Your support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)Seeing the young man hurrying to get dressed the military veteran shook his head. Such modesty, and how was it some guy came all the way out here? Kind of baffling and then he figured it out, this was Ivan and probably the other soldiers were giving him crap for not being able to swing a sword and for having to run laps.Risi said:She dried her body of meticulously in moonless night. Her calves curved in the perfect places for tone but still soft. Her hip were grabbable, and though she wasn't a perfect hourglass figure her breasts matched pretty well to her womanly body proportions. As she surveyed herself, confirming that she hadn't actually turned into a stump, she bit her lip gently and began washing out her clothes with the mud on them. Though she was nearly nude, she figured she was safe for at least the moment.Farcry said:The build up of stress in Ivan was obvious and Caval felt awful. Poor kid was just here to get his family some food. That he couldn't keep his face out of the mud was just sad. "Ivan, you are going to need to work hard. You can't fail us and we won't fail you. I will make sure your family gets fed." Despite being the tough commander that he is he couldn't help but feel for all these poor guys.Risi said:(I'll show you how much I wrote with the ipod... Its pretty intense now that I look at it...)Farcry said:"Those with horses you will be with Gerard and Esme." Caval gestured to the two younger noblemen. Esme was a homely and thick individual while Gerard had just stunning features, unfortunately he knew it and it was known in many of the towns near his own lands that any woman of passing comeliness needed to be wary and travel quickly and with escort. Beyond being a vicious womanizer he was also a task master to those under him. Some knew what they could expect considering the people who would be commanding them while others blindly began shuffling towards the two commanders. Caval rolled his eyes. These kids had no sense of military order and that was going to be a problem. "You will be scouts or horse archers.... Dismissed."Risi said:Paul and Ivy followed the group to the left side of the Commander(Sergeant?). Most of the men had come with horses, though she suspected most had been stolen from people of their cities, so only a few were lined up on the same side as Ivy. The men with horses looked down upon the ones without, they took it as a sign of status. Ivy pulled lightly at her lip, as she pondered where she would end up dying. Everyone knew the ones without horses went in to the battlefield first. Internally kicking herself in the arse, she wished she had stolen a horse as well.Farcry said:It seemed the stream of young men entering the king's service just to go off and die was endless. How could there still be so many young after the plague took so many of them? Perhaps it was the weather which remained dreary or the over abundance of work but he could not help but think pessimistically about the chances these men had of making it back to their loved ones. After all the same could be said of him.Risi said:The message had come, late one night in the middle of the city square. "All able bodied men! Fight with your countrymen! Take up arms and defend out great nation!" the caller yelled, telling of the sum each man's family would receive; it wasn't much but after the plague it was an income.Farcry said:The grounds were a mess as serfs had been bringing in supplies for the upcoming war. What a stupid war it was. Still it was war and the lords had called up all those able bodied people to assist. Those unlucky few who had survived the plague now would be filling the great bailey of the castle so that Caval could teach them how to kill and how to die with honor. The thought gnawed at his gut and Caval wanted nothing more than to go drink but he still needed to ensure that there was enough weapons and armor for the troops coming in. Of course there was, the plague had made sure that there was an abundance of such supplies lying around for any man to take up and use.
Caval was weary. God almighty it seemed was pissing on him with this unending drizzling rain, the king had ruined his life, having already given fourteen years of service in the king's military and after losing all of those years and so much more he was repaid by being dragged out here to teach boys. The idea disgusted him and yet he knew he would do all he could now and on the field to make sure they made it back alive. Even if that meant scarring them into abandoning the military and returning home. Of course the draft was mandatory but no lord had enough men himself to hunt down and kill able bodied deserters. At least that was Caval's hope.
With the mud sticking to his boots he shouted orders to a pair of serfs to move some of the food stock in out of the rain. It was clear that he wasn't the only one tired of this life. Many were these days and the threat of the Black Prince coming with his army did nothing to raise anyone's mood.
"Hm?" Caval didn't quite make out the shout from one of the guards.
"Travelers! A lot of them. It's like it's carnival time." The youth shouted with glee.
Caval sighed at the thought of meeting these men. This would just be the first batch, the eager ones but in the next few days this bailey would still be muddy on the dryest of days from the feet of those soldiers and the hoofs of the cavalry.
"Sir!" Caval bowed deeply as the lord passed by with several advisers and aids.
"Mmmm. Make sure the new recruits are ready for inspection and... clean up this place." Came the nonchalant commands of a man Caval had served under previously during this same war and he was a cowardly cadamite then and assuredly was one now.
His jaw became set but all Caval said was, "Of course m'lord."
All of her city's men were dead from plague, all that were left were women and children. Some of the ten year old boys begged their mothers to leave, but they were told they had to help protect their small village. Ivy, Rosaline, and Alexander had been left by their mother, father, and oldest brother in the plague. Now the children were left in a predicament. Ivy, the oldest, couldn't work within the village because she wasn't old enough, but Rosaline and Alexander needed to eat and be clothed. That night, she decided that she was off to war, to protect her siblings.
"Take care of each other, ration the food. When I show up, you will receive some money, spend it wisely, okay?" she said as she wished them well, tears flowing freely. "And if any one asks, I was lost to the plague, not Ivan," she added quickly and embraced them both, leaving a kiss upon each of their heads and left in the direction of the army's camp. She didn't have much on her back, a bit of bread and some of Ivan's old clothes. And a small knife.
Down the road, when her brother and sister couldn't see her, she lopped her long blonde locks from her head, giving herself a bob that would pass for a man's hair. It was a bit off center, but she didn't know, and even if she did, there wasn't much she could do about it. Wrapped around her torso were bandages to hide her breasts, even them out against her stomach. Looking down at herself, she shook her head, she looked so pudgy and fat. The clothes fell loose on her as she was much shorter than her brother had been, but she looked like a big tree stump as she attempted to hide her hips as well.
The rain began to fall as night came, she banded together with a few other men headed in the same direction, but said nothing to them. They arrived soon after, grabbing supplies from the designated areas and setting up an area where they would stay while they trained. Each section held ten men, and as Ivy walked around, it seemed everyone had made acquaintances and were full within their sections. Along the way she saw more men then she had in her life, all doing men-like things, letting loose, telling of the woman he had back at home, or wished he did, or how he was stronger, could spit further, or had a bigger penis than the man next to him.
Ivy finally found an open spot and quickly grabbed it. "Whats your name, son?" a man next to her asked. He was burly and had a long beard, "Mine's Paul," he said as he extended a dirty hand. "Ive-Ivan," she corrected quickly and pressed her hand to his. The man shook hard and she held back a wince as he did. After the shake, she held her hand, rubbing it as they conversed. As they talked, it soon grew silent, the Lord was here. Ivy hadn't an idea of who the man was, but Paul did. He shushed her and watched on, as the other serfs did, as, what Ivy believed to be, the commander and Lord spoke.
Shaking his head he tried to listen to the nobleman as he prattled on with hollow praise for soldiers they passed or suggestions about preparations which Caval or someone in his staff had either already done or were just a bad idea and discounted out of hand in the early phases of gearing back up for war. Still Earl Leveque was not nearly as religious as his name would imply but he was related to the hageographer of some saint or another. Caval had heard the story a dozen times and yet like always he wished the most un-Christian of thoughts upon the earl whenever he spoke. Caval had witnessed first hand so many travesties, personal and tactical that had soured him on the man he served out of the misfortune of being born in the province he was.
Leveque was well groomed and despite the weather maintained an air of aristocratic superiority that almost defied the heavens to attempt to ruin his appearance of station. He was just beginning his forties and looked good for his age, though his features were marred by an overly long nose. Caval on the other hand was quite different from the lord of the castle. Strong from years of working building forts, camps, fighting, tending fields, he had the solid musculature of a man of the land. His dark hair had grown out and in time he knew he'd have to cut it short. Yet he was only just starting his thirties.
Finally the show of what passed for noblesse oblige by Leveque the lord retired to his inner chambers to enjoy the warmth of the hearth in a room that was not damp as it seemed everything outside was.
"Come on! Gather up! I don't have time and neither do you now!" Caval shouted and a few other sergeants started up as well, rousing the soldiers to come to the training yard. Not so much a yard as one of several areas which had been cleared to provide the soldiers space to operate as they would need. "Everyone who came with a horse to the left! Your left, not mine." Caval made his way leisurely but straight to a position at the head of the field to gaze out of the assembling conscripts.
They were broken off into groups, the handsome-looking Commander took her group while the other Sergeants broke off the horse group. Ivy caught herself making eyes at the man instinctively, then grew angry at herself. They were given broad swords and were instructed to use them. Ivy's eyes nearly popped from her sockets as she watched the men wield them around, making it look like it was nothing at all to lift it, when it took nearly all of her just to hold it.
Her thin arms shook slightly, but she held it. Paul laughed at her heartily with his large belly laugh. "C'mon kid, do some damage!" he chuckled at her. Ivy shook her head and attempted to lunge, but dropped the sword instead, resulting in the entire group laughing at her. She scrambled to pick it up, but in the mud it was more difficult, making her hands slippery and the metal hard to grasp. "Please, just pick up the sword..." she told herself under her breath as their laughter continued.
Sure there was more to say but discipline would have to be instilled first. Finally he turned towards those who were remaining put. His eyes narrowed into a glare at one guy who had gotten his left and right mixed up realized he should be going with the cavalry and now having to make his way through all the remaining infantry. "Alright, when the weather clears up we will see if any of you should be archers, until then you are mine. You will be swordsmen. This is a great honor. This isn't throwing javelins or using spears, these are real swords. You will be up close and personal with your opponent. You will be looking into the eyes of your foe as he dies. This is a most prestigious and difficult position to be in." Declared the commoner who has seen his rank increase during the decade and a half of service. For now he was using that same inspiring voice he'd used so many other times when he would have to bury his self doubt and his hatred for the very war that changed him from starving serf to well fed military commander.
As he spoke the swords were handed out. Young children, boys ran about distributing the deadly implements. While moving off the lion's share of the infantry Caval noticed a youth looking at him. He offered a well meaning smile in return at first, since he could only imagine the young man was scared and looking to his guidance and experience for support. That the young man didn't look away for a bit was a little odd, but the need for men to fight was large and had accepted almost all comers. Caval wasn't sure what this youth's issue was.
Though after a few minutes of instruction and then beginning of drills Caval got a little bit more of a clue. A number of the soldiers started laughing and then the amount laughing just kept increasing. Angrily he stormed over pushing away some of them until he saw what the problem was. The same man who had looked at him earlier was now being mocked for being too weak to swing the sword. Sharply he turned around to the others, "Shut up!" He barked. "This is your brother in arms. We are all brothers in arms. If there is any part of us that needs work, then we work, we improve. We do NOT insult or laugh. We are brothers. Now, the lot of you, three laps around the entire bailey. Then we will start drills with these swords once your ready to work together."
Then he turned to the man who was the focus of ridicule. "You..." My was this boy young. His features were soft, he had not a hint of a beard or even the need to shave. Also he had an odd body shape, with that barrel like chest yet the thin arms. "You clearly need to strengthen yourself for the sword, so while they run you will do push ups. Until the last of them finishes their run." Something needed to be done to strengthen those arms. Caval waited until the youth started with his punishment. "What's your name? Do you even know what you have signed up for?" The commander could see the fear and anxiety, the optimistic energy in others, the myriad of emotions and rationale that many of these men had for going to war and feared for many of their lives.
(here) Normally, Ivy would have begun to cry, she never had taken criticism well. But she had to hold it together, she was Ivan now. Ivan was strong and manly, something Ivy was definitely not, but she needed to learn quickly. As the Commander told them of their brotherhood, she gulped. It was another reminder to the secret she held. As she began with the push ups, the Commander asked her name. Ivy was glad that she had nearly made the slip up with her name earlier so she knew not to do it now. "Ivan, and no, sir, I didn't. My family needs food on the table," she tried a huskier voice than her own, hoping it would help her pass as a man.
The men running were huffing and puffing after their first lap, slacking now as Ivy attempted the first real pushups of her life. The mud squished beneath her fingers, grossing her out and making her gag slightly. She hadn't felt like more of a girl in her life, but then it worsened. Her arms gave out from underneath her, resulting in her face and torso dropping into the mud.
"Uch," she unconsciously uttered as she attempted to pull herself back up. This cycle continued until the men finally finished the laps. After a few more exercises, they were told to head to bed and get ready for the morning.
Filing out, Ivy felt completely exausted and embarrassed. Her clothes, hair, and skin was filled with sticky mud. She turned to Paul as they headed back to their area, "Where can I bathe?" He chuckled at her once again, "Ha! Bathe? If you can find a stream, you can bathe there." She nodded and walked off, carrying her toiletries, but in the distance she heard him laugh at her cleanliness once again.
About a fourth of a mile away, she found a small tributary she could stand in and be completely covered. Ivy stripped down, looking carefully around for other men, then hung her clothes on a branch with her piece of cloth to substitute as a towel. (to here) She walked into the cool water gingerly. Her arms were sore, but so was her body, and the water glazed over her relaxingly. The water was murky, due to the rain, but she rinsed her face and hair off in it.
She cautiously touched the ends of her hair, cut so short by her normal standards. Tears pressed against her eyelids as she closed her eyes and wept, not only for her hair, but for Rosa and Alex. Man up, she told herself, angrily wiping away her tears and reaching for her homemade bar of soap. After a clean soak, she reached for her makeshift towel and dried off.
Turning his attention away from the youth he set them to their paces, running them through drills and practicing well past when normal break down points. Still even Caval took part in the exercises with the troops, sparring with some. He informed all of them that they would need to improve, that they had to get better before the English attacked again.
After dismissing the soldiers Caval went into the keep and had dinner with the other commanders and each debrief Leveque on what they thought about the troops. Not that Leveque honestly cared, the weak would die and the strong would continue. There were necessary losses, those who would catch the arrows of the English longbow men. Caval played along. "The swordsmen will need some time, they are undisciplined, none of them have swung a sword before..."
"They will be ready by the end of the month. The Black Prince will not wait for us to be ready." Leveque interrupted him before turning to ask about Esme.
Caval was disappointed and quickly excused himself. The rain had finally let up and the clear night was cool but pleasant. Disgusted as he was with the nobility he served and disappointed in his soldiers and himself Caval thought nothing could help cleanse himself of the grime then a bath. Yet he couldn't bathe too close to the castle as subordinates might be there, so he went a little ways down. Needless to say he was surprised when in the dark of night he saw the blocky silhouette of someone else by the riverside. Walking up half naked the commander called out, "Excuse me, who goes there!?"
Ivy had already wrapped the long bandage around her torso as the commander approached. Her shirt, however, was not on. "Ivan," she called gruffly, as she rushed to clothe herself before he got to close to see what was really going on.
She figured that if she could see him, he could have seen her. Her brow furrowed in frustration, figuring that if she was found out there was no way that her siblings would get fed. Begging was an option...
"Please, Sir. I'm sorry..." she began
"Sorry? Whatever for?" He took his time walking parallel to where Ivan was, keeping his eyes on the river. Ivan had very shapely legs given his thick chest. It hardly went together. His limbs were too thin and he carried all his weight in his torso. People are made in all shapes and sizes.
Just before peeling off his wet pants Caval took a deep breath, enjoying the night air. "Ivan, don't be nervous. Just keep your head on straight and work with your brothers out there." As he spoke he draped his clothes over a nearby bush before heading down to the shore line. "And if the other guys give you any crap, let me or one of the sergeants know." Clearly though that had already happened.
True to what was visible before the northern Frenchman was very muscular the way a person who does physical labor all the time is. While tall other younger taller men were present within the camp. Otherwise his features were hard to make out in the shrouded riverside late at night. As he stepped deep into the river his hair fanned out and dragged downstream due to the current.
