A Kind Of Bravery: A Mulan Retelling [1st Draft]

8. Friends and Foes

Chapter Eight:

Friends and Foes

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"My apologies your highness, I do not."

The stable was plunged into silence as Harriet uttered those words, not a single man daring to move a muscle. Leopold's blue eyes stared into hers, blinked once, and then he turned on his heel to face the rest of the men, his back as straight as a rod and his fists clenched.

Harriet gulped. Had she made the right choice?

"Due to the fact that no one is willing to tell me the truth, regardless of how admirable it is to not want to rat out your fellow soldiers, you will all have to suffer the consequences for your dishonesty." Harriet suddenly found herself on the receiving end of several glares and bewildered looks. The glares were from many of the men who had not seen the incident while the bewildered looks were from Garreth, Matthew, and John.

"I will be splitting you up into groups to do work as punishment. All of the work is to be finished before you can have dinner." Leopold pointed to the men on the left-side of the stables. "You will all be helping with dinner." He pointed to the right side. "You will be polishing and cleaning the bridles of the horses." Leopold turned to face Harriet, the man beside her, and everyone behind them. "You will be on stable duty."

Harriet did her best to contain a groan, but she didn't have to worry, as at that moment Leopold walked away and out of earshot. She pressed her lips together to contain a frown. She had picked the only option she really could've. If she hadn't she would've just had more trouble with the other recruits.

She heaved a sigh, though not through her nose, more than aware of the stench rising from the horse manure covering her front. Her lips quirked into a bitter smile as she thought wistfully of a time long ago when she had put cow manure in her stepmother's tea. Perhaps this was poetic justice for that.

Shaking her head, Harriet glanced to look at the man who had given her the handkerchief, but found that he was already making his way towards the shovels nearby the stable doors. Harriet followed him, grabbing a shovel for herself, as she pondered giving back the cloth, but seeing the state of it, thought better of it. He would definitely not want it back, at least not until is was significantly cleaner.

They worked in silence, Harriet caught up in her own thoughts and wishes for a nice hot bath, or perhaps just a dip in a river to clean off the manure. The more she worked and sweat, the more the stench reached her nose, and her face was soon twisted into a scowl.

"So you sure got off on the wrong foot with them," the other man said, breaking the silence. There was no need to explain who he was talking about.

"Yes, though I have no reason why," Harriet responded, pleased just to have someone to talk to who wasn't tormenting her and wasn't a confusing King.

"That's just how they are. There are always a few like them in every group of men."

"Like them?" Harriet asked glancing over to him as she shoveled more horse manure out of the way.

"Bullies. They like to torment the new recruits, expecting them to be weak, meek, and useless... I think you might've surprised them."

"Surprised them? How? All they've been doing is tormenting me, I've hardly done anything of note."

"Except outrun them and then keep your silence when you had a chance to out them. I'd say you definitely surprised them. Most new recruits would jump at the chance to throw whoever was tormenting them under the cart, but not you." The man peered at her, as if he was trying to understand her more. "It makes me think you're up to something."