𝗖𝗨𝗣𝗜𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗬 ➳ 𝗥𝗘𝗗 𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗣𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝟮

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕.

︾

Arthur rode into camp, mostly everyone had gone to bed. Javier, Lenny and John sat at the campfire, chatting. In the distance Arthur could see Abigail getting Jack ready for bed. Arthur's jaw tightened, restraining himself from giving John a lecture about fathering the boy. He already got it enough from Hosea and occasionally Dutch. 

Arthur dismounted his horse, letting the horse graze for the night with the other gang member's horses. Arthur walked through the camp, uttering a quick hello as he passed his friends and heading towards Dutch. Dutch was sitting on the box out the front of his tent, while Molly O'Shea slept in the cot they shared. Being considerate of the woman, Arthur waved Dutch to follow him once the man realised Arthur was standing in front of him. The man stood up, following Arthur across to his Wagon. 

"What is it?" Dutch asked him with a curious frown. Arthur placed his hands on his hips as he looked at his Father figure.

"I saw Eleanor in Rhodes," Arthur informed. Dutch looked at him in confusion.

"And?" He asked.

"And she gutted two Lemoyne Raiders by herself," Arthur informed. Dutch looked at him in disbelief. "I watched the whole situation. They were harassing her and forced her outside. I walked in as she walked out, the Barkeep was concerned about the Raiders. He mentioned that they're respected in these parts," Arthur quoted with a scoff before continuing. "They got some good hits in on her, I think her original plan was to knock them out but once they grabbed her I saw the look in her eyes change. Dutch, I don't think we should be messing with her," Arthur lowered his voice. 

"She was up against two, probably drunk fools. She can't defeat a whole gang of us, Arthur," Dutch explained. Arthur looked at the man, unsure of what he was saying. 

"Dutch, what do you mean?" Arthur hissed at him. Dutch looked at the man for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"Micah and I have been talking-"

"Oh, really?" Arthur grunted in annoyance. "You're really going to listen to that son of a bitch?"

"Arthur!" Dutch scolded the man. Taking a deep breath, Dutch continued. "Micah and I have been talking and we both agree that if she gets in our way again she is to be killed on sight." Arthur shook his head at the man in disgust. Eleanor didn't mean them no harm, she told Dutch that she has better things to do than create a war with them. She was much like them in a way. Eleanor was just trying to survive too.

"And what does Hosea think about this?" Arthur hissed at the man. The look that fell onto Dutch's face said it all. He hadn't told the other man. Arthur's lips pressed together tightly in anger as he stared down Dutch, shaking his head again. "Dutch, she said she's not going to bother us again! She made it clear that she wants nothing to do with us," Arthur reminded. Dutch narrowed his eyes before motioning around them.

"Look at this place, son! These people are our family. That woman is dangerous, just like Colm. We can't risk our scores being taken away from us. She almost took that at Valentine," Dutch reminded. "I will do everything I can to protect these people and if it means killing that woman so be it."

"Dutch! You're sounding crazy, you-" Arthur paused, rubbing his face with his hand as his frustration grew. "You're sounding like Micah!" Dutch looked at Arthur, Arthur unable to read what was going on in the man's head. 

"Arthur, listen to me," Dutch placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur looked at it before looking at Dutch again. "Son, please. She will only be killed if she causes us inconvenience again. I don't know why you're so concerned about her but killing enemies has never bothered you before. You would do anything to protect these people, wouldn't you?" 

"Of course, I would die if I have to Dutch. You know that," Arthur hissed through gritted teeth. "But I don't like the idea of killing people who mean no harm. She never knew that we were going for the Valentine bank too. Why does it matter anyway, she didn't get any of it!"

"Micah and I see her as a threat to everyone here," Dutch explained. Arthur had enough, he shrugged Dutch's hand off of his shoulder and walked over to his cot, sitting down. "You will understand, son." Dutch added before walking away. Arthur took his hat off, slamming it down on the cot beside him before resting his head between his hands. He couldn't believe the words that came out of Dutch's mouth, they sounded exactly like Micah. It was as if Micah was in Dutch's body. He looked up, spotting Micah by the tree near the medicine wagon. Immediately, Arthur knew Micah saw and heard the whole thing. He ignored the man, reaching into his satchel and grabbing his journal. He opened it up to his most recent drawing and stared at it, analysing the drawing closely. He drew Eleanor after he first saw her in Valentine, since then he can't seem to get the woman out of his head. 

It's the first time he's ever thought of a woman this much since Mary. He saw Mary a few weeks back, it had been the first time in a long time. That woman played him like a fiddle time and time again, yet he's always running for her when she calls. But since he met Eleanor, he hasn't thought of the woman. 

He felt like a fool for letting his feelings get in the way. He barely knew Eleanor yet was finding himself falling for the woman. Maybe it was because they were alike in many ways, both personality and living conditions. Both on the run and won't stop until they're dead. He had to hide his feelings, before anyone notices them. Dutch could have easily picked up on them then but he didn't because he's being blinded by Micah. 

The reason why he got John and Sean to find anything out about the woman yesterday was because he wanted to find her, only he told them it was so they knew who she was. The whole ride back to camp after the robbery was accompanied with her in his thoughts. Her fierce, fox eyes and her dark brown hair. Her freckled face from all the days under the beaming sun, the determination that carried her. He noticed all the small things about her too. He noticed that she never stood down from anything, he knew she was fuelled by something meaningful to her, whether it was good or bad. The real question was what it was. 

He has to warn her, if he doesn't she won't know. First thing in the morning he will return to where he found her at Ringneck Creek and inform her on Dutch's plan. If he tells her, perhaps he can save her. But even Dutch didn't know what their next score would be, right now they were focused on the two feuding families. Arthur closed the journal after staring at his almost accurate drawing of the woman before falling on his back, staring up at the canvas that sheltered him from the weather. If Dutch finds out about his feelings for Eleanor, or the fact that he's going to tell Eleanor what will happen if she runs into them again... he's not sure what he would do to him. That's what he was afraid of. With Micah getting into his ear about Eleanor, he knew that if he gets into Dutch's ear about him it would all be over. If Dutch doesn't tell Hosea, he will. Hosea is the only person who can get to Dutch.