Chapter 3: Soldier
A little time had passed before people had arrived dressed in clothing that allowed them to be recognised as part of a military or guard profession.
They had a strong and alert appearance as they had walked into the orphanage and talked to the person in charge of the children.
"Yes, this has been signed by the king himself."
"Oh.. but to have children do that.."
They continued to discuss things related to the situation that was unfolding and the soldier had spoke up again. "This is all for the sake of Vodka and I am certain that its citizens will be willing to contribute to its prosperity.
We need to make some sacrifices but it is for the greater good and the children of this country have little opportunities to survive. If they take this path then there is some hope for them. Can you please discuss it with them first."
Once the orphanage head had listened, he had let out a sigh. 'It is true that most of them will die of starvation or will die in some street alley one day. Is this really the only option available though?'
He was feeling helpless but still went along with what he was told as the children were all gathered.
There was no choice but to comply since it was already approved by the king and there was a minimum amount of children that had to be put forward from each institution that was on the list.
The orphanage would gain a little more support so it would be put forward to the remaining children so it was another reason why he could not turn down such an order.
Many children were gathered and Tanya was among them who had watched the tall and muscular men in front of her that clearly had experienced their fair share of wars.
The person who had talked to the head of the orphanage had stepped up and said. "The king has decreed that our great kingdom is in need of extra support and now we need help from you. If you come forward then you will no longer be a powerless child and will be an honourable soldier of the kingdom."
He took in a breathe before continuing in a sterner tone. "I would like to say that you all do not have to do this if you do not wish to but orders are orders. A minimum quota for each orphanage must be met. So who will volunteer among you?"
Even if the children did not understand due to their lack of education and their young ages, it was enough to understand that even if they did not volunteer then there would be those that would be taken regardless in order to make up for the numbers.
There were some children that were much older while Tanya was among the children that were the youngest.
Without waiting for anyone else to think about if they wished to join, Tanya had raised her hand. "I will join!"
There was no hesitation in her when she raised her hand and spoke up, her attitude remained respectful towards those that were deemed as her future superiors and she did not speak any further to avoid getting on their bad side on the first meeting.
She was aiming to be the first one that would volunteer from the beginning so she could get into their good graces which could prove useful in the future.
The man had looked towards her and thought. 'She looks so small and young.. sigh. This is what the kingdom has come to for them to think of such a plan.'
He may have had a strong amount of loyalty and trust in his Kingdom but the task he was given had caused him to feel that he was doing something very wrong.
Unfortunately he could not voice his own thoughts since the orders came from above and if he refused then someone much worse would be put into his position which would only make things turn out even worse for the children.
Seeing how eager Tanya was to volunteer herself, his heart had wavered a little and then he had asked. "Why have you chosen to come forward?"
Tanya thought to herself. 'This is my chance!'
The reasons why she had chosen to volunteer were for the sake of escaping her current fate and to live a better life than before but if she said that then it would not reflect on her as well as it would if she said something different.
There were many other children who would have answered that it was for the sake of survival, food or to gain status and wealth but she did not pick any of them.
Tanya raised her head up with her back straight before saluting the man. "I want to help the kingdom! I want to be a brave soldier!"
The man had suddenly remembered something. 'Oh.. yes.. most of these children are most likely war orphans so their parents may have been soldiers.'
It made him admire the spirit of Tanya who had wished to follow in the footsteps of her dead family members that most likely died in battle for the sake of the Vodka Kingdom.
There were some children that did not speak up while others stepped back in fear of getting involved but a couple more had come forward to volunteer.
Most of the volunteers were the children that were older and were among the rowdy group that often got into trouble.
The quota had not been met so the man had crossed his arms. "Take each child that has not volunteered for a quick inspection. Those with the best physical qualities will be taken regardless of their own opinion."
Each child was checked over for how bad of a state their bodies were in from their lack of food and to test how far they had developed or exercised.
Those with the better health and condition along with possessing better physical or muscular development were chosen among them.
It was better for there to be willing participants in the program so it was not a big requirement so long as the children were willing to work hard and were at a suitable age within their needs.
If they did not volunteer themselves then those chosen among them needed to be the best qualified ones so that rather than there being a willingness to participate, they at least had some potential and ability to be able to get them through the future difficulties that were beyond their control.
As the children were being led away, a bag of coins was handed over to the orphanage head and the blonde haired child that was Tanya had shown a small victorious smile as she followed behind.
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