I was taken from my home when I was young. I don't know where I am, all I know is that I am a prisoner or a slave. I'm sure my family has forgotten about me long ago, or else they would have found me, but alas I've been here for what I think to be three long years. I have been tormented and tortured beyond belief, I belong nowhere. The Hun women of my master is kind to me, she is like a mother I once had. I am now thirteen and I was taken when I was ten. I don't remember what village I was from, or even what my parents look like. But if it wasn't for my Hun mother… I would have killed myself. Men try to get into bed with me, even at my young age, if it wasn't for her I would have died long ago. Every night I look up into the night sky wondering what my parents are doing right now. Wondering if they have forgotten about me, wondering if my older brother has even forgotten about me. For too long I have longed to die, but every morning I am yanked from my bed and put to work. Why, oh why did I have to be taken away? Two years ago I would have been killed if it wasn't for my Hun mother. She stopped them from killing me, and said it wasn't right to kill a child, if no one came to rescue me, then she would raise me as her child. And well here I am. I am a Chinese/Hun slave child. I so badly want to go home, I've talked to my Hun mother and she said not to speak about that anymore, and also not to try anything, or else I would never go home… alive. I don't know why no one has found me yet, where they took me, we are still in China, toward the outskirts, but when they learned that they could trust me not to run away, they let me go to town and get food and things they needed. It wouldn't look suspicious since I was Chinese. I saw many imperial soldiers around, so we couldn't be more than 75 miles from the imperial palace, but still too far for me to try to get home.

One night, it was getting late and my Hun mother said I could go take a bath and then go to bed. I walked about five miles down the river so I could take a bath in private. I came across an imperial soldier's uniform, and then looked towards the river to see him staring right at me.

"What are you doing out here all alone miss?" in a rather loud voice.

I signaled him to be quiet but he just repeated the question.

"You must be quiet. I'm sometimes followed. Why are you all the way out here? Where are the rest of the troops?"

"Its just me, my troops are about 2 miles downstream. Where are you?"

"You must leave, it's not safe for you."

"And what about you? And why are you so comfortable right now?"

"I am safe, there is no where I can go that I will be harmed. Oh sorry, I'm just use to people not having privacy." I turned around to let him come out of the water and get changed.

"ok." I turned around and he was right in front of me.

"Who are you?"

"me? I'm a no one."

"you must be someone, what is your name?"

"My name is Mulan."

"where do you live?"

"about 5 miles upstream. Why?"

"I'll take you back it's not safe-"

"NO! You mustn't! please never go there, don't follow me. Please."

"why what's the matter?" he grabbed my arm.

"Please let go. I cant tell you, please you must understand. If they followed me here I could be killed."

"What are you talking about?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"oh but you underestimate me."

"no I don't, you wouldn't understand, now please just go and don't follow me."

I left him standing behind… I went a little out of the way just to make sure he wouldn't follow me. Everyone was asleep when I got back, so I just went to my tent and went to sleep. I was in a peaceful slumber when I heard something outside. I grabbed a sward that I had found and crept outside to see who the intruder was. I crept behind him and covered his mouth and stuck the blade to his neck.

"who are you? And what are you doing here?"

his voice sounded familiar. He spun around and I saw it was the soldier from the river. He was about to talk when I heard some movement, and I covered his mouth and moved him back into the forest. We walked about 3 miles down the river.

"why did you follow me here?"

"who are you?"

"my name is Mulan, I'm Chinese."

"no your not! That was a Hun camp!"

I sighed, he was never gonna give it up until I told him what happened long ago.

"I am Chinese, I was taken from my home about three years ago, they have kept me here for all this time. I have yet to see my family."

"well why don't you run away?"

"Ha to where may I ask? They know where I lived. I'm not safe anywhere."

"well why don't you come back to camp with me?"

"I cant they will be waking me up in an hour, and if they don't find me there, I- I don't know what would happen, but I don't care to find out."

"You want to go back there? Where you are tortured and treated as a slave?"

"at least I know they would come look for me if something happened, there is a woman that loves me. Unlike my Chinese family."

"what is your surname?"

"Hau"

he backed away.

"It can't be. I've found you."

"Who are you?" I started to back away from him scared he would do something to me.

"Who am I? Mulan don't you recognize me? Mulan… I'm Yong, your brother."