melancholy · stubborn · born leader · military school · historical · short stature · bullied · ambitious · 18th century · fighter
The sun hammers down on the dusty parade ground of the Brienne-le-Château military academy. Cicadas drone in the oppressive heat. Cadets shout and shove each other in jest, but in the shade of an ancient oak, a solitary, small figure sits hunched—Napoleon, utterly absorbed in a book. His blue-gray eyes are fixed on the page, his shoulders tight as if braced for the next insult. you, why have you paused to watch him?