*POV shift, Corporal Reinhardt.*
I awoke to the sound of a bugle blaring early in the morning.
I blinked, my entire body aching.
The men around me groaned and moaned as they rolled out of bed.
I went through the same motions—wincing through the pain.
I could hear the bugle growing louder, followed by the sound of doors being slammed open.
Then, I heard shouting.
"GET UP YOU MAGGOTS! IF I DON'T SEE YOU OUTSIDE IN THE NEXT MINUTE, THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY!"
Another door slammed open, closer.
"UP, UP, UP! MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER MOVES FASTER THAN YOU LOT, AND SHE'S DEAD! YOU'RE TELLING ME YOU'RE SLOWER THAN A CORPSE?!"
Our barrack door opened with a crash.
Standing in the doorway was Sergeant Major Klaus, dressed in a soft tan uniform.
Radiating an intimidating aura brighter than the morning sun.
"GET YOUR ASS UP MAGGOTS, YOU'RE PAID TO SERVE NOT SLEEP! IF I WANT YOU TO SLEEP, I'LL KILL YOU MY GOD DAMN SELF!"
Klaus watched as we scrambled, slipping on boots and buttoning up shirts.
Behind him was Hans, clipboard in hand.
We rushed outside into the frigid morning air.
Other men were already standing outside their barracks with wide eyes, their ragged breaths pluming in the darkness.
We watched as Klaus went from barrack to Barrack, until all 100 hundred of us stood outside.
Klaus paced before us with narrowed eyes and tight fists.
"I am Sergeant Major Klaus, and from now on you are mindless. You will speak only when spoken to, and every word that comes outta your mouth will start and end with sir. Is that understood?"
A loose and exhausted collection of replies followed.
"Speak up! I want a sound off, not a pity party!"
He barked with a scowl.
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Much better. Now we are going to start this lovely morning with a jog around the grounds. You will like this jog, you will chant about this jog, and by the time it's over, you're gonna be asking for another one. Is that understood?!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
"Outstanding, now on me, MAGGOTS!"
Sergeant Klaus began jogging down the hill, and we followed in loose formation.
— — —
*Normal POV*
Alexander arrived at the Fort via carriage.
And the first thing he saw was his Marines jogging around the perimeter.
"Left, right, left, right, left…"
Leading the charge was Klaus.
"Say goodbye to your mama and your bedroom too!"
He called.
"Say goodbye to your mama and your bedroom too!"
The men replied.
"Because the sounds of war are calling for you!"
Alexander had the carriage stopped just out of view, a curious expression on his face.
"Hinata, they've started without me!"
He cried in mock anguish.
Hinata rolled her eyes, setting down the reins.
"Your tears are noted."
Alexander chuckled.
"You'd better watch that attitude, woman. I'm a commander, I have soldiers now."
She turned to him, smirking.
"Soldiers without weapons… How frightening."
Alexander held her gaze, the two of them following in a strange silence.
Alexander eventually looked away.
"The weapons should be coming within a week or two. For now, they'll have to make do with wooden sticks."
Alexander stepped out of the carriage, jogging around to help Hinata.
"My lady," he teased, reaching out a hand.
"My gentleman."
She teased back, sliding her hand in his.
She stepped down from the carriage, her hand lingering longer than necessary.
The two walked to the edge of the parade grounds.
The recruits, now drenched in sweat, slowed to a stop.
Some even attempted to sit down.
Klaus, spun on his heel.
"ON YOUR FEET, THE GROUND IS FOR THE DEAD AND I HAVEN'T DRAINED YOUR SOULS YET! NOW SALUTE FOR YOUR COMMANDER!"
The men snapped their heads up and brought their hands to their chests.
Alexander returned the salute, his eyes sweeping over their exhausted faces.
"At ease!"
Alexander's voice cut through the morning chill.
He walked down the first rank of soldiers, barely hiding a smile.
"You're starting to look like soldiers already."
He stopped at the final man, who just so happened to be his favorite.
Reinhardt.
"How was your morning, Corporal?"
"Wonderful, sir!"
He choked out, his voice hoarse.
"Beautiful, and you're gonna keep having a wonderful day, isn't that right? Corporal."
"Sir, yes sir!"
Alexander tapped his shoulder, before waving a hand.
"I'll put them back in your capable hands, Sergeant Major."
Klaus turned towards his man.
"You are dismissed for chow! But ya better hurry and eat, because your day is far from over! Understood?!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
The men broke formation and shuffled towards the newly built mess hall.
Klaus and Hans stepped towards Alexander.
"Sir, any particular reason for today's visit?"
Alexander shrugged, "Honestly, no."
He chuckled.
"I just wanted to watch today's training, after today I'll be quite busy."
"May I ask what, sir?"
"I'll be meeting with his highness."
Klaus nodded.
"I see."
— — —
After a quick breakfast the men were back out, and faced with an obstacle course.
Alexander had it modeled after the Amburian Marine course.
Amburian marine training taught soldiers to be self-sufficient killers.
Always outnumbered, always surrounded, but never outgunned.
Some say they could even rival a pathfinder on a good day.
"First squad of first platoon, step forward!"
Reinhardt and ten other men stepped forward.
Klaus marched up to them.
"This course is designed to break you, but your job is not to let that happen! Because if you fail this course, you fail me!"
Klaus got so close to one private that their noses almost touched.
"And you do not want to fail me, because failure makes me angry. And you won't like me when I'm angry. Do you understand?!"
"Sir, yes sir!"
Klaus scoffed, stepping back as he gestured towards the ten-foot wall.
"Then get up and over that wall, private!"
The men sprinted forward, grabbing onto the planks and scaling up.
Reinhardt was the first to complete it, jumping over the top and sliding down.
The rest of his squad… still lingered on the wall.
By the time he turned around, Klaus was already in his face.
"Well la de fucking da! We got ourselves a real athlete here, but I guess nobody thought you there's no 'I' in team. Did they, Corporal?!"
Reinhardt stood frozen.
"S-sir? I cleared the–"
Klaus jammed a finger into the boy's chest, pushing him back.
"Don't you fucking 'sir' me! The men of your squad are struggling, and you're sitting here like a prized possession. Are you a soldier or are you some richer fucker's property?!"
"A-a soldier, sir!"
Klaus slapped him.
"Don't you dare lie to me!"
He shouted, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him into the dirt.
"Since you're so proud of yourself, I want you to do pushups until every man in this company has completed the course!"
Reinhardt groaned in pain, struggling to push himself up.
"I said push-ups, boy! You expect me to believe you don't know what that is?!"
"Sir, no, sir!"
Reinhardt corrected his form, wincing with each push.
Klaus then turned to the remaining men.
"And let that be a lesson! No man is left behind, ever! Now, move, move, move!"
The remaining men rushed to scale the wall, careful to help anyone stuck or lingering behind.
Alexander glanced at Hinata.
"I'm starting to think I shouldn't have promoted Reinhardt. I knew I made him a target, but…"
Hinata shrugged.
"It's better than a demon pressing a spear in his chest. Besides, you've been through worse."
Alexander sighed, massaging his chin.
He had been through worse.
But he was also raised differently.
"Maybe… sometimes I wonder what I'm doing."
Hinata chuckled, massaging his back.
"Our path doesn't reveal every twist and turn. What's important is that you are leading it with conviction."
Hinata's words hung in the air, like a comforting presence.
Alexander turned back to the obstacle course.
The men were not only completing it, but helping each other along the way.
He smiled, crossing his arms.
"Maybe you're right, Hinata."
After completing the course along with a few other exercises, the men were dismissed for hygiene.
After a little more training with Klaus, the men were dismissed for their afternoon class with Hans.
Everyone sat in a barrack that was converted into a classroom.
There was a large, hand-drawn map hanging on the back wall.
On the said map was a compass and various landmarks.
Hans tapped a wooden pointer on a point of elevation.
"Modern warfare is maneuver warfare. The days of standing in the open and fighting are dying."
He started to pace.
"The modern soldier is a thinking soldier."
He pointed at Reinhardt, who sat front and center.
"You need to understand the battlefield, your enemy, and positioning. You need to set ambushes, find cover, and most importantly move with purpose."
Alexander sat in the back of the class, his arms crossed as he nodded.