Chapter Forty One: Plan

After a few moments, the troops regroup, and together take a large statue and begin to use it to try to knock down the doors. It's not a terrible idea, but I know their efforts will be fruitless. The Imperial Palace was made to be virtually indestructible, the doors able to withstand amazing amounts of force. They were made to keep people out, and that is exactly what they are doing.

I feel my mind go into a similar state as it does when I am trying to figure out a strategy to win a battle. I suppose that is exactly what I am trying to do. I look around, trying to see if there is any other way into the palace. I glance at the columns on one side of the palace which stretch from the ground of the palace all the way up to windows on another level. Suddenly, I have an idea. Now, all I have to do is get the others to help me.

I look to the foot of the staircase and see that on either side is a guard. In fact, guards line the staircase at regular intervals. I try to figure out the chances of me being able to make it to the top of that staircase without being captured. The odds don't look too good. Oh well, I've got nothing left to lose at this point. And so, after taking a deep breath, I begin to sprint up the staircase.

"Hey, wait! You're not allowed up there! Halt!" I hear a guard yell behind me. They still don't seem to know who I am, with my cloak covering my face and all. I hear another guard yell for someone to stop me, and the sound of footsteps smacking swiftly against the stairs gets louder. I have made it a quarter of the way up when I hear someone getting a little too close. I swerve as a hand comes down to grab me, but not in time. The hand of the guard grabs my cloak, and my movement rips it from around me. Suddenly, I am exposed, my armor clear along with my face. I don't stop for a moment, continuing to run, even when a guard shouts that I am under arrest. I run faster, not looking back. The top of the staircase gets closer, closer-

I am grabbed from behind, and suddenly I am pinned between a guard and the banister of the staircase.

"I got her!" he yells excitedly.

'Not for long,' I think before using my leg to sweep his out from under him. As he falls to the ground, I whisper a small "sorry." I don't like fighting against the guards, since they technically do have the same goal as me: keep China safe. But I have to do what I have to do. Guess I can add "resisting arrest" to my long list of crimes.

I finally reach the top of the staircase and whistle to the soldiers trying to break down the door. "Hey, guys! I've got an idea!" My five friends look at each other before dropping the statue and running to my side.

"At your service!" Ling states with a mock salute.

"We're ready." Chien-Po chimes in. Yao nods, punching his fist into his palm.

"What do you want us to do?" Qing inquires eagerly.

"Qing, you distract those guards," I say, gesturing to the few climbing the last couple of stairs. "The rest of you come with me." All of the men nod, and as Qing sets off to mislead the guards, I lead Mushu, Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po to the side of the palace where the columns are. I quickly describe my plan.

"If we take the scarves off of our armor, we can use them to scale the columns just like how I climbed that pole back at camp," I explain quickly. "Once we're inside, we will be better able to get a scope of what is going on, and hopefully defeat the Huns before they kill the Emperor. There are only five of them plus Shan-Yu. The Huns already believe themselves to have won, so they won't think of us as much of a threat, giving us an advantage." I know how wishful my plan sounds, but all of my friends nod and murmur agreements, so it looks like we will have to give it a go. The thought of any of these men being hurt due to my idea twists my stomach in a painful way, however.

We all remove the colored scarves from around the necks of our armor and position ourselves at the bottom of a column. We are just about to begin the climb when a voice behind me makes me turn, my hand instinctively flying to the hilt of my sword.

The captain's eyes go wide at the movement, his hands flying up in front of him. "Mulan! It's just me!"

"I see that," I state icily, my hand not leaving my sword, ready to unsheath it if need be. 'Is he really gonna try and stop us?' I question mentally. But then, right before my very eyes, the calm, nearly always dignified Captain Li Shang begins to ramble frantically.

"Mulan! About what I said…you see I was just…well, what I meant to say…actually, I wanted to…"

I glance at the others who look just as confused as I feel. We are so confused, Ling and Yao don't even laugh at the captain, even though one of their favorite things to do at camp was make fun of him, calling him names like "Captain Shirtless" and "Captain Serious" and "Tough Guy". I finally decide to put the guy out of his misery.

"Listen," I say coldly, cutting his rambling off. He shuts up. "If you came here to blubber like an idiot, I'm afraid I simply don't have time." Am I way out of line? Yes. Do I care? No, no I don't. I see the captain about to start up again, so I talk before he has a chance. "However, if you came here to help, I suggest you take off your cape and follow us."

And, to my surprise, Captain Li swallows his pride and wraps his cape around the column next to me. I give him a tiny smile before we begin our ascent.


As quietly as possible, we leap through the windows on the second floor of the Imperial Palace. I gesture for the other to follow me, and they do. At the end of the hallway, I peek very carefully around the corner.

'Found them' I think to myself. Five Huns are standing in front of a red set of double doors, guarding it. There is no doubt that Shan-Yu, and therefore the Emperor, are on the other side.

"Captain," I hiss quietly. "Where does that door lead?" I ask, gesturing with my head.

"A balcony, I'm pretty sure," he whispers after peeking.

I nod and try to think of our next move. 'Let's see…we would need to take down the guards first…then someone will have to hold off Shan-Yu while someone else gets the Emperor…but how do we get him out of the way of the fight?' I think back to what I saw outside. 'Each balcony had a rope strung with hanging lanterns attached to it!' I remember quickly. Suddenly, I know just what we need to do.

"Alright guys, I've got it!" I whisper urgently. Everyone leans their head in close to hear the plan. "Mushu, Yao, Ling, Chien-Po, and I will take down the guards. Once they have been immobilized, Captain, you will go up to the balcony and hold Shan-Yu off while Chien-Po grabs the Emperor. There is rope tied to one of the poles supporting the balcony. Use the scarves you used to climb to slide down it. Chien-Po and the Emperor go first. The most important thing is saving the Emperor, got it?"

Everyone nods.

"Come on then, guys," I whisper to Mushu, Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po. "Act scared and don't make any indication that you plan on fighting."

"No problem," Ling gulps.

With that, we carefully step out of the safety of the hallway. The guards notice us immediately, the archer instinctively pulling his arrow back in his bow.

"Wait!" the one guard bellows upon seeing this action. "Shan-Yu said he wanted to deal with the soldiers himself," he states menacingly, smiling wickedly at us while he speaks. He scans us over before stopping on me, and a chuckle arises from him. It is clear on his face that he recognizes me to be female. "This is the best China has to offer?" he asks the other guards jokingly. "Five frightened soldiers and a concubine playing dress-up?"

"An ugly concubine," one adds in.

The guards begin to step forward, and I give the others the tiniest of nods. The Huns have let their guards down for only a second, but that is all it takes for us to take them by surprise. Each one of my friends takes on a guard in a one on one battle while I face the archer. I kick his bow out of his hands before landing a swift uppercut under his chin. One last blow and he is on the ground, and I put his bow under his chin and pull his head back to keep him down.

"Captain, go!" I shout.

Captain Li comes flying out from around the corner, sword drawn. He rushes quickly by us, throwing open the double doors and disappearing up the stairs. I take the man I am holding down and smack his head against the ground, and he is rendered unconscious just like the other four guards. My friends and I lock eye contact for a moment before rushing up the stairs to complete our mission.


Author's Note: Hello! I'm down here! Anybody see me? Maybe? Well, I hope you liked this chapter. I loved putting in the bit where Shang blubbers like an idiot and Mulan sasses him...Anyway, make sure to leave a review and let me know what you think!