Earthly Reigns: A Prince's Retribution Against the Four Nations Ch.5

*BOOM*

Like most recruits, I dodged the rock thrown at us, and we continued running. Our task was simple: do our laps and don’t get hit.

We weren’t allowed to bend the rocks thrown at us or run off the track. The task was meant to discern the strongest/most capable recruits.

Along with a few others, I led the charge at the front of the pack. As I ran, I glanced backward at some of the men behind me.

They were…disappointing—grown men who weren’t even capable of coming close to keeping up with a twelve-year-old boy.

And I was jogging for the most part.

That training with Bumi worked wonders, and as I ran shirtless, I could feel and see the powerful muscles I possessed. Bending or no bending, I was sure I could beat most of these recruits in a fight, which was sad.

“Don’t you think you’re a bit far from home, kid?” A raspy, gruff voice asked.

I raised an eyebrow as I looked to my left. Running beside me was a short, stocky man with black hair tied into a bun, bushy eyebrows, and sideburns that came down to meet in a nice-looking mustache.

Weirdly enough, he looked oddly familiar.

“I am.” I nodded. His question wasn’t exactly incorrect, even if he had been mocking me when he asked it.

He glared for a moment before his confident smile returned. “This is no place for a kid; mess around, and you may just lose your life.”

“Thanks for the concern; I’ll keep that in mind.” I returned his smile with a more genuine one. Typically, I would be upset about being ‘harassed,’ but growing up as a Prince, the only harsh words I would receive would be from Bumi himself when he mocked me during training, and even that was pretty tame.

It was honestly lovely being treated like an average person.

“I don’t think you got the message,” another voice said on my right side. This man was skinny and lanky. He had black hair tied in a bun and no facial hair.

I… knew these two from somewhere.

“Maybe we should show him the hardships of soldier life, don’t you think, Yao?” The skinny man asked, smirking at the shorter, burly man.

“I think you’re right, Ling!” Yao returned Ling’s smirk, and the smaller man gave me a shoulder bump, sending me into the skinny man who also bumped me with his shoulder.

I was passed around between the two, and all the while, I played along. I honestly was confused as to why they were bullying me. Was this an attempt to pick on a kid who doesn’t know any better, or were they just trying to save me from the horrors of war?

“Why don’t you lend us your shoulder, Chien?” Yao asked, a vicious grin tugging at his lips.

“Okay!” A new voice said behind me.

As I turned around, my eyes grew to the size of saucers.

This guy… he was huge!

He was gonna hit me with his shoulder?! Fuck that!

Quickly, I picked up my pace and ran forward, causing the tall, chubby man to run into his friends instead. To add insult to injury, one of the large rocks was sent at them, slamming against them and knocking them down like a bowling ball knocking down pins.

As they all fell to the ground, I started jogging backward, and as I looked at the three of them laid out, I realized who they were.

Yao, Ling, Chien… Small and burly, tall and skinny, taller and chubby… these guys were the three guys from Mulan!

What the fuck are they doing in the Avatar world?!

“What the hell are you recruits doing?! Get your asses moving, now!”

“““Sir, yes sir!”””

The three of them shouted as they picked themselves up and ran forward. Yao and Ling glared at me, while Chien looked more upset that he got scolded.

I could tell that they’d be back for me later, and I let out a deep sigh as I sped up my pace again.

*FWOSH*

I blinked and faltered in my step as another man with a bun ran by me; only this person was someone I recognized and knew instantly. Even though it was clear they were trying to hide their true appearance.

I quickened my pace until I was running beside them, and I made sure to inspect them to ensure I was truly seeing what my eyes were showing me.

A black bun, a soft, delicate face, and a rather skinny body. One would think this was a man if they didn’t know any better.

The warrior princess herself, Mulan, was running beside me.

She turned her head, and her eyes met mine.

“Uh… is there something I can help you with?” She asked with an obviously forced masculine voice, and I could hear the nervousness in her tone.

I shook my head, snapping myself out of my flabbergasted state.

“My apologies.”

With those two words, I quickened my pace so that I was running at a pace where I would lap the average trainee with ease. I left the three guys and Mulan in my dust with ease and planned on finishing this track early so I could think about everything that transpired in the span of two minutes.

— Mulan —

She let out deep, haggard breaths as she finally finished her laps.

This training… it was hard.

Although she wasn’t as physically fit as most of the men here, she prided herself on her endurance; it was possibly the only thing she was actually good at compared to the other trainees.

Though, obviously not better than everyone.

A kid, a literal child who couldn’t be any older than twelve or thirteen, breezed past her like she was walking.

It hurt her pride if she was being honest.

“AT EASE!”

Everyone quickly saluted the Earth Kingdom Salute. Left hand behind their back and right hand in a fist placed firmly against their heart.

“This group of trainees… is the worst, sweatiest, weakest group of maggot trash I’ve ever seen in my long life of training, and I’ve trained royal brats before!” The old drill sergeant shouted with disappointment and rage filling his voice. “You should all be ashamed of yourselves! Never in my long life have I ever seen grown men be outdone by a child and a royal no less. Have some shame, you filth!”

All eyes locked on the kid who had passed her earlier. Glares of rage and self-hate were reflected and sent at the boy. She hadn’t known he was a royal, but the fact that he managed to outrun her only hurt more now in her heart.

Mulan herself was but sixteen years old, but to be outdone by a boy just entering the thralls of pubescence… hurt her resolve.

The shame she felt for herself far outweighed the pity she felt for the boy, who by the looks of things, just became the most hated trainee in the entire camp.

“All of you on the ground, I want a hundred pushups, NOW!”

No one wasted time falling to the ground and doing the pushups as instructed. Her arms hurt more and more with each one. They had just run several miles and were now expected to do push-ups?! How the hell would she manage?!

“Failure is not an option! If you fail here, the shame you bring to your families will be immeasurable! You will be discharged immediately; enjoy the sad, pathetic walk back home!”

Those words were enough to get Mulan to push harder. It was her duty to make up for her father’s legacy; she had to push herself for the sake of his honor and those who came before her!

“Trainee, why have you stopped?!”

“I’ve finished.” Came the squeaky voice of a child.

The drill sergeant stayed quiet for a moment before giving a curt nod. “Back to the barracks with you! The rest of you, work harder, filth!”

— Ryushi —

“So, how was your first day?” Kusko asked although it was clear he already knew the answer.

“It was fine, besides the fact that everyone hates me. The workouts were pretty easy, though.” I shrugged.

“Do not let that weigh on you.” Kusko placed his hand atop my head, calming the nerves I was hiding from him. As nonchalant as I acted, being disliked by so many people sucked, especially in a setting like the Earth Kingdom Training Camps.

I would have to fight with these people, with our lives on the line, and all of them disliked me if not outright hated me.

Who’s to say they’d even have my back?

“What should I do?” I asked with a soft voice, letting my vulnerability show to one of the only men I trusted.

“Keep doing what you’ve been doing, and try to make friends.” He chuckled.

“How can I make friends when they all hate me?”

“They do not hate you; they misunderstand you.” The man clarified. “They believe you to be some stuck-up royal that sits in a castle all day living life on easy mode while the entire nation suffers, but we both know that isn’t true.”

“Then how do I change their minds?”

“Show them the real you.” He stood up. “Once they see that you are not only a hard working boy, but also one that truly wishes for the end of this war, they will come to respect you, I know it.”

That made… a lot of sense, but I doubt it will be that easy. People don’t change overnight unless there is a huge factor that initiates that change, like trauma or an event that impacts their perspective.

Which means I need to do something big in order to change their minds.

“Thank you, Kusko.”

“Anytime, Prince Ryushi.”

— Chapter End —

Author’s Note: My Bday gift to all of you, expect a couple more chapters today.