Chapter 7

Kim

“Kim, move your feet!”

The old fart barked at me. I was lagging behind, but that’s because my shoes pinched at my toes, and my trousers were meant for an older boy, not a small girl, and I had to grab them by the waist to stop them from slipping. She didn’t care about that, though, and I would be without dinner if I didn’t do as she told me, so I broke into a run to catch up with the others jogging ahead of me.

“Do you have a problem following orders, cadet?”

Own initiatives weren’t appreciated in the Queen’s Champion camp. I’d run too fast. I should have slowed down as I caught up with them, but instead, I’d overtaken them. The toad gave me a sour look, and I slowed to keep pace with the others, holding my trousers with one hand.

I almost stumbled as we reached the rock at the end of the meadow, but picked myself up, slammed my palm against the rough surface and turned back. The others did the same. It reminded me of a herd of sheep under the watch of the shepherd. I didn’t want to be a sheep. I liked sheep, but I didn’t want to be one. My little sister would have laughed at that joke, I thought. I should have been with her at the farm, helping her and my little brother take care of the cattle. But I’d had an unlucky cast of the dice, and instead, I’d been taken to the Queen’s Champion camp, where they trained children to become soldiers. We drilled with wooden swords, ran endless circles around the meadow, recited the pledge to the Queen and did daily duties such as cleaning and cooking. If you were unlucky, you’d earn the right to become part of the regular army of the Queen when you were 16. It was many years until I turned that, but I did my best not to earn that honour anyway.

At least it would soon be over for the day; the sun was setting. I knew I shouldn’t let my mind wander, but I swore it had a life of its own, and before I knew it, I’d forgotten about the toad and the meadow and dreamt about my little sister. She must have taken in the sheep for the night and fed them fresh water and some berries my brother had found out herding. My mother was in the kitchen, and my father… He must be putting away the tools after the day’s work. My sister would soon close the barn, and they would gather in front of the fire, mending broken socks.

“That’s enough!”

I blinked. We’d come to the end of the meadow, and for once, I was happy to do as the old fart asked me. I halted and almost leaned over to rest my hands on my knees, but the toad cleared her throat, and I knew it was the sign to get moving. If we weren’t on our way soon, she’d make us clean the kitchen tonight. I took off before the others but made sure not to stray too far ahead in case the old nag would spot me and call me back for not obeying the rules again. The others followed silently; talking would earn you another lap around the meadow, and it wasn’t until we were out of reach from the toad that Thomas said,

“What’s for dinner, you think?”

“Same as always”, Jennie growled.

Someone laughed, but I’d already lost interest. Mooncalves. They were all so proud to have been chosen to join the Queen’s Champion camp, but it wasn’t as though their recruitment had any personal merit to it. The Queen took any farmer’s boy or girl old enough to join, and you had no say in it. I’d had my birthday just months earlier, so when they came to our village, the dice had been cast. Being a subject of the Queen was nothing as they’d told us it would be. We hadn’t got better harvests, and maybe she would protect us against any rivalling clans, but so far, no one had attempted to attack us. Only the Queen. I kept those thoughts to myself, though. Airing them openly would earn me more than a simple lap around the meadow.

I sat down by an empty table as we arrived in the dining hall. The others had learned my way because no one tried to interfere and invite me to join them. Just as well, I didn’t want to be part of their devotional circle. They’d been right, though; it was the same dinner as always. Beans and potato. I’d asked once if they served something else, and quickly learned that those questions weren’t welcome here. In all the months I’d been here, we’d only been served cheese and cut-up meat once. It had been the anniversary of a won war I did not know of, and even the major had graced us with her presence. Every other day, it had been the same.

I finished up quickly and left the hall. The sun had set, but the first bell calling us to the barracks hadn't rung yet, so I hurried over to my favourite spot of the whole camp: The edge of the meadow. The forest seemed to stretch out endlessly here, and I watched as the night fell, and the stars became small flecks in the sky. It was the same stars as my mother, father, little brother, and sister watched. They were preparing for the night now. Tomorrow, the sheep would be herded once more and… The chime rang, and I sighed as I got up. I could have stayed out here the whole night, but I’d been late for bedtime once, and I wouldn’t do it again. I passed the battered barracks on my way to my quarters. All the buildings here seemed to have been built in haste, but I knew the camp had stood for many years. Sometimes, I wondered if I should simply run away, but I knew it wouldn’t work. The hounds would get me even if I managed to pass the fence on the other side of the forest, and even if they didn’t, I didn’t know how to find my way home. I wasn’t sure where the soldiers had taken me, I only knew we were far from home. Even more, a soldier would come to my father and mother to inform them about my escape, and maybe they would lose their harvest. I couldn’t do that to them, and so I had no other choice but to stay here.

As I stepped inside the barrack, I saw Stina sitting huddled on the bed. I often found her that way, and as always, I went to sit next to her. I didn’t have any friends here, but if I would call anyone that, it was her.

“You okay?”, I asked.

“Yeah…”

Her voice trailed off, and I watched her fiddle with the sheet. It angered me to see her like this. Taking her here just proved that they would bring anyone to the camp. Stina wasn’t meant for warrior training and hard practice; her fingers were slender and made for weaving or beading. I wasn’t meant for this either, but at least I was strong for being a girl, and they found a use for me.

“I just wished I could go home”, she whispered.

“I know.”

I took her small hand in mine.

“You will go home, eventually.”

She sniffled. This was our most common conversation. She came from another village than me and had left a family behind, just like me. I squeezed her hand just as the second bell rang.

“We need to go to bed”, I said.

She rose and began to undress. I did the same, and as I heard the footsteps of the soldiers doing the last round, I lay down and blew out the candle. Darkness always made my mind roam, and I saw my little sister dancing before my eyes. She often did that, singing to herself as she worked on the farm. I still saw her as I fell asleep.