Disclaimer: We do not own Mulan.

Still Standing

The wind was howling in the trees but Mulan barely noticed. Her guardian, her steady rock in the mountains, was wrapped around her neck like a scarf - though he wouldn't allow her to call him that.

It was bitingly cold out but she didn't care. She needed to get somewhere. She stroked Khan's neck gently, encouraging him along the snow ladened trail. She could hear the distant sounds of something - something that could be dangerous, but she couldn't stop. Though her breaths fogged the air, though Khan was tired, it wasn't worth stopping; not when the risk of injury or death was so high. She was a Chinese warrior, made to be tough. She could handle this. Or at least, she had been.

Distant were the memories, despite it not having been more than a few years. The scars on her body told the tale of her adventures and reminded her each morning of those she had left behind.

And she was one of the lucky few. How many had died, never to come back? The treacherous mountain path had taken too many lives, featured in too many nightmares. And what for? What did honour really do? It didn't bring back loved ones. It hadn't saved Ling, nor Chien-Po or Yao. it hadn't saved the people she had been fighting for.

Not even her Father.

As a young, naive child, she had listened intently to Grandmother Fa's stories about honour. Now though, she wished she'd never heard a single one. Tales of grandeur, sweeping legends of battles and victories, great monuments dedicated to the success of the motherland - none of them told the real story. Death wasn't grand. Death was still and cruel, turned loved ones into strangers.

Death didn't honour families. It only tore them apart.

Mulan shook her head to clear herself of these thoughts and rode on through the thick black forest. She tugged her thin cloak tighter around her, smiling fondly as her dragon shifted into a more comfortable position. As the days grew bleaker, he was her only source of comfort. He and Khan had become her only companions as the years passed. She had forgotten what it felt like to be hugged by her mother, to be patted on the back by her fellow soldiers.

She had visited many different places in the past few years but she remembered none as fondly as her time when she took her father's place. Mulan still donned her armour each morning, hair cut short and helmet in place. She was still an Imperial soldier, whether she was recognized as one or not. Nothing would change who she truly was. She had gone through many hardships, things she had never been capable of imagining as a teenager, but she had become battle hardened from it. Whether that was a good thing, she didn't know.

With the experience had come an inability to turn back. She knew the delicate life of a dedicated, married woman was not destined for her. That had only been confirmed by her disastrous visit to the matchmaker years ago, which had seemed like a wondrous fairy tale at the time. After all, what man would want a woman who rose at night due to visions of ululating Huns crashing down upon her and the flash of a sword before piercing agony? Maybe once, she could have had something with Li Shang, but that had changed long ago. And maybe, it had never been anything. It didn't matter now. Nothing mattered now. Not when they weren't here. No one was here apart from Mushu, Khan and herself. They had all left her that fateful day.

Not by choice, but they had still left her. A childish part of her wanted to kick and scream to the high heavens that it was unfair, but she couldn't. She had to stay strong, to hold it together. Maybe not for herself, but for Mushu and Khan. For the sacrifice the last of the Imperial Army had made.

To this very day, Mulan remembered being told she would bring honour. But they never would have believed that it would be like this. She never would have believed it.

A sharp nip on the lobe of her ear crashed her back into reality. It wasn't often she allowed herself to indulge on thoughts of the past. When she did, she knew she almost went into a catatonic state. Her body was moving but her mind was fixated on one point, her eyes unseeing, her ears unhearing. Mushu had more than enough experience in bringing her out of her trance, unfortunately for her ears - and occasionally her fingers, depending on where he was curled up.

Looking ahead, she saw the trees getting thinner. She was nearly at her destination. She sniffed, the cold affecting her. A wave of fear rushed through her at the scent in the air. It was of burning, and not just wood. No, it was flesh that was burning. She hardened her gaze, urging Khan into as fast a trot as he could muster. Finally, she was able to hear the faint sounds of footsteps. It would only take seconds to enter the village. The village she grew up in. And though the situation was pressing, Mulan couldn't help the small thought nagging at her.

Would they recognise the woman she had become?

Hello! It's not just Moon Moon with you today! Nargie (I believe in Nargles Too) is also here. As you can guess, Nargie (me) is writing this author's note. As the summary says, this story is Co-written.

The good parts belong to Moon Moon (Moon Moon ~ not true, Nargie!). It's a fandom I don't think either of us have written for before (Moon Moon ~ nope!) (fuck) (Moon Moon~ Bad language, Nargie!) (Everyone is meant to be 13+) (Moon Moon~ And that's why the rating is as it is!) and We/I hope you like it!

Well yeah…..

YOU READ NOW (Moon Moon ~ I had no say in Nargie writing that!) (Except being able to delete it) (Moon Moon ~ I'm not that mean, but shut up).

Thanks to all you lovely readers for reading this story! To those of you who managed to struggle through the above paragraph, congrats! This is Moon Moon, as Nargie calls me, just adding a little bit. This story is dedicated to each other, as we've been talking for well over a year and I haven't regretted a single day of it!

We hope you have enjoyed, all you smiley faces! (Yes Nargie, I did just put that. Hah.)

MG (Moon Moon)