Perfect Bride

By- An Unknown Foreign Beauty

Chapter 17- Aftermath

Mulan braced herself for the blow.

But it did not come. Instead the sword landed on the snow at her feet. Mulan raised her head to see her husband's face, but his face remained emotionless as he finally spoke. "I have vowed to your father to protect you when I married you. I can't break my vow."

"But…" Chi-Fu tried to interrupt, but was silenced by the captain's stern glare. Shang turned his gaze at the disgraced woman lying at his feet and continued in a voice colder than ice, "But I can never forgive you for what you have done."

The gratitude that filled her mind when he spared her life was soon gone with his cold word. Mulan's lips trembled with a silent sob, her eyes filled with tears, but she could not say anything. He ordered his men to pack their belongings. They took the Huns as prisoners. Ling came to say goodbye. Mulan did not say anything to stop them. She remained collapsed on the ground and watched them go.

When the imperial army was finally out of her sight, Mulan collapsed in her father's arms. Fa Zhou was still weak and sick, but he did not say any word to console his daughter. He held his daughter close and whispered in her ears, "Whatever they say, my girl, I am still proud of you."

Mulan startled and looked into her father's eyes. She knew he was telling the truth.

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They decided to return to the village.

After a long night's journey, they finally reached Tai-Sei. The Fa family house was nothing but a ruin now. Somehow Mulan managed to find one room still in good condition and led her father in. He was tired from the long journey. She helped him to get down from Khan's back. Little brother came to greet them. Mulan picked up her long forgotten pet dog, and he nuzzled her cheek. Finally they were home. Mushu gathered some straw and lit a fire. Mulan cooked. Soon after the dinner, Fa Zhou finally fell asleep.

Mulan could not sleep. The rest of the house loomed cold and dark. Little brother slept at her feet. She pulled an old shawl over her body and watched the flames. It was odd to have this house so silent and dark. Thousands of memories swirled in her mind. Her mother's face, her grandmother's laugh, her husband's warm kisses, the way he looked at her when they made love. She remembered her mother's sacrifice, she remembered being dishonored by Shan-Yu, she remembered her husband's face when he knew her true identity. She remembered his cold voice when he abandoned her forever. In the dark, her memories came to surround her, to consume her, to torture her. Finally Mulan could not take it anymore. She buried her face in her hands and cried.

Mushu might have heard her cry, because he climbed on her shoulder. "What is it, baby girl?" The tiny dragon flashed a bright smile.

The sight of her faithful friend cheered her up a little. "Nothing." Mulan wiped away her tears and tried to smile. Mushu understood. He curled around her neck and patted her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, dear. Everything will be alright. Just try to be the brave girl you are."

Mulan tried to gather courage. So in the morning she went to search the ruins to gather some wood. She carried as much as she could. Khan carried the rest. She gathered straw to fix the roof. Mushu helped her. Little brother ran around, trying to cheer her up. In the evening Fa Zhou rose from his sickbed to help his daughter's work. He helped her to fix a pillar or two, but soon became tired. Mulan snatched away the log from her father's hand and ordered him to rest. Fa Zhou watched his daughter with much amazement in his eyes. He could not believe how much she had grown. Two days later, they managed to bring at least one of the rooms into livable condition.

"I shall try to fix the temple tomorrow." Mulan said during the dinner.

Fa Zhou took a sip of the broth Mulan prepared for him, and looked at his daughter. She looked tired. "You should take a break, Mulan." He said.

"No," She shook her head, "The temple is left unused for a long time. We can't leave our ancestors in misery for long. Besides," She eyed Mushu sitting at her feet, "I have help."

Fa Zhou met Mushu's gaze. The tiny dragon also wanted him to approve her proposal. It was the only way to keep her busy, to keep her mind from going insane.

"All right, Mulan." Fa Zhou sighed, "Do what you want."

After a week or two, people finally began to return to Tai-Sei. Abandoned houses were once again flooded with light, silence of the night was broken by the arrival of new people everyday. They gathered wood, tried to fix their houses, tried to find what was left among the ruins. Mulan met some familiar faces as well as a few new ones. Teams of masked and people with horse-drawn carts gathered in the square. Sifting through what lay under the snow this winter. Gathering remains. A cart was parked in front of the matchmaker's house. She recognized Chan, Su's husband, pausing a moment to wipe the sweat from his face with a rag. He joined the war in the east, where most of the imperial troops were killed. He might have been lucky to come home alive. Su was sitting on the ground with her arms wrapped around her torso. Her sister, Mei was whispering something in her ears. The Huns killed her baby, and raped her. Her body still bore the scars. Chan greeted Mulan. His greeting gave her the courage to ask, "What are you doing here?"

"Gathering." Chan eyed the human remains at his feet. The Huns killed his entire family, as well as Su's.

"Oh," Mulan nodded and kept moving. Most of the old inhabitants of the village had returned. A few did not. A few were lying on the snow at their feet. Mulan took a shovel from a cart and offered to help. There were rotten flesh and bones, torn clothing. They found Fa Li's body, rotten to the bones, a few feet away from the square. They found grandmother Fa too, lying in the bush beside the road. The old woman did not survive the fall. There were also many more. Finally they gathered all the bodies in the carts and drove them inside the village.

Two days later the village people gathered in the graveyard to finish the last ritual for the dead. They tied white ribbons in their hair and ankles, made hundreds of pyres. Fa Zhou leaned against his daughter as he watched his wife and mother turning into ashes. When the fire finally died, he sat down on the rock beside the graveyard, took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He was still so weak and dizzy, even his strong heart could not take it anymore. Mulan crouched beside him and held his hand. A drop of tear rolled over his cheek.

"You loved mama, did not you, baba?" She whispered.

Fa Zhou stared into the space. "She was the bravest woman I have ever seen." He whispered after a long silence.

"I know." Mulan buried her head in her father's lap. This time they both cried together.

Slowly, after many sorrowful days everything began to turn normal. Houses were fixed, temples were rebuilt, the people of Tai-Sei learned to live again. Roads were filled with children, markets were full of people. Fa Zhou recovered. Children often came to him to hear the story of the war. Mulan joined her father often. They told about the brave soldiers who drove the Huns away, but no one talked about the girl who returned home disgraced. Mushu tried to interrupt often, but Mulan silenced him.

Days passed slowly. Nightmares never stopped haunting her. There were nights when she woke up from her nightmares, crying and shivering like a small girl. Then she tried to think of something happier. But all she could remember was Shang's face, his warm smile, the beautiful times they spent together. She opened her eyes and tried to convince her mind, tried to wipe away those memories. But they came back to torment her again and again.

Among her old friends Chien-Po visited Mulan often. The gentle giant kept her company. Mulan enjoyed it too. He told her about Ling and his baby boy, Yao and his horses. Mulan was so happy for them. She asked him to tell more, Chien-Po obeyed. Mei sometimes joined them too.

Finally, in a beautiful summer morning Chien-Po got married to Mei. Mulan attended the wedding and wished couple a fruitful future. Mei blushed and hid her face behind her fan. Chien-Po laughed and hugged Mulan.

After the wedding festival, Chien-Po decided to take his new bride with him to his house in the capital. It was six day's ride from the village. Before the journey he pulled Mulan aside and asked if she was interested to join him.

"The emperor arranged a big festival in the honor of the soldiers who survived the war. He will show his gratitude to them personally." He said. "There is a rumor that the emperor will promote Captain Shang in his father's position soon."

Blood drained Mulan's face hearing her husband's name. Several times she closed her eyes and counted to ten, thinking that when she would open them, he would be standing here instead of Chien-Po to give her the news, his face shining with glee. She reminded herself that Shang was in the capital, with his army, probably with a bunch of concubines to keep his company.

"Is he doing well?" She finally asked.

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Captain Li Shang was appointed to train the emperor's personal guards.

It was a great honor, especially for a mere captain of the most insignificant troop of the emperor's army. He was provided with a cozy house, servants to serve his every needs, beautiful concubines to entertain him. It was more than he could ask, but still something was missing.

The scandal involving his wife did not spread and Chi-Fu promised to keep his mouth shut. It cost him a good amount of fortune to make him promise, though he did not always kept his word whenever they were in private.

Shang could not still believe his wife could cause such a scum. He despised her for what she did, hated her for her ungrateful heart. He continued trying to forget his ungrateful wife from his life and tear her from his heart, but with almost no success. He knew the battle had already been lost, from the day a he'd looked up and seen her defending herself in front of the war council.

Sitting alone before the fire in his private chamber, five months after their separation, he gazed into the flames, trying to concentrate on the session he had to arrange with his newest students, and some important security issues needed to be discussed with the emperor, but it was his wife he saw in his mind, not training sessions or the battle strategies. . . . Mulan in her wedding dress; Mulan challenging him in a swordplay; Mulan standing in front of the war council defending her father, her dark eyes glowing with courage and determination; Mulan looking at him as she confessed her guilt: "You can give me the punishment fit for a soldier who disobeyed her superior. You can give me the punishment fit for a wife who dishonored her husband's name. But I know everything I did was right."

That day he declared her as the guilty. Tonight he was wondering if his judgment was right. His father taught him to follow the rules, but now his rebel heart was questioning his decision. He held his father's helmet and stared at it. If only he could ask for his advice now. He wanted to be like him, to differentiate between the right and the wrong without getting confused, to leave the past behind for a better future. But he could not. Now he could not forget the wife who dishonored him.

A faint smile touched his lips as he remembered her standing in her wedding dress, holding a sword, looking heartbreakingly young and naive, trying logically to explain her view towards the world. Shang chuckled, as he'd been doing whenever he thought of her that day. Only Mulan would have dared to challenge her husband in swordplay on their wedding night. If he hadn't been so occupied with the thought of consummating the marriage and keeping the tradition alive that day, he'd have stood up and accepted her challenge. He thought he could forget her after what she had done to his honor, but he could not forget her courage, her strength, her honesty. She had saved his life from Shan-Yu, saved China, and avenged his father's death. His opinion about her had been changed since the day she confessed her love for him accidentally and wanted her since he laid his eyes on her, admired her courage and skill, loved her as his best friend. If Chi-Fu told him about her lie, instead of exposing her secret in the public, his affection for her would have made him reject it. But now it was clear, his wife betrayed him, dishonored him in front of his subordinates. He could not deny it.

He no longer trusted his head, but he trusted his heart. A wise man should abandon a wife like her, and take a better replacement like his father used to say. Nothing could be more valuable than honor and duty. A high ranking officer like him was a very much desirable goom among the families with at least one marriageable daughter. He could get a much beautiful and rich wife if he desired. A few council members at the emperor's court hinted that, especially those who had daughters. But his heart warned him that of all the women in the world, no one suited him better in every way than Fa Mulan.

Tonight he was too exhausted from his long internal battle to bother lying to himself anymore. He wanted to know what these feelings called, and wanted to get rid of this endless torture.

Wearily, Shang leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, but he wouldn't sleep. He never slept anymore unless he'd either had a day of grueling physical activity. And even when he did, he laid awake, wanting her, because somehow he knew she was somewhere out there laying awake, thinking about him.

He met Chien-Po in a local tavern. The city was preparing for the upcoming festival in the honor of the heroes who saved China. The tavern was full of soldiers from every part of the country. The soldier bowed at the sight of his former commander and requested to join him for a drink. Shang was too exhausted with the internal struggle that he accepted the offer. They talked and shared experiences like old friends, wondering how life changed for all of them. At one point, Chien-Po informed him that he had gotten married.

"It is a girl from Tai-Sei." Chien-Po admitted shyly, "One of the girls we rescued from the Hun camp."

"Congratulations." Shang smiled, slapping his shoulder like an old friend, though he rarely showed such friendliness with anyone. Possibly the alcohol had lowered his guard a bit. "What is her name?"

"Mei." Chien-Po replied, "She lives two houses away from the Fa's."

"The Fa family?" Suddenly Shang dropped his cup and gazed into his old comrade's eyes, "Did you mean Fa Zhou and his daughter?"

"Yes," Chien-Po shook his head, "I visited Mulan often before the wedding."

His intellect was telling him to drop the topic right now, and leave the tavern as early as possible, but the alcohol had probably muddled with his judgment. "How is she?" He asked suddenly.

Chien-Po did not certainly expect this question from his former commander but obeyed his order anyway. He told him about the life in Tai-Sei, the life of Fa Mulan. He told him how she was doing, and how people saw her now. "Nothing changed for her," Chien-Po said, "Mei said, when Shan-Yu raped her, she did not cry. She did not tell anything to save herself. No one recognizes her contribution to China. Everyone from Tai-Sei vowed to keep their mouth shut." He paused and hesitated. Shang was concerned. "What is it Chien-Po?" He asked.

Chien-Po took a deep breath, " I may be wrong, Sir, but she did not really deserve it, while we have all the honor and glory." He spoke in one breath.

Shang closed his eyes. For some reason, his former trainee's word seemed right. He looked out of the window, where the lanterns adorned the paths of the soldiers coming back from the battle. The people of China lit them to show their honor for them. And all the Mulan got was a dishonor. She fought like a true soldier. She was never afraid to face danger. She did not deserve to suffer like this.

"She also asked about how you are doing," Chien-Po added.

Was she really worried about him? He gave her nothing but dishonor, he hurt her so many times, humiliated her in front of everyone, yet she was worried about him. Did she just set a battle of wills knowing that he could never win?

And everything I said about my feelings for you, about loving you...

He refused to trust her that day, but it was the truth. Shang thought with a defeated sigh, damned hard to concede the battle of wills when he couldn't find the victor so that he could surrender. Suddenly his anger was replaced with respect, his pride turned into regret.

So the day before the honor ceremony, Captain Li Shang sought an audience with the emperor. He refused to take the position of the general.

"Why son?" The emperor was surprised. No one had ever declined such a prestigious offer.

"Because there is someone else who is more eligible." Captain Shang knelt in front of the emperor and said, "Someone who killed Shan-Yu, someone who saved our land."

The emperor was never heard of this brave soldier. He met the captain's gaze and asked curiously, "Who is he?

This time Shang replied without any hesitation, "My wife."

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It has been a year since I started this story. Thank you for your endless support. Sadly this story is almost standing at the end. Only one more chapter to go.

Next chapter- The emperor searches for the girl who saved China.

Errors are all mine Consider them nicely.