Chapter 3
The Mission
Some time later, the five friends galloped up to the front of the Imperial Palace. The last time Mulan had been there, the palace had been decorated for the celebration of the victory over the Huns. The entire city had stood before the large, fancy building to see the Emperor bestow his gratitude upon the heroes of the battle.
Khan whinnied. That brought Mulan out of her memory. Mulan saw Ling, Yao, and Chien Po wave goodbye and head back into the Imperial City. She dismounted and followed Shang up the steps to the palace door. The guards waved them through. They knew who Mulan and Shang were...but then, who didn't? After they had saved the Emperor, they had become celebrities. Mulan was called the Hero of China, and people followed her everywhere she went, asking questions. Only when she took the back streets did she get a peaceful moment!
Mushu and Cri-Kee climbed out of the saddlebags and stood on Khan's saddle. Mushu, as usual, was trying to figure out a way to make this turn of events work to his advantage.
"Maybe," Mushu whispered to himself, " if I make Mulan and Shang angry with each other during this trip, they'll forget this whole marriage thing and I can keep my job!" Mushu rubbed his hands together and grinned evilly. "All I'd have to do is..." Cri-Kee bounced up and down and gave several agitated chirps. The little cricket glared meaningfully at Mushu and pointed. Shang and Mulan were walking into the palace, hand in hand. Mushu looked at them and sighed.
"You're right, Cri-Kee. I couldn't do that to them! Mulan is my friend, and it is my job to protect her! I just...I really don't want to be turned to stone, y'know?" Mushu sat down and distractedly twirled his tail tuft around a claw. Cri-Kee looked sympathetically at Mushu and patted his knee. Mushu looked down at his little lucky bug friend. All the luck in China wasn't going to get Mushu out of this predicament.
Mushu stood up again, "Well, at least Mulan'll be happy. And if Mulan is happy, then so are we! Right, Cri-Kee?" Cri-Kee chirped a yes. "Ok, then! Nothin's gonna get in the way of this marriage! Mulan and Shang will get married and live happily ever after! Cri-Kee, our next mission...to make sure the lovebirds get their dream weddin'!" Cri-Kee saluted Mushu and hopped down from Khan's saddle. Mushu put his hands on his sides.
"Hey! Where do you think you're goin'? We got a wedding to plan!" Mushu shouted at the hopping bug. Cri-Kee turned and chirped back at Mushu, then continued his journey across the yard. Mushu looked confused, "What do you mean, secret mission? What kinda secret mission does a bug go on that a personal guardian dragon doesn't need to know about, huh?"
Cri-Kee chirped from a bush as Mushu jumped down and followed the little bug.
"What? What do you mean I'm too big? You wanna see big, you could look in the mirror at your head!" Mushu followed Cri-Kee behind the palace and out of sight from Khan. Khan watched them leave and sighed. He went back to munching grass. Whatever those two were up to, Khan wanted no part of it.
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Mulan and Shang had entered the Emperor's throne room. They bowed with respect to the Emperor, who motioned for them to come closer.
The Emperor got right to the point.
"The Hun army is moving southward again. We must secure a treaty with another country to keep them from helping the Huns. This country would make a powerful enemy, and an equally powerful ally. You will escort three princesses to this country to marry their princes. With the marriage of the princesses, the treaty will be set." The Emperor settled back into his throne. Mulan looked uncomfortable.
"Is something the matter, Fa Mulan?" the Emperor asked. Mulan stepped forward.
"Your Majesty...arranged marriages? The princesses can't be happy about this." Mulan frowned. She believed that marriages should be for love, not politics! The Emperor smiled reassuringly.
"The princesses understand what they are doing. My daughters are honored to do this for their country." The Emperor said. Privately, he thought I hope. He had reservations about sending his daughters on such an important and, in some ways, unfair mission. However, he kept the reservations to himself. His daughters knew their place-their position in society. As princesses, their first duty was to their country.
"Your daughters?" Mulan gasped. How could a father send his children to do something like this?
"Yes." The Emperor said. "And to whom else would I entrust my daughters' safety than my country's most famous hero and my newest general?"
Shang looked startled, "Sir?" The Emperor smiled and signaled for a servant to bring out a general's helmet. The servant handed the helmet to the Emperor, who placed it on Shang's head.
"Assemble your troops, General Li. Select your finest guards to escort you and the princesses to the other kingdom. Return here this afternoon; the princesses will be waiting for you," the Emperor turned to Mulan.
"Do not fret, Fa Mulan. My daughters are prepared to honor the oath they took to marry the princes. It is their duty, as your duty is to protect and assist them on their journey. Go with honor, both of you. May your mission be uneventful and successful."
Mulan and Shang bowed respectfully and silently left the palace. They didn't notice a shadowy figure with a stringy beard hiding behind the curtains in the royal chamber.
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Meanwhile, Mushu and Cri-Kee had snuck to the inner courtyard via the entrance around the back of the palace. They heard a voice coming from the janitor's closet, and were going to investigate. Hiding in the shrubbery, the two spies could just make out a short, thin person with long, stringy whiskers standing outside of the janitor's closet. He was grudgingly sweeping the walkway with a broom as he grumbled to himself. It was Chi Fu, the Emperor's former consul!
"Palace Tidiness Officer, pah! I don't care what you call it, I'm a janitor! I used to be the Emperor's right hand!" Chi Fu whined, "...until that sniveling snake, Fa Mulan made me look like an idiot!"
Music came from nowhere.
Chi Fu: She was a woman
Without a doubt
No matter how she tried to hide
We found out
Now instead of justice
She gets fame
And for all the trouble, I get BLAME!
At that moment, a fellow janitorial servant dumped a bucket of cleaning water out of an upper-floor window. The water hit Chi Fu squarely on the head, soaking him and making him look like an idiot. The servant peered out the window.
"You careless peasant! Look what you did to my new hat!" Chi Fu snatched the dripping blue cloth off his head and waved it at the servant. The servant rolled his eyes and went back to work. Chi Fu angrily tossed his soggy hat into the bushes where Mushu and Cri-Kee were hiding. Cri-Kee ducked under one of Mushu's ears as water dripped down from the hat.
"Hey! Do I look like an umbrella?" Mushu hissed at Cri-Kee. Cri-Kee motioned for Mushu to be quiet. Chi Fu was grumbling again, only quieter this time.
Chi Fu: Someday I'll make her see
What she did to me
Someday I'll make her pay!
Someday...
All she did was get in good
With His Majesty
True, I never thought she could
Amount to anything
But the Hero of the Country
Should not be Mulan!
The honor should go to someone
Who's been faithful all along!
Someday I'll take her place
She'll be exiled in disgrace
She'll be sent far away
Someday...
"I am going to make her pay for all the trouble that she's caused me! But how?" Chi Fu stroked his stringy chin thoughtfully, "I know! I'll sabotage the mission!"
"Mission," mumbled Mushu, "What mission? Why is everybody on a mission?"
Chi Fu was still talking. "Then, when I arrive and save the princesses, I can take over the mission! Then we'll see who's the Hero of China!" Chi Fu cackled evilly. He returned the broom to the closet and went inside.
Mushu and Cri-Kee turned to look at each other. This was not good news for Mulan.
"Oh, man, we gotta warn Mulan and Shang about this!" Mushu cried to Cri-Kee. Cri-Kee nodded, and the duo scampered back around the palace to where the horses were tied out front. General Shang and Mulan were mounting their horses by the time Mushu and Cri-Kee arrived.
"Where have you been?" Mulan smiled amusedly at Mushu.
"Oh, you know, around...here and there...uh, Mulan? There's somethin' important I gotta tell ya..." Mushu said, sliding into his saddlebag with Cri-Kee. He was interrupted.
"Mulan!" Shang called from ahead, "Come on! We've got to go get the guards!" Shang impatiently wheeled his horse around to see what was taking his fiancé so long. Mulan looked apologetically at Mushu.
"Sorry, Mushu, it will have to wait. Don't worry, we'll have plenty of time to talk later." Mulan urged Khan into a gallop and took off after Shang.
"But..." Mushu sighed and settled back into his bag. No use trying to tell her right now. She couldn't hear Mushu over the hoofbeats on the cobblestone.