A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  Grunting, Sain reached for his pants and tugged them on as he hopped and hobbled after the major. Coming into the common room, he saw it was empty, apart from a few people passed out on some tables, their heads hidden by the various bottles and glasses that had previously been filled with various sorts of alcohol. Doing up his belt, which was conveniently still in his pants, Sain looked at the Major, who was casually stretching as if he was getting ready for some serious exercise.

  Travos turned and looked at Sain, eyeing up the youth. He would have seen a disheveled youth, with bed hair, a stained singlet, military issue trousers and bare feet. He grinned at Sain then nodded at the youth's feet.

  "Get some shoes on lad, then meet me out front" he said, gesturing to the back of the common room where Sain could see the vague outline of a double door.

  Nodding, Sain went back to his room and sat on his bed pulling on some socks with holes around the toes. He then reached for his only pair of foot wear, his military boots, and pulled them on, lacing them with quick and practiced movements.

  Standing, he returned to the common room and headed for the doors, noticing they were now ajar. He exited through them and saw a movement out of the corner of his right eye. On instinct, he ducked and then dashed forward, and bringing his hands up before him he pulled on his magic ready to attack the threat.

  "No magic" came the shout from his attacker as a heavy fist split the air where Sain’s head had been only moments ago.

  "Defend yourself with your fists" came the order.

  Sain stood up and recognized the voice and frame of Travos in the poor morning light, who resolutely advanced on the youth, his fists raised in a boxer's stance.

  Sain recalled his physical lessons from the recruit training. His martial lessons had only been basic, and he knew next to nothing of fighting hand to hand. But regardless, he took up the stance he had been taught, his left hand open and level with his left eye, about thirty centimeters in front, and his right hand close to his chin, level with his nose. And as soon as Travos saw Sain take a stance, he struck.

  The Major moved in fast, faster than what Sain though a man of his size should be capable of. The major let loose a series of fast jabs aimed at Sain’s head and the youth jumped backwards reflexively and moved to his left to avoid the blows.

  Travos let loose a right handed straight, which Sain could not avoid completely so he jumped back, the blow thumping his collarbone. Travos followed up with a short jump and a straight front kick to Sain’s midsection, the jump covering the distance between them with ease. The kick collided with Sain and pushed him backwards. Sain fell over backwards and grunted as he landed squarely on is ass. There had been no force in the kick. It was simply a push but the weight behind Travos meant the blow still hurt.

  Recovering his footing, Travos stood over the youth and looked down at him.

  "You avoid well enough, but if I strike with my left hand, do not move to avoid by going to your left, because you then move into the attack zone of my right side. Whenever you avoid, go to the outside of my strike, because I then have to turn to follow you, instead of letting you walk into my strike" Travos stated as he reached down and grabbed Sain by the shoulders. With evident ease the Major pulled Sain to his feet and patted his shoulder, dusting him off.

  "Now follow me, and if you can't keep up, catch up" Travos stated emotionlessly before turning and jogging away.

  Sain sucked in a deep breath and followed, breaking into a light jog after the Major, who suddenly sped up and sprinted for ten seconds before slowing down. Sain followed his example and kept just behind him, and after jogging for about a minute, Travos sprinted again, stopping after ten seconds. Slowing to a jog once again, Travos turned the corner of the building sharply and Sain followed, and as he did, he sensed a strike and ducked again, but instead gasped as a strong roundhouse kick collided with his stomach. Sain fell to the ground winded, gasping for breath as his hands instinctively went to clutch where he had been hit.

  "Always check your corners lad, and take them wide when you can. Now, get up and follow" the man grunted, before turning and jogging away once again.

  Sain struggled to his feet and stumbled after the Samite officer whilst he sucked in a few wheezy breaths. Before long he was recovered and he sprinted a short distance, catching up to Travos as the man once more alternated between jogging and sprinting. Sain eventually got the timing down as he counted in his head. They would jog for fifty seconds, and then break into a hard sprint for ten, and whenever they turned a corner, Sain could expect an ambush from the Major, followed by some sort of advice.

  Before long, Sain was struggling to keep up as sweat poured down his body, soaking his hair and clothes, the distance between him and the Major gradually getting bigger and bigger. It got to the point where the major waited patiently at each corner for Sain to catch up before ambushing the youth every time.

  Sain came upon the next corner after losing sight of his superior some minutes before and as he stumbled to the corner, he took it wide, barely thinking. Just as he had been previously, the major was waiting for the youth and upon seeing Sain go wide, Travos leapt at him and to the youth's surprise, grabbed him. Travos spun, his hands on Sain’s clothes, and gripping him, Travos threw the youth onto a nearby patch of grass and then leapt on him, quickly entangling the smaller youth into a complicated arm lock.

  Sain cried out and tried to wriggle out of it but Travos slapped his head hard three times in quick succession. Dazed, Sain slumped down, half conscious. He felt his arm released and after a few moments or minutes an icy feeling erupted over his body as it was splashed with cold water.

  Snapping awake, Sain looked up at the major who was standing above him with a bucket and a grin painted across his face.

  "Well lad, you have successfully completed one lap of the circuit, we are back at the barracks now" Travos stated with a slight grin on his face.

  Sain looked about him, and noticed that they were indeed back, and he was sprawled out on the patch of grass just outside the double doors of the common room. He had not even noticed the grass earlier, but it was now evident in the late morning light.

  "You survived the initiation for now. But just know that you and I are going to do that every morning of every weekday until I am satisfied you won't be a burden. The ideal amount is five laps, so do that and you will be well on your way to success" the major said barely out of breath himself. The only evidence of his exertion a light sheen of sweat on his mahogany skin.

  Sain dropped his head back onto the grass and just lay there as his breath came back to him and he felt himself recovering quickly. As he lay there, he simply grunted to show his acknowledgement.

  Travos laughed and placed the bucket next to a nearby tap before leaning against the wall.

  "After the circuit, the rest of the morning is yours to do with as you wish, at midday you will come to the shooting range every week day and hone your skills with firearms. In the afternoon, you will have magic practice with the rest of the platoon, as everyone under my command is a mage and we need to practice regular. Every Friday we will do group training exercises. They could be jumps, building assaults or mock battles with other units. Occasionally there will be a large-scale training scenario. But you will know about those weeks in advance. Am I understood?" the major asked of his tired subordinate.

  "Yeah, I got it, I will do my best then" Sain muttered, his Gestonian accent seeming to make it somewhat hard for Travos to understand. The Major laughed a final time before walking over and hauling the youth to his feet.

  "Well, that is good, now, go have a shower you sweaty, stinky bastard" he said with a grin as he brushed some grass off of Sain’s shoulders.

  Chapter 5

  * * *

  The only sound she could hear was that of Bradley's breathing as he slept. There was nothing else, not even the sound of maid's in the halls, or servants bustling about their duties in the courtyards below. She couldn't even hear the birds
outside. It was just near complete silence. Celeste just stared ahead of her as she lay on her side in the bed she shared with her husband, Prince Bradley.

  Letting out a low sigh, she pushed herself up and slid her legs off of the bed, wincing as a stab of pain ran through her lower body. She let out a shaky breath as the pain slowly subsided, only to be replaced with a slight ache. Bradley was not exactly as attentive to her as he could be in her opinion.

  Standing up, Celeste waited for her eyes to adjust to the gloom of the early morning, before making her way over to the balcony that looked out over the mansion's courtyard and quietly opened the shutter-like doors that led onto it. On the balcony sat a small table, flanked by two elegant wooden chairs, and topped with a vase of flowers. Leaning over the flowers, Celeste gave them a sniff and smiled at the pleasant aroma before casting her gaze out over the balcony and the courtyard below.

  She could see the roof of the building on the other side of the courtyard, and above it the subtle orange glow of the rising sun lighting up the horizon. Celeste smiled softly before moving to the balcony balustrade and leaning over it, resting her elbows on it and cupping her chin. She just stayed silent as she watched the sun rise, a slight breeze swaying her night dress and loose hair about her slim frame.

  As the minutes drifted by, Celeste stayed were she was, watching the sun rise higher still, it’s warm glow now washing over her and setting her skin tingling rather pleasantly.

  Hearing the bed creak back in the bedroom suddenly, Celeste tensed a little. Footsteps sounded not long after and she swallowed nervously, hearing those footsteps come closer and then feeling hands wrap around her waist. Then she felt Bradley's stubble covered cheek scratch against hers, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder.

  "Good morning dear" Celeste stated and lifted a hand to brush against Bradley's cheek. She felt the muscles of his face move, but did not know what expression he made.

  "Are you with child yet?" Bradley asked as he cupped a hand over Celeste's belly. She felt a shudder of fear run through her and she quickly focused her thoughts on a response, willing the feeling away.

  "I do not think so husband. These things cannot be rushed" she replied, trying to be somewhat elusive and vague. She knew she was not with child, but did not think an outright no would please Bradley.

  Feeling his hands leave her body she turned her head somewhat and watched him slip away, vanishing from her vision. She turned completely and watched his retreating back as he went further into their room, realizing he was still naked. She twisted her mouth in a wry smile. She could admit he was a handsome man, and that he had a certain, powerful and confident allure. And yet, he also possessed an extremely cruel and dismissive nature. Perhaps they were also in a way, alluring features of his as well.

  "Well, while that is true, the sooner the better. With all my siblings childless and only Louis married, the sooner I sire a legitimate heir, the stronger my claim to the throne will be" Bradley stated as he opened a wardrobe and pulled out a clean towel before disappearing into his bathroom. She let out a sigh and moved inside as well, heading to a door a few meters to the side of the balcony along the left wall of the bedroom. She pushed it open and walked into the general quarters, a sort of living room that she and Bradley shared. There were two large desks, facing a large long window that spanned the entire room, its blinds currently drawn.

  The desks made up both hers and Bradley’s work space, complete with computers, desk phones and a variety of other equipment. Strewn around the room were various luxurious couches, tables and book cases, the latter practically packed to the brim with all sorts of books. Seeing a small table near the main door had a new bowl of fruit upon it, Celeste smiled and made her way to it, picking up a bright red apple.

  Biting into the fruit, Celeste munched as she made her way over to her desk and picked up her desk phone, hitting one of the preprogramed numbers. It had barely rung out twice before it was picked up and a young, chipper feminine voice answered the call.

  "Good morning your majesty, this is Cheryl speaking, how may I be of service?" came the voice and Celeste smiled a little, Cheryl’s enthusiasm a little infectious. She remembered the girl who was a slight, short bundle of joy with white blonde hair. The woman had been assigned to Celeste as an assistant in her personal life when she had married into Bradley's family.

  "Good morning Cheryl. Could you please notify the chef that the prince and I will take our breakfast in the eastern gazebo this morning. And please send my maids up to my dressing room" Celeste stated and took another bite from her apple.

  "Yes, right away my lady" Cheryl stated and Celeste smiled before hanging up the phone. She placed the half eaten apple down on her desk, knowing the servants would clean it up and instead made her way back into the bedroom, and then to her attached bathroom. She heard Bradley still in his own bathroom, the sound of the shower loud. Stripping out of her night dress she stepped into her own shower and turned it on. The bathroom quickly filled with steam as she washed herself over, her mind adrift with many thoughts.

  Before long Celeste was done and she stepped out of the shower, grabbing a towel from a cupboard on the wall. Drying herself off, she made her way to the second door in her bathroom. Whilst the other one led to her bedroom, this one led to her dressing room, and as she entered this room, she found four maids patiently waiting for her. She smiled at them as they erupted into action.

  They set about dressing her in an assortment of fine clothes, applying makeup, combing her hair and styling it into an elaborate bun. They tutted and muttered as Celeste stood there, the complete center of their attention. Looking to the other end of the room, she saw another door open, this one leading into a hallway that attached to Bradley's own dressing room, and then back to the main living room.

  Seeing a blonde head bobbing up and down Celeste smiled as Cheryl came into the room, dressed in a somewhat tomboyish fashion. The small woman had her own hair fashioned into a long neat plait, and was dressed in a black pin stripe suit, trousers included.

  "Hello Cheryl. I take it you have my itinerary for the day?" Celeste asked, her face impassive as her maids applied makeup to her face.

  "I do milady" Cheryl replied enthusiastically and from behind her back she produced a large diary.

  "After your morning meal, you will have a social visit with Earl Rosleth. He wishes to present you with gifts as he was unable to attend your wedding ceremony. Then there will a video meeting with Admiral’s Becker and Cuttilan. I have been told they seek guidance on deployment options along the Areis Straight. After this, you have a lunch with Prince Bradley, and the Duke and Duchess of North Ostia. After lunch milady, you have nothing further for the day. You may use this time to attend to affairs of your own military command" Cheryl stated and then snapped the diary shut in a single fluid motion.

  Celeste groaned inwardly at the work. She supposed Earl Rosleth would be the trickier of the meetings, and it had no doubt been palmed off to her by Bradley. After all, Rosleth had not missed the wedding. He simply had not been invited. She wondered how she could explain that to a noble that was supposedly a direct subordinate of her husband, as out of favor that he may be. She certainly did not relish the conversation she envisioned.

  * * *

  Rella pursed her lips as she stood in front of the mirror and let her mother fuss over her. Whenever she returned to the home, she always had to endure her mother's attentions. The woman who constantly tried to hide her daughters tomboyish look by decking her out in an assortment of dresses and gowns. Even now, Lady Stella Sader made an array of noises one could expect to hear in a zoo as she zipped about Rella inspecting the pale blue gown she had forced her daughter to try on.

  "I say, the color does go well with your hair, and it really sets off the color of your eyes, I don't know why you didn't wear this one when you attended the Princes ball" Stella Sader murmured softly as she reached out and tugged on the sleeves of the gown somewhat, pulling it down over her
daughter’s elbows.

  "Because mother, you only bought this one yesterday" Rella replied and then sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

  "Oh really? I do lose track of things sometimes" Stella said brightly, quite unshaken.

  "So, what did you think of Lord Housen? He is a fine young man isn’t he? And his family is quite wealthy, and for an eldest son, he is unmarried. He would be quite the catch don't you think" Stella fired off the series of questions as she skirted around Rella once more, seemingly completely taken with the gown.

  Rella grimaced, the look not at home upon her pretty face.

  "He is a decent enough sort mother. But I found him quite boring and tedious to talk to" she said stiffly knowing her mother was trying to gently nudge another suitor her way.

  "Well, did you like him though? That’s what really matters" Stella said as she tried to nudge just that little bit harder.

  "I guess so mother, he was quite charming. Very awkward though" Rella replied knowing she was going to have to pay the youth some sort of compliment if her mother was to leave her be.