7 Chapter 7

The guard couldn't stand it anymore, so he opened up the cell. Xiang Hai dodged the sword swinging to him and grabbed one of the heels he had hidden in the corner. He lashed the heel out and struck home on the guard's head, who fell into unconsciousness. He focused on the heel and felt sorrow for the men who were once struck by such weapons. It would be very embarrassing.

It was a good thing the guard didn't expect him to know any martial arts, or else he would have to actually fight in order to survive. He wondered what was up with the princess title he had as he exchanged clothes with the guard. Xiang Hai even put the guy on the bail of hay he was on when he woke up and placed the heels on his feet. If only he had some make-up...

Xiang Hai shook his head to clear his straying mind. He needed to get out of the dungeon. He walked through the cobblestone halls as quietly and quickly as he could. It was very dark and dreary with the dim lighting, ringing of chains, and the laughter of madness. Even the torches which lit the way seemed cold.

After walking around in the dungeon, he had found a set of stairs. Just as he had placed a foot down upon the first step, a voice had stopped him cold. "Halt, soldier!" The male's voice was distant but echoed loudly in his ears. He turned around to see a man with a torch held in his hand walking towards him with a confident stride. What was he supposed to do? Salute?

His thoughts ran in every direction, but he could not come up with a solution. If he ran, the soldier would run after him while calling for help from his comrades. This, in turn, would lead to his ultimate capture and possible death. If he stayed, he risked the chance of the soldier recognizing their princess's handsome face and bring him back to his cell and increase the security. However, there was also a chance that the soldier wouldn't recognize his face.

In the end, Xiang Hai decided to salute the soldier. The man gazed at him with a queer expression. "What, in the name of the dragon, are you doing?"

Xiang Hai swallowed before he answered, "I am saluting, sir!"

The man's brown eyes narrowed. "That is no salute, you buffoon!" He came closer and corrected his posture and hand position until he was satisfied. "This is. You are lucky I wasn't a general, or else your head would be on the ground right now. You must be a new recruit. Looking at how young you are, an apprentice soldier. If that's the case, it is no wonder why you messed up so horribly." He saw the boy was still in salute and helped him up.

Xiang Hai felt very relieved when he saw that the man was unfazed by his face. It seems like he doesn't know how the 'princess' looks like. "I am surprised, though, that the captain would send an apprentice soldier like you down into the royal dungeons for a training ground. Something must be off with his head." The man muttered so low that Xiang Hai could barely understand him. "My name is Song Lie, an adept. Although the captain outranks me, I'll send you off to the training barracks. Follow me!"

He ordered someone to take over his shift and began to lead Xiang Hai to the aforementioned place. As they walked, Song Lie had taught him of the war between a dragon and a phoenix. A battle over the princess heir for her hand in marriage. Little did everyone know, this 'princess' they keep mentioning was a guy.

Once they got to the barracks, the sound of young children training in the smoldering heat resounded. Song Lie went to go tell of the new apprentice who had got 'lost.' The person was a middle-aged woman with a long, ugly scar resting on the top of her forehead. When the woman looked over to see Xiang Hai staring at her scar, she pointed at him and motioned him to come closer.

Xiang Hai instinctively lowered his head and shuffled over to her. "What is your name, boy?" She asked.

"Xiang Hai." He muttered.

"I am an old woman, so please speak more clearly than that."

He shifted his gaze up and met hers. "My name is Xiang Hai!" He yelled. Her lips curled into a smirk.

"Good. Now, I want you to run until sundown."

His eyes widened in shock as he saw that the sun was still rising in the sky. "How could I?!" He asked, panicked. "I would end up passing out in this heat with no breaks within an hour. This task is impossible!"

The woman's smile broadened. "Alright, I admit it is a bit much for a rookie like you. So, I have a different proposal. Get on the ground and kiss my foot...three times. You have to do one or the other. Make your choice, Xiang Hai!"

His fist clenched by his side. It was a tough decision. Both of them would result in him losing some face. He pondered before making his eyes firm. "I'll run, you psychotic beach!" It was the only option which would let him go with his pride. If he were to submit, the other children would most likely push him around and bully him. He didn't want anything like that happening to him again any time soon, so he decided to run. By running, it means defying submission. By defying submission, it means less bullying. By less bullying, it means he has more time to figure out what exactly was going on in the world around him.