A few days later, the group finally came within mere miles of the brigade. Niall's injury obviously slowed them down since he was unable to walk for long by himself. Every hour or so, the men would have to switch who was walking with Niall, since as much as Harry wanted to be his permanent crutch, doing so just slowed them down more.
The walks were boring and uneventful. Every now and then Liam would swear he could hear people so they'd all rush to hide among the trees, but they never came across anyone. The nights were even more uneventful, but the biting cold of winter seemed to finally be letting up, signifying their movement into spring. Harry assumes it's sometime in February or March.
When they come up on the brigade, barely anyone even notices them. Since all four of them are wearing dirty uniforms, Liam expected someone to come rushing forward to figure out what's going on, but everyone is too focused on packing up everything to pay attention.
"What do you think is going on?" Harry asks, hauling his bag further over his shoulder. They've been walking for several hours already today and all he wants to do is fall into a soft cot with Niall and sleep the rest of this war away.
"Seems they're going somewhere..." Louis comments, then reaches out toward one of the men rushing by. "Hey, what's going on?"
"What d'ya mean? We gotta go!" The man side-steps Louis and continues walking. Louis looks back at Liam, who is currently walking with Niall near the back. Liam just shrugs.
"Why would they be leaving? I thought this was a permanent base?" Louis trails off with more questions, seemingly preparing to ask another man before Harry reels him back.
"Let's just go find the colonel. They should know." Harry offers. They all look between each other before nodding.
The brigade is huge, composed of hundreds of tents and multiple acres. They walk for a few minutes before Harry clears his throat, motioning to a wooden cabin with his head. They make their way over slowly, Liam nearly dragging Niall who can barely lift his feet.
Normally there's soldiers posted outside the colonel's quarters, but there isn't. Louis pokes his head in for a moment, looking around, before motioning the rest of them inside. The hallway is silent. Voices can be heard conversing inside the room at the end of the hall. Liam hands Niall off to Harry, who can feel Niall sagging against him immediately. He can tell just how much Niall needs to rest too.
Liam knocks on the door. The voices inside don't waver. Liam knocks again, louder. The voices deaden slightly, before picking up again.
Liam knocks one last time before the door is pulled open.
"What is it, soldier? You should be packing." The man tells him, going to shut the door again.
Liam places his hand against it, holding it open. "Sir?" He motions back at the other three. The man looks around him, furrowing his eyebrows. "We need help."
"Go to the medical tent."
Liam shakes his head. "We don't know where it is. We're from another company, about 100 miles southwest of here."
"You got the message already?" The man asks, pulling the door open and motioning them in. Harry and Niall hobble in together, Louis behind them. There are three more men inside, sitting around a desk with a map spread over it.
"No, sir. We're not sure what's going on. There was a... skirmish." Liam pauses, motioning at Niall. He's trying his best to keep it vague.
"Men," the oldest man in the room calls out. Everyone's eyes land on him. "Leave us. Make sure the soldiers are working diligently."
The three men nod and salute, making Harry assume he is the colonel. The men file out one by one, the door clicking shut behind them.
"State your names and rank." The man demands, leaning forward on his elbows.
"Liam Payne, stationary medic."
"Harry Styles, soldier."
Louis looks at them before responding, "Louis Tomlinson, soldier."
"Niall Horan, soldier."
The man purses his lips, "You said you're from a company 100 miles southwest from here?"
"Just about, sir, yes."
"What occurred? Is the rest of your company on their way?"
"No, sir. We had a run-in with a group of Confederates that resulted in a few casualties, including our corporal. There was an argument over who would take over command after him."
The man quirks an eyebrow, "The highest ranking sergeant resumes control if anything happens to the corporal."
"We know, sir, but our highest ranking sergeant was very corrupt and was willing to run our company into the ground. A democratic vote was taken for Mr. Harry Styles to resume control instead. There was overwhelming support."
"Then what was the issue?"
Liam sighs, "The sergeant was not accepting of our ruling. In the night, he snuck back into the camp overnight and attempted to forcibly remove Harry from power." He takes a breath. "I took care of it, but the entire company was roused in the commotion. In order to protect Harry, Niall, Louis, and myself, we escaped during the night."
"That is desertion, Mr. Payne."
"I am aware, sir, and I apologize for leaving our assigned post. But that's why I brought us here. We were unsafe in our assigned company because of corruption and hatred, but we would like to continue to lend our services to the fight. If you would like, you can assign us to a new company, or keep us here."
The colonel scoffs, "I should try all of you for desertion and possibly treason for refusing to allow your sergeant to resume control as corporal."
Harry tenses, looking at Liam. Liam doesn't flinch. "Please, sir. If you were present in our company, you would've run too."
"Are you sir of that, Mr. Payne?" He sniffs. "And what of these two? Tomlinson and Horan, why were they included?"
"As you can probably tell, Mr. Horan is very hurt. He needs more advanced medical attention, which I was unable to provide to him during our limited time in the company after the skirmish with the enemy. And Louis... Mr. Tomlinson is a close acquaintance of Mr. Horan's."
"Close acquaintance?"
"Yes, sir. Mr. Tomlinson would have not stayed in the company when Niall was away to get medical treatment. Plus, I wouldn't have asked him to, considering all that occured."
The colonel's eyes glance over Louis. "Is that correct, soldier?"
Louis nods immediately. "Yes, sir. Niall and I were enlisted together and have fought side by side since day one. I would never abandon him."
"If that's so, why is Horan in Styles's lap and not yours?" The colonel quirks an eyebrow.
"Mr. Styles and Mr. Horan have a... different type of relationship." Liam cuts in.
"I see." The man tsks, tapping the desk with his pen. His eyes glance over the four of them, his gaze rigid, before he breaks into a laugh. "Everyone is so nervous!"
"Well, will all due respect, sir--"
"You need not say more, Mr. Payne. You four are not the first to come to our camp because of corruption in your own companies. It's quite a shame that people can't get along, even when you're fighting for the same side." The colonel shakes his head. "I can provide you four with food and shelter from here on out, but I should warn you, our entire brigade will be on the move come morning."
"Why?"
"Didn't you hear? Grant has called almost all companies within Virginia for an extended fight with the enemy. Starting tomorrow, we, among several other brigades and companies around the state, will begin marching toward Appomattox to meet with the rest of the army."
Liam actually does freeze this time. "Do you think... this is the end?"
The colonel laughs, "As much as I'd like to give into your child-like fantasies, no, I'm afraid not. Wars never really end, do they? Even if the fighting does, the ideologies never chance. People will always be fighting these issues for years to come. However, I do think a resolution is underway. There's a possibility that, after this, I'll finally be able to see my little girl after four years. She'd be 12 by now. Isn't that crazy? Four years of fighting, and what do I have to show for it?"
The room goes silent. None of them are sure if they're even supposed to answer. After a moment of awkward quiet, the colonel speaks up again.
"I can set you four up in two separate rooms. Sorry, there's only so many to go around. Tomorrow, we will begin our march. It should only take a few days. You can decide whether or not you want to fight while on the road."
'Thank you, sir, but why would we not want to fight?" Liam asks.
"Didn't you hear me? This could be our last fight until a final declaration of surrender is made. I don't know how much you'd like to be crowned a hero when, honestly, I'm not even sure many of the people on our side know what they're even fighting for anymore. Do you know, Mr. Payne?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Do you know what you're fighting for?"
Liam nods quickly, "Of course."
"Wish I could say the same. So what is it?" The colonel smiles slightly.
"Well, I'm fighting to preserve the union of the United States. I'm fighting to protect the people who have been wronged by our society solely based on something they cannot change."
"Very admirable, Payne. But are you sure that's what everyone is still fighting for now? It's been four years."
"I..." Liam trails off. "I'm not sure, sir."
"You." The colonel motions to Louis. "What are you fighting for?"
Louis looks around, catching Harry's gaze before answering. "I'm fighting for my family. I want to get back to them."
"I'm sure they miss you." He nods, and Louis looks down. "And you, Mr. Horan?"
"I..." Niall's voice is weak. "I'm fighting for my family too."
"Fighting to get back to them, like Tomlinson?" The man questions.
"I think so. Fighting to see them at least one more time."
"And Styles?"
"I'm fighting for the ones I love. Fighting to stay with them." Harry nods, unconsciously pulling Niall closer.
"See? Not everyone fights for the same thing, but everyone has the same goal; to make it out alive. I'm fighting to see my little girl again. Many of the men here are fighting for their families. Many are fighting because they believe in the cause, as muddled as it has become. The ones that fight their own are the ones that have lost the plot long ago." The colonel pauses for a moment, taking a breath. "But it is up to you if you want to go into these possible last few days with guns blazing. I can tell you've been through a lot, and I can understand if you don't want to fight alongside people who don't know what they're fighting for anymore. If your goal is just to get back to your family, I can't guarantee you'll be able to do that in these battles. Everyone is bringing out everything they've got. People are assuming this is the end.
"People will be brutal out there. People will do everything to beat you. People who have lost the plot will kill no matter whose side they originally joined. And I won't punish you if you don't want to go up against people that have become monsters because of this war."
The colonel shakes his head. "That was a lot to take in, I apologize. You should rest. If I come to wake you tomorrow and you're not there, then I'll understand. If you decide during the march you want to abandon us, I'll understand. Hell, I wish I could join you. But if you do decide to stay, to fight, then I promise to give you as much protection as I can. As your colonel, that is my promise."
"Thank you, sir." Liam says, then stands to salute him. Harry and Louis follow suit, with Niall weakly lifting his hand last. The man nods at them.
"Go get some rest. We'll see how this goes once tomorrow comes."