You Will Never Find Love - A twisted Mulan Story

Chapter 5

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Chi Fu went outside to do roll-call while I got ready. I pulled on my shoes and washed my face. Then, tying my shirt loosely around my waist, I left the tent. The soldiers stood in an awkward, haphazard line. A short, fat man held Ping by his shirt collar, and was about to punch him, when he saw me. The men quickly jumped into a more orderly line, and I was pleased to see that my presence had this effect on them.

"You will assemble swiftly and silently every morning," I said, taking off my shirt and hanging it on a bamboo training stick. I picked up a quiver of arrows, and a bow from the ground.

"Anyone who acts otherwise will have to answer to me."

I walked down the row of soldiers, and saw with satisfaction that Ping seemed to be trying his best not to stare.

"Ooh! Tough guy!" the small, fat man taunted. I glanced at Chi Fu's notes and saw that his name was Yao. I knocked an arrow, and aimed at his head. Everyone else took a step back. His eyes widened nervously. In one swift movement, I moved my bow up and to the side. I shot an arrow at a large wooden post in the center of camp. It was maybe 15 meters tall and 3 meters wide. The arrow landed just before the top of the post. It would be very hard to reach it.

"Yao, thank you for volunteering," I said. "Please retrieve the arrow."

He cracked his knuckles. "Piece of cake, pretty boy," he murmured under his breath. He walked up to the post and swung his arms, preparing to jump. I set a small box in Chi Fu's hands, and beckoned him over to the post.

"You seem to be forgetting something," I said, taking the box and trying not to collapse under its weight. "This one," I said. Taking the first weight out of the box, "represents discipline." I tied it to Yao's arm, and he grunted, almost falling over.

"And this one," I said, taking out the second weight, "represents strength." I tied it to his other wrist, and when I let go of his arm he really did fall down. Some of the soldiers in line laughed. "You need both of these attributes to reach the arrow," I said.

Yao looked up at the arrow so far above. A look of determination showed on his face. He jumped up onto the post and was able to shimmy up a few feet before he slid down the post, landing on his behind, in the mud.

The other soldiers all took turns. Some fell upside down, some fell on their stomachs, some fell and had to be dragged away, as their injuries were too extensive for them to move. Ping wasn't much different. He got maybe a meter and a half off of the ground before falling. He rubbed his lower back as he walked away.

I sighed, looking at my troops with distaste. "We've got a long way to go," I muttered.

***

The first two weeks went by in a blur. We trained, and trained, and nobody seemed to get any better. Ping was especially bad. I was honestly kind of glad about that. I needed a reason to get rid of him. I hated the way he made me feel. Every day, I would make the training harder and harder. He had to run up a cliff with a large pot of water on his head. He had to catch fish with his bare hands. He had to break cement blocks with his head. Through all of it, the arrow stayed at the top of the post. Nobody had been able to get it down.

One night, I couldn't take it anymore. The witch had spent the evening taunting me about how she would just make my life harder and harder. I wasn't going to let her win. I untied Ping's horse from the tree where it was tethered, and walked it over to where he stood.

"Ping, you aren't good enough in your training. Pack up. You should go home."

He lowered his head in shame and I handed him his horse's reins. I thought he would be gone the next morning.

When I came out of my tent, blinking in the early morning sunlight, an arrow landed between my feet. I looked up in surprise. Ping sat at the top of the post, both weights were slung over his shoulders. He smiled down at me, and I smiled back. I couldn't kick him out of the camp now. I would just have to hope against hope that I had a chance. The last week of training was amazing. The soldiers, obviously inspired by Ping's newfound determination, trained harder than ever before. If I had had more time, I may have been able to bring them up to the level of my father's troops.

On the last night of our third week of training, I went into Chi Fu's cabin. He was getting ready to bathe in the lake. A towel was wrapped around his waist, and another one was around his head. He wore mustard yellow slippers.

"Chi Fu," I said. He turned to face me, bowing his head politely, though there was a smirk on his face. "I think my troops are ready to join the imperial army at the Tung Shao pass."

Chi Fu gave a bark like laugh. "You think your troops are ready for battle!? They would not last a minute against the Huns!"

"I leaned forward, eyes flashing with anger. "They have completed their training!"

Chi Fu lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper. "Those boys are no more fit to be soldiers than you are to be captain. Once the general reads my report, your troops will never see battle!"

He began to walk away, but I grabbed his arm. "We're not finished here!"

He smiled. "Be careful, captain. The general may be your father, but I am the emperor's counsel." He walked to the tent entrance. "And oh, by the way," he said, turning to face me, "I got the job on my own." He lifted the tent flap. "You're dismissed!"

I left the tent, hands clenched in anger.

Ping stood outside the tent. "Hey, I'll hold him, and you punch!" he laughed awkwardly as I walked past him without even a second glance. "Or not..." Ping muttered from behind me. I kept walking.

"For what it's worth," Ping called after me, "I think you're a great captain!" I looked back, and saw that he really looked worried for me. He looked like he cared. I gave a slight smile, and continued to my tent, my spirits a little bit higher than they had been a moment before.