A Nice Lieutenant

The evening was warm and the sky was bright with shining stars. The moon was half full and it stood overhead like a white torch. This would have been a scene to really look up at and lose one's self in it for a time but not for Arianna.

With her aching muscles and banging head, she didn't really have the strength to gaze at the sky. Today's training had been brutal—like the rest of course—and it didn't help when Lieutenant Marco kept dragging her from one end of the field to the other. Nothing she did was ever good in his eyes. If she tried to protest, he'd either make her go to the wall or just sit on the air. It was painful.

Every time she was sent out on punishment like that she would have to compensate by doing an extra time during the evening leading her to more fatigue. She seriously wanted to punch the Lieutenant in the jaw at one point but stopped herself.

She stretched herself with a wince. The thought of having to go through the same routine the next day almost made her heart jump. She took a deep breath and walked towards the canteen to get her dinner.

She glanced around and her eyes landed on Edwin Trueman. He was at the other end of the hall with his tray. She wondered why he didn't go and get his food. She waved a hand at him and he perked up on seeing her.

He skipped over. "I was waiting for you. We've lost ten minutes already!"

"You should have gotten your food. My body was sore!" she grimaced and touched her ribs. "I thought that I had snapped a rib or two but the doctors said it was just from the strain."

Edwin patted her shoulder. "You should learn to not speak back at the Lieutenant."

Arianna scoffed and moved to grab a tray. "Not when he keeps calling me stupid names. He remembers everyone's name but mine!"

"Take it as special treatment," Edwin comforted. "You've seen how he treats me. He never lets an opportunity pass by to drag me through the mud."

Arianna chuckled. Edwin had had it worse with the Lieutenant. He made sure that he was always there whenever Edwin fell down on his face or just tripped over himself. The last time he had poured a bucket of toilet water on him.

Arianna glanced at him and found that he was really holding it in. Was it because he wanted to prove his father wrong at all cost? She discovered that inside that weak and frail body that barely made it through each day's session lay a big heart.

A heart that wouldn't give up. A heart that could endure anything just to achieve the primary goal. She saw a very relentless soldier and comrade. Unconsciously a smile blossomed on her lips as they queued up to get their food.

Another thing she noticed about him was that he was really improving. Although the military training here was tough he would be able to pull through each day without giving up and at night he'd still be energetic while she'd be down and crushed.

She could only shake her head at the thought.

They got their food and walked towards an empty table at the far corner. Edwin turned to her and asked, "Are you excited about the upcoming field training?"

"Why should I be excited?"

Edwin shrugged. "Why wouldn't you be? We get to leave camp and be free from Marco for a week and we get to be real soldiers for the first time!"

Arianna rolled her eyes at him. "You really think they'd do as they said?"

"That's what the training is about right? Which means we will be free from monstrous obstacle courses for a week and even the Lieutenant won't be able to pressure us too much."

"Regardless," she said with pursed lips. "We should try and do well. This might determine a lot in the future."

"That's true." Edwin agreed. They walked on in silence towards their table.

Someone called out to them from a table from the back… or rather someone called out to her. Arianna stiffened and turned like a rod. It was Lieutenant Marco wearing one of his wolfish grins.

He approached them with steady steps while balancing his tray with one hand. "Hey, short stuff, you're almost out of time."

Arianna looked at her wrist watch and saw that dinner time was almost over. It would be time for lights out soon. She bit her lips not knowing how to respond to him. That name 'short stuff' irked her to no end.

In the end she straightened her back. "Sir, I will just shove down everything in the remaining five minutes."

She seemed to be hinting that he should not delay her any further. Marco glanced at Edwin at the side and his smile widened. "And the other one who keeps tripping on his own foot. I talked to your father the other day."

Edwin's face paled. If they talked then he could only imagine what he had told his father about him. He shifted uncomfortably but didn't say a word.

Marco's eyes then landed on Arianna. "You shove down your food? No wonder you have the shape of a bean pole. Never mind, eat with me."

"Sorry sir, but…"

"Don't be so stubborn now, bean pole." He turned with a slightly stoic expression and added, "I won't bite besides this isn't the training field plus it will give you more time to eat and savour the food if you eat with me at that table. No one will disturb both of you."

Arianna wanted to say something but decided to keep her mouth shut. This was the first time this Lieutenant was being so nice to her and Edwin and she didn't want to let her loud mouth ruin it. She nodded.

Edwin scoffed. "If can even savour this stuff they call meal."

"I never knew you had a sweet tooth young General." Marco said without looking at him. The statement made Edwin flush red from embarrassment. He took a deep breath and followed the Lieutenant to his table.