The Warrior Maiden

by Melanie Dickerson

  He was right, except . . . “With God, nothing is impossible.” She’d heard her priest say that, more than once.

  Andrei glanced up at her, hope flickering in his eyes. Then he turned his face to the ground again and shrugged.

  “If it’s what you really want, don’t give up on it.” Mulan couldn’t bear to see him this way.

  Andrei suddenly stood and grabbed some flasks. “I’m going to refill our water.” He disappeared through the tent flap.

  She sighed. He was such a brave boy.

  Her poor mother. She must be so worried. If only there was a way to get word to her that she was well. But her mother wasn’t much for worrying, truth be told, and she would likely assume Mulan was well as long as she heard nothing. Because as soon as it was known that Mulan was a woman—if or when she was killed—Butautas’s men would be sure and inform her. And throw her out of her house.

  The next morning Wolfgang was readying his horse for the ride to their battle a half day away. He glanced around. Groups of men talked among themselves as they worked to get ready to move out. But he hadn’t seen Mikolai since he defeated him in the sword-fighting contest. Had he hurt him more than he’d intended to? He might have broken a rib, which would affect how hard he could fight in the upcoming battle.

  A sharp pain stabbed his own side at the thought. Steffan would scoff at his compassion.

  The day before, Wolfgang had continued to take challengers until he was nearly exhausted. No sooner had he gone inside his tent to rest than a new contest was announced: horsemanship. He had wondered if they would have a jousting competition.

  Wolfgang might not be as good at jousting as Valten, who had competed all over the Continent, but Wolfgang had practiced as much or more than most knights his age. He and Steffan had both been very good jousters. Steffan was slightly better than he was, and his brother never let him forget it.

  However, they announced there would be no tilting with lances. It was too dangerous on the eve before battle.

  Gerke finished packing Wolfgang’s saddlebag and loading the extra horse with their supplies.

  Two of his father’s knights from Hagenheim, who had been talking with Wolfgang since before Steffan left their group, were nearby checking their horses’ legs and hooves. They called out to Wolfgang.

  “That little fellow certainly gave you some trouble in the archery contest yesterday.”

  “Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

  “True,” the dark one said, “and then I saw how you destroyed him in the sword fighting later. I haven’t seen him since. You really taught him a lesson he won’t forget.”

  “Yeah, you had him limping like an old man.” The blond one raised his brows. “I wonder if he’ll even be able to ride today. Perhaps you should not have beaten up on a child like him, someone so much smaller than you.”

  “Is that how you speak about your fellow soldiers?”

  The voice made them turn to see who was behind them. There stood Mikolai.

  “This man did not injure me, I am no child, and I will have no problem riding my horse. He fought me in a fair fight and won.” The Lithuanian turned and hoisted himself into the saddle of his steed. “I shall see you at the battle.” Then he rode away.

  A few moments passed before one of them spoke.

  “He’s a feisty one.”

  “For a smooth-faced boy.”

  A couple of men grunted. Respect for Mikolai’s spirit overcame some of Wolfgang’s resentment toward him for exposing him to ridicule. “A man has to stay humble,” his father often said, “and that’s why it is good to meet someone who can defeat you.”

  Mulan enjoyed telling those soldiers that she was not injured. But then she had to force herself not to groan in pain as she threw herself up on her horse. Not an easy feat. Her side was still quite sore, as were her arms and shoulders. But it could have been worse. The duke’s son was obviously holding back. He could have ended the match much sooner with worse injuries to herself.

  And he couldn’t have known he was fighting a woman.

  Andrei rode beside her. A few men had tried to talk to her. She learned their names but kept them at a distance. She couldn’t afford to risk anyone getting too close and finding out her secret.

  When they were nearly to Zachev Castle, their company was met by a man on horseback bearing Konrad’s colors, which were blue and gold.

  “The Teutonic Knights have breached the first wall and are breaking through the gatehouse door with a battering ram! You must make haste or you will be too late to stop them.”

  Wolfgang and his friends were at the front of the group, and Mulan was behind them. Wolfgang asked, “What is the fastest way to the castle?”

  “It’s just beyond this mountain.” The messenger pointed behind him. The nearly sheer face of rock met their eyes.

  “We can’t go that way,” one man said.

  Wolfgang spoke up. “The mountain’s too steep and wide. The road is the only way.”

  They all turned toward the road they’d been traveling, which led to the right, circling around the rocky cliff face.

  They were discussing how long it would take along the road. Wolfgang shouted, “Let us be off!”

  Mulan’s quiver of arrows was already strapped to her back. She slung her bow over her shoulder and slid out of the saddle. Andrei urgently whispered something behind her, but she ignored him.

  She focused on the rock face, already seeing her first hand-and footholds.

  A few people shouted behind her as she started to climb. Whenever she looked up for her next handhold, she found it. Just as when she climbed to get away from the bullies in her village, soon she had reached the top. But when she tried to pull herself up over the ledge, the pain in her shoulders and arms and side throbbed and stabbed her. But if she allowed herself to think too much about the pain, she’d end up falling to the ground.

  She mustered all her strength. With a growl she held on, her feet scrabbling over the rock face to find footholds for her toes. She pushed and pulled herself up over the ledge.

  Lying across the top of the flat, shelflike rock, she looked down. The men below were staring up at her. A few started climbing, while the rest kicked their horses into a gallop and charged down the road.

  Mulan got up and ran, following a vague trail, around rocks and small bushes and grass, going up the mountain. At some points she had to use her hands to help her up, but this trail was much less steep than the first part of the climb.

  Soon she could hear voices behind her. Some of the men must have joined her in going up and over the mountain on foot. Would they reach the castle in time to stop the invaders from breaking through the gate?

  Mulan’s heart pounded. She thought of all the people—villagers, women and children—who had taken refuge in the castle. Would the enemy kill them? How many of the defending soldiers would die if they did not get there in time?

  She pushed herself to climb faster. As she reached a particularly steep part of the trail, she latched on to a tuft of grass to help pull herself up. Then she grabbed a tiny bush, then a rock. The rock came loose, and she nearly lost her balance and fell backward.

  Mulan lay against the side of the mountain in the dirt, panting. Her breaths came fast, drying her throat. The pain in her arms and shoulders had subsided, but the soreness in her ribs had increased, stabbing her with every breath.

  She rested a few moments, then glanced behind her. She caught a glimpse of the men climbing below her. Wolfgang was in the lead.

  Mulan’s strength surged as she continued climbing. Finally the mountain leveled off some, and then she was descending on the other side in full view of a large castle.

  Zachev Castle’s towers were round, some capped by roofs that rose to a point in the middle, while others were square and ringed with crenellations, behind which the archers could take aim. The rhythmic thundering of the battering ram assailed her ears, but the ominous sound gave her hope that she and her fellow soldie
rs were not too late.

  The gatehouse came into view. The heavily armored Teutonic Knights gathered behind the battering ram, waiting for them to break through the heavy door. From there they were only a short distance to the castle.

  A few bodies lay scattered on the ground wearing Duke Konrad’s colors, but other than those poor souls, no one else was in sight. Were the remainder of Duke Konrad’s knights and soldiers inside the castle, waiting to mount a counterattack once the enemy had breached their doors?

  Mulan continued down the side of the hill wondering when the Teutonic Knights would catch sight of her running toward them.

  A noise made her turn her head. Wolfgang was not far behind, an intense look in his eyes.

  Mulan pressed on, moving a bit more carefully now so she wouldn’t lose control and go careening down the steep hill. She had her eye on a boulder. God, help me reach it before anyone spots me.

  Her body flinched with every thunderous blow of the battering ram. How much longer could the entrance to the castle hold?

  Mulan slid the last few feet to the big boulder. She grabbed her bow and nocked an arrow to the string while glancing over her shoulder.

  Five or six men were descending the mountain, still exposed and in full view. Wolfgang led them, and he was already holding his bow and reaching for an arrow. His eye met hers and he nodded.

  Mulan turned back and took aim at one of the men on the giant wooden instrument of destruction. He wasn’t wearing armor—obviously not a Teutonic Knight but one of their hired mercenaries.

  Her stomach clenched and she hesitated. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill you, Mulan. She aimed at the soldier’s shoulder and let the arrow fly.

  She drew another arrow and took aim, seeing that her first arrow had found its mark. The man let go of the battering ram and clutched at the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. Several of his fellow soldiers on the battering ram looked up, searching for the source of the attack.

  Mulan took aim at another soldier who hadn’t yet let go of the battering ram. Just as she let her arrow fly, she heard the telltale whoosh of Wolfgang’s arrow flying past her. Then he slid in beside her. The other men who had been behind him also joined them, shooting arrows and ducking behind the rock. The space was just big enough for them all.

  The sudden volley of arrows caused the men to drop the battering ram and grab their weapons. A few answering arrows flew past their boulder. But it was clear they weren’t sure exactly where the attack was coming from.

  “When they start battering the door again,” Wolfgang whispered, “we’ll shoot again. Get ready.”

  All was quiet. The men were crowded around her, tense and smelling of sweat and fear. God, if I have to kill someone in battle, give me the courage to do it. Already she sensed if she thought about the man whose shoulder she’d wounded with her arrow, she would get sick. So she pushed him out of her mind. This is war. I have to be strong.

  A thought struck her. Were the Teutonic Knights and their men creeping up the hill toward them? Wolfgang must have had the same thought because he raised his head above the rock to assess. He ducked back down as arrows flew past their hiding place.

  “Are they coming?” someone whispered.

  “No, but they’re watching.”

  They all stayed still, waiting. Wolfgang’s shoulder was pressed against hers. He also had his bow in his hands, an arrow at the ready. The only sound was the harsh, heavy breathing of the men near her, which was gradually slowing after their hike over the mountain.

  Suddenly, the pounding of the battering ram started up again. Once, twice. Mulan and Wolfgang stood at the same moment. Mulan barely took the time to take aim before releasing her arrow. Then they both ducked behind the boulder again as arrows flew over their heads. She turned to see that Wolfgang was uninjured. The other men were in various stages of shooting their arrows as well.

  Mulan quickly nocked another arrow. She stood just long enough to aim and shoot.

  Angry shouts mixed with cries of pain below them. But the sound of the battering ram had ceased again. Then someone behind her groaned. An arrow was sticking out of the upper arm of one of their men. Mulan spun around and nocked another arrow.

  Wolfgang placed a hand on her arm. “Wait.”

  They all froze in place and listened. Everything was quiet below. Too quiet. After a few more moments, Wolfgang raised his head above the boulder, then ducked back down. “They’re coming,” he whispered. “Knights with swords, with archers out front.”

  It was inevitable that they would counterattack. They would have to fight them face-to-face now, hand to hand. Would their small group be slaughtered?

  The battering ram started up again. She thought she heard the huge wooden door crack. Soon it would be splintered. Their efforts would have been in vain.

  Had Mulan led Wolfgang and the others to their deaths?

  CHAPTER 5

  Wolfgang could feel the blood pulsing through this arms and legs, galvanizing him. The knights were charging up the hill, preceded by archers who would pick them off as soon as they showed themselves, leaving the knights to slay the rest with the sword.

  Teutonic Knights fought to the death.

  The pounding of horses’ hooves drifted to his ears, gradually growing louder. Urgent shouts, horses thundering into the area below. Mikolai turned hope-filled eyes toward him. The men behind him exclaimed in half whispers, then louder cheers. His ears welcomed the clang of steel on steel.

  Wolfgang raised his head over the top of the rock. The approaching soldiers ran back down to join the battle below.

  Wolfgang sprang up, along with his fellow men-at-arms, and loosed a volley of arrows, felling a few of the enemy as they headed downhill. Some of them turned and shot at them, but Wolfgang took cover behind the boulder.

  Soldiers in Konrad’s colors emerged from the trees not far away and ran toward the melee with war cries and swords raised.

  Wolfgang didn’t have his sword, and neither did the others, as they were still strapped to their horses. They’d all grabbed their bows following Mikolai’s example, which had been a good thing. But now that the battle was well engaged . . .

  “The swords!” Wolfgang shot another arrow, then ran down the hill to find his attendant and his horse.

  Mikolai was just in front of him, moving surprisingly fast. He reached his horse and stash of weapons the same moment Wolfgang reached his. After his bravery in scaling the mountain and stopping the Teutonic Knights from battering in the door, would Mikolai now be slain because of his poor sword-fighting skills? There seemed little doubt. But Wolfgang had to let the Lithuanian fend for himself. This was a battle, after all.

  Wolfgang drew his sword and was instantly confronted by a Teutonic Knight wearing a white surcoat with a plain black cross emblazoned across the front. He roared his battle cry and slashed at Wolfgang with his broadsword.

  Wolfgang fought back and was horrified to find that when confronted with fighting for his life, he actually fought rather clumsily, his sword heavy, his arm sluggish. But he continued to strike, and the big Teutonic Knight stumbled backward. Wolfgang knocked the knight’s sword out of his hand as he fell flat on his back.

  Wolfgang wrenched the knight’s helmet from his head and pressed the point of his sword to the man’s throat. “Surrender to me! Or I shall kill you where you lie.”

  The knight’s teeth were clenched as he bared them to Wolfgang. He would not have given Wolfgang the same courtesy, as Teutonic Knights were well known for not taking prisoners, and when they did, they sometimes slaughtered them while they were helpless and unarmed.

  Through clenched teeth, he said, “I yield.”

  Gerke, Wolfgang’s attendant, leapt on the man and bound his hands together before he could try to stand.

  Wolfgang moved to challenge his next opponent. But all the knights and their men were already fighting others.

  Then he noticed Mikolai struggling to hold his ground as a Teutonic Knight sl
ammed his sword blade against his and then shoved. Mikolai stumbled back while keeping his blade engaged. But his knees were slowly buckling under the weight of the much larger knight.

  Wolfgang charged at him.

  Mulan stumbled back, barely able to keep her sword blade pressed against the enemy’s. The man leaned all his weight on his sword, bending her backward. She couldn’t hold him much longer. Mother, standing in the door of the house, flitted across her mind. I’m so sorry, Mother.

  The soldier lifted his weight off his sword and turned to the side, blocking a blade that slammed into his. Wolfgang engaged the enemy knight. The knight turned fully away from Mulan. But before she could catch her breath, another enemy soldier attacked her.

  Mulan parried his strikes a few times, then leapt to the side to miss a blow altogether. That seemed to work well, as the soldier lost his footing and she was able to thrust her sword point under his arm and down, toward his ribs.

  He roared, baring his teeth and striking a massive blow. Mulan nearly dropped her sword as it vibrated in her hand. But suddenly her first opponent was leaning against the body of her new one.

  Wolfgang forced the knight, with several hard blows in quick succession, to press his back against the side of the soldier engaging her. Soon Wolfgang managed to get in a blow that struck both men’s swords. He was fighting them both. How long could he keep that up?

  Mulan fell to the ground on her hands and knees and pressed herself against the back of the enemy soldiers’ legs. They both fell over her, landing flat on their backs in a heap of clanging metal.

  Mulan sprang up as Andrei and Gerke fell on the two downed soldiers and bound their hands.

  Wolfgang already looked as though he was searching for his next opponent when a bugle sounded on the other side of the melee.

  The Teutonic Knights struck a few more blows, then retreated.

  Wolfgang started running, and since Mulan was unsure what to do, she followed suit. Wolfgang and their fellow soldiers pursued the Teutonic Knights and their men across the green grassy area to the wall they’d broken through. They leapt onto the stones and scrambled over the brick and mortar they’d torn down. The moat was just beyond the wall, and they crossed it on the makeshift bridge of felled trees they must have placed there.