The Heartbreaking Truth.

302 11 0
                                    

Trigger Warning: Mentions of child death and abuse. Please don't read this chapter if it will cause you upset.

Arthur stayed away from camp two more days after returning the horses back to the Greys. The sheriff was grateful and thanked him and Elizabeth with some money, it wasn't much. But all within an honest day's work. He had ridden to Saint-Denis and stayed in a local hotel for those two days before finally returning to Clemons Point.

The presence of Epona told Arthur Elizabeth was somewhere around the camp, he first needed to find John. They had plans with Hosea to steal some Moonshine from the Greys for the Braithwaites.

"Abigail, Jack," he greeted them both. "Have you seen John?" Abigail scoffed at the near mention of her useless partner.

"No, the degenerate went away yesterday and hasn't been seen since." Arthur knew John's disappearance was normal, he ran off for a year just a few days after Jack was born. the reality that the child was his didn't sit right with him.

"Nothin new there then, alright, see ya then," he waves as he walks to his tent. Before he pulled the flap open he stopped and leaned closer, hearing the low sound of a snore. He knew it was early, but usually, everyone would be awake by now.

Pulling the flap open, he saw Elizabeth asleep in his bunk, half-naked with just some soft silk covering her chest and panties. "Oh, sorry," he shouts loud enough to wake her. She quickly pulls the rough blanket up to her body and covers herself and glowing red cheeks.

"Arthur?! I'm so sorry. The woman's sleeping area was kinda crowded so I just... Give me a minute and I will change." Arthur had covered the flap with his body, making sure none of the gang could see her.

"No, it's... fine. Get some rest. I'm not tired anyway." He leaves just as quickly as he came and went to the campfire where Hosea and Charles sat.

Elizabeth slapped herself in the face. What was she thinking? It was Tilly's snoring and Karen's sleeping like a starfish that made her finally get up and sleep in the empty tent; she didn't think Arthur would actually come back so soon.

"Arthur," Dutch called from his chair outside his tent. But because Arthur had literally turned to greet Hosea first he got an added "fuck you, then," straight after.

"Woo, Dutch," Arthur shouted. He saw the rat Micah next to him, glaring at Arthur with a small smirk as his father figure swore at him. "Need somethin, rat?"

"What your tongue," Dutch roared with a pointed finger. Arthur scoffed at them both and walked away, sitting himself down with a heavy sigh next to Charles by the campfire.

"Who pissed in his cereal?" Arthur grumbled as he lit a cigarette. Hosea looked over his shoulder before answering.

"Since you've been gone, Micah has gotten... closer to Dutch. They speak in hushed tones a lot lately." Hosea shook his head as he sipped his warm coffee, the hard log underneath him made his backache for something comfier.

Charles didn't add his own opinion, but he nodded in agreement with Hosea's views of Dutch. Arthur grabbed some coffee before sitting back down, he stared at his tent as Elizabeth came out, now fully dressed.

"Why was she in your tent?" Charles asked. Arthur shrugged his shoulders, he didn't really care by that point. He could still see the hate for him in her eyes.

"Never know what bloody women. They are complicated creatures," he chuckled to himself. Charles offered him a small smirk before dropping the subject.

---

Elizabeth sat by the small bank of the swamp, the stuffy evening air didn't do much for her mood as she tried to draw. She wasn't looking forward to another night in those bunks with the woman, but she couldn't exactly steal Arthur's tent.

Wild West, Bounty Hunting and Arthur Morgan.Where stories live. Discover now