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Imagine her surprise when after visiting the butcher she saw none else but Mary Linton looking out of her balcony, fanning her face with an expensive golden fan with intricate details, looking up and down the street as if she was searching for someone specific.
The glare on (y/n)'s face came in full force, the hold on her horse's reins tightened so much the leather creaked. This woman... what did she want?
Arthur did help her with her father, but then he said that'd be it. He didn't accept her offer, her 'maybe we still can' monologue. He was actually very firm about not joining her in anything else.
He had someone else now.
In a way, (y/n) felt strong and proud of Arthur, of how he pushed Mary away and how he said he finally moved on. But she was... upset this woman thought that she could use Arthur like this. And then try to win him back?
(y/n) only snorted, shaking her head the moment she hopped onto her horse, "Ok, boy." she patted her horse's neck "Time to go back and have a good dinner? Maybe some carrots?"
Her horse clomped the ground happily, then started trotting his way up the street. She knew she'd pass Mary's balcony, but the woman had no idea who she was so she assumed she was safe.
Boy was she wrong.
The moment she trotted past the balcony, Mary was gone. She could hear the sound of her heels hitting the wooden panels inside, in a hurry. That made (y/n) scrunch her eyebrows, giving her horse a gentle kick on the ribs to make him go faster.
"Excuse me."
Oh, shit.
(y/n)'s eyes clenched shut, her jaw and hands tensed up before she took in a deep breath and partially turned her horse. Her head was high and chin was up, she was not scared, "Can I help you?"
Mary looked up at the other woman with an unreadable face, then opened her mouth only to close again. Her hands then clasped above her womb, which she finally used as an opportunity to speak, "You are (y/n), right?"
Oh, shit. Again.
How did she know her name?
"Um... depends who's asking."
Mary scoffed, "Please, don't act as if you don't know who I am."
(Y/n) narrowed her eyes, this time turning her horse fully to face Mary, "Alright," she sighed, "Can I help you, Mary?"
Mary seemed to be analyzing her, up and down, from her hat to the toe of her boots. Boots she'd shove it on that woman's throat if she didn't stop the critical analysis. "You are the one, with Arthur, right?"
A deep breath.
"Yes."
"I never thought Arthur would go for...." another look over, "Women like you."
Oh.
Oh she did NOT do that.
(Y/n) however, just arched one eyebrow, straightening her back, "Women like me." she repeated, this time she was already out of her horse, her hands on her hips "Please do elaborate."
The other woman seemed taken aback, she probably wasn't expecting a response, nor that (y/n) would practically leap out of her horse. "I don't need to elaborate-"
"Oh, but you do." (y/n)'s voice went low, lower than anyone would like to hear, especially in this situation, "You stopped me for a reason, so, if you have something to say, say it."
The black haired woman pulled out her fan again, using it to cool her face down and also try to feebly shield herself, "Arthur... you know what he is. You know he will never change."
"I don't care."
Mary blinked in shock, "Huh?"
"I," she pressed a hand on her chest, "do not care. I ain't going to change him. I don't want to change him. I love Arthur the way he is." the mention of the word love made Mary visibly flinch. To which the outlaw smiled almost invisibly. Seeing Mary went silent, (y/n) took it as the conversation was over, turning back to her horse.
"He said that to me too," Mary said when she had her back turned, "A long time ago."
"Yes, we saw how that worked out for you." she wasn't going to let Mary Linton do this, she wouldn't manipulate her into leaving Arthur. She started fixing her horse's saddle, seeing that Mary actually approached her this time, her eyes not believing what was happening.
"He loved me."
"He did." (y/n) put emphasis on the word 'did'. "He loved you. But now he doesn't anymore." the outlaw woman sighed, placing a hand on her hip, "I don't get you. I don't... understand. Why this? Why try to win him back? You made your choice a long time ago."
"As if you understood," Mary gave her a disgusted look, "My father-"
"You are your own woman." (y/n) interrupted "You had choices, if you really loved Arthur as much as you say you did, you wouldn't have left him. You would've accepted him, not tried to change him."
"He was going to get himself killed!" Mary's voice rose up a bit, "He was going to live a life where...there could be no happiness!"
"Arthur has only known that life! Just like you only knew yours." (y/n) sighed, their voices rising up a tiny bit. People were starting to stare, but it was too late now.
How dare this woman, who apparently 'loved' Arthur talk about him like so? "I knew him," she says, her voice a tidbit shaky, "More than you ever will."
"You don't know even half of him." the female outlaw snapped, "You could only see what you wanted. You wanted to change him. You wanted to change something that gave Arthur a purpose. Yeah, it is a dangerous life but it's just like everyone else's life. You think he's not a good man, but you are wrong." she glared at Mary, daggers digging deeply onto Mary's face, "You are so wrong. You chose to ignore everything else he was because you couldn't face that you had to give up your life of comfort to be with him."
Mary had her mouth slightly open, her eyes wide. Oh, so there was the nerve, and (y/n) was pushing her finger deep into it. "You don't know Arthur." her voice was quiet, her hands clenched by her sides as Mary kept on looking at her, in pure shock. With the silence thick in the air, the outlaw sighed, rubbing her neck with a long sigh, "Understand that Arthur deserves happiness, and it doesn't have to be with you."
Seeing the other woman was quiet, her eyes meeting the ground, (y/n) said "Mary, listen...." she sighed again, "I know you two had a story, I know about the ring, I know... everything." a pause, only the sound of St. Denis' citizens walking by could be heard, "But this thing... it can't go on. This isn't healthy. Especially for Arthur."
Reluctantly, she placed a hand on Mary's shoulder "You are... a good woman...but you can't send a letter to Arthur anytime you have a problem. He can't always help. He can't always come to the rescue... and then just... ignore him for months again." her hand subtly clenched on Mary's shoulder, "Just wish him happiness."
Mary hadn't yanked her hand away yet, but she was tense, they looked at each other, staring deep into each other's irises as if they were trying to read what the other was thinking. Then Mary closed her eyelids, a sad smile on her face, "Now I see why he loves you." she whispers, "You are a good woman as well,"
"Thank you."
Both women now cleared their throats, the hand on Mary's shoulder was now deep into (y/n) pants pockets, "But you are right. Arthur made it clear, this the last time... I promise you."
"Good." the relief sounded like a warning, "I am glad to know that."
The silence started to become awkward, the two simply nodded to each other before parting ways. Mary back into her house and (y/n) back to her horse. On the way back to camp, she was breathing deeply through her nose, trying to calm herself. Questioning if she'd tell Arthur or not about it. Would he be upset? She didn't stab Mary as she thought she would...
When she announced to Lenny she returned, she instantly hopped off her horse and gave Pearson the meat he needed, almost automatically going to the pier, ignoring everything and everyone in the way. Did she do the right thing? Would Arthur be mad? Running her hands up and down her face, she breathed against her palms, frustrated she had no idea how he'd react at this new info.
Well, at least he isn't at the camp-
"There ya are."
Her eyes snapped open and her shoulders tensed up, she chose to look into the water and not Arthur, "H-Hi Arthur." she could feel his warmth behind her, then she felt his arms around her waist, then his breath on her ear. Oh, dear God. "How... was your day?"
"Pretty good. Yours?"
"It was.... fine." she bit her lower lip, not meeting Arthur's eyes when he looked in her direction, then sighing "I met Mary."
Arthur's arms on her waist instantly tensed up, she could feel his breathing change, "Ya did?"
"Yeah." she licked her lips, "She wanted to know who was the one that took you away from her."
Arthur blinked, a bit shocked but his sweetheart was always blunt with words. He scratched his temple, closing his eyes in frustration, he remembers how upset she got when he got that letter from Mary, how she told him to not go. Arthur never once showed any less than a monstrous amount of love to (y/n) but he understood her. This was just... who he was. He could say he was a bad man all he wanted, but he'd help people with every chance he got. "Did she say that?"
"In her own... special way."
Arthur frowned, hugging her closer to him, "Ever since we got together, I didn't even consider-"
"I know Arthur," her smile reassured him, her face turning so she could press a kiss to his fuzzy cheek, "Its not you I worry about. Mary... she is..." a bitch, "a strange woman. She really um," needs to stop sending you letters when she's in trouble because she's an adult and she's using you, "...really needs to set her sights somewhere else."
"Did you tell her that?" she shrugs, leaning back onto his chest, "In ya own special way?"
The two chuckled, Arthur, pressed another kiss to her jawline, making her sigh, "Yes. I did." she looked at him, the setting sun made his features almost glow, the soft oranges and yellows gently brushing over his face like a paintbrush, "I think she understood that you have the right to move on and... be happy." she pauses, "You are happy, right?"
He scoffed, sounding as if he couldn't believe what she said, "Course I am. Happy isn't even half of what I feel when I am with you." he nuzzles her neck, breathing in deeply her scent, his hands sliding from her waist to the top of her large thighs, "I really miss that cabin."
The woman let out a laugh, one that made him grin against her skin, pressing yet another kiss to her shoulder, "The camp doesn't really give us much privacy, does it?" she hummed when Arthur pushed her against him, she could feel something hard brushing against her backside and gasped, "Arthur!'
"What?" he drawled softly, giving her a smile, exposing that chipped tooth that even if it was broken it only added to his charm, "I am just hugging my woman."
His woman.
She grinned warmly at him, letting her head rest on his shoulder as the two gazed at the lake, the setting sun reflecting on the surface, the fish bubbling about... It was a calming contrast of how she was feeling earlier that day.
At least for now, it was good.