Got a better reception than I thought I would, to be honest. O_O Glad you peeps are enjoying this! ^^
Disclaimer: I still don't own Mulan. Gotta deal with it.
Here the Chapter Starts
"You seem quite angry," his friend commented after Shan-Yu knocked him to the ground. Again. He rubbed his bruising jaw as he got back to his feet, getting back into stance for another round. Off to the side, some of the other boys watched, a few nursing their own bruises from sparring the bigger teen before him. "I would have thought you were glad your father returned."
"It is what he brought with him," Shan-Yu growled, charging at the slimmer teen once again, only for his friend to dodge him. He spun on the balls of his feet, swinging an arm around then slamming the other back onto the cold, hard ground.
The other teen coughed as the air was forced from his lungs, but grabbed the thick arm pinning him then brought his legs up to encircle Shan-Yu's neck in a chokehold. But he did not have enough strength to really cause damage, especially considering he is built much less than the other teen, despite being older by two years. "And what would that be?"
Shan-Yu threw him off, but he landed on his feet before he could hit a nearby boulder or tree. He wouldn't throw him at either, but in his anger, Shan-Yu sometimes made such mistakes. He felt bad about it later, once he calmed down at least.
"A Han girl!" he spat hatefully. No good can come of her being here!
"Ooh, is she pretty?" one of the twins asked lecherously.
"She is nowhere near our age," Shan-Yu pointed out with a low growl. "She is a child! A useless, weak little thing!" And already, his mother is wrapped around those tiny little fingers that had not seen a day of work. He doubts she will last long anyway, but it still angered him.
"Well, that is a waste," the other twin commented, dropping his head into his open hand. "When she is older, then." Shan-Yu snarled at him, earning a defensive move from the other. "I am only saying that everyone knows what Han women are raised for. She probably has similar teachings already. It would not surprise me."
"I doubt she is near the age for that kind of lesson," Shan-Yu pointed out. "Besides, from what Father says of the Han, they don't even have sex before they are wedded, and the woman has no choice in her husband."
One of the others blew their tongue in the chilled air, spraying spit onto the ground. "Must they control everything?" she asked spitefully, getting to her feet and circling the sparring area. "Makes me glad to be a Hun."
"Easy, sister," the slimmer teen told her, going over and picking up the bow he put to the side before his spar with Shan-Yu. "Father would still kill any man that tries to touch you."
"And any man that can best him, and I approve of, is certainly given a chance to try without my permission," she told her brother before grinning wickedly at Shan-Yu. "If only to see how long he will last against me."
Her brother sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked to the larger, still angered teen. "Wish for a calmer sister than my own," he commented.
"I will never call that Han child my sister, Batu!" he spat.
"It seems to be taken from your hands," Batu pointed out calmly. "Your father brought her back, and if she is still there, then your mother probably wishes to keep her, too. Accept it or not, but you now have a sister."
Shan-Yu snorted angrily at the other then stalked away from the group. He will not call that insect his sibling, no matter what his parents say. His mother probably only dotes on her because she wishes for another child, but can't have one. When he was younger, he did wish for a younger sibling. Now? He's fine being an only child. Why must his father ruin the balance so?
Batu watched the larger teen skulk away from them before sighing and shaking his head. "Jaliqai, I suggest watching your tongue," he warned.
"What did I say?" she asked, offended by the order.
"Take your clothes off and he might throw you into the river during the freeze," he warned. "How often must you be told? Shan-Yu has no interest in you."
"Only because he doesn't know a good woman when he sees one," she spat at her brother, roughly shoving him away from her in order to stomp back towards their encampment.
One of the others scoffed with an almost pitying smirk. "She'll see one day," he commented. "Batu, I do not wish to be around when she does."
"Neither do I," Batu agreed.
Here is a line!
While his friends may protest him using them to blow off steam, they did help him calm down enough to return home without arguing with his father over his latest stupid decision. Though he did manage to dodge the smack that was aimed at his head by his mother.
Yesuntei huffed at him with hands on her hips, going into what others refer to as 'Mama Bear'. "I know you do not think well of your father's latest incident," she scolded him. "But scaring that child was unnecessary."
"You are right about one part of that," he returned.
"Shan-Yu, like it or not, that girl is one of us now," she tried to convince. "Nakhu is known for doing odd things without consulting anyone and often without thinking it through. But he is back with us, and he brought along another. She has a fire in her, but if isolated, it will snuff out."
"Because she is a weak Han girl!" the teen responded, baring his teeth at his mother only to earn a slap to his head.
"Right now, she is weak because she is alone," Yesuntei informed firmly. "But if we can raise her as one of us, she can be one of our strongest warriors. Perhaps if you accept that she is here, she may even be equal to you."
He scoffed in distaste. "I doubt it."
His mother regarded him with a stern look before smirking mischievously. He blinked in surprise, knowing that she has a plot that he will not enjoy, nor will he have any choice in the matter. "She only speaks Han," his mother informed him calmly, playing with the colorful beads along her sleeve. "Someone will need to tech her our language. As your father will have much to tend to now that he is back, and I will have my own duties-"
"No!" he protested.
"Oh, yes," she rebutted. "Shan-Yu, it falls to you to teach the newest member of our family our language."
"I'd rather choke on a goat's horn!"
"Afterwards, you may teach her basic defense," she continued on, ignoring her son's protest. Though upon that, he fell silent. "Perhaps how to handle a dagger, too. It is the only blade suitable for her small hands right now. When I am able to, I will start to teach her the responsibilities of a woman."
Shan-Yu snorted and his lips twisted into a scowl. Though sounding innocent enough, he learned that women speak in a second language, one only they understand. After listening to his parents argue repeatedly, he learned what to really listen for whenever his mother spoke.
'Responsibilities of a woman' to the Huns are much different than they are for the Hans. A woman is not only the caregiver of the children and manager of the home, but she is also the warrior when the man is away. Hunter when she has no man. Defender against the predators that threaten her children or livestock. What his mother was saying is that he does have a choice: he can handle the girl's teaching himself, or allow his mother to do it all. Which, on the long trail, could only spell out to be a pain for him.
Growling deep in his throat, he nodded his acceptance. "Very well. But I will not like it!"
"I don't expect you to, my child, but the more time you spend with her, perhaps the more you will grow to like her," his mother said wistfully, rubbing her thumb against his cheek. "I do not expect you to take her under your wing in a moment, Shan-Yu, but so long as she is here, she is a part of this family. Whether your father intended that or not."
Here is a line!
Mulan could only stare wide-eyed as she followed the larger boy, scared of what could happen but returning each glare he shot her way. He looked like he thought she was funny, if his smirk and laugh was anything to go by. They met with a group of other teenagers, and most of them were boys. It did surprise her that there is a girl among them, though she looked meaner than the huge teen.
A skinny boy with a bow on his back approached first, greeting Shan-Yu with a nod then looking down to her, eyes seeming to peer into her very soul. She stared right back, her chin up and glared, which made him smirk, too. To show her displeasure, she stuck her tongue out at him, earning laughs from the others.
He squatted down in front of her, grinning like a feral dog. Though she was worried, she stayed where she was. Snorting, he turned to Shan-Yu and said something in their weird tongue, getting a response as well before he looked back at her and pointed to his chest.
"Batu," was all he said.
She blinked in surprise for a moment before realizing he was saying his name. Pointing to herself, she said, "Mulan."
One of the others said something, and it sounded like he was joking, but Mulan had no clue what it was. Slowly, Batu pointed to the others and spoke their names.
"Jaliqai." The dark-haired girl glaring at her with her burning gray gaze. He looked unsure for a moment before pointing to her then himself and saying, "My sister." Then he said a word in the other language. He seemed to wait for her, so she hesitantly repeated the word he used. He shook his head, showing that she said it wrong then repeated. The second time she spoke it was better, and by the third time, she had it.
Nodding, he moved on to two boys that looked a lot alike, only one had no hair. He pointed to the bald one and said 'Nogai' before pointing to the other and saying 'Jungsai'. "Twins." A new word came from his lips, and Mulan, realizing what he was doing, copied him. Then he pointed to another teenager boy, this one with long black hair hanging over his face. He was watching them in silence, much like the others, but almost like he was waiting for something. "Husun," Batu said. Then he pointed to the last among them, another teenager that seemed thicker than Shan-Yu, and taller. "Ulagchi."
No words were add to their names, so she assumed they were related to no one. Then, he grinned and pointed to Shan-Yu and said a word that made the scary teenager growl at him. Batu jumped back with a laugh as Shan-Yu tried to kick him.
Seeming to take pity on the confused and scared girl, Husun came to her and poked her head, repeating the word before the meaning. "Brother."
Oh, so Batu was saying Shan-Yu is supposed to be her brother? But that doesn't make any sense. His parents are not her parents, and this is not her home. Her father will come for her and she will go to her real home. This place will never be it!
"No!" she denied as she stomped the ground angrily. "He's not my brother! I don't have a brother!"
Husun quirked a brow at the girl and smirk. Well, at least she and Shan-Yu can agree on something. Seeing the bigger teen tackle Batu to the ground and place him in a chokehold, he sighed and went over, deciding it would probably be a good idea to save Batu from his own idiocy.
Here is a line!
The mare snorted aggressively at the man that tried to approach her, rearing up and kicking her legs angrily when he stepped to close. The group was watching mainly out of boredom, knowing at least one of them could calm this feisty mare down if he so choose. Mulan, however, was watching with wide eyes, fearful the man would get hurt.
"Why is that horse so mad?" she asked, looking to Batu, who seemed the most inclined to speak with her.
Jaliqai would made disgusting sounds and ignore her while the twins didn't seem to know how to speak plain Chinese. Shan-Yu could, but he refused to answer her, and Husun only spoke when he felt like it. Ulagchi didn't seem to know what to make of her, so did nothing except talk to Shan-Yu.
Batu looked up in thought, trying to phrase it easily enough for the young, innocent mind. Shan-Yu beat him to it, without blocking any details.
"She's a pregnant mare that was caught two months ago," the muscled teenager answered boredly. "She's wild and we are threats to her and her foal."
"Why not let her go?" she pressed.
"And lose a perfectly good mare like her?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes at her simple stupidity. "Out here, you don't let go of anything. Everything has a purpose, everything has a use. We use all resources we can get our hands on."
"Oh," she replied, turning her attention back to the mare when she whinnied ferociously, stomping around once a rope was around her neck. The man that threw it onto her held his ground, despite the pinched look on his face as the rope was pulled from his hands. After a couple minutes of her stomping around, the mare settled, panting heavily as she watched the man cautiously approach. "You don't… eat horses… do you?"
Batu answered this time with a sad smile. "Only when we absolutely have to." Thankfully, they haven't had to in a long time.
Sighing, Shan-Yu looked over the encampment then to the group and speaking in the language of the Hun. "We'll be moving tomorrow. Pack what isn't necessary for the night."
"Understood," the others accepted with a nod, pushing themselves from the corral the angry mare was contained in and heading back to their family or personal tents.
Leaving Mulan with the large teenage boy that doesn't seem to like her one bit. His black and gold eyes stared down at her in a heated glare, but she puffed up her cheeks and stuck her tongue out at him. Too quick for her to react, he grabbed her tongue and growled, "Watch who you point that to."
Releasing her tongue, he used his hand and shoved her from him by her head, causing her to become unbalanced and tumble back onto the ground. "Just because my father brought you here and my mother seems to dote on you like a doll doesn't mean I have to like you," he informed harshly. "And you will learn, as all children learn, that this is a life of survival. You pull your own weight around here and you better get used to moving."
Mulan huffed angrily as the teen turned away from her, pushing herself back to her feet and running after him. Once she was close enough, she kicked the back of his leg then took off running to Yesuntei as Shan-Yu roared after her.
Nakhu, watching the entire incident, smirked and shook his head. Those two will be at each other's throats for quite a while, but soon enough, they will change. It always happens. After all, he and Yesuntei didn't like each other the moment they met, either. Not that he expects these two to end up like he and his wife did, but the principle is the same.
"You should not have brought the child here," the rasping voice of the elderly shaman scolded him, whacking his shoulder with his bone-decorated staff.
"She has promise," Nakhu defended without heat behind his words. "Esenaysh, tell me something: what have you seen that makes you so worried?"
The shaman scoffed, turning back to the scattered bones and gems on the ground, all placed perfectly in the circle of plants and crushed rock. "A war will start because of her, one that has many outcomes," he translated, turning back to the chieftain. "Our people will either triumph or fall. The result depend on her."
"On one Han girl?" Nakhu inquired curiously, brow quirked as he looked down to the hunched man beside him. Then he smirked knowingly. "Tell me what happens should our people triumph."
"The tribes united under one leader, China on its knees, bowing from fear and respect," Esenaysh replied.
"And should we fall?"
"Then your son, our greatest warrior, falls. Our people disappear."
"Is Shan-Yu already considered our greatest?" Nakhu asked sharply, curious but cautious.
"One day, he will be!" the shaman answered before turning back into his tent and gathering the bones and gems. "They are tied by many strings of fate. This is only one way out of many they could have met. Their first meeting should have gone much differently had you not returned."
The chieftain snorted and left the shaman to his predictions. As he has been told before, by his own father, a shaman sees many things they cannot see. But there are no absolutes. Nothing about their destiny is carved into stone, because one crash from the waves of choice washes it away and replaces it with another.
Here is a line!
Horses were saddled, the bulkier ones attached to wagons, and everyone was leaving their campsite shortly after dawn the following day. As their leader, Nakhu took the lead, Yesuntei next to Shan-Yu behind him. In his wife's lap, Mulan rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around in worry.
If they move away from here, her Baba won't find her. The soldiers won't find her. And though she does like Yesuntei and somewhat likes Nakhu (this is all his fault, after all, even though he has been nice to her), she truly just wanted to go home. To be back with her parents and her playful grandmother. She'll even do her chores without complaints if she can just go back to them!
Something flew through the air and was caught by Yesuntei before it could hit Mulan's head. The woman sent a scolding look to her nonchalant son, who ignored whatever she was silently telling him. "Here," she said, holding the object for Mulan to take from her.
Mulan blinked at the object, touching the traces of hair that felt like a horse's mane. It was made of tanned hide, coarse fabric making up the outfit. It fit just right in her hand, but something inside it felt hard. Curious, she felt under the dress and yelped when something sliced her finger. Sticking her finger into her mouth, she glared at Shan-Yu for the mean trick.
"No one expects a child to be armed," he explained without looking to her. "Especially a weak little girl holding a doll." He peeked at her from the corner of his eyes. "Everyone keeps a weapon on them. You will, too."
"Don't worry about it," Yesuntei told her gently. "Shan-Yu will teach you how to use it properly. After all, he gifted it to you."
Mulan blinked at her curiously then back at Shan-Yu, who went back to ignoring them. Well, the doll is nice, even though she had no clue what to do with the dagger. Both are gifts from the boy that didn't seem to like her at all. So, just to be polite, she said, "Thank you."
He didn't respond other than to speed up his horse to trot closer to his father. He also ignored the knowing smirk Nakhu had on his face.
Here the Chapter Ends
Aw, Shan-Yu gave her a gift! ^^ That just happened on its own. I was planning something else, I swear. But I guess that will be next chapter.
Let me know what you guys think! ^^