Into Darkness | Arthur Morgan

The Enemy of My Enemy

An Appaloosa and a Kentucky Saddler raced alongside the shore of Flat Iron Lake, just south of Flatneck Station. After passing under the railroad bridge known as Bard's Crossing, the horses' riders both eased to a stop. Two women, both with dark hair, grinned widely at one another.

"Georgia Morales, has anyone ever told you that you're a genius?"

Georgia, who couldn't be more than twenty years old, laughed loudly in response to her companion's question. She then proceeded to run her fingers through her tangled hair, and replied, "Only you, Maude. Only you."

Maude smiled back at her, "For a former gunslinger, Granger sure isn't too capable from defending his own homestead from a couple of 'lost women'. You're quite the actress."

Still seated atop her horse's saddle, Georgia bowed as best she could, waving her hands in a dramatic fashion, "Why, thank you, m'lady! I just wish he had more of a take, but I guess that tip I got was still as good as any."

"How much do you think this harmonica's worth?" asked Maude, holding up the musical instrument she had stolen from the former gunslinger, Emmet Granger's, shack.

Georgia shrugged, "Who knows? We should probably go ahead and split up, though, just in case he decides to come after us."

Maude snorted, rolling her eyes, "Please, he was barely sober. He's probably already forgotten he was just robbed."

"Well, I think I'm gonna stop by that trapper above Rigg's Station before going back to camp," responded Georgia. "You coming?"

Maude shook her head, "Nah, I believe I'll stay out for a while, maybe catch some fish or something so Hazel and Myrtle don't jump all over me when I get back to camp. I heard about some gigantic Chain Pickerel recently, apparently it's just up the river."

Georgia shrugged again, "Suit yourself. I'll see ya later."

Maude waved as Georgia slowly disappeared in the distance, turning left and crossing the Dakota River to go in the direction of Rigg's Station. Maude sighed before gently tapping her heels against her own horse, a signal for Lucille to start walking. While she may have been right about Emmet Granger's drunkenness, she still didn't want to risk him following her.

Lucille trotted alongside the Dakota River, allowing Maude to take in the scenery. It was rather warm outside, but not so hot that she couldn't bear it for a while longer. After a few moments of quiet, she could hear some distant voices, none of them sounding too pleasant. The farther she travelled up the river, the closer a quartet of silhouettes became, one much smaller than the other three.

She quickly recognized the brooding look of Arthur Morgan, though she failed to know the young boy standing next to him. The other two men were unfamiliar as well, but they were both clearly some form of lawmen based on the badges they wore on their suits. Arthur and the two men were glaring at each other while the young boy gazed up at them with nervous eyes. Maude eased her horse to a gentle stop, just feet away from the group.

"Everything okay here, gentlemen?" she asked.

Not expecting her appearance, Maude tried not to smirk at the way the three men jumped in surprise, turning their attention to her. Arthur raised his eyebrows in recognition, glancing between her and her Appaloosa to confirm this was the strange woman he had encountered at the Downes' Ranch just days prior.

"Nothing you need to worry about, ma'am," said one of the men, glaring harshly at her before returning his attention to Arthur. "Good day, Mr. Morgan."

The other man looked at the young boy, and smirked, "Enjoy your fishin', kid... while you still can."

The two mysterious men both mounted their horses and began to leave the riverside, both glaring at Maude as though she had burned their houses down or murdered their mothers in cold blood. Once they were gone and out of earshot, Maude turned to see Arthur with one hand poised on his revolver, looking at her with narrowed eyes.

"Who are they?" asked the young boy, staring in the direction that the two men had left in.

"No one to worry about, no one at all," muttered Arthur, though his attention was still on Maude. "Pick up your things and let's get home, Jack."

Maude watched as the young boy, Jack, went close to the riverside to collect a small fishing pole, what looked like a necklace, and some other belongings. With her focus on him, she hadn't noticed Arthur approaching her until she was yanked from her saddle. Lucille stomped her hooves, agitated.

Arthur clutched the front of Maude's shirt tightly in his fists, and whispered harshly, "Who the hell are you and why do you seem to be following me everywhere, huh?!"

Maude rolled her eyes, and replied, "Please, you're not that worthy of my attention."

Arthur glared at her, "What's your name, girl? Because you clearly appear to know mine."

"Maude," she introduced herself. "Maude Bisset."

"Well, Miss Maude, why don't you tell me what business you have with Kieran Duffy?" sneered Arthur, glancing back to check on Jack. "And how you know about my business in Strawberry?"

"Despite what you might believe, Mr. Morgan," she began, before forcefully tugging his fists off her shirt, "you and the O'Driscolls are not the only gangs around. When I heard about a caravan of strangers moving into New Hanover immediately after a slaughter in Blackwater, I do believe I had the right to be concerned."

Arthur stared at her for a moment, before he asked, "And Kieran? What about him?"

"I've never met him before, but I figured he would know at least a little information about the infamous Van der Linde gang, considering he was your prisoner and all," shrugged Maude. "As for the Strawberry incident, that was just a wild guess on my part. I just wanted to scare you into leavin' Thomas and his family alone. Turns out I was right, though."

Maude tried not to laugh as Arthur raised his eyebrows at her in suspicion, "So that threat to hogtie me and turn me in...?"

"If I turned you in, Mr. Morgan, I would also be turning myself in," said Maude, crossing her arms. "What kinda fool do you think I am?"

Maude could tell Arthur was contemplating her explanations for each of their encounters. While he didn't have a reason to trust her, it seemed rather pointless for her to lie at this stage. After a moment, he spoke once more, "So you and your gang... You ain't got no quarrel with us then?"

"Not at all," shrugged Maude. "Just wanted to make sure we weren't gonna have to defend ourselves against you. We have enough to deal with when it comes to Colm and his buffoons."

Arthur snorted at her response, nodding in agreement, "Ain't that the truth. Well then, Miss Maude, I suppose you don't have to watch your back after all. As long as you don't try to start nothin', that is."

"Same to you, Mr. Morgan," said Maude. "In fact, considering we're both against the O'Driscolls, I think this could be an interesting relationship."

"How you mean?" asked Arthur, furrowing his eyebrows at her.

Seeing Jack approaching the two of them, Maude turned to mount her horse before answering, "What's that one quote people like to throw around sometimes? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

Arthur, though he tried to resist, let a smirk cross his lips. He then tipped his hat at her in a dramatic manner, "I'll keep that in mind, Miss Maude."

"Good day, Mr. Morgan," she replied. "If you ever need to find me, just keep an eye out for a group of women with shotguns. I'm sure I'll be among them."

Arthur didn't respond. He simply offered her a parting wave as her horse began following the riverside trail once more. Jack approached him with a smile on his face.

"Who was that, Uncle Arthur?" he asked.

"Just an acquaintance of mine, I guess," shrugged Arthur, before patting Jack's shoulder. "Come on, let's get you back to camp, kid."

As Arthur rode back to Horseshoe Overlook, he couldn't help letting his thoughts wander to his 'acquaintance', as he'd put it. If one thing was for certain, Arthur Morgan was definitely interested in this Maude Bisset character, whoever she may be.