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ForevaXena's FanFic . . . Breaking
Free
Disclaimer:
This
is an Alt/Uber story. The characters are mine, but they are based on two
women we all know and love. J Content
Warning: There
is none at this time. I will let you if there will be as the chapters
progress. Note:
I
want to think my Beta reader, Pam. Your critiquing is greatly
appreciated. I want to thank my muse for giving me the inspiration for
writing this story. I also would like to dedicate this story to all the
women that lived during the American West. Comments:
I
live for comments. You can send comments to my email. hip2square@yahoo.com
Thanks! ~*~ Translations: “Nosotros
la tomamos con nosotros. Atela entrega y la obtiene en el caballo.” “¿Qué
hace usted? Nosotros no la necesitamos.” “Usted
está hermana equivocada y pequeña. Ella puede ser útil a nosotros.
Ahora móntese su caballo.” Chapter One
April 13, 1874- somewhere between San
Antonio and El Paso, Texas
Elizabeth
Clark had nodded off for the third time. The continuous squeak of the
wheels on the stagecoach kept luring her to sleep. Suddenly they hit a
bumpy terrain that jolted her awake. Her curly blonde hair bobbed from
under her pink silk hat. She coughed from the taste of the dry dust. "Are
you all right, dear?" a deep voice asked from the seat across from
her. "I'm
fine, daddy. My throat is just dry," she answered after clearing
her parched throat. "We
should be stopping soon. I'm sure we'll make it till then," her
father said. He gave her a reassuring smile. Elizabeth
smiled back, and then looked out the open window. The long journey
started at dawn. They were expected to change horses in El Paso.
Elizabeth's father was the former mayor of San Antonio, Texas. They were
traveling farther west, following the Iron Horse to more prosperous
cities. Since she could remember, Elizabeth lived in luxury. She had a
Spanish nanny when they lived in San Antonio and Maria was the closest
thing to a mother to her, since she never got to know her own, as her
mother passed on before she even had a chance to. Elizabeth only knew
her mother by photo. She carried the faded black and white picture in
her hatbox, sitting next to her. Elizabeth
glanced at her father, who was reading. How can he read traveling
like this? She thought to herself. You couldn't tell the difference
between father and daughter, other than their height, of course. They
had the same hay colored hair and the crinkle on the bridge of their
noses when they smiled. But Elizabeth inherited her mother's emerald
green eyes. She also liked to think that she inherited her mother's
personality. As a child, she always got herself in trouble. "You
are a wild mustang that can't be broken in. You're supposed to be a
proper lady. What am I going to do with you?"
Her father used to say to her. She chuckled softly, remembering the
little scamp that she was. Her father didn't punish her, but he didn't
let her get away with everything either. The wild mustang had been held
at bay for too long. It was waiting for someone to break it free. ~*~ A
blue-eyed stranger adjusted the red bandanna, not to keep the dust from
getting the face, but as a disguise. The stranger tightened the strings
of the hat. One boot slipped into the stirrup, grabbing the saddle horn
for leverage, and swung the other leg over. Five other riders with
disguises mounted their horses. The leader rode up to the stranger. "Ready?"
the leader asked. The
stranger picked up the reins. The icy blue eyes narrowed. "Ready," answered the stranger. "Hyah!!"
The riders yelled into the open prairie, galloping toward the rambling
stagecoach. ~*~ Elizabeth
fidgeted in her seat. Her legs were hurting from sitting so long. She
wished they would stop soon so she could stretch her limbs. As if the
driver had read her mind, the stagecoach came to a sudden halt. Her
father looked out the window, and turned to the driver. "Why have
we stopped?" he asked. He was surprised that the driver was not
sitting at his driver’s seat. He looked at Elizabeth, "Stay
here." "Be
careful, daddy," Elizabeth said. Her father opened the small door
and stepped out. She heard her father talking to someone. Probably
the driver, she thought. There were several voices now. "Check
inside," the leader shouted. Elizabeth
wished she could hide. She swallowed back the fear she never had until
now. As a menacing shadow moved closer to the window, she scooted away. The
blue-eyed stranger looked inside, first where her father sat. Elizabeth
knew she came into view out of the corner of the stranger's eye. She
gasped when the stranger quickly turned and glared at her. Those icy
blue eyes softened. They stared into her frightened green eyes.
Elizabeth felt like an invisible rope was pulling her toward those blue
eyes. She jumped when a hand reached out. "Step
outside, please," the blue-eyed stranger said. Without
questioning the stranger’s intentions, Elizabeth took the extended
hand. She was courteously helped outside the stagecoach. Her father and
the driver were standing off to the side. There were five other men on
horses. The leader pointed a gun at her father and the driver. “I
don’t want to hurt any one of you. All I want is your money,” the
leader said. “We’re
not carrying any money, just our clothes.” Her father said, “You can
check for yourself.” “You
look like a respectable man. I’ll take your word for it. But I’m not
leaving empty handed. You must have something valuable,” the leader
said. “The
only thing valuable is my daughter. She’s all I have.”
Said her father. “Yes,
she even looks valuable.” Sneered the leader. Elizabeth
got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t like the
leader and she didn’t like where this was going. The leader turned to
the rider with red hair on the right. “Nosotros
la tomamos con nosotros. Atela entrega y la obtiene en el caballo,”
The leader commanded to the redhead. Elizabeth
saw the rider quickly jumped from his horse, and walked toward
Elizabeth. She took a step back, and then she remembered that it was
best not to try anything. The blue-eyed stranger who was still standing
behind Elizabeth ran to the leader. “¿Qué
hace usted? Nosotros no la necesitamos,” The blue-eyed stranger said
to the leader. “Usted
está hermana equivocada y pequeña. Ella puede ser útil a nosotros.
Ahora móntese su caballo,” The leader said. “But…
“ The stranger started to say. “Now!”
snarled the leader. The
blue-eyed stranger glanced back at Elizabeth before climbing onto the
horse. Elizabeth’s hands were tied with rope. The redhead dragged her
toward his horse, throwing her into the saddle. The redhead sat behind
her, taking the reins. Her father stepped forward. “Please.
Don’t take my daughter.” Her father pleaded. “Sorry,
old man. But she doesn’t need you anymore.” The leader said. He
turned to the other riders, “Let’s go.” The
group split up in threes, going east and south. Elizabeth looked back at
her father for the last time.
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