Blooming In Adversity

Chapters 7-11 + Epilogue

Chapter Seven

Clutching the flower hair comb to her chest, Mulan thudded to her knees on the ground. Her head dropped forward, falling over her clenched hands. Shock rendered her speechless, and vaguely aware of her three friends awkwardly stepping forward to comfort her, and of Shang's presence hovering over her shoulder. Ling reached out his arms to embrace Mulan, but drew back when he saw Shang kneel down beside her, his face a mask of sorrow. He alone understood.
The General wrapped his arm loosely around her shoulder, drawing Mulan close to him as tears began to shimmer on her cheeks. Sobbing furiously, Mulan collapsed against Shang. letting the comb drop from her fingers as she turned to cling to him, burying her face in his shirt as if she were trying to shield herself from the nightmare around her. Shang reached up to gently cradle her head against his chest, looking sadly up at the three men who exchanged worried glances with their General, wondering what to do for their grieving friend.
"Will you three see if the others have found anything?" They all were startled. It was the first time he had actually asked and not ordered. "I think I am going to send her back to Wu Zhong. She does not need to see this."
But only a moment after the trio turned on their heels, Mulan looked up from Shang's embrace. "I'm sorry," her words were muffled by her crying. She struggled to sit up straight, blinking back her tears as though the passionate display of emotion was something shameful, but Shang only held her steady as he dabbed at her smeared cheeks with his shirt sleeve.
"This is why I work so hard so China can be free of them." he told her somberly, taking in the charred ruins where the village had once stood. Lifting up her chin he stared into her eyes. Tears still stood in them, ready to fall again. "My father died for it."
She seemed not to hear him though. "I guess I'm not a very good soldier..."
Shang glanced around a moment than raised her head higher as he leaned down.
Mulan trembled when she felt his lips touch hers, gently and slowly. No one had ever kissed her before. For a moment, the warmth of that kiss was enough to numb the grief so that it was too far away to hurt her. Mulan had never felt so close to another person in all her life, that they shared this pain, fresh as it was it cut into her deeply. She remembered the strength he had shown at the Tung Shao Pass, and wished for it now. And when she returned his kiss, it was with an involuntary touch of passion.
"General!" a shout rang in the distance. it was Yao. The pair broke away, each helping the other in scrambling to their feet. For one burning instant Mulan hated her friend.
Then a woman's terrified scream pierced through the silence - well, for Mulan, there was silence - and the sound of boots and clinking metal echoed somewhere from the trees. Yao and Ling were already running with their swords drawn, swiftly followed by Chien-Po and finally Shang. Brandishing her own sword, Mulan caught up to them, fearful of what she might see.
Two large men appeared between a gap in the trees, their long hair and fur decorated clothing gave them away. Still, the shrieks persisted. When Mulan took a closer look behind the second Huns, she saw a third man struggling with a girl in one massive arm, trying to throw her to the ground. Yao lunged at the first with Ling at his side, Ling delivering a high kick to the man's head while Yao swiped at him with his sword.. With the force of the blow, Ling had sent the one flying into other, knocking the pair to the ground. Yao began attacking both with his fists. Then the third drew his sword and waved it over Yao's head, the panic-stricken girl still imprisoned at his side. Mulan gasped, her mouth open to shout a warning. But with a deft move, Shang kicked the sword out of the Hun's hand, seizing the woman by the arm to yank her free and throw her into Chien-Po's waiting hold. He threw himself at the Hun, wrestling furiously with kicks and blows until Mulan saw a silvery blur of metal slip between the man's ribs.
Shang got up quickly, cleaning his knife on the Hun's waist cape. Mulan found it hard to look at him, or the Hun, at first. But when she saw the horror that had frozen the young woman's face, Mulan thought she could forgive Shang.
"Chien-Po," Shang said quietly.
The big man released his hold on the young lady in his arms, helping her to stand aright. Her dress was torn and stained, but the pale blue silk had once been fine, and though the tapered end of one trailing sleeve was missing, Mulan knew this girl was not wearing a ceremonial gown for nothing. The doll like features of her powdered face and painted eyes proclaimed her a bride in the making, and surely more a successful one than Mulan had been. Her cosmetics and elaborately wrapped hair had managed to stay intact, but her face was a painted mask of repulsion, and fear.
"Are you hurt?" Shang inquired of the young woman, trying to be soothing. He reached out to take her by the arm and turn her view from the dying Hun, but she flinched so at his hand that Shang withdrew it quickly.
The girl's lips trembled nervously as she spoke. "I-I-I d-doon't think s-s-so, sir."
"Will you tell us your name?" Mulan knew Shang was only doing the best he could with the situation, but she shook her head. He was a man and could not understand.
"Min Mei-La"
Chien-Po smiled. "That's a lovely name." But he stopped there when both Shang and Mulan shot him an identical warning, reminding him this was no time to flirt. Mei-La was quite pretty though, when the fear had left her face.
Mei La regained her compusre, and began to calmly relate her story.
"I was in town, to be betrothed, and when I returned later everything was gone. It was as if the families had burned their homes themselves, not the Huns. I hid in the trees when they rode through here. Well it's harder to hide from men on foot, the three men found me just before you came. They complained of nothing to loot, and said that I would have to do. They said after me, the Imperial City would do as well."
Mulan felt her heart leap inside her chest. If the people had burned their own homes that meant her family was alive, but where? Shang broke into a smile, the knowledge of the Hun's plan brought a glow to his face Mulan had never witnessed in him before.
"Chien-Po." A momentary glow, he was back in command again. "Whatever Mei-La wishes to do, see that it is done. We cannot take a lady with us, it would be too dangerous for her." Then he turned to Mulan and the other two men. "Come, We ride for the Imperial City."
The small party joined the other soldiers in mounting their horses. Turning the reins of his white stallion, Shang led the riders in the direction of the mountains.
Mulan risked one last look at the charred remains and scattered embers that had once been her home, their was a lump in her heart where the grief had lived. But her family was alive, somehow a burned village seemed a fair price to pay for it.
***
Mulan had much to think over as Khan followed Shang in climbing the rocky terrain nearing the mountains. The air grew colder as the roads took them into higher ground, making her glad for the heavy armor and cape. She spent a great deal of time staring at Shang's back as he rode ahead of her. Every now and then he would turn around to say something about the Huns or about the soldiers, but his behavior was no different than before he had kissed her. What would possess him to do a thing like that back there? And when he had had more convenient opportunities? Maybe it was not that kind of kiss, Mulan decided - then again she was rather ignorant about such things. Mulan had been around few men in her life that were not family, and she certainly never had any male friends until now. But Yao, Ling or Chien-Po had never kissed her before. Shang was different from them though. She loved her friends but she had to admit the General was far more refined, Maybe it was merely his way of comforting her. Mulan knew Shang loved her, only not in the way that she wanted him to.
"Chien-Po says you are a girl," she heard a crystalline voice announce from her right, declaring that the word of one of her rescues carried a great deal of weight in her lofty opinion. Still, the voice had a hint of a frosty edge, defining the sentiment on the issue a mix of awe and distaste. Mulan turned to see Min Mei-La gracefully draped across the side of Chien-Po's saddle in front of him. The man looked awkward riding, he had grumbled several times that he would rather walk. Shang had laughed at him, and said that they were trying to move in all haste. Mei-La's dress had been straightened though the silk was ruined beyond repair, but she wore the thing so regally it almost seemed the tears and dirt belonged there. Dignity and refinement, Mulan heard the Matchmaker say, Mei-La was certainly the very picture of it. It was strange, but Mulan had never been so envious of someone in all her life.
"Yes, I am," Mulan answered her patiently. "Were you betrothed after all?"
Mei-La spoiled her grace a bit by shrugging her shoulders. "The Matchmaker bid me return tomorrow, to have her answer. I should be though," Producing a fan from her dress, Mei-La gave a laugh as she opened it to hide her face demurely behind its painted folds. "The last time I saw her, she told me no man would want a woman who smiled so much."
Shaking her head, Mulan tried not to notice what Chien-Po's goofy eyes said. He thought her pretty when she smiled.
"How come you were never married, Mulan?" Chien-Po asked suddenly. Opening her mouth, Mulan prepared to explain, but she shut it when she realized Shang was riding towards them.
He had seen the three talking, and looked Mei-La over carefully. The pretty young lady fluttered her fan delicately before her face, feigning modesty, but in truth she was looking Shang over in a most unladylike fashion, pursing her red lips thoughtfully at what she saw. "I see you are alright, that's good." Mulan tried to straighten and master as much poise as the other girl. She thought of the fine clothes she had donned at the Imperial Palace, her effort at feminine grace must have seemed as a duckling would compare to a swans. It was silly though, Shang had not even so much as smiled at Mei-La and Mulan was trying to compete with her. Well, Mei-La was beautiful, - in an overdone, curvaceous kind of way - Mulan supposed she could not help that.
"Mulan was going to tell us why she was never betrothed to anyone." Mulan silently reminded herself to light a cannon under Chien-Po while he was slept that night.
The General quirked an eyebrow in that sophisticated manner of his. The subject intrigued him.
By this time, Yao and Ling joined the group, wondering what all the discussion was about. Or perhaps they had come for a closer look at Mei-La. Either way, Mei-La took the liberty of announcing the topic at hand for the newcomers. They were also intrigued. Mulan wanted to kill them all for delighting in the most humiliating experience of her young life.
But she told them the story, quite embarrassed by Mei-La's lovely presence and her mastery of feminine perfection. She told them how the women of the village had helped to dress and prepare, and how she had written the notes on her arm in case she forgot what to say. They laughed at that, even these four soldiers knew the Final Admonition better than she! The group exploded into deeper fits of hilarity when she repeated the incident with the tea, and its unfortunate consequences for the Matchmaker. Finally, she told them what the dreadful old woman had said to her about being a disgrace. Mei-La gasped in horror, her eyebrows climbing above the rim of her fan. All of the men saw such amazing humor in the incident that they did not see the hurt in her face as she repeated those scathing words, particularly Shang, whom she had never seen so greatly amused. That hurt her even more, that he should laugh at her.
Seizing Khan's reins, Mulan rode away from them sadly.
That night, Mulan sat in solitude, eating her rice and poking at her fire with a stick. None of her friends had approached her since the afternoon, none of them probably understood why she had gotten upset. Yao and Ling were huddled around their fire, squabbling over a game of Xiang Qi. Shang stood over Ling, speaking quietly to him. Ling made a move and all of a sudden Yao was throwing the pieces and showing Ling his fists. Shang walked away laughing to himself. Chien-Po was seated next to Mei-La around their own fire, the pair was talking softly and holding hands. Everyone seemed to be having fun despite the battles that lay ahead. She stirred at her fire again, this time with a bit of vengeance.
Mulan was silent when Shang came over to sit down beside her, prying the stick from her fingers to tend the fire more calmly. "What's the matter, Mulan?" He asked her quietly. But she refused to look at him, instead she turned away and hung her head.
"Nothing."
"Mulan?"
Sighing heavily, she realized he was going to press her until she admitted the truth. It was flattering, she decided, that he cared enough to want to know what troubled her. Perhaps he just felt guilty. "The Matchmaker was right," she mumbled in despair. "I am a disgrace."
"Fa Mulan, stop it. That's an order," Shang answered her sharply.
She shook her head, stubborn in her self-effacing conviction. "I dishonored my father twice in one day, failed as a bride, and had to run away from home and kill a conqueror to make them forget about it." Then she finally turned around to face Shang. "And that's why I joined army where you yourself said I did not belong." You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home. Those words had wounded her, she was surprised at the freshness of their sting.
"The morning I met you, my father gave me a sword. Just a sword. My father wasn't a proud man like your father, he was arrogant. It didn't matter if I was the most incompetant soldier in China, the fact that I was his son was enough to put me in command. I didn't have much time to learn to be a leader, I thought my father could teach me. When he died, I lost the whole world in one moment, and in the next I learned everything I needed to know from watching you." She had never seen him look so intense before, his eyes gleamed, burning their meaning into her. The words nearly startled her. "I never said you didn't belong in the army," Shang challenged his long ago comment firmly after a pause. "I said you didn't belong at the Imperial Palace where people like Chi Fu were standing around. People with far more power than I had. Mulan, you were foolish to come back, to risk your life that way. I was furious to see you being so naive."
Mulan sniffed, that was not how it appeared to her. "You had every right to be angry, I did not come back to be haloed a hero. I came to warn you." She sighed, his wrath then had hurt her so badly. He reached out a hand as though to apologize, but she shook him off. "I'll never bring honor to my family the way Mei-La will." She glanced enviously at the graceful young woman smiling at Chien-Po, and the way he was fawning over her with such charming adoration. Mulan wished someone would look at her that way. Someone who did not treat her like one of the men.
But Shang was incredulous. "After all you've done? Joined the army, saved the Emperor? All you want is to be a porcelain doll?" He shrugged as though women as a whole absolutely confounded him, turning to diplomacy instead. "I would imagine that Mei-La will never bring honor to China as you have. And I am sure she wishes Chien-Po would see in her something more than her beauty." She had to admire his wisdom, Mulan had never thought of it quite that way. Shang placed an arm around her, giving her a warm squeeze. "Mulan, you've always been so brave. You don't know how much I love..." he stopped, gazing at her intently. Even the fire ceased to crackle in suspense. Then he looked down. "...that" he finished modestly. Her heart sank.
"You do not admire Mei-La?" She masked her disappointment smoothly.
He looked a bit surprised by the question, but recovered himself quickly to give her a fair answer. Shang was always fair. "Mei-La is made to please the eye, but that is all."
"Is that not what men want?" Mulan challenged. "A woman to draw the eye and nothing more?" It was hard to believe they were discussing this, he had never been so open with her before.
"Most men, yes" he admitted. "But a strong man is one who seeks more than is expected." Then his beautiful dark eyes settled back on Mulan, something meaningful in them that she did not quite understand. "And the man who finds it is blessed beyond all wealth and glory." Her heart melted inside her chest, she titled her head, wishing he would kiss her again. Maybe if she kissed him... But the spell was broken when he got to his feet, pulling her after him by the hand. "Come on, Yao is losing at Xiang Qi because I've been helping Ling. Why don't you join us and make things fair?"
A kiss would have been wonderful, but she was willing to settle with simply remaining near him for the evening.
When the pair joined Yao and Ling, the stout man was winning the game - much to Ling's dismay. Yao grumbled a threat when he saw Shang sitting opposite him, beside the losing Ling. "If you're so good at this you can play me yourself, pretty boy." The General was amused at Yao's defiance, not even "pretty boy" brought any offense to him. Mulan took a place next to Yao and whispered where to move his next piece. The feisty man rubbed his hands together with a broad grin every time she suggested a particularly advantageous move. The game went on for quite some time, sometimes in Yao's favor and sometimes in Ling's. Finally the contesting men moved aside and shoved the board between Mulan and Shang
"You two play," Yao suggested.
Ling echoed his approval. "This should be good!" Then he craned his skinny neck to call over Mulan's head. "Chien-Po! Mei-La! Come over here and watch!"
The new couple whirled around with a shared star struck expression, as if the realization that a world existed beyond each other's eyes was quite a shock to them. But they came, the massive Chien-Po escorting his lovely new sweetheart by the hand. They took a place to one side, between Mulan and Shang.
Shang propped himself on an elbow as he studied the board and the arrangement of pieces, deducing a move. But it was Mulan's turn. She grabbed one piece, then another as she mused over the prospective strategic possibilities, but he raised eyebrow with such amusement that she returned it to make a move with the first. Before she realized her mistake, he was already grinning. She took her turn again, trying to decipher a more clever move this time. But just as before his smile alerted her of her defeat, and soon he had thoroughly trounced her at the game.
"Strategy" Shang chided his female lieutenant playfully. She sniffed.
Mei-La pursed her lips behind her fan. She appeared scandalized that Shang would speak to a woman as his equal. But she looked over the two of them thoughtfully. It was then that Mulan decided that this girl was perhaps not so dumb as she pretended.
That night, Mulan did not object when Mei-La suggested Mulan share her tent with her instead of sleeping on the ground. It was Mulan's tent, but she was willing to give it up for Mei-La's privacy. The girl was unaccustomed to the company of soldiers. She brought Mei-La the wash water to rinse off her make-up and helped her out of her silks and into a spare shirt Mulan had in her bags. The prissy young lady was several inches shorter than Mulan, who was not tall herself, and so the pale garment reached her knees decently enough in the company of another woman. Mulan even assisted her companion in loosening her hair to brush the long black locks. The preparations for a girl to meet the Matchmaker were fastidious, it took two pairs of hands to undo them.
When they were finished, Mei-La stretched out on her pile of blankets comfortably, gazing up at nothing in particular. "I want to marry Chien-Po," she announced suddenly.
"We can't just marry who we want, Mei-La." Mulan reminded the dreamy eyed girl. "Your parents or a Matchmaker would have to arrange."
The girl sighed sadly, Mulan felt a stab of guilt for souring her dream. "I know. But what if we could?" Then her words were surprisingly frank. "Have you ever been in love, Fa Mulan?"
Mulan was embarrassed, she did not know quite what to say to Mei-La's so abrupt question. In these couple of hours, she had developed a fondness for Min Mei-La, though she was not ready to confess the deepest secret of her heart. "I think so," she answered simply, looking away.
The topic of love was rather exciting to her new friend. She burst into a perfectly chiming fit of giggles. "He is sweet on you, I think. And a good thing too, I've never seen a more handsome man."
Mulan's eyebrows climbed her forehead in a startled expression "Who, Chien-Po?" Handsome? There was no accounting for taste.
That only brought another round of giggles, "No, no. That handsome young general with the serious eyes." Her features calmed a bit, Shang certainly was handsome.
"We are friends," Mulan declared in annoyance. "I'm his second in command."
"I saw him kiss you."
Her cheeks burned, she wanted to run outside for fresh air to put out the fire in her face. Mulan decided this girl had not managed to master the demure and quiet manner demanded of a girl these days. Picking up her pillow, Mulan hurled it at the evil woman. She caught it and threw it back. Delicate indeed.
"Go to sleep!" Mulan hissed. Mei-La's face was decorated with the most triumphant grin for having put China's most unconventional hero off balance. It was much in likeness to the smile Shang had worn when he had bested her at Xiang-Qi. Shang, Mulan let the name pour reverently across her thoughts, those beautiful eyes, that commanding grace. She wondered if what Mei-La observed was true, and what Li Shang would make of her if she spoke up about her feelings. With these thoughts, Mulan trailed off to sleep, imagining the weight of warm lips over hers as she did so.
The following morning, Mei-La growled when her tent mate woke her at the crack of dawn, shoving a bowl of porridge in her face and ordering her to hurry. Mulan could sympathize though, as the girl tried to cower beneath the blanket. She too had taken a long time to become an early riser. Mushu had always been the one to wake her with porridge. Mulan sighed, she missed the little dragon who was now snug in the Fa family temple.
The others were already up and dressed, packing up supplies to tie to the packhorses in order to move out with all speed. Yao and Ling had already gotten into a fight this morning, and whatever it was Shang was busy yelling at the both of them. Chien-Po did not seem to be around until Mulan spotted him next to Mei-La. When Shang asked the girl what she wished to do with herself, Mei-La stated that she requested to be taken to the next village where most of the farmers had gone as refugees, likely Mulan's family, she had said. Mei-La also informed Shang that she wished to marry Chien-Po, that unimportant piece of information earned a dry "I'm not a Matchmaker" from the General, with a sharp look for Chien-Po. The soldier bowed his head and received the tacit scolding with a grace none of his friends could have managed.
"I will speak to the Matchmaker, my love," Mei-La had cooed to Chien-Po before she was sent on her way. The entire party looked ready to be sick on the spot.
Mulan turned to Shang who rode next to her for most of the journey. "I wish I could see if my family is alright," she said with a wistful glance to the passing village. "My uncle has a house there, I'm sure it is where they are."
"I'm sure they are alright, Mulan," he tried to reassure her. "We don't have time to stop."
Frowning, Mulan sighed, but she understood.
It was not long before the greens and browns of the country turned into the whites and blues of the mountains. There was a nervous tension among the troops as the Pass drew nearer. It would take four days before they actually made it into the mountains, and Shang did not want to enter such treacherous terrain at night, so they rode hard most of the day and well after sundown. They rode until darkness fell completely over China.
Before bed Shang would call her to his tent, they would discuss military matters such as supplies and tactics. Sometimes he would call Yao, Ling and Chien-Po with her on those little meetings, of all his men, the four were the only ones he had any personal trust in. The men were all quick studies when it came to these things, and the three men were like honorary officers without titles, which was not to say they did not find themselves in their fair share of trouble. Shang grew weary of handing out punishments and one evening flat out ordered Ling and Yao not to brawl anymore until the war was over. But when Shang conferred with her alone, it was plainly General speaking with Lieutenant, no kisses, no soft words, not even a smile. True, Shang had his hands full, and this was nothing to take lightly - he had told her as much back at her village. But Mulan felt like riding away and shaking Mei-La for raising her hopes. Sweet on her indeed. Those days Shang acted about as sweet on her as he did Chi-Fu!
But those days of traveling and preparing passed, and soon they found themselves within the snowy peaks and rocky cliffs that marked the Tung-Shao pass. Upon their arrival, the place looked empty and Mulan thought perhaps Mei-La had been mistaken. But Shang had seen the hoof prints in the village heading north. There were no signs an army had been through here, except what Mulan remembered of the first battle she had seen.
She suggested they spread out to form scouting parties, but Shang disagreed. He claimed that any one of those slopes could hide thousands of Huns, placing them on too good a ground for Chinese scouts to be of much use. Likely, they had spies noticing them even now. That was a good thing about Shang, he was never willing to risk anyone's life foolishly, except his own.
Then the sky rained thick with arrows. Fiery Hun arrows.

Chapter Eight

Yao and Mulan were the first to have their swords out, but the rest of the men obeyed Shang's call to arms with the alacrety expected of soldiers. A shower of arrows was a telltale herald of a Hun charge, and not wanting to give them too much ground, Shang led his men on horseback to the top of the slope wheer tha arrows had appeared from the north. The Huns were quick and skilled, but they were terribly predictable.
The Chinese formed a human blockade at the top of the slope, fighting to push the advancing Huns back to the lower the ground, a physical obsticle that stood between the Huns and the Imperial City. Mulan held her blade with poise as she awaited the onslaught, the deafening buzz of a multitude of battle cries as they rushed foward made them seem like a swarm of bees covering a honey comb. Their short ponies were made for speed, though the large riders nearly stood up straight in their saddles, using their bared swords to urge the beasts faster. These were the men that had turned at her village, Shang's troops had managed to sidestep them on the way to the Pass. gaining the few precious leagues that allowed them to defend from the south, with the capitol at their backs. Shang had planned this all along, Mulan discovered. Briliant.
Closing her eyes briefly, Mulan could recall every vivid detail of the first Hun charge she had seen. The roars and galloping hooves still echoed in her mind. But the tables were turned now, the Huns were outnumbered, and in a poor position with it.
"They've split their army," Shang was riding next to her now, adjusting his fingers in his hand gaurd, he motioned to the men approaching. "Shan-Yu would never have done it. Whoever their leader is now, he won't hold them together." Flipping his sword into his right hand, Shang rode to meet the charge with Mulan and the others behind him. "Stay close," Was the last thing he said to her, before turning away, red cloak waving behind him like a banner.
The roar of battle swept over the mountainside as blades crashed, cannons blistered and more arrows were launched. It was a fierce fight that sent Chinese soldiers toppling in the snow, and Hun riders rolling down the slopes to their bloody deaths. But the Chinese defence kept on, pressing their enemy further and further down the mountain, driving them back from the Imperial City. Shang and Ling fought side by side, in a glimmer of metal and fury, then it was Yao and Ling, with Shang and Chien-Po guarding their backs.
Mulan did as she was ordered, and kept close to Shang, swiping her blade at the attacking Huns, clenching her stomach when she saw them fall to the ground, leaving blood on the snow. She stared at their bodies in disbelief, not sure she would never get over it. The snow ran red in blood, trailing rivers that slid down the face of the slope like tears, sometimes a blushing pink where it had soaked in with the white. But their defense was succeding, at a cost to their own number, the Huns began a slow retreat back north.
Shang and her three friends had already dismounted, watching the Huns fall back, their buzzing cries fading farther and farther away in the distance. Mulan looked on in amazement, it had been a long bloody fight. But they had won.
Then the cries and the clatter stopped, and a lone foot soldier lingered behind his fleeting comrades, making long motions with his arms that Mulan was too far away to make out. It all happened in the space of an instant, before he vanished in the sea of horses. Something whizzed across the sky and landed into her with an explostion of sharp and unimaginable pain. Mulan screamed as the impact threw her from her mount onto the snow.

***

Walking to the kicthen table, Grandma Fa suddenly dropped the tea pot in her hand. It fell to the polished wooden floor with a loud clatter.
Fa Li looked up from table in alarm. "Grandma, are you...?"
"Mulan is in danger." The elderly woman intoned to the room.
Several gasps escaped the lips of the dining family, the most startled coming from Fa Zhou who limped stiffly to his feet, shrugging off the helping arm of his fearful wife. "We must pray to the ancestors," he ordered, barely able to contain the panic in his voice.
There was no bridge or pond in this household, making the temple a much shorter walk that was only over one low a grassy slope and up a shallow flight of stone steps. Fa Zhou traveled them with great difficulty, but he was determined to stand straight and confident before his wife and mother. The temple was much the same as the one they had built at the farm, lined with shiney stone tables that were carved with spirtual words and symbols. It was as good a place for prayer as any.
Fa Zhou, his weeping wife, and Grandma Fa entered the place to stand next to his worried brother and their children who had not yet married. They sank as one to their knees, offering all the prayers they knew that would grant the safety to so beloved a child.

***

When the family had gone, the ringing of a gong brought a finely fashioned dragon incense burner to life. Mushu leaped into the air only to skid on his behind over the smooth stone ground. The gong-ringer, a lucky cricket who was a hero in his own right, chirped scornfully at the dragon.
"Mushu!" The majestic Great Ancester bellowed with impatience. "Mulan is in grave danger."
The tiny red dragon stopped in his tracks, widening curious round eyes in confusion. For a wonder, his face turned very serious, "Danger? Did she go join the army again? That girl... I'm gonna... I shoulda told her NO MORE DRAG SHOW!" He shook a claw menacingly at his reflection in the stone. "Maybe we should tell that Captain to tie her up for her own good.... oh, no wait wait! She might like that..."
The Great Ancestor had lost it completely "Mushu!" Kri-Kee thonked his gong over the dragon's head, smashing him flat on the ground.
"You will go to Mulan's aid." The first gaurdian said with forced serenity. "And you will not fail."
Mushu was still dazed from the blow. "I... willl... not.... fail. Hey!" He perked up suddenly, allowing himself to become three-dimensional again. "I save her, she saves him, they save China... makes me feel like part of the food Chain ag-" The Ancestor snatched the gong from Kri-Kee to swing at Mushu with it, sending him flying from the temple window onto the grass below.
"That guy should be a bouncer," Mushu grumbled as he settled to his feet, trotting off in the speed only ancestor spirits could master.

Chapter Eight

Yao and Mulan were the first to have their swords out, but the rest of the men obeyed Shang's call to arms with the alacrety expected of soldiers. A shower of arrows was a telltale herald of a Hun charge, and not wanting to give them too much ground, Shang led his men on horseback to the top of the slope wheer tha arrows had appeared from the north. The Huns were quick and skilled, but they were terribly predictable.
The Chinese formed a human blockade at the top of the slope, fighting to push the advancing Huns back to the lower the ground, a physical obsticle that stood between the Huns and the Imperial City. Mulan held her blade with poise as she awaited the onslaught, the deafening buzz of a multitude of battle cries as they rushed foward made them seem like a swarm of bees covering a honey comb. Their short ponies were made for speed, though the large riders nearly stood up straight in their saddles, using their bared swords to urge the beasts faster. These were the men that had turned at her village, Shang's troops had managed to sidestep them on the way to the Pass. gaining the few precious leagues that allowed them to defend from the south, with the capitol at their backs. Shang had planned this all along, Mulan discovered. Briliant.
Closing her eyes briefly, Mulan could recall every vivid detail of the first Hun charge she had seen. The roars and galloping hooves still echoed in her mind. But the tables were turned now, the Huns were outnumbered, and in a poor position with it.
"They've split their army," Shang was riding next to her now, adjusting his fingers in his hand gaurd, he motioned to the men approaching. "Shan-Yu would never have done it. Whoever their leader is now, he won't hold them together." Flipping his sword into his right hand, Shang rode to meet the charge with Mulan and the others behind him. "Stay close," Was the last thing he said to her, before turning away, red cloak waving behind him like a banner.
The roar of battle swept over the mountainside as blades crashed, cannons blistered and more arrows were launched. It was a fierce fight that sent Chinese soldiers toppling in the snow, and Hun riders rolling down the slopes to their bloody deaths. But the Chinese defence kept on, pressing their enemy further and further down the mountain, driving them back from the Imperial City. Shang and Ling fought side by side, in a glimmer of metal and fury, then it was Yao and Ling, with Shang and Chien-Po guarding their backs.
Mulan did as she was ordered, and kept close to Shang, swiping her blade at the attacking Huns, clenching her stomach when she saw them fall to the ground, leaving blood on the snow. She stared at their bodies in disbelief, not sure she would never get over it. The snow ran red in blood, trailing rivers that slid down the face of the slope like tears, sometimes a blushing pink where it had soaked in with the white. But their defense was succeding, at a cost to their own number, the Huns began a slow retreat back north.
Shang and her three friends had already dismounted, watching the Huns fall back, their buzzing cries fading farther and farther away in the distance. Mulan looked on in amazement, it had been a long bloody fight. But they had won.
Then the cries and the clatter stopped, and a lone foot soldier lingered behind his fleeting comrades, making long motions with his arms that Mulan was too far away to make out. It all happened in the space of an instant, before he vanished in the sea of horses. Something whizzed across the sky and landed into her with an explostion of sharp and unimaginable pain. Mulan screamed as the impact threw her from her mount onto the snow.

***

Walking to the kicthen table, Grandma Fa suddenly dropped the tea pot in her hand. It fell to the polished wooden floor with a loud clatter.
Fa Li looked up from table in alarm. "Grandma, are you...?"
"Mulan is in danger." The elderly woman intoned to the room.
Several gasps escaped the lips of the dining family, the most startled coming from Fa Zhou who limped stiffly to his feet, shrugging off the helping arm of his fearful wife. "We must pray to the ancestors," he ordered, barely able to contain the panic in his voice.
There was no bridge or pond in this household, making the temple a much shorter walk that was only over one low a grassy slope and up a shallow flight of stone steps. Fa Zhou traveled them with great difficulty, but he was determined to stand straight and confident before his wife and mother. The temple was much the same as the one they had built at the farm, lined with shiney stone tables that were carved with spirtual words and symbols. It was as good a place for prayer as any.
Fa Zhou, his weeping wife, and Grandma Fa entered the place to stand next to his worried brother and their children who had not yet married. They sank as one to their knees, offering all the prayers they knew that would grant the safety to so beloved a child.

***

When the family had gone, the ringing of a gong brought a finely fashioned dragon incense burner to life. Mushu leaped into the air only to skid on his behind over the smooth stone ground. The gong-ringer, a lucky cricket who was a hero in his own right, chirped scornfully at the dragon.
"Mushu!" The majestic Great Ancester bellowed with impatience. "Mulan is in grave danger."
The tiny red dragon stopped in his tracks, widening curious round eyes in confusion. For a wonder, his face turned very serious, "Danger? Did she go join the army again? That girl... I'm gonna... I shoulda told her NO MORE DRAG SHOW!" He shook a claw menacingly at his reflection in the stone. "Maybe we should tell that Captain to tie her up for her own good.... oh, no wait wait! She might like that..."
The Great Ancestor had lost it completely "Mushu!" Kri-Kee thonked his gong over the dragon's head, smashing him flat on the ground.
"You will go to Mulan's aid." The first gaurdian said with forced serenity. "And you will not fail."
Mushu was still dazed from the blow. "I... willl... not.... fail. Hey!" He perked up suddenly, allowing himself to become three-dimensional again. "I save her, she saves him, they save China... makes me feel like part of the food Chain ag-" The Ancestor snatched the gong from Kri-Kee to swing at Mushu with it, sending him flying from the temple window onto the grass below.
"That guy should be a bouncer," Mushu grumbled as he settled to his feet, trotting off in the speed only ancestor spirits could master.

Chapter Nine

Lowered to her belly in the snow, Mulan crawled towards the four of them, squeezing her eyes shut and groaning in the fiery pain that burst through her with each movement. Smears of blood trailed after her as she inched her way closer, sometimes clutching her hand to her shoulder than placing it down before her again to retrieve her balance. Seeing the arrow that stood out from her right shoulder, the four men rushed to the wounded girl, dropping together as one to their knees in the snow. Mulan gazed up at them in pleading, her paled face a picture of anguished shock. When she reached them, Mulan collapsed on her face, writhing onto her left side with a strangled cry as her fall stirred the arrow lodged inside her arm.
"Yao, hold her!" Shang called out as he started towards Mulan. The burly man leaned Mulan against him, supporting her head as Shang rolled her over on her back, inspecting the wound. Mulan tried to concentrate on his face above her, as she struggled with the pain. The new snow had dusted his hair and cloak, but he was expressionless as ever.
"Are we going to... pull this out?" Yao's voice trembled worriedly.
The General shook his head, grimly studying the back of Mulan's shoulder. "If we do that, she'll bleed to death," he snapped, then addressed the man at his right. "Chien-Po, get the medical supplies. I'm going to find the doctor."
Chien-Po scrambled to his feet to do as he was told, casting a last worried glance at his injured friend before bolting to the supply carts to gather the bags containing the necessary items. He carried them over to Shang, who rummaged through them for for a topical white powder he dusted over the torn skin, hastily wrapping fresh bandages around her wound, stabilizing the arrow. "If I keep this thing in place," he explained to Yao as he worked, "It will stop the blood flow for a little while." They all gazed at him trustingly, he was the only one with emergency medical training.
Ling stared desperately at Shang as the General rose, solemnly taking Mulan into his arms from an equally solemn Yao. "You can't go," the thin man protested. "What if they come back? Who is going to lead us? Let the three of us take her. She's our friend too." Yao nodded, but in reluctance. He feared the worst, and did not want to be there to see it.
Shang glanced down at the bloodied young woman in his arms, her drooping lids showed her slipping out of consciousness. Then he met the eyes of the two worried soldiers. "My horse is the fastest, I am just going to give her to the medic. By the time they came back, I will be here. Besides," he added, with a sober conviction. "If you are her friends than honor her, stand and fight. I have a different duty now." Ling and Chien-Po helped to secure the bags to his horse while Shang passed Mulan back to Yao as he mounted, only to receive her again in front of his saddle. Yao bent to kiss her head and Ling squeezed her hand. Chien-Po only looked on in silence, his eyes sunken as though he would to cry. "I should return in less than an hour," Shang informed the concerned trio. "Take charge while I'm gone. She has faith in you."
The snow fell harder as Shang rode off, like a shower of thick white clouds dropping from the sky. The pale flourishes caught in her hair and floated around her. He tried to concentrate on the ground in from of him, not Mulan's waxen face. The medic was stationed in a safe little canyon shielded from view, the journey would take no more than a few moments. She would not die, Shang promised himself silently.
Suddenly the snow streamed down with great force. The wind howled and whipped in a fury, swirling around him to sweep up the white power into a pale, blinding wall that blew before his eyes to banish any clarity of the path ahead. He could see nothing but white, stirring wildly and crashing against him like icy stones thrown from afar. Shielding the snow from his face with his gauntlet, he steadied Mulan with one arm and guided the horse with his knees, shivering at the burning sting where the frozen masses struck his skin. He rode on, seeing nothing but endless torrents of white, while his ears remained deaf to anything but the shrieking wind.
A rage rolled over in his heart, with more force behind it then the angry gusts that summoned the snow to such violence. It was as if the gods had glimpsed his desperation to save this girl and mocked him somehow, testing his strength. He was a leader of brave men, and a better one by the day, but he was a poor servant when it came to his heart. Of all the things he had seen and done, of all the lives and deaths, he knew he could not fail himself now.
He did not know how long he rode, it seemed like hours had been swallowed by that snow's fury, but perhaps it had been minutes. Shang swore, the storm would never calm in time for him to be back to the others.
Then his eye caught a glimpse of darkness amid the light, merely a faint smear across so pale a field, but enough to capture his attention. Steering his mount easily, Shang changed directions, riding for that dim spark of hope floating not too far in the distance.
The white whirlwind vanished entirely, and everything was quiet. Instead of snow, he was surrounded by darkness, not vast darkness for he could make out three rocky walls eight or teen feet away in each direction, but enough to tell him his prayers had been answered.
Dismounting, Shang braced Mulan in one strong arm while he managed to fasten the horse's bridle to a jagged stump of rock sticking a part from the rest. He gently set Mulan on the ground of the small cave while he dug through the supplies for a pile of sticks and a circle of stones to build a fire, as well as fishing out more bandages, an array of ointments to make a poultice, and a small pot to boil water over the flames. Surveying the medicinal supplies briefly, Shang frowned. He was unsure of how acute his triage skills were, they were seldom used since had had obtained rank.
Gathering the ointment and bandages, Shang knelt at Mulan's side, carefully lifting her head into his lap while he slowly unwrapped the red soaked cloth holding the arrow in place. A spreading circle of blood covered her entire shoulder, but a good deal of that had been smeared by her hand. The wound itself was not grave, the leather of her armor had prevented the shaft from penetrating too deeply into the muscle. The bleeding had receded somewhat, an affect of the herbal powder. If it was treated properly, Mulan would make a swift recovery. His immediate concern was removing the thing and keeping her comfortable.
Mulan's eyelids fluttered and she groaned. "Stop," she winced in a weak voice.
Wiping her face with his shirt sleeve, Shang frowned at her sadly. "I'm sorry, Mulan, but I have to." He threw the bloody bandage aside, his eyes still fixed on her. "Mulan, look at me." Shang ordered her gently. "Concentrate. Think of something pleasant." Waiting until her eyes brought him into focus, Shang gritted his teeth, then placed a steady hand where the head had entered her skin. Gripping the shaft with the other he snapped it in the middle. leaving just enough for a decent grasp.
Flinching, Mulan released the breath she had been holding. "That didn't hurt a bit." She started to sit up, but Shang weighed her down again with a hand on her good shoulder.
"Don't try to talk," he murmured. Then his fingers seized what remained of the arrow shaft, and in the timed instant after she took a breath, he quickly forced the blood painted length back from her shoulder, wincing at the ripping sound as the tip tore into flesh and muscle.
Mulan's face transformed into a cringing rictus of horror, her body convulsing against him with a pained scream. He had never seen such an anguished expression in all his life. Upsetting as the picture was, Shang was not done. Taking the thin poker from the fire, Shang touched it to the flames, then slipped it under the tear in her shirt to apply it to the wound. This time, she could not even scream, tears only poured down her face. "It hurts," she sobbed. He tried to soothe her by holding her in one arm while she cried, but the pain had sent her rolling off his lap, lying face down on the ground.
"I know," Shang consoled her quietly. "Let me see."
When shock had held her still too faint to move, Shang leaned over her, gently unfastening her cloak and armor to pull her shirt down from her shoulder, revealing the new wound. The bleeding was not hard to control, in the skin for the most part. He quickly folded a clean bandage around her arm to apply gentle pressure. letting a disinfecting ointment set. Plenty of soldiers had survived worse, as long as the bleeding was stopped. As he held the wrapping firmly in place, Shang watched her with a guilty heart. For once, he did not care if China fell, he only cared that she was safe.
"I feel so weak," Mulan groaned under her breath.
Shang patted her gently with his free hand. "You'll be..."
Then he picked up the broken arrow, the firelight had reflected a curious sheen on the head that had caught his eye. Looking closely at the arrow, Shang saw the tip was covered in a sticky coating he was certain had not come from blood. Raising it to his mouth, Shang tasted it fearfully, his heart sinking as he did so. Poison.
"I feel like I'm going to die," she continued in a weak voice. "... so sick...."
"I told you not to talk!" Shang growled at her, furious. "You'll survive, Mulan. That's an order! Mulan...?" He shook her as firmly as he dared in her condition. "Mulan...?" Panic lay ahold of him. He was not a man to panic. "That's an order, Mulan! Do you hear me?"
He stopped shouting, realizing she had passed out.

***

Mushu halted in the blinding snow when saw the glare of firelight coming from a tiny cave hidden in the mountain side. What was it about Mulan and snow disasters? Moving closer, Mushu saw the white horse standing patiently inside and knew immediately that Shang was with her. Mushu neither loved nor hated Shang, but he know that Mulan loved him, and more than that Fa Zhou had told him what he and the new General had discussed that night at dinner.
The unconscious Mulan lay on her stomach while the General looked over her, his face a mixture of panic and confusion. Shang was so lost in his vigil over Mulan that he did not notice the sleek red blur entering the cave. But Mushu was grim as well to see her so.
"I can help," the little dragon spoke softly to the solemn officer, whose pained gaze was so livid with intensity Mushu thought Shang would try to wake her with his will. It took a moment for the General to break away from Mulan, and upon diverting his attention to the speaker, Shang shook his head to dismiss what he saw before him, as if he feared it were an illusion born of his despair. One in a parade of many, by his eyes.
"Who, or what are you?" The General spoke with hesitation, unsure if another being was truly there or not. Was he so mad with worry?
"A friend of Mulan's," he answered simply, in no mood for his usual wise cracks. "And a guardian of the Fa family,"
Those serious dark eyes brightened for a moment, but they regained their usual gravity when he turned back to Mulan, mumbling, "How do I know you are telling the truth?" In light of the situation, the dragon resolved not to be offended.
Mushu scooted over to the grieving General, creeping closer to have a look at Mulan. Her exhausted face and posture reminded him the day she had collapsed on the cliffs of Wu Zhong, weary of hefting those weights on her small shoulders. Mushu related the memory to Shang, how he had scrambled into her shirt when Shang came to take the burden from Mulan's defeated hands. He told him his name, and Shang now understood why Mulan had murmured "Mushu" at their first meeting when it was not her own name. By this time, Shang was willing to listen.
"So she has a guardian," He gave a half hearted laugh, then grimaced. He was hurt. "She could have told me."
Mushu did not know if Shang meant about having a dragon, or about being a girl.
"She could not risk it," Mushu defended his troublesome charge. "She loves her family's honor more than she loves you." It was like throwing a pebble at a bolder, shattering nothing. Honor was Shang's greatest love, Mushu thought he agreed now that this man would have understood Mulan's secret.
"The arrow was poisoned," sighed the General. "If we do not find an antidote within a day, she will die." There was little emotion in those words when he spoke them, but Mushu could see the struggle below the surface.
The red dragon frowned, bowing his head shamefully. "I'm supposed to protect her," he berated himself. "Some Fa family guardian..."
"You can get the antidote," Shang snapped, impatient with the creature's self pity. "Any medic will have it."
Mushu looked up as if the idea had never occurred him before. He should have expected as much from this man. Shang was courageous to a fault, he would never remain her to let her die while a spark of hope still glimmered within his reach. But Mushu knew why he had to be the one to go, and not only because he could hop about from place to place, Shang wanted to stay here with her.
"Alright," Mushu agreed. "I'll be back in two hours. No, less than that!" Yanking the guardian to his feet, Shang pushed him towards the cave entrance. "I'll be back!' Resuming his usual sinuous saunter, Mushu stalked off out of the cave.
Shang went as far as the entrance, looking after the little red figure than soon vanished into the whirling blizzard outside. "Hurry!" The General called after him, standing there a few long moments with his head bowed, praying.

***

Mulan still lay unconscious when Shang ducked back inside, he only glanced briefly in her direction before building up the fire again. It was important that she was kept warm. Out of the bags, he collected a pile of mats and blankets to construct a make shift palette for her on the floor, carrying her over with great care and leaving her to sleep. He set himself to boiling more bandages, using a bladder of boiled water that was one of many kept with medical supplies. Shang found himself performing every idle task that could be named to distract himself from his worry.
But there could not be so much need for dread, a spiritual guardian could not fail.
Then he heard Mulan cough, and, dropping the bandages, rushed to her side.
When he loomed closer, she flinched, startled. Her eyes were glazed over as though dreaming, yet they held him clearly in focus. "I've... got a name," she whispered slowly with panic. "And it's a boy's name, too."
Shang felt his knees thud on the ground beside her, they were the words she had spoken the first day they met at the training camp. That seemed a long time ago.
"Mulan... ?" But she was too delirious to hear.
Then she turned her head to him. "Shang," her clouded eyes brightened for a moment with pleading, as desperate words tumbled from her mouth in a drowsy murmur. "I did it to save my father. I didn't mean for it to go this far, it was the only way... Please... you have to... " The words trailed off as Mulan closed her eyes. He glimpsed the tears standing in them, then her pained shallow breathing was the only sign of life left in her.
He stiffened, drawing back from the palette as he made himself remember with her. He recalled his shock as her blanket slid away to reveal a young woman's form, and the rage in his heart that "Ping" had been a lie. There she was again in his mind, kneeling bravely in the snow, able to meet the eyes of her would be executioner with a proud acceptance of her defeat as she bowed her head. Her delicate beauty had struck him then for the first time, prying open his hand and sending that sword clattering to the ground, and had haunted him every moment thereafter. No, he had no intention, he knew that now. At the time it was the only way he could save her from Chi Fu and the law. It was all he could do
But the memory hurt him. Shang wanted so much to believe he did everything for the right reasons, yet somehow he knew he had hurt her then unforgivably. How could anything be right when he had done that?
She was not brave now, but a startling portrait of weakness with her lank hair and eyes that looked as though she had suffered illness for many months. The poison did its work faster than he thought. Now, those lifeless eyes seemed to blame him. There seemed no other emotion in the world but the guilt of his little lie. The Emperor had never sent for Mulan, Shang had been the one to ask if he could take her along, to avoid the many months of separation. After all this time, she had become a dream he could never let go of yet did not know how to grasp in the first place, and now she was going to die, before he had the chance.
Pressing his lips to her damp forehead, Shang blinked back tears. I love you, he let the thought torment him over and over again as she slept.

Chapter Ten

Shang spent the next hour on his knees beside Mulan. Her head hot with fever, despite the cold compresses he had applied to her forehead. That was only for comfort though while she slept, nothing but the proper medicine could cure the sickness in her veins.
She had slept for nearly the entire hour, but when her eyes did open they were much clearer than before. Shang shoved away the sting of hope in his heart, he knew she would alternate between delirium and moments of great clarity. The fever had broken for now, but it would return. He wished the little dragon would be quicker about his task.
"Shang?" Mulan blinked at the man above her as though she could not decide if she was awake or dreaming. He reached down to her hold her chilled hand, which he realized was quite dainty and frail, even for a woman's. She favored him with a weak smile.
He smiled back, trying to be confident. "You'll be alright, Mulan. Mushu has come to help you." Mention of that name spread the smile wider on her face, her eyes sparkled briefly. Shang was glad to see it, but he did not dare tell her where the dragon and really gone. "He went to get Khan," Shang lied.
She blinked again, groggily soaking up the words, taking long moments to decipher their meaning. The poison had left her weak and tired. "Shang," she seemed to have forgotten Mushu entirely now, her eyes were filled with a sudden determination as she looked over at him. "I'm sorry I lied to you, about who I was. Forgive me, please." It was strange, but fragile and pale as she was now her eyes held a quiet dignity in their plight. She had never appeared to him that way before.
But did she not know that he had long since forgiven her? That he had never really been angry with her in the first place? That if he had been in her place, he would have done the same? How could one woman be so brave, so lovely, and yet so blind? He had tried to show her his feelings in subtle ways to see how she felt in turn, but she never did quite respond to them, except for the day she had kissed him in the village. The Emperor's words as Mulan departed had filled Shang's heart with hope. But she deserved happiness, and he wanted to be sure she found that with him before he spoke of them to her.
"Mulan I would never have hurt you," Shang insisted quietly, hoping to convince her. "I was angry at the law, and Chi-Fu, not what you had done." His grip on her hand tightened, she was listening intently. "I did the best I could, the only thing I could, to spare you." She made no outward sign of protest, but he could only hope that she believed him. He sighed, a confession deserved another confession. Only this one was worse. "I've lied to you too, Mulan." Her eyebrows raised, her pale face appeared startled. "The Emperor was not the one to request your presence, I was. I did not want to go to war without you."
He expected her to be angry, braced himself for the harsh words that would fall heavier on him than any snowstorm. But there was none. Instead, the most radiant smile he had ever seen spread across her lips. Shang shook his head, he did not understand her.
And then she whispered faintly to him. "Kiss me."
Obediently, Shang lowered his head...
"Oh Hey... what? OH! Ha! don't mind me I just brought the- " The General stood up when she saw the crimson flash stalking into the cave, hefting a bulky cloth pouch in his front claws. Shang took from him, emptying it of the small vial which contained Mulan's salvation. He brought her a cup of water, pouring the thick dark liquid inside and pushed the cup into Mulan's hands, helping her to sit up with his free arm. "Drink this," he instructed. "It will help with the pain."
Mulan wrinkled her nose at the mixture, which smelled strongly of pungent herbs, before glancing back up at Shang. "But I'm not in any..."
"You have to drink it, Mulan!" the dragon blurted out, visibly panicked. "It's the anti-" With an abrupt move, Shang had the creature strangled in his fist, squeezing him to silence. She did not need to know.
This time, Mulan did as she was told, emptying the cup down her parched throat, then clutching the thing in her hands as she fell forward in a furious coughing fit. Shang dropped Mushu to the floor, who exchanged a frightened look with him, he steadied her with both arms as she choked on the liquid.
"Mulan...?" The dragon and Shang cried to her in unison.
"It... tastes... vile," She managed between coughs, wiping at her mouth with all the strength her tired body could gather. Relieved, Shang withdrew his hands, letting her drop back onto the palette with a groan. Recovering herself, Mulan asked in a raspy voice. "Where's Khan?"
Shang spread his hands to offer an explanation, but Mushu beat him in speaking. "Khan? Khan's where you left him. I was only supposed to get the-" He screamed when Shang stomped on him with his shoe.
"You were supposed to get the horse." He completed the sentence.
When Shang removed his foot, Mushu's eyes were bulging. He waited for his proper shape to fill him again before dancing around Shang in a challenge, showing his teeth. "You told me to go find the-"
"I told you to get Khan!" He roared, sorely losing his patience.
Mulan blinked from one to the other in disbelief. Had the drug been so strong... ?
"Oh." was all the dragon was capable of saying. Then his eyes lit up as he saw Shang's tender glance at Mulan. The General veiled many things behind his solemnity. "Ooh," It was starting to set in. "Ooooooh. I thought you said 'don't get conned'." Shang sighed with exasperation, the stories had said dragons were reputed to be wise.
"Which one of you is lying to me?" The question encompassed the two of them, but her eyes singled out Shang. The drug had been potent, transforming her from weak to very energetic. She tried to get up, to add emphasis to her point, but Shang waved her off so imperiously she sank back into the blankets with a pout.
"Alright we're both lying!" Mushu admitted with a shout. Shang threatened him with a too calm elevation of his brow, but the dragon continued. "Mr. Li here didn't send me out to find the horse. He sent me to check on the troops, and look for Huns. Guess he kinda recruited me, eh?" Saluting Shang with his claw, Mushu threw himself to the floor, doing push ups. "Let me tell you what I found, sir yes sir!" He suddenly was standing at attention. "There's a whooooole bunch of 'em out there comin' round the mountain from the North. They'll be here in another day. A whooooole 'nother army, and some guy that I seen with Shan-Yu is leading them." Flexing as if he had muscles, Mushu did a rather uninspiring rendition of a roar.
Shang's mouth set in a grim line. "Bayar," he murmured. "My father said he was second in command, but hardly seen during the attacks. I remember him at the Palace." He had been one of the ones to leap out of the dragon, hardly a man to be reckoned with, unless you were a soldier in a dress with a melon handy.
"And your soldiers are out there!" Mushu exploded. "Like roses for the pickin'"
Mulan's face was painted with worry, her tone urgent. "Shang you must go back to lead them. If you stay here with me China will fall. Go out there."
Stubbornly the General shook his head. He was not going to leave her, nor was China going to fall. "Mushu is right. It will take them a day. By that time we'll both go, but tonight you can rest here." Propping his chin in his hand, Shang sifted through what he remembered of the books and maps he had studied in training. "Mushu will have to carry the plan to the soldiers tonight, they must be ready." It would have to be a great plan, one Mulan might think up herself. China must not fall, Shang chanted to himself silently. He could not let the others stand witness to the degree of his worry.
"What plan?" Mulan snapped in annoyance. "Tell our friends to hide? That's about all we can do against them without a leader. You must- "
He did not hear the rest of her sentence, his eyes lit up and a broad smile appeared on his face. The girl was a jewel, truly she was. "That's right," he nodded, smiling very proudly at Mulan. She and Mushu both looked at him as if he had grown horns. "Mushu will tell them to hide in the snow. Hide everything. Let them think we have retreated. Go Mushu." He ordered his newest "scout", ceremoniously raising one gauntleted hand towards the entrance of the cave.
The dragon started to where he had been directed, then stopped his tracks, pivoting to face Shang. "What is good is that gonna do?" Patiently, oh so patiently, Shang deigned to elaborate for Mulan's irksome little guardian.
Mushu's face shone with an elated grin as well, he strode out of the cave in a commanding stance that would have done Shang proud.
When the dragon had gone, Shang carefully pulled back Mulan's shirt collar to examine the wound - she had kicked off the bottom part of her outfit in the heat of her delirium. She did not fuss this time, as the initial pain had long since passed. The area was still quite red and tender, which was as expected, but it had already begun to scab over and the bleeding had stopped. Really, it was not as bad as it had first looked, the arrow having been smaller than the ones the Chinese used. It would be weeks before she could use the arm normally again, but by tomorrow she would be well enough to return to the men. He mixed her a fresh blend of ointments and applied them as gently as he could to the wound. Her eyes watered at the sting of the medicines, but she underwent the discomfort bravely, not the he would expect anything different from her. All the while he could not help but admire the softness of her ivory skin left unexposed to the sun, and the tranquil beauty of her trusting eyes as he took all care not to hurt her with his ministrations. He was trying to be so many things to her now, a doctor, a friend, a leader, but the more entranced he became by the sight of her lying there, the more difficult it was to be anything but a man admiring a woman. Her beauty was heartbreaking.
"What did I drink, Shang," her soft voice interrupted his thoughts suddenly.
"An antidote," he heard himself say, not having the heart to lie to her. He felt as though he had lied to her for so long. "That arrow was poisoned."
She looked understandably alarmed, but he gently brushed the damp hairs that had clung to the side of her face. "You'll be alright now," he whispered. "You'll be alright." Her eyelids fluttered, and she attempted a wan smile. Shang could see she still very tried.

Chapter Eleven

Then Shang removed his shirt and slipped off his shoes, pulling the blanket back to slide in beside her. A darting memory flashed before her eyes, so vivid in its clarity. She saw him again, rising from the water, the perfect details of her memory's portrait warming the blood in her veins. Mulan swallowed awkwardly, did he not realize how hard it was for her to be close to him when all she could think of was that?
"You have to stay warm," he explained, too casually. "Come here." he added, holding out an arm to her. He must have realized this was very improper, wounded or no.
Mulan nervously inched her way towards him, letting her head fall on the hard muscle of his shoulder as he draped his arm over her to prevent her from rolling onto her bad arm. She settled easily into his embrace, but her heart was restless.
"Sleep," he commanded, but softly. "You have to learn to make your body go to sleep." That reminded her of Chien Po, she smiled for a brief moment, before she realized her frustration again..
How could he lay there next to her and feel nothing? How could he, when the feel of him had clouded her mind with a thousand curious desires at once? But no matter what he felt, Shang would never let it show. He was a man of strict discipline. She could dream though, she could fill her dreams with a handsome man holding out his arms to her as he waded in the lake, of a...
Sleep crashed over her, pulling her under waves of dark oblivion.
The crashing of thunder woke her, shaking the tiny cave as the clouds exploded overhead. It took her a moment to decide it was thunder, the pounding rang in her ears like cannon fire and she dreamed herself on the field again. Then she felt the warmth of a strong arm wrapped around her shoulders, and opened her eyes to stare up at Shang, laying awake beside her. She remembered everything now, the battle, the arrow and the place he had taken her for shelter.
Shang's dark eyes scolded her the same way they had when he had caught her sticking arrows in her targets during her first training. "Go back to sleep, Mulan." But she could tell his heart was not in it this time.
"The storm has gotten worse," she whispered, ignoring what he had said.
His hand came up to stroke her hair gently. Mulan smiled, somehow his soothing little gestures were better than a kiss. "The storm has passed," he informed her patiently. Mulan's smile faded into a grimace.
"They're out there." It was not a question, but an observation quietly delivered with a tinge of fear and helplessness. The clammer of hooves still shook from above, seemingly without end. "There must be thousands of them." And China's troops were left without a commander. "Do you think our plan will work?"
Taking his arm from around her, Shang reached up to touch her cheek softly, reassuringly. "I think you need your rest now." Was all he said.
"What about you?" she protested again, trying to hide what his touch sparked in her. "If there is nothing to worry about then why are you still awake?"
He blinked, obviously not expecting to be challenged, but quickly came up with something flippant. "Well I didn't stay awake who would make sure you went to sleep? Besides, I am only watching over you."
Gently curling her fingers around his hand, she lowered it from her face, slipping closer until her lips coyly pressed against his. At first he seemed surprised by her forwardness, then he was responding to her kiss with a warmth and depth she had come to associate with him. But in another moment, Shang had both hands through her hair, gently holding her back from him.
"Mulan..." he protested quietly, but she could not let his sense of propriety stop her.
She let her own hand rest on his chest, inching closer until she was snugly pressed against him from her breast to her bare thigh. She was quite aware of her own reaction to such nearness, and felt herself tremble when she realized he was as well. Despite her inexperience, a wicked smile bloomed across her features. Then she stared into his eyes, her heart open and without shame, and when his gaze answered hers Mulan recalled what he had said long ago about being on fire within. It was certainly apparent now. The Huns were out there, and they could die tomorrow. Tonight seemed too precious a chance to waste. A woman soldier could not be bound by the rules other women were, she was hardly a prospective wife anyway.
Seizing her advantage, Mulan offered her lips to him again. This time his kiss was deeper, more rough. He let his hands trail from her hair down her back to unwrap the robe she wore and peel the thick cloth from her shoulders. A shallow cry escaped her lips as his hands gently caressed her back, a cry that was swallowed by their grinding lips. There was a kind of hunger in his kiss, as if the long weeks of warfare had left him cold inside and she was the sun that would give him warmth again.
Then Shang drew back from her once more, his heart revealed in his eyes. "Mulan, listen to me..."
She tried to silence him by placing her fingers against his lips. But he only silenced her in turn by kissing them, one at a time.
"The Emperor has given his blessing," Shang said to her, their lips nearly touching. "When we return to the Imperial City, it would honor me to make you my bride."
Her eyes widened into a joyful sparkle, and without another word Mulan kissed him her consent with all the emotion her heart had held back for so long. A sense of relief accompanied her joy, there was no need to worry about dishonoring her family. He wrapped her firmly in his arms, rolling her beneath him on the blankets, the strong weight of his body igniting every inch of her own. Mulan's skin burned with curiosity, no man had ever touched her intimately before, she was impatient to discover what it would be like. Tingles coursed through her skin as his lips fed on the sensitive skin of her neck with tender care, and when they slid lower to cover her flesh, sharp pains of pleasure exploded in the pit of her stomach, drawing soft cries from her lips.
Then his lips covered hers again and her returning kiss was intense, she threw her head to one side with a sharp cry. It was not exactly pain, but the force of too acute sensations heightened by a mixture of emotions, Mulan thought after all her experiences in the army that she knew men, traveling with them for so long. But it was not until she felt him there inside her center that she really understood him. Most of all it was real faithfullness with which he looked upon her now, a desire for her body not because it was female, but because it was hers. She let her eyes fall closed, languishing in the warmth spreading through her limbs. Marriage had presented scant interest to her as a child, but now she was aware of its advantages.
When Shang's head fell on her chest, she stroked his hair gently, both of them catching their breath. "For what it's worth..." Shang began, turning his head to direct a playful wink in Mulan's direction. "I think you'll be a great wife."
Mulan smiled at him and kissed the top of his head. He rolled over on his back and pulled her against him. Let the Huns come, Mulan thought as the pair drifted off to sleep against one another, she had had her fill of victory tonight.
An hour before sunrise, she awoke to him shaking her. Opening her eyes she found him fully dressed with fresh treatments for her wound. "How are you feeling?" he asked, wrapping the new meters of cloth around her shoulder.
"Much better." She smiled dreamily.
"That's good," He eyed her sideways with a smirk, pretending not to notice what she meant. "I have a hundred servants in my house, there will be no excuse for you to keep from resting. Your body still needs more time to recover. Besides, a wife of mine is far above silly training and deserves more than the hard life of a soldier."
Mulan sniffed. "I'm not a princess," she said dryly.
"Thank the gods," was all he said before helping her into her clothes.
Climbing in front of Shang in the saddle, Mulan looked back at their little shelter before they galloped off into the snow. She had little memory of the storm Shang had described to her, but was glad to see all had settled into a thick white blanket again, with only a subtle wind pushing around the stray flurries. Sitting up was less than comfortable, thankfully Shang was behind her to hold her weight against him. Her right arm was useless for the most part, but that was not so terrible since she was left handed. Unconsciously, he would tighten his grip on her and she would smile. Mulan knew the Huns were advancing, but being in his presence refused to allow her to be afraid. She had never been afraid when she was with him
When they reached the ground where the Imperial Army had once camped, the scene was completely deserted. The wind rustled the canopies of abandoned carts, and grazed over random supplies where they lay scattered in the snow. But amid the emptiness and remains, not one soldier, nor horse, nor weapon could be seen. It was as if all life had been buried under those newly fallen piles of snow.
Both Mulan and Shang smiled. The plan would work beautifully.
They galloped closer, behind a bank, Shang's white horse blending easily into their surroundings. The Huns were famed as scouts, enemy eyes could be anywhere around them. Neither had donned the conspicuous crimson cape this morning "Dragon!" Mulan called out to the emptiness.
A gravely voice answered her, muffled behind a puff of snow a few feet away. "Fire!"
Three men emerged from their cover of snow, one thin, one short, and the other round. They dropped to the ground, inching forward on their bellies like misshapen serpents wriggling through grass, or clouds rather. Shang helped Mulan down from the saddle, quickly ducking behind the color blending shield of the stallion. It was hard for her to crawl with the wound, but Shang helped her with an arm around her waist as they slid to meet the advancing trio.
"Mulan!" Yao was the first to reach her, stretching out his paw like hand to grab hers. "We thought you two..." Ling stopped at his shoulder, smiling at Mulan.
"She's alright." Shang assured them, releasing his grip to let Yao and Ling help her to a kneeling position behind the bank. He did not seem to care what they made of him holding her in such a familiar way, in fact, Mulan doubted he even noticed. "But she'll have to do something other than fighting." Chien-Po was the last to reach her, quietly smiling at his wounded friend.
A red flash caught three pairs of eyes, emerging from Yao's collar. Mulan grimaced, Mushu was so fickle. "You finally made it! I thought I was gonna have to use this army to find you. Now we can kick some Hunnie bun!!" He paraded around in circles, making punching motions to the air. "Left! Right! Left!" Mulan seized him in her fist, shoving him over the back of her good shoulder. The movement reminded her of how fragile her injury still was. Shang and Ling reached out at the same time to inquire if she was alright. Mulan shrugged both their hands away, there were more important things to be about than doting on her silly wound.
"We've hid the flint, cannons, arrows, everything," Yao reported. "And we have men covering every inch of ground from all directions. If we have to run out there, we're got them as spaced out as possible. Groups are easy targets, but one man's a waste of an arrow." Shang directed a proud smile at the usually defiant man, they had finally learned something from him that did not involve punches and kicks.
"Mulan," The General turned back to her with concerned eyes. "You stay here close to Chien-Po, Mushu can help you light the arrows, but don't move more than five feet away from here unless Chien-Po's with you. That's an order." She bit her lip, glaring fiercely at him. It was an order for her safety, but she did not like being confined when her friends would be in danger. He was hardly paying attention to her anymore though. "Ling, you run the fastest, you carry arrows and cannons if the men need them. Yao, you give the order to fire. All of you stay low, don't let them see you."
Mulan looked up at Shang worriedly. "What about you?" she asked nervously.
His eyes panned the empty blanket of snow stretched out before him, taking in every pile and bank that concealed China's finest troops from enemy eyes. Shang was a brave man, willing to lay down his life for China and his men. But Mulan feared the longing in his gaze as he studied the preparations made for such a glorious plan. The problem was, Shang loved honor so much he often risked his life foolishly for what he believed was right and fair.
"I am going down there with my men," he answered her in a solid tone that said nothing could change his mind. "Not all of us can stay hidden for very long. Someone has to fight." Mulan wondered why bravery was such a close companion of foolishness.
She could not argue with him in front of his troops, and maybe in truth he was quite right. Shang had always understood necessity and the greater good better than she. Before he mounted his horse, Shang gave Mulan's hand a final squeeze accompanied by a long look that tugged at her heart. Her fingers dropped away from his in what seemed like slow motion, one by one, as if he had been torn away from her as she studied the familiar seriousness in his eyes. Why did it haunt her as if it were a good bye? His face looked the same as it had when he had held the sword over her head. She shivered.
Soon Shang had disappeared behind the tall bank that rose even high enough to veil a rider from view. For long moments Mulan stared after him sadly, trying to swallow her worry. Mushu was curiously silent, but clung to her shoulder as he too watched. Mulan suspected he could think of nothing comforting to say.
There was nothing to do but wait for the Huns to come.
***
Shang took cover at the head of his troops easily, ducking between tall men who were fully armored and strapped with swords and quivers. There position left little to be desired, at the base of one great slope while still hid behind another. Even with the horses, the Huns or the spies could not separate them from the rock peaking out of the snow and the shadows, even if they did decide to change direction. That was unlikely though, since they were too great in number to manage that easily. They would come from the North, and when they did his troops would be ready.
Glancing over his shoulder, Shang was unhappy that his vantage point did not allow him a clear view of Mulan. But he had left her in the safest place he could, and he would have to trust Chien-Po. The tranquil soldier turned out to be a man of fine judgment, in Shang's opinion, and was the only one among the three friends who was not a troublemaker. Even Mulan had been a troublemaker in the grandest sense. Chien-Po was as good a choice as he had available for a protector, but Shang wished it did not seem as if he were trusting the man with his life.
"Glad you're back, sir" One of men called beside him. He was sitting with his back leaned against the rock, one knee drawn up to balance the stone he was using to sharpen a pair of knives.
"You should have brought Mulan up here with you," the one to his other side said, stretched out on his stomach as he watched the top of the slope. "Who'd have thought a girl would be such a big help to China." Shang fixed the fool with his hardest stare.
The first man paused on his knife. "You gonna marry her, sir?"
Annoyed, Shang sprawled out beside the second man. "Hurry up with that!" He growled at the first. "And get down, before you get killed."
Just as the words had left his mouth, the pounding of hooves thrummed from atop the slope, echoing like endless clouds of thunder. A soft whizzing buzzed around his ears, and when Shang glanced up, the sky was so thick with arrows he could no longer see the clouds. "Get down!" Shang screamed at the men behind him. He dropped face down in the snow, under the cover of the bank.
***
"Fire!" Yao called to the company of archers that had risen no higher than their knees. A volley of fiery arrows soared across the sky. The Huns had wasted most of their arrows with their first charge over the slope. Yao could not see where the enemy had positioned their archers, but he could clearly see that their first attempt had struck nothing of the Chinese troops.
Huns screamed and toppled from their mounts as the arrows rained down, striking their flesh or that of their ponies. By the time they were able to uncover the hiding place, it would be too late for them and Shang's men would be ready. Ling scrambled over on elbows and knees burdened by several quivers of arrows, he even toted two full quivers in his mouth. Yao yanked them away without looking, and Ling yelled some kind of angry threat. But this was no time for games. He sent the lanky man scrambling back through the snow for more arrows, the supplies had been kept at an even distance between his men and Chien-Po's, while the rest had been distributed among the others further down the bank. He had no idea why he had all of sudden stumbled into a sort of leadership position among the troops, that was Shang's doing, but so far he had not faired too terribly at it.
Ordering another round of arrows through the sky, Yao rubbed his hands together in disbelief as more Huns tumbled to the ground. There may have been more of them, but these weren't so tough as Shan-Yu's troops.
***
With a little puff from Mushu, the arrows flamed in the bows of the poised archers leaning against the bank. Mulan was surprised at how quickly the Hun ranks had fallen. At least a third of them lay in the snow, some clutching arrows only to burn their hands on the shafts, while others sprawled out lifelessly in unnatural positions. Cannons were fired further away and after the smoke from several explosions was blown away by the wind, Mulan felt her stomach clench to see men - and pieces of men - littered across the snow, spreading riverlets of red melting together and staining the white bank. She tried to avert her eyes, but the carnage was everywhere she looked, even the smeared fingerprinting of crimson on white lingered behind her eyelids when she tried to shut away the view. They were the enemy, true, but they were still people.
The loud crackling of cannons and the rush of flying arrows crashed painfully in her ears, she wanted to cover them with her hands and crawl away from the madness. But she could not, her hands were burdened by the task of stringing more bows to pass to the archers. It seemed a menial task, but it was both the best she could manage with her wound and help in maintaining the pace of the assault. Chien-Po knelt close at her side, pulling back his bowstrings to release a flaming row of arrows into the air, he said nothing to her but kept his eyes focussed on his fast moving targets. It was useless, but Mulan could not help herself, she kept sorting with her eyes through the Huns and snow, searching for Shang.
***
Lifting his head, Shang saw the Hun army had been decimated by half - a demise much superior to the expectations of his original calculations. The best part was, his troops had kept the sky so thick with arrows and smoke, their enemy had not the vaguest idea where the Chinese had placed themselves. All of his men were fine archers, their ability to launch an arrow so far above their heads at such low ground had kept the Huns looking higher in the mountains for the men behind the onslaught. From a rider's perspective, there did not seem to be enough room between banks for men to hide. Shang was fortunate for that snowstorm, it was transformed such simple terrain into a strategist's dream. And he was fortunate for Mulan for planting this idea in his mind. He had never really thanked her for all the brave things she had done for him and his men, he would not neglect to do so this time.
Half he waited for another round of arrows, and then another. More men fell to the bloody snow, groaning and struggling with inevitable death. The Huns were too arrogant for armor, and burning shafts extended from their bodies as they rolled over on the ground, scotching their hands when they tried to pull the arrows free. The spectacle should have been glorious to Shang's eyes, but in the very bottom of his heart he found the sight of the dead and the dying rather sickening.
"Are we gonna go out there, sir?" The soldier's knives and stone still lay before him, he had thrown them down in haste when Shang had ordered them to take cover. Both he and his friend were pressed closely to either side of Shang.
Another flourish of cannon smoke cleared, now the number had decreased to a third.
"Get ready,"
The two soldiers felt over themselves as they lay there, taking a final inventory of weapons. Shang reached to his side for his sword hilt, drawing it in the same instant he bounded to his feet. The two men were right behind him, swinging into their mounts, followed by the company of soldiers.
Shang raised his sword and led the charge out onto the open snow. "Now!"
***
"Hold your fire!" Yao ordered the men with a sharp gesture. He did not know where he learned that little embellishment, probably from watching the General. The arrows and explosions quieted. giving way to a tense emptiness in the air as columns of riders suddenly appeared out of the snow as if they had been buried under it. Shang was leading them as expected, holding his sword aloft as he galloped fearlessly toward the Huns. The man was crazy, Yao decided, who was quite content to remain under the safety of the snow bank. He was no judge of such things, but Yao supposed the brave spectacle of the General riding so proudly into battle would send Mulan swooning so much her heart would melt the snow. Apparently Mulan had a soft spot for crazy young officers.
The Huns jerked around in shock at the advancing party on horseback, waving their blades and growling viciously at the Chinese. They blows were well countered though, and more Huns were dismounted to add to the collection in the snow. The battle was a slaughter, with few Chinese among the dead.
***
Digging into his horse's heels, Shang bounded forward for the Huns, slashing frantically to the right and left with his sword. They fell all around them, and behind him where his men trailed with their own blades. Victory was upon him, though it left a bitter taste in his mouth, a bitter metallic taste as he glimpsed the blood coating the ground.
Then the remaining enemy split their formation in two, allowing a lone rider to break through their ranks, waving a sword through the air. He was a massive man, a half a foot taller than Shang who had been considered quite tall among his people, the fur and jagged edge of his blade proclaiming him the leader of the barbarian pack. Bayar, his name was, and Shang clashed his blade with the thrusting one in good time to spare his life.
"Well met, General," the new Hun leader sneered, his wolf like features pulled taught into a sickly rictus of bloodlust and rage. He struck again, but Shang moved his horse expertly between his knees, using both hands on his sword to slash the blade away from his heart. "You'll need the girl," Bayar patronized. "Isn't she the one who helps you get out of these little messes alive?"
Shang responded to the taunt with a stroke of his weapon, slicing a handsome gash down the Hun's chest. Fools, that's what armor was for.
His opponent affected not to notice the copious river of blood beginning to gush thickly down his torso. Arrogance was a fatal flaw, he should have learned that from his teacher. Attacking again, Shang dealt him a series of cuts that the quick loss of blood left him too weak to fend off. Bayar was unsteady, swaying in his saddle as he flailed dizzily with the sword in his hand. Shang advanced again, knocking the weapon from his loosening grip. At least Shan-Yu had taught Shang one useful trick. The sword clattered to the ground, leaving Bayar defenseless. With a strangled roar, or was it a squeal? Bayar tumbled from his mount, collapsing into the snow and bouncing over unto his back, leaving a large imprint of blood where he had first landed. Shang made himself watch the Hun with the coldest stare he could manage. He had the heart to let him live, but the wounds would not. It was all over, China had won.
Sheathing the blood stained blade, Shang turned his reins away from Bayar's corpse, riding towards Mulan and the others. Once again, one of her ingenious little plans had saved them all.
***
Mulan watched in disbelief as the few surviving Huns left their dead behind to retreat into the mountains. She had never believed Shang's plan would work so quickly, in fact she had anticipated long days of battle to hold the Pass. It was still hard to see the corpses and the bloodshed, but the sight became easier when she saw the tall rider on the white horse galloping towards them.
Mushu had jumped onto the snow, dancing his victory dance in goofy circles before her and Chien-Po. "We won! We won!" he chanted, letting out an utterly exalted, "Woo hoo!" as he capered about.
Chinese soldiers began rising above the snow, dropping armloads of arrows and cannons on the ground as they rushed to congregate where Mulan and Chien-Po waited. Yao and Ling broke to the front of the group, elbowing each other to be the first to reach their two friends. Mulan rose to her feet when Shang dismounted, walking towards them. They shared a confident smile before he turned to his troops. There was much hugging and cheering, and manly congratulatory pats between the soldiers, but Mulan cleverly managed to slip next to Shang amid all the celebration.
"They'll be gone for good now," Yao grinned, rubbing his hands in the usual fashion.
Shang shook his head, glancing over at the retreating party. "They'll be back," he told Yao quietly. "Maybe not soon, but someday. And when they do, let's hope there is someone like Mulan around." The soldiers cheered her emphatically, Chien-Po leaned over to give her a hug. Mulan turned to Shang, speechless. He was crediting her? But all she had done was tell Mushu to ask her friends to hide.
"I didn't even a fire a single cannon," Mulan challenged her praise to the men. The soldiers looked at Mushu, then at Shang, and finally back at her. Mushu had told them it was both their plan. That was fair, she supposed.
"We ride for the Imperial City," Shang announced with a sweeping gesture towards the other side of the mountain. He had developed such a grand manner of saying that.
Mulan walked with Shang a little ahead of the party. She did not know who had been caring for Khan all this time, but Ling handed the reins to her. The horse neighed angrily at her neglect. Shang offered Mulan a hand in her saddle, she gave him a long suffering stare where she sat above him, carefully considering his somber aura that victory had not lifted.
"You are a hero, Shang," Mulan congratulated. "How do you feel?"
The General smiled briefly at her recognition, then turned his gaze to the body strewn snow. "When my father gave me that sword, I went looking for the glory," he told her softly. "And when I saw how he died, I realized there was none." there was a sadness in him she had never seen before, he seemed to be studying each corpse as if he wanted to be certain he would not forget the face. "I feel ashamed." Was his final answer.
Mulan nodded as she forced herself to take in the scene one last time. It was quite a view. Then they both took the reins of their mounts, heading towards the Imperial capitol, leaving the remains of battle behind them

Epilogue

The victorious party was received with all manner of festivity by the Emperor. A breath taking parade replete with lion dancers and a massive dragon was arranged the very day the soldiers arrived, as well as a banquet to honor the heroes with all due ceremony. Mulan took her place proudly beside Shang during those resplendent affairs. Aside from the usual joy his presence brought her, he was a good source for copying the proper manners and behavior a war hero should display at Court. She attended the functions in fine military dress, and must observe the proper conduct of an estemed warrioar.
The Emperor had taken the time to thank the pair privately, and when he did so Shang informed him of their marriage plans. Mulan did not quite understand why, but the sage old man appeared particularly thrilled with the news - even though Shang had told her it was the Emperor that had granted permission while the then Captain had watched his secret love ride away. China's ruler delivered his happiness with a fond smile for Mulan and some riddle for Shang about a flower blooming in adversity. Shang nodded, understanding the other man's mysterious words of wisdom, words which for some reason forced Mulan to blush furiously.
It was a pity Chi Fu had not been there to see the glorious spectacle, but had been sent to another part of the country on the pressing matter of tax collecting.
After two days of rest and parties, the newly betrothed couple rode to the house where Mulan's family was staying with her father's brother. Fa Zhou welcomed and embraced Shang as a son, who freely gave his soon to be bride the information that her father had had knowledge of the match the first evening he had come for dinner. In fact, that had been his purpose in coming in the first place.
"Baba," Mulan knelt before her father in her uncle's temple. "I want to marry Shang, but we must live in the Imperial City at his father's house. I do not wish to be away from you and Mama, and Grandma."
Fa Zhou, who had always been touched by his only daughter's loyalty, smiled at her. "Mulan," he said to her in his deeply regal voice. "You have brought us great honor, you have been a daughter and a son. Li Shang is a fine man who loves you deeply, you must go and have a life of your own now. You have done enough for us for ten lifetimes."
Mulan bowed her head sadly. "But, Baba, I will miss-"
His grin grew broader, she was her father's daughter after all. "We have no home, but we will build one, not far from the Imperial City, where the farmland is still good." Lifting her head, Mulan adorned the room with a delighted smile, throwing her arms around her dear father.
And so, not many days hence, Fa Mulan and the General Li Shang were wed and settled in a most fine manor house in China's capitol. Not only would her family live nearby as soon as their modest farmhouse could be completed, but Yao, Ling and Chien-Po all dwelt not far away as well. Chien-Po had brought his new wife with him to call one afternoon. Mei-La gushed a hundred happy congratulations for Mulan and her husband, whose eyes, she noted, were not quite so solemn any longer. The pair came often, as well as Yao and Ling who complained bitterly about not having a wife, Shang and Chien-Po taunted them with the fact that they had beautiful wives.
One day only two months after the war had ended, Mulan sat on a stone bench beneath the rich blossoms of a peach tree in her new garden. There was a pond here as well, though not quite the same as the one the Fa garden had possessed, but clear and lovely in it's own right. Shang had returned from the Palace two hours before sundown - peace time duties filled his day with keeping order in the Imperial City - and knew exactly where to find his lovely bride. She had glowed with a particular radiance that afternoon, and being a man of logic, Shang had no trouble guessing the news Mulan would have for him.
She rose gracefully from the bench to kneel before her husband - something she had never done before and he would be sure to tell her never to do again - bowing her head over her hands. "I am with child," she declared, after the little ceremony.
Shang knelt down beside her to embrace his wife joyfully.
Mushu, who now lived in the Li family temple since he was Mulan's guardian after all, heard her statement with the warm and fuzziest feeling inside, and yelled out the window. "I'm not changin' no diapers!" But the pair affected not to hear him.
"I will pray for a son," she said. "A General should have a fine son that will grow up like him." This brought a frown to Shang's face as he recalled the images of battle that still lived vividly in their collective memory. It was tradition for a son to follow the craft of his father, but had hoped there would be no war for his child to see.
So he said to his wife. "And I will pray for a daughter, that she might be like you."
The words struck her so deeply that Mulan wept then and there.
But as fate had always smiled upon Mulan and Shang, and both were granted their wish. Twins were born to them after the usual span of months, a boy and girl. Their son was proudly called Jian-de, meaning strength and honor, and their daughter was named Mei which mean plum flower. Plum flower because the blossoms of the plum tree bloomed in winter, against the most adverse conditions.
This is not to say the General Li Shang and his lady lived happily ever after, as anyone who has ever been in love knows this - as Shang and Mulan were closer to reality than any other Disney invented couple before them. But after their precious children grew old enough to let their parents sleep at night, the pair lived happily most of the time. The point is, in being an honored war hero, and in a marriage to a truly mesmerizing man, Mulan faired much better than the woman of her time. And Li Shang, with his courageous and honorable heart, had found a wife of both wit and beauty, and was blessed beyond all glory and wealth.

(C) 2000 Lian-Hua (Qian-Lei)