The Silvermane Commander's Adjutant
[TWOSHOT]
So... I had this sudden idea out of nowhere while I was listening to songs and I just couldn't get it out of my head. It is day three of this so far, and I am literally tortured awake at night just because I get so excited to write it down. The simple idea of this self-indulgent mess of a fanfiction is so strong that it literally ruins my sleep schedule. Well, I guess I have an excuse to practice writing in first person now. Hehe
The night was cold, as were most nights in Belobog. To conserve Geomarrow supplies, most of the heaters that usually kept the streets at a tolerable temperature were turned down. If you wanted to travel at night and didn't want your blood to freeze, you had to either have sufficiently thick clothing or a personal heater and as of right now, I had neither.
Well... at least not in the conventional sense. With how flushed my cheeks were, I certainly qualified as a personal heater, and that wasn't even counting the incredibly inebriated commander of the Silvermane Guards that I was giving a piggyback ride, her... ample chest pressed up against my back. I could feel every breath, every groan every movement of the...
Nope, I'm just not going to continue with that line of thought. What would come out of that... wouldn't be good for the both of us.
I take a deep breath, turning the corner as Quiploth Fort enters my sight. Just a bit more thinking about the Geomarrow supply chain and I should be able to get through this without dying inside.
By the Aeons, what in the Imaginary Tree did I do to end up in this situation?
...
Oh right
This is technically my fault isn't it?
A few system hours ago
Quiploth Fort, Belobog
It was a surprisingly fair weathered day within Belobog. The sun was shining, the birds would be singing if any survived the Eternal Freeze and all seemed good in the world. Well... for the people within the Administrative District at least. I'm pretty sure that the guardsmen defending against another Fragmentum wave didn't share the same sentiment.
Looking out the window reveals to me that the children are playing in the street and a lot of the citizens are out to enjoy the relatively rare day of clear sunlight. While I would love to join them, I have much more important matters to attend to.
Arriving at my destination, I knock on the great wooden door that separates outside from in, before gently opening it to reveal the office inside. Great stone walls greet me adorned with various banners of different Silvermane Guard regiments, with the room itself being dotted with furniture such as bookshelves and a great fireplace by one of the walls, with the most notable piece of furniture being a comically large stone-carved office table engraved with the coat-of arms of the Silvermane Guard.
Of course, the giant granite table isn't the reason why I'm here...
Working on said table is a woman with flowing silver hair and deep grey eyes, wearing the dress uniform for the Silvermane Guards, albeit without her medals attached. She holds a regal aura befitting of her status, and as she smiles warmly at my presence, my heart can't help but skip a beat.
Her name is Bronya Rand, daughter of the Supreme Guardian of Belobog and the Commander of the Silvermane Guard
And I, Albrecht Venetto am her personal adjutant.
...
After entering Bronya's office, I ball up my hand into a fist and put it on my chest, as is protocol when saluting a superior officer. She chuckles at the gesture, before responding to my little show of respect.
"You really don't have to do that when its just the two of us, Albrecht" she says, her voice as comforting as ever "Come on, have a seat"
At her request, I walk towards her workspace in order to take a seat in front of her table, taking a deep breath as I do.
"So, why did you call me here Bronya?" I ask, putting on my best smile "Did you miss me already?"
"I called you here in order to ask your opinions on which regiments should we prioritize for the upcoming offensive into the old Commercial District" she replied, a sense of formality returning to her voice "Though, there were some personal reasons as well"
There were some personal reasons as well
Shut up Albrecht overthinking is not good for the brain. Or for the heart for that matter.
Pushing that thought to the deepest recesses of my brain, I stand up from my chair and grab a map of the entirety of Belobog from one of her shelves.
"Well then, why don't we start, Supreme Commander~"
Bronya sighed, before deciding to entertain my antics.
"As you say, my adjutant~"
...
I think my heart skipped a beat again
What followed was a very long winded discussion about military logistics.
While most people found the subject boring, the adage that an army fought on its stomach was true in any day and age, especially in an era where the amount of arable land in the entirety of Belobog basically equated to the amount of dirt bags that the Eversummer Florist had in stock that day. Food was probably Belobog's most limiting factor when it came to reclaiming the city, as the Guard had more than enough ammunition to throw at the Fragmentum and despite the closing down of the Furnace core cutting Geomarrow supplies in half, the titanic stock that had been accumulated over the decades was enough to last a while. Keeping the average guardsmen fed and battle ready was another matter entirety, complicated by the fact that diverting food supplies towards the Guard meant that the civilians would be getting even less food that what was already being rationed out.
Eventually, we decided to put the topic on hold in order to ask counsel from the commanders on the front. Messing with supply lines without consulting the boots on the ground could only end in defeat.
So naturally, the topic drifted towards other non-work related matters.
"Hey Albrecht" Bronya asked, her voice echoing throughout the room "Is there anything you think I could do to be a better commander?"
"Hm? Why do you ask?" I replied
"I am the Commander of the Silvermane Guard, and it's not good to be complacent" she said, a sense of conviction taking over her voice "I need to prove myself that I'm worthy of the position. Not to mention, one day I'll be the Supreme Guardian and when that day comes, I don't want to be caught wanting.
You really are cute when you're so determined, Bronya. It seems that I have a lot of catching up to do still.
"Well..." I ponder, trying to legitimately think what she lacked as a leader. She was always at the top of our class when it came towards our strategy and tactics courses back in the Academy, and when it came to military logistics she was behind only myself. When we were separated into squads, she was always the person our classmates rallied behind, her charismatic and strong demeanor leading us towards victory in multiple simulated combat exercises.
But despite this... there was always one chink in her armor.
Her relatability
"Its hard to find any flaws in your leadership if I'm being honest" I spoke "But if there's one aspect I have to say that you're lacking in, its that you're not very... relatable I guess?"
Bronya raised her eyebrows, seemingly interested in what I had to say "Come again?"
"I mean, when the Guard hear the name 'Bronya Rand', they think of the great princess-commander who leads them towards their victory. A legendary angel who swoops down, takes command, cares for her troops and lifts spirits through her wit, intelligence and beauty"
Bronya cleared her throat in order to get my attention "Do the common troops really think of me like that?"
Dodging her question, I continued my train of thought "But whenever we go on campaign and there's some downtime, I notice that instead of socializing with the rest of the Guard, you're usually back at your command tent reading a book or something. Among the common troops, despite your popularity you kind of have this... untouchable reputation I guess?"
Bronya took a deep breath and rubbed her chin "Really... then what do you think I can do to fix that"
"I don't know. You could try to going out to a bar and drinking" I joked
I looked over to Bronya, and instead of the usual chuckle she would do when I was obviously joking, she instead looked... intrigued
"I heard that it's a popular pastime among the troops to drink liquor with friends" she pondered "I think its a good first step, don't you think?"
"Problem is, I don;t think you take to alcohol all to well" I advised "Remember a couple of years ago when my mom allowed us to try a bit of Rahzvlod and you were drunk after the first glass?"
Bronya's face lit up with a slight tinge of red as she remembered the much joked-about 'incident'. "Yeah... you had to carry me all the way to Quiploth Fort after that, and my mother got really mad at the both of us..."
"Fun times don't you think" I reminisced "Sometimes, I miss being in the Academy. Some of the best years of my life really"
"Feeling sentimental are we?" Bronya said "If that's the case, then why don't we have a drink tonight at a bar? Just the two of us for now... for practice!"
"Sure" I replied, still absent minded from reminiscing the past "I'd love to"
Snapping me back to reality was the loud noise of a certain very popular Belobogian rock song from a certain former Architect. Instinctively, my had dived into my pocket, swiped left to answer the call and put it up to my ear.
"Hello Albrecht, this is Gepard. Can we talk at the Restricted Zone for a bit? It will be quick"
"No worries Geppie" I replied "I'll be there in 10"
Putting down the phone, I looked back towards Bronya who was once again, fidgeting with some paperwork she had on the table. She looked back at me, gave another warm smile and spoke.
"If Gepard wants to talk with you in person that badly, then I won't keep you here for much longer. Just don't forget to meet me at the front of Quiploth Fort tonight okay?'
"No worries Bronya, I won't forget"
Especially since its you
After I said my goodbyes to Bronya, I closed the door towards her office and began the trek towards one of the nearby elevators. Which was when I was hit by a sudden realization.
Did I just get invited on a date?
No... overthinking is bad for the brain. Or for the heart for that matter.
But just in case... I sent a message to Serval.
[Hey Serval, do you have any fashion advice?]
This was going to be a one-shot, but I decided to split it into two because if I didn't release a part today this idea would torment me for another night and I would once again get no sleep. I have... so many ideas for this stuff (wayy more than a twoshot actually) so depending on how well this little two shot goes I might expand it towards a whole ass series.
Also, as I mentioned the secondary purpose of this fic is to help me practice writing in first person because the first fic I ever published was in first person and it sucked majorly. If anyone has some advice in that regard, I would 100 percent appreciate it because I got REALLY sloppy at the end there because I wrote this all in one sitting (aside from that opening) and it shows lol
next part will be a bit more polished I promise
-twocubed