Shaping Up

[Praetorum]

Timestamp: 19th of Vhalar, Arc 721

It was strange, not having his own mercenaries under his command. But his employer this trial had insisted that Prae come alone to train the head of his security forces. Privately, Praetorum would have recommended hiring someone with experience instead of his own son, but he wasn't here to advise the man on hiring decisions. 



Still, Prae decided as he rode alongside the caravan, it could be much, much worse. The son walked and rode like a trained guard, eyes surveying their surroundings as they made their way down the road. The problem wasn't his capabilities as a fighter, but as a leader of a group of them. "What were you before your promotion?" Prae asked, nudging Daeven with his tail.


The man snapped to attention, flushing slightly. "Rank and file guardsman, and a relatively new recruit at that." He smiled, trying for sardonic and landing on awkward. "But as soon as the last captain sent in his resignation, my father overrode his recommendation, and placed me in the position." Daeven's tone made it clear he hadn't been consulted in that decision in the least. 



Praetorum nodded, idly patting one of Sivan's necks. "And now the people under your command don't respect you. Are they looking to someone else for leadership?"


"I've been relying on Clara's advice a lot recently, and, well. The others have started going directly to her." Oof. Not a good sign at all. Still, Prae couldn't blame the other guards in the least. If he had had a leader he knew had only been promoted because of their bloodline, he wouldn't give him the time of day either. This sort of thing was exactly why the Eternal Empire had the Law of Ability.

Daeven sighed heavily. "She really should be the one in this position, she was the old captain's intended replacement. I'd give her the rank if I could, but Father won't hear a word of it."


"Mmm. Well, like it or not, you're the one stuck as the captain for the time being," Prae told him. "Do you want to spend the rest of your career as a figurehead? Or do you want to step up to your position?"



"The latter, sir," the human said firmly. "This is hardly the situation I'd have chosen, but I had no intention of staying a guardsman forever. I just. I had wished to earn it."


Despite himself, Prae smiled a little. The lad might have gotten here through nepotism, but Prae couldn't help but like him. Couldn't help but want to see the man succeed. "You can't earn this position now that you have it," he said, "but you can earn your men's respect. So." He clapped the man lightly on the back. "Let's turn you into someone who deserves it."

[Praetorum]

"There's two main parts to making an effective leader," Prae explained that night as they set up camp. Daeven, by which he meant Clara, had already assigned shifts to the guards, and the caravaneers were only just starting up the fires for dinner, which gave the two a bit of time to talk before they had to rejoin the others. "There's knowing how to give people orders, and there's knowing what orders to give." Daeven nodded, listening attentively. He was a good lad, Prae thought, eager and willing to learn. He could have worse for a student. "We'll start with the latter tonight." Maybe a practical exercise, to start. Just to see where Daeven's head was at. 



Sitting across from the young human, Prae ran his claws over the dirt between them, roughly sketching out a series of rectangles. "This is the caravan," Prae explained, adding a little arrow to the head to indicate which direction it was going. "You have twenty guards. Where do you put them, and what are your orders?" Daeven opened his mouth, and Prae shook his head. "Tell me what you would do, and why. Don't think about what orders Clara gave, or would give."


The human thought about that for a while, staring intently at the chicken scratch drawing Prae had made in the dirt. Around them, people busied themselves preparing for dinner, preparing for bed, preparing to keep watch. The only ones sitting still were the merchants, and them. "I guess... Put four guards at each cart? Two on each side?" Daeven said hesitantly. 



"Wielding?"


"Swords?" At a raised eyebrow from Prae, he continued, sounding more and more uncertain with each word. "Because... that's what we train with and what we know how to use best?"


Prae nodded slowly. "You're thinking of how to bring out the best in your men. It's not a bad thought, but you also have to keep your goal in mind. Your job here is to..."


"To protect the caravan. And to scare off any bandits who might want to attack us." 



Good lad. "So, think about how to best arrange your men, keeping that goal in mind."


Daeven thought a little longer, his brow furrowing. In the light of the flickering fires, he didn't look quite so young as he did in bright daylight. "Two guards at the front of the caravans with bows, and two more with swords, so they can be prepared for anything coming up or down the path. Same at the back. Six guards on each side clustered loosely around the middle caravan, armed with swords. The woods around the road here are dense enough that bows aren't nearly as much use."


He looked to Prae in askance, and Prae offered him an encouraging look. It wasn't the placement that Prae would have chosen, but it was a solid plan all the same. "Good, you've got the idea. Now, the next leg of our journey will be by boat. How will you place your guards then?"


Seemingly emboldened by Prae's praise, Daeven's next answer came much quicker than the last. "We're splitting the caravan over three river boats, so.... I'd say keep it simple, and split the guards into three groups of six or seven, all armed with bows. Maybe assign the more senior guards to the boats with two carts and the less experienced ones to the boat with two."

Praetorum considered that. "A river goes down a single line, and the boats are going in single file," he pointed out. "are you sure you want to spread your forces like that? What if a pirate ship chases the last boat with a full crew?"


Daeven gnawed at his lower lip, looking up at Prae with a worried expression on his face. "So... you think I should focus my forces at the back?" He asked, somewhat doubtfully. 



"What do you think?" Prae countered, not trying very hard at all to hide a smile. "You're the one who leads these men, not me."



Daeven hesitated a moment longer. "I think we should spread our forces, because an attack could come from anywhere. These ships are big and heavy, and river pirates move fast?" The last few words rose in pitch as the man started second guessing himself, and Prae snorted softly.

"Right," Prae said, "first of all, stop looking at me like that. No one's going to believe you're leadership material if you keep hanging off of every word that comes out of my mouth." The man nodded enthusiastically, then caught himself. "Secondly," Prae continued, "good plan. Now, say it like you believe it." Prae wasn't here to teach the boy tactics (at least, not right this instant). He was here to shape the young human into a leader, and part of that involved knowing when to listen to others, and when to stick to your plans. 


Daeven took in a deep breath. "We'll spread our forces evenly among the three ships," he said firmly. "That way we'll be prepared for anything."


Prae nodded. "You should concentrate the best archers in the middle," he said. "That way they can shoot if an attack comes from any direction."


Daeven hesitated. "No?" He tried, before shaking his head. "No, nevermind. That is a good idea, and I will take that suggestion, thank you."


Good lad. Prae patted him on the back. "Alright, that sounds like a good plan. Go get some dinner—tomorrow you're going to give out those orders."

[Oberan]

Review Rewards

Praeceptorum

Points awarded: 10

Knowledge:
Leadership: It's a bad sign when your men look to someone else
Leadership: You can always earn their respect
Leadership: Two aspects to a good leader
Leadership: Knowing when to listen, and when to tell
Teaching: Starting with a practical exercise
Teaching: Praise helps with confidence

Magic: No magic exp

Other: Renown +5 for being an outsider brought into the fold to instruct the new commander


Notes:
Shaping up indeed. From the looks of things, Daeven's problem is mostly confidence-based, rather than not being up for the task.

I think you did wonderful in telling this story, with Prae taking the role of wise mentor. With good methods of instruction to boot! It was rather endearing how Daeven hung on Prae's every word, to the point of second-guessing himself when he was on the right track. We've all been there, I'm sure.

But yes, I enjoyed reading this. It's a light read, and your prose flows very easily. You kept the focus on the dynamic between Prae and Daeven, while adding some extra descriptions here and there to break it up sometimes, but without making the thread feel cluttered. By the way, wonderful job on Daeven. He feels very complex, and in his behavior and words, his underlying personal issues shine through nicely.

Well done!


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