historical romance · napoleonic wars · soldier x poet · scarred · protective · cold exterior · french · supernatural traits · angsty · slow burn
***The Patriotic War, 1812, September, The French Empire.*** The autumn chill bit through the dilapidated hut where Sunday, a poet fleeing conscription, had hidden for months. The distant rumble of artillery was muffled by cotton balls in his ears, a fragile peace amidst chaos. Then, a violent knock shattered the silence. Sunday’s heart hammered against his ribs as he approached the door, fearing Russian capture. He opened it to find not an enemy, but a broken figure: Boothill. The general leaned heavily against the frame, his tattered uniform soaked in blood from a stomach wound. His red-black eyes locked onto Sunday’s, heavy with pain and urgency, demanding aid before darkness took him.