The Empress & The Gunslinger

Chapter 29 Arthur & Emily

As Emily got closer to Beaver Hollow she could hear heavy gun fire but it seemed to be in the distance. Arriving at the camp she brought her horse to a complete halt as she saw lifeless bodies laying on the ground, puddles of blood surrounding them. She dismounted her horse and checked every body on the ground ensuring that none of them were Arthur which none of them were. She sighed with relief and ran back to her horse and mounted up. She kicked her horse in the side to command her to ride fast. She followed the sounds of the heavy gunfire. She knew she was getting closer as they didn't seem so distant. More lifeless bodies were found scattered on the roads and in the grass. She approached a cliff side, looking up her eyes locked onto Arthur... he was alive but looked like he was under heavy fire. Within seconds Emily dismounted her horse and began to run up the hill. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Right now she needed her powers more than anything in an attempt to help Arthur. As she got further up the cliff she spotted Micah running up behind Arthur, knocking him off the edge of the cliff, Emily screamed "ARTHUR!!"

Arthur lay on his back briefly after being knocked off the cliff by Micah. Before he knew it Micah had him pinned down laying several punches to his face. Arthur somehow found the strength within him to push him off. He wasn't going down without a fight and got to his feet. He was coughing heavily, struggling to catch his breath but he wasn't giving up. He swung several punches back at Micah but Micah gave back what Arthur gave him. The pair fought for a good 10 minutes before Arthur took a heavy blow and landed on his back, out of breath, badly beaten and blood all of his face. He rolled over onto his front and began to crawl up the cliff to try and reach for his gun which was knocked out of his hands during the fight with Micah.
"Oh black lung, you ain't gonna reach that gun" Micah said but it didn't stop Arthur from trying despite being badly wounded and out of breath.
"You ain't. You lost, my sick friend. You lost" Micah added.
Still pulling himself across the ground Arthur managed to speak "In the end Micah... despite my best efforts to the contrary...it turns out I've won" Arthur replied as he continued to pull himself across the ground. As he just managed to place his hand on the gun a foot stood over the top of his hand. Arthur looked up, breathless to see Dutch standing in front of him.
"It is over now" Dutch said.
Arthur rolled over onto his back looking up at Dutch "Oh, Dutch... he's a rat" Arthur said between his coughing "You know it and I know it." He added.
"He's sick... he's dying...he's talking crazy" Micah told Dutch
From a distance the Pinkertons had spotted the three of them up on the ledge.
Arthur looked back up to Dutch "I gave you all I had...I did"
Dutch looked down at Arthur not knowing what to say "I..." he removed his foot away from the gun and began to back off up the cliff. Micah trying to persuade Dutch to listen to him and not Arthur. By this point Arthur lay on his back and looked up at the sky. Dutch looking at Micah and then back at Arthur still not knowing what to say.
"John made it. He's the only one. Rest of us...no... but... I tried. In the end...I did" Arthur said once more. His breaths getting shorter and shorter, his skin getting paler and paler by the second. Dutch eventually walked away from the two of them, Micah left in the opposite direction leaving Arthur on the ground alone. He managed to pull himself along the ground where he propped his head up on the side of a rock looking out towards the sunrise. His breathing getting slower and slower. His final thoughts were of Emily, their child was all that was left of his family.

Emily climbed her way up to the cliff, she was becoming increasingly exhausted by the second, out of breath, sweating and panicking. She spotted Micah leaving the cliff side but there was no sign of Arthur. Her stomach tightened in knots, anxious to what she might find when she got to the top. Eventually she got to the top, finding Arthur covered in blood lying against a rock. Her heart sank to her stomach and tears began to flood her eyes.
"No... no Arthur... no" she cried as she ran over to him. She kneeled beside him and placed one hand on his chest and the other around his neck so that he was resting on her arm.
"Arthur..." she whispered, her tears falling from her cheeks and onto his chest. "Arthur... please... it's not your time to go... please wake up.... please.... don't leave me... not like this...wake up" she cried. Arthur's eyes slowly began to open and he gripped onto Emily's hand on his chest.
"Emily I love you" he muttered breathlessly. Arthur used his free hand to reach into his pocket pulling out a ring for Emily "You take this..." he handed Emily the ring which Emily took, placing the ring on her wedding finger. She leaned forward and kissed Arthur on the lips. "I love you Arthur Morgan" she whispered against his lips. As she began to pull away she felt Arthur take his last breath. She cried her heart out against his chest gripping him tightly. It was like losing her mother all over again, except this time the pain she felt was worse. It felt like someone had ripped her heart out of her chest. All she had left of Arthur was his unborn child inside her and she was going to make sure her son or daughter knew what a good man their father was.