Okii dokii chapter 2. :) Not as good as i'd hoped, but I guess we're just seeing where this goes. :P
I had finished my meal within half an hour and decided to explore the stone castle a little, giving my soldiers some time to themselves. If I wanted them to relax around me, I would have to work with them, not around them.
While walking around the stone structure, I thought on what formations I would be testing out with the recruits, attempting to find ways of helping at least some of them to be near those that they work best with. At that moment, though I only knew who Hector, Zed and Noah worked well with, or so they told me. What kind of name even is Zed anyway? All, well, most of the Benedicts seem to have odd names.
After finding a room that seemed to function as a meeting hall, the throne room holding a huge wooden throne with a glorious black stone set in the top and finding myself back at the Kitchens that I had discovered earlier that day, I made the decision to head out to the field that I had told the others to meet me in, having seen it on the way in to the castle itself.
As I walked out of the wide open doors leading to the field, I found my troop in a completely different order than they had been in the courtyard. All I could do was shake my head and move forward to stand at the head of them.
"Alright troop. This is what we're going to do. I want you to organise yourselves." I saw the slight confusion on a couple of their faces. "Not into a formation. No. Into your own groups. Who you work best with. Who you know you can better protect the backs of. Do you understand me?" I said, quieter than I had done that morning, and a moment later the chorus of 'Yes Ma'am' echoed through the empty field, though it seemed as though no-one knew what to do. "Good. But right now. Helmets... Off." The recruits each removed their helmets, granted a little slower than they had done that morning, but they still obeyed.
I sighed quietly, stepping up to a young blonde girl in the front. The smallest of the group it would seem. I pressed my fingers to my forehead, aiming my question at the girl. "You haven't been trained with those you know you work best with... have you?" I asked her, noting that she seemed to consider the words carefully before answering.
"No... Ma'am. We haven't." I knew it. The king would have simply wanted them as a troop, to work inside an army, not together as a unit.
I shook my head and stepped back, thinking for a moment, before dropping my hand and shrugging out my shoulders, facing everyone. "Ok, from now on, things will be slightly different in this troop. I said this morning you will train every day. You will train with those you are most comfortable fighting with, mastering every possibility as quickly as possible. Oh and you will only wear your helmets when you are training, always carrying them under your arms, not on your head, while you stand in formation. OK?" I saw nods from most of the group and sighed slightly. This would take longer than I thought. "Your training with me begins tomorrow. 8:00AM. Here, on this field. If you have a weapon you are specially trained in, you will bring it with you to every training session, do I make myself clear?"
"Sir, yes,sir!" The shout was loud and clear and very well rehearsed for a beginners troop.
"Oh, and another thing. None of this 'Ma'am', or 'Captain' business. Unless we are to do some kind of performance thing, my name is Alex. Or Mane, if you can't manage that. For now, we are going to work on who you all work best with... Jane!" the young girl stepped forward, though I had forgotten her first name. Veto or something...
"Do you know who among you you work best with?" I asked her, my voice returning to a more quiet voice that shouldn't ricochet off the stone of the castle.
"No Ma'..." I guess she saw my look at her beginning to say 'Ma'am', as she stopped a moment. "... Alex."
I nodded to her and she stepped back into formation easily and smoothly. "Very well. We can work on that." I smiled to her, though didn't recieve one in return. I thought for a moment and found that I couldn't see everyone from my place. Namely because most of the people in front of me were larger and taller than me by a large portion. "I want you all in one line guys, please. That would make things a lot easier since none of you are willing to relax."
Immediately they started moving, each person gracefully finding their place in such a rehearsed line I wondered if they had any actual weapons training, or if this troop was all just for show.
"Good. Now..." I tried to remember the list I was given. Usually I was quite good at remembering names but, for some reason, a number of the names of the soldiers stood in front of me, seemed to escape my attention. I sighed and pointed to the closest person. "You. Will you please run to the courtyard and retrieve the clipboard I had this morning?" It was a question, but I recieved an 'Of course Captain', and he ran off before I even had a chance to respond.
I shook my head and turned back to the 33 people lined up, only 8 of whom, I remembered the names of. I sighed slightly again and recited the names, each person on my list stepping forward at the sound of their names being called. "Hector Delos. Noah Czerny. Zed Benedict. Orion Evander. Diamond Benedict. Phoenix Benedict. Helen Hamilton. Claire Aoki. Step forward please." The 8 of them took a minute step forward but it was enough to notice, and I turned at the sound of footsteps behind me, finding the boy I had sent in for the clipboard, easily striding towards me, hand out in offering of the clipboard itself.
I took it from him, thanking the boy, confused as his face betrayed shock. "Thank you. What is your name again?" I asked him, my only thought being 'were these people never thanked in their training before?'.
"Aedion Ashryver, Miss Mane." His eyes flashed oddly at me and I had to frown. Clearly someone had an ego that just didn't dent.
"Well thank you Aedion." I looked down to the clipboard, another task on my list of getting that one's ego in check. I skimmed down the list quickly, highlighting some names in my head before turning to the 8 already stood forward. I waved for Aedion to return to his place which he did obediently. "Ok, lets start with Hector. You know who you work well with yes?" He nodded once. "Good. Lucas and Jason right?" Again, he nodded once in response. I turned to the others. "Lucas! Jason! Step forward." The two did so, almost convincing me of their stoic faces, though I could see their confusion breaking through the facade. "Hector, stand over there with your.. brothers?" I looked to him, finding a small shake of his head.
"No. Lucas is my cousin. Jason is my brother."
"Very well, Hector, Jason, Lucas, stand over there." I gestured out with my right hand, signalling for them to stand around 10 feet away from the line. They did so and made the line just that little bit smaller. "Now then." I moved over to where I knew Helen and Claire to be standing. "You two. You work.. well, with your partners and their family?" The nods were simultaneous and I gestured out to signal them to join the Delos boys, to which they complied with no fuss.
Moving over to the other man that I remembered had a link with the Delos', I stood in front of him, not missing the smirk that graced his features. "Name?"
His smirk disappeared as he responded. "Orion Evander... Alex."
Sorting out the groups was difficult. Some of my troop just wouldn't co-operate, though I did discover some traits about some members of my group that may be difficult to overcome.
There was one incredibly shy member of our 'squad' as Cassia... Reyes had called it. Sky Bright. Interesting name, but the girl comes out of her shell when around her boyfriend, Zed Benedict.
The amount of incredible flirts in the group was odd. Aedion Ashryver, as I had noticed immediately as he retrieved the clipboard for me, was a huge flirt, as was Xavier Benedict, though he fell under some sort of spell whenever Crystal was with him. Their bond was sweet. Orion Evander proved to be an odd one though, as did Hector Delos as the two of them seemed to be everywhere I looked, each an incredible flirt at every opportunity, shocking me, as I thought the two of them to be dedicated to the troop. Another that shocked his group by joining the 'flirts' as I had deemed them for the moment, was Ronan Lynch, who seemed to be the worst of the lot, though it was one huge competition between 4 of them.
Clearly I found that there was more to these recruits than meets the eye.
After a couple of hours of moving people about and finding weapon specialties and combat methods that worked together, there were 5 groups of people, though within these, tthere were other subgroups that worked well with one another too.
Group 1 -
Hector Delos
Jason Delos
Lucas Delos
Helen Hamilton
Claire Aoki
Orion Evander
Group 2 -
Zed Benedict
Yves Benedict
Xavier Benedict
Will Benedict
Uriel Benedict
Victor Benedict
Trace Benedict
Phoneix Benedict
Diamond Benedict
Crystal Brooks
Sky Bright
Group 3 -
Celaena Sardothien
Dorian Haviliard
Tristan Corey
Lily Proctor
Vega Jane
Rowan Whitethorn
Aedion Ashryver
Group 4 -
Noah Czerny
Richard Gansey III
Ronan Lynch
Adam Parrish
Blue Sargent
Chaol Westfall
Group 5 -
Xander Carrow
Cassia Reyes
Ky Markham
Indie Holt
These groups were mainly organised by the people in them, only minutely helped by my slight input every now and again to get someone to tell me who they worked well with or who they didn't like working with.
Within each group however, there was a mystery behind at least one of the people in it. Group 1, most of the group seemed to be physically stronger than the entire troop itself, as I had everyone testing their strength on fallen logs in the woods surrounding the field. Group 2, the bonds between partners (Zed + Sky, Trace + Diamond, Xavier ((who preferred Xav, apparently)) + Crystal, Yves + Phoenix) was oddly strong. I could tell there was something odd when none of them spoke to their partners what-so-ever, though each knew what the other was thinking it seemed. Group 3, almost the entire group seemed like they were hiding something, but were content to hide it within the group, talking amongst themselves quietly, though quietening their speech whenever they so obviously mentioned anyone else. Group 4, most of the group seemed to be some form of recluse, though Ronan, Gansey, Blue and Adam worked as a team, though Chaol seemed like the odd one out and was spending some time standing looking fairly longingly at group 3. Group 5, were obviously hiding something, though they seemed fearful of something around them, as they kept looking towards the woods, as though something were coming to get them perhaps?
so there we go, I guess. :)