AN: By popular demand, i have agreed to do this one. This story will remain ongoing as long as i get ideas. If i don't know the song, i will just watch the movie. So send me your ideas.
I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or Mulan.
Horace stood in line with his fellow battle school apprentices. The battle-master, Sir Rodney, paced in front of them. He had a scowl on his face but his eyes shone with a hidden mischief.
"There will be no softies here. You are to be trained warriors and act like trained warriors." He bellowed, "We will start with the pole climb." He explained that the apprentices had to climb a pole with weights attached to their hands.
The first few tried and failed, as did Horace. It was a lot harder than it looked. Sir Rodney rubbed the bridge of his nose as the final person fell.
"We've got a long way to go." He said and threw each boy a long stick used for fighting. Horace went to grab his stick but a large boy caught it first then swept his feet out from under him. Horace landed on his behind and stood up scowling. Sir Rodney held out his stick and started to use an old workout song to practice by.
"Let's get down to business,
to defeat, the wargals." Rodney threw two clay pots in the air and crashed them both in the span of two seconds.
"Did they send me daughters,
when I asked, for sons?" The large boy put a mouse down the back of Horace's shirt making him take out the rest of the apprentices trying to get it out. Rodney slowly approached the squirming Horace.
"You're the saddest bunch I ever met,
and you can bet before we're through." Horace smacked Rodney in the stomach trying to get the mouse out,
"Mister, I'll make a man out of you." Rodney took Horace's stick and scowled at him. They moved on to target practice with arrows and tomatoes. Rodney threw them up and shot them all into a tree.
"Tranquil as a forest,
wit ha fire within." The apprentices all tried and failed miserably to copy Rodney. Horace equally failed but Rodney scowled at him more for some reason. They went to a balance exercise. Rodney stood with a bucket of water on his head while the apprentices threw rocks at him. Rodney hit every one away.
"Once you find your center,
you are sure to win." It was Horace's turn and the bigger boys chucked the stones at him and made him drop the bucket on his head and hit one stone that smacked Rodney in the chest,
You're a spineless, pale, pathetic lot,
And you haven't got a clue.
Somehow, I'll make a man out of you." They went to the river to try catching fish with their bare hands. That was short lived as Horace managed to knock the bigger boys off their feet.
That night was dodging fire arrows. The apprentices zigzagged to avoid catching fire.
"I'm never gonna catch my breath." An apprentice gasped.
"Say good bye to those who knew me." another said almost collapsing.
"Boy was i fool in school for cutting gym." A smaller boy said winded.
"This got me scared to death." Horace said softly.
"Hope he doesn't see right through me." A higher voice said and Horace looked in that direction but only saw a young looking boy.
"Now I really wish I knew how to swim." a large boy said as he nearly fell into the nearby cistern. Sir Rodney had them line up at the end of the day for a pep talk-sort of.
"We must be swift as a coursing river,
with all the force of a great typhoon,
with all the force of a raging fire,
mysterious as the dark side of the moon." The next day, Rodney continued his work out song and had them all doing work outs. Horace aced those but the young boy whom Horace had noticed earlier was struggling.
"Time is racing towards us til the wargals arrive,
heed my every order, and you might survive." Sir Rodney noticed the young boy struggling and approached him,
"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." Rodney took the boy by the shoulders and sent him away. He hated doing that but he had to. The boy walked away sullenly.
No one but Horace saw him climb up the pole from the beginning of training with the weights. He used the weights on their strings like a propulsion device or something. He made it to the top and sat there. Rodney finished his song,
"We must be swift as a coursing river,
with all the force of a great typhoon,
with all the force of a raging fire,
mysterious as the dark side of the moon." Rodney noticed the smaller boy an gasped. No one had made it up there in years.
From then on, the smaller boy, along with the rest of the apprentices excelled in training. Even Horace. After the bullies were taken care of, Horace kept a closer eye on the smaller boy known as Adrian. There was something suspicious about him. He had a higher voice and always showered late at night. Horace decided to confront him.
"Adrian, can I talk to you?" Horace asked. Adrian nodded and Horace didn't know how to start. "There's something different about you." He said.
"Oh," Adrian said suddenly nervous, "Uh, how so?"
"You are small, yet you excel, you have this young face but I hear you are older than I am." Horace said, "What are you hiding?" Horace asked but he kind of figured it out already. Adrian hesitated but then sighed in defeat.
"Will you promise not to tell anyone?" Horace nodded, "I am a runaway from Caraway. (AN: rhyme accidental). I am not a boy, my name is Adriana." horace was shocked. he had not seen that coming.
He thought that this boy was faking his age or was not all with the program mentally.
"So, you're a girl?" Horace asked. Adriana nodded and Horace just stared.
"Please don't tell." She begged. Horace nodded,
"Alright, but they are going to find out eventually." Horace agreed. Adriana looked relieved and walked away. Horace was thinking,
'What did I just do.'
AN: There! to the ten+ people who asked me to do this, here it is. i hope you like it. please review!