Brotherhood? (For FaithfulGuardian but still open)

[rebellioustory]

Bee sighed heavily plotting herself on a hay bale pulling the musket tool out of her cartridge box carefully unscrewing her weapon apart to clean it. She got up to the fire, grabbed a pewter mug, and poured boiling water from the pot into it. She returned to the gun and poured the scalding water down the barrel sending a stream of dirty water out of the small hole at the lock, which was now removed. She repeated these actions until the water coming from the gun was cleaned all the while trying not to vomit. The thought of ending someone else's life quite literally made her sick to her stomach yet she didn't want anyone to see that, particularly her new friends James and Danny. They were both so great and she had to be pulled out of several near death situations. She recalled the Grenadier corporal's scowl and dismissal as though she was some street urchin, the light leaving some rebel's face, the fear she had when she charged in. Her lower lip began to quiver so she bit it as she took an old rag from her bag and began cleaning the rest of the musket's parts trying to make them as presentable looking as possible. It finally dawned on her she didn't have her canteen and her shoulders slumped even more. Oh, I could not have been THAT bad... she said screwing the parts back in, After all, I did save Danny, charge into a crazy melee, and nearly get my brains blown out! she took off her foraging cap which now had a small hole in the center, Missed me by THAT much! she couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied that she fought and pulled her act together as best as she could. She looked at her now dirtied trousers and hands, The hands of a soldier, not a lady. I guess this means that I'm a soldier now. she chuckled a bit at the silly notion of the "Dread Brotherhood" she created out of nowhere to try to ease her nerves. Little did they know one of the three was a sister!

She got up and dusted herself off with a newfound sense of confidence then went back into the tent to put away her haversack, cartridge box, bayonet belt, regimental, and gun. She came across the shaving mirror she was issued, picked it up, then giggled, "I do not look like a soldier! I look like a beggar child!" she said looking at her dirtied face, and once existent braid that had now framed her face, "If he could only see me now..." she said putting it back in her bag imagining how her husband would react to her "bravery"... She knew without a doubt he would be proud of her so she bucked up a bit and returned to the camp fire.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny had finished reporting everything to her superior, made sure Tey was still in the camp and cleaned off her rifle when she saw the young Private Bee sitting by himself at a campfire, she had a strange felling about the lad, something wasn't quite right. she shrugged to no one in particular and walked over, feeling light after taking off all her weapons but the sghian dubh in her belt.

"how yae feeling Bumbee?" she asked, using the new nickname she had picked for the lad, she doubted the lad knew it meant 'mess-up' in Scottish. "this was the first time yae killed a man wasn't it?" she noticed the cut on the boy's arm, still unattended. "better let me have a look at that, lad, take yer shirt off." she moved closer to see the cut.

[rebellioustory]

She laughed a bit when Danny called her "Bumbee". She didn't know what it meant, but it sounded silly and it probably meant she was silly... Which she was without a doubt. She stood up to join her new friend then picked out a piece of straw and began folding it into little shapes. She looked down at her feet when Danny asked if that was the first time she had ever killed, "Aye..." she replied, "All my life, I was told not to hurt anyone, especially as a surgeon's apprentice, and yet... here I is a soldier." she tried picking up on some of the less refined speech she came across listening to other soldiers, "I do not want to hurt no one, I just want... well... I just wanted an adventure and to serve King and Country, yet I guess killing is part of doing that duty." she had never killed anything in her life; accidentally killing spiders saddened her. She never possibly imagined killing another human being, "I guess it is that instinct that keeps us soldiering on, huh?" she threw the piece of straw into the fire then shrugged, "Twas either them or me and I do enjoy living." she said with a smile.

Danny then asked about the wound and suggested she remove her shirt to get a better look at it. She flinched then a startled look played across her face, "Erm, can we not just roll up my sleeve here? Or better yet, just let it heal! Tis always a good thing to let bad blood out, especially after a battle after my blood has been boiling!" oh no! Not good! NOT GOOD!

[faithfulguardian]

Danny furrowed her brow when Bumbee became awkward and shy. she laughed "Calm down, Lad, Ah'm not gonna eat yae." she shook her head and smiled, then paused.
Of course.
The dainty fingers, the small build, the oversized coat. Danny added it all up. squeaky voice when scared, jumpy at the mention of taking the shirt off. Private Bee was just like her, two years behind.
"A surgeon's apprentice yae say? alright, yae can help me with mae cut first then Private Bumbee, let's go in the tent." she stood and walked in, knowing she would be followed. she untied the plaid sash from around her waist and took off the kerchief she had used as a bandage earlier.
even though she knew what Bee was, she still felt anxious about the next bit, she had not revealed herself to anyone since meeting Tey. that was almost 6 months ago, and before that, only Alex knew. Dear Alex, her heart twinged at the thought of her Scottish Lad.
"Dinnae mind the other scars. just old battle wounds." she said as she lifted the tunic over her head, all that was left was the canvas wrap she wore around her chest. her back was still to Bee, and she knew the private was looking at her back, where the scars from Lexington and Concord and the whip of Captain Laurie still lay. she turned, her left arm first, where the cut was, and just above it, the scar left by Captain Morgan's man, a bullet wound worth remembering. then she was face to face with Bee. the wrap not tight enough to not give away what she was.
"what's the matter? never seen another woman in the service before?"

[rebellioustory]

She bit her lip as her heartbeat began quickening, "I appreciate the concern, Danny, but I do not think-" she began calming down when Danny asked to take a look at his wounds, "Oh of course! I can do that!" she said following Danny, "Let me take a look, I'm sure it is not that bad." she said putting the sash at Danny's side of the pile of straw and helping with the waistcoat, "Wait a minute..." it finally dawned on her, too. She small size, the higher voice, it all made sense now. She began to giggle then it turned into a laugh, "Aye, I've seen women in the ranks before. I look at one every time I look in the mirror. I did not take you long to figure out yet it makes sense you would figure that out." she was so relieved she wasn't the only one. She took Danny's canteen and removed the kerchief dabbing it in the water and applying it to her arm, "Pray tell me, Danny, but I highly doubt Danny is your real name. Mine is Elizabeth. Elizabeth Gothes." she said cleaning the wound so relieved to find someone like her. She began to wonder who or what she was fighting for. She wanted to know this girl's story, they seemed so close in age. She couldn't have possibly been two years older than this Danny. She couldn't help but feel utterly relieved she wasn't alone.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny felt a wave of relief sweep over her, she hadn't realized how nervous she was until after she let out her held breath.
"Aye, I suppose it takes one tae know one, Elizabeth." she held her arm still while the other girl washed it. "My real name is Margaret McPherson. Daniel was my twin brother before..." she paused...was she ready to tell this story again? it had been four years now since that day, and yet a family member, especially a twin, was hard forgotten. she sighed, yet the only way to remember him was to tell about him.
"I lived on a farm, a sheep farm, in a small glen in the Highlands of Scotland, it was my tae brothers and I and my older brothers wife. when I was 13 an English company came to our home and took some of the herd. my brother, Daniel, tried to protect a lamb, and he was shot and killed." She winced at the memory, staring at the drying blood on her arm. "a year later they came back, demanding that my older brother join the army tae pay for debts owed from the Jacobite rebellion our father was in. I coulnae lose another brother, sae I went instead." she looked at her hands, rough and dirty, "I got here in 74' and Ah've been doing it ever since." she looked at Elizabeth.
"you're lucky to not have been caught yet, I think I'll change your name to Bawbee. it means 'lucky penny'." she smiled."now let's here your story Miss Tory."

[rebellioustory]

"It looks like the bleeding has stopped." she said wringing the kerchief, folding it neatly, then handing it to her. She reached her canvas bag and pulled out a clean handkerchief and tied it around Danny's arm, "It is said that bandages do not have to be clean but I have seen quicker healing in those who do have clean bandages. You will live through this one," she chuckled, "another badge of honour to add to your collection." she said patting Danny's shoulder, "Tis a pleasure to meet you, Margret." she listened carefully as Danny told her tale of what happened to her and how she wound up in the army,"I am dreadfully sorry to hear that." she said offering a hug, the first hug she had given in a long time, "Margret, you are one of the bravest people I have ever met and I have only just met you. That was incredibly brave of you to take the place of your brother." this poor girl has gone through a terrible ordeal and Bee decided she was going to try to make her journey a bit easier. After all, having a friend in the most unlikely of circumstances is probably the best thing to help said unlikely circumstances become more likely... If that made any sense.

She laughed putting her hands on her hips and cocking her head to the side a bit, "Wot? Am I that obvious?" she asked realizing how feminine she actually looked doing that, "I guess you are right! I am fairly lucky!" she smiled then pulled up the bit of twine that held a small ring with a sapphire on it, "I am and always will be a Tory." she said pulling the trinket off her neck, "I come from a Rebel family but I cannot help but love my life the way it was before all this Revolutionary nonsense.You know, I used to think that this Revolution would grant us ladies equal right, but the more I looked at it, the less likely it seemed. I used to be a governess before this. I had a large home filled with paintings, most made by me, I had everything. I met my husband about a year ago and he became my everything. He's a sergeant, actually." she said now feeling rather silly and shallow, "He treated me like an equal, not property, he gave me adventure. I followed the regiment serving as the nurse." she smiled remembering the first time she had ever seen him come back from a battle, "It was defending some fort when I first saw him fall. It was a fairly shallow wound, easy for me to pluck out and easier to heal with proper timing, but that wasn't the point. I saw him fall to a Rebel's gun. Without thinking, I just ran out to try to help him and got hurt in the process." she showed Danny the scar on her side, "That winter garrison, it was decided that I stayed back home and defend it since I did know how to use a gun and there was one propped on the mantle. I went back to teaching children and I was happy with it. I was happy until the rebels came looking for any Loyalist properties to take over or destroy. As you would expect, I put up a fight, but one small woman is not going to fend off a bunch of rebel brutes. I quickly packed up whatever I could find, took some of my husband's clothing, and posed as a boy until I could join the army." she shrugged, "I hope I find him. He would be so proud of what I have done, I just know it. I am sure he'd be delighted to meet you, too, Margret She put the girl's canteen back in her haversack then turned back to her, "Lucky penny, huh? I'm real luck because of you saving my neck more than once back there!"

[faithfulguardian]

Danny scoffed "I'm not brave, not nearly. there are many people braver than I." she lowered her eyes and pulled the tunic over her head again, the soft buckskin was a comfort to her and she smiled "and please, call me Danny, Ah'll not go by Margaret again until I make it home." she went silent as she heard Elizabeth's story. smiling with her, wincing when she showed her the cut, and tightening her jaw when the story of the rebels came up.
"There are things in this world that sick men in this world take pleasure in. it seems both the British and Americans have these men in their service. have you ever found who was responsible for this act on your home?" she picked up the sash and tied it around her waist again, "I'm sure you'll find your husband, I myself have a lad in the army, we were separated not long ago, but I know we will find each other."

[rebellioustory]

She couldn't help but smile at her new friend's humbleness, "You were brave to me." she said shrugging as she sat on the wool blanket on her side of the tent, "All right, Danny, last thing I want to do is get any of us in trouble." she nodded slowly when Danny remarked about the cruelty on both sides, "Aye, it seems both sides seem to think families are spoils of war. I have yet to find out what regiment threw me out of my home, but they all were wearing those hunting frocks." she chuckled, "Well, that does not help. The Continentals do not have much of a uniform so I really could not tell. Besides, I do not really want revenge, I just want life to return to the way it was." she grinned when Danny mentioned having a lad in another regiment, "Well, we must find him, too, in addition to the men who killed your brother." this girl was so noble for taking her older brother's place, it was about time someone said that, "That really was quite noble of you to fight in your brother's place."

[faithfulguardian]

Danny sat across from Bee, smiling at the girl's optimism, then saddened when she spoke of Alex.
"I will find him, I've nae doubt, but in the meantime..I do miss my Dear Alex..." she looked awkwardly to the doorway, staring through the small opening at the trees outside. "And I did find them...I found the man that killed my Daniel...and..." she paused, guilt filling the pit in her stomach. "Well, let's just say you're braver than me in that regard, and more honourable. I took my revenge on him...I got even." she ran a hand through her rough-cut hair, it was getting long again. "I did this for both my brothers. for Duncan and Daniel, to keep one safe and to get revenge on the other."
She shook her head of the memories that came flooding back and looked at Bee, hoping her eyes weren't as watery as they felt.
but enough of me, tell me of your husband, what regiment is he from?"