Where Lies Adventure!

            “Yes,” Van replied simply, still with a smile on his face.   “Undoubtedly.   Finnian Pell is still my brother.   You were my brother too, once.” “I still am,” Thrace barked.   “Perhaps an older brother, admittedly.   I think the two of you are fools and I do not believe this is a good idea.   Van, you have natural talent but it takes discipline to be a soldier.” “Thrace please,” Van grew earnest and let the smile fall from his face.   “Let me prove to you that I am not a cynical man.   I simply have not found what I was put on this earth to do.   I want to do something I believe in, with people I believe in.   Let me fight for you.” Thrace looked hard at Van, studying the resolve of this would-be recruit. “You’re drunk,” Thrace said simply. “A bit, yes,” Van admitted, the smile returned so easily.   “But I’m honest when I’m drunk.” “Please Thrace,” Finnian pushed. “You understand you’ll have to change your entire way of living if you join my b

            “So what is this dyad initiative?” Van asked before the silence became noticeable to the others.         “It’s actually quite a brilliant idea,” Finnian enthused.         “By the king’s grace, I will be given command of a battalion of one hundred men in defense of his city,” Thrace began.  “The dyad initiative is an experiment.  The battalion will be trained as a group, just like any other.  But in addition to training as a single unit, all the men will be divided into pairs.  These pairs, or dyads, will be training together, fighting together, responsible for each other.  This ensures that each man in my battalion has someone watching their back, and that they’re watching someone else’s.  Like brothers, they will be.  Each man is accountable.”         “The brilliant thing, though, is that this extends beyond training,” Finnian said excitedly.  “Soldiers, by their very nature, must live by discipline.  By rules.  We sleep when we’re told, eat when we’re told