By Pooky
Chapter Six:
With only a bag of clothes and supplies, Mulan steered Khan westward through the pine forest at the foot of the Wall. Shang had not run after her, she had not expected him to, and that only made things easier. He could go crawl in Tai-shan's bed for all she cared, since he seemed to prefer the man anyway. No one bothered to ask why she had gathered her things and ordered her horse saddled in such a hurry, if they even thought it odd they gave no sign. The lowest soldier was not permitted to question the actions of a general, male or female, not matter how strange.
Her vision was obscured by tears as she rode, not sudden hysterical tears, but slow tears that would not stop the more she gave way to her thoughts. Her eyes burned with them, her head starting to ache. Thankfully Khan could be trusted to carry her safely through the branches and trees, had they been relying on her concentration alone she probably would have toppled over and broken her neck by now. She wasn't exactly sure where she was going, a little ways west and a turn around back through the mountains would see her back to Ch'ang-an, and from there she knew the route well to her home. But she couldn't exactly go home either, a deserter could be punished by execution if caught and she was an only child, what would her parents do then? One thing at a time, she reminded herself, she would figure the rest out later.
After several hours of riding, Mulan decided to camp for the night. The forest was almost eerie in her solitude, the trees black with their long needles like shadowy knives. She would never admit to anyone that she was scared. If Mushu had been here things would have been better, but he had his duties as family guardian now. She was alone, utterly and entirely, and worst of all of her own choosing.
She thought about going back to camp as she spread her blankets out on the uneven ground. What was wrong with claiming she had a taken a ride to clear her thoughts? It was a matter of pride though, she couldn't go back. When she laid down and closed her eyes she still felt him kissing her, his arm wrapped around her. Who did he think he was to manhandle her like that? She knew exactly who he thought he was, a man she who had her permission to do it. Her entire body seemed to burn in embarrassment. She absolutely could not go back. With that stubborn thought, she actually managed to find sleep.
The sound of footsteps roused her several hours later. After two days of insufficient sleep, Mulan's eyes were too heavy to open. Surely her instincts would warn her of danger, but even with the strange sound she was still fighting with sleep, dragged back into it every time she closed her eyes. Giving up, she laid there, nearly incoherent as a figure hovered over her.
A large hand brushed back her hair curiously, she could feel the weight of the intruder's gaze on her face though her eyes were closed. She wanted to sit up, to look at him, but she was far too weary.
"Shang," She called out softly as she was lifted into strong arms. An amused chuckle met her ears that was deep and oddly soothing. The last thing she heard was Khan's cry and the sound of hooves bolting back through the trees.
~ * ~
Mulan did not know how many hours had passed. She awoke in the midst of a strange silence, trying to turn over but found her hands smartly bound with rope. Her eyes flew open, finding herself in a cramped tent bathed in orange light. A single candle burned beside her, but that was all she could see.
Her heartbeat climbed in panic. Her desertion had been discovered and now she was being detained until punishment, most likely execution. Mulan swore, she had escaped such a punishment once, she did not think such luck would visit her a second time.
"You kept calling his name in your sleep," a female voice filled the emptiness suddenly, soft and not hostile at all, friendly even. "You must be Fa Mulan."
"What?-" Instinctively, she reached to push her hair from her face, but with her hands bound the way they were all she could do was shake her head like a dog. It wasn't as if she had any dignity anymore anyway. Turning on her back, she looked towards the source of the voice but could see nothing but folds of silk.
The lump of silk shifted, changing colors in the different angles of light, as the girl planted herself in Mulan's line of vision. She was indeed young, and little at that, beautiful in that polished, orthodox way, like some celestial fairy. She was fine enough to be an imperial concubine, with her flower-like face and large tranquil eyes. Yet there was something uncommon about her, a sense of power, something which could not be bought or sold, not by any man. Mulan envied her, this strong and radiant young woman, perceiving these things only by the unperturbed manner in which the lady sat. For a moment she wondered if this was the young matriarch of some wealthy house who had found her alone, ordering her retainers to take her back with them. Then she remembered her bound hands and almost laughed at herself.
She noticed Mulan still trying to wriggle free of the rope and commented quietly. "Profit from what is there, but make use of what is not."
"I don't understand," Mulan muttered in both frustration and confusion. "Who are you? And whose name did I call?"
"Someone as unfortunate as yourself," this one was wont to be cryptic it seemed. "And Shang, you called Shang's name."
Mulan stiffened. She did not say Li Shang, or General Li, but simply Shang, the lady was well acquainted with him. She fought a squirming jealousy, what if Shang had a sweetheart, a betrothed and saw her only as a plaything at camp? No, Shang was not that sort of man, and why would his betrothed meet her here. She became suddenly frightened when she recalled Shang's story of Empress Lu, mutilating her husband's favorite concubine. What if... ? She jerked physically to get a hold of herself, she was tired of what ifs.
"Don't you have a name?" By this time Mulan was cross.
"Tie-lin."
It was impossible. She had to be dreaming. What chance that she should meet Tie-lin here, where she did not even know where she was or why. What chance.
"You've been captured by Shan-yu, whether you're held here for ransom or to give information I don't know. Better to hope it is ransom. I was kidnapped by my own servants, taken from my home in Louyang and brought to this camp across the border. I am to be given to Shan-yu as a concubine, to seal a most sordid alliance."
"So it is treason," Shang's words came back to her a question no one wants to answer, least of all me. He had known something all along, something he had been keeping from everyone. That crucial secret lay between him and Marshal Yu. But how had Tie-lin fallen into this? It had to be someone who knew her.
Tie-lin sighed. "It is worse than that." Still, the girl was composed and calm. She was being stolen from her betrothed, the man who loved her, where were her tears?
"Then why aren't you tied up?" Mulan demanded, no doubt Shan-yu had given her little cause to remain of her own accord.
Uncurling her legs from under her, Tie-lin presented her with an extraordinary silk slipper. "Well it isn't as if I can run away, is it?" Mulan recoiled in disgust, the little foot Tie-lin twirled around so proudly Mulan could have closed in the palm of her hand, forced into that tiny pointed slipper so laden with embroidery Mulan could scarcely see the original color of the cloth was red.
"Were you born that way?" Mulan had never seen such unnaturally small feet before, then again, she had never heard anyone born with such a deformity before either.
Tie-lin laughed. "It's becoming fashionable among the rich. My father ordered it done when I was five, so that I might marry into the court." Shock was not the right word. The Matchmaker claimed no man would want her because she could not pour tea properly, and the princes had a penchant for cripples?
Mulan was furious. "Why did Shang allow this?"
"Shang?" Tie-lin's eyebrows raised in incredulity. "He was two years old at the time. The only time he ever stood up to my father was when he threatened Tai-shan. My father hates Tai-shan. You could only imagine how stunned we were to find that in the will he left he made an arrangement with Marshal Yu to betroth Shan and I. Marshal Yu must have made him a good offer - Shan always gets his way - or else my father lost interest in the court altogether. It was very strange."
Strange indeed, and ever stranger that Shang was not betrothed himself. Or he was, and hadn't told her. "You don't love him then?" It was none of her business, but Tie-lin's apparent indifference begged the question.
"Love him?" She repeated as though she did not understand what that had to do with anything, or even what that meant. But her eyes lit up. "We find peace and comfort in each other, to us that is more precious."
"Well he's good looking," Mulan remarked absently. His face was about as handsome as hers was beautiful. She could just imagine them together, his jokes and her apathy. The image was an amusing distraction.
But Tie-lin was looking at her with reproach. "He hates that," she sounded somewhat defensive. "He is the first to remember that I have a heart and mind, and I see such compassion in him. If that is what you mean by love, then I love him wholeheartedly. But to me, love is the strength we feel when we are closest to Heaven. That only comes from up high, Fa Mulan, what burns in our hearts is just one form of desire or another."
The words touched her, and for a moment she did not know what to say. "And you're proud," Mulan gestured to her little feet.
The other woman shook her head. "Proud? No, not proud. My mother taught me the sage's way, that attempting to force change on things only makes them worse. She taught me to be still, like water, nothing is as hard or soft as water. Nothing else is so essential to the world, supreme yin. Maybe I can't fight or run away as you can, but I can control them all, even if they break my feet, sell me and betroth me wrongfully."
"What do you mean?" She at last figured out how to scoot so she could sit up, leaning closer in interest.
Tie-lin smiled gently. "Because they have broken my feet, they try to make me weak, because they have sold me, they try to make me worthless, because they have betrothed me, they try to make me grateful. And yet, because they have broken my feet, they fear me too strong, because they have sold me, they think me priceless, because they have betrothed me, they fear me wild and untamable. So you see how easy it is, anything I do will fool them. Deception is the key to victory."
At first it sounded like nothing but paradoxical nonsense, the more she thought it over the more her head ached, but after a moment she began to understand. This woman was such a halting contrast to Shang.
"My brother could never master this." Mulan did not know which was more chilling, that Tie-lin could read her thoughts, or her impenetrable resolve. "He attacks everything with his scorn, beats it to death with his arrogance." She couldn't help herself, Mulan had to laugh at Shang's expense, it made her feel better. Tie-lin grinned, but continued. "We must be fair to him though, my mother taught us in secret, Father thought it all witchcraft and black magic. My brother had little time to learn the sage's way from my mother."
"Well I think your father taught him the swine's way which he mastered pretty well." She said this without thinking the offense it might cause.
"My brother is not like my father!" Tie-lin raised her voice for the first time. Mulan flinched, mumbling some apology. Taking a breath, Tie-lin returned her calm. "Angry at my brother?" Mulan nodded. "Sometimes you pass through heavy rains, and strong winds. Nature's anger does not last long, why should yours?"
Sighing, Mulan decided to stop putting off what was important. "We have to find away out of here, back to the Wall to warn our troops. Untie me."
In no rush to obey, Tie-lin peeked her head outside the tent. It was still dark outside, Mulan felt her hopes rise, maybe they could escape before the sun came up that morning. She didn't know how, her horse had gone and Tie-lin could not run. No one at the Wall would notice her disappearance, not enough to come search for her. Shang might send a search for Tie-lin, she was his sister, and promised to another man, honor demanded a war to win her back and he would do it for Tai-shan..
"No," the other girl shook her head. "Running away is what they expect you to do, and so they have prepared themselves for it. There are sentries posted all around, you'll never get past them. You must do what is not expected. Think of what options you have. If they need information from you, you still have power. If they want to use you to lure China's forces into battle, then you still have time. If they wanted to kill you to start a war, they would have done so where they found you and made it plain. Success comes in timing. Wait, try to learn all you can before you make your move. Until then, fish should not leave the water, and a sword should not leave the scabbard."
She understood at last, profit from what is there, make use of what is not. Stop fighting, and use whatever plan they had against them. Sun Tzu himself couldn't have advised her better. "You would have made a great general, Tie-lin."
"Armies are tools of destruction," she answered quietly. "The sage has no use for them. Thorns and weeds only grow in their wake, and victory leads to funerals. The task of the sage is creation."
Useful? Cooking and cleaning and sewing is a lot more useful than slaughtering men by the hundreds.
Mulan lowered her head.
Peeling the tent flap back ever so slightly again, Tie-lin jumped back inside closer to Mulan. "They're coming," she said after Mulan eyed her askance.
After a moment of silence, Mulan could hear two pairs of footsteps, and soon the two men entered the tent. One was massive and familiar, with golden eyes that burned like the candlelight, yet were unfathomably dark at the same time. The other was just as familiar, and Mulan's breath caught, praying it was only a ghost.
Shang's words clung to her...
A question no one wants to answer, least of all me.
