"Please rise in honor of our next generation of elite soldiers."
The rustling of uniforms and thud of adjusting boots filled the cool, fresh air. Commanders, cadets, and mid-ranks alike stood shoulder to shoulder, staring at the line at the front of the gathering with a mixture of pride, disdain, and boredom. The head commander, the giant man with the scarred face, grinned and swept an arm toward the line as if the crowd didn't already understand who they were—who they were destined to become.
Aloc's whooping cheers broke the respectful silence and one of his skinny arms broke above the heads of the crowd. Mairi and Leo held their composure well, shaking their heads ever so slightly or looking away with thin lips. Kara, on the other hand, couldn't hide her smile, giggling at his antics. She was overwhelmed with pride in knowing she'd earned her way here and joy in knowing that her father would have shed proud tears seeing his children as two of the dozen chosen to be the face of the army's power.
After the crowd began to dissipate, the line of twelve stepped off the stairs that served as a stage over the rest of the soldiers. At the end, Wyn, Ravus, and Kylinn chatted. Leo said something that made Wyn throw his head back in howling laughter before he joined Mairi and Kara at the other end and wrapped his arms around their shoulders and crushed them against his body in a tight hug.
"You're smashing my nose!" Kara whined, tugging her face free from his collarbone. Leo scoffed, smacking the back of her head lightly.
"Be grateful I'm letting you hug him," Mairi retorted, her voice muffled.
Leo let them both go, but Mairi stood on her toes to reach up and press a kiss to his lips. They should be more careful. Kara crinkled her nose and looked away from the couple to wave to Wyn. He waved back, but he was quickly drawn back into the conversation between Ravus and the bitchy girl he'd begun to call one of his closest friends. Kara was too elated to care at the moment, turning back to her friends. Seriously?
"Alright, break it up," she huffed, punching both of their arms until they broke apart. Mairi whispered something and shot Leo a wink. He laughed and shook his head.
"Are they being gross again?" Aloc asked, strolling up with all the confidence he'd gather over the past three years. It turned out that what he'd needed to gain a small boost was a specialty in which he thrived. "Get a room, guys."
"But not now," Kara insisted.
"Oh, look. The dork arrived." Leo threw an arm around Aloc's shoulders and crushed him into a quick hug. Mairi rolled her eyes. "How've you been, man?"
"Great!" Aloc laughed, adjusting his glasses. "Even better seeing you guys up there. You look awesome together. Kickass group."
"Yeah…" Mairi shot Kylinn a look and Kara swatted her. "Hey! You don't like her either."
"Don't stare."
"Whatever." Mairi flicked her hair out of her shining eyes.
"What now?" Leo asked, adjusting his jacket.
Kara took a breath to speak, but her words got stuck as she caught sight of a familiar silhouette. He was impossible to miss, piled with scarves and frills. His hat shielded his face from the sun and his reddish hair shined beneath it, poked out around the edges. Mairi joined the silence, stepping up to Kara's side and frowning.
"The chancellor?" she whispered. Leo turned to see what they were staring at and Aloc rubbed his eyes. "Why's he here?"
"That's what I wanna know," Aloc huffed.
Kara shook her head, hugging her arms close and smoothing down the goosebumps on her arms. "Well, he owns us, doesn't he?" That put shameful, worried frowns on all their faces.
"I guess." Mairi choked on air when the chancellor turned to face them, grasping Leo's arm and hiding behind him as he approached. "Gods, fucking kill me now."
"Hopefully he's just here to suck up to Kara," Aloc murmured, shooting Kara a pleading glance. She sighed and shook her head. "Please?"
"I have no control over that."
"But still—"
Chancellor Izunia was too close. Aloc straightened and shut his mouth, clutching his hands together and shifting his weight. Quickly, Kara pressed a manufactured smile to her lips and bowed. Her friends followed suit, pressed shoulder to shoulder. Ardyn raised an eyebrow, a smug smile creeping across his face.
"Welcome, Chancellor Izunia," Kara said in her sweetest voice, making sure to meet his eyes. "A pleasant surprise."
Ardyn's smile grew and he bowed back, tipping his hat. "Please. The pleasure's mine." He straightened and swept his arm toward Wyn, Ravus, and Kylinn. "I'm here to scope out the new leaders of my army."
"Leaders?" Aloc squeaked. Mairi jammed her elbow into his ribs and he jumped, eyes wide behind his glasses.
Ardyn paid him no mind, staring at the three older members of her class a moment. He turned back to the four of them. "That is what the elite ranks are for, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Leo replied. His voice was much firmer than Aloc's, laden with a strange mix of blind confidence and caution.
"And when does your education begin?" the chancellor asked, arching an eyebrow. Kara's smile faltered. Education?
"Sorry," she stammered, shaking her head. "Do you mean training?"
"No, I mean education." Ardyn turned and jerked his head at the scarred commander, who promptly dropped what he was doing to join them. "Am I believe you will raise an elite army without teaching your soldiers anything but sword-slinging?"
"Of course not, sir." The commander scowled at Kara and her friends. "I don't know what they said, but if it's anything of that nature, they'd do well to understand who it is appropriate to tease."
"We weren't—!" Aloc started.
The commander cut him off with a sharp look. "Silvum, you don't belong here, do you?"
Aloc ducked his head. "No, sir."
"Get back to the labs, then."
"Yes, sir."
His eyes met Kara's for half a second before he turned tail and scurried back to the bowels of the Manor. Mairi was fuming behind Kara, hands curled into fists. Leo nudged her as a signal to cool off, but she pushed him back. Sighing, Kara, met the commander's eyes. It's up to me again.
"I'm sorry, sir. We didn't realize there was a study portion of this."
"Of course there is," he retorted, though he wasn't harsh. "No soldier wins the battle without any sort of tactical knowledge."
"Of course, sir." She turned back to Ardyn, forcing her smile to stay. "I'm very sorry if we gave you the wrong impression. We are taking steps to advance our abilities."
"What steps?" Ardyn asked, arching an eyebrow and raising a hand to silence the stammering commander. Kara straightened and wrung her hands behind her back. I can't screw this up…
"Well, we've all been instructed to move into our new quarters together by tomorrow. We have access to specialized training for our weapons of choice. And, of course," she added slyly, gesturing toward the commander, "there are the classes to enhance our minds alongside our bodies."
"Good." Ardyn's lips curled into a menacing smile and he tipped his hat toward the commander. "It's a good thing you've upped your standards. This is a much better group than the last. Looks like they might live longer too," he added under his breath. Kara's heart skipped a beat and she glanced toward her friends. Live longer? Before they could begin to grasp what he meant, he swept his arm to the side and lowered himself in a deep bow. "Regardless, it was a pleasure seeing you, students. I hope to see you again."
With that, the chancellor stepped past them, heading toward the Manor with purpose in his stride. Mairi lowered her head and kicked at a stone; she was clearly holding her tongue while her commander was near. The commander shook his head and crossed his arms, though he didn't speak. It was Kara that broke the silence.
"What will happen to those that didn't make it this far?"
He raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the chatting cadets scattered across the grounds. "They'll probably stay as foot soldiers and be sent to the front lines. All the commanders you've had thus far are those who failed to cross this threshold." Nodding stiffly, he stepped away. "If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." With that, he left and Mairi heaved out the breath she was holding.
"I swear to the gods I'll kill that man someday."
"The commander?" Leo frowned, uneasy at her volume.
"No, the chancellor," she snapped, crossing her arms tightly. "I'm sure he can do what he damn well pleases, but watching him treat the man who earned him this land like shit doesn't bode well for our futures."
Kara sighed and looked to the treetops. She's not wrong. "How weird will it be to be in school again?" she murmured. Leo scoffed, shaking his head. "I haven't sat in a desk since I learned how to read and write."
"Me either," he admitted, scratching at the back of his head. "I hope we learn something interesting at least."
"I don't doubt that they'll fill our head with Niflheim propaganda," Mairi grumbled. Leo patted her back gently and jerked his head toward the Manor.
"Wonder what's going on in there."
"Probably talks of fighting," Kara pointed out, uneasily rubbing her arms. "I hear the borders have been quiet for far too long. No progress has been made on either side."
"Izunia certainly is eager to conquer the world, now isn't he?" Mairi added in a snarky voice.
Leo nodded. "I wonder when it'll be enough for him."
"They're an Empire, Leo. Nothing will be enough until they own the whole damn world." Irritated, Mairi stepped away from her boyfriend and tightened her ponytail. "I need a break from this scene. I think I'll pack for a bit and then meet you all at the grounds for the dinner."
"Sounds good," Leo replied, watching her go. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he turned to Kara. "She's a handful sometimes."
"She's always been a handful." Kara smiled faintly, trying to ease the tightening of her stomach. "Are you happy?"
"Of course." He chuckled and shook his head. "I am, yeah. I think I'll go pack to pass the time as well."
Kara bade him goodbye and watched her brother converse with his friends. She wanted very badly to go talk to him and Ravus, but with Kylinn there, there was no way she was going to approach uninvited. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders before turning toward the path to the waterfall. If that was all the peace she could get, she would take it.