Commander Eric Lee knelt still as stone in the grassy valley just outside of the tiny town of Treywick, eyes closed as he centered himself.

You are not your past. You are the Commander of the entire Army, sworn to your duty. Embrace your destiny. 

The men in his unit stood at attention behind him, not daring to question his actions. The last man who'd disrespected the Commander had gone home in two pieces after challenging Eric to a duel.

Sucking in a steadying breath, Eric opened his eyes, squinting out at the rolling green hills blocking Treywick from their view. Rustling grass behind him alerted him to Samson's approach.

"Sir?" His second in command, permanently stoic and just as young as Eric stood rigid as Eric glanced back over his shoulder. At Eric's acknowledgement, Samson's voice dropped so as not to carry to the other men. "We don't have a choice."

"I know."

"We have to go back."

"I know."

"Are you ready to face them?"

Eric stared up at Samson, knowing he couldn't lie. Samson might not have the gift of truth, but he knew Eric better than anyone else.

"I don't have a choice." Eric pushed to his feet and straightened his shoulders, pasting a scowl on his face. He turned to the men and raised his voice.  "Move out!"

As one the unit marched to the road. Eric's heart beat steadily, despite his rising anxiety. He's spent years of training with breathing exercises and sheer force of will to keep his heartbeat from betraying any form of stress or fear, just in case the man he fought against had the gift of hearing.

Marching felt routine--something Eric had been doing for seven years since he joined the Army at age ten. The youngest to ever join, Eric had to prove himself at every turn, pushing harder than the rest to gain respect. Now, at seventeen, Eric was the youngest Commander in history, having been given the post over a year before.

There had been whispers, when he first returned after the incident, of what would happen to him. At fourteen, he had still been one of the lower ranking positions, and many in his unit had bid him farewell as if they'd never see him again.

When he'd returned to his unit with orders to report to Commander Jenkins along with Samson, the whispers turned to vicious insults. Rumors spread through the Army about who Eric Lee's family might be to give him immunity, but nothing could be confirmed. When Eric was named Commander after Jenkins retired two years later, he named Samson as his second and disbanded their original unit filled with the men who had turned on them.

Narissa and Bainon had given him a second chance to prove himself, and he wasn't about to fail.

They crested the hill, Treywick now visible down the road. The men marched while conversing casually, only Samson and Eric remained entirely silent. Eric wondered if Samson doubted his ability to do this.

He wondered if he should doubt it himself. He'd see them - both of them - for the first time since he was taken away. Maverick and Laina, the only two friends other than Samson that he'd ever have.

Eric shot a sideways glance at Samson Steele. The young man, taller than any of the others by at least three inches, had joined the Army at the age of sixteen when Eric was thirteen. The two had formed a fast friendship based more on their ability to sit comfortably in silence and devote themselves to training than anything else. Samson's clear green eyes cut to Eric's, his brow arching in question.

"Do you ever wonder if everything we've been taught is wrong?" Eric asked, thinking of Maverick's passion and Laina's certainty.

"What is wrong?" Samson's shoulders twitched in a mini shrug. "Truth is relative. Each fact is surrounded by opinion, and in an argument each side is convinced their opinion is fact. Do we believe what we believe because we're taught to believe it, or because something inside ourselves senses it as true and infallible?" 

Eric rolled his eyes. "Must you turn everything into a philosophical point? I asked a simple question." 

The faintest hint of a smile ghosted across Samson's lips. "Nothing is ever simple."

##

Phoenix turned to Maverick as the Army marched down main street. She'd walked into town with him that morning to purchase a chicken from one of the local farmers. The sound of marching feet had stopped the bustle of the morning market so early, conversation ceasing as all turned to see the massive Army unit in the distance.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Maverick nodded, paling. "It--it can't be. Can it? They said he was dead."

"Truth is subjective," Phoenix said, her heartbeat speeding up. "Why would they send a missive with such a lie?"

Maverick didn't answer, and as the Army drew closer, Phoenix waited to see how much of her friend remained.

The three of them had been thick as thieves, having struck up a friendship on the Army's first day in Treywick two years before. Samson had occasionally joined them, though he seemed to struggle with the idea of gaiety or fun. Still, Phoenix liked the stoic set of his brow and his square chin - not that she'd ever told Mav or Eric as much.

The Army marched right past the market, heading straight for Mayor Leyera's home.

##

It was three days before Phoenix saw Eric again. The Commander had called a meeting in the town square, and all families were to be in attendance. Phoenix stood with her brother and parents in the middle of the crowd, the Mayor, his wife Arabella, and Aundreya stood on the stone stage in the center of town along with Eric.

"As you all have seen," Mayor Leyera said, "our great King Bainon has seen fit to appoint a new Commander over all the Army. Commander Lee has graced us with his presence and that of his unit to once again familiarize himself with our lovely village in his new role. He has informed me of his intentions to speak with each family in turn during their time here."

A soft murmur spread through the crowd. In all the Army's visits, they'd never sought out each family, but a few families were chosen as a sort of sampling of the entire town. Mayor Leyera held up his hands to silence them.

"Fear not. The Commander simply wants to affirm our loyalty to the crown. Any townsperson aged sixteen or older can expect a meeting with Commander Lee or one of his surrogates. Please, go about your lives as normal until your family is called upon."

As Mayor Leyera finished, Eric stepped forward, his icy gaze searching the audience before him. There were cheers of welcome and calls of congratulations. He dipped his head in acknowledgement.

"Thank you, as always, for your kind welcome," he said. His voice, Phoenix noticed, had deepened in his absence, and his face seemed sharper, more masculine. Though she waited for him to notice either her or Maverick, he didn't glance their way. 

"I'd first like to address a situation I became aware of upon my arrival." He cut a glance at the mayor, who dropped his chin, his shoulders hunching. "The archive beneath the Mayor's home has been disturbed. Items have been taken that were to never be removed. If any of you knows anything about this, we ask you speak to one of the Army soldiers at once. Destruction to this nature is dangerous and will not be tolerated."

Phoenix's heart sank and Maverick inhaled sharply. She'd never returned the two books she'd taken from the Mayor's cellar. After Finny had revealed herself to Phoenix, she'd forgotten all about them.

"You will receive an official summons, delivered by one of my men with the time and location of your family's meeting with either myself of my second in command." His eyes tapered, his hands behind his back as he stared down the crowd. "If you miss your appointment, you will be treated as conspirators against the crown and feel the full wrath of the Army."

The crowd was dismissed shortly after.

As the walked home, Norman and Claire in the lead, Phoenix let out a groan.

"I forgot all about those books. When they ask me if I took them, I won't have a choice but to tell the truth!"

"Not if you return them," Mav said, his mouth set in a grim line. 

"Even if I return them, I'll still be the one who took them."

"No." Maverick stopped her, his eyes widening as he stared down at her. "No, you'll be the one who borrowed them. Not the one who took them."

"It's the same-"

"No it isn't the same thing. You need to learn how to lie without lying. The truth is you borrowed them. You never intended to keep them. It's not stealing if you look at it that way. Say it. Say you didn't take them."

"I...took them." Phoenix grunted, unable to form anything other than the truth. "But I still have them. So I did take them."

"Then we need to return them."

"What are you two talking about?" Claire asked, turning around to face them and walking backwards, her soft brown hair escaping its bun. They were nearly back to the house now.

"Nothing," Maverick said as Phoenix said, "my theft."

Claire and Norman shared a knowing look. "Very well. Laina, have you noticed how dark it is tonight?"

Phoenix glanced up at the sky above them, cloudless and filled with stars, no moon in sight. She dropped her chin, meeting Claire's soft gaze as her mother pointed back toward their home. The outline of their cottage could be seen in the distance, dark and empty except for a silver light in the upstairs window.

"It appears Selene is waiting for you."

Anyone ready to meet Phoenix's birth mother? What do you think of Eric? Samson? Confession - they are two of my favorite characters I've ever written (regardless of whether or not they end up being good or bad). 

Selene is coming, but so is another character who might be of interest! Tell me, who are YOU most excited to get to know?

Sound off in the comments. Love yer guts!