Chapter Four:
The Five Cavalries
Dmitri
At seven on the dot, a white moving van pulled up in front of the dormitories. It wasn’t a regular moving van; the sides of the van had emerald green strips, and the emblem for The North kingdom shone proudly in the rising sun. A soldier emerged from the van dressed in a finely pressed uniform, his cap holding back a set of dark brown locks. He slid his arms behind his back and leaned against the side of the van, popped a bubble with his gum, and peered at the windows of the stairwell to see if anyone was coming down to meet him.
I emerged from the side entrance to set one last bin on top of the ones I had already carried down, then bowed to the soldier respectfully. “Good morning, sir. Are you… here for me?”
He tilted his head at me, then scoffed a somewhat snarky laugh. “Depends; you our new Calvary from The East?”
“I believe so,” I stood straight and held my hand out, which he grimaced at before carefully returning the gesture. “My name is Alexander…?”
He immediately squeezed my hand as hard as he could, “Your name is not Alexander; your name is Dmitri, so cut the shit and don’t play games with me.” He cut me off with such venom in his voice that it made my skin burn. I did wince a little at his tone, and slowly dropped my hand. He nodded to the van and popped the latch on the door, “They’ll be here around noon to collect your horse. For now, pack your things in here, then sit up front with me. We got a long ride, and I want to get it over with.” Without giving me a chance to reply, he rounded the van and slammed his door shut.
I swallowed carefully and did as I was told, packing the eight bins I had into the back of the van before carefully closing the sliding door. I slid my player and tattered notebook into my messenger bag before going to the front of the van, laying a hesitant hand on the handle of the door. I gave the academy one more glance before sliding in and closing the passenger door, fastening my seatbelt obediently.
The soldier cut the engine on and took off down the main road, his dark eyes set on the winding path that led down the hillside and towards the main roadways. I kept my eyes down to not aggravate him further and played with the latches of my bag to occupy myself for the time being. The radio spit out some random pop tunes that were currently popular, but otherwise, the van was dead silent as it coasted down the major motorway connecting The East and The North.
Eventually, the soldier exhaled carefully and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in a random rhythm as he thought about what to say. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, then rolled his lips and sunk into his seat more. “Andrew wants you to go by your real name from now on, so prepare yourself for that as much as you can.” He offered finally.
I raised my head slightly and gave him a solemn nod, “Understood, sir.”
He tightened his grip on the wheel so much that his knuckles turned white, “I, um, didn’t mean to be so standoffish. As you can imagine, we’re all a bit… unsure of why you’re joining us.” He eyed me carefully in the rearview as he spoke, “It’s not every day that you welcome the prince of a country we’re trying to destroy into your home, let alone near your king and queen.”
My fingers wound around the seatbelt, so I had something to grip as I spoke, “I understand your concerns, really, I do. I still am amazed that I’ve been given this opportunity, but I know it will take some time for me to prove myself to you all.” I swallowed loud enough for him to hear, “If I can ask one thing…?”
“Hmm?” He mumbled curiously.
I bit my lip slightly, “If you have the heart to, please, try and not judge me based on my past, or the rumors you hear about me.” I waited a bit to let my words sink in, and to see if he’d have an off reaction, before continuing. “I’m really not here on bad intent; I simply am here to correct the wrongs my family has done. I care about Andrew and Cerelia immensely and would never do a thing to harm them. I do not believe in Alexei and Joshua’s insanity whatsoever and will do whatever I can to stop them from causing more damage. I just, need a chance to do so…”
The soldier let what I said sink in for a moment, then nodded ever so slightly. “Had we met on the streets I’d probably take your head off, but Andrew seems to trust you, so I suppose that’s enough for me.” He braked at a check point, and had our passports stamped before continuing through The Peace Zone to The North checkpoint, “Andrew and Cerelia mean the world to us, in The North, and as much as we are protective of them, we also trust their judgment. Andrew has never done me wrong, so I suppose it’s time I cut him some slack.”
I smirked a little, “I promise I’m not all that bad, once you get to know me?”
He chuckled a little and shrugged lamely, “I suppose we’ll see about that.” His eyes softened from their deadly glare finally, “I’m Jordan. I came in with the last batch of Calvary ten years ago, and watched every single one of them die horrifically. We’ve barely been able to stay alive against The West’s attacks, and more of my friends have died on the field than made it to their thirtieth birthday, so I’m not a fan of your family to say the least…”
“I’m so sorry…” I breathed seriously.
Jordan turned to me at a red light, “I’m tired of watching people die. You want my respect? Then keep your comrades alive, and prove to us that you’re not just a pawn from The West…” He abruptly grabbed my shirt collar and ripped me forward, so our faces were inches apart, “Because I promise you, Dmitri Mortimer, that if I find out you’re working for The West, you will meet a fate much crueler than any death you can imagine. Am I clear?”
“Crystal!” I squeaked.
He let go of my shirt and cracked a smile, “Now that we got formalities out of the way, how about some breakfast? I could seriously go for a sausage roll!”
╬
The hall filled with the soft click of my boots; the heel cracking against the cool white marble, and the soft brushing of my bag against my shoulder echoed through the silent castle. Staff members watched with wide eyes as I crossed the grand foyer to the doors of the throne room, where a stout yet charmingly handsome man stood, holding a list of names pressed into the finest of parchment. “Name, please?” He asked, eyes fixed to the clipboard as I approached.
“Mortimer…” I said with false confidence.
When he looked up to my eyes his own widened, but he covered his surprise with a serious smile. “Yes, here you are. Right this way, sir. Congratulations on your nomination.” He said robotically, opening the grand doors. I walked past him and into the room, and as the doors shut, I could hear the staff softly whispering about me, but that was to be expected.
Upon entering the room, I was greeted by a pair of golden thrones with crisp green velvet pressed into the seats. In those seats were two thirty-six-year-old rulers, who gave me a soft nod as I entered. The first was Andrew, who bore delicate blonde locks and fierce green eyes that penetrated anyone within their range powerfully. His wife, Cerelia, was adorned by crisp auburn curls and passionate blue eyes, which had a kindness in them renowned through all of England. She smiled breathlessly as I paused before the two, coming to my knee to bow respectfully. “Welcome to the North Kingdom, my darling.” Cerelia coaxed lovingly.
“Thank you, your majesty,” I replied, standing once more.
“Yes, welcome,” Andrew stood to shake my hand, “What an honor it is to have you.”
“I greatly appreciate the invitation to your beautiful kingdom.”
“Please state your name, number, and nomination for our records,” Cerelia said, nodding to the guard that was waiting to sign me in.
“Dmitri Mortimer, Cavalry Number Four, Swordsman.” I answered evenly. Their guard narrowed his eyes at me, but still wrote down my name with little to no animosity beyond the glare. It was a lot less menacing than I expected, admittedly.
“Beyond your nomination, is there any other talents of yours we should be aware of?” Another guard asked as he entered the room, trying to hold his surprise at my name.
“I fend well in combatives, archery, weapons technicians…” I tried to say nonchalantly.
“A card of all trades I see?” Cerelia chuckled.
My shoulders rose and fell passively, “I pride myself on it, but my head isn’t too high.”
“Glad for it. You are the first to arrive, so please, do stay and converse with us for a moment.” Andrew asked as he sat back down.
I set my bag below the chair marked FOUR and took a seat, crossing my legs once as the two smiled over me. We all patiently let a few moments linger before the question burning on my lips burst free. “Do… any of them know?” I asked hesitantly, which made the fake, polite air of the room turn much more serious.
“They all do,” Andrew assured, “and all have agreed to be compliant and give us a chance. I do not want you to live the rest of your life in a disguise. I nominated you as Dmitri Mortimer, not Alexander Morgan.” I brought my gaze from his stern demeanor and stiffly nodded, unable to respond. I hadn’t expected to drop my identity so early on, but there was no turning back now.
The doors opened once more and a set of boys entered, their expressions blank yet still serious. One stood at average height, with a charming face and smile. His hair was mahogany brown, and his eyes a sparkling honey dew green. His friend was much taller, just a bit below my own height, and enviously muscular. His own eyes were a copper color, and his hair the blackest of blacks, with a thin beard on his young face. The two bowed to their rulers and shook their hands respectfully, a well-acquainted duo who kept their heads on a swivel as they took in the throne room and all who occupied it.
“Welcome, gentlemen, to The North Kingdom,” Andrew said robotically.
“Much obliged, your majesties,” the taller one replied in a thick Northern accent.
“Your names, numbers, and nominations?” Cerelia asked once more.
“Stefan Brown, Cavalry Number Three, Demolition Specialist,” brown-hair said.
“Michael Long, Cavalry Number Two, Combatives Specialist,” the other replied.
Cerelia let out a delighted giggle abruptly, “A little birdy told me you two pulled quite the prank on your headmaster at the graduation dinner?”
“Prank? What prank? We are pillars of discipline and maturity!” Stefan bawled, puffing his chest out though Michael’s spastic and muffled chuckles were giving them away.
“Uh huh. So, you mean to tell me you had nothing to do with the exploding cake incident?” Andrew accused with a playful glare.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Stefan sheepishly flashed a toothy smile, “I tried to warn them… I couldn’t leave without leaving some kind of parting gift?!”
The four shared a string of laughs that lasted a good moment. It was nice that they knew one another, though I expected Andrew to be close with anyone who attended his academy. Finally, Andrew caught his breath and brushed his eyes clear, “Oh, you two are going to be trouble! Please, take a seat; the others should arrive any moment.” The boys turned and jumped slightly when they saw me, unaware of my presence until now, but hid their surprise by shuffling to the seats on my right. I wasn’t sure how to approach them presently and decided to keep to myself until they made the first move.
After a moment Stefan cleared his throat and leaned forward a little to try and capture my attention. “Um, excuse me?” He asked innocently. I turned to him with a raised eyebrow as he grinned brightly. “Hello there; can we have your name, sir?” He kindly prompted. His voice had a hypnotizing, friendly tone, and admittedly broke right through my hesitant stance.
“Mortimer; Dmitri Mortimer.” I said a bit bitterly, only because I knew this would make his friendliness disappear within seconds, and I didn’t want to get used to it.
He and his friend swallowed loudly, but hid their fear well, “It’s nice to meet you?”
“Likewise,” I chimed a little looser. I summoned some courage and shifted only slightly, “You’re a demolitionist? Do you, make your own explosives?”
Stefan burst to life at the chance to continue our conversation, “I certainly do! I’ve been working closely with The North Kingdom’s armory for some time and have tons of plans to help fortify effective new prototypes.”
I let a smile tug at the corner of my lips, “Intriguing, genuinely. And you, Michael? A Combatives Specialist?” I continued.
“My main focus is knives, but I excel in any combative work. I’d like to, eventually, get everyone a custom set of tools that they can take on the field if swords should fail them. I have an affinity for creating weaponry.” He continued wearily, “You’re our swordsman, I presume? I’m quite excited to learn as much as I can from you.” He tried to say as hesitantly as he could.
The royal couple were enthralled that we were all attempting to be friendly and whispered to one another with coy grins of pride. I tried not to roll my eyes at them, but I did find myself enjoying our interaction. “Likewise; you and I will pair up nicely, especially if you like knives so much. I tend to rely on them heavily outside of my sword, and precision training is considerably interesting to me. We’ll hopefully have ample opportunity to trade notes.” My tone was still cautious, but the boys could tell I was trying to be friendlier.
Michael flushed pink and warmly nodded, “I agree. I look forward to it.”
“Don’t forget about me!” Stefan chirped, which made Michael and I chuckle lightly. He sat back in his seat with a smug smirk as another person walked in, this time a woman. She had velvet, chin-length, blonde curls and sharp blue eyes, with features so soft that she looked inhuman. The badges on her vest were from The South kingdom and were slightly intimidating. I wondered about how much field action she’d had prior to becoming a Calvary.
“Welcome, my dear. Your name, number, and nomination?” Cecelia asked a third time.
“Martha Worthington, Cavalry Number One, Aerodynamics specialist,” Martha said, smiling to the king and queen and making their hearts crumble.
“Aerodynamics! Wow, what an awesome trade!” Stefan excitedly chimed as Martha sat beside Michael, flushing pink at him flirtatiously.
Martha tucked some hair behind her ear, “Thank you; I know we aren’t exactly using air warfare right now, but I also excel in archery, so I can hold my own until Joshua slips up.”
Stefan rapidly shook her hand with both of his, “You and I are going to work together a lot, I hope.” He proudly held a hand over his heart, “I’m the demolitionist, and you’re going to be the pilot who helps me blow The West out of the water, right?”
“You bet!” Martha exclaimed, high fiving Stefan as the two laughed excitedly.
As the two bubbled on about their backgrounds, the door opened one final time. In walked a sight that broke my character and made my jaw pop open in awe. Hair black as coal that bounced against her back like a veil, eyes that changed from green to blue depending on the light, and full of confidence that could kill, in she walked. Her aura proved that this woman was born for combat, yet she held a poise that was breathtakingly beautiful. The royal couple sat straighter as the girl bent down and bowed loyally to them. “Your majesties…” she sang in a tone much deeper than Martha’s dove like voice. I hadn’t recalled hearing such a rich and sexy voice from a girl this young before, but all it commanded was respect and grace, as if she had already been commanding an army for the past twenty years.
“Welcome, my dear. Can we have your name, number, and nomination?”
“Gwenevere Lee, Cavalry Number Five, and my nomination is for Sorceress and Naval Specialist.” She declared to the surprise of the entire group.
“A sorceress…” I mumbled to myself.
“About time you showed up!” Stefan joked to his classmate, which made her chuckle.
“Yes, we are especially excited to have you join us, Ms. Lee. Your talents are truly remarkable and will add an incredible boost to our resources.” Andrew praised sincerely.
“She’s useless until magic is involved!” Michael called teasingly.
Gwenevere snorted and turned with a hand on her hip, “I’m the highest rank Naval Technician in our graduating class, moron. Keep running your mouth and I’m making sure you drown next time we go out on the water.”
“A female Naval Specialist, eh?” The guard blurted, which made Gwenevere turn and flash him a cocky smile.
“Got a problem with that, dork?” She snorted with a roll of her oddly colored eyes.
The royal couple giggled as he exasperatedly threw his hands up, “Oh, no, of course not! I commend you for it, ma’am. I’ve yet to meet a young woman who held such qualifications! I didn’t mean to offend if I did?” He bubbled in embarrassment.
Gwenevere shrugged lamely, “You didn’t. Though, I thank you for the respect.”
“I, too, am in awe Ms. Lee. You’re how old again?” Andrew asked.
“Eighteen,” she replied somewhat bitterly, probably used to people questioning her skills so much that at this point she had been conditioned to be prematurely offended.
“And already such a qualification? Well, I welcome you to the team. I'm very excited to see your talents.” He replied, a much different response than what she was expecting, which made her sigh in relief.
“Thank you, your majesty,” she moved to the seat to my left, sitting down and crossing her legs over her bag. She side glanced at me finally, and when she did, her eyes widened not in shock, but in awe. Without an ounce of remorse she continued to stare directly at me, as if trying to solve the world’s most complex puzzle, and it took all of my strength to not face her. Instead, a brilliant blush filled my cheeks, signaling that I had caught her, and she in return echoed it and looked away to tuck her long hair behind her ear.
In the next beat the doors to the throne room opened. “Your majesties…” a man said shortly as he entered the hall, with a long silver sword clanking against his leg powerfully.
“Zachary; right on schedule…” Andrew started.
“Which one is it?!” Zachary barked, turning on his heel to all of us, “Who’s the Snake!?”
“We talked about this, Zachary?” Cerelia moaned.
He surveyed each of us before he raised an eyebrow as he examined every inch of my appearance. “This one looks just like Morgan, but something is off…?”
“Oh, yes,” Andrew nodded to me as I pulled a tiny bag from my coat pocket. I fingered for the small tablet inside, which I placed on my tongue, before I closed my eyes.
The Cavalries gasped in awe as my hair shimmered back to its’ original honey blonde, and my eyes shifted from flat brown to the gorgeous turquoise my mother and I shared. When I opened my eyes they glowed so intensely that even Zachary blinked in shock. I watched my hair flop into my face, then breathed a small laugh, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen myself like this,” I joked to Andrew while I ran a hand through my hair with an awkward smile.
Abruptly, Zachary grabbed my shirt and ripped me forward, which made me yelp slightly as he came as close to me as he could. “Let me make something very clear to you, Snake… The only Mortimer’s I trust are the ones who live in this castle. I especially don’t trust those who are the kin of that scumbag Alexei, let alone Joshua’s personal pet. If you think for five seconds that I'm going to go easy on you because you’re a prince, you have another thing coming…”
“I expect the same respect you give the other Cavalry; that is all, sir,” I replied carefully.
“Why are you even here, Mortimer…” he whispered seriously, his slate eyes consumed by darkness, “All of us had hoped Joshua disposed of you long ago, and yet here you are, crawling from the sewers where you and your rat filth lurk…”
“Zachary!” Cerelia snapped over him.
“I appreciate the intimidation, sir, but it isn’t working.” I scoffed, shaking him off of me. He sucked his teeth as I combed my shirt out and confidently looked back to him, “I am here for the same reason everyone else is…”
The venom in his voice stung viciously, “I highly doubt that!”
I did my best to keep my tone low and cordial, “You can doubt me as much as you’d like, but the truth is the truth. You haven’t even given me a chance to prove myself. I promised Andrew that I would help lead his country to victory, and I intend to do so. I hate my brother and Joshua as much as you do, I can assure you that. In time, I will prove it to you even further. For now, I ask that you give me a chance. I am happy to give Andrew complete permission to dispose of me the moment he feels I am not to his standards, but he is attempting to trust me, and I ask the same of you.” I said sincerely, putting my hands in my pockets to show my vulnerability.
Zachary stared at me for a moment before he whipped his sword free and lunged towards me. Cerelia cried out as I fluidly snapped back, the blade whipping by just inches from my throat. Andrew didn’t move a muscle as this went down, as if he were expecting it to happen. Instead of turning to attack again Zachary held the blade steady, his eyes dead set on the blank look on my face. “What the hell do you think you’re doing…?!” Cerelia tried.
Zachary smiled darkly, then pulled the sword back and shoved it into his scabbard before holding his hand out to me. I took his gesture, where he shook my hand once. “I like your style,” he said genuinely, “and I will do my best to be welcoming. The moment you make me regret it, though, will be the last moment you take a breath.”
“Understood.” I replied stiffly. He nodded to my seat, where I returned with the same empty expression. The other four stared at me in shock as I slid my hand back into my pocket, completely on edge after the encounter but trying to hide it.
“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen…” Zachary began as if nothing had ever happened, “and welcome to The North Kingdom. As I'm sure you’re aware of by now, you all have been nominated to become high ranking soldiers in our army, better known as...”
“The Five Cavalries,” Andrew finished Zachary’s sentence, moving to join his commander, “and it is an honor many fight for. We have yet to come across a bunch this talented, yet so able to fight, but here you are. Your jobs are as follows.”
Zachary took over talking, his voice serious as he spoke, “You five are going to be the royal families’ protection. Your job is to not only to keep them safe, but to help us conquer and conquest. You will be the first we send out on missions, the first we turn to if any of our higher ups should not be able to complete their duties. Since you all are barely eighteen, though, we’ll be concentrating more on training for a few months before you do any huge missions, so long as Joshua behaves himself.”
“That blows,” Michael said to ease the tension, and made everyone in the room laugh.
“Yes, I'm sure it does, but take into consideration that we do care about your lives. Our biggest problem, which is obviously The West, will not be ending soon, but is not aggressive enough to risk your lives for the time being. Our soldiers can handle themselves while we help you prepare for the real action.”
“We respect your wishes entirely, sir,” Martha assured; the rest of us nodded in agreement.
Zachary was obviously pleased by our cooperation, “I will be training you for the time being. You have practice Monday through Friday at seven sharp, and until two. We have breakfast at six, lunch at twelve, and dinner at six. We will hand out schedules for one-on-one training, as well as meeting times and such throughout the next day or so. Sunday is your official day off, unless there are serious problems, and on Saturdays you are on call. Please, remember the fact that you have positions of higher power. You five are ranked below the Commanders and I, which makes you very valuable and well-respected members. But so help you god if you abuse that power, because I will not be kind to you if you should.” Zachary seriously hissed at the end.
“Yes, sir,” we replied robotically.
He clapped his hands together, “That’s what I like to hear. Now, I think a tour is of proper order. We’ll get to your room assignments, as well as your uniforms and education schedules.”
“To think we were free!” Stefan bawled.
Zachary let out a cheerful laugh, unable to help himself, “As if; just because you graduated doesn’t mean we don’t take college seriously. We want you to all at least pick a trade so you have something to fill in some free time. Every ounce of knowledge you receive here is extremely valuable. For now, you will have remedial classes from two to four, which will cover general education until you’re ready to begin your trade.”
“Now, hop to it everyone. We will see you at dinner tonight!” Cerelia cheered, which made her husband roll his eyes as we stood and collected our things. The other Cavalry kept close eyes on me as I tossed my bag over my arm and followed our commander into the main foyer, an undeniable lump welled in my throat.