Heir of the Sword

35 | Castra

Castra {Camp}

The sun rose as Arya and the girls that had chosen to fight in war rode into Monique. The beautiful pastel colours were splattered across the sky and the city seemed un-naturally quite. Arya was sure this was due to the fact that most knights would be sleeping at this hour.

Once they arrived into Monique, Arya couldn't believe how much the landscape of the city had changed. The manor was still present but it seemed that most civilians had been cleared out as the streets were empty and void of merchants. Instead there were various tents set up and scattered across the city.

Arya was amazed by the sheer number of tents that had been set up. She could guess that the Kalvarian Army had forces ranging in the thousands just by the number of tents that were present. While the tents seemed to be the focal point of the city, Arya could make out the different training areas as well. They were on the perimeters of the camp. In the heart of the camp, Arya could see a larger tent then the rest and she immediately knew that is where Sir Samuel resided.

Lady Zelie told them to dismount their horses and instructed them to tie them with the others camp horses. The horses were happy to be free and they began nibbling on the grass. Lady Zelie strode to the tent pitched in the middle before disappearing in the folds. The academy students waited in the corner for her return.

"This place is huge." Silvia commented quietly.

Yasmin's black eyes seemed to be taking in every detail possibly. "It's been organized in a sufficient manner."

"This isn't all their troops." Arya reminded the two girls. "King Rupert sent a subdivision of the army to the Eastern and Western Ports. In addition, the boys from the academy haven't arrived yet. The numbers will only be increasing from here on out."

The group had met with Lady Vivian's army while they had been coming to Monique. They had shared a meal before each of them had parted separate ways. The whispers from the girls began to slow down as Sir Samuel made his way to the front of the group with Lady Zelie in tow.

His hair which was usually tied in a pony-tail had been pulled up to form a low bun. His sword was strapped to his side and his eyes looked as stormy as ever. It was clear that Lady Zelie had just awoken the General and he was not pleased. His eyes scanned the group of girls standing in front of him and it looked as though he was scrutinizing them.

He coughed before speaking in a raspy voice. "To all of you, who don't know me, my name is Sir Samuel Joachim and I am the commander of the Kalvarian Army. You are standing here before me because you wish to enlist in the army. The Kalvarian Army is only made up of elite warriors and we will expect no different from all of you. The first couple of days in the camp will be training and we will teach you the art of war. You training will be the form of lessons, learning how to wield weapons, and basic survival skills. After you have completed the training, you will be given a test. Successfully pass the test; you are officially a member of the Kalvarian Army. If you fail, you will be sent back home." Sir Samuel's gaze once again penetrated the group. "Is that clear to everyone?"

There were nods around the group but then most of the girls gaze's lifted from him to see what was behind him. Arya shielded her eyes from the sun to see many horses approaching swiftly. They stopped at the edge of the perimeter. Arya immediately recognized the group after seeing Prince Zanders emerald robes.

Sir Samuel sighed before turning to Lady Zelie and handing her a sheet of paper. "The Princess will assign you to tents that must be built by yourself. Most of you will be sharing quarters with two to three other people so be careful whom you choose to stay with. Clear this area as I will need it to repeat the rules to the Narvanian Boys."