(Y/N POV)

Dear Miss Hamilton,

I undergo a level of moral culpability in not writing to you for so long. It is indeed a fact that I have been at my works in South Carolina and fought against slavery, as you will know. I am close to recruiting a tremendous three thousand men for the first all-black military regiment. Should we say that they survive and win their freedom, I will hereby unchain them from the captivity of their Masters.

Your endearing sister awaits me with avidity, it seems. She's alike Mr Hamilton: writes too much to my liking. Alas, our wedding is in order, though not the sort I'd anticipated. She speaks of a beach, a rather unusual setting to exchange vows. I'd envisaged a church for all to attend for if the wedding is as soon as humanely possible, a winter's beach may be unpleasant.

Yes, the winter, I'd hope. War is unpredictable, however the positions of troops are not so. They can be determined. Serving under General Nathanael Greene, I was appointed head of the intelligence department. I have operated a network of spies, tracking down British operations around Charleston. I pray that it has potential to provide for the current events in Yorktown.

Promise me, Sister, to keep yourself safe, for I'm on the edge of retrieving you from danger. If you may know, I'm in hygienic conditions with a fundamental supply of food. I will not be going anywhere distant soon. Even when I do not write, know that I am safe. I live only for you, your sister and my daughter. If one were stripped away, all would be broken.

Do not hesitate to write, I beg it. I will forever hear your call.

"Your most sincere friend, John Laurens." I finished.
"With how he writes, you'd think you were his wife." Alexander commented.
I laughed. "Emily means everything to him... though I fail to see why."
"She has a refined personality!" Lafayette reared his horse closer to ours. "Refined in such a way that a man like Laurens would feel enraptured by her."

I stroked the mane of ours- a darkened brown stallion. Alexander sat behind me with a grapple of the reins whilst I scouted the lustrous nature around us. Today, Washington was going to bring us to his "surprise"; around 50 others accompanied us. The stench of the air was briny, briny in an unexplainable fashion. A soothing one, you could say.

"Emily's idiotic." I continued.
"Sophie!" exclaimed Alexander.
"It's true, though! She has to be one of the most annoying girls I have ever encountered!"
"She is to become a woman fairly soon!" Lafayette claimed. "How long have you known her?"
"Only since she arrived, in 1777." I lied.

"What do you suppose happened to her?"
"Well..." I stroked my hair out of my face. "She lost her memory, did she not? She's never spoken a word."
"Can't recall a thing." Alexander added. "Funny how the brain works. But still she can remember her identity. Hopefully the discoveries of neuroscience will evolve with us."

I peered over to witness Cornelius inspecting every single tree in sight. We hadn't really been given the chance to talk for the most I'd done so far was sleep. Alexander was currently sceptical of near enough everyone once hearing of the men I'd encountered in England. I knew talking wouldn't be a tremendous option, but Cornelius had no one else.

"Looking for something, Jackson?" I teased.
"Just admiring, Miss."
"Admiring what?" Alexander grunted, reeling closer to my ear.
"Oh hush, he's not doing anything." I smiled back at Cornelius politely. "Do you enjoy the nature?"
"Very much, Miss. If I were to indulge myself within the serenity of nature every second, I would."

Alexander led the horse further away from him, far enough for him to speak. "I don't like him, Y/N." he muttered.
"You can't judge someone by the actions of others!"
"He began to act strange that instance you snuck out of the house! Do you really trust him, Y/N?"

I didn't really know why I trusted Cornelius so much. I suppose I knew that he could keep a secret- he talked with nobody. Though I didn't know him enough to tell him any secrets. He was an intriguing character, and still, he searched with his azure blue eyes around the trees. Why was it so fascinating to him?

I would admit, he was fairly attractive. It was a suprise that he hadn't raised a family yet, or, not to my knowledge. Alas, he wasn't my type, despite his perfectly chiseled chin, combed hair, sturdy body shape. He took no interest in me either, and it was evident. Not in a romantic type, anyway. His stares were one of intrigue, like the way he looked at the trees.

"Here it is!!" Washington declared from the front. Lafayette rode past us to join him. The sounds of waves were now evident, moving with the wind and across the shore. Then the sand consumed the hooves of our horse, of all the other horses. Cavalry spread out along the bay.

"There it is!"

From a distance in the sea, ships, hundreds of ships, sailed toward us. The one to lead held a flag up from its rear, though I couldn't distinguish it well. There was a blue tint, I was certain. Closer, and a hint of red. Closer still, now a streak of white.

"Oh-!" I scrambled from the horse. Anticipating I were about to fall, Alexander held his arms out and steadied me upon the dry sand. Hurriedly, he also jumped off.

"See this, Madmoiselle?" Appearing from nowhere, Rochambeau stood next to me and presented his hand out. "This is your army!"
"It's not exactly my army, Sir." I refused with a chuckle.
"It is, Madmoiselle, it is! They may have a leader but you command!!"

We remained silent until the ships were at stand still. "Come, Madmoiselle." Rochambeau leaded us over to Washington and Lafayette. Alexander trailed behind for safety measures. "Meet your new colleague!" A man, around the same age as General Wilson, stood at the bow of the ship victoriously. He yielded hid fist into the air as the ship set its anchor.

Smaller rowing boats were thrown down to the sea. The man was one of the first to get on and they all began to row to shore. More boats were thrown, meaning more soldiers to join us. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Or both. I didn't want to show any signs of hysteria.

No more than the blink of an eye and the first rowing boat arrived. Rochambeau and Lafayette sprinted up to him. "François!!" Rochambeau greeted.
"Amiral Grasse!" Lafayette added.
"Oh, c'est bon de vous voir les garçons! Surtout toi, Gilbert, tu as sûrement grandi!"
"Je vieillis, Monsieur, bientôt je serai estropié..."
The three laughed at Lafayette's remark.

'François' stumbled along the sand and to Washington. He took him firmly by the hand. "Glad to see you again, General."
"And you, Admiral."
"François! Come, this is the lady I spoke of!" Rochambeau heeded him toward me. "Madmoiselle, this is a friend of mine, Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse. François, meet Miss Sophie Hamilton."

"Hamilton? So you are the one all of France talks about?" François kissed my hand.
"Is that so? Then I think I'll have to have a word with your King."
"Non, such a lady is a wonder, a... splendid. All of France looks up to you."
"...They do?"
"Yes, yes! You'll go down in history, Madmoiselle, from what you achieve! You were born to lead!"

The other Frenchmen drifted in from the sea. It was like I was living in an alternate reality. Out of everyone, the French were the ones who looked up to me? I m- Why are people looking up to me? I'm just... a woman. A woman with soul, with passion like every other woman! Why weren't they receiving the same treatment? To be looked upon as heroes?

I...

I was going down in history...

...Oh God...

...I'd ruined everything...