General Wellesley's Command II

“I meant where he is on the field,” I said, covering up my annoyance. I might not have known who Wellesley was but I wasn’t about to admit that to Alice, who had the tendency of getting smug.

“Headquarters is in an old farmhouse about a mile from here,” Alice told me, pointing in the direction. “We might even get a real hot meal there, if the general decides that he likes us.” I had to admit that sounded good.

“Will the others be there, or are we the only two forced to deal with each other,” I asked, accepting her hand up.

“Who knows,” Alice shrugged and I knew it had been a stupid question. The army had a policy against giving anyone any more information then what they absolutely required to get their mission done.

The army headquarters was as busy as any headquarters I had ever been in during a time of war. There were officers coming and leaving to receive orders, servants trying to work around the people, and general hangers on who just wanted a piece of the action and glory. No one gave Alice and I a second glance, no one had eyes for two people in what looked like private’s uniforms, unless you looked at the badges. That had been intentional, my regiment didn’t like drawing more attention to ourselves then we had to. Sometimes we did spy work, sometimes assassination, sometimes suicide missions that no other soldier would take on. Not being noticed, not even by your allies was a way of surviving. Special treatment was nice but not if it got you killed.

“We have orders to see General Wellesley,” Alice told the secretary who had set up his desk at the bottom of the house’s staircase. He cast a scornful glance over us.

“Do does everyone else on earth and you’ll have to wait your turn.”

“I promise you that our work is more important then anything your other men you have waiting for orders,” Alice said, throwing a paper on the table in front of the secretary. I recognized the royal seal and guessed that she was showing the secretary our commission. My regiment might not often march together but we were well known through the rest of the army, mostly as bad luck. I guessed the secretary had heard the rumors as well because he was instantly in a huge hurry to get rid of us. We were sent up to the general’s private room within minutes.

“Damn it Frothing, what took you so long to come up, take the long way around?” Wellesley bellowed when we knocked on his door when Alice knocked. Alice and I looked at one another, telling a general he was wrong wasn’t something either of us had the guts to do, even as an independent regiment, but we couldn’t pretend we were this Frothing, whoever he was, either.

“99^th regiment, Hill and Tobias sir,” announced Alice as we walked through the door, neatly compromising between telling the truth and getting our identities right. Alice had always been one of the more diplomatic then the rest of our regiment. She had a way with people none of the rest of us had.

To be continued...