Early in the morning, when the soldiers in the camp started their morning exercises, Chinua and Timicin stood on the big training ground and watched the recruits' jog.
Timicin looked at Chinua and said, "Chinua, tell you two servants to stop looking at me."
Chinua yawned and asked, "Why?"
"The way they looked at me was like they wanted to rip me apart and pull my heart out," Timicin said. "Especially that Khunbish..."
Chinua smiled, and then she said, "Khunbish always stares like that. That's why I chose him as my guard..." She looked at Timicin and smiled at him. "Very intimidating." She turned to Timicin and saw that Timicin's cheeks start to turn red. "Hey, are you uncomfortable because your face is starting to turn red." She raised an eyebrow at Timicin.
Timicin turned quickly to avoid Chinua's eyes. He coughed and cleared his throat, "I'm fine, just... tired."
Timicin suddenly felt his heart start beating like never before. He found that when Chinua smiled at him, he found her attractive in some way. He knew in his heart that he had always liked beautiful women, but he didn't know why someone like Chinua made him feel the same way he usually feels when he met beautiful women.
Chinua sighed and said, "Well, it's almost noon, when we are released from our punishment, you can go to sleep."
Timicin asked, "Chinua, have you ever liked anyone before?"
Chinua said, "I admire many people in my life."
Timicin said, "I'm not talking about admiration. I'm talking about, like women like men. Love... you understand?"
Chinua said, "I do."
Timicin asked suddenly, "Who?" He suddenly wanted to know.
Chinua was about to answer Timicin when Haitao shouted from behind them, "I hope you two will learn your lesson."
Chinua and Timicin turned to see their small group staring at them.
Haitao pointed at Chinua and Timicin and said, "If any of you decide to fight again, this is your punishment." He looked at his subordinates. He turned to face Chinua and Timicin. "If the two of you fight again, the punishment will be harsher than standing here overnight with two bags of rice. So next time you want to fight each other, think twice."
Chinua said, "I will remember your words."
Haitao said, "Alright, the punishment is over, bring those bags of rice back to the camp and make us dinner." He looked at Chinua and Timicin. "When we came back from sightseeing, dinner had better be ready."
At dinner, Haitao sat in a small group around the bonfire, looked at his ten men, and said, "We went up the mountain today, what did you learn?"
Chaghatai looked at the other seven and said hesitantly, "Well...I learned that there are trees and wildflowers on the mountain road."
Haitao grabbed the rice with his right hand and started to eat, "Oh...you have good eyesight." He took a bite of the chicken on his left hand. "Who else?"
Muunokhoi raised his hand and said, "I...I...I..."
Haitao smiled and said, "What else did you see?"
Muunokhoi said, "I also saw rocks beside the mountain road."
Haitao smiled and said, "Your vision is also very good, I admire it very much."
Och sat there, listening to the nonsense of the others. He looked at Haitao and couldn't stand this joke anymore. He shook his head, walked away with a bowl of rice in his hand, and said angrily, "Idiots..."
Haitao shouted, "Och, you didn't answer the question."
Och turned and stared at Haitao dissatisfied, "I saw an idiot leading his idiot dog and sheep up the mountain, other than that, I couldn't see anything else." He walked away.
Haitao smiled and then said loudly, "Your eyesight is also very good." He continued to laugh and eat with the others.
Chinua asked, "Have you two finished eating?"
Khunbish and Khenbish said, "Yes."
Chinua said, "Let's go take a bath."
Timicin suddenly swallowed his piece of chicken without chewing, and he had to swallow hard, then started coughing. He watched Chinua, Khunbish and Khenbish walking towards the river.
Timicin rushed to Batzorig's tent and went inside. He stood in front of Batzorig and said, "General Batzorig, I have an urgent matter that I must report to you immediately."
Batzorig looked up at Timicin and said, "Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
Timicin said, "No, it can't."
Batzorig asked, "What's wrong?"
Timicin said, "I don't know how to say, and I don't know how to start."
Batzorig said, "Then it's not important enough for my attention. Get out of here."
Timicin said, "It's difficult."
Batzorig said, "Go back and reconsider, and tell me tomorrow."
Timicin said, "Chinua..."
Batzorig put down the book and looked at Timicin. He asked, "What about Chinua?'
Timicin said, "Chinua is a woman in men's clothes."
Batzorig asked, "What are you going to do with this information?"
Timicin said, "I told her I would tell you ... but then she said that there is no law in Hmagol state that women cannot join the military."
Batzorig picked up his book, read it again, and said, "Is that what you wanted to say?"
Timicin said, "Yes."
Batzorig said, "You can leave now."
Timicin was surprised by Batzorig's reaction. He walked over to Batzorig's desk and asked, "Aren't you surprised, General Batzorig?"
Batzorig said, "I already knew she was a woman."
Timicin asked, "You don't do anything about it?"
Batzorig said, "I did, and she gave me the same answer she gave you."
Chinua is soaking in the river with Khunbish and Khenbish. Khunbish sat behind Chinua and began to wash her back. Chinua asked, "Did he really just take you out on a hike?"
Khunbish said, "Yes." Khunbish stroked Chinua's shoulder.
Khenbish said, "It's not all Chinua."
Chinua asked, "What else? Umm..." She bit down her lips.
Khunbish said, "I'm sorry."
Chinua said, "It didn't hurt that much yesterday. Get me some medicine when I get back to the tent. What else?"
Khenbish said, "Tomorrow Captain Haitao will also take us to go fishing."
Khunbish said, "That's what he did when we were training here many years ago."
Chinua said, "What do his men think?"
Khunbish said, "They caught the attention of Batzorig and at their request left the army or moved to a different captain."
Khenbish said, "It's not too late for Chinua to change captains."
Chinua said, "Don't you two find this fascinating?" She got up and started getting dressed, watching the two men bathe in the river. "I find it fascinating. Maybe there is a deeper meaning in his teachings that only a few can understand."
Khunbish and Khenbish came out of the river and started getting dressed. When they were halfway finishing dressing themselves, Timicin ran towards them.
Chinua sighed and said, "Khunbish and Khenbish, don't stare at Timicin too much, he thinks your eyes are scary."
Khunbish and Khenbish, "Yes, Chinua."
"Chinua!" Timicin called from a distance. He stopped in front of Chinua, almost breathless. "Chinua..." He took a deep breath. "Chinua..." He took another deep breath. "Chinua, even if these two are your servants, they are men, and you shouldn't let them bathe in the open air with you."
Chinua smiled and said, "What do you mean?" She asked, as if she didn't understand what Timicin meant.
Timicin said, "Man is like a tiger, looking for prey."
Chinua started walking back to camp. She said, "You are also a man, how can you look down on your compatriots."
Timicin said, "I'm not like them. I'm a decent guy who respects everyone's privacy."
Chinua stopped and patted Timicin on the right shoulder. She smiled and said, "As a comrade-in-arms, thank you for your concern."
Timicin pushed Chinua's hand away. "Women and men should not touch each other in public."
Chinua said, "Remember, standing in front of you is a genderless person."
Timicin said indifferently, "How can you be a genderless person? You are obviously a woman."
Chinua said, "A comrade in arms, are people who have no gender."
Timicin said, "How can I think like that when I know who you are."
Khunbish looked at Timicin angrily and said, "Since you know who Chinua is, don't make trouble." He looked at Chinua. "Let's go back. I'm going to apply medicine on your back."
Khunbish and Chinua walked away.
Khenbish turned to Timicin and said, "Childe Timicin, gossip ends with the wise." He soon followed Khunbish and Chinua.
Inside the tent, Khenbish poured the medicine on Khunbish's hands, and Khunbish began massaging Chinua's back and shoulders.
Khenbish said, "If Chinua doesn't want to train tomorrow, then Chinua doesn't have to train."
Chinua said, "I left assuring father that I would relinquish my royal status and be treated like any other soldier training in this camp. If father knew I was getting special treatment, he would laugh at me when I return home."
Khunbish said, "If Chinua told them to shut up, I'm sure no one would dare to say."
Chinua scoffed, thinking that Kunbish's words were a little funny. She said, "Back home, I don't have any special treatment, what do you think is different here?"
Khenbish said, "Chinua knows exactly why."
"Only the two of you and the three royal brothers regard me as a princess," Chinua said. "The other royals call me the forgotten princess."
Khunbish said, "It's not just us, it looks like Chinua made a very special friend while being punished."
"Khunbish, you know, your jokes are hard to understand, not even funny," Chinua said. She pulled the robe back and tied the lace at the front. Then she lay on the straw mat. "I love all who are not my enemies."
Khenbish said, "Why did Chinua say that all of a sudden?"
Chinua said, "Timicin asked me if I had someone I liked. I was about to answer, but Captain Haitao interrupted us before I could answer him." She put her hands behind her head. "So, the two of you... should never stand on the opposite side of me."
Khunbish said, "We sold our lives to you, and will remain so."
"Even if we had to be put to death, that loyalty wouldn't change," said Khenbish, who lay on his straw mate to Chinua's left.
Khunbish lay on Chinua's right and said, "Through Death Valley, we will march..."
Khenbish said, "Follow each other, every step of the way..."
Chinua smiled and said, "Even if we don't know if we will emerge on the other side."
Chinua, Khunbish and Khenbish said at the same time, "But we will continue to march forward faithfully for our brothers, living and dead." Chinua, Khunbish and Khenbish laughed out loud in their tent.
A few feet away, Timicin heard the laughter of the three people in their tent. He tossed and turned, not knowing what the three were talking about.