chapter 1 (near Smolensk, August 1812)

Captain Ruslan Nizharadze, cavalry officer in the First West Army, serving under General Mikhail Barclay de Tolly, who in turn served Czar Alexander, was about as unhappy as it was possible for him to be. He'd never wanted to be in the army, and he'd certainly never wanted to ride out in defense of his dubious homeland (he was Ukrainian, not Russian, and in fact felt no burning love for either), and he'd most certainly never wanted to ride out in defense against the French, and be beaten back.

The Czar ordered so they went, and the French attacked so they retreated. They'd been retreating since June, when the French swarmed over the Niemen River. It was August now. They'd been avoiding a battle with the Grande Armee all this time, but a day or two ahead of them lay Smolensk, where the First West Army would join the Second, which was led by General Peter Bagration who couldn't stand Barclay de Tolly, and word was they'd make a stand and fight Napoleon's army there. Captain Nizharadze could not have cared less.

( introducing captain nizharadze... )

chapter 1 (still near smolensk, then in smolensk)

Not whether or not the Czar's war with France would kill him, but if Russia herself would.

Captain Nizharadze lay on his cot in his clothes and thought about that and how he could, avoid it. He didn't want to be like his father Badry, a Georgian who'd come to the Ukraine to go into business with his cousin, and who'd also served his military time, complaining bitterly about the Czar all the while.

(Badry would have been a Bolshevik if he'd lived in 1917, although to be fair some of the venom he directed at Czar Alexander was personal. He just didn't like the man. They'd never met and never would meet, but Badry knew the Czar was not a man he could like.)

( cut for length )

soundtrack

see bandwagon. see cindy leap on bandwagon. :> what can i say, i'm weak.

would anyone be interested in a copy of my sam and aurelian soundtrack? it was made for me by the ever-evolving and talented calhoun. track listing is thus:

side 1: the end of sam and aurelian
"fade and remain" - faith and the muse
"holding on" - vnv nation
"eye" - smashing pumpkins
"situations like these" - icon of coil
"let me hold on" - the shroud
"exhibition" - this ascension
"bachelorette" - bjork
"strike" - battery
"how soon is now?" - snake river conspiracy

side 2: the joys of loving the undead
"dracula rises from his grave" - desar
"pleasant smell" - 12 rounds
"when you're evil" - voltaire (for luis, who may or may not make an appearance here)
"i ran" - sunshine blind
"the scarlet thing in you" - peter murphy
"red bats with teeth" - angelo badalamenti
"something wicked this way comes" - barry adamson
"let me lift you" - this mortal coil
"bound in blood" - hungry lucy
"butterfly" - tapping the vein

leave me a comment, drop me an email, whatever, if you're interested.

(firinel - i made you a copy back in, uh, may or june.... i just haven't sent it. i'm kind of embarrassed about that. >_< )‡

chapter 1 (yes, still) - this one is nc-17

It will hurt, but not for long, and then you will sleep, and when you wake you will be a new man. You will be immortal.

"What... what did you do to me?" Ruslan stammered. He stumbled back, away from Jan, and this time when he fell the Magyar did not catch him. He landed on his butt on the ground, jarring his tailbone and nearly falling over onto his back. His heart stuttered and skittered inside his ribcage, sputtering like water from a rusty pump. He clutched at his chest, fingers digging through cloth trying to get inside his body, trying to squeeze his heart into some steady rhythm. The world was dimming again, fuzzing around the edges like an unraveling scarf, and a strange light seemed to shine in Jan's weird yellow-green eyes.

"I have given you your key, Captain Nizharadze. Do you feel it?"

"I feel... I feel something... yes.... Yes. But what... what did you... I drank your blood...."

"So you did." Was the Magyar smiling at him? Jan crouched on the ground in front of Ruslan, leaning on his knees and eyeing the cavalry officer closely. "How did it taste?"

"Like blood, you... you silly man.... Like... blood, and... and...."

"Freedom," Jan whispered.

( cut for space and smut )