Fearless (A Mulan Retelling)

Chapter Eight

Iris shook at her head at him but said nothing. She turned back around and heaved her bags back under her arms. She wobbled a bit at the weight but managed to steady herself after a few moments. Finally, she said, "Just don't get caught here, Kayde."

"Useful advice, that." There was a bite of sarcasm in his voice. "Now, answer my question, girl... can you lift all that?" He motioned to the supplies she'd packed.

Iris didn't expect help with it -not with the way he was looking at her. It was her turn to shrug, though it was more from discomfort. She started toward the stable door now without answering his question. Her steps were far more labored than they had been coming in.

"You're struggling," he called from behind her. "That's good."

She snapped her head back to Kayde and narrowed her eyes viciously.

"Don't look at me that way," he scolded, though it was light-hearted. "You need to build some muscle here... even if you aren't wielding a sword." His comment made Iris's eyes turn down to her daggers, still sloppily sheathed on her waist. Inwardly, she hoped Kayde held no aversion to them. He was a man of the sword, after all. Iris found no distinguishable reaction in his face. And when he said nothing else, she moved forward again, this time making it out of the stables without interruption.

By the time Iris found the rogue's barracks, her arms and back ached tremendously -even with the short distance, she was heavily out of breath when she made her way inside one of the small wooden cabins. When she walked in, she found that the one she was chosen was hardly occupied -in eyeshot, she could only see two soldiers standing inside. She didn't say anything to them, however. Iris just scurried off to find an empty bunk, doing her best to not draw any attention to herself.

"Not going to introduce yourself, lad?" one of them called out to her. Iris cringed internally.

Without a word, she put her things on her bed and turned back around to face the men. Both of them were now staring in her direction. Iris took a good hard look at them, finding that they looked incredibly alike. They both were tall and lean with dark hair and dark eyes. In fact, the more she looked, she couldn't find a single difference between their faces. Their hairstyles were all that distinguished them from each other, as one wore his hair in a topknot and the other in a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

"Ah, he's young, brother," the one with the ponytail commented with a sort of smile. "And terrified, by the looks of it. Probably a draftee." The comment made Iris uneasy, yet she didn't respond. Her eyes flicked to the door, and it was all she could do not to bolt to and from the cabin.

"Probably," the one with the topknot replied. And then? After a slight pause, the same one that had just spoken addressed her. "Ah, ease up, lad. We won't bite you. My name is Derith, and this is my twin, Derrian. We are of the Rhell family. What's your name, lad? It's been awhile since we've gotten another rogue in our cabin."

Iris calmed a little at his friendly tone, but she still remained mostly on edge. "I am Ingred," she said after a long moment. "I am the only son of the Gwenneth family."

Derith's mouth curved up a corner. "Well met, then, Ingred Gwenneth. It's a hell of a relief seeing someone new here. ...all the blokes here have been here for a long time. I was beginning to think we'd never see fresh blood," he said. Now, Derith shook his head. "And that's just some shit, let me tell you. Seems like every person that comes here is determined to be a gods-damned swordsman," he paused, "Well that or they join the ranks of the warriors -the brutes. I will never understand using a weapon that takes both hands when you have the choice of using two weapons instead."

What was she even supposed to say to that?

"Oh." Iris's voice was quiet at the world, yet still rough enough to not draw suspicion. She thanked Kayde in her mind once more for the fruits he had given her -nasty as they were. Her mind drifted away from the conversation at hand, wondering just how many fruits Kayde had packed for her. Surely it was more than the pouch in her boot. She wondered how rare they were too...

"I'm sorry for the rant," Derith apologized after a minute of quiet, drawing Iris from her ruminations. "Don't listen to me too much, alright? I just hate that being a rogue is becoming somewhat of a lost art these days; that is all. Hell, even the archers outrank us in number now."

A question formed in Iris's mind, and she spoke without thinking. "Are there not enough soldiers?"

Derith's eyes shot to her, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the question. "Ah, see what I mean... like I said, don't listen to me too much. We have a ton of soldiers, don't you worry. Just because we make up the smallest section of soldiers doesn't mean there aren't plenty of us to boot." All of the sudden, Derith clapped her on the shoulder good-naturedly, sending a jolt of vibration down her body. "This is your first time at war, isn't it?"

Iris nodded, seeing no point in lying. "Yes."

"How old are you, lad, if you don't mind me asking?"

Again, she told the truth. "I am twenty years old."

"Ah, then you are just coming up on adulthood," he said. Iris nodded again, prompting another response from the friendly soldier. "You got a lot to learn then, lad," he said. Iris watched as his twin brother, Derrian, nodded in agreement. "Me and my brother have been enlisted in the army for a good few years and have seen a decent share of battle. You, on the other hand, were most likely forced from your home -sent here because you are the only man in your family. That sound right? Most new recruits seem to fit that description, anyhow."

Something stirred in Iris. "I am not the only man in my family, no," she answered, still surprised at how well her voice blended in. "My father is alive still -he's a war veteran, in fact. He was going to come for my family, but while he is experienced, he is also injured. I won't have him die because I was too scared to fight. I'm young and able -so here I am instead."

They both nodded, looking to each other now.

"I see," the other brother spoke up abruptly, interrupting his brother and eyeing Iris in a way that made her want to look away. "You came with a cause to protect your father -and, by extension, the rest of your friends and family. I think I can speak for both me and my brother when I say that it is quite refreshing that at least one of the recruits came with a foundation of pride. Most of the conscripts come in with a draft note and naught else."

Derrian stepped out and reached out his hand to her. She stared at it for only a second before she shook it. Something about the action -something about his words in general made Iris feel a bit proud of herself. Something about the way he spoke about all the new trainees coming in made her want to prove than she was more than just a frightened newcomer.

"Welcome to the rogues, Ingred Gwenneth," he said and then continued. "Welcome to the Eldian army."