After wading through the biosterous crowd who had commandeered the fortress, and stepping over several bodies, the trio saw the lowered draw bridge. François de la Serra was waiting for them.
Élise took out the bloodied hankercheif.
"Bernard-René Jourdan is dead," she said.
"Well done, Élise," François said. "You've done our order proud!"
Something was going on behind him. Columns of soldiers marching towards them, two cannons at the forefront. "Reinforcements," Élise said. "I think we should go now."
"Ah, no. This is another opportunity, my dear girl."
François turned and stood with steely confidence as the column of blue suits advanced. Élise kept her resolve but her eyes darted nervously around for escape routes. What was he planning? With his decades of experience in leadership, he must have known what he was doing, but Élise could not help but feel uneasy.
As the troops got closer, their horse-backed commander finally spoke.
"You there, in the hat. Have you ordained yourself to speak for these violent rabble? We will accept nothing short of unconditional surrender."
"Commander, I recognize the value of order in any society," François said, stepping forward. "But ask yourself-"
He took a metal ball with strange engravings out from his coat: The Apple of Eden! The Assassins, from whom she had defected, had long suspected the Templars had found a replacement. "How can one call himself a soldier when he is complicit to the injustices of the world."
The commander stared, caught under its spell. As far she could tell, so was every other soldier on the front line. "You've dedicated yourself to protecting France's people: From highwaymen, from thieves, from mad cutthroats...from invaders and usurpers. Can you not see these people here simply want to do the same?"
He continued, "These cutthroats may wear noble garb. These thieves may present themselves in broad daylight. And the usurper of the Estates-General may be the highest man in the land. But their crimes remain their same."
"So I ask you. Will you join the good citizens of France, or will you join the criminals?"
The commander retained his entrance expression, but in a couple of seconds looked back at his soldiers.
"Men, he's right! Yesterday we fought for the king. Today, we fight for the future of France!"
The crowd of soldiers, many likely with minds still their own, raised their arms and roared.