They called her the bloody maid of Orleans. Why? Because she came from the villige of Orleans; she was only sixteen; or maybe because of her blood red hair thick and dark, dark as blood that pumped through the arteries, the lifeblood that when it came spilling out unto the ground it is thick and dark almost black but when smeared on the skin when desperate hands clutched and pressed at the gaping wound it showed as crimson, bloody cimson. Prehaps it was a combination, or maybe, just maybe, it was beacause she was the most experienced combat officer still serving in the Tristian army.
She stood tall even without her riding boots and she proved taller than the average man when she was. A straight back; shouders squared; nose not quite pointed upwards yet bordering; showing that while she knew her place was above you she would not ridicule for it. Eyes of pink, not a natural shade so a mage in the past had experimented either rightly or wrongly and pink eyes were the result of course so was the pink hair; but the bloody maid had baulked at the very idea of leading the Queen's soldiers into combat with pink hair; the absurdity one could hear her mention if enquired upon the change in colour.
She was Lt Colonel Louise de la Orleans nee Valliere of her Queen's Royal Dragoons, which regiment?
All of them.
When she was young there were doctors and concerned looks. But not for her, they were for Cattleya sickly and pale with a weak constitution.
No doctors. No concerned looks for her. Why?
Because she had already been judged. She was incapable of magic.
Which wasn't true she could produce something but never the intended results just an explosion; after explosion; after explosion.
One of the visiting doctors remarked that she could at least be of use in the artillery to much hilarity.
Some offered to look at her make a case study, but her parents the Duke and Duchess refused, they were not about to let their family become publicly shamed.
Still it was undeniable, especially to one doctor her refused to believe such a phenomenom could occur; 'a mage who is not a mage' was quickly shown the truth when Louise blew up an old dilapatated barn. The third daughter was undoubtly a mage just not a good one.
So the third daughter would not go to the academy with her peers, she would stay at home and learn to become a good wife knowing all the things a proper wife should know in looking after her husbands estate and household, and not embarass the family by her inability.
At least this was the Duke's view, but not his wife. She had another view she was second born in her family, thus would not inherit. She was sent to the academy, to find a husband, and ended up summoning a mighty manticore; and because of the law, was mandatorily ordered to join the Royal Knights of Tristain, who were always short of numbers.
In the knights she showed her power to be superior to all and rose through the ranks to become Colonel and of the Royal Knights of Tristain. The highest rank in the regiment. Below her was the regimental Major, then the Captains of the three companies, Dragon, Griffin and Manticore.
The Royal knights were always short of numbers, so when a mage does summon a manticore, griffin or dragon, they are obligated to join and serve a mandatory ten years.
Not a bad unit to serve in. They were the elite if the armed services. Stationed in Tristain itself. Mostly used to gaurd the Royal family, attend parades and ceremonies. Plenty of culture on the capital unlike other postings were the only exictment was when a German raider was currently shooting at you. You could even opt out of the regiment as long as you left your mount behind and could find a replacement; which happened often as first born sons were needed back home to take over there estates, usually giving their place to a younger brother or cousin.
All in all the Royal Knights not a bad life, if you wanted to be a useless popinjay that never saw combat.
Lt Colonel Karin Heavywind, was not a useless popinjay.
She took the regiment and made it into an elite fighting unit to be proud of, that saw more than one battlefield.
A shame it didn't last that long after she left; which quickly returned to being not as useless but still just popinjay's.
She gave her daughter a choice become a wife of some man in an arranged marriage or join the Royal Army.
The apple didn't fall too far from the tree.
Louise couldn't join the Royal Knights, whose members were restricted to only mages. Despite being technically a mage Louise couldn't preform the spells. So she had to choose another branch.
We are all shaped by the environment we live in, and the experiences we endure. The Valliere's lived in their manor next to the villige of Orleans on the border to Germania. For Germanian raiders were frequent and a fact of life. Louise loved her sister Cattleya who loved animals, especially horses whom allowed her greater mobility than her own legs. She could not ride but she would sit in her carriage and look out at the rolling hills of her families estate, and on these trips her most often companion was Louise. Unlike Cattleya Louise could ride, and did so often.
So Louise joining the Royal Dragoons was no suprise, after all there was always a company in the villige or out patrolling the border. She knew the men, the equipment, the carbine, pistol and long straight bladed saber; she could ride; knew the land; knew the raiders. No there was no surprise in the Valliere household in her decision. She would leave in the morning with a commision as ensign in the 43rd Company 5th Batalion.
When she left the villigers pressed upon her the name of Orleans so that she would remember her home, bring honor to it, and that they would remember her.
The newly renamed Louise de la Orleans left the only home she had ever known for an uncertain future.
She was only twelve years old.