Alright guys! Your wait is finally over for this story!
But before we start, a few things to say.
First, this story is not going to put the British soldiers in a very positive light… That does not mean I hate the U.K. or anyone who is from or lives there!
Second, I'm not going to introduce the OCs right away and I will be making a few tweaks to the OCs, but most of the stuff will be the same.
Third… Well there is no third, so I'll shut up so you guys can read!
Chapter 1: The Atrocity
Upper State New York, early fall 1777
It has been two years since the "shot heard around the world", the battles of Lexington and Concord that sparked a revolution, pinning the Blue macaw Americans against the might of the Scarlet macaw British army. The war was still very desperate for the Blue Americans, despite some victories such as Washington surprising the Hessians at Trenton, the British, with their superior arms and training were winning victory after victory.
The Americans were pleading for help from England's enemies, such as France, Ben Franklin in France, talking with King Louis XVI to send over military and financial support the Americans so desperately needed. However King Louis would not do so until the Americans can prove they can win against the British army.
And during that time, the British were planning on taking New York state, cutting off New England from the rest of the colonies, by taking the capital of Albany with three armies meeting there from different directions. The Americans would react to this and general Horatio Gates, leading the American army, would clash with the British army under general John Burgoyne, leading to the Battle of Saratoga.
This is the story of a British Scarlet soldier who would defect to the Americans and fight against his former flag and country during the battle…
It was a cool early fall day in 1777 and everything was peaceful and quiet in the woods of New York state, that is until the marching of heavy army boots could be heard on the ground. A British army company were marching through the woods, and they came upon a little village, a village filled with Blue macaw Americans.
In the village, children were playing, women were tending to little gardens, and men were moving firewood, forming them into piles, everyone was enjoying the sunny and cool day until the marching of the British were heard. Women gathered up their children and told them to stay inside, while men hid away firearms so the British would not take them. They were just in time when the army company stopped and split up throughout the village.
Among the company was a young Scarlet soldier named Alex. He used to be a poor man in England, no family or money. He was given two choices, prison or the army, Alex chose the army. He didn't really like it, he made no friends and was treated harshly by his officer, but he had clothes, food, and a little money, he was thankful he had something and he prayed to god, hoping that he will have a better life in the future.
When the revolution started, Alex was stationed in Canada in the army under general John Burgoyne and he saw no action, until now that is…
"Company!" An officer shouted. "Search for firearms or any rebel presence." The officer ordered and the soldiers did as they were told.
Alex had to follow the order and he started searching for firearms in the houses with a few other soldiers. Coming to a house, the soldiers with Alex broke the door open and forced their way in, despite protests by the lady of the house. The Scarlet soldiers didn't care and a couple even beat the man of the house a little, Alex witnessing all of this. And what was worse was that the man and lady's children were all huddled up together in a corner, shaking in fright, as the soldiers trashed the house. Alex felt sorry for the children as he tried to not look at their fearful faces.
After a "careful" searching of the house, the soldiers all went outside to search more houses, Alex being the last as he looked at the destruction left by his comrades. Eventually some soldiers found all the firearms stored in and hid away in a large barn, clearly there were rebels here, as the officer in command thought. It was a small amount of firearms, and they were basically all hunting rifles, which all men would have, but that made no difference to the British.
"Sir, what are we going to do?" A soldier asked as the officer saw all the firearms.
"Burn the whole village and kill all the men, take the weapons as well." The officer ordered.
The order was passed onto the whole company and when Alex heard it, he couldn't believe it. These birds did nothing and now their home would be destroyed and the men killed. He felt like running away, but he knew he couldn't, he could only look on as soldiers carried touches and lit houses ablaze, women with children running outside, choking from all the smoke. Soldiers also began rounding up the Blue macaw men and forming firing squads.
Soon enough the sounds of flames and shots of musket fire filled the once peaceful day. Alex looked on with horror as the soldiers burning the houses only laughed and the firing squads shot bird after bird. Alex was so lost, so lost he didn't hear an officer shouting at him.
"Hey you!" The officer shouted as he grabbed onto Alex's army coat. "Wake up and join that firing squad!"
"Excuse me sir?" Alex went wide eyed.
"You heard me private, get in line!" The officer only shouted in Alex's face.
Alex was dragged to a line of soldiers facing a line of Blue macaw men, some had their eyes open, staring at the soldiers bravely, while others had their eyes closed, praying to god.
"Ready arms!" The officer in charge of the squad yelled.
The soldiers all lowered their muskets and pointed them at the blue macaws. The officer was then about to order the firing of the shots, only for a Blue macaw women to run up and grab the man that was facing Alex. The woman broke down crying, holding on tight to the man.
"Someone get that whore away!" The officer ordered.
A couple of soldiers grabbed hold of the woman and forced her off the man, throwing her onto the ground a few feet away, the woman's face on the ground as her children ran to her to see if their mother was okay.
"With that out of the way." The officer continued. "Fire!"
And the British soldiers all opened up, all except one…
"Why didn't you shoot private!" The officer yelled as he came right next to Alex.
"Sir, he's an unarmed man, I can't shoot him." Alex replied.
The officer didn't answer with words, he answered with his flintlock pistol, taking it out and aiming it right at Alex's forehead. Alex thought he was going to get shot right there and closed his eyes. A second later, he heard the loud ringing of the pistol shot and reopened his eyes, to see he was fine, however the same cannot be said of the man Alex was supposed to shoot. The blue macaw was dead, with a pistol shot right up his forehead. Alex was shocked as the officer grabbed hold of him and shouted harshly in his face.
"Next time you don't listen to a direct order, that will be you laying on the ground!" The officer shouted. "Understand private!"
"Yes sir!" Alex replied quickly.
The officer then let go of Alex with a strong push, Alex falling to the ground, his musket also falling out of his wings. The other soldiers in the firing squad went to carry out more orders while looking down at Alex with hateful expressions, some of them even spit on Alex.
After a few hours, the company needed to move on and as they got in formation and started leaving the village that was still burning, the women all cursed out at the soldiers, while children just cried. Alex couldn't blame the women for cursing at him, he even accepted it, he deserved it, being part of an atrocity that would surely stick with him for life.
He believed he went to fight these rebels for the glory of England and protect the crown, but now he only thought he was ordered here to crush people he never met before and cause them misery and pain. Alex knew he needed to run away and defect to the nearest American army he could find to get away from all of this madness.
Well… I told you I would not put the British soldiers in a very positive light…
But at least one soldier realizes the reality…