Dragon of the West

Chapter 8 - Mylo's Secret

Hola mi amigos! Welcome to another chapter of Dragon of the West! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, because it is only going to get better. How'd you guys like that plot twist at the end of the last chapter? I had been planning it ever since I started thinking up Iroh's companions for the trip, so that moment was very satisfying to finally write. Now we get to see the fallout of that revelation, so make haste to the story. Enjoy!Chapter 8They were both silent for a moment, staring at each other. Iroh finally broke the silence by asking, "What? You're joking, right?""No." Mylo said with a sigh. "I'm completely serious, Iroh. I am a girl, always have been."Iroh couldn't really believe it. It was impossible for Mylo to have been able to have kept up a charade like that for so long. He had to be joking."That's funny, Mylo." Iroh said with a chuckle. "Anything to keep from lifting your shirt, huh? I understand that you're shy. You don't have to worry.""No." Mylo said, flustered. "I'm not kidding. I really am a girl. As in female. The opposite gender. I. Am. A girl. Don't ask me to prove it."He was serious? He- no, she- actually was a girl? That couldn't possibly be right."Wait, wait, wait." Iroh said, confused. "You really are a girl? But how? How could you have kept up pretending to be a boy this long? And why?"Mylo closed his eyes for a moment in thought. "It's a little hard to explain, Iroh. But first I need to be sure you won't tell anyone. Ever. Swear on it.""Of course. I won't tell anyone, Mylo. Not in a million years. I swear."Mylo still looked worried. "And you won't ever tell anyone?""I promise." Iroh said with a slight smile. "Hey, you know my secret. If yours ever gets out, you can spill mine to everybody you know."Mylo shrugged. "That's true. Okay, I already told you about my village and how I grew up. It was a very poor fishing village, and my family was really poor. My dad died a few years ago in the war. He fought bravely defending his comrades. Since then, I've watched the recruiters come and go, taking all the young men to fight in the war against the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom. This year, my older brother was supposed to join the army, but he hurt his leg really bad about a year ago. It never really healed right. I couldn't let him come here. He would have been killed. And I couldn't let him die, not after-" Mylo let her voice drift away. After a pause she continued. "So I took his place. He didn't want me to go, but I wouldn't listen to him. I was scared he would convince me he had to go. I took his uniform and cut my hair and snuck away in the night. I told them that I was Mylo so that he wouldn't have to go. They took me on this ship and here I am.""When they saw what condition he was in wouldn't they have sent him back? You didn't have to go anywhere." Iroh asked. He doubted that the Army would accept a crippled boy into their midst. It was just bad business.Mylo chuckled darkly. "You don't know anything, do you? Nah, I don't see how you would, seeing as you're the Prince and all. You only see the pretty side of your troops. All the fancy uniforms, big ships, and bigger numbers. You don't see the messed up things they do to the people of the Earth Kingdom or even some of the places here. They beat the old, take the woman, and do whatever they please. They would have had no problem taking a crippled guy with them just for the entertainment. They would have enjoyed watching him struggle. They might have even enjoyed watching him die. That's just what they are like.""I can't believe it... What you did, that was incredibly brave. Taking your brother's place, coming here despite everything that could happen." Iroh didn't want to say out loud the thought that had occurred to him. He realized what might happen if someone discovered that Mylo was actually a girl. These were soldiers after all. In reality she was taking much bigger risk than her brother ever might."It wasn't that brave." Mylo said modestly. "Remember how I told you I wanted to be a Firebender? Completely true. I have been dreaming of being a soldier since I was a little kid. I always wanted to be like Dad..." Mylo's voice drifted off for a moment. "Then she said, "That's why I wouldn't take it all back. Not even what Zarai just did could make me take it back. Because this was always my dream, to become a soldier. To defend the weak against people like the Earth Kingdom, and to make the military pure again from the inside.""You wouldn't take it back?" Iroh asked. "Even considering what happened with Zarai and his thug friends?"Mylo smiled weakly. "I knew something like that was bound to happen. For someone my size it's inevitable. I actually thought it would be worse, so that's a plus. Besides, I found some good friends and discovered that I can be a Firebender one day. I wouldn't want to ever take that back. Believe me, I'm living my dream.""That's good to know. But I'm still going to try to find a way to get back at Zarai. He has no right to mess with you." His eyes narrowed. "And he has no idea who he just messed with.""Nice." Mylo said with an approving nod. "That's the Iroh I know. But before you go Kyoshi on him, help me to the bathroom. I still need to get cleaned up."Iroh helped Mylo to his -her- feet and put her arm around his shoulder. He led them out the door and to the bathroom a little ways down the hall. Mylo entered, leaning on the walls."If you need me for anything just say so." Iroh said. "I'll be right out here until you're done." He waited pressed against the wall in the dark hallway. He tried to process what he had just learned. How could Mylo be a girl? Yeah, it was more likely than Nile or Zarai, but it was still very unexpected for Iroh. He could understand how she had pulled it off physically- her small size and lack of development in the areas some girls tended to have led to her having a boyish look- but he was amazed that she had been able to keep up the charade mentally. Iroh had never noticed anything peculiar or overly unusual about Mylo's behavior. She had blended in incredibly well, acting as most boys did.Iroh's mind turned to his more pressing mind candy. Zarai had waited patiently, letting Iroh drop his guard for a counter attack. As he waited he had examined his target and figured out his weaknesses. Zarai was smart, smart and perceptive. One of the toughest opponents, both mentally and physically, that Iroh had ever seen. Iroh knew he couldn't back down to a guy like him, because if he did Zarai and the others like him would continue to bully their way into places of authority. Places that were in Iroh's Nation, his future power structure. Iroh knew for sure he didn't want Zarai or anyone like him in charge of his troops. He had to stop this problem now, while it was still in its infancy.Mylo emerged looking a lot cleaner. Now Iroh could see the subtle signs of Mylo's feminism, the small things Iroh's mind had just passed over before he had known. He could see the small things, like the eyelashes and lips, the shoulder frame and even the way she carried herself as she walked. It was only slightly noticeable that this was a person that wasn't used to wearing boots.As they got back to their room, Mylo said, "I'm serious about not telling anyone, Iroh. You can't say a word. Not even to Satsudi and Nile.""Relax." Iroh said reassuringly. "My lips are sealed.""In fact, you should try to think of me as a guy as much as possible. Try to pretend you didn't learn anything. Use 'he' and words like that in your mind. Just to be safe."Iroh shrugged as he climbed up through the darkness to his bed. "Whatever you say." He glanced out the window to see the moon's position. He should still be able to get a couple of hours of sleep.After a few minutes of silence, Iroh asked, "Hey Mylo. What's your real name?" Part of him didn't expect an answer. Mylo might be asleep, or she -he, Iroh forced himself to think he- might not be ready to answer.At almost an inaudible whisper, Iroh heard the name, "Nya."Satisfied, Iroh muttered down a quick, "Thank you. Good Night." He set himself to relaxing his mind so he could go to sleep. Right before he drifted off he had a sudden, funny thought. His mother would completely flip if she knew he was sleeping in the same room as a girl.For the second time that night Iroh fell asleep with a smile. This time, however, he would wake up the same way.That's all folks! Sorry this chapter was so short, the senioritis was strong in this one and I have also been working on another project. I'm sure many of you have been disappointed by the lack of romance in my story so far, and it's showed in the very slow development of fans. (cries softly). I have kept out of the romance department so far, but like the perfume department in Spongebob there is no way to avoid it. I'm going to try to keep that aspect slow so that it seems more real and natural. I ask for forgiveness beforehand because romance isn't really my forte (I like plot and character a bit more) so it will probably suck. Anyway, you should check out my other story Revenge of the Red Lotus and I will be releasing the project I mentioned before very soon. While you are waiting for that, check out my friend Solo Gamer's works. And don't forget to favorite, follow and review! Darthlane commands you!