An Operation (Chauv/Nate/Helen)

[gustave]

(OOC: Understandably there's need to be an order and it seems smart enough for it to go something like this 1. Gus. 2. Chauv. 3. Nate. 4. Helene at least in my mind it seems to work that way best feel free to pm me and I'll change it, to prevent problems with the order I feel it would be best to post whose next in line so we don't lose track etc and so we can allow for characters to be knocked out/in the background)


It had been a long time since Gustave had been on any sort of military operation, or at the very least some sort of mission that would end with him having to perpetrate violence against his fellow man outside of enforcing the law. It was not something that Gustave relished for deep at heart he was a kind man, but it was a duty he took onto himself nonetheless for if he was not to do it, then what was the point in him even existing anymore? Gustave had always been a soldier, from the day he celebrated his eighteenth birthday and he decided to join up in Napoleon's army rather than be forcibly conscripted like so many of his grumbling friends had. Some had been dragged off kicking and screaming like childish brats, others had fled to the hills only to be found by agents of the Government and simply disappeared. A few like Gustave joined up with pride in their hearts and in their eyes, with puffed out chests and dark blue uniforms with golden colored facings. They had marched out as so many others had and they had expected it to be fun and games.

Of the friends that Gustave had joined up with, none survived two years. They all died, pierced by musketry, canister shot raked them and broke their bodies splashing blood on the soil. Gustave had survived where so many had died, he had fought on where so many would have given up and laid back and simply died. He was covered in the marks of war, scars where musket balls had been pulled from his skin, long saber cuts and a particularly nasty specimen on his left bicep where a sword lodged in the muscle itself. Apparently Gustave had been lucky to keep the arm, it didn't feel like luck at the time, instead it felt as if something had torn his arm off and was sticking a hot firey brand into the open wound and then toying with it before removing it slowly and painfully. He had drank his own weight in hard alcohol that night simply to alleviate the pain. The Emperor himself had come to see how Gustave, who at the time was part of the middle guard was keeping. Gustave barely recognised the man he worshipped as a hero and saw as a father and so gave him a sentence laced with four word expletives and one or two of them referencing Napoleon's mother.

The Emperor responded in a fashion that surprised Gustave so much that the drunken Chasseur had fallen out of his bunk. The Emperor laughed and clapped the huge man on the shoulder. "You will be a member of my Old Guard my large friend.

That was a long time ago. It felt like a lifetime ago. Perhaps this was purgatory, perhaps he had died at Waterloo and was destined to spend an eternity watching France collapse under the weight of it's own populace, Gustave a disgraced soldier could not hold back the tide just as much as a single grain of sand could prevent a tidal wave. He had watched France crumble and so in response he had done the one thing that had come naturally to him. He went off on a mission and tried to run from the problems at home. The lonely nights spent shivering under a blanket much too small for his immense frame in an apartment that could not accommodate him properly simply because of his height

His grey eyes narrowed as they scanned the forest around the small path that the horses were walking on. Gustave was by no means a master rider and would have preferred walking but the Government official he was charged with protecting was in favor of a horse for a quicker journey. Gustave could hardly disagree, he was a lowly Sargent in a police force critisised and hated by the people it was sworn to serve and protect. Gustave realised he didn't really have much going for im in his life but what he did have he was going to fight for till his last breath had left him.

He hadn't even spoken to the man he was meant to be protecting aside from a cordial greeting. The grey eyes continued to spy and scan the treeline, his neck turning to allow for a full field of vision. Both hands held the reins tightly, at his waist a saber hung, once drawn from it's sheath it was deadly sharp and very useful. On his back a musket, loaded and primed and ready to be fired. Of course if the two men where to be ambushed, Gustave would likely only get one shot off and would have to discard the weapon and switch to his saber, but it was useful to have the firepower just encase. Always be prepared for battle was his mantra and he was truly on high alert.

A single snap of a twig and he would have been dismounted and ready to fight faster than snap of wood could have finished echoing. He sniffed and fresh forest air filled his lungs. He spoke to the man he was guarding, not bothering to regard him with those melancholic grey eyes. "We are making Good progress are we not?"

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT

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chauvelin

It really was a very pleasant day, Chauvelin thought, obscurely gratified that he could still appreciate such things. His country might be on the brink of a bloody revolution, he might be on a mission that made him an exceptionally tempting target to anyone who might have discovered its nature, but he could still enjoy sunlight and the scent of bluebells. Faith, just breathing something other than the fetid air of Paris was cause for celebration. Despite spending well over half his life in the city, he'd grown up in a country chateau and still remembered drawing in breaths that weren't clogged with soot, sewage, sweat, and the thousand other odors of over a half million souls crowded in together.

Chauvelin was glad of the break from the sheer noise of all those people, as well. Out here there was just the breeze through the trees and snatches of birdsong, the dusty clop of hooves and the creak and jingle of harness. It was very restful. Nobody shouting. Nobody even talking

The old spymaster cast a brief, sidelong look at his silent companion. He was a giant bear of a man -- literally so, in one way. Sargeant Gustave was a Grognard, awarded the coveted bearskin cap only worn by members of the late Emperor's elite guard. And, for all his flaws, Bonaparte had been a clear-eyed realist when it came to such matters. Neither birth nor money would get you into the Imperial Guard. Not even size would, though it helped. Napoleon chose only battle-tested and hardened veterans. Unfortunately for them, their close association with the Corsican had since brought them considerable distrust in some quarters.

Not with Paul Chauvelin, though. He'd been delighted to discover a Grognard among the bodyguard possibilities, and had chosen him immediately. While Chauvelin himself was armed with pistol and blade, he had no illusions who would be doing the bulk of the damage should things go wrong. With those shoulders behind it, the big man's heavy cavalry saber alone would be capable of removing a limb with a single blow. Even a head, which were surprisingly difficult to detach from bodies.

"We are making Good progress are we not?"

His thoughts pulled from the bloody turn they'd taken, Chauvelin glanced again at his companion. Gustave was -- as he should be -- watching the surrounding woods, so the older man spoke his agreement rather than nodding. "Indeed," he said, "better than I'd hoped. I'll be happier once we're past this next part, though. The road narrows and a cliff rises on one side. It's broken country with a lot of cover, perfect for an ambush."

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TAG -- Nate
NOTES -- none, at present
lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANT
made by ANYA of caution 2.0

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[nathanielredenei]

[atrb=border,0,true] [/style][style=width: 450px; background-color: ffffff; text-align:center; padding: 8px; line-height: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; color: 000000;][style=background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/11kea2v.jpg); width: 252px; height: 138px; float: left; margin-top:10px;] WHEN'S IT GONNA END, HOW WE GONNA LIVE, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA HAPPEN NOW, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA GIVE [/style][style=width: 252px; height: 26px; float: left; margin-top:10px] made by historyofus of caution Anger no that's not right I would say quite anger, something that Nate was feeling right now. He Stood there listening to the report, the anger bubbling beneath the surface, yet his face was a picture of utter tranquility, the young man was a times incredibly skilled at masking his emotions, that was not say he did not have lapses. If you were to ask Nate though you bound to find that he can be somewhat overconfident about this fact. At this very moment though if you were to even try an attempt even a small feeble attempt at drawing his attention to this, well let’s just say it would end badly very badly. Nathaniel liked to look in control at all times, even if you were losing control or something went wrong, it was never good to show it if you were in some position of authority, like Nate is in the Sacred Heart. However this did not mean Nate was emotionless, far from it he just liked to keep them in check when it was needed, but then that was not always possible. The Death of Vanessa's mother had been one such moment, he always remembered that day he found her, there was plenty of emotion then in fact it felt as if the world had torn itself asunder, maybe the end of days had come. No I must not thinking of this now, there is work to be done, the fools. Dwelling on his own feelings would have to be put on hold for the moment, it was not the time neither the place for it and from what he could tell he was going to get much angrier due to what he had just heard. It was one thing to come back to find out about a mission but it was another to find out it was about to be totally screwed up, one because some imbeciles could not wait. Or maybe it was that they had missed a simple instruction from Henri before he had left, it was likely, anyone could mishear something but part of Nate felt like there was something more here. It was up to him to salvage this mess that those that had gone ahead had landed themselves in. "Are you sure?" Nathaniel asked calmly trying not to raise his voice in the forest, he had his small party were not at camp, they were near enough the road, but out of sight of the road so not to be seen, they were all on horseback. The Party of Nate and three others had been traveling back the camp when they were stopped by the runner from the camp. It had seemed that the man Henri had left in charge while both he had Henri where elsewhere had sent him, it did not take long for Nathaniel to guess why though. "Pierre you mean to tell me that Christian was given command of the ambush troops once Henri left, the guy who got most of the men on his last ambush injured, a few even.............died." Pierre looked at Nate for a moment and saw his eyes, they did not look friendly, and he gulped and spoke again "Yeah… yes, we don't know how it happened but I was sent to warn you, we feared they were set up on the cliff, we scouted for them and they are there." Nate started at him for a moment taking each word in bit by bit, his mind racing at what he heard he felt like he could not believe it but then due to Christian De Maire's track record he knew instantly that it was true. "Oy Vey this ambush is over before it has begun, doomed at its start, the deciding die has already been cast. It’s an obvious ambush point they will be ready for it, our friends they think they have the advantage, when in fact the ones they hunt do. I don't doubt this man has a guard, this man an experienced one by any chance. " His face twitched into a smile at what he heard next Pierre babbled something out about a large frame of a man a solider of sorts, scanning the trees like some hawk ready to pounce on his prey. "Excellent this shall be a challenge then, did you not see them properly, no I doubt i you wished not to get too close to the road and reveal yourself." He pulled on the reigns of the Horse and the white stallion trotted forward somewhat. Ames rode up next to him looking at him curiously. "You have a plan don't you sir, don't tell me it dangerous," Nate let out a chuckle and turned to face him a daredevil like flame dancing in his eyes. "Of course I do, listen" he reached over and whispered something to Ames who paled his complexion now no different than that of a ghosts. He in turn said something to the two smaller men to his left before clearing his throat and turning to the two scouts "Pierre turn back and head for the camp, tell Paul I will deal with it , he need not worry I'm heading for the road, it is time to play." Pierre nodded giving him a salute and was about to turn when Nate took a diamond shaped pendent out of his pocket, "give this to Helene tell her it’s for Vanessa". Pierre nodded and sped off. "Agrican head for the ambush point tell them they can continue but there will be a delay, they will know when to strike just wait for the gun shots." It had been some time since then and still on horse back he and Ames had turned back towards the road he knew this plan was dangerous and he knew there was a huge chance of death occurring for the both of them. Death would not stop them though, they were determined to make this ambush work no matter the cost to themselves, their friends though well that was another matter. Nathaniel was glad to be wearing his formal attire it made himself look the part of his plan, by this time the two that were to be ambushed had turned the corner and Nate with Ames was making their way towards them ignoring them trotting on, however they were arguing. "I Told you I saw guns up atop that Cliff face, I told you we should of never come this way" Ames on cue laughed in response as they got closer "As If my friend your nerves are getting the better of you who is there to ambush around here? There is nothing to worry about." Nathaniel Glanced up at the Two men one very large man a solider, Well he will be a bigger problem than anticipated, oh well ill make something up he made sure to look panicked rode up to them. "Sirs be careful if you plan to head that way there is an ambush being prepared up ahead." "Come on now sto............" BANG...... BANG One For the Horse that the Soldier rode upon, and One to make it look like Nate himself was getting shot at, his horse would topple from under him. Or they end up injuring me, they better not or ill be training them two on how to aim. It was simple and effective, the guys had been laying town among the long grass around the trees not moving still as day, if they were seen it was also part of the plan. Now just to wait and see how things would go from there.

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[gustave]

The bullet had ripped into his horses flank sending the poor animal careening with a squeal to the floor. Gustave had fallen with the snorting, roaring beast that kicked out viciously as blood dropped and dribbled from a large open wound on it's left side. Gustave who held no love for horses felt saddened to see such an animal left in such a way, it saddened him moreso to stare into it's deep brown eye so full of white terror and pain. That as Gustave removed himself from the dying animal he looked away and growled. Somebody had ambushed them, somebody was a particularly good shot with a musket, no doubt the would be ambusher had been aiming for Gustave seeing him to be a larger threat and instead of shooting the huge Sargent, they had shot his horse from under him instead, an act of cruelty and malice that had caused the Sargent to feel no small amount of anger at whomever it was to be ambushing. The crackling sound of musketry had woken a beast long left to slumber within Gustave's consciousnesses. A beast that had long hibernated deep inside him that had waited and bidden it's time till it would be needed once more. That beast had not seen action since Waterloo in which it had battered and beaten British and German soldiers into the dirt. It had stabbed and cut and thrust and punched and kicked and shot. It had kept Gustave alive.

Now it was free once more as Gustave's grey eyes moved around the treeline. He could feel a dull aching in his leg, but he pushed the pain aside as he knelt, musket in his hands, finger primed on the trigger. Those sea colored eyes scanning and staring intently and attentively around the whole area. Muskets could be effective at range.... but how far... and why had the man's horse also been shot. Had it been to silence it's rider, had it been a shot also aimed for Gustave? or perhaps aimed at the man he had been protecting. Something did not set will the French Police Sargent, something ached in his stomach and indeed his leg was still in pain but that mean nothing to him. He reached down and pulled the man from underneath his own dying horse and laid him on the floor. Gustave was in functioning like an automaton, nothing seemed to even affect him as he stared out, fixed his bayonet and motioned to his charge. "Remain here with our...." Gustave regarded the man with narrowed, piercing eyes. "Friend. Monsieur Chauvelin... I will go on ahead." Gustave reached for his bayonet and attached it to his musket, the metal glittered sharply as he slowly, very slowly began to edge towards the trees then with scarcely a sound (a wonder that such a big man could move so quietly) he began to slowly make his way up the road. His musket was cocked and ready to fire.

He felt no nerves, fear yes. Oh God yes was he fearful, his face and posture did not betray that fact, but if he was anything he was terrified of what was to come. Would he die? Would he be vanquished, never to see the light of the world again. Gustave crossed himself and prayed to heaven almighty that he would be allowed to live through this conflict and that he would come out of it with just as much pride as he had when he had entered into it. He advanced slowly up the road. Slowly.... Slowly. Grey eyes focusing and ears sharp to the sound of a twig snapping. This mood of anticipation, this waiting period before battle. Gustave always found this the most nervy, when he had first joined the army, many years ago. He had imagined that this waiting period was the moment where both armies could have simply turned and left the field of battle without a shot fired.

He had been in skirmishes such as the one he was in right now as well...As a simple private he had been part of his regiments Light Infantry company... a Voltigeur.... he had been part of the groups of men who'd run off in front of the armies only to be shot down by British and Coalition riflemen.... Napoleon had praised his light infantry just like he had praised all of his infantry. Gustave however had little thought to give to Napoleon as of this very moment, musket aimed forwards, eyes fixed on whatever moved within the forest. His hands gripped his weapon tightly. He was ready for battle.... but there seemed to be no one... No on there.... He looked around again and then slowly walked back to the other two men. Eying the newcomer carefully he spoke once more "Where are the men who attacked you and why do you still live?" Gustave's voice was harsh, something didn't ring true with the man's story of a supposed ambush... how would he have known that the men were waiting to ambush him and Monsieur Chauvelin?

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT

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chauvelin

Well, now, Chauvelin thought, watching the two men do a credible job of feigning panic as they came galloping up. That's actually a clever plan. If he hadn't recognized the taller of the two as Nathaniel re Denei, second in command of the Sacred Heart, he might even have been fooled into believing they were innocent fellow travelers. Their taking fire themselves from the ambushers only added to the verisimilitude, though the cynic in him figured somebody was just a lousy shot.

Not the one who'd fired at Gustave's horse, though. Chauvelin winced a little as the animal went down screaming in pain and fear, but he was a coldly practical man and lost no time to sentimentality or outrage. After a quick glance to confirm the big man had gotten clear, the spymaster drew his pistol and signaled his own mount into a nervous-looking mincing sidestep that took them toward the republican leader. Though black, Abraxas was a Lipizzaner, sure-footed and trained to just about any gait or movement a horse could do.

Moving fast for such a large individual, Desjardins was already pulling re Denei clear, putting them all in too tight a group for the rebels doubtless lurking around to risk further sniping. Ironically, standing next to the Sacred Heart leader was probably the safest place to be for a mile or more in either direction, and Chauvelin was happy to nod at the sargeant's instruction to remain where he was. With bayonet fixed for close-quarters combat, Gustave vanished into the trees, and the old spymaster kept his pistol in hand, scanning their surroundings in the other directions.

Desjardins came back into view again quickly, and Chauvelin was glad to see that he was unharmed. The republican rebels were pretending to be innocent travelers who didn't want to capture him, and the government agent was pretending to be an innocent traveler who didn't want to be captured. The Grognard was the only man here who was exactly what he seemed, which was … refreshing. The old liar would hate to lose him.

Time to move this along, Chauvelin thought, looking down at Nathaniel. "Let's not linger," he said, briskly taking charge. Kicking one foot free of the stirrup and transferring the pistol to the hand that held the reins, he reached down to pull the younger man up behind him. "The sergeant can ride double with your man."

Chauvelin glanced over at Gustave's words. "And you can answer a few questions as we go," he added.

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TAG -- Nate
NOTES – Nate moved with player permission.
lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANT
made by ANYA of caution 2.0

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[nathanielredenei]

[atrb=border,0,true] [/style][style=width: 450px; background-color: ffffff; text-align:center; padding: 8px; line-height: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; color: 000000;][style=background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/11kea2v.jpg); width: 252px; height: 138px; float: left; margin-top:10px;] WHEN'S IT GONNA END, HOW WE GONNA LIVE, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA HAPPEN NOW, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA GIVE [/style][style=width: 252px; height: 26px; float: left; margin-top:10px] made by historyofus of caution It should not be long now before things would blow up. As soon as the shots had rung out the two guys would have moved away to join up with the main ambush group. Nate had also asked to make sure that they were ready, after all they should all be moving now thanks to the gunshots, if they had gotten the orders. The ambush had already begun. It was going incredibly well, maybe a little too well but it was indeed going splendidly. Nathaniel loved it when a plan was executed to perfection, it just proved to him how much of a spectacular planner the man really was, even if the first one did not work out entirely he could always make a new one on the fly, a talent that Nate possessed and rated very highly. There were many other people who rated his talent that highly as well, it was no surprise the young man would put himself in harm’s way in one of his own plans, he found it amusing how many people he worked with found it really uncomfortable when he did this. Not that he could blame them, it was not often someone who held a position of authority in an operation would put themselves in a dangerous position, most people of authority were despicable gutless cowards who loved nothing more than to watch from the side-lines as their people died for them fleeing when they lost, never the first to attack but the first to flee. Nathaniel was not an incredibly emotional person, he liked to keep them in check, but neither was the young lad someone who had no emotions at all, oh he had them all them alright, he had his more sensitive and open side, it was just not touched upon much. You could ask what did he feel when his Horse was shot from under him, he would come back with a simple, nothing it is a Horse. Yet Nathaniel truly felt sorry for the majestic creature, Leon had been with Nate for years now he had grown fond of the horse, it was sad to see him go, he had been a faithful animal and now it was like losing a friend but it had to be done , it was after all for a good cause. Yet it seemed sadder than it needed to be, before Nate had been pulled out and untangled he had the misfortune of having to hold the gaze of the dying horses eyes, as he did he felt it wrong, if he could he would help the easing of its passing, it was not right for this to go on so long it was almost like torture for the poor soul. No it was the right thing to do, I Will not go back on it he argued with himself. He watched as the light started to leave the eyes of Leon, his life force beginning to expend itself, the creatures soul untangling itself from this cruel world never to return, its last acts had been to be used as a distraction in a plan, it was cruel fate not as cruel as what would soon to happen to Ames. Goodbye old friend I Will remember you fondly he thought as he was dragged out finally untangled. It may have been saddening to have watched the horse suffer so, however nothing would make him regret it, Leon died for a good cause, it made him even more determined and focused to see this plan through to the end. Standing up and dusting himself off Nathaniel knew instantly the incredible danger of this plan, as he began to catch his breath and gave a brief glance at the large fellow, the soldier, the protector of the other man. The way he searched was like some animal or a hunter, while he had not counted for the speed he had recovered at, he was not at all surprised, from first glance Nathaniel had seen a man that was used to this stuff, maybe he had been to war? It was not glaringly obvious but the hints were there you just had to seek them out. This fellow could give them problems if the trap did not spring soon or Nate did not work fast, he would obviously have to talk his way out of not being in on the shooting, he may look innocent but it did not prove it entirely, then he would have to isolate the two from each other. He Knew what Ames had to do but there was one part he had yet to tell Ames, but it would fuel the fire of those who would soon be coming, it may even distract the solider. There would be incredible danger from here on out, and the hugest problem was the giant of a man, while he did not expressly worry Nate he knew dealing with him was off the up most importance. He also knew the ambush troops knew this, he had every faith that they could deal with him as long as they did not foolishly try take him one on one. Taking him together would be the key, Ames had orders to try and shoot his foot or leg to slow him down, but Nate knew the possibility of that just by looking at him was rather slim. He had also told Ames to get incredibly close to the solider and Ames had not questioned he would follow his orders. What would happen after would look like Ames own fault. To anyone else the other man would of made a dreadful error. Yet it would fuel the fire of the ambush troops greatly. The Soldier would never find the two who had shot at them, he was confident of this so it did not give him long to try and formulate a plan and a response to the inevitable question that would come. If the soldier did find them then Nate had no pity for them, they knew the risk, they got caught it would be their own fault and Nate would not risk the plan to save them. They were not worth things going wrong, no matter how harsh it sounded he knew he was right. He had given a thankful nod as the Solider had made of for the forest and he made sure to check if Ames was still there, he was, it was good he had kept to the script, he looked worried, he mouthed sorry and trotted closer as if to make sure he was okay. "Are you okay ?. Nathaniel gave no response as it was at this moment the soldier came back obviously having found no one. He gave a quick glance at the other the target, he felt he should know him, there was something niggling at the back of his mind, and he knew it was not good what if the man knew him? If that was the case, is he letting himself be captured? Nathaniel did not fully believe this but never one to ignore a feeling like this he trapped the thought in a corner in his mind for future use just encase. Looking at the man though he was glad to see a weapon, it meant he was nervous good, he had expected a weapon as well he wanted it to be challenging after all nothing was ever too easy. The Suspicion came like he had predicted, Yes give yourself a pat on the back sir for not being as thick as most would believe. Nate had actually been about to respond but he found himself taken by the hand and pulled up, yes pulled up onto the targets horse to sit right behind him. What? that was unexpected okay, yeah it can be seen as a kindness but Nathaniel did not like it, in fact if he did not know better something was up. Something is not right this is just too easy, easier than it should be His senses where screaming at him to stop and think for a moment, but the man's next words coupled with the solider stopped his thoughts from running rampant, yet the feeling of something wrong was still there. Yet there was an opportunity here, a delicious one that could be easily taken, it was as if he had taken a bit out of a juicy apple. Henri wanted them he was certainly getting them, the target had just placed himself in mortal danger, the fool was right in front of him, yes the plan was formed and the soldier would certainly have no choice but to give in, something told him he might still fight though. Let’s get this started they should be in position and ready, a warning shot, well they better do it at the big guy. "Of course, sorry I am a little bit shaken," he looked down at his hands glad they were actually shaking, perfect. He turned to look at the soldier with worry in his eyes, this was going to be delicious at a quick glance he made sure Ames got closer and he was. "I do not know my dear sir, I do not keep a track of those that shoot me, neither am I used to it. As for why well, I believe I may have angered them, I don't think they like their plan's being spilled." he worked quickly his voice shaken with a hint of fear in it, "or" he suddenly broke out into a very dangerous smile his features growing cold, he took out a small knife he had hidden in his shirt and in one quick movement had it held to the other man's throat. "I simply gave the order to do so." The Tone was now much colder with a poisonous air to it, he focused on the soldier while making sure to keep the other in his sights."Good day Monsieur I think you should both come with me, and If I were you Soldier, I Would not move even the tiniest inch, I can kill this man in an instant I can do it in many interesting and painful ways, or I could simply have it done with and slit his throat open, I don't truly need him you see so think before you act. You are also about to be surrounded your horse was the first death, I certainly don't think you would like it to be yours or your friends now do you ?" His smile was now confident, coldness in his voice striking a stark difference from its earlier tone. He waited for the next move, he waited for the warning shots and he also waited for Ames to draw his gun. His fellow Sacred Heart member did yet there was no pistol, and he was too close to the Soldier, it obvious by the shock on his face that he had not registered that Nathaniel had taken it yet, which was sad. This though was something that had to be done, the others had to see what he could do they had to be fuelled to take the big guy down at all costs, Nate fully expected him to die, really he had already said his goodbyes to him yesterday, when he went to meet a friend of his. It would seem odd saying goodbye now they looked eyes for a moment and Nate just shrugged before a bullet rang out hitting the ground near the soldier’s feet. A few people appeared in the distance"And there we are, so then I Would surrender if I were you, what are you names?" He Held his knife tightly to the other man's neck waiting patiently for the next move of the dance to jump up on to the stage. He almost felt like saying your move, he was not impatient and no he did not feel like rubbing salt into the wound. (There is actually a little time for reactions between the speech and the others turning up. Sorry if it went fast.)

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[gustave]

All Gustave had to do was stick the bayonet in the man, stick it in twist it around pull it out and smack the lanky figure in the head with the butt of his musket. But oh it had to be harder than that, it always got harder than a simple stab, twist, whack job. He had lived long enough, seen enough battles to realise that nothing ever went according to plan. In fact he was well enough aware that nothing of what was about to transpire was going against any plan he himself had laid down. But as he watched the apparently low-level Government Clerk pull the clearly more dangerous man up onto his horse part of Gustave Desjardins couldn't help but feel he was being played like a cheap prostitute and being paid even less for the effort of it all. He felt rather like everyone had some sort of trick or game to play and here he was stood in the middle of it all with the runner's friend staring at him in such an intense manner that if Gustave wasn't a foot taller than him and about twice his size he would have been slightly intimidated. Slightly being the choice word in that long sentence.

The Veteran moved closer to the two men on the horse keeping a close eye on the would be refugee and his bug-eyed friend. He had one musket and a saber, a pistol hanging at his waist and of course the backup knife. The backup knife was a backup knife for a reason. That reason was that it was secreted in an area so sacred to a man that it should not really have a knife wedged down there. Suffice to say Gustave was a little nervous and a little uncomfortable and his backup knife was not adding to his discomfort or his nerves. He had kept his musket trained on the stranger on the horse. In fact Gustave could easily have been mistaken to have ignored the other stranger, but both the detective and the warrior inside of him was working on overdrive.

This was too simple and the stupid man was merely making it more simple for whoever it was who had fired those preliminary shots to take a few more. In fact Gustave was almost unsurprised when the little rat basta- produced a knife and held it against the clerk's throat. Gustave was so unsurprised in fact that he smashed the butt of his musket into the other stranger's guts without so much as a movement of his head. His grey eyes still fixed on the knife held to the Clerk's throat as the other stranger tumbled to the floor choking and groaning holding his stomach and wishing he hadn't been so stupid as to creep up close enough that Gustave could smell fresh coffee on his breath.

"Oui I understand that you have no use for the man, 'owever I know that not to be true. If you had no use why waste the effort of this pointless scheme." Gustave's inner detective was at the forefront of his thinking, his grey eyes still fixed on the man, his musket aimed with unswerving precision. Various plans and schemes ran through his mind as he considered the various courses of action he could take including stabbing the clerk through the stomach, twisting the bayonet out and shooting the stranger, making a break for it on the horse hopefully with the Clerk's messages and papers. Other schemes included trusting the Clerk's judgement (for Gustave knew that the man was far shrewder than he looked) and simply dropping his weapon. Or taking a chance that he was faster than the stranger and stab him in the chest. He knew he could muster up enough force to drive the man from the seat on the horse for the Clerk still had his feet lodged in the stirrups.

Gustave weighed up various possibilities as the stranger rambled on about how dangerous it would be for him to fight on, how his friends would be here. Gustave had known it was a set up and he imagined he probably should have shot the dog before the man had even had a chance to open his ridiculous mouth. The Sargent sighed and then a shot. The bullet impacted on the floor roughly a foot away from him, Gustave was suddenly in a different place. Bullets were twanging all around him, men in blue coats with gold facings, wearing bear-skin hats were disappearing under the the withering hail of gunfire.

Gustave was looking around, how did he end up back here? How was he in this wretched place once more, a man fell down bleeding and gutted by canister... another simply fell clasping his heart. Gustave clutched his musket, his grey eyes hardened, blood spattered onto his coat as he fired, then reloaded, then fired. Everything seemed to be going so fast, people dying around him the square seemed to shrink and shrink. He was the only man left clasping his flag screaming defiance at the British as he was tackled to the floor and beaten into submission.

He had zoned out for a second to witness men advancing up the path and out of the forest. Gustave ignored the men on the horse and aimed his musket. He knew damn straight it wasn't going to be an accurate shot and he knew damn straight that none of those farmboys had any idea how to reload a musket as fast as he had. They had no formal drill or training, they had seen no violence on the scale that he had. He lifted his musket to his shoulder and could feel the slight pushing of his backup knife against his y'know what. He stared intently with grey eyes at the men approaching and then dropped his musket, his pistol and his saber. "I see there is no point in dying when one has no reason to die... I am your prisoner Monsieur." Every warrior fiber in Gustave Desjardins was in revolt against this, but he trusted the Clerk.

He trusted the Clerk implicitly.

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT

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chauvelin

At the brush of the blade against his throat, Chauvelin froze, signaling Abraxas to do the same with the touch of a hand. The well-trained gelding stood stock still, though it snorted and flicked ears and tail at the sound of the gunshot. The old spymaster was playing 'The Clerk,' a part he knew well. A little timid, a little huffy, somewhat lacking in imagination and initiative, The Clerk was an unremarkable, unthreatening man.

Chauvelin had learned a great deal about deception and manipulation from Charles Talleyrand. And Marguerite, a superb actress both on and off the stage, had taught him even more about how to play a role. This one was quite familiar to him, and he slid into it comfortably. For two heartbeats, he held his mental breath fearing that he would have to order Desjardins to stand down, releasing it when Gustave surrendered.

And then the big sargeant's eyes met his for just a moment, and in them was something that took him back to a far different lesson, long ago when he'd been growing up in the care of the Comte de Rochambeau. The general had been very nearly worshiped by his men, and a fourteen-year-old Paul-François had thought that it must be wonderful to be looked up to that way, but Le Comte had quickly set him straight. "When a man places his life in your hands to spend as you will," the older man had said, "that is the heaviest coin you will ever carry." Chauvelin had been and done things since that would have appalled his foster father, but that was one credo he had always tried to hold by. Cheap as other lives might be, those entrusted to him were dear.

"What do you mean by this?" Chauvelin demanded, his manner that of offended expectations, his voice thin with feigned fear. "Are you brigands, then? I have little money, but should be able to arrange a small ransom for my man and myself."

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TAG -- Nate
NOTES – permission given to transport Chauvelin back to the camp, he'll fuss but not fight
lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANT
made by ANYA of caution 2.0

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[nathanielredenei]

[atrb=border,0,true] [/style][style=width: 450px; background-color: ffffff; text-align:center; padding: 8px; line-height: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; color: 000000;][style=background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/11kea2v.jpg); width: 252px; height: 138px; float: left; margin-top:10px;] WHEN'S IT GONNA END, HOW WE GONNA LIVE, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA HAPPEN NOW, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA GIVE [/style][style=width: 252px; height: 26px; float: left; margin-top:10px] made by historyofus of caution How interesting I find myself not able to read this man, furthermore the solider should not have given in so easily what is going on here? Nate was growing more suspicious by the minute and he had come to the conclusion that not only was something seriously amiss going on but someone was trying to trick him, for what purpose he had no idea but Nathaniel did not like it. He Glanced at this man, this man who seemed to be a clerk, there was something about him that seemed of, he could not place it.Fine if It is a game you’re playing, I Will play it, just don't expect things to go your way whoever you are. Nate was not going to fall for whatever was going on, he would find out what was up one way or another for now though he would keep it to himself, no use worrying the others after all, plus he was pretty confident in his skills. Though he did not always notice this confidence could easily get the best of him, he was well known for being overconfident . Nathaniel though for now was going to play into whomsoever hand he was playing into, making sure he had his own tricks and schemes up his sleeve just encase he was right. One thing Nate had to keep in mind was that they all had the upper hand, maybe he was just being stupid, the soldier was outnumbered and he knew it he even told him he did not want to die for no reason, these people seemed genuine but that was what was worrying Nate. Stop it now, just put it at the back of your mind for later, it's most likely not true. The Clerk is a Clerk nothing more nothing less, though how you can be less than Clerk I don’t think I will ever know. Keeping the Knife Held tight Nate gave a quick sharp look at Ames on the floor, still alive but badly beaten, he felt sorry for him but least he would survive, the others would certainly see to that. He was right in one respect that the soldier certainly knew what he was doing and certainly knew how to cause damage. A Small smirk appeared on his lips as Christian and his men made their way over "Your rather Late to this party Christian, though you might want to pick Ames here up we can't have him die after all." Nate was purposeful ignoring the questions of both his captives and trying to make it look like there was information to be gained, he was serious his tone of voice cold and calculated. "Get him on your Horse now, I knew he should of never have come," and that was that without a word Christian did as he was told picking up the moaning, broken and brutally battered Ames and putting him on his horse. The Soldier did a good job he was incredibly Efficient. He focused and zeroed in on the soldier losing his smile all together. "What's your name soldier? I think it better if we are introduced don't you?" Nate questioned of course Nate was not going to tell him his real name, he would only tell him his cover name the name he used when he took those visits to Paris. He studied the giant of a man ever so briefly, A Man like him would have a hidden weapon, He should be allowed to keep it, a Man like him should easily have been able to overcome most of us. Yet something had stopped him, something that brought him to his earlier point, Nate did not believe a big guy like this would give in so easily or would see himself as not able to take them on. Once again Nathaniel curbed the suspicion, now he sounded as if he was being paranoid, though usually paranoia could be a good thing it served to tell you something might be wrong , right now though Nate decided to ignore it, it was not worth it, and he needed to focus on what was going on. "As for your question good Sir, I believe you are only here for protection and not to ask questions, questions that you are not worthy of the answers to." Nate Held the Soldiers gaze, he felt somewhat unnerved by him, maybe teasing him some would be a bad idea, but there was a reason Nate was doing it a reason that the young man kept quiet. Nate nodded to the nearest man and without a word he started to blindfold both the men Magnificent he knew what I want, I like this man. Now he focused on the man he held at Knife point the 'Clerk' Okay maybe he is not who he says he is, but that is only a possibility, there is nothing out of place about this man stop worrying. This Man is a Clerk he looks it and acts it "We shall be on our way in a moment sir it won't be along ride, we are sorry we have done this but you have some information on your person that we require, and a few moments of your time. We will answer your questions in due time," Sighing Nate looked back at Christian "Lead the way, and try not to get lost." he smirked once more smiling as Ames was place on the back of Christians Horse, moaning and moaning, that soldier had got him good. "Now you still know how to work your horse right ?" Nate asked unusually kind for him. It did not take long for the party to get going they would be back to camp Soon. Then he would be able to get this whole situation over a done with before tea time, he could see Vanessa again, he hoped she was safe and his gift safely delivered to her.I'll be home Soon Vanessa. (Next they should be at the camp due to a time Skip im sorry this not very good I'm feeling rather down right now. Do not worry I Nate may suspect but I don't plan on him running Chuavs plans)

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[HELENE DE ROCHAMBEAU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#f4f4f4; width:400px; padding:8px; border: 8px solid #9b6464;] WE MUST ALL BE PREPARED TO DIE FOR WHATWE BELIEVE IN The air was cool, light and fresh. There was nothing better than the crisp clean smell of the forest, the damp earthy air lightened Helene’s spirits. Helene was sat on a fallen tree, up the embankment a few metres away from the camp. She often came to this spot; it was a tranquil place to sit. She had discovered that if she leant against the tall oak tree to the right of the fallen birch, and lay across the trunk, she could comfortably sit and observe the movements in the camp below. Helene picked at some dried mud on her dress, as she watched the people come and go, while they went about their daily chores. Life in the camps was very peaceful for the most part. The people went about their daily lives, building a community among the trees. They now had a small farm, and were able to produce their own food, a blessing when entering the village was so difficult nowadays. Helene watched as a small group of villagers herded the children into one of the larger tents. So many local families had moved to the camps, the younger population was growing, and they suddenly had need for a school house. Helene spotted a familiar figure among the group of children. The brown locks stood out against the child’s pale blue dress…Vanessa. The poor child had been subjected to the cruel tyranny that gripped Barbizon with its vice like claws. It was clear to Helene that the child was deeply troubled by her parents death, her only comfort was Monsieur Denei who seemed to have taken the child under his wing. Helene had a particular fondness for the child, and often looked after her when Monsieur Denei was working. The two had created a game together; they’d built a den on the south side of the camp. The den was their fortress in the middle of a magical forest; all sorts of exciting creatures would come to visit them in their home. The idea had been Vanessa’s, although the child was quiet; she would talk happily about their magical world. Helene suspected the ideas stemmed from a fairy-tale her mother had told her, it seemed to be one of the few things that revoked joy in the child. Helene peered back down at the camp; anyone passing by would likely think the camp a small peaceful settlement. Only a trained eye would pick up the small tent that contained the few weapons the group owned, although Helene had noticed the troops seemed to be growing by the week. She sighed as she stood up and carefully picked her way down the embankment towards the camp. She often tried to convince herself that she wasn’t living on the tip of a sword. Sometimes it was so easy to pretend she was living a peaceful life, away from the horrors that haunted them. If it wasn’t for the dark shadows that seemed to be creeping under Henri’s eyes, and the pressure that he struggled with, Helene might have forgotten why they were really there. She paused for a moment as her ears picked up on the sound of gun fire, not too far away from the camp. Her first thought was Henri, had he run into some trouble? She knew that he had left earlier that morning, but had neglected to tell her why. She loathed being kept in the dark all the time, she was sure he was just trying to protect her and not frighten her with the seriousness of their situation, but she was no longer a child. She had made her choice. Her choice was to be with him, whether that meant living or dying she did not care. She half fell; half skidded down the rest of the embankment, landing on her knees she quickly brushed the dirt off her hands. She tracked her way towards the camp, her dark brown eyes focusing upon a horse entering the camp at an alarming rate. She brushed the remainder of the dirt off her already worn dress. It would certainly be hard to recognise her as the Lady she once was, although she had always had a rather wild look about her. ‘Malady!’Helene paused with curiosity as the horseman approached her, ‘Malady, Monsieur Denei asked me to give you this!’ The man leant down and passed Helene a small pendent. Helene looked at the item with uncertainty. ‘Pardon Monsieur, but why has he given me this?’ she asked, inspecting the item delicately. ‘He asked that you give it to the child Vanessa’ he replied, before adding ‘Pardon Malady, I must hasten myself…’ he nodded his head at Helene, before she could question him further and rode off out of sight. The question was…Helene thought with concern…the question was…why did he not give Vanessa the gift himself? Helene chose not to ponder this further. It would only drive her to distraction. Helene took a small handkerchief from the pocket in the lining of her dress, and wrapped the pendent in it. She would not give it to the child now. Instead she would keep it safe until Nathaniel’s return. It seemed only right that he should give the gift to the girl himself. The idea comforted Helene, although she could not help but feel angered that he was clearly risking his life, when the child needed a steady parental figure in her life. What would happen to Vanessa if Nathaniel were to die? Had the thought even crossed his mind? Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts away. She would not think on such things. They were fighting for a world where they could govern themselves. No matter who they were or where they came from. That had to be worth the sacrifice…didn’t it? Helene took up a spot near one of the tents. She had a perfect view of the track that lead into the camp. She would wait here for Henri or Nathaniel’s return. Settling herself down on an upturned box, Helene returned to picking at her dress. The hemming along the bottom of her skirt was beginning to come lose and she absentmindedly began to pull it apart as she waited. tagged !

[/b]Nate, Chauv, Guswords ![/b] 1,039
notes ![/b] i hope this is ok, if theres something i got wrong, let me know <3[/color][/div]

this lovely template was made by Arro from Caution 2.0 and features lyrics belonging to the oh so amazing Joshua Radin. please leave all of this credit stuff in tact and leave a link for Miss Roro here if you are going to be using this anywhere. Thank you, loves!

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[gustave]

Gustave was in the sh*& literally and truly in the sh*& so deep in the sh*& was he that he could feel it on his trousers, and seeping into his socks he could feel it, he knew it was there and he knew that it wasn't going to be going away anytime soon. He had been dragged through that damnable camp, by those damnable people who muttered things under their breath or shouted them at his face, they threw rotten vegetables at him and named him their 'Bane' they shouted and rattled off countless other insults about how much of a useless waste of space he was simply for wearing a uniform. Simply for wanting to serve and to save his country, Gustave had been on the receiving end of such acts before and he would more than likely continue to be the subject of the abuse of those who feared him. For surely that was human nature? To despise what they feared and to fear what they despised and to never seek any form of understanding of the subjects at all.

Gustave could see dirty faces, he could hear the snickety-snick of knives being drawn from leather sheaves, ready to go about Butcher's work. He could not help but feel the analogy he had convinced himself of earlier was coming to the fore once more and that he felt once again like a naive street-girl with her dress hitched up around her waist only to be caught in the act by some police officer and shamed for the act of simply doing her job. His conscience weighed heavily on him but Gustave would never abandon his convictions, he would never break under the pressure, under the vicious onslaught of insults and names that the people were casting onto him. Of course he had no fear for his life or indeed for his Clerk's, if they were to have died they would have died some time ago. The military man and the Sargent in him told him so, if he was to have some sort of information beaten out of him, Gustave assured himself that the sharp object stowed in the precious space where it should never have been stowed would be brought into the brawl and he would certainly succeed.

For the man who had been pulled into camp walking alongside the horses was his charge. Gustave both trusted the man and he would fight for his safety just as he would fight for his own. It was that inner beast deep inside him that burned and raged and bellowed to make war on these ill-disciplined peasants, who would collapse under any significant military attack from any much smaller disciplined force. The former Lieutenant and decorated veteran deep within had also imagined there would be some way to approach the camp without being attacked and ambushed in the forest where discipline and drill stood for naught and one man's individual ferocity was the defining factor. Gustave understood all too well what being ferocious meant and he knew all too well how one's rage often overcame one's better judgement in the heat of battle.

Yet here he was tied to a post in a sh&* pit, in a disgusting, absolutely disgusting pile of sh*& of waste, of dung and mess and utterly revolting muck that he couldn't even hope that it was anything other than what it truly was. The stench cloyed in his nostrils and hung there like some putrid after-taste of a food he would never even have looked at, let alone tasted. Gustave's face was weary in it's resignation. He signed through his nose and then his mouth and then closed his eyes and tried to imagine something better.... a warmer place with his Aislinn and his Darlene and his....

"FIRE SARGENT. FIRE." the captain bellowed in Gustave's face as he fired and reloaded and fired and reloaded, his bayonet glittered razor sharp in the afternoon sun, sweat ran down his face and cloyed in his beard, his bearskin placed at rather a jaunty angle for the violence he was facing. "GUARD PRESENT ARMS AND FIRE." musketry rippled along the line as the cavalry rushed forward towards them. "FORM SQUARE." the men silently formed square, all of them hardened veterans with powerful hands and bulging muscles and resolute, hard faces that as the British Cavalry rushed towards them they realised their mistake too late. "PRESENT ARMS, SECOND ROW KNEEL!" the ruddy faced commander bellowed and shouted and drew his sword. The second row of the square knelt and raised their muskets like pikes. The crash of horse and man into the rows of densely packed pike like weapons was heavy and Gustave felt something crash into him and his world went black.

He was back in the sh*& with the Clerk... his hands were tied behind him around a post and his grey eyes held only rage and anger at his captors. He kicked at the Clerk's boot, muttering quietly to the man. "What's your plan for getting me out of this disgusting place then?" Gustave had long since abandoned hope but it was nice to feel it properly crushed

[PAUL CHAUVELIN]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 380px; border-left: 20px solid #595454; background-image:url(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a223/Achillea/texture_zpsaf0bcd80.jpg); padding-left: 10px; padding-bottom: 20px;] Paul-François [style=text-align: right]DARKNESS, DARKNESS LONG AND LONESOME, IS THE DAY THAT BRINGS ME HERE I HAVE FELT THE EDGE OF SADNESS I HAVE KNOWN THE DEPTHS OF FEAR DARKNESS, DARKNESS BE MY BLANKET, COVER ME WITH ENDLESS NIGHT TAKE AWAY THIS PAIN OF KNOWING FILL THIS EMPTINESS WITH LIGHT

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chauvelin

As he and the sergeant were dragged through the camp, Chauvelin had ignored the barrage of insults and debris being flung at them, quietly assessing the Sacred Heart. They were almost all young -- a number were outright children -- and there was even a handful of women among their number. The camp itself was open, huddled around one end of a lake, with no defensive fortifications to speak of beyond what he suspected were a couple of spike pits. Doubtless they had sentries posted out in the trees, but they seemed to be relying on that and secrecy for protection, which wouldn't save them.

The pigsty had been an unwelcome, but not especially unexpected destination. The republican riffraff viewed aristos -- and by extension their representatives -- as squeamish, mincing fops, so putting them in with pigs. While it was true, though, that they were right about the over-fastidiousness of some haut-bourgeoise, they were wrong about their prisoners. Chauvelin himself had trekked through Paris' fetid sewers more than once, and, while the sergeant clearly didn't care for their current accommodations, he'd no doubt experienced worse in the trenches.

Watching his comrade in slops, Chauvelin wondered if the big man wasn't back in the trenches even now. For a few moments he had an unfocused look the old spymaster had seen before in men who'd been through dark and terrible experiences. Their bodies remained, but they traveled to other times and places in their minds.

Then with a blink the big man was back in the here and now, and Chauvelin hoped he'd gone somewhere more pleasant than this reeking pit. His own hands were bound so tightly to the post behind him that he could barely feel them and, though his own boots were high enough to keep out the muck, the chill bit through them right into the bones. Despite the summer month, it was cold beneath the trees and there was a dank wind off the lake.

"What's your plan for getting me out of this disgusting place then?"

Chauvelin looked again at Gustave, considering. The sergeant wasn't a man who struck him as being skilled in deceit. He wasn't stupid, but he was bluff and straightforward, his mind not running along the sort of twisted, devious paths the old spymaster's did. Still, he'd been -- and still was -- loyal. He had earned a little hope.

A quick glance around confirmed that no one was within earshot, though a cluster of boys was ominously gathering a pile of small rocks nearby. Chauvelin shifted his weight, watching them out of the corner of his eye as he looked back to Gustave. "I have a man coming," he said simply, trusting in Fumier as he had learned he always could.

The wiry man would have followed, but would wait until the Sacred Heart rode away into the trap before moving in. They'd already taken the bait, finding the royal warrant granting the bearer entrance to Essonne hidden in his saddlebags, and would have to move quickly on it before its courier's disappearance was noted. It wouldn't be long now.

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TAG -- Nate (maybe Henri)
NOTES – none at present.
lyrics from DARKNESS, DARKNESS by ROBERT PLANT
made by ANYA of caution 2.0

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[HENRI ROQUEFEUIL-BLANQUEFORT]

The distance melted quickly under the brisk trot of Henri's bay. He'd left the road almost a mile behind, cautious that he might be followed by some enemy to their cause. Once in the woods, his pace by necessity slowed—the paths he elected to follow were informal, a mix of game trails and clearings that he knew too well to ever need a map.

He had left camp shortly after daybreak, vague on his destination in his instructions to his subordinates. It sounded foolish, anyway—to explain that he had gone back to the estate was difficult, and he doubted some of the peasant-class members of the Sacred Heart's camp would give him the benefit of the doubt in his reasons for going. If they'd asked, he would have said his mother was ailing and he had to pay her a visit.

A falsehood. Of course he spoke to his mother when he went back, even shared with her a quick lunch. He dressed so that he appeared as she wanted to see him, playing to her aristocratic sensibilities. She would have been shocked to see him as he really was, and enough love remained between them—though always of the distant sort almost peculiar to those boys raised by nurses—that he did not wish to hurt her. Each visit it became more difficult for him to cut the clean, aristocratic figure his mother expected from him.

But reality called for money, and reality called for ammunition. Despite his reputation it was easier to obtain either as the vicomte of respectable estate than it was as a rebel lurking in the woods. Gunpowder was expensive, and it was better—of course—to fire real musket balls, not whatever hob-nails and assorted refuse they could dig up and spare. Reality called for other things as well, news from the outside world even beyond Paris, bottles of wine from vineyards they could not maintain in the forest, the occasional bag of sugar...

One man on a horse could only carry so much, of course, and usually such tasks were delegated to others. As with anything in this corrupt world, however, there were things—unfortunately or not—that a title could buy with or without money, and the estate was still able under his mother's direction to turn a profit. What he could carry would have to do for now—next time he would perhaps bring Nathaniel with him. His mother had never begrudged him that friendship, at least.

As he neared the camp he pulled his horse up to a halt. Sound traveled through the trees, and what he heard was not a reflection of standard, everyday activities of the Sacred Heart's encampment. Something had happened while he was gone, and although it didn't sound like it had been a tragedy... his suspicions were piqued. Drawing his pistol, he rode his horse around to the back side of the encampment at a walk.

It was only then, a few yards from the edge of the camp, that he saw exactly what had happened. Two men in the pigsty—too dirty to be recognizable, but the behavior of everyone else around them suggested that they were enemies. Prisoners. He dismounted, leading his horse forward on foot toward the scene.

"What's going on here?"

[nathanielredenei]

[atrb=border,0,true] [/style][style=width: 450px; background-color: ffffff; text-align:center; padding: 8px; line-height: 10px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9px; color: 000000;][style=background-image:url(http://i49.tinypic.com/11kea2v.jpg); width: 252px; height: 138px; float: left; margin-top:10px;] WHEN'S IT GONNA END, HOW WE GONNA LIVE, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA HAPPEN NOW, SOMETHIN'S GOTTA GIVE [/style][style=width: 252px; height: 26px; float: left; margin-top:10px] made by historyofus of caution The day had been a long one and it was not even over yet, for a man who always told himself to expect the unexpected he had just not thought about something like this happening today. The day had been incredibly tiring for something that started off as a small business trip into Paris. Even the business he had conducted in Paris had gone on much longer than it had needed to, and that Nathaniel had been hoping it to. He had still of course gotten the desired result that he had been hoping for, yet Nate could of done without the length of it, the young man just grinned and bared it though, considering it was an old friend of his family's, who was thankfully sympathetic to Sacred Heart. He had good news on the meeting at least, so that was something. After all this though coming back to an operation that was almost wrecked utterly was not something that he would of been looking forward to. That was not to say that Nathaniel had not been thrilled to have a chance to exercise his planning skills and to do something that might be able benefit the Sacred Heart in such a massive way, Nathaniel was convinced that the information they were looking for was something worthwhile, however there was a part of him that wanted to find somewhere to rest and deal with it later, there was another part of him that would stop niggling away, telling him something was wrong. Nate was not overly cautious but being cautious about conducting this whole thing might be the one of Nathaniel’s better idea’s., if something were to go wrong having a few more plans in place would be a good idea, another fantastic thing was Nate’s ability to form a plan on the fly which could come into play should anything go wrong with whatever it was Nate felt would happen. Finally having come back part of Nathaniel wanted to retire to his tent or go and take a stroll in the forest, however he would not do such a thing there was stuff to be done and someone to see. The trip had not been awfully long but it could have gone faster, the only reason they had travelled slower was because of the prisoners they had. They got there in the end and the next thing had been where to put them, the pig sty seemed the best of choices for now, there was no deliberation everyone seemed to agree. So that was where the two prisoners went into the pigsty, which while not the best of places to keep prisoners was the only viable option. If only we could construct a facility of sorts less in the open, then again. An idea had come to Nate, that actually having prisoners out in the open meant more chances of them being heard if they were in an open place more people to watch and maybe a chance for a smaller child to find something out. Another plan had begun forming in his mind and while he was not sure it would work entirely well it might be what they need an extra pair of eyes on the prisoners and what they were saying. This plan would later be gone from his mind. Something like that would have to wait because for now there were other issues that Nathaniel wanted to address, he had already set for Ames to be well looked after, actually it was one of the first things he had done. He was no doctor but just from one look at Ames he could tell he was never going to be right again, he had given the man his gun back, too be honest this could of happened even with the gun but Nate wanted to be more effective and so that seeing the soldier in action would make the others both weary and determined. It had seemed to have worked, he had known some of the men would have been daunted by the size of the man but might not have believed he could of done damage, so that was a lesson he wanted to show. The prisoners themselves had to be dealt with and then there was Vanessa, yes he needed to see her, he felt as if he had been neglecting her for the last few days, but he really had not, he had been hard at work for those days, the poor girl most likely thought that he had abandoned her, something that young man would never ever do. Just as he would never let anything harm her ever. He would give his life to see her safe just as he would give his life to see Henri safe, if any of them were to go he would go first, saving them forever and always. At least that was what he would rather, but realistically Nate new that no matter how hard he could try so many things could go wrong, and then he was of course planning for none of them to die. Nathaniel had left the prisoners where they were for now, just leave them to stew, as the people of the camp called them names and treated them like the enemies that they were. He would talk to them later, to find out what they know, at the moment he also had someone going through the belongings to the find the information that they had been tipped off about, it should not be long but now. He also had to find Vanessa and maybe Helene if she was with her that was, though maybe he should see if she was okay for Henri's sake If anything was ever to happen to her, well I know how it feels to lose someone, it brings you to the edge, I don't want that for Henri he knew who he was thinking about but dwelling on her name was just as painful as saying it out loud. At this present moment Nate was giving orders to a two of the men who had greeted them on their arrival, they were outside one of the tent's. "I wan't you to check the road for anyone else, keep an eye out and warn the camp if you think something is wrong, I don't expect something to happen however these people will be bound to be missed someone might come snooping around. Make sure you'r well hidden and warn the camp if anything occurs." The men nodded and set to work on preparing to leave the camp for the road, it was a good idea always cover your tracks and he suspected that that the two may be missed, so it was best to check the road and keep watch. Nate was still lost in his thoughts when a familiar voice shattered any thought process, stopping them dead in their tracks. Well finally, He thought swiftly turning around to take a look at the man now approaching the pig sty, a man who Nate was quite Happy to see. Actually everyone seemed to have stopped in their tracks at his voice, Nate smirked as one of the men scrambled around to talk to him. Better fill him in Nate walked forward focused on Henri but did spare quick glance at the men in the sty something still troubled him. He reached them in a quick matter of seconds the soldier that was trying to fill Henri in was Christian and he was too busy fumbling over his words to make a coherent sentence. He let out a chuckle when he said something about his ambush being taken over apparently he thinks, I'm in the wrong "Christian you'r way would of ended up getting most of you all killed," he said nodding at Henri as he did, now ignoring Christian he focused on his long time friend. "One Clerk and One soldier carrying some information, apparently we were tipped off about it, we should find it soon if the tip was right. Nathaniel's tone was emotionless as if stating a matter of fact, his mouth though twitched into a smile glad to see his friend. "Where have you been?" he asked glad that Henri by the looks of it had kept safe and but he had not expected to have had him left kept. He watched him carefully to not only see what he said but how he said it, there was only a few places that he could go and he expected where he might have gone.

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[HELENE DE ROCHAMBEAU]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=style, background-color:#f4f4f4; width:400px; padding:8px; border: 8px solid #9b6464;] WE MUST ALL BE PREPARED TO DIE FOR WHATWE BELIEVE IN Helene wasn’t the most patient of women; she liked action, which usually resulted in her acting on impulse. Her impulses were perhaps not always the best of actions, but it certainly was better than waiting around. It seemed like an age until finally the familiar sound of horse’s hooves reached Helene’s ears. She looked up from her comfortable spot in the shade of a tent and peered towards the sound, shading her eyes from the glare of the late afternoon sun. She watched as Nathanial entered the camp, with his troops and what appeared to be two prisoners. Many of the camp members had already taken it upon themselves to punish the prisoners, throwing anything they could find at the unfortunate souls. Helene frowned, standing up to get a better view of the situation. Two men, one much larger in build than the other, both of an age.Perhaps they were spies...spies sent from Paris attempting to assess the situation here. That would make sense; she vaguely recalled one of troops mentioning it as a possibility. She watched as they were unceremoniously placed into the pigsty, and bound to the wooden fencing, which enclosed some of the few farm animals they had been able to acquire. Helene ventured forward, her eyes scanning Nathanial’s troops for Henri, but he wasn’t among them, whatever his business was, it was keeping him late. It didn’t take long for whispered rumours to greet Helene’s ears, many where convinced the men where spies, and a possible danger to those in the camps. The news unnerved Helene, the idea of outsiders entering the camp for reasons unknown made their situation all too real. Sometimes it was easy to pretend that they were merely living a quiet existence away from Frances horrors. Several of the children had begun to leave the school tent and Helene paused for a moment to catch a stray cloth ball that had escaped the children’s tiny hands. ‘Careful’ Helene said with a smile, ‘you don’t want to lose it in the lake!’ toys for the children were scarce, as were most things in the camp. As she spoke she noticed a small group of boys clustering around the prisoner’s, sticks and stones in hand, they laughed at the new found bait. Helene didn’t approve of the prisoners, but she wasn’t about to stand and watch the boys stone the prisoner’s, which looked like a great possibility as the rock pile began to grow. Lifting the skirts of her dress she rushed forward to shoo the gathering group of boys away. They all scattered, likely not wanting their names to be reported to Henri and their families. Helene glared at the prisoners taking in their features at closer range. There was the larger man, with short military cut hair, and angry grey eyes, the fury emanated from him like a large log fire. The other man was smaller, and seemed to have a calmer air about him. The difference in dress suggested to Helene that the smaller man was perhaps higher in rank or class than the other. A camp member throw some slops into the pigs, which caused them to squeal with excitement gathering around the pitiful left overs the camp could spare. ‘Feel free to join them!’ Helene shouted towards the men, indicating to pigs that were gorging themselves on the swill. She glanced past the fencing, her heart lifting as she recognised the figure that had joined Nathanial. Henri was back! She started towards them but hesitated deciding to wait until the talk of business was over. No doubt the new arrivals would put even more added strain on Henri…and the camp. tagged !

[/b]Nate, Chauv, Gus, Henriwords ![/b] 611
notes ![/b] i hope this is ok, if theres something i got wrong, let me know <3[/color][/div]

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