Chapter 17 Operation Monarch I: Preparations
Excerpt from Le Croix editorial, Republican Newspaper dated May 15th, 1925
Every day we hear more and more disturbing stories about the atrocities committed against our countrymen, every day I weep tears for the fallen and every I believe I've heard the worst of the depravities of those Imperial barbarians. And every day I'm proven wrong. It seems now our cowardly enemy is unable to even take responsibility for their own actions, instead, they blame their monstrous crimes on a 10-year-old boy.
These vile creatures claim the youngest prince of Letzenbourg is responsible for the Evil deeds done to the city and even now hold the boy captive. How can there be any forgiveness for these Devils who walk as men? There can be none, we must defeat their evil at all cost!
May 5th Unified Year 1925
203rd Temporary Command Centre 00:10
Wilhelm felt his confidence begin to return as he strode towards the communications room, with an irate Tanya by his side and the other officers following behind them. He felt better after his breakdown, it was like some of the stress had been lifted from him. It may not have been very dignified or manly but having a good cry and smashing some furniture could be very therapeutic. Not to mention the effect of finally being able to share his fears about the monster that stalked his thoughts and threatened his very existence.
Still, he had an awful lot on his mind, Arene. Why hadn't it worked? He thought to himself resisting the urge to draw the sword to check the number couldn't believe there were no faithful in the whole city, there had to be something more to it. He'd hoped Arene would be the end of it all, if it had succeeded, he could have sat out the rest of the war comfortably in the imperial court, reading books and eating good food and schmoozing with his uncle, the Emperor. There would have been no reason for him to fight personally anymore, he could have sat comfortably in the world of the rich and powerful and never wanted for anything ever again, instead, he was stuck down here with everyone else. I got greedy again, He sulked. I should have stuck to the plan.
He'd taken a terrible risk by taking responsibility for Arene, he'd now firmly thrown his lot behind the Empire if the unthinkable happened and they lost he'd be tried for war crimes! He could be executed! He could already imagine all the terrible nicknames the republican forces would be coming up for him, he didn't dare read a Parisii newspaper to find out. If they called Tanya the Devil what would they call someone who butchered a city? And it'd all been for nothing! The number had barely changed, he was still cursed and now the risk of failure seemed even higher. Even once he met his goal, he still might have to fight to prevent the Empire's defeat, or he'd risk losing the reward he'd been working so hard for. It had been a complete disaster, it felt like he'd shot himself in the foot.
Then there was Tanya. He'd initially been so happy and relieved that she was like him, he'd mindlessly babbled about the killings and the sword. She now knew about him but he'd not learned anything about her true self, how many did she have to kill? What if they were competing for the same resources? There seemed to be a distinct lack of faithful in the world, what if there wasn't enough for both of them?
He glanced over to her for a moment, studying her face for clues. She wore a deep scowl, she clearly wasn't pleased with the latest turn of events. Or maybe she was just disappointed that she couldn't put him in handcuffs, she'd seemed far too enthusiastic about that. I wonder if I should be concerned about that?
Other than her look of annoyance she wasn't giving up anything of her inner thoughts. Ultimately all he really knew about her is that she was a stickler for the rules, was that from her past life? Maybe that meant she was law enforcement or military in her past life, they were very rule-driven. It would explain why she'd done so well at the academy and war college at least. If she was going to follow the rules, he could at least predict most of her actions, that gave him some comfort.
This isn't the time to think about this Will! He chastised himself. There's a more pressing matter.
Yes, the current crisis took priority, it's a mistake to look too far ahead. His brother had turned traitor and pitted his little country against the empire, there were still loyalists, however, not least his volunteer mage Wing, but the republic would soon arrive.
He felt more confident about this, after all, it had been part of the plan he and Canaris had cooked up, more or less. Tanya had actually given him the idea for it, although she would have no idea about that. He had sent part of the black file containing the plot to remove the Duke and Ludwig as the heads of state for Letzenbourg. He'd carefully omitted all traces of his true birth or operation doppelganger from the document however, he couldn't risk anyone else finding out about that.
Next Canaris had leaked the information to Ludwig via the Allied Kingdom, there was no way his brother would believe anything leaked from the Empire, he didn't trust them, he had done everything he could to avoid joining the war at all. But if the information came from the legendary spy network of the Allied Kingdom, how could he doubt it? Then he'd have a choice, abdicate or join the republicans, unfortunately, he'd decided to throw the small country under the bus out of spite.
They'd planned for this possibility however and having access to Tanya and her elites meant they could respond quickly and plug up the gap, while Imperial reinforcements arrived. He'd lead them in a daring raid, rally the loyalists, remove the evil tyrant and the day would be saved. Best of all by getting rid of Ludwig, he'd be rid of the biggest threat to his life. He'd no longer have to worry about assassination attempts, he could finally have a decent meal and a good night sleep without fear of being poisoned or smothered in his sleep!
The only spanner in the works was that the 203rd had only just returned from deployment, they were tired and some were injured. On top of that morale would be low after the atrocities committed in Arene, and everyone would be wary of another city fight. You always did have a terrible sense of timing Ludwig.
When the dust finally settled, Will would happily let Letzenbourg be a puppet of the Empire, eventually, his adopted home would unify, and it would become safe and prosperous under Imperial rule. Meanwhile, he would have a comfortable life in the Imperial court. That would be the plan if not for that damned sword! He thought bitterly, now he'd have to think up more excuses to stay on the front lines while he rid himself of it.
They reached the communications room which even at this late hour was a hive of activity. As well as the core soldiers of the 203rd, their headquarters also housed a number of support staff and specialists, as well as radio operators not only keeping the battalion informed but letting the HQ act as a rear command post if necessary.
He was gratified to see his own staff had already arrived and were waiting for them, he felt guilty for snapping at them earlier and worried he might have lost their respect. They dispelled that fear with a smart salute and request for orders, he wondered how he could ever have doubted them, he swore he would have to make it all up to them someday. He returned their salute with a genuine smile and asked them to wait.
He saw Lieutenant Wiess on the telephone at the far end of the room with a serious look on his face. He was bandaged having been hit in the previous engagement, he'll have to be left behind, thought Will, hopefully there wouldn't be too many injured to affect the plan. Glancing up, Wiess noticed the two young officers and beckoned them over.
"Sirs, it's the General on the line." He reported covering the receiver, trusting that his subordinates had already bought them up to speed. Will saw Tanya reach for the phone but snatched it before she could grasp it, she'd obviously forgotten who was in charge here, he'd let her walk over him for far too long. I'm in control today Tanya! He thought seeing Tanya's scowl deepen further.
"General von Hans, it's good to hear from you, what on earth is going on?" He said down the phone with faux confusion and innocence.
"Prince Wilhelm, the information is confused but it seems the Regent has declared war on the Empire and allied with the Republic. We're trying to rouse the general staff and the high command, but for now I want to move you to Berlun, so we can set up a government in exile." The general explained.
"I see" said Will making an effort to sound thoughtful and sombre. A momentary tinge of worry tugged at his hindbrain, it seemed the message to support him hadn't yet made it through the command structure. Canaris must have decided to wait until events started to unfold to pressure the general staff for him. Fortunately, he was on good terms with von Hans and he was the old-fashioned sort that respected social rank, he shouldn't take too much convincing.
"General, please! Letzenbourg is my home and there are plenty of loyal people fighting in the hopes that we will rescue them" He began in a pleading voice. "Not to mention the hole in the front lines! I'm sure my mages are still loyal, let me go, I'll retake Letzenbourg City while you find some reinforcements, we can plug the gap before the Republic breaks through!"
Ultimately it wouldn't matter, he didn't have to follow any of the General's orders if he didn't want to, and as Tanya answered to the general staff, neither did she. He could force her to use her autonomy with the High command telegram and go without the general's blessing if needs be, but it was always wise not to upset those that we're watching your back. Especially if you'd spent time cultivating them as an asset. The General paused for a moment as he considered Will's words.
"I'm sorry, but it's far too dangerous, I can't send you in." He replied but Will could hear the strain in his voice. He clearly liked the idea but as always they didn't want to send him in because of his position, he couldn't help but be annoyed by the irony.
"Please General, I'll take Major Degurechaff with me, together we can make this tragedy into a victory for the Empire! It could be the turning point. I know I can lead them, I already know what I need to do, Please! Let me save my homeland!" The line fell silent and for a moment and Will began to worry he had laid it on too thick. He glanced around the room and saw the other officers and radio operators looking at him with ardent interest.
"Very well, I'll see what reinforcements I can scrape up," He said with a sigh. "Could you put Major Degurechaff on the line please."
"Thank you, General." He said graciously before passing the phone to Tanya and resisting the urge to smile triumphantly. He crossed over to his staff and bowed slightly to them.
"I'm sorry about earlier," He apologised honestly, and he saw them move to console him. He raised a hand to cut them off before continuing. "Are we prepared?"
They nodded and gave their reports, Hausmann confirmed that according to his last contact, the Letzenbourg wing remained loyal but as expected they had been kept 'on standby' in a government building on the outskirts. They couldn't confirm the status of their weapons however, but Will was unconcerned, he may not have done much to improve the food quality for the 203rd but even Tanya had remarked that they seemed to have enough equipment for twice as many soldiers.
Next Sophia reported that she had copied the recordings that they had been preparing, Will was fully aware of the effects of his broadcasts on the battlefield and wanted to use that to the fullest in the upcoming battle. Despite the curse, Will was fond of his adopted home, he didn't want any more casualties than were absolutely necessary, he'd rather let the enemy pay for his freedom.
Finally, Christina informed him that she had successfully synced the type 97s with the Letzenbourg gear. Although its range was still less than the imperial variant, it could now function at similar altitudes without sacrificing its low-level hovering abilities. All without a significant increase in mana consumption. Will was particularly pleased about this, although to some the double boot variant used in Letzenbourg might have seemed clucky, Will found the opposite to be true. While learning to fly, he never took them off, he avoided walking where he could, just to glide around instead, it had always made him feel like he was ice skating. To him the Imperial gear made him feel awkward and uneven and its utilitarian design seemed to sap the joy from flying.
He thanked them as Tanya approached, still wearing a stern look on her face.
"I've been ordered to support you and keep you, safe colonel," She said doing an impressive job of keeping the annoyance from her voice. He wondered if he should have let her in on some of the details of his plans before now, she clearly wasn't fond of surprises but part of him enjoyed seeing her annoyed expression. She always acted so professionally, it had become a sport to get any reaction out of her, besides he was sure she was secretly impressed with all he'd managed to achieve behind the scenes.
"Thank you Major," He said bowing graciously, "Sophia will fill you in, and I'll brief the battalion in 30 minutes, I need to know how many we can field and I want to be in the air within the hour," He said before turning and striding out with Cristina in tow. He knew this too would infuriate Tanya, as the mission commander he should brief the senior officers himself before addressing the troops. He was tired however and wanted a few moments to himself, he also wanted to change, he wasn't going to liberate Letzenbourg in an Imperial flight suit, it would send the wrong message.
He and Christina reached his rooms and once again he found himself impressed with Christina's efficiency, she had already laid out his new uniform and left a steaming bowl of water and some cleaning supplies in front of the dressing table in the corner of the room. He sat himself in front of the table and splashed some water on his face.
"I'll dress myself Christina, I know you have more than enough to do" he called over to her, "are we all packed?"
"Yes my prince, as you requested I made sure your books would be safe. I would have liked to send them straight home, but they are going via Berlun just in case." She reported and he nodded thankfully, "Is there anything else you need? "He shook his head and she bowed before leaving to prepare herself for the upcoming mission.
Finally, he was alone with his thoughts, he splashed some water on his face again and stared into his reflection in the mirror. He looked almost as tired as he felt, he saw dark shadows framing his green eyes and wondered how long it had been since he last slept. It must have been a day and a half at least and he didn't even know how long it had been since he last slept without nightmares. He picked a silvery hair off his messy blonde mane, was he going grey? He was only 10! Christina must have been right, the stress was getting to him.
He always found looking at his reflection strangely uncomfortable, it was like someone else was staring back at him. He supposed in a way it was true, he wasn't the real Wilhelm von Hozollern he didn't really know who he really was. On top of that, he couldn't even remember his name from his past existence, like so many of his past memories it had been robbed from him by the daily drugging's he'd received as a child. The only memory that stayed in focus was the end and the deal with that devil, and that was the only one he'd prefer to forget. Everything else was cloudy, manifesting themselves as emotions and feelings of bitterness. The only thing he knew for certain was he deserved his reward, he deserved paradise.
That monster had lied to him, he was supposed to be born with wealth and privilege. Instead, he had been born a nameless nobody, it was a fluke that he'd become Prince Wilhelm von Hozollern at all. That thing probably thought it was funny, that he would never reach his goal, but he would have the last laugh. At least by being switched with the real prince, he'd avoided the madness that plagued his adopted family.
He sighed, pushing those thoughts aside he fought against his fatigue, his mana reserves were running low and he felt almost dead on his feet. Willpower wouldn't be enough, he'd need help, carefully he opened a drawer on the dressing table and pulled out a syringe. Christina would be furious if she knew he was taking pervitin again, but what choice did he have? I have to keep going a little longer he told himself as he injected himself with the stimulant. It wouldn't refill his mana, but it would keep him alert and awake at least.
He closed his eyes and let his mind wander as he waited for the injection to kick in. He hadn't expected it to take so long to pay his debt to the monster, especially while being attached to the 203rd. They were Elites, they were already famous for their exploits in Dacia and Norden, he was sure just being around them would help increase the swords tally. But the number rose just as slowly and erratically as usual, and much to his disappointment he still had a long way to go before he'd be free of the curse.
That was why he had seized the opportunity that Arene bought. He'd been certain it would be easily be enough to reach the goal, and he could do it without feeling any guilt for it. They were all going to die anyway, he would just be taking advantage of it, but it had failed and he couldn't understand why. Maybe it was because it wasn't really his doing, they had been following orders after all, even if he'd tried to take responsibility. Or maybe that monster had cheated him again.
He felt his heart begin to beat faster as the combat stim kicked in, he began to feel more energised and his mind seemed to snap back into focus. I better hurry and get ready he thought before quickly washing himself donning his uniform.
He had ordered a new uniform made for the occasion, he would eschew his flight suit for this mission, he was to play the hero as he entered the city and wanted to look the part. The outfit was in the imperial style, including jackboots and riding breeches but had the Letzenbourg black and red with silver trim instead of the drab olive the Imperial uniform sported. It also came with a matching black greatcoat and cap which sported a golden badge with the Letzenbourg lion on it and by his collar he wore the cross of the Order of Hohenzollen with his computation orb hanging beneath it. Overall, he thought he made for quite a dashing figure.
Out of habit he drew his sword and peered at the number again, he wasn't surprised to see that it hadn't changed. He sighed heavily, he would have to decide what to do about Tanya soon.
Despite his teasing and their frequent bickering, Will quite liked Degurechaff. True she could be infuriatingly stubborn and disrespectful to him, but she was intelligent and a worker, that was something he could respect. If the Empire's meritocracy were genuine, she could have been running the military in a few years, unfortunately she had reached the limit of what hard work could achieve, now she would just be used until she dropped. Unless someone like himself were to step in and give her a boost, of course, he would have done it for her too.
He had been following her career since she appeared in the propaganda reels for the silver wings. He'd actually become quite a fan, although he would deny that with every ounce of his being if questioned about it. He'd read her work at the academy and seen her and the 203rd perform maneuvers for the general staff before Dacia, he knew she would be useful.
He also had a lot to thank her for. Her deployment at such a young age had given him the excuse to fight at the front too and her forming of the 203rd paved the way for him to create his own mage wing. In a way, it felt a little like he was riding her coat-tails, but he preferred to think of it as standing on the shoulders of giants, even if she was rather short for one.
She was also undeniably cute, at least when she wasn't wearing a murderous grin or annoyed frown. He didn't think he was especially interested in her in any romantic sort of way, he wasn't sure he felt comfortable enough in his body for anything like that anyway, besides he was far too busy. Although he had noticed his now male body did sometimes make him feel odd around her but that was probably because she had been reincarnated too. Still, he wished he could have gotten her to wear his mother's dress, it wasn't like he could wear anything nice like that anymore, but she seemed to despise wearing anything but her uniform, it was a shame really.
Most surprisingly, it turned out she was a victim of that monster too, what did she call it? Being X? To think, he had thought she was one of the faithful he was supposed to kill, why else did she pray so much? But she couldn't be, could she? Her voice had been filled with so much hatred when she mentioned that thing, he'd actually been afraid of her. It meant he wasn't alone in this strange and foreign existence, if things were different, perhaps they could have been allies.
It's too late for that now He thought with a sigh, he'd made a mistake while recruiting her and she would be the one to pay for it.
"I suppose I'll have to kill her" he saw his reflection murmur with a hint of sadness.
He never should have given her the box, she knew too much now, it would be dangerous to keep her around after this mission. He'd been confident that he could persuade her to let him serve with the 203rd in exchange for the leg up with her career. He was certain she'd be impressed that he'd managed to orchestrate his own rescue by her, and would jump on the chance to be on his team. Instead, she had decided to cling to the idea of the meritocracy and shunned him with suspicion, thinking he needed her more than she needed him.
He'd panicked, he'd been running out of options and excuses to stay at the front. If he was sent back, his brother would kill him, and how would he get enough faithful? He'd stop existing! He drew on the only thing he could think of, something he should have gotten rid of but couldn't bring himself to do. He'd given her something she could destroy him with, and because of that he would have to destroy her first.
I should have just replaced her He thought. He probably could have had that arranged but he always intended leaving the front as soon as he had got what he wanted. He hadn't wanted the hassle of switching her back afterward. Besides if he were honest, he wanted to see what the legendary white silver could do, and he was confident he could keep her on his side. He'd been wrong however and now she'd have to pay for it.
"Do I really have to?" his mirrored counterpart asked. He really didn't want to punish her for his mistake, she had only been covering her own back after all, but while she had the box she would always be a threat to him.
But she won't have the box after today, it'll be buried. She can spread rumours but how much damage could that do without proof? He thought to himself.
"Can I take the risk?" he wondered aloud, maybe he was thinking about this the wrong way. They were comrades of sorts now, Maybe I can still win her over? He thought hopefully before starting towards the door.
I'll try my best to save you Tanya, but if you won't let me… I'll have to make you a martyr.
Xxxxx
First Lieutenant Wiess grimaced as he rubbed his injured shoulder, while he and the Battalion milled around waiting for their briefing. It was unusual for him to be here with the others waiting for orders, usually as the Major's deputy he would be briefed with her before the troops. The Letzenbourg situation was unexpected however and the young prince must have been frantically coming up with some strategy for a swift counteroffensive.
He frowned as a dull ache passed through his wound, the painkillers must have been wearing off, he'd been patched up and bandaged but now the wound was swelling, and the joint felt stiff. Now that the adrenaline rush from combat had receded, he wondered how he'd not noticed the painful injury. There's no way the Major will let me be deployed like this He thought to himself.
They hadn't even needed to be ordered to the briefing hall, the second they had heard about Letzenbourg City they all knew they would be deployed soon. He knew the Major would be pleased with their diligence especially after their earlier mission. It had seemed like a dark cloud had descended on the HQ since they got back, Grantz especially seemed to be struggling. Visha had told him that he and the Major had an altercation, he blamed himself for not being there to prevent it. He had taken Grantz under his wing, and couldn't help but feel responsible for him.
Grantz wasn't the only officer struggling to come to terms with the events of the last mission, it seemed the prince had suffered a meltdown due to it too. Wiess hadn't been there, he'd been injured and was on his way back at the time, but everyone had told him the same thing. The prince had tried to take responsibility for the massacre, he'd apparently felt so guilty about the whole thing he'd declared he was responsible for every death before collapsing into tears. The poor boy had thought he could magically take the guilt away from everyone else by making it his own, all he had really done is break himself. Then to kick him when he was down, his own brother had turned his country against him.
They'd all expected him to be crushed and the Major to order the boy sent back to Berlun to recover, but surprisingly the boy seemed to have bounced back. He was preparing a plan right now to try and save his homeland. Rumour had it that it had been the Major that had pulled him out of his depressed state, but that piece of gossip was also causing its own problems right now.
"Really? On top of him?" Neumann asked Visha in disbelief as she nodded in confirmation.
"Their faces were really close too, we definitely interrupted something." Grantz joined, obviously thankful to have something to distract and keep his mind off things.
"It doesn't mean anything, there's nothing official." chimed Koenig critically.
"You're just saying that because you're about to lose a month's pay." laughed Neumann.
Wiess shifted his feet uncomfortably, he wasn't entirely sure what to do about the rumour situation. He knew he really should clamp down on the speculation, but it had made for a welcome distraction for many of the troops and seemed to be having a positive effect on morale. Major Degurechaff always seemed concerned about the morale of the Battalion, even if the regular gifts from allied units often usually saw them through ok. So, he was tempted to allow it, especially since he looked to be winning something himself soon. On the other hand, if the Major found out there'd be hell to pay.
He noticed Visha had not been joining in, instead, she wore a thoughtful and slightly worried frown in place of her usual sunny demeanor.
"Everything ok?" He asked, he had taken to trying his best to find out any worries of his comrades before they were deployed, he wouldn't forgive himself if any of them got injured for the sake of being distracted by something he could help them with.
"Huh?" Visha jumped out of her reverie. "Ohh, I'm a little worried about the Major," She said quietly. The others looked at her expectantly and Wiess saw her blush a little at the unexpected attention.
"It's just erm…. Well the position we found them in was a little unladylike…..and you know how she can be…..and well she was brought up by nuns…..what if she ends up embarrassing herself?" She eventually managed.
The officers looked at each other as the mirth disappeared from their faces. Visha was right this could be serious. It was often easy to forget that the Major was just a child, she was so mature for her age in certain regards that nobody in the Battalion really thought of her as one. However, the majority of her upbringing had been with the Nuns of the orphanage she grew up in or the military, neither were known to teach social etiquette when it came to romance, it was usually very much discouraged.
She was now reaching the age where she would start showing that kind of interest, and although younger, the prince too was too. Additionally, the Major was the sort to aggressively pursue her wants and goals, and she could be very direct. There was a very real risk, she could end up doing something that could cause herself serious embarrassment, especially if the target of her attraction was indeed the prince. The potential social faux pas could be disastrous for her. Nobody wanted to see that happen to their commander.
"I see, this is indeed serious," Began Wiess slowly, "Maybe you should have a quiet word with her?"
"Me?!" Visha squeaked, looking as though she'd been ordered to skip through a minefield. "Couldn't we maybe do it together?" She added hopefully but before he could answer their commanding officer strode into the room and called Wiess and Serebryakov over into a nearby room.
As expected Wiess found himself grounded, he was glad the Major cared for her troops but was still frustrated he wouldn't be fighting alongside them. She questioned him on the injuries to the individual companies while Visha took notes. Between the two of them managed to reorganize the Battalion so that no company was severely depleted. Eventually, the Major stopped and stared at them both.
"Is there a reason you're both looking at me like that?" She said with mild annoyance, before he could apologise Visha cut in.
"Lieutenant Wiess and I thought we should ask you about what happened earlier in the chapel, Ma'am!" She stated saluting nervously. Wiess felt his mouth go dry, why did she ask about this now? A thousand potential scenarios rushed through his head about the upcoming conversation, none of them were good.
"Ah, I see how that might have caused some confusion," the Major said calmly, "I'm afraid I had no other choice, the colonel had gotten a little over-excited."
This was not in any of the scenarios he had envisioned, he turned and saw Visha was as surprised as he was and she was wearing a slight blush.
"I suppose you think I was a little rough? I assure you it was entirely necessary." The major continued while Wiess and Visha struggled to process this information. They hadn't expected anyone bought up by Nuns to be quite so ...brazen.
"Well Ma'am, it was perhaps…" He began trying to regain some initiative.
"I admit I did lose control of myself for a moment," she admitted thoughtfully to herself and Wiess began praying for some way to get out of this conversation.
"I appreciate your candor. I'm not used to dealing with that sort of thing, do you think I should ask the medical staff for advice?" The major asked earnestly.
"YES!" Both officers exclaimed obviously glad to pass this entire situation on to someone else. The major however stared at the two with a confused look. Fortunately, there was a knock on the door, the briefing was about to start.
Authors Notes
Hi All and as always thank you for reading.
Finally, we have a proper prince POV! (I'm not sure how much the last chapter counts lol) it's nice to finally get him on the page. I had a lot I needed to cram in of his thoughts and even then, I left some of it out for now as there's already quite a lot there and I was already worried I was dumping a bit too much in one go. I decided he should think of himself as Will because literally nobody else does.
I had initially planned to make the both Tanya and the prince loathe each other throughout the story but I decided it made sense for the prince to like Tanya a bit at least. Tanya still hates him though lol.
Speaking of Tanya, I think this is the first chapter with no Tanya POV at all. Don't worry she'll be back soon, it's her franchise after all, I just needed to get some of the prince's stuff sorted to get some more plot going and add a bit more drama. I ended the chapter where I did because it seemed natural here.
I'm hoping the bit at the end makes up for her not being around too much this chapter. I'm having a lot of fun writing the battalion thinking they are getting together, even more so when Tanya is accidentally helping the misunderstanding.
The next few chapters I might have to put more POV's in than I would like. Generally, I prefer to have no more than 2 as I don't want to break the flow too much(not including Andrew or the other bits I like to put as little introductions). But I'll have a lot I need to bring together so if it starts getting too disjointed, you'll have to tell me.
Thank you as always
Xanen