The Power of Love: Chapter Seven

Disclaimer: I don't own Disney's Mulan.  I'm not making any profit by writing this story.  I do own Ta-Ni, Yi-Pek, and Ma Ti.

By: Susan

Summary: Mulan is kidnapped from her wedding in order to save the honor in Shan Yu's family. Can she show Shan Yu's brother what true love is? Will she still marry Shang?

A/N: This is a sequel to my story, After Dinner, although you don't really need to read it in order to grasp the concept of the story ;)  Enjoy. ;)

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A knock came at Mulan's door early the next morning. She awoke sadly, and opened her dark eyes. The knocks grew louder, and more incessant. She stared around, not knowing where she was for a moment. She sunk her head back into the pillow in despair. She was trapped in Yi-Pek and Ta-Ni's home. She was to be married to Yi-Pek, to show the unity between two families. Basically all would be forgiven for Shan Yu's family. She'd thought about it for a long time last night. This honor was a way to enter back into society for the siblings of Shan Yu. The knocks were louder, and, wrapping a blanket around her small shoulders, she stood to open the door. A burly Yi-Pek was standing before her.

"I don't wish to speak with you," Mulan said stoutly, turning away. "And I refuse to marry you." Yi-Pek glared at her.

"Listen- this marriage is to restore the honor to my family. It will make people think better of us.  It could bring Ma Ti back to me.  It would give Ta- Ni a good life. She deserves it. And, most of all, I will feel as if I got the better life. While Shan-Yu was killed by you, I'm the conqueror- now that I have you in my grasp, I can marry you, and I am.  I've won." He stared down at his hands. "I planned to come to invite you to breakfast. We will marry later tonight, and you will take me to the emperor and make sure it happens before him. He will validate it.  I will have finally beaten my brother, once and for all. I will marry the one he wanted to conquer." Mulan just gave him a blank stare, and turned away.

"Haven't you ever been in love before? I haven't, until I met Shang. In fact- I guess I felt a lot like you. I didn't fit in the world, no one liked me, and, well- it was horrible. Then…well, you know the story. I went to war, and my life changed so much." Mulan stared at Yi-Pek wistfully, but he turned away from her.

"Sometimes you have to do something different, something nobody would expect of you, and then it all gets better," she whispered, then turned away from the door and lay down upon the bed, silently hoping that Shang would climb up to see her.

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It was almost noon before Shang began to climb the outside wall to Mulan's bedroom. He grabbed every brick steadily and carefully until he had successfully climbed into the room. He found Mulan asleep on the bed, and he awkwardly patted her head and rubbed her back. Shang couldn't imagine his life without her. As he stroked her cheeks, she awoke for the second time that day.

"Shang?" She smiled up at him, as he leaned forward to give her a soft kiss on her lips. "We aren't even married, and already I'm waking up beside you," she told him, as she pulled herself to a sitting position.

"Mulan, I think being married will be much better than this, how about you?"

"I hope so, I really do."

"Where are Ta-Ni and Yi-Pek?"

"Yi-Pek came in this morning, and woke me up."

"You were still in your nightclothes?" he asked, his eyes wide.  "Mulan, I don't trust him at all, and I don't want you to let him near you. To think, you and Shan Yu's brother. Mulan, be careful for me."

"I will, Shang, I promise." They stared into each other's eyes for a moment.

"You've been crying, haven't you?" Shang said softly, looking at her red eyes. "Mulan, I don't know how to get you out of here. You aren't physically trapped. You could climb out the window any time you want."

"I know Shang.  It's frustrating. He has me mentally trapped. I won't leave because I know he will follow, and I won't put harm upon my family. He wants me to bring him to the emperor. He wants to marry me to feel like he conquered me when his brother could not, and because our so-called unity will allow him and his sister to come out of hiding."

"This is too much, and I won't lose you. You're the only thing I have left, and I couldn't stand it if-"

"If what? If I was married to another man? If I died?" They were silent, and Shang stared at her sad face, desperately wanting to make her smile.

"Or on a lighter note, if Yao saw you naked before I did." Mulan began to laugh.

"He told you that? He's too much, that Yao."

"Well, it was really Mushu, Ling, and Chien Po, and well it all got started, and your father was there."

"You were talking about men seeing me naked in front of my father? Oh! Well, they didn't see anything, just my shoulders, and head. Were they cruel to you?"

"It was pretty bad. They were all making me uncomfortable, asking questions…I'm sorry, I don't know why I brought that up, it just popped out- I must sound so-"

Mulan stopped him with a long, loving kiss. She put her arms around him, and he whispered into her ear, "Sorry for bringing that up- I wanted to make you smile. I have a feeling you won't be doing that for awhile."

"As long as you're with me, I'll be smiling forever."

Suddenly, the door flew open, and Mulan pushed Shang's head down as fast as she could, so that from behind the bed, the two couldn't be seen from the door.

"What do you want?" she sneered at Ta-Ni, who was standing before her.

"It would do you well to stop that tone with me. I could turn your boyfriend in to my brother if I wanted to do so right now."

"Leave Shang alone!" Mulan shouted, and Shang struggled to get up under Mulan's strong arm.

"Mulan- it's okay! We've met! Stop!"

"You've met her?"

"Mulan- she's trying to help you!" Shang put a protective arm around her. "Let her talk."

"I've brought you lunch. I heard there were two of you, and I brought some extra rice and vegetables for you as well."

"Thank you," they said in unison, but Mulan still looked suspicious.

"I've been trying to speak to my brother and get through to him that by ruining another person's life it will not make ours any better. It just seems to be no help."

"He told Mulan he wants to see the emperor, to validate their marriage. Couldn't we plead to have him absolve you? After all, it wasn't your fault that Shan Yu was evil, was it?"

"Did you ever help him with any of his sick plans, Ta-Ni?"

"Never, Fa Mulan."

"Did Yi-Pek?" Shang asked, believing he had.

"You'd have to ask him yourself. I'm sure he had helped at times- but was he a murderer? Did he destroy? I don't know."

"I thought he was in the palace that night," Mulan said, slipping her hand into Shang's.

"Mulan, I don't know. All I know is I seem to have changed my mind. I will help you in any way possible to leave here, but in exchange I ask for the emperor to absolve me, to disregard my family's dishonesty, and believe in me."

"The emperor is a good, true man," Shang said steadily. "He always does what is right."

"I still dream of a family, a husband, children. I don't think it is too late."

"It's never too late to dream." Mulan said softly, kissing Shang's warm lips, and he pulled her into a tight embrace.

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