Liberty And Honor

The Journey Ahead

"Are you ladies ready to go?" asked James with a strained smile. He'd been eager to head out all morning, but the two women had other ideas when they decided that Sarah needed to repack after breakfast. The coach had just arrived, and the two men were loading up the coach as James helped the driver lift the heavy trunks onto the roof.

"Certainly, as soon as the luggage is secured we're ready to set off," said Mrs. Phillips, adjusting her sweater as a cold breeze brushed by.

"Oh I can't wait to see father!" cried Sarah, her excitement contagious as even James responded with a genuine smile.

"Alright, that's the last of it. Ladies, your carriage awaits," smiled the coachman, helping the two women into the coach, his lingering gaze on Sarah causing James to frown.

"Ehem," couged James to snap the coach driver out of his daze.

"Sir, will you not be joining us?" asked the coachman, confused at James' decision to shut the door.

"I'm their escort, I'll be riding alongside," smirked James as he adjusted his coat and grabbed his horse's reins. He mounted his horse and the animal began to shift uneasily at the sight of the two horses strapped to the coach, but relaxed once his rider was in the saddle.

The horse was a grey stallion named Caesar, who had pretty much become James' personal horse over the years. The print shop owned Caesar, but the animal had pretty much only been used to pull the cart, as the animal was known for being skittish. That is until James began riding him, after that Caesar was skittish toward any other rider, but as soon as James was in the saddle the horse would scarcely flinch, even when skirting the edges of a battlefield, gun and cannonfire sounding all around them.

The Pennsylvania Gazette had finally invested in purchasing a second horse when Sarah had tried to take Caesar to deliver a letter across town and the horse had refused to let Sarah on his back unless James was nearby. However, before they had found a reliable horse for purchase, Washington had gifted them a small snow-white mare, sired by his own stallion, in celebration of Franklin's first successful run of his postal route as a free country. The mare, whom Sarah named Liberty, who was used by Sarah and Doctor Franklin, and unlike her counterpart, only tolerated James. James had helped Sarah tame the wily filly, using Caesar as a guide for Sarah, the two managed to train the now full grown mare into one of the fastest horses in town, second only to Caesar. Doctor Franklin had taken her for his trip, so James only had to worry about making sure the print shop was locked up before leaving. Giving the print shop door one last glance, James turned toward the coach and nodded to the coachman, who snapped his reins, and the coach set off as James nudged Caesar who trotted after it.

As James and his horse bolted past the coach, Sarah watched the incredible interaction between horse and rider, as the once skittish animal became free and fearless, his rider grinning atop his back.

"Quite an interesting pair, aren't they," sniffed Mrs. Phillips, scrunching her nose.

"Whatever do you mean, mother?" asked Sarah, suspicious of what her mother would say next.

"Both of them wild and unrefined, I mean look at them. Earlier, that animal was as skittish as they come and that boy, he doesn't even wear a wig! Both of them untamed and misbehaved, no wonder they get along so well," stated Mrs. Phillips quite bluntly.

"Mother we talked about this, and James has been nothing but nice to you," groaned Sarah.

"I just don't see what you see in him. I mean the boy practically has fleas," sighed her mother, both women watching as James scratched his hair up ahead.

"He does not! He just isn't used to our way of life. They do things differently here in the States, I mean back when it was the colonies, their military hardly had a uniform but it's their determination that matters and I've never met someone more stubborn and determined as James," huffed Sarah, putting her mother in her place, something she'd scarcely done and was unheard of back when she lived in England. "It's hard to get an English education when you're growing up in a war against England," muttered Sarah under her breath as she watched James trot Caesar back and forth, laughing, a grin on his face as the horse clop up and down the path. It was rare to see James so carefree, as her friend always seemed to have a weight on his shoulders.

Back when they'd first met, Sarah had found James to be stubborn, unrefined, and rude, his rough exterior only softening around Henri an occasionally Moses. James looked out for the boy like the role model he'd wished he'd had and protected his adopted family fiercely. More than once had his rash behavior gotten them into trouble, his stubbornness clashing for her own, but as she'd gotten to know him better, she'd learned the real reason behind his closed-off exterior. "You have no idea what James has been through, how he grew up is something you and I could scarcely fathom and I'm sorry but I hurt him once and I don't want anyone else to hurt him in that way," sighed Sarah, gaining her mother's attention.

"You are forgiven, but whatever do you mean?" questioned her mother, resting her hand on Sarah's.

"About a year ago James and I had gone to pick up some supplies when James has stepped into the shop to grab the crate when a bedraggled man approached me. He asked me if I could help him his starving friend to the physician. Foolishly I agreed and followed him to the entrance of an alleyway, only there was no wounded friend, instead, I was greeted with the disgusting smirk of that disgusting man as he tried to seduce me and refused to let me leave. Luckily James had seen what happened and kindly asked the man to leave, his presence causing the man to flee," said Sarah, gauging her mother's horrified expression, careful to leave out the details that James feigned being her fiance and when that didn't deter the man, he brandished a dagger, she wasn't even aware he carried. "James may not be educated on how to behave at formal events, but knowing which fork to use isn't what saved me that day, it was James' streets knowledge that allowed him to notice the con I foolishly fell for, and it was his skills he learned fighting to survive that saved us during that robbery," reminded Sarah as she looked down at her lap.

"I wasn't aware that your friend possessed such abilities, and I must thank him later for saving my daughter. I should be so glad that you have someone looking out for you at the paper, someone you clearly care for," stammered Mrs. Phillips, not quite sure how to handle that new information, throwing in a quip to see her daughter blush.

"I-" but before Sarah could comment on her mother's statement, the crack of a gunshot followed by the cry of a horse could be heard, causing both women to freeze, Mrs. Phillip's hands clinging to her daughter's as Sarah looked out the window worriedly, searching for James. As if he heard her thoughts, Caesar came tearing into the clearing, James upon his back, as they raced up to the carriage. His horse whinnied and panted from the sprint as James held the reins in his hand, the other still clutching his smoking gun.

"Quick, get down," whispered James to the two anxious women.

"James, wat's going on?" asked Sarah and by looking at James' rigid posture, she could tell it wasn't good.

"Bandits," growled James, that one word striking fear into Sarah and her mother's hearts.