Hi! I'm Mulan's horse, Khan. I've got a story to tell, too. But, of course, nobody ever asks the horse's opinion.
The day Mulan was supposed to meet the matchmaker started like any other day. She woke up late, dawdled in her room, got her chores done late and broke a teacup. Nothing out of the ordinary, just another day in the life of Mulan.
But when she jumped on me for a galloping, break-neck ride to town is when it started getting weird. Usually, if we went for a run, it was out in the fields.
She arrived with hay in her hair to some lady's house and was greeted with a glare by her mother. Grandma Fa took my reins.
After getting pulled into the house and then into another house, she finally came out all dolled up. I've never seen my girl looking like that before. She looked beautiful, but I couldn't help noticing she was anything but happy.
She walked behind a line of other girls who looked the same way. They stopped and gathered in front of a house where an ugly, cranky-looking lady called Mulan's name.
For some reason, Dragon Lady got angry when Mulan answered "present" to her name and scolded her about speaking without permission. Seriously?
I watched Mulan go in the house with her and decided if she hurt my girl, she was gonna get it.
It was quiet for a few minutes, then I heard Dragon Lady yelling. I was about to charge through the door to rescue Mulan when both came running outside. The big lady's butt was on fire. It was the funniest thing I'd ever seen, and since I live with Mulan, I've seen some pretty funny stuff.
Anyway, she was running around her porch yelling "put it out, put it out, PUT IT OUT!" so Mulan threw the pot of tea at her that she was holding. That put out the fire, but it also soaked the lady and smeared her makeup. I didn't think it was possible for Dragon Lady to get any uglier, but with a pound of makeup running down her face, she looked positively hideous.
It was all pretty hilarious until she chased Mulan over to where I waited with her mother and grandma.
"You are a disgrace! You may look like a bride, but you will never bring your family honor."
What?! Oh, no, she didn't. It was on, now.
All 3 women's faces fell, but Mulan's especially. She took my reins from Grandma Fa and walked home, never taking her eyes off the ground.
The whole way home, I kept trying to make her smile. A good run on my back would cheer her up, I was positive of it. So I stopped and pranced my feet like I was getting ready to take off on a gallop and motioned my head toward my back. She looked at me and shook her head. She had tear stains on her cheeks.
Whatever this all was, it was serious. And it was all Dragon Lady's fault, as far as I was concerned. Mulan hardly ever cries.
I made a vow to kick the lady next time I saw her. Disgrace that!
When we got home, Mulan gave me water and hay. Her dad looked at her expectantly, but she just looked away and hid her face.
Then she started singing a sad song about not recognizing her reflection and breaking her family's heart.
I still thought a good run on my back would make her feel better. She could forget all about Dragon Lady. Once again, I did one of my little prances and waited for her to jump on my back. But, instead, she went and sat down on a stone bench under the Mudan tree.
Fa Zhou went and sat by her. I could tell she still felt ashamed and sad by the way she turned her head. He started talking about how beautiful the flowers were. Then after pointing to one that hadn't opened yet, he predicted that when it did open it would be the most beautiful of all. I think he was talking about Mulan, cuz then he tucked a blossom into her hair.
At that moment, I heard drums beating from the center of town. Fa Zhou and Fa Li went to the gate immediately. So did Mulan, but Fa Li told her to stay inside. After she turned her back, Grandma Fa cleared her throat and pointed to a spot in the wall where Mulan could climb up to watch what was happening.
I could hear a man with a whiny voice telling the townspeople that the Huns had invaded China. Every family was to send one man to the army to help defend their country.
After reading off a few names, I heard him say "the Fa family". I heard Mulan exclaim "No!". Then she jumped down from her perch on the wall.
Uh oh! She was supposed to stay inside for a reason.
As Fa Zhou handed his crutch to his wife and stepped forward to accept the scroll, Mulan came running out.
"Father, you can't go."
"Mulan!"
Then she turned to address the military official handing out the conscriptions.
"Please sir, my father has already fought bravely." She was right, he served in the Chinese army years ago. He had been a brave warrior and hero until he had suffered serious injuries that pained him to this day. When no one else was around, I saw him grimace and groan.
But of course, Ol' Whiny Voice had to butt in. "You would do well to teach your daughter to hold her tongue in a man's presence." He's next on my kick list. These folks gotta stop messing with my girl!
"Mulan, you dishonor me." Fa Zhou had turned his face away from her. All the military officials were glaring at her. Grandma Fa put her arm around her and walked her back inside the gate. The girl just can't catch a break today, I swear.
She stayed inside the rest of the day, except to look after me. I caught a glimpse of Fa Zhou practicing with his sword. He was obviously skilled with it, but lost his balance and fell.
I didn't see Mulan again until much later, when she ran out of the house crying. I had just heard Fa Zhou shouting, so it must have been at her to cause her to react like this. How many people was I gonna have to kick?
She sat under the great dragon statue for hours. Then, seeming to have made a decision, she jumped up and walked to the temple. A little while later, a soldier in full armor appeared in the entryway of my stall. I reared up and let out a loud neigh. He ran up to me, rubbing my nose and speaking softly and I realized it was Mulan. Why was she in her father's armor with a sword at her side?
Jumping on my back, she told me to take off. Finally, we got to go for that run I knew she needed. But why at night and why did she have to wear armor? My next clue that something was odd was when we reached the edge of the village and she turned me a different direction than normal. Then we ran for a lot longer than ever before.
We finally arrived at what looked like a military camp. She stopped just outside of it. Dismounting, she watched the men moving around the camp.
Then she practiced talking and walking like a man and practicing with her sword. I laughed like crazy at her until she threw a shoe at me.
Finally, she took my reins and walked into the camp. I was embarrassed cuz she was trying to walk like a guy but looked like a drunk gorilla.
I wish I could've helped her put her tent up, but horses can't do that.
A while later, I heard Ol' Whiny Voice again. He was here? Excellent. Time for some equine style revenge! Mulan hadn't tied me up yet, so I ran over and kicked his leg before he knew what hit him. Strike one name off the list. I was gonna get revenge for my girl yet!
Predictably, Ol' Whiny Voice raised a stink that I kicked him and yelled at Mulan to control her horse. I almost did it again, but I didn't want her to get in more trouble. I made eye contact with him to let him know I was watching him. Any more false moves and he was getting the one hoof salute again.
Mulan was talking to everybody with this goofy deep voice like she was pretending to be a guy or something.
That's it! That's what she was doing! She didn't want her father to go to war so she was pretending to be his son. She could have clued me in first.
I saw her punch a guy in the arm and slap his ass. I panicked. That wasn't gonna end well. The guy turned around to hit her but his friend grabbed him and picked him up and made him meditate. Then I heard him tell Mulan she wasn't worth his time and called her "Chicken boy". Mulan yelled back "Chicken boy? Say that to my face, you limp noodle!" Oh, girl, when will you learn?
He turned around to punch her, but she ducked and he punched another guy standing behind her. They both went chasing after her but she got away by hiding in someone else's tent. In the process of running after her, they ran into the person waiting at the end of the dinner line. This started a hilarious domino effect, ending with the cook and his huge pot of rice getting knocked over. Before I knew it, an all-out brawl broke out, with Mulan in the middle of it. Even away at military camp, trouble seemed to always find her.
Suddenly, I heard a deep stern voice yell "Soldiers!" They all jumped to attention and pointed at Mulan. "He started it!"
She had been crouching on the ground with her hands over her head. When the captain approached her, she jumped up and brushed herself off.
"I don't need anyone causing trouble in my camp!" He barked at her.
"Uh, sorry!" She forgot to use her guy voice! What was I gonna do with her? Her captain's eyebrows went up.
"I mean, sorry you had to see that." Good, she remembered to use her guy voice.
"But you know how it is when you get those manly urges and you just gotta kill something."
She punched her captain in the arm. If I coulda put my hoof over my face, I would've. She shoulda just shut up, but she didn't.
"Fix things, cook outdoors..."
Imaginary hoof over the face.
"What's your name?"
"Uh, my name?"
"Your commanding officer just asked you a question!" I don't recall anybody asking your opinion, OWV!
"I've got a name and it's a boy's name, too. His name is Ling!"
"I didn't ask for his name, I asked for yours."
"Achoo!"
"Achoo?!"
"Mushu!"
"Mushu?"
"No"
"Then what is it?"
"Ping"
"Ping?"
"Yes, my name is Ping." Finally!
"Let me see your conscription notice!"
"Fa Zhou? The Fa Zhou?"
"I didn't know Fa Zhou had a son." That would be because he doesn't.
"He doesn't talk about me much."
Then Mulan tried to spit on the ground, but failed miserably.
Imaginary hoof over the face, again.
"I can see why. The boy's an absolute lunatic!"
Her captain looked at her and narrowed his eyes angrily. That was not good! You don't want your commanding officer angry with you on the first day.
I added the captain to my kick list as well. I also decided that Ol' Whiny Voice had a permanent spot on it and should be given the one hoof salute whenever possible.
"All right, gentleman, thanks to your new friend Ping, you will spend the rest of the evening picking up every single grain of rice. And tomorrow, the real work begins."
Everybody looked real mad at Mulan, I mean Ping. I tried to help by eating off the ground whatever rice I could reach. But with being tied, I couldn't help very much. Ping was on her own with this one.
The next morning, Ping was up late, so she was last to get in line for breakfast. She tried not to get noticed, but it didn't work. Just as some of her comrades were threatening to give her a knuckle sandwich, Captain Li called them all to attention.
"Soldiers! You will assemble swiftly and silently every morning. Anybody caught doing otherwise, will answer to me."
He took off his shirt. I saw Ping's eyes get big. Uh oh… That was the last thing she should do, develop a crush on her captain. She was supposed to be a boy for this thing.
"Ooh, tough guy!" That was the guy who's ass Mulan had slapped the previous day. He definitely had a big mouth.
Suddenly, the captain pointed his bow and arrow at Big Mouth.
"Yao."
Everybody else stepped back, leaving Yao by himself. He got a scared look on his face. I bet he was probably thinking that this captain wasn't someone to mess with.
Then the captain shot the arrow at the top of a tall pole.
"Thank you for volunteering. Retrieve the arrow."
Yao started walking towards the pole, rubbing his hands together. "I'll get that arrow, Pretty Boy, and I'll do it with my shirt on."
"Wait!" Just before he got to the pole, he was stopped.
Ol' Whiny Voice was carrying a box that must have been fairly heavy, cuz I could tell he was struggling. What a woose! My girl could carry that box better than that.
Yao didn't seem all that surprised that there was a catch.
"You seem to be forgetting something."
The captain lifted up one of Yao's arms and put a weight on his wrist.
"This represents discipline." Yao's arm dropped right down when he let go.
Then he put a weight on his other wrist. "This represents strength." Yao's other arm dropped, too. I saw the other soldiers laugh.
"You need both to retrieve the arrow."
Yao got several feet up the pole before he slid down. He tried to stop the slide with his teeth. That made my own jaw hurt. Ouch!
One by one, each soldier failed in their attempt to get the arrow with the weights around their wrists. Ping slid down the pole only a little ways up and landed hard on her butt. I felt bad as I watched her walk away rubbing it. I wish I could help her, but I'm still tied.
The captain watched all of them failing at their attempts to climb the pole and rubbed the back of his neck. "We've got a long way to go!"
Next, they all had to line up to start learning fighting maneuvers for martial arts. The captain tossed bo staffs to everybody. Yao grabbed Ping's before she could get it, and used it to knock her off her feet. She glared at him.
That's another name for my kick list. Yao, I'm coming for you!
Then Ling, the guy Yao had punched when he was trying to punch Ping, dropped a nasty looking bug down her back. Another name for my kick list. These guys gotta stop!
She freaked out, swinging her bo staff wildly and knocking down a bunch of soldiers around her.
The captain did some fancy move by flipping on his bo staff and ran up to her. He took her staff and grabbed her shirt collar and yelled at her. I held my breath and hoped he wouldn't look down.
He's already on my kick list. I guess I could add him again. So far, I've got Dragon Lady twice, Ol' Whiny Voice has a permanent spot, Ling, Yao and then the captain twice.
Day after day went by with Ping doing poorly on everything she tried. The captain beat her up in martial arts sparring, she fell jumping between poles over a river and she whacked everyone with her bo staff again. She had a terrible time hitting a target with her arrows.
I know he was just doing his job, but did Captain Li really need to yell at Ping as much as he did?
Ling made it onto the kick list again when he kicked the stand out from under her cannon just before it went off. She grabbed it so that it would fire vertically instead of straight out horizontally. It ended up landing directly on Ol' Whiny Voice's tent. I was pretty proud of her for that. He deserved it.
One day when Ling and Yao got too close to me, I kicked both of them. Score! Khan 1, Ling and Yao 0!
I got the opportunity to kick Ol' Whiny Voice later that same day! I found out his name is Chi Fu but I like my name better. Everybody hates him, but especially the captain.
The worst day came when they did a long run up and down mountains with weights over their shoulders. Ping collapsed part of the way through and the captain had to carry her weight with his own weights. It was hours before she came back.
Captain Li (I know his name now) was standing next to me waiting for her. When she came into view, he walked me up to her and dropped my reins in her hand.
"You're unsuited for the rage of war, so pack up, go home you're through. How could I make a man out of you?"
Ping looked as upset as she did the day the matchmaker yelled at and humiliated her. He just earned himself a 3rd one hoof salute. Before he walked away, I kicked him and gave him his first one. Khan 1, Captain 0!
"And take that wild horse with you before he kicks anyone else!"
She started to walk to her tent to pack up and go, but happened to look up at the arrow still at the top of the pole. Suddenly, she got a fierce and determined look on her face. Uh oh. I know that look. She had that look when we left home. Speaking of home, Dragon Lady is still gonna get it. They say elephants never forget. But horses have even better memories.
Ping tied me back up by her tent and returned to the pole. Then my girl spent the entire night trying to get to the top. After several false tries, she grabbed the weights and stared at them for a long while.
Then she tied them together and used the looped ends to pull herself up. By the time the sun came up, she was over halfway there.
Fellow soldiers came out of their tents and cheered when they saw her. I saw sweat pouring off her determined face as she struggled to get to the arrow. I was so proud of her.
By the time Captain Li came out of his tent, Ping was sitting at the top. She threw the arrow at his feet and he looked up. He looked super surprised to see the soldier he had dismissed the previous night. Not only was she at the top of the pole, the weights were on her shoulder.
This was proof she had accomplished his challenge as he had presented it. No other soldier had been able to complete it.
After she slid down, he told her she could stay. Alright, good, but he's still got 2 kicks coming.
The change in Ping was incredible.
She ran ahead of everyone on the long mountain runs with the weights.
She jumped across the poles over the river without falling in. She caught fish with her bare hands and hit target bull's eyes with her arrows.
Ping was becoming a formidable opponent in martial arts. During a spar with Captain Li, she kicked him in the jaw and knocked him down. I was so proud of her. That's one less kick from the horse, I suppose. But I'm still watching him.
While Ping was busy excelling at everything, I was busy watching Ol' Whiny Voice. He yelled at Captain Li all the time about what a lousy, incompetent commander he was. After one particularly bad butt-chewing, OWV made the mistake of walking too close to where I was grazing. That was just too beautiful of an opportunity to pass up, so of course I nailed him right in the knee. Then I locked eyes with Captain Li and dipped my head. He just stared at me, probably wondering if stress was causing him to lose his mind or if a horse just kicked his worst enemy and then saluted him.
I could tell Captain Li was proud of Ping's accomplishments. He had given her a proud grin when she'd knocked him over. He seemed to watch her a lot, maybe puzzling over what had brought about the change in her. Of course, he thought she was a he. We had to keep it that way at all costs. If Ping was found out, she would be killed.
We had a very close call one day at the pond. It had rained the night before and the camp was muddy. The recruits spent the day sparring in the mud and they were all filthy by the time they were done.
Ping was the first one in the pond. Usually she only bathes very early morning or very late at night when everyone else is sleeping.
She had just gotten into the pond and started to rinse off the mud when her three closest friends also jumped in. I saw her duck down so only her head was visible as she tried to move out of sight.
Unfortunately, it didn't work. They saw her as she was swimming away. Yao was standing on a rock butt-naked and boasting about being "king of the rock". I saw Mulan cover her eyes as she continued trying to get away.
Ling tried to stop her by grabbing her arm, so I charged into the water after him. He let go of her arm and swam away, jumping on a rock with the other two guys, away from "that crazy horse".
Ping took that opportunity to sneak out of the water and quickly dry off and get dressed, mumbling to herself about how close that was. Just as she was telling me about not wanting to see a naked man again, about one hundred of them ran by her. I think she gagged a little bit. I snorted and shook my head. Yuck!
As she was walking back to her tent with me, I heard Ol' Whiny Voice yelling at Captain Li yet again. I could see their shadows in OWV's tent.
"You think your troops are ready for battle? Ha! They would not last a minute against the Huns."
"They completed their training."
"Those boys are no more fit to be soldiers than you are to be captain. Once the general reads my report, your troops will never see battle."
Captain Li must have stood up and grabbed that clipboard that OWV is always carrying.
"We're not finished yet."
"Careful, Captain. The general may be your father, but I am the Emperor's counsel. Oh, and I got that job on my own. Dismissed!"
We watched Captain Li walking away from the tent angrily. Ping had to open her mouth.
"Hey, I'll hold him and you punch! Or not." He didn't answer.
"For what it's worth, I think you're a great captain."
He stopped and looked at her for a second and almost smiled, but didn't say anything. Then he went to his tent and she went to hers. I think she's got a crush on him.
The next day he got a message saying it was time to meet the rest of the army in the mountains. That meant a week's worth of walking.
The soldiers did a lot of singing, especially about women. They also swapped stories about women. I couldn't help but wonder how many were made up. They all tried to get Ping to tell stories about girls, but she refused. When they kept bugging her, she just made something up. I could tell she was uncomfortable with what she was hearing.
When a soldier started bragging about mistreating a girl while walking by me, I kicked him. Nobody worthwhile thinks forcing a girl is cool, Loser. Next time he walked by me, I kicked him again. Ping glared at him and so did Chien Po, who also pushed him down in the mud and punched him. Chien Po, the gentle giant. I've never seen him do anything like that before. I think Ping could trust him with her secret and he wouldn't hurt her or tell anyone else.
After 6 days of walking and listening to the soldiers singing about everything under the sun, we reached a village.
But everything was burned, and everybody was dead. I stood still while the soldiers searched for survivors. Ping found a little doll and held it close to her chest and prayed, probably for its young owner.
Captain Li rode up by her and got off his horse.
"I don't understand. My father should have been here."
Ping looked at him, but didn't say anything.
Then I heard OWV yell. "Captain!" He was pointing at the valley next to the village. It was full of dead Imperial soldiers. All of them, slaughtered by the Huns. I bowed my head down in reverence. This was bad.
Chien Po came up the hill with a helmet in his hands, and gave it to Captain Li.
"The General."
It must have been his father's helmet. I saw a sad look come over his face, and he walked a distance away from everyone else. Then he pulled out his sword and stuck it in the ground and placed the helmet on top. Then, kneeling down, he saluted his father and prayed.
Ping walked up to him.
"I'm sorry."
Captain Li stood up to walk away, but placed his hand on Ping's shoulder for a minute, seemingly unable to speak. Then he walked to his horse. He grabbed on to the saddle for a moment and shut his eyes, then jumped up.
"The Huns are moving quickly. We'll make better time to the Imperial City through the Tung Shou pass. We're the only hope for the emperor now."
I saw him glance over at Ping, who was still standing by the sword in the ground.
"Move out!"
Before following them, Ping knelt down and prayed for the souls of the General, the little girl, the villagers and the Imperial army.
The somber army continued their trek through the pass. No one spoke.
I was pulling a cart full of cannons down a mountain when one went off, scaring the crap outta me. Seriously! I pooped right there in the snow.
Captain Li immediately rode up and questioned Ping.
"What happened?"
"Uh..."
"You've just given away our position!"
Right at that moment, an arrow hit his shoulder and knocked him off his horse. He yanked it out and hollered for the troops to get out of range as more arrows fell. These arrows were on fire!
One hit my cart and it burst into flames. "Save the cannons!"
They all formed an assembly line to save as many cannons as possible from the burning cart.
Finally, just before the cart exploded, Ping cut me loose. We both took off running, but the force of the blast knocked us both off our feet. I regained my footing and ran towards the cliff, and so did she.
Captain Li had the soldiers fire cannons at the mountainside where the Hun archers stood. Finally, there was only one left. "Hold the last cannon."
The smoke over the mountainside was clearing, and we were all looking up at the top of the mountain. Shan Yu and thousands of Huns were up there, ready to charge us.
The Hun leader started charging down the mountain, with his troops behind him.
"Prepare to fight! If we die, we die with honor."
There was still one more cannon left.
"Yao, aim the cannon at Shan Yu."
The soldier aimed the cannon at the fast-approaching barbarian leader.
"Hey!"
All of a sudden, Ping knocked over Yao and took off running with the cannon. What in the world was she doing? I tried to follow her, but someone was holding me.
I hear Captain Li calling her. "Ping, come back! Ping!" He started running towards her.
She ran up closer to where Shan Yu is approaching, and just before he reached her, she fired the cannon. But it didn't hit him, it sailed towards the top of a steep mountain and exploded, starting an avalanche. He watched the snow begin to fall, then let out an angry cry and swiped his sword at Ping's side. I couldn't tell if it hit her or not.
Then she took off running, grabbing Captain Li's arm as she passed him. I finally broke loose from the grip someone had on me and ran towards Ping. She jumped on me and then grabbed Captain Li's arm, but the force of the avalanche yanked him away.
The force of the snow tried to pull us under as well, but I managed to stay ahead of it. I could see Captain Li ahead of us getting pulled under by the snow, and she urged me on. When we reached him, she grabbed his arm and pulled him up. He was unconscious.
Just as we were about to go over a cliff, an arrow attached to a rope landed in Ping's lap. She tied the loose end to my saddle and fired it back. Then I could feel us getting pulled up. Captain Li was still unconscious, and Ping was rubbing and patting his back. I know my girl's got it bad for the captain.
As soon as I was close enough to the top, I stepped up onto the cliff as soldiers were pulling her and Captain Li off my back. He was awake now and both were trying to catch their breath.
"Ping, you are the craziest man I've ever met, and for that I owe you my life." He put his hand on Ping's shoulder. "From now on, you have my trust."
The other soldiers began to cheer.
"Let's hear it for Ping, the bravest of us all".
"You're king of the mountain!"
"Yes, Yes, Yes!"
Captain Li stood and held out a hand to Ping to help her up. As she started to stand, she suddenly gave a cry of pain and grabbed her side.
Shan Yu's sword! He'd swung it at her after she fired that cannon.
"Ping, what's wrong?"
She pulled her hand away, revealing the blood from her wound.
"He's wounded! Get help!"
Ping looked like she was starting to pass out. Captain Li stayed right by her until the medic could get his tent up.
"Ping, hold on! Hold on!"
Before they could get her into the tent, she passed out. The captain carried her in there and set her down and left so the medic could patch her up.
Everyone was worried about her. It took quite a while, but the medic finally came out. He waved over Captain Li. I saw him whisper something and the captain looked up at the tent in shock.
Oh, no! Her secret was out! Ping! My girl!
I saw Captain Li go into the tent, followed by OWV. A moment later, the captain stalked out angrily as I heard Ping call out "Shang!".
Then OWV came out, dragging Ping with him. She was shirtless, but luckily she still had the blanket over her. I swear, I'm going to have to take care of business with this clown. What was he thinking, dragging her out of the tent without a shirt and throwing her around? No one lays a hand on my girl and gets away with it. No one!
"I knew there was something wrong with you!"
He yanked the hair tie out of her hair and threw her roughly to the ground. My girl! Did this damn fool not remember she was wounded? I'm gonna land a good kick on him first chance I get. Actually, every chance I get. And I'll aim for the head.
"A woman! Treacherous snake!"
She pulled the blanket around herself to cover her exposed chest. I wanted to crush any soldier who was looking at her.
"My name is Mulan!"
OWV kept yelling right in her face.
"High treason!"
"I did it to save my father!"
"Ultimate dishonor!"
"I didn't mean for it to go this far. It was the only way. Please, believe me!"
She was pleading with Captain Li, who was standing with his back to her.
I saw him turn his head towards her a couple times, when she said she did it to save her father and when she pleaded with him to believe her.
OWV wasn't convinced.
"Hmph... Captain?"
Captain Li turned and looked at her for a second, then walked over to me and took her sword out of the scabbard. I reared up and neighed loudly with the intent of charging and stopping him, but someone grabbed my reins.
"Restrain him!" ordered OWV.
"No!" Her three closest friends ran forward to stop the captain, but OWV stopped them.
"You know the law."
They backed up and watched helplessly while the sword-wielding captain advanced on their friend helplessly huddled in the snow. Comrades for life meant comrades for life, male or female. I felt their anger at the captain as he stalked murderously towards Mulan, and let out a loud neigh. I kicked the soldier holding me back, but he didn't let go.
Finally, Captain Li stood right over her with the sword held high. I saw the look of determination in his face, then I saw Mulan lower her head in acceptance of her imminent death. He raised his arm to deliver the deathblow to my girl, and I closed my eyes, too. My girl! I decided that if he killed her, I was gonna charge him and no one was going to be able to stop me.
But a second later, I heard the sword clatter to the ground. I opened my eyes to see Mulan's head intact. She looked up at Captain Li with surprise. The sword lay on the snow in front of her.
"A life for a life. My debt is repaid." I guess that meant that he spared her life because she'd saved his in the avalanche.
He had her put her training clothes on in the medical tent, then took the blanket away and took the tent down. Really? He took the blanket?
"Move out!"
"But you can't just..."
OWV actually protested. But whether he was questioning leaving her in the snow alone or questioning leaving her alive at all, I'm not sure. Probably questioning the captain about leaving her alive, since it's highly unlikely this sorry excuse of a human would suddenly grow a conscience.
Captain Li grabbed him by the shirt.
"I said move out!" I managed to kick the captain again. For nearly killing her and then abandoning her, he was also permanently on my kick list, just ahead of OWV.
With that, everyone was gone. If they had tried to take me, I would have bit, kicked and reared and made it impossible. Luckily, they didn't try. It was just me and her and a basket of dumplings Chien Po left for her. I really like that guy.
I pulled my blanket off my back and put it over her. Then I laid down right behind her to keep her warm.
I could tell she was still in a lot of pain. A tear slid down her cheek.
"I should never have left home. Maybe I didn't do it to save my father. Maybe I did it to prove I could do something right, so when I looked in the mirror, I'd see someone worthwhile." She picked up her helmet and looked at her reflection.
"But I was wrong. I see nothing." She threw it away from her.
"I'll have to face my father sooner or later." Mulan stood up and so did I. She put the blanket on me and started packing the dumplings into her saddlebags when we both heard a loud roar. We looked at each other and she walked to the edge of the cliff to peer down.
I saw Shan Yu and five other Huns climbing out of the snow. They all stood together, then turned and started walking towards the palace.
Mulan gasped, echoing my thoughts. This was bad!
She jumped up on my back and we took off towards the Imperial City. She was determined to warn Captain Li, even though he had just left her on the mountain to die.
It took a couple hours to ride into the Imperial City, and that was at a full gallop.
We spotted Captain Li and the rest of the army walking down a street in some kind of parade. A guy was walking in front of them yelling to everyone to "make way for the heroes of China".
They must have known they weren't the real heroes, because none of them were smiling except OWV. The real hero was riding on my back.
She steered me towards the captain.
"Shang!"
"Mulan?"
"The Huns are alive. They're in the city."
Instead of being glad she was warning him, he acted the fool.
"You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home."
I knew that pissed her off. She probably was glaring at him.
She steered me towards him again.
"Shang, I saw them. You have to believe me."
He glared at her for a second. "Why should I?"
"You said you trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?"
He didn't have an answer for this, so he ignored her and steered his horse around us. Talk about arrogant!
As her three friends walked by, she told them to keep their eyes open, that she knows they're here. They didn't say anything, probably because of the captain, but Chien Po nodded. At least someone was listening.
The rest of the army continued with the parade. Mulan dismounted and took off on foot, mumbling about finding someone who would believe her. I saw her trying to tell different people about the Emperor being in danger. No one would listen.
The army reached the stairs where the Emperor stood. He said something about China sleeping safely tonight thanks to their brave warriors.
Captain Li presented him with the sword of Shan Yu. But, before he could put it in the Emperor's hands, Shan Yu's falcon grabbed it.
Everybody gasped as the bird carried the sword to the top of the palace. A figure reached up and grabbed it and as he stood up I saw it was Shan Yu.
Mulan had tried to warn the captain, but did he listen? No!
As he stared at the palace roof and started to grab his sword, a bunch of Huns jumped out of the paper dragon. One knocked him on the head with a sword hilt as the rest of them grabbed the Emperor and charged into the palace.
I saw the captain and the other soldiers running up the stairs after them, but they didn't make it in time before the giant doors swung shut.
They knocked over a giant lion statue and were attempting to use it as a battering ram to get into the palace, but it wasn't working.
Suddenly, Mulan ran up to them. "Guys, I got an idea!" Then she ran off towards a side door. The three soldiers she was friends with followed her, but Captain Li and everyone else stayed.
Several minutes later, the four of them were back by the main door again. Mulan was in a dress and the three soldiers were also in dresses with make-up on their faces. They looked so funny as they walked up to the columns and threw sashes around them so they could climb.
Surprisingly, Captain Li pulled his cape off and climbed up with them. I watched them climb to the top and climb up over the railing and go inside. A few minutes later, just as Shan Yu was raising his sword to the Emperor's neck, Captain Li ran through the door and kicked it out of his hand.
The two of them struggled back and forth, then Shan Yu picked him up, head butted him and threw him onto the ground. Chien Po slid down a rope with the Emperor, followed by the other soldiers.
Mulan stood by the rope, like she was deciding whether to slide down or stay by the captain.
She used Shan Yu's sword to cut the rope, so he couldn't slide down to where the Emperor was. Then she disappeared.
A moment later, I saw Shan Yu picking up the Captain and holding a sword to his neck. Then I saw Mulan throw her shoe at his head and he turned and chased her off the balcony. A couple minutes later, a pillar crashed through the wall on the side of the palace. Mulan was standing on it and Shan Yu was chasing her. Then I saw her jump up onto the roof. Shan Yu crashed through the roof right next to her. I saw him swing his sword at her, and somehow she grabbed it out of his hand. Then she knocked him over and used his sword to pin him to the roof, and lit a huge firework that propelled him into a tower full of fireworks. There was an enormous explosion that set part of the palace on fire.
Mulan jumped off the roof and grabbed a lantern hanging on a rope and slid down. Just before she got to the stairs, she let go and landed on Captain Li's back as he was running out of the palace. Score! One less kick for him!
Then he helped her up and held onto her hand as they both ran further away from the palace. He'd better not start putting moves on her!
They ran up towards Chien Po, Ling and Yao. A moment later, OWV came stomping down the stairs yelling about Mulan deliberately trying to kill him.
Captain Li planted himself right in his path as her three friends shielded her behind them. OWV would have to get through all four of them before he could get to her. He was yelling about how she wasn't worth protecting. It was obvious all four of them hated OWV.
Captain Li looked furious. "She's a hero!"
OWV wasn't convinced. "She's a woman. She'll never be worth anything."
At that, Captain Li grabbed him by the shirt. "Why, you pompous…"
You go, Captain! Kick his sorry butt!
"That is enough!" The Emperor was coming down the stairs, so Captain Li let go of OWV.
When the Emperor stopped, Captain Li stepped up to defend Mulan. "Your Majesty, I can explain." He was waved off, so him and the three soldiers in front of her stepped to the side.
Mulan walked up to the Emperor and bowed. I sure hope he doesn't decide to execute her! I can't kick him!
"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan. You stole your father's armor, impersonated a soldier, ran away from home, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese army, destroyed my palace and…"
Mulan cringed and shrank back.
"You have saved us all." Then the Emperor bowed. Bowed to Mulan!
Then OWV bowed. That was a sight!
Then Captain Li and everybody else bowed, too.
Mulan looked as surprised as I felt, watching everybody bow to her. I tipped my head down as my own way of bowing to her.
After straightening up, the Emperor turned to OWV. "See to it that this woman is made a member of my council."
OWV immediately started writing as he repeated the Emperor. "See to it she's made a… What?" He looked extremely shocked, then turned away with a sly smile. "But there are no council positions open, your Excellency."
The Emperor turned to Mulan. "Very well then, you can have his job," as he pointed at OWV, who promptly fainted at this shocking statement. That was worth 3 one hoof salutes, watching the Emperor offer OWV's job to Mulan.
I saw Mulan, the captain and the 3 soldiers all suppressing a laugh.
"With all due respect, Sir, I think I've been away from home long enough."
The Emperor took off his crest and handed it to her. "Then take this, so the world will know what you have done for me."
Next he handed her Shan Yu's sword. "And this, so the world will know what you have done for China."
Mulan hugged the Emperor and I heard Yao ask the others if she was allowed to do that. They shrugged.
I noticed Captain Li had a silly smile on his face and looked lovestruck. Great…
She hugged her 3 friends goodbye. I was ready to charge if the captain hugged her, and I even let out a snort. He must have known, because he only patted her on the shoulder.
"Uhm… You… You fight good!" Then he got a look on his face like he was furious with himself for saying something so dumb.
Mulan looked disappointed as she walked away. Don't tell me she's lovestruck, too! She jumped on my back. "Khan, let's go home!"
Just the words I wanted to hear. I let out a neigh, turned around and took off down the palace steps. As I cantered away, I could hear everyone cheering.
Just before I'd turned around, I saw Captain Li standing and watching us, looking devastated.
We had a two day journey ahead of us. Mulan stopped at an inn for the night, and we continued with the journey the next morning. I could have sworn I saw Captain Li's white stallion in the stable at the inn. The next night we stayed at a different inn. I could have sworn I saw his horse in that stable, as well.
We got home about midday the second day. Boy, was it nice to be back in my own stable.
I watched Mulan greet her mother and grandmother. They cried when they saw her, and both of them hugged her for a long time. Then she walked towards her father, who was sitting on the stone bench looking at a flower that had landed on his lap.
When he looked up and saw Mulan walking towards him, he started to stand until she knelt down on the ground in front of him.
"Father, I brought you the sword of Shan Yu, and the crest of the Emperor. They're gifts to honor the Fa family." She put the items in Fa Zhou's arms and bowed her head. I saw him toss them on the ground and kneel in front of her and hug her.
"The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter. I've missed you so."
I saw a tear running down Mulan's cheek. "I've missed you, too, Baba." Then they hugged for several minutes before she got up to put the armor away.
As she was walking back towards Fa Zhou, guess who walked up to Fa Li and Granny Fa? Captain Li. When we'd left the Imperial City, I'd had a feeling we hadn't seen the last of him.
Instead of his usual confident self, he looked nervous as he asked the two women if Fa Mulan lived here. They both looked shocked, and silently pointed towards where she stood by Fa Zhou. After he walked away, Granny Fa exclaimed, "Whoo, sign me up for the next war!"
I watched him walk up to the stone bench.
"Honorable Fa Zhou…" Then Mulan walked up to him.
"Mulan! You, uh, forgot your helmet. Well, I guess it's your helmet, isn't it?" He turned to Fa Zhou, looking flustered.
Mulan looked at her father, who nodded at her, and she stepped up by him and took the helmet.
"Would you like to stay for dinner?"
Granny Fa piped up. "Would you like to stay forever?"
Mulan shook her head at her.
Captain Li smiled. "Dinner would be great."
Mulan smiled back, and I saw the sparks fly.
Great. How am I supposed to keep this clown on a permanent kick list when she's in love with him?
She walked with him to the stable so he could see to his horse. When they walked by me, I kicked him. Khan 1, Captain Li 0.
After all, he still held a sword over Mulan's head, abandoned her on the mountain and didn't listen to her when she tried to warn him about the Huns. Permanent kick list.
"Khan, no!" Mulan was actually mad at me. I'm doing her a favor. She just doesn't know it.
While Captain Li was brushing his horse, he told her how sorry he was about wielding her sword over her, leaving her on the mountain and not listening to her warnings. Mulan actually told him she forgave him. Then they hugged. If that wasn't bad enough, he kissed her. Kissed her! My girl! He put his grubby paws on her!
I let out a loud neigh and they both jumped. Captain Li bumped his head on a post. Ha! Khan 2, Captain Li 0!
Now this was war!
As they walked out of the barn, I delivered a one hoof salute. That's 3 for the horse!
When Captain Li came back out the next morning, I gave him yet another kick. Khan 4, captain 0. Just where did he sleep last night? Hopefully, no where near Mulan.
He stopped and looked at me.
"You're mad at me for holding her sword over her head and then leaving her, aren't you?"
I snorted and jerked my head down and up again.
"I told her I was sorry. She forgave me. Can't you forgive me, too, Khan?"
I snorted again.
Mulan walked into the stable.
"Your horse is mad at me for what I did on the mountain."
"Khan, it's ok. I'm ok, and I'm not mad at him anymore, so you don't need to be, either. No more kicking Shang, ok?"
So he's Shang, now? First name basis already? *snort*
"Khan, I'm serious. No more kicking! You're gonna have to get used to being around him."
Shang held up a carrot for me to eat, and then gave me an apple. I took them. A horse has to eat!
Then I bit his hand.
"Khan! No more biting, either."
Later that day, I saw Shang nervously talking to Fa Zhou. Then he came in and saddled up his horse and led him out of the stable. I saw him hug Mulan and kiss her again. I neighed at him, but of course it didn't startle either of them. I doubt they noticed. Then he left. Good riddance!
I got to go on a run with Mulan the next day. She talked to me about how she loved Shang and I had to give him a chance.
I hoped he wouldn't come back. No such luck.
About a month later, he returned. When he brought his horse in, I snorted at him. He sidestepped around me so I couldn't kick him.
I saw him leading Mulan to the stone bench in their garden, and he knelt on the ground as she sat on the bench. Oh, no! A moment later, she screamed and hugged him, knocking him to the ground. Then they kissed again. Ugh!
Later, she came into the barn with Shang to tend to me and the stallion.
"Khan, we're getting married. You have to stop kicking and biting Shang. I love him and he loves me. If you really want me to be happy, you'll accept him."
Okay, I do want my girl to be happy. Since she loves him, I can accept him. I guess I can take Pretty Boy off my permanent kick list. But, he needs to know I'm watching him. I'll always be watching him. One false move and he gets the one hoof salute again.