Dear Past, You Suck!

A Walk In The Woods

"And stay out you blunderbuss!" the innkeeper screeched at the man on the ground. The man rolled over his face plastered with a drunk smirk.

"Eh, mmy Aberother! You're back!" Charlie slurred as he clumsily tried to stand up.

"Charlie, what are you doing?!" Both Abe and I exclaimed.

"Havin' a drink, that's whad I'm doin'" He giggled to himself, "Ellie, do you have a kissy for moi?" he made sloppy kissing faces at me.

Abe shot me a suspicious glance, before glaring at his brother, "I would think not Charles."

"Charlie, you are drunk, you must go home." I insisted.

"If you come with me," he snickered, "Abrey-Abraham, I have a secret to tell you."

Abraham shot me a puzzled glance, I shrugged in response but my heart rate was rising. I did not do anything wrong but the last thing Abe needed was more distrust towards his family. "What is that, Charles?" Abe asked.

"I wish you never came back!" Charlie pretended to hold a musket and shoot Abe, "Dead! Then I would have this." He gestured towards me, stepping closer to touch me, but Abe pushed him back.

"What was that?" Abe huffed.

"Mrs. Charles Warlest, how'd you like that?"

Abe straightened, his fists clenched, his voice raised, "Were you trying to seduce my wife while I was gone, Charles?" Charlie simply winked at me and began making kissing noises again. Abe swung with his arm on his good side at his brother's head. It made contact, knocking Charlie back several steps. Charlie ran at him grabbing him by the collar.

"Abe, your stitches!" I yelled out, but both of them kept grabbing at each other. People in the streets were beginning to stop and watch and shutters were being opened to see what the commotion was. There were fights almost every night but usually not by the two sons of the Lord. "Charlie stop it!" I reached into the chaos and caught an arm, ripping it away from the fight. Charlie fell away from the kerfuffle.

Abe regained his composure, looking around at the crowd assembling around him, "We must go now, Elizabeth." He picked up his cane and grabbed me around the shoulders, casting one more glare at his brother who was wiping blood from his nose, before steering me through the crowd.

When we got onto the road out of town which was usually barren except for those from my family coming and going, a pulled out of his grip and faced him, "Why did you do that?"

"He was being disrespectful to both of us! I had to do something."

"He was drunk. He would never say something such as that if he was sober."

"He thought it though. And thoughts such as that do not change whether sober or not."

"But you risked your own health doing so."

"I was not concerned."

"I was! If you do not care about your own health, care about it for the sake of me. I do not want to have to raise this child alone, not in this time. Please, just be more careful next time."

"Al, I-"

"Let's just go home, I am tired."

We walked the rest of the way home in near silence. Abe's limp worsened after the fight and I could tell that he was trying his hardest to keep from grunting with each step. His breath was become laboured as we reached the forest by the property. It had to be near midnight now.

"Do you need to stop and take a rest?" I asked him gently.

It took him a few seconds to control his breathing so he could reply, "No, I am more than fine. Let us keep going."

"Well I need a rest," I said which wasn't a lie but I could keep going until we reached the house.

"Of course we will stop if you need it," He said gently but immediately found the nearest fallen tree to sit on. I joined him on the tree and I listened to him control his breathing. I looked around the forest. In the daylight the forest looked sparse and welcoming but in the dark it might as well have been a dark veil separating the road from the farmland that was on the other side of the forest. I could hear the faint haunting sound of chattering foxes and hoots of some sort of bird. As I scan the dark forest, my eyes find a faint light in the forest several hundred metres away, seemingly gliding through the dark.

"Abe," I whispered, "Do you see that light over yonder?"

I couldn't see his face as he looked bu he said, "Yes, I can what is that?''

"Nothing should be over there. Should it?"

"Not that I am aware of. Do you feel well enough for us to check it out?"

I smirked,"I certainly do!" We moved quickly and quietly through the trees following the slowly bobbing light, it became brighter as we came closer. The light seemed to be a fire, which as we got closer seemed to be held in a lantern. The bobbing moved with the walking of whoever held it. They were moving towards the east- the deep part of the forest. In the direction they were walking another faint light was moving towards them. I very badly wanted to whisper with Abraham about what he thought was going on but didn't want to risk the noise. Even though these people obviously did not want us to know they were here, we continued on, too curious to stop. The two lights met, casting a wide circle of light in the forest. Abe and I stay hidden in the trees and shadows, watching the two cloaked figures greet. The one we had been following lowered his hood to reveal a man with long blonde hair tied with a bow. The other figure lowered their hood as well. I had to control a gasp as I realized it was Margaret. Is this where she had been sneaking off to?

"We must stop meeting. I am getting married to the prince tomorrow," Margaret said coldly. The man stepped closer.

"Well what am I supposed to do when you leave? My purpose here will be non-existent without you, Margarite." The man said soflty his voice having a soft french accent like her's does.

"It is Margaret now, and you know that. And I do not know, go home perhaps. There is nothing left here for either of us," she said, her voice not sharing any of the passion and vulnerability that the man's voice dripped with.

"Just because you are marrying that does not mean this has to end!"

"And I am sure it will not. Have you met the prince? He is a gross fool! But I have no care for you and I realize I never truly have.There will be many to take your place. Do not take it personally. You have done well but we both must move on. To have emotional attachment in such an affair is idiotic and dangerous. And I am not an idiot." Despite her words her voice choked every once in a while.

There was a moment of silence where it seemed everything in the woods seemed to hold its breath. I certainly did. "Please..." he plead, his voice making it clear that he was fully crying now.

"C'est ce qui me convient le mieux pour vous et pour le pays mon plus proche confident. Je n'oublierai jamais ce que nous avons fait ensemble mais le temps est arrivé." Margaret said. Even though I had no idea what she said, I could tell it was a thought deep to her heart.

"Je n'accepterai pas ça!" The man exclaimed, his voice echoing through the forest.

"Be quiet!" Margaret hushed.

"I will not accept it!" He barked again.

"The time has come to an end. We will not meet again." Margaret picked up her lantern from the forest floor and turned around, walking back toward the estate. The man stood there watching her walk away until she nor the light of her lantern could be seen. She did not turn around even once for a silent goodbye. The man finally picked up his lantern and left the way he came.

We remained quiet, hiding in the trees until there was no light remaining where we stood.

"Holy Shit," Abraham whispered.

"You can say that again."