You're Your Father's Daughter - Red Dead Redemption Reader Insert (Part Eleven)
Plot: After a trip with Arthur and Mrs. Adler to Rhodes, you meet an unlikely friend.
Warnings: Shootout, Panic Attack Symptoms, Negative self-talk, low self-esteem, physical trauma, just a whole lot of emotions.
Word Count: 3k+
Missions Mentioned: The New South and Further Questions of Female Suffrage.
A/N: Omg so this one is a really big emotional roller coaster. I just hit 200 followers and I just cannot thank y'all enough!! Writing this fic is one of my favs things to do and I'm just really proud of the attention it is getting. Again, thank you all for 200 followers!!
The week after your little incident passed in a haze of pain and frustration. When Dutch finally gave you the okay to start walking and exploring the new camp, you quickly discovered how much the injury had taken its toll. Every step sent a sharp, aching reminder through your body, and your legs felt weak. You hated the helplessness, but Sean was always there, his arm steadying you as you leaned on him for support. He’d flash you a cheeky grin and crack a joke to lighten the mood, but you could see the worry etched into his eyes every time you winced or stumbled.
The stillness of the camp surrounded you as you set on a flat rock in front of the horses.
Sean left early this morning, wanting to check the area out.
You were still adjusting to everything: the pain, the slow healing, and the way your mind drifted back to moments you’d rather forget.
Everyone was starting to get up and you could smell the coffee brewing from a few feet away. Reverend Swanson advised against drinking it since it could potential inflame your stomach.
A few feet away you could see Kieran moving around, getting all his stuff situated. You felt bad not spending time with him recently, he did save your life, but you've also been busy.
Y'know, like getting shot.
Kieran locked eyes with you and you looked away, embarrassed, you really did not want to talk to anyone today.
"Hey," you heard Kieran greet you.
You looked up, giving him a small smile "hey," you told him back.
"How are you feelin'?" He asked, taking a spot beside you.
You shrug, "fine, I guess."
Kieran shuffled around a bit, looking a bit awkward, "You know… I’ve been thinkin’, there’s a spot not too far from here, just over the ridge," Kieran began, his voice a little quieter now, "It’s peaceful. Thought you might like it. Just the two of us, get away from all this… madness for a bit." He shrugged, giving you a sheepish grin. "Not sure if you’re up for it, though. Can’t blame ya if you’re not."
His question made you freeze up a bit.
Sure you went fishing one time and maybe flirted a bit but you really only liked him as a friend.
"Maybe..." you began, you didn't really feel like leaving camp right now, you were already just starting to learn to walk by yourself.
Kieran, sensing your hesitation, softened his grin, and took a step back. "Don't worry about it. I can show you the spot some other time. Just thought it’d be nice."
As Kieran walked back towards the horses, a knot in your stomach grew. You loved Sean, you did. But there was something about Kieran's gentle nature that made your heart flutter every time you saw him.
You stayed sitting on the rock for a few more moments, watching Kieran tend to the horses.
You weren't angry at him, you were more angry at yourself. Angry that you were so careless as to get shot, for needing help with simple things like walking and sitting down. Angry that you felt an affection for someone other than Sean.
You looked around, hoping to find someone to help you up and take you to where Dutch was.
"Hey, Tilly?" you asked when she walked close to you.
"Yeah?" she asked, walking closer to you.
"Can you help me up and take me to Dutch?"
Tilly gave you a smile and put your arm over her shoulder and helped you up. You hissed a bit when the stiches pulled. "Sorry," Tilly said, "I think Dutch left this morning actually," Tilly told you once we got close to the lake. "Really?" you asked, feeling a bit disappointed. "With Arthur and Hosea, think they went fishing."
You let out a sigh, "just take me to my tent then, I'm exhausted."
Tilly nodded and lead you to your tent, opening the flaps and gently setting you down on your cot. "Holler if you need anything," Tilly tell you. You nodded and she leaves, leaving you alone with your thoughts.
---------
"Arthur!"
You, about three years old, runs up to Arthur, who was about to twenty-one.
"Hey, kid, what're you doin'?" Arthur asked, ruffling your head.
"Nothin'," you shrug.
"What are you doin'?" you ask, "can I come with you?"
"Sorry, kid, your daddy want's me to go fishin', can't have you out of camp, it'll have your momma worried sick."
You pouted and Arthur chuckled, "I'll bring you back something," he said, mounting Boadicea.
"Okay..." you mumbled, kicking the ground, as he rode away.
"(y/n)!"
You turn around, your mother was making her way towards you.
"What are you doin' over here?" she asked, picking you up, and walking you towards her and your father's tent.
"I was just asking what Arthur what he was doing," you said, wiggling to get down.
"Come on now, Annabelle, she's gonna have to see the real world once in a while," your father told her, walking into the tent.
"She's too young to be wandering around the camp unsupervised," your mother told him.
Hours passed before Arthur came back to camp, bringing back three large, beautiful, bass. Dutch and Hosea were both pleased with him and the camp toasted him all night.
---------
You awoke and groaned when you heard arguing. You had no idea who it was but you were having such a good sleep.
You didn't even remember falling asleep, let alone lay down in your cot.
With the help of your bedside table, you stood up and clutched your hand around your stomach as you hobbled over. As you made your way out of your tent, you could tell it was about mid-evening. You mentally rolled your eyes at yourself for sleeping the day away. Even if you could barely move, you could have helped some around camp.
You looked around, Dutch was in his tent, a book glued to his face, Hosea was speaking with Lenny at the table, and Arthur was trying to diffuse an argument between Mr. Pearson and Mrs. Adler.
Seeing that both Dutch and Hosea were doing something boring, you made your way over to Arthur, maybe he needed help.
"What's goin' on?" you ask, moving out of Arthurs way as he pushed Mrs. Adler away from Mr. Pearson.
"Mrs. Adler is tired of contributing towards the camp," Arthur said.
Mrs. Adler groaned, "that's not it!"
Arthur huffed, "You wanna be out there? Run with the men? So be it...but we do more than just hunting...we're hunted. And them things huntin' us well they got guns of their own."
Mrs. Adler looked at Arthur with the most serious face she's put on. "I ain't afraid of dyin'."
You wished you could be more like her but after almost dying, you could say you were absolutely terrified.
"You need anything Mr. Pearson?" Arthur asked, "maybe me and Mrs. Adler are gonna take a little ride."
Mr. Pearson gave Arthur a grocery list of supplies he needs for food and a letter that he asked Arthur to post.
"Can I come?" you asked, following Mrs. Adler and Arthur to the horses.
"No," Arthur said, not even looking at you.
You groaned, "please? I'm tired of sitting around camp, what's wrong with a short trip to town?"
Arthur stopped and looked at you, you looked at him back, practically giving him begging eyes. Arthur sighed, "fine, it's not like we're gonna run into trouble. Tell Dutch that you're going with us." You nod and, forgetting you were ever shot, practically ran towards Dutch's tent, "I'm going with Arthur and Mrs. Adler to town, is that okay?" you asked him. Dutch nodded, not looking up from his book, "yeah, uh-huh." You were pretty sure he didn't hear you but you took it as an okay.
"Can I ride Whiskey?" you asked Arthur as him and Mrs. Adler waited for you.
"I don't know..." Arthur began, "I'd feel better if you rode in the back," he finished.
"But you need the back for room," you argued.
"Fine," Arthur sighed, "Mrs. Adler will you help her up?"
You made your way towards Whiskey and she trotted towards you when she saw you.
"Hey, girl," you say, petting her snout, "you missed me too, huh?" Whiskey let out a soft whinny, nuzzling you affectionately. You smile, reaching for the saddle.
You didn't realize it before, but Whiskey was super tall. As you stood next to her you could feel the heigh difference more, especially with your injury still making your movements slower than usual. The stirrup seemed miles away, and you had to swallow down the nervous lump that formed in your throat.
You hesitated for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Mounting a horse was second nature to you, had been for years, but now, with your side still sore from the gunshot wound, the simple task suddenly seemed more daunting.
"Need help?"
You jumped slightly at Mrs. Adler's voice. "Nah, I think I got it," you told her.
Mrs. Adler smiled, "there's no problem in asking for a little help now in then," she told you, walking over towards you.
"Now, come on, I'll help you up," she said, bending down and putting her hand up so she could boost you up.
You hesitated, sure there was no problem in asking for a little bit of help but it was embarrassing.
You placed your hand in hers, and with one smooth motion, Mrs. Adler hoisted you up and onto Whiskey’s saddle.
You winced as you got comfortable but settled in quickly.
"Thanks Mrs. Adler," you tell her, taking the reins and making Whiskey walk towards the caravan.
"It's no problem, darlin' and please, call me Sadie."
You nodded and stopped beside the caravan and waited for Sadie to get inside.
Arthur started driving and you made Whiskey walk along side him, the up and down motion made your wound hurt but you quickly got over it.
"You cooled down then yet?" Arthur asked Sadie.
"I guess. And I ain't no scullion, and I sure ain't taking orders from that sweaty halfwit!"
"Well I guess we all gotta do out share, Princess," Arthur tells her. Sadie scoffed in response, "Where's that letter?" she asked. "Oh, you readin' his mail now?" Arthur wondered. "Oh, robbin' and killin' is okay but letter-reading's where we cross the line?" Sadie posed. Arthur, knowing that she had a point, handed her Pearson's letter.
You laughed alongside Arthur and Sadie as she read Pearson's letter out loud. You haven't laughed that long you almost forgot what it sounded and felt like.
"So this is Rhodes?" you asked, looking around the small town.
"This is it," Arthur tells you, "quiet, ain't it?"
"Sure is," you say, stopping Whiskey in front of the general store.
Sadie pulls out a pistol and waves it around for the whole world to see while you crack up beside them.
After Arthur gets her to put it away, he goes to post Pearson's letter while Sadie goes into the store.
Rhode's was a quiet, dusty, town. You could smell the swamp from a few miles away and, despite what you overheard Dutch and Hosea talk about, it didn't seem like the place where a family would hide gold. It was about five in the evening, you hoped Sean was back from his ride so you could talk to him properly without being drugged up with Reverend Swanson's morphine, you missed that stuff, knocked you to sleep a few nights when you couldn't handle the pain.
Sadie walked back outside, a whole new outfit on her person, and a worker hauling supplies out.
As the wagon was being filled with supplies, you noticed some women about your age, fiddling with her fingers and looking around nervously. Since Sadie was occupied with the supplies, you clicked your tongue and made Whiskey start walking near the women. As you got closer you realized how...fancy, she looked. Her curly blonde hair was in a ponytail, a blue ribbon in the middle.
"Do you need help? " you ask.
She jumped and looked at you with a shocked expression on her face.
"Sorry!" You exclaim, "didn't mean to scare you."
The girl laughed awkwardly, "sorry, about that," she said, taking a breath, "no, I'm not lost, I'm looking for someone. I'm not really supposed to be in town but it's the only place we get to meet."
You narrowed your eyes at her. She was a strange girl, but also the only girl your age you'd met in a while.
"Well, what's your name?" you ask her.
"Penelope. Penelope Braithwaite," she answers you, "and you are?"
"Oh, uh, (y/n)....(y/n) Van der Linde." If she's going to be a friend you might as well not lie to her face right away.
"Well, Miss Van der Linde, what do you know about love?"
"Love?" you repeated, "not much really."
"Well I don't know much either but I do know that my Beau makes my heart flutter every time I even think about him."
"Beau?" you ask, not as a question, but rather to your wonder, that's a strange name.
You guessed that Penelope thought it was a question and starts to overshare.
"Oh, Beau? He's wonderful, he's a bit weird...but so human. He writes poetry! Can you believe that? And he listens to me, which no one else really does. My cousins say I talk too much, but Beau says my voice is the prettiest sound he’s ever heard, even prettier than the birds in the bayou."
You raise your eyebrows, she's clearly not finished talking.
"And I know that I'm a Braithwaite and he's a gray but," she sighs dramatically, "It's like fate brought us together. We meet it secret usually and write letters and bring each other presents." She paused, remembering that you existed.
"Sorry," she giggled, brushing a curl behind her ear, "I don’t usually have anyone to talk to about this kind of thing."
You smile, "eh, it's fine, I don't usually talk to people my age all the time." You look around, clearly remembering that Arthur and Sadie were waiting for you. "Crap, sorry, I gotta go, my brother is waiting for me." Penelope smiles, "well goodbye, (y/n), I hope I see you again soon."
You rode back to Arthur and Sadie, "sorry..." you said, mighty embarrassed.
"It's alright," Arthur shrugged, "clearly that's the first friend you made in a while." As Sadie started driving the caravan, you couldn't help but think about how familiar Penelope's last name sounded. "Hey, Arthur?"
"Yeah?"
"Does the name Penelope Braithwaite sound familiar to you?"
"Penelope doesn't but Braithwaite sure does, why?"
"That's the girl I was talking to."
"Well, you best tell Dutch when we get back to camp, that's one of the families he wants to keep an eye on."
"Hey there!" a man riding horseback alongside the caravan exclaimed, another one was behind it and you realized that if a shoot out were to happen, you have no guns on you.
"What are you folks up to?" the man asks, giving you a creepy grin.
"Just heading home," Arthur answered.
The air got thicker and more tense as the man talked and before you knew it you were thrown a pistol and hiding behind a rock.
As you crouched behind the rock, you dodged bullets coming your way. Your heart thumped in your chest, and as your fingers wrapped around the pistol, the cold metal felt foreign in your hand, a reminder of the bullet that almost took your life a week ago. Your breathe hitched as you tried to steady yourself, the gun feeling like a stranger in your hand.
"Come on, kid!" Arthur said, although his voice sounded muffled against the noise.
"I can't!" you yelled, covering your ears at the sound of the bullets flaring in the clearing. Your hands trembled as your breathing grew heavier and your stomach felt empty. You clenched your eyes shut, rocking your body back and forth, trying to calm yourself down.
You couldn't get shot again, you couldn't get bedridden again, you couldn't be seen as a liability again.
"Hey," you felt a hand on your shoulder, gently shaking you, you gasped as you took your hands off your ears, the gunfire was gone and only Arthur and Sadie stood.
"It's okay, it's done."
Gasps racked your body as you sobbed, apologies spilling out.
"Hey, hey, shh, it's okay," Arthur said bending down and pulling you into his arms.
"I'm sorry," you sobbed, clinging to him "I couldn't do it."
"It's alright, it's over now."
---------
You don't remember ever getting back to camp, but Sadie rode Whiskey as you clung to Arthur's arm while he drove the caravan back to camp. When the movement stopped and you were back at camp, Ennis was near the other horses and you sighed in relief. Sean was back home and all you wanted was him.
"Come on, let's get you back to your tent, I'm gonna tell Dutch what happened," Arthur said, getting off and helping you down.
"No, please don't Arthur, he'll never let me leave camp again!" You begged. Arthur sighed "What happened out there? With those Lemoyne Raiders? That wasn't you."
"Fine, whatever, tell him for all I care," you spat, making your way towards your tent and sitting on your cot.
You were seething with rage. Not because of Arthur but, like earlier, because of yourself; for freezing up, panicking. You held a gun before so why is it now so hard?
Your tent flaps opened as your knee moved up and down in an inhuman speed.
"Love?"
Your head lifted up as Sean's familiar voice filled your head. More tears threatened to spill from you as he made his way over to you.
"Arthur told me what happened, are you alright?"
You shook your head as he sat next to you, "I don't know what happened, I froze and I just..."
"Hey," Sean whispered, "you're okay, everything's okay now, no one got shot."
"What time is it?" you ask. "Late, moon just went down," Sean answered. You got up on shaky legs and Sean immediately sat you back down "I need to talk to dad about someone I saw," you told him. "You can speak to him in the mornin'," Sean said, helping you to lay down. His bedroll was rolled out beside your cot and he laid down, his hand never leaving yours as you got yourself so much needed sleep.
