Another long one! I would love to get feedback! Please review!
I stormed into my tent. How dare he? How could he even say..... I closed my eyes. Not only had he insulted Ping, and my army, he had told me that I wouldn't have been able to get the job as captain if it weren't for my father. I paced back and forth. That's it. The last straw.
I had fought for my position. I had proven I was worthy. I spent hours of my childhood training, while others had played. They scraped their knees, I practised until my hands bled. I earned this. I feared that his ranting would get to the troops. I feared they would believe him, that I would lose their respect and that I would be unable to discipline them. But most of all, I feared he was right.
I brought my hands up to my face. Maybe he was right. Maybe I should just–
"Captain!" I jerked my head around. Chi Fu stood at the flap of my tent. His head was wrapped in a towel, as well half of his chest. If his expression wasn't so horrified, I would have laughed. "Urgent news from the General! We're needed at the site!" Oh no.
"When?" I asked.
"As soon as possible! They sent an urgent message!" He handed me a scroll. I grabbed it and my eyes scanned through. I nodded.
"We'll leave tomorrow morning."
The tents were gone; camp was nearly empty. The supplies were loaded in a carriage, one which Ping's horse was pulling. The men were dressed in their armour. I mounted my horse and stared them down.
"The General needs us. The Emperor needs us. China needs us. Are we going to let them down?"
"No, sir!" I nodded in response. The troops assembled behind me, including Chi Fu, who was dressed in a ridiculous fur-lined coat. Oh, this is going to be a long walk.
On the fifth day, I could tell the soldiers' strength and endurance were starting to wear away. They dragged their feet and slumped over, the armour weighing them down. We're almost there...
They mumbled softly, I'm sure trying to prevent me from hearing their complaints. But Ling, always the optimist cried out above everyone else.
"Hey! Think of, instead, a girl with fighting for!" This got them going. Ling painted a descriptive picture, describing every detail. I listened, although I would never admit it, and I found it extremely amusing as the other men joined in. They seemed to have thought this through. Many times over. Every single one of them. Was it just me who didn't daydream about this – these – things? I shook my head, trying to contain my laughter as Chien Po finished his description. At this point, I was trembling with humour. I managed to give a quick glance backwards in time to see the men patiently awaiting an answer from Ping.
"Uh, how 'bout a girl who's got a brain, and always speaks her mind." The beginning was confident, but the end of his sentence sounded more like a question. The other soldiers waved him off, but his answer stuck with me. I tried to imagine my quite, soft-spoken mother putting my intimidating father in his place. The very thought made me almost convulse into laughter. I bit my lip, and it resulted in me letting out what sounded like a sarcastic snort. Chi Fu looked over and raised his mousy eyebrows, but said nothing. I shook my head and continued on. A girl with a brain who always speaks her mind? Definitely my kind of woman.
As we continued on, we passed into a region that was covered with snow. I realized how lucky our camp was to be able to avoid the cold weather for so long. We were so close to the camp, we should be able to see it by now. But all I was able to see was the remains of a hibernating forest.
We walked closer and closer, and I felt a dark feeling start to stir within me. Something was not right. When I saw the remains of the wall, I couldn't breathe. I could sense the silence and horror in the troops, but couldn't hear, because my heart was pounding in my ears. My stomach felt like lead.
I lead my horse through the remains, and pulled up beside Ping and dismounted. He grasped a small, discarded doll in his hands. He looked up at me; his soft eyes filled with emotion. I wasn't planning on saying anything, but I found the words of worry I had tried to conceal rushing out.
"I don't understand. My father should have been here." Before Ping could respond, Chi Fu's sharp voice sliced through the air, seeming to disturb the hushed spell that had fallen over us.
"Captain!" I slowly made my way over to him. My heartbeat was pulsing in my ears, my footsteps falling in pace with the hammering in my chest. I looked over the crest of the hill. Please, no. Gods have mercy.
Total horror consumed me. It left dark spots in my vision and an empty ache in my chest. My whole body trembled. And that's when I saw Chien Po approach with my father's helmet in hand. It was all I could do to keep upright. My legs wouldn't buckle. My pounding head quickened, faster and faster.
"The General," Chein Po whispered. I numbly reached forward. Pounding. Steady pounding. He offered the helmet. Faster and faster. His hands lowered onto mine. So fast it was just a vibration. The helmet toppled into my sweating palms. Silence.
I drew in a breath. The air was ashy and thick. Please, no. I dragged my leaden feet through the snow towards the edge of the hill. Shakily, I drew my sword. I plunged it into the frozen ground. I kneeled in the snow, ignoring the chills that creeped into my legs. I gently placed my father's helmet on the hilt of sword. I bowed my head in respect. I guess I would never earn his approval. Not now.
I heard footsteps behind me and I struggled to control my emotions.
"I'm sorry." Ping. His voice was high and soft. I hadn't heard that voice since the day I met him. Swallowing my emotions, I rose to my feet. I turned towards Ping and rested my hand on his shoulder. Don't cry. Don't make him ashamed of you. I tried to find a response, but the words were thick and heavy in my throat, and I couldn't choke them out. I nodded towards him, and walked away.
Moving throughout the stares of the troops, I made my way my horse. Don't cry. Do not cry. I squeezed my eyes shut. He would be horrified if you cried now. With one last breath, I mounted my horse.
"The Huns are moving quickly. We'll make better time to the Imperial City through the Tung Shao pass," the words came out dry and forced. They scraped my throat and poured over my chin. "We're the only hope for the Emperor, now." The troops stared sympatheticly towards me. I can't stand this. "Move out."
We climbed through the thick snow. My breath was still coming out painfully. It had been a few hours, but the pain was still sharp and deep.
An explosion behind me made me jump. I swung my horse around in an instant. I saw no sign of a threat, except for a gaping hole in the front of the wagon. I forced my anger down, but it rose again, overflowing my restraints. I galloped over to where Ping held the reins of his horse.
"What happened?" Ping gaped, unable to give an explanation. My anger raged again.
"You just gave away our position! Now–" I was cut off by a soft whistling and and arrow striking my armour. I was knocked off of my horse and into the deep snow. A rain of arrows flew overhead, striking the ground in numbers in the hundreds. I pulled the arrow from my shoulder. "Get out of range!"
Gods have mercy.