Piggly watched the squad jog awkwardly around the walls of the outpost, trying not to laugh. When he laughed his belly shook, and his body with it, and a deep bellowing noise rolled like the rumblings of an enormous, jolly beast. The Captain was sure to notice that, even from the ground below his perch atop the garrison. The men occasionally shot him desperate looks or mouthed pleas to him, but he simply waved for them to keep their eyes ahead. Discipline, that was the key. Discipline.<br/><br/>The Captain, after all, was a stellar example of the trait as she led the men at a pace perfect for her size and height. She kept her eyes on the path ahead, mouth twisted into an (adorable) look of determination, and jogged with her knees up. She had perfect form, and would have done her men a service in setting the example for how to take their daily exercise, if she wasn't half their height. Her legs, cute and properly proportioned to the rest of her petite form, could not measure up to those of her soldiers. The end result was that the Captain was having a lovely jog while the rest of her men tried in vain to stagger their strides to match hers. The jerked and halted, tripped over each other, and once or twice almost ran into the Captain's back. Their leader was oblivious, heading up the pack with the kind of sober expression an elementary school child has when presenting an oral report on what they saw at the zoo.<br/><br/>The wooden ladder at the inside edge of the wall creaked, and Sgt Hafts pulled himself up into view with one hand, the other carrying a wooden mug of ale. "What a sight," Hafts squinted at the group as he stood alongside Piggly, leaning against the wall's crude wooden edge. "Those must be the most patient group of men I've ever seen."<br/><br/>He offered the mug to Piggly, who took it with a fond smile. "And the most determined captain. I was going to take them for their run today, but she insisted."<br/><br/>"It's her duty, Thad," Hafts rolled his eyes. He was Piggly's good friend for many years, and remained the only one who still referred to him by his proper name. Everyone else called him what the Captain had dubbed him. No one knew where she had gotten the name, since Thad Lasthmane looked more like a bear than a pig, but the Captain carried a sort of innocent charisma to her that made the name stick. Thad wore it like a badge of honor, and was secretly warmed inside when he heard his commanding officer calling him so fondly.<br/><br/>"On paper," Thad took a draught of the ale, swallowing it with a satisfied smacking before he handed it back to the sergeant. "This is the first time she's had the courage to make them run with her since she accidentally lead them into the pond."<br/><br/>As if on cue, both men's gazes wandered to the little muddy hole where even ducks feared to tread. Hafts grimaced and blocked the view with his drink. "Not her best day," he murmured. Piggly was inclined to disagree, as that was the day that the Captain had come up out of the muddy water, sputtering, reaching for Thad like an infant. He'd relished pulling her out of the mire, the way her arms clung around his neck in her childlike way. For all his years of military service, it was the first time that Thad had felt like a hero.<br/><br/>The jogging group swung back around the the side of the compound. Piggly stared hard at the Captain as she ran, and, sensing the stare, her concentration broke. She looked up, her heart-shaped face and large grey eyes catching Thad's. He smiled paternally despite himself and waved. That simple gesture was enough to be her undoing.<br/><br/>The Captain waved back, brushing some of her damp black bangs away from her face. As she did her pace lagged slightly, and the small change was enough to trip up the group behind her for good. One of the bulky servicemen bumped into the Captain's back. She stumbled, and the domino effect spread across the others. They collapsed atop each other comically, a tangle of mess and limbs, kicking up the miserably dry earth under them. The dust cleared. The Captain alone was left standing, turned to face the pile of unhappy men, small hands covering her mouth.<br/><br/>"Oh gods," Hafts groaned. Even through the Captain's horrified expression, Piggly couldn't stop himself from laughing.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>"It's not so bad, Captain Albeth," Thad reassured his patient as she sat on the mess hall table, face downcast. She had tried to help some of the men to their feet, but instead she stumbled backwards and scraped her knee when she lost her balance. Thad was dabbing up the blood from her skin with a clean rag.<br/><br/>"I can't even lead my men to jog, Piggly," she replied in her most melancholy voice. She had a youngling's tone still, innocent and not quite broken into that of a woman. "How can I lead them to do... anything else?"<br/><br/>She waved vaguely at the dirty wooden ceiling to cover a wince, but Thad caught it and lessened the pressure of the rag. "Your men will follow you anywhere," he placated. She sighed so that her shoulders heaved dramatically.<br/><br/>"Even into the pond."<br/><br/>Thad leaned back on his haunches and regarded the girl. At eighteen she was too young to be a captain, even if she'd had the skill to lead. Her body still clung to the soft innocence of youth though her hips and chest had filled in over the past year, and even the harsh, blunt angle of her bangs couldn't conceal her angelic face. She was painfully adorable and didn't suit the roll of soldier, and not for the first time Thad wished fiercely that she was someone's loving wife at the hearth instead of a military woman.  "Judas," he said, voice as solid and rooted as the earth. "You have to have more confidence. You'll improve in time. Everyone starts at the beginning."<br/><br/>Judas shot him a look that suggested she was not inclined to believe him. "You didn't start at the beginning, Piggly. I've heard people talk about how natural your skill is. You should be captain, not me."<br/><br/>Thad grunted, wrapping a bandage around Judas' knee. He'd wanted to be captain for a long time, that much was true. Before he met Judas he resented her for being appointed to her position by her father. He considered such leaders to be without merit. In Thad's worldview, a man earned his way or he didn't do anything at all.<br/><br/>Judas breathed sharply, muttering "ouch!" as quietly as possible, and Thad paused to inspect her face again. He couldn't be upset with Judas for being dropped into her lot in life. Since the moment he'd met her he had realized that Judas no more wanted to be a captain than Thad had wanted her to be a captain. She told him as much plainly when he had asked her. The trust she put in him made him love her instantly, however, and now he wouldn't have his position altered for the world. While not captain in official capacity, Judas let Thad do what he thought best. In all reality, the girl was more like a mascot than the actual leader. Besides that, Thad's unique situation afforded him the opportunity to protect Judas--from both the world at large and herself.<br/><br/>"At least it didn't end in mud this time," Thad said calmly. "And there were few injuries."<br/><br/>"Mine is the<span style="font-style: italic">only</span>injury, Piggly," Judas rolled her thundercloud-colored eyes.<br/><br/>"It was painful to watch, believe me," Thad retorted with a chuckle, and Judas frowned at him in a deep pout. He tucked the bandage into place and patted her calf. "There, all done. Go play now, Captain."<br/><br/>"Thank you, Piggly," Judas said with an honestly grateful sigh. She slipped down off the table and stood on her tiptoes, planting her lips on Thad's stubbly cheek. He watched her go with a satisfied smirk. As long as Judas was smiling, Thad's tough heart saw a glimpse of a better world. Despite his relentless training for war, Thad was satisfied.<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>The garrison burned like kindling. The heat from the flames was as intense as the sun, and the old dry wood was simply no match for the voracious appetite of fire. The men had tried to assemble themselves as best they could, tried to get together some force to fight back. It had been two am when the dragons struck. Half of the ones sleeping in the barracks never woke to realize they were roasting alive.<br/><br/>Thad was barking orders to the men sane and strong enough to take them--water  on the fires, archers to take aim at the skies. It had no effect. The outpost was simply not equipped for such an assault, it's men not trained to fight this enemy. It was basically an exile here, a safe place to store soldiers that were useless practically but still needed a place to be. Soldiers like Captain Judas Albeth.<br/><br/>Thad's focus snapped like a twig as a frozen pit formed in his stomach. In all the chaos, he hadn't seen the Captain at all. She had been in her quarters, he knew, but the fire had spread so rapidly that there was no way of knowing if she'd made it out. He looked hard among the living that rushed chaotically back and forth, but Judas was nowhere in sight. "Judas!" he called desperately. There was no answer. He caught the arm of the nearest soldier, jerking him to a halt.<br/>"The Captain," Thad snapped. The soldier's wide eyes spoke only to fear.<br/><br/>"Haven't seen her," the man trembled. "Not since this afternoon."  Thad bellowed incomprehensibly, pushing the soldier away, and charged into the barracks.<br/><br/>The walls and ceiling were alive with flame. Parts of the building had caved in, blocking pathways with heaps of fire and rubble. Thad stomped through the inferno with berserk purpose, hollering for his captain. The smoke tinged his voice, made it seem quieter and weaker. Thad pressed on.<br/><br/>The door to the dining hall was closed and locked as Thad approached it, wondering if his imagination was concocting something to appease his desperate mind. He thought he could hear a sweet voice humming softly on the other side. Smoke poured under the door, and behind him the blaze rushed down the hallway, looking to devour everything in it's path. Thad struck his shoulder hard against the door and it gave in a mess of splintered wood. Smoke poured through where the door had been, but Thad waved it out of his way with a rasping cough. He could barely make out a figure kneeling over the floor.<br/><br/>As he staggered closer it was clear that Judas sat on the ground, her legs serving as a pillow for another. She was singing softly, her voice cracked from the smoke, and stroking the man's hair. Thad dropped heavily on his knees beside Judas, grabbing her by the shoulders.<br/><br/>"We have to go!" he demanded, and Judas looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. She was in shock, her pupils filling up her irises like black holes.<br/><br/>"He's just asleep," Judas replied, trance-like. "He'll get up any moment."<br/><br/>"Captain, please," Thad grabbed Judas' arm, coughing. "Please, let's go!"<br/><br/>"He came to get me," Judas continued, oblivious. "I didn't know what was going on. The beam fell. But he's only sleeping. Right?"<br/><br/>Thad tore his eyes from his captain's face long enough to look down at the man in her lap. His stomach had been run through by a falling beam. Blood stained the floor and Judas' knees where the puddle met them. She was stroking the dead soldier's hair from his face mechanically. Thad felt a sudden rush of bile as he saw the face.<br/><br/>"Hafts," Judas murmured. "Hafts, wake up."<br/><br/>"We have to go," Thad grabbed Judas by the shoulders, feeling as if he might throw up. He hoisted the unprotesting girl into his arms, tucking her face against his chest. Thad didn't look back at the body as he charged back through the dining room door, plunging through the flames and out into the night air. Behind him, the roof collapsed, burying Hafts in a spectacular rush of rubble and sparks.<br/><br/>Outside, the dragons had abandoned their attack and the living were still rushing to deal with the aftermath. Thad was glad for the stinging smoke that dried his eyes. He wouldn't have to explain any tears tonight. He knelt in the dust and lowered Judas to the ground. She slipped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest, and refused to let him put her down.<br/><br/>"Hafts is dead," she said in a hoarse whisper.<br/><br/>"This is war," Thad grunted. He relented as Judas' small body shook with a hacking cough, her lungs trying to expel the smoke in them. "It isn't your fault. It's not anyone's fault."<br/><br/>"Why?" Judas whimpered. "Why would anyone do this? Why?"<br/><br/>Thad had no answer. He held his captain as she cried, ignoring the stares of the others until the fires had nothing left to fuel them and flickered out.<br/><br/>-----<br/><br/>Oh yes, there was going to be hell to pay. Thad picked at the bandages around the burns he had sustained on his hands and arms, trying not to appear nervous. Judas stood beside him at attention. For once she showed more striaght-backed discipline than he did.<br/><br/>General Albeth stared them down from the other side of his vast desk, his dark eyes sparking with displeasure. Judas had told Thad many times of the mind games that her father would play in the name of protocol and strict standards. His icy stare was not meant for Thad, but rather for the girl to his right. Thad felt as if he might dissolve into the floor under the general's hard aura. If Judas felt the same, she did not show it.<br/><br/>"I'm disappointed in you," General Albeth said at last. Judas flinched imperceptibly. "You were unprepared and showed cowardice in the face of the enemy. Time and time again I give you the opportunity to prove your worth to me--time and time again you fail miserably."<br/><br/>He stood and turned to the window, showing the pair his back. Thad shot a glance at Judas. Her eyes were dead ahead.<br/><br/>"Do you have any idea how hard you make this for me, Captain Albeth?" the general sighed. "How embarrassed you cause me to be? What will I say to my peers when they talk of their sons' bravery? Shall I weave them yarns of how my only child refuses to eat a roast and hides in her room when the enemy strikes?"<br/><br/>He practically thundered, slamming his hand down on his desk. Thad almost jumped. "You are a blight on this army," General Albeth said with a deep scowl. "I will not allow you to lean on your... your indiscretions any longer."<br/><br/>Thad's muscles knotted as the general's attention shifted to him at last. "Lasthmane. I'm promoting you to captain. You will be given your own squad on the eastern front. You've done well, but I fear your reliability has caused Captan Albeth to become lazy."<br/><br/>"No," Judas gasped, and the general's eyes bored into her until she went silent again. Thad's mind reeled. The eastern front? But how would Judas make it along without him? Who would help her men jog, or teach her how to tie proper knots, or bind up her bumps and scrapes? Who would ensure that she found a loving husband that could take her from all of this military nonsense?<br/><br/>"You're dismissed, Captain Lasthmane," General Albeth said cooly. "Congratulations. You've earned it."<br/><br/>Thad turned slowly with a nod, his throat tight. Judas cast him one pleading glance before her eyes fixed in front of her again. "I will find you again, I swear," Thad murmured. He didn't see Judas' shoulders deflate as he stomped out of the general's office, chin thrust upwards defiantly.<br/><br/>"As for you, you worthless woman-child," the general sneered. "You will be assigned to the southern border crossing, the least trafficked position along the edges of our country. There will be a small group of men at your command, no more than five at any given time. Maybe a proper exile will teach you to be more self-reliant."<br/><br/>"Yes, father," Judas muttered.<br/><br/>"Say thank you, Judas," General Albeth sniffed. "You can't imagine the strings I had to pull to get you out of this fire. You have tested my patience for the last time, girl."<br/><br/>"Thank you," Judas choked. The General dismissed her with a flippant wave of his hand.<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>All in all, the outpost on the border was worse than Judas expected. The men weren't the good-natured, obedient soldiers she had commanded before. They were disgruntled and undisciplined. One of them leered at her between her watches, the tower that she monitored the border from barely a tower at all. Like her men it was a mean, clinging thing that hung to the earth stoically. The bricks were monotonous and gray, giving it an austere look, and the ground not directly around the tower had grown scraggly yellow weeds that left thorny seeds in any clothes that had the misfortune of coming within three yards of them. The canyon was isolated and her men were sullen. They hardly listened to her, opting instead to do only what was directly in their job description--keep the tower secure and maintained, watch the border and monitor the crossings. Judas had to hand it to her father; he certainly knew how to deal punishments.  She was Captain Judas Albeth of the Twenty Second Southern Border Outpost. Indefinitely.<br/><br/>Judas was not the kind of person that complained about her misfortune. After all, she'd had a lot of it and found that it was generally a waste of energy. Instead she perched on the glassless windowsill and stared out at the cheerless landscape. It would have been easy, she thought, to just... go. The southern land was one she had heard tales of. Strange places and stranger people, all mixed up and wandering here and there. It wouldn't be easy to single her out of a crowd in a civilian town, not like it was here. No one would think she was strange for being cute and small. No one would glare disapprovingly at her for having to tailor her uniform to fit her chest.<br/><br/>She drew her legs up against her chest and pushed the thought out of her mind. There was no point in such daydreams, after all. She was a soldier first and then... well. She had no idea what else she was after that. Besides, Piggly was fighting bravely somewhere. It would be betrayal to abandon her post when he was pushing so hard for their country's safety.<br/><br/>Mostly, however, Judas didn't think that he would think to look for her south. It was better not to run from the war, if for nothing else than to find him once again. The thought of facing battle brushed her mind and was forced out again. At least on this post there was no chance of running into combat again.<br/><br/>Judas closed her eyes and pretended she was somewhere else.