You sat in the train, your leg bouncing, you looked up expecting to see your mother or a maid, who would tell you to stop and that it didn't look proper, but no one was there to tell you to stop. "Nervose?" You looked up to see a man, you simply nodded.
"Yes." You deepen your voice as you speak.
He nodded. "I think we all are." He combed his fingers through his hair, messing it up.
"Y-August Y/l/n." You introduce yourself.
The man looks at you with a knowing look. "George Crowell. Duke." He bowed his head down, and tenseness filled the air.
"No need for that." You spoke honestly with a shake of your own head. But other than that short conversation, the ride was spent in a tense silence.
You spent two days on that train until you got to a mutual zone on the France and Italy border, you had been there once before the war. Your family was invited when you were a little girl by the royal family before they had become riddled with a dictator as well.
You all were bored off, and then checked in before, walking into the camp, as you handed the papers over, the man eyed you and the paper. "Your highness." It sounded like a growl.
You were handed a metal necklace with your cousin's name and information on it. "What is this?" You asked with furrowed brows.
"Dog tags, so we know who you are or if you die." He said harshly, you were let past walking through the camp, it had men from France, England, America and Hollis all allies fighting for the same thing.
You were handed a metal necklace with your cousin's name and information, your brows furrow
You observed them, but while you were looking around, you bumped into someone. "Sorry." You spoke fast.
"You're alright, you new?" He asked you to look up, bright blue eyes looked back at you, he had dark brown hair, and he wasn't in uniform at the moment. You nodded that was all you could do at the moment. "Well, I'm James, but just call me Bucky."
You nodded. "I-I'm August."
"Interesting name like the month?" He asked with a smile, his light pink lips pulled up gave him a boyish charm.
"Uh yes." You nodded.
He looked you over for a second. "You're from Hollis." You noticed the slight furrowing of his brows. "Don't you all not support your king's decision?"
"Most don't, but why not defend innocents who don't deserve to be killed." You spoke honest to how you felt.
He smiled. "That's a good way to look at it."
"Sergeant Barnes!" Someone yelled out. James looked at me. "Looks like I got to go, I'll see you later." He walked away.
The queen paced back and forth. "There has to be something we can do, I'm not going to let my only daughter, my only child die." Her voice was distraught.
"Clam down." The king hissed.
"Get. Her. Back." The woman bit out.
The king shook his head. "I can't if we expose her she will be imprisoned, it's a war crime to impersonate a soldier."
"She is a princess, you are her father." The woman hissed at her husband.
He shook his head. "That means nothing to Americans or anyone other than us, she wouldn't be arrested by one of our generals, and she'd be in prison for life."
"That can happen to even royalty?" August asked.
The king looked to his nephew. "Yes. For now, we'll put out a notice that she has gone missing, that will be all that we can do for now."
You were making your bed as you were instructed, the radio playing softly, then an interruption in the slow song. "We interrupt what you were listening to announce the missing princess of Hollis, any news on her royal highness will be greatly appreciated."
"Do you think she was taken?" One man asked.
Another scoffed. "Maybe for a ransom, to join forces or, to get us out of here."
"Listen up, I am going to be your sergeant." You heard Bucky's voice say he looked at all of you. "Don't let the news distract you from why you are here."
A different man scoffed. "American you don't understand, her cousin is here, she is one of the highest importance to our people, she-"
"She is not here, don't let this cloud your minds." Bucky told them. "Diner is at five."
Around four fifty, you walked out of the cabin and to the mess hall where all of you would eat. "You got here early." Bucky's voice chimed in. "You also seem chipper than the rest of the men from Hollis."
"I have a feeling my cousin will be just fine. I know her well enough." You told him knowingly.
"Cousin, does that make you royalty?" He teased you.
You tilted your head to the side. "Yeah, I'm a duke, but don't call me that, I'm still just eighteen year old August."
You and Bucky sat at dinner talking, getting to know one another and told stories about you and your cousin. "How did your family feel about you doing this? You're a duke, you wouldn't have to come."
"My cousin was raised like an older sister to me, she didn't want me to go, she thinks i'm too naive to fight in a war, I see where she's coming from she's good at heart, but my aunt and uncle were proud." You told him what happened a few days before.
"Well maybe she ran away to come protect you, maybe you're her." He stared at you intensely for a moment before bursting out in laughter. "Why would a princess join the army?" He scoffed, shaking his head. "She's probably too scared about getting her shoes wet."
You tried to hide your anger at his comment, you didn't come all this way let alone to a country, to be mocked. "Y/n, wouldn't care, she's never cared about the girly crap, we used to sword fight as kids with sticks and she could beat me every time." You bragged.
"Relax I didn't mean anything rude, I'm sorry if I offended you, she is your family and she is missing I'm sorry." Bucky said softly.
"How did your family react?" You asked him the same question.
"It was sadder, I was drafted, my family is proud. It's just hard to see your son or your brother go and not know if he will return. I thank god that my younger brother isn't eighteen yet, I know where your cousin is coming from, she just wanted you safe. This isn't just scary for us, it's scary for our families as well." He seemed sad at the thought of his family. "My friend-Steve- who is almost like a brother to me he was jellose."
"Why?" I asked.
"He's hard headed and got into fights more times than I can count, when we entered the war he started to try and enlist, he's tiny, and has so many health conditions, that there is no way for him to get into the army. You got a girl?" He asked me next.
"No, not yet at least. How about you?" Your lips pulled up in a small smile.
He sighed. "I've never been able to be tied down."
Bucky and you had befriended one another fast, he helped train you and the rest of the men from Hollis. Your friendship though on a military base was mostly goofy and playful. He was also quite charming. He also always tells you stories about him and his childhood best friend Steve.
One night you had to take a shower, you put it off for so long, but now you had to, late one night you walked to the showers. You walked into the room that had two sides of showers and a wall between the two sides, but other than that there was barely any privacy. You slowly strip taking off your shirt, and pants then underwear, but you slowly unwrapped the cloth bandage from around your breast, you took a deep breath, from the release of preacher, you started the water, you walked under it was freezing but eventually you got used to it.
You closed your eyes thinking of home, your favorite song, and your family, you began to humm, for the first time in weeks, your actual voice was heard. You almost tuned out the sound of the door closing but when you did in fact realize it you turned off the water, and wrapped a towel around yourself while grabbing all of your clothes. "Oh August it's just you." Bucky smiled looking me up and down. It looked awkward because you had the towel up to your chest. "Are you hiding something?" He arched eyebrow.
"No, it's just something I've done since growing up." You lied, obviously your cousin wore it around his waist. You'd seen him in the hall once.
"Oh." He said. "Well since I'm here, I might as well shower." Bucky shrugged, he began to take his clothes off, and everything started to come out. You had to stop yourself from staring for a second, then you turned away.
"I'll see you in the morning." You practically ran away.
The day your Regiment finally finished training, you were given your first mission.