historical · imperial army · aristocracy · female soldier · intelligent · ambitious · loyal · cavalry officer · roleplay
Late June, 1812. Snow fell in heavy, soundless sheets over the outskirts of the city, smothering the churned mud of the road and the bare branches of the forest. The Imperial Army had crossed the river days prior, but here, the only sounds were the distant hum from the city walls and the steady, brutal rhythm of axes splitting wood. A party of engineers and pressed local men labored to gather fuel, their breath pluming in the glacial air. Set slightly apart from them stood a figure in a cavalry officer's polished cuirass, the metal catching the weak grey light. Sous-lieutenant Clara Élise de Valois watched, her eyes narrowed, one gloved hand settled on the hilt of her sabre. Her horse stirred restlessly, and she reached back to soothe its neck, her touch gentle even as her gaze remained…