Chesterfield, Alexis

> Shadow Wolf and Alexis walked toward the center of the stables, the rest of the group fanning out, affording them a wide berth. Shadow Wolf stopped short after entering the circle, however; Alexis paused. She regarded him in wide-eyed uncertainty. Shadow Wolf motioned with his head toward the center of room. She took the last few steps unaccompanied.
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> “I’m speaking on Shadow Wolf’s behalf tonight. He’s got the—” she glanced at him. “He’s got the laryngitis.” When her explanation returned blank stares, she augmented, “His throat’s sore, ya simpletons.”
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> She continued, “As you all know, we had a good month of planning and preparation remaining for ...” Alexis turned her gaze to Maeve, choosing her next words with care, “raising funds ... the way Esquivar proposed. Unfortunately, we’ve had a change of plans ...” The men groaned all around her, some of them cursing or spitting in the dirt at their feet. Alexis made a few false starts to continue talking over their displeasure: “I—yea—OK—fellas—listen, we—”
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> Francisco leaned toward his nearest cohort and made a quiet comment which earned him a smile.
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> Alexis whipped a gun from its holster and aimed at Francisco, her motion so fluid it was hard to tell when she’d withdrawn her weapon. The group fell quiet once more.
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> Chapter 5, Alight

## Biography

**Alexis Vera Chesterfield** (b. July 5, 1856) was an American sharpshooter and outlaw. Her upbringing was unusual for the era, with her mother teaching her to use firearms at age six. She worked on the family farm, just as hard as the hired hands if not more, and elected to dress as a boy to avoid the inconvenience of the long, full skirts popular at the time. At the age of eight, the gun she trained with--her mother's tiny Derringer--was presented to her as a gift to keep on her person for protection.

**Alexis'** prowess with a gun was soon common knowledge in Boston, as her father entered her into shooting contest after shooting contest. The twelve year old sharpshooter easily bested most of the adult men she was competing against, gaining the attention of the Whittemore & Thompson’s New England Circus. **Alexis** was signed as the circus' "Crack-shot in a Crinoline," dressed in the most elaborate and fancy gowns the owners could afford. Audiences delighted in the unexpected sight of an aristocrat handling a gun like a ruthless outlaw. Alexis, on the other hand, hated the role. She never saw a dime--the pay being split between her father and the circus--and was embarrassed to play a feminine role in such ridiculous frocks.

After years on tour, one of the circus owners lost themselves in their own marketing ploy; they made sexual advances on the teener **Alexis**, forgetting that she was not the meek and defenseless young woman she portrayed in the act. He wound up with a bullet wound in his stomach, and **Alexis** found herself on the run; both a wanted criminal, and for the first time, truly free.

She ultimately fell in with Eliseo Ventura and the Shadow Wolf Pack, whom reveled in her gun toting abilities and accepted her for the sapphist she was.

## Etymology

**Alexis** (pronounced [ə.ˈlɛk.sɪs]) comes from the Greek name *Ἄλεξις (Alexis)* meaning "helper" or "defender", derived from Greek *ἀλέξω (alexo)* meaning "to defend, to help". This was the name of a 3rd-century BC Greek comic poet, and also of several saints. It is used somewhat interchangeably with the related name *Ἀλέξιος* or *Alexius*, borne by five Byzantine emperors. In the English-speaking world it is more commonly used as a feminine name.

## Extras

* Pinterest Character Board for Alexis Chesterfield.