Blood Soldiers: The Second Army - Grishaverse Prequel

24 - Aleksander

It had been a little over three months since their meeting with the King, and Poliznaya was a flurry of colour. The First Army soldiers had not been happy when the Grisha had first arrived, and they'd endured more than a few restless nights, worrying about what the soldiers might do.

Their letter from the King had helped their position amongst the other Generals at the camp, but they all treated him like a young boy, playing at war, despite him being older than their grandparents.

Yelena had been...difficult too. Worried about their soldiers and furious at the treatment they had received. There had been far too many incidents of First Army soldiers getting handsy with the Second Army Grisha. One had tried kissing one of the younger girls, and it was all he could do to stop Yelena from turning the man inside out.

It also hadn't helped that he still couldn't get the thoughts of that night they'd almost spent together out of his mind. He had wanted to talk to her about it, to...try again. Unfortunately, most nights he was absolutely exhausted after busy days of training, strategizing, and teaching.

Their numbers had grown immensely in the last few weeks, with more and more people hearing about the Second Army. His oprichniki had grown too, made up of siblings or parents, friends, or lovers of the Grisha. Now, they had just under two hundred Grisha soldiers, and over seventy oprichniki. He could hardly believe it. Walking through the camp every day, seeing the soldiers look up to him, eagerly await his instruction and praise. He was their General, and he loved it.

Once he'd travelled the world with his mother as outsiders, always alone. He wasn't sure he would ever get used to seeing them all sitting together as friends, comrades. They wore their keftas with such pride, not afraid of their abilities.

He, Yelena, and the other original army had worked every day to ensure that every new recruit felt welcomed and safe. They were trained in hand-to-hand combat, weapons, and of course, how to use their abilities, both for offence and defence. Lars and Lovisa had begun teaching some of the soldiers how to speak Fjerdan too, while another new recruit, a middle-aged man named Dawa had begun teaching Shu.

Aleksander spent his days overseeing their training and work. The Fabrikators were working overtime creating new keftas but he supposed it was good practice, and the younger ones looked so happy when they finally finished their coats.

Finally, after months of training, they had received their first assignment from Os Alta, and were headed to the Shu Han border with a regiment of First Army soldiers. The thirty or so Grisha under the age of sixteen had to remain at the camp, with a Elitza, Dima, and Pavel.

Aleksander had been surprised but beyond proud when the three of them had approached him and Yelena during the preparations, requesting to stay behind. Yelena hadn't been too happy about leaving behind Pavel, her own second-in-command, but he had grown and improved so much in the last year. All of the original army had become leaders in their own right, commanding the respect and loyalty of all the Grisha they trained.

Before long, Aleksander and his army of around 120 Grisha Corporalki and Etheralki moved out, headed to a place halfway between Poliznaya and Caryeva. Most Fabrikators were remaining at the camp to run things and continue their work, but a small few would be accompanying the army, just in case. In their colourful keftas they would stand out for miles, but Yelena had ordered a number of thin grey overcoats to be made, similar to those of the First Army. Aleksander had to admit that he admired how much she cared for her Grisha, there was simply nothing she wouldn't do for them.

***

Arriving at their position, Aleksander, Yelena, and First Army General Popov greeted the soldiers that were already there. A small, rugged camp had been set up under the cover of the trees and the soldiers looked just as haggard.