Chapter Twenty One: Xion and the Emperor
Xion swallowed hard as she walked in between the two soldiers. The hallway to the Emperor's throne room was very long, lined with small sculptures on stone pedestals. There were banners too—scarlet with gold tassels. The banners looked nice, and part of it reminded Xion of the portraits and statues back at Disney Castle. Emperors were like kings, but fancier, if she remembered correctly. Hopefully, he would listen to her. Hopefully.
She was nervous. She would have to talk to the Emperor alone. Xion bit her lip. Talking to the Emperor was probably going to be a bit different than talking to King Mickey or even Master Ansem. This really seemed like the sort of thing Isa would be better at. Xion glanced at the soldiers leading her down the hallway. Maybe it'd be easier to talk to the Emperor, if she understood his soldiers.
The soldiers leading her were comfortable with one another, as if they had fought side-by-side before. The large, friendly man was called Chien Po, though Xion didn't know what the swordswoman's name was. And there was something familiar about this. But she couldn't figure out what. It had to do with Sora, but for some reason, the connection they shared felt weaker here. Why was that? Xion winced and placed a hand over her heart. She didn't like her connection to Sora feeling weaker.
But…Sora knew the swordswoman. She had said his name earlier and recognized Keyblades. Surely, it wouldn't hurt to ask a couple questions. And maybe she could find out a little bit more about Shan Yu, who apparently Sora had fought before? One of the soldiers at the gates had started to say that Sora had beaten Shan Yu, only to try and take credit for it himself.
But maybe that would best be asked later—there was a fierceness in the swordswoman's eyes. Xion wondered whether she had fought alongside Sora, against Shan Yu. If so, then it might not be a good idea to ask too many questions about what might have happened before. If she weren't careful, she might wind up implying that the swordswoman hadn't fought as hard as she could. That…would be a terrible thing to say to someone.
Xion didn't say anything until they reached the end of the hallway. The doors were bright red, with a golden dragon insignia. When Chien Po knocked firmly on the door, Xion turned to the swordswoman.
"Um…so?"
"Tell the Emperor exactly what you told us," The swordswoman said, not unkindly as Chein Po pushed open the door. "Don't leave out any details."
The throne room was very large, and perfectly square. Pillars as tall as trees rose up from the floor. There were more banners hanging from the walls—and again, all of them depicted dragons.
The Emperor himself sat on a short throne. Or at least, Xion was pretty sure he was the Emperor. He wore bright yellow robes, lined with red and black. He was very old—probably as old as that Mister Whitmore back at Disney Castle. He had a long white beard and mustache so long, it looked as if he were constantly frowning. Beside him, there was a thin man wearing blue robes and a funny blue hat. In his hand, he clutched what almost looked like a clipboard, but longer and thinner.
The two soldiers bowed to the Emperor. No, they didn't just bow. They stooped down onto their hands and knees and pressed their foreheads to the floor. Xion had never seen someone bow like that before, but it made sense that she should do the same. The floor was hard, even from beneath her gloves.
"Your Majesty," Xion said, tilting her head upward, and she wondered whether her voice was shaking. "You must listen to me. You're in grave danger. Shan Yu is alive and he seeks to kill you!"
"Impossible!" The man in blue robes scoffed. "That Hun was slain months ago!"
The Emperor started hard at Xion and his eyes hardened. She felt her throat grow tight. If he didn't believe her, then he'd be in danger. Shan Yu was coming here—Maleficent and the others might be coming too, and then who knew what might happen?
"You speak of this as if you know," The Emperor said firmly. "Tell me, how you came into this knowledge."
Xion paused, wondering how she could articulate this without divulging information that the Emperor shouldn't have. Hmm…he was basically a king, so there wasn't much that should be secret all things considered. She had already told the guards at the front gates that Maleficent was the one who had raised Shan Yu from the dead. Best to be honest.
"In the mountains north of here, my friends and I were visiting a village. We overheard a soldier saying he had seen a monster in a cave. We decided to take a look…and in the cave we saw a witch use a strange spell to make a book glow and then Shan Yu came out of the book. He agreed to help the witch…and that he was coming to kill you."
"Your Majesty!" The man in blue robes protested. "You cannot tell me you honestly believe the tripe this…this…person is spewing."
What's that supposed to mean? Xion gritted her teeth but didn't respond. It would not be a good idea to protest. She was a guest here, so she should be on her best behavior. Besides, even if he was being a jerk about it, she couldn't exactly blame him for not believing her.
"Chi Fu, please," The Emperor raised a hand to silence him. "Some time ago, I witnessed Shan Yu fall at the hands of two of the most noble warriors I have ever known. One is Fa Mulan, one of my personal bodyguards, and the other was a Keybearer named Sora."
Xion bit the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. Sora had been here. He had been here. And he had helped the people here by stopping Shan Yu (She hadn't believed the soldiers at the gate anyhow). But Maleficent, that witch, had brought Shan You back and basically undid all of Sora's hard work.
"You knew Sora," The Emperor said. It was not a question. Xion blushed, but didn't dare to break eye contact.
"Yes…yes I knew him. Know him," Xion corrected herself automatically. Beside her, she could see the swordswoman flinch.
"He rendered me a great service, twice in fact. In addition to crossing swords with Shan Yu, he helped save my people from a tremendously large and powerful Heartless."
"He did?" Xion murmured. That did sound exactly like Sora. "Yes…of course he did."
"Yes…I do not wish to believe that Shan Yu has returned. But I will not dismiss it out of hand. Was there any others in the cave, besides this witch?"
"There was, sir," Xion said. "The witch is called Maleficent. She is assisted by a…being called Pete, and at least one other. Shan Yu is assisted directly by several other…Huns? I think that whatever magic is sustaining Shan Yu is sustaining them as well."
"I see…Fa Mulan!" The Emperor said sharply. Beside Xion, the swordswoman raised her head. Xion blinked in surprise, but said nothing.
"Yes, your Majesty?"
"What do you say of this child's story?"
"I…do not know, your Majesty," Fa Mulan said. "I saw Shan Yu fall myself. Having said that, I do find her to be of sound judgment. When her companions let their tempers get the better of them, they engaged in combat with Yao and Ling. She refused to do so."
"But you did not fight?" The Emperor asked, and Xion felt his eyes boring into her. She dared to peek upward. The Emperor's expression was nearly unreadable, though his aide looked at her very dismissively.
"No sir," Xion said, and she felt her ears burn red. Why was the Emperor carrying on like this? "We wanted to warn you of the danger, but I…I didn't want to hurt anyone."
"Hmm," The Emperor pressed his lips together. "This must be considered."
"Ridiculous!" Chi Fu protested waving his clipboard back and forth. "This is an absolute ludicrous story. You cannot believe the inane ramblings of that…that…"
"We have no reason to doubt her credibility," The Emperor said sternly. "It would be unwise to dismiss it out of hand so completely."
"No reason to doubt her credibility?! That Hun is dead! This woman child is out of her mind! Completely hysterical!"
"Forgive my interruption, your Majesty," Fa Mulan said. "But child, you said that you saw Shan Yu in the cave in the Tung Shao pass?"
"Er…I didn't know what the name of the mountain pass was, but I guess so?" Xion answered lamely. "It was a few hours from here—not too long, I guess? The village looked like it was pretty new. There were still a few buildings that weren't finished. Shan Yu said he wanted to destroy villages too, but we had soldiers evacuate the people."
Fa Mulan's eyes widened in alarm and even Chien Po looked concerned. Xion pressed her lips together and waited for them to continue.
"Your Majesty, that is the same cave that Shan Yu used as a base camp when he made his first attempt on your life," Fa Mulan said, and Xion thought she heard panic in the soldier's voice. "He summoned powerful Heartless there as a distraction while he and his Heartless ravaged the village."
"If this is true…then I find your story more credible, miss. Deeply disturbing, but still…credible."
"Your Majesty!"
"Enough," The Emperor said. "I will heed your warning, child."
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Xion said. "We can set up a defense around your palace at once, your Majesty!"
"No…" The Emperor shook his head. "I will not allow this course of action."
Xion paused, confused. He believed her, but he wasn't going to allow them to help? That didn't make any sense!
"In the past, Shan Yu ravaged the countryside and attacked my people. In response to this, I sent my soldiers to protect them. Some were successful, others were not…"
Oh right…and Shan Yu had even said he wanted to destroy villages. So, were they going to bring the fight to him instead?
"Sire, you cannot hope to fight Shan Yu yourself!"
"I have no intensions of doing so," The Emperor said assuredly. "What I want is for Shan Yu to come to a place of my choosing, and trap him there. If I stay in the palace, Shan Yu will surely pillage any number of villages. It is my responsibility to protect my people!"
The Emperor rose to his feet, and though he was not nearly as tall as most of the grown-ups Xion had met, he was still very impressive.
"Chi Fu, have my wagon prepared!" The Emperor declared. "We are to leave the palace!"
"But sire, where…where will you be going?"
"If it pleases the Emperor," Fa Mulan said reverently, "I offer my family's estate for sanctuary."
"Let it be done," The Emperor said. "Indeed, Fa Mulan, it would be a comfort to me to ensure your family's security. I am not the only one with whom Shan Yu has a quarrel."
oooo
Roxas grimaced as Xion walked up the steps to the palace. She looked very small next to the swordswoman and the fat soldier—wait, Chien Po was his name, wasn't it? The captain glared at Roxas, Axel and Isa, while his soldiers stepped back in line.
"Troops, I expect better!" The captain said cooly. "You are China's finest troops. You stood against Shan Yu and his army of Heartless. And I expect you to behave in a manner fitting your stature!"
The captain gave a curt nod and turned back around. The short, fat solider—Yao—and the thin soldier—Ling—stuck their tongues out at him. Roxas thought that was odd; Yao, especially, seemed to be about Axel's age. He couldn't imagine Axel doing that kind of disrespect to Master Yen Sid, or at least not when Yen Sid was standing only twenty feet away.
"Never mind them," Isa said. "Do you think that Xion's alright? I don't like the idea of her being in there alone."
"What? You're worried about the wimp?" Ling asked. "Come off it! You can't think our friends would hurt her?"
"She's not a wimp!" Roxas snapped. "I bet she could beat you with both hands tied behind—wait a sec, the lady with the sword's Mulan?"
"Yeah, Fa Mulan, China's greatest hero, who's a girl!" Yao boasted. "What do you live under a rock?"
"No! I just didn't know she was a girl?"
"I thought you said you were friends with Sora," Ling argued. "What, he didn't tell you about Mulan?"
Sora is more than just my friend, you idiot.
"As a matter of fact, he didn't get the chance," Isa interrupted. "An acquaintance of ours named Donald told us that he and Sora befriended Mulan on a previous journey here. He deliberately withheld any further identifying information."
"Donald?" Yao scratched his beard and he broke into a wide grin. "Wasn't that the duck who beat you up, Ling?"
"I was letting him win to get his guard down!"
Roxas bit back a laugh. Okay, if they were this comfortable contradicting each other, then they couldn't be entirely bad. A bunch of jerks, sure, but…well, Roxas had handled a lot worse than these jerks.
"Settle down!" The captain called from the top of the stairs, though he still didn't turn around. "May I remind you that all of us were led to believe in Mulan's deception concerning her identity?"
"Yeah, yeah," Ling muttered. "Of course, Captain's real happy that Mulan turned out to be a girl!"
"I can hear you, and I have no idea what you're talking about!" The captain said. There was an edge to his voice, but he sounded more nervous than angry.
Roxas paused for a moment. The captain was nervous? Why would that be? There wasn't any danger at the moment—though if he were worried about Shan Yu, then Roxas could understand that. But it seemed different, like he was a bit embarrassed too. It was almost like…oh!
"Does the captain want Mulan to be his girlfriend?"
"Gaaah!"
"Well, that's a 'Yes,'" Axel chuckled. "Guess some things are universal."
The other soldiers were laughing too, and even Isa had a shade of a smile. The captain recovered his composure but said nothing further. Roxas smiled to himself, but then something got caught in the back of his mind.
"Axel, what happens if the Emperor doesn't believe Xion?"
"Well, I'd say we take the fight back to Shan Yu," Axel rubbed his chin. "A fight's a fight, really. Doesn't matter where it happens. I just want to know how it happened in the first place. From what you said about the cave, it's nothing like I've heard of before."
Roxas thought about that for a moment. Maleficent had that archer with her, and he had that weird glowing book. There had been lanterns too, but those had more or less taken the forms of Shan Yu's men—er, they were called the Huns right? Roxas wasn't sure whether that meant the Huns had been trapped in the lanterns or if they were shape-shifters. But the book could be a clue.
Back in Olympus, their focus had been on that weird sword of mordite. Hades had tried to use it to kill other immortal beings and the Underworld itself had gotten really weird—though Roxas still wasn't sure if he preferred the way the Underworld was apparently supposed to be. Then again, Roxas wasn't sure how things were supposed to work in this world either—he'd never even been here for regular missions back in the Organization.
Roxas looked around the palace. For such a large courtyard, it wasn't very crowded. There were a few other soldiers besides Yao, Ling and the captain, and further down the way, he could see somebody with a small wagon selling goods. But on the whole, it was pretty quiet. There were usually more people at the Sandlot back in Twilight Town on any given day, even without a Struggle match!
Far above the courtyards of the palace, Roxas saw a bird flying overhead. Too small for an eagle, but maybe it could be a falcon. That was actually pretty neat. He looked back down at the courtyard. Hmmm…maybe it wasn't such a bad thing that the courtyard wasn't very crowded. Roxas didn't think that the falcon would have shown up if there had been more people running around.
"Roxas!"
Roxas turned around and smiled. Xion was running down the stairs, a grin spreading across her face. At the doors were the solider Chien Po, the swordswoman—who must be Mulan—and two other men. One wore fancy yellow robes—that was probably the Emperor. Beside him was a thin man, who looked very grumpy.
"Such behavior is so unseemly," The man in blue robes scowled. "Your Majesty, I urge you to reconsider."
"My decision has been made," The Emperor said sternly. "Chi Fu, I ask again that you see to the wagons."
Roxas watched as the Emperor stepped down the stairs. He moved more fluidly than Roxas would have expected—the Emperor was one of the oldest men he had ever seen. And unlike Whitmore, he didn't seem crazy. The Emperor nodded at the captain and the other soldiers.
"Prepare supplies for a journey. I must leave the palace, and I will need you to accompany me."
"Yes sir," The captain said. "Where will we be going?"
"To Fa Mulan's family estate," The Emperor said, stroking his beard. "It was prudent, given the nature of this threat, as it is not only I with whom Shan Yu has quarrel with. There is also the not insignificant factor that you have not spent nearly enough time with Fa Mulan's parents."
"Well…I….er…move out!"
oooo
The courtyard is sparse, with neither solider nor stranger is drawing close or truly apart from one another. Few soldiers. Fewer civilians. It would be hardly sporting to attack now. He will wait. He has waited for a very long time. A few more days are hardly a hindrance.
The younger Keybearer stands alone, though he knows from experience that even a youth gifted with such a weapon is not to underestimated. Indeed, by his own folly that had caused his original demise. Such a mistake would not be repeated this time. There will be a fight and it will be one for the ages. And the Keybearer would fall.
Over the courtyard now, above the palace properly. Here resides the Emperor. Who dares challenge you, with his foolish Wall. And among his guard is the solider from the mountains. A formidable foe to be sure. After he destroys the Keybearers, he will face the one called Mulan. He looks forward to the challenge. She destroyed his
Again, over the courtyard. There are others with the young Keybearer. A Keybearer with an affinity for fire. A man who draws his power from moonlight. And a second child Keybearer, this one a girl. Many in this realm will dismiss her out of hand. That is a vulnerability that can be exploited.
The Emperor is leaving the palace. This is an attempt to draw him out into a trap. In this, he will not succeed. The Emperor is expecting confrontation, so in that regard, it is hardly a trap.
With two guards, three soldiers of indeterminate strength, and four outsiders, his men are outnumbered, though with the assistance of the ones who brought him back to this realm, they have equal footing.
He longs for the thrill of battle, the chase. The desperation in fighting when they know they cannot win. He can almost taste their fear now. The arrogance of those he opposes, how deluded they are, convinced in their superiority. It will make it all the more satisfying to destroy them.
xxxx
Shan Yu opened his eyes as his falcon, Hayabusa, flew back to mount his shoulder. He held a hand to his temple to let his thoughts clear. It always took a few minutes to regain his bearings when he relinquished control of his body to see the world through Hayabusa's eyes.
Shan Yu and his men were gathered around a small campfire in the center of the village. It had been completely abandoned. A shame really, he would have liked the chance to stretch his muscles.
"Do you think that we can trust the others?" Bulag asked. Despite the chill of rain and his lack of a shirt, he betrayed no emotion in his countenance. "The last time we drew on the powers of Heartless rather than our own strength, it was not successful."
"They brought us back to this reality," Ükher, Bulag's brother, said. "That cannot be overlooked."
"Indeed, without their aid, I doubt I would even be alive myself," Zhemo said with a nod. "I'd been traveling alone, without any aid, for weeks when they found me. I was half-starved. But Maleficent found me, and offered me help in exchange for my services."
Shan Yu paused and set his gaze upon Zhemo once again. His most trusted archer had always been small for a Hun. Weaker than most of his countrymen, though still far stronger than any peasant under the Emperor's rule, Zhemo had been drawn to the bow as an equalizer of sorts. But he had been alone, following Shan Yu's fall. The last of the Huns, Zhemo he had been fending for himself for months.
Zhemo was thinner now and gaunter in the face. It was almost striking, and yet Shan Yu was very proud. Zhemo was alive. And he had brought Shan Yu back from the dark places. For that, Shan Yu would be forever grateful.
And it was not just Zhemo that Shan Yu must be grateful to. There were the ones who had saved Zhemo. The sorceress Maleficent, the warrior Pete, and the shadowy figure who said little and kept a hood over his eyes. Shan Yu appreciated secrecy, though he admitted he wasn't sure he trusted a man who wouldn't look him in the eye. Perhaps the man simply did not have eyes with which to look.
Either way, Maleficent had explained that there were Keybearers in this world. What was more, there were other worlds across the skies. The knowledge of other worlds was not surprising in itself. Shan Yu had seen much in his years. He had seen a red-eyed, white-furred stag when he was just a boy. He had seen an eagle kill a bear when he was nearly twenty. He had seen dragons that swam and serpents that soared. And less than a year ago, he had seen a boy who held a weapon that was more incredible than even the wildest of legends. What more was out there could scarcely be thought of.
What to say of the Keybearers, as it turned out there was more than one? They had run from Shan Yu and caused a small cave-in. Ironic, in a way. Shan Yu had once trapped the Keybearer Sora, and the warrior Mulan, in that same cave. The cave-in, and the girl's strange magical barriers, had been a hindrance, though hardly an insurmountable one. They were clever, she perhaps the more clever. Shan Yu would have to be careful when dealing with them.
Shan Yu inhaled sharply. He was back. His brothers in arms were back. This was their chance to get it right. The Emperor's grip on his country, heh, it was a charade. All living things should be free…and freedom had its price. The natural order was disorder, where one's loyalty was bound only to those whom had earned it, and it was through disorder that the true nature was brought out. The Emperor…would fall. As would the Keybearers…
A/N: Here we are, my dear readers. Another new chapter! I apologize that this one isn't as long as the last few chapters have been, but I assure you, we're getting the ball rolling soon.
I wanted to explore Shan Yu's methodology a bit—his being able to see through Hayabusa's eyes was apparently in the early drafts of Mulan, though this was largely abandoned in the finished film.
Moving ahead, my friends! What's in store for Roxas, Axel, Isa, Xion and the rest of the lot? I know but I'm not telling.
Thank you for reading, my dear readers!
Leave a comment if you're so inclined. What'd ya like? What stood out?
I appreciate each and every one of you!
