“Stealing!Penalty:death!”

SergeantQiang’svoicerangovertheparadegroundinthecenteroftheencampment.MorninghadcomefartooquicklyforMulan’sliking.Shehadbeenawakenedbythesergeant’sloudvoicebillowingthroughthetent,orderingeveryoneoutsideforthemorningannouncements.Luckily,intherushthathadfollowed,Mulanhadbeenabletoslinkintotheshadowsofthetentanddress.Nowshestoodshouldertoshoulderwithhundredsofotherconscriptsandseasonedsoldiersasthesergeantbarkedalistofrulesandthepunishmentsforbreakingthem.Besidehim,CommanderTungstood,hiseyesmovingoverthemengatheredinfrontofhim.

“Desertion!”SergeantQiangwenton.“Penalty:death!”

Themenlistened,theirfacessomber.EvenYaoknewnottojoke.

“Bringingwomenintocamporconsortingwithwomeninanyway,”thesergeantcontinued.“Penalty:death!”

Mulanstruggledtokeepthepanicandfearfromherface.Shefeltasthougheveryonewaslookingather,thoughsheknewthatwasnotthecase.Still,hearingSergeantQiang’swordsmadeherfearsfeelthatmuchmorereal.Shehadknowntherewasapenaltyforwomeninthearmy,butdeath?Thatseemedabit??.??.??.aggressive.

Asifreadingherthoughts,SergeantQiangfinishedhisspeech.“Dishonesty?Penalty??.??.??.”Hepaused,lettingthewordhangintheairforamomentbeforefinishing.“Expulsion!Disgrace.”

Theconscriptsgasped.

SergeantQiangnodded.“Disgraceforyou,disgraceforyourfamily,disgraceforyourvillage??.??.??.disgraceforyourcountry.”

Fromthelooksonthefacesofthemenaroundher,andfromthewaytheyallshifteduncomfortablyontheirfeet,Mulanknewtheywerethinkingthesamethingshewasthinking.Disgracewasafarworsepunishmentthandeath.

MulancouldhaveswornSergeantQianglookedhappiertohavemadeallthesoldiersnervous.Marchinginfrontofthem,hestopped,slamminghisfingerintothechestofthenearestconscript.“We’regoingtomakemenoutofeverysingleoneofyou!”

Astheparadegrounderuptedwithcheers,Mulanhalf-heartedlyliftedherownhandandvoice.Butontheinside,sheshrank.Howcouldtheymakeamanoutofherwhenshewasn’tamantobeginwith?Andworsestill,whatwouldherfuturelooklikeifanyoneeverfoundoutthetruth?

Mulanwasexhausted.Aftertheirmorning“talkingto,”theyhadbeensentoutintothemiddleoftheparadegroundstobegintheirbasictraining.Forhours,sheandtheother“men”hadbeenpracticingthesamebasicmartialartsmaneuversoverandoveragain.Usingonlytheirarms,legs,andbodyweight,theyweresupposedtodefendthemselveswithminimaleffort.Mulan’sarmshurtfromswingingthroughtheair,andshewassureshehadheardaloudpopinherhipduringoneoverzealouskick.Butshedidn’tletthepainstopher.Asothersoldiersfelltothegroundinexhaustion,Mulankeptgoing.ShefelttheeyesofCommanderTungonheranditdroveheron.Atonepoint,shewascertainherbodyhadgonenumb,andherlimbsmovedasifpulledbystrings.Itremindedherofbeinginthevillage,weavingontheloom,theactionsbecomingsoroutinethathermindcouldwander.

Onlynow,shecouldn’taffordtoletherthoughtsdriftfromthetaskathand.Slippingup,sheheardSergeantQiangshoutatherandhastilyredidthemove,fixinghermistake.Satisfied,thesergeantmovedontotorturingthenextconscriptinline,Honghui.

Mulansnuckapeekathim.Despitethehardwork,hismoveswerefresh,hisfacestillfocused.CricketandLongweiwerenotfaringaswell.Bothwerepanting,theirfacesredandsweatpouringfromtheirbrows.Acompetitivewavewashedoverandshefeltfreshenergyinfuseherachingbody.Shewasn’tgoingtoletHonghuibeather.Notmentallyorphysically.

Asthedayprogressed,theconscriptsweremovedfromonepartofthecamptoanother.Theyspenttimeonthearcheryrange,shootingarrowsatalineofwickertargetssetuponahill.Atthesergeant’sorder,thesoldierswouldnotchtheirarrowsandraisetheirbows.Thentheywouldletthearrowsfly.Mulanfocused,hereyeslockedonthetarget.Butitdidn’tseemtomatter.Eachtimeherarrowwassentflying,itcameupshort.Luckily,theothersseemedtobehavingtrouble,too.Honghui’sarrowsflewwidewhilePokeptbreakingthebowstring.OnlyCricket,ironicallyenough,hadanyluck.Pullingbackhisarrow,hehelditawkwardlyinfrontofhim.Mulancouldseehishandshakingfromtheeffortofkeepingthebowsteady.Thenheclosedhiseyesandletthearrowloose.Itzippedacrossthefieldandwithaloud

THWAP!

struckthetargetrightinthecenter.AsshecaughtHonghui’seyeandtheytradedimpressedlooks,Mulanfeltabriefflickerofhope.Maybeshewouldn’tbeanoutsiderforever.

Theirtrainingcontinuedintothatnightandthedaysthatfollowed.Stillavoidingshoweringwiththeothersoldiers,Mulankeptvolunteeringfornightwatch,pushingherpastthebrinkofexhaustion.Buttherewasnoreprieve.Assoonastheylearnedhowtomovetheirlimbsintheseriesofmartialartsmaneuvers,theyweregiventheirswordsandrequiredtolearnthemovesalloveragain.Theycontinuedtoworkonthearcheryfield,thesunbeatingdownontheirbacksasarrowsflewleft,right,andoccasionallystraight.Butthatwasnottheworstofit.

Theworstwastheshrine.Dayafterday,whenthesunwashighestintheskyandthehottestontheirshoulders,theconscriptsweregiventwobucketsofwater.Liftingtheheavy,awkwardvesselsoutuntiltheirarmswerelevelwiththeirshoulders,theyweretoldtoclimb.Theshrine,ahugestructuresituatedonthetopofarockycliff,wasonlyaccessiblebyhundredsofnarrowstonesteps.

Takingadeepbreath,Mulanbeganthetrek.Thefirstfewstepsweremanageable.Butasshecontinuedupward,herarmsstartedtoshake.Besideherandinfrontofher,thestrongestofmenbegantostumble,failingatthechallenge.Watersloshedovertheedgeofherbucketandshefeltherlegsgrowingweakerandweakeruntil,atlast,shesanktotheground,defeated.Upaheadofher,Honghui,whohadmadeitfartherthananyone,gaveup,too.Mulanstayedstill,tryingtocatchherbreath,furiousatherselfandherweakness.

HearingashoutfromSergeantQiang,shesawthattheothershaddumpedtheirbucketsandweremakingtheirwaybackdownthefewstepstheyhadclimbed.Astheyarrivedatthebaseofthesteps,thesoldiersrushedtowardalargetroughofwater.Theypushedeachotheroutoftheway,thirstyandimpatient.Mulanapproachedslowly.Waitinguntiltheothershadfinished,shesteppedforward.Takingtheladle,shedrank.

Asthewaterhitherlips,Mulanbitbackagroanofpleasure.Hereyesclosed,shedidn’tnoticeCommanderTungwatchingher.Inthemiddleofthechaos,shewascomposed.Hiseyesnarrowedwithinterest.HuaJunwasasurprise.Everytaskthrownathim,hehadmetwithaquietgrace.Hehadnotoncecomplained,andevenwhenhehadbeenoverwhelmedandweak,hehadforgedon.Andnowhehadwaitedwhiletheothermenactedlikebeasts,allowingthemthechancetosatisfytheirthirstfirst.Onlythestrongestofleadershadthestrengthofcharactertowaitinsuchaway.Thecommandernoddedtohimself.HuaJunwassomeonetokeepaneyeon.

“Nowsheisagirlworthfightingfor.”

Cricket’svoicecarriedovertheeatingarea.Enteringthechaoticroom,Mulanscannedthesoldiersandseats,lookingforasafeplacetosit.Outofthecornerofhereye,shespottedLongweileavingtheirbarracks,headdownwithhismeagerpossessionsgraspedtohischest.Sheswallowed.Shehadheardhisnamecalledaftertheshrine.SergeantQianghadspottedhimdumpingwaterfromhisbucketstomaketheclimbeasierandimmediatelyexpelledhim.Ithadbeenthesmallestofinfractions,butthepenaltyhadbeenquickandsevere.Mulanshudderedtothinkwhatwouldhappenifhersecretcametolight.