Feifei mounted her horse and trotted back to the main road.
She'd been riding for less than half-an-hour when she saw riders on the horizon. She waved her arm, and she watched with relief as Delphi waved back.
Feifei kicked her horse into a canter and rode to meet her rescuers. Of course Delphi and the girls would come to rescue her! She could see the commander there too… and Han.
She felt a different sort of love and belonging as the girls surrounded her, and she got lots of hugs from everyone.
Although she was sad to leave Bo behind, she felt only the complete 'rightness' of her decision. These were her people, her family. This was her cause. Deviation from this path could only sully her in a way she could never live with.
Bo lay with his eyes open, staring at the cracked paint on the wall of the farmhouse bedroom. It was an empty, desolate stare.
Why did the right thing to do, feel so wrong? Nothing good lay ahead of him, he knew that. Just duty. His duty to his mother and his sister, his duty to his Lord.
He was leaving behind his love and his friends. Why was his life so damn hard? Nothing ever seemed to go his way. The Heavens were either testing him, or laughing at him…
He struggled to sit up and pull on his clothes. He knew he should get out of this room and back on the road before those dark thoughts consumed him.
----------------
It was no longer oh-nine-hundred, but at least they would get the enlistment ceremony completed today, thought Alton, as he looked across his gathered soldiers.
"Men, this is an historic moment. This is the day we officially join the Rebellion. On this day, we're signing up to become rebels. From now, until we the day we die, we'll be fighting the Emperor and his forces, until we defeat them once and for all.
I won't lie to you. We have a long, hard road ahead of us. It's a road that's as yet unmapped, but it's a road we will carve from the wilderness ourselves. It will be paved with our blood, sweat and tears. But at the end of it lies a new society on the Island, where the wellbeing of our citizens will be put first, where everyone will have a roof over their heads and food on the table every night. Where those who can't work; the sick, the disabled, the widows, the orphans, will be looked after, not left destitute to fend for themselves. Where women will be allowed to walk the streets unchaperoned and uncovered, no longer second-class citizens.
This is a vision that Captain Chastain and I share, and we will lead you all, and any future recruits, as Generals in this Rebellion. I will be in charge of military missions and battles and General Chastain will be in charge of military strategy."
Everyone cheered at the promotion of their leaders.
Niko now moved to kneel in front of them, as the first soldier to take the oath. He placed his right hand on his heart.
"I swear to the Gods to be a loyal soldier to the Rebellion, to keep it safe, secure and secret, to fight for its aims on land and sea, on and off the Island, to obey military orders, to carry out my leader's orders, to maintain my weapon, to control and take care of my dragon, and not to leave until I die, or the Rebellion succeeds."
One-by-one, the men knelt before Delphi and Alton and took the oath.
Then, in a surprise move, Alton knelt before Delphi and swore the same oath of allegiance as his men.
She smiled in approval at the man. She didn't need him to do this, but it was a gesture that spoke volumes to her girls and to his men, and it definitely increased her trust in him.
As the final step in the ceremony, the men got gorilla's head tattoos.
Most of them had seen the women's tattoos on their inner thighs, and they knew what they signified. Guerilla warfare tactics, and membership in the Rebellion… They wanted them too, and Delphi and Alton thought it was a good idea.
Alton had decided that behind the ear and under the hairline was the most appropriate location for their membership tattoos. Ruby was their resident artist, so she did the honours for everyone.
"Let's hope you don't go bald Baer," ribbed Niko as Ruby inked the man's head. "Otherwise you'll be exposed as a Rebel."
"You'll be going bald long before me, old man," growled Baer, his head bowed forward as he held his collar-length hair out of the way for Ruby. "Isn't your father bald as a badger?"
"Hey! Don't diss my dad. He's a good-looking dude for an old guy. Anyway, male pattern baldness is inherited from your mother's side of the family, isn't it?"
"You're assuming you two live long enough to get old and go bald," said Wolf directly. "I think that's the least of your worries; going bald and having your tattoo exposed would mean you're still alive."
"Thanks for your heartwarming comments as always Wolf," said Niko.
"I'm just telling you not to worry about going bald."
"Clumsily."
"Next man," said Ruby, and Niko sat down in front of her.
The men crowded around Baer to take a look at his tattoo.
"Looks cool," said Magnus. "Nice artwork, Ruby."
She smiled her thanks at him gratefully.
"Guerilla Guys to go with the Guerilla Girls," said Arrie playfully, joining the group of men who were congregating around Baer.
"Guerilla Guys! Well said Arrie," said Wolf, punching her gently on the shoulder in an apparent gesture of comradeship, but really the juvenile gesture of a boy who likes a girl, like pulling her pigtails.
Baer covered his new tattoo with his hair and strode over to the drinks table, taking a drink over for Loveday, where he toasted her.
Niko was feeling the closeness of Ruby acutely. She seemed to be breathing into his ear as she worked on his tattoo. His mind was running a little crazy on the twin fantasy theme.
"Go easy there little sister," he joked, "Indy might get jealous if you keep breathing in my ear like that".
Ruby looked horrified and pulled back her head. She locked eyes with Indy, who smiled and rolled her eyes at the man, indicating for her sister to keep going on his tattoo.
"Don't let him get to you meimei. He's just teasing you. He's a big softy at heart."
"Oh! You're a big softy, Niko," Wolf snickered.
"Piss off, Wolf. I'll show you exactly how soft I am once my tattoo's done. You can feel my soft fist against your face, if you want."
"I have to get my tattoo done next, so I won't be free for that fun date Niko," said Wolf.
"It won't take a second, I promise I'll be quick."