A/N- Wow, thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad ya'll like it! Okay, you pronounce Xian like Sheean and Thien like Ten and Mekhi...well, like it's spelled. And I'm not sure if I'm gonna put Yao/Mei, Ling/Ting-Ting, or Chien Po/Su. I'll try to work them into the story, but to tell you the truth, I never had any plans for them in this one.

Chapter 2

Mulan was escorted to her room in the north wing of the extensive palace. Her serving maid bowed as she entered her room.

Her first reaction was a gasp. The room was so elegant. She had a queen sized bed in the corner of the room with fluffy white pillows and sheets with embroidered cherry blossoms on them. Next to the bed was a paper lamp on a beautifully polished mahogany bed stand. On the wall opposite was a matching polished mahogany dresser attached to a circular mirror with cherry blossoms carved into the frame. In the corner was a polished mahogany wardrobe. She opened it to discover beautiful, jewel-colored and silken dresses with delicate black shoes laying on the floor.

She approached the large mahogany chest laying at the end of her bed and opened it. Inside she discovered many items…books, cloth, shoes, swords, small hand mirrors, hair adornments, etc.

"That is the dowry the Emperor paid for his daughters." The maid said quietly from the doorway. "Since you are to take the princesses' place, that is your dowry now."

Mulan nodded. "Thank you."

"Is there anything you need, miss?"

She shook her head. The serving maid bowed cautiously and slid the door closed.

When Mulan was alone, she threw herself on the bed and wept her heart out. No matter how beautiful Prince Jeeki was, she could never forget Shang. Where is he right now? What is to happen to his body if he's…if he's…She couldn't even imagine it. Just the thought of his dead body lying at the bottom of the river threw her into a wild despair.

She had been crying for a half hour when she heard a faint, "Miss?" and a knock on the door. She quickly wiped away her tears, and opened the door. "Yes?"

Her serving maid bowed aside to reveal a stately looking lady. She had her long shiny black hair twisted and turned into different patters around her head and bedecked with jewels and various other hair ornaments. Her robes were made of silk and a deep purple color with embroidered silver butterflies. Her face was distinguished and painted white with pomegranate red lips and lightly purple eyelids.

"Lady Ming-Su has asked to meet the hero of China and Prince Jeeki's future wife." The maid said humbly.

Mulan quickly bowed to Lady Ming-Su and said, "Please, come in."

"Thank you." She nodded and entered as the serving maid closed the door quietly.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Ming-Su." Mulan began.

"Oh, please, child," The woman said quite genially. "Please drop the titles. I'm your future mother-in-law! Just call me Ming-Su."

Mulan, taken aback by the elegant woman's informality, merely nodded.

"Your reputation precedes you," She said as she sat down on the couch. Mulan sat in the chair across. "I have heard many talk of the brave heroine that saved China."

"I'm no heroine, ma'am." Mulan said sadly, thinking about how she had failed to save Shang.

"Oh, but you are," she said. She took a second look at the pained expression on her face. "What is troubling you, my child?"

"Nothing."

"Oh, something is troubling you, alright, I can tell. You've lost a loved one, haven't you?" She asked shrewdly.

Mulan looked up, surprised. "H-how did you know?" She stuttered.

"I know that look only too well," She sighed. "I myself have worn it many times. Please, tell me what happened."

Mulan hadn't known this lady for very long, but she had an instinct that she was a trustworthy woman, a woman she could confide in. And she told her everything. It was hard to tell the tale, but she knew that after she had talked about it, she would feel much better.

Shang looked around the room that they had placed him in for several weeks now. He knew that they had a good deal of money. They had to, to be able to afford surroundings this luxurious. All the furniture was made of polished mahogany (A/N- See a pattern?) and the wardrobe was filled with brightly colored clothes, that surprisingly all fit him. (A/N- Convenient, huh? )

Jade came in everyday to check up on him. She smiled at him all the time and she always wore beautiful robes with her hair beautifully decorated. He wanted to roll his eyes every time he saw her because of her petty attention to detail, but she and her family had been so kind and accommodating, that honor and courtesy refused to let him show any unkindness.

Honor…that word often made his mind jump. He would have flashes of a stout man, with a graying beard and hair dressed in fancy gold armor. The man had a proud, yet kind face. Shang admired this face very much. But this picture only made the disparaging pit in the bottom of his stomach deeper.

The local doctor had already paid him a visit. He said that he was suffering from something called long-term amnesia. It meant that he had lost his memory, and it could take anywhere from six months to six years until he could recall his past.

Every time he thought about this, he would pound his pillow in frustration. He liked the people he was staying with very much, but he knew that there was someone out there…waiting for him to come back.

"Shing?" He turned his head and saw Jade standing in the doorway dressed in robes of bright red, and her hair was adorned with the finest quality jade. He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes, but merely said with exasperation dripping from every word, "Hello, Jade."

"Are you alright?" She asked worriedly. "You seemed a bit distant there for a moment."

"Yeah. I'm fine." He lied. He got out of his bed and said, "Where is Mekhi? I'd like to speak with him for a moment."

She raised her painted eyebrows, but she nodded. "Here, I'll show you where he is."

He got dressed quickly and followed her out of the room. She led him into the library where old man Mekhi was reading one of the many scrolls in his library. As Shang entered, Jade quickly bowed out of the room.

Mekhi looked up at Shang and smiled. "Ah, Shing! What a pleasure to see you this morning. I trust you are feeling fine?"

Shang nodded and bowed. "Honorable Xian Mekhi, I have stayed with you and your family for several weeks now. I would like to thank you for all you have done, but—"

Mekhi frowned at him. "You're not thinking of leaving us, are you? You barely know who you are! What will you do? No, you will be a danger to yourself. I insist that you stay here."

"But sir—"

Mekhi held up a hand to stop him. "No, you must stay. Not just for your own health, but for the health of my daughter."

Shang looked up, confused. "Sir?"

Mekhi sighed and rubbed his temples. Age was slowly creeping up on this old man. "Jade recently lost her mother."

Shang nodded. Somehow, he understood.

"Xian Tian-Lei was a beautiful woman, and I loved her very much," The elder man said as his eyes softened. "Jade was very attached to her mother, and she hasn't been the same since her mother died. You've brought back her lost spirit. Please…just, please, you've really brought her back, when I thought I might never see her again." Shang saw a tear slowly work it's way down his wrinkled cheek. "If you leave, I'm afraid that she will become an empty shell again."

Shang sighed inwardly, but smiled at the old man and bowed again. "Yes sir. But I must insist that I pay you back somehow, for your hospitality."

Mekhi shook his head and said, "I'm sure you'll find something."

Jade had been listening to conversation outside and was crying as Shang walked out of the library. "Oh, Jade, are you alright?" Shang asked, concerned.

She sniffed. "Yes, I'm fine, Shing. I'm sorry for eavesdropping." And she ran off.

And against his better judgment, he ran after her.

A/N- Sorry, it's a bitshort. I'll try to make the next one longer. Please, review!