Summary – What if Shang had never told Yao to save the last cannon? Would Mulan still save the day?
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters – Godammit! I'd be rich if I did… Don't sue me… Story idea a bit from another story (No more cannons I think it's called) but has a completely different plot.
Mulan dragged her feet through the snow, leading Khan and the wagon. Suddenly her foot came into contact with something and she tripped. Her face fell onto the ground and buried into the snow. She groaned silently, remembering the many times in the past month that she had fallen. Now she felt pleased if she only had three bruises.
'I could have an honourable husband and be safe at home, but I choose this? I probably would be cooking, no burning, rice right now…' She thought. The thought made her smile and she got up, but first she felt for whatever it was that she had tripped over. She found a wooden stick and picked it up. It was an arrow! And it had the grey feathers of the Huns.
"Shang!" She shouted as loud as she could without the threat of any Hun scouts hearing. He did not hear her though, so she ran forward, pulling Khan and the wagon. Suddenly, when she had hardly run 5 metres, a loud bang came from the wagon and a canon flew from her. She froze and stared in shock, before turning to look at the wagon, at Mushu. He pointed at Cri-kee with all the guilt of a guilty prisoner. She glared at him and then spun round as Shang rode up to her, his face tight with anger. She prepared herself for his wrath, although couldn't quite look at him in the eyes.
"What happened! You just gave away our position." She winced and finally looked into his eyes. They were guarded, but Mulan could have sworn she saw fear in them. "Now we're…" Shang stopped as he was knocked off his horse by a arrow identical to the one in Mulan's hand. She stared, thinking 'how did that get there? It was in my hand!' before seeing the sky above her filled with arrows. Shang too saw this from his position in the ground.
"Get out of range!" He shouted as loud as he could. His soldiers followed his command immediately. Mulan started to pull the wagon forward then stopped as the sky turned red with flaming arrows. She glanced at Shang. He was very white and holding his arm. "Save the cannons." He was weaker now, so his order did not carry to all the men. Mulan shouted it louder, and the men rushed back, holding anything they could find that was solid above their heads. Chien-Po reached the wagon first, and took the bulk of the cannons. Then the others grabbed the final ones. The wagon was on fire!
Mulan cut the wood binding Khan to the wagon and leapt on him. But she spotted Shang, struggling to get up. Mulan turned Khan towards him and pulled up his body to the saddle, lying it over. Even in the desperate situations, she felt the strong muscular chest of the captains and a strange tinge happened in her chest. Shang's eyes fluttered open and gazed up at Mulan.
"Ping, I'm fine. Put me down and ride." She shook her head but was stopped from answering as the wagon exploding, sending them flying forward. She landed in the snow, stunned and a second later Mushu came flying through the air. He did not look happy.
"Sure save the horse. Do you know how long it takes for me to look like this every morning?" She half grinned, picking him and her sword up and running. Shang was running already in front of her with the other guys. Mulan was a fast runner though so she caught up with them just before they reached the rock where the group seemed to be preparing for battle. Shang stood above them, making them hurry as they got cannons ready.
"Fire!" He shouted repetitively.
"No more cannons, Sir!" Yao, who was the best cannon firer in the army, shouted back. Shang looked up at the mountains. All was still for a while, and then suddenly a dark hue appeared on the top of the hill. Shang swallowed and turned slightly pale.
"Prepare to fight. If we die today, we die with honour." They all drew their swords. Khan neighed behind Mulan. She glanced back at him, nervous and then saw a plan forming in her mind. They were on the edge of a cliff…
"Shang," She whispered, forgetting to put on her 'Ping voice'. He did not notice, but simply turned to her.
"Not now Ping." Shan-Yu and the thousands of Huns were riding fast towards them.
"Shang." She repeated more firmly. He now turned and looked at her properly. She was faintly smiling. "I have a plan." She then described her plan to Shang and the gang of three. They looked at each other.
"It's the only plan we have." said Shang. He turned to the other men in his army and quickly told them the plan. The Huns were about three quarters of the way down the hill. They had time, although not much of it. Mulan, Ling and Chien Po were getting ready.
They, greatly helped by Chien Po, managed to move the rocks and boulders so they were further up the hill, out of the way of the approaching army. The rocks were stopped from moving by the remains of the canons (the stump that was left when the top blew off). These were strong although small. Then they hid on a ledge below the cliff until the Huns came. They did not have to wait long.
The Huns arrived and saw no one. They were stunned and so Shan-Yu sent about half his army into the area around. Once they were out of hearing and sight, Shang gave the sign. The Chinese army pulled themselves up from the ledge and attacked the Huns. For all the Huns size, they were not as good swordsmen as the Chinese Army. Mulan and the gang of three ran to release the boulders. The Chinese got out of the way quickly, but many Huns were unprepared and one boulder took around 20 men over the cliff. Mulan grinned.
Her plan was working! Then her smile faded as she saw that Shang, battling fiercely with Shan-Yu, was in the way of a boulder. She ran towards him, shouting his name. He turned, as did Shan-Yu, and they both saw the boulder coming. But it was too close for Shan-Yu, as he was closer. His robes got caught on a snag in the rock and he was dragged over. Shang however managed to get out of the way – just. And into the way of another, yet smaller, rock.
Mulan screamed inside herself. She ran forward, dodging the final boulders. Then she saw that Shang had somehow caught hold of the ledge they had been standing on earlier. She climbed onto the ledge and stretched her arm down, calling his name. He looked up and reached for her hand, holding onto the ledge with the other. It took all her strength to pull him up, but she did finally. Once he was on the ledge she checked for injuries.
"Ping that was a crazy idea but you just saved my life," Shang started in a quiet and low voice. She looked into his eyes briefly and felt a twinge in her chest again. They were like deep pools and she felt she could just fall into their spell. His lips were lovely as well…. She shook her head, trying to clear it of all these… feminine thoughts! She was behaving like a concubine! His face looked slightly confused. "What's wrong?" He asked her. She tried to smile.
"Nothing just I'm sure you would have been able to get back up from the ledge without me. I just hurried it up." Shang smiled at her.
"Not only did you save my life there," He continued, "But also with the rock and the plan in the first place." She tried to interrupt, but he continued anyway. "Don't put yourself down, you have my trust." She blushed at this last comment, and thought about the lie that she was acting now.
"Sir there's something you should know…" She began. But Shang dismissed it.
"Later, Ping. When all the Hun dogs are dead." His face tensed slightly.
When she was satisfied he had no serious injuries, just cuts and bruises, she pushed him up to the cliff. Then, as she was pulling herself up, she felt a strong grip on her ankle. She looked down. Shan-Yu was there! And he was pulling her down! He was also holding onto the ledge, but it was crumbling underneath him. He smirked up at her and she felt herself being dragged down as the ledge collapsed. She looked up one last time and saw the anxious face of Shang and his hand reaching for her. She smiled.
Ooh! Bit of a cliffy! Will she live or die? Will update soon whether or not i get millions of reviews. This is ma 1st MULAN fanfic...