Don't shoot the messenger (open)

[Bog]

The lad knew his business with horses, it seemed. He'd probably been a stable boy before taking the cursed King's shilling. Flowers gritted his teeth and tried to roll onto his back, but his trapped leg would not twist that way. Damn.

"It's out," the dragoon replied. He had at least managed that before Danbury had rolled over. He just had to get the gelding up again, somehow. His strength was returning, blessedly. "I'm going to push against his shoulder. Try to get him wanting to stand and get away from me. Keep those reins clear of his legs."

It was a gamble, but with Danbury settling down, there was a good chance it would work. Flowers tucked himself forward and heaved against the horse's lower shoulder, the one nearest the ground.

[faithfulguardian]

Terrified at the prospect of handling the horse, Danny simply nodded as the American began to push with his free boot against the horse. she clicked her tongue loudly like she had seen many officers do when urging their steeds on and hauled on the extra length of reins. the horse lifted his head and neck off the ground, a feat that seemed amazing considering his weight. it seemed he got a view and a sense of the ground below him and managed to get a foothold.

when the horse was up, there was no stopping his momentum, he scrambled up the side of the hole with Danny in front of him, barely managing to keep ahead, and when she tripped over the edge she had only enough time to roll out of the way of his gigantic hooves before being crushed.

the horse breached the edge of the hole and trotted off, shaking itself off and circling back to paw at the ground by the tree trunk. Danny lay on her back and watched it to make sure it wouldn't come back at her. after making sure he was happy where he was and taking a few shaky breaths, she rolled back to the edge of the hole and put her arms under her chin in a relaxed position.
"Well," she said, lying comfortably on her belly. "I dinnae know aboot yae, but that's not how I intended tae spend the day."

[Bog]

Between the two of them, they were able to get Danbury up. Flowers sank back against the ground, his eyes closed in relief. The weight that had pinned his leg so well was gone, but the limb still felt flattened. That was only natural, he supposed. At least it didn't feel broken.

"Nor me," he said presently, belatedly becoming aware that he was in a very vulnerable position. He could not be sure that this redcoat would remain amiable in his intentions, even though the opportunity for the lad to kill him had partially passed.

Flowers flexed his newly-freed leg and grimaced. It may not be broken but it was damned sore. Riding was not going to be pleasant at all. He opened his eyes, half-expecting to find a knife at his face. To his private surprise, there was none. "What do you intend now?"

[faithfulguardian]

the smile that played on Danny's lips faded, the man had a point. what did she intend? she had saved his leg, now he could stand, walk, and chase after her. the horse was well too. he could ride it. she glanced back, pretending to survey the horse's well being, but really searching for the satchel he had picked up from the stream bed.

"Your beastie seems in a guid state. he'll make it tae wherever yae need tae be." she said, turning back to the American. the instincts were boiling up again inside her after the adrenaline had calmed down. to fight, to flee...or to help.
she raised herself back up and slid down the hole. "If yae can stand up, that is." she extended her hand to help the man up. perhaps the best way to get out of this sort of mess, was to be kind.
"Perhaps now, things being what they are, we could go oor separate ways."
of course...there was always the chance she was wrong.

[Bog]

A careful flexing of his leg caused pain, but it was nothing like as bad as it had been. Perhaps he could indeed stand. Flowers hesitated before accepted the offered hand. In the present circumstances, he could not afford to be high-handed.

"I'm obliged," he said, once he was standing again. It seemed that his leg could bear weight without too much difficulty, which meant he could ride. Now to go their separate ways, indeed. Duty demanded he refuse, but the lad had perhaps earned a pass. This time. It would not do to punish the lad for acting as a good Christian soul should.

"That's a suggestion I can hardly disagree with," Flowers went on after a pause. He would accept whatever consequences were to come after this, when he made his report in Morristown.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny held back a snort when the man was finally standing, she had not noticed it when he was astride his horse, but the man was stocky, and almost a full head shorter than her. even if he could chase after her without his horse, he would have never caught her with those short legs.
She felt her confidence swelling inside when he agreed with her proposition. despite her past experiences with most men, she felt this one might be trustworthy. he seemed like a man of honour.
"Well then, Ah'll bring your ride tae yae." she smiled and shimmied back out of the hole quick as a flash. while he was still out of sight, she pulled the satchel that held her messages from the horses' saddle and over her own shoulder, hiding it mostly behind her back, she hoped the man would not notice, otherwise she was most likely in for another sprint.
the horse, it seemed, had warmed up to Danny and made no fuss when she took hold of it's reins again and lead it to the edge of the hole. it even nudged her shoulder with what she guessed to be affection.
"He's a fine beastie, this. What's his name?" she asked, forgetting for a moment she was conversing with an enemy.

[Bog]

It was unbecoming how relieved he felt at the lad's fetching Danbury for him. By rights, he should retrieve his own mount, since the beast was not terribly far away from him, but the ache in his leg made him grateful to be spared the effort.

"He is called Danbury," Flowers answered. "After the town in which he was born."

And also to constantly keep Flowers in mind of his home, to which he hoped quite fervently to return once this war was at its end.

[faithfulguardian]

Danny nodded and stroked the horse down its' forelock as she waited for the man to climb up the side of the hole. the thought crossed her mind to leave now, while he was not mounted, just in case he was going back to his original thinking of killing or capturing the stray redcoat. but it was a fleeting thought only, and she shook her head and looked back at the horse, who suddenly shook his head as well and snorted, pawing at the ground.
"A fine name tae match. he seems like a fine ride for-" Danny was cut off by a sudden blow to the back of her head. she should have noticed when the horse shook his head in agitation, but she had never learned to read horses. and now she fell to the ground, half conscious of the boy that stood above her with the musket before passing out.

~~~~~~~~~

"Heard your horse's screams from the road," said Nathaniel. "seems I was just in time to stop this thief from stealing him! Private Munroe of the 2nd Massachusetts, at your service sir!" he grinned boyishly and kicked the prone body of the redcoat at his feet. "you'll be wantin' him prisoner I'll bet, I'll tie him up fer ya." he knelt with a length of rope and began wrapping it around the redcoat's wrists. "Can we escort ya anywhere, sir? our platoon was heading back to the regiment camp not far off from here." he said, secretly hoping he sad no.

[Bog]

The gelding was indeed a fine mount and Flowers was quite fond of him - a dangerous thing for a cavalryman, really. But he had raised Danbury from a colt. Feeling an attachment to his horse was impossible to avoid.

"Aye, he is - " but he got no further, for a young man in the brown and red of a Massachusetts regiment appeared nearly out of thin air, swinging his musket at the redcoat. That was... unexpected. Not entirely welcome as well, but Flowers was no fool. He reached up to adjust his helmet, which had been knocked askew. "Thank you, Private. I can manage him once he's restrained. I'd not want to keep you from your deserved rest."

[faithfulguardian]

young Munroe shrugged as the cavalry man thanked him and smirked to himself when the man refused his help, at least now he could head back to the road and on to cooked food and a soft bed. he was never one for doing more work than was absolutely needed, so after checking the knots on the bindings, he threw a salute to the man.
"It's your show Sarge, good luck!" and with that, was off back through the foreboding trees to the welcoming road to civilization.

[Bog]

Good luck. Aye, he'd need that. Flowers returned the infantryman's salute and watched the lad dash off to rejoin his troop. Company. Whatever. Any other time he might have welcomed assistance, but this situation demanded a different approach than what he would usually take.

He waited until he was satisfied that there were no other wandering soldiers near by before sitting carefully down onto a root of the downed tree. The only thing to do now was wait. Wait and keep an eye on Danbury, lest the gelding take it into his head to try lipping at the horsehair crest of Flowers' helmet. Or, more precisely, the leaves that were tangled up in it.

[faithfulguardian]

the strike that had come to the back of Danny's head had not been hard, and she did not stay unconscious for long. At least, that's what she thought when she finally opened her eyes. the sun was in the same general area and had not sunk too low towards to horizon, and the horse she had so recently been watching was still standing by the log, watching her this time. giving a low groan, she raised a hand to try and feel the back of her head where she was sure a lump was beginning to grow, but suddenly found that her hand was tied to the other.
sitting up, she scanned the area while trying to pull her wrists from the bindings, but there was no assailant to be seen, all she found was the American cavalryman who sat on the fallen tree roots near his steed.
"And here I thought I had found the one man in the American army worth trusting." she spat. "Turns oot yae are all the same."

[Bog]

Fortunately, the lad did not take long to come awake again. Flowers had been prepared to wait as long as necessary but was happy enough to not have to wait for long. The lad's reaction was not unexpected either, all things considered.

"Perhaps," the sergeant said, regarding the boy impassively. "But you will notice there is no one else around any longer. That may count for something, surely."

He reached a gloved hand for the short knife he kept stowed in his boot. This could very well prove to be a mistake that he'd regret later. But he could not let this boy stay a prisoner in any capacity. If nothing else, he did owe the redcoat. "Can you remain amiable, do you think?"

[faithfulguardian]

Scoffing, Danny eyed the knife the man held in his hand. "I think we've gone a bit past amiable. Yae'd be lucky if I was even close to cooperative at this point." she answered angrily "Ah'm not going anywhere with yae without a fight, yae ken? especially any type of fort of yours."

with a sniff of contempt, she sat there on the ground and waited for the American to make his move. he had the weapon in his hand, but that didn't mean she wouldn't fight him.

[Bog]

He had expected something like that. "You can fight if you want," said Flowers evenly, "but I don't intend to take you anywhere. Besides. If I meant to take charge of as a prisoner, I would not have a mere knife in hand."

Hopefully the lad would not resist, or else Flowers might cut him by mistake while severing the rope about the redcoat's wrists. Such an occurrence would only delay his departure from this spot further and leave him open to more potential trouble. He'd already spent too much time here as it was.

[faithfulguardian]

sitting quietly for a moment, Danny stared at the American, looking for any sign that he might be lying. but there was none. grudgingly, she stood up and held out her bound wrists to his blade.
"you understand my hesitation, sir, we Scots are not very trusting folk." She said, not unkindly.

[Bog]

Clearly not, but that was hardly Flowers' concern. He cut through the rope with a single quick slice, then tucked the knife away again. No sense in keeping it in hand and giving the lad an opportunity to wrest it away somehow.

"In present circumstances, that's more than understandable," he remarked and stepped back. They could both now go their separate ways. Hopefully.