Due to the sheer amount of things I need to put down, this will be coming in pieces. Firstly, I wish to discuss Andre’s lessons from his father, which are lightly touched on by Eveline’s history of the family and resultant traditions.

Andre had to learn to tend his own horses and hounds, in every respect. He mucked out stalls, tended to tack, picked hooves and brushed down his horses to the point he was well familiar with every aspect of their care. When it was deemed inappropriate for a noble to do these things ( in other words, whenever Andre was acting in his role as a major or as a son of distinction at court ) he would oversee matters when he could and was able to check for any signs of tampering or mistreatment with a critical eye once his steed was returned to him.

These skills proved to be invaluable, particularly during the time in which Andre was still establishing his own name and was the object of malicious sabotage efforts on multiple occasions as a result of his status among higher society. The Cotards were still seen as new among the aristocracy, and concentrated efforts had to be made to establish a reputation notable enough to cause the nature of his nobility to no longer be contentious – or at least, not so openly contentious.

His father did not stop there in regard to matters, however. Andre spent a good deal of time with a local blacksmith, learning how to work metal and create his own horseshoes, nails and bullets. He was shown how to shoe his horse, which like all elements involving his gear, proved to be invaluable when others saw fit to make their own adjustments in the hopes of having Andre thrown or his horse hobbled. By noticing swiftly and tending to the matter himself, Andre avoided many a potential accident over the years it took to build his own reputation.

Due to his family history, Andre was raised in a militaristic fashion and was expected to uphold the family name in regard to strategic prowess and overall command over his troops. He was trained and tested from a young age in many of the matters of war, and was set in as a footsoldier – the Cotards never poured money into commissions, instead opting to utilize such funds in architectural development and various investments throughout their region.

Like his ancestors, Andre had to fight his way to the top and it was expected that he do so in a very timely manner. No Cotard had ever before languished away on the fields and there would be absolutely no sympathy for the one who did. So, naturally, Andre did all that he could to excel. Over time, he developed a reputation for being curt and steady, and was noted as one of the sharpest shots seen in years. It was said he never missed his mark, and in many respects this wasn’t wrong.

Sabotage efforts dwindled the higher he climbed within the ranks of the military, and by the time he was a major by the age of twenty-eight, he had but one true nemesis and a considerable popularity among the court. That popularity has kept him in contact with escaped aristocrats around the world and has allowed him to keep something of a name for himself among the nobility in England, who perhaps do not register him as being new nobility considering the fact that, due to revolutionary efforts, he has gone from ranking fifty-seventh to the throne to twenty-third on account of his mother and he bears the title of marquis on account of his father – though, by point of preference, he only ever introduces himself as major.