Like the Dawn | An AMC's Turn: Washington's Spies Fanfiction

1

The early winter wind brushed the hair in front of Etta's eyes, and she let out a moan of annoyance, pushing it back up into her hat. In the distance, she could hear birds busy in conversation, their whispers creating a cadence in the silence around her. She carefully grabbed her musket, being careful not to cock it too far forward, and fell back into a crouching position behind a tree.

Etta hadn't meant for this all to happen. She knew it was rather reckless of her to enlist with the King's Army, however she couldn't stay home and sit in her blasted petticoats all day, pretending to be someone she was not. So, here she was: all done up in red and white, carrying a musket and bayonet, searching for the Rebel Army in some God-forsaken farming town in New Jersey. If Etta were entirely honest, she would have enlisted with the Rebels to begin with. It would have made her life- her mission- considerably easier. But easier was just not her style.

A sound behind her caused Etta to lift her musket, pressing her finger ever so lightly on the trigger without firing. A young man appeared from behind a tree five feet away and offered her a smile, cocking his own gun on one shoulder. Etta exhaled, willing her heart rate to return to normal.

"Blast, Eli! I nearly shot you, you fool," Etta whispered harshly. Eli, a fellow private and Etta's only friend in the regiment, stifled a laugh.

"You wouldn't be laughing if we were to exchange positions, would you?"

Eli's smile dropped and he quickly hid himself behind a bush adjacent to Etta.

"What's got your knickers in a twist, Locke?"

Etta, known by her regiment as Henry Locke, shook her head, willing her dark brown curls to stay secured under her hat. Elijah Samuelson was thick, but she knew he was growing suspicious and she couldn't afford being discovered. It would end in certain death.

"Sorry, I'm just tired that's all. This mission is pointless."

Just as Eli was about to respond, a soldier ran up to them and gave Etta a piece of parchment, waiting for her to read it before returning to his post. Etta ripped open the seal and scanned the note's contents.

Major Andre requests your presence in York City at your earliest convenience. Come alone.

Etta thanked the officer before sending him back to his post with their General. "Andre wants to see me," she told Eli, lowering her musket. "Alone."

"The bloody Major? Good heavens, did he say why?"

Etta shook her head in response. "No, but I'll know soon enough."

A look of mutual understanding passed between the two soldiers before Etta slipped away into the forest. A gelding awaited her, already tacked up and agitated from the sounds of nature around them. She thanked the soldier who held him, watching as he turned into a speck of red dust on the horizon behind her.

"Shh, boy," she comforted the beast upon mounting. She gently tapped the horse's sides with her heel and soon, they fell into an easy canter. It would be a long night's journey, and Etta could feel exhaustion causing every bone in her body to ache. The work it took to pretend she was Henry Locke had been rather taxing, but at risk of being caught, she refused to loosen the stays underneath her uniform or take off the hair-crushing hat she wore.

The New Jersey landscape was flat and forested, allowing Etta to stay hidden as she made her way to the edge of the Hudson River. Every time the moon's light fell on a patch of leaves or cast a shadow on the grass below her, Etta cursed under her breath. After what felt like an eternity, Etta pulled her horse to a stop and rested. Judging by the clearing up ahead, Etta estimated a few more hours before she would hit water's edge. Soldiers would be waiting with a boat to row her across into York Harbour and from there, she would take a carriage ordered by the Major to his place of residence. It was a fool-proof plan.