The two guards at the gate didn't challenge us and opened it when we were close enough.

I stopped and bowed my head to the guard on the right. “I'm sorry for how I treated you before. I was showing off and didn't understand that I shouldn't threaten people like that.”

The surprised guard looked at Alex. “Is he feeling all right?”

Alex chuckled. “I've been trying to enhance his interpersonal skills.”

“I've been trying to enhance his interpersonal skills.” Donna repeated with a glance at Alex.

The guard laughed. “That part I can understand.” He said and pat my shoulder. “I thought you were testing my reflexes or something.”

“You weren't afraid?” I asked.

“It happened too fast for me to be scared.” The guard said. “I think that's just like real combat. It's over before you realize it.”

“What's that old army saying?” Alex asked and looked at Donna.

“I thing it's something like, the army is ninety five percent boredom and five percent pure terror.” Donna responded.

“You guys sure have it easy if that's the only time you're terrified.” I said and took the two crates out of the hand cart. The others exchanged looks as I walked by them and through the gate. Alex and Donna walked behind me and quickly caught up. We went to the main building and went to the CO's office, where the secretary motioned for us to move off to the side to wait.

“You can't do this to my family!” A man's loud voice said through the CO's door.

“I'm sorry, Mr. Phelps.” A woman's voice, the CO's, responded.

“We need that wood to fill the army's order.” Mr. Phelps said.

“Do you have someone that can cut up the logs into planks for you?” The CO asked.

“No. My son is dead.”

“Are you going to hire someone to cut up the logs for you?” She asked.

“We can't afford to waste money like that.”

“Those logs have been there since last year, some not even stripped of bark.” The CO said. “I've only claimed the uncut wood. The planks already prepared are not a part of the army's claim for the resources.”

“It's my son's property. You can't just go there and take it.”

“Are you assuming ownership of the property?” The CO asked and there was no response. “You know your son owes a lot of money, even more than the property is worth.”

“That's why I'm here.” Another woman's voice said and I immediately recognized it as Diane's. “My father, after a lot of cursing, has decided that he will accept John's property and erase all owed debt to the store, even though that leaves us very short on available money to bring supplies in for everyone.” She said and sighed. “We even have to ration what we have in stock to make sure that everyone in town has access to what we have to offer.”

Mr. Phelps sighed.

“As you can see, we can all be reasonable here.” The CO said. “I've talked to the people that scouted John's place. The planks he made for you were from the very center of the trees, correct?”

“The choicest cuts, yes.” Mr. Phelps said. “Usually two or three per tree.”

“Then how about we make a deal. Your family agrees to sign over the property to Diane and I will agree that for every log the army removes from the property from this point forward, we will leave at least two of the choice cut planks in its place for your business to use.”

It was quiet for several moments.

“I feel like you are getting the better deal here.” Mr. Phelps said.

“We are still paying you to build the boats with what is essentially the army's wood.” The CO said with a soft laugh. “I could easily have let you negotiate with Diane for the property and then gone to her with the resource allocation.”

The man sighed and it was quiet for several more moments.

“Thank you very much, Mr. Phelps.” The CO said. “I'm sure that the number of planks that will be available for your family's business will increase over the next little while.”

“What do you need so much wood for?” Mr. Phelps asked.

“Improvements, of course. This place is made from some of the worst wood available at the time, since it was such a rush to get it constructed.” The CO said. “Some of the thinner walls can even bend out when they are leaned against.”

The door opened and Mr. Phelps stepped out.

“I'll send someone over tomorrow with the final payment and to take ownership of the first boat.” The CO said and he nodded. He didn't notice me and walked by the secretary and left the office.

I guess I really do look a lot different. I thought.

“Thank you very much for your help.” The CO said and took Diane's hand to shake it. “He would have been arguing until he was blue in the face over that wood.”

Diane laughed. “You were the smart one to offer the center planks, whatever they are.”

The CO laughed as well. “I wouldn't have even thought of it, if it hadn't been for Recruit Drake's little log carving display that Sgt. Simms told me about.” She said and waved the three of us into her office.

“David!” Diane exclaimed in surprise and smiled at me.

“Hi, Diane.” I said and put the crates of potion on the CO's desk. “I can't give you any of these, since I agreed to give them to the CO.”

Diane's smile grew and she gave me a hug. “I won't even ask what they are.”

“You should.” The CO said. “I'll keep the half crate for my own medical stores and I'll give the other crate to you on consignment.”

“Okay, now I guess I do need to ask.” Diane said with a chuckle. “What is it?”

“David calls it spider juice and we call it Death Spider Antivenom.”

Diane gasped and covered her mouth. “No, that... is it really?”

The CO nodded and told the story about Gloria Hansen and what I did to save her from a deadly bite.

“By the Son's Light.” Diane whispered. “I... never knew that...” She looked at me. “Even though you've given me snake juice before, it never occurred to me to ask for spider juice.”

“Me, either. No one ever said anyone got bitten by them, so I assumed they were only in the swamp.” I said with a shrug. “As long as you give it to them to drink soon after the bite, you don't need to do the other stuff, except with the healing potion. That you should do to heal the bite and any damage the venom did inside.”

“He also didn't know that a lot of villagers didn't make it this winter.” Alex said.

Diane took in a quick breath and let out a sigh. “I didn't, either. With the trial and everything...”

“Don't worry about that.” The CO said and looked at me. “I assume you finished the boat.”

“It's down by the water at John's... Diane's place.” I said. “I was going to get someone to buy the canvas from the boatbuilder to cover it; but, they need it for the boats they are building for you.”

“We're going to the next village to buy the pots he needs and we can get the canvas there, then we'll head right back to go to his place to get the rest of the things he needs to pick up.” Alex said.

“That's three days away, both ways, just for pots and some canvas?” Diane said. “How big is the boat?”

I told her how big and her eyes bulged out.

“You're kidding!”

“He isn't.” Alex said. “It's huge and it's solid. If it didn't have the angled front on it, you wouldn't be able to tell which way it was pointing.”

Donna chuckled. “It's as close to a rectangle as I've ever seen and the walls are three feet high.”

“I don't know how Michelle was going to do the winches, so the canvas is always going to be up.” I said.

“You'll need tarps to cover your purchases, too.” Diane reminded me. “There's only one in Dad's shop.”

“You definitely need more than one.” Alex said. “Four at least, if what you said you had at your place was accurate.”

“Actually...” I ducked my head a little. “It's more.”

“Which part?” The three of them asked.

“I've got years worth of pelts, skins, antlers, and leathers there that we've never used.” I looked at Diane. “You'll never get them all in that tiny shack, even if it was empty.”

“Good god.” Alex whispered, because that was a huge amount of things.

“That's why I wanted such a big boat.” I said. “It would take too many trips with a smaller one.”

“All right. I have your two other members prepped and ready to go.” The CO said. “Marine Sergeant Russell and Army Sergeant Sanders are in the barracks.”

“We'll pick them up on the way back to the boat.” Alex said and looked at Diane. “I hope you don't mind if we use your property as a launching point.”

“It's for David, so I don't mind at all.” Diane said and stepped close to me. “Be careful and hurry back.”

I nodded and she gave me a quick kiss, then she stepped back.

_______________

You have a choice to make.

A) Tell her about Mrs. Hansen. B) Offer to buy her something. C) Choose two.

I didn't even have to think about that one. I chose A and B.

_______________

“Mrs. Hansen gave me money to buy some things for her to cook with. Do you want me to get you something, too?”

Diane gave me a surprised look for a second, then she smiled. “Give me a few minutes to write some things out for you and I'll give you some money.” She said and the CO gave her some paper and a pencil. She wrote out a pile of things and then gave me several gold coins. “You tell Steve that Diane sent you on a special mission.”

“A special mission?” I asked and she nodded.

“Use those words specifically or he won't even talk to you.” Diane said as a warning and I nodded.

“If that's all, then there's only one thing left to do.” The CO said and came around her desk. “David Drake, please kneel.”

I looked at Alex and he nodded. I knelt and the CO put her hands on my shoulders.

“Do you swear...” The CO started to say and then rambled on for nearly ten minutes about king, and country, and loyalty, and honor, and about a bunch of stuff I had no clue about. When she finished, she asked me if I agreed to it all. I glanced at Diane and she nodded this time.

“I do.” I said.

“I, Sandra Eileen Rivers, cousin to the Colonel Ellen Rivers, niece to King Richard Edward Rivers, do hereby accept your oath of loyalty to the king and the kingdom, and your vow to protect its people.” The CO said and then she bent down and gave me a very light kiss on the lips. “Welcome to the army, Private Drake.”

I stayed on my knees and stared up at her, because my lips tingled a little.

“That wasn't strictly necessary.” Alex said and glanced at Diane, who looked just as surprised as I was. “We aren't in such a formal setting that it required the full ritual.”

“I am a member of the royal family and I won't skimp on circumstance, just because we aren't in the army's head office.” The CO said with a smile. “Plus, I haven't granted a field commission before.” She said and pulled on my shoulders to get me to stand. “It won't be official until you complete basic training; but, you won't have to do this with someone you've never met before.”

“Um... thanks?” I said and she laughed.

“Let me just get your pins.” Sandra said and walked around the desk, opened a drawer, and took out three of them. She put one on each of my collars and then one on my chest pocket. “Good luck and godspeed.” She said and put her hand to her forehead.

Alex, Donna and I returned the gesture and the three of us left the office at a fast walk.

I glanced down at my pocket and for some reason, I felt a little bit happy that I got my first decoration and my uniform wasn't the empty plainness it had been only moments before.