1918

James was utterly exhausted. His back ached as he dragged a cannon forward. Jamie was right beside him. Since Jamie was a little more built than him, the work was slightly easier for him. The only thing that made the work easier for James was the thought of escaping once they got to France. Everything would be okay then. 

"Stop!" A German shouted. 

Everyone stopped. A horse had collapsed in the mud. It looked hurt. One of the Germans led it away and shot it. The sound of the shot surprised the other horses. Once they were sure the horse was out of its misery, the Germans turned around.

"Adalric! Bring up another horse! That one!" One shouted. Adalric nodded and got Joey. James's breath hitched in his throat. Despite knowing he had more pressing matters, he couldn't help remembering that he had promised Albert that he would try to bring Joey home. "No, no! The big black one!"

"Topthorn." Jamie whispered. James cast a sad look at him. He couldn't help feeling relieved that it wasn't Joey pulling the guns. 

Adalric reluctantly took Joey back and dragged Topthorn up to the guns. He didn't want to hurt these horses. James and Jamie were some of the only friends he had. He didn't want them to get even more hurt than they already were.

"He's a good horse, sir, but if you move him up to the heavy guns he'll be no use at all." Adalric said. "Topthorn is not in a good condition. His leg, sir..."

"You've given them names?" The general raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, sir." Adalric lied. He wasn't about to get James and Jamie into trouble.

"You should never give a name to something you're certain to lose." The general said.

"His leg is not good enough, sir." Adalric stood his ground.

"Private, you will do as you are told." The general said firmly. "Hook him up!"

Joey suddenly seemed to have a fit. He bucked up on his back legs and ran to the front of the team of horses pulling guns. James smiled and looked at Jamie, who breathed a sigh of relief. If there was one thing Jamie didn't want to lose, it was Topthorn. After a little more convincing from Adalric, Joey was hooked up to the cannon. Adalric took Topthorn back to the other horses. He nodded to Jamie, who nodded back gratefully. 

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Victoria ran around the hospital, trying to get to every one of her patients. She got along well with all of the soldiers, since she was so sisterly. Amy hadn't been able to handle all of the blood involved, so she ran the errands for everyone. 

"Hello, Matthew." Victoria said. A young man with blond hair smiled at her.

"Hello, Victoria." He said. "How are you?"

"I'm good, you?" Victoria asked.

"Well, my leg hurts like hell." Matthew said.

"This might help. I'll warn you, it may sting." Victoria said. 

She dipped a cloth in a solution that Sybil had made for her and took off Matthew's old bandage. She winced at the sight. Matthew's leg wound was getting green, which probably wasn't a good sign. Matthew looked at her.

"How does it look?" He asked.

"Not good, I'm afraid. But maybe this will work." Victoria said. 

Victoria put the wet cloth onto Matthew's wound. He hissed in pain and flinched. Victoria held his leg steady and continued to clean his wound. After a little while, Matthew relaxed. Victoria decided to talk to him to take his mind off of any pain that might be there.

"Have you heard from Mary?" She asked.

"A little. She says that as soon as I get home, she wants to have the wedding." Matthew smiled at the mention of his fiance. "I really love her. I can't wait to marry her." 

"You remind me of me and my husband before we got married." Victoria laughed. 

"Do you ever think you'll see him again?" Matthew asked.

"I hope I do." Victoria said. "I think I will, yes." 

"Well, I hope you do. You two deserve it." Matthew smiled at Victoria. 

"Thank you, Matthew. You and Mary also deserve to be happy." Victoria said.

"Well, thank you for that. I needed to hear it." Matthew said. 

Once Victoria was finished with him, she went to attend to her next patient. It was like this every day. It was a little boring, but Victoria enjoyed interacting with her patients. She had thought that she would hate it, but she actually really liked it. The boys found her easy to joke around with, and she thought of them as the brothers she'd never had. The worst part of the job was the cleaning of the wounds. It was gross, and Victoria didn't think she'd ever get used to it.

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James's back was screaming in protest. How long had he been doing this for? An hour? Two hours? It was utter agony. Why were the Germans making him do this? Oh, God, it hurt. It hurt so bad. Jamie looked like he was going to collapse. James looked over at him.

"Don't give up yet." He panted. "It's almost done." 

"Easy for you to say. I'm doing all the work." Jamie joked. Even though he had been stuck in a POW camp for around four years, he still hadn't lost his sharp wit and sense of humor. 

"NO TALKING!" A soldier yelled at them. Jamie looked like he was about to say something before James gave him a look. 

The two of them continued the rest of the journey in silence. James thought that if he was allowed to talk to Jamie, the pulling could have been more bearable. If they were to just walk in silence, they were left to their own depressing thoughts. James decided to look at what was ahead of him and his stomach dropped.

"Oh, my God." He said. "This cannot be happening."

A huge hill loomed in the distance. If James's back didn't hurt already, it was sure going to hurt in a few minutes. He looked to Adalric, pleading with his eyes. Adalric sighed and ran up to the general. It looked like he was talking to him. The general turned around and yelled for all the guns being pulled by prisoners to stop. Horses were hooked up, and while James felt bad for watching the animals suffer, he couldn't help but feel glad that it wasn't him pulling the guns up that hill. That would have been absolute hell for him, Jamie, and every other prisoner here. 

When the horses finally reached the top, they were unhooked and led away. The giant bullets were loaded in. James covered his ears and shut his eyes, knowing what was to come. Jamie copied his actions, as did the other people around him. 

"FIRE!" One of the soldiers shouted.

The guns went off. James couldn't help feeling sorry for all the innocent people in the town below. They didn't deserve to die, or lose their loved ones. This whole war was so stupid. Why had Britain even gotten involved? 

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Victoria heard the shots ring out as she was treating one of her patients. She looked up at the sound. Her patient tilted his head.

"What do you suppose that is?" He asked.

"The Germans, no doubt." Victoria said. "This war is a bit tiresome now. I just want it to be over."

"I think it'll be over soon. How many more people can the Allies spare?" Her patient (a young man named Ben) said. 

"The Allies?" Victoria questioned. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's just a name for the countries against Germany." Ben said. "How does my hand look?"

"Not good, I'm afraid." Victoria said. "You'll probably be able to use it, but not very well. I hope you weren't left-handed."

"Don't worry, I wasn't." Ben assured her. "Thank you for taking care of me so diligently."

"It's my pleasure. You boys are such fun." Victoria said. That caused Ben to laugh. 

"Well, you are very easy to laugh with." He said. 

"Thank you." Victoria said. "Unfortunately, I'm not supposed to keep you talking. Get some rest. Amy will be here soon with your lunch."

"Thank you, Mrs. Nicholls." Ben said.

"You're welcome, Ben." Victoria said. "It was nice talking to you."

"The same to you, miss." Ben smiled.

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(A week later)

James walked through the wet mud. He and Jamie weren't pulling guns anymore, thank God. They led Joey and Topthorn on. Joey was healthy as...well, a horse, but Topthorn wasn't doing so well. He had a nasty cut on his leg that Jamie was sure was infected. He had tried everything, from getting his hands on excuses for medicine to feeding Topthorn his food, but nothing was working. The black horse who had once been the most magnificent in James's regiment was now reduced to a pathetic creature covered in mud. His breathing was heavy. Jamie stopped to look at him.

"Hey, come on. It's not far now." He whispered, stroking his nose. "We'll be far away before you know it, and then we'll get you some treatment."

"Hey, there's no stopping here!" Adalric snapped.

"He needs to rest." Jamie said. 

"There's no rest for them." Adalric sighed. "It's cruel, I know, but just keep them moving. Follow me."

Adalric took a different path than that of the other soldiers. James and Jamie looked at each other and shrugged. How bad could it be? Adalric led them down to an area under a bridge. He looked to Jamie and smiled.

"Let Topthorn rest." He said. 

"Did you hear that Topthorn? You can- Topthorn!" Jamie knelt to the ground as his horse collapsed. James held his breath sadly. "Stay on your feet, please!" Topthorn made some of the saddest sounds James had ever heard. Joey bent his head down and nosed his friend. "Oh, Topthorn... Come on, I just got you back! I can't...please, don't die."

"Jamie...just try to calm him down." James tried to sound calming. 

"Shh, it's okay. You'll be alright, Topthorn. It's okay." Jamie soothed. He was crying. James had never seen him cry at all, so now he was getting emotional. "Close your eyes. Go on. It'll be alright soon. You won't suffer any longer." 

Topthorn's breathing slowed and became very shallow. Jamie stroked his neck, still whispering soothing things. Finally, Topthorn's breathing stopped altogether. Jamie stood up and wiped his tears away. Joey nudged his friend with whom he had gotten through the war with. Adalric looked up at the sounds of the soldiers running over the bridge. He looked at James and Jamie.

"You two need to go, now." He said. 

"What?" James said.

"Take Joey and escape." Adalric said. "If anyone should escape, it's you. Now, go." James looked at Adalric in shock. Jamie looked the same. "GO!"

"Come on!" James said, snapping out of his trance. "Get on!"

Jamie got on Joey in the back, before James got on in the front. James hoped that this wasn't too much weight for Joey to carry, what with him being so weak and all. He looked down at Adalric and nodded to him. 

"Thank you so much for everything you've done." He said. "I'll never forget you or what you've done for my wife and I. She'll be very grateful."

"Alright, yes, you're welcome, send her my love, NOW GO!" Adalric shouted.

"Jamie, keep hold of my waist." James said. 

"Now people'll talk." Jamie grumbled.

James kicked Joey in the side, sending him into a sprint. James could hear the German's chasing him, but he had never felt more free in his life. Joey could outrun them. He was a horse for crying out loud. A tank suddenly appeared in their path. Joey had never been one for jumps, so James had a good reason to feel nervous. 

"Do you remember the day we raced, Joey?" James asked. "I knew you could do it then, and I know you can do it now. Surprise me like you did then."

Joey didn't fail to disappoint. He backed up and jumped on the roof of the tank before leaping off of it and running as fast as he could. It was a little fast for James's taste, but anything that got him to his wife quickly was good. He just hoped no one thought he and Jamie were German spies. Joey jumped over a trench and ran alongside it until a bomb landed next to him, spooking him and scaring the living daylights out of James. Joey tried to jump onto the other side, but lost his footing and fell down onto his side. James let out a scream of pain. He didn't know if Jamie was hurt. Joey stood back up and kept running, inside the trench now. James knew he had to calm Joey down.

"Woah, Joey, woah!" He said. 

Joey wouldn't listen. He was too scared. Joey finally managed to climb out of the trench and continued to run. Since they were out in the open, James felt more safe but also more threatened. There were more places for Joey to run, but anyone who wanted to shoot them had a clear shot. James caught sight of some barbed wire and tried to slow Joey down, but it was too late. Joey caught the wire and dragged it with him. 

"What are you doing?!" Jamie yelled.

"I can't control him! He's too scared!" James shouted back. 

"You're gonna get us killed!" Jamie said.

"It's not like I'm trying to!" James retorted. 

In the time they had been arguing, Joey had taken more barbed wire with him. One of the poles caught on another pole and made Joey fall over on his side. This, unfortunately, pinned James and Jamie down. James's leg hurt badly, and Jamie's arm was hard to move. Joey kept trying to get free, and James had to calm him down by stroking him. Every move he made caused great pain. The wires had also tangled themselves around him and Jamie, and every movement caused the wires to become deeper embedded in his skin. He finally had to stop when two pieces of wire aligned itself over his eyes. A false movement could blind him. 

"Jamie, be very careful." James said. "There is a piece of wire over my eyes, and I really don't want to go blind."

"I don't think I can move." Jamie said. 

"What hurts?" James asked.

"My arm. It's hard to move." Jamie said. 

"Do you think it's broken?" James asked.

"I don't know. It hurts really bad." Jamie said.

"Just lay low. Someone will find us." James said this with false hope, but he knew it was unlikely. He and Jamie were trapped.

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DOWNTON ABBEY IS REALLY SAD. I FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA CRY RIGHT NOW. On a happier note, this is almost finished! Yay!