Same disclaimer. This is a reposting of the initial story posted on a Mulan fanfic site back in 1999-2000.

Epilogue

lwgirl/eriesalia


Two: Mulan

Fa Zhou began the morning as he usually did, by praying at the ancestral shrine. And when he turned to leave, his daughter Mulan stood waiting with tea in hand.

On this early summer morning only weeks after she had returned safely, he could not help notice that already she was different. Months earlier she would have greeted him clumsily, in the scattered sort of fashion that he had grown so fond of. He wondered if the war she had seen had sobered her and had built her confidence. Now she stood calmly , her face shining with a pure serenity that had eluded her in the past as she delicately poured his tea..

He took the cup solemnly and drank from it slowly, contemplating the many thoughts he had as for the reason for that change.

"Yes, father?" She smiled at him fondly, but a bit distractedly as she took the cup back and then placed both pot and cup aside on one of the ledges that surrounded the shrine.

"Are you happy?" He looked at her closely, waiting for a reaction. "When I came home from war, I was restless for weeks, itching to trade in this simple country lifestyle for a different life. Perhaps home is not as exciting as life you had while away--"

"Father," the girlish expression was gone, to be replaced by a somewhat sober adult expression. "Every day in camp, all we talked about was home. After all that training and all that fighting, none of us desired anything else than to return to our homes and our loved ones."

"But you are restless, Mulan." Fa Zhou and Mulan found themselves on the bridge over the pool of water. He looked down at their reflections as he spoke to her. "What is it that bothers you? Perhaps you miss something else? Travelling? Riding? Your troupe? – " He paused, noticing the flush that was creeping up her neck. He asked more gently, "Is it your Captain?"

Mulan bit her lip and looked down. "Father, is it too foolish to hope?"

Fa Zhou smiled. "Some might say that a General's son and an honored Captain is far above the Fa family but," he patted her on the shoulder, "some would say that the Captain isn't worthy of a woman who has the Emperor's favor."

Mulan smiled, comforted always by her father's words.

"And so," Fa Zhou cleared his throat, "you must wait it out a little longer."

They stood there watching the water under the bridge move quietly, contemplating his words.

As the voice of his wife called to their daughter, he nodded at Mulan, giving his permission for her to take her leave.

He watched her fondly and sadly as she ran lightly back towards the house, hoping that his words were in fact the right ones.

Fa Zhou hoped that he had read the young Captain right when he met him at the gates of this house. For a man who would ride all that way 'to return a helmet', perhaps would someday return for something -- or someone -- else.

Ahh. I love drama. I love reviews too, which is why I do the things the way I do. Visit sherlgirl dot com / scribbles/disney/ariel dot htm for three Mulan pics. The last one is the one done around the time this fic was written.