Hi guys! I'm terribly sorry about the wait. I've gotten several reviews asking me to update, but I've been so blocked that I haven't been able to write very much over the last month. However, I think I've turned out an okay chapter despite that. I hope you guys like it! I'm so grateful to all of you for your support and I absolutely love hearing from you and reading your opinions on my story so don't hesitate to review!

Much love to you all!

-lightinside

{Chandler, save your tears, this one is for you.}

In the weeks to come, John sneaked away from camp on a regular basis and though he told me nothing of his destination, I knew that he was off visiting Pocahontas. He smiled more often, voiced his opinions more freely, and it was only recently that I realized my brother no longer felt the need to carry a gun. There was no way in heaven or on earth that the influence for such behavior was anything if not a woman. And while Thomas found his behavior to be very odd, I never played into his suspicions. In fact, I did my best to ignore them. I liked the change I was seeing in my brother, but more than anything, I liked that John was happy.

For now, before Ratcliffe smelled trouble, I thought they should be left alone to continue on in that happiness, as rare as it was. Certainly in times such as these, both John and Pocahontas, though a stranger to me, deserved that much.

On a day like today, left to my thoughts in John's absence, I wondered about my rescuer more than anything else. And it was this distraction of the mind that led me to be knocked off of my feet, quite literally.

"Joanna!" Thomas sighed, squatting down beside me as she sat up with a scowl. "You begged me to do this. The least you could do is pay attention so as not to allow me to damage anything of vital importance."

"Shut up, Thomas." I growled, getting to my feet. "You knocked me over in a moment of distraction. Since that is the first time you have managed it, I would not say it is something to boast over."

Thomas frowned. "Teaching you how to fight isn't something John would necessarily approve of. I'm not going to beat you black and blue only to have to explain the discoloration later. I'm quite fond of my life, really. I would like to hold onto it as long as possible and in order to do so, I have to appear as though I'm keeping you safe."

"You are," I told him, keeping my exasperation in check. We were wasting time, chatting like this. But Thomas was right to worry. Truth be told, I was just as worried as he was, but in a different way. If I didn't learn to defend myself, I would always be at the mercy of the people around me. And I was becoming tired of the feeling that I was a burden. I wanted to be able to have the comfort of knowing that no matter what came my way, she could be ready for it and act accordingly. Thomas was helping me achieve that, no matter if the sessions went poorly. That was mostly due to his fear which held him back considerably when attempting to teach me properly and consequently made me angry so that by the end of our time together, I had stormed off and Thomas was fretting about where to begin looking for me.

"If I don't learn these things, I am more prone to dying out here than any of the rest of you. I'm not like the other women here, Thomas. I don't relish staying behind to look after the men, so I wander off. You know that better than anyone. And not knowing what to do should a dangerous situation arise puts me in a most compromising position."

"I thought you weren't afraid of the Indians." Thomas reminded me with a look of almost innocent confusion. It was times like these that made me recall just how young he truly was. "Why is it that you feel the need to learn things like this?"

"I don't know what is going to happen. Things could go very wrong before we leave Virginia. Ratcliffe becomes more restless by the day; there is not a single piece of gold to be found here. He may very well pursue the Indians if he does not soon find what he wants and then we might find ourselves in the middle of war."

Thomas seemed surprised, as though he had not yet considered this. He thought quietly for a moment and sighed. There was no argument to be had. He knew I was right and that was all there was to it. In that moment, though it was not historical, I had to fight myself to keep from feeling too smug. Being found to be in the right was something I found early on in my life that I liked. "And that is the only reason for all of this?"

"That…" I said softly, looking away from him and into the forest for a moment. "And the fact that when that war comes, I want to look it in its face and not feel afraid."

"You act as though it is already upon us." Thomas noted. I thought I heard a hint of worry in his voice as it shrunk away into silence and wondered for a moment if Thomas had the same suspicions as I did, despite his denial. Perhaps everyone sensed that something was coming. Maybe the feeling that I had in my stomach, the one that nagged at me more and more with each passing day, was something that was slowly working its way around to each and every person involved in this fateful venture.

"It is only a matter of time." I said. "Greed is a funny thing, Thomas. It blinds you, hardens your heart, silences all sense of reason in your mind, and before you know it, you're a stranger even to yourself. Ratcliffe went through the transition years ago. He does his best to hide it, but I can see it every time I look in his eyes. He plays the part of the martyr very well, wouldn't you say? Acting as though this trip was a tremendous sacrifice while he tears down the forest and hunts down those who would only seek peace if they felt not the need to defend their home."

"I believe you judge him too harshly, Joanna." Thomas murmured. I looked up at him in silence, searching his face for an indication as to whether or not he truly believed what he was saying. He didn't.

"And I fear you will find out just how right I am much too late." I replied.

"Then perhaps we should leave." He declared firmly, having made up his mind in only a matter of seconds that it was the best course of action. "Ratcliffe has nothing to show for his time here. We should try to convince everyone to turn away and sail for England, surely they will, Joanna, won't they? They already fear the Indians; fear is a terribly strong motivator."

I felt my heart sink. I had been too blind to see it before, when all I wanted to do was run from my mother and from expectation and from responsibility to see the world, but embarking on this journey might very well have been the equivalent of signing my own death certificate. Fear was indeed a terribly strong motivator, but not in the way Thomas hoped for. John was lost in love, Thomas in his innocence, Ratcliffe in his greed, and I was the only one actively looking for the disaster the days ahead would bring. This conversation would not weigh heavily on Thomas for long. We would go about our business and he would think of other things and all possible dangers that lurked in the almost deceitful beauty around us would be forgotten.

"Perhaps they will." I told him, though the untruth of my words cut me to the core. "But enough talk about it for now. We can finish our hour out and then go on with our day. I planned to go walking this afternoon."

Thomas frowned. "Between you and John, I hardly know if you're coming or going."

The hour passed, both Thomas and I doing an equal amount of landing hits and falling down. I had become more distracted by the end of the lesson than I had been before our conversation. It was nearly noon. The prospect of that was almost enough to bring a smile to my face; I had somewhere to be.

I hugged my friend, slapping his hat crooked as I pulled away with a smile.

"I will see you later, yes? At the bonfire."

"I think so. Unless Ratcliffe puts me on nightly patrol again." Thomas said with a soft sigh. I knew he was sick of being treated like the odd man out. I knew why that was, but God help me, even if he was a clumsy little blighter, I loved him like a brother. Naturally, everyone's treatment of him was a constant source of bother for me.

"If he does, I will sneak away and come keep you company." I replied happily despite the storm clouds that were rolling through my mind. I knew I would have to bring him dinner as well, as the rest of the men neglected him just as much as Ratcliffe disregarded him.

Thomas laughed. "Your specialty, it seems." And then, he nodded. "That would be much appreciated, Joanna, thank you."

"Of course." I said, and glanced back toward the forest. "I'll see you then."

And that was where I left him, standing amidst the sycamores with a goofy grin on his face, all of his troubles forgotten as I had suspected they would be. I strolled through the bright afternoon sun, distracted but content as I made my way back to the waterfall where I had first run across my rescuer. The sound of the rushing water lulled my overactive mind into a meditative rest as I raised my eyes from the ground to search my surroundings for something very particular.

"I see you made it without stringing any casualties behind you." A strong voice called out to me, making my heart leap in my chest.

I turned to face him. "And you still have not learned how to make your presence known."

My rescuer's eyes danced with laughter that he did not otherwise show. "Is that not what I just did?"

"You frightened the wits out of me, Kocoum. I hardly think that would happen if you were to give me some forewarning." I said, accusation plain in my tone though I hardly meant it. I was elated to see my friend. We had been meeting more and more frequently as the weeks passed, talking very little at first, but finally having progressed to the point of establishing a comfortable banter we were much more comfortable around one another.

"Do you wish me to stomp about through the forest as you do?" He asked, raising one brow. "Maybe if you were lighter in your step, mine would not bother you as they do."

"Maybe." I said softly, taking in his appearance with a smile. "It's good to see you."

He only nodded his head. Social progress aside, personal admissions were not his strong suit and mine, when given, made him profoundly uncomfortable. So I moved on to other things.

"I came, really, to tell you that my company is growing restless. I fear what they might do given another month's time. Warn your chief. Be on the lookout, do whatever you have to do. Just know that something is coming." As I spoke, my stomach was twisting itself in knots thinking about all the things that could happen. I didn't know when. I didn't know what. It was just a suspicion, but it was growing stronger by the day.

"They feel it, like you do." He said, confirming what I felt I had already known. "Something is coming. More warriors arrive by the day at our request and they are ready for a fight should one arise. Though you warn me, you should also be on the alert."

"Would they openly attack the encampment?" I asked, my heart in my throat as I considered the fact that Ratcliffe may not be the one to initiate a war, as unlikely as that seemed to me at that particular point in time.

"Not until provoked." He replied. "One of our warriors was wounded in the forest just yesterday. If he had lost his life, I doubt we would be speaking now."

I thought back, wondering why I had not been made aware that there were shots fired between our men and the Indians. True, I had been away from camp all day, but I would have thought that Thomas would have told me. Storing that thought away for later, when I could scold him for it, I looked up at Kocoum.

"Be careful. I will do my best to diffuse the tension among the men through the mouth of my brother, but I ask that you do the same. I would like it very much if lives could be spared instead of lost."

Kocoum dipped his head in acknowledgement and glanced over his shoulder as if he had run out of time.

"Stay out of the forest tomorrow." He told me as he moved away. "I will come to you when there is more to tell."

I raised an eyebrow. "How will you get past the guards? Should I not sneak away so that you don't risk yourself?"

Kocoum mirrored my expression. "Unlike some, I tread lightly."

And then, just as I felt myself begin to smile, he was gone.