This is for a challenge on the LK community on LJ. I've always wanted to write a LK story. This is sort of like a biography, hope no one minds.
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.
Funny How Things Turned Out
It was dusk in the South and in a tent sat Benedict Arnold. He was sitting in a chair with a snuff box and a glass of wine. It had only been a month since he had switched sides. Most of his fellow countrymen probably wanted to kill him now.
"They wouldn't understand." he muttered. His whole life had consisted of living from one extreme to the next.
He was born to a middle class family. Originally, he was supposed to have five siblings, but only he and Hannah survived. After conducting some business, his father had caused the family to go into debt. Then his father started drinking, making the situation worse. At 15, Benedict fought in the French and Indian War and almost died because of the French being powerless to stop their Native American allies from butchering the militia. In 1759, his mother died and in 1761, his father died. When he was 20, Benedict decided he wanted to restore his family's name.
At one point, he had a very successful business. The Stamp Act ruined it. Like other merchants, he still conducted business as if the act hadn't been passed. In January of 1767, he got into a fight with a man who supposedly told British authorities that he had ignored the Stamp Act.
"Sarah Phillips." He had met her on the way to Fort Ticonderoga. She was a nice girl with orange hair and unlike most other girls, was not afraid to express what was on her mind. Overtime, he had come to think of her as a daughter.
The reason why he was smoking and drinking was because he was trying to get rid of the guilt. God, he felt so guilty for what he did. No one would have ever guessed that he would be capable of it at this point. They would be even more surprised at what made him feel guilty.
The day he switched sides, Washington was coming to breakfast with a guest. Benedict had no idea who it was. He determined that it was some new officer or other. When he ran out of the house, he saw her. Sarah Phillips was the mystery guest. She had said good morning to him and she had no idea at what was happening.
He poured himself another glass.
"I hate to imagine what she thinks of me now." Maybe it was the wine talking, but what if she somehow understood why he changed sides? "I should write a letter to her." As he got up, he stumbled and a shooting pain went through his left leg. "Damn this leg!" he yelled. As he was hunched over, he saw a stain on his uniform. "And I just had this cleaned!"
"General Arnold, is something wrong?" a british soldier asked outside of the tent.
"No. I'm fine." he answered.
He sat back down on the chair with paper and a quill in hand. "What should I even write? I'm in no condition to write a letter now." Laying his head down on the desk, he went o sleep.
Sorry that that was short. Please read and review.