Alderian End

A lieutenant paces around a group of five recruits as the sun rises over a lush field. He stops when satisfied with his assessment of the fresh meat. A cold, hard stare gazes over the hills towards a river far off in the distance. He gestures towards it. “Do you know where we are?”   An eager recruit blurts out:   “The Exhalted river, sir!”   “No shit. I meant where we are.”   The recruits glance around, confused. An exasperated sigh escaped from the Lieutenant’s lips.   “To the river and back.”   “Sir, I—“   “NOW.”   They scramble to their feet and shoo off.   “And when you get back, I expect a better answer then the damn near most obvious land mark in the bloody province! exhalted river… gilded fucking feathers, these ones.”   The sun cycles on. Five exhausted recruits nearly fall to the Lieutenant’s feet. He patiently waits, cross-legged and whittling a large tree branch into a pointed spear.   “I don’t like being kept waiting.”   A recruit speaks up, choking out his words through heavy breaths.   “The… Battle of… the Southern… Pines…”   “And don’t you damn forget it.”   The Lieutenant slams the spear into the ground.   “It is where we stand that three Elondian prisoners of war, only recently having escaped their bondage, found and captured William Rickart, do you know who. That. Is?   “The brother of King Cecil of Alderia.”   “Good. It seems you aren’t the only things that’s been jogged.”   He leans on the impaled spear. Recollection flashes across his hardened eyes.   “That operation was undoubtedly what ended the war. If those soldier’s hadn’t brought in old Will, we’d still be tossing naïve egg-lickers like you out at the Alderians, hoping, pleading to Aquila herself that ground would be gained. But here we are. Still pleading to Aquila, and not some egotistical maniac sitting on a throne of self-righteousness.”   The recruits fall silent. After a long while, one gathers the courage to speak.   “Sir Bailin… was it you?”   No response. The Lieutenant sighs and stands.   “Come on. We’ve got some exersizes to go over.”   With that, the group departs.