Soldier Keep On Marching On

The Last Goodbye

Under cloud, beneath the stars
Over snow and winter's morn
I turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell

**********

Aiden sighed and ran a hand over her face at the newest batch of cadets. They were more hopeless than a thief trying to steal gold from a goblin and hoping they wouldn't notice. It'd ultimately end in death or severe injuries. Unfortunately, it was her job to correct it.

"Why not teach the next generation?" they said. "Since you became a State Alchemist to marry Mustang, it's not like you have much to do now anyway. They don't send you places."

When they said next generation, Aiden thought they meant children. Resign and become a teacher for middle schoolers. Was it ever that easy? Nope! They meant teach the incoming cadets whatever they happened to be lacking in. Accuracy in arms, basic medical training, or anything that happened to come up. The academy already taught those things. Meaning she was stuck with the stragglers who were either incompetent or thought military life would be a breeze with their father being so-and-so and didn't do squat.

"Henderson!" she barked sharply. "Get your ass in there and fight your partner!"

Jefferson Henderson, a nineteen-year-old with brown hair and brown eyes, was one of the cadets who thought he could get away with anything because of his father's senior ranking. She'd been trying for two weeks to get the kid to participate with marginal success. He was ignorant and, if she was honest, a downright asshole to his peers.

His partner, a young man called Evans, was a little bit slower in the mind and took longer than the rest of his class to catch on to things. Because of that, he was tossed in with her catch-up/glorified nanny class. The poor dear was standing awkwardly away from both his sparring partner and the rest of the class.

Henderson rolled his eyes at her and even had the gall to over-exaggeratedly yawn. Aiden's dwindling patience with the young adult snapped like a twig and she put two fingers to her mouth before letting out a shrill whistle. "Fall in!" she snapped.

The six figures in the field stopped fighting and immediately lined up in front of her. It'd been the only drill she'd been able to beat into them. Evans joined them in a heartbeat and even Henderson dragged his feet over. The eight cadets stood in line, stock still, barring Henderson.

Aiden's gaze passed easily over each student until it rested on Henderson. A sickly sweet smile placed itself on her face and she heard one of the others gulp. Good, they'd learned fear. "Henderson," she said, "would you mind explaining why you aren't participating in this exercise?"

He shrugged. "I find it pointless. I already know how to fight."

Aiden stared blankly. Which Dumbfuck tree did this moron fall from? And did he happen to hit every stupid-branch on the way down? "You think you don't have to participate because you can already fight."

"Yeah."

Without a word she swept his legs out from under him, forced him into the ground face first, and shoved a knife into the dirt, inches from his face. "Tell me that again, I dare you."

The cadet fought under her weight in alarm while the class watched in shock and awe. No one had stood up to the General's kid before. "That's not fair! I wasn't ready!" He reached around to blindly swing at her.

In one swift movement she pinned one arm and twisted the other behind his back. "This is the military! It's never fair! You think the enemy will give you a chance to get ready? Do you think they'll count to three and wait for you to shoot them? Blare a horn and announce their presence for you?" She leaned closer and hissed in his ear. "Whoever you face will crush you like a bug because you didn't take basic training seriously. They'll take advantage of your inexperience and sneak up behind you and cut your throat."