Dragon Fire
SUMMARY / "You show them that a true warrior has dragon fire in her veins." A month after defeating Shan Yu, Captain Fa Mulan finds herself thrust back into the warzone. Alongside General Li Shang and their soldiers, Mulan proves herself to be quite the warrior despite her gender as she goes on her next mission for the emperor to rescue a princess from the remaining Huns.
NOTE / So after rewatching Mulan and Mulan II, I immediately was hit by my newfound love for Shang x Mulan, so I came here and looked for fics. There was only one that I found particularly amazing, and that was "Towards the Setting Sun" by aleaiactaest93. If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you go do that! (I'm very sad that the author hasn't updated in over a year though; it's an amazing story) That story has inspired me to write this little fic here, and there will be some similarites (EX perhaps some Turks? Maybe some of the same characters? [provided that aleaiactaest93 is credited where credit is due]) I, however, am not very good with the historical facts at all, so that'll be left out of the story. For reference, Mulan will be portrated by Jamie Chung (just as she was in the TV show, Once Upon a Time) and Shang will be portrayed by Yoshi Sudarso (just google Yoshistunts Shang Li).
Chapter One
This is a poem for monster girls
Who have no stars in their skin
Only fire and iron and scales
This is for the girls you don't know,
And for all the girls you will know
Who choose to breathe fire over mist
As Mulan walked back to her estate, a basket of fresh dumplings and several bags of herbal tea dangling from her arm, she smiled back at the civilians who greeted China's heroine.
It had been only a month since she defeated Shan Yu, hugged the emperor, and destroyed the imperial palace, but all in the effort to save China. She had fully expected to return to her family in shame, as the laughing stock of her village, after disappointing the matchmaker and sneaking into the army as Ping. Instead, she was met by relentless fame and approval by those around her.
Not only did serving in the army and saving China bring her fame and honor, but it also brought to her three loyal friends: Yao, Ling, and Chien Po, who she often spent time around the village with whenever she could. They were always able to put her into the greatest of moods with their silly antics, and for that, she was truly grateful. Besides those three, the only other person she'd seen since the war ended was Shang.
He'd come on horseback to her estate two weeks prior to today, delivering to her the good news of his promotion as general. He'd also stayed for dinner that day, prompting Grandma Fa to throw out innuendos like no tomorrow and causing both Shang and herself to blush furiously and stammer, denying that anything less than platonic was going on. She had to admit, there was something between herself and Shang, but she didn't know exactly what it was. All she knew at the moment was that seeing him made her heart do somersaults, and hearing his deep, resonating voice made her knees weak.
Of course, she hadn't always felt this way about him. Back when she was just Ping, she admitted that anyone with a brain and eyes could tell that Shang was quite easy on the eyes, but he was a complete hardass with a penchant for public embarrassments for his soldiers. Now, she knew that that was only the attitude required of him in order to be a successful captain.
Just as Mulan stepped into the yard of her estate, her mother came running up to her excitedly, her father sitting down at the white bench beneath the cherry blossom and looking at her with a proud smile on his face. Her grandmother trailed behind her mother, at a slower pace.
"What's this, mama?" she asked when the two got closer and she found a red and gold scroll glistening in the sunlight in her mother's hand. It looked as though it was issued by the emperor himself, as scrolls were typically plain in color.
"Oh, it's the most wonderful news, Mulan!" Fa Li exclaimed happily, a bright smile on her face. "The emperor has informed us that his only son, who's a general in the army, has expressed a desire to wed you. This is your chance, Mulan! How often is it that the prince of China chooses you as a wife?"
Mulan pursed her lips. Politely, she explained,"mama, I do not wish to be betrothed. You know that when I marry, I want it to be out of love for my husband, not convenience or upward mobility."
Grandma Fa cut in right then, "and what of that handsome general, Li Shang? Surely, by now we all know there's something brewing on between these two, aren't I right Mulan?" She smiled slyly at her granddaughter, a knowing look stretched across her features.
"Please just give it a chance, daughter. You may never know, love could always blossom later on if you just gave him a chance. We're to meet him at the matchmaker's home in one hour; at least give it a try," pleaded Fa Li, desperate for her daughter to marry as soon as possible. "You're eighteen now, most if not all girls your age already have families of their own, with several children!"
"Alright mama, I'll be there," Mulan replied, giving in to her mother's wishes if only to please her as well as the emperor and his son.
She'd heard stories about Prince Huang Shufen; he'd trained in the army with the permission of his father ever since he was but a young child, no less than the age of eight. By age eighteen, he was already appointed captain, and then general in the army by age twenty-three. Right now, she'd wager the prince and general would be about twenty-five years of age. He was well known for his effort in defeating the last of the Mongols as a newly-minted general, just as Shang is now for his aid in defeating Shan Yu.
Despite rumors of him being a gentle, kind soul, Mulan very highly doubted she would be fit to marry the prince of China. Once she came to the matchmaker's home and he saw how she could not properly cook, pour tea, or do anything remotely related to the duty of a wife, he'd change his mind about her.
So she went into her room after placing down the basket of dumplings and herbal tea in the kitchen and changed into the finest kimono dress she had. It was made of a mixture of pastel pink and white silk, and embroidered with intricate gold flowers in the skirt. A thin gold sash was tied around her stomach, its extra long ends flowing behind her as she walks. She did not bother to try to do her hair, as it stopped at a length a bit past her breasts and was too short now to do anything with.
By the time she emerged from her room and walked back outside to the yard, Mulan, along with her mother and grandmother, traveled back into the village to the matchmaker's home. Upon coming to the entrance of the house, they found a red and gold imperial carriage stationed outside, two white stallions and four guards waiting in the front. Curious villagers made a crowd outside the matchmaker's home, just as they had the very day Mulan had come to find a husband, except now there was a much larger audience. Some gasped and shouted greetings as she walked by, and she gracefully smiled in response, with a small tilt of her head for acknowledgement.
As she walked on by, she spotted Yao, Ling, and Chien Po in the sea of people, shouting her name.
"Mulan! Mulan, what are you doing back at the matchmaker's?" Ling asked excitedly. She had already informed all three of them of her failure to please the matchmaker almost a month ago, and so they all knew she wasn't here to give it a second try.
She stopped in her tracks and smiled at the three people she'd come to call friends. "Prince Huang Shufen requested that I be betrothed to him—"
Before she could finish explaining, Yao exclaimed, "What!? Mulan, we thought there was something going on with yourself and Shang!"
She grimaced. Right, she'd momentarily forgotten about Shang. It didn't matter, they were nothing more than friends and comrades anyways. There were times where she contemplated the prospect of him possibly feeling the same way she did in her presence, but she could not bring herself to think about it too much. They were nothing short of being just friends.
Before she could answer, the doors to the matchmaker's home opened and out came the burly woman. "Fa Mulan!" Her eyes searched the crow for a second before falling on Mulan. "Come. Prince Huang Shufen awaits your presence," she says, and from the distasteful look on her face, Mulain would bargain that she remembered the last time she was here.
"We'll wait out here for you, Mulan!" Grandma Fa exclaimed happily from her place in the crowd next to Chien Po.
She walked towards the doors, suddenly feeling very nervous and self conscious. What if, upon seeing her, the prince would immediately be taken aback by how utterly normal, or day she say, subpar she was? She didn't know the first thing about being a wife, the only thing she knew was combat. She was one for reading books and playing xiangqi, not needlework and cleaning.
It will be alright, she tells herself repeatedly in her head. She had not planned for this meeting to work out anyway, so she will not be disappointed in herself if it did not work out.
She walked inside and felt her heart booming in her chest as the doors slammed closed behind her.
NOTE / So, yes, this was just an introductory chapter. And yes, this IS a Shang x Mulan fic, do not fret! He may not be present in this chapter yet, but he'll be here shortly, I promise! Please leave a review! Also, I know that the emperor has three daughters, and in this story he still does, but I just added in a son for entertainment and to further the story as I wished. Note that I will be changing a lot of things.