Honor, Compromise and a Warm Coat

Disclaimer: James and Henri belong to Dic Entertainment. Lafayette, Washington and Lee are historical domain characters, and therefore I cannot claim them as mine either. I do claim my head canon for Henri's ethnic background as just that; my own.

At 13, Henri was engaged in a quest for honor and recognition. He was no longer a child, at least in his estimation, but he knew he wasn't quite a man, either. So he needed proof that he could be a man. He didn't much care which culture that proof came from. Ideally, it would come from his proud French background and his identity as an American patriot. But he had only just entered his teenage years, his voice hadn't even begun breaking yet, and he knew full well he would be relegated to fifer or drummer if he were to try to officially join the army. Not that he minded the idea too much (he did enjoy drumming, after all), but playing a cadence for other soldiers to march to didn't offer him much opportunity for advancement. Perhaps the Wappinger tradition of capturing an elusive, wild turkey would do just as well for achieving respect until he turned 16 and could officially enlist. From what Mr. Nimham had told him, there was no minimal age limit to earning turkey feathers. And wearing a few might earn him some respect, at least among the Wappinger.

Unfortunately, wild turkeys turned out to be far more difficult to catch than Henri had anticipated. And chasing them in the unseasonably warm temperatures of mid-June proved to be exhausting. Henri had to begrudgingly admit that he was glad he didn't have to fight the Battle of Monmouth with the real soldiers. He had seen the thousand or so casualties drop mostly from the heat, with the British side losing more to this number one weather killer than the more lightly dressed Americans. Even Washington's poor horse couldn't withstand the brutal sun and humidity, and had collapsed underneath the tall general halfway through the battle. After the sun had finally gone down and the British held their ground until a stalemate could be forced, the armies parted ways to set camp and tend to their wounded, and Henri scrambled to find his hero, the Marquis de Lafayette, his previous quest for turkey feathers forgotten.

The moments after a battle are almost as chaotic as the battle itself. The field in front of the big medical tent was being used for triage, and doctors and corpsmen ran back and forth, trying to ease the suffering of the sick and wounded. Younger NCOs and slaves hauled buckets of water from the creek, trying to treat heat exhaustion and stroke. Even the brass didn't seem immune, as Henri came across General Greene, who did not look well at all. The officer attending him, Lieutenant Colonel John Laurens, seemed to be perfectly fine, as he sat beside Greene, offering him a canteen while ranting about Charles Lee, the English-American general who had nearly cost them the battle. But then, Laurens didn't seem to be fazed by much of anything. According to Lafayette, Laurens was fearless and even rash. He seemed to be continuously daring the British to injure or kill him, and yet he always walked away from a battle without so much as a scratch, boasting the entire time about the inadequacy of the self-proclaimed "greatest army in the world." Henri liked him for that. He seemed to possess the type of courage in battle that Henri hoped he might one day.

The boy approached the two officers, interrupting Laurens mid-rant.

"Excuse-moi, have you seen the Marquis de Lafayette?"

Greene wiped sweat from his brow and took another drink from the canteen. "He's waiting for General Washington to begin the debriefing. And Washington's waiting on me."

"Are you alright, General Greene?" Henri asked, concern etched on his features. Greene's face was flushed, and he was sweating profusely.

The general smiled at him. "I'll be fine. I've never done so well in the heat. I blame being born in Rhode Island, where summers are cooler."

Laurens shrugged. "Eh, all it takes is staying hydrated, sir."

"Yeah, that's what his excellency keeps telling me. He could be a father to every man here with the way he nags about health and safety. But I would be lying if I said I didn't appreciate the concern."

"Well, let's not disappoint Daddy Washington," Laurens said with a chuckle. He raised the canteen in the air. "To our health!"

Henri laughed as Laurens took a dramatic swig and handed the canteen to Greene, who simply rolled his eyes. As Greene accepted the canteen, he turned to Henri.

"Lafayette is probably down at the courthouse, if you're hoping to catch him before the meeting starts."

"Merci," Henri said. He turned and dashed toward the courthouse.

When he arrived, Henri noticed James sitting in front of a large tent, scribbling in his notebook. From inside the tent came the voices of Washington, Lafayette, Hamilton and Lee. Washington's voice had a clear, hard edge to it, and Henri could tell he was barely managing to keep his anger in check. Hamilton didn't seem to have his own rage under control, as he shouted his retorts to Lee's defenses as often as he could get a word in edgewise, despite Washington's repeated sharp warnings to his aide to remain silent. Lee's dogs could also be heard barking, which at one point provoked Hamilton and Washington to scream at them in unison.

Henri walked over to James and sat down beside him.

"How long have they been arguing?"

"Since before they even got in there," James answered. "Lee keeps trying to defend his actions, but Washington's not having it. Even Lafayette is ticked. I don't think I've ever heard him get angry before. He always seems so...laid back."

"Gilbert always tries to be nice to everyone," Henri said. "But that General Lee does not deserve anything but a punch in the nose! I am not surprised Gilbert is mad at him."

James shook his head. "What amazes me is that Lee thinks he's the one being wronged. Why can't he just admit that he made a very bad call and accept the consequences?"

"He is stupid, that's why! And you can put that in your story!"

James laughed and ruffled Henri's hair.

Henri stood up and stretched. "I am going to go wait for Gilbert over by that tree," he said, pointing to a tall oak that stood soaking in the last of the day's sunlight.

James nodded and went back to his writing. Henri walked over to the tree and sat down, leaning against the trunk. He sighed with fatigue. The temperature had finally reached a comfortable level, and Henri could feel the exhaustion from the day's events sweeping over him. He rested his head against the tree trunk and yawned.

It wasn't long before he slouched down and fell asleep.

After another 20 minutes or so, Lee came storming out of the tent, his dogs at his heels, straining at their leashes and dragging poor Colonel Evans along behind. As James watched them head toward Lee's tent, he wondered how Evans could be so loyal to Lee, who was not hesitant to dish out verbal abuse on his aide, and treated him little better than a servant.

Lee and Evans were followed out of the tent by Washington, Hamilton and Lafayette. Washington gave Hamilton a stern order to return to his tent for the evening and cool his temper, causing the fiery, redheaded aide to storm off in a huff. Lafayette caught sight of James, then looked beyond him to see Henri asleep beneath his tree. The French officer approached the journalist.

"Henri seems to have had a long day," Lafayette observed. He laughed as he watched a turkey step out of the nearby woods and peck curiously at the slumbering teen. "He does not even have the energy to pursue his query anymore."

James turned to watch as the turkey was joined by a few others of its kind, chuckling as Henri remained oblivious to their presence. "Yeah, he did get kind of distracted. I think once the battle started, he was more worried about you."

Lafayette smiled warmly. "He is like a younger brother to me. I have always wanted one of those."

"And I think Henri has always wanted a big brother who can speak his native language. Which kind of lets me out."

"Mon ami, if I can learn English in a year, surely you can learn French in as much time. Simply ask Hamilton to help you. He was a God-send for me; I never could have mastered English without him."

"Nah, I don't have a gift for language like you do," James said with a shrug. "I have a hard enough time with Sarah picking apart every error in what I write. I like Hamilton, but I think he could be even more impatient with me than Sarah is if he tried to teach me anything."

"A better excuse than mon general," Lafayette said, lowering his voice so the officer in question wouldn't hear. "Learning a new language may be easier when one is young, but that does not mean that a man in his 40s cannot learn."

James nodded in agreement as Lafayette stepped beyond him and approached Henri. The nobleman slipped off his jacket and draped it over the teen, as the temperature was dropping fast. Lafayette then sat down next to his young admirer and took a few deep breaths. It was nice to finally relax after such a stressful day.

James took a couple more moments to finish writing down his thoughts, then approached Washington for a summary of the day's events.

"I apologize, James, but I haven't had a chance yet to collect my thoughts," Washington said. "I'm still processing everything that has happened today. But I can give you this much; I have decided, with deep regret, to grant General Lee a court martial."

James jotted down the general's words. "And are you still planning on holding that debriefing tonight? If so, may I sit in?"

Washington glanced up the hill toward the medical tent. He saw Greene and Laurens still sitting there. Greene had his head in his hands, and Laurens had a hand on his superior's back.

"Not tonight," Washington said in response to James' question. "I will hold it first thing in the morning. My officers—all the men, really—are exhausted to the point of collapse. They require rest." He turned and fixed the journalist with a requesting gaze. "Might you do me a favor and check up on General Greene for me? Report back to me on his well-being. He has never done well in excessive heat, as he frequently subjects himself to sun stroke."

James nodded. "Of course, sir." He tucked his notebook away and trotted up the hill.

Washington watched James go, then turned his attention to Lafayette, still seated next to Henri. The younger Frenchman now rested his head on the elder's shoulder. Washington walked over and joined the two beneath the tree. They sat in silence for a while.

Eventually, Lafayette asked, "Your excellency, is there still a meeting tonight?"

Washington shook his head. "First thing tomorrow, be at my headquarters. I will also have Tallmadge in attendance, even though I would like to believe his fears about Lee being an outright traitor are unfounded."

"Well, he was right about that spy who nearly killed Sackett. Perhaps his fears are founded. It would not surprise me that Lee is not loyal to our cause. But is it treason if he was never loyal to us?"

"At any rate, it would be regarded sabotage, which is no different from treason, really."

"Ah, oui. But he makes a terrible saboteur, no?"

Washington couldn't help but chuckle. "What on earth possessed us to buy him out of British custody?"

"The fear that we may be accused of war crimes if we made him stay with the British?"

Washington laughed aloud at this, drawing a smile from Lafayette. He enjoyed his role as one of the few people who could make the normally reserved Washington laugh. The sound nearly woke Henri, who adjusted his position and mumbled something sing-song-y in a language that Lafayette couldn't quite catch, but that seemed vaguely familiar. Was that...Romani? It sounded a bit like a lullaby he'd heard a Gypsy mother singing to her children back in France. If Henri were a Gypsy, it would certainly explain his tan skin and dark eyes, as many French Gypsies still had these traits. Lafayette smiled as the boy settled into a full sleep again. If this is what it felt like to have a brother, he regretted having to miss the experience growing up. He had to wonder why his mother never remarried. Ah, well. At least his own daughters wouldn't have to experience a lack of sibling love.

Washington studied the duo for a moment, then said, "You're quite fond of that boy."

Lafayette nodded. "I know he considers his guardian Moses as family, but he wishes to be part of mine, and go back to France. My daughters, they have uncles and aunts on their mother's side, but none on mine. Perhaps Henri can be their uncle."

"A brother of some age difference can act the role of a father as well," Washington said, his own mind drifting back to his childhood, which he'd spent idolizing his older half-brother Lawrence. "I had a brother 14 years my senior. When our father died, he stepped into the role of head of the family admirably, assisting my...difficult...mother with the task of rearing the rest of us. I found I benefited more from his guidance than I may have even from my own father's. For a man thrust into a parental position so suddenly, he did a truly admirable job."

"Henri is only eight years younger than me," Lafayette pointed out. "He could never see me as a father. Or...not after I told him my age." He chuckled. "He seemed to think I was much older when we first met. He said that since I only had daughters, I needed to take him back to France as a son."

"Marquis, of all the young men I've met, both in the military and in civilian life, you are by far the most mature for your age. I too would have mistaken you for a man in his late 20s at least, were you not in possession of a face that looks to be only two or three years older than the boy resting his head on your shoulder."

Lafayette gave Washington a wry grin. "Are you saying I have a...how you say...a baby face?"

"In a word, yes."

The nobleman shrugged. "Better than having the face of a ferret's shaved behind, like Lee does."

Washington raised an eyebrow. "An assessment not of your own making, I presume?"

Lafayette blushed. "Ah...no. I got that from Hamilton."

"They're terrible influences on you, Gilbert," Washington said. "'Only 20, but my mind is older,' my foot." But his tight lipped smile betrayed his affection for all three of the younger officers. He found their friendship truly admirable. They frequently got one another into trouble, but were always there to get one another out of trouble again.

Lafayette gave a dramatic sigh. "I am trying to teach them how to behave, mon general, but they are...what's a good word?"

"Incorrigible?"

"Yes, that one!"

"Well, despite their antics and tempers, I will take a thousand of them over Lee any day."

"I would take a thousand drunkards over Lee any day!"

"I would take a thousand of Lee's dogs over him any day!"

"Mon general, you are desperate!"

Once again, Washington let out a genuine laugh, Lafayette joining in. This time, Henri did wake up for a moment.

"I told you, James, I could get the turkey feather!" He glanced up at the two generals. "Oh, hello, Gilbert." With that, he laid his head back on Lafayette's shoulder and drifted off again.

The two generals settled into a comfortable silence. Lafayette allowed his eyes to drift closed. It wasn't long before Washington noticed the young general's breathing had settled into the comfortable rhythm of sleep. Washington slipped off his jacket and draped it over the younger man. He sat studying Lafayette for a moment. Lafayette wasn't the only one who had a younger French admirer who wanted to be part of his hero's family. Washington smiled. The Frenchman was as much an orphan as young Henri, so it wasn't hard for him to look up to Washington as a father. The thought of Lafayette welcoming Washington's paternal nature warmed the commander-in-chief's heart. Especially since, among his other aides, Hamilton resented that nature, and Laurens and Tallmadge tolerated it at best.

As Washington settled back against the tree, he pondered whether there was a proper avenue to officially adopt a grown, foreign aristocrat as his own son. Martha, he knew, wouldn't object to the idea in the least. He closed his eyes and imagined Lafayette and his family enjoying a home-away-from-home at Mount Vernon, Lafayette's little ones playing with their "cousins," the children Jack Custis would inevitably have one day soon. With this comforting image in mind, Washington drifted off.

Not two minutes later, James arrived back on the scene. He'd only wanted to check up on Greene, but as it turned out, Laurens was a fun person to talk to, once he could get past that initial awkwardness that Laurens inflicted on so many people for his own personal amusement. James still wasn't sure about that man's...intentions, for lack of a more delicate way to put it. But he was a great conversational partner, and he provided James with a lot of material for his story. The story would probably have to wait to be properly written. For now, James wanted to report to Washington that Greene was feeling much better and had retired to his tent. After which, James would do the same himself.

"General Washington, General Greene said that he's feeling fine. He's..." James paused when he noticed the trio sleeping beneath the oak tree; Henri's head on Lafayette's shoulder, and Lafayette's head on Washington's shoulder. Henri was still covered by Lafayette's coat, and James noticed that Lafayette was using Washington's coat as a blanket. James clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh. If Sarah were here, she'd probably gush over how adorable the scene was. The great general and the legendary marquis, snuggled together along with a poor orphan boy, looking as human and familial as they could possibly get. Washington and his surrogate French son were rightly admired as heroes, but right now, they were quite possibly at their most relatable.

James figured Washington would find out soon enough that Greene was alright. He quietly slipped away, back to his own tent. He was just as exhausted as the trio under the oak, after all, and he had a story to put together before the dispatch rider left in the morning.

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So, this is based on a true story. After the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, Washington and Lafayette fell asleep together under a tree while trash talking Lee. Washington really did use his jacket as a blanket for Lafayette. There are some references to other Revolution-based shows in my story; see if you can spot them. There's also a MASH shout out that should be obvious to anyone paying attention to that series. Yes, in my head canon, Henri is a Rom. More on this to come. I also have him aging naturally instead of remaining perpetually eight. Also, this story takes place before Lafayette receives news that his oldest daughter Henriette has died. But that doesn't mean his younger daughter will never know the love of a sibling. She'll gain two by the time the French Revolution begins.