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Gott im Himmel, I do so detest these political functions, thought the Army’s Chief of Staff as he buttoned the collar of his neatly pressed, dress uniform. The importance of such social gatherings was not lost on the veteran Guards officer, it was simply the fact that he much preferred being in the saddle with shot and shell raining all around him than kissing the hand of some royal who had never seen combat in his life. He was, after all, a soldier, and true soldiers much preferred productive actions to whispered words of intrigue. Still, he was a good soldier, and good soldiers performed their duties. Tonight it was his duty to accompany his Army Commander to the Duchess of Richmond’s Ball, and so he would.
Things had been a bit quiet since Old Boney’s abdication at Fontainebleau the previous year, but it seemed that the Emperor of Elba was not content to let things lie quietly for long. He had returned to France in the cold of winter to reclaim his illegitimate throne. The veteran warrior grinned to himself as he thought of Napoleon tramping through the snow. His grin quickly faded, however, as he remembered the other details of the scene that danced across his mind’s eye. His men; his losses; the death of his brother; Russia! The memory kindled a fire in his blue gaze, a fire born of hatred for the tyrannical imp that these Frenchmen so worshipped. He well knew the murderous, callous nature of Bonaparte, so blinded by his own legend and oblivious to the great suffering that his insatiable ambition caused, and the terrible ruin it wreaked on the world.
Perhaps it would all work out in the end, he thought as he straightened the many ribbons he had won over the course of his military career. War was once again brewing, and he may yet have the opportunity to place a bullet in the Corsican’s magnificent brain. The very thought brought a cold grin to his face, but this quickly warmed as another thought followed the first as he slipped on his white, dress gloves.
Time to go, now. It is not polite to keep the ladies waiting….
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