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Chapter 15

  The fourth week had come and gone, with Loup and Leonce feeling exhausted yet happy to be done with the worst of the training. However, just when the brothers were getting used to the cycle of training, the announcement of specialized training threw a bucket of cold water on their confidence. For it foretold of things to come… Loup and Léonce were going to be seperated.

  As Aelizabeth had warned them before, they would be split up, with Loup heading to undergo the necessary training to become a marksman to serve with the newly formed Skirmisher regiment. At the same time, Leonce was slated to undergo rigorous training to become a cavalry officer with the elite heavy cavalry regiment. Still together, the brothers were excited, as now they no longer wore the stupid-looking outfits but instead dressed in the proper attire for their designated regiments. Loup stood in a dark green infantrymen’s jacket with a white sash forming an x on his torso, where attached were the ammo pouches and charges needed to fire the experimental rifles they were getting. His head was bare for now, but when expected to stand with the rest of the unit, he’d wear a black leather shako with a lime green cord wrapped around the base and up to the unit emblem at the front before hanging off the left hand side of the hat. His pants were a simple pair of forest green trousers with a single black strip running down either side of his pant legs going from the hip down to the ankle. For footwear, he bore a pair of boots that, while similar in nature to cavalry boots, were instead fashioned in such a way to allow for the skirmishers to traverse rugged terrain with ease.

  Leonce, on the other hand, was dressed in a strikingly different uniform, with a white Dolman with eight gold braids on the front, with a light baby blue trim, with silver plated cuirasses with rune inscribed steel plates on the front and back. The runes were designed to ensure near-total protection from musket fire, allowing the rider to charge without fear of being taken out in the initial charge. The helmet was much the same: a silver plated helmet with a black leather brim and a horn with a horse hair mane running down the back. His pants were also white with a black strip running down the length of his outer pant leg from hip to ankle; finishing off his legwear was a pair of knee-high black cavalry boots with gun metal spurs, as he had yet to earn his silver or gold spurs via either combat or knighthood. Over his shoulder, tied in place via a gold braided cord looped through the gold epaulette, was a red pelisse lined with brown fur, with each side having eight rows similar to the Dolman. During ceremonial duties or when on parade, a red sash was worn overtop his cuirass, which would bear the different honours and medals he had attained. And finally, to top it all off, a baby blue silk sash was worn across his waist, covering the black leather belt that held his pants up and his scabbard.

  Both brothers were dripping in style, and both couldn’t help but admire themselves in the mirror as they stood proudly in their new uniforms and gear. Both had a sword, with Leonce's appearing more ornate and lethal, while Loup’s was a simple NCO blade designed to be a last resort, as his primary weapon was the rifle. Both brothers didn’t care much about that, though; they were more impressed with their appearance.

  “I gotta say, my dear brother… we look damn good~”

  “Yeah,” Loup said in agreement as he finished tightening up his collar.

  Still, as they finished admiring themselves and emerged from their room they were hit by a realization. When both brothers were only a couple hours away from each other ordinarily, to being without your closest metaphorical rock? A combination of emotions they were altogether unprepared for creeped into their hearts, homesickness.

  While they’d still see each other every night and early morning for now, it was still the fact that both were off to train with different units. Thinking of the near future, after their training, it was normal for their respective Regiments to go on tours in completely different directions. Loup was feeling nervous and getting an inordinate amount of butterflies in his gut at the prospect of being away from his family. Leonce was also nervous, but less so than his brother. He was still excited at getting to learn how to be a cavalryman. Sure, the idea of seeing Loup go off on his own was a bit daunting to him, but he still had faith in his little brother. He was far more talented than he was in regards to shooting, hunting, and tracking… hell, he couldn’t do the last two at all beyond the stuff Loup and their father had taught him, but none of that really stuck with him. He was more of a social type, after all. So, the cavalry would have been a natural fit for him if he had thought about it. While it was true they charged into the enemy to face them in melee; they tended to be the dashing, chivalric men that Leonce aspired to be. Plus, he knew his skills with a blade were second to none – in his mind.

  All thought vanished though as they stepped out of the building and into the early cool morning air. Leonce took in a deep breath, steadying himself, and doing a nervous adjustment to his belt, he glanced over at Loup whose grip tightened into fists.

  “Deep breaths, Loup. If you start to get overwhelmed, count to ten, and remember I’m not far; I’m just a hop, skip, and a jog away. Keep that in your mind, and you’ll be fine. Don’t let your brain win… it’s your brain; you’re the master of your emotions, and you’re the one who has the skills, intelligence, and motivation to do what no other can. Remember that,” Leonce told his brother as he rested his hand on Loup’s shoulder.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Loup looked at his brother, nodded, silently counting to himself before replying, “I will. Good luck, Leo.”

  “You too, Loup. I’ll see you again tonight. Just keep calm and rely on your skills. If people don’t want to talk to you, don’t force it. It’ll happen naturally once they see your skills with a musket.”

  Loup stood in silence awhile longer as he contemplated Leonce’s words. He didn’t know what to say in that moment beyond, “Thanks…”

  As Loup made his way towards the Regiment’s private training field that was opposite the area where the Cavalry trained, Leonce stood there and watched. He couldn’t help but feel a little nervous for his little brother. Talented, intelligent, and good with mechanical things, Loup was more of a lone wolf than he was a pack animal. Though he gave off the impression of the opposite to those who knew him, it wasn’t something he could hide well. Little indicators that showed his anxiety around being with unfamiliar faces. Letting out a breath, Leonce scratched the back of his neck apprehensively as he turned to walk towards the Cavalry’s training grounds.

  The actual walk to the cavalry grounds wasn’t anything special or long, but it was fraught with worry for his little brother, with Leonce often looking over his shoulder to see if Loup was rushing back to Hussar Square. Thankfully, it seemed Loup steeled himself, as Léonce could see Loup straighten his back and neck, marching forward with determination. Léonce breathed out, not even aware he was holding his breath. A certain degree of relief came but wouldn’t stop him from asking about it when they met back up later in the evening. For now, though, his thoughts quickly turned to the matter of horsemanship as the sound of hundreds of hooves trampling the ground snapped him out of his thoughts and to the present.

  So many men and women upon steeds of war galloped past, causing the very ground to shake under Leonce’s feet. He stood silently, mesmerised by the sight before him. He’d never seen such a sight before—hundreds if not a thousand, individuals practising their riding, sword drills, or formation drills. It was so surreal. If it weren’t for the bronze-scaled leather chinstrap of his helmet, his jaw would likely be agape.

  It was such an incredible sight that all the fear and sense of appreciation vanished. Instead, he was excited. The thought of getting to do all this got him feeling giddy. He had to control himself from just running to report in. The building itself was of a similar make to the ones found in the main training base, with all the buildings made of red brick with black slate tiles. The entrance to each building was a bit more ornate, however, with each taking on the appearance of a castle archway with wooden metal banded doors. The building that served as the Regiment’s HQ could be easily seen via the Regimental emblem on the front top facing of the building – its coat of arms serving as the building name.

  The Squadron commander, Captain Jonathan Lindel, was sitting within one of the medium-sized offices furiously scribbling through some paperwork arrayed upon his desk. On either side were two smaller desks where two administrative scribes were doing much the same as the Captain. They were so busy that they hardly noticed the sound of the door to the office opening, only looking up from their work upon hearing the clack of boots and spurs upon the hardwood flooring.

  The Captain glanced up, pulling down a pair of spectacles from the bridge of his nose, “And who the hell are you, hmm?”

  Already, the Captain seemed a bit hostile towards the arrival of Leonce, though that was likely due to how he had entered without first knocking, a big no-no.

  Leonce came to the desk, stood at attention, and saluted the officer before passing him his documentation, “Cadet Leonce Demoulin! Reporting from basic training to begin my service with the regiment, sir!”

  The Captain grabbed the document, opening it up before flipping through a few of the pages, “Ah. I see one of the common-born officers whom the Crown Princess seems to favour so highly. Well, let me tell you this, Cadet, you shall not gain such favour from me. I shall push you hard and hold you to a higher standard than any other in my squadron. Your drill instructors say you’re a talented and charismatic individual, so I expect you to show that same skillset here, but I doubt such. Commoners rarely have what it takes to serve in our illustrious Regiment.”

  Leonce stood there, trying to hold back smiling as the Captain drilled into him; it was funny to him that the commander of the squadron was similar to those guards tasked with guarding the Princess. Still, he’d prove himself and his skills to this man, just as he and Loup promised they would.

  “Don’t worry, sir, I’ll work hard to prove myself!”

  The Captain nodded, “Mhm, well, I hope you do. For your sake,” Leonce was going to say something more, but the Captain raised his hand up to prevent anything more from being said, “Regardless, you’re to report to Lieutenant Herman Verdii. He’ll get you your horse, saddle, and the remainder of your kit. Once you’ve got all your things, the Lieutenant will give you instructions on how to mount and ride your horse. Most of your kind usually know how to ride a horse, but it’s better to be sure. Dismissed.”

  “Sir!” Leonce snapped into another salute before spinning about and marching out of the room.

  The Clerks watched him leave, their eyes silently judging him as they saw him as an outsider, unworthy of the position he was going to be taking. A Cadet and future officer in the service of one of the most elite cavalry units in the Empire, and it was going to a commoner. Most nobles hated the idea, and they, like the Clerks and Captain, made their disdain known. Leonce ignored it, though, and kept marching on. He was focused on getting his horse and could barely contain his excitement as he strode down the hallways, not bothering to pay attention to any of the numerous people who gave him a wary glare, which was odd but still a whatever issue in his mind. Such things vanished as he came outside the building and took in the cool morning air once again, though he noticed the scent of horse dung now clung to the air the closer he got to the stables. Now he knew where the stables were! His life as a Cuirassier started now.

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