Chapter 7
Campfire
That evening, four tents had been pitched around a campfire pit. Mulan and Shang were asleep, worn out from the day's events. Ling, Chien Po, and Yao had guard duty while Shang and Mulan slept. The princesses readied themselves for bed.
"Ting-Ting, where did you get that funny fan?" Su asked her sister.
Ting-Ting sighed, "the guard Ling gave it to me as a replacement for the one that was ruined in the river."
"Oh. Did you see when Chien Po rescued me and the rice? What a guy!" Su said, not really hearing what Ting-Ting had just said.
"That was nothing!" Mae scoffed, fluffing her pillow. "Yao just whisked me out of the water! As though I was a feather! He's so strong and wonderful..." Mae dreamily stared into space.
"Enough!" Ting-Ting cried. She also had enjoyed being rescued, but it wasn't proper for her to say so! She sternly looked at her sisters, "We are to be married in just a few days! This flirtatious behavior must end now!"
"But Ting-Ting, we aren't flirting! These men like us for who we are!" Mae cried indignantly.
"Shh!" Su whispered, "They'll hear you! They are right outside!"
"I don't care!" Mae yelled. "I'm tired of being a princess and having to do things just because people expect it of me! I want to decide my future for myself!" She yanked off her expensive shoes and threw them out the tent door. Shocked, her sisters were silent.
"Um." came a voice from outside the tent, "are these yours?"
Ting-Ting went to the tent flap and opened it. There stood Ling, holding Mae's shoes.
"Oh, hi." Ling said, "I tried to clean them because they fell into the fire pit. They were royally dirty!"
Ting-Ting tried to suppress a smile. For all his weirdness, Ling was really sweet. She silently took the shoes and turned to go back inside.
"Wait!" Ling said, a bit too quickly. "Don't go! I mean, uh, would you like to come with us into town?"
"Yes!" Mae cried, and appeared in the tent door. She walked out into the moonlight to join Yao. Su saw Chien Po and followed Mae.
"Are you coming, Ting-Ting?" Su called. Ting-Ting looked at Ling. Why did she always have to do the proper thing? Why couldn't she have fun once in a while? She was sure they'd get into trouble, but for once she didn't care. Ting-Ting followed the others as they left the camping area and walked into the woods towards a small town.
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Mushu and Cri-Kee slept soundly through the ruckus at the princesses' tent. Cri-Kee was curled up in one of Mulan's slippers, and Mushu had found a comfortable spot on top of several bags of rice. They were so tired that they didn't even notice when Mulan got out of bed, got dressed, and left the tent. They did, however, notice when the tent began to feel unnaturally warm.
Mulan, finding the princesses and guards gone, woke Shang. Together, they mounted their horses and rode off to find the missing people. They didn't notice the invader. As soon as they left, someone snuck into camp to perform a dirty and disastrous deed.
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Meanwhile, the princesses were having the time of their lives. Su and Chien Po had found a nice restaurant and were sampling the fried chicken. Yao and Mae had gone to a wrestling match, and Yao had stepped in to defeat the reigning champion! Then he'd taken Mae to a street game, where he won a stuffed panda bear for her. Ling and Ting-Ting went for a walk on a bridge by moonlight. Ling had been trying for hours to get Ting-Ting to laugh at his jokes, but all she'd done was hide behind her fan.
"Ok, how about this one. What do you get when you cross the Great Wall with a rotten banana? A long walk! Get it?" Ling tried again. Ting-Ting said nothing. Finally, Ling gave up. He reached into a bush and grabbed two sticks. He stuck one in each nostril, wiggling his nose to make the sticks move.
This silly act was too much for Ting-Ting. She burst out laughing and snorting. It was the most beautifully disgusting sound Ling had ever heard.
Ting-Ting finally gasped for breath. "I am so sorry! I've been trying not to laugh all night! I hate my laugh!" she cried.
"But I like your laugh! I think it's cute!" Ling said.
"Really?" Ting-Ting smiled. It was a genuine, really-truly, honest-to-goodness smile. Ling smiled back.
"Yeah." he said, lost in her eyes.
After a while, Yao and Mae, and Chien Po and Su joined them on the bridge. The three couples stood on the bridge. They admired the romantic moonlight on the river below them. Mostly, they enjoyed being together.
Three "romantic moments" were interrupted by Mulan and Shang riding up to the six amorous people. Mulan and Shang did not look happy.
"What are you doing here?" Mulan demanded when she reached them. Before they had time to answer, Shang galloped up beside her.
"You are never to leave camp without informing me first!" Shang reproached. Ling, Chien Po, and Yao hung their heads. The princesses looked worried. Shang wasn't through.
"And your Highnesses! I would'nt have expected this from you! Especially so close to your wedding date!" The princesses now looked ashamed.
It was a silent and sad group that left the bridge to return to the campsite.
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It was a horrified group that saw the flames and red glow as they neared the campsite.
"What happened?" Mulan yelled. Shang galloped into the camp. Every tent was on fire. The horses were whinnying desperately from the tree they were tied to. Shang untied the horses and led them to the princesses and the three guards.
Mulan's eyes searched the flames. Where was Mushu? He'd been asleep on the sacks of rice in Mulan's tent! Had he escaped in time? She rode around the perimeter of the camp. Then she saw a small pile of supplies stacked up on the edge of the forest. She rode over to investigate.
There, asleep on the stack of clothes and rice, and blackened by ashes, was Mushu.
"Mushu!" Mulan yelled over the roaring of the flames. The little dragon didn't stir. Mulan dismounted and ran to the supply pile. She could see Cri-Kee trying to wake Mushu, and Mushu finally sitting up.
"Mulan?" Mushu croaked, "I saved some of the supplies!" Then he coughed.
Mulan scooped up Mushu and Cri-Kee, deposited them on Khan, and piled the supplies behind Khan's saddle. Then she mounted up and rode back to where the princesses waited.
Shang and the guards were throwing buckets of river water on the fire to put it out. Finally, the flames died. Smoke and steam rose from the ashes.
Shang looked haggard. The light from the moon was no longer romantic. Through the smoke, it now seemed eerie.
"Everything but the horses went up in flames." Shang said, discouraged.
"Not quite everything." Mulan rode up to Shang and showed him the supplies, "Mushu managed to save some of the supplies."
"The fire seems to have started near your tent, Mulan." Shang said. "Do you remember anything near your tent that was capable of starting a fire?"
"No, all that was in my tent was some sacks of rice, my bedroll, and Mushu."
"Mushu? You mean your pet dragon?" Hmm, there's a novel concept!" Shang finally lost his temper.
"What do you mean?" Mulan demanded.
"Dragons breathe fire, right? Right?"
Mulan was astonished. Shang thought that Mushu had started the fire!
"You can't blame this on my guardian! Mushu even saved us some supplies!"
"He probably did that before he started the fire!"
"Shang! This isn't his fault! Why would he set our camp on fire?" Mulan defensively yelled at Shang.
"I don't know. Now that I think about it, wasn't he the one who 'discovered' the cut axle?"
"Shang..." Mulan warned. Now she was beginning to lose her temper.
"And who ate dinner under the wagon?"
"Shang!" Mulan said.
"I'll bet he just made up that story about Chi Fu and the tree across the path!"
"Shang! You are really blowing this out of proportion! Mushu is my guardian! What reason could he possibly have for ruining this mission?"
"I don't know...you tell me!"
Suddenly, something clicked in Mulan's mind. Mushu may not have any reason for ruining the mission, but he had good reason to keep Mulan and Shang from getting married. As soon as they were married, Mushu would turn to stone. Now it made sense. But Mulan wasn't about to admit it to Shang.
"Shang, let's just clean up what's left and move on, ok?"
As the travelers worked, everyone could feel the tension between the leaders. No one spoke a word until the last of the ashes had been buried and the horses mounted. Mulan wouldn't even look at Mushu as he helped with the clean-up. Mushu knew why; he'd heard every word of Mulan and Shang's angry exchange. He wished there was some way of proving to Mulan that he wasn't guilty. This was all just a big misunderstanding! Mulan seemed so sad, and Mushu wanted desperately to cheer her up. He knew, though, that Mulan didn't want him around anymore. That was what hurt most of all.
(music starts playing out of nowhere, characters' thoughts become song)
Shang: Things have not been going according to plan
We've had problems, and we've done all we can
Mulan: My eyes have been opened to the way
The world really is today
And I've found I cannot trust a man
Shang: We planned this day so carefully
So what went wrong?
Maybe she's not the girl I thought
That she's been all along
Mushu: Why do they think it's all my fault?
Have I given them reason to doubt me?
Maybe the ancestors were right,
She'd be better off without me
All: According to plan
We've done all we can
Shang: Events unseen
Mushu: Someone mean
Mulan: Has wrecked this happy clan
All(harmonizing): According to plan
Mulan: This fire has burned all traces of
The friendships we have shared
I want to find that missing love
What happened to those who cared?
Shang: According to plan
Mulan: We were in love
Mulan and Shang: And getting married
All: According to plan
Mulan:Our friendship was stronger
Mushu: And would last longer
Mulan and Mushu: Than misunderstandings can
All(harmonizing): According to plan