smiled and nodded in agreement. "We will not be gone long."

"You can be gone as long as you wish. I can amuse myself well enough."

Erin saw Alice's gaze linger upon her book of art and found herself distractedly wondering just what Alice was working on now.

Cora eyed Erin's rather horrendous attempt at tying her stays and beckoned her over with a click of her tongue in reprimand. Erin begrudgingly went, allowing Cora to tighten everything properly, then Erin stepped into her petticoat, tied on her pockets and pulled on skirts and bodice with a wistful longing for the simplicity of modern clothing.

She would have loved to just pull on a comfy bralette, jeans and a T-shirt before slipping her feet into fluffy, soft slippers. Thankfully, Cora had returned with some flat shoes, rather roughly made of deer skin and fastened with laces. They were a little big at her heel, but fit well enough once Erin tied them as tightly as they would go. At least she didn't have to limp around in one shoe anymore.

When finished, they left Alice with a few words of seeing her later in the day, and made their way down the corridor together.

/

A/N

Hello, Friday again and here we are with a bit of a shorter chapter. I hope those reading found it enjoyable.

I wanted this to be a moment of calm after everything, to dig into Erin's thoughts about what had happened and especially Alice's state of mind. I really wanted to keep this story wholly from Erin's POV, so what she thinks about anything or anyone, may or may not be true. Just as in anything in life, the only way to know the whole truth is to get it directly from the subject. I'm not really pointing fingers to her thoughts about Alice, but the story overall... fairy paths, follow the lights :)))

I'm so happy that Flowangelic caught my intentional echoing of Erin's own dilemma about Uncas as one that Alice and Uncas faced themselves and also that Uncas is being rather 'Spock' like about it all, I really like that terminology, that's exactly the vibe I was going for, he is after all, a practical kinda guy, isn't he? ;)

Thank you for the reviews, they are always most welcome.

So, I'll see you next week. We have many miles to go yet.