Chapter Five:
A Slice of the Simple Life
Dmitri
“Our castle is fully equipped with a small hospital, two libraries, classrooms, and much more. Essentially, any resource you would academically or physically need can be found within castle walls and are usually fully staffed at all times. The square down the road houses goods and shops, where you can come and go as you please. It’s a great place to find a bite to eat or refill some of your essentials in between missions. Each of you will get an office but will most likely share it with someone so you can understand one another better. Now, everyone take the package with your number on it please.” Zachary explained as he led us to a table in the main foyer. The table itself adorned the emerald green of The North kingdom, and each package was tied off with a similarly colored ribbon.
I gazed over each box with solemn eyes before plucking the one marked four off the table, tucking it under my arm. The uniforms inside held weight to them, and I wondered if they expected us to go through these uniforms quickly, so they had given us a few to start with. As I played with the tie of my pack Zachary smirked to me, an offer to lighten the air slightly. I flashed a hesitant one back; he sighed in relief before turning to the other four. “Now that you’re ready to go, shall we go to your rooms?” He pressed cheerfully.
“This is totally insane, Mike! Us, living in an actual castle? Can you believe it!” Stefan whispered, quite loudly at that, to Michael, who rolled his eyes and tugged his friend along.
We hiked to the third floor’s south wing, where all the soldiers that lived in castle resided. In total, there were a good hundred that resided directly within castle walls, while most were either deployed and or at one of the nearby base camps. The ones at the castle were the top ranked, and ones Andrew kept close in case The West or anyone else had any ideas of intruding. Each room had a plain white door alongside a plaque with the soldiers’ names who resided in the rooms, written in gold plating. The hallway of rooms seemed to go on forever, but luckily, our own rooms weren’t too far from the main stairwell.
Voices echoed through the halls, accompanied by laughter and music, and most of the soldiers we passed made sure to congratulate us on our nominations with huge smiles. Zachary exchanged some chuckles and punches with a few men and women before standing before two doors, which were against their own wall. “Here we are. To start, we’re going to give you roommates so you can get to know one another better. As you grow older and such we’ll separate you, but for now, please play nice?” He opened the door marked three-twenty-one, “Gwenevere and Martha, this is your room. Dmitri, Michael, and Stefan will take three-twenty-two.”
The girls chatted excitedly as Stefan opened the door to our room with a gasp. “Wow! Look at this room!” He bawled, craning his head into the doorway and rapidly looking about the space.
“You are such a cartoon,” Michael laughed, shoving him inside with an eye roll.
“Take the evening to get settled, but be at dinner by six, alright? The king and queen are eager to share a meal with you!” Zachary called as he walked down the steps with a kind wave.
Stefan abruptly popped his head out of the door, causing me to jump and Michael to snicker at my surprise, “Stop over anytime, girls! I’d like for us to get to know one another!”
“Sure thing, Stefan. We’ll come over in an hour or two, ok?” Martha chimed.
Stefan eagerly nodded, “Don’t gossip about us too much!” He teased as I squeezed by him. The room itself was as beautiful as Stefan had said, it had three beds strategically separated to give us some breathing room, which were beautiful antique bed frames with feather soft mattresses set into them, and two side tables on each side. Three tall dressers, tall wardrobes, and two bathrooms accompanied the room as well. There was a fireplace with a television hung above it, and three desks that lined the wall. The boys gasped like little kids, squealing before darting around the room to look at everything. “This is awesome! Whoa, what an echo!”
“Which bed do you guys want?” Michael asked as he set his things down on a desk.
“Hmm, I think the one next to the closet is calling my name,” Stefan replied, flopping down into the comforter and letting his limbs stretch across the surface of the bed.
“Ok, and Dmitri?”
“The one beside the door is fine.” I said softly as I sat my own bag down.
“Sure! I wanted the window anyway,” Michael laughed, tossing himself on his own bed to start unpacking. We all got into the rhythm of it, quietly working to perfect our sides of the room to our intents. The staff had already delivered our bins and such for us, so that was one relief. The boys had commented on my lack of items, but I silently brushed it off.
After about an hour of silence and or small chatter between the two boys, Stefan plopped tiredly onto his bed, blowing stray hair out of his face loudly. “So, whatchya guys think of the room? This is the closest to luxury I’ve ever gotten, that’s for sure.”
Michael fluffed a personal pillow he had brought, “Pretty cool; I'm excited to sleep!”
Stefan rolled his eyes, “You’re always excited to sleep, Mike. How about you, Dmitri?”
“It’s very nice.” I simply said as I set down a few candles beside my bed.
“Someone’s afraid of the dark,” Michael laughed, but when he saw the look on my face, he pressed his lips together and swallowed uncomfortably.
“Not much of a talker, huh?” Stefan asked to break the tension.
“Not really,” I nicely mumbled, patting out a shirt before hanging it.
Stefan bit his lip, then smacked his hands to his hips, “Well, you know we’re going to break that barrier! I will not live with a mute!” He joked, which made Michael hiss at his comment.
I paused before turning to him, my eyes wide in horror, “Am I that antisocial?” I abruptly bawled in embarrassment.
Stefan squeaked and threw his arms up fast, “No! I didn’t mean to make fun of you…!?”
“Oh lord, you’ve done it again. Excuse the little annoyance, Dmitri, he has a nasty habit of never keeping his mouth shut!” Michael growled with a glare to his distraught friend.
I sat on my bed with a sigh, rolling my lips softly, “I suppose I am awkward, aren’t I?”
“I'm so sorry!” Stefan wailed, throwing himself into me hard and causing us to crash into the floor. Michael laughed hysterically as I tried to shove Stefan off; I chuckled in defeat as he clung to my leg. “I don’t want you to hate me!” He sobbed into my waist pathetically.
I patted his head gingerly, “I don’t hate you? I know you were just joking, Stefan?”
“You promise!?” He sniveled, bugging his eyes at me like a small child.
“God, you are soft…” I teased light heartedly.
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He stuck his tongue out before springing back up, “Maybe so, but it means I have heart!”
“Good luck with that on the battlefield,” Michael snorted as he organized some colognes and deodorant on his bedside table.
Stefan turned to him sadly, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Michael paused and set his cologne down carefully into the plastic holder. He looked up at Stefan in the mirror, his copper eyes slightly dangerous in the reflection. “Your job is to kill people, Stefan. You’d better get used to turning that off.”
Stefan fell quiet, as did I, but for a different reason. “Why can’t I be happy around my friends? Why must I be a murderous soldier when I'm home?” He retorted despondently.
“I never said you had to be. Just, be careful.” Michael tried unsurely.
Stefan slammed his fist down on his desk, which made us jump slightly from the sound. “Watch yourself, Michael. You may think I’m soft, but I can and will shove a stick of dynamite down your throat,” he growled as he walked to the balcony, slamming the door shut behind him. The slam made the wall vibrate and Michael and I cringe slightly.
Michael groaned in shame and smacked his hand to his forehead. I frowned for Stefan but moved back to my closet, as the awkward air was beginning to be too much. “Well, that wasn’t supposed to happen,” he grumbled, turning to me, “Was I too harsh?”
I pondered how to respond momentarily, “Maybe a bit.”
He brushed his fingers through his thin beard carefully, “I just worry about the little guy is all. He’s a damn good soldier, but he’s too nice. I… I should have worded that better.”
I nodded to the balcony door, “I suggest you speak to him. Cold words hurt more than anything in the world, especially when they come from a close friend.” He blinked at my words but slowly walked outside, shutting the door softly. He left me standing before the closet, my fingers laced within the fabric of a button down, and my face pressed against the chest of it.
Your job is to kill people.
How many times had I heard that in my life?
╬
After their chat, my roommates went to find the girls while I slid into bed and attempted to escape the world for a moment or two. I was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and needed an ounce of sleep. It was easier than expected to fall asleep; I clutched a pillow close to my chest to give me something to focus on, and that seemed to work like a charm. The door opened again after about half an hour, and Stefan abruptly hushed the three he was with. “Oh, should we go in our room?” Martha whispered, louder than she thought she was actually talking.
“He seems to be out like a light, so maybe not. Just keep an eye on him.” The four shut the bedroom door and snuck by me, all moving to sit by the fireplace. I took whatever opportunity I could to peek out of my lashes at the group but was careful that no one caught on that I was awake.
“God, I am exhausted,” Martha moaned, stretching hard until she was able to crack her neck. This made Gwenevere shiver, and the two girls giggle playfully.
“How do you guys like your room? It’s quite the change from our dingy dorms at the academy,” Michael asked as he grabbed water bottles for everyone.
Martha thanked him and took a swig, then clasped the bottle closed once more. “It’s great. Luckily, Gwen and I have a lot in common, so I think we’ll get along swimmingly.”
“What about you guys?” Gwenevere asked as she set her bottle on Stefan’s side table, pushing aside one of his many framed photos so nothing would tip over.
“Oh, yeah. It’s cool?” Stefan said sheepishly.
“Fight already?” She teased, which made the three chuckle hardily at him.
A stagnant silence fell over the group before everyone turned to me once again, sighing softly in unison. “Has he… spoken to you at all?” Martha asked carefully.
“Yeah, after Stefan made him think he’s weird,” Michael snapped.
“It was an accident!” Stefan whisper-shouted defensively.
“What did you say to him?” Martha bawled in fear.
Stefan crunched his bottle a few times, “I, well, I may have called him mute...?”
“Stefan!” The girls gasped, which made him squeak again.
Gwenevere whacked the side of his head, “He doesn’t exactly seem like the person to mess around with, so be kind, would you?” She scolded firmly.
“He is quite sullen, isn’t he?” Michael continued.
“I was thinking the same,” Gwenevere replied seriously, yet mostly to herself.
“He’s actually quite articulate, just, shy I suppose.”
“Is that what we’re calling it? I prefer the term haunted.” Martha scoffed sarcastically yet empathetically, sitting back into the couch so she could kick her legs up onto the coffee table.
“I suppose I would say the same.” Stefan added, his eyes still fixed on me as if he were waiting for me to spring up any moment. I wouldn’t dare; I wanted to understand how I fit into this group as quickly as possible, to hear firsthand how they felt about me, and this was the perfect opportunity to find out.
“Granted, look where he’s from. I'm sure he has secrets buried deep down that no one besides Alexei and Joshua know, and that in itself is horrifying. I hate to think about what happened to bring him here…” Gwenevere redirected, her tone soft yet sharp as she was, to my understanding, trying to convince the others to follow her mindset. A rush of relief flowed through me that she was doing this and gave me a bit more hope that I had a fighting chance with my comrades after all. That is, if she could convince them properly.
“I’m curious as well, and want to ask him, but it’s way too soon to push like that. Though, like said, I'm hoping he’ll come around eventually.” Michael morosely said.
Martha moved to begin braiding the ends of her hair, her eyes distant as she thought of how to ask her next question. “Do you guys really trust him? I hate to ask, but I’m not from The North. We have our own opinions in The South, and as someone who’s the odd one out I’m, concerned, to say the least. Trying to be optimistic, but, concerned.”
The group fell quiet for a moment before Michael sighed loudly and slapped his hands onto his knees, “Don’t have reason not to, I suppose. If Andrew trusts him, that’s good enough for me. I mean, it’s kind of weird to be sharing a room with a prince, let alone the prince of a country we’re trying to destroy, but I hope he’s nothing like his brother.”
“The way I see it…” Gwenevere took the focus of the group, “He’s probably fought a very long battle, and he wants it to end. I can’t imagine Alexei or Joshua were kind to him, especially with what we know of The West. I mean, Alexei banished their mother when Dmitri was a child, right after taking the throne by force, nonetheless. That alone is traumatizing. Then he has to seek refuge with The East, just to beg for freedom? If he is here on malicious intent, he’s one hell of an actor. I, personally, am going to treat him as fairly as I can.”
“There’s also the rumors, you know… of he and Joshua…?” Stefan shivered, unable to continue with that thought.
Gwenevere’s tone shifted to something that the group had not expected, “I do not know much of what you all have seen of this war, but from what I have, this is no joke. Joshua is the true driving force of The West, so I doubt he spent his days picking flowers with Dmitri. I’ve spent enough time observing The West to know what kind of person Joshua Eckles is, and I can guarantee he made Dmitri’s life hell. For people to reference him as Joshua’s personal pet… it’s sickening to even consider what that could mean. I don’t believe for a moment that ‘pet’ is a term of endearment and find it ridiculous that others are weaponizing it against him like that. We have enough to worry about, and if Andrew and Cerelia believe him to be a comrade, then I intend to treat him as such.”
Michael tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch methodically, “Ya know, I never thought of it like that. He would have had to go through meticulous trials for The Committee to ever consider offering asylum, so he must have been cleared well beyond what we know of. What if… What if he really is just… caught in this web of mass destruction? I mean, Andrew would never let someone dangerous this close to he and his kingdom, so…”
“So, he must have been a victim the same as everyone else,” Stefan said flatly. His voice raised an octave, and wavered slightly with guilt and empathy, “God, can you imagine what his life has been like? What he went through in that castle? It makes me stomach sick.”
“Hence why I believe we should do our best to get the story straight, but also be there for him. He’s part of our team whether we like it or not, but at the same time, he’s probably never had a friend who wouldn’t turn a knife on him in a second. It’s kind of our responsibility to be a safe space for all, including our own teammate.” Gwenevere said to ease Stefan’s anxiety.
“Excellent points, for sure. I suppose there’s no harm in trying…” Martha finally offered.
“Then we’ll do our best. Equally keep an eye on him but try our hardest to make him feel welcome. Who knows; he may end up being the hero this country needs after all,” Stefan chimed with a smile I could hear him wearing in his voice.