Vae Victis
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Diana/Damien. Even some lines belong to J.R.R. Tolkien.
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Damien Argos stood and walked past the astonished Captain Shang. The former pushed away the tent flap and went to speak before the small army. She looked carefully at each one of them, all inexperienced, naïve young men, walking towards what might be their final stand. It was such a pity to throw their lives away on a futile campaign but such is the way of every world, thought she. War and hatred are universal evils.
"What of the rest of the Imperial Army, Captain Argos?" inquired one of the men, "Will more troops come to our aid?"
They all looked expectantly at her, hoping against hope that they would not be alone in their crusade. But it was not to be.
"Courage is the best defense you have now," she said calmly, "Trust to hope, it has not forsaken these lands. You cannot achieve victory by strength of arms but there is still a chance for as long as you use both brains and brawn. Admit that you're afraid because you are, but meet your enemies nonetheless."
These few words were enough to rouse some spirit back into the depressed men. They somehow felt buoyed by the Captain's trust.
"I know you deserve to know this much," she continued, "I will not be marching with you through the Tung Shao Pass. I must go to the Imperial City by another road. My injuries have also rendered me useless to all of you. I beg all of your pardon."
This was followed by a solemn bow which was returned by the men, who were all sincerely moved but also perplexed by such a humbling display.
"This may be perhaps the last time we shall ever see each other again," she said, "so good luck."
Murmured "thank you's" were heard from the ranks. Then, Captain Argos felt like saying something more.
"Oh, and one last thing," said she with a mischievous but enigmatic wink, "Ping, try and keep the red dragon out of trouble."
"Yes, sir!" replied a beaming Ping.
The rest of the soldiers merely shrugged their shoulders although if he didn't know any better, Chien-Po might have sworn that he heard a soft "humph" come from the canon wagon.
"Must be some sort of proverb," whispered Yao to Ling, "Ya never know with these foreigners. Only Ping seems to get it."
They were all so accustomed to Captain Argos speaking in riddles, Captain Shang most of all. This is why he didn't bother asking the other captain what he meant about his meeting the girl in his dreams. There were more urgent matters to attend to than to wonder about the enigma that was Damien Argos. After all, the foreign official had been a mystery from the very moment he and his superior had walked into the Wu Zhong Camp. Shang distinctly remembered that day.
He was ecstatic, euphoric and other words describing absolute joy. He, Li Shang, had just been promoted to the rank of Captain! Considering how high his father's expectations were of him, this was more than just an honor! It was a dream come true!
He almost burst with excitement as the sword was handed to him. But he had to retain the dignity and composure expected of a captain of His Majesty's Imperial Army. Captain! (Squee!)
His father was beaming with pride as well. Despite the disparaging remarks of Chi Fu, the general was confident his own son would finish the job well.
The moment of joy was interrupted by the arrival of two squabbling strangers. One was a tall, dignified youth with silver hair and crimson eyes. The other was a shorter, blond-haired boy with purple eyes. Both wore foreign looking armor.
"I still think it's an extremely idiotic thing to do, Argos," grumbled the first man.
"Don't worry, it'll make things extremely interesting," replied the other coolly.
"Humph, do whatever you want," muttered the disgruntled youth, "this will be boring any way you look at it.."
They were silent as soon as they entered the tent. The General stood and greeted them and they returned the cordialities.
"Commander Dilandau Albatou and Captain Damien Argos," said a beaming General Li, "may I present the newly-appointed Captain Li. He will be in charge of training the new recruits in this camp. Commander Albatou and Captain Argos have journeyed far from their nation to aid us against the Huns upon special summons from the Emperor himself."
Shang bowed solemnly. Dilandau rolled his eyes and did the same. Damien smirked and followed suit.
"Congratulations on your new rank, Captain," said a friendly Captain Argos. "I trust you will do your best to live up to it."
"I will, sir," replied a blushing Shang.
"No need for too many formalities," said a grinning Argos, "we are equals after all."
"Humph," muttered Dilandau. "So, when do we leave, General? I'm itching to slaughter some Huns."
"I was meaning to tell you about this," replied General Li, "I will march ahead with my troops to subdue the Huns when they attack a certain village at the Tung Shao Pass. In the meantime, you and Captain Argos will stay and help in the training of the new recruits until you are summoned."
"WHAT?" cried Shang and Dilandau.
Damien sniggered. "This WILL be interesting, after all."
Mulan was a little worried about Diana. She did not seem to be her old self. There was a certain shadow hanging over her, a certain darkness. The difference was slight but Mulan noticed it. She also remembered first meeting "Damien" and Dilandau.
It was her first day at camp and she was doing a terrible job of fitting in, thanks to Mushu's crazy advice. Already she had caused a fight at least three soldiers on camp and they were all bearing down on her with a vengeance. This was not a good start. Mulan was beginning to doubt the little dragon's competence in the realm of Man-culture but she had no one else to turn to. After all, her experience in that area was very limited.
She ran through tent after tent, trying to escape them. After a couple of tents, she managed to throw them off. Only to cause a bigger mess. Somehow, the entire camp's ration of rice porridge had spilled onto the camp and messed every one up. They all looked accusingly at her and she scrambled to her feet to escape yet again.
In her hurry, she accidentally bumped into someone. The surprise was that the person she bumped into did not topple over or fall off balance. He was a tall soldier dressed in a strange red and black armor. He had caught her as she bumped into him and was now grasping tightly at her shoulders to set her upright. She felt that she was going to be squeezed to death. She dared look up to the face of another soon-to-be foe.
Blazing crimson eyes met hers and she instantly felt herself shrink underneath their gaze. "You've really done it now," Mushu whispered to her, "you made this one really mad."
She began shaking with fear. But the moment that felt like an eternity passed. A hand touched the shoulder of her captor and he immediately released her, albeit quite roughly. The silver-haired enigma brushed his hands, as if shaking off the germs that came from being in contact with her.
"Better watch where you're going, idiot!" yelled the tall soldier.
"Y-yes, s-sir," Mulan managed weakly, still quivering. "I-it won't happen again, s-sir."
"Humph, it better not," muttered the boy. "Blundering idiots, the lot of them!" he continued, almost to himself.
"Cool it, Commander," said another voice. It was only then that Mulan noticed the presence of another person. He was a blond-haired youth with a pretty face and smiling purple eyes. He was also wearing a strange kind of armor but it was different from what the "Commander"
"Sorry about that," said the blond with a grin, "he takes a little getting used to."
Mulan just gaped at this new face. The first friendly face, and the only kind words spoken to her ever since she set foot in the bloody camp. She was unsure of how to react.
"Thank you, sir," was all she could say, with a deep bow.
"No need," replied the smiling soldier, "we're both new here."
The commander took one more scornful look at Mulan before marching away, muttering, "Humph, birds of the same feather, what a bother."
Mulan looked perplexedly at the retreating back.
"So what's your name?" asked the foreign soldier, suddenly.
"Um, um….well, I have a name," stammered Mulan, "and it's a boy's name too. It's umm…umm…"
Purple eyes beamed in complete understanding.
"Don't stress yourself about it right now," said the youth enigmatically and added to himself amusedly, "Dilandau's more perceptive than I give him credit for. It never ceases to amaze me."
Upon seeing the question mark look on Mulan's face, the foreign soldier remembered himself and said, "I'm Captain Argos. I'll get back to you when you've thought of a good, masculine name for yourself. We are more alike than you know."
At this, the soldier followed his commander, leaving Mulan even more confused than ever. Had she been found out? Was this the end of the masquerade?
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