by A. J. Walker
After nearly fifteen minutes of sparring, Theodor was too tired to block the calculated attacks of his rival and lost his footing, exposing his chest to a match-winning blow by his opponent. Despite the fact that he’d lost the match, his fellow squad members made him feel as though he’d won. They all congratulated him for putting up such a tough fight.
“He’s probably one of the better swordsmen at this camp,” Ivan said with a smile. He bobbed his head in the stout lad’s direction, “Look at how tired he is.”
Theodor could see his opponent was hunched over, hands on his knees, gasping for air. His bunkmates were shouting at him and he realized the shouts weren’t of praise for his win, but they were, in fact, heckling him for almost being beaten by Theodor. Looking back to Ivan, Theodor smiled and said, “That was actually pretty fun.”
“Good,” Ivan said. “I bet you’ve tired him out so badly that someone else will knock him out of the running soon.”
Ivan was right. Very soon after the next couple of sparring matches, a young man from their squad defeated him in the first two minutes.
At the end of the one-on-one matches, Ivan was the only one from their squad who made it very far, getting it to the final six. He was so tired from having to fight through so many people that he finally suffered defeat. Despite Ivan’s success, many of the others in their squad didn’t fare well and they were quite low in the rankings. After the bouts, he used Theodor’s body to lean on as they made their way across the camp to the testing’s next location.
During the squad-on-squad battle strategy, bunkhouse thirteen was met with more defeat. Their squad wasn’t doing as well as Ivan or Theodor would’ve hoped. To their surprise, however, Theodor was turning out to be one of the most valuable members of their squad. By the time they started the obstacle course, they were completely exhausted and fell behind, leaving their squad leaderless. Bunkhouse thirteen’s teamwork fell apart and they barely managed to finish the course at all.
At the end of the day the judging officers posted their rankings. Despite all their effort, they still landed among the bottom three. This meant they’d have to wake up earlier, run farther, and quite possibly have shortened meal times because of it. Theodor and Ivan went to their beds that night, not disappointed in their individual performances, but encouraged to help themselves and the others in their squad improve before the next round of tests.
The following two weeks proved more physically demanding than the first. Now that Theodor had a reason to push harder, he didn’t think of it as a miserable waste of energy. Each run made him faster, and each sparring match made him stronger. Theodor and Ivan’s drive to improve their squad had its desired effects on the others. Nearly half the bunkhouse was beginning to show improvement.
Because they had to run farther, several members of the squad didn’t make it back until breakfast was already over. Ivan and Theodor would finish their run and head back to coach the others through. Theodor hoped it would push them to try harder, because those individuals who slacked in the runs would see that Ivan and Theodor had to face the same lack of breakfast in addition to a host of extra exercises for their tardiness. As a result, their lunch was also cut short. The only meal that they could enjoy without interruption was their dinner.
By the end of the fourth week, their squad had shown notable improvements in their overall performance. During the second tests, practically half of their squad made it more than midway through the sparring challenges. Ivan and Theodor advanced into the later rounds, and Ivan once again made it to the final six before being eliminated.
During the squad-on-squad battles, they triumphed over many of the other squads and were placed in the top ten out of all thirty bunkhouses. The obstacle course didn’t prove to be nearly as difficult for their squad as it had during the first round of tests. This time, Ivan and Theodor didn’t have to spend as much time coaching the others through it; they’d been practicing and were showing improvement. Theirs completed in the top five squads overall. Theodor was relieved that bunkhouse thirteen would be returning to the usual six-mile morning run. Once again they would be able to enjoy their breakfasts.
Over the past several weeks, many of the training officers had taken notice of Theodor’s progress. They attested his improvements to Ivan’s skills as a natural leader, but Ivan and Theodor knew he was trying harder because he wanted to, not because he was told to.
The remaining two weeks of training were by far the easiest of them all. With some extra energy, Theodor found he had some room to enjoy himself and took a liking to the artful skill of archery. During the sparring sessions, he often chose to practice archery over the other battle stations. For the first time since he’d been there, he was enjoying full meals each day and felt better than he had in what seemed a very long time.
During these last two weeks of training, the trainees were given the chance to apply for specialty divisions. If they were accepted, they could be placed into one of their choice divisions upon completion of training. Theodor’s first choice was the archery division. He’d discovered a passion for it and the archers were often not among the first line of soldiers that charged into battle. For his second choice he’d opted to apply for the cavalry division. He grew up around horses on the farm and knew he’d have a significant advantage on the battlefield if he were on horseback. For the third application, he requested a position in the king’s navy. Lubrecht was on the coast and he’d had a bit of sailing experience, but mostly just wanted to stay out of the first ground troops to be sent into battle.
At the end of the sixth week of training, the final rounds of testing would be conducted. During dinner on the evening before the tests, a training officer stood up and tapped his water mug hard against the table commanding their attention.
Clearing his throat, he said, “There’ll be a change in the way the tests are scored. The top three squads will receive two weeks of R and R. That’s rest and recovery for those of you dullards who don’t know what that means. R and R will start the day after camps ended. The rest of the squads will only receive two days R and R after which you’ll be reporting to your assigned placements. That’s the whole of that shit pie; it’ll taste sweeter to some than others.” The officer sat down having completed his announcement.
The news of the two weeks R and R brought a new energy to the trainees and the dining hall became a bustle of loud chatter.
Ivan and Theodor were both eager to place among the top three squads. That night they discussed what each of them would do if they’d been granted two weeks off before being sent to war.
“I’d go fishing and eat to my heart’s content,” Theodor said dreamily.
“I’d take the opportunity to take my wife on a getaway and spend the two weeks wrapped in each other’s arms,” Ivan said, enveloping his arms around an imaginary person.
“I didn’t know you were married,” Theodor said quizzically.
“Yep; got married about a year ago to a beautiful Southland girl.”
“What’s her name?” Theodor asked.
Ivan raised an eyebrow and said as if reciting lines of a poem, “Her name is the key to my heart. She is the goddess of my life and the ray of sunshine during this dark time.”
“Okay,” Theodor cut him off. “That’s not a name. You could’ve just said you didn’t want to tell me.”
“I won’t tell you her name, but I’ll tell you she is the single most important thing in my life.”
“That’s good to hear. I wish I could say the same for my sister’s husband.”
“Why?” Ivan asked curiously.
“She eloped with some boy she’d been hiding from my family. She always spoke kindly of him, but my father said he didn’t think he’d treat her nice. I guess he was a noble, or lord, or something. You know how they are, buy her all sorts of fancy things, but would probably never give her his full attention or respect. My father said he didn’t give her his permission to marry the strange young man, so she disobeyed
him and ran off anyway. That’s partly why he wouldn’t let me get out of coming here, so I could restore some honor to our family name.”
“How, selfish of her,” Ivan said slowly.
“Oh, I don’t blame her. I would’ve probably done the same thing if I were in her shoes. I bet she’s pretty well off right now.”
“That’s a nice thought.”
“Yeah. Oh well, she’s gone and I’m here,” he said bringing their conversation back to reality.
“I hope we win the two weeks R and R anyway.”
“Me too,” Theodor replied.
THE NEXT MORNING, IVAN and Theodor ate breakfast alongside their squad. They went over scenarios of what could happen during the day’s events. Once at the testing grounds, the group of bunkmates stood gathered around Ivan and Theodor as they finalized their strategies.
Over the next several hours, squad thirteen battled through the rounds of one-on-one matches. Theodor and Ivan, along with several others from their group, made it to the later rounds. After winning their bouts, both Theodor and Ivan made it to the semifinals.
In the semifinals, Theodor fought against the same stout lad from bunkhouse eighteen who’d challenged him during the first round of tests. Their fight this time wasn’t as long. Theodor had learned how to use his sword effectively and defeated the young man after a well-fought, five-minute match. Breathing heavily, Theodor realized he’d made it to the championship round. He wasn’t surprised to know the challenger he’d be facing was his squad leader, and good friend, Ivan.
They gripped the hilts of their blades tightly as they paced clockwise around one another. Ivan was the first to strike. Theodor blocked it. They engaged in several attacking sequences of parries and blocks, their two blades moving just as fast as the other. After nearly ten minutes of evenly matched swordsmanship, Ivan took their fighting to the next level. He advanced so quickly with a series of slashes and stabs that Theodor couldn’t react fast enough. Ivan struck him several times in the chest. Theodor stammered, stumbling back on the flat of his heels. When he found his footing again, he realized Ivan had won.
Theodor’s muscles fatigued slightly from their bout, but his spirits remained high. He wasn’t discouraged by the loss. After all, it was only a few weeks ago that he’d been one of the worst swordsmen in the camp. Now, he was second best, next to the heroic Ivan, who even the training officers admired.
Moving into the squad-on-squad battles, Ivan and Theodor led theirs to victory. They defeated all thirty of the squads, outsmarting them with their strategies. Theodor and Ivan were already daydreaming about the two weeks of rest and recovery by the time they started the obstacle course. Suffering only a few mistakes during the obstacles, they managed to finish in third place, allowing two other squads to pass them due to their minor slip-ups.
At the end of the day, the judges announced the squad’s rankings. Ivan and Theodor cheered louder than anyone else when they heard their squad’s name called as first among the top three in the camp. Theodor could hardly believe his ears. He would have two whole weeks to do whatever he wanted before reporting for duty.
Before they went to sleep in their bunks for the last night of camp, the officers posted a list of each squad and what divisions their members were assigned to. Theodor checked the list, fingering his way down through the names. Coming to rest on his name, he followed the line over where it stated the division he’d be reporting to. ‘Cavalry’, he read as the word sunk into his mind, bearing more weight than he’d previously thought.
He nodded, coming to terms with his assignment and thinking, that’s better than the infantry. He’d be on horseback, a major advantage on the battlefield.
Next, he ran his finger along the smooth parchment, stopping on Ivan’s name, ‘Special Forces and Leadership.’ Theodor wasn’t surprised about the leadership part of Ivan’s assignment, but he didn’t know there was a Special Forces division.
Later that night, Theodor found Ivan and asked him, “So, I didn’t know the king’s army had Special Forces?”
“Yeah me neither,” Ivan replied.
“I thought you had to apply to be assigned to a division?”
“I did apply to the Leadership division and the Cavalry, but not the Special Forces.”
“Strange. So they selected it for you?”
“I guess so,” Ivan answered with a shrug.
“Well best of luck to you,” Theodor stuck out his hand and shook Ivan’s.
“You too, buddy,” Ivan said.
“We’ll have to say a proper goodbye before we leave in the morning,” Theodor said.
Ivan agreed and they climbed into their beds for their last night as squad members of bunkhouse thirteen.
The next day, Theodor received his papers, showing he’d graduated the training camp and was to report to the Cavalry division headquarters in two weeks from that very day. The officer who’d handed him his papers told him he’d be reporting in Kingston and where the Cavalry’s headquarters were located. Theodor nodded and accepted his papers, then searched the crowd for Ivan. He wanted to say goodbye one last time.
Theodor found him in short order and gave him a proper hug and farewell. Ivan hustled off, toward a horse-drawn carriage waiting for him outside the camp’s gates. Theodor watched as his friend ran to greet his wife, who’d been standing near the horse. He kissed her and held her in a loving embrace before he stepped into the carriage.
As his wife waited for him to get situated inside, she pulled off the hood of her traveler’s cloak, revealing her face for the first time. Theodor thought there was something familiar about her, but couldn’t see her clearly. She turned to face camp, catching a last glimpse of the walled barrier that had held her husband for six weeks, before climbing into the carriage. Theodor focused, catching sight of her face in the morning light, and for a moment he thought he recognized her as his sister. His heart skipped a beat and he opened his mouth to call after her, but it was too late. She’d been whisked away by the horse-drawn carriage with Ivan by her side.
Theodor dismissed what he saw as merely his lonely mind playing tricks on him. He’d been wanting to see his sister for over a year, and chalked the instance up to hopeful confusion on his part.
Ivan would have told me if he was married to my sister. Especially after the story I told him about her running away with the strange young man, Theodor thought. Although he did never mention her name or how they met, he grew more curious. Finally throwing the idea to the wind, Theodor set out on the trail.
He’d been given new clothes, six weeks of wages, and a new army-issued travel pack; he was going fishing.
Chapter Five
─
The Quiet Before the Storm
THEODOR PLANNED TO SPEND his two-week reprieve from duty traveling along the Kingston Road. Before the hard-packed gravel road’s existence, the Kingston Road was comprised of many timeworn trails connecting all of Southland’s coastal towns. In an effort to improve trade and commerce, the late King Kaufen’s father, King Bartholomew, commissioned workers from all across the large island to develop the existing network of trails into a respectable road. Much of the road had been built wide enough for carriages to ride three abreast.
Theodor had only ever seen small portions of the Kingston road, one of which had been the section between Lubrecht and the military training camp. He set out to explore the nation of Southland heading west, bypassing the congested city of Kingston. He’d figured there would be plenty enough time to see the exploits of what Kingston had to offer, since he would be reporting there at the end of his two weeks off. Traveling along the road proved to be easier than he’d expected.
He hitched rides with anyone who would have him and was heading westward from Kingston. For the most part, those he met on the road were very happy to accept his companionship. Whenever the sun began to sink low in the sky, Theodor would find a small iconic Southland town, whichever one was next on his way counterclockwise around the island,
and leave his traveling party for a stay at the local inn.
Small towns in Southland were plenty enough, spaced out about every ten miles or so. Anyone traveling the Kingston Road could expect an inn nestled neatly along the town’s edge. With each inn, Theodor would belly up at the pub on the first floor, get himself a hot meal, and enjoy several pints of brew. While he worked through his meal, he’d eavesdrop on whatever gossip the townsfolk were chattering about before he hustled off to bed.
Once Theodor had bypassed Kingston successfully, he tasked himself with purchasing a decent fishing pole. A willow switch rod was easy enough to make, but lacked a certain delicacy and precision that an actual fishing pole served. That evening, while he was enjoying a freshly poured mug of brew, he overheard some townsfolk talking about a Lumbapi market being held in the town’s square the following day. Theodor recalled learning about the native Lumbapi people in Lubrecht school’s history class. They’d once thrived among Southland before its colonization by Westlanders. After many land disputes, the Lumbapi ended up being forced to move to the two southern corners of the island known as the Drake’s Head and the Ram’s Horn. Their culture intrigued Theodor, and when he’d shown interest in learning more about the ways of the Lumbapi, his father scolded him for it, saying, “Those are the ways of the savage. You’re civilized and you’ll act like it. Got it?” Though he’d been forbidden from it at home, Theodor read books that his teacher had given him to learn of the native Southland people. He knew he was close to the Rams Horn and would encounter some Lumbapi villages soon; the chance to see their market first-hand was something he couldn’t pass up. He went to bed that night eager to find the market in the morning.