The snow fell on the small outpost on the border of Aerturnis, the soldiers lined up and fighting their hardest to stay motionless as the commander paced back and forth in-front of them, in far more gear than they had been afforded.
“Magicians?” the commander called to the ranks of soldiers, watching as a few individuals stepped forwards. “You are dismissed. Go back to your camp, this is army business from here on out.”
The magicians shuffled away, not sure whether to be pleased or upset at their segregation. They were here formally as members of the mage’s guild, not as members of the army, so this happened on occasion.
After the last magician entered their snow-covered tent, the commander spoke back up, “Right, lads. Today is your lucky day. Your monthly support package has finally arrived!”
Murmurs spread through the ranks, soldiers conferring about the heavy lifting ‘finally arrived’ was doing. It had been nearly three months since the last ‘monthly’ support package had made it to the forward camps.
“I know morale has been low these last few months, but I hope you’ll be especially pleased with what we’ve managed to rustle up for you all.” The commander ushered some troops forward, each holding a small tower of boxes. They handed them out diligently, each soldier receiving a specific package, addressed to them. A first, as normally they were simply distributed at random.
The first of the soldiers ripped open his parcel, his fingers shaking with frigid excitement. As the contents became apparent, he looked up to the commander, “Sir, you managed to get a care package from my wife?” The soldier felt tears well up in his eyes, the biting cold freezing them almost immediately. “A picture of my new-born son… Thank you, sir. By the Gods thank you!”
A chorus of praise and surprise erupted, the commander smiling back to his troops with a broad grin.
Today's prompt: your monthly support
This week's worldbuilding prompt: family
If you'd like to participate too, the contest/prompts can be found here:
@mariannewest/day-1611-5-minute-freewrite-sunday-prompt-your-monthly-support
