Mercy Fallen On Deaf Ears

"Mercy is the gift of the Gods. It is not given to further man's ambitions, nor is it given to cleanse the soul. Mercy given of the Gods is for the delight of the noble and the pious, for which they then bestow upon those they would murder. For what crime commands such forgiveness? What hideous sin would one need such a gift? One of treason to your King and to your Country. You are a traitor, and the mercy you seek will surely fall on deaf ears."

~Anonymous, circa 1774~

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Several days had passed since the British had raided the Rebel camp. The mood inside Fort Carolina was subdued and somber; all knew the reason behind such silence.

Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton had hung Lady Mona Cornwallis for treason at the Rebel camp. Some suspected he had gone beyond this, having raped her moments before she had swung from the tree. Yet no one questioned Tarleton's tactics, nor did they mention them in his presence. He was as feared as was Colonel Tavington. Such stupidity would have been rewarded with a noose.

With Lady Cornwallis' body securely in a supply wagon, the Dragoons began their march back to the Fort. Along the way, Earl Haverhill was hanged. When Tarleton was satisfied that Haverhill was dead, his body was flung into the same supply wagon as Lady Cornwallis.

Neither was shown mercy, as all who knew the Lt. Colonel, understood he would show none. Mercy was for those repented of their ways, and came back into the fold. Lady Cornwallis and Earl Haverhill deserved nothing but a slow death. Tarleton gave them that willingly. They were not good enough for his mercy.

Many of the Dragoons reported later, that both had pleaded and begged for mercy. Both knew Tarleton well, and would have known none would be given. Yet, at the moment of their deaths, they had forgotten that Tarleton, like Tavington, was known for showing no quarter to the enemy. Memory was slow to catch up when one was going to their death.

The rain that had started early the evening before the raid, continued to fall during their march back to the fort. Once there, Tarleton reported first, to the Lord General, then to Colonel Tavington. Both men seemed pleased by what he had to tell them, though Earl Cornwallis looked upset, as well. Tarleton could not blame him, being as he had sanctioned his own child to hang, but he also understood that it had been necessary. He could not have his own daughter going over to the Rebel cause. It was an influence he just could not risk happening again.

Colonel Tavington sat at his desk; a map spread open upon it. Banastre Tarleton sat in a chair across from the Colonel, and waited for the man to say something. The seconds ticked by with the old clock over the fireplace. Still, Tavington said nothing.

"Will?" Tarleton ventured.

Tavington grunted in frustration.

"What, Ban?"

"You have hardly said a word since I returned! Pray tell, what bothers you?"

Another grunt followed this.

Banastre sighed heavily.

"Really, Will, you surely cannot say that the death of Lady Cornwallis has you upset."

The Colonel grinned faintly.

"That would be preposterous, Ban! Her death means nothing to me."

"Well what could be bothering you?" Tarleton leaned forward in his chair. "Is something wrong between you and Lady Tavington?"

At this, Tavington looked up at his friend. For a moment, Ban thought perhaps he had been right. Something had happened between them.

"Absolutely not! We have never been closer!" Tavington hissed.

Tarleton shook his head.

"Well, if you are just going to sit there and brood about it…"

"I am not brooding, Ban! I am simply trying to figure out a way, to keep my wife's other sister from marrying the wrong man!"

Tarleton sat back and smirked slightly.

"Who is the wrong man, Will?"

A look of seething disgust crept over Tavington's face.

"The Lord General's lapdog."

"O'Hara? Which sister is empty headed enough to want to marry him?"

"Sarah. She is the third Cornwallis daughter."

"She was married to Lord Eldridge, if I am not mistaken." Banastre said.

William nodded.

"Yes, she was. He made her a widow last year, after being killed in battle."

"And she has set her heart on O'Hara?"

"O'Hara has his heart set on her, as well. He has been courting her for the last eight months…"

"We somehow did not know of this? Honestly, I am surprised it had not made it round the fort by now!"

William grinned.

"The whores have not been talking about it? Why that is hard to believe! Surely, the doxies would have been heartbroken when they learned of the General's new lust interest!"

Both men laughed heartily at this. They had no doubt, that the General's lack of visiting the camp whores had put a bind on many of them. The fact that he was apparently going to marry the daughter of the Lord General, did not improve their lot any.

"When is the happy occasion?" Ban inquired.

"A fortnight from now. Catherine wants me to find a way to rid Sarah of this foolish notion."

"What of the Lord General? Does he approve of it?"

William sighed and nodded.

"Yes, which is most unfortunate. I have yet to come up with any useable plan…"

Tarleton thought for a moment. A slow, cold smile curled at his lips.

"We can employee the camp doxies to help. For a bit of tumble and some coin, they will do anything we ask of them."

"Oh?" William leaned forward in his chair.

Banastre's smile widened.

"We can have them say the General has been visiting them…"

"Lady Eldridge will not believe that…"

"She will, if the whores say he has been there, when he has stated he was somewhere else. For instance, when he said he was getting myself and hanger out of our little scrap in Camden, he was in fact, visiting Mary, Lucy or Kate."

"Will they help us?" Tavington seemed unsure of this.

Ban laughed softly.

"Leave them to me, my friend. You give them the coin, and I will give them a tumble. For both, they would do just about anything."

Tavington still looked unsure.

"You are certain of this? I want no problems, Ban."

"What could possibly go wrong? The camp whores would do anything for both of us! I hear we have become gods to them!"

William grinned.

"I have not visited them since I came here with Catherine. I have no need to do so. I have a wife who fulfills my every need…"

"Oh?" Ban snickered softly.

"And, I do believe Catherine may be with child now, so I want nothing to go wrong. Her whore of a younger sister being hung for treason was enough of an upset for her. Another marrying that fool of a General, would cause far too many upsets for my liking."

"When will you know for certain, that Catherine is with child?"

"She has not bled for a couple months now. She is to see the midwife tomorrow to be certain."

Ban nodded in mock understanding. He had no children himself, at least, none that he knew of. He would be genuinely happy for the Colonel and Catherine, but he did not understand the need for children so soon. He did however; understand William's need for an heir. If he were to rebuild the family fortune and the name, he would need an heir worthy to help in that endeavour.

Not wishing to continue this particular conversation, Tarleton quickly returned to Catherine's sister's impending marriage to General O'Hara. Much to William's disgust.

"Need we return to this dreary subject again, Banastre? I thought we had the matter well in hand?"

"Fine, has Doctor Harris spoken with you or Catherine since you came back?"

William nodded slightly.

"Indeed he has. I expect he spoke with you, as well?"

"Not long after we returned to the fort. Did he tell you about…"

William held up his hand to silence Banastre.

"Yes, he did."

Ban nodded in understanding.

"When do you believe it will happen, Will?"

William shrugged.

"I cannot be certain, but sometime within the month. Harris said we would know when it did."

"Will Catherine have a command then?" Ban raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Ban, she will."

"Surely not the Green Dragoons!" Tarleton seemed horrified at the very thought.

William laughed.

"No, of course not! She will have the command of her own Dragoons."

"Which ones?"

"The Black Dragoons." William said stoically.

Banastre's mouth came open in surprise.

"They are the bloodiest Dragoons in the British Legions! Are you sure she will be able to handle them? The Green Dragoons are nothing like them!"

"Catherine can handle them. This is, after all, not her first time commanding them. In fact, " He tilted his head slightly, "She never relinquished her command."

Ban considered this for a moment.

"Yes, but is there not a Colonel to lead them?"

William shook his head.

"No. There never has been one. Catherine has been their Lt. Colonel since she was old enough to wield a saber."

"But…the Lord General…" Banastre sputtered.

"Created the Black Dragoons just for her sole use. One can safely say, she has no need of the Green Dragoons protection."

Ban stared at him.

"You mean, they are here at the fort?"

"Yes."

"I take it they do not wear the same uniform we do?"

"No, of course they do not. As their name implies, they wear black."

"I have not seen any of them at Fort Carolina." Ban remarked.

"Oh, but you have. You just do not know that you have. They dress as normal British soldiers. They know to blend in well…to not be seen. But when they strike, they are deadly."

Tarleton grinned slowly.

"They are the elite killers then?"

"They are." Tavington said passively. "As I said, when they strike, they are deadly. They blend in so that none know who they are, or when they will strike."

"Yes, but I have not seen them in battles! I have yet to hear of them in this war, Will!"

William picked up his glass of whiskey twirling it ever so slightly. He watched the amber coloured liquid dance around in the glass for a moment, then took a long drink. When he had finished, he looked at Banastre, who had poured himself another whiskey, and was savouring it.

"You will never hear of them in this particular war, Ban."

"Too elite for us to use? As if we Green Dragoons are but pitiful cousins!"

William smiled.

"We are not pitiful cousins! We are the elite in this war! It is the next one, which the Black Dragoons will appear. You will see them at that time, and not before. And, when that comes to pass, Catherine will be at the head of their legion."

Ban snickered softly into his glass.

"Commanded by a woman! You approve of this? What if she is with child? Will she still lead them?"

William shook his head.

"Of course not. I will not have my pregnant wife leading a charge into battle when she is carrying my child! That would be utterly foolish of me to allow."

Banastre laughed.

"You know Catherine will put up a fight over that. She is not one to take to doing nothing, lightly."

"I know she will, but I am her husband, and she knows to obey when it comes to such matters. She will see reason."

Banastre studied his glass for a moment.

"This war…"

"We will lose, of course." William stated flatly.

"Yes, I am aware of that. I did not mean the one we are fighting now. The one to follow what will happen in this month."

William glanced out the long window of his study. When Doctor Harris had explained it to him and Catherine, he had not allowed it to bother him. Nevertheless, when Tarleton mentioned it, it had slowly crept along his spine. It chilled him to the bone.

"We will fight, of course." William said.

Ban nodded in agreement.

"Oh I know. But what Harris said about the war we are fighting now…"

The Colonel stood up from his chair, stretched, and walked around his desk to the window. He stared out into the darkness. The rain came down in sheets, lightning lit the sky briefly, and thunder rumbled overhead. After a moment, he turned back to Ban, a frigid smile tugged at his lips.

"What did he mean, Will? About the end of this one, and the beginning of the next?"

The frigid smile grew colder.

"It will be…" Tavington's demeanour had darkened considerably.

"You mean…"

Tavington's smile was now like ice.

"Britain will not have lost."

"If so, then that would mean…" A slow deadly look crept across Tarleton's face.

"Yes?"

"But we have already surrendered…"

Tavington nodded.

"It will be as if Yorktown had never happened."

Tarleton smiled coldly.

"No mercy?"

A loud clap of thunder shook the mansion to its very foundation.

"Absolutely no mercy." Tavington snarled.

Yet another rumble of thunder shook the mansion.

The Black Dragoons had been called to duty once again.

The Rebels would not know what hit them.