Chapter 5 ~ Arrival

{M/M} A war torn major travels west to an isolated fort commanded by a man whose intentions become increasingly suspicious. There seems to be things there that are being left unspoken.

Chapter 5 ~ Arrival

Taylor only looked a fraction better when Bailey met him in the officer’s mess the next morning. His tawny hair was slightly messed up, little strands creating a cobweb-like halo around his head, his green eyes were still a little red from what Bailey took to be fatigue and when he came to sit down next to him with his breakfast, he yawned loudly. Bailey smiled and felt strangely relieved when Taylor smiled back.

‘’ Good morning, lieutenant,’’ he said politely and Taylor nodded.

‘’ Morning, major,’’ came his reply.

‘’ How are you?’’

‘’ I’m okay. A little tired but I’m always like this in the mornings. Probably because of so many years doing the same thing.’’

Bailey ignored the rush in that explanation. ‘’ You still like it?’’

There was a pause before Taylor nodded again. ‘’ Yes,’’ he finally replied. ‘’ I do.’’

Nothing more was said on the subject. Taylor ate his breakfast in silence next to Bailey and then they started to return to HQ. Before they could get up to go though, Bailey couldn’t help noticing a rather colourful bruise adorning Taylor’s thin, maybe frail, wrist. Taylor merely laughed when he pointed it out. He was a soldier, he said, and had been for five years. It would have been a miracle if he hadn’t been injured in some sort of way.

Bailey supposed he was right and almost laughed at himself for being so silly and naïve. He stopped as he saw a similar bruise on Taylor’s other wrist and settled for a little smile instead.

~~~

They were walking leisurely up to HQ, Bailey hastily lighting a pipe, when one of Prior’s orderlies met them halfway. He seemed slightly out of breath and when he spoke, Bailey couldn’t decipher any words through his thick Italian accent. Luckily, Taylor had obviously had more experience and when he scurried away towards the main gates, Bailey had to ask him what was happening.

‘’ I’m going up to Prior’s office to arrange everything with him. You stay here at the gates and bring him up when he arrives,’’ Taylor replied, voice taking on a professional tone.

‘’ Bring who up?’’ Bailey questioned, frowning. He felt a slight embarrassment for not understanding the events that were obviously quickly unfolding before him.

Taylor paused and a schoolboy-like, cheeky smile appeared on his mouth. Something twisted in Bailey’s stomach that he took to be relief at finally seeing a sparkle in his eyes. ‘’ Colonel Dawes,’’ he said. ‘’ He’s coming in with the detachment that was sent out to scout the area for Indians.’’ And then as an afterthought, ‘’ Don’t worry �" you get used to his accent.’’

Bailey allowed himself a smile and then followed the young orderly’s path to the main gates as Taylor hurried up to HQ.

Before the gates had even been opened, a crowd had already turned to see the arrival. Bailey hadn’t seen smiles on the faces of many of the men there since his own arrival a couple of days before but now, at the promise of this Colonel Dawes coming back into the fort, they seemed ecstatic in comparison to the comments he had heard about the general so far. More than a little inquisitive, Bailey had waited with the young Italian orderly and watched as the gates slowly creaked open, the sound of drumming horses’ hooves becoming louder and louder.

A smile spread over his own face as the colonel cantered through the gates and onto the parade ground.

William Dawes. Why the hell had he not pieced that together?

Without waiting for the rest of the detachment to come in, he half-ran over to the colonel and grabbed the reins of his horse before the little orderly could. His heart beat thickly in his ears as he finally caught his eye. ‘’ Everett?’’ Dawes asked, frowning with the first hints of a smile pulling at his mouth. ‘’ Well, what on earth are you doing here?’’

‘’ I’ve got the mind to ask you exactly the same thing. I thought �" I thought that I’d seen the last of you at Gettysburg.’’ Bailey was beginning to lose his voice to the excitement brewing steadily inside. ‘’ You look awful good for a dead man.’’

Dawes at last smiled, the same mischievous grin that Bailey hadn’t seen for so many years �" the same mischievous grin he didn’t think he would ever see again, and slid off of his horse. Bailey reached to vigorously shake his hand then changed his mind and tried to pull him into a bone-crushing embrace. Dawes hesitated.

‘’ I have to report to General Prior, Rett,’’ he said and Bailey smiled at his nickname being given to him. Nobody had called him that for a long time.

‘’ I know,’’ he said. ‘’ I’ve been assigned as his aide. Come with me, Colonel.’’

‘’ Certainly, Major.’’

~~~

General Prior waited in deep silence as he stared incessantly at his office door, almost daring it to open. His hands were folded in apparently comfortable position on the desk but at increasingly frequent intervals, he would squeeze them harshly, biting the inside of his bottom lip. Dandy stood obediently by his side and though Prior refused to tear his gaze from the door and over to him, he could see him out of the corner of his eye absent-mindedly rubbing his wrists behind his back. The minimal action made the general bit his lip harder.

And when the footsteps sounded out in the corridor, he sat up straighter. The door at last swung open and Bailey entered with Colonel Dawes at his side. He saluted and Prior returned it, noticing how pristine his uniform still looked.

‘’ Welcome back, colonel,’’ he greeted. ‘’ Do you have news?’’

‘’ Yes, sir, I do �" though I’m not sure what your feelings will be for it.’’

‘’ Your worry should not be with my reactions, colonel. Tell me.’’

‘’ Yes, sir. Well, the Indians are gathered about 26 miles away in a valley by the Yellowstone River. From what we saw and the scouts’ reports, there were at least 400 lodges gathered there and more arrived over the course of time we observed. Our scouts’ said they were part of Red Cloud’s Sioux band. Hostiles, general.’’

‘’ Yes, colonel, I’m aware of their feelings towards us. I remember strongly the Fetterman Massacre. I do not wish for another one. We have been lucky not to suffer so harshly as Fort Phil Kearny. Did they appear to be readying for attack?’’

‘’ No, sir. The scouts are wise in matters of the Indian and this country, you must agree, and they didn’t seem to think that the hostiles were in a very ugly mood. A vicious winter has just passed, general, as I’m sure you know, and they are probably still recovering. As are we.’’

‘’ Yes, colonel. Thank you for your information.’’

Dawes nodded. ‘’ Do you request anything more from me, general?’’ he asked. ‘’ Do you propose anything to do against the Indians as of yet?’’

Prior paused, his eyes momentarily drifting from Dawes and to Bailey, who was standing there listening as eagerly as the colonel was, then to Dandy. He shuffled under his gaze. Prior returned to Dawes and those big, deep blue eyes. ‘’ No,’’ he replied simply and softly. ‘’ No, I have no proposals. Not yet.’’

‘’ Very well.’’

‘’ Will that be all, colonel?’’

‘’ Yes, sir.’’

‘’ Thank you, colonel. Your information is always valuable.’’

Dawes saluted and exited. Prior caught him exchanging a short glance with Bailey as he did so.

‘’ Well…’’ Prior sighed as soon as the door was closed. ‘’ Here we have a dilemma.’’

‘’ What is that, general?’’ Bailey asked seemingly innocently. The general smiled, almost laughing in exasperation.

‘’ Well �" do we fight or do we keep defending? General Terry would surely be of the mind to attack when they don’t expect it and the might of our garrison shall be shown but then �" you heard me �" I do not wish for another Fetterman Massacre. The confusion goes on.’’

Prior couldn’t miss the look that Bailey and Dandy gave each other, even as he lowered his head momentarily and ran a hand through his greying hair. A large, loud sigh escaped him again. ‘’ I shall take things one step at a time, as always, gentlemen,’’ he said after a while, half muffled by his hands. He looked weary as he pulled them away. ‘’ Dandy �" if you can fetch me some paper. It will be best to write to General Terry of the situation. Let us see what he thinks of the situation.’’

‘’ Certainly, sir.’’ Dandy nodded and moved over to the drawers by the door. A sudden relishing of obedience flooded through Prior’s veins. Loyalty was certainly an odd thing.

TBC

Author's Note

A/N:
Just a little correction of something I said in a previous chapter. Not something that affects the plot so much but something that will annoy me if I don't say it!
Present day Montana was not in Dakota Territory at the time of this story. It was in - wait for it - Montana Territory. My mistake. This is why editing is good! ;)