Chapter 7: Part 1- General Lord Cornwallis

A/n: For the Harry Potter fans; if there are any reading this fic; I've hidden a Potter reference somewhere in this chapter. See if you can find it!

And for those questioning my rating system, it's been given that rating due to the blood and guts that are involved in any war "film". The content, to some, might be deemed too much for teens.

A few days after the attack on the small town, General Cornwallis had a bone to pick with Colonel Tavington. He demanded his presence in his office immediately following a training session, and by the sound of it, he was not too impressed with the Colonel's actions, or lack thereof. As Tavington strode into the General's office, Cornwallis began to mentally seethe, as if contemplating which side of Tavington's backside he was going to tear first. After a moment of silent thought, he asked, "How long have you been after your…'ghost'?"

Tavington bowed his head, knowing he was in for it, and muttered, "A few months, at least…Sir…"

"And yet, you were welcomed into his home…You had an opportunity to dispose of this ghost, and you WASTED IT!" Cornwallis shouted, banging his fist on the desk in front of him, which made Tavington jump slightly. He stalked around the desk, to close the gap between himself and William, and sighed, "Eliminate your ghost before he does more damage to you than a bayonet to the throat…or before I do…," William subconsciously touched the scar on his throat, and General Cornwallis dismissed him, "Dismissed"

Tavington turned on his heel, leaving before Cornwallis could do any more damage to his ego, and came face to face with Captain Wilkins; who beamed from ear to ear. "Is something amusing…Captain?" William sneered.

"N-not at all, S-sir" Wilkins stammered. He knew he shouldn't have shown any joy in Tavington being taken down a peg or two, but it was relatively funny to him.

With that, Tavington stalked away to his quarters, requesting the company of three willing women to keep him occupied, and to keep his mind off of the embarrassment that had just occurred.

The morning after, only two of the three women remained; snuggled in close to the man that they knew was named "The Bloody Butcher". As his eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the sun shining in through the windows, he took notice of the missing woman, muttering "There were three of you last night…where is the other?"

The woman to his left; Anne-Marie; stated, "She left sometime in the middle of the night"

Tavington raised a brow, and frowned, "Did she?" Anne-Marie nodded, and Tavington turned to an officer that had been standing watch outside, "She can't be far…Find her, and return her to me" The officer nodded, and left to follow Tavington's orders.

William lay back against the pillow, and the two women continued to stroke his chest in a calming manner; they knew the man had a temper, and it wouldn't do them any good to feed it. They would do well to soothe the savage beast, as it were. William looked to the woman on his right, and smiled, purring, "Be a dear…and fetch me something of nutritious value…" The woman to his right stood, and left the room without a word, while Anne-Marie continued to keep the Colonel content. When she came back with a loaf made fresh that morning, William smiled, "Ah, thank you Katherine"

"It's Katelynne" The woman corrected him.

"Katherine, Katelynne…they both start and end with the same letters…same number of syllables…" William shrugged with a cocky smirk.

"I'm surprised you know the correct spelling of my name" Katelynne sneered.

"Katelynne!" Anne-Marie hissed, holding a hand over William's shoulder to keep him from bolting up in a fit of rage. She looked to William, briefly, and shushed him, "Hold your tongue…Katelynne will debate with anyone she pleases….for hours on end"

William turned to Anne-Marie and scowled, "Are you telling me to hold my tongue?"

"It's a losing battle with her…" Anne-Marie muttered, stroking William's cheek. William sighed, turning away from Anne-Marie as he stood from the bed. The woman admired his form as he began to dress in front of her. "No shame, Colonel?" She smiled.

William turned his head, looking back at her, and smiled, "None" As he fastened the remaining buttons to his jacket, he said coldly, "Your payment is on the table…Get dressed, and leave before my General sees you"

Anne-Marie nodded, taking the small payment for her services, and tugged on the dress that she had worn the day before, already committed to the walk of shame that would face her upon opening the door. As she left the room, she saw the Colonel speaking to Lord Cornwallis, and sighed to herself, wishing to humiliate the man for making her feel rotten. She approached the men, and stroked a hand across the Colonel's shoulder, purring, "Same time tomorrow, Colonel?" dragging out the man's title, as if to flirt with him.

Lord Cornwallis' eyes widened in shock at the woman's question; he knew that Tavington was well-appreciated in the female community, but he had never flaunted his reputation in such a way, and neither did the women that he had entertained. "Who is this, Colonel?"

William's eyes were the next to widen, Oh, bother! What was this woman's name, again? Mary? Gwen? Shannon? Rutabaga?...No, William, don't be daft! That's the name of a vegetable…"Um…," William stammered, trying to remember her name, "Well…um…"

Anne-Marie smacked a hand over his chest, laughing, "Don't be silly, dear!" William raised a brow in confusion, and Anne-Marie scoffed, leaving the men to their conversation.

Lord Cornwallis took a short moment to think, then felt that he had to ask, "…What…what was that about, Colonel?"

"You…don't want to know" William sighed.

Of course, the General already knew, but he was far too prudent to question him any more on the subject; it was his private life, and he had no business knowing the details. Tavington was a big boy, now, and he didn't need anyone to hold his hand. What he needed, however, was someone to keep him in line; he constantly went above and beyond the orders that he was given, which gave him his moniker "The Bloody Butcher". Unbeknownst to Tavington, Cornwallis was in the process of finding someone to keep Tavington from getting too ambitious on the battlefield.

With that, Tavington began to ready his Dragoons for an attack. "To horse" He stated calmly, as he took to his sturdy mount. The group of about 40 Green Dragoons ambitiously saddled their horses, and mounted in record time, meeting their Colonel at the boundary of their camp.

They rode off to the west; General Cornwallis had made mention of there being another rebel Colonist by the name of Francis Marion, who had been given the name "Swamp Fox" for his guerilla tactics that very closely matched that of Benjamin Martin's. Tavington vowed to catch and tame the Swamp Fox before he met The Ghost. If those two were to meet, his reputation as The Butcher would be made a farce.

A/n: I am aware of the fact that Benjamin Martin was loosely based on Francis Marion, however, I figured I would make him a separate entity.

Chapter 7, Part 2- Fortifying Georgetown

As Tavington lead his Dragoons from the boundary, he said to Wilkins, "There's a town, not too far from here, along the Santee…Called Georgetown…We'll let The Ghost cool down a bit….make him assume that we've left his town alone," The young Captain nodded in understanding, and the Colonel continued, "Lay low for a few weeks, make camp in Georgetown…get rid of the rebels in the area, claim the land for ourselves, and come back here."

Wilkins hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sounds…brilliant"

The Colonel picked up on his hesitation, and purred, "Is that hesitation I detect?" The Captain said nothing, hoping that the Colonel would drop it. Tavington circled his horse around Wilkins, purring once more, "Anyone who stands against England deserves…what was it, you said?"

"To die a traitors' death" Wilkins muttered under his breath.

"What was that? I didn't hear you" Tavington smirked, moving closer to him. Wilkins spoke up, repeating himself, and Tavington began to ride away, smiling to himself.

The ride to Georgetown didn't take very long, and they found the perfect place to make camp; an old area of farmland. Once they'd "evacuated" the land, (by which, of course, I mean "butchered everyone within shooting distance") they began to build their temporary residence. The "evacuation", or "purge of the land" took less than 10 minutes, and the farm was theirs. They would take care of the rest of the town after they'd built up their fort. The lesser officers gathered the necessary items, and the group built a rather impressive lodge. It took less than 6 hours between the 40 of them.

The fort was rather small compared to other forts that they'd stayed at, but it was still something to hold them, and keep them away from the elements and colonials. By the end of the sweaty, laborious ordeal, Tavington and Wilkins stood back to admire their work as the lesser officers worked on the finishing touches. Tavington nodded, proud of his work, "It's not much…but it's home"

Tavington strode away from the group to change back into his uniform. From there, he rounded up a few of his finest men to purge the rest of the town of its rebel scum. They travelled in a group of no more than 10, and quickly assembled every single person they could find; men, women and children all gathered in the town's square. It was there that Tavington made his foreboding presence known.

He rode his horse to the front of the group of people, and looked out at their worried faces with a smile. Quite the impressive number of people for a town so small. Upon surveying the lot, Tavington stated, "Let it be known…that those that stand against the Crown…will not be left alive… Prove your loyalty, and you may be given quarter" He waited a moment for the thought to sink in, then said, "…Come forward and join us…or die a traitors' death" Only a handful stood forward; a family of two parents and four children, and a few other willing men. Tavington mused to himself, out loud, "Rather pitiful…Though, I suppose some is better than none" He looked to the group that didn't dare budge from their spots, and smiled in a most sinister manner, saying, "The rest of you, inside the town hall…leave your children outside"

Captain Wilkins shot a glance to Tavington, hoping that, perhaps, he'd misheard what his Colonel had said, "Sir?"

"Don't question me…Captain…" Tavington ordered, beginning to shepherd the group inside. He rode to the front of the room, catching everyone's attention.

A patriot woman mused to her husband, "I'd always assumed that the English were very well-mannered people…," Tavington perked up, hearing her, and she continued, "Bringing a horse inside…?"

Tavington smiled to himself, then moved to the Speaker's podium at the front of the Town Hall, removing his helmet to address the mass. "I've been far too patient with this town…In fact, you should all thank me…I've given you a chance…rather than mercilessly killing you outside." The group began to murmur amongst themselves, and Tavington continued, "And now, you'll be given one final chance to have the luxury of joining the King's Army" He surveyed the room for responses, then turned to Wilkins, nodding, "Have the men outside prepare the torches"

Wilkins stepped outside, giving the group Tavington's order. Inside, the townspeople began to panic; they knew of The Butcher's reputation, and soon, the realisation struck that they, too, would be burned alive.

Tavington gave the group one final glance. Their first thought was that he might have been reconsidering his actions. That hope was soon crushed as he rode out of the building to join his officers outside, locking them in. There was, however, some sympathy in the Colonel; he didn't want the children to see the building in flames with their parents inside. "Take the children as far away from the blaze as you can…" he ordered of a few of his officers. The lesser ranking officers took the small group of children far enough away that the building could not be seen.

The Captain was confused by his master's kindness; why children, and why now? Any other time, he would have pillaged the entire group without so much as batting an eye. "Sir…?"

The Colonel turned back to the Captain, and snarled, "Don't…question…my orders…Captain" and turned his back on him once again, giving the order to burn the building.

Wilkins and a small group of others took the children a good deal away from the sight of the burning building. Far enough that they couldn't see the smoke, or hear the screams of despair of the people inside.

Back at the scene of the burning building, Tavington smiled to himself as he took in the smell of the burnt wood. The screams of the people inside fueled the fire within. He, then, joined his men and the children, looking down at their terrified faces.