The bright sun peeked its peach face halfway above the horizon, casting its saturated light upon the rocky cliffs and trees. Creatures big and small awoke to this newfound daytime that was swallowing the land around them. As the slowly rose higher, shadows crept away to let orange illumination drench the once white tents. The light seeped through the cloth to brighten the inside. There were no sounds to be heard, not even birds chirping musically in the distance. The silence gave the area a peaceful aura. At this scenic time, only one soul was awake, yet soon to be three.
"WAKE UP, SISTA!"
Mulan groaned as Mushu shouted in her ear. She threw the pillow over her head, trying in vain to muffle the sound. Mushu jumped up and down elatedly beside her tousled head.
Cri-Kee squeaked in annoyance to her left, springing up and putting his hands on his hips. His insect face was scowling at his thin red friend. Some friend, he thought.
"C'mon, c'mon! Up up up!" We got a full tray of fresh new recruits to whip into shape!"
Mushu scowled as Mulan failed (or simply refused) to move. Stripping her of her blankets, he pushed the neatly folded pile of training clothes towards her.
Rubbing her eyes, the blurry scarlet silhouette of her guardian slowly came into view. She scratched her messy head and scowled at him, desperately praying for him to stop yammering on about the 'fresh new recruits'. She angrily (and somewhat drunkenly) smacked him against the wall of the tent before she proceeded to change.
The sun still wasn't fully risen when she left her tent. Stretching her arms, she looked out; the rows upon rows of tents were the picture of tranquility. They were uniform, each of identical size and color to its neighbor. Only hers and Shang's tents were different, even different from each other--one a hair larger than the other. Speaking of the man, she hadn't noticed him emerge from the adjacent tent.
Shang observed her delicate figure. The still-rising sun shone upon her face to give her skin an apricot glow, making her complexion an embodiment of beauty. Her eyes were still dewy from the morning haze, and when she turned to greet him, her soft smile was still bright enough to light up the Emperor's Grand Hall. His only instinct was to smile back—if not out of politeness, then at the sight of something so pleasant.
As the sun slowly ascended higher into the sky, soldiers began to awaken, few by few. Mulan watched the repetitive procession: come out of the tent, yawn, stretch, walk away. It wasn't long before their daily brawl had begun.
She looked uneasily at Shang, who wore a slight smirk as he beckoned her with his eyes. She sighed inwardly as she walked past him to confront the pile of warriors.
"Gee, I wonder what happened to 'swiftly and silently'?" she wondered loudly over the pandemonium.
Upon the sound of her voice, a slight expression of fear and/or disdain crossed many faces before the soldiers aligned again.
She walked back and forth, inspected the row; young and old, inexperienced and seasoned, it was a melting pot of age and knowledge. There were boys who didn't look a day older that 13 and men who looked to be a few years younger than her father. Both of these sights pulled at her heartstrings a bit, but she put the most precious thing she had learned from Shang into action—never show weakness around your inferiors.
Feeling Shang's eyes on her back, it was only at this moment that she remembered her negligence to plan today's training. Oh well, she thought. Today's lesson would just have to be extemporaneous. She summoned a young camp guard, whispering strict instructions to him and then sending him off to the supplies tent before turning back to face the soldiers.
She marched the men away to a brush-secluded area near the cliffs, where planks, arrows, and pomegranates were awaiting them. Three fruits were weighing down one end of each plank, which was propped up on a small rock. The bow and arrows lay beside it.
Some men were confused, others groaned. One singular man in the back smiled and laughed.
She picked up three arrows from a nearby quiver. Shutting one eye so as to focus, she stomped on the free end of the plank, and shot the arrows through the fruits with impeccable aim. Her inferiors marveled as the fruits hit the targets painted on the tree dead-on. Mulan smirked as a chorus of gasps and "How does she do that?" reached her ears.
After her demonstration, she had gotten her pupils set up and was now patrolling the row, correcting formation and giving aim tips. Aside from her three, only one other person had gotten his fruits on the targets, though Mulan hadn't been able to catch who. She could guess, though, when she saw his broad shoulders and glistening bare back, his arm poised to shoot another round.
"Shang?"
He turned his head towards her and smiled, lowering his bow.
"Shang, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to see how skilled a teacher the illustrious Captain Fa was."
Mulan was confused, this whole situation beyond comprehension to her. Shang was her superior, the General, yet here he was, under her tutelage. It was still only her second day here, and things were getting much weirder than she wanted them to.
"Shang, this is absolutely ridiculous. You were the one who taught me all of this yourself. Now go—"
"Shh," he put a finger to his lips. "I'm trying to concentrate."
Mulan watched in shock and disbelief as Shang arranged three more pomegranates on the edge of his plank, shooting them directly into the tree once again. Finally, defeated, she threw her hands up and stalked off, rolling her eyes and going to fix the way a recruit was standing.
Later on in the exercise, Chi Fu had appeared with his ever-present clipboard and calligraphy brush, looking haughtily upon the failing soldiers and stopping every once in a while to take a note. Mulan was irked by his presence, but decided to disregard it as she worked with the soldiers. When a recruit failed yet again under instruction, Chi Fu would let out a 'hmph' of disapproval and went back to his clipboard. Silly little bat, Mulan thought with a scowl.
Mulan was working with Mu Pao, a recruit no more than a week older than fifteen, when it happened. She had managed to shift his arm into the proper position, but his arm jerked suddenly as he let go of the arrow. Mulan had tried to warn Chi Fu of the speeding arrow, but it was too late as his loud, feminine shriek pierced the air. She would not be surprised if many of the glass cups back at camp had shattered with that sound.
She held her hands over her eyes, and when she removed them, she found the scrawny man passed out on the ground, an arrow sticking out from his right foot.
Chien-Po picked him up and carried him back to the medic's tent. Mulan suppressed maniacal laughter as she returned to her pedagogy.
"Mulan, what the hell's the matter with you? Don't you remember what happened last time?!"
Mushu trailed at Mulan's heels, whining profusely about her poor choice of time to bathe. Mulan resisted the urge to stomp on him, untying the sash to her soldier's uniform and removing it piece by piece..
"Calm down, Mushu. I'm a lot safer now. If anybody comes down, I'll be mostly covered by the water, and when they see who I am, they'll be so embarrassed they won't have anything else to do except run away."
"Mulan, it seems as though you do not remember that YOU ARE A WOMAN! These are men, girl! Sex-deprived man plus one unmarried woman equals disaster!"
She glared down at her 'guardian'.
"I can take care of myself, thank you."
Mushu huffed stubbornly, rolling his eyes and turning to occupy his post. Khan, also snorting in disapproval, stepped in front of his mistress dutifully to guard her from prying eyes anyway. Mulan threw her uniform over a nearby branch, and then draped her towel on Khan's neck before jumping into the cool water, splashing everyone present. Her body made large ripples in the pond, which disappeared as she swam away.
She dipped her head back into the cool water, scrunching her fingers through her hair so as to dislodge the dirt. The last time she had truly washed her hair was when preparing for the matchmaker's seven months ago, she thought in horror. It was a wonder it didn't smell like panda droppings by now.
The water was refreshing and cool on her skin, like a breeze in the summer. Droplets of moisture stayed on her skin for minuscule seconds, then slid freely down until joining the rest of the water. She rubbed her wet arms vigorously, scratching at mysterious spots of caked mud on her skin. She wondered how on Earth she could have gotten this dirty so quickly. But, it seemed, everything was a mystery lately.
Back on the shore, Mushu had engaged Cri-Kee in many fair matches of Tic-Tac-Toe in the dirt. Khan, who was grazing on an odd spot of grass, raised his head and picked up his ears when he heard distant whooping. He snorted worriedly in the direction of Mushu, but alas, the red dragon guardian paid him no attention. Then, Khan's eyes widened and his wildly flailing tail dropped limply in horror, his snorting halted. Mulan's three comrades were running down the path without clothing on.
Mulan picked up on the sound instants later, taking a risky peek at the shore and then darting behind a rock at warp speed.
Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po shouted loudly as they cannonballed into the water, sending huge waves rolling throughout the calm pond that bubbled to a stop where she hid. They shortly engaged in a splash fight, drowning each other in the clear waters. The men acted rowdily and noisily, but even so Mulan stayed very still, making sure not to create any sound that would give her away.
As she looked around frantically, a tall figure not far from the Gang of Three had come down the path, a towel draped over its arm. She could clearly deduce his gender, what with there not being women in thousands and thousands of li (aside from her of course). His hair slightly brushed his shoulders as he removed the cloth ribbon from it. Even though her situation was serious, she struggled to suppress a wistful sigh at the sight of him. She quickly brushed those thoughts away. She had other imposing problems.
After she had realized her lapse of ogling, she hid herself completely behind the curtain of stone.
A sense of dread rose in her as she felt a sneeze summoning itself to her nose.
Oh, this was not a good idea... She thought, the pressure of the sneeze hovering ominously in her head.
No, no, no no no no...
She couldn't hold it in any longer. "AaahCHOO!" The sound of her high-pitched, dainty sneeze permeated through the air, just loud enough to catch the attention of all four men in her midst. Their eyes immediately were fixated to the rock she hid behind.
"Did you hear that?" Ling asked quietly.
"It didn't sound like anything from around here..." Chien-Po replied, a quizzical tone to his voice.
Horror spread across their features; realization permeated their minds, and a moment of silence drifted through the air around the Gang of Three.
"It sounded like...like a woman."
Yao's voice trembled, almost losing its gruffness momentarily. They all knew there was only one woman in the vicinity. Though it was almost hopeless, they silently prayed it was only an animal. Their general, however, decided to take different actions.
"Who's there?" he called, burying any evident trace of trembling deep into his diaphragm. Mulan held her breath, not even bothering to breath through her nose, most likely turning blue. Be veeery still, she thought to herself. Don't even move. Not...one...inch...
She was desperately yearning to peek out from behind the rock, just to see where her consorts stood. But, seeing as that would reveal her, she stayed put. Though, this proved hard, as random itches sprung up all over her skin. In any other situation, she would scratch once and the itch would be forgotten, but in a moment of pure silence such as this, one move she made would be immediately detected by the sharp ears of her friends.
"I said, who's there? Answer now, that is an Imperial order."
Mulan's heartbeat reverberated around the walls of her skull. One couldn't deny an Imperial order; being a person of relatively esteemed rank, she more often than not used this to her advantage. It now seemed to be turning on her.
As she slowly peered out from behind the rock, the first thing that came into view were the Gang of Three; they were looking dreadfully and intently at the rock she stood behind. She was able to see them before they saw her, but when they did spot her, it took them a moment before they reeled back in shock.
And then, when her head was fully visible, Shang caught sight of her.
This was awkward indeed, he thought to himself, despite the embarrassed expression growing on his face. Here was the [b]woman[/b] he admired and had recently promoted to captain of the Imperial Army, naked and hiding behind a rock (from him, he might add). Oh yeah, He had to remember. I'm naked, too.
The color drained from everyone's face when Mulan made her presence known. It took all the strength Shang could muster (and that was a lot) to keep himself from imagining what her form might have looked like underneath the water.
Mulan, remembering that her towel was still draped over Khan's back, contemplated on how to get out without exposing anything embarrassing. The water was too deep for Khan to come to her rescue, and she was not about to remove herself uncovered. It would just seem silly to ask them to turn around while she jumped out. Someone else would just have to bring her the towel.
Almost as if reading her mind, Shang called out, "Do you need your towel?"
Her head still in place, she nodded quickly. Shang felt the biting sensation of blood rushing to his face as his gaze never left her. Stuttering slightly, he asked, "Wh-who would you be most comfortable with bringing it to you?"
This question forced Mulan to halt her thoughts and think about his question. Who would she want to bring it to her? Having Shang do it was out of the question; she wanted to prevent as much awkwardness as possible, though some would be inevitable. She was in deep water, so keeping the towel dry and swimming simultaneously would prove impossible for Yao, and if she knew Ling well enough, he wasn't the most skilled swimmer. Through process of elimination, she was able to choose who.
"Chien-Po," she called softly, barely audible from were her comrades were standing. The corpulent man nodded, scanning the land behind him for a towel. He was finally able to lay his eyes on it, but it was on the back of Mulan's troublesome horse. Chien-Po breathed, then whistled for the muscular black horse. Khan neighed in disapproval, sharply turning away from the man.
"Khan, please give him the towel."
Upon hearing his mistress's pleading voice, the horse rolled his eyes and reluctantly trotted down the sandbar, letting Chien-Po pull the towel away. The man waded carefully out to Mulan's rock, looking away politely as he held out the towel. He nodded as her barely audible but grateful thanks met his ears, feeling the weight of the towel being relieved from his outstretched arm.
Mulan wasted no time. Hastily wrapping the towel around herself, she dove under the water and reappeared near the shores, barreling past Shang and scurrying back to the camp. Mulan ignored Mushu's constant reprimands as she threw herself inside her tent and dressing herself as quickly as possible, using a nearby robe to truly dry herself.
"That's the last time I take a bath for a looong time." she huffed through labored breath.
The air reeked. It was an almost salty stench, permeated in areas with the distinctive scent of blood. The smell of death.
One by one, Hun warriors freed themselves from blood-sprinkled snow, their bone-chilling cries echoing against mountain walls. Her face, pallid, drained of any color it held, now showed only true horror. Her form reflected in their hungry yellow eyes.
Their clothes were torn, open wounds bitten at by harsh teeth of the frigid cold. Their heavy exhalations wisped out in front of their scarred faces, breathing so hard air came from noses and mouths. Pair upon pair of eyes glared at her, charging for her, willing her blood to be coating their twisted silver swords.
She stood rigid, rooted to the spot. Something kept her feet from moving.
Her head snapped to the side, glowing brown eyes darting around in search of her superior, her captain, the man she dared call friend. She found him at last, only to be met with eyes of the purest cold, colder than the mountain air surrounding them, his head shaking in poorly concealed disdain. He would not help her.
Suddenly, her face was painted, her body no longer wearing the armor of a soldier, but the silken dress of a courtesan, something a girl her age would wear to the matchmaker's test. She was but a country girl again, and somewhere in the distance, creeping closer, she could hear the laughs of the villagers, disgracing her family down to the gong-ringers.
Her father's agonized voice appeared beside her: "Why did you leave, Mulan? Why do you dishonor your family so?"
She looked to him in panic; two gaping, bleeding holes stood where wise eyes had once been.
Mulan awoke with a start. Sweat cascaded down her face, and her ears rung violently. The night air danced its way through threads of her tent material, caressing her arms and running bony fingers down her spine. Her head pounded, like demons had trapped themselves inside her skull.
Mulan realized—it was all a nightmare. She was at camp.
Her heart gave an unexpected jolt at the sound of frantic footsteps outside her tent. Cold air from a windy night rushed inside, stinging Mulan's tired, teary eyes as a tall, blurred figure immediately (and seemingly out of nowhere) was at her side.
"Mulan? Mulan, look at me. Are you alright?" Blindly, she nodded; she felt a warm liquid dripping from her eyes onto her cheeks.
"Are you sure? What happened? Are you hurt?" The voice was soft, hushed, so unlike what she was used to hearing from him. Even in her stupefied state, she could identify the voice. She could not, however, identify the tone.
She wiped the salty water from her bloodshot eyes, finding her focus and meeting an expression that she never saw on him: pure, undiluted worry.
Slowly becoming more and more coherent, she managed to squeak out a denial. Mulan could barely hear herself—the ringing in her ears was nearly blocking out all sounds. Where is that coming from? She wondered. Then, she realized—she had screamed.
"N-n-nightmare...H-Huns everywhere, wanting to-to kill me," she stuttered. "I wanted you, b-but you said n-n-no, and Baba—"
"Shh, Mulan, you're babbling." Shang put his hands on her shoulders, desperately attempting to get her shaking body to calm down. "Your scream scared us half to death! We thought you had been murdered!"
After that, I wish I had been, she thought morbidly.
"Do you need anything?" Shang asked quickly. She had barely let the word 'water' pass her lips when he sent Ling to go get some.
Mulan felt herself shaking violently. She doubted it was the cold, though her skin rippled with goosebumps as air pumped in and out of the tent. Her body calmed as the water passed through her lips and glided easily down her throat, though freezing air still seeped through her pores and down to her very core.
Mulan only just became aware of Shang's eyes scrutinizing her as she finished off the water. Looking discreetly beside her, she caught his gaze, his stern eyes laced with worry. She finally realized the extent to which she must have scared him. Taking a deep breath, she answered his unasked question. "I'm fine."
Physically, she was; emotionally, she could not be sure.
Mulan doubted she would ever again have so horrible a nightmare. She knew from the moment she thought coherently that it would mar her for a very long time, if not forever. Remembering the hungry eyes of the Huns sent paralyzing sensations down her spine. They had, after all, provoked memories she desperately wanted to throw to the wind, for reasons that need no explanation.
Shang had soon after nodded and rose, despite the doubt stifled behind his eyes, taking a last look back at Mulan's form before briskly (though seemingly reluctantly) left Mulan to herself once more, taking all the soldiers conjugated around the tent with him. Mulan sighed heavily, engulfing herself in the covers and willing herself to return to sleep as soon as possible. She soon found out this would not be so feasible, desperately fearing that any nightmares should come.
Her voice tremoring slightly, she began to sing the words to a lullaby her mother sang to her when she was an infant. She found herself drifting away, allayed into sleep by the sound of her own humming. This time, no dreams followed her into the next world.
The black falcon spread its wings, circling above its owners. It dark body was a contrast to the ominous grey clouds overhead. These clouds were extending over China and across her borders, threatening to release its torrential wrath at any second. The shrill falcon's cry pierced the air as it swooped down to perch on a shoulder.
A thousand Huns stared at the back of their leader, a fifth of the man's army. They were a mass of grey skin and unblinking yellow eyes, furs of wild animals draped over their shoulders, murderous expressions displayed upon their reprobate profiles. Bai Shen turned to face his faithful followers, those who were ready to heed his every command at an instant.
"Bai Shen, when do we attack?" one of the many barked. "We have been waiting long, and the Emperor has not let up."
Shen rubbed his chin in contemplation.
"The old man is stubborn," he replied. "But he cannot resist the strength of our army for much longer."
The hulking man turned back to face the majestic mass of stone that stood in their way on the path to conquering China. His army had been stationed at the foot of this wall for many weeks. It would be easy for them to scale the Great Wall, but would prove much less feasible to get any further. The Imperial Army had joined forces with two other kingdoms to rebuild itself after the previous fiasco from six months ago, and would prove even harder to beat this time. Still, the threat of Bai Shen and his abundant army hung over China's head like the clouds that were swallowing her at that moment.
Finally, the man spoke.
"We shall give him a lunar cycle. If he is still persistent, we attack."
His pale yellow eyes surveyed the terrain in front of him.
"What of the woman warrior, Fa Mulan? How will she be taken care of?" another man inquired. Bai Shen smiled a wicked smile at the sound of that name—the name of the killer of his predecessor.
"Ah yes, Fa Mulan." he chuckled.
"She will be treated with extra care."
