<em>The village of Caballos Nuevos, Occupied Castille</em><br/><br/>The large carrales to the south of the village had once been the pride of the province, with horse-traders coming from miles around to buy, trade, inspect, and haggle. That was before the dark times - before the invasion. Now Caballos Nuevos sits in the baking heat of late summer, its stables lying empty and its people idle.<br/><br/>The village inn,<span class="bbc_u">The Horse's Head</span>, was once a fine and elegant place, famous for its fine wines and good food. It now houses a small detachment of Montaigne conscripts, led by an apologetic Officer by the name of Donadieu (http://jeanmichelrichaud.com/Home_files/shapeimage_2.png), but in reality by the vicious sergeant DuPaix (http://riotonline.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/eric-cantona.jpg). Their swaggering brutishness has driven much of the colour and vibrancy from the village, and the harsh taxation they enforce has driven even more. Esteban and his wife Sabina do their best to keep the place open, but every day brings fresh indignities and humiliation.<br/><br/>The<span class="bbc_u">Church of Saint Michael</span>stands watch over the village, its white-washed walls standing tall above the rest of the village. The elderly priest, Father Pedro (http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Sean-Connery-sean-connery-331214_1024_768.jpg), keeps a watchful eye over his flock and does his best to aid the poor and the needy in his parish with the assistance of the young Deacon Hieronimo (http://photos.exposay.com/Rodrigo_Santoro/rodrigo_santoro_ILWgW.jpg).<br/><br/>It is in this lazy, tense atmosphere that our story starts.<br/><br/>The common room of the Horse's Head is cool and quiet. DuPaix has taken most of the men out to search for deserters in an outlying farm. Donadieu sits at a table, reading quietly. He had done his best to have a conversation with Esteban, but the gruff innkeeper isn't exactly talkative to one who has taken over his home. So instead he has a few papers and books spread out across a table, and is sipping some wine quietly, his uniform shirt stained and caked in sweat and dirt from his work earlier in the day.