Author's note: One thing that bothered me about the movie was how during the musical number "I'll Make a Man Out of You", Chien-Po sings he wishes he knew how to swim. A short while later, we see him freely doing a cannonball into the lake. It doesn't seem like the actions of a man who doesn't know how to swim, so this seeks to explain that. Also, this was originally going to be a one-shot, but it ran long. Hope to have the next part up soon. Happy reading!
"Back in formation, ladies!" barked Captain Li. Mulan gulped as she hurried to take her place beside Yao. The captain only called them ladies when he was exceptionally frustrated with their lack of progress.
"A soldier must be balanced," Captain Li said, pacing back and forth before them. His powerful voice was not loud, but it held the attention of the troops without effort. "Graceful. Poised." Mulan felt like she was back in the matchmaker's house, struggling to recite the Final Admonition.
"This exercise will teach the importance of being light on one's feet. If you fail, you will pay the price." The captain paused, allowing the subtle threat to set in. "It will also teach you the importance of relying upon one another. In battle, the soldier beside you is your lifeline. His mistake could get you killed, but his actions could also save your life, and vice versa. Likewise, in our scenario today, if one of you fails . . . those behind him will surely fail as well."
Captain Li gestured behind him. Lined up on shore, the shorter soldiers had to crane their necks to see. An obstacle course of sturdy posts had been strategically set up throughout the lake, in addition to one driven deep into the sand on shore. "You will start by balancing on this post," Captain Li said, slapping the post on shore. "From there you will leap to each consecutive post. You are to spend no more than three seconds on each post before moving on to the next. If you fall, you must return to this bank and begin again. Anyone who falls into the lake will be running additional laps when we return to camp. Are there any questions before we begin?"
When no one dared to speak up, the soldiers lined up to begin the course. Mulan found herself near the front of the line, dreading her turn, though clearly not as much as Chien-Po. He stood frozen in place in front of Yao, a sheen of nervous sweat coating his bald head and upper lip.
After her disastrous introduction to army life, Mulan had not drawn attention to herself again, speaking only when necessary. But from what Captain Li had said, this exercise would require them all to succeed, which meant Chien-Po's discomfort might directly affect her own progress, and she was already far too weak and sore from their grueling training regimen to be assigned additional laps.
"Chien-Po?" she asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
Chien-Po managed an unconvincing smile. "I'm fine, Ping."
He gulped as Ling, the first one in line, progressed from the shore post onto the next. He took a deep breath and released it to calm himself as he pulled himself up to balance on the shore post. Soon enough it was Yao's turn, then Mulan's. She made her second leap, windmilling her arms to stay balanced, when the first mishap took place.
In his nervousness, Chien-Po leapt to the next post without waiting for Ling to progress first, launching the slender man into the lake with a shriek. Chien-Po, realizing his mistake, froze on his post, causing Yao, who had no choice but to jump forward to avoid Mulan, to bounce off his backside and into the water. Despite Yao's short stature, the impact was enough to unbalance Chien-Po, and he teetered before falling in, causing an enormous wave to crash over the tops of the other posts, dragging Mulan and the two soldiers behind her down with it. By the time the water stilled and the drenched soldiers swam back to the shore to start over, grumbling, Mulan realized the source of Chien-Po's anxiety.
"He can't swim," she said softly.
Chien-Po desperately clung to the post he had fallen from, the water lapping around his armpits, an expression of blind panic on his face.
"He can't swim!" Ling cried. He took a step forward as if to wade back into the water and help his friend, but Captain Li threw out an arm to stop him.
"No! Leave him be. If he is to return to shore, he will learn."
Mulan gaped at her commanding officer. Surely he couldn't be serious. Chien-Po was clearly terrified. How was he supposed to learn how to swim while stranded in the middle of a lake? It was the most ridiculous thing she had heard out of the captain's mouth yet - though it didn't quite eclipse his belief that whoever retrieved the arrow from the post in camp would do so with heavy weights attached to each arm. Strength and discipline, my ass, Mulan thought.
But Captain Li was a man who would not be moved. He folded his arms and waited. Mulan had never felt quite so helpless.
Before she knew what she was doing, a fierce cry welled up within her. "You can do it!"
Ling and Yao and several other soldiers whipped their heads around to stare at her.
"Yeah, you can do it, Chien-Po!" called Ling, cupping his hands around his mouth.
It was Yao who started the chant - "Chien-Po! Chien-Po! Chien-Po!" - which was taken up by every soldier gathered at the water's edge. Mulan chanced a look at the captain - he seemed amused, almost . . . or was it proud?
The chant startled Chien-Po out of his panic, though he still seemed at a loss. "Kick and paddle!" Mulan shouted over the chanting soldiers. "Kick off to the next post, then paddle with your hands!"
With a determined expression and a faint nod, Chien-Po maneuvered himself around to kick off the post he was hugging and thrashed his arms awkwardly to reach the next. Luckily his powerful legs did most of the work He repeated the process until he had gotten close enough to shore to touch the sandy bottom with his toes. As Chien-Po emerged from the lake like a water buffalo, the soldiers on the bank erupted into cheers, pumping their fists in the air and punching each other on the arm as if to say, "I knew he could do it."
In the middle of it all, Mulan caught Captain Li smiling.
Mulan was eating her porridge the next morning when Yao and Ling dropped down on the bench on either side of her, their own bowls in hand. Chien-Po plopped down across from them, causing the three opposite him to briefly bump up off the bench with his weight.
"Good morning, Ping," Chien-Po said, inclining his head, though Mulan wasn't sure if it was out of courtesy or to get a better angle to scoop porridge into his mouth.
"Morning," Mulan said cautiously.
Chien-Po jabbed a spoon into his bowl. "It must be a special day indeed. Cook put raisins in the porridge." He scooped up one wrinkled jewel and held it up for her to see.
Cheeks full, Mulan nodded cautiously, glancing at Yao and Ling. They seemed to be intent on their breakfast rather than on tormenting her, so she relaxed slightly as she swallowed.
"Can I help you?" she asked timidly.
"You know, when we did laps in the lake yesterday, you were in the top third of the unit," Ling said casually.
Was she? Mulan hadn't noticed. She had become accustomed to her place in the back while running, jumping, fighting and shooting. She was one of the worst recruits, and she knew it. But she had grown up swimming in the lake just a short walk from her home - it just came naturally to her.
"So?" Mulan said. They couldn't be here simply to congratulate her - not these three.
"Well, during the obstacle portion, I'm sure you noticed -"
"Chien-Po can't swim," Yao interrupted. "He wants you to teach him."
"Me?" Mulan gaped at Yao, then Chien-Po. "But - you two can swim, can't you? Why don't you teach him?"
"I think what Yao meant to say was, 'Please, Ping, you are an excellent swimmer and we could all use a little help.'" Chien-Po regarded her with his small dark eyes, serene as ever.
Mulan considered it. This could work to her advantage - she needed allies in the unit, and this might be the catalyst to convince them to stop picking on her once and for all. On the other hand, swimming meant wet clothes and close quarters, which meant a higher likelihood her secret would be discovered.
Mulan stuck her hand out across the table, and Chien-Po enfolded it in his own. "I'll do it."
"This is the worst idea in all of China," Mushu declared once she was back in her tent that evening. He stalked back and forth over her pillow, brandishing a chopstick. "In the history of China! No, in the history of bad ideas and China, this is the worst!"
"Mushu," Mulan said, rolling her eyes. "It will be fine."
"'Fine', she says," Mushu fumed to Crickee. "'Fine.' If this gets our little secret discovered, I will not feel bad, you feel me? Well, maybe a little bad," he relented. "But that doesn't change the fact that I will say 'I told you so', because I am telling you so now!"
"Alright, alright! I get it." Mulan finished rebinding her chest extra-tight and pulled on the light tunic she would be wearing during her late-night swimming lessons with the trio. They had precious little free time, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She was tired and sore, but hopefully the cool water of the lake would soothe her aching muscles.
Mulan slipped out of her tent, looking around cautiously as she sneaked to the water's edge. It wasn't expressly forbidden for the soldiers to be out after curfew, but Captain Li had strongly advised against it. Their camp was relatively remote and safe for the time being, but a Hun patrol could stumble upon them at any time, and they were ill-prepared for an ambush.
"Guys! Ping's here!" Ling said in a harsh whisper that carried. Chien-Po and Yao stood a few feet behind him, the water of the lake lapping over their ankles as they soothed their aching feet. Their voices were a low rumble over the soft hiss of rushes in the wind. They waded back up onto the bank to meet Mulan.
"We thought you weren't coming," Ling said when she approached the bank.
"I gave my word," Mulan said.
Ling shrugged, tracing a line in the sand with his toe. "We haven't exactly given you reason to trust us."
Mulan thought back on the hell they'd put her through in the past few weeks. "You're right," she said bluntly.
"But that's all in the past now," Chien-Po said, his voice even, but he gave Yao a pointed look. Yao grunted.
Mulan supposed that was as good as she was going to get. "We should get started."
They started by floating on their backs, which Ling was a natural at. Chien-Po sank like a stone the first few times he tried, snorting up lake water and coming up sputtering.
"Arch your back and keep your hips forward," Mulan said, observing their progress. Chien-Po was a willing student and a fast learner; before long he was propelling himself around like a water strider. Mulan looked toward the stars, gauging the time.
"We have a little time left," she said. "Now that you can float on your back, the next step is floating on your stomach. Take a deep breath and try it."
Though it was review for Ling and Yao, they complied, having a contest to see who could keep their face submerged the longest. Mulan worked with Chien-Po until Yao came up for air, red-faced and gasping. Ling surfaced a moment later and howled his victory, pounding his chest with his fists. Chien-Po did his best not to panic, but more than once he came up thrashing and terrified.
Mulan had an idea. She paddled to a stand of reeds and snapped one off, offering the hollow tube to Chien-Po. "Here, breathe through this," she said. "Then you'll only have to focus on floating instead of holding your breath."
Chien-Po took the reed gratefully and had a much easier time of it after that. Soon the moon was high over the lake, all four of them had wrinkled fingers and toes, and even the cool water wasn't enough to keep their tired eyes open.
"That's enough for tonight," Mulan said, calling an end to the lesson. "We'll pick it up again nightfall after next, if you're still willing."
They walked back to camp together - there was safety in numbers, after all. At the mouth of Mulan's tent, Chien-Po paused and bowed his head briefly. "Thank you, Ping," he said, and trotted off to catch up with Ling and Yao.
Taken aback, Mulan could only stare for a moment. "You're welcome," she called after him.