It felt like a lifetime of waiting around before finally, after an hour, the examiner emerged from one of the doorways, flanked by two clerks who held stacks of papers – likely orders for all those in the room thought the brothers.

“Upon hearing your name, please come up, receive your orders and regimental assignment,” She announced to the room.

Name after name was called forward, with many giving either a satisfied nod, smile, or shrug as they got the order, with only a handful having a look of disgust or a grimace at their assigned units. But, once all was said and done, she didn’t call either Loup’s or Leonce’s names. Rather, after everyone had gotten their orders, she eyed the two with a small smirk before nodding their way before making her exit along with the clerks. Loup and Leonce looked confused momentarily and wondered if they had failed before quickly recalling what had been said earlier.

“Oh shit… did we fail?” Leonce thought aloud, only for Loup to smile, knowing his brother was joking.

“You and me both know that’s not it. If it were, our names would’ve been called with the rest, which means…” He paused, looking to the door, as he heard a pair of boots drawing closer.

“That we did too good,” Leonce finished.

“Mhm.”

Leonce took a breath in, “Well, I guess we get one of the fancy regiments, then, hmm?”

Loup shrugged; his eyes focused on the door. Within moments, a new figure emerged, though this one was an all too familiar face.

“Aelizabeth?” Leonce voiced a little surprised by her sudden appearance.

She smiled proudly at the two brothers, “I see my faith in you two wasn’t misplaced!”

The brothers didn’t know how to respond, as they were both confused by her ornate uniform and appearance, but it wasn’t until she continued did they learn the truth of the matter.

“Princess Aelizabeth Rovia, Crown Princess of the Empire you now serve,” She announced to the two, finally sharing the truth, which further confused and blindsided the two brothers who had more questions than they did answers.

“Wait… so, you just kept the same name? You didn’t even bother to try and change it – like at all?” Loup asked, thinking of the implications of this reveal.

She shrugged, “Didn’t think it would be needed. You two believed me, as did all the others I met along the way. Once I told them the story about how my parents named me after the Princess, they all just went along with it. It’s not uncommon for such things after all,” Aelizabeth replied.

“Well shit,” Leonce hummed, noting how she had a point, though that hardly mattered.

Either way, both brothers weren’t too happy to learn the woman they had agreed to help was in fact the potential ruler of the Empire, meaning they were effectively just suckered into joining her military. Why? She said their talents and skills, but that could’ve all been bullshit for all they knew now. Leonce felt a little betrayed and hurt at the fact the woman whom he thought had a shot with was, in fact, a Princess, meaning she was toying with his feelings – if she even knew. Loup could see the hurt in his brother's face as his shoulders sank and his mood soured, prompting a sigh from the dark-haired brother.

“So, what now?”

Aelizabeth ignored Leonce’s look of disappointment, a little confused as to why he looked so down but believed it better to ignore for now and move on to why she had need of them, “Your skills,” She answered curtly.

“Oh?” Loup hummed, “What makes us better than the lot who just left?”

“For one, your test scores. Both of you scored far higher than even the nobles… which, to be honest, shocked even me. The second? Your abilities. You managed to kill ten well-armed and trained soldiers – soldiers who killed a Bronze-ranked adventurer party and took me captive. Those two alone make you both extremely valuable to me and the Empire!” She explained, her excitement evident in her rising voice tone.

Leonce shrugged, turning away to look out the large arched bay windows and down to the Hussar Square below, “Well, we’re getting paid and rewarded for it. Might as well make the best of it,” Leonce sighed.

The Princess didn’t like the tone Leonce had. In the time she’d known him, he usually be jubilant and had his flamboyant act on, but he seemed… cold, distant even. She knew it was better not to push the subject as she coughed into her gloved hand.

“Ahem! Yes, that’s correct. I promised you both I’d give you what you seek, and I aim to fulfil that promise and to start I’m having you both placed in the elite regiments we’re forming!”

The brothers looked at her sceptically, “Oh? And what two Regiments are those?” Leonce found himself asking first.

Meanwhile, Loup frowned; he didn’t like being separated from his brother. He was never good in crowds when he wasn’t with people he knew. So, the idea automatically made him want to disagree, but he knew it was already too late, so with a heavy sigh, he waited for the answer.

“I’m glad you asked Leonce!” Aelizabeth started before motioning for the soldiers behind her to come up and hand each a folder.

Upon opening them, they quickly read the contents, and each noted why they were selected for them. For Leonce, he was slated to go to the Rovian Cuirassiers, an elite unit of heavy cavalry armed and equipped with magical wards to protect themselves and their mounts from long-ranged attacks like muskets. Additional power was given to the straight-bladed sabres that had been enchanted with fire to give them the power to cut through most things. They were prototypes, with only one existing Regiment, with the second being raised only recently with Leonce going in as one of its junior officers.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Meanwhile, Loup was slated for the experimental Light Infantry Regiment, the first of its kind. Magic Riflemen were armed with a relatively new addition to the Rovian Imperial Armed Forces in regard to small arms, but this variant was loaded and fired bolts of magic. The unit was incredibly experimental and was still in the testing phase. Still, many within Rovian’s R&D Department in the Armed Forces saw it as a true battlefield changer if successful, which many thought possible. Loup, like his brother, was slated to be one of its junior officers.

They understood why they were slated for the respective Regiments, as Aelizabeth had given her ‘glowing’ recommendation based on their skills. With their grades, there was no reason not to approve their placement within the newly formed units. Still, it didn’t sit right to either to be separated like this, but they knew there was no point in arguing, not at this late of a stage.

“Well, it seems our fate is sealed then, I suppose,” Sighed Leonce, who got a few glares, shot his way by the soldiers at the Princess’s side.

Leonce didn’t care, though; why should he? He was here because of her and technically under her protection, and they knew that. Loup, meanwhile, was having a mini panic attack at the prospect of being by himself, his hands tightening into fists under the desk as he tried to prevent himself from shaking in his chair. Gritting his teeth, he managed to reign in his emotions long enough for Aelizabeth to continue.

“I know… It’s going to be hard for you two to be away from each other after you’ve spent your entire youth and teenage years with one another but think of the reward! I swear you’ll both thank me for this upon completing your two years, and I’ll also thank you! You’re doing not only the Empire a huge service but me, and I can assure you… both of you, that having the favour of a Princess will go a long way towards your reputation as adventurers~” She said, trying to sound as reassuring as she could.

However, it didn’t do much to stoke their passions, as both gave her the look of people who just wanted to get on with it. So, clearing her throat with a cough, she motioned for the two to follow her.

“Ahem… right, uh, if you’d both be so kind as to follow me, I’ll show you to your barracks. From there, you’ll undergo training alongside the others, learning the standard training necessary for an Imperial soldier. Still, after four months of that, you’ll be split off into your respective trades to undergo proper training in your assigned Regiments,” Aelizabeth explained as she exited with the group.

Leonce and Loup followed close behind, listening to the Princess speak on about how they’d train. It caused Loup to grow a bit more worried as he quickly recalled his panic attack in the forest and the minor one he had just recently undergone in the lounge. He had to tell Leo. He couldn’t hold this secret, not after the whole mess they had made. Before he was willing to just let it go, but with the prospect of being separated from his brother, it made him wonder if he might become some berserker if lost to his emotions. The thought alone made his stomach upset, causing it to make a few noises that caught the group’s attention.

“I… haven’t eaten much,” He apologized, his cheeks going a little red.

Leonce knew better, as he often had the same stomach troubles, but in his case it caused him to have a case of constipation. The memory of a month's worth of constipation caused him to shiver.

“Understandable!” Aelizabeth started, “I too often find myself hungry after a test like that. Well, once I’ve finished showing you to your room, we can discuss other such matters over dinner, that work for you two?”

“Uh… sure?” Loup replied, looking to Leonce for confirmation.

Leonce just shrugged in agreement, “Free food~ won’t pass that down.”

Aelizabeth smiled happy to hear they had accepted her offer, as she was hoping to smooth out the bit of awkwardness that had developed between the three since her surprise announcement. She hoped that by talking to them she might be able to smooth over the feelings of betrayal they seemed to share. But, another factor that caused her no small amount of worry was how cold Leonce had suddenly become. It was weird seeing him suddenly take a more direct and aloof way of talking and answering her than what she’d come to be used to during their trip from Oakenhart. Aelizabeth didn’t know why it bothered her so much, but it did. Dinner was an excuse, and it was her way to see how she might talk them into returning to how they used to treat her – not that they treated her any differently than before, mind you, but now it felt like two employees who were close with their employer. She didn’t like that. At all.

Quickly shaking her head, she dismissed the thought and turned to the matter at hand as they arrived to their dorm. One of the guards swiftly stepped up and opened the door for her, allowing her and the others to enter. As they stood within the room, she smiled once more, taking in the scene.

“This, this is where you’ll be living for the next six months!” She told the two.

They weren’t sure why she was so proud about this, but Leonce decided it best to speak first, “Mhm, well, it does look rather cosy… or well, better than what we’re used to, I suppose heh.”

Loup just shrugged; he didn’t care much either way. A room was a room in his eyes. Where he slept didn’t matter; what mattered was who he was with when he slept.

Looking around, the brothers would quickly notice that many of their belongings – what little they had – were already resting on the opposite wall, prompting both to look to Aelizabeth who looked away as though trying to make it seem like she was checking out the room for herself.

“You… hah, no, you know what, whatever, it is what it is, no point dwelling on it,” Leonce sighed, pushing his annoyance away before setting down a few of his overly stuffy clothes and resting them on one of the chairs in the small living room in the middle of the room.

Aelizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, while Loup just silently waited for the group to make their exit so they could get something to eat.

“Well, if neither of you have anymore questions, we can head to that restaurant I told you about!” Aelizabeth said while making her exit, knowing the brothers would follow behind.

As the two Guard followed after her, Leonce was about to do the same before Loup reached out, grabbing him by the arm, “Hold a moment Leo…”

“Loup?”

“We gotta talk. Like, soon.”

“Oh? What about?” He asked.

Loup paused, looking towards the now closed double doors of their room, then back at Leonce, “The way we killed those guys back there… something was off about that. Something I feel you and me need to discuss, cause… I don’t want that happening again without us being more prepared.”

Leonce nodded, “Well, we can discuss it later tonight when we have time. Sadly, the Princess wants to take us to dinner. Likely to try and smooth over the fact she lied to us.”

“I know that… just… don’t forget, yeah?”

“I won’t little brother. Besides, when have I forgot anything?”

Loup rolled his eyes and walked past Leonce, a small grin across his face as though knowing his brother was joking but meant well.

“Come on! Free food is always a plus! And, we’re having dinner with a royal no less. That makes us fancy~”

And with that the two brothers quickly caught up to Aelizabeth, who in turn began to explain the history of the building and why it was named after the Hussars.