Chapter Thirty-Seven
(Songs in this chapter are "Village Lanterne" by Blackmore's Night, "I'll Make a Man Out of You" from the movie "Mulan", and "Kiss the Girl" from the movie "The Little Mermaid".)
"You can't be serious!" Tulio shouted at me. I rolled my eyes at him. Here we go again.
Grandpa had called a meeting for all of the heroes, excluding the children, and told them all what Shang had told me and Mulan. When I said I wanted to join the army, that's when Tulio had his outburst.
"Look, I'm tired of being the one that's always needing to be rescued!" I said to him, "I want to learn to fight for myself and not have to depend on anyone!"
"I'm not letting you join the army! You could be killed!"
"You're doing it again!" I snapped at him, "If you continue to treat me like a helpless child, then I'll never speak to you again, Tulio!"
Apparently he was afraid of my threat, because he shut his mouth.
"If she wants to fight, then let her," said Crane and I nodded my thanks to the bird.
Others ended up taking Tulio's side.
"Tulio's right," Aurora said, "It's way too dangerous.
"We need her to defeat the Horned King!" Delbert added, "If she gets hurt, or even killed, again, then all of Incantationen will be lost!" I glared at the humanoid dog.
"But, if she doesn't learn to fight, then how will she be able to win against the Horned King?" Belle countered and I gave her a grateful nod.
Then all at once, everyone started shouting, half the citizens shouting that I shouldn't fight, and the other half shouting that I should. Tulio, thankfully, kept his mouth shut. I got irritated that so many wanted to control my life, and finally screamed, "SHUT IT!" Everyone fell silent and turned to me.
"Look, I've made my choice, okay? I'm going to join the army, and fight! And there's nothing any of you can say or do to make me change my mind! Am I understood?!" I took a breath to calm myself as one of my favorite songs ran through my mind. Funny how it fit this situation. I sang the song out loud:
"Don't shed a tear for me
I stand alone
This path of destiny
Is all my own
Once in the hands of fate
There is no choice
An echo on the wind
You'll hear my voice…
Some choose to fall behind
Some choose to lead
Some choose a golden path
Laden with greed
But it's the noble heart
That makes you strong
And in that heart, I'm with you all along…
The olde village lanterne
Is calling me onward
Leading wherever I go
The olde village lanterne
A light in the dark
Bringing me closer to home
So when you think of me
Do so with pride
Honor and bravery
Ruled by my side
And in your memory
I will remain
I will forever be within the flame…
Now at the journey's end
We've traveled far
And all we have to show
Are battle scars
But in the love we shared
We will transcend
And in that love, our journey never ends…
Don't shed a tear for me
I stand alone
This path of destiny
Is all my own
Once in the hands of fate
There is no choice
An echo on the wind
You'll hear my voice…
You'll hear my voice…
You'll hear my voice…
You'll hear my voice…"
"She's already decided," said Grandpa, a proud glint in his eye, "Let her be." I grinned at him.
I turned in time to see Tulio storm out of the crowd. "Tulio, wait!" I called out, running after him. We had left everyone far behind, when I finally caught up to him, and grabbed his arm. "Tulio!" I got him to face me and saw unshed tears shining in his blue eyes.
"I can't lose you again, Aralyne!" he said, "I don't know what I would do if –"
"Shh, hey," I said in a calming voice, "I understand that you don't want me to fight, but you have to trust me. How do you think I feel when I see you risking your life for me? But I trust you, knowing that you'll always return. Please, Tulio, you've got to have faith."
He stared at me for a moment before nodding his head. "I trust you."
Smiling, I pulled him down to give him a kiss.
"I've got to go now. Shang wants to start training us right away. I'll be home later, I promise!" I gave him one last kiss before running off towards the training camp. When I got there, Mulan gave me an extra pair of karate clothes, to change into – and to my delight, it was pink, my favorite color. I also managed to pull my curls back into a ponytail. Of, course I was going to stick out like a sore thumb for two reasons. First, I was going to be wearing pink, and not many people like that color, second, I was going to be the only girl training. Thankfully, I wasn't going to be the only girl in the camp. Mulan was to help teach me karate, and Merida was going to be there to help teach archery.
When I had finished changing, I stood outside with the other recruits, feeling slightly intimidated since they were all bigger than me. Curse my shortness!
"Soldiers!" Shang shouted out and we all jumped into a line, me being somewhere in the middle, "You will assemble swiftly and silently, every morning. Anyone who does otherwise, will answer to me." He took off his shirt, and I stared in awe. Damn, he's ripped!
"Ooh, tough guy," said Yao from a couple of spots down the line from me.
Shang pulled out a bow and arrow and aimed it at Yao while the rest of us took a step back, then at the top of a high pole in the middle of the camp. "Yao. Thank you for volunteering. Retrieve the arrow."
Yao then growled out, "I'll get that arrow, pretty boy, and I'll do it with my shirt on." He walked over to the pole and prepared to climb up it, but before he could, Shang stopped him.
"One moment, you seem to be missing something." He pulled two giant medals out of a box that Mulan had been carrying. "This represents discipline. And this represents strength. You need both to reach the arrow." He tied them around Yao's wrists, and the short man moved over to the pole. He jumped up and held on a few feet above the ground, but when he started slipping, he tried using his teeth to hold him steady. It didn't work, and I cringed when I saw how much bark he had scraped off. Ling was next, and he fell over backwards, doing a flip and landing on his head. Chien Po landed on his behind, with a loud thump and causing the pole to bounce up out of the ground for a second before falling back into place. Then it was my turn and I slid right down to my behind with a moan.
"We've got a long way to go," said Shang as I walked back to the line, rubbing my sore tailbone. He threw us a bunch of wooden poles, and everyone caught one, except me. Yao grabbed mine, and tripped me with it.
**"Let's get down to business
To defeat the Huns
Did they send me daughters
When I asked for sons"
Someone stuck a bug down my robe, and I screamed, wiggling around to make it come out of clothes. In the process, I knocked over all of the other men, and Shang catapulted over to me. I accidentally hit him in the stomach, but he grabbed my pole and glared at me.
"You're the saddest bunch
I ever met, but you can bet
Before we're through
Mister, I'll make a man
Out of you."
Merida taught us archery, and we all failed miserably. Next Shang was showing us how to balance a bucket of water on our heads and deflect rocks thrown at us. He made me be the first to try it out, and the men took delight in throwing rocks at me. The bucket fell off my head, drenching me in cold water, and I missed all of the rocks, but one, which hit Chien Po in the stomach.
"Tranquil as a forest
But on fire within
Once you find your center
You are sure to win
You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot
And you can bet before we're through
Mister, I'll make a man out of you.
We had to dodge flaming arrows, try to break cinderblocks; I got beaten up by both Shang and Mulan developing bruises all over my body, and had to jump across poles over a raging river.
"Chien Po: I'm never gonna catch my breath
Yao: Say good-bye to those who knew me
Ling: Boy I was a fool in school for cutting gym
This guy's got 'em scared to death
Mulan: I hope he doesn't see right through me
Chien Po: Now I really wish that I knew how to swim"
We had to learn how to fire those cool dragon cannons, and Ling, being an asshole, knocked mine over right as I lit the fuse and it blew up in my face.
(Be a man)
We must be swift as a coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon"
Shang had us hike up a mountain carrying weights, and after a while, I had fallen behind the rest of the men and eventually collapsed onto the ground. Shang came over and took my weights, then left without saying a word, but I could see the disapproval on his face. I lowered my head in shame.
"Time is racing t'ward us
Till the Huns arrive
Heed my every order
And you might survive
You're unsuited for the rage of war
So pack up, go home, you're through
How could I make a man out of you"
At one point I had arrived at the camp about an hour before dawn, feeling like such a loser for failing everything. Merida and Mulan weren't allowed to show favoritism so I couldn't even get encouraging words from them. I stopped by the pole, and tried climbing it again, with the medallions tied to my wrists. After falling down the first time, I gazed up at my challenge and suddenly remembered how Mulan did it in the movie. I tied the medallions together and finally managed to climb up the pole. The others arrived, watched, and cheered me on. When I reached the top, I sat down, plucked out the arrow and threw it at Shang's feet, grinning.
"(Be a man)
We must be swift as a coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon"
Finally, Merida gave me a high-five when I, as well as the men hit the targets during her archery lesson. I ran ahead of everyone else carrying the weights over my shoulder, not to mention I knocked Shang on his butt when we fought. We broke cinder blocks, and did everything perfectly.
"(Be a man)
We must be swift as a coursing river
(Be a man)
With all the force of a great typhoon
(Be a man)
With all the strength of a raging fire
Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"
Every night Tulio had returned home to see either Aralyne passed out on their bed, or she would get home late exhausted, and every morning she would be up and out of the house before dawn. So they hadn't had a chance to spend any time together. This time, however, was different. As soon as he walked through the door, he saw Aralyne waiting for him.
"Tulio!" I shouted throwing myself at him in a hug. I had gotten home about an hour ago, which gave me more than enough time to shower and change out of my sweaty, smelly, dirty uniform. I now wore a tight pink blouse with white ruffles around the collar, poufy see-through short sleeves, a white ribbon was tied beneath my bust, and a layered silky pink short skirt, with knee-high pink socks, and purple sandals that had straps twisted up my legs in a swirly design. My hair, I left loose, and it cascaded down my back and around my shoulders in a myriad of curls.
"You're home early," he said in surprise, but I could a hint of a smile on his face.
"Uh-huh!" I said pulling away from him slightly, "We finally finished our training today! Come on!" Holding his hand, and pulled him right out the door.
"Where are we going?" he inquired, shutting the door and I dragged him through the town.
With a giggle, I replied, "You'll see!"
Eventually we made it to a dock where rowboats were being rented out, and we got one, taking it out into the ocean.
"Our first date together in a long time, and we're in the ocean?" Tulio inquired arching an eyebrow at me as he rowed the boat in the sunset.
"Just wait," I said with a grin, "I asked a friend for a favor!" Over his shoulder, I could see Scuttle and Sebastian sitting on a small island with a couple of trees watching us.
"All right, this calls for a little vocal romantic stimulation," said Scuttle, "Stand back." He suddenly began squawking, and I cringed at the sound.
"Wow. Somebody should find that poor animal and put it out of its misery," Tulio said with a chuckle. I forced a grin as Scuttle winked at me and I smacked my face. This wasn't how I planned it!
Sebastian was covering his ears, and glared at Scuttle saying, "Jeez, man, I'm surrounded by amateurs!" He dove into the water, and came back a few seconds later with a reed and, several ducks, and turtles. He held the reed like a baton. "First, we got to create the mood. Percussion. . . . Strings. . . . Winds. . . . Words. . . ." He then started singing.
"There you see her
Sitting there across the way
She don't got a lot to say
But there's something about her
And you don't know why
But you're dying to try
You wanna kiss the girl"
"Did you hear something?" Tulio asked, looking around and I shrugged. Now this was what I had planned!
"Yes, you want her
Look at her, you know you do
Possible she wants you too
There is one way to ask her
It don't take a word
Not a single word
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
My oh my
Look like the boy too shy
Ain't gonna kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Ain't that sad?
Ain't it a shame?
Too bad, he gonna miss the girl"
"You know, I feel really bad about not spending time with you," I said as we drifted along towards a tree, its branches hiding a section of the ocean.
"Hey, it doesn't matter," he said taking my hand, "We're together right now." We finally went beneath the tree, and floated in the lagoon.
"Now's your moment
Floating in a blue lagoon
Boy you better do it soon
No time will be better
She don't say a word
And she won't say a word
Until you kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Don't be scared
You got the mood prepared
Go on and kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Don't stop now
Don't try to hide it how
You want to kiss the girl
Sha la la la la la
Float along
And listen to the song
The song say kiss the girl
Sha la la la la
The music play
Do what the music say
You got to kiss the girl
You've got to kiss the girl
You wanna kiss the girl
You've gotta kiss the girl
Go on and kiss the girl"
Fireflies drifted around us, making the whole night seem enchanting, and as one flew by, I recognized it as Ray. He gave me a wink and a thumb's up. Tulio and I leaned in closer, our lips connecting….
(**During the Song "I'll Make a Man Out of You" the whole training sequence takes place in a month, because Aralyne cannot achieve fighting skills in the course of a day. I would also like to thank LadyOfSlytherin101 for helping me in this chapter.)