Author's Note: Alrighty, chapter forty five! Make sure you leave a review and let me know what you think!
Chapter Forty Five: The Emperor
Everything is quiet after the Emperor instructs us to stop. The guards turn me around in the direction that the Emperor's voice came from, and I hold my breath and wonder if he plans to kill me right now.
"Guard!" the Emperor states. I feel one man let go of my arm.
"Yes, your Majesty."
"Who is that prisoner?" the Emperor inquires.
"Fa Mulan, sir. We-"
"And where are you taking her?"
"The dungeons, Your Majesty."
"I told you that when she was caught, I wanted her brought directly to me, did I not?"
The guard fumbles to answer the Emperor's question.
"Well, sir, we thought that, due to you just being attacked, you might need a moment to-"
"Bring her here!" the Emperor interrupts.
Of course, the Emperor is obeyed, and the guards yank me forward once more. I am unable to see where I am going, but when I am roughly forced to my knees, I suspect that I have reached the Emperor. I feel the bag yanked from my head with such force it pulls my head back, and for a moment, I am staring right into the eyes of the Emperor. Quickly, I bow my head low to the ground in respect.
"Guard, I wish to have a civil conversation with Mulan. That may be hard to do if she is all tied up like that. Release her bonds." The Emperor's voice is calm and collected, and something in it hints to the idea that he has a very thoughtfully planned out plan ready.
"With all due respect, Your Majesty," the guard states, bowing, "I do not think that to be a wise idea. We have no idea what she is capable of.
I almost want to laugh at that statement. 'Yeah, watch out, I'm a hardened criminal,' I think sarcastically.
"Do you have plans to do me harm, Mulan?" the Emperor asks me, in a way that suggests he already knows the answer but is asking to humor the guard.
"No, Your Majesty," I state, still keeping my eyes to the ground.
"I didn't think so. Release her bonds," the Emperor repeats.
This time, the guard does not question him. He cuts the tight bindings on my wrists, and as I try to discreetly rub feeling back into my hands, I hear him whisper a warning to "not try anything" in my ear.
"So, this is the woman who infiltrated my army and buried the Huns with a single cannon," the Emperor states. "Tell me, Fa Mulan, are you afraid?"
"No, Your Majesty," I answer boldly, truthfully.
"I figured so. I must say, you look very young to be this criminal many are making you out to be. How old are you?"
"I turned eighteen a little over a week ago, sir."
"A little young to be committing acts of treason, wouldn't you agree?"
I am confused. How is he playing this? He was telling the truth about wanting to have a "civil conversation" with me, but where is he going with this?
"Yes, sir," I answer, not knowing what else to say.
"I think you know why you're here," the Emperor states, finally getting down to business.
"Yes, sir."
"I must say, every member of my council seems to have a different opinion about what should be done with you," he begins. "Some defend you by saying that you are nothing more than a desperate child who didn't know any better or by saying that you are mentally ill or crazy, and should therefore be spared of execution. Many others claim that you are a danger to the people of China, a rebellious criminal out for blood, and should be put to death immediately." He pauses, seeming to consider these views.
'Yeesh, people really take things to extremes,' I think. 'So I'm either mentally unstable or a murderer. Great.'
"Now, I have a good feeling you knew exactly what you were doing the moment you stepped into camp dressed as a man. You knew the consequences, correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"As for the other plea to your innocence, you don't particularly strike me as mentally ill, Fa Mulan. I think both ideas can be struck from the list." the Emperor states. "Look at me, child."
I am confused by the request but obey, looking up from the ground and into the wise eyes of the Emperor.
"I think we can both agree that, to some degree, you are guilty of breaking the law," he tells me. "However, I am not sure how much I believe this 'rebellious, dangerous criminal' idea." He pauses once more, considering. "I have looked into the eyes of many criminals, Mulan." His voice is suddenly less official, softer. "In many of them, you see the same things: hate, anger, and fear. Yet, your eyes show none of these things. Instead, they are full of frustration, pain, and guilt. You are not the picture of a typical criminal, that much is certain, and yet, your list of crimes is quite long. Let us take a look at that next."
I lower my eyes to the ground once more, knowing the next part of whatever the heck is going on here is not going to be enjoyable.
"I've heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan," the Emperor states, his voice sounding as if he is ready to scold me. "You donned your father's armor, impersonated a man, took on a false identity, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, deceived a member of my council, fought in combat, resisted arrest, and destroyed my palace!" His voice had grown louder and louder as he listed my crimes, and by the end he is shouting, making me wince.
"However, only a fool would look at one side of a complex story like this one," he states, calmer now. "By doing what you did, by fighting in combat, resisting arrest, and destroying my palace, you have saved us all. Rise, child."
I get to my feet shakily, not knowing what to expect. I look to the Emperor, and suddenly, he does the unimaginable. With a kind smile, he bows to me. The Emperor of China…is bowing to me! Chi-Fu, who has been standing by the Emperor the entire time, realizes abruptly what his leader is doing, and hastily throws himself to the ground at my feet. I look behind me to my friends, unsure of what to do. They too bow, first at the waist, and then on their knees, foreheads to the ground. Suddenly, everyone in the crowd below joins in, bowing to me in respect. I gasp, utterly overwhelmed. After a moment, I turn back to the Emperor, who has risen from his bow.
"You have proven yourself to be a brave, loyal warrior, Fa Mulan. I would be honored if you would continue to serve in my Imperial Army."
I bow once more. "Thank you, Your Majesty. I would be honored to."
And I'm not lying. Despite how hard serving in this war has been, there is a certain feeling of usefulness I get from doing so.
"Of course, due to the fighting being over, for now, you are welcome to return home with a full pardon for any and all crimes you have been accused of over your time in the army," the Emperor states. My stomach does a flip. Home. I get to go home. "But please, take this," he states, removing his golden crest from around his neck and placing it around mine, "so that your family will know what you have done for me. And this," he states, placing the sword of Shan-Yu in my hands, "so that the world will know what you have done for China."
I boggle at the gifts for a moment, surprised by his gesture. I feel the sudden urge to hug him, for he has treated me better than deserved, and I maybe would if I didn't notice the blood staining my side. Getting blood on the Emperor of China probably isn't a good idea. So instead, I smile largely and bow deeply to him.
"Chi-Fu, see to it that these soldiers see the royal doctor." the Emperor tells the councilman, gesturing to my friends and I. Chi-Fu mumbles a barely audible "Yes, Your Excellency" before the Emperor turns and walks back up the stairs and into the palace. In seconds, my friends are by my side, and Chien-Po picks us all up for a group hug. I laugh happily as I think about how things really couldn't have gone any better. When Chien-Po sets us down, Mushu wraps me in a hug of his own before releasing me and putting his hands on my shoulders.
"Look at this! My sister is all grown up and saving China!" he states, ever the dramatic.
"I'm glad to have my most trusted lieutenant back," Shang states, patting me on the back.
"Glad to be back… and not dead," I reply. And with that, we laugh, and our happy babble continues as we follow Chi-Fu into the palace and down the halls to see the royal doctor. The sword of Shan-Yu is passed around by the guys, who each take a few moments to examine it. As we walk, I feel the high of adrenaline begin to wear off. I realize how tired I am, for I have not slept properly in a few days. That tiredness quickly spirals into exhaustion, and I begin to lag behind my friends, who are still chatting and passing around Shan-Yu's sword. I walk slowly and the world begins to become unsteady. The hallway we are walking down seems to tilt, and my vision is getting blurry. I become abruptly aware of just how much every part of my body hurts, especially my side. I take a step, and my legs give out underneath me.
