Fearless (A Mulan Retelling)

Chapter Seven

Iris arrived at the soldier's camp about an hour after setting off the next morning. Together, she and Kayde just stared forward at the sprawling area. It was so... dull. At the wood's end, there was no sign of greenery anywhere -even the grass that might have once grown about the place was stomped out by thousands of heavy footprints and hooves. She watched as a few groups of armed men walked about the area.

Bouts of unease coursed through the girl, but she couldn't go back now. When she'd gathered all the courage she could muster, she began walking forward only to have a hand pull her back to where she'd been standing. Confused, she turned her eyes to Kayde, who still held her in place. He wasn't looking back at her however; his green eyes just stared forward at camp.

"When you walk in, you want to make sure you enroll as soon as possible," he told her. "You don't want to be mistaken for a... for an outsider." Iris could tell that it was the kindest word for what he meant.

"Where?" she whispered, scared beyond all reason. "Where do I go to do that?"

"You'll have to look for it," Kayde answered. "I've never been here before."

"You're not coming with me?"

"Not yet, girl. I have something to do while you're in there," he answered. "I can't be seen too often walking around here, either, if I'm seen at all. Remorda Guardian or not, I am not enrolled to be a soldier. Being caught wandering the grounds is grounds for disaster." Now, he finally turned to face her. "So take your draft note and go turn it in. And this time? Square your shoulders. If you want to look respectable, you have to stand erect."

Before she could fix her posture, a hand at the small of her back nudged her into position. Kayde used his hands to position her shoulders and lift her chin. When he was satisfied with his work, he let go of her and took a step back to survey her. "There," he said. "Walk just like that and don't talk unnecessarily. You should be fine."

Iris swallowed and nodded. She turned around, holding her shoulders in place.

"Girl," Kayde called her gaze back with a voice that was almost warm. When she met his eyes for the last time, he simply nodded at her. "Good luck."

Iris then walked away from him and into the camp. Oh, she was going to need all the luck she could get. The first thing she'd found were the stables --they covered a sizable portion of the ground on the outskirts of the camp. Before Iris could really get a good look at them, a man that Iris assumed was the stable-master guided her and her horse to an empty stall. It was a thankfully quick exchange that left her walking alone.

Once Iris was actually inside and walking about the area, she noticed several old signs all about the area, pointing to Registration. They all pointed northward and Iris exhaled a little bit in relief and headed for the area -one less thing she had to worry about. After not too much of a walk, she found that the signs pointed to a small wooden cabin.

Iris was visibly nervous, much to her dismay. Still, she entered, finding no one in there but herself -even the desk in the room was empty. The place as small and cluttered with parchment and she immediately felt alarmed by the close proximity of the walls. And for several minutes, there was no one there at all. Iris continued standing and waiting, feeling too much like a small child waiting on punishment for comfort. Was she in the right place?

Iris almost left. Just as she turned around to make sure that this was indeed where to turn in her draft note, a man burst in the door she'd just come through. Suddenly, Iris shrunk in her skin. The man before her was broad, tall, and just all around intimidating. He had a sharp sword hanging from his side. This man wore intricately crafted armor and a red, one armed cape hanging from one of his pauldrons.