History Has Its Eyes On You ~ A Hamilton Fanfiction (Book 1, Act 1)

Mystery Man

(Y/N POV)

"My Grandmother picked apples here once," Eric began, "Back in the 20s. She has become too feeble to even move a muscle now. 83, she is."
"Such an age!" I exclaimed. "I congratulate her for her commitment."
"Yes... We fear that she does not have much time left. Her health steadily declines and at the whisk of a hand, she forgets."
"I'm... so sorry..." I remembered back.
"It's alright. She has spirit."

"So what happened to these apple trees?" I wondered. "There doesn't seem to be any left."
"Woodcutters. Take the apples for harvest, sell the bark for fortune."
"And they say money doesn't grow on trees." I joked.
"...I have never heard of that expression before."
"Oh... right."

We turned a sharp left, heading away from the river and further into the trees. "So your husband, Mr Hurst... Is he occupied?"
"As usual." I sighed. "I had to escape from him, just for an hour."
"I can suppose that he is not at all enjoyable to you."
"Not in the slightest."

"Was it your decision to marry him?"
"No... It was an arranged marriage. I had no intent to love him."
"I would despise that... Marriage should be for love. Not for the ownership of a woman and the inheritance of her wealth."
"I'm afraid that's how things work, Mr Harrison."

Eric stopped, peering through an open parting in the trees. "There!" he proclaimed. He led me over to a miniature apple tree, buried within the cluster.
"You have a good eye." I complimented.
"I've wandered this park for many years. I know precisely where to look."

By stretching out upon the tip of my toes, I forced an apple from its branch and placed it into the basket. I reached for another, skipping upwards a little to grab it. "May you require my assistance?" Eric asked. He was a few inches taller than me, around Charles' height. But I wouldn't give up.
"I'm perfectly fine, thank you!" I resisted, desperately attempting to snatch another.

"As I stated on the ship, Miss, I admire your ambition. However it is distinct that this is rather problematic for you-"
"I've got this!" I leaped as high as possible, almost slipping from the branch. Eric supported my back before I was able to fall onto the ground. He smirked brashly, holding my weight up. Awkwardly, I smiled back, helping myself back to my feet.

With ease, he guided his hand upwards and tugged the apples from the trees. He set each into the basket until it was practically overloaded. "There. A full set of apples."
I snickered. "I'd invite you over for supper, however my husband wouldn't allow such an interference."
"An interference, would he call me?" Eric questioned.
"Likely, yes."
He rolled his eyes. "So be it."

Simultaneously, we both heard paranoid screaming coming from the river. I dived from the parting, down the path and to the bank. Currently, nobody was around, and we were the first witnesses. A man, dressed in much less typical clothing than what you would see in this day, struggled to keep his head above water. He had somehow managed to fall into the river, to my assumptions.

"HELP-!" he screeched in between gurgles of water. "HELP!!"

I clambered down a slope separating the bank from shore, dropping my basket on the way down. Eric followed, alas, he stared anxiously at the water. "We need to help him!!" I insisted.
"I, uhh..." He edged towards the water, cowering back in fear. "Miss, I can't swim."
"Oh for goodness sake!!" I decided to take the plunge for myself, despite still wearing my dress.

"OLIVIA!!" Eric called. I struggled through the mud at the depths of the river, suffocating my bitter feet. The man was just in the middle, which meant I had to swim my way over there. In a dress.

But I was going to save his life, no matter what.

The water now up to my chest, I began to swim. Having not done this since my primary school swimming lessons, I was rather terrible at first. I kept going. Eventually, he was within arm's reach, glaring at me. All of the reminders that he was about to drown in a river disappeared, as he just stared.

I could feel my dress weighing me down, so I swiftly took a hold of his arm. "You need to try and swim, okay?!" I insisted. For a moment, he chuckled hysterically, then realising once again that we were in a freezing river. He tackled my shoulder, kicking his legs along with mine to reach shore.

"Olivia, what were you thinking?!!" Eric squealed. We worked together to haul the man up onto the path. He certainly wasn't young: about his early thirties.
"How did you get in there?!" I asked him. He rapidly sat himself up, breathing heavily. He couldn't stop staring at me, with a tear glinted in his eye.

Eric raised his eyebrow.

"Are... you alright...?" I asked.

Suddenly, he pulled himself away with a screech. "God have mercy on my soul, just bring me back, bring me back!!" he prayed with his hands held together.
"He may be in shock--"
"BRING ME BACK, GOD, SAVE ME FROM THIS HELLISH ENCOUNTER!!"

"Woah, it's alright! You're alright, you're safe now!" I calmed.
His hands trembled, still clutched together. He stiffened his face as he directed his gaze at me. As I inspected, I could have been mistaken, but he seemed the exact man that I ran into at the docks.

"G- God have mercy on you, Miss..." he whispered. He struggled up to his feet, making an instant flight away from the scene.

"...Who was that?" Eric questioned.
I observed the apples, scattered across the grass. One second he was here, and the next gone. I had never familiarised myself with him, and I was entirely certain of it. Only at the docks had a seen such a similar face to his. Yet his eyes... His eyes intrigued me. They were enshrouded with wonder, but an urge to refuse all contentment that presented itself to him.

It reminded me of...

"I...

...I don't know."