That year, the Summer Exercises that his class did, took place in the Carpathian Mountains and involved mountain combat tactics and operations. Returning from there, Giulio was still allowed a couples of weeks of break, before resuming classes at the Military Academy. Finally, at the beginning of Vendemiaire (late September) he was back at the Military Academy.
"Hey there!" Greeted Marcantonio as soon as he saw him, with his luggage, entering the dorms.
"Marcantonio! Long time, no see!" Replied Giulio.
"How have you been? Spent good ending of holidays?" Asked his friend.
"Pretty good. Went with my family to Tyrol again. What about you?"
"Ah, we travelled to East Africa. We did a safari in Kenya. It was quite fun! I got some trophies!"
"Sounds great. Well, let me go put my stuff down and then we can talk a little bit." Replied Giulio, about to enter his room.
"Sure! I also wanted to introduce you some new people."
Giulio returned right after organising his room and walked with his friend to the cadets' mess, where waiting for them were two new freshers.
"Giulio, let me introduce you to Luisa Berti and Giacomo Melzi d'Eril, both freshers. Guys, he is Giulio Galahad-Canossa, the head of the sophomore class."
"Pleasure meeting you." Said Giulio, shaking their hands.
"Nice to meet you." Replied the two.
Luisa was taller than Giulio, had long, red hair and a pair of big glasses, while Giacomo was somewhat chubby, had short dark hair and brown eyes and also used a pair of glasses with thick lenses.
"And welcome to the academy." Added Giulio. "What are you studying here?"
"I'm in medicine." Replied immediately the girl, who had a low and delicate voice.
"And I am in the Intelligence and Cybersecurity Studies." Added Giacomo.
"So, an aspiring crazy scientist and an aspiring spy. Good." Joked the young nobleman.
"And I am also a history nerd." Added Giacomo. "And If I am not mistaken, you are related to the Regent of the Confederate States of America, right? He was a Galahad-Canossa too and was from Virginia."
"As a matter of fact." Replied Giulio with a smile. "Lord Giulio III, President of the CSA. Having grown up in Virginia, I can tell you that the Myth of the Confederacy was, probably is still very strong down there. We would even host events of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and other similar associations in our plantation in Danville, for their events."
"That's fascinating. I have been reading a lot about the Second Britannian Civil War, Gettysburg, Perryville and all that stuff."
"Well, in this case, I will be happy to tell you what I know or what memories were kept in our family, because as I told you, it is something very heartfelt." He then turned at Luisa:"Now, if I am not mistaken, you are a chess champion."
"Really?" Asked Marcantonio, surprised.
"I play for the Italian team, true, but I wouldn't go as far." Said immediately the girl.
"Well, you have won quite a lot of competitions that I recall." Insisted Giulio.
"Do you play chess?" Asked the girl.
"I'm a terrible player." Replied the young nobleman immediately. "We can try, one day, but I think I would embarrass myself."
"Well, I can teach you." Replied her. "It's mostly a question of practicing and being patient, then the rest comes on its own."
"We may try." Replied Giulio, thinking about it.
"You should join the chess team." Suggested then Marcantonio to the girl. "The academy participates to several different competitions and events, so you may find it interesting."
"There's also another thing you may find interesting from here." Added Giulio, standing up. "There's crafted beer and wine here at the mess and you can order it. So, I am now going for a beer. Anyone wants to join?"
The semester resumed with all the academic activities in the days that followed. In the meantime the new two cadets introduced by Marcantonio turned out to be good friends for Giulio and to share similar political views. Moreover, while Giulio retained his position at the think tank, also joined now by Giacomo, he also joined the fencing team, a sport he had enjoyed already since the high school.
It was on the occasion of the return from a competition, already in late autumn, that reaching his friends at the cadets' mess, he found them seated with Junio Valerio Borghese.
"Sir." Saluted Giulio immediately.
"Make yourself comfortable!" Replied the Navy officer. "How did the competition go? It was in Florence, right?"
"Exactly, at the Air Force school. I would say it went decently, since I got the Gold Medal." Replied Giulio, showing the medal. "If I win the next two, I will qualify for the European Military Games."
"Then the International ones? I know they will be held in St. Petersburg, next year." Asked Borghese.
"Yes, precisely."
"In any case, congratulations!" Said Marcantonio.
"Thanks, my friend."
"Congratulations!" Echoed then Giacomo and Luisa.
"Thank you!" Replied again Giulio, while calling a footman. "Let's celebrate with a bottle of wine."
"One good thing of the European Armed Forces, or at least of most of them." Started Borghese. "Is that they keep spoiling the officers and the aspiring officers, with a structure that looks like an aristocratic club."
"My years at 'Nunziatella' weren't exactly like this, but sure." Replied Giulio, thinking of his high school misadventures.
"Well, I studied at the Air Force High School and it was pretty much fine." Said Giacomo.
"The Air Force? Then you switched to the Army?" Asked Luisa, curious.
"In my department, the Air Force is way harder and has less spots, reason for which I opted for the Army."
"Well, gentlemen." Started Borghese, standing up. "Mademoiselle Berti. I have a meeting with General Menabrea now. But I hope to see all of you at the tailor, as we have agreed."
"Wait, what? What tailor?" Asked Giulio.
"The one in Via Farini, close to here." Replied Borghese, handing him a card, on which Giulio immediately recognised the symbol of the dragon that he had first seen on the card given to him by Tommaseo. "See you soon." Concluded the nobleman, leaving.
A couple of days later, Giulio was going to Giovanni Capua Tailor, Modena's most prestigious and expensive tailor, in which they were expected to meet.
"Good afternoon, sir." Greeted a man elegantly dressed, at the entrance. "How may I help you?"
"Good afternoon." Replied Giulio, who had already been there once. "I came for this." He explained, handing him the card.
The man looked at it, raised his eyebrows and then turned at Giulio. "Ah, of course. Do you mind following me?"
The receptionist took Giulio across the store, opening then a door and inviting him in.
"What's this?" Asked Giulio, perplexed, seeing a long staircase going down, ahead of him.
"Just follow it." Replied the man. "You'll see."
Giulio had a moment of hesitation, but then opted for following. After all he trusted his friends, didn't he?
The stairs went down for at least two hundred meters, that he could estimate, guessing they must have been even below the Roman ruins, before leading to a long corridor.
'What the hell is this place?' He wondered, following through it, noticing a few doors, all of which locked, before finally finding one, with a red light, opened.
Entering there, however, he had a sinister surprise: Luisa and Giacomo, along with three other people in civilian clothes lied there, distributed between the carpeted floor and two sofas, senseless.
Instinctively, Giulio turned back to leave that place immediately, but that was when the door closed abruptly, locking him inside...
"Shit!" He exclaimed. "I shouldn't have trusted those two..." He continued, while trying to force that door.
In the meantime, he noticed that some of the people were starting to wake up.
"Hey, you! Come helping me here!" Ordered Giulio to one of the civilians, who wore a dark suit.
The guy hesitated for a moment, but then came to his help, while the others, slowly, were still trying to make sense of what had happened. Yet, it was then that they noticed another terrifying thing: from the air intakes now, whoever managed that place started dropping water into the room.
"What the hell!" Exclaimed Giacomo.
"They're trying to murder us!" Shouted Luisa.
The guy who was helping Giulio, removed his jacket and tied to use it to help forcing the door. Useless effort.
Finally, Giulio and the other young man ceased gave up, as it was clearly useless and Giulio began to examine the room, trying to understand what could be done: it was a simple room, it had two sofas, a small table, an armchair and a door, which presumably led to a bathroom.
"Giulio, we must get out! Why have you stopped?" Yelled Luisa, as the water was reaching now their waist.
"We either stop the flood or we find a solution to get air." Observed Giulio, trying to figure out what to do.
"Then think quickly!" Yelled the other girl, a civilian, who was there.
"That should be easy!" Exclaimed one of the civilian lads, trying to put his jacket on one of the air intakes.
"That's a waste of time!" Told him Giacomo. "But we should be able to get the oxygen from the toilet. All we need are rubber tubes."
In the meantime, the room was getting filled quickly and soon they found theselves floating, pressed against the ceiling, where they could still find some water. Giulio took a long breath and immerged, seeking possible ways out, while the others, in the bathroom, were trying to find the tubes.
Reaching the bathroom, Giulio began to tear everything apart and to open the few furniture he found, trying to find either the keys to get out or something that could help getting them out. Yet, no results.
He went to take some air, as the others had managed to find the tubes and then resumed his quest in the bathroom. Finally, he found a box with some tools inside, from which he picked a wrench. Short of better ideas, he tried to break the mirror that was in the bathroom.
He tried once, twice, but even at the third attempt, nothing happened, while he started feeling again the lack of air.
It was then that he felt Luisa's hand on his shoulder. As he turned, she pointed at the screws that kept the mirror in place. Immediately, they took two screwdrivers from the box and began to turn the screws, hoping it would lead to something. In the meantime, Giulio realised that he was nearly out of oxygen.
Luckily, it worked: they began to notice the water going behind the mirror, meaning that there was air on the other side!
They then managed to remove the two screws below and did so quickly, as they had now a desperate need for air. Finally, as soon as they could remove the mirror, they were sucked, along with most of the water, into the next room.
"Thank God!" Exclaimed Giulio, taking a long breath.
"Had we been a bit slower, I would have drowned." Said Luisa, who was now sitting on her knees, while the water started going down through the exhaust.
"Well played." Said Captain Borghese, who was standing next to the door, wearing an impermeable and tall boot. "Also, good move that of Count Melzi d'Eril, of getting the air from the toilet." He added, as the others now reached them. "Though I must say that your teamwork is disappointing, considering that only two members of the group had to save you all and nobody did anything to coordinate the efforts." He concluded, shaking his head. "But fine, the next test is completely individualistic."
He took the six candidates through a corridor, heading to another room.
"What is this?" Asked one of the civilians, trying to sound infuriated, but only resulting scared. "Why are you doing this to us? Why?"
Borghese did not reply, but made them enter another room.
"Not entering there." Said the same guy.
Without further notice, Borghese took off his pistol. "Your choice." It was sufficient: the guy entered without protesting any further.
Inside the room were six chairs, organised in circle, with at the centre a pistol.
"Please, ladies and gentlemen, have a sit." Started Borghese. "What you are doing here is the old game known as Russian roulette. In short, there is one bullet inside the weapon, you will take the gun, aim at your head and pull the trigger, hoping that it's not your turn to go."
"This is insane! I want to return home!" Cried the girl in civilian clothing.
"I'm afraid there's no comeback." Replied Borghese, retaining his politeness. "Please, ladies and gentlemen, you may get started, have fun.
Nobody moved. They all stood seated, looking at the table with the weapon on and at each other, waiting for someone to move.
"Please, ladies and gentlemen." Insisted Borghese. "There is no way out. You must do it."
"And if we don't?" Asked Giulio.
The officer shrugged his shoulders. "We have ways to make you start."
"Fine, I'll go." Cut short Luisa, picking up the gun and pointing it at her head.
"Luisa, no!" Shouted Giulio.
Trigger pulled. Nothing happens. Relief.
She passed it to one of the civilians, who was next to her. The guy was shaking, terrified and nearly crying.
"I- I don't want to..."
"Just do it!" Yelled at him the other girl.
"Sooner or later, comes to everyone." Said Giacomo.
The guy still hesitated.
"Do you want me to do it in your place?" Asked then Giulio.
Without saying a word, the guy handed him the gun, which he immediately pointed at his own head. "If I have to go, I will go."
Trigger pulled. Nothing. He sat down.
So did the others, one after the other, as they found courage. Nothing happened to anyone.
'The Beretta 92 has 15 bullets." He thought "So, there is still a chance that it's there but... What if it isn't.'
"Excuse me." He said, stepping up, turning to the last guy holding the gun. "May I see the gun for a moment?"
"Sure." Replied the guy, handing it to him. Giulio removed the charger, confirming his suspicion: it was empty.
"Wait, was it all... a joke?" Asked Giacomo, turning to Borghese.
"Yes, of course!" Replied the captain, walking to the centre to the group. "What would be the point of killing the candidates?"
"Sorry, but we are candidates for what?" Asked the guy who initially refused to fire.
Junio Valerio Borghese waited for a moment, before starting: "Giulio Galahad-Canossa, Giacomo Melzi d'Eril, Luisa Berti, Maria Ludovica Rangoni-Machiavelli, Paolo Boncompagni-Ludovisi, Vittorio Diana-Paleologo. You're here for a reason: first of all, except for Mrs. Luisa, you all come from ancient noble families, second, you have been followed by us for years now, because you have the potential to take leading roles in either the civilian or the military sphere. Third, you have been considered reliable and fitted to belong to our circle. Now, you may be wondering of what circle am I talking about. Well, I refer to the Societas Draconistarum, or the Order of the Dragon."
"The... the what?" Asked Paolo, who during the two previous tests had turned out to be the more fragile.
Borghese smirked. "Soon you will learn more. But you still have to go through one last test."
Saying to, he put on a gas mask, while gas was liberated in the room, making all of them faint...
Waking up the following morning at the academy, neither Giulio, nor Giacomo, nor Luisa felt like asking anything of what they had gone through to Marcantonio, while Borghese was turning out to be impossible to be reached.
"What do we make of that insane thing we went through days ago?" Asked Luisa, one day she was in the library with her two friends.
"I guess they will call us back, at some point." Replied Giulio.
"What if it was all made up?" Suggested Giacomo. "I mean, for what I could understand, they had gathered people from monarchist and noble background, who had the potential and the willingness to destabilise the Republic. So, what if it's a trap?"
"I am not a noble." Objected Luisa. "My father is a farmer from the Department of the Serio."*
"I don't think this is the point." Replied Giulio. "Also, if the aim was to eliminate us, they would have done it long ago and way faster."
"Especially you, who walk around criticising the Republic and telling everyone how good is Britannia." Joked Luisa.
"I don't!" Protested Giulio.
"Well, my friends." Started Giacomo, standing up and picking his things. "I think I will go now. I need to go to the gym."
"Have fun!" Replied the other two, who instead remained there.
That night, after the lowering of the flag, however, the three were all called on their cell phones by Marcantonio.
"I need you to come immediately to the tailor, right now. You have the permissions left at the reception."
When he received that call, Giulio was in the mess, drinking his camomile corrected with brandy before going to bed.
'Damnation!' He thought, taking his dark leather military coat and heading immediately to the exit, where he met Giacomo and Luisa. Arriving at the tailor shop, however, they found it closed, with no sign of anyone being inside or around it.
"Wait, what?" Wondered Luisa.
That was all she could say, before two cars of the Gendarmeria blocked their passage, while the cops came out and pointed their guns at them.
"Hands up!" Commanded one of the agents, pointing a gun at them.
"I knew it! I told you! It was a trap!" Exclaimed Giacomo, panicking. None of the others replied.
"There you are, the three monarchist scumbags." Said an officer, then turning at his colleagues. "Carry them away, we'll make them talk."
Soon after, they were handcuffed, blindfolded and carried away.
Giulio was put in the baggage trunk of the car and could heard Luisa, seated ahead, trying to rebel and throwing insults and threats at the agents. He instead remained quiet, realising there was little that could be done. After nearly a half-hour traveling, the car arrived somewhere that none of the three could identify, while they were all carried inside a building (Giulio guessed it by the change of temperature), before finally being taken to separate rooms, where they were seated, tied and had the blindfolds removed.
He found himself lying on a table, with hands and feet tied. Above his stomach, an axe was moving like a pendulum, slowly coming down on him.
"Giulio Galahad-Canossa." Called an officer who was standing next to him. "Born in Richmond, Virginia, on the 27th of July, 1995 (Gregorian Calendar) into the noble House Galahad-Canossa. Studied at the Imperial Military Institute of Virginia, the 'Nunziatella' Military School of Naples and currently at the Military Academy of Modena. A monarchist since at least the high school years, has been in touch with important dissidents, such as Brigadier General Luigi Federico Menabrea III, Lieutenant Colonel Alessandro Tommaseo and Captain-of-Vessel Junio Valerio Borghese, who tried to introduce you into the Societas Draconistarum. This is, an illegal, secret network of monarchists and nationalists that for over a century now has conspired against the Republic. What do you have to say?"
Giulio looked up: slowly but steadily, the pendulum was coming down to cut him in two. All of a sudden, his memory went back to his readings of Edgar Allan Poe, where he had first read about that torture.
"I have to say, go fuck yourself!" Shouted Giulio back.
The officer sighed. "You know it will be a painful death, right? We can regulate the speed of the pendulum and the closest it gets to you, the slowest we make it go. Thus, when it starts cutting you, it does it very slowly, to make sure you see it tearing apart your clothes, then your skin, then it spills your blood, then you gradually see your intestines coming out... In the end, many people want speak up, but too late."
Giulio remained silent, or to better say petrified, looking at that blade. His thoughts went back, for a moment, to his mother, his beloved sister and his homeland, that he was to never see again.
"You can put an end to all of it: just tell me what you know about those terrorists, of how they tried to recruit you and what you know about those persons I mentioned."
Giulio looked up: "All that I know, is that you should go fuck yourself!"
The agent nodded and pulled a lever, making the axe come down, closer to him.
"You don't want to play this game. Come on, did you go through some tests? We know there is a secret headquarter somewhere in Modena. Where is it?"
"You can cut me in pieces, if you wish. But I won't tell you anything about those that could have all of you hanged! You can kill the flesh, but the spirit and the ideas are immortal."
The man stood in silence, while the axe continued its rotation: left, right, left, right and closer to Giulio's body. Giulio also stood silent, hoping all of it was some sort of test, but as he saw that blade coming closer and closer, he began to accept that it was not. 'Well, if I die, I will die with dignity' He told himself, with tears in his eyes, starting to pronounce some prayers to the Gods.
"It's your last chance." Said again the man. "Just tell me what you know about the Order and the people I mentioned."
"And for the last time, you can burn in Hell! Montjoie Saint Denis!" Shouted Giulio.
He had just accepted his destiny when all of a sudden, the blade ceased its course and the room was filled with vapour.
As the vapour was aspired by the exhausters, Junio Valerio Borghese, gradually took shape in front of him.
"Congratulations, test passed." Said the nobleman, lighting a cigarette.
"What?"
"You're in the club now, at all effects. Though I must say there was no real chance of you failing the test: it would only affect the degree of involvement you will have."
"The involvement in what?"
"In the Societas Draconistarum." Replied Junio, releasing Giulio, who could finally stand up and stretch himself. "Please, come with me, you will have everything explained now."
He followed the captain outside the room, where he saw also Giacomo and Luisa, who looked rather confused.
"This was insane." Said Luisa, as soon as she saw him.
"At least it's over." Replied Giulio.
Borghese, in the meantime, brought them upstairs, to an upper floor of the house, which Giulio understood to be an old farm house, like many that could be found outside Modena. There, they were taken into a sitting room, elegantly furnished, well illuminated, with a fireplace in which the fire was burning, warming up the place. Sitting in front of it, for everyone's surprise, was the Commander of the Military Academy, Brigadier General Luigi Federico Menabrea III, seated on an armchair drinking Cognac.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable." Invited the General. "Do you accept anything to drink?"
"Water for me." Said Luisa.
"Same." Echoed Giulio.
While one of those fake policemen served them, the General began to explain: "First of all, congratulations for making it until here, we don't make often mistakes in our evaluation of candidates, but there is always a margin of error. Anyway, I believe now I should explain to you what is this and why you are here."
He made a pause, waiting to see their reactions, then resumed: "I believe you all know what the Order of the Dragon, also known as Societas Draconistarum was, in origin: a chivalric order of the Holy Roman Empire, established to fight the Ottomans in the Balkans. Well, our society was established following the First World War, by royalist and nationalist officers, with the aim of putting an end to the Republican system and rebuilding a new Europe, nationalist and royalist."
"So, you have been around for like, one century without accomplishing anything?" Asked Luisa. "This is not exactly a nice way to introduce your organisation, gives the idea of a deficit of effectiveness."
The General gestured to her to wait, as he still had not finished explaining. "First, we tried with the secession of Italy, Germany, Austria and Hungary, which led to the European Civil War. Yet, as you all know, we lacked the strength and the counter-revolutionary forces were eventually defeated. Then came the attempt through Charles De Gaulle, our affiliate, which also ended up failing thanks to the uprisings of Prairial 186**. During the Years of Lead, we gave our contribution through the Windrose, the Solo Plan, the White Golpe and the so-called White Terror, whose repression nearly led to our annihilation, reason for which we have now changed approach."
"Still nor encouraging, Sir." Observed Giulio. "You failed all the attempts you made at overthrowing the Republic and from what I am understanding your main accomplishment was to cause a civil war."
The General sighed and stood up. "Since the late 190s and early 200s***, with the Operation Guillotine and the investigation that followed, we drastically changed the approach. The Order was nearly discovered and we had to eliminate several disloyal elements who nearly confessed and revealed our existence behind the ghost organisations. Ever since, we have decided to operate with reduced numbers and through infiltration in the Armed Forces and civilian institutions."
"All of this, seeking to establish a network capable of staging a new coup, I assume." Concluded Giacomo.
The General nodded. "And well, gentlemen, now you are part of this network and know a little part of it, congratulations."
"Wait a moment." Intervened Giulio. "How will we have to act now? What happens next? Do we have to join some, I don't know, secret meeting? Are we planning terrorist attacks, what do we do?"
"In due time, Lord Galahad, you will be instructed about everything. Remember that now you belong to the Societas and the Dragon will always have its eyes on you." The general paused, to check his pocket watch. "Well, I believe it's time that you return to the Academy now, it's late and you should not go missing for too long. Those gents will escort you back, good night, Barons."****
The three new members of this dissident network were then returned to the Military Academy, where they entered without being troubled. Their minds, by this point were crossed by mixed thoughts and feelings: was this network truly reliable? How would their life have changed from then onwards? Was this thing going to impact their future for better or worse? All those questions were to remain, for the time being, unanswered, though in his heart, Giulio nurtured the hope that the Order of the Dragon would represent the instrument through which he would be able to fulfil the promise made by his mother on the day they left Pendragon: that the House Galahad-Canossa would have risen again to wipe out for good Charles and his supporters.
NOTES
*The Department of the Serio: Assuming that Italy, like most of Europe, is in this TL under a post-Revolutionary Europe dominated by France, I am assuming that, just like it happened in the Cisalpine and Italian Republics, they implemented the French Administrative division.
** May 1968.
*** 1970s-1980s.
**** The members of the original Order of the Dragon were called "Barons", regardless of their title. So this practice is in use among the members of this society.