Bad Beginnings (A RDR2 Fanfic)

New Boots

Arthur woke up as the sun was rising. He was in his own tent, but a glance outside told him that we wasn't at his camp.

He shot up, suddenly wide awake, and remembered everything that happened. He made a complete an utter fool of himself.

He stole from the man who helped him, he cried like a baby, then proceeded to pass out.

They probably think he's bat shit crazy.

He figured it's probably close to 6 so he would try to leave before they're awake. He sat up, pulled on his tattered boots, and crawled outside.

He went to stand quietly, until he heard Dutch say, "Great, you're awake." Arthur froze like a deer. "No need to stand there. Come, sit by the fire."

Without a word, he goes and sits by Dutch in front of the flames.

"Are you okay, son? You gave us quite the scare."

Arthur paused. "I'm fine, I guess." Before pride could get the best of him, he added, "I'm sorry for yesterday and everything that happened."

Dutch sighed, then put an arm over his shoulders. "It's okay, son. We can help you if you need it."

"Thank you sir."

"But... you need to be honest with us."

Arthur paused. Did he really want to tell these men, who he just met, about his life before Valentine? What if they're just as bad as his father?

"Well, there's not much to tell about," Arthur said. "I came down from Aurora Ridge after my mama and my daddy died, and now I'm here."

Dutch nodded, seeming almost satisfied with his answer. "Okay, but that still doesn't explain why you passed out on us."

"If it's okay with you, sir, I would rather tell you at a later time, when I know I can trust you."

Dutch sighed. "Okay." He walked away.

"Where're you going?"

"Into town. Do you want to come along? We can maybe buy you some shoes," Dutch replied, climbing onto his white horse.

"Yessir. Thank you!" Arthur replied, hurrying over. Dutch offered Arthur a hand up onto the back of his horse. The white animal sighed and tossed its head when Arthur got on.

"That's a beautiful horse you got there, sir," Arthur said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Thank you. His name is The Count. Got him up in the mountains a couple months ago," Dutch explained. "Is a bit picky with who rides him."

Arthur hummed in response. He felt awkward having his arms around a man he just met like this, but he's awkward all the time so it could be just the usual.

He also didn't usually feel bad about robbing people. Something about how they should've been watching their money. However, this time, he felt genuinely terrible. This man was good to him and he threw it away. Next thing he knew, he was getting new shoes.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Arthur asked suddenly.

Dutch laughed. "What sort of question is that?"

"Mr. Van der Linde, I've been terrible and all you've been is nice," Arthur explained. "So why do you keep on doing good things for me?"

"You can just call me Dutch, Mr. Morgan, but to answer your question... I think I see a bit of myself in you," Dutch replied. "I also left home when I was young and I've been by myself until I met Hosea around a year ago."

Arthur wanted to question him more, but they were in town and Dutch was already hitching his horse. Arthur clambered off and followed him to the general store.

"Don't try to steal anything this time," Dutch said to him as they entered.

"Look who it is!" the shopkeeper exclaimed. "The thief and his daddy." Arthur decided it would be in his best interest to stick close to Dutch.

"Yes, yes, we're back," Dutch laughed as he opened the catalogue on the counter. "Let's see what we got."

Dutch flipped through to the footwear section. The pictures of shoes and their high prices jumped out at Arthur. $40 for shoes!

"I kind of like these Mr. Van der Linde," Arthur said, pointing at the second cheapest pair of boots. Boring, brown, and only $15.

"Okay. You try them on and let me know if they work."

Arthur was sent to the fitting room with the boots in a couple of sizes. Once he figured out what he wanted, he took them out to Dutch and they were rung up.

Before Arthur could even reach in his bag for his money, Dutch was giving the shopkeeper the bills and they left.

"Thank you, sir," Arthur said, immediately putting on the boots. They were comfortable and sturdy.

"Of course," Dutch replied. "Can't have you stealing mine again."

Arthur and Dutch shared a laugh.

"Let's go," Dutch said, mounting his horse. "We need to meet Hosea at the saloon."

Not in a position to argue, he climbed on behind Dutch, and off they went.