Chapter 8
"This is gonnae be interesting. At least they are in shape. That is, I think they are." Phaedra said to Shang, as the two Assassins and both heroes of China viewed the recruits.
It was two days since arriving in the Imperial City, and a day since we arrived at the military camp.
Shang smirked down at her from his impressive height, the only man she knew to be taller than Alaric. "We will soon find out, won't we?"
She returned the smirk, and I looked at Mulan. "Those poor bastards are going to wish they had never come here, with Shang and my girl in charge."
Mulan grinned. "This is going to be fun, sweetheart. I've yet to see Phaedra in action, and I wager that it will take less than a month for those two to share a bed. Oh, get over yourself!" She finished, as I turned green in the face, knowing she was probably right.
"You have not known her for as long as I have."
She patted my cheek in mock pity. "You poor thing!"
Chuckling, I batted her hand aside gently, as our attention turned back to Shang.
Shang surveyed the soldiers in front of him as they ate their breakfast, slightly optimistic of his chances of molding these experienced recruits into an army.
"Hey Captain...I mean, General Shang!" Phaedra saw Shang wince slightly as three men came from the massed group of recruits. The man who had spoken was thin and wiry, almost clumsy-looking, with a exuberant air about him.
Behind him stood a small, strong, rough-looking man who sported a black eye.
The last towered over all of them, gargantuan in size and height. His head and face were small, his smile peaceful and gentle.
"Captains Ling, Yao, and Shien Po, it's been too long since we last met." Shang said, nodding to each in turn, and then pointing to Phaedra. "This is my assistant, Phaedra of Scotland."
She gave each a smile. "Nice to meet ya."
Ling bowed, and kissed her hand. "Charmed, gorgeous."
Phaedra glared at him. "Remove the lips before I cut them off!"
Ling wilted under her stare, as Yao chuckled. "I think I'm going to like you, little one." He said, as he kissed her hand.
He flinched as she turned her glare to him, as I hid my laughter with a coughing fit. "Watch who're yer calling 'little!' Call me that one more time, and I'll-"
She shrieked in surprise as Shien Po lifted her gently into his huge arms.
I started forward, hand reaching for my sword, but Mulan glared at me warningly, stopping me short.
"Tsk Tsk! Such a temper for a lovely young woman such as you! Relax, and repeat after me."
And then he led her in a short chant that seemed to calm her down.
My jaw dropped, as Mulan burst into a giggling fit. It was the first time I had ever seen her calm down without hurting or killing someone.
"Feel better?" Shien Po asked, and she grunted in assent.
Blushing heavily, Phaedra returned to her spot behind Shang after Shien Po released her, giving me a look that told me what had just occurred must never, ever, be spoken of in the future.
I gave her a sad look, but she mimed cutting my throat, and I dropped it...for now, at least.
Shaking his head and chuckling, Shang turned to the three captains. "Gather the men. We need to get started, as we have little time to prepare them for combat."
Ling nodded, and I was surprised at the professional attitude that Ling was able to show, as he had been the quintessential joker a while back.
Everything had changed so much during the last year or so.
"Soldiers!" Shang called out an hour later, and the hundreds of men situated at the center of the camp came to attention. "Once again, we face the Huns in battle. Although there are many of them, we are not so short in numbers ourselves."
He gestured to Mulan and I. "Fa Mulan and Alaric have returned to serve under us as we fight our enemies, and they are proud to do so."
Mulan bowed as many pairs of eyes turned to her, and I gave them a nod.
Phaedra straightened as Shang motioned to her. "Alaric is not the only foreign warrior to aid us in this fight. This is my sergeant, Phaedra, from the Western Highlands of Scotland. She is the most fearsome and deadly female of her kind, and I promise that, to underestimate her because she is a woman, would most likely be your last mistake of your life!"
Phaedra grinned ferally, wiping quite a few of the men's condescending smirks from their faces.
Shang continued. "You men are veterans of combat, and I have little doubt that you can fight, but the Huns boast such a great number of men that we need to be ready for whatever they might bring to the battlefield. By the time the four of us are done training you, you will be the best soldiers China has ever produced!"
Quite a few of the men nodded, and a few cheered.
Mulan and I exchanged a smile as Shang continued. This man was a natural leader and speaker, and his words seemed to ignite a fire in his men.
I noticed that Phaedra felt it too, her fists clenching and unclenching, the blood of her ancestors heating up, her eyes fixed on the man that she was quickly falling for.
"We will be the best conditioned, the best trained, and the best equipped men in China! We will be spoken of for years to come, and the honor of our families will be unprecedented! However, that is the future, but for the present, let us begin our road to greatness!"
A cheer rose from the assembled men, and the business of the camp picked up.
First came the roll call, as Shang called out the names of the men. Phaedra noted that all were eager to come forward, thanks to Shang's remarkable speech, giving each man a sense of purpose and encouragement. A mark of a good leader, something that Shang and her father, Alan MacPhearson, shared.
Alan and him shared more than that, though. Both could draw men to them by the hundreds with a single speech, highly loyal to their country and family, calm and confident, but both were kind and caring. She wasn't sure if her father was this handsome, though.
Her father and Alaric had taught her so much about life and duty, and she found herself wondering how much Shang would teach her in the days, months, hopefully years to come.
Mulan smiled as she watched the infatuated woman practically ogle Mulan's former Captain.
Only a short time ago, she had been in the same position with her, ogling Alaric.
How things had changed, but remained the same as well!
Later that day, in the evening, the two Amazon-like women sat next to each other, Alaric snoring softly in the tent nearby, Shang sharpening his sword in his tent.
"Damn, the day I've had!" Phaedra said, not bothering to keep her voice down, as Alaric was a deep sleeper.
Mulan smirked at her friend. "You and me both, future foster daughter."
Phaedra stared at her. "Did you just call me..."
Mulan reached out, and took her by the shoulder. "Think about it, Phae. He already thinks of you as a daughter, and I for one, would love to have you live with us."
Phaedra looked into the distance for a long moment, and then enveloped Mulan in a hug.
Both knew the significance of this moment: Mulan had found a daughter in her fiancée's student and good friend, and Phaedra had found a future mother in a close friend.
After a long moment, they parted, both wiping their eyes.
"Well, when it does happen, you might not want to live with us for very long."
Phaedra frowned at Mulan. "What do ya mean?"
Mulan smirked. "You would probably be living with Shang before too long. The way you were looking at him today suggests that, anyway."
Phaedra blushed. "Was I that obvious?"
Mulan giggled. "If the men weren't so romantically inept, everybody would know by now!"
Phaedra removed her hood, eyes narrowing playfully. "Alaric doesn't seem so inept, if last night is anything to go by."
Mulan laughed. "Touché, dear."
The woman shared a laugh, and spent the next few minutes on girl-talk, which ended when Shang emerged from his tent, shirtless and carrying a bunch of training staves.
Mulan smirked at Phaedra, who was at a loss for words at his god-like looks. Shang seemed to enjoy Phaedra's attention.
"I do not wish to order you ladies to do anything, but I will suggest you get some sleep in preparation for tomorrow."
Both women rose. "Of course we should, General. Good night!" Mulan said, giving the blushing and slightly drooling Scotswoman a wink before disappearing into her tent.
Shang smiled down at her, and Phaedra couldn't meet his eyes with her own.
"Tomorrow, I'll be using you as an example of how a seasoned warrior fights, and perhaps you and I would spar in front of the men. I can't let all your skill go to waste, can I?"
Phaedra arched her eyebrow, and met his eyes with her own. "No indeed, General. I've been waiting for a chance to see yer prowess in battle." She didn't mention that she wanted to see more than that, but that could wait.
"Good night, Hellcat." He said, and she grinned at the nickname that he had probably taken from Alaric's words, as her mentor was the one who had given her said nickname.
"Good night, soldier." She said, making her voice as alluring as possible when saying her nickname of him, her right hand trailing across his forearm as she walked past, swaying her hips as much as possible.
Shang's breath caught in his throat, struggling to control his primal urges.
Phaedra smirked. If he could go shirtless, she could respond by playing the role of seductress. Fair was fair, after all.
That night, neither had particularly innocent dreams.