When Hearts collide (An Arthur Morgan Rdr2 fanfiction)

Prologue 2

Arthur's POV

What had Hosea been thinking, when he'd taken this horse off a man, who'd tried to rob him? And what was he thinking, having me of all people, ride it into town with him, so I could sell it and get a new horse? This horse, was unruly. And for the first time in a long time, I was terrified of being bucked off.
"Don't let that unruly bastard, get the better of you, Arthur," Hosea says, as we get closer to town.
"Nah, he's alright. I got him," I say.
"We're almost there. Stables are just ahead," Hosea says.
Thank God. I think to myself, as I slow the big brute beneath me.
"Here we are. Now, go sell that big brute, and get yourself a horse," Hosea says.
"Okay, sure," I say, pulling on the reins gently, to guide the animal into the stables.
"I'll be over at the general store. Got to pick up supplies for our trip. I'll meet you back here, when I'm done," he says.

Alone now, I enter the stables with the big horse beneath me. A man approaches me.
"Howdy there, Mister. What can I do for you?" He asks.
"I'm in the market for a new horse. Something strong and fast," I say.
"Well, I got some fine beauties in, at the moment," he says, whistling to his stable hand to prepare the horses for sale.
"And what about this one here? You lookin' to sell?" He asks.
"I ain't sure, yet," I say.
"You got papers?" He asks.
"Nope, no papers," I say.
"Well, that will affect what I can pay. But, you're in luck. I got a fella who's been looking for a work horse like this, for a while. I'll pay you a fair price. Otherwise, I can always stable him here, for you. So, what's it gonna be?" He asks.

I look at the big shire horse, feeling a tad bit bad about wanting to sell him. However, as nice a horse he seemed to be, he needed someone who could better handle him.
"Take him, give the fella lookin,' his horse," I say.
"Done deal. Now, go ahead. Have a look at the animals I have. I'm sure you can find one, that meets your needs," he says, leaving me to look at the three horses, that stood before me. I take a look at each one of them, doing a thorough check on each. The decision wasn't too hard for me in the end, though.
"That one there, he'll do nicely," I say.
"Done deal. Lets get him saddled up, and ready to go," the owner says.
"He better be worth the money," I say.
"Oh, I don't sell anything, other than good animals, Mister. That's a guarantee. Now, here are your papers. And on me, a new grooming brush and some treats," he says.
"Mighty kind, of you," I say.
"Alright, you. You look after this man, well. I'm sure he'll take real good care of you," the owner says, before bidding me ado.

Grabbing the reins, I guide my new horse, outside to meet Hosea.
"That's a fine animal, you got there. Are you happy?" Hosea asks.
"I'd have to ride him, to find out," I say.
"Well, we got a long ride ahead of us. So, saddle up," Hosea says.
I climb into the saddle and I let out a sigh of content. This horse felt as if he was made, for me.
"So, where we headed?" I ask, patting my horse's neck.
"Up near O'Creaghs Run, East of the Grizzlies," he says.
"Great. Up in the mountain range again. We just left there, and now you wanna go back?" I ask.
"This bear, is worth it. Trust my word on that," Hosea says.
"Okay," I say, not feeling too good bout this whole trip.
"So, have you spoken to John, since you rescued him up in the mountains?" Hosea asks.
"Why? The man left us, Hosea," I say.
"That was a while ago, now. I've talked with him many times. He just wants to put it behind him," Hosea says.
"He left, for a Goddamn year. Without so much as a word, to anyone. That's a long time, to be gone, Hosea. And to be welcomed back that easily? Not exactly what I would've done," I say.
"Come on, Arthur. Dutch and I practically raised you two. You're like brothers," Hosea says.
"He ain't no brother of mine. He broke a code, Hosea. That boy, he shouldn't have had to live the first part of his life, without his father in the picture. Didn't help none, that Abigail called on me, when she didn't have no one else," I say.
"Well, the past is in the past. Ain't no changin' it now. Anyways, hush a moment. I need to get my bearings. Make sure we're goin' the right way," Hosea says.

The rest of the ride, goes silently. That is until I break the silence.
"You reckon Micah was right, draggin' Dutch into that mess on that boat?" I ask.
"Micah is a fool. Why Dutch trusted him, I'll never know. We were onto somethin', Arthur. We could've stayed west, if it wasn't for that damn boat job," he says.
"Yeah, heard Dutch murdered a woman," I say.
"Damn shame. I heard Javier talkin' bout it by the fire. That ain't like Dutch," he says.
"No, it Ain't. Anyways, this sure is a pretty area, we're ridin' through," I say.
"I was in this area, years ago. When Bessie was alive," he says.
"I remember you weren't around, for a time," I say.
"Yeah, I cut out of the life for a while," he says.
"What was it like?" I ask.
"Oh, I enjoyed it. But, I kept thinkin' bout the rest of you. So, I ended up comin' back. Bessie understood, she knew what I was. But, we made our love work, all the same. Why? You thinkin' bout cuttin' out?" He asks.
"Me? No. I could never abandon any of you. I was jus' curious," I say.

We ride a bit longer, before we set up camp, for the night. We cooked up and ate a rabbit I had caught, well I did anyways. Food was food, the way I saw it. And I needed fuel, to make sure we didn't get killed while hunting this "Monster bear" that Hosea had so badly wanted to go after. And as I crawl beneath the top cover of my bedroll, I gaze at the stars, feeling sad. At one point in my life, I had wanted to cut out of the gang life. But, now? I didn't know what I wanted. And as my eyes drifted shut, I thought about how nice it would be, if I were to find love, once more.