General Batzorig and ten of his captains were in his tent, discussing how to train new recruits, when a soldier stormed in.
"General Batzorig, two of Captain Haitao's men fought," the soldier reported.
Batzorig shot to his feet. "Ridiculous!" he exclaimed frantically. "Who are they?"
"Timicin and Chinua," the soldier replied.
Batzorig and the ten captains rushed to the scene, where they found many soldiers gathered around Chinua and Timicin, cheering and muttering to themselves. Batzorig's anger rose to the tip of his tongue. He raised his voice and bellowed, "What are you doing?!"
The surrounding soldiers quickly parted, creating a path between Chinua and Timicin. As Batzorig and the ten captains strode in, they saw Chinua still holding Timicin in a headlock.
Batzorig stood before Chinua and Timicin. "Don't you know the first rule of the army? There can be no fighting between comrades!" he roared, his voice aimed squarely at Chinua.
Chinua and Timicin remained silent, their heads bowed, staring at the ground before Batzorig.
Batzorig's gaze fell to the ground, where grains of rice lay scattered and the vegetables were utterly crushed by Chinua and Timicin's struggle. He frowned fiercely. "If these are food you supposed to send to the frontline soldiers and they..." He gestured sharply at the spilled food. "...are ruined, how can the frontline soldiers defend our border?" He scoffed, directing his anger at both Chinua and Timicin. "Without supplies, the army will be defeated, all because the two of you couldn't put aside your differences." He looked at Chinua, shaking his head. "Especially you..." Batzorig glared at Chinua and Timicin. "Since you two don't understand the value of rice, I'll teach you, its value."
Chinua met Batzorig's gaze, understanding instantly what he intended to teach the new recruits. She sighed. "General Batzorig, I understand," she said. "It was my fault. I'm sorry, I should have been the bigger person."
"Now that you understand," Batzorig said, "you should also understand the consequences of violating military regulations."
"I understand," Chinua replied.
Batzorig ordered, "Captain Haitao, since they are your subordinates, you will punish them according to military law."
Khunbish quickly interrupted, a growl in his voice. "Batzorig, how dare you!"
"How could I not?" Batzorig retorted in a huff. He stared coldly at Khunbish. "Once you step into this training camp, anyone who violates military law will be subject to military punishment – the King himself is no exception!" He turned to Haitao. "Make sure the punishment is severe and set an example for the other recruits." He pointed at the assembled recruits, then at Chinua and Timicin.
Haitao saluted. "Yes, General."
Batzorig roared at the recruits, "Why are you still standing here?! Get back to your tents!"
Haitao stood by as soldiers began tying four heavy bags of rice to a long wooden pole. Once the soldiers finished, Haitao looked at Chinua and Timicin. "Pick up your pole and stand here until noon tomorrow," he instructed. He sighed. "If you don't want to train with me, just say so. There's no need to fight to prove my incompetence as a captain." He shook his head and walked away.
Standing in the center of the training ground, Chinua and Timicin each held a slender pole across their shoulders, with a heavy bag of rice tied to each end.
In the dead of night, the chilling northern wind rushed through the training camp, raising the hair and goosebumps on Chinua and Timicin's bodies. They stood in the dark, the crisp air biting at their exposed skin. The night sky was more beautiful now that all the camp lanterns had flickered out, leaving only the distant torches illuminating the camp walls. Chinua stared at the few dimming lights, then, compelled by their brilliance, looked up at the stars. It was then, gazing at that vast, twinkling expanse, that she realized she was just a little spark, like those distant stars.
"What are you thinking?" Timicin asked, his voice rough from exhaustion.
"I was just thinking, we're like stars in the sky," Chinua murmured. "This land is a vast expanse of unknown rulers, both good and bad."
Timicin looked up at the night sky, then at Chinua. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Chinua sighed. "There are too many rulers, and not enough land to divide between them. We live under one sky. Since the sky has no boundaries between the stars, why should the land have boundaries?"
"Of course, there are borders! Any ruler wants his kingdom to be the biggest," Timicin scoffed, a wry laugh escaping him. He looked at Chinua. "You're talking about unification, and you're not the first to dream of unifying the land." He looked at Chinua. "Many rulers have tried, but none have been successful."
"Unification comes with a high death toll. Why waste precious lives when we could live in peace?" Chinua said. She sighed.
Timicin mocked, "Ambitious people don't think like you. If there's no death, how can it be possible to obtain land?"
Chinua looked at Timicin. "Are you able to sleep at night knowing that every inch of land you acquire is traded with the lives of other people's fathers, husbands, and sons?"
Timicin's mouth opened, his jaw dropping, utterly speechless. Then he blurted out, "Does Khunbish know General Batzorig?"
"No," Chinua said.
Timicin, dissatisfied with Chinua's answer, persisted, "If he doesn't know General Batzorig, how dare he call General Batzorig by his name?"
"When people are angry, they speak their minds," Chinua replied.
"It doesn't make sense," Timicin muttered.
Chinua sighed and closed her eyes, pointedly ignoring Timicin.
"Tell me, Chinua," Timicin prodded, "why would a woman like you go into a camp full of men?"
Chinua didn't answer.
"Tell me what I want to know, or tomorrow I'm going to walk into General Batzorig's tent and tell him you're a woman in disguise," Timicin warned. He turned to Chinua. "Sorry, I happened to touch your chest when we were struggling earlier."
Chinua scoffed, "Don't use this to blackmail me. I'm not afraid of your threat, and I won't stop you."
"Are you really not afraid of this secret?" Timicin asked, bewildered.
Chinua retorted, "Secret? Only you think it's a secret. Furthermore, what rules in Hmagol prohibit women from joining the army?" She looked at Timicin coldly. "I'm not breaking any rules, why should I be afraid?"
Under the moonlight, Timicin clearly saw the fearlessness in Chinua's eyes. She truly wasn't afraid he'd reveal her disguise. He had never seen a woman like Chinua: so bold, not at all feminine except for her voice, yet possessing a charisma he couldn't explain.
Timicin cleared his throat. "Don't think I won't dare. I really will tell!"
Chinua replied, "The secret is in your head, and the words are on the tip of your tongue. I can't control whether you open your mouth or not. So, I don't care."
Timicin shook his head. "You just wait and see what I can do." He waited for a response, but Chinua remained silent. "Hey, talk to me, it's still early. Talk to me..."
Batzorig's voice boomed, "Stop talking! You should be here to reflect on your wrongdoing. This is punishment; don't stargaze with your friends at night!"
"General Batzorig, I have something urgent to tell you," Timicin called out.
"Whatever you need to tell me, tell me tomorrow when you're done with your punishment," Batzorig replied dismissively.
"But it's really urgent," Timicin insisted.
Batzorig simply said, "Tomorrow," before walking away from Chinua and Timicin.
When General Batzorig returned to his tent, he noticed lights on inside. He quickly stepped into the tent, saw a figure seated in his chair, and hurriedly knelt to the ground.
Batzorig gasped, "Prince Dzhambul! I didn't know you would visit at this hour."
Dzhambul looked at Batzorig, setting down the book he was reading. "Get up," he commanded, his voice cold.
Batzorig got up quickly.
"I heard you were hiding a woman in the camp," Dzhambul stated, his eyes narrowed. "I didn't believe it, so I decided to come and see for myself."
Batzorig sighed. "We do have a woman in the training camp," he admitted.
Dzhambul slammed his hand hard on the table. "General Batzorig," he spat viciously, "you are the general of the Northern Army, and you know the rules forbidding women from entering a camp full of men!" He stood up. "Guards!"
The two guards outside entered briskly, kneeling before Dzhambul.
"Where did you hide her?" Dzhambul demanded.
"I didn't hide her anywhere," Batzorig insisted. "She is currently serving her punishment in the training ground with Timicin."
"Fine. Take her to the execution ground!" Dzhambul commanded.
Batzorig quickly interjected, "Prince Dzhambul, Your Highness cannot execute her!"
Dzhambul approached Batzorig. "Why not?" he asked.
"Because Her Highness was sent here by King Batukhan," Batzorig replied.
Dzhambul recoiled at Batzorig's words. "The Royal Father sent her... Who is she? Father's concubine?"
Batzorig shook his head. "No, she is Princess Chinua. But in King Batukhan's letter, he explicitly requested her identity be kept secret."
"Do you know why Father sent her here?" Dzhambul asked.
"I do not know," Batzorig replied.
Later that night, in Dzhambul's tent, his bodyguard stood beside him as Dzhambul sat at his desk.
"Lixin," he said, his voice thoughtful, "why do you think Father sent Chinua here?"
"I believe this is not King Batukhan's idea, but rather Crown Prince Batsaikhan's," Lixin replied. "Princess Chinua and Prince Batsaikhan are both children of Queen Qara. Because Prince Batsaikhan cannot walk, he has likely made Princess Chinua act on his behalf, orchestrating events from behind the scenes."
Dzhambul mused, "The training is long. We'll have many chances to get rid of her. One disabled child might not be enough for Queen Qara. Perhaps she wants two..." He closed his eyes, taking a deep, satisfied breath. "Lixin, let Altan be our eyes and ears."
"Yes, Prince Dzhambul," Lixin affirmed.