Chapter Text
Not that Arthur wanted to admit it, but he was lost. The trail was long gone at this point and it felt like he was trapped in the middle of a wasteland. Steering his horse to a dilapidated wooden fence, he came to a stop. It was obvious this was a property line, but the danger of trudging across a stranger's land far outweighed the danger of wandering around aimlessly. Especially since he was not only low on supplies but low on bullets now too.
It was a risk he had to take, so he directed his horse past two broken posts and headed for what he hoped would be the home of a kindly person. He wasn't looking for handouts but to be pointed back in the right direction would be a god send.
The dry dirt kicked up with every step his horse took. He had heard this area was experiencing a drought but this was far worse than the idle talk he overheard. There was a quick juxtaposition that interrupted his thoughts, splashing, and what sounded to be a woman’s laugh.
It would be best not to approach on horseback so he slid down to guide his horse over to the pond. The side he was on was tall enough to block from view that there was water at all, it looked more like a hill with sad looking trees and overgrown bushes. As he came around, the hill sloped down and he could see dried mud cracks leading to what little water was left in the pond. Algae filled and ripe with deep cow prints.
He stopped to watch as the woman by the pond had yet to notice him. Her dark hair was sitting messily at the top of her head with ringlets hanging down, her dress was plain, and the hem was caked in mud as if she had been in the water herself. She was currently tossing a stick into the water for her hound to chase after. A tall lanky dog with oddly long legs.
Not wanting to remain lurking any longer, he called out.
“Excuse me ma’am.”
Her reaction was far from calm as she whipped her head to his direction. He could see the instant fear on her face as she called her dog to her side and took up the rifle that was leaned against a tree. The rifle that he hadn’t noticed.
Arthur took a tentative step forward with his hands up, letting the reign of his horse go so she knew he wasn't planning anything.
“That’s close enough!” She yelled out. “I may not be a good shot but this mutt here has taken down men far bigger than you.” She warned. Arthur’s eyes moved to the dog in question, he was chomping his jaws in excitement at the prospect of being commanded to attack. Being mauled by a dog was not high on his list of things he wanted to befall him.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. I was following a trail a few miles back but lost the darn thing and I find myself not sure of where I am.” He started his explanation.
“Lost the trail my ass. You are clearly trespassing!”
“Didn’t have much choice, there’s nothing around here and I ran into some unfriendly folk. When I saw the property fence I was hoping to find the owner and get my bearings back.”
She lowered the gun slightly. “The area is lousy with gangs and bandits. If you ran into them you wouldn’t be here. So not sure I believe you, mister.”
“Oh, I can handle myself. I’m here, they aren't anymore.” Giving her a shrug he let his hands rest on his hips, not seeing the need to keep them raised any longer. What he said piqued her interest.
“What’d they look like?” She had to be sure, if he was telling the truth she had to know which gang he dealt with.
“What’d they look like?” He repeated, but she didn’t elaborate. “They all had black bandanas on. Is that what you mean?”
At that she let out a huff of a laugh, not a mirthful one, but one of sheer disbelief.
“You’re tellin’ me that you took out the entire Cooper Gang?” The gun was now at her side, aimed at the ground.
“I wasn’t sure what the name was, they didn’t seem too keen on exchanging pleasantries, but yeah, that’s what I’m tellin’ you.”
At first she seemed amused, but then she was chewing at her bottom lip.
“Had they been giving you trouble?” Arthur asked, far too familiar with the worried look that overtook her face.
“You could say that… them and the Hawkins’ Gang, or I reckon they’re the McCoy Gang now since that no good lout Seth took over.” She grimaced.
“I could have assumed I was doing the world a favor by what I did… But I’m sorry to hear you’ve gone through that. You’re… not alone out here are you?” By the way she was fidgeting with her skirt, something was still wrong.
“No, my husband is up at the house.” She eyed him cautiously. “To be honest, having one gang gone only gives the other free range. No one will contest the McCoy’s now… they have been fighting each other about who gets to claim this land.” She huffed her annoyance, the arrogance of the gangs thinking they had any claim on what wasn’t theirs had her sneering.
“They want the land?”
“Seth’s gang has been up here with their demands and threats… I wouldn’t put it past them to send up a handsome smooth talker to get my guard down.” She pulled the gun back up to rest in the crook of her elbow.
Not very trusting, and with good reason, but Arthur only took one thing away from what she just said.
“Handsome?” He cocked a dark eyebrow at her, Lifting his chin a bit. The movement had the sun casting down on his eyes as the brim of his hat was no longer shading them. Even from the distance she was at she could see how very blue they were.
“I accuse you of bein’ a liar and that’s all you heard?” A lovely smirk had taken up residence on her face.
“My apologies ma’am.” He grinned, took his hat off and gave her a bow. That at least got her to smile wider.
“I would say you seem harmless, but that’s not true now is it?”
“Harmless to you.” He answered sincerely, placing his hat back in its place. “And, if it’s not too bold, I’d like to offer my services. Seein’ as I caused you more grief by killing that gang.”
“Your services?” She questioned, her brows pulling together.
“If you know where that other gang is hiding out, I can take care of them.”
“Now wait just a minute,” she came up closer to him, her dog raising his head from where he had laid down to assess the situation. “The McCoy Gang is just about twice the size… you’d be a dead man!”
“And if nothing gets done, then what? The law men gonna to handle it?”
She looked off to the side, all but giving him his answer. He had to admit she had a point. Going into their stronghold would be stupid.
“If your husband agrees to it, I can stay here for a bit. Give you all some peace of mind and make a plan to take care of your problem.”
“Husband? Oh… I may not have been so honest about that. Not bright to let a stranger know I’m here alone but I’ll accept your offer.” She gave him a nod, holding out her hand for him to shake it, which he did with a grin.
“You manage all this land by yourself?” He asked, surprised but undoubtedly impressed.
“My daddy left it to me when he died. It's hard work, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. And I’m sure as hell not letting those idiots take it from me.” She brandished the rifle.
“You any good with that gun?”
“I am actually. Didn’t want you to know that at the time.” A sly smile spread across her lips.
“You’re not very trusting are you?”
“I can’t afford to be.”
“Smart.”
That had her blushing and looking away. That gruff voice of his ringing in her ears.
“I’m Arthur, by the way, Arthur Morgan.” Once she looked back at him, he tipped his hat at her.
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lucy Wilder.”
They gave each other a nod, though it was obvious she was still a tad weary. She dusted off her skirt and called her dog over to her.
“Alright. It’s a bit of a walk back to the house.” She spoke as she turned to start guiding him.
“I do have a horse y’know.”
Lucy looked back to eye the stallion, a brownish red horse who seemed well tempered. But riding a horse in a skirt was hard enough without a whole other person to contend with. Arthur got up in the saddle, stroking the horse's neck.
“This is Rusty. Might not be the most comfortable ride but there's enough room.” He gave her a nod and extended his hand to help her up. Once she was up and situated, both her legs draped to one side and the rifle secured in between them, she held onto Arthurs waist, locking her hands across his stomach as the horse began to trot along.
Trying her hardest not to focus on the very sturdy feeling of him and the way he smelled like campfire smoke and gunpowder, she decided to fill him in a little more.
“I’m not sure the gangs were aware of my being here alone until recently. That's when things started to get worse. Luckily they had to fight each other first… I was just stuck in the middle.”
“I threw off the balance a little, my apologies.”
“You didn’t know. It still amazes me you not only took them out but survived. Are you some kind of bounty hunter?”
“You could say that. Really it was self defense. Them or me. What’s the deal with this McCoy gang? They’ve been threatening you?” He heard a heavy sigh come from behind him and her grip tightened.
“Three days back Seth came to tell me how things were gonna go… I told him to shove it where the sun don't shine. Since then… every night they come with torches and ride around hollerin’ to get me scared. They want to wear me down… and it’s working.” She leaned her head against his back. The amount of sleep she’d lost was adding up and maybe it was completely stupid to trust this stranger, but something told her it would all work out.
“The law won't step in?” The anger laced his voice as he white-knuckled the reins.
“Seth is smart. By all accounts all he’s done is threaten me. They haven't actually laid a hand on me or my property but it’s coming… Seth has made it clear what he plans to do.”
Rusty came to a stop near the barn and the pair unloaded. As Arthur latched the reins to a post, he spoke with a frown.
“And what are his plans?”
“He doesn’t just want my land, he wants me too… something about securing his bloodline. It’s nonsense, he’s lost his damn mind.” She wanted to brush it off, but the look on Arthur’s face solidified that her fears were not unfounded.
Arthur responded with four simple words.
“Not on my watch.”