A/N: Happy Holidays! Even if it is a little late.
Anyway, we finally meet Eliza! I'm thinking of an interlude from her point of view for Valentine's Day, so that you get a little more of her character, which seems rather two dimensional at first in Alexander's pov.
R&R!
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As we well know, it didn't end there, but Hamilton was introduced to the commanding brass of the army in the following months, as well as his future wife, Elizabeth Schuyler, both of them nineteen at the time. Eliza Schuyler's father, General Philip Schuyler, had brought his middle daughter with him, as he sometimes did, but the meeting was to be brief, as Hamilton, while the hero of the hour, was also a penniless dragon Captain, and therefore unsuitable marriage prospects for the daughter of a wealthy landowner. Hamilton though had a way with people, and many were charmed by the Captain, but he also made some enemies by being too outspoken for a "creole bastard", as General Charles Lee described him in a letter.
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October 7th, 1776
Calliope landed smoothly, her short legs bowing slightly under her weight. Alexander freed himself from the carabineers and slid smoothly down her side. The new crew followed suit and started unloading their equipment. The soldiers around them were ogling, still not used to having a dragon so close.
"Captain!" Robert Troupe greeted Alexander happily. "Calliope! Good to see you! The General said he wanted to see you both as soon as you landed. He's in the command tent."
"It'll take just a moment to get most of the harness off of Calliope," Alexander said, patting Calliope on the neck. He hated making His Excellency wait, but Calliope's harness wasn't very comfortable on the ground.
In less than five minutes the ground crew had Calliope out of her harness, going it over strap by strap to make note of any repairs or changes that would have to be made. Calliope had mentioned a chafe over her back wings, so they'd have to do something about that.
"We're ready now, please lead the way," Alexander told Troupe, having straightened his own clothes while waiting for Calliope. Flying wasn't all that good for appearances.
Troupe led them through the camp. The command tent was one of the larger ones, though obviously not large enough for Calliope.
Alexander entered the ten and held the flap open so that Calliope could easily push her head inside. "Your Excellency," he said, turning to General Washington, bowing at the waist respectfully.
"Hamilton, good, you're here," the General said and motioned him closer. "This is General Schuyler and his daughter Elizabeth," he said, gesturing to the other gentleman and young woman in the tent. "General Schuyler, miss Schuyler, this is Captain Hamilton and his dragon Calliope."
General Schuyler gave him a judging once over before offering his hand for Alexander to shake. "General Philip Schuyler."
Alexander shook the hand firmly. "It's an honor to meet you, sir. Alexander Hamilton," he said respectfully, inclining his head. "This is Calliope Hamilton," he said and gestured to Calliope.
Calliope nodded at General Schuyler. "Pleased to make you acquaintance, sir." She then turned expectantly to miss Schuyler.
General Schuyler read the situation correctly. "And this is my daughter, Elizabeth Schuyler."
The girl curtsied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Hamilton and… Calliope?"
Calliope struck her head as close to Miss Schuyler as she could, sniffing her slightly, before retreating back to the doorway. "Alexander, you may mate with this one, she'd give you strong eggs."
A mortified blush crept over Alexander's face. He'd tried to explain to her that humans chose their partners based on other factors than just strong descendants, but she continued to insist that strong offspring were the main reason for mating, and should therefore be a deciding factor in choosing a mate. Miss Schuyler had been the first female Calliope had approved of (she hadn't liked Kitty Livingston at all when she'd smelled her on him).
He quickly glanced around for the others' reactions. His Excellency looked astonished and slightly amused. General Schuyler looked in equal parts mortified and thoughtful. Miss Schuyler was blushing brightly, but she glanced at him with a small smile.
"Calliope, we've talked about this, I can't just – just mate with someone you feel is suitable. You'd have to consider many other things, such as her family and her own feelings on such things," Alexander tried to explain calmly, though quietly, patting her snout. "And you'd have to consider what I can offer her. I didn't even pass the bar before the war, so even when the war is over, I'll have no stable income. It would be a struggle to even feed you if you didn't know how to hunt for yourself."
"What about-"
"That is better saved for a worst case scenario, my sweet, not for me to get a wife I can't support," Alexander interrupted Calliope before she could bring up the gold buried in the bottom of the Hudson.
"You know I'd share with you," said Calliope plaintively.
"Which is why half of it is mine and half yours, not three quarters mine and one quarter yours," Alexander said with the air of finality, turning back to the other humans in the tent. "My apologies, Calliope doesn't yet quite understand human manners."
"She is excused," Washington waived the apology aside. "Now Hamilton, do you have the reply from Philadelphia?"
"Yes Your Excellency," admitted Alexander and took the letter from his satchel. The task of currying letters was beneath him and Calliope, but as the Continental army had no other dragons in their service yet, they were more often than not carrying orders or confidential letters. "I spoke with Henry Laurens, sir, and he said he was sorry about the decision, whatever it might be."
"I will read it later then," the General nearly sighed as he set the unopened letter on his desk. "Hamilton, you're dismissed,"
"Yes sir," Alexander bowed one last time and pushed Calliope out in front of himself, but not before stealing one last glance at the pretty Miss Schuyler.
"Can I go eat now?" asked Calliope hopefully.
"Just be back in time for the ground crew to take those measures they wanted earlier, alright? And what do you want to read later this evening? I can ask around the camp."
"We finished re-reading Plato's Republic last night. I thought maybe some Shakespearean comedy tonight, then something more serious again later."