I was rewatching The Star of the Seine to make sure I'd stay true to the series (even if the background was changed by Jeanne's rant at the trial), and in episode 11 I found confirmation of one of my suppositions: Simone is ridicolously strong, to the point she manhandled a muscolar man thrice her size completely by accident. On the other hand, I got the dates wrong: the series does not start in 1784 as I believed, but in either 1780 or 1781 (on november 21, 1783 Simone was a witness to the first manned flight in a balloon, courtesy of the Montgolfier brothers, and she had lived two or three years in a convent before that). Now that I've corrected chapter 6 with the right dates, I'll start the civil war. And bring back Jeanne.

by lord Martiya

Le Lieutenant Auxonniere

In the six years lived in this convent, I, Jeanne Valois, have truly missed only one thing. It's not the ability to know my husband in the Biblical sense that I miss, it's information on what's happening.

Yes, I can hear some rumours, but the nuns and the servants here have orders to not pass me informations, so my knowledge of the outside world is wanting, for lack of a better term, and only based on what some of the guards from the artillery school tell me.

I've heard of men flying in Paris, of Louis XVI dying and Marie Antoinette marrying Fersen and make him the new king, of the Duke of Orléans being crowned king, of the Marie Antoinette having taken various members of the Garde du Corps as lovers of a young murderous genious among the ranks of the local garrison, and many other things. And I have no way to understand what is true and what is false. Well, apart the ones regarding a change in king (and besides, Fersen?!) or the variant of Marie's lover that names him Oscar François, those are just silly.

My cell's door opens, and two officers enter. One is an insignificant-looking young man wearing the dark blue of the local garrison and the artillery school staff, while the other is a gorgeous soldier with a light blue custom uniform and the markings (and the looks) of the Garde du Corps, Scots Company. I think I've already seen him somewhere... Then the Garde du Corps officer speaks.

"Jeanne de Valois-Saint Rémy, countess de La Motte, by orders of the King our Lord and your own safety I am to bring you to Versailles."

"My own safety?" I don't like the sound of that...

"His Majesty and his closest advisors are reforming the state taking away some of the privileges of the nobles, and the Count of Artois has declared himself king to try and stop the course of history." the local officer says. I have a few problems understanding him through his strange accent. "And as suicidal he is, he understood you ultimately caused the King and the Queen to take these steps, and wants revenge.

"Had many of our officers not joined this foolish revolt, our regiment could easily hold Auxonne, but as it is now we're better to retreat. At least after we've taught evolution to the Regimént de Lamarck..."

I don't understand the joke, but the Garde du Corps officer (whose name I've just remembered, he's the Count of Girodelle) does, and he's not amused.

"That's a powerful line infantry regiment supported by the deserters of the La Fere regiment, how do you think we can take on them?"

The artilleryman brings out a roll of parchment and gives it to Girodelle, explaining it's his plan for this kind of situations. Girodelle reads, and blanches.

"We can't exactly show mercy to those traitors, can we?" the artillery officers says nonchalantly. "Plus, they stole the regimental standards, and I'd like to come to Versailles with them."

I look at him, and flinch back. He's not insignificant anymore. Only his eyes have changed, but he looks like a peckish eagle who has spotted a sleeping rabbit. And the rabbit is an entire infantry regiment.

"Let's do it." Girodelle says, a look of grim determination on his face.

I am in Auxonne's main square, with the entire Scots Company and the local garrison facing the Regimént de Lamarck, their light blue coats declaring the German birth of its soldiers, and the deserters of the Regimént de La Fere, the same of the local garrison. And the deserters look scared since the little lieutenant showed himself to them smiling. And with good reasons: I've just realized the rumour about a murderous genious is true, and talks about the insignificant-looking, silly-accented Napoleon Bonaparte. I see what he has in mind, and I can't help but pray that the commander of the Lamarck regiment, now talking with Girodelle, will surrender.

Girodelle returns, his sour looks telling us the massacre shall happen. The lieutenant brings a loudhailer to his mouth and announces: "Ten seconds of life remaining. Get in the alleys and don't move if you wish to live."

The Lamarck soldiers are insulted by his apparent arrogance. The La Fere rebels run in the alleys and the homes.

The Lamarcks look puzzled. Then the Scots Company moves, and the rebels can see what Napoleon had planned for them: cannons loaded with the so-called buck and ball, a large-caliber ball followed by the musket-caliber balls of the grapeshot. And they deployed in infantry squares, ideal to take on cavalry but just targets against artillery.

The artillery fires, killing and maiming dozens of men of the Lamarck regiment and breaking their squares. The Scots Company charges. It's a massacre: acting in groups and from their horses, the Household troops hold a decisive advantage against the still more numerous but disorganized and terrified German mercenaries, and the La Fere rebels have changed their minds and are blocking any escape route with musket fire and bayonets.

The blue coats of the Scots Company are becoming red... Such a magnificent red... So beautiful... Why do I feel ill?

I don't know how long I've been out. I'm told I've emptied my stomach and gone into shock, but I can't remember anything after that Napoleon ordered his men to fire their guns.

The Battle of Auxonne, if we can call it a battle, ended in a few minutes. Most of the Regimént de Lamark has been killed, and the survivors, all from the rank and file, are all wounded and too terrified to do anything but wobble. The rebels of the Regimént de La Fere have thrown themselves to the mercy of Louis XVI, and will be brought to Versailles.

Losses among the loyalists amount to six or seven dead, a dozen wounded, and twenty-two horses from the Scots Company. I wonder... What will happen to the enemies of France when Napoleon Bonaparte will reach the rank of general?

Author note

I don't know if it was true for the historical Garde du Corps regiment, but in Rose of Versailles both the troops and the officers are noted to be handpicked for both skills and good looks, with Girodelle admitting that, as a Garde du Corps officer, he had obviously very good looks.

The original nucleous of the Garde du Corps du Roi regiment was a company of mounted archers of Scottish birth, around which three other companies of French mounted archers were assembled. With time the regiment became fully French, but the first company kept the name of Scots Company.

This Napoleon is based on the version appeared in Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica (itself very close to the historical version): insignificant looks as long as he's not glaring at someone (then that someone will risk an heart attack) or busy doing his job, very ambitious, and utterly insensible to the collateral damage and the enemy losses as long as he accomplishes the result (as noted by Alain in the aftermath of the 13th Vendemiaire revolt). I can easily see how this little guy could have got a fame as a murderous genious: a genious he is, and for the murderous... Well, he was a little too soon in advocating the complete destruction of the enemy force as a mean to win a war.