The Gambler's Ruin - (Closed)

Perhaps it was because she'd been exhausted for days and the whole new twist and drahma of things, mixed with alcohol had left Katherine completely spent, but that night, Katherine slept deeply. Her body didn't twitch or move, her mind sinking deep into the dark abyss of nothingness.

Something woke her in the early morning hours though. She wasn't sure what it had been, but for a moment a little panic set in as she realized she wasn't in her own room. Then memories of the night before flooded her and she slowly sat up, holding the sheets to her chest as she glanced around, still feeling half asleep and yawning behind a hand.

"Morning...I think."

Martin had been up for just a little over an hour and had been busy packing his things, getting ready to go as quietly as he could so as not to disturb Katherine's sleep. He looked up and smiled at her, nodding. "Morning Katherine, you slept well?" He asked. He was in a fresh set of cloths, pressed and clean and he wore a hint of musk. He'd also shaved off his stubble. "We've got about an hour before we gotta be going if you feel like freshinging up or getting a bite to eat."

She nodded and stifled a yawn, a little surprise at how he'd cleaned up. No longer did he look like a scruffy gunslinger, but instead a distinguished business man stood in his place. She blinked a few times and shook her head, then pulled her shawl around herself again.

"Yes, thank you. I slept wonderfully."

Today was the day. Feeling a little anxious, she vanished behind the changing screen. A fresh bowl of water was waiting on her and she quickly stripped and washed herself as best as she could without a tub. Feeling refreshed, Kate then pulled out her plainest dress. The dark blue frock covered her body up fully, demure and nothing to brag about, but at least she didn't feel like a working girl.

With her hair pulled back and braided, she emerged looking prim and proper and a lot fresher. Her face had been scrubbed clean, making her look a lot younger than the night before. Vulnerable and innocent.

"Have you eaten?" She asked him, clasping her hands together.

Martin finished packing the last of his things as Katherine went and changed. He slung his pack over his shoulder just as she came out from behind the screen. He looked up and did a double take but didn't comment.

"Not yet, no, lets see about getting us something to eat before we head out. Got your stuff, Kate?" He asked, opening the door for her. The barkeep looked up from his chores as they came down the stairs and smiled. "Morning Mr. Elsworth." He greeted Martin. "It seems the sheriff recognized you last night. If'n I'd known I had the best horse breeder in the west in my humble saloon, i'd have been much more accomodating. My appologies."

Martin raised his hand and shook his head. "No need to put on air's sir, but might I trouble you for one more meal for the lady here, and I? A nice big one, we've got several day's ride ahead of us." The barkeep nodded veheminately. "Oh, of course, Mr. Elsworth, anything you'd like, sir." The keep ducked into the kitchen without another word. Martin just shook his head and sighed as he went to a table and pulled out a chair for Katherine.

Katherine was nervous. They were out in the open where anyone could recognize her. Without her makeup, she did indeed look like a totally different person, but Wilson would know.

Sitting at the table with Martin, she shifted and looked around and clasped her hands together to keep from fidgeting. "Um...aren't you worried he might see us?" She asked in a hushed tone.

Sitting across from her, he looked comfortable in his own skin and self assured. While she felt like a bit of a frump. Small, delicate, with a few pounds to gain and an almost child like innocent despite her not so glorious past with Wilson. almost blushed under his gaze, wondering what he thought of her now. Her skin was clear and pale, her big blue eyes just as expressive with finely arched brows. Her lips once a crimson red were soft and pink and natural.

"Nope..." Martin said simply, looking up into Katherine's big blues. He sighed and shrugged. "S'pose it's time to come clean. That tussle I had last night... It was with Wilson. I put him out and the sheriff came along to drag him back to a cell for the night. He was drunk and ornery, messing with the girls and broke a table to get at me. They won't be letting him out of his cell at least until noon. By then, I hope to be long gone from here. We'll have at least five hours lead on him if he gets it in his head to chase after us." The barkeep brought them both a heaping plate full of breakfast food and Martin dug right in.

Despite the way they had met and what she had initially thought, Katherine was starting to quickly see that Martin was a good man. He was also apparently well known and highly thought of, which eased the tension between her shoulders.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that with him. Wilson isn't a nice drunk." Gazing down at her food, she sighed softly. It smelled and looked wonderful. She didn't waste time eating up, knowing she would need her strength and energy. "I doubt we've seen the last of him. I am his wife. He has the papers to prove it and I was the one keeping his odds fairly high. Now you're taking me away, he's going to be furious."

She drank several gulps of her milk, wanting to be fair to him. He'd already done so much for her. "Are you sure about this? I want to escape, badly! But I don't want to bring trouble to your door, Martin. I would understand if you left me here."

Martin cracked a smile and leaned forward. "To be honest, I don't think he's all that nice sober either. Like I said, he don't deserve you. I'm doing this as much for my own conscience as for your safety, Kate. You know, he don't have to have those papers, you still got the key to his room, we could find them and burn them... Or, if you like, we could be honest folk and get an official to march right over to the jail house and get the two of you devorced while he's still in lockup. Now, I know he's gonna be furious, and I'm ready to handle that, when the day comes, but it ain't going to be today, no matter which way you look at it."

Martin ate some more and looked up, wiping his lips. "Its really up to you now, however you'd like to play it, we're in this together and I'll back your move. In any matter, when we ride out of here, I've got a plan. And unless blind luck is on his side, Wilson ain't never gonna find us no how. Speaking of... Barkeep!" Martin called, raising his hand. The keeper was over in a flash. "Yes Mr. Elsworth, is there something I can do for you?" The Keeper asked. "Yeah..." Martin slipped a wad of bills into the Keeper's vest pocket. "Forget my name, I don't want no one sniffing around, looking for me, you got that?" Martin patted the man's pocket. "Least of all the drunk from last night." The keeper looked curiously at the two of them and smiled. "I hear ya... Stranger." He nodded and left them to their meal.

Katherine finished up her breakfast as best she could, but there was entirely too much on her plate and her stomach wasn't used to eating regularly. She didn't want to face Wilson today...didn't want to look at him. "I'd rather burn the papers." She told him softly, looking away from his even stare. She knew he knew full well what Wilson was capable of. He was a bastard through and through.

With relief Kate watched him pay off the barkeep and after letting their food settle, Kate led him back to the room. The both searched around, rummaging through his things. Finally Kate located the papers under his clothes, at the bottom of one suitcase and handed them over to Martin, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Can we go now?" she asked him anxiously. "I really don't want to spend another hour in this place."

"Fair enough, Kate, we'll burn the papers." Martin said with a slight smile, touching her hand lightly to show his support. He followed her back to her room and helped her search, careful not to disturb things any more than they had to. "No sense in tipping him off that we went digging for things here." Martin explained. He politely took the papers from her when she offered them and rolled them up, tying them with a piece of twine he had on him. "You're trembling, Kate..." He whispered, drawing closer to her.

He took her anxious reply to mean she didn't need consoling and stepped back, nodding. "Sure thing, Kate, lets go." He led the way out to his horses. The one he went up to was chestnut brown with a white spot on its brow. It turned and sniffed at Martin's aproach. "This is Cael, he's mine." He hooked his bag to his saddle and put the papers in his saddle bag.

Taking Kate's hand, he led her around in front of a second horse. She was a perlino with a soft, light, almost white coat and striking blue eyes. "And this is Ceridwen, you'll be riding her, so you two get acquainted." Martin said as he stepped back to let the magic happen between the two of them.

She was trembling and she felt foolish when he tried to comfort her and she almost balked. He had been nothing but kind to her and she should have welcomed his warmth and solidness.

Finally out into the fresh air, she sighed, feeling herself relax a little. He'd taken the papers and she felt better knowing that they were out of Wilson's possession. But the horses were what truly seemed to brighten her morning. "Oh, she's beautiful." Katherine breathed and beamed a smile up at Martin before stepping closer to the mare.

In truth, Kate knew nothing about horses other than people rode them and they were used for various labors. But she loved animals, big or small. The pretty mares eyes gazed at Kate calmly, her head turning slightly as she took in her scent and made a little snuffling sound that Katherine found adorable. She giggled softly, tentatively reading up to touch her mane in a gentle caress.

There was no protest from the horse, instead, the big animal only nuzzled closer, almost butting her head into Katherine's bosom and drawing out another laugh from the petite brunette. "She's a sweetheart."

"She sure has taken to you. I'm a mite bit jealous." Martain said with a broad smile as he stepped in and patted Ceridwen's side. "Here, let me help you up on her. Just slip your left foot in the stirup and throw your right leg over her back." Martin opened his hands to lift Kate up by her waist. "Flick the reigns to speed her up, tug on them to slow her down and you can guide her left or right by nudging her with the opposite knee while you're on her." He instructed as he helped her up. "If you panic, just call out 'woah', that will slow her to a stop as well. Lets see how you do?" Martin went around and untied Ceridwen and handed Kate the reigns.

She flushed with pleasure and smiled, continuing to pet her new 'friend' until finally Martin helped her up into the saddle. She felt as though she was miles high up in the sky and took a moment to settle herself.

"As long as you're sure she's not going to throw me."

He gave her a look that said that would be highly unlikely and she blew out a breath and relaxed, taking a hold of the reigns. "Ok...I've ridden a little before." She assured him, but it had been many years. The stables had a small corralled area and Martin guided them in there, letting Kate get a feel for the horse. She took to it like a fish to water, relaxing with every passing moment until her body moved with the horse, fluidly and she was beaming again. "I think I got it!"

Martin clapped his hand as she drew up beside him, where he leaned against the fence. "It looks like you have. You ride like a natural. I'm gonna tell you now, though, you're gonna be sore tonight cause we're gonna be riding all through the day. I've got a sheep skin you can sit on, that will minimize any chafing you might get, but you're thighs are gonna be aching until you get used to the saddle."

Martin took the reigns and led them out of the corral. He pulled out the sheep skin from his saddle bag and brought it over to her. "Lift up, and I'll slide it under you. You can adjust it how you like." He instructed. That done, he went back to Cael and climbed on, wheeling him up beside Kate and Ceridwen. "I'll lead, Ceri will follow along without much guidence." Martin looked down at Kate's hips. "You comfortable?" He asked.

Kate nodded, feeling good up in the saddle. "I think I'll be fine."

He seemed pleased with that answer and secure that she would stay in the saddle. Ceri did indeed follow behind Cael with a gentle numb of her knee. Bemused, she relaxed in the saddle and went with the flow. No one paid them any mind as they traveled out of the small town and soon found themselves alone heading out of town.

Kate breathed a sigh of relief and basked in the warm sunlight as it warmed her face. She felt free...even if she was depending on another man to care for her for a while.

Martin led them south, out of town and rode about an hour until they came to a babbling brook. "We're going to take our horses down the stream a few hundred feet or so and loop back around. If Wilson manages to follow our tracks, which I kind of doubt he can, he'll lose our trail here. Its best to be safe than sorry. We'll ride west for about seven hours and look for a place to pitch camp. I've got beans and jerky to share, and we can forage for some berries, maybe catch some small game before dark. Sound good?"

Anything far away from Wilson sounded good. She didn't care if she had to pitch tent for a week, a month, a year! This was a new adventure and she was in no way going to complain. “Sounds like fun.” She told him from behind, wondering what interesting things she could be learning from Martin. Foraging for berries. She remembered picking berries with her mother, but those had been planted and used when the berries were ripe for pies and other goodies her mother made for the family and also sold for extra money.

“I've never hunted before...do you think you might be able to teach me how to shoot sometime?” She asked curiously, wondering if he would trust her with a weapon. She certainly would feel a lot safer if she knew how to use such things. A gun, a knife, her fists. She snorted to herself, looking down at her small pale hands.

Martin rode Cael down into the stream and they carefully picked their way down stream for awhile as Martin continued to chat with Katherine. "I'd be happy to show you how to shoot. Didn't much think you'd be interested though. We can stop a little earlier in the evening to do that, I think. I can show you a little bit with a knife and a rope too, if you like."

They climbed back up out of the stream and Martin changed directions, heading to the west. "Until then we could pass the time sharing stories, if you're amiable to it, Kate. I'd like to get to know you better and I'm sure you've got your curiosities bout me." Martin offered as he slowed up enough for Kate to ride side by side with him.

She smiled at his kindness again and nodded slightly. "I want to learn all that you have to show me."

She was entirely surprised that he was curious, but she wasn't sure where to begin. "Well...I'm not sure where to start. I don't believe my life is all that interesting...not truly. Just a run of bad luck, but...I think that might be changing. At least I hope."

Glancing over, she studied his profile, enjoying the shift of the horse under her body. "Have you always been a horse breeder?"

"Nah... I used to be a no good, low down horse thief... Till I stole from the wrong person... Got shot in the leg for it too." Martin looked over at Kate and smiled. "Was the best thing that ever happened to me, I'd be dead today I think, if it hadn't. And if not dead, then a miserable old fool waiting for death t'come for me." He chuckled over the confused look Kate gave him.

"I was young, just a kid really when my own parents died. Had no one left to take care of me, so I had to learn hard and fast on my own. So I took to stealing stray travelers horses and selling them. I ain't proud of it, and I can't imagine the harm I must of done t'all the innocent folk I left t'walking. I just pray I didn't leave nobody t'die. So anyway, I saw this woman with long, fiery red hair riding alone one day."

"I followed her to a pond where she went bathing, she wasn't more'n an hours walk from her home. While she was swimming I snuck up an tried to take off with her horse, but it whinnied before I could get anywhere near her. The woman got to the bank and pulled a gun out of her pile of cloths as I jumped on her horse and plugged me a good one in the thigh."

"I kicked the horse into action, but she just called out once and that mare just turned right back around and trotted right back up to her... Didn't ya Ceri?" Martin asked with a chuckle, reaching out to scratch Ceridwen's ear. Ceridwen whinnied and snuffled in response.

"Anyway, not only did the red head let me live, she took me under her care and brought me back to her home where her daughter cleaned dressed my leg wound... A little grudgingly, I must admit, when she heard what I'd done. I learned her mother's name, Maeve but it took me a full three months before I learned her's... Maeridd." Martin fell silent and looked away. "Do me a favor and tell me something about you now, Kate, please?" Martin said after a moment, his voice tight with barely controled emotion.

Kate...she liked the way he said her name. Not Katherine like Wilson. Always so formal. Always speaking to her as though she were being scolded. Like a child. Only Katherine had grown up before her time, just like Martin. She saw the brief flash of grief cross his face before he looked away and asked her to tell her something about herself.

"I was an only child." She began, clearing her throat. "We had a happy family. My parents..." She smiled wistfully, remembering them. "They loved each other very much. Mama always had a smile to share. She was always tending to the house and baking things. She loved to bake. Papa was a farmer, but did well for himself. We never went without food and Mama liked to cell her goods in town for extra coin. She had a sweet tooth and anytime she could, she would take me with her and take me to the candy shop. It's a wonder the woman wasn't a big woman to be honest." She laughed at the thought, "But she was a petite woman....anyway...when they died, I went to my Uncle's house. He was a good man, but had no idea how to raise a little girl. It didn't matter for long because he was soon gone and then, well...you know about Wilson."

Blowing out a breath, she smiled again. "I guess we have a little bit in of common. Sort of...do you like sweets?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood. Part of her ached to reach out and hug him tight and tell him it would be alright. How she'd wished someone had done that to her time and time again.

"Seems like we do..." Martin said giving her a smile. "Seems like we do." He repeated with a nodd. He seemed to think about her question for a moment. "Candy, you mean? It's too sweet for my taste. Or stuff like cakes and pasteries? I can enjoy a nice warm pie every so often. I don't mind hot coaco or cider on a cold night either. What kind of sweets do you like Kate?"

A smile spread over her lips quickly. "What does everyone woman love of course? Chocolate." She laughed softly. "But I do have a fondness for pastries as well. Probably because Mama made so many and they were all so good. I'll have to make you some one day. I still remember most of her recipes. Applie pie is easy enough."

They chit chatted idlely for a while longer, then fell into a comfortable silence, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts until the sun began to dip and Martin suggested breaking for camp. By this time, Kate's bottom was starting to get a little sore, so she was eager to get down, stretch and take care of personal business as well.

Martin found them a nice place with a copse of trees to break the wind, a spot just clear enough from the trees for a fire and a slow flowing river just a few hundred feet away to wash up in. Martin got off Cael and tied him to a tree then came over to help Katherine off Ceridwen. He went about setting up his tent and asked Kate to gather some dry wood for a fire.

Once the tent was up and they had wood for a fire he looked Katherine over. "How'er you feeling Kate? Kinda sore?" He asked. "Still wanna learn how to wield a gun after we eat?" He asked as he knelt down with flint and tinder to start a fire for the night.

Kate groaned as she was helped off the saddle. Parts of her she didn't even known existed protested, but she didn't complain. Instead she stretched, feeling old aches as well mingling with the new and then set out to fetch him dry wood as he'd asked.

After a little bit of walking, she felt some tension ease out of her legs and felt a little better as she watched him start the fire. "I'd love to learn. I'm sore, but I'll survive." She told him. No point in telling him a lie...he'd soon find out if she started to wince and hobble.

She watched the flames catch and soon a nice fire was going. Smiling, she rolled her shoulders. OH how she would have loved a hot bath to soak, but that would have to wait. Right now it was about surviving and learning how to go about doing just that.