I am glad so many of you are enjoying this story. ^^ Seriously, it makes me feel really good when I see all the nice reviews you leave me. Hope you guys continue to enjoy the story and I will stop talking now. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still do not own Mulan.

Here the Chapter Starts

All he could do was stare at the package with suspicion. It could be some kind of trap for all he knew, though didn't know what kind. The Huns are not known for them. Usually, the barbarians prefer the frontal assault.

Nothing added up in his mind as he stared at the bundle of fur that was carried in by a falcon, one that still has yet to leave. It sat there at his window, wings twitching with each move he made, ready to fly off at the first sign of any danger or threat.

"Guards," he called sharply, standing tall and proud in his yellow bed robe while stroking his beard in thought.

The door opened and two men in armor entered the room, waiting for any order he would give them. The falcon shrieked, causing the two guards to grasp their weapons and look to the bird. The cold stare of golden eyes fixated upon them. No animal should have eyes like that.

"Ignore the bird for now," the Emperor implored, pointing towards the bundle. "That. Open it."

One guard kept an eye on his bird, feeling as though it was staring into his very soul. The other cautiously approached the bundle, glancing towards the bird once in a while. When its eyes glowed, he gasped then focused on the bundle. Shaky hands unwrapped it, eyes noting the traces of dark stains along the leather. Once it was fully unwrapped, he yelped and scrambled away, shoving it further from him in an effort to keep it far away.

The sharp movements caused the item to fall to the floor with a wet thump, wide eyes staring out into an empty abyss. The Emperor swallowed thickly, turning away before bringing a hand to his mouth to withhold the vomit.

As the two guards pulled themselves together over the decapitated head of Chifu, all the Emperor could think was that the Huns truly are barbarians.

Here is a line!

"What was that screaming about last night?" Mulan yawned as she approached Ulagchi.

The broad man looked to her then around for Shan-Yu. If he didn't tell her when she asked him, which she probably did first, he didn't want to be caught saying something he probably shouldn't. "One of the slaves was getting on the night watchers nerves," he informed. "Shan-Yu learned the coward was the Emperor's… advisor, I believe. Hell if I know, he was close. So he had the idiot silenced and sent Hayabusa with a present for the Emperor."

"Uh-huh," Mulan sighed with a huff as she crossed her arms. "Let me guess, the idiot's head."

"Yep."

Patting his arm, she thanked him for telling her before mounting Khan and heading over to Shan-Yu. Some of the other Huns looked at her skeptically while others noted her behavior. The way she rode Khan was the way the Huns taught her how to ride. The horse responded to her just as easily as theirs do and holds just as much spirit as the other mounts. Her posture upon his back was straight yet comfortably moving along with Khan's every move as he trotted through the snow.

Others in the army are not planning on trusting her yet, thinking she is one of the Han and is using Shan-Yu to break them from the inside. Others see her as Shan-Yu's weakness, already plotting how to use her to overthrow him once his goal is done. The rest see a woman that the warlord and his elite respect and consider as one of their own. Either way, Mushu was keeping an eye on all of them, silently daring any of them to come near his baby girl.

As Mulan rode towards Shan-Yu, Chuluun scanned over the army, analyzing the stares directed to her and noting who could potentially be a threat. He remembers what became of the Shan-Yu when she was taken from them the first time. He hadn't fully lost himself yet because he knew she was still out there, waiting for him. If anyone in this army gets the idea of using her against Shan-Yu, they will have to get through the Falcon Tribe first. After all, if anything happened to Mulan, Shan-Yu will truly be lost to all.

Khan nickered lowly as he trotted by the Imperial soldiers that were tied to each other behind other horses by their bound hands. Mulan spotted Shang glaring at her but she ignored it in favor of the trio that kept her secret gazing at her with sadness and betrayal. She knows she has to do something to help them, at least.

Seeing Ling about to be added onto the line, she stopped the Hun, a middle-aged woman that easily towered over her, dreaded black hair decorated with beads and stones framing her scarred features. "I will take that one," she said, holding her hand out for Ling's rope.

"Give me one reason why I should give you any of these slaves, Han," the woman spat, voice harsh and hoarse.

"Because I demand that slave and you will listen to me before I knock you off your horse and shove your face into his shit," Mulan snapped back.

The two glared at each other, drawing the attention of the others around them before the woman smirked and chuckled deeply. "Take him," she said, tossing the rope to her. "Once less Han for me to toss when he falls."

"Wise choice," Mulan returned with a sneer, turning Khan away while leading Ling behind her. "Relax, Ling. I'm not going to drag you."

"You lied to us," he said lowly, noticing she was keeping her voice down so they wouldn't be overheard. "You said you were doing this for your father. You never said anything about Shan-Yu being your future husband!"

"You would have said something if I did," she pointed out, her free hand reaching up to pet the tail flicking against her neck. "I am trying to keep more blood from being spilled."

"Say that to Chifu!"

"Face it, we have all wanted to kill him," she scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "The difference is the Huns have no qualms over it nor patience for him. Just stay close. I know someone that might actually enjoy your personality."

"You mean you're passing me off to some Hun 'master'," he spat.

"Ling, let me explain something to you before we get to him," she sighed. "When Shan-Yu kills the emperor, he plans to open the border for more Huns to come into China. When that happens, any freshly captured slaves, meaning you guys, will be divided among them. Not all of them will be kind. I'm trying to get as many of you as possible to people I know won't abuse you."

Shan-Yu quirked a brow when he spotted Mulan with one of the captured soldiers. The man was dressed in his clothing, no armor or weapon on him with a rope around his wrists. The other end was in Mulan's hands.

"Do I want to know what you're planning?" he inquired when she stopped beside him.

"Do I want to know what you did to the annoying idiot that was screaming last night?" she shot back.

"I had his head removed and sent to the Emperor," he answered as Hayabusa flapped his wings then tucked them back against his body. He was still chuckling over their reactions to his present.

"You realize he will have his guards prepared for you now, right?"

"Exactly," Shan-Yu said with a feral grin. "Not to mention he won't have time to gather a new army. His lead general is dead. His advisor is dead. He has no one to send out and no time to collect his forces anymore."

Mulan huffed and looked around before spotting the one she was looking for. "Be back in a minute," she told him, directing Khan over to Batu.

The archer looked up at her curiously after securing his bedroll to his horse's back. Then he looked to the Han she had on the rope and quirked a brow, eyes going up and down the slim figure. "Thinking of adopting?" he teased. "I don't think Shan-Yu is willing to share you with another man."

"Actually, this one is for you, Batu," she informed, tugging Ling closer to the archer.

Ling gulped as the Hun approached him, circling him with eyes not unlike a predator. A small yelp did escape when he felt a pinch on his ass, his cheeks flaring with warmth at the act as he scowled. The archer laughed lowly, shaking his head.

"I think you'll like Ling," Mulan continued. "He has a good sense of humor, not unlike yours. If anything, he can make you laugh. Hell, this guy managed to stop our small army from complaining about the march here and get them talking about women."

Batu scoffed. "As if I have any interest in talk of women."

"Just take him, hard-ass," she said, tossing her end of the rope to him. Batu easily caught it, wrapping it around his hand so it wouldn't slip out of his grip with a simple tug. "And try to be nice. You know, like not using him for target practice."

The archer scoffed with a smirk as Mulan returned to Shan-Yu. Ling watched her leave with wide eyes then lowered his head as he slowly turned back to the Hun that was staring him down. Those eyes alone felt like he was burning a hole into him. Then the Hun rolled his eyes and jumped onto his horse, tying the rope to the saddle horn. "Come on," he ordered, tugging the rope sharply. Thankfully, Ling managed to stay on his feet.

Here is a line!

"So," Mulan drew out, looking over the steep pass they have to descend. Even on horseback and with experienced riders, one mistake could cause everyone to fall. "What have I really missed over the years?"

As the leader of the army, Shan-Yu urged Mide down first, leaning back as much as he needed while his mare steadily walked down. "Not much outside what I wrote you," he informed as Khan followed behind Mide, Mulan positioning herself as necessary.

"You didn't say what happened with Nakhu," she pointed out, looking up when the shadow of his falcon flew over them. The letter that told of her of the man's passing just said that much. There were no details saying what happened.

Shan-Yu sighed lowly, his eyes watching the rest of the army critically as they moved down the steep slope. "There was a fight between the tribes. Father always did try to take down the strongest warrior. This one was too much for him. They fought and he did win the battle, but his died of his wounds soon after." His teeth gritted. "Idiot had a sword in his chest. Esenaysh said it went through his lung."

"I'm sorry," Mulan said softly, quickly glancing to Shan-Yu then back to Khan, making sure to keep an eye out for anything that could trip her stallion. "I wish I was there."

"It wouldn't have made a difference," the warlord pointed out, firmly pulling back on Mide's reins when the mare started to toss her head. Something in this spot didn't feel right to her hooves, so he directed her to the side a bit to avoid it. There is probably a hole under the snow.

"But I could have been there for you and Yesuntei."

Khan suddenly snorted, pawing the ground then moving closer to Mide's side. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the others that are behind them were directing their horses to follow the same path as Khan and Mide. It was that way all along the line. The riders at the front were leaving a trail that the ones behind them can safely follow down.

It was going smoothly until one of the horses further back suddenly reared up with a harsh neigh, spooking the others horses around it before it slipped and started tumbling down. The ones that were before it tried to get out of the way as well as grab the horse's reins to stop it. It could hurt the horse, but at least it wouldn't take more down with it.

It took three men grabbing the reins and making their mounts move with it so they wouldn't get dragged down as well. The horse nickered and whinnied as it tried getting back to its feet. With a harsh burr, it finally stood, held in place by the men that caught it until the rider can get back on. Hayabusa circled the area, scanning to see if the reasoning for the incident could be noticed.

"Wow… That could have been bad," Mushu commented, having popped out of Mulan's hood to see what the problem was. She hushed him lowly so that he wouldn't be spotted.

"We'll figure out what that was about when we get to the bottom," Shan-Yu promised with a growl. So long as everyone was doing what they are supposed to, that shouldn't have happened. Huns learned early how to handle horses on various terrain and slopes. Anything can happen, true, but that could have ended up with a lot of his men getting dragged down too quickly and getting killed. "Tell me how you managed to handle the years."

Mulan scoffed with a roll of her eyes. "You know how stupid the Han are? They think because the Huns held me 'captive', I was a slave. Because I had bruising and scarring, I was beat. Because I didn't let the doctor look between my legs, I must have been raped. Never mind that I have my own horse or that fact that I was in that fight. They just didn't want to admit that I am basically a Hun."

"They are idiots," Shan-Yu chuckled. "Why were they trying to look between your legs?"

She shrugged. "To see if I still had my purity. Not that it would have mattered since I was the 'Hun slave girl' and that meant I could never bring honor to my family or get a good husband. If anything, I would be nothing more than some wealthy nobleman's concubine."

"Over my dead body!" the warlord spat. Hayabusa screeched as he flew by them, the sound taken as the falcon agreeing with his master.

"Relax," Mulan chuckled with a grin. "I failed the Matchmaker's stupid little test. Can you believe I got marked for speaking without permission? Then she said I was too skinny and that wasn't good for bearing sons."

"I will have to cut that woman's head off," he grumbled under his breath, his body straightening up as the slope leveled out. They weren't at the bottom yet, but they were no longer in danger of a bad fall.

"Trust me, she got her fair share of humiliation," Mulan started to laugh. "I had ink on my arms and she grabbed me, but the ink was still wet. So she ended up accidentally drawing a man's beard on her own chin without knowing it. Then she nearly drank a cricket. Ended up falling onto some embers so her fat ass caught fire and she burst out of the building with flames and smoke on her ass, screaming 'Put it out! Put it out!' So I did. With a teapot that was still full, I threw all the tea onto her face."

The ones that could hear her were laughing alongside her. Shan-Yu ducked his head down but his rumbling chuckles belayed his amusement.

"Her clothes were soaked! Her make-up and the ink were running down her face! It was hilarious! Then she screamed at me about being a disgrace and never being able to bring my family honor."

"Maybe not, but you have a good sense of humor," Batu threw at her as he snickered. She noticed Ling was sitting behind him on his saddle, back to back with the archer. Probably just so he wouldn't slip and bring both Batu and his horse down.

"You!" Mulan suddenly exclaimed with a grin. "What is this I hear about your new familial position?"

Batu laughed then preened, "I am now the proud uncle of a mini Jaliqai."

Wide eyed, she looked to Shan-Yu and said, "Run."

"Hey, hey, hey, no picking on my sister when her husband isn't here to defend her," the archer advised. "Poor guy is way over there keeping his group in line."

"Shouldn't you be defending your sister then?" Shan-Yu asked with a smirk.

"No. She's my sister. I can make fun of her all I want!"

"And that is why she shot you in the ass a couple months ago," the warlord returned.

Batu hunched down with a pout. "Don't remind me." Then he blinked and looked to the Han behind him, noticing his trembling shoulders and hearing the withheld snickers. "Well, well, well, you can make noise. Here I was thinking Mulan gave me a mute."

"Well, you are a Hun and he's probably terrified of you right now, Batu," Mulan pointed out.

"Oh, poor little Han scared of the big bad Hun?" Batu teased with a mocking voice, acting like he was speaking to a child scared of their own shadow.

Unable to stop himself, Ling retorted, "Seen bigger." He tensed, ready to be struck by the archer. Instead, there was laughter around him, the Hun looking at him over his shoulder with a bewildered gaze before smirking and joining in the laughs.

"Oh, you were right, Mulan!" Batu cackled. "I like this one!"

Giving the archer a smirk and a nod, she returned her attention to where Khan was stepping. Mushu peeked up at her over her shoulder, hidden by her hair and hood. "That's one," she whispered to him. "Let's see what I can do about the others."

"You sure Ling is going to be okay with that guy?" Mushu asked worriedly, tugging on her ear gently. "I mean, one wrong move and he could get killed."

Mulan scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Batu's more likely to sleep with Ling than kill him."

The dragon blinked up at her curiously then gasped and pursed his lips. "Okay then…"

Shan-Yu noticed the odd moment of Mulan seemingly whispering to her shoulder. A glance to Batu showed him that his friend noticed it as well and was just as curious about it. He'll have to speak with her later.

Here is a line!

Getting the army to the bottom of the pass took longer than anticipated. The horses were even acting annoyed by it, wanting to rush down the mountainside but their riders stopped them from doing so. After all, it wouldn't due to basically have a stampede of horses taking a bad tumble because someone couldn't ride properly.

Once on level ground, Shan-Yu ordered for the army to crowd around him as Hayabusa perched on his left shoulder. Mulan remained by his side instead of Batu, who helped keep others from getting too close to the warlord. The massive crowd formed a circle around the two, knowing that something important (and possibly entertaining) was about to take place.

Then came the riders leading the captured slaves. The first, a stern looking older man with graying hair and beard, stepped forth with the woman Mulan spoke with earlier. She took the rope that was offered to her while the man dragged forth only one. Shang.

"This fool damn nearly got us killed," the man spat, kicking Shang onto the ground before spitting on him with a snarl. "He charged my horse and tried to steal my sword. Kopek here lost his footing." He patted his mount's neck, whispering soothingly when the horse tossed his large head.

"Good thing he was caught or we could have lost a lot of men," the woman added on.

Shan-Yu stared down at the Han that glared at him with gritted teeth. Then he hummed and looked to the male rider. "Get one of the slaves, Olzii. Bring him here." Looking to another he jerked his head to Shang. "Nogai and Jungsai, hold this fool."

The twins dismounted and swiftly made their way to Shang, jerking the man up by his arms then held him in place by his shoulders. Olzii stepped forth with one of the others, one Mulan wasn't quite familiar with. If she were to open her mouth, though, then the rest of them would start relying on her protection. That and it would make Shan-Yu seem weak if he were to bow to her whims. Not because she's a woman, but because most of them view her as a Han still.

The captured soldier's rope was jerked harshly, sending him into the cold snow in front of Shan-Yu. No words were spoken for a moment until the warlord drew his blade. Mulan covered Mushu's head with her hand as Batu sharply ordered Ling to look away from the scene.

"NO!" Shang yelled as the blade fell, slicing through the neck of his soldier. The body fell to the ground after the head landed. His breath was between gasping in shock and hyperventilating. Then he tried to charge at Shan-Yu with a defiant shout.

"Still want to be a problem?" Shan-Yu taunted him. "Bring me another!"

"Stop! No more!"

Olzii went back to the line up, grabbing another rope despite the line of soldiers trying to get away from him.

"Do you still wish to defy me?" Shan-Yu challenged.

Shang ground his teeth as he glared poisonous daggers at the Hun warlord.

Smirking at him, Shan-Yu turned back to Olzii. "I said another!"

"I won't!" Shang conceded.

"What was that?"

"I won't defy you," the captain stated hatefully.

Humming lowly as he scratched his chin, he called out to Olzii, "Leave them." With a haunting laugh, the man stopped trying to grab one in particular, instead taking the main rope that some were tied to. Shan-Yu turned back to Shang, his hand snatching the messy black hair and pulling upwards. Shang grunted at the act but continued glaring.

"Just to make sure you understand," the warlord said with a chuckle. "Every time you defy me, one of your men dies. Every time you try to get my men killed, I will kill one of them. Keep it up and you will be the only one left with their blood on your hands. I won't even kill you then. I'll let you live and suffer, knowing that you are the reason they are dead." He shoved Shang away from him, nearly pushing him out of the twins' grip.

Another took Shang's rope, keeping him from the others as the twins returned to their horses. Shan-Yu climbed back onto Mide, clicking his tongue gently to urge her into moving. Khan nickered gently as he followed after the mare, ears back and head lower than he usually carried it.

"Was that necessary?" Mulan asked as the army parted just enough for the two to get back to the front.

"If it will keep him in line, then yes," he answered before he sent his falcon off to look over the area ahead of them. "It's all about breaking the mind to break the man. If he cares enough for his soldiers, then he will behave himself and they won't get killed. And now the thought of one man's death being his fault will linger in their minds. Killing him won't be punishment enough because it is setting him free.

"He's still an amateur at leading his people. He sees them as individual lives that he must lead and defend. He doesn't see them as simple warriors knowingly going to their deaths in a pointless war. That is why he will fall. He isn't detached."

"Are you?" Mulan asked curiously.

"Mostly," he confessed. "But I am of the Falcon Tribe. I will defend my people… but I won't let their deaths break me."

Here is a line!

Tents were pitched before the sun was under the horizon. Fires scattered over the encampment and horses gathered to an area off to the side. Some of the animals, however, slipped out of the herd and stood beside the tent of their riders.

Inside one tent in particular, Mulan was pulling off her warm clothing, leaving her in the thin cotton clothes underneath while she folded the leather top. Mushu, she noticed, was doing his best to stay out of Shan-Yu's sight, even though she knew that it was pointless by now. Hayabusa was watching the small red dragon and his eyes are glowing.

"I can explain," she said gently, turning to Shan-Yu. His eyes held a faint glow as well that quickly faded.

"What is that?" he asked.

Sighing, she scooped up Mushu and brought him to her shoulder. "He already saw you," she informed the dragon. "Might as well let you two meet."

"Uh, that a good idea?" Mushu asked, ducking back to use her hair as a barrier.

"Mushu," she chuckled. "Relax. He's not going to cut you in half." Looking to the curious warlord, she said, "This is Mushu. Apparently he is one of my family's guardians that my ancestors sent out to aid me in my quest."

"And what quest is that?" Shan-Yu inquired as Mulan came closer to him.

"The ancestors believe I took my father's place in the army to save him from death, but were so sure I would be found out, killed, and the family dishonored," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "So he is here to keep me alive."

"Actually…" Mushu started to correct slowly. He gulped when black and gold eyes stared down at him. "I may have left a tall tale here and there."

"Really?" Mulan huffed, holding the dragon out in front of her. "Like what?"

Drawing in on himself, Mushu started to fidget with his tail. "I was a guardian of the Fa family, but made one too many screw ups," he confessed. "To be honest, your ancestors don't even like me. I wasn't sent to help you. I wasn't sent at all. They tried to send another dragon to drag you back but he stays in a stone sleep and… I kind of …broke him?" The longer he spoke, the more he curled in on himself and the tighter his unsure smile became. "So my big plan was to find you, make you some great war hero, and get back on my pedestal. To be a guardian again."

Shan-Yu grunted and shook his head. "What damage can it do to have a tiny dragon around," he commented, laying on the ground.

"Don't think I won't roast you the second you hurt my baby girl!" the dragon growled.

"Well, what's one more misunderstanding?" Mulan yawned. "And be nice, you two. I would like keeping you both around."

Mushu crawled up to her neck as she snuggled against the larger Hun. The two males glared at each other until she reached up and swatted both their heads. Giving the warlord one last warning growl that was returned with an eye roll, the dragon lowered to the bend of Mulan's arms and curled up.

He could hear Khan outside pawing at the ground before nickering gently. 'Don't worry,' the large animal told him. 'Shan-Yu would never hurt Mulan.'

"I'll worry all I want," Mushu grumbled before burying his face into the coils of his long body.

Here the Chapter Ends

Yep. Mushu and Shan-Yu have met. Don't know where it came from, but it happened. Guess I kind of figured Huns would notice her talking to thin air.

Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Hope this is still going well for all of you.

And yes, the side M/M pairing is going to be Batu/Ling. I just see it. I can't imagine any other way, I just see that. So if a M/M pairing bothers you and you no longer wish to read the story because of it, I understand and thank you for sticking with this story this long.