Helpless (A Hamilton Time-Travel Fanfiction)

Chapter 1 - Never Be the Same

*Trigger warning/s: mentions of death, medical procedures, faint spells, fires*

Elizabeth woke up in a fit, violently coughing face down on a dirt road.

Her nostrils were on fire, her throat was dry, and her eyes stung from the dirt she had fallen face-first into. She opened her eyes a little bit, seeing nothing but brown dust and her small hand which was caked in soil. It was hot, and her sunburnt skin knew that. She groaned, hearing the sounds of horses galloping and distant chatter growing louder as it got closer. Opening her eyes more and blinking away the dust as much as she could, she saw the bottom of a pair of high heel shoes and off to the side, a pair of small boots.

"Sweetheart, are you alright? You look as though you've taken quite a fall there." A woman asked. Elizabeth looked up at the woman, her eyesight clearer now, who was shielding her view from the hot sun. She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and an over-sized gown. Her red hair shone brightly in front of the sun, blowing slightly from the coming wind. "Do you need me to fetch a doctor? You look to have been here for a while."

Elizabeth sat herself up with shaky arms and coughed, trying to breathe properly. She held her hand up and rubbed her eyes and face. Once she got as much dirt off as she could, she spoke. "I'm fine." She croaked. Elizabeth took a better look at the woman. "I just need some water."

The woman turned a boy beside her, the one who was wearing the small boots. "Billy, go find some water. Quick on it! Hurry up. The girl looks thirsty enough as it is." The woman snapped at the boy. She turned to Elizabeth. "Sorry about my son. He's a troublemaker that one. He was running ahead of me when he saw you lying here. I'm Laura, Billy's mom. And you are?"

The girl cleared her throat. "Elizabeth, ma'am. I was just wondering, what time is it? I don't know how long I have been here for." She introduced.

Laura looked at the clock face on a building near them. "Well, it is almost 12 in the afternoon, sweetheart. You're not one of the Schuyler sisters, are you? Shouldn't you be home preparing the house for your husband to arrive home?" Laura said.

Elizabeth gawked at the older woman. "My husband?!" she squeaked, as Billy came back with a bucketful of cold water. But Laura paid no mind to her query as Elizabeth washed her face, arms and hands, not before drinking some water (which she prayed was safe to drink).

"Ah yes, Eliza doesn't have a husband now does she?" Laura pondered. She watched Elizabeth clean the dirt off her skin, only noticing her clothing afterwards. "My goodness, Elizabeth! What are you wearing?"

"Just a t-shirt, leggings, and sandshoes. No big deal." She shrugged, only then realising what Laura was truly wearing. "Laura? Why are you dressed like you're from the 1700s?" she giggled.

"A woman of your age should not reveal herself like that to anyone! And it is, as you call it, the 1700s!" Laura scolded.

Elizabeth got up onto her feet weakly, looking up at Laura, only just comprehending what she said. "And the date? The full date?"

"My child, it is the 17th of February, in the year of our Lord 1776."

She turned paler than what she already was. "And, where are we?"

"In the greatest city in the world! New York City!"

With that, Elizabeth took off running, not leaving a second to say her thanks to Laura and Billy, nor asking any more questions but to get out of this place. She heard their shouts for her to come back, but as Elizabeth looked back, they were specs under the beating sun. She didn't know where she was running to, but every passer-by was looking at her like she was mad. She made it to a 'town', she presumed, as the dirt road slowly turned into sometimes cobble and sometimes gravel, with brick and wooden buildings lining the streets. Many were walking the same way, to the centre of the town, forming a crowd, where she could hear someone yelling and people jeering.