Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story. They are the rightful property of Disney.

A/N: Warning! This chapter will contain the first instance of violence, so if you were wondering why the rating was so high, you'll find out.

A/N: 14.08.06 - Modified version posted.

Towards the Setting Sun

Chapter 3

The sight of the rolling plains that greeted them upon departure from the village was like a breath of fresh air to Mulan, as Khan carried her away down the dusty road. In the five months that she had been home, she hadn't realised how much she had missed her short period of freedom, and now she revelled in it. Somewhere at the back of her mind was a lingering sorrow for having to leave her family behind, but the elation she found in galloping through the countryside kept it at bay.

It seemed as though Mulan's entire village had noticed her leaving despite the speed at which she passed through, and Mulan had despised the attention it brought to her. They were sure to have seen her bedecked in her armour, and no doubt per putting it about that she was a wayward girl once more, as they had done before the war, unfit for marriage. They didn't care whether her actions had justification, too wound up in tradition to see past the surface as they were. It wouldn't matter, anyway. Whatever injuries they wished to inflict her honour would be futile, as long as she was dubbed the heroine of China. Be that as it may, Mulan's mood was still dampened by the knowledge of the villagers' disdain, even if she was free of it at present.

Behind her, Shang gave a shout. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw that his horse was struggling to keep up with Khan's bigger stride, and so slowed her horse to a walk. Shang's stallion drew up beside Khan, close enough that the knees of the riders brushed past each other in a brief moment of contact. Shang seemed to ignore the touch, but drew his horse away slightly in response.

"We are in no hurry, Mulan." Shang said, "We can take our time if we wish."

"It isn't proper to keep the Emperor waiting." Mulan remarked.

"No, but he isn't expecting us for two days." Shang replied, "Had I not come so quickly, I wouldn't have arrived at your home until today, and so we would have taken longer anyway."

Mulan nodded, glad that now they would be able to spend some time alone for what seemed like the first time. Now, her previous anxiety over her departure seemed ever so much further away.

"I missed this." Mulan commented quietly, staring out into the distance. A long way away, almost on the horizon, she could see and end to the forbidding clouds that rolled above them, where they melted into a blue sky and bright sunshine.

"What?" Shang asked beside her, curiosity written clearly across his features.

"Travelling." Mulan answered hesitantly, her cheeks heating up; she hadn't meant for Shang to hear. She didn't want him to laugh at her, as though she were a simple village girl. To Mulan's immense relief, Shang smiled in understanding.

"I like to travel as well." He said. "I used to travel more when I was younger, but now I am lucky if I am able to do so."

Mulan smiled back, finding that she was becoming more relaxed in his company. He was amicable, and Mulan found her tongue loosening. This journey would be pleasant indeed.

-----

It became necessary to seek a suitable campsite once the sky began to darken with the onset of night. From the last rays of light the sun provided as it slipped inevitably below the distant rim of the horizon, an enclosed forest was visible, towards which Mulan and Shang decided to head. It would provide shelter at least, and food.

The scent of the forest was refreshing after the dust of the road, and the air was cool on Mulan's skin. Surrounded by the sounds of the forest, they walked through the lanes of trees, leading to a rough clearing somewhere in the centre of the wood. It was a raised hummock of earth with gently sloping sides and a flat top, upon which grew an old twisted tree. Dismounting, Mulan led Khan up to the top of the mound, and let him have his head to graze.

"What do you think?" She asked of Shang, who followed closely behind her. He was studying the area with trained eyes, and when he didn't find anything amiss, he nodded approval.

"We'll set our tents at the top of this hill." He said, while tying the reigns of his horse to a sturdy branch on the tree beside him. "But first, we need to scout the area."

Setting to the task, Mulan headed down the hill to the north, while Shang went the other way, knife in hand. For a moment as she walked through the undergrowth, Mulan wondered why Shang was being so cautious. While at home, Mulan had heard no news considering trouble in the region, and surely no thieves would dare do anything in such close proximity to the capital. On the other hand, Shang was a soldier, and exercising caution probably came as second nature to him.

The scout did prove fruitful in locating useful resources for the night, however. Not far from the clearing, Mulan stumbled - literally- across a trickle of a stream that ran through the undergrowth, earning herself a wet foot in the process. After finishing her surveillance of the area, Mulan headed back towards the clearing, gathering an armful of decent firewood as she went.

Shang hadn't yet returned to the clearing when Mulan arrived back, and so began to build a fire at the top of the hill. It wasn't long before she had a small flame before her, which soon rose to eat at the wood she fed it, growing in size until one could cook a decent meal above it, or, in her case, dry her shoes out by it.

Khan's snort snapped Mulan from her reverie as she sat mesmerised by the flames, notifying her of Shang's return. He strode up the hill to where she was and deposited a rabbit he had somehow managed to catch by the fire, going to retrieve his tent from his horse.

"So?" He enquired. He eyed the discarded shoe by the fire, but said nothing more.

"There is a stream not far from here, but it isn't very big; barely a trickle." She answered. "You can hardly see it at all…"

"Apparently so!" Shang laughed resonantly. It was really a very pleasant sound, Mulan found, except when directed at her.

"It's not funny!" She protested, rising to her feet and attempting to square up to him, although he towered head and shoulders above her, and possessed the broad shoulders of any man. Seeing she was beaten, she huffed angrily and stalked over to Khan and removed her own tent. Throwing a sharp glance in Shang's direction, she was only angered further when his laughter started anew.

-----

Shang had eventually apologised to Mulan, although she had seen the humour still glittering behind his eyes as he offered her some of the rabbit he had caught earlier. Now Mulan sat on the first watch, sitting at the edge of the clearing on a log she had dragged over, watching the line of trees with half-attentive eyes.. Behind her, at the top of the hummock, the horses dosed together, and Shang was inside his tent. Shivering, Mulan pulled her blanket closer about her shoulders.

The grass underfoot was soft and springy beneath Mulan's bare feet, and she enjoyed the feeling of it between her toes, letting it distract her from her duty. At Wu Zhong, Mulan had discovered that she was easily distracted while on watch, often to her misfortune, no matter how hard she tried to stay focussed. At present, had Mulan been paying attention to her surroundings, she may have heard the footsteps behind her.

Khan's angry whinny startled Mulan, and she whipped her head around to see what was happening, just in time to narrowly avoid a fatal blow to the back of her skull from a heavy branch wielded by her attacker behind her. Mulan hadn't moved far enough, though, and a piercing pain in her temple sent her crumpling to the ground, white spots dancing across her vision as she lay, dazed. Up at the top of the hill, she could barely make out the forms of three men struggling to control Shang's stallion and a rearing Khan.

"This one's a woman!" A rough voice exclaimed to Mulan's left.

Mulan tried to sit up, but found herself weak and dizzy, unable to move. Needles of pain lanced through her skull when she turned her head to face her attacker, who stood above her menacingly in the darkness of the night. The sounds of a scuffle reached Mulan's ears from somewhere above her, underneath the continuing whinnies of the horses as they strained against their captors.

"So it is." Another voice commented. A face loomed into view, the sudden movement making Mulan feel ill, as well as the foul smell that assaulted her nostrils. A calloused hand grabbed her chin roughly, eliciting a scared whimper from Mulan's lips. The new face broke into a sickening smirk, pleased. It was a face owned by a man whose countenance was marred by a multitude of scars, with leering eyes and a nose that looked as though it had been broken and then set at the wrong angle. It was a face that frightened her. Her blood turned to ice in her veins, freezing her.

"She's a pretty one." The voice to her left remarked, and a man with long, lank hair stepped into her line of sight. He had a ratty length of rope slung about his torso. Scarred-face nodded slowly, sneering down at Mulan's prone body in a way that made her feel sick. "She'll fetch a good price on the market, for sure."

"Bind her." Scarred-face ordered of Lank-hair, replacing the latter thug's hold on her shoulders so the rope could be unwound. She found herself flipped onto her back, and her wrists yanked together. Mulan's eyes widened as panic rose. Futilely, she tried once more to stand, even managing to get a foot beneath her, but Scarred-face grabbed her collar and dragged her back, pinning her with a knee between her shoulder blades. The stench rolled back, and Mulan fought the urge to retch, instead burying her face into the grass beneath her. The smell of cool earth filled her nostrils, and quieted her reeling stomach.

The next few moments passed so quickly, Mulan could barely follow them. On top of the hill, something must have happened, for Scarred-face's grip on her loosened for long enough for Mulan to twist and land a crippling kick to Lank-hair's crotch, causing him to keel over in agony. Next, Khan came thundering down the hill in aid of his mistress, rearing above the vulnerable head of Scarred-face. The thug threw himself away in an effort to escape the enraged horse, while Mulan lunged in the opposite direction, reaching for her forgotten sword, the world spinning nauseatingly around her. Though she did not see it, the sickening crunch that resounded throughout the clearing confirmed to Mulan that Khan's hooves had come down on the fragile human body of Scarred-face, and was shortly followed by a pained gasp. Fumbling with her sword, Mulan eventually managed to get a grip on the handle, and pulled the blade out of it's sheath, pointing the weapon at the throat of Lank-hair, who was only just recovering from her kick.

"Mulan!" Shang called, running down to where she swayed on her feet, still holding Lank-hair at sword point. His own sword was in his hand, dripping black in the darkness.

"Go." Mulan commanded of Lank-hair, her voice dangerous. The thief needed no encouragement, and immediately turned tail and ran, leaving his comrades without a second thought.

The danger gone, Mulan lowered the sword, letting it drop point first into the ground. She tried to turn to Shang, but stumbled, falling. Instinctively, Shang dropped his own sword and reached out to catch her. Mulan's head rolled limply, her vision blurred and spinning. Blood dripped into her eye from her temple, from where it oozed lazily. Shang, upon seeing the injury, didn't hesitate to scoop her up and hurry back to the dying fire, Khan following solemnly behind. He set her down beside the fire and piled tinder and firewood higher upon the hot embers, the flames soon leaping up to engulf them and throwing light out to illuminate the injury Mulan had received.

"Shang," Mulan insisted weakly, fighting to rise onto her elbows, "I'm fine, rea-… ah!" She winced at the contact of the cloth he had torn from his sash, and tried to shrink away from it.

"Stay still," he ordered her firmly, keeping a firm grip on her shoulder to stop her from wriggling. "You aren't okay until I say so." He pulled a water bag from somewhere behind him, and poured the liquid onto the cloth. Wiping once more at the blood on Mulan's temple, he revealed an angry welt caused by the branch that had struck her there; a glancing blow. Luckily, the damage was only minimal, and she would be fine.

Shang sat back on his haunches and scanned the rest of her for damage, but aside from the tear in the collar of her shirt, she appeared unharmed. He let out a sigh of relief, causing Mulan to turn her eyes to him and regard him in return. It would seem that he hadn't come out of the attack unharmed either, judging by the scratches on his arms and a swollen cheekbone, ready to bruise.

"So," she asked irritably of him, "will I live?"

"Yes," He replied, "but you'll have a headache for a few days, I'd expect."

Silence stretched between them, moods spoiled by the night's events.

"What happened?" Mulan inquired. It seemed to her that one moment she was watching the trees, and the next she was on the floor, being accosted by two rather unpleasant individuals. She risked a glance down the hill to where Scarred-face lay, unconscious. His legs were a mangled mess of blood and bone. The pain must have caused him to pass out. Mulan looked away quickly, feeling bile rise in the back of her throat.

"Bandits." Shang said, "There were five, I think. I heard Khan and came out to find three of them trying to steal the horses. The other two must have crept up behind you while you were on watch." Thankfully, he didn't ask why she hadn't heard them. She didn't want to tell him that some grass had distracted her.

"They were going to take me prisoner," Mulan began, unsteadily, "They wanted to sell me…" She trailed off, annoyed at her own stupidity and helplessness. Had it been six months earlier, she wouldn't have had a problem. The night's events only brought her lack of practice to light, and it was something she needed to rectify if she was going to be of any use to Shang.

"I know." Shang replied. His eyes were trained guiltily on the ground, the trees – anywhere but her. He seemed annoyed that he had not been able to help her. She had to rely on her horse to do that.

"Listen," he said, voice soft. "You should rest as much as you can tonight before we leave. We still have a long way to go." He was speaking to her as though he were soothing a frightened child. The thought caused Mulan to scowl. She wasn't a child and didn't want to be treated that way, but was too tired too argue. Despite her fatigue, Mulan doubted she would get much sleep at all.

-----

It wasn't until late in the evening the next day that they arrived finally at the Imperial city, cresting a hill to see it sprawled out across the plain before them. The sight was gladdening to Mulan, weary as she was, with aches all over her body and throbbing through her head. The thought of a proper bed and a good hot bath made her eager to be there as soon as possible, and so she spurred Khan forward into a run. Shang rode beside her, quiet as he had been for much of the day, the look in his eyes making him appear as eager as she, and before long they were passing under the great gate into the city.

The city didn't strike her with the same sense of awe she had felt upon her first visit, but with the sun setting on the horizon, setting the sky on fire, the city still had a spellbinding effect upon her as a village girl, unused to the grandeur of the big city as she was. It didn't have quite the same effect upon Shang, however, although it did appear as though he sat taller in his saddle, the very picture of a General of the Imperial Army.

Soldiers stopped them momentarily as the two of them approached the gate to the palace, but they waved them through upon seeing Shang atop his Imperial stallion. Their horses were taken from them, and after a short wait in the shadow of the palace a pair of servants met them and them conducted them inside.

"We aren't going to the Emperor?" Shang asked in confusion, as they were taken down one of the multitude of corridors of the palace. Mulan herself would not have know which way went where, or to who. She trusted that Shang knew his way around, having had to spend some time here recently.

"No, General," One servant replied, bowing once more, "He is busy in council with his advisors currently. He will see you tomorrow, and has asked that you be adequately rested before your meeting tomorrow."

"In that case," Shang said, "I will go to my own chambers."

The servant bowed once more and headed down a hallway branching off of the one they currently stood in, stopping to wait for Shang to turn and follow him. Shang turned first to Mulan, hesitating. His hand twitched, as though he wished to reach out to her, but remained by his side.

"Goodnight." He finally said to her quietly, and turned to follow the servant, his gaze lingering, it seemed, on her.

That's just wishful thinking, Mulan. Shang doesn't think of me that way anyway.

Disappointed, she settled her eyes on the small serving woman who stood beside her. The woman motioned for her to follow, which Mulan did, wondering how she was ever going to remember her way in this labyrinth of hallways. Eventually, they came upon a pair of wooden doors, carved in beautifully intricate designs as most of the palace seemed to be. Mulan hope she didn't appear as though she were gaping at every thing she passed, and tried to covertly admire the craftsmanship of her surroundings without anyone noticing.

The room she was shown into was unlike anything Mulan had ever seen, and this time she couldn't prevent the gawping expression that settled upon her features. The serving woman tugged Mulan into the inner chamber and immediately began to strip her of her armour. Before she knew it, she was immersed in the hot water of a bath, being scrubbed of the dirt of the road. The bath was one of the most pleasant Mulan had had in a long time. She could feel the tense muscles down her back and legs loosen, and the warmth seeped very pleasantly into her skin. Once the bath was over, Mulan was bundled into a loose gown and sat down in front of the mirror, the serving woman quickly passing a comb through her short hair. That done, the servant bowed and left, closing the doors behind her.

Mulan, now alone in the giant room, felt grossly out of place, and didn't have a clue as to what to do with herself next. She looked behind her at the giant bed which dominated the room, wondering whether she should just go to bed, or maybe ask a servant to fetch her saddlebags. She could even ask to be taken to Shang. Mulan blushed fiercely. At this time of night? What would people think of her if they saw her - an unmarried woman - going to Shang's chamber? She dismissed the idea quickly, deciding that the safest thing to do was to try and get as much sleep as she possibly could, although she doubted that would be much. Resignedly, Mulan crawled beneath the silken coverlet and laid her head down to rest, wondering faintly why the Emperor would want to see her. Closing her eyes, she willed sleep to come to her.

-----

A/N: Another chapter done! Please leave a review and tell me what you think.

Thanks to:

CluelessAngel

Roguefan212000

Dragon Spirit Fighter – Yeah, I enjoy historically accurate writing as well, because it has some relevance to the world. However, as I said, this story won't be 100 accurate mainly because it doesn't quite fit with the plot I've got planned, but the basic elements are there. Read below if you want to know the history behind this fic!

RhysGirl – I haven't heard of that book actually, but I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my work. Thanks!

Angel452 – I'm glad you're so curious about this piece, and I will try to answer as best I can, though I will have to give a certain amount of background about it as well. I apologise for the History lesson!

During the Sui dynasty, a deal was struck between the Chinese and the Turks, so that the Chinese received horses in exchange for silks. This proved to be an uneven trade, as the Turks could sell the silks for large amounts of money, and so became very rich. However, the arrangement wouldn't last for much longer.

Around 580 AD, the Turkish Empire had some succession disputes and eventually split into two; The Eastern Turks centred in Mongolia, and the Western Turks centred on the Ili river and western Turkestan. After initial raids into Chinese territory, they submitted to China, and a princess was sent to marry the leader (or khagan), in return for aid against China's enemies. Unfortunately, when the Sui Emperor attempted an invasion of Korea, the Turks refused help and the campaign ended in disaster, followed shortly by the collapse of the dynasty.

It wasn't until the Tang dynasty was established that the Turks chose to take action. They raided deep into Chinese territory, and as a result, the Chinese Emperor was forced to appease them with lavish gifts and trade privileges. It wasn't until the reign of Taizong that this changed, and after a long struggle, almost all of the Eastern Turkic tribes went over to the Chinese.

Now, with the Eastern Turks on their side, the Chinese expanded their borders west, and, inevitably, came into contact with the Western Turks.