KINGS SECRET RETURN TO THE ALPS It was two weeks ago that Northfort News journalist Sarah Kennedy was approached by the Palace to be present at a special event for which she'd be given exclusive access in return for secrecy until after the event. With her interest sparked she naturally agreed, as any journalist would, soon though she found herself up in the Alps around Keepton and it wasn't for the Winter Games.
I arrived at the appointed place just outside Keepton, a small village high in the Alps called Marwick. Its a village that to many means nothing however to the men and women of the Alpine Cadre it is home to a tall granite pillar. The pillar is known simply to those in the Cadre as the "Start Line" however myth has it that it marks the spot where Raimond Unasson, Helus most beloved human, began a valiant rear guard against the Underlords in an effort to allow the families of his supporters to escape. Across Mundus such tales are attached to many landmarks and monuments but what makes this one special is that at the end of every training intakes final week it marks the beginning of one of the biggest challenges of their life. The stone is flanked by a large cobble square which slowly is filling up with men dressed in combat fatigues carrying huge bergen rucksacks. A truck in olive green pulls up and more men climb out and begin distributing rifles among those waiting. The only different between the two groups is a bright white beret, those from the truck wearing one while those who arrived under their own steam wore black wool hats. The beret crested men were serving members of the Alpine Cadre with many remembering this day too well. Those in the wool hats posed by the "Start Line" with their sweethearts, their children and in some cases their parents, all keen to wish their loved ones well. The scene then changed as a pair of black SUV's pulled up. From one dressed in military attire was none other than King David and just as all the other had he hefted a giant backpack onto his shoulders and collected a rifle. The SUV emptied, first Queen Stasya who was holding little Prince Llewellyn and then Princess Rhiannon. The King acted no different to the others as he asked a member of his security detail to take a jolly family snap. It was clear what was happening today. The King was to undertake the "Trifecta" the final test of those wanting to join the Alpine Cadre, those who completed its challenge would earn their white beret and be members of the Alpine Cadre, those who failed would be "recycled" a rather undignified way of saying sent to regular infantry units.
The Trifecta is said to follow the same route as that taken by Unasson on his retreat, a distance of some 50 miles to be completed in 12hours 30 minutes meaning a soldier must maintain a pace of around 4 mph. While doing this through the Alps is a challenge most of us would tremble at a member of the Alpine Cadre must complete it by hiking, climbing a small cliff face known as Raimond's Wall and then abseiling it before crossing a river some 10 meters wide. The pass rate is around 70% annually with people failing by getting confused by navigation in poor conditions, injuring themselves on the uneven ground or withdrawing because of the cold. As the men preparing today kissed loved ones goodbye the Regiments commander, Colonel Stephen Oran, arrives and gives a pep talk. He reminds the 42 men of the history of the unit, the challenges they have already passed and finishes by wishing them well. King David though is unique among them, as a 20 year old he completed the Trifecta as a reservist at University. That day alongside long time friend Alex Redfern he was one of 52 men passing the test, with one failure. While a Cadre member is only expected to take the Trifecta once here was the King preparing to do it again at the age of 37 following major surgery on his back. We got a brief word with Queen Stasya as the NCO's checked everyones kit to ensure they had not just a heavy enough rucksack but all the required survival gear should something go wrong. The Queen said, "David was keen to do something that would show others in the military that the operation he underwent was a success and that it could help them. He was keen to show his children that despite setbacks they can still achieve. The White Beret he earned as a young man is something he is exceptionally proud of and in some ways he now feels he must re-earn that badge of honour."
With the sun peeking just above the Alps Colonel Oran shakes each man by the hand and wishes them luck. Having checked several NCO's carrying stopwatches are ready a whistle is blown and then Trifecta begins. The men make their way out the village, with several locals used to this spectacle coming out to wish them luck and many surprised to see the King with a rifle in his arms half running, half walking, a speed that the Cadre refer to as "Scuttling" out of the village. One of those is Henry Caldwell, a 71 year old who has lived in Marwick all his life. He remembers that with much more fanfare than today he saw the 19 year old Prince David heading out the village. Henry knows the unit well having witnessed every Trifecta start since he was 22 years old. Mr.Caldwell said, "I know that this is something I couldn't do and I don't fancy swapping with them. The weather up here even in summer can turn and crossing a freezing river is never fun. I have to respect the King for trying this."
We watch the group winding their way up the hillside and before long its hard to tell who is who. The Colonel spends some time speaking with the families and invites them all to join him for dinner at the units barracks in Keepton. We're invited to and follow the convoy of vehicles back to the barracks which will form the finish line. When we arrived we find the base is preparing for the final part of the Trifecta, the final shoot, within three minutes of arriving at the base a candidate must hit five targets using iron sights at a distance of twenty-five meters. With cold hands, exhausted and breathless this is not as straight forward as many soldiers would expect.
We join the group for lunch and surprisingly we're joined by the Royal Family. The Queen takes time to chat with young wives of the men running the route alongside the King, Princess Rhiannon plays with some of the children and cups of coffee and sandwiches flow. A series of notes are passed throughout the day to the Colonel from men coming and going, reports of progress from checkpoints on the hillside. There is concern as one candidate appears to have damaged his climbing harness, we're not told who that is though. After 10 hours we get reports that Candidate 67R is within the "Avenue" a straight mile long road that leads up to the gates of the base. People move to windows to see if it is their loved one and some ten minutes later a rather sweat soaked soldier appears, it seems like he's limping slightly and his fatigues have a slight rip in the knee. It is not King David. A young woman to my left gives a little clap. 20 year old Sarah Bates is witnessing her boyfriend Tim lead the candidates home. He's a young man from Rockhampton and the pair meet at their local bouldering club at the age of 14 and are now hoping next year to get married. She waves to him as he jogs past towards the NCO's standing their with their watches. Several serving members of the Cadre stand watching remembering their own triumph over the Trifecta, we can hear words of encouragement and polite claps as the sight of the finish seems to give Tim an extra burst of energy. As he high fives the senior Sergeant the clock is stopped, 10 hours 23 minutes, I'm told its an impressive time as Colonel Oran calls it "Red Legion Pace" the Colonel is proud that his unit is one of the biggest suppliers of manpower to the nations elite unit having only the Marines send more men into its ranks than the Cadre. We see from the window that Tim's rucksack is weighed before he's lead round the corner to where the firing range is set up, six gunshots ring out and then a few minutes later a bedraggled Tim enters the room a fresh white beret on his head. Despite the layers of sweat, dirt and being soaked through his girlfriend leads the family hugs as they congratulate him on his success. Queen Stasya adds her own congratulations as she watches down the "Avenue" hoping for her own sweatheart to appear.
For the next 90 minutes the "Avenue" and firing range fill up, some taking just five shots to complete their work while some such as relieved Curtis Farrell complete the shooting task with just one bullet left in their magazine. Despite being free to go home as soon as their task was done all stay and the warm tea becomes replaced with brandy and mulled wine to heat the tired bodies. With 30 minutes left to go we get told one candidate has been airlifted after suffering hyperthermia, it seems harsh but for him his chance to join the Cadre is over, Colonel Oran explains, "On operations each man has to be responsible for making sure he's operationally capable of doing the job. That means if you can't function because of the cold you're a liability. Its harsh but if after all the training he's had he can't manage his body temperature then we can't use him. He'll go to a regular infantry unit and be an asset there as he'll be well trained in regular infantry skills but also bring a wealth of unconventional training members of the infantry don't get taught. No training is ever wasted." With the airlift bringing the man safely back to barracks a sad family leave to check on their loved one. This leaves two men out there as the dark begins to descend. Candidate 78F comes in with 12 minutes to spare and some of the staff ask if he's seen the King, he responds between deep breaths, "I thought he was right behind me." He was infact four minutes down the road.
Looking like he was about to fall over King David wobbled up to the Senior Sergeant and completed his high five, the watch stopped at 12 hours 22 minutes and 7 seconds. With breath held the Kings family waited as we listened for the sound of gun-shots from the range, we heard five then silence. The King then entered the room a moment later the vaunted white beret proudly on his head. He is, as far as the unit records show, the only person to complete the Trifecta twice, mainly as Colonel Oran explains, "No one is stupid enough to do it twice." The King is congratulated by his family and Princess Rhiannon gets upset when her father won't let her wear the beret instead informing her she'll have to earn her own when old enough. The NCO's who have overseen the training of the 40 men who have passed come in and now great their new comrades as equals for the first time. The King at this points looks rather torn, it is clear he loves being around his old Regiment but for him this was not about joining up again. He speaks with me for a moment, "Today I wanted to be able to say that despite what happened to me years ago I was someone who was still capable of doing the only real job I've ever had. I enjoyed my time in the military and I still wear the uniform of the Cadre when ceremony allows. I needed to show myself I was still entitled to wear this white beret. I had the operation on my back to try and get back to the peak of my youth in some ways, this shows the operation was successful beyond what I could have imagined and I thank the medical team involved for getting me back here." The King joins in the traditional photo taken next to the mess' open fire place, a giant Moose head mounted above it, then there is the informal one, one with all the families on. As each soldier poses in the spot with their own family a number ask the royals to join them and the King, Queen, Princess and even little Prince do. The King is then asked by the Colonel whether he will present the Silver Axe to Tim who was the first man back. Alongside swords the Cadre carry small ice axes on their dress uniform and the quickest to complete each intakes Trifecta is given a silver one while all others are bronze in colour. The King naturally agrees and shakes the newly bereted man by the hand as he hands the axe over. As the day winds down and the exhausted men begin to head for home, which for most this evening will be hotels in the area, I ask the King whether this days events will have any impact on his relationship with the military moving forward. "I think my respect for anyone who serves is clear. I myself have the right to wear the uniform of any unit in our military. I could parade around in a Field Marshall of Red Legion uniform but that would make me a fake and be disrespectful to everyone who served and has earned a rank. I reached the status of Captain in the Cadre and that is enough for me. I'll never wear another units colours or any higher rank. Technically I could re-enter service now but lets be realistic I'm pushing 40 and the military needs younger men. I last served in Mavrosia and I am proud of how we helped refugees there. That was a good op to call my last. Naturally should I be called upon to serve I would, but I fear something very horrific must be happening to Mundus if that was the case."
The King disappeared to refresh himself before heading to that evenings games in Keepton. Now back in a trademark smart suit the King limped to the waiting helicopter having first said his goodbyes to anyone who had ran that day still waiting to leave. That evening it was noticeable on the TV that the King was clearly tired watching the Ice Hockey joined by members of the Lijiang delegation but I suspect most of us would have found it difficult to be awake after that days gruelling exploits.
The whole secrecy that had surrounded the day had been necessary, according to Press Secretary Malcolm Tucker, not to shield the King in case he failed, but rather to preserve the integrity of the event. Hordes of press lining the route or helicopters circling to show it in real time would have taken away the achievements of the other men for whom a new career is starting. The Alpine Cadre often describe themselves as some of the loneliest troops in the Armed Forces, tasked with patrolling the frontiers of the nation through the often snow covered Alps. Today they received 40 new brothers in arms and witnessed the return of an old soldier.