Move not unless you see an advantage; use not your troops unless there is something to be gained; fight not unless the position is critical.

Chapter 14: Attack by Fire – Part 1

Shang woke up just as the orange glow of the sunset began to claw its way across the sky. Realizing how late it was, he jumped into action, his muscles punishing the captain for the abuse they suffered in the mountains as he threw on his uniform. His shoulder and legs still protesting his haste, Li Shang made his way down the hall, his hands clumsily knotting his cape around his neck as he hustled down to the stables.

In front of the assembly were the three remaining corporals - Yao, Ling, and Chien Po – their eyes downcast and faces drawn. Yao hardly managed a grunt of acknowledgement to his commanding officer. Meanwhile the rest of the men shuffled around, their muted smiles met with anxious glances toward the drummers, color guard, and the ceremonial dragon dancers mulling about the other side of the courtyard. Shang silently took his place in front of his soldiers.

A stout, mustachioed man with a tablet emerged from within the performers, and made his way over to the soldiers.

"Alright, men, I am Zhi Wei, your master of ceremonies for the evening," the little man introduced himself. "It was your job to save this place, it's mine to make sure this parade goes smoothly. They–" he gestured over to the other side of the courtyard – " already know what to do. Now it's your turn."

Zhi lifted up a page of notes, briefly looking over what was written on the sheet below. "Captain," he gestured at Shang before waving his brush at the other men gathered around. "The counsel will take up the lead, followed by you and the other field officers. Then the ceremonial dragon, and the rest of the troops taking up the rear-" pointing again at the group of performers.

Not bothering to wait for a response, the man rushed on. "When we get to the palace, Captain, you will present the sword to His Excellency the Emperor. He will say several words and declare the threat officially over. After that, Chi Fu will return to the direct service of the Emperor, and the festival will officially begin in the Imperial Square."

The little man finally put the tablet back down, and looked at the group.

"Are there any questions?"

Shang looked back at the men behind him. The troops' eyes were glazed over, and Shang honestly couldn't blame them for it: the glory and honor the city was set to heap upon them felt like a sham after all they had been through.

"No." Shang shook his head.

"Are we missing anyone?"

No one spoke, but Shang could hear the rustling behind him and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. Keeping his gaze on the parade leader, Shang shook his head solemnly as he reminded himself that she shouldn't be here anyway.

"Alright, as soon as Chi Fu arrives, we leave."

"Make way for the heroes of China!"- The drums beat steadily as they marched and the gentle bells of the dragon chimed with every step. Beside him, Chi Fu waved gleefully to the cheering crowds, but Shang could barely force himself to look straight ahead. The whole fracas was a sham, from the stupid smile on that counsel's face, despite the fact that he had done nothing but frustrate the whole process, to the honors they were receiving at all, given the number of the Emperor's laws both he and Mulan had broken in the past 72 hours.

"Make way for the heroes of China!"

"Heroes, yeah right," Shang huffed to himself.

Behind him, Shang heard the distinctive breathing of a trotting war steed and clop of horse hooves on pavement.

"Shang!" he heard a familiar voice call out his name. He turned around.

"Mulan?"

He blinked in surprise – unsure if he should trust his eyes. But when he opened them again, there she still was. Her eyes stared back at him, framed now by shoulder-length hair, still wearing her - her father's- training uniform. Shang's heart glowed with the sound of the voice that he trusted, but his stomach turned as he remembered both her betrayal, and her reasons for it.

It was her nerve and stupidity, though, that was the most infuriating. She was placing herself- both of them- in immense danger.

His jaw clenched as he saw Chi Fu out of the corner of his eye, waving back at the cheering crowds. If Mulan hadn't been trying to get herself killed or both of them imprisoned before, she was doing a damn good job of doing so now.

"The Huns are alive!" She pressed on. "They're in the city!"

Shang turned his icy stare towards her. "You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home," he snapped, nudging his horse forward.

Mulan pulled up again, her voice pleading. "Shang, I saw them in the mountains! You have to believe me!"

The hairs on the back of his neck bristled at the sound of his name and again at the young woman's command. He didn't have to do anything for her - least of all believe her. Not after what had happened. Not if she was going to throw away what he had risked for her by coming here, now.

"Why should I?" he challenged. Shang could still feel the hot blood pulsing in his cheeks.

Mulan brought her horse around, cutting him off. Taken aback, Shang stared ahead, only to see Mulan looking him straight in the face. Her eyes shone in the lantern light, meeting his demand with ferocity and candor.

"Why else would I come back?" she bit back. "You said you'd trust Ping. Why is Mulan any different?"

The words cut to his core like a steel blade. Shang set his jaw, unsure of how to answer. It was all he could do to guide his horse forward along the parade route.

Different? Ping was trustworthy , Ping was a man, Ping hadn't spent weeks lying and risking the whole mission. Shang could feel the heat rising now to his ears. A very different kind of heat came to his cheeks however as he thought back to what he himself had written earlier this afternoon – she lied, yes, but for a just reason. Not only that, but without her, they likely wouldn't be alive at all. She was the craziest person he had met, and for that, he owed her - they all owed her - their lives. If that wasn't trustworthy, what was?

Still stuck in his thoughts, he heard Mulan give one last directive, this time to her fellow field officers to keep their eyes open.

The sound of the horse's hooves faded into the din of drumbeats and chants around them. Shang shook his head, partially in disbelief, in part to clear his mind of his anger.

As they made their way closer and closer to the Imperial palace, Shang couldn't banish the other question she had asked him: Why else would she come back? What else could she possibly gain by coming here?

Shang kept his eyes open and his ears alert as the steady beat of the drums came to a halt. All that interrupted the still silence of the square was the soft padding of feet on marble and the rhythmic jangling of the dragon's bells behind him.

Giving his surroundings one last glance, Shang came before the Emperor, his insides a knot of anxiety, pride, shame, and sorrow.

Around him, though, no one seemed to notice. The crowd's cheers combined with the steady beat of the drums into an all-consuming drone, like the roar of a tiger or the blast of a dragon.

The whole city fell silent as the Emperor raised his finger. Even the jingling of bells was muted as Shang took the gnarled sword from Chi Fu. Only the crash of a gong echoed throughout the plaza.

Shang looked down at the heavy blade in his hands as he walked toward the Son of Heaven. The metal was dark, as if it had consumed the blood of its enemies, and drunk on its reward turned the color of scabs and bruises itself. The image of his father's face swam before Li Shang's mind, and he breathed in, taking consolation in the fact that at least its campaign of bloodshed and death at the hands of Shan Yu were now over.

The young man was called out of his thoughts by the calm remarks of the Son of Heaven before him. "My Children! Heaven smiles down upon the Middle Kingdom!" The emperor began. "China will sleep safely tonight, thanks to our brave warriors!" The silence that had held the Imperial City broke as another wave of applause washed over the capital.

Li Shang stepped forward and bowed deeply, holding out the snarled steel in his hands. "Your Majesty, I present to you the sword of Shan Yu."

"I know what this means to you, Captain Li," the Emperor's kind and gentle voice responded. "Your father would have been very proud."

It was as if a knife tore through Shang's chest straight down through his stomach. He swallowed hard and nodded in respect, forcing himself to look back into the Emperor's face.

Out of the sky, a familiar screech grew louder. The captain looked up for its source, only to see a hawk with yellow eyes grab the sword from his hands and soar back into the sky. The bird circled the roof of the palace, when out of the darkness a gargoyle raised an outstretched arm, catching the weapon perfectly.

Shan Yu.

Screams erupted in the crowd below.

Shang reached for his sword as the jangle of bells punctuated the sounds of terror.

Then, all chaos broke loose: he heard a large rip and more jangling behind him, along with a cacophony of deep-throated yells. Before he could make sense of it all, the captain was thrown down onto the marble steps. Glancing up from the stone floor, Shang saw a crumpled red and gold hat – the crown of the Emperor – before him.

Shang looked up and saw two broad-shouldered Huns hauling closed the palace doors. "No!" he bellowed, following after them, barely reaching the top of the stairs before they dragged the palace doors shut.

He pounded desperately on the crimson wood, knowing in his heart the terrible truth: without intervention from the gods themselves, they were too late. He lay his forehead on the doors as his knees began to sink, but stopped – hearing the triumphant cackle of the Hun leader.

They couldn't give up. Not yet. He gathered his breath.

"You" Shang shouted, pointing to his remaining men. "Get this door down!"

The captain scanned the palace entry, looking for anything they could use as a weapon- his eyes resting on the lions guarding the doors.

"Chien Po! Yao! Ling! Wei Ying! All of you! Here!" he waved.

Together the men tipped over the metal statue. "One, two three!" Shang counted off as they heaved the makeshift battering ram into the door again and again.

However, despite the heavy thud their efforts produced, the door would not budge.

Behind him, Shang heard a whistle followed by a well-known call.

"Hey guys! I've got an idea!"

The men came to a stop and Shang felt the lion fall deeper onto his hands as the field officers dropped their load to follow.

"Alright men!" Shang bellowed, his voice straining with the weight of the lion weighing on his hands. "New plan. Put this down!" he groaned along with the rest of the soldiers as they struggled to place the statue on the ground.

Hands on his knees, Shang took a few heaving breaths before turning back to the troops left behind. "Alright- everyone on my left-" he pointed to half the group- " secure the perimeter- we don't want anyone else getting in, and we certainly don't want the guys in there getting out. The rest of you–" he nodded to the remaining men "find the palace guards. See if you can get in."

"Understood?" Shang asked, backing away slowly.

"What are you doing, sir?" one of the men piped up.

"I have someone I need to help," the captain hollered back, unable to keep the grin from his face. With that, he turned, jogging away into the night.

Shang wove in and out between the towering crimson columns, keeping his eyes out and ears open for a familiar profile or voice. After several minutes of searching, Shang saw four forms under the balcony of the women's quarters.

Despite the circumstances, the young man stifled a smile as he drew up on them - Ling, Chien Po and Yao were all donning elaborate dresses, wearing full faces of makeup, as they threw their sashes around the pillars beneath the balcony windows. If it hadn't been for Yao's beard, they could have passed for brides-to-be or some governor's concubines.

His breath hitched in his chest, though, when his eyes fell on Mulan. The dress she wore – a fine but simple blue and pink ensemble looked truly stunning in the glow of the palace lanterns. She proudly wore on her a calm sort of confidence he had never seen with Ping – nor on any other woman.

Tentatively, Shang tapped the young woman on the shoulder as he whipped off his cape. Surprised, she met his bashful smile with a stare, but her gaze melted into the same kind of grin as she realized, without words, why he was there. Together, the team pulled back on their braces and ascended to the balcony.

AN: Hello everyone!

Many apologies for the late update. - some personal/family things- some good, some more stressful came up in the past few weeks and pushed me back a little bit. Not to worry- I FULLY intend on having this finished by the end of the year. Be patient though- the the next few (and last!) chapters have a little more retooling to do, and I may wait to update until I get the whole fic finished.

And, to be perfectly honest, I've found this chapter the most difficult out of all of them so far. Then again, maybe I should save that judgement for when I finish.

Also – many thanks to my sister est1993 for beta-ing this in a pinch! :-)