Honour to us all: Chapter 7
Mulan and her troops had finally left the mountain pass behind them to carry on the search for these bandits. Mulan was mounted upon her horse Khan, with her new 'slave' Kuan behind her. Yao kept had always kept a close watch on him, as he did not trust the newly appointed soldier. He always said that his hair was to light and his eyes to dark, though everyone else would toss his theories aside, complaining that his eyes were blue not therefore could not be dark. But no words that they could say could stop Yao from worrying.
They carried on travelling down the mountain until Mulan brought her troops to a sudden stop. "We'll rest here for the night. Get to work." Mulan dismounted her horse and tied him to a reasonably spiked rock until the tents had been put up. Juan quietly followed her around, as she helped organize the men and pitch up the tents. Though, as required of someone who offers their service to the other, they are expected to help them when asked. Though Kuan, ignored her orders to help with the tents and to stop following her around.
Just as dusk fell, all the tents had been pitched and there was a bright and blazing fire in the centre, surrounded by makeshift chairs and logs with men sat around them. Eating their war food, Mulan as normal did not join them, since the incident beforehand where she froze mid battle, she dared not face them. She was afraid; she had been for a long time now. Normally, when her friends would try and protect her she would push them aside, she would have never have let her friends sacrifice themselves for her. Only that time, she was too scared. She wanted them to defend her. She would have risked their lives so that she would have survived. A tear slowly fell from her dark eyes, running down her frozen cheek. She then threw her sword in rage at the ground and fell down onto her knees. The tears were now streaming from her face. She felt like such a failure, like world was moving on leaving her behind. Right now, what she really wanted was Shang, she wanted him by her side but when she tried to picture him. There was nothing. Her mind was filled with the thought of failure – and death.
Mulan closed her tearful eyes, hoping for some peace. Though all that came to her, was an old song:
Fire-fly, fire-fly,
Come from the hill,
Your father and mother
Are waiting here still.
They've brought you some sugar,
Some candy, and meat,
For baby to eat.
"I know that song." Kuan appeared from out of the shadows, startling Mulan and bringing her to her feet.
"I thought I told you not to follow me around everywhere."
"Sorry, but I was worried when I couldn't find you. So I went looking for you."
"Well now you've found me, and I'm fine. So you can go look and pester someone else!"
"I was only trying to help, that is what I'm here for." Kuan began to walk away, until Mulan called out to him stopping him in his tracks.
"Look I'm sorry Kuan. I'm just a little on edge"
"A little?"
"Ok a lot on edge, if that even makes sense. Do you want to join me for a bit, I'd be glad of the company for a while."
"Of course." Kuan came and sat by her side, his blonde hair blowing in the wind. "That song… my father used to sing it to me. It was always my favourite; I remembered I would try and make up my own versions then sing them in school. I was laughed at so many times, but it never stopped me. Its amazing what little things you remember."
"I suppose." Kuan then noticed that more tears were falling from her delicate eyes, so he handed her some cloth from his old and small back pack. "Here, take this."
"Thank you"
"Now tell me Mulan, tell me honestly. What is wrong?"
"If I talk about it, the pain will only worsen"
"I always thought that talking about it was the best cure; for a broken heart." Mulan looked at him, she knew that he was completely wrong so she gave him a stern look to suggest it.
"Oh ok, perhaps your just very lonely, being the one and only girl amongst all of these men." Once again, Mulan looked at him, eyes blaring. "Ok that's not it either. Do you miss your family?"
"I must admit that I do, but that is not why I'm upset. And please could you just stop guessing." "Alright. I'll leave you now, but please don't get into any trouble while I'm gone."
"Whatever you say." As Kuan walked away, Mulan looked back out into the view. But when Kuan had arrived into the camp, there was a sudden scream; a high pitched scream, a scream that a man cannot make, especially not any of these men. It was Mulan. Kuan, Ying, Yao and Chien-Po and some other loyal men ran to where Mulan sat but she was gone. All there was was red stained snow.
