Fearless (A Mulan Retelling)

Chapter Fourteen

The next day and the two weeks following, Iris was caught up in doing the same things. She had formed a sort of routine now. She'd wake up and eat, and then she would train with Kelgar, Kayde, and even General Zayn depending on the day. During that time, Iris was surprised to find herself more widely known amongst her peers --even so much as to be the topic of some of their discussions. Internally, she worried about standing out.

Iris knew in her heart that if they started watching her closely --she'd have less leeway when it came to her acting. One wrong move in front of the right eyes could very well be the end of her disguise, and she knew it too. Because of that knowledge, she'd had one too many scares with her mates. There were times where she'd walk into the cabins to find them whispering about her to each other. The whispers were indeed compliments --but how long before she heard something she didn't want to hear.

As for who'd been the one that started all the talk about her, Iris had to assume that it had been the other rogues in her training group. They'd been the ones to see her fight the most, after all, aside from Kelgar, who wasn't prone to gossip. Ah, that part didn't matter though. What mattered was that once the rumor of her had spread throughout the cabins, she had been constantly observed --especially her training sessions with Kelgar.

At any rate, Iris rose from her rest bright and early and fully equipped herself to go train with Kayde. She was quick about her preparation, wanting to spend as much time as possible with her mentor. She fluttered out the door in minutes, finding him standing in their usual meeting-place. However, today, he wore no weapon at his side. He wasn't dressed for combat, either --he was dressed for riding.

"What is this?" she motioned to his attire.

"I suppose I should let you know that I will be gone for a couple of days. For now, you are indeed well equipped to take care of yourself here. I need time to go gather some more supplies and perhaps even report your progress to your father. Worry not, I will ride as fast as I can. If you truly think you need me to stay a few more days, though --I will not argue. But know that I do need more supplies, dear girl, and I believe now is the best time to go retrieve them."

In a way, it felt strange that he was asking for her permission to go. In fact, now that Iris thought about it, there had been a lot of strange things with Kayde lately. For instance, an odd bond of camaraderie had now come over the two --a bond that served as quite an extension to the encounter they'd had on the way to the camp.

"I understand. I'll be alright, I suppose. Go on and get your things." Iris gave him a small smile. "Stay safe."

She turned away from him. It truly felt odd that she would not be working with him this morning. Iris had been quite accustomed to having him there with her day by day. She shook the discomforting thought that he was leaving and reminded herself that he'd be back before she knew it. A positive thought surfaced --she could rest more now. Perhaps she could even rest as much as the rest of the rogues were able to. Ah yes, she could handle herself indeed. And that thought made her want to smile.

That feeling however, only lasted a moment.

Even though the last few weeks had run smoother than she'd originally thought they would, Iris indeed remembered that she might very well still die on the battlefield. Somehow, though, that truth didn't scare her quite as much as it had in the beginning. Ah, maybe it hadn't fully hit her yet. Perhaps now that she had to worry less about fitting in at camp, she would begin to digest the idea that in a short amount of time, other men would actually be trying to kill her.

When Iris arrived back at her cabin, she noticed immediately that some of the rogues were already awake. Which was all fine and good, but it surely didn't stop her from climbing back under her blankets and going right to sleep. For the first time it what felt like a lifetime, Iris shut her eyes until the sun was high in the sky. In fact, she might have slept even longer had Kelgar not roused her from her dreams.