Spit Fire (Rdr2)

Hamish (14)

Arthur's POV

We rode until we reached his cabin. "I'll go speak to him," I said.

I walked up on the porch and knocked on the door. That soon opened and showed the the man had been awake for a little while. "Arthur, are you hear for hunting son?" Hamish asked.

"No can I speak to you inside," I asked.

"Sure come in," Hamish opened the door and I quickly stepped inside.

"I need a favor Hamish. I hate to ask, the woman I talked to you about. My Lizzy was kidnapped by a group of men and was held captive by them for a couple weeks. We found her.  We were gonna kill them Hamish but somebody beat us to it. I think she did it. She is naked scared covered in blood and we need a safe place to clean her up, check for wounds, and maybe get her some clothes," Arthur said.

"I'll get her a bath ready, but son if it is what I think it is. She is gonna need all the help she can get. Not because she killed someone but because of what they may have done to her," Hamish said. "Is that her?"

"Yes," I said looking out the window to her naked body as she clung to Charles. "That is a friend of mine. She grabbed him as soon as he spoke."

"Get her inside," Hamish said.

I walked back out and Charles laid her frail body in my arms. She weighed nothing. Had they starved her? I noticed bruising all over her body and my heart broke. Why did I send her away? I thought she would be safe. I thought I had done the right thing, by letting her go.

I passed her back to Charles and she curled deeper into his chest. It broke my heart but this was my doing my fault she was like this. I sent her away, I made her leave. I was to blame.

When we walked in Hamish had a bath ready in the corner of the room and had some sheets surrounding the tub. "Arthur let's go hunting while he cleans her," Hamish said.

"I...," I started.

"Come on Arthur let him do his work," Hamish said putting a hand upon my shoulder. "We won't be far if he needs us. I promise. You don't want to see it trust me."

I walked out with Hamish. I heard Charles slip into the water while holding her. "I sent her away Hamish. I thought it would be better for her away from me," I admitted to him.

"Somwtimes we think we are doing right for someone else and they get hurt and we blame ourselves for it. I hate to tell you Arthur you are not to blame for this. The men that took her are. I don't you won't believe an old kook like me but I have seen this before. Back in my military days we found a group of young ladies tied up and beaten raped. Their families had sent them away from the war only to find out later what happened to these girls. It was awful," Hamish said.

I listened to Hamish. He was a smart man.

Charles POV

My heart broke for Belle the second I saw her. When. She heard my voice she clung to me. I know it hurt Arthur something deep but she didn't want anything to do with him. She gripped me so hard I knew we had not lost her completely but something had broke in her. I could feel the change.

I sit here in the tub fully clothed cleaning her beaten and used body and she hasn't moved. I'm scared we are gonna lose her altogether. As soon as the blood is cleaned off of her I stand up with her in my arms and sit her down. I wrap a blanket around her and dump the bloodied water outside.

When I came back to fill the tub once more to bath her she had a wild look in her eyes. I kneeled down in front of her. "Belle you are safe. I promise you," he said.

"Ch..Charles?" She said as the tears rolled down her face. "I killed them. I killed them."

"Shh," I said and wrapped my arms around her.

I bawled her eyes out until she fell asleep in my arms. I found a bed and laid her down in it. I stepped outside to find Arthur and Hamish talking. "She is asleep. I didn't know where to put her so I laid her on your bed," Charles said.

"Good," Hamish said. "She needs rest. Let's hunt something, she is gonna need to eat when she comes to."

"Alright," Arthur said.

We hunted an elk and Hamish instited on cooking. He made a stew and the three of ate in silence while Belle slept. "Where am I?" She said softly.

"You're safe. I'm here, Arthur's here and we are at a friend's house," I said.

"Charles?" She asked.

"Yes," I said.

"Tell me it was a nightmare," she said.

"Belle, I can not lie to you. You know that. I wish it was a nightmare a bad dream which you could awake from. I wish I could tell you that," I  said.

"For days I would black out. They beat me, they.... they...," she cried.

I saw the hurt cross Arthur's face. "I had to Charles. They were gonna kill you all," she said. "I found a nail got myself free and one by one I killed them. Some were sleeping but I knew I couldn't leave anyone alive. I ... I've never hurt anyone before." She was sobbing but it seemed as no tears were escaping her eyes. She was cried out.

Hamish fixed her a bowl of stew and handed it to me and also handed me an old shirt and a pair of pants that would surely be to big on her. I would make do to make sure they stayed around her waist.

I stepped over and she saw the shirt and let go of one side of the blanket and put her arm in it. Then the other side. She was careful not to show her body to the other men in the room. The bruises on her face, and arms apparent to anyone. I lowered my self in front of her and helped her step into the pants and pulled them up. When the pants were up, I rolled them around her waist and helped her walk over to the table we were sitting at.

"It ain't much," Hamish said. "But it's something."

She looked at him for the first time. I could tell his heart also broke for this small woman. "It's perfect," she said.

Arthur well she ignored him completely. I also know how his words broke her heart that day. I also knew that he thought he was protecting her by sending her away. Looking now I see that she was now just broken.

Hamish sat the bowl of stew in front of her with a glass of water. She reached for the water, and drank it down fast. It was like she hadn't had water for days. Hamish fixed her another glass as she tried to eat a little something.

I sat down and watched her eat a few bites. "Thank you, sir," she said to Hamish.

"OH don't go calling me sir. I'm Hamish," he said. "I met your Arthur here one day when my horse bolted with my leg."

She finally looked up at Arthur.  Watched as hurt flashed in her eyes. Arthur watched the same look. He had known her since she was ten. Belle had been in love with him most of her life. She had just wanted to be by his side. Fate well she had other plans.

"Lizzy," Arthur said quietly he reached for her hand.

"Please don't look at me out of pity Arthur Morgan!" She said louder than normal.

"You're right you survived on your own. I know that," he said. "It's not pity Lizzy. Your are stronger than I could have ever thought."

"When it's your life on the line you find strength you never knew you had. When your loved ones are a risk, you are willing to do anything to survive. I did, for weeks they did unspeakable things to me. While saying they were gonna turn y'all in or just kill you. When they started to... I blacked out. I don't remember much of it. I remember coming to and them cleaning themselves laughing and leaving me chained naked to the bed," she said.

"I'm sorry," Arthur said.

"Don't, I don't blame you but don't tell me you're sorry. You sent me away and I get that you wanted me to be safe. Well I wasn't, it is not your fault. It could have been worse. The twins could have been, hurt. I made Charles promise to get them to safety. I turned myself over to protect them. I did it on my own. Charles wanted to try and fight but it was to dangerous. We were out numbered big time and the twins would have been hurt. So I did what I did to protect them. I would do it again in a heart beat," she said.