Chapter Twelve:

Pull Me from The Grave

Dmitri

Moving day came the following Sunday.

Michael and Martha were going to be next-door to us, and Stefan got his own room beside them to make space for more soldiers that would need our old one. Gwen and I brought most of our things to the new bedroom Saturday night, so Sunday was just last minute formalities and helping the other Cavalry finish up. “I'm going to miss you so much…!” I screamed to Bartholomew, who I held up above me as I laid on Stefan’s bed, “Every Wednesday and Saturday night you’ll come stay with me, ok little buddy?!”

“You are something else,” Michael laughed as he passed.

“What, the little rat has grown on me?”

“You talking about me?” Stefan popped as he poked his head out of the bathroom.

“Not this time,” I giggled as I slid the hamster back into his cage and moved to Michael’s closet, “Hey Mike, can I borrow a shirt!? All my crap is packed up!” I called.

“Knock yourself out!” He yelled back.

As I sifted through his clothes, a hiss crawled up the back of my throat that made Stefan snort a laugh, “Um, Dracula? Is there an issue?”

“All he wears is tank tops!?”

“Yes, normal men our age tend to not cover themselves like innocent school girls.”

“Do you want a karate chop to the neck?”

“Just wear what you have on!”

“Someone named Blabber-Mouthed Squirrel spilled soda all over me, and I would like to not look completely homeless for five seconds,” I barked before sighing and pulling loose a grey and white one, “I guess I have no choice.” With a quick breath of confidence, I charged down the hall with my eyes straight forward so I could concentrate. Unfortunately, Gwen heard me from the foyer, and called my name casually.

I swore softly, but set a box down on Stefan’s new bed before slinking down the steps. She had a clipboard in her hands, and was scribbling down notes to herself. Martha was double checking her work, and when she heard me round the corner, her jaw popped slightly. “What do you prefer; semi-automatic of sniper?” Gwen asked, still looking at the clipboard.

“Hmm, either works I suppose. I tend to gravitate towards semi’s when I use guns.” I explained as the royal couple and my brother passed by. Riley nodded to me cheerfully before slamming the brakes, and turning to me in disbelief. I narrowed my eyes at him, which made a giggle slip from his lips. Gwen raised an eyebrow and finally looked up to me, and when she did, a blank look fell over her face.

“D-Did you need anything else?” I stammered, scratching the back of my neck nervously.

She looked me up and down before scoffing and smacking her temple with the pen, “I'm sorry, am I missing something? Is it fucking opposite day? Since when do you prance around in a tank top!?” she scoffed jokingly.

“This would be a good time to boost his confidence instead of tearing it down?” Martha reminded Gwen, who shook her head as Martha and I giggled.

“Good morning, everyone!” Serena chirped as she casually skipped into the foyer.

“Serena? What are you doing here?” I asked as she kissed my cheek sweetly.

“I have a meeting with my uncle; you can’t have him to yourself all the time,” she laughed, playfully nudging me as Michael joined us with a smile.

“More like you’re trying to con Cerelia into going to your sister-in-law’s baby shower?”

“Um, excuse me…?” Serena scoffed innocently, “I would never do such a thing…!”

“You’ve called me every day for a month!” Cerelia snapped, which made us all explode in laughter as Serena whined in defeat.

“Thanks a lot, Cerelia!” She barked before sighing and leaning against my side, “No, in all honesty, I'm here to talk about your lovely failed abortion of a brother.”

“Oh how kind thee loving words…” Gwen joked as Serena rolled her eyes.

“What’s the aggravating termite up to now?” Riley scoffed as he came over to join us.

“Nothing, and that’s what’s terrifying me. He’s been barraging my country for over a year, but since December, he’s been dead quiet. I'm extremely worried something is…wrong…” she trailed off mid-sentence, her eyes locked on someone coming down the stairs.

I turned to see who she was staring at; “Hey, Stefan!” I casually chirped.

He had his head bent down over a set of plans he was constructing, and popped up to wave to me. “Hello everyone; oh, good morning your majesty. Wonderful to see you.” He sang, bowing respectfully to Serena before continuing to Zachary’s office. Serena watched his every move until he disappeared behind the shutting door, which made everyone left behind giggle.

“Bloody hell he’s a handsome one, isn’t he?” She mumbled to herself.

“Are you crushing on a mere mortal peasant your excellency?” I snickered.

“He’s Cavalry Number Three, isn’t he…?” She bit her lip slightly before a flush of pink tickled her cheeks, “Slide him my number, would you?” She whispered slyly to me.

“You are the captain of an entire army; grow a pair and do it yourself.”

“I may need to hire someone new so I can spend more time in The North…?”

“Serena!” Andrew laughed as she shrugged cutely, “He’s barely nineteen!”

“And I'm only twenty-two, thank you very much! Besides, I’ve been on the battlefield since I was sixteen; it would be nice to settle down and go on a date for once.”

“Amen to that!” Riley snorted.

“Well, just so you know, he recently broke up with his girlfriend after catching her cheating, so his frail little heart is searching for a someone to mend it?” I hissed evilly.

Serena clapped her hands with a devilish cackle, “I like the way you think little cousin?”

“Don’t you have a meeting?” Michael laughed, making her sigh miserably.

“I suppose I do… Well, I’ll have to stalk my future husband later. See you all soon! Let’s reconvene for drinks!” She called before following Andrew and Cerelia up the steps.

“Dear lord…” Gwen chuckled as she flopped down with a moan.

Stefan came back from Zachary’s office, mumbling to himself about the new budget he had to work with. I snatched his arm and spun him around, which made him teeter dizzily. “I have some news for you, young Squirrel…” I began, which made The Cavalries giggle.

“News? What news?” He asked curiously.

“The Princess of The South has fallen quite enamored with you.”

“With me?” He snorted in shock, “Why the heck does she like me?”

“Hell if we know, but she’s practically obsessed,” Michael joked.

“Do you know what this means, young Squirrel?” I cackled devilishly.

“What, Baby Chicken?” He sighed playfully.

I put an arm behind his back and gestured to the sky, which made him roll his eyes but play along, “If you were to marry said princess, not only would you have a beautiful wife, but you become a prince, and you would also become my cousin!”

“Cousin?” He snapped excitedly.

“And if I were to marry Gwenevere, she would be your cousin as well?”

“When you marry Gwenevere,” Gwen interjected; I stuck my tongue out to her.

“Happy family?” Stefan whispered cutely.

“Happy family!” I squeaked.

“Don’t fill his precious and innocent mind with ideas until you know for sure that things will work out!” Martha scolded as Stefan’s eyes lit up like fireworks.

“I didn’t even think about all that! Though, I mean…” he shyly swung his arms with a ferocious blush, “She’s so pretty and stuff… I would have no clue how to talk to her. I mean, she is also the princess of a neighboring kingdom, nonetheless? It would be pretty difficult to date?”

“You’d figure it out! Besides, you interact with royalty all the time! Hell, you shared a bedroom with a bloody prince and are his brother’s best friend!” Gwen laughed as I winked.

“Yeah, but, Dmitri doesn’t really act like a prince, and Riley’s become a commander more than a royal. I still get awkward around the families…?”

“It really isn’t as complicated as you think. There are some standards and such that come into play should you two become serious, but they really are the simplest of rules. The only thing you would really need to consider, is the future. This is absolutely jumping the gun, but should you truly end up with Serena, there is always a chance you both may one day rule The South. It’s a huge responsibility, but if you’re willing to accept it, then you have nothing to worry about. I trust you well enough to know you’d be a wonderful leader and companion for our Southern ally.” Cerelia soothingly chimed as she came to join us.

Gwen’s face contorted in horror as realization hit her like a steel train; “I completely forgot about the ruling a country part…?”

“Too late, can’t back out now!” I snapped, which made her bubble with laughter.

“I suppose I can stomach being a royal, so long as I get to be with you…?” She sang.

“Um, gross?” Michael hacked as Gwen and I giggled to one another.

╬

February turned to March, March turned to April, and before we knew it, it was June. We spent four months on and off missions in The West, and in our free time, we became accustomed to life as a Cavalry. Alexei had been dead silent since our meeting in February, so Andrew took advantage of that fact and started to travel again. He and Cerelia went to Italy to see her parents in March, followed by a few trips to Ireland on and off with his wife and sister. The three completely immersed themselves in equally preparing our army for the next big attack, as well as spending some much needed time together. Andrew was planning to go to Spain in August, and was hoping everything would be well so The Cavalries and Riley to accompany him as well.

Zachary and Riley took charge of the castle in Andrew’s absence, and ran it like a true well-oiled machine. Zachary handled dishing out the orders while Riley created dozens if not hundreds of schedules for every second of every soldiers' lives. He was so busy that I sometimes wouldn’t see him for days, but being able to show his worth was what meant most to him right now. The two were a match made in military heaven, and though our training had become much more intense, the rewards we reaped from it were truly beneficial.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Our soldiers went from good to unstoppable.

We bulldozed West soldiers like ocean waves knocking down sand castles, and even the other kingdoms were a bit intimidated by our presence. Physically, especially amongst The Cavalry, we all pushed our bodies to their breaking points, and returned with some newly required confidence and strength we didn’t know existed within us.

Michael and I truly bulked up, so much so that he had to buy new shirts because his normal attire was getting too tight. I snatched up his old ones, which were always huge on me, but now they framed my body to perfection, and I was kind of enjoying flaunting my new muscles for my girlfriend. Martha put on a little weight she was desperately trying to gain, but at the same time, had chiseled her body into the perfect gymnasts physique. Her acrobatics were so fluid that she almost resembled water when she moved through the air, which made her ability to jump from plane to plane more precise than ever. As an archer, she was a polished ghost amongst the trees, and on numerous occasions had taken out groups of archers without once being found out. I envied her incredible stealth, but it was a skill only someone born in The South would have.

Gwen was quite happy with herself as well. Thankfully, her gorgeous hips didn’t change much, but due to numerous weeks of core workouts, she tapered down a little in the abdomen so that her curves were truly accentuated. I consistently reminded her that I didn’t care about her weight, but I was also very supportive of the decision she made because of how happy it made her. She not only moved better on the battlefield, but she also began to sport more feminine clothing for the first time in years.

Stefan truly made the biggest improvement. Thought he’d always been able to hold his own on the battlefield, we called him the Squirrel for a reason. He was so thin that even Zachary worried for his safety, and kindly helped him through the agonizing hours of weight lifting it took for him to be what he was today. He had always been handsome, but he used his personality more than anything to win dates because the other soldiers thought he was too scrawny. He was a tadpole amongst frogs, but now, he had earned his physical status as a Cavalry. He sported a well-deserved set of abs and wider and toned arms, which he couldn’t believe he actually was able to pull off. It was great to see him doing better, and also a relief that I didn’t have to share the same worries as Zachary if and when we went to the true battlefield.

In the romance department, everyone seemed to be clicking together with the summer rolling in. Michael and Martha became inseparable after moving in together, so much so that Stefan and I had to beg him to spend time with us sometimes.

Gwen and I were going strong, stronger than ever really. We got used to each other’s mannerisms pretty quickly, and only shared two small fights; one was about the amount of dirt I kept tracking all over the rug, and one was over who would get which side of the bathroom. Overall, we were quite content with one another, and our relationship went from the hottest gossip in the castle to a casual smile whenever we shared a kiss in front of someone.

In Stefan’s case, he and Serena were truly playing cat and mouse chase. Every time he tried to ask her out, she was wrapped up with something back home, but when she had the time she consistently chickened out on asking him. Luckily for her, he was so wrapped up with the gym that he didn’t have his eyes on any specific girls, but that didn’t mean the girls weren’t chasing his tail either. I decided to keep my opinions to myself and see where things went for them, but that wasn’t until after Gwen scolded me for trying to lock the two in a supply closet.

Another odd, yet not romantic, pair floating about the castle was, surprisingly, my mother and Zachary. The man who vowed to never share the same oxygen as a Mortimer from The West was seen on multiple occasions sharing a coffee with the countries queen while they both giggled to one another. It was a platonic friendship, but for her to have a close friend, especially one who understood the war firsthand, gave me incredible ease. It was pretty hilarious to watch the two in action, but if I wanted anyone to keep Mom company, Zachary was far from a bad choice.

Riley was the last on the list, and still retained his status as England’s number one bachelor. Whatever weird thing he was talking about a few months ago never resurfaced, and when we realized how touchy the subject truly was for him, we laid off the snarky teasing. Whether or not Riley truly was dating someone remained a mystery, but by the look on his face whenever we brought it up, closure seemed nowhere in sight. All I could hope was that whoever he spoke of was well, and the two would be reconnected someday soon.

╬

“Morning Stefan; have you seen the losers yet?” Andrew asked as he entered the foyer with Levi skittering behind him. This week would mark when our first batch of Irish soldiers would be coming to the castle, so Andrew would have a shadow for a while. The two were at least on speaking terms, which Levi was grateful for.

“Who, Dmitri and Michael?” He asked from his seat on the couch, looking up from a heavy book he was marking pages in.

“Yes; we have a mission briefing in a few minutes, and I can’t seem to find them?”

“Try asking the peanut gallery over there,” Stefan chuckled, gesturing to the two girls who had their faces smashed into the windows.

Andrew shook his head before he walked over to tap Martha’s shoulder; “Would you like to tell me why you two are drooling all over my windows?” He teased.

“Practice…” the two sang creepily.

“Ninety-five, ninety-six, ninety-seven….” Riley counted, watching his stopwatch as Michael and I did pushups in the yard. The sun was beating down wildly, soaking us in sweat as we worked through it. Our shirts were so wet they were see-through, but Riley was intent on pushing us as far as he could.

“How long do you think you can drool over these boys before Riley clocks you?” Zachary asked as he came downstairs with a clipboard.

“I can look, just not touch.” Martha laughed as Stefan rolled his eyes.

“Oh, I will touch all I want,” Gwen sang as she smacked the window open, “Can I please have him back now?” She whined, which made Riley laugh.

“Oh? For what?”

“It’s been four hours, and I want to eventually see him today!”

I hissed laughs through my teeth; Riley roll his eyes and stop the watch. “Alright, alright, you can have him. Nice work boys; get a drink,” He instructed. Michael and I pulled ourselves up stiffly, hissing miserably at the sun. I let out a loud groan as my head fell back, and sighed out of breath as Gwen and Martha fell over one another.

“Does he make that sound often?” Martha cried.

“Not enough!” Gwen squeaked.

“Oh my lord...” Andrew chuckled.

“Why is it so hot!” I yelled, smacking back into the grass as Riley doused me with water.

“Welcome to the summer time; get to it before I make you do one hundred more.”

“Excuse you!” Michael laughed as I pulled my t-shirt off, shaking my wet hair like a dog.

Gwen’s jaw slammed through the window sill, which caused Levi to laugh hysterically in spite of himself. “I'm melting!” She screamed dramatically.

“Apparently everyone is half naked in my castle!” Andrew joked as I wiped my face.

“If you want me to stay in shape, cram it!” I yelled as Michael gulped down an entire bottle of water in a matter of seconds.

“You’re just a show off!”

“Do not ruin this for me…” Gwen hissed demonically as she gave Andrew the cut throat symbol, which made him back up slightly with wide eyes.

“You two probably go at it like wild animals…” Ramah said to Gwen casually as he passed, which made the rest of the room explode in laughter.

“Can you two please stop objectifying me?” I snapped as I came inside, squirting the girls with water as they cackled like hyenas.

“You provided us a show, and we are paying customers!” Martha teased.

“Now that your strip show is over,” Andrew began, “We have a briefing to attend to, so let’s get serious for a moment.”

“Of course your majesty; hop to it everyone!” I called as The Cavalries followed me back outside. We all sat along the benches in the garden, I shaking my wet hair out as Zachary sighed sadly. “We have some news from The West to share with you today.”

“Ah, so Satan still dwells in his tower?” Michael sighed.

“Unfortunately so; Alexei has appointed three new commanders, one who is leading an army heading for The South as we speak.”

“Who is it?” Gwen asked seriously.

“The first is Walter, who took the roll of Captain for his army, and his commanders are Martin and… Maxwell…” Zachary tried.

I breathed a gasp, as did Riley, who’s eyes widened in horror. “I don’t believe it; not for one second.” I croaked, making everyone glance to me.

“Believe it or not, it’s true. The three are leading a twenty thousand men army across the border. They’ve decimated everything in their path...”

“He sent Max on purpose; he’s trying to find a weakness in us!” Riley shot, mostly to me.

“Alexei was quiet for how long, and now he’s going all out on The South…? We have to help them! Surely we can do something…!?” Michael rambled before Andrew patted his arm.

“We’re trying to figure something out, but at the same time, I cannot afford to lose more men that I have. The South have around forty thousand men right now, which you would think would be enough, but The West have become ruthless. Whatever Joshua is doing with their training is causing quite the problem. I want to protect my sister and her family more than anything, but we have our own kingdom to worry about first.”

Slowly, I looked to Zachary, who blinked in shock at my hostile glare. “I do not care who Alexei sends my way; if they are associated with The West Kingdom, then they are traitors. If they wish to fight, I will more than happily bring them what they desire.”

“Oh really; you and what army? You seem to forget this is a war, Dmitri.”

“I think I'm fully aware of the circumstances,” I scoffed dangerously, in a tone that made Zachary gnaw his lip.

“That came out wrong…” he apologized.

“Do we have a strategy?” Michael asked to avert the awkwardness.

“Somewhat. The likelihood that Joshua is trying to split our military up is strong, so we must plan this carefully...?”

“I only made my comment based on the fact that if The South falls, we lose an incredibly important ally. I know we shouldn’t have to intervene, but if we lose them, this war gets a lot stickier than before.” I briefly retracted my earlier statement.

“No, I agree with you, I just… I don’t know who would successfully bring our boys home, and I do not want to lose more men that I have…” Andrew whispered.

“Who is the official Captain as of right now?” Riley asked. Andrew and Zachary fell silent, making Riley scoff in shock. “You mean to tell me you have no head command?”

“Zachary technically holds the lead, but no, we don’t have an official Captain. He’s been filling the role for the time being, but he’s constantly on the battlefield, and I can’t have him trying to command the entire army and leading out his squads at the same time.”

“You can do it,” I whispered to Riley, who blinked hard at me, “You were Joshua’s second in command for years; you’re a fantastic coordinator?”

“Yes, but you seem to forget that I had to coordinate the deaths of innocent people...” he morosely reminded me. Everyone sighed sadly as he bowed his head, his hands trembling.

Andrew clamped his hand onto Riley’s, his eyes warm, “This could be your chance to ease your guilt. You would not only be helping our army tremendously, but you would be helping me, Riley, and I think yourself as well.”

“Riley Mortimer; the man who killed Alexei’s most feared men…?” Martha whispered in awe, which made him flush pink.

“I can’t do it alone…?” He finally said.

“You won’t have to. I have been a commander for many years, and I will be right beside you the entire time. If we work together the way we have around the castle, I believe we can really be of use in this fight.” Zachary assured.

“What of The Cavalry?” Levi asked Andrew, who sighed.

“I'm not sure. I don’t necessarily want them in war, but...?”

“It’s our jobs?” Martha said lightly.

“Split us within the divisions,” I blurted, making everyone turn to me, “Based on our nominations, we can take command of the main wings of our military. Stefan can lead demolition, Michael can take care of supplies and border control. Martha can help the Air Force, Gwen can coordinate the on-field weapon control and rescue missions, and hit the water should anything spill over...?”

“And yourself?” Michael whispered.

I slowly raised my head, my eyes full of passion in the reflection of the swords settled behind Andrew, “and I will help lead our army to victory.”

“You’re going to go back to the battlefield?” Riley breathed seriously.

“If it means Walter’s demise, absolutely. I lived on the field my entire life; a few more times isn’t going to hurt.”

“You two, would be unstoppable…” Gwen breathed seriously.

“Yes, you would be. Between you both and Zachary, we would have an extremely solid command to help save The South.” Stefan added.

“I would be honored to fight alongside you two,” Zachary declared proudly.

Riley took my hand, sighing once. I squeezed his warmly; “We’ve been through worse, Riley, remember that. Think of how many lives we can save?”

“Are you trying to reassure me, or yourself?” He scoffed.

“Maybe a little bit of both.” I admitted.

“I want The Cavalries off the battlefield as much as possible; they need to be introduced to this environment slowly. Dmitri’s plan will work well, I believe. It helps get everyone’s fingers in the pot, but it also keeps our royal family safe. Regardless of the fight this castle’s protection is priority, which makes their jobs extremely important.” Riley snapped seriously.

“We respect the decision,” Michael said flatly.

“We’re going to need heavy artillery...” Riley began coldly, “because Joshua isn’t going to send those three in without it. This entire war is a game to try and do one thing; kill Dmitri and I. He’s using Max as a distraction to try and draw us out.”

“It doesn’t matter now; if he has blood on his hands, then he is a monster just the same as Walter, Collin, and Joshua.” I breathed.

“When do we leave?” Zachary asked.

“Tomorrow, preferably. At this rate, The West will meet you in the opening just outside castle walls. If we can cut them off from hitting the main city, we can push them back in between The South and The Peace Zone, so we have more room to fight.” Andrew explained.

“Of course, your majesty. Well, if that’s the case, you two better ready up and be in the foyer by nine sharp.” Zachary said, standing to clap a hand to my back before going inside.

Everyone fell quiet for a moment before Riley slowly turned to me; “Are you really going to be able to kill Max?” he whispered seriously.

I hid my face under my hair, “I’ll do whatever it takes to save people’s lives…” I stammered, which made my comrades hearts shatter.