Hey, I'm back! I know, I've been stalling on my other stories. My excuses are pathetic so I'm not even going to bother with them. But I promise I'm working on the other stories.
So I watched Mulan and Mulan II the other day, and then I read a bunch of fics in that category. And now, I'm writing one. I thought of the perfect part of the movie to work with.
This takes place in Mulan II, when the bandits come and Shang falls off the bridge. It's basically starts at that point, then goes through the night where Mulan is sitting by the edge of the cliff. It's in a third person POV. Enjoy!
-Ivy
x x x x x x x x x x
Broken
Mulan gasped as the man cut one of the ropes tying the bridge to the other side of the canyon. The bridge wobbled, then twisted, throwing Mulan and Shang into the open air. Just as she was about to fall, Mulan grabbed onto a rope hanging from the bridge. She caught Shang's wrist in her other hand.
"Let's get out of here!" the bandit shouted to his comrade, then ran, leaving Mulan and Shang hanging there.
A snap caused Mulan to glance up. The rope was breaking! The threads snapped, one by one, under Mulan and Shang's weight. The last thread snapped, and Mulan screamed.
Fortunately, the rope was still connected to the bridge. But more threads were already snapping. Mulan's fearful gaze met Shang's. She said, "Shang, hang on."
"It won't hold us both!" he said.
Mulan shook her head, tears spilling over. "It will, it will, Shang."
"Mulan…" Shang held Mulan's gaze. Looking at her tearstained face, he whispered, "I'm sorry."
"Please," Mulan whispered.
And then Shang fell.
Mulan cried, "Shang! Shang!" She watched as he plummeted into the fog below. Trembling and sobbing, she swung onto a sturdier rope just as the last thread of the other one snapped. Mulan pulled herself back across the bridge. She stood on the edge of the cliff, holding Shang's sword, tears streaming.
Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, and the princesses just stared. Yao took a step forward, his arm stretched out toward her. "Mulan…" he trailed off, unable to continue.
Mulan turned away from them, trembling. She heard quiet footsteps as they walked back to the tents, courteously giving her privacy. They all knew what this meant to her.
It started to rain. The heavens opened in a deluge. It was as if the ancestors were morning for Shang along with Mulan.
Once the others had gone to make a shelter, Mulan broke down. She collapsed on her knees. She shouted, "Shang!" as she stabbed his sword into the earth in front of her. Clinging to the handle, she sobbed, letting the tears flow freely. Raising her face to the sky, the rain mixed with her tears and soaked her clothes through to the skin. She released all of her feelings in a wordless scream to the heavens.
Eventually, although Mulan did not know when, the rain stopped. The sky cleared, and a full moon shone done on the sad scene below.
Once she was all cried out, Mulan slumped forward, huddled to the ground. She laid her head on her knees and wrapped her arms around herself.
She was broken. Broken like the bridge. But the bridge could be fixed. Mulan couldn't. The bridge could get new ropes and planks. But Mulan couldn't get a new heart.
The images kept running through her mind—Shang saying "I'm sorry" and falling. Mulan blamed herself. Of course, there was nothing she could have done. Even though she had said it would, Mulan knew the rope would not have been able to hold both of them for much longer. Still, she would rather have died with Shang than have to live without him.
Each time the scene replayed, it broke her even more. It was like the threads of the rope. Each one snapped separately. And she was sure there was no way to fix them. Mulan did not know how much longer she could hold out. She did not know how many more threads there were that could be broken.
With a gasp, she sat up, her eyes widening suddenly. The scene replayed again. Mulan froze the image on Shang saying "I'm sorry." This whole time she had thought he was apologizing for letting go. Suddenly, she heard a double meaning in his words. Not only was he saying sorry for letting go of her hand, but also for the arguments.
Mulan slumped forward again. This new knowledge broke her even more. She hadn't gotten to tell Shang she was sorry, too. She hadn't been able to tell him she loves him. Loved. Because he was gone now.
Another thread broke.
Then Mulan remembered the mission. Even if she was broken, she had a duty. She asked herself what Shang would have wanted her to do. Another one broke. He would have wanted her to continue, to complete her duty. Her duty was to the princesses. But her duty was also to her heart.
But how could she follow her heart if it was broken?
She would follow her mind this time. And her mind told her to help the princesses. She could fix herself later. Maybe. But for now, she would concentrate on the princesses.
Mulan stood as she heard the others approaching behind her. Wiping all traces of tears from her cheeks, she turned to face them.
"Fa Mulan?" Ting-Ting asked hesitantly. Then she said quietly, "We're ready to go through with the wedding."
Mulan shook her head. "No. Your orders are to take care of each other."
Chien-Po protested, "But—"
"Losing Shang will not be meaningless," Mulan insisted. "No matter what it takes, I'm finishing this mission."
Once she was done, maybe she could fix her heart. Maybe she wouldn't be broken forever after all. Just maybe.