Chapter 14 Massacre of Arene Part I
40 years after the Great War
Londinium
The massacre at Arene is one of the most horrific and tragic events of the Great War, and as always, our prayers go out to the victims of that fateful day. As we covered during the memorial, at the time this terrible occurrence these actions did not violate international law.
Surviving eyewitnesses often cite the terrible actions by the Imperial forces, but this is only part of the story. The soldiers involved have always claimed they were following orders and there is plenty of surviving evidence to support this. In addition to this, we can prove that at least one imperial soldier took no joy from the actions they took on that fateful day. We have recovered a damaged computation orb from one of the imperial mages, and we will show you it here tonight. We apologize for the poor quality, but it is an old and damaged record. We also apologize for any this recording may affect, but we believe it important to show the full picture of what happened that terrible day.
As you can see the figure is a little far away at the moment. There! We see them firing and you can make out the explosions in the distance, God only knows how many died in those blasts. Now we see they've dropped the gun and ah, unfortunately, the recording is corrupted here but, yes, here we are. The recording has zoomed in more now! As you can see the soldier is now on their knees shaking, and a comrade is trying to help him. Clearly, their conscience has gotten the better of them.
I think that this is proof that the soldiers involved were not merely unfeeling monsters, but humans trying to rationalize their actions. That being said, nothing can excuse the actions that were taken that day, it may have been legal according to International law, but only God can truly judge if they are truly guilty. – Andrew WTN special correspondent
May 4th Unified Year 1925
Western Command Rhine Front 13:45
Tanya sat outside General von Hans's office waiting to be summoned, as usual, the little colonel had tagged along and waited in a chair opposite her reading a copy of a Federation propaganda rag, he had somehow managed to procure, called Pravda. What he expected to divine from the drivel the communist was writing she did not know, nor did she care. Aside from Being X communism was the ultimate expression of the suppression of personal freedoms and that was something Tanya could not stand.
Truthfully, she was happy for a bit of peace and quiet for once, the colonel had seemed to be intent on annoying her since she had burned the ball gown, he had foolishly attempted to get her to wear. Apparently, it had belonged to his 'mother,' the late Princess Hermine and he had been quite upset about it or at least pretended to be. How was I supposed to know? She thought it's not like it was your real mother anyway.
She pushed those thoughts aside and thought about the reason for their summons. Although they hadn't been told anything officially, there had been a messenger the evening before informing them of an uprising in Arene. It was unlikely the two occurrences were unrelated. That meant they were almost certainly going to be fighting in the city, this world's first foray into modern urban warfare.
The General's adjutant appeared at the door and bidded them to enter. Technically speaking as a foreign observer, the little colonel had no reason to be there, but she had long given up on trying to dissuade him from joining the briefings. His rank might have been colonel, but his relation to the Emperor gave him enough clout to get himself into almost any meeting in the Empire. He'd always find a way to get in eventually, so she just let him, she knew there were some battles not worth fighting.
They both saluted, Tanya with a smart snap and Wilhelm with a casual air and a smile. The general returned it then bidded them to sit down. Tanya took a seat by the table in the middle of the room, which had a bundle of official papers clipped together, while the little colonel found a seat on an antique bureau in the corner. This was another one of his odd habits and the general must have grown used to it, as a copy of the file was waiting for him on the wooden drawers that would be his perch. He scowled at a statue sat on the antique and bundled it into a drawer before hopping up and scanning the document, clearly not interested in waiting to be invited to do so by the general.
"You should rejoice Major Degurechaff," the General began his voice deadpan and severe. "As of 1400 hours today you've been assigned a high priority mission straight from theatre command."
The General seemed much more serious than usual. Tanya's earlier interactions with the man's daughter had painted her in a favorable light with him, and he had become somewhat friendly towards her. Normally the general was much more upbeat and cheerful, today however, this was completely absent. Tanya would have ordinarily preferred this more business-like attitude, but she knew he would only be acting this way for a reason.
She picked up the file in front of her and began reading through it thoughtfully, she wasn't surprised to find they were being deployed in Arene. The orders stated they were to eliminate all reinforcements that had joined the rebels, then they were to work with imperial forces to recapture the territory. She regarded the orders critically, looking for where the other boot would drop.
"Staging combat in a city will have its difficulties." She stated thoughtfully, this all seemed strangely familiar from somewhere, but she couldn't quite place it. Hopefully, it was just something that had slipped her mind rather than the use of the Type 95 addling her memories.
"It'll be easier than you imagine," The general said walking to stare out the window. "Strategic command has given us a plan to eliminate rebel forces, once you strike, the city should fall quickly."
He went on to explain the rest of the plan, and Tanya knew where she had heard it before, she had written it. At the war college, they had been posed the question of how to proceed when it came to urban warfare. International law meant they could not risk harming non-combatants, as such most of her colleagues had judged assault impossible and they should surround the enemy and starve them out until they surrendered. Tanya had what she considered a more elegant method, it was true they had the duty to safeguard non-combatants, but equally so did the enemy, if they gave the warning to evacuate or surrender, they could safely declare all remaining people within the city as the enemy.
It was all nice and legal, at least technically, she never thought she'd be in a position to put it to the test though. She felt a twinge of panic, why me? She thought.
Contrary to the image of a model officer she tried to portray, Tanya abhorred violence and killing. Couldn't they see that everyone in that city could one day grow into a productive member of society? They would live and work and add to the economy, which in turn would advance the world further and everyone would be happy. Killing all those people was an unforgivable waste of potential future capital. She understood that sometimes it was necessary to apply a modicum of force and discipline into a system, she had to do the same for her troops. But ripping out an entire market was overkill.
She really didn't want to have to do this, but she was currently a soldier, she had to follow orders. Through both lifetimes Tanya had clutched to the rules for protection, she hoped the rules would continue to be her saving grace. She would have to be careful though, if things went bad, she could be made a scapegoat and if the empire lost, the enemy could always try to enforce new laws retroactively.
"So, we're leaving one hell and heading to another, I guess it's true you can't outrun the devil." She said, unable to stop a smirk at her own poor taste of joke. Why me? I don't want this, I just wanted a comfortable job in the rear.
She needed to be sure she understood the situation correctly, minimise any potential liability on her part. After all, things could end badly if she didn't and it never hurt to cover your own back.
"Our real enemy is the republic army, not this militia correct?" The general affirmed this and Tanya smiled to herself, she only needed to target the enemy mages, the artillery and the air fleet could deal with the rest. If any militia foolish enough to fire on them, it would be self-defense, so it was entirely justified and legal.
She asked him to outline the situation they were going to walk into, apparently, the militia targeted and captured imperial civilians. Even better She thought, rescuing friendly civilians was also firmly within the remit of legal military practice, add the effort to evacuate them and her and her unit would have little chance to do anything that could count as legally dubious. Yes! I should be able to keep my hands more or less clean!
"I highly doubt these soft-hearted militiamen would have the guts to use them as human shields." She began rising and walking across the room. She seemed unable to keep her thoughts from spilling out of her mouth. Although she would be the first to admit she loved rules, there was something exhilarating about exploiting loopholes.
"Meanwhile since we're following the rules and issuing an evacuation order, we're justified in any casualties. Anyone who stays behind is just asking to be killed." She finished with a happy twirl, Loopholes! Wonderful loopholes! She thought to herself enthusiastically.
"Major!" The General growled in rebuke and Tanya apologized with a salute, maybe I got a bit carried away she thought. He seemed upset, she hoped he didn't think she was trying to shy away from the dirty work. Well, at least she probably wouldn't be invited to girl talk with Greta anytime soon.
"It is a terrible thing," The general said sadly.
"Yes, but they're the ones that forced our hands," Tanya replied. "As soldiers, we have a duty, if we're ordered to burn beautiful Arene to the ground, then that's what we must do."
"It makes me wonder why anyone would want to be a soldier." The general wondered aloud staring out the window.
"How many?" The little colonel interrupted, and both looked round to face him, it seemed they had both forgotten about him sat quietly in his perch in the corner.
Tanya expected him to be smirking at her after her dramatic performance a moment ago, but to her surprise, he wore a deep and thoughtful frown.
"How many people do we expect to be in the city?" he asked again meeting the general's eyes.
"Many have already left but including the civilian population we expect there to be several thousand people still within the city." The General stated, giving the boy a slightly worried look.
"I see." The colonel said thoughtfully, and his eyes scanned the document once again, Tanya thought she saw a hint of something unrecognisable in his expression.
Crap! Tanya thought the little colonel could be a problem if he decided to be uncooperative, the only question he'd asked the entire briefing was how many targets were there? How big of a body count did he want?
"Perhaps it would be best if you sat this particular mission out Prince Wilhelm," The general ventured. "It's a delicate situation in Arene, it would be better if the Royal Family didn't get involved."
Yes, stay out of this! Thought Tanya, it was bad enough she had to keep him safe for whatever he and the Imperial spymaster had cooked up, but she knew she'd somehow get the blame if he went on a rampage.
The boy seemed to think about this for a moment, then he hopped down from his perch and wandered towards the chart in the other corner of the room. He made a spectacle of studying it, his childlike act was entirely absent, he seemed distant and lost in thought.
"I'm sorry General I disagree, if it's so delicate, as part of the royal family I should bear witness." The little colonel said quietly with a serious look in his eyes. The general went to argue but the boy cut in again.
"It's your daughter Greta's birthday soon yes? I'll make sure to send her something," He said and quickly continued before the general could reply. "It's fortunate she doesn't have magical talent, she'll escape the draft." He finished and Tanya saw the General deflate at the mention of his daughter, Wilhelm was going for the jugular it seemed. She narrowed her eyes at him, What are you up to?
"You asked why anyone would want to be a soldier," the boy said as he turned to face the General fixing him with an intense stare. "The reason I fight general is so that others don't have to. Should I just sit behind while everyone else fights and dies for me?" The manipulator asked leaving the question in the air, managing to sound like he had been insulted by the general's request.
"Should I let others do the difficult jobs while I sit and enjoy the benefits of the blood of the fallen?" He asked, and Tanya wondered if he realized, he had indirectly called the General a coward. She saw the hurt look on the man's face, and she knew the boy had defeated him. The general turned back to look out the window.
"Strategic command would prefer you were not involved, but there are no specific orders." The General said eventually, it looked like Wilhelm would get his way. Damn loopholes! Thought Tanya.
"My thanks general and give my regards to Greta."The prince bowed as they were dismissed.
As they made their way out Tanya noted the little colonel's face was still thoughtful and severe. What is this? Thought Tanya, surely he wasn't getting squeamish, every time they deployed he routinely gunned down fleeing troops and executed the injured on both sides, he was barely able to keep his enthusiasm in check! She had expected trouble keeping him from doing something stupid, but he looked more concerned than the general. She hadn't seen him this serious since their negotiations in the train carriage.
She wanted to question him, but the corridors were too crowded with personnel bustling around, she would have to wait till they reached the privacy of their staff car. He was still staring intently at the papers they had been given, she even had to maneuver to stop him colliding with incoming officers on their journey towards the transport. He ignored her completely, even when she chastised him for not paying attention, he just carried on studying the document murmuring "maybe…..? but what if….?"
Finally, they arrived at the staff car, Visha smiled at them as they let them in, but the smile soon vanished as she saw their expressions and felt the tension in the air. As they pulled off, Tanya asked her adjutant for some privacy and Visha raised the window separating the rear of the car from the driver's compartment. The little colonel was staring out the window in silence, she called him by his rank a few times, but he remained distracted and didn't seem to hear her.
"Wilhelm!" she yelled eventually, and he turned and blinked at her with surprise before a small smile crept back onto his face. It didn't quite reach his eyes but for once she was relieved to see that smug superior smirk.
"First names Tanya? What have I done to upset you this time?" He asked sardonically.
"What's wrong with you? Why has this got you so rattled?" she questioned ignoring his derision "I'd have thought you'd relish this." The boy's smile disappeared, and he stared out the window once again.
"You probably won't believe me, but I don't particularly enjoy killing." He said emotionlessly. He was right she didn't believe him, she'd seen his grin as he'd mercilessly cut down soldiers and mages alike.
Tanya hated war, she would much prefer if people would wage economic wars on each other instead. It was much more civilized and there was much less blood involved, unfortunately, this world had yet to figure this out, hence her situation. It had always seemed that Wilhelm had enjoyed the art of butchery, even more so than her loyal band of war maniacs. Now he was trying to persuade her, he had suddenly grown a conscience? She didn't buy it.
"Maybe you should issue the surrender demand then if you're so concerned. You are irritatingly persuasive." She asked testing the waters. If he was truly worried, she would let him do it, with his inflated reputation they might actually consider it, in which case problem solved.
"That's probably the only compliment you've ever given me," He said bitterly before sighing. "They won't accept, and if they did, we'd just have to round them up and kill them anyway," He said grimly. "Better you do it."
Who are you? Tanya thought incredulously, it seemed every time she thought she'd figured the boy out he managed to curveball her like this. She could sense no deception from him, but that meant nothing.
"What are you up to Wilhelm?" She questioned further eyes narrowing at him. He paused a moment thoughtfully while watching the world go by.
"Arene must fall quickly, the supply lines must be maintained." He stated matter-of-factly, and Tanya felt her frustration rise as he continued avoiding her questions.
"Is it better to stick to the prepared plan or seize an opportunity when it's presented to you?" He asked absently "I can never quite tell". She wasn't sure whether it was aimed at her or not, but either way, she wasn't going to allow him to go off-script, too much was at stake.
"You will stick to the plan and follow my orders!" She stated darkly, she wasn't sure how much she would be held responsible for his actions. Although he was technically a superior officer, he had surrendered command to her, so arguably all responsibility was hers. Additionally, command would expect her to keep him from doing anything that could damage the reputation of the Royal family. Unfortunately, she also couldn't just force him to stay behind.
He turned to her and stared at her intently and his expression became unreadable before a cruel smile crept across his lips.
"I'll follow your orders to the letter major, I won't even draw my sword till it's over," He began. "If I'm lucky it'll all soon be over, if not…" He paused and looked out of the window thoughtfully.
"I guess they'll die anyway so why does it matter?"
May 4th Unified Year 1925
203rd Temporary Command Centre 15:30
Sophia Zerbist felt unusually anxious as she watched the 203rd Arial Mage Battalion begin lining up in anticipation of their upcoming mission briefing. As an observer, she and the rest of the prince's entourage stood to one side, but they still made sure to appear smart and in good order, so as not to shame their young master. She was anxious because for once she didn't know what this briefing was about.
The Prince and Major Degurechaff had been called to command for a meeting earlier and he had been distant and thoughtful ever since. She had asked him about his meeting, but he had mumbled she would have to wait for the mission brief while he hastily scribbled a message, stopping occasionally to rewrite parts as he concentrated. This concerned her greatly, he had always confided in her and her sister Christina, he would usually confer with them in private before missions to get their opinions and ideas. That he hadn't, worried her, have I lost his trust?
The Prince had spent much of the last month with one of the mage replacement training wings, posing as a trainee under a pseudonym as a forfeit for losing a bet. Christina had been furious he was being disrespected so, but Sophia suspected he'd actually been enjoying it. His position meant he never really had much in the way of comradeship, and he had seemed to be having fun overcoming the various trials with his team. Until the food poisoning incident that is.
It was already difficult to get the prince to eat, he was certain either his brother or communist sympathizers would somehow find a way to poison him. As a result of these fears, he ate very little, Christina believed this was why he was so small, and when he did eat and drink, he adopted strange habits. He would carefully watch what others ate and drank and have only what they did reasoning that it was unlikely that a poisoner would risk too much collateral damage, by poisoning a whole group.
Unfortunately, Warrant Officer Kahteijanen's bout of food poisoning had made the prince worry that the soon to be Duke, would risk poisoning the whole food supply just to get at him. He'd ordered a quiet investigation, but she'd found no signs of interference. It had simply been a bad batch of potatoes, but the prince was still wary and seemed to look on everyone with more suspicion than usual.
Whatever the officers had been told at command had added an extra level of agitation to their master. He didn't seem worried per se, more uncertain, as though he wasn't quite sure of his next course of action. Seeing this expression from a boy used to concocting grand schemes and turning situations to his advantage was incredibly unnerving. Was he worried this would affect their operation in Letzenbourg?
Unusually for this briefing, the Prince had elected stand over with the other Letzenbourg mages, usually, he would stand up on the podium with the Major and her deputy. He was currently pacing impatiently, occasionally stopping and drawing his sword to stare at a moment before returning to wearing a groove in the floor. Sophia recognized the habit, it had become almost ritualistic for him, a way for him to refocus himself when he was concentrating.
Finally, the officers approached the podium and the group was brought to attention as the prince stalked into position next to her. Degurechaff marched into the post and surveyed her troops with approval, Sophia had to hand it to them, the 203rd was nothing if not professional.
"Battalion Members, we're going on a trip!" The girl declared with a face much sterner and serious than anyone her age had a right to be. She went on to explain that the republic had sent mages and airships to back up the partisan movement that had sprung up in the city of Arene.
Not all that unexpected Sophia thought, an occupied territory was always going to be tricky to keep under control, and if there were an uprising it made sense for the enemy to send reinforcements. She saw the primary problem at once, Arene was a railway hub, while it was contested, the already straining supply lines would be pushed almost to breaking point. Still, she wasn't quite sure why this would bother the prince so much. Perhaps he was concerned the supply situation would affect his own plans.
"Now then to crush this rebellion once and for all," The Major paused as if choosing her next words. "We must completely eliminate Republic forces and those who refuse to surrender." The assembled troops began to murmur to each other with a growing sense of unease.
She could see why sympathizers meant civilians, They were expected to kill the civilian militia? Was this what the prince was so concerned about? She knew he was actually fairly brutal on the battlefield and would cut down enemy soldiers with relative ease without batting an eyelid, but he always offered surrender or a chance to flee. Gunning down of civilians was something she doubted he'd ever contemplated. These would be militia, compared to a trained mage it would be like pitting a mouse against a lion, it'd be overkill, a bloodbath. No, it will be fine, surely the prince could persuade them to surrender.
"To do this, we have permission to destroy as much property as needed," The Major continued. "As you know firing on non-combatants is forbidden by virtually all rules of war. However, we will issue declarations both before and after combat with the enemy mages, if the militia accepts our terms of surrender, we're done. If they refuse, however, we must consider them hostiles and kill them, in this event, we will be supported by the artillery and the air fleet."
It's worse! They'll be classifying everyone within the city as combatants, even women and children! If they don't surrender it'll be a massacre! This must be it, the reason for the prince's unease, he feared having to slaughter all those civilians. The idea of doing it herself made her feel sick, I won't do it! Not for the Imperials! She rebelled inwardly I have my morals, even if He asked me I'd….She stopped herself, she had a deep sense of foreboding.
Slowly she looked down at her Prince, he was biting a thumb nervously, while his other hand grasped the hilt of his sword turning his knuckles white. He's going to join them! She realized, looking to her sister nearby. Her expression was a reflection of her own feelings, this was why he'd kept them in the dark, he knew they would try to talk him out of it.
"Do you have anything to add Colonel?" The Major asked staring down at the boy. Of course! Degurechaff knows how persuasive he can be, she's waiting for him to offer to give the declaration! Sophia though feeling slightly relieved.
"Soldiers, as a member of the Imperial royal family, I assure you my uncle the Emperor and the Vaterland have full trust in you to do your duty." He began uncharacteristically quiet and somber, "Follow your orders and there will be no stain on your souls." He finished before taking his place back in the line, he seemed distracted and began biting his thumb once more absentmindedly.
Sophia was stunned, why had he not offered to persuade them to surrender? And that speech, it didn't seem like something he'd usually say and certainly not how he'd usually deliver it. She briefly wondered if Degurechaff had forced him to say this but seeing the perplexed look she was giving him soon changed her mind. What's wrong with you my prince?
The Major stalked off and Lieutenant Wiess informed them they had 10 minutes to suit up and get ready. As the Battalion moved out the two sisters blocked the prince's path, in his distracted state he almost bumped into them. Hausmann looked on with concern, Sophia gestured him to carry on, he was loyal she knew, the prince trusted him with his life, but he hadn't yet trusted him with his secrets.
"Prince Wilhelm, Maybe you should reconsider go.." Her sister began, before being cut off by the prince.
"I've already heard enough of this from von Hans, I'm going". He stated with a flicker of anger in his voice.
"It could severely damage your reputation to get involved in something like this." Sophia interjected. She knew he carefully managed how people perceived him, being involved in a massacre could destroy his image as 'The Saint of Letzenbourg'
"I've already sent a telegram with words of encouragement to the artillery and the air fleet, not going would destroy my reputation." He stated trying to push past them. Depending on the message he could be right, he would seem too cowardly to follow the orders from command, even if as a foreign officer he didn't need to follow them, the chain of command between different forces was murky at best.
"Then please, offer the militia surrender yourself, they are more likely to listen to you!' Sophia returned.
"The Major is in command, she will issue anything official." The prince argued cutting off any further argument by stopping and fixing her with a glare. Even then she could see the uncertainty in his eyes.
"Why?" She mouthed unable to keep the question from her lips. She held her stare for a few seconds and saw sadness begin to fill his emerald orbs. His gaze shifted between the two women nervously, he still wasn't certain about this she thought. His resolve seemed to harden, and his face contorted into a stern scowl.
"You know there are things I don't tell you, this is one of them," He said coldly "Arene must fall quickly." She could still see the sadness in his eyes, and she couldn't help feeling disappointed that even her and her sister had been shut out of his thoughts, especially when he seemed to be struggling to reconcile them.
The prince had decided that there was no more need for discussion and ordered them to suit up, he turned and marched away. They hurried to the equipment area and Christina began helping the prince suit up, he said nothing to them but was listening carefully to the chatter around the room. Lieutenant Grantz especially seemed to be worried about this mission and the prince seemed to be studying his conversation with Wiess carefully.
"Are we really going to do this?" Grantz asked lieutenant Wiess, "If we have to wipe out everyone in a city that means we might….." His voice trailed off and Sophia, felt her stomach clench as she felt the echoes of her own fears in the man's words. Meanwhile, Wiess remained silent concentrating on preparing himself for the upcoming mission. "No one's going to surrender because we issue some declaration and artillery on the city?" He continued as Wiess rose from his place at the bench and stalked over to him.
"Besides how do we tell the difference between militiamen and civilians? How ma…." Grantz was cut off as Wiess grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to face height while fixing him with a serious stare.
"We're here to follow orders." He growled before stalking away and Grantz was left shaking, trying to choose between his conscience and his duty.
The prince had watched the whole scene with an unreadable look on his face, for a moment Sophia thought he might go and comfort the man. They had become friendly while training, the prince had confided that he quite liked Grantz, he'd seemed honest, trustworthy and hardworking. He'd even confided to her that if he had not been assigned to the 203rd he might have tried to arrange him transferred to the Letzenbourg mages, Lord knows the prince could use some more trustworthy characters in his retinue.
The prince stared at Grantz a moment longer before drawing his sword once again to study it with a frown, before reverently placing it back in its scabbard. He sighed heavily, Christina had now finished helping the prince suit up. He murmured something about meeting them outside and left them to finish their own preparations.
"Is everything all right with the prince miss?" Hausmann asked with quiet concern, Sophia felt bad for the man, he had known the prince for the shortest time, having only been with them since the founding of the Letzenbourg mages. Even he could sense something was amiss, she wished she could tell him more, but even if she did know much more she couldn't. The prince had taught her how powerful information could be, even if it were false. That message had been further reinforced during her time with the Abwehr and she knew it was part of the reason the prince was so secretive.
"We just need to keep an eye on him Dietrich" she answered giving him a reassuring smile. He didn't look happy, but he nodded and went to meet the prince. Hausmann had been a good choice by the prince, he was perhaps a little uninspired as a leader, but he was doggedly loyal and diligent. He too was probably too kind-hearted for this mission, she wondered how he would fare.
She and Christina hurried to get ready and join the others and soon they were in the air. The atmosphere of the battalion was tense and uneasy. Unlike previous missions, there was none of the usual teasing and banter between the troops they usually used to cover their nerves. Neither had the Prince started baiting the Major into an argument as had become a familiar feature on deployments. Instead, they traveled in a grim silence with the only noise being the wind passing them by and the light hum of their flight gear.
She looked over to the prince, he was checking the sights on his modified rifle with a mask of concentration. He looked to be practicing an observation formula, she knew that this was a technique he was least proficient with. He preferred close-quarters fighting, so rarely needed to use them, he was a good enough shot to rely on the iron sights unless at extreme ranges. Besides Christina was the nominated sniper of the Letzenbourg flight, she carried a higher-powered rifle with telescopic sights, to deal with threats that would prevent the prince from getting up close.
From this angle, she couldn't see his eyes, so it was impossible to judge what he was truly feeling. She shared a look with her sister, I seemed she hadn't had any luck in divining his thoughts either. Knowing there was nothing more to be done, she offered a silent prayer that they would all come back unharmed and looked out over the landscape.
It seemed strange to be flying away from the front lines, this area was captured in a border dispute several years before, so it was missing the scars of the current conflict. Instead of trenches, there were farmers' fields and irrigation ditches, instead of craters and foxholes there were thickets of woodland and tiny hamlets. It reminded her of the prince's flying lessons, he would often fly over the countryside like this, enjoying the freedom and country air. He flew for fun and it was heart-warming to see the genuine joy he gained from soaring far above the world, away from all his worries and cares. There were no guns then, no soldiers and no killing.
They followed the Rhine river as it meandered along the countryside towards its inevitable destination in the sea, far to the north. Arene was an old city, built upon the banks of the great river to control trade amongst the medieval warring states of Europe. Due to its strategic importance on the river, it had seen its fair share of fighting through its history, but nothing compared to what it would soon experience. Now it's rail terminal replaced the river for its importance, it was part of the circulation system that fed the imperial war machine what it needed to survive. The partisans and enemy mages were like cancer that needed to be wiped out and the empire was willing to scar itself to do it.
The beautiful city of Arene now loomed in the distance, its ancient cathedral towered above the rest of the city as a rightful tribute to God. Below artillery units sped towards their positions to prepare for the bloody work of industrialized killing. Sophia wondered about the 'words of encouragement' that the prince had sent, it wasn't the first time that he'd contacted other units in the theatre to offer encouragement and support. Many officers had spoken highly of the prince when it came to reinforcing morale, but what kind of encouragement could he give troops that knew they were flattening a city full of people?
The Major called a brief halt for last-minute preparations, before their assault on the city. They landed and the troops made last-minute checks on their equipment, it wasn't really necessary she knew. The troops were too disciplined to let their gear be in anything but the top shape, but they checked their ammunition and other supplies anyway. The prince landed on a nearby tree and stared out at the artillery setting up in the distance, Sophia felt the need to try one more time to dissuade him from the mission and moved over to talk to him. Perhaps he could join an artillery unit and encourage the troops from the rear? Surely that would be enough to save his reputation without the risk of staining it in Arene?
"My Prince?" she called but he ignored them not even looking down at them. Christina had now joined her, and she went to call up to him once more, but he beat them to it.
"Don't, I've already made up my mind," He said levelly before changing the subject. "It's beautiful out here isn't it?" He said injecting a cheerful tone into his voice.
"Sir…" she tried to push but he cut her off again as he jumped from the tree branch.
"If all goes well, it'll all be over soon, and we can have a little holiday out in the country like this!" he continued. "Then I can keep my promises to you all!" He smiled but Sophia couldn't feel energized by it as she usually would. That he was putting on his front for her and her sister hurt, they knew this was not the real him, and he knew that. "Maybe I'll even make you a General Degurechaff, I know you're listening." He finished giving the girl a mirthless smile. She ignored him and went to converse with Lieutenants Wiess and Serebryakov, while the prince sat by the riverside and began chewing his thumbnail again.
"He won't be dissuaded," Christina stated sadly, "Why won't he talk to us?" She asked mirroring her own thoughts.
"I wish I knew sis" Sophia replied looking out to their little master. It seemed they would get nothing more from him, so they checked their gear and prepared themselves. Soon the Major roused them all to action.
"Onward, to Arene!"
Authors note
Right 1st off I apologize, I said prince POV next chapter but already Arene is longer than planned. Maybe it was optimistic to do it in one chapter, but I promise gets POV and stuff is explained about him.
The prince will probably seem very off in this chapter, this is on purpose and the reason will be revealed in the second part. He'll also explain some of his thoughts when I get his POV, after re-reading I suspect he'll need to explain himself (I sometimes forget that you guys don't know what's going to happen lol)
I explained a bit of the prince's odd eating habits in this chapter too, this little detail I've had in since chapter 7 and it's why he drinks Tanya's coffee despite obviously hating it. I like putting these little details in, even if it doesn't add too much to the story, hopefully, you'll notice more as things get revealed.
I've used the Anime for most of my reference on Arene thus far, I've tried not to take too much without adding to it, but if you feel I've taken too much from it please let me know. I wanted to keep Tanya's twirl in though.
I'm doing my best not to have my characters affect the character progression in the cannon of those in Arene (aside from maybe Tanya as she is the only one who views it as an exercise in getting around the law and not getting blamed). I don't want the prince or any of the others taking the spotlight from the others in the parts of the story that cross the official cannon if at all possible.
On a different note, the reason Andrew's part is longer is that it was the idea I originally had when I decided to give him a bit at the start of every chapter, tbh it's been a pain to keep thinking of stuff for him up until now.
Thanks again to Stenv for Beta reading for me (even if they keep trying to adopt american spellings on certain words :P )
As always thanks for reading and I appreciate your feedback
Xanen