"I don't know but I've been told!"
"The Daname word is more than gold!"
Alexander had the men marching with wooden planks on their shoulders.
And he was leading the charge.
"One, two, three, four, hard work is my core!"
He shouted.
"One, two, three, four, hard work is my core!"
The men replied.
The sound of marching feet and chanting voices echoed through the open fields that were once Alexander's home.
Rows of tents and camp campfire stood in the distance, while the foundations of barracks lay on the hill.
The sun was beating down on their backs.
But Alexander never felt more alive.
Reaching the top of the hill, a few men were working under the gaze of Elizabeth's personnel.
Alexander had the men put the wood in a growing pile, before walking up to the construction manager.
"So, what else do we need?"
Alexander asked, wiping sweat from his brow.
The man chuckled.
"Well sir, the materials for the barracks are coming in just fine. We should have them up and ready by week's end. Of course, that's just the shell of the buildings, the wiring and all could take weeks, depending on how you want this place to generate power. I could go on about the–"
Alexander cut him off with a shoulder pat.
"That's quite all right, I'll leave you to it."
The man nodded.
Alexander then walked the path between the foundations of barracks.
There were ten in total, each with the capacity to hold ten men comfortably.
They were in various stages of completion, but most only needed the roof built.
When Alexander reached the edge of the hill, he saw a familiar carriage riding along the path from the city.
It was Elizabeth, with Hinata at the reins.
The carriage rolled to a stop, and Elizabeth emerged.
But she wasn't alone.
Stepping out after her was a man with pink eyes.
He was dressed similarly to Elizabeth.
But instead of the iconic red, he wore a black and gray suit.
Alexander jogged down the hill, his expression curious.
"Liz!" He called, "I wasn't expecting a visit."
Elizabeth smiled as she spotted him, holding her hands behind her back.
"Hello my love," she replied, gesturing to the man, "we have a visitor from the palace!"
The man placed a hand to his chest as Alexander approached.
"Good day to you, Sir Alexander. I am Prince Fredrick IV. My father has sent me to… talk."
Alexander saluted, he had dealt with enough royalty to know what they preferred.
"May I ask about what?"
Prince Fredrick smirked, turning his attention to the half-finished barracks.
"About you building a legion of soldiers on our soil."
He turned back to Alexander, "A factory we can tolerate, but foreign soldiers in a time of crisis? It's interesting…"
Alexander frowned.
"Forgive me, but foreign? These men are from the Fallen kingdom, I am from the Fallen kingdom, there's nothing foreign about us."
The prince nodded.
"Perhaps I should clarify, these men do not fight under the flag of Fallen, nor Ambur, nor Tora. Therefore they are foreign, which is illegal."
Alexander tensed, but before he could answer the prince raised his hand.
"However, if you're interested in changing the nature of this force, its legality can be debated."
Suddenly it clicked for Alexander, the prince hadn't visited to enforce the law.
He had his own ambitions.
Elizabeth stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on Alexander's shoulder.
"My love, I leave it for you to discuss, but I recommend hearing him out. I think you'll like his offer."
"You should listen to your lover, my dear friend."
Alexander eyed the prince.
He had been so focused on how he'd build his legion, that he didn't think about what they'd be.
Mercenaries?
A militia?
Rebels?
Well, it didn't matter now.
The unit hadn't even been formed and the prince was already here to call it illegal.
"Friend? I think we'll wait on using that word."
Fredrick laughed, a genuine sound.
"I suppose you're right, come, walk with me."
He gestured for Alexander to follow him as he walked the path surrounding the grounds.
Alexander glanced back at Elizabeth, who urged him to follow.
So he did.
"Alexander, you know the history of our shared kingdom, don't you?"
Fredrick asked, kicking a loose pebble with his polished boot.
Alexander nodded, remembering what he learned in the academy.
"Unfortunately."
"Excellent, we don't have to waste time on exposition."
His expression turned serious.
"Currently my father is addicted to defending the home front, the last invasion spooked him to the point of insanity. He's spent every copper of our treasury turtling up."
Fredrick stopped, turning to face Alexander fully.
"He's suffocating this kingdom, Alexander. And I was convinced there was nothing to save us, until now. I've heard of your exploits, and I know of your family name. Now I want to know, are you looking to serve this kingdom?"
Alexander stayed silent, before raising an eyebrow.
"What would it entail?"
The prince took a deep breath.
"We need resources, but I don't have the forces to secure them, nor the funds to raise an army. And you cannot operate illegally without being branded a warlord."
Alexander remained silent.
Fredrick continued.
"I suggest a trade, I provide you the legality to operate, and in return, you take orders from me. You'll be an official, but a separate branch of the armed forces. So?"
Alexander looked from the Prince to Elizabeth.
She stood there, smiling innocently.
It was then that Alexander realized this visit had been planned in its entirety.
Hinata must've told Elizabeth about their talk.
And spotting the potential flaws, she decided to smoothly fix the problem.
He suppressed a sigh, a wry smile tugging his lips.
Elizabeth… What am I going to do with you?
Alexander met the prince's gaze, his posture finally relaxed.
"Your offer is rather appealing, Prince Fredrick."
Alexander began, reaching out a hand.
"But, if we're to do this I want a partnership, not a commanding officer."
The prince raised his brow, a flicker of surprise and respect in his eyes.
"Partners," he repeated, taking Alexander's hand.
"We'll discuss the technical details later, for now, enjoy your royal charter."
He then turned, heading back to the carriage as Elizabeth rushed to Alexander's side.
Alexander immediately reached for her cheeks, pulling on them.
"You sly little devil." He teased.
Elizabeth giggled, her voice muffled.
"I was just smoothing out a path for you, I promise!"
Alexander released her, crossing his arms with a mock scowl.
"Smoothing out a path? Or paving a highway in gold?"
Elizabeth huffed, burying her face in his chest.
"Oh, my love. You were building a private military with no legal ties, it's the textbook definition of a rebel, you know?"
Alexander couldn't fault her.
In his zeal, he had completely ignored the legal aspect of his ambitions.
His stern expression melted as he buried his face in her silky white hair.
"Mhm, what would I do without you, Liz?"
"Probably hunting bears and eating wild stew."