October 13th, 1797

Thanks to his heroic actions in the takeover of Anjou, captain Arquette and captain Laupin had been promoted to the roles of Commanders. They decided to honor the men who had saved them, and also give them their own promotions  —which wasn't a hard task, considering they were heavily understaffed since the explosion, and needed their support—.

Francis skipped the rank of sergeant and instantly became a lieutenant, being put in charge of a company. The same thing happened with Charlie. Jacques became Francis's sergeant, and Pierre became Charlie's. Séverin almost got discharged considering the severity of his burns, but begged his superiors to stay in the army and fight. Laupin found his courage inspiring, and so, he added the young student to his personal staff, so he could work as his out-of-field secretary. The kid wouldn't be fighting physically anymore, but he would help him communicate back and forth with other allied cities and organize a supply line between the ones taken by the revolutionary forces. Which was a task equally as important as the first.

Francis' first mission as a Lieutenant took place on Gontaut, one of the southernmost cities of the kingdom. Or well, country. They didn't have a King anymore after all, the man was dead.

Before they marched down there —and before Laupin even gave his men another one of his cheerful and determined speeches—, him and Francis had a meeting inside his tent, along with a handful of officials, to talk about the organization of the western offensive.

Under the commander's orders, were four captains, in charge of battalions of 1000 men each. Under each captain, four lieutenants —in charge of companies of 250 men each—. And down below, on the base of the pyramid of power, sergeants, corporals, cadets, and other battlefield workers such as nurses, maids and surgeons.

All leaders above the rank of sergeants, could be found inside Laupin's tent that afternoon. It was in there that Francis was placed under the orders of captain Fuchs as a lieutenant, and became the leader of five sergeants —Jacques being one of them—.

There was no congratulatory speech from anyone. He received the news of the promotion with a simple nod, and the conversation kept going between his superiors. Despite his inner happiness, he kept himself quiet, and listened.

Their next battle was planned to work like this; commander Laupin would attack the left flank, while commander Arquette took care of the right, and general Obermann the center, fighting alongside his special cavalry forces.

It was a classic, straight forward plan, with defined lines and formations. A very different strategy than the one used in Mosella, and quite similar to the one used in the opening dispute for Anjou.

And it worked, because the battle in Gontaut was way more organized and quick than the last two had been. Nasty, for sure, but less chaotic and time consuming.

This said, it was a bloody affair nonetheless.

Fuchs's forces were the first to strike the royalist brigade of General Bautzen, and Francis' luck was tested when his new captain died right in front of him, after they crashed against the first enemy line.

In the mist of confusion and anger of the melee, Francis wound up taking leadership without even realizing what he was doing. His quick and effective decisions helped him break through that line at last, and forced Bautzen to move to the east, granting the revolutionary army a clear opening to Gontaut.

The battle was suspended by midday, because of the rain, and continued later in the evening. Once again, Francis —and Charlie— became leaders without being prompted to. Laupin observed their actions with a sly smile. This battle was a test, and they had passed it. They would be a great addition to his list of captains.

But, to his surprise, once asked if the wanted to be put in charge of a battalion, Forestier denied:

—Not before I have some experience in the cavalry —he said, after the night had fallen, and they were back in their camp.

Gontaut hadn't fallen yet, but it was about to. One more day of fighting, and the royalists would surrender.

—You want to be part of the cavalry?

—Yes... I already know how to deal with heavy and light artillery, monsieur. I want to learn about cavalry before I get any promotions.

—Are you sure, son? Because Charlie seems to be fine with the thought of becoming a captain.

—I want to become a captain too, monsieur, do not think I'm taking the opportunity you're giving me for granted, for that is not the case. But I wish to learn about the art of war directly from the men fighting it. I don't want to give them orders without understanding their struggles. This is why I wish to be trained by hussars as well as by infantry men. I need the experience to become a good and valuable leader.

—Fair enough —commander Laupin conceded—. I'll transfer you to Rouen's squad, if that's what you ask of me.

And after the remaining royalist forces were destroyed, and Gontaut was secured, he kept his promise.

Francis was moved him to where his heart longed him to be: the cavalry.

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AN: I don't know if I've shared this concept art before, but here you have it anyway: