Chapter 7
Just when you think you're so cold you could barely move, something makes you move. It was like I was frozen to the ground until I felt someone grab my arm and turn me over to face the sky. Out of instinct, my hand grips my knife and I'm quick to point it at the person.
Rivard stumbles back, away from us. His eyes go wide in shock, one of his hands holding out to calm me.
"Bloody Hell."
My hand shakes from the cold, the knife barley even steady. If it was a solider instead of a friend, I don't know what would happen.
Lowering my head and arm, Rivard is quick to grab me and sit me up. "Help him," I manage to shake out, nodding lightly over to Declan who seems to still be mostly unconscious.
Rivard grabs one side of Declan, hoisting him up. Somehow, I manage to stand and grab the other side of him.
I let Rivard lead the way while we seem to stagger in follow. We reach some of his men before I eventually drop to my knees. Two of Rivard's men take Declan and lay him in one of their small boats. They wrap him in fur as Rivard rushes over to me. He throws some fur over me, my body shaking from the cold.
"You have to get away from here, you understand?" He say and I nod. "We cannot keep you safe. Go North," He says, grabbing onto me and helping me up to my feet. I stagger to Declan's boat, laying opposite of him as my fur tickles my neck.
Looking at me, Ricard sighs and offers me some water that I eagerly take. "I'm sorry, this is your only chance of survival my friends."
With those words to hang in the air, we're pushed off into the river. The water is smooth, reminding me of the many rides Samoset had given to us. It seems to put me to sleep, the fur keeping me somewhat warm.
The small boat seems to shake slightly, waking me up from my sleep. The sky holds no close and the sun seems to heat up the ice that is starting to collect around the boat. Sitting up, I realize that the boat has come to a stop on the snowy ground.
"Declan," I said, my voice coming out raspy.
The man at my feet stirs slightly before his eyes open. When he speaks, it's so quiet that I wonder if I've heard him correctly, "Anna."
"It's okay, we'll find a place, soon," I said, holding the fur close to my body. My eyes look around, noticing a figure just up a small hill. "There's someone on the hill," I said, standing and climbing out of the small boat.
Declan lightly sits up, trying his best to help me as I pull him out of the boat and on his feet. We stagger our way through the deep snow, up the hill, until Declan collapses to his knees in front of the young girl. I do my best to hold him up, the weight and my side becoming too much for me as I look up at the little girl.
"Please, help us. Please."
With that, my body falls into the snow next to Declan and darkness takes over me.
I didn't dream when I fell unconscious, but I could tell that I must have come in and out of consciousness. I recalled being dragged through the snow as a language that I had never heard was spoken. I remember feeling warm, then pain.
My eyes opened, immediately meeting the ceiling of a tent. I hear the crackling of fire near me and can feel the warmth of fur draped over and under me. I start to sit up, my side aching slightly. I move the fur to see that I have fresh wrap over the wound, no blood showing.
The language I heard before comes to my ears, making me jump and look to the left of me. A man, looking somewhat similar to the young girl, sits by the fire with the young girl.
He reached out a hand, meat inside of his thumb and pointer finger. He wiggles it, nodding to the meat. He keeps saying a word over and over, making me wonder if he's telling me to eat. Slowly, I take the meat, glancing over at the little girl before taking a bite.
Doesn't seemed poisoned or anything.
In seconds I have the piece gone, a hum leaving my lips. He holds out more pieces that I'm egger to take and eat.
"Thank you," I said to the man. He nods to me, saying one word which I presume is "welcome". I looked over next to me, still feeling the warmth of another human being next to me. Declan lays next to me, covered in fur and still unconscious.
My body turns and my hand reaches, touching his cheek as I hold it softly.
Turning back to the man, I find him standing, holding onto a silver fur coat. It's thin and reaches just below my knees with a hood attached to it. Once I slip it on, I can't help but feel warmer, ready to take on the cold once again.
The little girl looks excited while the man smiles warmly. I can't help but just stare at the two, taking in their hospitality. They have no idea who we are, what we've done, and yet they act like we're old friends.
The man takes me outside, the cold not seeming to bother me thanks to the fur coat.
Though I couldn't understand the two very often, I seemed to pick up on a lot of things. The young girl was only six and the man she was living with was her Uncle. Her parents died, but I don't know how.
Declan slept most of the time, only coming in and out of the darkness that overtook him.
Between the uncle and me, we managed to kill a few other animals. Hoping to do what I could for the two, I managed to saver up plenty of food for them. The extra fur, I started to use to build a little hut for Declan and I.
Though I didn't know what her name was, I ended up calling the young girl Emily. She seemed to like it. By calling her Emily, I seemed to grow more attached to her, her seeming to do the same. The uncle seemed to like this, happy that she was getting some girl to girl time.
I was still fixing up the hut when the young girl found herself running inside. A small fire kept the hut warm, making it easier to build it.
Emily quickly grabbed my arm, causing me to look at her, "Emily, what is it?"
She spoke quickly, making it harder to understand her. What I did pick up was "Big man" and "awake". That was enough for me to rush out of my hut and into her uncle's, were Declan still staid.
Declan was standing, seeming slightly worried when I came in. The second he saw me, my name slipped off his tongue and his arms embraced me. I couldn't help but feel relaxed in his arms, more than happy to know he was okay.
"What happened? Who are these people?"
"Rivard found us, stuck us on a boat, and pushed us here. I found them once we arrived. They've been taking care of us," I said, making Declan look at the two of them, "Thank you," he nods.
The man speaks, making Declan look confused.
"He's saying "welcome"," I said, making Declan nod to the man again. I encourage Declan to sit and eat, seeming to grow excited that he was finally awake. "The young girl's name is Emily, or at least that's what I call her. This is her uncle, her parents died many years ago."
Declan eats, listening to every word I have to say.
"Did you carry me here?" He asked me confused, seeming shocked. It's then that it clicks, "You don't remember?" Declan doesn't answer. "You, somehow, managed to help me carry you. It was hard and my wound opened up again, but we made it this far.
As if at hearing the words, Declan is quick to touch my side, making me smile. "It's fine, the uncle wrapped it up again. In fact, it seems to be healing faster than when Emberly wrapped it." My hands take one of his, squeezing it in a comforting matter.
Once Declan has finished eating, the uncle hands him a stick and two rocks. Seeming to understand what the uncle meant by this action, Declan takes the items and examines them. He uses one of the rocks to sharpen the other while he stick lays in his lap.
It isn't until he's half-way done do I realize he's making an ax.
I sit next to him, sharpening the knife I made when I first got here. Our voices were silent as we worked. The littler girl seems captivated by our actions while the uncle stood up.
Grabbing a large fur coat, the uncle stands over Declan. I lightly elbow him, causing him to stop, look at me, before looking at the uncle.
Declan sits down the items before standing up, his height overshadowing the uncle. The man nods for him to turn around, helping Declan as he slips on the large white coat. It fits him perfectly.
The Uncle nods and says a few things, smiling in approval. He says something to his niece who nods and rushes over to the side of the tent. She picks up a spear, walking it over to her uncle. He takes it before looking at Declan. He nods to the spear then motions for him to follow him outside.
Once the uncle disappears from the tent, Emily walks over to Declan and speaks. He bends down to her level, "Pardon me?"
"She says you look like her father," I said, one of my arms resting on my leg. Declan looked over at me, smiling slightly as I shrugged. "I've picked up on a few things while you were asleep."
Declan's smile grows and he turn back to the hid, giving her a small pat on the head before disappearing outside.
"Wait here," I said to the young girl, not wanting her to get hurt. I stood up, holding my knife tightly in my hand as I made my way out of the tent.
Declan and the uncle are standing near-by the opening while two rabbits hop around. The uncle points to the rabbits before holding out the spear to Declan. Similar to my actions, Declan shakes his head and says, "Knife. Do you have a knife?"
The uncle understands him and reached into his coat, pulling out a knife before handing it over to him. Declan looks over the knife, flipping it in his hands before throwing it. The blade rushes through the air so fast that it seems to have disappeared until it hits the rabbit's head.
Nodding and smiling impressively, the uncle turns to Declan.
I can't help myself as I stand next to Declan and flip my knife in my hand. I do the same movement, having the same outcome with the second one.
My head turned to the two men, both of them smiling before we all break into a small laugh. I don't even remember the last time I laughed, or even heard Declan laugh. It brightens my heart to hear the sound.
The uncle walks over, grabbing the two dead rabbits before carrying them inside. Seeing as the hunt was over, Emily runs out of the tent with a giggle. I'm quick to follow, chasing her around in circles as her laughs seems to bring out the sun.
A large smile reaches my own face as I chase her, eventually catching her in my arms and lifting her over my head. She giggle, making me giggle as well before putting her down. As I stand up straight, I meet Declan's eyes as he watches me. He's now sat on the log outside of the tent, watching with an admiring smile and eyes.
Even though I've been married for years, Declan Harp still finds a way to make me blush. And this was one of those moments.
I let Declan be for a bit and finish making the hut, finishing it just as the sun rested over the icy hills. There was a small fire in the tent, keeping the heat in and the cold out. Some of the furs I didn't use laid on the ground while I used the furs that Rivard gave to us to cover us up.
Declan has stripped himself of his jacket before laying on the furs. I finish feeding the fire before slipping off my own jacket and sighing.
"The fire should last through the night," I commented before crowing underneath the furs and lying next to Declan. He's quick to wrap his arm around me and pull me closer, making my head lay on his chest.
He starts to play with my hair as he talks, "I never said thank you, for saving me."
I smile and start to run my fingers over his chest, "That's what husbands and wives do. They take care of each other."
There is a long silence as Declan's movements come to an end, making me wonder if he's fallen asleep. But when he sucks in a huge breath, I know that he's still awake and wants to say something.
"I want to try again," He says, making my eyes scrunch in confusion. I tilt my face to look at him, making him look down at me. "I want another kid. Seeing you with that little girl, it made me realize how much I still want a child. I'll never forget Moon, and no child could ever replace him..."
Before Declan can carry on, I cut him off with my lips. He kisses me back, sitting up slightly before I pull away.
In all of my years, I never thought I'd hear those words leave Declan's mouth. Now that he's saying them, I realize how much I want a child too. Being here, with Emily, it seems to have brought the mother side of me out.
I smile slightly as I move my eyes from his lips to his face, "I do too."
Declan smiles at my words before leaning in and kissing me again. He flips me over so I'm on my back, making me giggle before kissing him again.