It was a bit odd – my pillow was rather warm, and it smelled too. It wasn't a terrible smell; a little dusty and horseish, but also the musky scent of man. The dust and horse smell was normal, even though my pillow never really smelled like either... No what was odd was the musk. It reminded me of Connor after a day's work, but it didn't quite smell like him, something was off. I tried to lean into it a little, but the pillow didn't give way like it usually did. Instead it felt stiff and really warm.

"Miss Fox?"

PILLOWS DO NOT TALK! My eyes flew open and I twitched away from my "pillow", realizing as I did so that I had not been lying down, but in fact was sitting awkwardly upright on something lumpy and moving. The world tilted slowly as I struggled to sit straighter, finding it difficult as something tried to pull me back towards what I had been leaning on. I looked back to the "pillow", finding instead a man, dressed in the tell-tale redcoat of a British soldier, and currently frowning down at me with a concerned expression.

"Miss Fox, try not to move. You passed ou-" I sharply elbowed the man in the gut, knocking the wind out of him, and causing his arm to slacken. I went to push him further away, but the thing I was sitting on was rather narrow, and I ended up tipping off of it when I tried to shove him. Putting my hands out to brace my fall I found I couldn't separate them from each other, and sort of awkwardly flopped on to my shoulder, getting a face full of dirt. I struggled to right myself as everything around me still tipped and swayed, the oddly lit road I found myself lying on threatened to darken to nothing, as the edges of my vision blurred. I heard and felt hoof beats on the ground, the earth echoing with the sound of horses stomping and pawing, clearly frustrated over something. Run I thought, run get away! I wobbled to my feet, only to fall back down again in the dirt, my left leg giving way under my weight.

"What's going on back there?" I heard a voice shout as I lay there, my leg throbbing with a fresh wave of pain. I struggled to get past it and stand up again, and was surprised when a hand took me by the arm, pulling me to my feet as another encircled my waist to give support.

"Don't struggle so, Miss Fox. You'll only make your condition worse," a familiar voice said next to me. I looked up at him and frowned, seeing the same man who I had been resting on earlier. I could make out the details of his face in the light of a lantern; his face was angular, with high cheek bones and a well-defined jawline, and sharp, stone colored eyes contrasted well with his light colored hair. "Come now, let's get you back on the horse."

"Let go of me!" I growled, "I don't -"

"Lieutenant!" a commanding voice called out, I glanced in the direction of it to find a British soldier riding up to us on a large dapple gray horse. The man had a harsh look to him, an image most likely helped by the dramatic lighting of the lantern he carried. He seemed to be in his late forties, with extremely light colored eyes, their color almost completely washed out by the light, giving him an otherworldly look as he glared at me from the seat of his dappled beast. "Lieutenant, what's going on back here?" The man's eyes held a certain contempt to them as he scowled at my helper and I.

"Captain, my apologies, the lady woke up and was frightened and confused – fell right off the horse."

"Well get her back on! We don't have time for any womanly tantrums."

I glared at the officer as he began to turn away. "Tant–"

Immediately a hand muffled my retort, and a hurried, "Aye, sir." was grunted next to my ear. He waited 'til the officer was a few paces away before bringing his face in front of mine. " Promise me you will not cause more trouble for yourself, Miss Fox." I stared at him, but the look on his face stopped me from doing anything else. There was genuine concern, mixing with what looked like anger and... fear?

He took my silence as cooperation, and proceeded to lift me back on to the horse, before swinging up himself. I sat sideways on the horse, which was more comfortable for my leg, but balancing and the actual sitting wasn't. However, once my caretaker took his seat in the saddle my wobbling became less of an issue, since he gently rested a hand on my arm while the other gathered up the reins. I felt the end of his nose tickling the hair on the top of my head as he nodded to another rider next to us. "Thank you James."

"It's no trouble." A strange English accent spoke behind me, and I twisted carefully around to see another rider release the reins of our horse. The man caught my eye and smiled at me pleasantly, a few locks of his bright blond hair escaping from under his hat as he tipped it at me. "Don't worry miss; you're in good hands. The Lieutenant has more pull with the men here then –"

"James," my caretaker said in a soft scolding tone to the blond. "Not now, please."

James looked slightly abashed my the other mans admonishment, "Aye sir," he said, before giving us both a nod and returning to his post.

I turned back to my caretaker, eyeing him as we began to move. "Who are you?" I growled quietly, not wanting (and not needing) to raise my voice much above a whisper since we were so close together.

"Ah, I suppose it was rather dark. I am Lawrence, if you recall." His tone was calm and quiet, and he glanced down at me with an almost apologetic smile. I glared at him before looking to my hands, which were bound with rope. I wiggled them around slightly, finding give, but nothing that would aid in a quick escape. "I apologize for the bonds," Lawrence said, apparently taking notice of my test, "but between the Captain's insistence, along with the hostile nature you have shown, it could not be avoided."

I scoffed. "What, afraid I'll hit you again?" I looked back up at him, noticing a slightly red mark near his chin where my uppercut had landed.

"It would not be in your best interest, Miss Fox."

"Oh really? And what would be in my best interest then, hm?"

"To stop fighting so much, and listen to me."

"Why?"

Lawrence gazed at me with a sober expression, "Because I am the greatest chance you have at getting through this alive and whole."

I stared at him, thinking he was being rather dramatic about the whole thing, but the expression on his face was a little too serious to brush off. I sighed, looking away from him and to the other riders in the patrol. We seemed to be at the back of the procession, along with blond haired James, and in between us and the rest of the patrol were about five men on foot. It was clear that these men were prisoners; their hands bound behind them as they trudged along the road, their path lit by lanterns wielded by a rider ahead of them and by James next to us. The riders rode in pairs: Lawrence, James and I at the back, with two other pairs in front of the prisoners, and one man at the head. I assumed this man was the ill-tempered Captain, since he sat atop a dappled gray horse, all proud to be leading a procession of soldiers and prisoners.

I looked back to the prisoners, the lot of them looking like couriers, and most of them seeming to be young men or even boys. They were all glancing about nervously, and one in particular looked back at me, giving me a good look of his face. Oh you son of a bitch...

"Corporal Croxford and Booth caught up to your escort, Mr. Revere, when his horse stumbled and broke its leg." Lawrence said, leaning to the side slightly to see what I had been staring at.

I wrinkled my nose at his words, feeling a little ashamed at my anger when I thought of Revere letting himself get captured, and sorry for the poor loyal little chestnut that was truly the cause of his seizure. However, something else Lawrence had said let a small bubble of anger behind. "He wasn't my escort."

"There is no need to lie, Miss Fox. Mr. Revere called you by name when he saw you, and was quite worried about your condition."

I rolled my eyes, causing the world to wobble a bit more. "I'm not lying, I was his esc-" I snapped my head back around, finding it slightly difficult to focus as his face tipped and swayed from side to side. "My name?"

He had the audacity to chuckle, "Yes, he called you 'Almira'. Quite a beautiful name, was there a reason you were averse to using it?"

"I didn't want to be known," I growled, looking back to Revere.

"Hm... Well, if it will put you at ease, he did not mention your family name." I simply grunted in response to his reassurances. I felt him sigh, the action tickling my hair slightly, "Is he a brother, by chance? Or an uncle?"

"What!?"

"No need to be alarmed, I am simply trying to understand your relation to Mr. Revere, and why he would permit a young woman to go gallivanting off into the night. Dressed in trousers no less..."

"Okay, one," I hissed, glaring at him, "Revere and I are basically just good acquaintances, and two, I can dress however I damn well please. I mean, have you ever tried to go riding in a dress?"

"I – what!? No! Of course –"

"Also, like I was saying before, I was his escort. It was my job to see that he reached his destination in one piece." I huffed slightly, looking away from him. "If that poor horse hadn't broken its leg, I would have succeeded."

"No honorable man would use a woman as his bodyguard. Why on earth did he think such a thing was a good idea?"

"It wasn't his idea, it was... um, mine," I lied as I glanced off to the side, thinking it might not be best to say anything about Connor. "And to be fair, it was a rather good idea, if it wasn't for the getting shot and the broken horse."

Lawrence made a sound somewhere between a hum and a grunt. "I suppose if those two occurrences had not transpired; yes, Revere would have gotten away, but who's to say you would have? Would you not have been lost in the woods with only God knows what out there?"

I continued to stare at the other riders, seeing them occasionally converse with one another, or look back to check on or give an order to the other prisoners. "I knew what I was dealing with out there..."

Lawrence remained quiet for a moment, before shifting slightly and leaning away from me, causing me to wobble from lack of support. Before things could get too bad, Lawrence was putting a canteen in my hands. "You're still weak from losing blood. Here, drink something, and if you're still up for more, I have a few biscuits in my bags. They may be a bit stale though."

I looked at the canteen in my hands before glancing up at Lawrence. "Why are you doing this?"

"Beg pardon?"

"Why are you helping me? Why me, and not that boy over there?" I said, nodding to one of the prisoners. I could have been wrong, but the boy seemed to be around thirteen years old, and the red stained cloth wrapped around his arm told me he wasn't in the best shape.

"I have taken you on as my responsibility. If I hadn't, a great number of unpleasant things would have befallen you, beginning with Piers'... um, violation of you."

I would have killed him if he tried, I thought. I didn't think it was quite a good idea to say something like that aloud, but I knew I was definitely capable of doing so if it had come down to it. "So you're trying to be all noble and what not, is that it?"

"I am a gentleman, Miss Fox. A gentleman would not allow a lady to go unaided. Even if that lady chooses to wear trousers and spout profanity as he helps her," he added, giving me a disapproving look, but softening it with a small smile.

"My profanity was called for, I think. I had just gotten shot after all..."

He scoffed softly, an action I felt more then heard as he shook his head slightly from side to side. Looking back to the canteen I decided to at least take a sip, not having had anything to drink since Revere's place, and ended up not lowering the canteen 'til it was about half-way empty. Handing him back the canteen, Lawrence immediately replaced it with a biscuit, the thin round wafer looking most unappetizing. I fidgeted with it, turning it over in my fingers a few times as I contemplated the man next to me.

"You're the first halfway decent redcoat I've met, you know" I said offhandedly, nibbling on the biscuit a little.

"Really?" he said with genuine shock in his voice. " I am sorry to hear that Miss Fox. Although it does answer a question of mine." I paused in my nibbling and cocked my head at him. "I was curious to know why you decided to aid the rebels."

"Pfft, a few rough run-ins with Redcoats isn't what made me take sides, they only reinforced it."

"What did they do to earn your disdain?"

"Where to start?" I scoffed, "Maybe with the eviction of some of my friends from their home and Inn? Or another's whose farm was destroyed? There also was that one time when a group of Redcoats decided to beat the snot out of a friend of mine for doing nothing else other then talking to me and being French. Then there was another time where one redcoat tried to kill me, and another thought I was some sort of tavern wench." I spat, remembering the tales of the many homesteaders along with my own encounters of British soldiers.

"I... I am so sorry, Miss Fox. I am not sure what to say. I had heard... I thought the rumors were exaggerated."

"You thought they were rumors?!" I hissed, glaring at him.

"I arrived from England not three weeks ago, and have been stationed at Castle William, in Boston. I have not had the chance to... mingle much among the town since I arrived, rumors and gossip are all I know of this place I'm afraid." I snorted at him, shaking my head. "Please know, Miss Fox, that not all the King's men are as you have seen. In fact, most are like James and I: born gentlemen." He paused and shifted in the saddle for a moment, a look of discomfort on his face. "Perhaps... Perhaps Miss Fox, a few of your friends might have over-exaggerated their transgressions with the King's Men. They... they must have been following orders, and as citizens of the colonies it is their duty to –"

"Are you trying to tell me they should be proud that their home were taken from them!?" I snarled at him, wanting to grab the man by his coat and smack sense in to him.

"No! I mean – Miss Fox–"

BANG

The sudden sharp sound of a musket shot echoed out from down the road ahead of us. The patrol came to a staggering halt, everyone looking to their comrade for answers they couldn't give. I was just as confused as the rest of them were, looking about for myself before finally glancing back at the Redcoat beside me. "Where are we going?" I asked in a harsh whisper, realizing I hadn't bothered to ask beforehand.

"Lexington," he stated, his gaze looking ahead with a small hint of alarm.

"YOU, what did you call yourself? Revere? Explain to me what that was. NOW." I heard the Captain demand as his horse stomped up to the prisoners ahead of us, his glower fixed on Revere. To Revere's credit, he didn't shy away from the Captain's glare. "A signal sir," he said, his voice holding only a hint of fear, " a signal to alarm the country."

Stonewall's glare only deepened. "What do you mean by that?" he barked. "QUICKLY!" he shouted at the man. Revere twitched and began to stutter, but didn't say much of anything more helpful then the words "It's a signal" which only angered the Redcoat Captain further. With a growl, he turned away from Revere and fixed his gaze on to me. "Lieutenant, take her off the horse."

I stiffened, seeing out of the corner of my eye that Lawrence had as well. "Sir, she doesn't know anything I-"

"Lieutenant," he said, his voice lowering to a dangerous tone as he set his menacing gaze on to Lawrence. With clearly a great deal of reluctance, Lawrence dismounted and gently pulled me off the horse, helping me to stand once I was down.

Once I was on the ground, Stonewall hopped off his horse and gruffly grabbed my arm, ripping me away from Lawrence and dragging me over to Revere. Literally. I tried to limp, but my leg hurt too much, and I ended up stumbling as the man hauled me over to the rest of the prisoners, throwing me down at Revere's feet.

"Tell me what the signal meant... now." Stonewall commanded of Paul, but the poor man simply looked from the Captain to me in confusion and fear. Stonewall didn't wait long before he snarled, and delivered a solid kick to my stomach. I let out a half-scream, half-wheeze, as the air left my lungs, and the slight taste of bile touched my tongue. Doubling over I coughed feebly, the action causing more pain to ripple through my body. "TELL ME WHAT THE SIGNAL MEANT." I heard Stonewall roar at Paul, waiting a moment before I saw him lift his leg to kick me again.

"REDCOATS!" Revere yelled as I braced for impact. " It means redcoats are sighted." I watched as the Captain's boot settled back on the ground, and I relaxed slightly still coughing from his first assault. Without warning, the Captain suddenly grabbed my hair, using it to pull me into a kneeling position. I struggled as best I could with my bum leg and sore abdomen, but halted as soon as I felt the cold, sharp prick of steel on my neck.

"Is that the truth, or something you want me to believe?" he hissed by my ear, "For her sake it best be the truth..."

"It is! I swear!" Revere spoke quickly. "Our forces are gathered at Lexington and prepared to fight the British troops, it's the truth! I can only assume that your patrol, or perhaps another was spotted, and so the town was alerted."

The bite of steel sunk slightly deeper in to my skin, making me hiss and as I felt a wet, warm trickle slide down to my collar bone and beyond "Sir!" came Lawrence's voice; "I implore you to not cause any more harm to the lady!"

"Return to your post, Lieutenant." Stonewall growled.

"Captain please, nothing will be gained if you continue torturing her! We will have a riot on our hands when we reach Lexington, if the townsfolk see an innocent girl –"

"Innocent? She tried to kill us!" cried a new and slightly familiar voice.

"How? By pulling us off our horses and running away? Good God Piers, how thick can you get? She may be foolish and spirited, but a killer she is not."

"Aye, I agree with Lieutenant Cox," another voice chimed in, "Causing the girl further harm will only incite the locals' rage, and to further support his argument, was it not Piers himself who stated that he shot at her while she was running away?" A small chorus of "Aye" went up around me, and the fist that was in my hair tightened momentarily before suddenly throwing me to the ground.

"Fine," the Captain snarled, stomping away from me as I dropped to the dirt. "I will spare the filthy little tart for now, if it eases the stomachs of you lot," I heard him mutter, along with other harshly spoken words I couldn't quite catch as he stomped back to his horse. I laid there curled in to a painful ball, my leg throbbing again, my stomach feeling so tender breathing hurt, and my neck stinging as it slowly oozed blood.

"Almira? Almira,can you hear me?"

"Oh Miss Fox, I am so sorry..." I saw someone kneel next to me, while a hand gently rolled me on to my back and another cradled my head, bringing Lawrence's concerned face into view along with a very sorry looking Paul Revere.

"Oh, Almira I'm so sorry for all of this. If I only didn't agree to –"

"You best be getting back to your place in line," Lawrence cut in softly, causing Revere to look at the Redcoat sharply. "I promise you – I will do my utmost to see that she is cared for, but there is little I can do for you, so for your own sake, please return to your place with the other prisoners." With a reluctant nod, Revere stood and walked back to stand amongst the other men. "Come on, Miss Fox, I need to get you back to the horse," Lawrence said quietly to me, as he tried gently to pick me up and return me to his horse. "James, would you mind leading the horse for a while? Just until I can bandage her cut," Lawrence asked once he had mounted the horse as well.

"Of course, Lawrence," I heard the blond man say behind me, as I saw Lawrence pull out a fresh set of linen wraps from his saddle bags.

"Quite the man, your Captain," I muttered, slowly looking up at Lawrence as he dabbed at my neck. "You must be so proud to call him such."

He winced slightly at the contempt in my voice, frowning down at me – but before he could say anything James' voice rose up in a hushed tone behind me. "Duty binds us Miss, to follow orders from our superiors." The resentment in his tone was clear, and only became more pronounced as he continued. "However, duty has never before left such a sour taste in my mouth then it has with Captain Stonewall."

"James."

"I've been serving with him for nearly six months now Lawrence, and in the short time you've been here I know you have seen it as well, especially after the incident with Adrian. The man is cruel because he wants to be and these colonists are simply giving him reason."

"James!" Lawrence hissed, "Now is not the time for such talk... Even if I agree with you." He said the last with less heat as he gently tied the bandage around my neck. I glanced at Lawrence and James, seeing the genuine disdain in their expressions over the discussion of their Captain's behavior. It was clear, even in the very short time I had been around the man, that there was little good about him. It was also obvious that he was losing the respect of his men, since many spoke out against his mistreatment of me. It made me wonder if he had their respect in the first place, although I assumed he most certainly had their fear.

We need to get out of here, I thought as I looked at the other prisoners. I knew it was only a matter of time 'til Stonewall killed one of us, and even if he didn't, we were still prisoners. I didn't have the slightest idea of what would happen to us if they got us all back to a stronghold of some sort, but it could be nothing good.

DING, dong, DING, dong

A sharp ringing sounded ahead of us, causing the entire patrol to come to a standstill again. "The bell's a'ringing!" the young boy with the bandage around his arm shouted. "The Town's alarmed and you're all dead men!"

Stonewall come trotting back towards the boy, a look of fury on his face as he stared down the young prisoner, and without a word he drew his pistol and shot him. I half-screamed – half-gasped in shock, as the boy's body slumped to the ground ahead of me, a pool of blood quickly forming around his still body.

"Sir!" Lawrence cried next to me, the outrage on his face clearly seen in the pale light of dawn. "What in God's name do you think you are doing?"

"Serving him his due," the Captain stated as he glared at Lawrence, slowly holstering his pistol while his horse took a few steps towards us.

"His outburst might have called for a flogging, but not an execution!"

"Well it was an execution he received!" the Captain bellowed.

"It was unjustified and dishonorable! Any respectable man with a shred of decency, would know this. Your actions are a disgrace not only to yourself, but to your rank, your men, and your country!" Lawrence defiantly shouted back, his face tinged red with a sort of righteous anger. Stonewall on the other hand, had turned an unsightly purple at his words, and I was sure that if his pistol was still loaded, he would have shot Lawrence square in the face.

"How dare you..." Stonewall growled loudly, dismounting his dappled giant before drawing his sword. "You think yourself better? More apt then I at understanding what must be done with these quarrelsome rebels? Step down then and let us speak!"

"Take care of her," Lawrence quickly said to James before swiftly hopping off the horse and drawing his own weapon. He approached Stonewall with slow steps, coming to a halt a few paces in front of the Captain, his sword raised and ready. The rest of the company watched the two men with tightly drawn faces, drifting out of formation to see the confrontation better.

I glanced at James and a few of the others that had supported Lawrence in his outburst, expecting them to come to his aid, but they didn't. Instead they watched as the two men clashed swords, the blades glinting in the pale dawn light, and the sound of their meeting adding to the bell ringing in the distance. Are they just going to sit there!? I thought, glancing over from the men to the two fighters. It was clear the they were matched for skill, although I assumed Stonewall had more experience being older than Lawrence, and I wasn't sure how long he could hold out against the Captain.

"Miss Fox! What are you doing!? Stop!" James cried as I began struggling with the rope around my wrists. I ignored him, figuring he had his hands full handling not only his horse, but Lawrence's as well, and bent to the task of removing the rope. Where's my knife when I need it? The rope rubbed my skin raw and almost bloody as I fought the bindings, pulling and wiggling while still trying to keep my balance on the dancing horse beneath me. James was still attempting to grab my attention, and it wasn't until I was nearly free that he reached out and grabbed me. "Miss Fox, don't –"

I wrenched free from his grip, throwing myself off the horse in the process, and halfway landed on my feet before stumbling to the ground. My numerous injures protested as I hit the dirt road again, and with one last tug I freed my hands, spitting out dirt as I sat up. Before I could get all the grit out of my mouth, I was abruptly back-handed, the attack so sudden I couldn't brace for it and I fell backwards. I felt a little dazed from the blow, and only registered that someone had flipped me over and was on top of me when their hands curled around my throat and squeezed.

The man who had me by the neck was unfamiliar, with bright red hair and pale blue eyes that looked at me with anger and triumph. "Thought you could run again little bitch?" the man hissed in a familiar voice, his grip tightening. Piers I thought as I glared up at him, before swiftly thrusting my hands in between his and pushing them out, causing him to lose his grip on my throat. I quickly grabbed him by his coat once his hands weren't around my neck, and head-butted him in the face.

He reeled back with a shout, clutching at his nose, and I briefly shook off the daze I was in. I haphazardly tried to rise to my feet, taking a few gulps of air before turning to Piers, knocking the man on to his stomach and twisting an arm behind his back, pinning him there with my knees. I quickly began searching him for any sort of weapon I could use, and immediately taking a dagger strapped to his waist.

Drawing it, I looked back up to what had originally made me try and free myself, Lawrence's fight with Stonewall – just in time to see Lawrence fall for a feint, giving Stonewall a chance to slice Lawrence across his abdomen. I gave a strangled grunt as I threw my newly acquired dagger at Stonewall, who had wound up his final blow only to freeze with his sword raised above his head, the dagger hilt-deep in his chest.

Everyone seemed to pause and watch Stonewall sink to the ground, surprised at his sudden fall, and none more so then Lawrence, who stumbled away from the Captain's body, clutching at his wound as he looked around, his eyes landing on me with my still outstretched arm. He frowned as he limped carefully over to me, watching as I stumbled off of Piers and staggered over to him.

"Lieutenant! Lieutenant, are you all right?" James said as he came up to Lawrence and I, glancing between the two of us as if not sure who to help first.

"It is not deep," Lawrence said as he took his hand away from his wound, revealing a long tare in his clothes, most of which was covered in his blood. "But I will need a bandage." He looked to me then, confusion evident on his face as he glanced to Stonewall's body and back again. "Why did you do that? How did you do that?"

I frowned at him quizzically. "I'm really good with knives... and I didn't want to see a good man slaughtered. Even if we're technically enemies," I ended with a shrug and a hint of a smile.

Lawrence shook his head. "Where did you even get the knife?"

"Piers, sir," James said, pointing behind me, and I turned to see the man standing a few paces off, clutching at his bleeding nose and throwing a hateful glare my way. "Miss Fox fell off your horse when she was trying to free herself, and before I could do much of anything, Piers attacked her."

"The harlot was trying to get away while everyone was distracted! I couldn't –"

"If I was trying to get away, I would have taken a horse, dipshit. I can't run."

"You filth –"

"Enough!" Lawrence said, glaring at the two of us before turning his gaze to James, "Will you go and find some bandages?And you Piers, get back to your horse."

James nodded and Piers grumbled but did as he was told, leaving Lawrence and I somewhat alone, the two of us wilting from fatigue and injuries. In the odd calm that had fallen I could hear the Lexington bells again, their sharp ringing breaking the otherwise quiet dawn.

"Tell me Miss Fox, do you know what the bells mean?"

"I don't know about the bells," I said with a shrug. " But I do know there's a fully armed militia in Lexington. The boy might've been a little dramatic about it, but I don't think he was entirely wrong when he said you'd get slaughtered if you walk in there."

Lawrence looked contemplative, turning towards the sound of the bells before staring at his men for a moment. "I'm inclined to believe you Miss Fox," he finally said as he turned back to me. "If you are not lying, and there truly is a militia in Lexington, then I need to return to Castle William and inform my superiors. Booth!" he called to one of the men still seated on a horse. " Release the prisoners. Croxford, Halsey, see about tying the Captain to his horse. We should bring him back with us to be buried properly."

"You're letting us go?" I frowned in disbelief at the man in front of me.

"Aye. We must move swiftly back to Boston, and prisoners would slow us down. Although," he said' raising a brow at me, "I am tempted to take you with me, if only to see to your well-being."

I scoffed lightly, "I'd fight you on that."

Lawrence cocked a small smile. "Of that I have no doubt. You are a most spirited and intriguing woman Miss Fox. If circumstances were different, I'd ask you to tea." I frowned slightly at the man, but he hurriedly continued on, "You should go; I fear there is little time to waste, and you should see to your injuries." I nodded, the mention of my wounds making me aware of them afresh, the adrenalin from the brief fight ebbing away and letting the pain take over once more. "Oh, and Miss Fox," Lawrence said with his hand outstretched towards me slightly, "for what it's worth: I am sorry for all the pain you and yours have suffered at the hands of the King's Men, and especially for what has befallen you tonight. I hope in time you will see us in a different light."

I shrugged, slowly beginning to limp over to where Revere was currently standing with the other newly freed prisoners. "Well see..." I said, throwing the man a small, tired smile. Revere hurriedly offered me his shoulder to lean on as I hobbled up to him, assisting me to Lexington as the other two helped carry the body of the boy. We all limped and shuffled our way into the town, and only once did I look back to watch Lawrence's patrol ride away, their brilliant red coats standing out in the dusty light of dawn.

AN: goodness this is a project I have taken on with this story. as usual, any and all reviews, favs and follows help keep me going! I wouldn't write this if you didn't keep me wanting to write about Miri and her adventures.