Author's Note: Believe it or not, last chapter, this chapter, and the next chapter were all supposed to be the same chapter, but they got longer than expected so I split them up. Hope you enjoy! Please leave a review and let me know what you think!
Chapter Thirty Eight: Message
Ying seems to jump up and down with excitement before grabbing my hand and starting to drag me from the room. I rip my hand out of her grasp and back away, fumbling to grab my sword, the only piece of my armor which I have not put on yet. Ying seems perplexed at my action and stands in the doorway, watching me with confused eyes. When a few minutes have passed and no guards have come rushing at me, I realize that there might not be any.
"Please," I plead, looking Ying in the eye, "just let me go to the Imperial City, the fate of China depends on it!"
Ying stares at me as if I've gone crazy and then begins to laugh.
"You…you think we're gonna turn you in!"
"You're…not?" I ask skeptically.
"Of course not! Come downstairs, we will explain everything."
She begins to walk out the door, waving for me to follow. After a moment, I do, hurrying after her down the hallway and then down the stairs.
As we reach the bottom step, I see both Liu and Xue staring at us. Xue is leaning on the counter while Liu is sitting on one of the barstools on the other side. A triumphant smile spreads across Ying's face as she looks at her older cousin.
"I told you! I told you she was alive!"
Xue rolls her eyes before turning back to me.
"So, you're Fa Mulan?" she asks pointedly.
"Um, yes."
"Don't be offended," she continues, still studying me. "I just thought you would be…older."
"How old are you, dear?" Liu cuts in, peering at me with kind, motherly eyes.
"I just turned eighteen a couple of weeks ago."
"See, Xue?" Ying exclaims, unnecessarily defending me. "She is only two years younger than me! Besides, why does it matter how old she is? She literally destroyed the entire Hun army!"
'The Hun army!' I remember suddenly. 'Crud, I gotta go!'
I know I should leave. I need to get to the Imperial City and warn the others before it's too late, but my curiosity is just too peeked to leave these people now.
"Alright, you said you would explain everything," I say, turning to Ying. "So, how did you hear of me? Who told you?"
Ying smiles mischievously at that question.
"No one told me. See, that's the joy of working in a tavern: you get the best gossip! We usually don't get too many travelers here, but boy, did we have a crowd last night!"
Ying goes to stand by Xue behind the counter, motioning for me to take a seat next to Liu on a barstool. I do so, my eyes not leaving Ying for a moment. Didn't she just say a few minutes ago that they got a lot of travelers? Something isn't right. Or, maybe I'm just reading too far into things? Do I really have such bad trust issues that I'm suspicious of a bunch of kind women who offered to help me and cleaned my wound? Yes, yes I do. So I listen carefully as Ying continues her story, her face looking the same way it would if she were reading a book to a young child and getting ready to reveal a big plot twist.
"You see, Mulan, last night, the rest of the Imperial Army stopped through."
I feel a jolt of shock run through me, but Ying continues as if she didn't notice.
"Yes siree, the army stopped here in town to rest the night. Of course, we didn't have enough rooms upstairs, so they just pitched tents outside or slept in barns, but many of them stopped in for a drink. That's how I heard your story. There were five men sitting around a table, heads bent together, talking about a little someone by the name of Fa Mulan. I got interested and listened in. They paid me no mind, and discussed the full story."
"What did the men look like?" I ask suddenly, my mind working quickly to process this new information. If the army was here last night, that means I'm about half a day behind them…
"Well, they were an odd-looking group." Ying answers. "Let's see, there was a rather large, round one, and a short, muscular one, and an extremely scrawny one. There was also a pretty average one, not super muscular, and about your height. Oh, yeah! There was a younger one too, he looked like he was barely sixteen!"
I smile fondly, knowing those men anywhere. It seemed as if Chien-Po, Yao, Ling, Mushu, and Qing were worried about me.
"Friends of yours?" Xue asks, interpreting my smile.
"I'm pretty sure." I mean, I think they had forgiven me, right?
"Anyway," I begin, trying to get to the point. "I was promised directions to the Imperial City?" I try to give a light smile, but it falls away as soon as I see the dark look on their faces. "What is it?" I ask. At first, no one responds, but Xue soon fills the silence.
"Don't go there."
It isn't a suggestion. Xue suddenly seems angry, her hands gripping the counter so tight her knuckles are white.
"You don't understand, I-"
"Have a death wish?!" Xue snaps, finishing my sentence for me.
"Xue!" Liu exclaims, placing her hand on top of Xue's. "She doesn't understand, Xue. You mustn't be frustrated with her."
These words seem to calm Xue a little. Her grip on the countertop loosens and the lines of frustration disappear from her forehead. Despite this, she still seems panicked, upset for some reason. She turns to me, her eyes seeming to burn as she talks.
"You can not go to the Imperial City. If you are who you say you are, you will be dead before you pass through the walls." I wait for more detail, more explanation, but Xue speaks no more. For some reason, her words seem much more menacing, much more terrifying, than Chi-Fu's threat, despite them both promising the same thing: instant death.
"Xue has a friend in the city." Ying's voice startles me; it is much quieter than before. She is staring at the counter, seemingly ready to cry. "He uses a carrier pigeon to send news and reports here. We got one a few hours ago, and I'm sorry to say that it is no good for you."
Slowly, Xue reaches into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small, folded piece of parchment. Without meeting my eyes, she passes it to me. For a moment, I just stare at the parchment, frightened of what lay within. I look to Liu for reassurance, who gives me a small, solemn nod. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I unfold the message.
Dear Xue,
Please forgive the terseness of this letter, but I am sorry to say that a time of great panic has settled upon me. About an hour ago, Captain Li Shang returned to the city along with his troops and Chi-Fu. The two men were quick to meet with the Emperor, and a very interesting tale was reported involving a young woman by the name of Fa Mulan. Though I am not sure of all the details, it seems as if she infiltrated the Imperial Army, posing as a man to fight in the war. It would look as if she was very good at this, as she fooled the entire army for nearly all two years of this blasted war, and her identity was only revealed two days ago due to a battle wound at the Tung Shao Pass. It turns out, she destroyed the entire Hun Army by using a single cannon to trigger an avalanche and also saved the life of Captain Li. In repayment for her deed, the captain spared her life and left her in the Tung Shao Pass. Unfortunately, the Emperor is not pleased to leave matters this way, and he has commanded that this Fa Mulan be brought to him. I warn you and your cousin of this because your village is so close to the Tung Shao Pass and I know of your fondness and compassion towards oddities(sorry I can not think of a better word right now). Please, keep an eye out for this woman, as I fear for her life. Tell her this: Tonight, the Emperor will be holding a grand celebration to celebrate the end of the war. The entire city is sure to be full of guards, as the Emperor has commanded that they keep a watch out for her, should she decide to come to the Imperial City. If she does not come, the Emperor has scheduled for a manhunt to begin tomorrow, and it will not end until she is found. She must hide!
-Your Loyal Friend,
Bai Huang
Fear and anger run through me quickly, and suddenly I am more determined than ever.
"Ying, I need those directions! I must get to the city before it's too late!" I say this as I run to the foot of the stairs where I had left my sword, grabbing it and tying it securely to my waist. Abruptly, Xue grabs my wrist, holding it tight enough that I can feel her nails digging into my skin. I try to yank it away, but she refuses to release me. I look stubbornly into the eyes of the woman, staring her down.
"Let me go!" I demand. At this point, both Liu and Ying have come over to us. I expect one of them to tell Xue to release me, but neither makes a move to do so.
"No! Listen to me and listen good, kid!" Xue is breathing hard, her face mear inches from mine. If I'm being honest, she is kind of intimidating. "They are going to kill you! You take one step into that city and they will capture you, they will take you to the Emperor, and they will kill you! Tell me, are you suicidal?! Do you want to die?!"
"No!" I snap, wrenching my wrist free of her grip. "But I do have family! Tell me, Xue, if I don't show up at the Imperial City tonight, if the manhunt commences and they don't find me in the mountains, where will they look first?!"
I look at each of their expressions as the realization I had made the second I read the letter finally sinks in for them.
"Where?!" I shout at Xue when she doesn't respond.
"Your home," she whispers quietly.
"I have already put my family through so much, I can't just hide away when I know one of those brutes is going to go knocking on their door, looking for me!" I cry, looking Xue in the eye desperately. "Do you have any idea how that would kill them?!" I take a deep breath as I feel my eyes grow moist. When Xue doesn't say anything, I turn to Ying. "Ying, the directions?"
For a moment, Ying looks uncomfortable, looking for reassurance from Xue and Liu. When neither meets her eyes, she nods to me, making up her mind.
"Come with me," she states, heading for the door.
"Wait!"
Everyone turns to look at Xue. I open my mouth, ready to argue again, but she turns away, running up the stairs. She reappears moments later with a black bundle in her arms. She hands it to me, and when I unfold it, it is revealed to be a black cloak.
"If you must go to the Imperial City, take this. Maybe it will hide your identity long enough for you to get done whatever it is you need to get done." Xue looks at me, her eyes sad, her forehead wrinkled with worry.
I attempt a smile. "Thanks."
Liu comes forward and hugs me, whispering in my ear for me to be careful. Xue is next to embrace me, crushing me so tight it seems as if she is trying to keep me here, keep me safe. Before I leave, I give a warning of my own, telling them about the Huns and explaining how I must warn the others.
With that, Ying grabs my hand and leads me out the door.
