Clanging outside his tent woke Tullund up, as it had every day since he started living in the camp outside the city. Pushing himself up from his bedroll, he looked across the enclosure, to see Lily putting a pillow over her head, trying to drown out the sound.

Getting to his feet, he pulled on his uniform - his lieutenant’s uniform, as an officer in Ettsgras’ army. He watched Lily as he put on his boots, seeing her fully committed to trying to sleep longer. Leaving the tent, he went on a short run, jogging around the section of the camp. Other tents, just like his, were lined up in neat rows. The other officers were getting up as he circled, some of them waving to him while others ignored him.

Completing the lap, he arrived back at his own tent, stepping in and seeing Lily still in her bedroll. Walking over, he poked her with his foot. The woman gave up on trying to hide from the sounds of soldiers starting their day, and pushed herself upwards, her blanket falling down to reveal her naked body.

“I thought I told you not to sleep like that.” Tullund said, annoyed. He knew she had some excuse, but he refused to simply ignore it. Every few days she came up with a new way to try to seduce him, and every few days he told her not to. If he didn’t make her change, she would think that he liked whatever she was doing. He had to get the message through to her that he wasn’t interested.

Instead of responding to him, she slowly stretched, yawning. If he didn’t know better he might believe she wasn’t aware of her state of undress. But he knew that every motion she made was planned, calculated. Reaching under the blanket, she pulled out a loose-fitting shirt, holding it up. “-must have slipped off.” She mumbled.

Before Tullund could respond, someone pushed through the front flap of the tent. Lily quickly yanked the blanket up over her body as Tullund turned towards the visitor. It was a courier, the young man’s face flushed as he looked at Tullund.

“What is it?”

“Lieutenant, sir, ah…” He glanced at Lily’s bedroll for a moment. “Colonel Thoms wants to speak to you in half an hour. At central.”

“I’ll be there. Thank you.” With a quick salute, the boy turned and jogged off. Tullund turned to Lily again. “Try not to make me look bad. I want to minimize the rumors about me, not increase them.”

Sliding out from under the blanket again, this time wearing the loose-fitting shirt, which went down to her thighs, Lily grinned at him. “Do you not want your potential underlings to think you’re sleeping with a woman you stole from a disgraced captain?”

“I think respect goes better than envy. What do you think the meeting is about?”

With a sigh, Lily started getting dressed properly. Her provided outfit was a simple dark gray tunic and trousers. Her outfit stood out from the dark green uniforms that nearly everyone else in the camp wore. “Probably finally assigning you some underlings. It’s been weeks since you passed the test, time for you to start actually doing the work of your position.”

Arriving at the central hub of the camp, Tullund, with Lily in tow, found Thoms leaning over a wooden table, papers carefully laid out in front of him, held down by a collection of smooth rocks. “There you are, just in time.” Stepping around the table, the short man located a paper and tapped it twice. “We’ve had an influx of mercenaries, and the spare lieutenants and captains get to work with them. I figure it’s perfect for someone of your unique background.”

“Of course, sir.” Tullund said, frowning. He was never sure if Thoms liked him or not. The two had several friendly conversations outside of their duty, but during times like this the man seemed oddly stiff, even slightly hostile.

“You will find them at section two three six.”

The first number meant it was the south side of the camp, the second telling him it was at the outermost ring, and the last was where in the ring the place was. He nodded. “Thank you sir.” Tullund turned and left.

Section Two Three Six was occupied by a small group of around thirty, most of them standing awkwardly, talking with each other. Tents had yet to be set up. “How long have you been here?” Tullund asked as he approached.

“Hours. Hours! Figured these proper army types had it together a bit more than that. Some moron will show up to give us orders eventually, eh?” A young man responded, stepping over towards Tullund. “Say, want to bet on how much longer it’ll be?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“I would! What will you give me for less than half an hour?” Lily immediately spoke up before Tullund could say anything.

“Ah, ten triangles? Or circles, I guess, since we’re in proper territory.”

“Done.” She held out her hand to the man, who shook it. “Tullund, tell him I win.”

“No.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Retract the bet or I’ll stand here for half an hour.”

The young man looked from Lily to Tullund, frowning. “He’s in charge, then?” Tullund nodded, and the man turned towards the rest of the group, several of which were watching the exchange with smiles. “Rella, they-“

“Yes, George, I can see that. The only reason for anyone to approach us is if he’s in charge.” A woman spoke up, stepping forward. Most of the group wore basic garments that would fit under their armor, but the woman was clad in a loose fitting shirt with a belt of knives going from her shoulder to her hip. “This is Linara’s Legion, mercenary company. Are you our liaison?”

“I’m Lieutenant Tullund. This is my assistant, Lily. She has no rank. Where is Linara?”

The woman grinned at that. “Linara is our…sponsor, let’s say, rather than an actual member. She isn’t here. I’m in charge. Rella. My second in command is Frederick.” She gestured to her side, and a man wearing nothing on his upper body but an open vest raised his hand.

Tullund nodded, trying to keep his expression neutral. “Right. My assignment is to get you up to speed on camp operations, and the regulations that will apply to you and your employees. When we move out, you will be expected to follow my orders. All your payments will come through me.”

“Yeah, I have to do what you say. Do you have any actual experience, or are you some important person’s son?”

Tullund grinned. “I know my way around a bow.”

“Killed anyone with one?”

“Too many to count.”

Rella shrugged. “You’ll do. What’s with the girl, though? Whore?”

“Yes.” Lily immediately responded.

“No.” Tullund said, firmly. “She is a former whore.”

Letting out a short laugh, Rella showed him a lopsided smile. “If she told you that you’re special and she’ll give it all up for you, you’re being played.”

“She is my servant in order to pay off a debt. The reasons for this are complicated but our relationship is not sexual.” He heard Lily make a sound from beside him, but paid her no attention. Rella laughed again.

“If you say so, pretty boy. I look forward to seeing if you can actually do your job.”

Suppressing his anger, Tullund continued with the formalities. He saw no tents in the space that the small company occupied. “You can find a quartermaster in central - that is, the center of the encampment - to purchase tents. You’ll be able to keep them afterward, of course. This space is yours to do with as you please, within reason. Take the rest of the day to settle in, and we can begin formal evaluation tomorrow. I’ll get to know the strengths of your unit and find the best ways you all can support the main army.”

“Do we get to know your strengths?” Frederick asked.

“I expect to be working on the same things you are, so yes. I will prepare a demonstration.”

“Good enough for me.” Rella cut in. “We’ll see you tomorrow, Lieutenant.”

Tullund turned and walked away, only letting his anger show on his face when they could no longer see it.

“That went well, didn’t it?” Lily asked as she followed him.

“Your job is very specifically not to lie to me when it comes to these things. I’m supposed to be in charge but she dismissed me. They think I’m a joke. And you did nothing to help by playing your games.”

“They think poorly of you but you will have a chance to prove them wrong. Taradira didn’t give you your rank, you earned it on your own, surpassing her expectations of you.”

“Why are you so insistent on forming a relationship with me?”

“I’m a prisoner. A criminal. You are the one holding the keys to my cell. You control my meals. I might not be a slave that you can abuse as you see fit, but you do control my wellbeing. Improving your attitude towards me is in my best interest. I’ve spent years doing that in a very specific way.”

Tullund stopped, turning to look at her. In the weeks since they met, Lily never spoke so seriously for so long. Her playful nature was gone, her lips pressed together in a thin line. Turning again, he continued back towards their tent. “I did horrible things so that a woman would praise me. I thought I loved her and that the way she treated me was how love worked. It turned out I was just a toy to her. I met someone who did love me, properly. The first woman killed her. Then I got revenge. After that, I found a new life, away from all of that.”

“Until I ruined it.” Lily supplied. “Yeah. I know. I’m trying to work past that. Show you the good parts of me. It just so happens that the best way to do that is without having any clothes on.”

“I’m not interested in that.”

He heard her increase her pace, walking right beside him. “Would you prefer some special outfits? I’m sure if you let me go into the city I can find something. Are you more into leather or black lace? Or maybe something else?”

“I should have let Taradira make you scrub pots.”

Lily giggled.