Location: Eastern Courtyard, Armathane Garrison
Time: Day 174 After Alec's Arrival
The Ducal Guard assembled at dawn.
One hundred and four men and women. Some in chainmail, others in quilted coats. Their spears were mostly straight. Their posture was mostly proud. Their readiness was a lie Alec could see from fifty paces away.
He walked the length of them in silence.
Captain Harst walked beside him — silent as well, though Alec knew the man's pride was twitching beneath the surface.
They reached the end of the formation. Alec turned to face them all.
"You are not soldiers," he said, voice even.
Murmurs rose.
"You are ornamented bodyguards at best. At worst? A danger to the very woman you claim to serve."
Someone shifted. A hand flexed at the hilt of a sword. Alec caught it.
"Move again without command," he said, "and you'll be transferred to latrine digging until the frost comes back."
Silence.
Good.
Now he had their attention.
"I have been given the right and power to reshape. Process.Refine." he paused
"You all."
"It will be unlike anything you have ever seen."
"Nor felt."
"You are free to leave now and you won't be branded a coward."He waited.
No one left. That was Good.
"You are said to have been selected from the Ducal militia,While some of you have seen action as levies once or twice under King Theren II"
"But make no mistake,Those were all child play. A gimmick compared to what you will face from now henceforth"
"Forget everything you have been taught. Everything you have ever known about combat. From today you become soldiers not just warriors"
"You will be trained to become the most elite fighting force this world have ever seen.Conditioned and equipped to be so"
"Only the best amongst you will have the privilege to be called The Duchess Men. Her Right Hand. Her Shield"
"You will have Structure. Support. Proper Chain of command. Ranks. And some, Specialization"
"As of now you have no ranks,you are all cadets. You will be assigned new ranks after training and examinations"
📜 The Reform Begins
Back in the garrison's command hall, Alec laid out the parchment on the war table.
"This is the new structure," he said to Harst. "Five tiers. No family exemptions. No title carryover. Rank will be assigned by performance only."
Harst leaned over the paper, brow furrowed.
Tier I – Captain Commanders (3 max)
Tier II – Captains (1 per 10 men)
Tier III – Lieutenants (veterans, proven leadership)
Tier IV – Active Guardsmen (main body)
Tier V – Provisional Recruits (on trial)
Pulling over another parchment,this one titled Operational Units
Field Infantry
Special Operations
Guardsmen
Police & Security
Signal & Intelligence
Training & Doctrine
"They won't like it," Harst muttered.
"They're not here to like it," Alec said. "They're here to serve the duchess."
"You new rank designation will be Commandant-General" He added.
⚔ Training Begins
The first week nearly broke half of them.
Drills at dawn. Full formation sprints. Rote weapon switching. Tactical map training. Observation testing. Psychological war games.
Alec didn't run the drills personally — he designed them. Ruthless efficiency, foreign rhythm, and a complete severance from Midgard's traditional martial styles.
"The point isn't to fight well," Alec said during one briefing. "It's to fight like a system."
Discipline became infectious.
By day four, half the veterans were silencing newer recruits who asked questions without being told.
By day six, men were rechecking each other's gear before inspection without instruction.
By day seven, Captain Harst approached Alec privately.
"They're not the same men."
Alec just nodded. "Good."
🧠 Intelligence Doctrine
Phase two involved what Alec called invisible superiority — thinking above fighting.
Every Ducal Guard was required to memorize:
Five core tactical formations (basic to complex)
Map grid reading and reporting in Alec's new simplified code
Psychological pressure detection (how to recognize and report threats without reacting)
Passive interrogation (how to extract information without questioning)
A third of the force struggled.
That third was reassigned to patrol duty.
Two were dismissed outright.
"Loyalty is not immunity," Alec said as their insignias were pulled.
Captain Harst didn't protest. Not anymore.
🛡 New Uniforms
Next came the visual change.
Gone were the half-mismatched heraldic tabards and antique armor. In their place: charcoal grey tunics, reinforced with lightweight shoulder plating, adjustable belts, and modular gear.
Each soldier was issued:
A composite longknife
A standardized spearhead with latch-release
A single-seal sidearm Alec had designed — compact, spring-latched crossbolt with close-range penetration
Helmets were coming next.
Every item was tagged and registered under Midgard Company logistics.
"This," Alec said during gear issue, "isn't just armor. It's identity. Lose it, and you lose your place."
📜 The Oath
At the end of week two, the courtyard was cleared.
No swords.
No flags.
Just a shallow trench with a firepit and a table bearing one document.
Alec stood before them — Vaelora watching from the upper gallery, silent and expressionless.
"You are now the Ducal Guard," Alec said. "You are the blade and the shadow of this duchy. The first wall. The last breath."
He handed the oath to Harst.
One by one, the soldiers approached. Signed their names. Pressed their thumbs into the wax. Swore out loud:
"I serve the Sovereign, not the seat. I serve the land, not the lords. I wear this grey in silence and steel. My hand is the shield of peace. My blade is the will of law. My life is not mine — it is Midgard's."
That night, in the torch-lit command chamber, Alec poured two cups of dark tea and handed one to Harst.
"You've adapted faster than I expected," Alec said.
"I've seen enough war to know when the next one is growing," Harst replied. "And you're not building a guard. You're building a model army."
Alec said nothing for a moment.
Then: "You'll help me scale it when the time comes."
Harst nodded once.
And the foundation of Midgard's military future was laid — not in gold, but in grey.