October 8: NaNo Prep Challenge

“Captain Marcono, the first lieutenant is here.”
The young woman flicked her fingers, all that was required for the door to open. There was something going on if he decided to drag himself to her door.
He walked in, a sharply-dressed man, as anyone in the military should be. She was expecting to be summoned, so she too was dressed in her traditional blue attire, elegant but powerful.
“Captain,” he said.
“Lieutenant,” she responded curtly. Pleasantries were hardly ever exchanged.
“You have been called for,” he said. “The king requests your presence.”
She stood up form her seat and turned her back to him, her fingers touching the surfaces of the spotless countertop along the wall of her apartment. “What does he want?” she asked, not bothering to look over at him.
“That was not disclosed,” the first lieutenant said. “In order to find out, you will have to talk to him yourself.”
“I don’t know why he’d want to talk to a simple captain like me,” she muttered to herself. “There are many of us.” She turned sharply to face him. “Do you have any information at all?”
“Only that the car is waiting, and will be departing in five minutes,” he said. “After that, you’ll never know what awaits for you.”
She turned her head away from him, staring at her reflection in a small mirror that hung across the wall.
“Wait outside for me,” she said. “I’ll be down there in two minutes.”
“If I may, captain, the king is not one to be held late,” he said. “This issue is of high importance - I suggest you take it seriously.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“This concerns me too, Herana.”
Her eyes shot over to him as he addressed her by her first time. though she knew the first lieutenant well, there was always an aura of respectfulness no matter what the circumstance. Whatever the two of them had been summoned for was clearly held in high regard.
“I just need to pin my hair up,” she said. “I’ll be down in two minutes.”
He didn’t say anything else, just swiftly turned and shut the door behind him. She walked over to the mirror, running a hand through her long black hair, and began to separate it. If she was going to wear her traditional attire, she needed to complete the look. Her hair was braided up in two separate braids, which then crossed at the back of her head and pinned in place. She had done it for so long that it hardly took anytime at all as she straightened everything out. She straightened the clasp on her collarbone and turned to leave.
As promised, the car was outside and waiting for her, the lieutenant already sitting inside. She walked in through the open door and sat across from him. The interior of the car was very dark, and it was a miracle that it was possible to see in the first place. He nodded as she situated herself.
The ride was quiet, as it normally was. Hernia just stared and the black carpeted floor. She had already pried all she could to find something out, and the small bit of information he had let slip was not enough to go on. It could be anything, however, she was not nervous. Going into battle was a nerve-racking experience, but the relations with her leaders were hardly anything to get too worked up about.
She had been in the military for seven years, having gone through the draft at eighteen. Her title as captain had been given to her two years ago after she had taken charge during a battle over territory with the opposing kingdom. She hadn’t seen much action, but the times that she had been out on the battlefield had been difficult to overcome. The experiences were difficult to explain, and she saw no point in trying. No one would sympathize with her. Her superiors would tell her to put her head down and get through it, and that was where she now stood. To anyone else, she was emotionless, cold, and commanded respect no matter where she went.
The car stopped, and she lifted her head. The lieutenant was the first one out of the car, and she followed soon after. What she did not expect was for three of the most powerful men in the land to be standing in front of her.
King Astrados, his son and prince Kastor, and the General. Both her and the lieutenant salutes as they walked up to greet the three figures.
The king looked at her directly, and she lifted her chin.
“Welcome to the most prestigious battalion I have to offer you, commander,” the king said with a smile.