Page 8 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“Welcome. It’s good to have you here. It’s an important role, sergeant. Are you up to it?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve run boot camps and basic training for years. And I’m looking forward to it, sir.”
“You don’t need to butter me up, sergeant. The role is yours because no one else around here wanted it. Except SergeantBailey, of course. I’ll be honest with you, she’s the best with new recruits I’ve ever seen. You’ve got your work cut out, keeping up with her.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t tell her I said that. I’m expecting you to hold your own with her and get your squad into shape as quickly as possible. Do you understand me, sergeant?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Make us proud to have you here. Dismissed.”
Back out in the corridor, Pieter said, “I think you should take me to my squad.”
“You want to meet them now?”
“The major left me under no illusions that I’m going to be spared any harsh criticism if my recruits don’t cut the mustard. So it’s time for me to size up the mustard.”
Derek shook his head. “That isn’t even an expression. No one sizes up mustard. Watch what you say, okay? You don’t want people guessing that you’re not from around these parts on the first day.”
“I think they’ll guess I’m not from Alaska the second they meet me.”
Derek smirked. “You’re not really expecting to have your squad as good as Eva’s by this afternoon, are you?”
“They might even be better,” Pieter said, trying to sound confident.
“Don’t count on it.”
“So what’s her secret?” Pieter asked. “What does she have that the rest of us don’t? Surely you can give me some more intel on that.”
Derek shook his head again. “Don’t call it intel. You could get us both in trouble.”
“Fine. But I mean it. What can I learn from her?”
“I can’t really put it into words. It’s not something obvious. It’s more that she has a certain kind of power to intimidate and inspire new recruits in equal measure.”
“Intimidate and inspire. Okay. That’s something I think I can work with.”
Pieter was worried about the limited time he had with his squad. From the start of their drill practice session, he was relieved to see that they had clearly been taught well. There was one snag, however: they were going through the motions without the pride that comes with executing the actions together as one single entity.
It was his fault, he knew. The new recruits were doing what he told them to do, but because they didn’t know him yet, they saw him as a mere authority figure, not someone they respected. They might respect his rank, but not who he was and what he stood for, because they didn’t know who he really was.
After the first hour of drill practice, he told the recruits to stop. He gathered them closer together and told them he had a story for them. He asked if any of the new recruits had heard of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland, and nearly everysingle one indicated that they had. Pieter told them about his experience performing in the Tattoo, leaving out the fact that he had been a member of the Laagestein military at the time.
He described the thrill of being part of a precision performance for a crowd of civilians, who cheered them loudly and enthusiastically. As he told the new recruits about the experience, his memories were so real that Pieter felt like he was transported back to that important time in his life.
“We got to live that thrill every night for three solid weeks. People from all over the world came to see us. Every night I got to look into the stands and see the sheer astonishment on people’s faces at what we were capable of. Not just us — although we nailed it every single night — but our military brothers and sisters from around the globe. I have never felt so proud in my whole life, and I doubt I ever will again.”
He looked into the eyes of each and every recruit, and he could tell that he’d reached them. He’d pulled them into the world of pomp and pageantry, where the drill wasn’t a mundane set of actions you did to show you were disciplined but a display of the triumph of the human spirit.
When his squad returned to practice after his speech, Pieter saw just what he was looking for in their eyes — the fire. They wanted to be the best, to have a taste of what it felt like to have everyone cheering them on. He’d done it; he’d inspired them.
CHAPTER 3
EVA
Eva was about to start her pep talk when she heard one of the new recruits mutter under his breath about having less time in the mess hall for lunch than the other squad. She was disappointed, but not surprised, to see that the complainer was none other than Private Sully.
