To find one's purpose is probably one of life's greatest mysteries. Either man or beast has strived toward this great goal. It seems intertwined deeper within ourselves. And for that end, even Brina was now focused on what her greater purpose would be.
The following days continued as before, but today wasn't like any other. Remember that fight with the Grizzled Wolverine a few weeks ago? Yes, that one. There had been many deaths amongst the soldiers of Helwind since then, and there was an issued order from the Lord to establish a recruitment effort all throughout Helwind. And now they have started posting and giving flyers of this recruitment effort to their ranks.
It just so happened that our gal here was looking for something more than helping out at the market stalls and running errands for other people.
A flyer just so happened to land in Brina's hands as a strong gust of wind managed to blow away some of the flyers that a young soldier was distributing on the streets.
"Ahhh, damn it it's all over the place now!" the soldier screamed in panic as he tried so hard to capture the flyers that flew away from his grasp.
His other comrades laughed at him and didn't even help him. That must mean that he was the lowest rank among them.
"What are you doing, rookie! Get all of them now or the commander will give us an earful."
One of the veteran soldiers jokingly said.
The young soldier grumbled beneath his breath.
"Why don't you help me then..."
"What, did you say something, you cheeky brat???"
"No, not at all, sir..."
He replied sarcastically to his senior.
Brina, on the other hand, was reading the flier; it was more formal than what she normally was able to read and she could only make out a few words in between, as she had no formal education and was generally homeschooled in Wynstead. But she understood the general idea of it.
A moment later, she approached the soldiers and asked boldly, "Hey! Can women join this?"
The older veteran of the group looked at her and saw the sparkle in the girl's eyes.
"I haven't seen one of those eyes for a while," he thought.
Then he thought some more. Hmm, there are no military regulations that prohibit the joining of women as long as he could remember. The problem was that most women who attempted to join didn't last long enough to make their marks, which was why it was currently a male-dominated profession. Most of their female soldiers were assigned to menial desk job tasks.
So he must ask what she actually means if a woman could join. Would it be their ranks or the logistics/administrative group?
"Girl, what do you mean by join? Are you interested in joining the soldiers' ranks or the logistics department?"
Brina looked at the older man who had a gruff look on his face and a rough voice.
"Mister, is there a difference between the two? Please make it simple for me to understand. Thanks!"
She still wore that bright enthusiastic smile on her face.
"Hmmm, well, to put it simply, we soldiers are considered as both attack and defense, at least that is the more simplified way of explaining it. While the logistics department are the ones that support us from the background. And for your first question before, technically yes, women could join our ranks, although I should warn you now. Most couldn't last long and had asked to be transferred to the logistics department even before they finished their basic recruit training."
Brina, without a single thought in mind, blurted out her answer.
"Wow! Then I'll definitely join the soldiers' ranks, mister!"
The veteran was taken aback by the suddenness of her answer that he could only shrug his shoulders. "Well, good luck with that, missy."
They moved on and left the area, continuing to distribute the flyers all over town. Well, none of them really thought that the woman they just met would really join them.
The recruitment effort had lasted for five days and gave those who wished to join two more days before they were entertained. Everyone who wished to join was asked to go to the town's barracks if they were interested during the weekend.
Brina went home to her brother and told him all about what she wanted to do. His brother Ren could only sigh. He knew he wouldn't be able to convince his sister when she set her mind on something. So he gave her his own thoughts and asked his sister to be careful.
"Sister, I know you wouldn't change your mind, so I want you to take care of yourself and not overdo it. And if you can't do it, just come home and figure something out. Eh well, I do believe in you though."
Brina was still smiling as her brother's words gently passed by her ear and on to the next. She was quite excited that she didn't hear any of her brother's words. She didn't know what to do with herself. She thought about many things, and even after she fell asleep she still couldn't get her smile off her face.
Ren, on the other hand, sighed once more and slept too.
The two of them now both have something to pursue. Ren wanted to be a merchant's apprentice, and Brina wanted to be a soldier.
The next two days passed in a blur for Brina. She couldn't focus on anything. While they were working at the market stalls, auntie Marta noticed her distracted state.
"What's gotten into you, girl?" Marta asked, her hands full of the carrots variant (it has a deeper orange than most) she was arranging. "You've been in the clouds all morning."
Brina blushed a bit, embarrassed to be caught daydreaming. "Sorry, auntie. I'm just... I'm thinking about joining the soldiers."
Marta stopped what she was doing and looked at Brina with wide eyes. "The soldiers? You mean the town guard?"
"Yes, auntie. They're recruiting, and I want to join."
Marta set down the carrots and crossed her arms, studying Brina carefully. "That's dangerous work, you know. It's not like working in the market."
"I know," Brina said. "But I want to do something more. I want to be able to protect people, not just stand by helplessly when bad things happen."
Marta's expression softened. She probably understood what Brina was really saying. She wanted to be strong enough so that what happened to her parents wouldn't happen to anyone else if she could help it.
"Well," Marta said finally, "if that's what you want, then I will support your decision. But you better train hard and not give up easily, you hear me?"
"I won't, auntie. I promise. Hehehe."
Marta smiled and patted Brina's shoulder. "Good. Now get back to work. Those vegetables won't arrange themselves."
That evening, Brina couldn't sleep. She kept tossing and turning on the bed, thinking about what training would be like. Would she be strong enough? Would the other recruits laugh at her for being a woman? Would she be able to keep up with them?
"Sister, if you keep moving around like that, you're going to fall off the bed," Ren said from his spot on the floor.
"Sorry, brother. I'm just nervous."
"It's still two days away. Don't waste your energy worrying about it now."
"I know, but I can't help it."
Ren was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "You know, when I first thought about becoming a merchant, I was nervous too. I kept thinking about all the things that could go wrong. But then I realized that worrying doesn't change anything. All you can do is try your best when the time comes."
Brina smiled in the darkness. "When did you become so wise, eh brother?"
"I've always been wise. You just never listened."
She threw her pillow at him, and they both laughed quietly.
The day finally arrived. It was early morning when Brina got up and prepared herself. She didn't have much to prepare really, just herself. She wore her simplest clothes, the ones that were easy to move in, and tied her hair back tightly.
Ren was already awake, sitting by the window. "Are you ready?" he asked.
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Good. Go show them what you're made of."
Brina nodded and headed out the door. The barracks weren't too far from where they lived, maybe a twenty-minute walk. As she got closer, she could see other people heading in the same direction. Most of them were men, young and old, but she spotted a few other women as well. That made her feel a bit better.
The barracks was a large stone building with a training yard in front. There were already soldiers there, organizing the crowd of potential recruits. Brina joined the group and waited.
A tall man with a commander's insignia stepped forward. He had a stern face and a voice that carried across the entire yard.
"Listen up! My name is Commander Aldric, and I'm in charge of this recruitment. If you're here, it means you want to join the Helwind Guard. That's good. We need more capable people. But let me be clear: this is not easy work. Many of you will not make it through training. Some of you will quit. Some of you will fail. That's just the reality."
He paused and looked at the crowd.
"But for those of you who do make it, you'll be part of something important. You'll be protecting this town and its people. You'll be standing between innocent civilians and the dangers that lurk outside these walls. If that sounds like something you want to do, then step forward and sign up."
Brina felt her heart pounding in her chest. This was it. This was the moment she'd been thinking about for the past two days. She took a deep breath and stepped forward with the rest of the crowd.
A soldier with a ledger was taking names. When it was Brina's turn, he looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
"Name?"
"Brina Feldwyn."
"Age?"
"Twenty."
He wrote it down. "You understand this is for the soldier ranks, not logistics?"
"Yes, sir."
He studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Report back here tomorrow at dawn. Training starts immediately. Don't be late."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
As Brina walked away from the barracks, she felt a mixture of excitement and fear. She'd done it. She'd signed up. There was no backing out now.
Tomorrow, her new life will begin.
She went home and told Ren everything. He smiled and congratulated her, though she could see the worry in his eyes. He was her older brother after all. Of course he'd worry.
That night, she slept better than she had in days. Her mind was finally at peace. She had a purpose now, a goal to work toward. And tomorrow, she'd take the first step on that path.
Whatever came next, she was ready for it.