Chapter 5
Impairing a Hero
Mulan almost gasped at the sight of the room she was given to spend the night in at the Imperial Palace, it was five times her room and the His Highness had been very generous to give her a silk night gown as a New Year's present.
Now the only thing that troubled her was her parents. They didn't know she would stay for the night there, and certainly they would be very worried about her, but she couldn't refuse the emperor's invitation.
Mulan wandered around the room. Paintings of landscapes and exotic animals were hung on the walls as well as scrolls with written poems and proverbs which spoke about wisdom, love and beauty. Everything was so beautiful not to mention extraordinary for a village girl who wasn't accustomed to such fine ornaments. There was a marble sculpture of a man placed on a pedestal that caught her eyes. She had never seen one of these before, so she took it in her hands and surveyed it with care. It was a Roman sculpture brought to the emperor as a gift by some Persian traveler. Afraid of wrecking the weird but amazing Roman sculpture, Mulan put it back on the pedestal.
She jumped to the comfy king size bed bouncing a little. The smell of incense burning reached into her nostrils making her feel all relaxed. All those poems and proverbs she had read previously had brought Shang to her thoughts. She wondered how he felt about her, most of all how he felt about the fact they were so close to kissing. She took a deep breath and it all out in a heavy sigh. From the way Tang had behaved, she could tell she was not the kind of girl Shang's sister would hang around with. 'But why should I worry about his sister?' Mulan told herself, 'Shang thinks I'm beautiful.at least he said so.' She giggled mischievously with the thought and began to change her clothes.
After tossing and turning on the bed thinking about Shang feeling tickles inside her stomach for a long time, Mulan finally drifted away to sleep.
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In the middle of the night, a hooded man stormed into the room Mulan stayed in. He shook her to awaken and whispered. "His highness wishes to see you."
Mulan yawned, rubbing her eyes she complained, "But it's past midnight, can't he wait until the morning?" She could not see the man's face for it was all covered up with the hood.
A chill ran down her spine with the hoarse reply she got in return, "Is the emperor we're talking about. You have no right to question his requests you foolish farmer girl. Now hurry up!"
Silently, she got up from the bed and followed the man, barefoot and with the night gown his majesty had given to her. As they walked the man commanded her to go in front of him. There was something about this man that alerted her senses, an internal warning told her this man was up to something, but since it was the emperor who called for her she did not hesitate to follow him.
They reached the emperor's room. The man locked the door behind him, gesturing Mulan to go on ahead to meet the emperor.
The room was dark and silent. On her way, her eyes finally spotted the dim candlelight burning next to the emperor's chamber. To her surprise and to increase her suspicion for the hooded man, she found the emperor fast asleep. 'Well if the emperor had sent to call me he would've been awake.' she thought.
She turned her eyes to the door where she supposed the man would be, but there was no one there. Mulan had to get out, otherwise, if someone found out she had been there she could get in real serious trouble.
All of a sudden, the light went off and Mulan was pushed away. She fell on the floor and she could see nothing but the darkness.
Then she heard a sword being unsheathed not so far away. Fear invaded her whole being, afraid for her life and for the emperor's life. What was going on? Mulan forced her eyes to see through the darkness but it was useless.
A shrill cry reached her ears followed by the sound of footsteps walking away.
Finally, she caught a glimpse of the silver blade lying on the bed. Mulan walked toward it and then the door opened. Before her, was the emperor's body stabbed, his eyes wide open and his clothes soaked with thick red blood. He was dead. Mulan gasped and tears welled up in her eyes. If only she could've done something to save the man. 'Why had they done this to him?' she questioned in her mind, as far as she knew this man was kind and generous. Hesitating, Mulan gently closed the emperor's eyes.
"What the hell is going on in here?" demanded prince Wenming, heir to the throne.
No words came out from Mulan for she was so shocked she couldn't think of an answer. She remained silent staring down at her feet.
Wenming approached her and he stared at the corpse blankly. He wasn't prepared for this and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Who did this?" stuttered the prince.
Mulan turned to face the prince with eyes moist still no answer came from her.
In came Chi Fu with two guards.
"Do you have any idea of who did this?" Wenming demanded pointing his finger menacingly at Mulan, "Was it you?"
Mulan shook her head, and when she was about to tell him that a man had called her to see the emperor but she had done no harm to His Highness, Chi Fu shrieked, "Caught in the act!"
"What?" Mulan finally spoke up.
"Don't pretend you're innocent," Chi Fu ordered turning to the guards, "Take her to the dungeons!"
The guards grabbed her by the arms dragging her out of the room.
Mulan struggled to get free and yelled, "It wasn't me!"
Chi Fu watched with arms crossed to his chest while Wenming fought to put things in order inside his head. He didn't care that moment of the murder of his father, he simply worried about the future, and how he would rule the country. It had happened so fast, he never had time to prepare himself.
"Are you sure it was her?" he stammered.
"She was the only person in here," Chi Fu answered matter-of-factly.
That was what Wenming considered enough evidence to make a decision; he nodded and said firmly, "Make sure she gets executed as soon as possible. I want her to pay for my father's death and wishes she was never born into this world."
"Yes, your majesty," assented Chi Fu with a bow and left to catch up with the guards.
It was hard for him to believe that the woman that saved China not so long ago had killed his father. All he wanted that moment was to avenge his father's death making Mulan suffer. Given the circumstances he decided she was totally guilty of his father's death.
"I didn't do it!" cried Mulan for the thousandth time.
"No one is going to believe you!" Chi Fu replied a smirk spread across his disgusting features at the sight of Mulan being tied up and dropped into the dungeon. "You should've thought before you did it, now all the citizens will see you beheaded."
"Curse you!" Mulan spit on Chi Fu's feet. "I didn't ."
One of the guards punched her face leaving her dizzy.
"Perhaps you found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.pity.there will be no mercy for you," said Chi Fu sarcastically locking the door behind him.
Mulan was left alone crying in the dark cold dungeon. Some kind of New Year it turned out to be for her; she had left home with the only purpose of attending the banquet and returning home the next day. Now she was never going back. Her parents would live the rest of their lives thinking she was a murder and a shame to the family. And Shang, what would he think when he'd learn she was blamed for killing the emperor? Would he believe in Chi Fu? Mulan shivered as her heart broke hopelessly. She was bound to die in front of the people who once cheered for her, the death of a criminal. They would all remember her for being the girl who killed the emperor and not for being the girl who saved China from the Huns.
"Please get me out of here!" she screamed amid her tears, "I didn't kill him."
No one would come to her aid. Mulan started to blame herself for the emperor's death, if only she had done something to stop the man. She realized someone had plotted this to harm her reputation as a heroin.
Thanks a lot to Traum (love affair probably later), Angel452( I totally agree with you, that stupid tests proves nothing), Fire Raven. Well we hope you liked this chapter. The next chapter will be Lynn's turn to write. Bye.
Mulan almost gasped at the sight of the room she was given to spend the night in at the Imperial Palace, it was five times her room and the His Highness had been very generous to give her a silk night gown as a New Year's present.
Now the only thing that troubled her was her parents. They didn't know she would stay for the night there, and certainly they would be very worried about her, but she couldn't refuse the emperor's invitation.
Mulan wandered around the room. Paintings of landscapes and exotic animals were hung on the walls as well as scrolls with written poems and proverbs which spoke about wisdom, love and beauty. Everything was so beautiful not to mention extraordinary for a village girl who wasn't accustomed to such fine ornaments. There was a marble sculpture of a man placed on a pedestal that caught her eyes. She had never seen one of these before, so she took it in her hands and surveyed it with care. It was a Roman sculpture brought to the emperor as a gift by some Persian traveler. Afraid of wrecking the weird but amazing Roman sculpture, Mulan put it back on the pedestal.
She jumped to the comfy king size bed bouncing a little. The smell of incense burning reached into her nostrils making her feel all relaxed. All those poems and proverbs she had read previously had brought Shang to her thoughts. She wondered how he felt about her, most of all how he felt about the fact they were so close to kissing. She took a deep breath and it all out in a heavy sigh. From the way Tang had behaved, she could tell she was not the kind of girl Shang's sister would hang around with. 'But why should I worry about his sister?' Mulan told herself, 'Shang thinks I'm beautiful.at least he said so.' She giggled mischievously with the thought and began to change her clothes.
After tossing and turning on the bed thinking about Shang feeling tickles inside her stomach for a long time, Mulan finally drifted away to sleep.
+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
In the middle of the night, a hooded man stormed into the room Mulan stayed in. He shook her to awaken and whispered. "His highness wishes to see you."
Mulan yawned, rubbing her eyes she complained, "But it's past midnight, can't he wait until the morning?" She could not see the man's face for it was all covered up with the hood.
A chill ran down her spine with the hoarse reply she got in return, "Is the emperor we're talking about. You have no right to question his requests you foolish farmer girl. Now hurry up!"
Silently, she got up from the bed and followed the man, barefoot and with the night gown his majesty had given to her. As they walked the man commanded her to go in front of him. There was something about this man that alerted her senses, an internal warning told her this man was up to something, but since it was the emperor who called for her she did not hesitate to follow him.
They reached the emperor's room. The man locked the door behind him, gesturing Mulan to go on ahead to meet the emperor.
The room was dark and silent. On her way, her eyes finally spotted the dim candlelight burning next to the emperor's chamber. To her surprise and to increase her suspicion for the hooded man, she found the emperor fast asleep. 'Well if the emperor had sent to call me he would've been awake.' she thought.
She turned her eyes to the door where she supposed the man would be, but there was no one there. Mulan had to get out, otherwise, if someone found out she had been there she could get in real serious trouble.
All of a sudden, the light went off and Mulan was pushed away. She fell on the floor and she could see nothing but the darkness.
Then she heard a sword being unsheathed not so far away. Fear invaded her whole being, afraid for her life and for the emperor's life. What was going on? Mulan forced her eyes to see through the darkness but it was useless.
A shrill cry reached her ears followed by the sound of footsteps walking away.
Finally, she caught a glimpse of the silver blade lying on the bed. Mulan walked toward it and then the door opened. Before her, was the emperor's body stabbed, his eyes wide open and his clothes soaked with thick red blood. He was dead. Mulan gasped and tears welled up in her eyes. If only she could've done something to save the man. 'Why had they done this to him?' she questioned in her mind, as far as she knew this man was kind and generous. Hesitating, Mulan gently closed the emperor's eyes.
"What the hell is going on in here?" demanded prince Wenming, heir to the throne.
No words came out from Mulan for she was so shocked she couldn't think of an answer. She remained silent staring down at her feet.
Wenming approached her and he stared at the corpse blankly. He wasn't prepared for this and he couldn't believe his eyes. "Who did this?" stuttered the prince.
Mulan turned to face the prince with eyes moist still no answer came from her.
In came Chi Fu with two guards.
"Do you have any idea of who did this?" Wenming demanded pointing his finger menacingly at Mulan, "Was it you?"
Mulan shook her head, and when she was about to tell him that a man had called her to see the emperor but she had done no harm to His Highness, Chi Fu shrieked, "Caught in the act!"
"What?" Mulan finally spoke up.
"Don't pretend you're innocent," Chi Fu ordered turning to the guards, "Take her to the dungeons!"
The guards grabbed her by the arms dragging her out of the room.
Mulan struggled to get free and yelled, "It wasn't me!"
Chi Fu watched with arms crossed to his chest while Wenming fought to put things in order inside his head. He didn't care that moment of the murder of his father, he simply worried about the future, and how he would rule the country. It had happened so fast, he never had time to prepare himself.
"Are you sure it was her?" he stammered.
"She was the only person in here," Chi Fu answered matter-of-factly.
That was what Wenming considered enough evidence to make a decision; he nodded and said firmly, "Make sure she gets executed as soon as possible. I want her to pay for my father's death and wishes she was never born into this world."
"Yes, your majesty," assented Chi Fu with a bow and left to catch up with the guards.
It was hard for him to believe that the woman that saved China not so long ago had killed his father. All he wanted that moment was to avenge his father's death making Mulan suffer. Given the circumstances he decided she was totally guilty of his father's death.
"I didn't do it!" cried Mulan for the thousandth time.
"No one is going to believe you!" Chi Fu replied a smirk spread across his disgusting features at the sight of Mulan being tied up and dropped into the dungeon. "You should've thought before you did it, now all the citizens will see you beheaded."
"Curse you!" Mulan spit on Chi Fu's feet. "I didn't ."
One of the guards punched her face leaving her dizzy.
"Perhaps you found yourself in the wrong place at the wrong time.pity.there will be no mercy for you," said Chi Fu sarcastically locking the door behind him.
Mulan was left alone crying in the dark cold dungeon. Some kind of New Year it turned out to be for her; she had left home with the only purpose of attending the banquet and returning home the next day. Now she was never going back. Her parents would live the rest of their lives thinking she was a murder and a shame to the family. And Shang, what would he think when he'd learn she was blamed for killing the emperor? Would he believe in Chi Fu? Mulan shivered as her heart broke hopelessly. She was bound to die in front of the people who once cheered for her, the death of a criminal. They would all remember her for being the girl who killed the emperor and not for being the girl who saved China from the Huns.
"Please get me out of here!" she screamed amid her tears, "I didn't kill him."
No one would come to her aid. Mulan started to blame herself for the emperor's death, if only she had done something to stop the man. She realized someone had plotted this to harm her reputation as a heroin.
Thanks a lot to Traum (love affair probably later), Angel452( I totally agree with you, that stupid tests proves nothing), Fire Raven. Well we hope you liked this chapter. The next chapter will be Lynn's turn to write. Bye.
