The Showing

Life, Education

Natalya is chosen to join the KAV as a soldier/spy.

Natalya woke from her meditation and started getting ready. Supposedly one of the generals of the KAV would be coming by for an inspection today so she had to be on her best behavior and appearance. She got dressed and quickly braided her hair when she started to hear hurried footsteps running through the halls. She opened the door to see many of the other children frantically trying to get to the dining hall. She looked across the way and saw Sigrid open her door and look around confused at the ruckus. She looked up at Natalya with a worried glance. "Is it today?!" She asked her, having clearly forgotten. Natalya nodded at her friend. "Yeah, come on!" Natalya waved for her to follow. They got into the dining hall and noticed the fireplaces were lit for once. Natalya welcomed the warmth and she and Sigrid went and collected a plate. Natalya's stomach grumbled happily seeing fresh rolls and meat in the stew which usually consisted of shriveled onions and moldy mushrooms and was normally served with dry crackers. Sigrid looked equally excited, "I wish they inspected us more often." She commented, looking down at their food. They found a spot at the long tables and were soon unfortunately joined by Milosh, Bratoslav and Vlastimir who sat down across from them. The bratty high elves, who were still very much children compared to Natalya, started eating and talking loudly and obnoxiously about how excited they were to be up for show. "My father told me that I'm obviously ready." Vlastimir bragged. "Once you get in you still have to train for a hundred years or something crazy anyway." He said, clearly annoyed that his twenty year old self wouldn't be able to start killing people right off the bat. "Hey Natalya, are you going to be considered today?" Milosh asked her. "If you don't get picked soon, they'll have to marry you off to some farmer or something." He poked fun at her. She glared at the snarky boy, "I'm not sure. Headmaster Fiske hasn't told me so." She said, trying to ignore the boys and pretend like she didn't care. Milosh turned to Sigrid. "Hey Sigrid, after the showing, considering I'm still here that is, which is very unlikely, want to sneak over to my quarters tonight? I would invite Natalya but she'll probably be busy filing for a handmaid position for the lord of Gornoslav." Milosh teased her, gaining a round of laughter from his friends. Sigrid looked down, clearly uncomfortable. "Go fuck yourself, Milosh." Natalya told him. "Leave us alone. There is plenty of table space elsewhere, don't you think?" She said, gesturing around the room and praying Milosh didn't cause another scene between the two of them. Milosh stared Natalya down, "What? You jealous you didn't get invited to suck my pretty cock or something?" He said mockingly. Natalya felt herself start to fume. Milosh rolled his eyes, "You can forget that dream, Natalya. I'd never let a wood elf touch me, let alone put their filthy mouth on me." He said with disgust. Natalya glared daggers at Milosh and suddenly felt Sigrid's hand touch her own under the table to try and calm her. Luckily at that moment Headmaster Fiske walked into the room and walked up to the podium to address everyone. Behind him was a KAV soldier Natalya had never seen before but had heard many rumors about. He was a tall high elf with a bald head and a neck beard that reached down to the center of his chest. His eyes were silvery and almost white, sending a cold shiver down Natalya's spine that only increased twofold when the powerful man's eyes met her own. She felt terrified and found herself unable to look away as the high elf stared at her. "That's him!" Milosh whispered, sounding fearful for once in his arrogant life. "Good morning." Headmaster Fiske addressed the room. "Today we are honored to welcome the head of the KAV General Pufuktin here for our showing. Those who will participate have been informed. When you finish eating, convene in the arena." He said formally before turning away and leading Pufuktin away. Pufuktin's eyes lingered on Natalya for a moment longer before he finally turned away and followed Fiske into the arena. Milosh and the boys looked frazzled, "Shit! That's General Pufuktin! He's going to be judging us?!" He whispered excitedly to his friends. He looked up at Natalya and smirked, "Guess you won't be going anywhere." He said teasingly. She huffed at him and turned back to her soup. She tried not feel disappointed that she wouldn't be showing. That maybe her door really was closed. She was also spooked, though. She found herself glancing up at the door in fear that Pufuktin would come back and stare at her again. She hurriedly finished her meal and her and Sigrid stood to go to the arena together. They made it there and Natalya rolled her eyes in annoyance hearing Milosh and his posse right behind them. Luckily, they were too excited to bully her and Sigrid any further. She saw Pufuktin and Fiske on the edge of the arena talking. When she walked into the room she saw Pufuktin meet her eyes again but she quickly looked away, "Let's find a seat." She told Sigrid, who nodded and led the way. As Natalya sat down she felt Pufuktin's gaze on her but she tried to ignore it. Milosh, Bratoslav and Vlastimir sat down a few feet in front of them on the edge of the platform. Sigrid leaned over to Natalya, "Let's hope they get chosen. Then at least they won't be here anymore." She said, annoyed with the boys. "I guess that's true." Natalya said, "But then they'd have the pleasure of making it." She said, unable to hide her resentment. She had done the showing nearly thirty times now but every time she was overlooked and the only ones that ever seemed to make it into the KAV were male high elves. Occasionally a female would make it in but it was fairly rare. Natalya was upset that they now seemed to have pulled her from the running, even though every year she consistently had higher marks than any of her peers. When the room was full of students, they all stood at attention and sang the national anthem as per tradition as they saluted the giant Lenisilian flag hanging on one wall over the entire arena. The flag was mostly red save for the black eight sided star in the center, put there to represent the elven god Corellon Larethian. They all sat when they finished and Vlastimir and Egil were called up first and the showing began. It was fairly boring and Natalya studied the footwork of those called up with disdain, angry that she wasn't able to show them up. "Milosh." Headmaster Fiske read from his list, "Natalya." Natalya looked up in surprise at hearing her name. She stood up and walked down to the arena and smiled coyly seeing Milosh's anger at being paired with her. They respectfully bowed and readied themselves to spar. Natalya couldn't help but be excited to have a chance to hit Milosh for his nasty words from earlier. He glared at her, clearly not wanting her to have the pleasure. The bell rang and Milosh rushed toward Natalya recklessly, as she had suspected he would, and she casually side-stepped him and swept his feet out from under him. He twisted his torso and grabbed her arm as he fell and pulled her toward the ground with him. Natalya rolled him across the floor and managed to twist out of his grasp before gracefully getting to her feet. Milosh leapt up and braced himself. Natalya smirked at him and feigned a strike from her knee which caused him to flinch, opening himself up for her to bust her elbow across his face, staggering him. He righted himself quickly and lashed out with several punches toward her head. She parried his attacks easily enough, even though he was a tiny bit stronger than herself. She kicked up toward his ear but he gracefully ducked her tiny foot which flew over his head as he sidestepped behind her before she could recoil and slammed his elbow into the back of her head. "Shit." Natalya muttered under her breath as she felt dazed from the blow. She stepped quickly away and blinked hard a few times to clear her vision before repositioning herself to fight. He smirked at her and they circled one another tauntingly to see who would make the first move. They lunged at each other almost simultaneously, startling one another and causing them each to hesitate for a fraction of a second, unsure of whether to be offensive or defensive. Natalya made her decision first and brought a right hook toward his head. He brought his hand up just in time to deflect the worst of the blow but she gained enough momentum to follow up with several more fast punches, causing him to focus on defense and back up a bit. After several seconds of this, Natalya finally tripped him up with a kick straight up through his defense into the bottom of his jaw, jerking his head back violently and sending him falling to the ground. As he fell he bashed his head on the platform. She backed up to let him get to his feet. As he did, he spat some blood out on the ground threateningly with malice and fury filling his eyes. Natalya simply raised her eyebrow at him. "Stop. Fencing next." Fiske called out. Natalya smiled knowing she had won that round and walked over to grab a rapier. Milosh did the same and they waited to be told to begin. Fiske called the starting signal and they circled around and faced each other. Milosh lunged first with a stab toward her abdomen and Natalya casually parried his sword. They reset to a neutral position and glared at each other intensely. Their swords clanged together as they both threw out small, quick strikes to get a feel for each other's movement and to try and gain an advantage. Natalya slowly struck at his side once... twice... and on the third time she quickly pivoted her sword to strike his other side. Milosh wasn't fooled by the conditioning, however, and expected her movement, flicking her sword away with his before quickly lunging forward into a stab again. Natalya sidestepped the blade and backed up until she could put her sword back up between the two of them. They went back to swiping at each other, neither having the advantage. Suddenly Natalya saw her opening in a brief flash as Milosh moved to strike. She flicked the tip of her sword at his hand making only a superficial cut, but it was enough to make him drop his sword to the ground. She quickly flipped her sword up to rest at his throat, beating him once again. She gave him a small smirk and he gave her a death glare. Natalya waited for Fiske to call it but he was whispering with Pufuktin. Milosh huffed and snarled his nose at her blade that she kept at his neck. "Enough." Natalya looked up, hearing the cold, slimy voice of Pufuktin walking toward them. She withdrew her sword and stood at attention as the high elf circled herself and Milosh. No other KAV representative had ever done this before and Natalya wondered what could be going on in his mind as he carefully looked them both over. He finally decided he had seen enough and walked back over to Fiske and whispered something in his ear before turning to address the room. "We're done now. Contestants meet on the platform." He told them. Natalya and Milosh stayed at attention as the others joined them and the rest of the students left the arena. Pufuktin walked over and studied them all once more before nodding to himself. He turned to Fiske and whispered in his ear once more before standing resolute next to him. Fiske address them. "Three of you have been chosen." He told them, causing Natalya's heart to fall as she looked around at the ten high elf males around her. "Egil, Milosh and," Finke swallowed and sighed, as if he was both annoyed and surprised by the next name, "Natalya." Natalya perked her head in surprise. Finally! She thought, trying to remain professional. She saw Milosh flinch in annoyance. Pufuktin met her eyes again and she wondered why the head of the KAV himself had taken an interest in her. Fiske cleared his throat, "Go pack your things. You leave in one hour." He told them. They all saluted and filed out of the room and Natalya quickly ran up to her tiny dwelling. As she was packing her things she heard a knock on the door. She went and opened it and saw Sigrid there. Sigrid saw her packed suitcase and smiled at Natalya before coming into her room and closing the door behind her. "You got in?!" Sigrid asked her excitedly. Natalya nodded, "Yes! Finally!" She said excitedly. Sigrid smiled, "You really gave Milosh a run for his money. Gods it's so fun to watch you!" She complimented Natalya. "Thank you. Hey, and lucky for you he's leaving here too so you won't have to deal with him anymore." Natalya told her. She saw relief wash over Sigrid's face. "Thank the gods!" She said. "Do you need any help?" She asked Natalya. Natalya shook her head as she worked, "No. I don't really have much to bring." She said as she packed the last of her clothes into her suitcase. Sigrid plopped down on her bed, "I'm going to miss you." She said sadly, messing with the ragged blanket on Natalya's bed. Natalya sat down next to her and sighed, "I'll miss you too. Hey, maybe in a few years you'll get in too?" She suggested. Sigrid shrugged, "I guess. It's preferable to being a guard or foot soldier." She said. Natalya nodded in agreeance, "Or a handmaid." Sigrid laughed and leaned against Natalya, "Be careful, okay? That Pufuktin gives me a really bad vibe." She said, shivering. Natalya nodded, "He kept making eye contact with me today. I don't know what that means." She said, still trying to understand the real reason he had chosen her. "Maybe he thinks you're pretty?" Sigrid suggested. "They tend to do that sometimes. That's probably the only way I'll ever get in." She said shrugging. Natalya shook her head. "You're just as good as the boys out there today if not better. We're just women. We have to work a little harder than they do." Natalya told her, annoyed at their positions in life. "Especially you." Sigrid said. "Has a wood elf even got in before?" She asked Natalya. Natalya shrugged, "I don't know. Not from here at least." Sigrid sighed, "Well, I'm glad you're the first one!" She said, squeezing Natalya's hand excitedly. Natalya smiled, "Be safe, Sigrid. Try not to let those boys get the best of you." Natalya told her friend. "I'll be fine." Sigrid waved her off. "Now hurry! You don't want your new boss waiting for you!" She teased Natalya. Natalya packed away the last of her things and gave Sigrid one final hug before heading out to the entrance. She walked outside and saw a carriage waiting for them in the snow. Milosh was already there and so was Pufuktin and Fiske who were talking to each other in hushed tones as Milosh put his things away in the back of the carriage. Natalya approached and drew her ragged cloak around her shoulders as the cold wind and snow picked up. Milosh gave her a glare but didn't say anything as she handed her two small bags up to the carriage attendant. "Thank you." She told the human who looked miserable, and Natalya figured he had been driving in this harsh snow for hours. Leniscow was a couple hours ride from there and Natalya imagined it wasn't a pleasant journey for the driver. He gave her a small smile but quickly turned away and focused on his work. Milosh climbed into the carriage as Egil came out. Egil gave Natalya a small smile, "Good job." He told her under his breath, making sure Milosh wouldn't hear them. "Thanks, you too." Natalya told him. She didn't really know Egil well. He was fairly quiet and always seemed to do his own thing. Natalya liked that he wasn't part of Milosh's crew, though. He offered her a hand into the carriage and Natalya climbed into the dinky wooden box and reached back to help Egil in. He sat down next to Milosh and Natalya sat across from Egil, trying to avoid Milosh's eyes. Pufuktin and another soldier Natalya hadn't noticed before entered the front of the box and the carriage started to make the journey into Leniscow. Natalya cast one final look goodbye at the Voyennyy Academy and sighed with relief, hoping her life was finally moving in the right direction. They were quiet throughout the journey, much to Natalya's relief. They didn't move toward Leniscow, though. They headed past it to the west for a while through the empty, desolate land. Occasionally they would pass farms or forests but it was mostly snow and after a while the window was too frosted over to see anything. The carriage was cold and Natalya found herself pressed against the wall shivering. Egil and Milosh also seemed cold and Egil would occasionally share a comforting smile with Natalya. Finally the carriage stopped and they heard voices outside before the sound of a loud gate opening cut through the icy silence. Natalya tried to see where they were through the glass but she found it nearly impossible. Suddenly the door opened and a soldier waved them out. Natalya obeyed and stepped out of the carriage into the snow. They were in a vast open landscape, up against the mountains to the north of Vladigrad. Before her stood a large, stone building surrounded by barbed wire and watch towers. There were a few soldiers milling around them and Pufuktin was giving them orders. Egil climbed out and bumped against Natalya. Natalya looked over at him and saw fear in his eyes as he looked up at the giant compound before them. Milosh hopped out and smiled up at it, excited to be following in his father's legacy. "This way!" Pufuktin ordered them. They followed him into the giant stone walls and Natalya and Egil instinctively hovered close to each other, both of them intimidated. When they entered the compound, Natalya expected the cold to go away but it lingered. This was not a warm or welcoming place. Everything was dark, with only a few torches lighting the giant stone walls. Pufuktin led them into a hall with a couple of small dingy fireplaces. There were doors along the hall that led to individual rooms. They were more like closets though, with just enough room for a chest and a small bed. "This is your new home." Pufuktin said coldly, gesturing down the dark hallway. "We will speak to you individually about specific training schedules." He said, sounding bored and looking down at his sheet. "Let's see... Natalya?" Natalya moved forward, "Here." she said dutifully. "Drop your belongings in the fourth room there and come with me." She quickly obeyed. "You two can fight over the fifth and sixth ones." He told the boys as he turned and led Natalya back toward the entrance and into what seemed to be a type of office space. The walls were a dark stone and on the walls hung gruesome-looking daggers designed for painful deaths. There was also a large Lenisilian flag bearing down above the desk. The desk was a dark, stained wood with many papers on it and a few candles. There was also a quill in a clear tub of silvery ink. He had a black leather couch on one side of the room with a dark wooden coffee table upon which sat what looked to be a bowl of humanoid skulls. He had bookshelves behind his desk but Natalya couldn't make out any of the titles. Natalya sat down in one of the seats in front of his desk. Pufuktin made his way around to his large desk chair and sat down. He looked up at her again and Natalya felt his intense silver stare beat into her soul again. "You're quite pretty for a wood-elf." He began, looking her over. "Quite talented too." He said as he flipped through the notes in front of him. "Thank you." Natalya replied politely, slightly upset that her looks were what had put her over. He studied her for a moment thoughtfully, "It's a good thing I pulled you from that burning farm when you were baby." He said, rather casually. Natalya was startled by this. In all her years at the orphanage no one had ever told her anything about her family or where she had come from. "Unfortunately, I didn't get there in time to save your parents." Pufuktin continued, sighing a bit dramatically. He stood and walked around the desk toward her, "You know, you got your beautiful red hair from your father." He lightly caressed her hair from behind. Natalya felt a shiver run down her spine at his touch. "Luckily," He leaned down and whispered in her ear seductively, "you turned out prettier than he was." His cold breath tickled Natalya's ear and she felt fear start to grip her. She suddenly felt a weird sensation come over her and started to find his behavior quite charming. "I... I had no idea." She told him, trying to fish for more information about her family. "Of course," Pufuktin continued, "the fire was started by a nasty little halfling." He pulled away from her as he said this and leaned against the desk facing her, "Disgusting creatures, don't you think?" He asked her. Natalya nodded in agreement, even though she had never encountered a halfling before. "Indeed." She said, trying to win his favor. He sighed, "Unfortunately, he got away. He and some other foolish elf and their pet... bird-thing." He said, disgusted. "I've tried to find him over years to avenge your parents but, well, you know how sneaky and devilish those ankle-biters are." He told her with disdain as he went back to his desk. He picked up his notes again, "I see you're good with a bow?" He asked her looking down at his notes thoughtfully. "I was one of the best marksmen in my unit." She said in what she hoped was a matter-of-fact way. He smiled at her deviously. "And you're quite flexible." He mused, meeting her eyes again. Natalya smiled back, feeling like she had impressed him. She knew the effect she had on men and this one was no different. Pufuktin moved toward her, "We need work on your strength training. Why don't you take your clothes off so I can get better look at you?" He told her. Natalya swallowed, nervous but wanting him to like her. She felt entranced by his power and prestige. He walked over to her and started taking her clothes off of her body, caressing her as he did. Natalya shivered from the cold as she stood there naked under Pufuktin's gaze. He pushed her to the couch and Natalya showed him just how flexible she could get. Pufuktin was fairly quick for an elf and after about an hour Natalya found herself on her way back to her dingy little room. As she closed the door behind her a sickening, repulsive feeling overwhelmed her. She had been tricked. He had done something to her to make her want to do those things. She felt utterly disgusted and grabbed the trash bin as she started to throw up from her disgust. She curled up on the bed and tried not to think about what had just happened. She had made it this far. She was in the KAV. So what if she had to stomach some weird freak every now and then? It would give her leverage at least. She thought about what he had said about her family. She now knew a few things. They were farmers, they were dead, and her father had red hair. She thought about what her life would have been like if there hadn't been a fire. She would have been raised on a farm. She realized they probably would have died eventually anyway from starvation. Maybe it was a good thing she was plucked from the fire. Maybe Pufuktin wasn't such a bad person. He was beyond creepy, that was for sure, but maybe he wasn't all that bad. As she thought these things she heard a soft knock on the door. She opened it and saw Egil. He looked a little freaked out. "Are... are you okay?" He asked her, sounding concerned. Natalya nodded, "I... I'm fine." Natalya told him, unsure if she would get in trouble or not for sharing what had happened to her. Egil looked around and leaned in, "Can I come in?" He asked her, sounding scared. Natalya nodded and let him in and closed the door behind him. "I heard you throwing up." He said, sitting on the edge of her bed. Natalya sighed and shrugged, "It's nothing. I'm fine." He saw she had some vomit on her shirt and he waved his hand, cleaning it completely as if by magic. "How?" Natalya looked at him in shock. Egil shrugged, "Don't tell anyone, okay? I can do small stuff like that sometimes." He told her. "I'm a little freaked out, Natalya. I thought we'd be in Leniscow. Where are we?" He asked her. Natalya shrugged, "I'm not sure. But look. We made it. This is the best our lives can get. We get to protect our country." She tried to convince him as well as herself, still feeling nauseous from her experience with Pufuktin. "What did you talk about?" Egil asked her. She shrugged, "Just... the different things I'm trained in." She said. Egil nodded, "I wish it wasn't so cold here." He said, wrapping his cloak around his shoulders. "It's Lenisily. I'm pretty sure warmth doesn't exist here." Natalya said pessimistically. "You should go to your room in case Pufuktin tries to find you." Natalya told him, unsure of how strict the rules were here. Egil nodded and stood up, "Look, I know we don't know each other super well but I wouldn't mind having a friend here. I know you probably hate Milosh as much as I do, if not more so." He told her, offering her a small smile. Natalya smiled up at the high elf. "I'd like that too." She said, grateful for some warmth and kindness in this cold place. He gave her one more small smile before leaving and going back to his room next door. Natalya was grateful he was between herself and Milosh's room. Natalya settled in and rested for the evening, curled up under the ragged blankets in the corner of her bed, trying not to think about how cold it was as she meditated.