Sign of the Times (Arthur Morgan x Reader)

Chapter Five

Arthur dismounted, and reached up to grab my waist to help me down, but when he did, I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in my ribcage. I groaned in pain, and felt my legs go weak again as I grabbed my side.

"Are you alright...?" Arthur questioned, and I took a breath before nodding.

"I'm fine... just a... bruised rib... probably." I said, Arthur staying right next to me as we strolled into camp. Dutch was walking towards us with a hurried gait.

"John just told me what happened." He said, looking at Arthur before turning to me, his eyes going wide.

"Colm did this...?" He asked, fury laced in his tone. I simply nodded, straightening my back, but still keeping a hand on my side.

"His boys did most of it, but yeah... I'm fine." I lied, giving him a reassuring look.

"We'll discuss your affiliation with my 'old friend' later. Right now, we need to get you taken care of, and... into some clean clothes." Dutch said, taking in the sight of me wearing Arthur's jacket.

"Here..." A voice behind us spoke up suddenly. I turned to see a tall man with long brown hair, and a scar across one side of his face. He held out a stack of clothes, glancing me over.

"Abigail's?" Arthur asked, and he nodded in response.

"They should fit ya." He said. I said nothing and accepted the clothing.

"Wow... they sure did a number on ya-" He started, but Arthur gave him a look.

"That's enough, Marston. Don't you got a scar to go fondle?" He asked, and the man just scoffed lightly before waving him off and walking away.

"Uh... here. I'll tie up this sheet so ya can change in private." Arthur offered, pulling a striped sheet from the trunk in front of his cot. He tied it up, and I quickly changed into the pair of undergarments.

I started to slide the dress on, but the sight of my tattered unmentionables was making me increasingly anxious. I felt my body wither as I took a seat on the ground, hiding my face in the fabric of the dress as I broke down at the thought of what just nearly happened.

"Hey, are you alright there...?" Arthur asked from the other side of the sheet. I remained silent before getting myself together, slipping the dress on, and stepping back out into camp. Arthur took in my appearance for a moment before giving me a reassuring grin.

"There ya go. You look good. Much better." He said as I turned my eyes towards him. I hadn't taken the time to take in his appearance after the first instance we met. A traitorous smile slipped past my defenses, but I quickly admonished it.

"I could say the same to you, Mr. Morgan. You clean up rather nicely." I said, attempting to make pleasant conversation. Honestly, this was the first time I had noticed his intense blue eyes.

"Miss (L/N)? A word if I may." Dutch called, beckoning for me to come over. I did so, with Arthur right by my side. We approached Dutch and another older man. He had a softer expression, almost like he could be someone's doting grandfather.

"Hosea Matthews. Dutch and Arthur both have told me a lot about you." He said, offering his hand, but I ignored the gesture.

"Please, have a seat." He offered.

"Now, usually, we don't treat O'driscolls very nicely in this here camp... however, I've come to understand that your situation is rather... divergent?" Dutch spoke up, piecing the final word in as though it were the missing piece to a jigsaw puzzle.