A/N
Song choice this time: Feed the Flames - Gemma Hayes
/
Alice embraced Erin first, lingering a moment longer than may have been strictly seen as proper for such a public display of affection. Erin patted her back with a deep tender affection, feeling a reluctance to let go. It felt like the parting of a true friendship, but she was heartened that Alice felt able to express herself through even this small gesture, even if it wouldn't please the prudish amongst polite Georgian society. It was one of the things Erin didn't regret about coming here, that Alice had this new world to explore, because she had lived past those cliffs. Whether Erin herself had anything to do with it or not, Alice Munro, just like her sister, was now her own woman.
"Whatever happens, now, in the future, what you did for us all, what you did for yourself, was one of the bravest things I've ever known," Erin said, in a private hushed whisper between them, and she felt Alice nod against her shoulder.
Alice pulled back, her face glowing a little with a faint blush at the praise. "When you are settled, you can send word to my cousin Eugenie in Boston and write to me," Alice said, looking at her directly and pushing a slip of paper into Erin's hand. "I want to hear about everything, your life, how you are, where you are going. We can be long distance friends. You can tell me of your travels and perhaps," she glanced towards Uncas, "you will come back to visit us one day?"
"Yes. Perhaps," Erin said, with a fragile muted smile, knowing this would be the last time they ever spoke to each other.
Alice returned the smile, seeing the frailty in Erin's expression and not truly understanding what it meant, but perhaps reading it as the bittersweet feelings that always came with goodbyes. She reached for Erin's forearm with a glance of a touch. "Remember what I said." Her eyes moved to Uncas once more. "And... do not forget me."
Erin gave that weak smile again and nodded. "I could never forget you Alice."
Cora came to give her goodbye next, hugging Erin close. "Thank you. For all you have done."
Erin clutched at her friend's shoulders, fighting back tears once again. "No, you were always the strong one, Cora. Without you I would have died many times."
Cora drew back and studied Erin's face for a moment, then she wiped away a stray tear that had trickled down Erin's cheek and sniffed. "We could stand here all day debating who saved who. I am just glad you were here, that you are my friend." She paused, clutching both of Erin's hands in her own and squeezing gently, her eyes taking Erin in, the hint of something distressing passing like a baleful spirit through her gaze. "Whatever comes, know I am with you. Erin... I truly hope you get home safely." Her gaze flicked to Uncas and back, and it seemed for a moment she had more to add.
"Well, what a merry band we have here!" The group was distracted from the tender moment as Duncan came striding towards them, his hat wedged under his arm in an official and gentlemanly manner.
"Good morning, Major Heywood," Erin said, a mischievous but delighted smile curling onto her lips that he had come.
"Duncan," he said, holding out his hand in farewell.
"Duncan," Erin corrected, and ignored his hand in favour of a sudden embrace, holding him close for a moment, all formality lost in what they had been through together. She heard him chuckle and he patted her back gently, seemingly glad of her lack of manners for once. He pulled away, smiled and gave a noble small bow.
"I hope you have an easy journey, Miss. I'm sure these good men will see you safely home."
"Thank you." Erin looked at each face in turn, knowing she would never be able to hold every detail of these people in her memories, but still trying. "I will miss you," she said, addressing them all.
"Be well Erin," Cora reached out and squeezed Erin's arm, "and be happy." They embraced one last time and Erin knew she couldn't draw out this goodbye any longer.
She turned to the three men waiting for her with the pack mule and nodded that she was ready. Nathaniel quickly went to Cora and pressed a kiss to her temple and murmured some words into her ear, words that Erin assumed spoke of a wished for quick return to her arms. Cora's hand lingered upon his shoulders, her cheek pressing to his chest, and she closed her eyes as if she felt some physical prick of pain. She reached up onto her tiptoes and whispered something quickly to him. He looked confused for a moment, then he smiled, a hand coming to her cheek before he nodded.
"When I return then?" he said, clearly enough for Erin to overhear now.
"Yes. When you return."
Nathaniel nodded, curiosity upon his face. He kissed her again and then moved away, going to his father and giving the rest of the group a raised palm in goodbye.
Uncas caught Erin's eye and nodded his head towards the gates, telling her that they had to leave.
She turned and gave Alice, Cora and Duncan a last wave of forlorn farewell, which was returned in kind by each, along with more well wishes. Erin reluctantly followed the three men out of the fort and away towards the woodland. She was unable to resist the urge to glance back many times, in the hopes she'd catch one last glimpse of her friends, a glimpse that would somehow seal their memory in her mind forever. In a very short amount of time the trees closed around them, and the sight of Fort Edward was swallowed by the wilderness.
They used well-worn trapper paths that were suitable for the mule to wind their way through the wilds. Nathaniel had guessed they would arrive at their destination within two days depending on their pace. Erin's muscles protested harshly against the hard work after just enjoying a rest, but she was more accustomed to these long days of walking now and so she pressed on, doing her best not to fall too far behind.
Despite her conviction of all being well, Erin couldn't help keeping a watchful eye on Uncas, searching for any twinge of suffering or pallid hint to his cheeks, but he seemed fine. There was a light sweat upon his brow, caused by the warm day and their constant movement, a discomfort that was shared by everyone. He caught her gaze many times, when he abandoned his watch to reach into one of his pouches, retrieving a handful of fresh, lush, green leaves which he was continually chewing, then his eye line would drift to her as if he couldn't help the compulsion to check on her too. He'd give a warm but softly chiding smile at being under constant vigil by her and then he would turn back to his watch.
They rested often, to eat and regain their energy and drink fresh water, all still feeling the effects of their past gruelling ordeal, but the trek had a calmer and easier atmosphere, no one was chasing them and they had no urgency to reach a destination. The way still held many potential dangers, but with watchful eyes and expert knowledge of the areas they moved through, the day passed uneventfully.
They decided to make camp a little before sunset, so they could get a good fire going and begin cooking their evening meal. All were more than ready for the renewed energy that eating and sleeping would bring. Erin looked forward to a good sleep, the last few nights had afforded very little in true rest.
The men began to sort through packs and gather together pots and bedding rolls, ready to make the camp as comfortable as it possibly could be. Erin had noticed within the last hour of their walk, Uncas had seemed suddenly tired, he wasn't quite as attentive to his surroundings as he had been earlier, the sweat upon his brow seeming to gather and run down his face. He looked a little dishevelled, his hair messy.
As the decision was made to make camp Erin saw his shoulders sag a little and her own anxiety heightened. She couldn't very well blurt out her concerns right there in front of his father and Nathaniel, so she bided her time, her eyes ever watchful as she awaited the right moment.
Erin looked for any opening, but the three men were so engrossed with their preparations that there never really seemed to be a good time to interject herself. She unrolled her blanket and aided in retrieving pots to boil upon their as yet unmade fire, hovering nearby, waiting for her chance, trying to think of a way around this.
Before she could construct a reason to be alone with Uncas, he gave her the task of going off to gather firewood. He didn't seem in the mood to tolerate her dilly-dallying, so Erin just nodded and, without protest, wandered aimlessly away into the tree line, distractedly picking up any sticks she came across, her mind wandering to the question of just what she would do if Uncas began to feel unwell?
She supposed there would be only one path to take, she'd urge him to tell his brother and father and then they could change course, go to wherever he could get the help he needed. Her nerves gave a little tense pull at that thought ever becoming true, because Erin also knew the treatments in this time were limited, there was only so much any medicine man or doctor could do... But he'd been fine for days, surely if it was going to turn into something sinister it would have already gone that way by now? Cora had examined him that very morning, and while her words hadn't been full of only comfort, they weren't full of bad news either. Cora hadn't seen anything that meant catastrophe, just caution.
Erin just had to keep an eye on him and look for any hint of fever, surely if they got Uncas treatment he would be just fine if it was quick enough? Erin shook herself, no, Uncas was going to be just fine, she was worrying too much, Cora's words had set her a little on edge, that was all. Alice was right, Cora could be quite the pessimist.
She let out a little laugh, and with it some of the tension. Even she couldn't say she'd ever known a doctor that didn't come full force with warnings of worst-case scenarios, and the reason was simple, to prepare people so they knew the danger signs. Erin knew them, as did Uncas, and if they were both vigilant there was no reason everything wouldn't be just fine.
Well, apart from the fact she was leaving. That still didn't feel truly fine. Alice's words tried to push their way back through, and Erin batted them away impatiently. Maybe later they could talk about it all, or some of it, they still had so much to talk about, she had so much she wanted to say to him. Erin felt reassured that once they'd had time alone together, time to speak, everything would feel better.
She took in a lungful of sweet evening air, it smelt resinous and clean. It was becoming cooler as the day retreated, and with it the clammy feeling was lessening, her underclothes were drying against her damp skin as time ticked by and Erin allowed the sensation to soothe and ease her as the discomfort of a hot day spent walking miles subsided.
If the journey continued to go well, tomorrow by nightfall, they would have arrived at the triple falls and by the next dawn she could be home. She felt both relieved and crushed by the prospect that she was so close to this all being over.
She bent again, scooping up a few more branches and, realizing she couldn't comfortably carry any more, she made her way back slowly to the camp. Her thoughts still a little sluggish from the physical tiredness in every muscle and limb.
Uncas noticed her arrival and he made his way to her, his hands came out to aid her with the ungainly bundle of sticks. Now he was closer, she could see the lines of strain upon his face, the shadows under his eyes, his hair tousled and scraggly with many flyways. She didn't think she'd ever seen him look this dishevelled, and her anxiety bubbled like cold fish swimming through her chest. Erin hesitated, wondering if she could cryptically suggest they go and talk, but he began to speak before she could start.
"This wood is no good." He was frowning and he squatted to his haunches, allowing the branches to fall to the ground. He picked up a few, breaking them open and thrusting the white and green insides towards her. "Too green. These are not dry enough, they'll only smoke, more chance of others seeing where we are." He sounded rather disgruntled. "Do you not know how to gather firewood?" It was a clear accusation that she should.
"No, firewood gathering is not something I'm particularity acquainted with," Erin said, unable to help her defences rising at just how annoyed he sounded with her.
He breathed a low word under his breath in his own tongue. It was a slang word so Erin wasn't truly sure of its direct translation, but it sounded like 'wet straw.' Erin had no idea what that meant, but she got the distinct impression it had an interpretation closer to milksop.
"No need to get snippy with me, it's only wood!" Erin said, trying to rein back her own compulsion to propel this into a full blown argument, but he was being unreasonable. "You can't expect me to know everything. I've never had much need to know which wood is the 'right' wood. My time isn't like yours."
"Even a child knows how," he said, once again under his breath, and Erin felt herself ruffled after all her own unkind thoughts about herself in the last twenty four hours. Her mouth formed a few words soundlessly as she tried to form a rebuttal that would not be just a plain insult in return for his.
He tossed the sticks aside in exasperation. "Maybe find something that you can do then, instead of standing there with your mouth open."
Erin's mouth gaped open a little wider in surprise, before she snapped it shut, her teeth clenching together. "Well, that's what we'd call in my time, being an asshole, just so you know." Her arms were crossed at her chest, her posture suddenly all defence and defiance.
"Insults now?" he said, shaking his head, and a laugh unkindly passed his lips.
"You started it," Erin shot back, her lips pursing, ready to take whatever else he had.
"I cannot even ask you to do something so simple, without you turning it into a fight."
"Wet straw, that's what you said!" She raised a brow in clear accusation. "I don't know what it means, but I do know you didn't mean it in glowing reference to me! So don't tell me I am the one being insulting!" She paused, taking in a deep breath, trying to push back her anger and pull in logic. "Look, what's wrong? You are all bent out of shape over nothing! I'll go get more wood, just tell me what-"
"I am tired. I do not want to do the work of two, but it seems I must." A muscle in his jaw tightened but he did not look at her.
Erin's mouth opened again without any words to speak for a moment and she clamped her lips together. Giving herself a moment to think and respond. "Well, just tell me," she murmured.
He shook his head. "I will get the wood. Stay here and..." His words trailed off as he gave her a look over, something flickering behind his eyes, an astute coldness. "Try not to get in the way."
He didn't give her time to reply but brushed past her, leaving the gathered sticks upon the floor before her, which after a moment of inner silent rage Erin then kicked at in frustration.
She balled her hands into fists, refusing to watch after him, and instead glanced self-consciously towards Nathaniel and Chingachgook who had stopped their work to watch the petty exchange for a moment before they noticed her, gave each other a raised brow look, and set back to talking and preparing as if nothing had happened at all.
Erin could understand Uncas was tired, and he probably wasn't feeling great after all the walking while being injured, but that didn't give him an excuse to be an asshole! She tried to temper down her own annoyance, trying to understand that the last thing he'd wanted was to do extra labour, but still, it wasn't really like him, or least not like the man she'd known the last few weeks. Perhaps he really was feeling ill? That stilled her anger completely, it rushed away like mist, leaving her limbs heavy and a renewed prick of sweat at the base of her spine.
She made herself as helpful as she could in the encampment, both dreading and needing Uncas' return. One part of her wanted to continue to feel irate with how he'd spoken to her, but the other part was too worried to hold onto the emotion for more than a few seconds, each time her brain reminded her of what had been said.
He came back before twilight had fully covered the sky, his arms full of what Erin could only assume was the 'right' kind of wood. Somehow he looked better, his clothing was readjusted, his belts re-tied tidily at his waist, and his hair was back into its usual pristine smooth style, not a flyaway in sight. His face was no longer lined with weary travel, but refreshed and imbibed with youthful playfulness. He smiled at her discreetly as he approached, his eyes seeming to hold a heavy note of apology.
Erin crossed her arms, watchful and sceptical.
Uncas set up the fire, bringing a small flame into being with his flint box until it was greedily feeding away, growing bigger and brighter.
He abandoned the fire and came to her, the warm light giving their surroundings a mellow glow in the dimness. The frown that had been clouding his features before was gone, his hands tentatively reached out to her upper arms, hesitant to commit to touching her until she allowed it.
Erin battled down the petulant part of her that wanted to refuse him, and she gave a little incline of her head that she permitted the contact.
His hands were large and warm upon her arms, reminding Erin how much cooler it had become over such a short amount of time.
"Well," she began, before he could, "that was uncalled for."
He took in a slow breath of air and closed his eyes. "Yes. It was," he said, his smile flickering and slowly bringing warmth back to his face. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
"Thinking?"
"About you, your world. I was tired, and the pain..." He grimaced a little. "It's worse, but only because of the travel we have done," he rushed to explain. "I let myself become irritated. I wasn't being fair."
"Well, let me help you then, I can make things easier. If you tell me what you need or what I need to look out for, I can do it. Just tell me, okay?"
"Yes." He reached a hand out to glance across her cheek, endeared by her care and understanding.
"I don't understand how everything works here, you have to be, like... my guide."
He raised an amused brow, "Your guide?"
"Tell me what to do, what's right and wrong, and-"
He was laughing. "I don't think I'd want that task." His eyes danced with a droll light. "I can be more patient though."
Erin eyed him, noticing his brow was beaded with a hint of perspiration. She wanted to dart out a palm and check his temperature, but under the gaze of his father and brother she didn't feel like she could be so bold.
"Are you... alright?" she asked, trying to keep her tone light and conversational. "You said the pain had worsened, do you need some medicine to help? Cora gave me some."
He shook his head, still smiling at her concern. "I'm fine. Pain can be a warning, but it is also there to remind me of the mistakes I made, so I don't make them again." He patted her arm affectionately and chucked a finger under her chin. "I had to go further into the forest to find wood. I think the trees were teaching me a lesson for being so stubborn and bad tempered," he said explaining away his look of labour.
Erin made a good humoured noise of agreement, the tense feeling leaving her muscles in the pleasant feeling of his good mood.
"They may not forgive me for a while, they may lead me down unseen paths in the dark as punishment, but do I have yours?"
"My what?" Erin asked, a little baffled.
"Forgiveness."
Erin let out a timid abashed laugh. "I guess so... but you would tell me if you started to feel unwell, right?"
He nodded. "I'm just tired, after last night." A small teasing smile played upon his lips, his eyes holding a jest that it was all truly her fault that he was so exhausted. Then his thumb and forefinger held her chin in place, tilting her face to look up at him directly, and Erin got the sudden heightened feeling that if they were alone he would have kissed her rather intensely. She felt the heat flood through her face and glanced away, feeling a jolt of nervous excitement flow through her body.
"Well, you had a say in all that too," she deflected. "It's not like I made you stay up, and..." Her words quickly ran out of steam, but her eyes were drawn back to him as he began to laugh.
"Hmm." The noise was a good humoured chuff. "Come, let's get something good to eat." His thumb glanced across her lips, eyes lingering upon her mouth. Erin could sense his hunger, and didn't think his thoughts were strictly upon the meal they were about to prepare. She shifted under such openly amorous behaviour from him.
"Okay," she murmured, and he rewarded her shyness with another little huff of laughter.
/
A/N
Helloo again, it is another Friday.
I hope those coming by to read enjoyed the latest instalment. It has been very much appreciated to know you are out there these last few weeks. FF has been all kinds of swiggly again, I couldn't even load any stories I wanted to read today so I know notifications and generally everything is not working great. If you find your way here, thank you and welcome.
I may have to take a break next week, I've had to take on more at work and I've had a 'lovely' troll stop by again with their 'get out of this fandom' stick and well, dear reader I am a little tired. Maybe by mid next week I will feel able to bring you another chapter by next Friday, but if not, I will be back the week after. I will always be back. I thank you all again for your patience as I make my way through this very new thing of getting quite prolonged negative comments. It's something I've never had to deal with before and it's a lot of trial and error as to what works for me to get past it and understand some people are just assholes for no other reason than to bring other people down. Although I can delete them, unfortunately I can't unread them. So, little breaks seems to be the best option right now, so I can re-fuel and get on with enjoying and uploading this story.
I keep promising to not bring it up again, but I feel I owe my readers the truth of why I feel I need a break. It's obviously something I have to find a way to accept and deal with myself, but I want to be open about it.
Again thank you for your patience with me and my sincerest thank you to anyone taking the time to tell me they had a fun time reading. It means a lot.
Well, I kinda enjoyed writing a cranky Uncas. I admit I laughed too much at the whole "Maybe do something other than stand there with your mouth open" this is a little joke I have with myself because the actor that played Edmund Munro (Maurice Roeves) once said in an interview, all Alice did was run around with her mouth open and I found that so hilarious, I don't really know why as I don't agree, maybe it was the bluntness :)))))
The next chapter, I know some of you enjoyed the the firelit scene in the infirmary at Fort Edward, maybe... more in that vein. Let's see.
Until next time.
