Chapter Seventeen: Recruitment
Arendellian Countryside
May 3, 1813
Lights were flickering in the country house before him. It was a fairly large house and the grounds from what he could see were vast enough that told him whoever possessed it had a fair amount of wealth. Even in these mountainous backward lands that were so far away from his world in Paris, Foix-Lescun still knew there was still wealth to be made here.
Paris, he thought sadly. He once dreamed that his fortunes would lead him there to the center of the world as a decorated Marshall in the rising French Empire. He had done everything right in his career. At twenty-four he was already a Captain with his own command and he was trusted for his ability to bring intelligence to Emperor. He had been extremely loyal, valiant in battle, and highly observant. He could see through a deception even when others could not. He had suspected Queen Elsa and Prince Lars had been plotting early on against Marshall Baujeu and had both royals tailed constantly. He had told his commanding officer about it multiple times, but Baujeu seemed content to let the Arendellian Queen dance around him with excuses for weeks to delay her departure to Paris, while he kept loose restrictions on Arendelle itself. Finally, when Foix-Lescun was about to write directly to the French War Office to get things moving, Queen Elsa herself volunteered to go as ordered by Emperor Bonaparte.
Foix-Lescun thought it would be a good opportunity to take Queen Elsa back to Paris so he readily agreed when she suggested he escort her. He was planning on providing a full report against Marshall Baujeu's incompetence once he was back on French soil. He had anticipated getting a promotion for it, probably good enough to replace Marshall Baujeu's command in Arendelle so he can tighten things the way it should be on France's behalf.
Instead, he lost Queen Elsa to a group of Barbary pirates and all his dreams went straight to dust.
He returned to Arendelle and was promptly chewed out by Baujeu for his failure to protect the one asset that France needed. He was demoted of his rank right there and was set to be sent home to France on the first ship that came along. He knew once back in France, he could be court-martialed which would end his career completely. He essentially had nothing left.
So when an anonymous note inviting him to come to some outskirt country house in the middle of the night came to him a few days ago, he didn't hesitate to go. He had nothing more to lose. At worse, he was walking into a trap and he could very well be killed. However, he could at least solve one final mystery before his life ended with his career.
He reigned his horse by the front door of the house and proceeded to knock. The door opened and a large man greeted him.
"Good evening, I received—"
The hulking man interrupted him with a quick speech in Arendellian. He understood not a word of it, but the gestures he made were discernible enough for Foix-Lescun to understand he was expected. He followed the hulking man into the warm interiors of the house where he found it decorated almost garishly in the French style, albeit a little too overdone. There were overstuffed magenta chairs gilded in gold leaf, wooden chests inlaid with silver, mismatched lamps that were large and overbearing which clashed horrendously with the brown wallpaper and the blue-tiled floors. Whoever furnished this place, he concluded, obviously had the money to purchase expensive furnishings but didn't exactly possess a good sense of style.
He was led to a large drawing room that looked just as gaudy as what he had seen of the initial interiors. However, there was a warm fire in the grate and he was grateful for its heat after riding for hours in the cold. However, someone was seated on a chair near the fire. He could tell it was a woman but he could not recognize her. She wore a black dress and a veil covered her face completely.
"Are you the one who sent me the note?" he asked.
"Yes Monsieur Foix-Lescun, I am glad you came," she replied in French but with a distinct Arendellian accent. "Please do have a seat. There is brandy and biscuits for you by the table. Dinner will be served later and you are welcome to stay the night."
"May I have the pleasure of knowing who my host is?" he asked carefully.
"Not yet," she replied. "Not until we conclude business."
He liked that she was direct to the point. "Very well, may we get on to business then? What is exactly is the nature of this business?" he asked as he sat down.
"That business is a future for you, Monsieur," she replied. "Here in Arendelle."
"A future in Arendelle? What do you mean?"
She gave him a sniveling little laugh. "You know what I mean Monsieur. Your future in France has ended. What do you hope to gain by returning to Paris and reporting back to your superiors? Nothing. You are a failure and they will not see you as anything else anymore."
He bristled angrily for she had hit a mark. It was bad enough that his men knew but to be chastised by this complete Arendellian stranger was an insult he could not bear.
He got up from the chair. "I thank you for hospitality Madame, but I will be on my way," he said angrily.
"Wait!" she called out as she stood up.
He dared to look back.
"I apologize," the woman replied with a note of sincerity. "I did not mean to insult. Please do take a seat."
He decided to give her a chance, but just one other. He told himself, if she made one more cutting remark, he would just walk out. He stood back to his post but did not sit down.
"I would like to offer you an opportunity for a different kind of life, here in Arendelle," she said.
"I cannot stay here in Arendelle," he told her. "I am about to be sent back to France once another ship comes."
"You don't have to go when they tell you," she said matter-of-factly and he realized immediately what she meant. She was asking him to desert his post. He was suddenly alarmed.
"Who are you? Are you part of the Sixth Coalition? Are you here to bring me to betray my own country?"
"No," she said calmly. "I am just a friend who can give you options."
"Options? Options to desert you mean? If I ignore orders to go home, then I am a deserter. I could be put to death for that."
"I can protect you," she assured him. "I can hide you away in my estates where no one can find you. I can give you a new identity, a new life to start on. And it does come with incentives."
She tossed something at him that he managed to catch. He realized it was a purse, with a fair amount of money.
"That's just a start," she said. "There's more where that came from if you join us."
"Join you? Who are you?"
She stood up before she responded. "We're called the Purification League."
Foix-Lescun's blood grew cold. He had heard about this organization. It was something that the Arendellian court avoided discussing, but he had heard whispers of what scandals it had caused the Arendellian royal family. He had even seen some of the pamphlets.
"From the look on your face, you had heard of us before," she said.
"Why me?" he asked. "And why would you want me to help you destroy the Arendellian monarchy?"
She turned away from him and stared instead at the roaring fire. "We all have our reasons but all you need to know are your reasons. Queen Elsa and Princess Anna have been in league with the Sixth Coalition for quite some time now. You know that though no one will listen to you. It won't be long before their allies invade and the French will be kicked out of Arendelle. Outside of Arendelle, wars will continue to be waged by France but you can no longer participate in them. So why not set your sights on a place you can be a part of. Here, in this corner of the world, you can make it on your own with money to fill you until the rest of your days."
The idea intrigued him. For what other choice did he have left now that his military career was at an end?
He walked towards her then stopped short when he was just an arm's length of her.
"Tell me more then."