The Price of Freedom
is a Little House on the Prairie Continuation fanfic, set immediately after the events of Season 4's "Freedom Flight", in which. Charles Ingalls and Doctor Baker took a stand against Hugh MacGregor's bigotry and hatred of the Indians by helping them escape his posse. They knew there would be consequences, but neither could imagine just how high the price of Little Crow and his people's freedom would be.
This fanfic contains examples of:
- Adaptational Expansion: The story expands the backgorund behind MacGregor's hatred of Indians: Dr Baker tells Charles how, during the Dakota War of 1862, MacGregor's older sons were killed in combat and his daughter was gang-raped by Dakota warriors, fueling his boiling hatred of all Native-Americans and anyone who dares to support them.
- Connected All Along: By pure coincidence, Little Crow (the son of the Chief at the group Charles and Dr. Baker helped escape MacGregor's posse) commanded the Dakota warriors involved in the battle in which MacGregor's children were killed. Ironically, MacGregor didn't know about that and yet still hated that group of Indians as much as if they had no involvement in it.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Although Dr. Baker explains the reason behind MacGregor's hatred of Indians, he still reassures it doesn't justify his actions, especially against helpless Indians who had nothing to do with his ordeals.
- I Have Your Wife: MacGregor kidnaps Laura and forces Charles to come and confront him alone.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: In one of MacGregor's actions against the Ingalls family, he spreads a rumour about the daughter of Little Crow, to whom Laura gave her doll, was Charles's daughter he sired with the girl's late mother. MacGregor's son Rob taunts Laura and Mary with the rumour and it results in a fight between him and Laura.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After being rescued by Charles from being dragged by the running waters, and then helping rescue him when Charles loses his balance and Dr. Baker tries to pull him back but isn't strong enough, MacGregor breaks down in a Heel Realization of what his hatred had caused and the actions he'd taken as of that point.
- Save the Villain: During the climax, MacGregor falls on the running water trying to catch Laura, whom he'd kidnapped, Charles is given the option to let him be dragged by the waters or try to save the man who'd beaten to an inch of his life, slandered against him and kidnapped his daughter. He chooses to save him.
