But it was time to stop hiding.
It was time to stop being afraid.
Her grip tightened around the wig, and before she could lose her nerve, she ripped the fake blond hair from her head, shaking out the long, dark locks that were tucked underneath.
“Because I’m not Li,” she announced to the entire arena, her voice seeming to echo off the round red walls. “I’m Lonnie, daughter of the great warrior Mulan.”
I am ready. Win or lose, succeed or fail, I am going to do this as myself. And I’m going to deal with the consequences. Both here in the arena and back at Auradon Prep, where everyone is probably watching.
After the crowd’s shocked reaction finally died down, Lonnie took her position on the first wooden plank. The bell chimed, jolting Lonnie into action. She raised her sword as the first blazing sun came zooming toward her. It seemed to move so much faster when she was standing right in front of it than when she was watching from the sidelines. She swung her sword at just the right moment, easily slicing through the fiery ball and sending the shattered, sizzling pieces to the ground.
The next one came just as fast. But it was much higher. Lonnie scrambled up the wooden planks, fighting to keep her balance as each narrow platform swung under the weight of her steps. She was able to position herself on a plank close to the middle of the structure before turning and carving the air with her sword. The ball burst into tiny pieces of light. The crowd cheered.
For the next forty-five seconds, Lonnie continued to climb and cut, climb and cut, leaping effortlessly and valiantly through the air. She felt good holding that sword. Every time she swung, obliterating another ball of blazing fire, she felt strong and brave and invincible.
Just as she had when she’d battled those pirates alongside the VKs on the Isle of the Lost.
As Lonnie sliced through sun after sun, she seemed to fall into a kind of trance, her intense laser focus taking over her body until she’d almost forgotten where she was. For those forty-five seconds, she wasn’t in a giant red dome in the Imperial City, surrounded by thousands of people and watched by tens of thousands more all around the kingdom. She was back in the quiet gardens behind the palace, training with her mother, jabbing and feinting and spinning. The noise of the crowd seemed to disappear until all she could hear was her deep, labored breathing, the whoosh of the sword slicing the air, and the pounding of her own heart.
She had completely lost track of how many suns she had destroyed. That is, until Ari’s voice crashed through her mental barrier, bringing her back to the arena.
“I can’t believe it!” Ari cried over the speakers. “With only five seconds remaining, Lonnie has managed to tie Chen! She only needs one more to win!”
Lonnie sucked in a breath and braved a quick glance at the clock. Ari was right. The timer read fifty-five seconds, and the counter read twenty-two suns.
She was about to win this whole thing. All she needed to do was destroy one more sun, and the victory—and sword—would be hers!
She heard the familiar whiz of the ball being fired, and a split second later, Lonnie saw her victory sun rising swiftly into the air. It was going high. Much higher than she was. She began to climb, steadily stepping up plank after plank until she’d reached the very top of the structure. She didn’t dare look down, in fear that seeing the ground so far below would frighten her. She just kept her gaze locked tightly on that fiery ball of light barreling straight toward her.
Except it didn’t take long for her to realize that it wasn’t barreling straight toward her. It was barreling far to her left. To the clear opposite side of the structure. Yes, there were planks on that side, but there was no way for her to get there. At least, not without climbing halfway down the structure and then back up the other side. But that would take far too long. She’d never make it in time.
She glanced at the clock out of the corner of her eye.
Three seconds left!
She could jump for it. She might be able to slice through the ball in the air, but then what? There was no way she’d be able to catch herself. She’d surely fall and break her leg or something. Getting the sword of Shan-Yu wouldn’t matter if she wasn’t able to compete on the R.O.A.R. team all season!
There was nothing she could do. She’d just have to tie with Chen and hope that she could win whatever kind of tiebreaker the producers had planned.
Tiebreaker.
The word seemed to ring in her ears.
Tiebreaker.
Break the tie!
The idea exploded into Lonnie’s mind. She had no time to worry about whether or not it would work; she just had to have faith.
She pulled back her sword and swung it through the air, slicing right through the rope holding up the plank she was standing on.
The crowd gasped, most likely wondering what she was doing.
Was she crazy? She would surely fall!
And she did.
For a terrifying half a second, Lonnie felt gravity take hold. But then she grabbed on to the rope she had just cut and pushed off the plummeting plank, wrapping her legs around the rope she was holding to prevent herself from sliding down. Lonnie glided through the air across the structure, hanging on to the rope for dear life with one hand and both legs while her other hand stretched out her sword. She saw the blazing ball sailing past her and she thrust her sword as far as her arm would go, letting out a grunt of effort.
Her sword stabbed straight through the sun, and a glitter of fire rained down around her, sending the audience into a frenzy of raucous applause.
A huge grin spread across Lonnie’s face as she turned her head to watch the counter on the wall tick over from twenty-two to twenty-three, just as the clock ran out.
The competition ended an hour ago, and here I am, standing in front of the Imperial Council, waiting for the real prize.
The eight men and women who made up the Imperial Council were all incredibly old and dressed in long red silk robes lined with gold trim. Lonnie felt her heart start to gallop in her chest.
Why am I so nervous? she asked herself. If I can take on the Auradon Warrior Challenge—and win!—I shouldn’t be afraid of anything.
And yet, she was terrified.
There was something about the council—their serious expressions, their no-nonsense demeanor, their reputation for unrivaled wisdom and experience—that unnerved her. Even though she’d been the youngest person to ever win the Auradon Warrior Challenge, she still felt small and childish staring into their stony faces.
Chen had obviously not been pleased when she’d nabbed the victory. In fact, he’d stormed out of the arena in a huff. And even though Jay had still wanted to go after him and make him pay for trying to sabotage Lonnie, Lonnie had convinced him to let it go.
“I beat him,” she’d told Jay calmly. “Isn’t that payback enough?”
“No!” Jay had replied, his fists balling at his sides. “I want revenge!”
“Revenge has no honor,” Lonnie had explained.
And although it had taken a few minutes for him to calm down, Jay had eventually let the idea sink in. “Honor,” he’d repeated with a laugh. “It’s not a word you hear a lot on the Isle of the Lost.”
“Well,” Lonnie had said, “you’ve come a long way from the Isle of the Lost.”
And as Jay had finally agreed to let go of his thirst for revenge, Lonnie hadn’t been able to help feeling pride. It had been nice to be able to teach him something for a change.
As Lonnie stood in front of the Imperial Council, she realized that though she had come all this way to make her plea for the sword, she had no idea how to do it. What should she say? Was she supposed to speak first? Was there a special ceremony she was supposed to perform? The answer came a moment later when one of the members—a man who was seated in the center—spoke. “Lonnie, daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang, what is your business here in front of the council?”
Lonnie cleared her throat and tried to make herself look taller. “H
ello, members of the council,” she said. “Thank you for seeing me. I have come here in regards to the sword of Shan-Yu.”
There were quiet murmurs among the council members, and a few of them looked at each other and exchanged confused glances. Finally, the man in the center, clearly their leader, spoke again. “Yes, we received your letter regarding the sword of Shan-Yu, but we were under the assumption that this matter had already been resolved. Did you not receive our reply?”
Lonnie swallowed hard and took a step forward. “I did, your excellencies. And thank you for responding so quickly.” She stopped to take a deep breath, trying to steady her still-pounding heart. “In your letter, you said, ‘We do not believe you have yet proved your worthiness.’”
“Yes?” the leader replied.
“Well,” Lonnie went on after another hard swallow. “I have come here today to tell you that the situation has changed, and I now believe I have proved my worthiness of the sword.”
“Oh?” the leader asked. “Is that so?”
Lonnie nodded. “Yes, your excellency. You see, just an hour ago, I was named champion of the Auradon Warrior Challenge.” She reached down the front of her uniform and pulled out her medal. “As you probably know, this is the most difficult challenge in all of Auradon.”
“We are aware of the competition’s complexities,” the man replied, somewhat coldly. Then he cracked a rare smile and said, “In fact, we all watched it on TV today.”
There were nods of assent across the table.
“Oh!” Lonnie said, feeling somewhat lighter and more relaxed. “Great! So, then, you saw me win?”
“We did,” the man replied. “Your feat was quite impressive. It showed great courage and ingenuity.”
Lonnie blew out a huge sigh of relief. This was going to be easier than she had expected. “Well, then,” she said confidently. “I kindly request that the council reconsider their previous decision to deny me the sword of Shan-Yu, since I have clearly proven my worthiness as a warrior.”
The smile instantly vanished from the man’s face, and his expression returned to stone. Lonnie felt a squeeze in her chest.
“I am sorry, but that is not possible,” said the leader.
Lonnie’s jaw dropped. “B-b-but,” she stammered. “I won. I beat hundreds of other warriors. I’m now the greatest modern warrior in Auradon. Look! It says so right here!” She hoisted up her medal and pointed at the engraving on the front, which clearly spelled out:
GREATEST MODERN WARRIOR IN AURADON
“Our decision stands,” the leader said impassively.
“Aren’t you at least going to discuss it with the rest of the council?” Lonnie asked. She could hear the desperation in her voice.
“There is no need. We are unanimous.”
Lonnie glanced helplessly from the leader to each of the other seven members. They all gave her tiny, curt nods.
“I don’t understand!” Lonnie cried, feeling tears prick her eyes. “There must be some mistake.”
“There is no mistake,” the leader replied.
Lonnie was suddenly having a hard time catching her breath. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real! She’d done everything she was supposed to do. She’d trained all week. She’d gotten to the Imperial City. She’d defeated Chen and survived all his attempts to sabotage her. She’d won! How could they possibly turn her down? How could they possibly claim she still wasn’t worthy?
Her mind grasped for something else to say. Another argument. Another way to appeal to them. To get them to see they were wrong. She didn’t care how ancient and wise they were, they were still wrong. There had to be something she could do. Someone else she could talk to. Someone even older and wiser than them.
“The All-Knowing One!” she burst out breathlessly. “I wish to speak to the All-Knowing One!”
That was the answer. Lonnie was sure of it. The All-Knowing One was whom the council reported to. The All-Knowing One was the most respected and revered citizen of the Imperial City.
The leader of the council cocked an eyebrow. “I’m afraid that is impossible. The All-Knowing One does not meet with visitors.”
“But—” Lonnie tried to argue, but she was immediately cut off by the leader.
“Congratulations on your victory today, Lonnie, daughter of Fa Mulan and Li Shang. We wish you a safe journey back to Auradon Prep.”
The tears were now welling up in Lonnie’s eyes, but she did her best to keep them at bay. She didn’t want the council to see her cry. They had to think she was brave. They had to think she was worthy. If they saw her blubbering like a baby, they would never, ever grant her request.
But she could see in all their eyes that there was nothing else to say. No more arguments to make. The council was not going to change its mind.
So Lonnie did the only thing there was left to do. She bowed her head in defeat and ran from the room.
I’m pretty much devastated. I cannot believe after all that, after I won the Auradon Warrior Challenge, they still wouldn’t let me have my mother’s sword.
When Lonnie emerged from the Imperial Palace, Jay was waiting for her on the front steps. He stood up, anxiously peering at her empty hands.
“Wh-wh-where is it?” he fumbled to say, confusion shadowing his features. “What happened?”
All the tears Lonnie had been trying so desperately to hold back slowly started to spill from her eyes. “They said no!”
“What?” Jay screeched so loudly that a few palace guards looked over, gripping their swords more tightly. “How could they do that?”
Lonnie sniffled and threw her arms up. “I don’t know. They just said I still hadn’t proved my worthiness.”
Jay was angry now. Lonnie could see it all over his face and in his clenched fists. She was worried he was going to hit something. Like a wall or a post. “But that’s total camel crud! You just won the most difficult competition in all of Auradon. You’re the new Auradon Warrior! How could they possibly say you aren’t worthy?”
The entire way out of the palace, Lonnie had asked herself the same question over and over. But she still hadn’t come up with an answer. So she just cried harder. “Let’s just go home,” she replied. “Let’s just go back to Auradon Prep, finish studying for finals, and get on with our lives.”
“No!” Jay immediately shot back, startling Lonnie with his intensity. “We’re not just going to go home with our tails between our legs. You’re not going to let that stupid council intimidate you. And you’re not going to take no for an answer.” He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, back toward the steps. “You’re marching right back in there and demanding your sword.”
Lonnie shook her head. “It won’t work. Their decision is final.”
“Then go talk to the All-Glowing One. Didn’t you tell me that’s who the council reports to?”
Through her tears, Lonnie couldn’t help chuckling.
“What?” Jay asked.
“It’s the All-Knowing One. Not the All-Glowing One.”
“Whatever!” Jay snapped. “Go find this person and demand your sword. Threaten to kick butt if you don’t get it.”
Lonnie shook her head. “This isn’t the Isle of the Lost. You can’t kick the All-Knowing One’s butt. That’s not how we do things here in Auradon. We respect customs and tradition.”
“Well, that’s the problem!” Jay argued. “You Auradon kids are too polite. You’re too obsessed with the rules and what’s ‘proper.’ If it were me, I would fight back.”
“Well,” Lonnie said softly, “it’s not you, is it? It’s me, and I say we’re going home.”
She walked past him, lightly brushing against his shoulder. She expected Jay to just let it go and follow her back to the suite so they could pack their things, find Jordan, and leave. But he didn’t. He continued to stand there with his fists clenched and his breathing heavy. “C’mon, Lonnie,” he said after a moment. “Be brave.”
Anger cours
ed through her veins. She spun around. “You have a lot of nerve talking to me about bravery!”
Jay looked taken aback. “Excuse me?”
“If you’re so brave,” Lonnie challenged, “why don’t you just admit that you hurt Jordan’s feelings and apologize to her instead of putting on this ridiculous charade every time you see her?”
Jay’s mouth fell open and he uttered something that sounded more like gibberish than actual words.
“Yeah,” Lonnie replied. “I know what happened. Jordan told me. She said that you…”
Lonnie’s voice trailed off as she realized she didn’t actually know what hurtful thing Jay had said to Jordan to make her so mad. Jordan had never gotten around to telling her. She’d started to, but then she had moved to talking about the documentary and how scared she was to finish it, and Lonnie had never heard the rest of the story.
Jay’s shoulders slouched. “I said her father’s powers were overrated.”
Lonnie’s eyes widened. “You did what?”
Jay sighed and refused to meet Lonnie’s eye. She could tell he was ashamed about what he was about to say. “We were filming Jordan’s documentary and, you know, just kind of chatting about stuff. Life, classes, parents. She claimed her father was the most powerful genie of all time, and I…well, I didn’t agree.”
Lonnie narrowed her eyes at him.
“Hey.” Jay defended himself, holding up his hands. “I grew up hearing stories about that epic day when my father stole the lamp and enslaved the great and powerful genie. That kind of stuff rubs off on you. Anyway, I was getting annoyed at all the bragging she was doing about her dad, so I casually reminded her of the time her father lost to my father. She totally overreacted, got all huffy, and stormed off.”
“And then what?” Lonnie asked.
Jay shrugged, like he didn’t understand the question. “And then nothing. She’s been mad at me ever since.”
Lonnie's Warrior Sword Page 10
