pencil: Yves Swolfs

story: Yves Swolfs

France, 1792.
Julien Dampierre is an ambitious young man who seeks work as a groom (horse handler) for a well-known French master of arms, Forestier.
Forestier also has a beautiful brunette daughter, Ariane, with whom Julien immediately falls in love.
Forestier did not take sides in the impending civil war between the Whites (loyal to the king and the clergy) and the Blues (revolutionary republicans), but both factions would like him on their side for his military preparation.
A local baron attempts to kidnap Ariane, to force him to take sides, but Julien stops the kidnappers and earns her father's trust.
Julien challenges the Baron to a duel and kills him, attracting the attention of a beautiful marquise, Madame De la Roche Saint-Didier.
Julien is threatened by the Baron's associates and is forced to flee, taking refuge with the Marquise, becoming her lover.
Forestier is also forced to side with the whites, joining their army.
Some time later, during the war, Julien pretends to be a nobleman to be an officer of the whites, but the baron's associates try to kill him again.
Only the intervention of the Marchioness manages to prevent a sentence of execution, after having killed another noble associate of the baron (and enemy of the Marquise).
After the pardon, Julien finds Ariane again, but must reject her as long as he is tied to the Marquise.