alliances ....     1920 — 1921

*MANY TIME SKIPS*
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

REST IN PEACE, LITTLE SHELBY. The words were whispered around the town like a rumour. No one wanting to believe the kindest yet craziest was dead.

The young girl who ran bare footed gaining cute and scrapes on the bare bottoms of her feet or the young woman who'd pull pints and sing songs for the locals.

No one can play god, not even a Shelby.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

ROSALIE SAT UNCOMFORTABLY IN THE BACK OF THOMAS CAR.

the wound on her stomach was not fully healed and would ache relentlessly no matter how long she laid down. "where are we going, tommy" rosalie asked, looking to her brother.

"we're almost there" thomas informed, disregarding his sisters questions. as the car stopped rosalie noticed they were beside a felid with the lee family who had set up camp there.

"tom?" rosalie questioned, watching as her brother got out of the car and opened her side door helping her out.

rosalie kept a hand on his arm using him as a crutch to walk. "rosalie shelby" zilpha smiled, opening her arms to give her a hug.

rosalie looked around awkwardly slowly patting the woman's back. "take a seat, rosalie"

"tom, why are we here?" rosalie questioned as she slowly lowered herself to a wooden chair that surrounded a circular table.

zilpha and thomas sat in the empty chairs beside her. "i'm sure you remeber the wedding, yes?" thomas asked, watching rosalie nod confusion clear on her face.

thomas raised a hand, pointing to zilpha. "zilpha and i, here — we made a deal, if it came down to it the lees, would take you in" thomas explained, placing a gentle hand on her knee.

rosalies face hardened as she looked at her brother, "what deal, tom?" the girl asked.

thomas inhaled deeply, "you will be staying— travelling, with the lees" the man stated, rosalie shook her head.

"no tom, your not sending me away. i won't let you do that, no don't do this" rosalie stressed, pushing thomas' hand off her knee as she shakily stood up with a grimace on her face as pain shot through her body at the sudden movement.

she attempted to make her way to the car but thomas set his hands firmly on her shoulders pushing her back into the seat.

"i don't need the stress of your antics after what happened, not now. not when the family are finally moving up in the world." thomas firmly spoke, his hands gripping her shoulders as he kept her sat down.

"are you fucking serious?! i took a bullet for you after you fucked me over, and you took billy treasure under your fucking wing! i took a bullet for you because billy treasure is too much of a fucking wuss and basically through me infront of it! i took a bullet because of you and your sending me to live in a caravan!" rosalie yelled as tears brimmed in her eyes. she was mad, furious even. yet thomas had to withhold tears of his own.

"it's already been done" thomas spoke as he cleared his throat and dusted off his trousers.

rosalie stood, attempting to follow him to the car but ziphas arms wrapped around her chest. "it's alright, my child" the woman hushed, running a soothing hand through her curls. rosalie cried, tears flowed down her cheeks like a dam that had burst.

she kicked and screamed, begged for thomas to not leave her but it didn't matter. when thomas shelby had his mind set on something, there was no changing it.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

rosalie sat around the small fire the lees' had lit. she had been with them for over a month and she wished nothing more than to be back with her family. small braids were tangled between her curls, she felt tears build in her eyes as she watched the flames dance together. it reminded her of home. clementina gripped her hand, almost as if she knew the girl was on the brink of breaking.

the family danced and sang ballads, if it was under different circumstances rosalie was positive she'd adore the setting.

rosalie looked at clem with hopeful eyes, yet the woman shook her head. "no, no letters. . . i'm sorry, rosie" clem denied, she quickly squeezed her hand — an attempt to comfort the girl but it didn't stop the tears that began to flow down her cheeks.

she felt alone, she wondered how. . . how could one feel so alone yet accompanied by so many people? it was a strange feeling, one rosalie didn't like.

clementina smiled sadly at the girl, she lifted her hand to her face as she wiped rosalies tears.

"i miss them"

"i know."

Rosalie couldn't help but use her palm to wipe away the tears that stained her cheeks. She was never a crier, 'tears are for fools' her father would say every time the little girl through a tantrum or was upset when she had fallen.

The Shelby girl could not help but question what she had did to Thomas to be sent away. Rosalie had always stuck by Thomas ( not counting their falling out in the recent months ) , yet it seemed she was the one who had done something wrong. Words couldn't describe such a feeling.

Anger, betrayal.

No, none of them lived up to the bubbling pits of hell that had been awoken.

Thomas Shelby had done over the one person who would do anything for him, again.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

4 months later. . . .

Rosalie's hair cascaded down her back in long ringlets that shown a honey colour as she slipped down from the horse. Her bare feet touched the grass and she almost instantly started running towards Clementine. Their body's clashed together in an excited hug, "that was bloody brilliant!" Rosalie exclaimed, a happy smile on her face.

Pulling away, Clem still kept a grip on her arms. "What did I tell ya' " the brunette winked.

Rosalie shook her head, "Jesus I haven't done that since I was a kid" the girl trailed off. In the months she had been travelling with the Lee's Rosalie had received no letters, no visits. Her hurt had turned to anger quicker than expected but the Lees thought she had found peace — they were wrong.

It was a special day. It was Rosalies eighteenth birthday — she no longer had to abide by Thomas' rulings and it was the day she had looked forward too since the bullet cascaded through her body.

Clementine's eyes softened before a smile drew her lips up, lifting her hand she pushed Rosalie's hair back. "Come, the sun is setting — id say it's time for bed" the girl spoke softly.

Rosalie agreed, slipping away from the girl and into the 'tent' she had been sleeping in.

Slipping into the sheets, she watched as the camp slowly shut off as the lamps were blown out and the fire turned to embers. Slowly she stood up, grasping the bag that had been covered by fabrics in th corner. Reaching into one of the pockets, Rosalie pulled the letters addressed to her close confidants and left them against her bed.

Slipping out of the site was easy enough, it was the hike through the forest and onto the roads that seemed most difficult. The gravel wore down her shoes as she walked along the gravel roads from Brentwood. It was a seven hour walk from there to her destination and once she had made it, she quickly slipped into a bar.

From the sweat and slight dory that covered her face, the barman didn't try and argue with her about entering. The whiskey that had filled her cup was gone within one swipe. "So Darlin' what's your name?" The man asked as he polished the glass in his hand.

"Rosalie" she answered stiffly.

He raised an eyebrow, "Rosalie what?"

"Shelby."

The bar seemed to come to a still at that, "well Rosalie, what's a young lady like you doing alone in parts like these?" He quizzed, trying to seem interested.

She didn't answer, simply pushing her glass forward with a handful of money — certainly too much for just a glass of whiskey.

Standing up, the chair screeched across the floor and Rosalie grasped her bag as she walked down the street. The shop looked normal from the outside — but from Thomas' books she knew what happened behind closed doors. Opening the bakery door, Rosalie let the aroma of fresh bread and cakes fill her senses.

Coming to the counter, Rosalie slipped an envelope towards the server. "Can you direct me to the... owner?" She asked quietly as to not alert the other costumers that roamed the area.

The server nodded, slipping the envelope into his pocket and directing her through the back we're workers paused to look at her.

"Through there" he pointed, before disappearing through to the front.

Reaching for the handle, Rosalie pushed open the door and watched as the man stood up, "what the fuck did I say about knocking, you fuckin— fuck me" Alfie yelled, but quickly stopped as he took in the Shelby girl's appearance.

Huffing Alfie sat down and Rosalie closed the door before sitting opposite him.

"First, we have that Shelby with the kid in my ends — now you!" Alfie almost laughed, "what's your brother planning, hm? Getting his family to come to my ends and now his kid sister?" He asked, his hands coming to clasp together.

"Wouldn't know, haven't seen him in a while" she shrugged carelessly.

Alfie raised his eyebrow expectingly.

"Took a bullet for him, and then he sent me to live with our pumpkin picking kin. I'm here because I want in. I want to take down Thomas Shelby and I want to take the business that's being handled so foolishly" Rosalie briefly explained, leaning back into the wooden chair.

Alfie laughed before pulling a handgun from under his desk, cocking it and pointed it at Rosalie's forehead.

Her lips pulled up into a taunting smirk, and she leant towards the weapon that nearly touched her forehead.

"You've got balls kid. No one had ever smiled with a gun aimed at their head, well not in front of me anyways" Alfie pondered with a smirk and placed the gun on the desk.

"You're in." Alfie confirmed, leaning back in his chair. "First order of business, get yourself a new Bob and some clothes — you look like some fucking princess"  the man chuckled, handing her a twenty pound note.

Nodding, Rosalie stood up and walked to the door. Turning back she smiled sweetly, "you're workers are pathetic, led be back here because I handed him an envelope filled with flat pebbles and a rolled up piece of paper — I'd get rid of him" she winked before shutting the door and walking out.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

3 months later. . . .

Her slightly ginger hair blew against the wind as her leather glove slipped onto her hands. She walked with a high head through the streets of Camden — her heals haunting the residents ruthlessly.

Her gun was clasped tightly in her jacket pocket, and her pin was set in her hair. Alfie says, 'you can take the girl from the blinders but not the blinder from the girl' , Rosalie liked to disagree but the rising number of visually impaired people in london was rising.

Walking into the bakery, Rosalie nodded at one of the workers and strolled through to her room.

Sitting at her desk, she grasped her pen and finished the books for alfie.

A knock sounded through her door, "come in" she called.

Alfie pushed open the door and smiled at the girl. "Afternoon, Rosie" he greeted, closing the door behind him and sat on her bed.

"Alright Alfie" Rosalie smiled softly, placing the paper weight against the letters on the desk.

"I've good news.." Alfie stated, his hands resting on his knees.

Rosalies eyes lit up as she watched the man take a slip of paper from his pocket and hand it to her. She took it carefully, on the front it had her name printed in bold.

ROSALIE SHELBY,

Owner of CAMDEN MOTOR WEARHOUSE.

1920

Rosalie look up with glee, she quickly stood and wrapped her arms around
Alfie. "Oh, thank you Alfie" she gushed happily.

"First order of business. Say goodbye to Rosalie shelby."

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

'ROSALIE SHELBY ' That is what is carved into the stone. 'Loving sister, daughter and friend. Taken too soon but remembered in our hearts. No one can play god, not even a Shelby' . That is what's written on a shitty headstone that it seems everyone from small heath visits.

Moss hadn't taken over yet, courtesy of Polly. The woman visited every weekend and leaned the curves and cracks, most praised the stone and what they thought laid beneath — praised her for being such a warm heart, praised for giving up her life to save others.

But others, they vandalised it. Words carved and painted on, peaky scum, whore, devil.

She couldn't help but laugh. The stone was cheap, only thomas to choose the cheapest for his little sister.

The sun had set long ago and a simple candle was illuminating the grave. The next one over was similar. 'FREDDY THORNE. Loving father, husband and friend'.

"Poor bastard" she muttered, pulling the mourning veil down further.

Things had changed in small heath.

"Goodbye Rosalie Shelby. I hope the pits of hell treat you nicely." She whispered, pulling the pin from her hair — it's blade dancing with the flames.

She lifted her hood to rest on her head before turning and walking from the grave, her heals echoing with each step.

"Now to dance with the devil" Rosalie smirked, stepping into the car and nodding at the driver.

Thomas shelby could play god, but Rosalie could play the devil.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

RIN SPEAKS

hey... how y'all doin😀😀

Couldn't update from jail 😞

KIDDING

kiddinggggg

So this is so messy because it's been written over the course of like 5 months and it's short so sorry.

Had hige exams. Have work. Have depression.

Soooo DOMT hood me to shit anyways love y'all ☝️☝️😙😙💕💕😻😻

COMMENT AND VOTE 👹👹