Hush

"MY LOYAL SUBJECTS, LEND ME YOUR EAR!" His words carried across the giant hall.

Everyone either sat down or stood at attention, eager to hear what our king had to say.

"Thank you." The minotaur stepped up to the platform in front of his throne.

"Recently, the kingdom won a great victory. We were able to retake control of Fort Antra, which the Southern Territory had stolen from us. Trade routes that had been locked away from us for decades are now open. May these new avenues bring prosperity to our land!"

There were scattered voices of approval, nobody wanting to seem like they were interrupting the king.

"This victory is all thanks to the Peregrine Battalion, a mercenary band that has served our kingdom well for several years now." He gestured to me and my six friends.

"As such, me and my advisors have decided that a certain promotion is in order. From this day on, the Peregrine Battalion will serve under us directly, as official knights of the Northern Kingdom!"

Everyone in the room was stunned. We did seem to be on our way there, but it was almost unheard of for a private battalion to be welcomed as knights so early on. There were polite cheers, but also murmurs from the crowd. I knew all too well that we weren't the most popular among the nobility. We were a band of commoners, completely separate from the traditions and customs the kingdom had held for so long. We weren't interested in status the way much of the other knights were, and therefore not as easy to control. As exciting as this was, it was also sure to cause complications down the road.

The king turned to face us.

"Commander of the Peregrine Battalion, Gerard the Human Warrior, step forward!"

I walked up, stopping below the steps and getting on my knee, bowing.

"Do you accept this role, to serve and protect this kingdom?"

"I do, sire."

"Very well. Come closer so this can be made official."

I approached, now right in front of the giant.

Meruem was even more intimidating up close. He was old, but his body was still a powerful force of nature. His horns were long and sharp, his eyes dark and piercing. He was twice my size and could easily crush me like an insect.

I got on one knee again as the king was handed the ceremonial claymore, a huge sword he could easily hold with one hand.

"My subject," he declared, knighting me with the claymore, "You are now Sir Gerard, royal knight of the Northern Kingdom!"

There was applause and cheering from the crowd, but it was noticeably muted.

One by one my six comrades were each knighted. When it was over, we all knelt, side by side at the king's feet.

"May you serve me well."

We answered as one.

"YES, SIR!"

He addressed everyone else in the room.

"Now, may we feast in celebration!"

The servants opened the giant double doors and food and wine was carried in. I sighed in relief inwardly, thankful that the dull part was over. Normally these types events went on for much, much longer.

As my group sat down and began to eat, Neskal walked up, grinning.

"Hello, Sir Gerard."

I smiled and swallowed all the roast beast in my mouth before replying.

"I like the sound of that name. Come, feast with us!"

He shook his head. "Sorry, no. I cannot stay for long, there are other matters I must attend to. I just came over to tell you more details about your new position."

Jacqueline heard him and paid attention as well.

"Although you are indeed knights now, the same cannot be said of the entire battalion. Only you two and the squadron leaders have the title."

"Why?" the valkyrie asked.

"It was not a unanimous decision among the strategists that your unit got promoted. As a result, we had to form a sort of compromise. Your future outings will be funded by the kingdom, but between them the rest of the battalion will remain as commoners, though still paid for won battles."

I frowned. "This just seems like what we were already doing. What was the point of promoting us at all, then?"

Neskal spread his hands. "Better resources. More money and status for you seven in particular. Maybe in the future more will be granted to all of you. Only time will tell."

"I suppose that's better than where we were," Jacqueline conceded.

"But what's next? Where are we being deployed after this?"

"That I don't know. You'll probably be told later today."

Someone called Neskal's name and he turned his head.

"I must make my leave now. Congratulations again."

We said goodbye and the reptilian left.

As he had predicted, we were later approached by some of the royal strategists concerning our battalion's next mission, which we discussed in another room deeper in the castle. One of the allies of the Northern Kingdom was Techil, which resided in the mountainous region to the east. Long ago, an understanding was formed: the Kingdom would protect Techil is times of war, and Techil in return would sell the ore from their mining to the Kingdom. It was because of them that we had such high quality iron, copper, and rarer materials like alum.

For even longer Techil had been fighting with another opposing nation, Gleydor. From what we understood, Gleydor had acquired a new, much more aggressive military general and now Techil was asking for assistance.

It was all so tangential and political. If my battalion was still mercenary, we wouldn't choose a mission like this. But now there was a precedent put upon us as royal knights. We had to respect the authority of the king.

After it was all over the seven of us gathered in the palace courtyard. I looked at my friends.

"We have taken another step today. We should be proud of ourselves. Brief your squadrons on the situation as soon as you can."

The squadron leaders left until it was just Jacqueline and I.

"I'll tell Ruelle and Femt about this. You can let Hush know."

I nodded.

"I'll see you soon."

She left as well. Before I returned home I looked at the castle one more time. We were knights now. Whether that was a good thing or not was yet to be seen.

*****

Hush was relaxing in a chair when I returned to my place. He was clearly tired after a long day of training.

"Hello, Captain. How did it go?"

"Pretty well. The Peregrine Battalion is now officially a band of knights."

He straightened up a bit, now interested.

"You got knighted?"

"By the king himself." I sat down in a chair next to him. "Now I can actually live in the barracks."

Hush blinked a few times. "What about me?"

I suddenly felt embarrassed at my thoughtlessness. "Oh, I apologize, I didn't think about that."

I looked around.

"You can have my place. I won't have any use for it soon enough. Consider it a gift from me to you."

Hush sat back in his chair again.

"Is something wrong?"

The wisp sighed silently.

"I mean...I don't know. I suppose I just got...used to living with you. It's comfortable to me now."

I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Well, whatever the case, this can be decided later. I have some more news. We have a new mission. One that will take us far away."

The boy finally smiled again.

"I'd follow you anywhere, Captain. How about I make us some dinner and you can explain it to me then?"

I returned the grin.

"That would be lovely."

*****

In a mere two days the Peregrine Battalion was ready to set off on our first mission representing the Northern Kingdom as a band of knights.

Most of the preparation involved the climate of the mountainous region. The weather in our land tended to be pretty mild, but in Techil it was cold almost year-round. We especially had to take precautions involving any of our cold-blooded soldiers, like the reptilians and merfolk, but thankfully the kingdom provided us with armor that had been enchanted to keep the wearer warm at all times. Still, we barely had enough for those at risk, so most of us had to bundle up.

After several days of traveling we finally made it to the border and were greeted by a Techil representative. The Northern Kingdom was filled with all kinds of species, but the citizens of Techil were predominantly drake. The first one we met was extremely tall and slender, and his bright red scales stood out harshly from the snow, ice, and dull gray rocks at the foot of the mountain.

I got off Slate and approached, Quintus at my side.

"Hello. Knights of the Northern Kingdom, I presume?"

"Yes, the Peregrine Battalion."

"I see. Follow me and I'll lead you to the tent where you'll discuss strategy."

We were walking for a few moments before Quintus asked something.

"Pardon me, but how can drake live in such a cold climate like this? I thought reptilians were cold-blooded."

The drake's lips curled into a smile.

"They are, but us drake are a different breed. Fire flows through our veins." He snapped his clawed fingers and a narrow flame emerged from his palm.

"That's amazing!" Quintus marveled.

Our guide chuckled before extinguishing the flame and facing forward again.

Soon we got to the large tent and I ordered the rest of the battalion to set up camp while I, Jacqueline, and Quintus met with the Techil military commanders.

The drake that led us to the tent was pretty representative of what the others looked like. They were of different colors, but all were similarly long and thin.

Apparently the Techil military forces were doing a relatively good job pushing way Gleydor's invasion, and just wanted extra support for the final push, one that would hopefully quell any more attempts at such an aggressive strategy in the near future. We were currently at the southernmost part of Techil, right near the place where Techil, Gleydor, and the Northern Kingdom met. We discussed ideas with the general and were able to form a rough plan of action.

Night had fallen by the time we were done and most of us were ready to turn in for the night. Going to my tent, I saw that Hush was waiting for me, bundled up quite a bit. Femt had actually approached me before we left, asking if they needed to make room for Hush, but I remembered our conversation and told them that Hush would be sleeping in my tent until further notice. The wisp told me that he enjoyed living with me and it made me realize that I had grown to like it as well.

It wasn't long after we extinguished the lamp that I felt a slight tremor in the bed. I looked and saw that the boy was shaking.

"Are you really that cold, Hush?"

He turned to face me and nodded.

"I'm n-not used to this."

His body was so small and delicate that even though he was swaddled in clothes and blankets, he was shivering.

I remembered one thing I was taught in my training, that in a pinch, another warm body is the best tool to stave off the cold.

"Come closer, Hush. Let's see if I can help you a bit."

He was so small he fit into my arms easily. As the moments passed, his shivering subsided.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes, Captain. Thank you so much."

"No problem."

Soon, we were both asleep.

*****

It was another day's journey before we finally arrived to the Techil military camp. The final battle between Techil and Gleydor was to happen in seven days, so we trained with Techil during that time. It was the Peregrine Battalion's first experience coexisting with an outside group. Thankfully, there was little friction between us and the members of Techil's army.

In fact, on a few occasions, new friendships were formed. Ruelle and an engineer from Techil, a drake named Graphire, worked very well together. One night the two of them gathered some leaders together to show off a new substance they had created. Apparently there were only two ingredients: rust and a gray metallic powder derived from alum. It took great heat to ignite, they needed to use a specific kind of flint, but once it started burning, it wouldn't stop, even underwater. It didn't just burn, it dripped molten metal, too. We were all impressed. This mixture would be very useful.

There were also a few bumps in our cohabitation. Like us, the drakes of Techil sparred, but they used flames often. Drake are very resistant to fire, so it was essentially harmless when they were hit during spars, but our soldiers weren't and there were a few accidents involving burns. Hush proved to be invaluable during these occasions. His ability caused the burn victims to sleep, then wake up soon after, good as new.

Aside from the drakes, there were also some golems in the Techil army. They were huge creatures made of rocks, so it was a wonder how they ever lost fights to begin with. Apparently, they were used as shields as well as berserkers due to their high defense, but were just as vulnerable to impact and explosions as all rocks were.

During that time I had several discussions with the Techil military commander, Ronin. She was the one who taught me about the Gleydor army and what to expect.

Gleydor was mostly made up of a species called baihu, which have historically not gotten along with drake. Baihu were these bulky, strong feline creatures with stripes of black and white. Ronin had tangled with their fighting style enough already. They focused more on stamina and waiting out opponents for the perfect moment. Because of this their military history was filled with battles of attrition.

This last push was actually supposed to finish the endless war between Techil and Gleydor. Negotiations would be offered and hopefully some kind of agreement would form. But that all hinged on this final blow being executed properly.

Our strategy was simple. What the opposing force saw as the true battle was actually more of a diversion, a reason for a majority of the warriors to be away from their camp. Their military leader rarely fought on the front lines, mostly staying back at camp to strategize from a distance. While the fight was going on, a team would sneak into the enemy camp and capture that general alive.

The problem was that stealth was not a strong point for the drakes or golems. Part of the reason why they asked for outside help was to have some assistance in the sneakier part of the operation.

"Is there anyone in your battalion that's good with stealth?" Ronin asked.

An idea came to me immediately, but I was apprehensive about it.

"Well...yes, but he's not a soldier. He's actually part of our medic team."

I gave her a brief explanation of who Hush was.

"But he's a new recruit, and not suited for dangerous situations."

"It won't have to be dangerous for him. Remember, Gerard, we only have one opportunity for this."

I was still hesitant.

"Why don't we call him in and see what he thinks?"

I took a deep breath and said that would be fine.

Ronin sent somebody to fetch Hush and I thought more about the prospect. Hush was part of my family, but we had formed a strong bond in the relatively short time we knew each other. I didn't want to see him get hurt. But this was war. He signed up to be in this battalion. Maybe I needed to hear what he thought about this idea.

I heard the familiar bell as Hush approached. I turned and saw him at the entrance to the tent, bundled up in several layers of clothing.

"Excuse me, what would you like me to do for you, Captain?"

I sighed again and asked him to take a seat.

As I explained the plan his facial expression changed to something I couldn't really identify.

"So, is that the plan?"

"Well, I wanted whether or not you did this to be your decision."

Hush looked over at Ronin.

"Is...is it okay if Captain comes with me, ma'am?"

The drake tilted her head a bit.

"I suppose."

He looked back to me.

"If it's something I can do to help, I'll try my best."

I nodded. Still, there was something in the wisp's eyes that made me wonder if this was as simple as it seemed. I was feeling a little uneasy about it myself.

Hush stood again.

"May I return to my post, Captain?"

"Dismissed."

The twinkling sound faded as the boy left.

*****

That night in bed, I had Hush in my arms as usual, and I suspected that something was on his mind.

"Hush, is there anything you want to talk about?"

I felt him take a deep breath.

"I suppose I was just wondering why you asked me if it was okay to use me for the stealth mission. I would be good at it, so why not just make the decision yourself? You're the Captain."

I was not anticipating anything like that from him.

"What kind of question is that? I'm not a tyrant."

"I know, but I see the way you act when talking to everyone else. You're so authoritative, so confident. You give orders without hesitation. But you treat me...differently."

I thought about it and realized he was right. Was handling him delicately?

"Does that bother you?"

Hush shrugged.

"I think I just want to know what the reason is. Is it because I'm weak?"

"No, it's not."

"Then why?"

His tone was starting to annoy me. He was getting defensive and testy and I had no idea what prompted it.

"Do I really need a reason? I'm the captain. I make my own decisions."

There was a pause and I realized I was being harsh.

"I apologize, I shouldn't talk like that."

"No, I understand."

I held him a little tighter.

"There doesn't have to be a deeper meaning behind this. I'm the captain, and it's my duty to protect my comrades."

Silence.

"Okay." Even for Hush his whisper sounded weak.

I drifted off, still feeling like there was something to this I was missing.

*****

After much preparation, the day of the battle arrived.

Ronin, Jacqueline, and the squadron leaders were going to lead our forces in combat while I was on the stealth team with Hush. I made sure every precaution was taken so he would be safe. We got some of the few unused pieces of enchanted armor so he would be warm without having bulky clothing hindering his movements. He was dressed in white, to better blend in with the snow. One of the drake from Techil even taught him a technique of walking on the snow lightly. When everything was put together, it was impressive how silent and near invisible the boy was.

The stealth team also included Nodis, one of the male merfolk from Peregrine. He was a good spy and we often used him for reconnaissance. The rest of the group were drake from Techil.

The plan was for Hush to sneak into the enemy camp, cause a distraction, and then run back to our camp so he could help Femt and the rest of the medical team.

As fighting broke out our group took the route that would allow us to sneak into the Gleydor camp from the side. Hush nodded before turning around and carefully entering enemy territory. It was almost frightening how quickly I lost sight of him. In a moment, it was like he had disappeared.

After some time, we saw smoke rise from somewhere in the enemy camp. I smiled slightly. Hush found an empty tent and used the burning powder Ruelle had helped create to make one powerful fire. A few moments later we saw a few baihu warriors run over to see what was happening. I signaled everyone else to follow me and we made our move.

Nodis and I were able to incapacitate the two guards in front of the commander's tent, though it was no easy feat. The female baihu I was fighting was especially strong. In the struggle those that were in the tent walked out and attacked when they saw us, including the general we were after, who proved to be no novice or weakling. It took me, Nodis, and two drake to hold down the powerful baihu. But once it was settled I lit the smoke signal relaying that the mission was a success. That was the cue for our comrades on the battlefield to break through and go to the enemy camp. It took quite a while, but eventually Ronin arrived.

The whole day was a blur of negotiations, fighting, and tending to the wounded. I spent most of that time with Ronin, so I didn't see most of the aftermath personally, but even from a distance I could tell that the battle was intense. There were many wounded as well as some casualties on both sides. It broke my heart, but I knew that their sacrifices would lead to a future where fewer innocent people had to die. Fighting for that ideal was the reason I was able to risk my life in battle.