Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or associated characters.
Chapter 1: Rebellion
Endymion thought this venture was a waste of his time. He hated his father for making him do this. But his father was the king and he was only the prince. He had eight hundred soldiers under his command for quelling the uprising and four experienced captains to assist him. They had been traveling for three weeks by that time, no more than a couple more days to their destination. Now Endy was deciding whether to stop for the night or not, even though it was only mid-day.
"Halt the column! Captains, to me," Endy bellowed. He didn't even look over his shoulder to see if he was obeyed. For some reason, beyond his imagination, his people adored him. He continued walking his horse forward to give his captains and him some privacy.
"Halt the column!" Zoisite yelled behind him, echoing his prince's orders, and then pushing his horse into a trot to catch up with him.
"What in the bloody… What the hell does he think he's doing?" Jadeite started cussing already. He was the most easily perturbed one out of the four.
"Hush, Jadeite. It's not for you to question orders," Kunzite chided Jadeite.
"He only does it to get attention. I swear. Ignore him for a week and he'll just cry like a little girl," Nephrite chuckled, not able to resist poking fun at his close friend.
Jadeite just mumbled even more colorful phrases under his breath and snorted. Endy had stopped and was waiting patiently for his captains to pull up next to him.
"I think we'll stop here for now," Endymion started before they had all gathered around him.
"But there is still more than half a day of light left! We could be within striking distance tomorrow!"Complained Zoisite. He looked alarmed at the change of plans which their king had sent them off with.
Endy just eyed him, until Zoisite shrank back into himself. He looked at each of his other captains to see if they would question him too. When none of the others spoke, Endy continued.
"We know that half the garrison deserted when Rubeus took it over, so I want to scout around to see if they are still about. Adding three hundred men to my command seems a prudent course of action. I think that we will find them loyal to my father, and we'll use them as we can. Start up the camp and organize the patrols for the night. I would like the scouts to leave soon; I want to be heading back home this week. Let's get it done!"
"Yes, your highness!" four voices said.
Endymion rode towards the meadow off to his right that he had planned for the use of his small army. A soldier would probably bring him his tent and bed roll soon; he might even want to set it up for him. Endy wouldn't have any of that. He didn't need to be pampered, that showed feebleness, and that was the last thing his men needed to see in their leader. He thought that they would have figured that out in the last three weeks, but he still had to chase them away from doing everything for him.
His father, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. He had servants do everything for him, although he wasn't cruel about it. He just thought the station of King should hold certain privileges. Endy thought well of his father, but couldn't get along with him at all.
This assignment was just another example of how the King got under his skin. Endy knew that any of the captains were more than able to carry out this detail, but his father insisted that by the prince, personally, taking care of this mess will bring him more respect. Like he lacked any of that! People admired, and adored him. He didn't think he did anything to deserve it, but he couldn't convince his people of that.
This Rubeus fellow seemed to have a head on his shoulders. Not a very smart one, for he was about to be utterly and completely destroyed, but ambitious. Why he would chose to undermined and hostilely take over an outpost garrison, was beyond Endy. He should know that the King wouldn't stand for it. This was a peaceful kingdom, but it could turn deadly very quickly.
"Umm, my Lord?" a young soldier poked into Endy's pensive thoughts. "Where would you like your tent set up, my Lord?"
Prince Endymion drew himself up, ready to run off the soldier and give him a piece of his mind on pampering him. But the look in the soldier's eyes, the man seemed completely devoted to him, wanting nothing more than to help his prince even with just a small task as setting up his tent. Endy gave a big sigh, and made a hand motion to a small hill near the center of the meadow. "On the high ground, young corporal."
Young! That was a lark. Endy, himself, was just turning twenty early next month. That soldier had at least four years on him. The Corporal just grinned and rushed off to see to Endy's tent. How could he make someone so happy just by letting them do some work for him? He remembered then all the sad, dejected looks from the soldiers he had run off before. Had he been doing this all wrong? What did it hurt to let these men feel important once in a while? He decided to let his men set up his tent from now on, hoping to make a positive impact, even though he still didn't see the honor in such a task.
Now he had some free time. He didn't know what to do with himself, so he handed his horse off to a waiting soldier and walked the budding camp. Everywhere he looked his men seemed energized, more pep to their work. Grins were evident on all the faces he saw. All this positive energy being born just by him being around his men. Was this what he was missing? Wasn't he supposed to be aloof and distant? A ruler couldn't be friends with everyone. He waved at his troops and smiled, just to see their reaction. The result was overwhelming. A lot of the men paused in their work to wave back, and then went back to their work with more zeal. The ones who hadn't waved, had their hands full and couldn't. Yet, still, cheery faces greeted him wherever he went in the camp. What had been a dreary, boring three weeks had turned into something special in a matter of moments. Incredible!
"It's because you are acknowledging them. All they want is to be recognized for their work," Kunzite said behind him. Endy jumped a little, his captain surprising him and grinning about it.
"Is that the way it's supposed to be?" Endy asked.
"Depends on the leader. The question is, how do you want it to be?" Kunzite parried with his own question.
Endymion didn't reply. Instead, he stood there brooding for a moment, straightening out things in his head. "Okay, I want to start making rounds in the morning and at evening time. One of you captains will accompany me. Rotate that duty as you see fit, but all of you will have a turn, clear?" Endy waited for Kunzite's nod, confirming, before he continued. "And muster up the men before chow; I will address them before this upcoming battle. Let me know when the scouts return as well. You and the other captains will dine with me tonight."
"Right away, General. I would be honored to dine with you tonight," Kunzite replied to Endy's list of orders, bowed, and then jogged off to see to them. Endy just stood there, slightly amazed when Kunzite used his military rank instead of his royal address. He didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing, since that was the first time he was addressed as such. Endy finished up walking the camp, nearly complete now, and started to smell the cooking of a late mid-day meal.
It was early enough, why not? All the men would appreciate a hot meal anyway. He mused. He was starved, as he hadn't eaten breakfast that morning. So the end of his stroll brought him to the chow line forming up. When Endy got into the line, about thirty soldiers till the front, the men started getting flustered. They bowed and wanted him to go in front of them.
"Don't be silly, I'll wait my turn like everybody else," Endy said. The men were still uneasy, even after their prince said it was fine.
Zoisite saw what was happening and came running over. "General! The officer's line is over here, sir. Please follow me."
Endy just stood there and watched Zoi walk a couple steps then look over his shoulder to find that his charge hadn't moved. He spun back towards the prince and strode in close. Leaning to his ear, "You'll make the regular soldiers uncomfortable with your presence, its best if you eat with the officers, sir," Zoi whispered.
"Nonsense! Eating with my men every once in a while should be fine. Would I bother you gentlemen if I had this meal with you?" Endy proclaimed loudly, and then directed his question to the soldiers around him. The men around him shook their heads, awe coloring their features. "So you see, captain, I've been invited." Zoisite just hung his head a little and walked away.
It took a few minutes for Endy to get to the front of the line, still refusing to pass everyone else. When he got to the front, he realized that all the soldiers had their own little metal pot and utensil to eat with. Endy was wondering what he would eat off of, when the cooks presented his regular bowl and spoon to him.
"Thank you!" Endy was taken by surprise for the second time today. The word must have passed up the line and one of the cooks probably ran off to fetch his bowl for him. He didn't carry it like the soldiers seemed to; it was always with the cook's wagon. "It smells delicious. Every time we've had a hot meal this mission, it's been absolutely great! I appreciate your effort."
The simple praise he gave to the cooks took them from just doing another boring task, to something fun and great that filled them with pride. Endy walked away from the three cooks wondering how men could blush like that. Looking around, trying to spot a place to eat, he found a small group eating by one of the barrack tents. A few were sitting on camp stools, a couple had claimed a flat boulder to sit upon but the majority were sitting on the ground. Usually Endy had a portable chair and desk he would eat at, but here he needed to just follow their example. He didn't mind getting a little dirty, so he sat on the ground close to the others, hoping to just eat quietly and listen to their conversation.
It wasn't to be. They all stopped talking when he came near, and just stared at him when he sat. That's when the commotion broke out.
"Sir! I mean, your highness, please take my stool, I can eat on the ground..." "Take my seat here, sir, on the boulder..." "You shouldn't have to sit on the ground, your highness..."
Endymion raised his free hand to have them all quiet down, then a motion for them to take their seats again. "I'm not a fragile glass figurine. My ass isn't going to brake because I'm roughing it a little. We're all soldiers here, and I don't want special attention. I chose to sit on the ground, and if it's good enough for..." He paused, placing a hand on the shoulder of the man sitting beside him, "What's your name?" He whispered to the man.
"Kevin, sir," the man said, still a little awe struck.
"If it's good enough for Kevin, then it's good enough for me!" And with that, Endy took a spoonful of stew and shoved it in his mouth. A little hot, but great earthy flavors spread across his palate. Not as good as the fare back at the palace, but the company, and the situation made it seem almost better. He motioned with his spoon, "Go ahead, and eat. It's fantastic! Best meal we've had in a while."
As one, they all started shoving food into their mouths, some nodding thoughtfully at the subtle spices in it. Endy ate rather quickly, he always had, and finished before anyone else with only a few who also ate fast.
"How are all of you? Anything that can be made better?" Endymion inquired, trying to start a conversation before heading back to duties.
One man choked, then coughed on his food, none of them really used to being questioned by royalty. "No, your highness..." Endymion waved him quiet.
"Please address me as General or sir while we are out in the field," he said.
"Well, ah… no, sir. Everything has been going smoothly, no complaints," the man across from Kevin said.
"How about family, anyone have a wife? What do you miss about her?" Endymion wasn't trying to be nosy, just getting to know a few of his men.
"My wife has the softest brown hair, her ankles are so fine, and she blushed so prettily," the soldier on his other side started sharing.
"He's not talking about your horse!" One of the men on the boulder shouted. Endymion's eyebrows shot up his head at the rude comment, but the rest of the crowd busted out laughing. It took a moment before Endy relaxed enough to let out a soft chuckle. Another half hour passed with the men telling him about their families and a whole lot more of their rough jokes, before Endy had to excuse himself for duties, laughing at the last jest as he walked away.
"What do you make of that?" Nephrite asked Jadeite.
"Bizarre, to say the least. The prince never used to be social like that. What do you think?" Jadeite responded.
Both captains had been walking around the camp, letting the men know about the evening muster, and making sure the camp was orderly when they came across the sight of Prince Endymion sitting on the ground, joking with a bunch of soldiers.
"It can't hurt his reputation, but I'd rather him not sit on the ground like that. Maybe things are clicking in his head. Leadership can't be learned overnight, but we'll have to instruct him on how to interact with the soldiers properly," Nephrite remarked.
Endymion stood with a cheery expression on his face and thanked the men for their company. He started off towards his tent which brought him by the tent the two captains were using for cover to look at him. When he passed, he spoke out as if speaking to the air, "What? Did my father send you two to spy on me?"
They looked at each other in dumbfounded surprise. Then they trotted to catch up to him, one captain on each side. Endymion had his usual cold, indifferent look on, and Nephrite feared that he had closed up again.
"No, sir. We were just keeping an eye out for you," Jadeite said lamely.
"Yes, your highness. We were," Jadeite gave Nephrite a what-the-fuck look, as Nephrite continued his sentence, "It's part of our orders to always keep you safe, so you see, we have to spy on you."
"Whatever," Endy responded, disgusted. "Assemble the other captains and officers in front of my tent within the hour. I will inform them of my plans." With that said, the two captains departed the other way to carry out his orders. He just continued up to his tent, reports did not just write themselves. Endy steeled himself against a long afternoon of slaving over such tedious work.
Endymion was standing in front of neat ranks of his officers. His captains forming their own rank to the side.
"Battle will be upon us soon, but before we commit, I have stopped us here for a reason," he paced slowly in front of them as he addressed them. "Not all the men at the garrison has committed treason, over half of them have deserted Rubeus' cause. We will stay in this region until we find them and welcome them into our ranks if they are loyal. Otherwise, I am declaring No Quarter to any traitors." Endy paused to allow reactions he knew where coming. Gasps erupted from the formation, but nothing much more, as they were very disciplined soldiers. But that didn't stop his captains from asking what everyone else wanted to.
"How can you order us to do such a thing, sir? Those are our country men, they may be mislead, but surely they don't deserve death!" Jadeite exclaimed. Good ole Jadeite, Endy knew he could depend on him to set up a dramatic point.
"Anyone who would swear allegiance to our kingdom, then betray us doesn't deserve the life they have. If they value their own lives so little, how are we supposed to trust them? We already trusted them to protect our borders, and now they have left open a back gate that our enemies can use to sneak in, kill our families, take our goods, and destroy what we hold dear. They have sealed their own fate as far as I'm concerned. Anyone who endangers my people will be annihilated, no excuses!" Endy was puffing some after his little speech, getting too worked up.
Jadeite just looked at his feet, face red in abashment. The other captains shook their heads, silently, at Jadeites rash question to their prince.
"As I've said before, we will wait for our loyal brethren to join us, and then gather as much intelligence as we can. I will not go in there blind and get slaughtered. I want every man under my command to return to their families at the end of this farce. Send riders out to any near towns or villages to check on them. If there are civilian casualties, render as much aid as possible. Spread my words to the rest of the men, they need to know why there is no quarter. I will not have any dissent in my command, any questions, refer to my captains. Dismissed!"
It was two days later that found Endymion with Kunzite and two officers of the men who deserted the garrison in his tent. It was very crowded in the tent, but no one was paying attention to the lack of space. The two officers were reporting everything they knew about Rubeus; His strength of men, fortified positions, movements, and their logistics. What Endy was hearing infuriated him, Rubeus had opened up a mercenary camp right in his father's garrison. Thugs, Brigands, murders and just scum of the world had been invited to the garrison, bringing Rubeus' total men around seven hundred. Even though that his force could probably prevail, he didn't like the odds, until the officers told them that three hundred forty-two have returned to serve. That put his command at almost twelve hundred men, which hatched an idea.
"I need everyone to depart, now. I need to get some work done. Kunzite, make sure all their men are folded into the divisions nicely, drill those two for all the information you can and met me here before supper with your three brothers." Endymion said rather brashly, and then proceeded to clear a spot on his little desk for a new project. "Yes? Any questions?"
"Ahhh, no, sir. It will be done as you ask. Later tonight then," Kunzite replied while shepherding the other two out. Before he left himself, Kunzite turned back towards Endy and bowed, then retreated after the other two.
Endy thought that the bow was a little too formal for his captain. He wondered what it was that brought it around; respect for the way he handled command, or hurt from being excluded while Endy planned. Not having time for such musing, he shook that line of questions out of his head and bent over a map he had pulled out.
"How much has my father told any of you?" Endymion asked his captains, as they sat around in front of his tent, enjoying their dinner.
"Told us about what, sir?" Jadeite asked.
"About the garrison, about the land around it, anything," Endy didn't give anything away, wanting to see what they really knew.
"Only the normal things. Like strength of men, maps of surrounding land, and politics of nearby kingdoms," Nephrite replied, uninterested in what might be a boring meeting, going over what they knew already.
"So, no one knows about the royal entrance?" Endy queried, lightly.
Jadeite's mouth was the only one to drop open, he noticed. The other three just looked more awake at the mention of the entrance.
"There's a secret entrance?" Jadeite sputtered.
"It's not like we wouldn't have told you if it became paramount. But very few people know about it, and your father had us swear some pretty strong oaths to keep it a secret," Zoisite piped in, feeling as if he needed to defend the three who did know.
"And that's how it should be. I'm glad to see that you all take your oaths seriously. But my plan is going to reveal the entrance to a lot of people. I don't want any casualties, hence my battle plan. Listen carefully," Endymion completely ignored Jadeite's surprise, thinking one of the other captains would fill him in. The four captains and the prince went over the plan deep into the night, until the early morning. An ominous fog enveloped the land, proclaiming a gray day ahead.
Author notes: I use the word garrison to describe, both, the soldiers stationed at the fort and as the fort itself. For those who are reading War Across Time, I'm working on the forth chapter, but this came into my head. I know the title doesn't make any sense, but just wait and see. This battle is only a couple chapters long, and then to the meat of the story. Reviews are appreciated and motivate me to write faster.