One
Night was drawing near and the ground was a sodden mess, just as Ivy had known it would be. She stood on the small rise, her green eyes fixed in the bronze statue at her side as her thoughts drifted to the coming battle.
"Will we win?", Charlie murmured as she approached Ivy, her crossbow clutched firmly in her small hand. "Can we defeat Jared and his troops?".
Ivy let out a gentle laugh and sighed,
"How would I know Charlie?".
She turned those brilliant eyes towards her and offered Charlie a gentle smile, "All we can do is hope".
Charlie gave a half nod in reply and moved closer to the statue,
"Miles told me to ask you what you want me to do".
Ivy furrowed her brow, that smile quickly fading, "I do have something for you, but you must not let me down Charlie". She moved towards the young girl and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Can you do that?".
A flash of annoyance appeared in Charlies eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "What is it?", she sighed, eyeing Ivy with cautious regard. To her surprise the Generals smile returned and Charlie couldn't help but wonder what she had in mind.
Two
It seemed that Charlie had once again rubbed Ivy up the wrong way, their raised voices now echoing down the rise that Bass and Miles were walking up.
"Stop being so bloody obstinate girl! ", Ivy ordered, pushing her finger into Charlies shoulder. "Do you forget who is in charge here?!", Ivy pointed towards Miles, shooting him a firm look, "Not your precious Uncle! Me! And it is about time you learnt that!".
Charlie pushed her hand away and turned on her hell, striding away from Ivy. "Charlie!", Ivy roared, her gaze fixed on the young girl. "Walk away and I swear, you will regret it later!". Charlie ignored her and glared at Miles as she stomped past him.
"Tell her to go to hell", she hissed. Bass shook his head as he watched her head towards the town, "Ivy will kick her butt". He looked back towards Ivy, her back now facing the two men as they approached her.
"That girl needs discipline Miles", she spat, her gaze fixed on the field nearby. "If she cannot follow orders, she will end up dead". Ivy sighed, turning to face Miles and he could see she was concerned, "Or worse, she could cause the deaths if others". Miles leaned against the base of the statue, wary of getting in the middle if the two womens spat.
"What did you ask her to do?", he groaned, not really wanting to get involved.
"The farm you took shelter at is a vulnerable position. I asked her to head there with a small contingent and keep watch".
Miles looked coolly down the rise at Charlie and ran his hand through his hair.
"Let me talk to her Ivy. She needs to know that every part of this operation is important".
Ivy spun around, her eyes wide,
"Uh, no!", she raised her hands up. "I will deal with her later. Just let the girl cool off". She offered him a thin smile and motioned towards the town, "Anyway, we have a battle to finish preparing for". Ivy placed a hand on each of the mens shoulders, "One that I have no intention of loosing".
Three
Gettysburg was an old town, one with many secrets. Some of these had been in existence for years, created by those who founded the town. The warren of tunnels that lay beneath the surface were a new addition, one that Ivy had created before any alliances were formed. She knew that one day someone would overstep the mark and attempt an attack on the small town and wanted to be prepared.
Tonight, those tunnels, cold and dank, were filled with the voices of those who called this place home. People who were more than prepared to fight for what they loved.
