Disclaimer: This is a work in progress as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). You are reading the work product of a first draft writing session and not a finished product. Comments are welcome, but bear the first draft nature of the work in mind. Thank you and enjoy!
Chapter 18
The next several days were a whirlwind of activity, and most of the Legionnaires had a sense that something big was happening. Arrows and other supplies were pouring into their section of the encampment, and they were stockpiling those supplies into wagons for each company. No one knew what the hustle and bustle were all about. Each company was brought back up to full strength with new recruits, mostly from the northern refugees they had helped rescue. The Legion had lost about ten percent of their number to deaths and injuries that couldn’t be quickly healed by the monks who traveled with them. The new people were all hardy frontier folk much like most of them were, so they fit right in except for their accents and the different cut of their clothes. A supply wagon arrived with new armored leather jerkins like the others worn by the rest of the Legion. Now the new recruits would look the part as well.
There were also drills and training to bring the recruits up to speed with their methods and tactics. Each was required to memorize the standing orders of the Legion of Solon and to internalize the reasons for those orders. The Legionnaire was expected to know the mission of their company and to continue to fight to accomplish it even if their leadership was dead or unavailable to take the initiative themselves. Cori found herself with a few new female recruits to integrate into the second platoon.
Deanna Falk and Leah Grogan were both former farm girls from the northern mountains of Veron. They had been forced from their farms by the Imperial raiders, and they both had a strong hatred for the Empire and its soldiers. Deanna, in particular, was virulent in her hatred of them. She spit on the ground and uttered a curse anytime anyone mentioned the Empire. Both women were in their late teens, and both had extensive hunting experience that made the familiarization with Legion tactics easier. They didn’t like the ideas of scouting and not just killing the enemy whenever they encountered them. Cori and others in the second platoon of Stag Company found themselves having to explain that there were sometimes reasons not to kill Imperial soldiers on sight. Sometimes they could be questioned for knowledge they had. Sometimes they had to be left alive so that they could be followed back to their camp and that information could be relayed back to larger battle groups in the army so they could attack later on. Cori wasn’t sure they both bought into the idea, but they seemed willing to follow orders and Sergeant Neale said they’d keep them on a short leash in the near term until he could figure out if they’d follow orders or not.
On the fifth day back in camp, Lord Logan called a legion muster for that evening to talk with them as a group. After the supper meal, the whole Legion gathered around in front of their commander’s tent, organized by company, and waited for him to emerge and tell them what all the preparations were for. They didn’t have to wait very long. Cori saw Logan emerge from his tent followed by her brother Rad and Prince Welby of Rhodes. At the sight of the Prince, a cheer went up, and he waved to accept the accolades. The cheers settled down when Logan raised his hand for quiet.
“I know you all have been wondering about the preparations of the last few days,” Logan began. “I’ll get to that in just a moment, but Prince Welby wanted to say a few words to you first.” He stepped to one side and Prince Welby stepped up to renewed cheers from the assembled Legionnaires.
“Most of you know who I am and some of you I have even met on one occasion or another,” the Prince said. “I wanted to take a moment to tell you how proud I am of the way you all have acquitted yourselves so far in this conflict. I have sent several dispatches to my sister, your benefactor and future queen, Princess Alvina. She sent back this message that I received by courier today.” He pulled out a paper from his doublet and read it to the assembled soldiers in a loud, clear voice.
“‘My bold and brave Legionnaires, I receive word every day of your exploits on the battle lines and have learned of the many exciting deeds done in the service of the Kingdom. Know that I am with you all in spirit and will expect nothing short of the valor you have already been so ready to display on the battlefield. I know you have experienced loss, and I grieve with you for your fallen comrades, but I also know that they died defending the weak and doing what was right in this horrible conflict. My continued prayers go with you as you embark on your next endeavor in the name of the Princess’ Own Legion of Solon!’”
Prince Welby folded the letter and put it back in his doublet to the renewed cheers from the assembled troops, and turned to Logan, who stepped forward and silenced the cheering again with a raised hand.
“Legionnaires, we have learned some dire news recently regarding the disposition of the Royal Family of Verona. We learned of their flight from the capital after its fall from two noblemen rescued by members of Stag Company.” Cori looked at Shelby, and several of the platoon members around them clapped the two of them on the shoulder. They looked up as Logan continued.
“This information had the leadership of the army scrambling for more information and to simultaneously prepare for a large assault westward from the Imperial forces who were now freed from the siege of the capital city. Word had come in a few days ago that the Royal Family may have been captured by Imperial Forces in the mountains to the north of Veron. We are not sure of this information, but either way, a rescue of some sort is in order, and that rescue has fallen to us.” Logan paused and looked around at the assembled Legionnaires. “We have been given this job for two reasons. First, and foremost, we have the capability to infiltrate the enemy lines and operate on our own without assistance behind the lines of communication and battle. Second, we are seen as non-vital and expendable for this risky operation.”
There was grumbling around the troops at this last. Logan let if proceed for a moment while he paused. Eventually, he raised his hand for silence and the assembly quieted down.
“I tell you this not to make you angry at our leadership. Prince Welby and Princess Alvina have nothing but the greatest admiration for you and your capabilities. This is an opportunity for us, the entire Legion of Solon, to show the regular army leadership what we can do when given an impossible task. We will be heading north in the morning, then cut eastward, striking around and behind the enemy. Our goal is to locate the Veronan Royal Family, free them from captivity if needed and to bring them out from behind the enemy lines to safety. When we find them, we will follow our standing orders and not return the way we came. Instead, we will take the Royals north and west until we reach the shores of Lake Eron on the border with Padon. Once there, we will find the cached supplies we have been preparing and a relief force to assist us. That relief force will be commanded by Prince Welby and led by the Rhodian Royal Heavy Horse cavalry troops, among others.”
Logan looked around the faces of the troops, and Cori saw much of her father in him as he stood there addressing the Legion. He continued. “This will be dangerous, and it is important that all of you know the reason why we do what we are doing and how we plan on doing it. If just one Legionnaire remains to fulfill that assignment, I’ll expect you to do complete it. The honor of the Legion, your Princess, and your Kingdom depend upon it.” Another cheer went up at this last statement, and Logan waited for the cheers to die down. “Go back to your places in the camp and prepare Legionnaires. We leave at first light. Godspeed.”
Cori watched as Logan, Rad, and the Prince went back into the tent and then followed her platoon mates back to their place in the camp. They sat in small groups and made their preparations. She sensed the excitement in the new recruits to be on such a mission. Most of them were Veronans, and she knew that they were excited to find their lost King, Queen and the rest of the Royal family. She walked over to Deanna and Leah were sitting with Kat, who was going over what to take in their packs for the journey. Kat’s broken arm was finally healed thanks to the acceleration of the healing spells from Brother Jerald. It was good to see her out of her sling. Several of the more severely injured Legionnaires were going to be left in camp because they still hadn’t healed fully of their wounds. Cori was glad that Katina was healed up. She was a fierce fighter and had bonded with the two new female recruits that would help them integrate into the platoon. Geb had taken the other recruit, Enrique under his wing so that each new recruit had someone in the platoon to watch over them.
Declan came over and sat down next to her. “How’s that nick in your tomahawk blade? Do you need me to take a look at it for you?” He asked.
Cori looked at him and suddenly laughed out loud. Declan blushed and turned to get up and leave, but she laid a hand on his arm and pulled him gently back down. “I’m sorry, Declan. I suppose that I shouldn’t have laughed, but that is possibly the first time in history that a tomahawk has been used to pick up a girl.” Cori looked into the other Legionnaires face, still red with embarrassment. “That is what you were doing, wasn’t it?”
“I guess I don’t know how it’s done among nobles like yourself,” Declan said.
“Oh, and how do you think we do it, exactly?” She asked.
“I didn’t mean that. I mean, I know that you do it the same way we all do.” Cori raised an eyebrow at the last bit and was rewarded with an even deeper blush from the apprentice blacksmith.
Cori took control of the situation that was getting out of hand. She didn’t want him to leave. Kat was right. He was cute, and he seemed to like her. She shouldn’t sit here and scare him away. She leaned over and kissed him. She hoped she was doing it right. She had never done it before except to her parents, and that wasn’t the same thing at all. Declan stopped his spluttering and placed a hand on her cheek before leaning in himself and returning the kiss. It was even nicer the second time, she decided. She was getting into the second kiss when a voice behind them cut the mood with a single word.
“Enough!” Sergeant Neale said.
The two pulled apart and looked back at him. Now it was Cori’s turn to blush. Uncle Vernon had a half smile on his face, but she couldn’t be sure how he’d react in this situation. He had never stopped Kat from her adventures with half the men in the company or Lissa and her dalliances with some of the women.
“I think you two need a night on guard duty to settle yourselves down a bit,” the Sergeant said. “Declan, take the first shift of guard over the company’s supply wagons. When the mid shift is sounded, you can wake your little lovebird here so she can take her turn. Understand?”
“Uh, yes Sergeant,” Declan said as he stood and almost sprinted away from them. Cori and Sergeant Neale were left alone.
“Uncle Vernon, did you have to do that?” Cori asked, using the familiar name for the first time in a long time.
“Lass, you and the boy will have time enough for that youthful nonsense,” the old soldier said. “But you need to be a Legionnaire now, and you’ll not get yourself in any kind of boy trouble while on my watch. Your brothers would all have my hide. Now off to bed with you. You have guard duty later tonight. I’m sure you can steal a kiss from your new beau when he comes to wake you for your turn on guard.”
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Disclaimer: This is a work in progress as part of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). You are reading the work product of a first draft writing session and not a finished product. Comments are welcome, but bear the first draft nature of the work in mind. Thank you and enjoy!