I kissed the happily lazy and half asleep Diane and left her in bed. I picked up my trunk from beside the front door and left her place. I ran up the road to the main road, then down the main road to the garrison. I used the petrified hand as I saluted the men on guard and they opened the gate for me. I went inside and went over to my building beside the maintenance building at the back of the garrison.

I unlocked it and went inside to drop off my trunk, grabbed a quick bite to eat from some of the smoked meat I had, then left and ran over to the main building. I went inside and the secretary wasn't at her desk. I activated my vigilance technique as I went to the CO's door and knocked.

“Enter.” A man's voice said and I opened the door. “Oh, it's you.” The old CO said and waved for me to shut the door.

“Private David Drake reporting for duty, sir.” I said as I came to attention in front of the desk and saluted with the petrified hand. I could feel other people's eyes on me and knew that we weren't alone, even if the office seemed empty.

The old CO sat there and let me hold the salute without returning it. “Orders.”

I kept the salute on purpose and took out my orders with my free hand.

He read them and folded them back up. “Did you know I spent nearly two months in a holding cell?”

“No, sir. I thought you would still be there and it would have been longer.” I responded.

He gave me a stern look. “What made you think that?”

“The acting CO suspended all trials and sentencing.” I said.

The old CO nodded. “She did, and then the mobilization order came through when the Colonel heard about what your little team of misfits stumbled across. She travelled here personally and saw the mess the acting CO had here.”

I didn't say anything, because he didn't ask me a question.

He kept the stern look and I kept the salute. “Aren't you going to ask what happened?”

“No, sir. I have assumed you didn't claim that you started the mess in the first place, so the Colonel doesn't have all the facts and put you back in charge.”

His stern look vanished and was replaced by surprise, then he frowned. “Are you accusing me of something, private?”

“No, sir. I don't have enough proof to have you charged with dereliction of duty.”

The old CO went quiet for several moments. “If you were of any other rank, I would bust you down to private again.” He said and didn't see any reaction from me. “That doesn't surprise you?”

“No, sir. I've had that said to me before. It's just as meaningless now as it was then.”

The old CO stood up and glared at me. “My threats are not meaningless!”

“The only way you can demote me is to promote me first, sir.” I said. “Since we both know that you are never going to do that, your threats are as empty of value as your words of praise are.”

“Why you...” The old CO looked angry and raised his hand in a fist.

“That's enough.” A woman's voice said.

The old CO lowered his hand and opened it as he sighed. “I let him get to me again.”

“He didn't really try.” Another woman's voice said that I recognized as the acting CO, Sandra Rivers. The side wall of the office that was supposed to be there, faded away. Sandra and another woman were there with a mage. “You really do have a significant problem with him.”

The old CO sighed again. “I saved his life and he cost me my job.”

The other woman chuckled. “I've read the transcripts. You could have easily stepped in and stopped the proceedings at any time. Instead, you forced him to become an honor-bound conscript, one that even I can't dislodge, despite the messages I have sent to my father.”

“I told you that he wouldn't respond, Colonel.” Sandra said.

The Colonel sighed. “I didn't want to believe it, Sandy.” She said and put a hand on her cousin's shoulder briefly and then she looked at me and gave me a quick salute. “At ease, Private Drake.”

“Yes, Colonel.” I said and dropped the salute I held the whole time and assumed the 'rest' position of standing at attention.

The Colonel walked over to the desk and picked up my orders. “It says here that you are to resume your normal duties.”

“Yes, Colonel.” I said.

“What are they?” She asked.

“I was assigned by the acting CO Sandra Rivers to the maintenance department.” I said. “My main task was to reinforce the garrison's walls.”

“Which you've completed.” The Colonel said. “I've seen the work and Chief Warrant Officer Gary Stromboli told me how quickly you performed your marsh magic to do it.” She put my orders down and gave me an appraising look. “I noticed that you weren't surprised when the spell ended and we were revealed. Why is that?”

“I've lived in the marsh all my life, ma'am.” I said and didn't explain further.

She waited to see if I was going to continue, then she looked at the old CO. “I'm sentencing you to two months in the stockade, which you've already served.” She took some folded papers out of her uniform coat. “I'm sure that you want to be reassigned as soon as possible.”

“I do.” The old CO said and took the papers and quickly read them. “Thank you, Colonel.”

She waved his thanks away. “You really did start a mess for me, so I'll be glad to see the back of you.”

“Yes, ma'am.” The old CO saluted and quickly left.

“Mage Lukas, thank you for your help.” The Colonel said.

The mage nodded and left the office as well.

“Sandy, I need to talk to Private Drake. Do you mind if I borrow your office for a while?” The Colonel asked.

“Not at all. It's your garrison.” Sandy said with a smile and touched my shoulder as she passed me. “Be honest.” She whispered and then she left and shut the door behind her.

“Please sit.” The Colonel said and waved at the chair off to the side as she sat. I pulled it back over in front of the desk and sat down. “You know who I am, don't you?” She asked and I nodded. “Should I skip the formal introduction and get right to the heart of the matter?”

I thought back to what Sandra had told me during our lessons on etiquette. “It would depend on which voice of authority you are using.” I said and her eyes widened. “If you are only speaking to me as the Colonel, then you can skip it. If you are speaking to me as the crowned princess of the Gulf Kingdom, then you have to introduce yourself.”

The Colonel sighed as she took her military hat off. “Sandra taught you well.” She said and stood. “I, Ellen Constance Marie Rivers, Crown Princess and First Daughter of His Majesty King Richard William Rivers, do hereby greet you formally, David Drake, a conscripted vassal of this kingdom.” She held out a hand to me just as the first bugle went off to signify the start of the official day at the garrison.

“It is an honor, your highness.” I said as I briefly stood to take her hand and kissed the back of it.

“Was that good enough to satisfy the information Sandra gave you?” Ellen asked as she sat back down, her stiff demeanor a bit more relaxed, now that she wasn't completely restricted by military protocol.

“She usually served tea when we talked.” I said and Ellen smiled at me.

“I think that is an excellent idea.” Ellen said and had the secretary arrange it. We were served tea several minutes later and then she got down to business. “David, we're in trouble.”

I quickly glanced around the office and didn't see any threats, so I looked back at her.

Ellen laughed. “I meant the country as a whole, not just you and me.”

“Oh.” I said and took a sip of tea.

“Things between us and the Eastern Empire have been at a standstill for years, much longer than either of our countries had expected.” Ellen said. “You see...”

I sat there and listened to how the Eastern Empire had large fleets of ships that had suppressed the Gulf Kingdom's military power on the water and constantly conducted raids and robberies all along the coast and on their shipping. The Gulf Kingdom had to pull most of their remaining fighting ships from the war on the sea to act as escorts for ships of goods and food for the people. It slowed the war effort to a crawl and put the country onto a completely defensive footing.

She explained that normally, it wouldn't be so bad, except in this case, the enemy was also strangling the supply lines for both the civilians and military, which was slowly killing the country. The only ground assault that was possible between the two warring parties, was over some very treacherous mountain terrain. Both sides had lost a lot of soldiers in battles there and she wanted to do something about it.

With my help.

She had a daring plan; one that could possibly change the entire course of the war, if it worked. She wanted to bring a brigade of troops through the marsh and establish a bridgehead to assault the Eastern Empire. She knew that it was a completely undefended area on their side of the massive marsh, thanks to Alex and Donna's scouting mission.

The small patrol we saw there were the rejects and the people that they couldn't send into real combat, or so the Gulf Kingdom's spies had told her. They had discovered a lot more than that, and she laid it all out for me. I sat there as she talked for nearly two hours and explained everything. She told me what she wanted and what she needed to happen, and she also told me about my very crucial role in pulling the entire thing off.

It would be my job to ferry them across the marsh, protect them from the dangers, provide enough general health potions and anti-venom potions for them to survive, and then help them build the outpost.

_______________

You have a critical choice to make here. It will change your standing with the army and affect your relationship with Ellen Rivers, Sandra Rivers, and Jacqueline Gillis-Rivers.

A) Stay silent. B) Agree to do it. C) Refuse. D) Tell the truth. E) Try to quit. F) Run. G) Choose two.

Good god, are you serious? I shook my head. I'm choosing two all right. D and C.

_______________

I sat back in my chair and gave her a very pointed stare when she was done talking. “You're crazy.” I said and she gasped. “I was barely able to keep four other people from dying the last time I took others into the marsh and we had a really fast boat. How in the world am I supposed to do the same for three thousand of them?” I shook my head. “It's not possible. Physically, I mean. I'm not going to mention the fact that there's no way to make that many general health potions!”

“David, I'm sure that if the trained squads keep collecting...”

“That's another mistake right there.” I said and cut her off. “You can't just gather everything and then wait for someone to make something out of them. They have to be used as soon as possible or at least preserved. The longer they sit unprepared, the less potent they are.”

“I didn't know that.” Ellen said. “The potion master said they would be fine.”

I did my best to not sigh at the stupid statement. “I absolutely refuse to do it.” I said and her eyes widened in shock. “Not only didn't you plan for how to get across the deadliest area in any kingdom safely, you also didn't consult the only real expert the army has on surviving in the marsh. Your plan is ill-advised, poorly constructed, and will get a lot of people killed.”

Ellen stared at me with her mouth slightly open for nearly thirty seconds, then she squinted her eyes. “Did you just criticize the princess of the Gulf Kingdom and insult her intelligence?”

“Yes, I did. Someone has to.” I said. “I told you that I've lived in the marsh my whole life. I am also telling you this is the most idiotic plan I have ever heard and I won't help you.”

“Is that your final word?” Ellen asked and I nodded. “Very well.” She reached for her hat and put it on, and her posture stiffened appropriately. “As the Colonel of this brigade, I am ordering you to help fix this plan and to complete it to the best of your ability and by any means necessary. Even if you have to strip half of the marsh to get those ingredients, you are to do it and make those potions.”

I stood up and saluted with the petrified hand. “Ma'am! I have a question!”

“Ask it.” She said and didn't return my salute.

“Will I be paid for my work that has nothing to do with the army, or will the army requisition it and not pay me again?” I asked.

Colonel Ellen Rivers gave me a cold glare. “My brigade always pays its debts.”

“It hasn't so far, Ma'am.” I responded.

“You will be properly compensated in due time.”

“Yes, Ma'am. I'll be sure to hold you to that, Ma'am.”

“You do that.” The Colonel handed me the many papers and maps she had shown me and I took them with my free hand. “Dismissed.”

I let the petrified hand go and hugged the mass of papers to my chest and left the office.