"Clever boy! Yes," Corl, name? "Herth. That is your first lesson. We are not raiders. We cannot be raiders. And that means that you will need to learn to fight a different way."

You've got them, loves. Better than we hoped.

"That is why I am here. I will teach you to fight for land. And that starts with how to hold land."

"Herder Ata knows this thing. She fought with me, and my brothers, the Hellknights. We are soldiers, and we hunted monsters, but mostly we fought for land."

"I will not teach you to be soldiers. Ata is not a soldier. She is a berserk, though a calmer one than most. But I can teach you things soldiers know. And I will, because if you do not learn them, the first time a wave of demons hits our line -"

"- You. Will. Die."

I don't think they believe you. Go with the challenge.

"Now, I don't expect you to believe me. You are all stubborn and strong and won't break under pressure, you think. If you insist on fighting them like chaotic berserks - well, I asked the Herder, and she says we won't stop you."

"What I will do, is bring everyone else to watch. Because when they see you die, accomplishing nothing, earning no glory or honor, not even securing steel for your family's tribe-"

"Then, I think, then they will believe me."

There is muttering, but it's mostly subdued.

"Which teacher will you choose? Me, or the demons? We'll sacrifice up to eight, so if you're all picking them, you'll have to settle who gets the chance among yourselves."

Leave it there, you think?

For now. Let them stew, I'll watch them.

"Now that you're all thinking - possibly an unfamiliar feeling - I am done for the morning. I'll be back at noon, when hopefully you will tell me that none of you choose to become examples to the others."

And then she's out.

"You did good, 'Stel."

"It was not fun. Farmers are much more willing to listen."

"They'll be with you soon. Corl says three are refusing to take your word, and they might still back down."

"Good. We're going to make your plan work. Actually do it." She ruffles Ata's hair.

"Couldn't do it without you. ...Ma'am"

"You're in command here, not me."

"Maybe I like calling you 'ma'am'. Are you going to order me not to?", she says, a little impishly.

"Not-", and she stops, waits. "I would strongly advise against it. I don't know what parts of discipline are really indispensable, but not having normal relationships with your officers is - one of them. Pretty sure."

"Why? What will go wrong?"

"We are going to order men to die, who could live, because if we don't, more men will die, different ones. They need to trust that we do that fairly, Lawfully, that we aren't going to send ten to die to save one we like personally. If we - carry on - they will wonder who else we're favoring."

"No Stel, they won't. The herder favors who they favor, and if they're strong, they have the right. And - we need you. And me. And Corl. If this lasts thirty years, it might have the strength to outlive us, but favoring you is fair. Strategic."

"Even if you're right about that... The chain of command is definitely indispensable. It has to be clear who can order who. If I say go left, and you say go right, they have to know whose order wins. So still, no calling me 'ma'am'."

"Well, I don't have to do it in public."

"You are a bad influence."