Disclaimer- i do not own any of the Disney characters..

this is my first story so- PLEASE take it easy on me, im new at this :)

Chapter 1

For months now, Mulan heard them. She heard them whispering, gossiping…murmuring around her. Ever since she and Shang married, she never heard the end of it. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how many times Shang told her it didn't matter; she couldn't take the criticism of the people in the village.

She sat outside the Li household, thoughtful about the criticism of the villagers. She thought about the matchmaker. She thought about her family. She sat there, contemplating to herself about her new life. She had never felt so different. She felt honored, yet not respected. She felt loved, yet not understood.

All these emotions were filling her head and all she could do was cry. Tears fell from her eyes and didn't stop. Just as she began to cry, it began to drizzle. She got up and walked back into the house, drying her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.

how could i be so ungrateful? i have a wonderful husband, a gorgeous new home, and proud parents. what more could i ask for? so what if some people don' t like me!

Of course, this only made her cry more. As she arrived at the kitchen counter, she took out the teapot and put a handful of leaves in it.

Mulan, calm yourself, Shang will be home any minute...I don't want him thinking that I'm not happy..

As poured the warm water onto the tea leaves, she heard the door come open then slam.

Oh no, its Shang! He's home early -

She walked through the colorless hall into the living room. She looked at the greystone colored couch, then at the walnut lacquer table, and finally at the door. There was no one in the doorway,but, there was sprinkled of water all over the floor.

...hmm

She turned around, back to the kitchen and with just one step she heard the door slam again. She turned around and realized it had been the wind that opened the door. She now realized that she had forgotten to close the door when she came back inside.

the rain is getting pretty bad...i wonder if Shang will be home today..

She went back to the kitchen and continued to make her green tea. When it was finished, she sat herself at the floor table, crossed her legs, and closed her eyes. The tea felt so warm and comforting in her. The heat helped her relax and let all her worries go. It wasn't until she finished the tea that she opened her eyes. She indeed felt much better after drinking the tea, but, now she was feeling sleepy. She didn't want to fall asleep so early, so she started to do some work around the house. She swept the kitchen floor and vacuumed the rest of the house in about an hour. It was now 8:30, and Shang had still not come home. She wanted to keep herself busy, so she mopped the kitchen floor and washed the dirty laundry. While she was washing Shang's uniforms she heard someone knocking on the door. She wondered who it could be. She knew it was not Shang, because (obviously) Shang had the keys. She walked over to the living room and took a peek through the window to see who it was. It was a messenger. She opened the door and noticed that the messenger was soaking wet and it was not just rain, but a thunderstorm.

"Fa Mulan…" he bowed and Mulan smiled and shook her head in response.

"No need for formalities, Sir, please come in. I can't let you stand outside in the cold."

"Well thank you, Mulan"

"Please sit, I will bring you some tea.." She walked into the kitchen and brought out the tea she had made earlier. It was still warm, she had left it on the stove.

"Thank you, Mulan, you are very kind."

"Your welcome, so, what news do you bring me?" she smiled kindly as she questioned him. He put his tea down on the table and answered.

"Well, as you may have noticed, the rain is pretty bad today. Traveling would be dangerous during these conditions, especially horseback. So, I came to tell you that Li Shang will not be arriving until morning. If anything were to come up tomorrow, he would not be back until nightfall."

"Oh..." (sigh) no big deal...i guess ill be sleeping alone today, again.

"Well, Lady Li, I must go. But, Li Shang sends his love, and he hopes to see you tomorrow morning." He got up and bowed to Mulan. She bowed in response, and led him to the doorway.

"Thank you very much, Safe travels" she smiled and closed the door.

I might as well go to bed now..

First chapter is DONE ! - sorry its so short...im reaaalllyy bad at beginning stories !

i hope you like it, and im looking forward to reading your reviews !

R&R