And Then Blood Was Shed [KatiexBow]

[katie marie]

Every girl likes getting dressed up. Its a fact. Whether they complain, or whine, or yell about it - they like it. Girls try to hide it, pretending to be tired, or bored, or lazy - but in reality, pushing that brush to their eyes and putting earrings on can make even the most tomboy of girls excited. And Helena was now one of those girls. Getting dolled up, and pretending to be annoyed about it.

The brunette sat in front of a vanity, as a slightly older woman with ebony skin twisted locks of hair behind her head. The woman's name was Glenetta, and she had been taking care of Helena since she was a newborn. Her mother did not ignore her children, but was often troubled with helping her father, or pulling apart her two older brothers. And so, Glenetta had been assigned to making sure Helena didn't get dirt on her dress, studied, and was on time for dinner. To Helena though, the woman was much more than a 'nanny'. She was a friend, a second mother, someone who had earned her respect and loyalty.

"Child, your going to have to sit still." Glenetta said, and Helena sat up a bit. "I'm tired." She lied, and continued on playing with the sleeves of her dress. The blue eyed beauty had been sitting in front of this mirror for the past two hours, and since then her entire face had changed. Now it was paler, if possible, due to a heavy amount of powder. Her cheeks were pink with rouge, and her eyes were lined with black charcoal. Her hair, while naturally curly, had to be twisted into ringlets, and then the front pieces were pulled back into an elegant updo. Small rhinestones were pushed onto dark strands, and her hair seemed to sparkle as she moved about. Diamond earrings, her last Christmas present, were pushed into her ears, and a small sapphire necklace fell just about her cleavage. A long pale blue and white dress adorned her body, long sleeves and a wide skirt flowing out over the ground. Lace designs trailed along the material, and elegant layers of silk showed when she would spin around.

Another half hour passed, and she was finally told to stand up. Her back and bottom ached as she did so, and Helena whined a bit, stretching her arms. "Oh hush." Glenetta said, and patted her back. "Now put on your boots," she went on to say. "I can hear carriages arriving." Sitting down on the bed, Helena pushed her feet into white heeled boots, and began to lace them up. She too could hear the carts of Lords and Colonels arriving, as well as her now bickering older brother. "This is an insult!" Jacob cried, and her other brother, Zachary, repeated his words. Helena then heard two smacks obviously her father hitting them over the head. "Hush! If you don't want to see people, go to your rooms." And with that, it was silent.

With a heavy sigh Helena took one last look in the mirror, her powder blue eyes tracing over herself. "Well, good luck." She said quietly to herself, and then proceeded to leave her room, and into the large, soon to be crowded, downstairs.

 

[Bow_down1991]

Even those, who only knew the likes of battle and cruelty, loved going out to a get together. Coloniel Tavington, sat in the carriage. His red coat, was semi buttoned up, and his white dress shirt underneath poked out of it. He puffed on a pipe, while talking to one of his lieutenants. He sat back against the canvas of the seat and sighed. These rebel uprisings were getting to be quite glum, and soon, he would be moving to Massachusetts. These sorts of little parties were what kept him going.

The carriage stopped, and the door opened. As his escort got out, he cleaned the pipe with his gloved finger, and slowly got out. His black boots, hitting the dirt of the path before the large house, in which the party was being held. The cold air, lapped at the man's face, who stood at a modest six foot. He was teller than most of his soldiers, and he had slimmer features than most of his soldiers and the lower ranks at that.

The metal door knocker, knocked against the wood with a loud clang. The men, watched as the slaves opened the door for them. Tavington had been standing toward the back of the pack, where the sound did not carry cery well. He unstrapped his hat and held the tall, wool hat, that had kept him warm over the years, and over the battles. With a fleeting thought, he thought of his horse.

As the men started to file into the house, Tavington was unsure of how many men and women, there actually were. He thought to himself and walked toward the carriage. He motioned for the driver to get closer to him, so he could whisper something in his ear, and with a nod, the driver gallopped away. He walked back toward the house and looked at the men. "I want you to keep a sharp lookout." He said to them, and was responded with a "Sir." He had his pistol on his belt, this would be a far too easy target for the rebels. This many officers in one place. . .it had to be a trap.

 

[katie marie]

As soon as Helena entered the downstairs area, her mind filled with the buzzing noises of the many people in the room. Her head turned constantly as she felt people's eyes upon her. Most of the guests had already arrived, and a new group of higher ranking military men were entering. Helena wasn't necessarily shy, but she did not know these people. She didn't know their names, or what they thought of being here, or if they were military or her parents friends, even though she should have known the men in red were the British soldiers. But even then, how was she to walk up to such aristocratic people?

And so, she continued to awkwardly navigate through the room, hoping to find her brothers, or at least her parents. But none of them seemed to be in sight, though she was sure on occasion she had heard her mother laughing. After about twenty minutes of walking in circles around the room, finding no one to talk to, or a corner to stand in, Helena let out a sigh. Perhaps it would be best if she went back to her room, took off this fancy attire, and went to sleep. But she knew the consequences for ignoring such a party would be brutal if her mother found out.

With that in mind, the brunette walked towards the front of the room, where people were still filing inside. She sat herself down on a windowsill seat, and watched the mouths and bodies of the men outside. One in particular seemed to be skeptical of going in. She couldn't blame him, I mean, most rebels were completely against their kind. But Helena and her parents seemed to think it was silly for the states to be rebelling. England had never done anything cruel to them, they were simply trying to keep order in the new country.

Shaking her head, she decided to ignore these thoughts for now. They were too tiresome, and if she ever wanted to simply enjoy herself, they would not be helpful. Eventually the door closed, and the new guests seemed to be getting used to their surroundings. Without a scene outside to watch, Helena soon became bored, and stood up from her seat. With her head low, she headed back towards the kitchen, where she would at least find comfort in Glenetta. Unfortunately, being sidetracked, as usual, she didn't look up while walking. And within moments, she felt herself hitting something hard and tall. "Ouch..." She muttered, and then looked up to see the strong face of one of the Colonels, Colonel Tavington to be exact. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" She immediately changed her outlook, as fear entered her mind. What if he didn't take this too well? "I wasn't watching were I was going... Eh... Uhm... Sorry."

 

[Bow_down1991]

The coloniel made his way inside, finally, after about twenty minutes of surveying the surrounding brush. He decided to himself that he would only have a few drinks, then he would enjoy the surrounding party. As he walked to the drink table, something hit him in the chest, and hard. He hand immediatley darted to his pistol, and his eyes narrowed at the small girl infront of him. He let out a sigh, and remoced his hand from the hilt. To be honest, he wasn't mad, just disappointed in himself that he could get sidetracked so quickly.

A fleeting thought entered the man's head. He wondered if she knew, that had this not had been a party, she would have been dead. Though he was still not mad. "It's okay, midear girl." He said to her as he looked down at her subtle features. He quirked his brow a bit at her, a brunette with blue eyes? Odd. He thought as he watched her features twist and turn. "Would you be so kind to tell me your name?" He asked as he bowed to her and kissed her hand respectivley.

----Meanwhile-----

The lowly band of rebels would love nothing more than to kill all the lobster backs in one fell swoop. Rumor had it, that one of their informants were hosting a party for the redcoats, and it was time that they crashed the party. . . They got their guns ready, and marched around the surrounding farms, closing in on the house. . .

((Sorry for the late and lame response. . .))

 

[katie marie]

[It wasn't lame at all! :3]

It was easily said that Helena was more than relieved to hear that man accept her apology. His voice didn't sound angry at all really, perhaps a bit high-strung and powerful, but not angry. After stepping back a bit she was able to fully look at the man she had run into. He was tall, almost a foot taller than her with his boots on, and he had a few of the same features she did. They both had the dark brown hair and blue eyes that were uncommon, as well as the fact they were both pale. And once she truly took in his face, he came off as very, very attractive.

This, of course, was what set her on a course of awkward stuttering. "I-I-I... My-y-y..." She cleared her throat and waited a second before continuing on. "My name is Helena, and my parents are the ones who are throwing this party." With a small bending of her knees, she went into a sweet curtsy, and bowed her head slightly. After a moment she came back up and stood straight, though she was still nearly a foot shorter than him. A smile formed on her face, as did goosebumps on her arm. He had kissed her hand! Her cheeks turned pink, though it was almost hard to tell behind the rogue that had been slapped onto her face. "Might I ask for yours... sir?"

He was most defiantly a hire ranking military men. His uniform was adorned with a few medals of honor. She looked down to see he had a short cut jacket, riding boots, riding pants. He must be a dragoon. That fact was confirmed once she caught sight of his hat, which was only adorned by the green dragoons. It was hard not to giggle at the sight though. Those things always had looked funny.

 

[Bow_down1991]

With a raised brow, the man gave her a soft smile. To be honest, he found himself. . .captivated by this girl. He opened his mouth to speak, until someone called his name from across the room. He turned to his lietenant and turned back to Helena. "My name." He said, repeating her question. "My name, is Coloniel William Tavington." He answered. "And it is most definatly a pleasure to make your acquantance." He almost forgot to let go of her hand, but he finally came to his senses and let go.

As he reluctantly departed from her, he moved to the man that was calling his name prior. "My lord, there is word that some rebels are coming to crash the party." The scout said as Tavington leaned in. Tavington quirked his brow and turned his eyes outside. It was dark, and there wasn't much visibility. He wasn't sure what to do, but he told his men that he wanted them to leave. At least his most of his officers. . .

 

[katie marie]

Helena tilted her head to one side as a man across the room called for him. She was somewhat upset that someone had so rudely interrupted them, but, she kept herself composed. Colonel Tavington soon turned back to her, and she learned his name. "Nice to meet you." She added curtly, and then grinned to herself. It was very unladylike for the time, but she found herself wanting to whine when he turned and left her back alone. But hadn't it just been proper conversation to trade names after her mistake? It was simply a proper conversation, she shouldn't be so quickly attached.

Still, after he moved away, she stood there, hands clasped in front of her lap. Clearing her throat, she moved forward a few steps, so that she could hear what the scout was saying. Rebels are coming to crash the party... The words made her blood run cold. No! Those were her brothers. They wouldn't attack their own home, their own family. But she didn't dare speak against the men. Not only was it completely uncalled for for a woman to talk against a man, but if she did so, her brothers and the rest of her family would be seen as enemies to the crown. And so, she continued to stand there, scared.

"Colonel?" She asked quietly, not sure whether or not he would hear her. "Whats wrong?" She asked, as if she didn't hear what that man had said. She put on her most innocent face, and waited.

 

[Bow_down1991]

The news almost made the Coloniel furious and the added element of the girl's brothers being in the fray would send him over the edge if he knew. With a hand resting on his pistol he turned to her. "A slight altercation might happen." He told her softly. "How would you like to go to where my army has set up camp?" He asked the girl softly, and with a quirked brow. He really wanted her to go, he really did like her. Though he was not sure why she caught his eyes so much. She was sweet, she didn't seem to have the best manners, and also, she wasn't one who would seem to like an army man. . .

The man's eyes followed movement in the brush outside. The slight movement had caught his eye earlier. He motioned toward one of his men to check it out, and the man, of course complied. It wasn't like he had a choice. As he turned back to Helena, he smiled. "On second thought, you might want to take cover." He said as he motioned for three soldiers to go upstairs and take the high ground, and fire down upon the rebels. There were about 15 of his men left, including him, and he would be damned if he would let the rebels take this position.

-----

The rebels thought they had been sneaking on the house. Afterall, they should know this area the best. As they snuck, they watched the windows carefully. Helena's brothers eased into place, bayonettes at the ready. Soon, the time for striking was.

 

[katie marie]

"An army camp?!" Helena asked, rather astounded that the man would ask such a thing of her. "I hate to be rude, but I cannot believe you would say such a thing!" She looked at him, still shocked, but then her other feelings flowed through her. He thought there would be a battle. That there would be danger around. And he was protecting her. Or at least, thats what she liked to be believe. And furthermore, a handsome man was asking her to spend more time with him, in a way. After a long moment of silence, Helena shrugged her shoulders. "Perhaps."

It was just then that a shot fired off through a window, and straight into vase. Immediately people began to scream, and a few men grabbed weapons that where on their waists. Helena looked to Colonel Tavington with fear, and she moved close to him. She knew her father could protect her, but who knew where he was. And beyond that, her father wasn't in his best health, and William was a strong Colonel that knew how a battle worked. It would make more sense for her to hide behind him.

Another shot rang out, only this time it did not go through a window. "Whats going on?" She asked, and commotion swarmed about her. Women were hiding behind walls, and men were getting into a fighting position. "What do I do?" Her tone was scared, and her words were fast, as her body shook. What now?