297 B.C. - Antoine's stomach growled, and he wished he could join his comrades in devouring the wild boar they had killed that afternoon. They hadn't had a feast like this in weeks, and tonight was his night to be on guard duty.
As he twiddled his thumbs and thought of the meat his company was enjoying, the sun sank below the trees on the horizon. Once it was entirely dark his shift would be up, and then he could gorge on what was left of the boar. He looked back at the campfire longingly. There should be more than enough left, he judged. He turned back and slowly scanned the horizon again. Would it really matter if he came down from the watch tower early?
But then he saw something moving on the southern horizon. Whatever it was, it was moving quickly. Probably a deer being chased by a wolf, or something similar. Odd that it should be heading out of the forest and into the plains, though. Perhaps he should keep an eye on it, he thought.
As the creature came closer, though, he saw that it was not a deer at all, but rather a horse and Aztec rider. And they were coming decidedly in the direction of the camp.
"Horse and rider approaching!" he yelled down to his comrades. "No sign of an army."
"Got it, Antoine!" yelled the brigadier in return. "Keep watching them."
Antoine kept a close eye on the rider, and looked around for signs of an army as well. The rider kept coming, but no army appeared. Still, it was likely a scouting party. They came every month or two, making sure the French weren't causing any problems, and though the French always had to be prepared in case there was an army behind the hills, there had, thus far, never been any actual fights.
This rider was acting strangely, though. He was not being at all stealthy, a principle most scouts gave at least token payment to, and he was riding at a full gallop, sure to exhaust his horse before he finished his scouting mission. Antoine would have thought a predator was chasing the rider's horse, but he saw no sign of predator behind the horse. Perhaps it had been spooked and the rider had yet to calm it down.
Three minutes later, the horse was still galloping full speed towards the camp, only slightly slower than it had initially been traveling. Antoine was now sure it was heading for the camp.
"Visitors!" he shouted below. "One horse and rider!"
"Order them to stop when they're within ear's range or we may have to stop them by force," replied the brigadier. He grabbed one more piece of boar as he got up from the feast.
"Yes sir!" Antoine saw his commander bring together ten men to meet the rider, armed with axes in case a confrontation was necessary.
Two minutes thereafter he called out to the rider, "Halt! Identify yourself, by the order of the Free Free Encampment by the Yolihuani River," ordered Antoine.
"I bear a message of utmost importance from Itzcoatl in Tenochtitlan. I mean you no harm," replied the Aztec.
Antoine glanced down at his brigadier, who gave him the okay to let the visitor in.
"Enter, but at a walk," Antoine told the Aztec. "If you attempt to harm us, we are armed."
"Very well," replied the Aztec, who motioned his horse forward at a walk.
"Greetings," said the French Brigadier when the Aztec had reached the camp. "Would you care for some wild boar?"
The Aztec glanced in the direction of the fire, considering taking up the offer after his long ride. "No, I must not," he replied, turning back towards the brigadier. "My message is of utmost importance - "
"Oh, come on, what's an hour with friends?" asked the brigadier. "Just because we aren't Aztecs doesn't mean we aren't friendly."
"Sir, you must understand, the message is most important - "
"Come, now, we haven't had a guest in ages. There's more than enough boar, enjoy some."
The Aztec was about to object again when his stomach growled, giving away his hunger. He couldn't very well refuse the offer now, so he agreed. "Very well, I'll take some. Thank you. But I'm not sure you'll be so generous after I tell you the message."
"How bad could it be?" asked the brigadier. He was in a jolly mood, the rare feast having improved everyone's spirits. "Have some food first, then we can discuss the message."
After the Aztec had had his fill, he started back towards his horse with the French commander.
"Now, you said you had a message?" inquired the Frenchman.
"Er - yes," said the Aztec. He had known this would happen, nearly forgetting his task. "Well, I'm sorry to have to give it to you after such an excellent evening, sir. But I'd afraid I must inform you that our two nations are now at war."
"At war?" asked the French commander. "As in, no longer at peace?"
"Yes, that is what I mean," said the Aztec.
"You can't be serious," said the Frenchman in disbelief.
The Aztec pulled out a scroll from his bag. "Here is the copy of the French declaration of war copied by royal scribes and authenticated by King Itzcoatl himself."
The French commander examined it. Sure enough, it bore the royal seal. "The French declared war?" he asked, suprised. The French were weaker than the Aztecs, it was common knowledge, and while Empress Adélaide was a far more decisive ruler than her father had been, he still found it hard to believe she had declared war on the Aztecs.
"Yes, the French declared war," replied the Aztec. "The Aztecs will not begin an offensive against you until three sunrises from now. I must now leave." He mounted his horse.
"Wait a second," said the Frenchman. His contingent surrounded the horse. "I'd like to keep that scroll. Just in case the French didn't actually start the war."
"I assure you, sir, the French started the war," said the Aztec, slightly uneasy with the contingent surrounding him.
"It's not that I don't believe you, but I'd like to have it nonetheless. It's not like we can send a messenger to Paris to verify anything from out here."
The Aztec hesitated. He hadn't been told what to do in this situation. But considering that the French had started the war, he figured there was no harm in complying with the French brigadier's wish. "Fair enough," he said. "Here is the scroll." He handed it over, and glanced at the armed guard.
The Frenchman opened the scroll, verified it was the same one, and motioned his guard away. "Very well. That's that, then. You're free to leave. Will we be seeing you again?"
"No, sir. I'm merely a messenger, not a soldier. My thanks for the boar. I'll put in a word not to execute you if you are captured."
The Frenchman nodded, unsure quite how to respond, and the Aztec turned around and started off. Well, this is quite a quandry, thought the Frenchman. Aztec cities on all sides, no good way to escape, and far from enough force to fight through. But his brigade was at this particular spot for a reason, and now that war had been declared, he had to try to fulfill his mission - to pillage the only Aztec source of Iron.
Liked it, just one thing:
