Author's note: Yes, once again it is an illegible writing spawned from a
2:00 AM bout of inspiration. Why do my muses have to be nocturnal!?
Anyhow.. onward we go!
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"Fa Mulan!" That grating voice rang over the crowd. Even Shang winced. He had escaped the wrath of the matchmaker back where he was from, mainly because he was so devoted in his military studies. He did not envy Mulan her position... but he had a feeling that the matchmaker was the one who was more deserving of pity. Mulan had become a whole new person since the end of the conflict. She had found an inner ember of courage and individuality that could not be quenched by any dousing words against her. She had brought honor to her family, and while she would be willing to serve again in the Imperial army if the need called, she wasnt about to let herself be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Shang watched as Mulan followed the matchmaker in, he posture as docile as a newborn lamb.
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Mulan watched the hated woman from behind her fan. Her dark eyes followed the lady as she stepped over to the small table and sat before it. She beckoned for Mulan to pour the tea.
"Your future inlaws....." She droned on with the same speech as the first time. It must have been totally memorized from the start. No wonder the lady sounded so droll and boring. Mulan polited stared over the matchmaker's shoulder at some point on the wall. The heavy woman's voice was grating, but constant, and Mulan felt herself beginning to go into a standing nap-like state.
She was suddenly jerked awake when she realized that the matchmaker had asked her a question, and was waiting with impatience and dissapproval in her eyes. The young warrior snapped her fan shut.
"What did you ask, honored Matchmaker?" Mulan's tone was ALMOST insolent, but not quite.
I said... Let me see your hands, Fa Mulan." The girl turned her hands up to the older woman's inspection.
The matchmaker inspected her callused and crcked palms, chapped from days of weaponwork and riding. They were lean and muscular, much like the rest of her body.
"Just as I thought, girl. What kind of man do you think would want you? Too skinny, too masculine and not pretty enough to catch a worthy man's eye... besides, you are a woman warrior. You bring disgracefullness, and no heir to your family!"
Mulan froze.
The matchmaker continued. "I hereby declare you Honorless, Fa Mulan, daughter of Fa Zhou and Fa Li. A woman who rides like a man is not welcome in any household, nor is she welcome in the home of the matchmaker!"
Mulan rose... Her eyes were smoldering, and her delicate fan, grasped in the palm of her right hand, began to break in two. With barely checked tears, she rose slowly. As though it were the most painful thing she had ever done, she bowed to the oppressive woman and turned to walk out... For all her spirited courage she had picked up, she knew that it would be foolhardy to risk the Matchmaker's wrath. She simply had to roll over and take what came, from one of the village officials. She headed toward the door.
"Fa Mulan!" She looked over her shoulder as the matchmaker's voice ground over her ears once again.
"Yes, matchmaker?"
"I will give you.... one week." Mulan showed confusion in this. The Matchmaker went on. "One week. You shall either find a willing man who would take an impersonator like you to wife, or you shall shape up and be a proper lady of China. I do not usually do this, but you, Mulan, shall probably prove to be rather amusing. One week. One week before I declare you and your family as being without honor, before the rest of the elders."
Mulan exited the Matchmakers tent, looking even more downtrodden, if that was even possible.
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****Back at the Fa farm****
While he was there, upon the hospitalities of the Fa family, Shang figured he may as well make himself useful. Fa Zhou was unable to work much with his old war injury, and Grandmother Fa and Fa Li were unable to do much heavy farm labor in any case. As the noon sun rose higher in the sky, Shang was hard at work replacing part of a broken fence that corralled Khan. As always, with the Captain, he was unable to do any strenuous exercize while remaining fully clothed, so he had his shirt stripped off and his back toward the sun.
His back was also toward Grandmother Fa, who was sitting at the window with her eyes fixated with rapt attention on Shang's rippling torso muscles.Her mouth was also open slightly, and she payed no attention to the fact that the rice she was watching over for the noon meal was beginning to smoke. Soon, the burgeoning smoke turned into a cloud, and then that cloud expanded, until it began to filter out of the house. Shang looked up and wiped his eyes with his forearm. That was when Mulan rode up on Khan.
Mulan looked up at the clouds of smoke as they wafted from the door. Her grandmother stumbled out, caughing, while her father and mother stepped out behind her, her father carrying the pot of blackened rice. "Baba! What happened!?"
Fa Zhou smiled ruefully.
"Grandmother burned our lunch again, Mulan."
Mulan chuckled knowinglly. "Alright Baba... Here, I'll go give this to the pigs." She reached out to take the pot of rapidly cooling rice, but before she could take it, Shang's sinewy arm reached out and snagged it.
His eyes were smiling as he spoke,"Allow me, Fa Zhou. A lady of such style need not be concerned with feeding the livestock." He addressed Fa Zhou, but his eyes were on Mulan's painted face the entire time.
Fa Li and Fa Zhou exchanged glances at each other, then smiled. Mulan was too busy blushing under her thick makeup at the sight of Shang's unclothed, sweat covered chest to notice. She bowed slightly, then fled into the house.
Well, she only stayed long enough to change into more casual wear. The house was still rather full of smoke from Grandma's episode. As she stepped away from the smoky household, she was stopped by her three family members. All three were wanting to know how things went at the matchmaker's. Especially Grandma. In response to all their questions, Mulan only told them, "Uhm... she said to come back in a week.. then she's going to tell me what her decision is." The family seemed satisfied with the answer, and Mulan fled to the garden where her father had been sitting on the bench. She sank down into the grassy bank near the water.
"Oh.... what am I going to do?", she moaned, lazily tossing pebbles into the glassy surface of the water.
"About what?" She looked up to see Shang standing right behind her, his handsomely cut features shadowed in the boughs of the blossoming tree. He had replaced his training robe, but his chest was still visible for the world to see.
Mulan felt her gaze travel up from his chest to his face as she felt a concealed blush creep up her neck. ~Fool, why are you looking at him like that?!~ She quickly gathered her thoughts. "Oh.. its just that... nothing." She turned back to the pond, skipping a stone over its surface. It only skipped twice before sinking into oblivion.
Shang settled in on the bench behind her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ah.. I see. You're still upset over the Matchmaker incedent. Is that it?"
Mulan skipped another stone and sighed. "You dont even know the half of it... Too bad there's not another war coming up. It would at least take the attention off of marrying me off to some stranger. Sometimes, I think I should have taken up the Emporer's offer and taken Chi Fu's job..
Silence descended on the two as they each delved into their own internal thoughts. Shang pondered this new turn of events. It was clear that the Matchmaker was less than pleased with the national heroine, and Mulan was worried for her family's well being if she dishonored them. How she could bring dishonor was a mystery to him, but what did he know? ~I cant help it if she seems perfect...~ Shang made a face. ~Did I really just think that?~
Anyhow.. onward we go!
---------------------------------------------
"Fa Mulan!" That grating voice rang over the crowd. Even Shang winced. He had escaped the wrath of the matchmaker back where he was from, mainly because he was so devoted in his military studies. He did not envy Mulan her position... but he had a feeling that the matchmaker was the one who was more deserving of pity. Mulan had become a whole new person since the end of the conflict. She had found an inner ember of courage and individuality that could not be quenched by any dousing words against her. She had brought honor to her family, and while she would be willing to serve again in the Imperial army if the need called, she wasnt about to let herself be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Shang watched as Mulan followed the matchmaker in, he posture as docile as a newborn lamb.
-------------------------------------
Mulan watched the hated woman from behind her fan. Her dark eyes followed the lady as she stepped over to the small table and sat before it. She beckoned for Mulan to pour the tea.
"Your future inlaws....." She droned on with the same speech as the first time. It must have been totally memorized from the start. No wonder the lady sounded so droll and boring. Mulan polited stared over the matchmaker's shoulder at some point on the wall. The heavy woman's voice was grating, but constant, and Mulan felt herself beginning to go into a standing nap-like state.
She was suddenly jerked awake when she realized that the matchmaker had asked her a question, and was waiting with impatience and dissapproval in her eyes. The young warrior snapped her fan shut.
"What did you ask, honored Matchmaker?" Mulan's tone was ALMOST insolent, but not quite.
I said... Let me see your hands, Fa Mulan." The girl turned her hands up to the older woman's inspection.
The matchmaker inspected her callused and crcked palms, chapped from days of weaponwork and riding. They were lean and muscular, much like the rest of her body.
"Just as I thought, girl. What kind of man do you think would want you? Too skinny, too masculine and not pretty enough to catch a worthy man's eye... besides, you are a woman warrior. You bring disgracefullness, and no heir to your family!"
Mulan froze.
The matchmaker continued. "I hereby declare you Honorless, Fa Mulan, daughter of Fa Zhou and Fa Li. A woman who rides like a man is not welcome in any household, nor is she welcome in the home of the matchmaker!"
Mulan rose... Her eyes were smoldering, and her delicate fan, grasped in the palm of her right hand, began to break in two. With barely checked tears, she rose slowly. As though it were the most painful thing she had ever done, she bowed to the oppressive woman and turned to walk out... For all her spirited courage she had picked up, she knew that it would be foolhardy to risk the Matchmaker's wrath. She simply had to roll over and take what came, from one of the village officials. She headed toward the door.
"Fa Mulan!" She looked over her shoulder as the matchmaker's voice ground over her ears once again.
"Yes, matchmaker?"
"I will give you.... one week." Mulan showed confusion in this. The Matchmaker went on. "One week. You shall either find a willing man who would take an impersonator like you to wife, or you shall shape up and be a proper lady of China. I do not usually do this, but you, Mulan, shall probably prove to be rather amusing. One week. One week before I declare you and your family as being without honor, before the rest of the elders."
Mulan exited the Matchmakers tent, looking even more downtrodden, if that was even possible.
-------------------------------------
****Back at the Fa farm****
While he was there, upon the hospitalities of the Fa family, Shang figured he may as well make himself useful. Fa Zhou was unable to work much with his old war injury, and Grandmother Fa and Fa Li were unable to do much heavy farm labor in any case. As the noon sun rose higher in the sky, Shang was hard at work replacing part of a broken fence that corralled Khan. As always, with the Captain, he was unable to do any strenuous exercize while remaining fully clothed, so he had his shirt stripped off and his back toward the sun.
His back was also toward Grandmother Fa, who was sitting at the window with her eyes fixated with rapt attention on Shang's rippling torso muscles.Her mouth was also open slightly, and she payed no attention to the fact that the rice she was watching over for the noon meal was beginning to smoke. Soon, the burgeoning smoke turned into a cloud, and then that cloud expanded, until it began to filter out of the house. Shang looked up and wiped his eyes with his forearm. That was when Mulan rode up on Khan.
Mulan looked up at the clouds of smoke as they wafted from the door. Her grandmother stumbled out, caughing, while her father and mother stepped out behind her, her father carrying the pot of blackened rice. "Baba! What happened!?"
Fa Zhou smiled ruefully.
"Grandmother burned our lunch again, Mulan."
Mulan chuckled knowinglly. "Alright Baba... Here, I'll go give this to the pigs." She reached out to take the pot of rapidly cooling rice, but before she could take it, Shang's sinewy arm reached out and snagged it.
His eyes were smiling as he spoke,"Allow me, Fa Zhou. A lady of such style need not be concerned with feeding the livestock." He addressed Fa Zhou, but his eyes were on Mulan's painted face the entire time.
Fa Li and Fa Zhou exchanged glances at each other, then smiled. Mulan was too busy blushing under her thick makeup at the sight of Shang's unclothed, sweat covered chest to notice. She bowed slightly, then fled into the house.
Well, she only stayed long enough to change into more casual wear. The house was still rather full of smoke from Grandma's episode. As she stepped away from the smoky household, she was stopped by her three family members. All three were wanting to know how things went at the matchmaker's. Especially Grandma. In response to all their questions, Mulan only told them, "Uhm... she said to come back in a week.. then she's going to tell me what her decision is." The family seemed satisfied with the answer, and Mulan fled to the garden where her father had been sitting on the bench. She sank down into the grassy bank near the water.
"Oh.... what am I going to do?", she moaned, lazily tossing pebbles into the glassy surface of the water.
"About what?" She looked up to see Shang standing right behind her, his handsomely cut features shadowed in the boughs of the blossoming tree. He had replaced his training robe, but his chest was still visible for the world to see.
Mulan felt her gaze travel up from his chest to his face as she felt a concealed blush creep up her neck. ~Fool, why are you looking at him like that?!~ She quickly gathered her thoughts. "Oh.. its just that... nothing." She turned back to the pond, skipping a stone over its surface. It only skipped twice before sinking into oblivion.
Shang settled in on the bench behind her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Ah.. I see. You're still upset over the Matchmaker incedent. Is that it?"
Mulan skipped another stone and sighed. "You dont even know the half of it... Too bad there's not another war coming up. It would at least take the attention off of marrying me off to some stranger. Sometimes, I think I should have taken up the Emporer's offer and taken Chi Fu's job..
Silence descended on the two as they each delved into their own internal thoughts. Shang pondered this new turn of events. It was clear that the Matchmaker was less than pleased with the national heroine, and Mulan was worried for her family's well being if she dishonored them. How she could bring dishonor was a mystery to him, but what did he know? ~I cant help it if she seems perfect...~ Shang made a face. ~Did I really just think that?~