It is currently 5:30 and Lawrence is calmly staring out at the vast green plains. Suddenly he notices someone riding alone on a horse in the distance. Eventually, he realizes that the man is wearing a French cavalry uniform. Then he grabs his rifle and quickly
loads it and aims at the rider and immediately shoots him. Instantly killing the Frenchman with a bullet through the head. Lawrence then hears a calm yet cheerful voice behind him.

Frederick: Great shot Lieutenant!
Lawrence: Thank you, Your Majesty.
Frederick: Don't want any of the French attacking the camp.
Lawrence: It's very unusual for there to be a lone French cavalryman riding around.
Frederick: Possibly a scout.
Lawrence: Something seems off about that I'm going to check it out.
Frederick: Becareful Lawrence.
Lawrence: I will Your Majesty.

Lawrence promptly sprints off and a few minutes later he reaches the dead cavalryman. He notices that the man is holding a small piece of folded up paper. Gently grabbing the small piece of paper he then puts it in his pocket. Then he begins jogging back to the camp. Upon reaching the camp Benedict Fraser calmly walks up to Lawrence and starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Benedict Fraser: What do you have there Lieutenant?
Lawrence: A letter. The French were trying to deliver it somewhere. But I killed the messenger as I thought they were a scout.
Benedict Fraser: Well you did the right thing Lieutenant. We don't want the French sneaking around.
Lawrence: What should I do about the letter sir?
Benedict Fraser: I shall take it to Lord Wellington.
Lawrence: Yes sir.

Lawrence calmly hands the letter to Benedict Fraser who puts it in his pocket. Benedict Fraser begins calmly walking back to the British camp. Meanwhile, in the British camp, Wellington is calmly writing something at his desk. A couple of minutes later Benedict Fraser enters the tent. Wellington stops writing and looks up at Benedict Fraser then he starts speaking in a calm yet serious tone.

Wellington: What is it, Colonel?
Benedict Fraser: Lieutenant Sundermann intercepted this message from the French sir.
Wellington: I see I shall read it. It might have important information.

Benedict Fraser carefully grabs the letter out of his pocket and places it down on Wellington's desk. Colonel Fraser then calmly exits the tent. Wellington grabs the letter and unfolds it then he begins reading it.

July 26th 1815

Hello, Richard, I have discovered what you have done. How dare you lie to the public and make them assume I died in battle. You think that you are so smart. You better hope that the people of London don't discover that you lied to them.

Oh, how I will also enjoy killing my dear brother Arthur in battle! I will be finally rid of him soon and I will be able to have some peace in my life. I will finally be the glorious one. I won't be sidelined anymore.

Also, good luck finding me after this war. I hope that we will never meet again. I wish to live out my days in France with my new friend who I consider to be my new brother Joseph.

Henry Wellesley

Wellington feels tears gradually streaming down his face. He gently wipes them away. However, more tears keep coming.

*Wellington in thought*

Henry doesn't seem to see me as his brother. I have been replaced by a French General.

Henry also is exiling himself into France after the war. Which means we won't be able to find him and possibly capture him.

He wants to face me in battle and try to kill me. I don't want to kill him I would prefer to capture him and punish him for his crimes. Although his punishment would most certainly be death. I don't want to kill him I also don't want to watch him die. But the only option for him will be death if he is captured. I wish he didn't have to die. He's still my brother.

A couple of minutes later Lord Uxbridge enters the tent and stares at Wellington with slight confusion. Then he starts speaking in a calm yet slightly confused tone.

Lord Uxbridge: What is it, sir?
Wellington: Henry tried to sabotage Richard's plan. But Lieutenant Sundermann intercepted this letter.
Lord Uxbridge: Well what does it say, sir?
Wellington: Henry wants to kill me in battle. He also is planning to exile himself into France after this war. I will not kill my brother Uxbridge. But I think if he is captured he will most certainly be killed.
Lord Uxbridge: It might be better for him to be exiled sir. He might not cause a ruckus. I understand that you don't want to kill him.

Wellington: He could still cause a ruckus being alive. But I don't want to kill him. So I guess allowing him to exile himself might be the only choice.
Lord Uxbridge: Yes indeed sir. It might be the only choice.
Wellington: Anything else that you need to talk about Uxbridge?
Lord Uxbridge: No sir.

Lord Uxbridge calmly exits the tent. Kitty Wellesley looks at Wellington and notices that he is tearing up. Kitty starts speaking in a calm and comforting tone.

Kitty Wellesley: Arthur do you need to talk?
Wellington: Kitty I don't want to kill him. He is still my brother even though we ended our relationship. A bond tied by blood can't be broken.
Kitty Wellesley: Arthur I understand that.
Wellington: What can I do if he tries to kill me in the battle? I can't just kill him. Besides, it seems he wants to exile himself after the war and live a peaceful life.

Kitty Wellesley: I wish I knew Arthur. But I don't.
Wellington: Killing him is so wrong Kitty. I would never wish to harm my own family.
Kitty Wellesley: I understand that Arthur.
Wellington: I feel so useless in this situation Kitty.
Kitty Wellesley: Arthur you aren't useless. You are an intelligent man. You will figure something out.

Meanwhile, in the French camp, Joseph Ney is gazing out at the vast plains. He then hears footsteps behind him he then turns around and stares at Henry Wellesley. He also notices that Henry has a concerned look on his face. Joseph starts speaking in a calm yet slightly confused voice.

Joseph Ney: What's wrong Henry?
Henry Wellesley: I heard a gunshot in the distance and I think that something happened with the messenger.
Joseph Ney: We will check it out later Henry. I don't think that we can be sneaking around near the British camp in broad daylight.
Henry Wellesley: I understand Joseph. But I have a feeling something bad might have happened to the messenger.
Joseph Ney: You are worried that they stole the letter aren't you?
Henry Wellesley: Yes Joseph!

Joseph Ney: I'm sure that the messenger is fine Henry. I'm sure that the letter hasn't been stolen.
Henry Wellesley: That letter can't be stolen, Joseph. I don't want the British public to believe my brother's lies.
Joseph Ney: I understand that Henry.
Henry Wellesley: I want them to know that I am still alive!
Joseph Ney: Again, I understand that Henry. But for now, I have to go work on something.

Joseph Ney calmly and promptly walks off. Henry Wellesley hastily follows Joseph. A few minutes later Henry and Joseph reach their tent. Joseph sits down at his desk and begins writing something. While Henry sits down on a wooden stool and awkwardly stares at Joseph. Joseph notices this and starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Joseph Ney: I understand that you are concerned, Henry. But we can't go out there we might end up being killed or possibly captured. I don't want either of those things to happen Henry.
Henry Wellesley: Joseph I understand that. But I don't want them lying about me and just accepting that I'm dead.
Joseph Ney: I know that you want to stop your brother from lying about you. I know that you also want to kill Wellington. But we can't go check what happened with the messenger right now as there is a high chance we would be killed. We also can't kill Wellington right now due to the same reason.
Henry Wellesley: I understand that Joseph.
Joseph Ney: We will go check and see what happened to the messenger later Henry.
Henry Wellesley: I understand.

A couple of hours later Wellington is still working on something at his desk. Suddenly Corey calmly enters the tent and Wellington looks up and smiles at Corey. Then he puts his quill down and starts speaking in a calm yet slightly cheerful voice.

Wellington: Always good to see you, Corey.
Corey: Same with you sir. I have two letters for you, sir.
Wellington: Why are there only two Corey?
Corey: Your brother William had to go to a meeting and didn't have time to write a letter.
Wellington: I see well that's just William being William. Busy man he is.
Corey: I shall give you the letters sir.
Wellington: Thank you, Corey.

Corey carefully grabs the two letters out of his pocket and places them on Wellington's desk. Then he starts speaking in a calm yet slightly confused tone.

Corey: Sir is it true that your brother General Henry Wellesley is dead?
Wellington: Corey I don't want to talk about this.
Corey: I understand sir.
Wellington: You may leave now Corey. I will give you a letter to send to my brother sometime tonight.
Corey: Yes sir.

Corey calmly exits the tent. Wellington then grabs the first letter and gently unfolds it then he starts carefully reading it.

July 26th 1815

Hello Arthur I have managed to keep William from telling the public about this scandal. I'm assuming that you probably also have heard that Henry is dead. That is not the truth I have just made up a lie so no one knows what truly happened to Henry. I also might have lied to Lord Elliot Anderson a man in the House of Commons about it too. I understand if you are upset with me because William is as well. But it was the only option to protect our family's honour.

Arthur, I feel that you might have made the right choice to not reconcile with Henry. As you said he tried to kill you multiple times. Sometimes a relationship is too far from reconciliation and you just have to let go of that broken relationship. You made your choice and Henry made his. But I'm surprised that he was upset about you ending the relationship with him.

He was your second in command at one point in time. He should have been honoured to be in that position. I know that he possibly felt sidelined as you were gaining a lot of glory in battle. But he was still in a very honourable position which would have earned him some glory as well. I understand that you are possibly hurting still as ending a relationship is hard especially if it's with someone so close to you.

I hope that you stop blaming yourself so much, Arthur. It's not good for you to keep blaming yourself for everything Arthur when it's not even your fault. I wish for your safety in the upcoming battle you have. I wish for you and Kitty to return home safely to your two boys.

Your dear brother
Richard Wellesley

Wellington gently folds the letter up and puts it aside then he quietly sighs to himself.

*Wellington in thought*
I do need to stop blaming myself for things I haven't done.

I'm going to have to tell Richard what Henry tried to do. Also possibly warn him that Henry may continue trying to attempt to sabotage Richard's plan.

I'm not upset at Richard he has protected our family's honour. I want it to stay that way.

He is also right about me feeling upset. I feel upset and quite stressed about the battle. Henry wants to kill me but I don't want to kill him.

I need to write a letter to Richard.

Wellington grabs a piece of paper and begins calmly writing a letter.

July 28th 1815

Hello, Richard, I thank you for protecting our family's honour. Along with my reputation. But there is a problem. Henry wants to try and sabotage your plan. A letter from him was intercepted by one of my men and it mentioned that he knows about your lie. I'm unsure if he will continue to try to send letters to you. But if he does I suggest burning them we don't want anyone else to know that you lied.

I also feel like I made the right choice to not reconcile with Henry. He still wants to kill me in battle and I will not hurt him or kill him. He does want to exile himself after this war is over so we will probably never see him again. But I'm still deeply upset about having to let go of the relationship between me and Henry. But we have both made our choice and I accept that.

You are indeed right about him being in a very honourable position at one point in time. I'm sure that he did feel honoured about being in that position at the time he held it. But you know the reasons why he had to not be in that position any longer. It was not the best way for him to be removed from his position.

I will try to stop blaming myself. But I still feel upset about a lot of things right now. I know that it's not good for me to continue to blame myself. I also understand that some of these things are possibly not my fault at all. I promise you that I will try to stay safe in the battle for the sake of my family. I will return home to my boys and I will also make sure Kitty returns home safely with me.

Your dear brother
Arthur Wellesley

Wellington gently folds the letter up and puts it aside. Then he grabs the final letter and unfolds it then begins to carefully read it.

July 26th 1815

Your Grace

Lieutenant Sundermann shall be rewarded for his actions. Your wish will be accepted and he shall be gazetted, Captain. I hope that he serves the Army, Great Britain, and King George well as Captain.

I have also heard about the death of your brother General Henry Wellesley. I'm very sorry for your loss. He was a fine General. He was irreplaceable.

Lord Edward Carrington

Wellington gently folds the letter back up and puts it aside. He then cheerfully smiles a little bit.

*Wellington in thought*

Well, I have some great news for Lieutenant Sundermann tomorrow.

I'm sure that he will make a great Captain. Possibly much better than his brother. He also most definitely won't cause as much trouble. At least I hope he doesn't cause trouble. I already have to deal with a lot of troublesome scoundrels.

Kitty Wellesley notices Wellington smiling and she starts speaking in a cheerful voice.

Kitty Wellesley: What are you so happy about Arthur?
Wellington: I just received some good news from Richard and Horse Guards.
Kitty Wellesley: I see well I'm glad that you got some good news.
Wellington: Richard also gave me some good advice that I should have taken long ago.
Kitty Wellesley: Well it's good that he is giving you some advice on things. Sometimes it's good to take advice from others.
Wellington: Indeed, it is Kitty. Now I need to do some work.

Wellington grabs a piece of paper from the large pile of papers and starts carefully reading. Meanwhile, a few hours later the sun has started to set, and Joseph Ney is calmly staring at the sunset. A couple of minutes later he hears footsteps behind him along with an irritated sigh. Joseph then turns around and stares at Henry Wellesley who looks very irritated and slightly worried. Joseph starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Joseph Ney: We can head out and check on the messenger now. The British shouldn't be able to spot us.
Henry Wellesley: Good because I'm very worried that the letter could have ended up in the wrong hands.
Joseph Ney: I understand that now let's go, Henry.

Joseph Ney whistles for his horse and a couple of minutes later a dark brown horse trots over. Joseph carefully gets on his horse then he holds out his hand to Henry. Henry Wellesley firmly grabs Joseph's hand and gets up onto the horse. Joseph signals to his horse to start moving forward and the horse starts galloping forward. Meanwhile, on a nearby hill, Marshal Ney is looking through his spyglass. A couple of minutes later he hears a calm voice behind him.

Joachim Murat: What are you looking at?
Marshal Ney: My son and his friend are going off somewhere. I have a feeling that there is trouble ahead.
Joachim Murat: Are you planning on doing something?
Marshal Ney: Yes, I'm planning on going after them. I don't want my son to get killed.
Joachim Murat: I'll come as well I also care about the kid.
Marshal Ney: Fine.

Marshal Ney puts his spyglass back on his belt. Then both of them whistle for their horses. They then get on their horses and start galloping off after Henry and Joseph. A few minutes later near the British camp Henry and Joseph arrive. Then they both carefully get off the horse and walk over to the dead Frenchman. Henry Wellesley then starts frantically searching the dead man's pockets. A couple of minutes later Henry starts speaking in a frustrated voice.

Henry Wellesley: Joseph it's gone! The letter is gone! I don't want them to believe that stupid lie!
Joseph Ney: Henry stop yelling, please. We don't want them to know that we are here.
Henry Wellesley: Joseph I don't know what to do this situation is ridiculous! Richard's plan is ridiculous!
Joseph Ney: Henry! Stop yelling!
Henry Wellesley: Alright. Sorry, I'm just stressed, angry, and frustrated.
Joseph Ney: I understand that.

Meanwhile, in the British camp, Lawrence is hidden behind a tent with his rifle loaded.

*Lawrence in thought*

Why would they come and check on the messenger?

I wonder what was in that letter that made them want to come and check on the messenger?

That letter must have been more important than I thought it was. But I don't want these two sneaking around I heard that they both tried to possibly kill Lord Wellington. I'm going to have to try and kill one of them or at least injure them.

Lawrence carefully aims at Henry Wellesley. But suddenly he notices Marshal Ney and Joachim Murat approaching Joseph and Henry. Which causes him to go back behind the tent and patiently waits for another shot. Meanwhile on the outskirts of the camp Marshal Ney starts speaking in a serious and slightly irritated voice.

Marshal Ney: Why are you two out here!?
Joseph Ney: The Englishman was planning on getting a letter delivered to sabotage his brother's plan. But it seems that the messenger is dead and the letter has been stolen.
Joachim Murat: I hope that you two weren't planning on trying to retrieve that letter were you?
Joseph Ney: No we weren't as well as we would most definitely end up being dead.
Marshal Ney: Yes you are right about that. But we should be leaving before we get spotted by some guards in the camp or something.
Joachim Murat: For once I agree with the Marshal.

Marshal Ney rolls his eyes and sighs out of slight irritation. Joachim Murat smirks a little bit then he starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Joachim Murat: We should indeed be out of here before we possibly all get killed.
Henry Wellesley: Fine.
Joseph Ney: Alright let's get out of here before we do get killed.

Meanwhile, in the camp, Lawrence carefully gets out from behind the tent. Then he aims his rifle at Marshal Ney. Once he gets the right shot he then shoots at Marshal Ney. The bullet hits Marshal Ney in the knee causing him to fall onto one knee. Joseph Ney suddenly notices Lawrence and goes to run towards him. But Joachim Murat grabs Joseph's arm and starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Joachim Murat: Dont Joseph.
Joseph Ney: I will kill that bastard! Let go of me, you annoying King who thinks he is in charge!
Marshal Ney: King Murat, please don't let go of him. I don't want him to get himself killed!
Joseph Ney: You will pay for this British bastard!

Joseph Ney grabs his pistol off his belt and starts firing a lot of bullets at Lawrence. Eventually, Joseph's pistol becomes empty and he puts it back on his belt. Marshal Ney starts speaking in a very irritated tone.

Marshal Ney: Joseph calm down you are going to get us all caught!
Joseph Ney: He hurt you father! I will kill him!
Marshal Ney: Joseph stop that is an order! We need to get out of here before we all get killed!
Joseph Ney: Fine! You hear me you bastard I will be back to kill you!
Joachim Murat: Alright come on then General we're going back to the camp. No killing is needed right now you can kill the bastard later.

Joachim Murat lets go of Joseph Ney and gets on his horse. Marshal Ney carefully gets back on his horse ignoring the pain in his knee. Joachim Murat calmly trots over on his horse and starts speaking in a calm yet serious voice.

Joachim Murat: Are you alright to ride Marshal?
Marshal Ney: I'm fine I've had worse.
Joachim Murat: Your son is a real fighter just like you.
Marshal Ney: Indeed now let's get out of here before we get caught. Come on Joseph and Englishman we need to get back to the camp.

Joseph Ney and Henry Wellesley get on their horses. Then they all start galloping back to the camp. Joseph starts riding alongside Marshal Ney. Marshal Ney starts speaking in a serious voice.

Marshal Ney: You are so reckless sometimes!
Joseph Ney: That man could have killed you father!
Marshal Ney: If he was going to kill me he would have aimed for my head.
Joachim Murat: It seems you would be more valuable alive to the British rather than dead Marshal.
Marshal Ney: Well yes that makes sense.

Joseph Ney: That damn bastard will pay for what he did.
Marshal Ney: Not now Joseph, please. This is not the time for revenge.
Joseph Ney: Fine.
Marshal Ney: Good.

Meanwhile, at the British camp, Frederick calmly walks over to Lawrence. Then he starts speaking in a calm yet slightly concerned voice.

Frederick: What was going on Lawrence? I heard a lot of gunfire.
Lawrence: The French were here there were only four of them though. But two of them were Marshals.
Frederick: Interesting why would two high ranking officers come out here?
Lawrence: I did shoot one of them I only injured him though. But it seems that the French General did not react well to that.
Frederick: He tried to kill you didn't he?
Lawrence: Indeed he did.

Frederick: Well, I'm glad that more of them didn't come. Otherwise, there might have been a problem.
Lawrence: Yes, it might have been a problem.
Frederick: I wish you a good night Lieutenant.
Lawrence: Good night Your Majesty.

Frederick calmly walks off back to the Prussian camp. While Lawrence continues staring out at the vast grassy plains. Then he gazes up at the full moon in the starry night sky.

*Lawrence in thought*

That French General seems vengeful. I still don't understand why he lashed out like that. I just shot the Marshal then he lashed out.

It probably won't be the last time I have to deal with him.

I better get some rest. Besides, I have a feeling that the battle is about to happen and I need to be well-rested.

Lawrence calmly walks off back to the Prussian camp.

To be Continued...