The snare drums were pounding away from atop the ramparts of the castle, setting the pace of the march underneath. From above, the drummers surveyed the masses of blue-clad soldiers shifting smoothly across the courtyard, the legs of the soldiers falling in step with one another to the rhythm of the harsh, percussive music. The large courtyard of L'Renouille Castle was nearly filled with Highland soldiers, all awaiting assignments to one of the Highland Army's companies. Although no one dared say it aloud - especially in front of a Highland officer - most soldiers were secretly hoping to get into General Kiba Windamier's 3rd company. Rumor had it he and his son, Klaus, were not only brilliant field commanders, but relatively sympathetic towards their subordinates. Unfortunately, only about a quarter of all the soldiers present would get into General Kiba's company; the others would be assigned to one of the other generals. Every company other than the 1st, the White Wolf Guard, the royal guardians, was accepting recruits.
Standing near the castle's gate, a lone soldier stared up at the castle's ornate towers and ramparts in astonishment. He was from the small village of Sajah, far to the northwest of L'Renouille, and had never seen anything quite as impressive as the architectural feat that stood tall before him. His light brown eyes traced the outline of the castle, following the edges of the towers down towards the large stone balcony from which the prince was supposed to give his address to the soldiers. Even as his fellow countrymen swarmed around him, socializing and trading stories of their travels to the capital, the soldier remained motionless, engulfed in his own thoughts.
"Excuse me, are you Justin Rhodes Junior?" a sharp voice said suddenly, jolting the soldier out of his daydream.
"Huh? Um, yeah, that's me," the soldier replied.
"Ok, good, you're checked in," the voice, which apparently belonged to a Highland officer standing behind a table near the gate, said. "The prince should be arriving soon. After he gives his address, you'll receive your assignment. For now, though, I'm going to have to ask you to step away from the gate. You're blocking the path."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Rhodes shyly muttered as he walked deeper into the courtyard. He'd never seen so many people in one place; how could you find a place to sit and think to yourself for a few minutes? He found a small isolated spot between two circles of conversing soldiers. The group to his left was comprised almost exclusively of giant men with thick beards and thicker southern accents. Rhodes couldn't be certain, but he figured they were originally from Kanakan or maybe the Island Countries. The other group was more diverse, made up of men and boys of all types. The most prominent from Rhodes' point of view was a tall, thick blonde man in full armor standing with his right arm wrapped around the shoulders of a younger man, maybe still a teenager. The younger of the two seemed out of place; he wasn't wearing a uniform, but instead wore a simple brown overcoat and a pair of leather pants held up by a rope tied around his waist. Even from under his coat, a bulge was noticeable near his right shoulder, but Rhodes couldn't imagine what it was.
Rhodes found his thoughts once again interrupted by a loud noise. The drums on the ramparts suddenly became louder, playing a familiar rhythm. The crowd of soldiers fell silent as the figure of a man became visible atop the stone balcony. Even though he had never seen the prince before, Rhodes knew his fancy armor couldn't belong to anyone else.
Prince Luca Blight paused when he reached the end of the balcony, causing the air of anticipation to grow even thicker. Finally, he spoke, "Hear me! You have all come here from the farthest reaches of the Kingdom of Highland to defend your countrymen, your wives, and your children! You have come because you won't let the damnable ruffians from the City-State take your pride as a Highlander! You have come, and soon you'll have your revenge!"
The crowd cheered.
"I'm sure you've all heard of the brutal massacre of the Unicorn Brigade near Kyaro Town. Young Highland blood was spilled there that fateful night, and I intend to see to it that it does not happen again! Already, those responsible for the attack from within have been captured and executed for their crimes!"
Rhodes glanced at the blonde man next to him, who seemed to shift uneasily as he heard Prince Luca's comment. The boy next to him also let his eyes fall to the ground momentarily, but soon both were intently watching the prince again as he continued.
"However, the City-State still must be held accountable for breaking the peace treaty and killing our children!"
Another cheer erupted from the crowd.
"I know the Highland people grow weary of war, but we must defend this land for ourselves and our prosperity!"
More cheers followed the prince's statement. Luca Blight stood tall, grinning upon the balcony as the cheers continued below him. As soon as the noise died down, he continued.
"I ask, as a favor to both me, the victims of the attack, and your friends and families, do not give up the fight until we have victory! Do not fear the enemy for your fear will only bring fear to those who you are trying to protect! Fear is a weakness!"
Luca paused for a few seconds, glancing at a small, feminine figure next to him. Rhodes recognized the figure as Princess Jillia Blight, daughter of the late Queen Sarah Blight. On the record, she was also the daughter of King Agares, but there were rumors that Jillia was born to a different father. Taking a deep breath, Prince Luca concluded his short speech.
"I'm sure you're all anxious to receive your assignments, so I'll let you get to it. Let's show those State bastards what Highland is made of!
With a wave of his hand, Luca stepped away from the edge of the balcony and retreated back inside the castle amidst the cheers of his countrymen. An officer with dark hair approached the edge of the balcony and called out, "You will now receive your assignments. Group yourselves according to which city, town, or village you come from. All unincorporated areas, group yourselves near the gate. An officer will bring you your assignments."
Rhodes glanced around, looking for anyone he recognized. Sajah was a small village, so he figured he should be able to pick out anybody from the region. He noticed a plump man, a man he recognized as an old friend of his father's, wandering toward the western wall of the courtyard, so Rhodes followed. Breaking out of the crowd, he spotted a few familiar faces gathering nearby, so went to join them.
"Hey, Junior, over here!" a voice called. Rhodes let his eyes scan the small group, easily spotting the man yelling and waving his arms wildly.
"Ah, Shawn, there you are," Rhodes laughed. Shawn Wilder, at 22, was four years younger than Rhodes, but they had been friends since Wilder's early teens. Despite the fact that Wilder was younger than Rhodes, he always called his friend "Junior" because he shared the same name as his father, Justin Rhodes. After so many years, Rhodes finally stopped fighting the use of the somewhat demeaning nickname and accepted it.
There were a total of fourteen men from Sajah Village gathered near the castle wall when Rhodes joined them. He recognized all of them, but didn't know them all by name. Not accustomed to having to get acquainted with strangers, Rhodes gave them a polite nod then turned to Wilder, asking, "How was your trip here?"
"It went pretty smoothly, overall," Wilder answered. "Those creatures wandering the countryside aren't quite the threat they used to be."
"Yeah, we used to have a lot more trouble with them when we were kids," Rhodes agreed.
"They also used to be a lot more fun," Wilder grinned.
The conversation between the two continued for some time, covering topics ranging from their trips to the capital to the most recent gossip about their neighbors. Before long the discussion included most of the circle of Sajah villagers and Rhodes was finally starting to get comfortable with most of them when three Highland soldiers approached, loudly announcing their arrival. Rhodes and the others turned to greet them, suddenly showing their eagerness to find out their assignments.
"Devon Hunter?" one of the soldiers read off a piece of paper.
"Here," one of the villagers responded, reaching out his hand to take the paper. The entire group leaned in, curious about the fate of their neighbor. A small frown appeared on Devon's face, but it quickly changed to a smirk. "I've been assigned to General Kiba!"
Before anyone could react, the courier called out the next name, "Shawn Wilder?" Wilder grabbed the paper, and the soldiers continued to hand the rest out to the Sajah villagers. Rhodes was third to last.
When all the assignments had been handed out, the soldiers moved on to the next group and the villagers dispersed into smaller groups of friends. Rhodes approached Wilder, who was showing his assignment to Devon Hunter. When he saw Rhodes, Wilder turned to him with a disappointed look on his face. "I've been assigned to General Solon Jhee's 2nd company," he said.
"Really?" Rhodes asked excitedly.
"Uh, yeah," Wilder replied, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Me too!" Rhodes announced, showing his paper to Wilder. He was happy that he wouldn't have to go into battle without a friend at his side.
"Oh, well in that case," Wilder said, his frown turning into a grin, "maybe this isn't really so bad."
"Ok, listen up, everyone!" the same dark haired officer from before called from atop the balcony.
"There's General Jhee now," Wilder told Rhodes quietly.
So that's the man I'll be serving under, Rhodes thought to himself.
"By now you all should've received your assignments," Solon Jhee called out. "Group yourselves according to which company you've been assigned to, starting with the 2nd company on my left!"
With a sudden great bustle, all the new recruits started rearranging themselves according to General Jhee's orders. Within a few minutes, everyone was grouped with their respective company, scanning the nearby soldiers to find anyone they recognized. Rhodes stood between Wilder and the boy with the bulge under his shoulder from before. Before long, General Solon Jhee emerged from the castle along with his captains, Seed and Culgan. Seed, especially, was famous among the Sajah villagers. He grew up as a peasant in the Sajah region, so his tales of ascension within the Highland ranks were told to most children from the village.
The new 2nd company recruits stood silently as General Jhee stepped into the middle of the circle of soldiers. "Welcome to the 2nd company, gentlemen," he said. "Unfortunately, we don't have much time to train before we're deployed; Prince Luca is anxious to begin our counteroffensive. For now, retire to your quarters. Get something to eat and get some rest for tomorrow. After a few days of training and preparations, we're leaving for Muse."
The recruits looked at each other incredulously. They were leaving so soon? That wasn't normal by any means.
"That's all I have. Tomorrow, report to Captain Seed at 0600 hours and we'll get started. Dismissed!"
"Yes, sir!" a few of the recruits called out. General Jhee immediately turned and went back to the castle with Seed and Culgan following him.
Wilder turned to Rhodes after the general left. "I don't know about you, Junior, but I'm already tired. What do you say we get to bed early tonight?"
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Rhodes replied. "I don't want to be tired our first day out there."
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"Are you sure that's the wisest course of action, sir?"
"Of course, captain. Prince Luca said we were to attack Toto Village as our first offensive. Who are you to question the prince's orders?"
"Ah, no, it's not that, I just think that it would be more efficient to attack Muse directly. Don't you agree, general?"
"I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Rowd, if you want to keep it. Prince Luca is in charge of the Highland Army now, we do what he says."
"Yes, General Jhee, I'm sorry."
"Good. Now get out of here; Prince Luca will be coming soon. After the incident at Kyaro Town, you may want to lay low for the time being."