A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed. Another chapter up.
oooOooo
Chapter 3
Men were assigned to guard all of the boundaries surrounding the village, including the vast forest to the south. Sun Ji-li and another scout were sent off to the north to watch for the approaching enemy before they reached the edge of the outer perimeter that the troop was guarding. When they came in sight, one man would stay to observe and the other would report back that the enemy was arriving. Another scout would then bring the message to the troops stationed in the town itself.
General Li had drawn a map of the village and its surrounding area after they had surveyed the land the day before. He had assigned a large number of men to the north, where Shan-Yu's troop would most likely be arriving from. As Shang had guessed, his father was leaving an opening there for the enemy to come in.
He listened quietly as his father explained his tactical ideas to him, fascinated as he gazed at the map and tried to visualize the general's plan.
"These are innocent civilians, Li Shang. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to prevent casualties among civilians, but it's important that we take every step we can to try. Our duty is to the Emperor, but it is also to protect those helpless citizens who cannot defend themselves against an armed enemy."
"What about the house that Sun Ji-li was talking about?" he asked when his father nodded at him, indicating that he was done with his explanation. "To the west of the village."
"One of the scouts has been asking around the village about that house. I'll speak with Hua Zhou about it if we don't have an answer before then. We're having dinner at his home tomorrow. You'll meet him and his family. His daughter is a couple of years younger than you."
Shang acknowledged this quietly.
"You are on a later watch this evening, I believe."
"I'm on watch for the evening and the early part of the night. On the south side."
He nodded. "In the forest. That will be a difficult area to patrol, but you will have a lot of company and the men who are on watch with you have a lot of experience in battle."
"Yes, sir. Father, the young women of the village are all being kept indoors so they'll be safe, aren't they?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I…" Shang trailed off, frowning as he reconsidered whether he should mention the girl he'd seen. Perhaps his father would believe he was imagining things. Or he would lecture him that females were a distraction and he should just concentrate on his training instead of thinking about girls.
"What is it, Li Shang? If you are aware of even the most incidental thing, you should not ignore it. A little thing can be very important. In the Emperor's own words, 'a single grain of rice can tip the scale.' One man, one idea, one small piece of information can make a difference. Now, what is it you have to tell me?"
"I thought I saw a girl in the forest yesterday," he blurted out before he lost his nerve.
General Li looked surprised for a moment. He brought his hand to his chin and began to stroke it in his habitual manner. "A girl. So that's what you were looking at. What was she doing?"
"Nothing really. She was hidden behind a tree watching the four of us."
"Hmm. Many of the tribal leaders from the north such as Shan-Yu have women warriors among their ranks."
"They do?"
"Yes, and they're fierce. She might be a spy who somehow came into this village undetected. Can you describe her? Was she large or small?"
"I couldn't really see her body. It was hidden behind the trunk…but it wasn't that thick a tree, so I suppose her figure was small."
"What about her face?"
Shang pictured the girl's face in his mind again. "It was pretty," he murmured distantly.
"Yes, I have no doubt about that," his father said with a chuckle. "Can you give me details?"
"It was a perfect oval shape. And she had very big eyes."
"Were they light-colored?"
"No. They were black and almond-shaped."
"She looked Chinese then?"
"Oh, yes, I believe so."
"Well, we will have men stationed there at all times now. So, whoever she is, we will catch her if and when she shows herself again."
oooOooo
The sun was setting lower in the sky as Mulan stepped through the gate into the front courtyard. She hurried up to the family shrine to find her father but he wasn't there. Crossing the bridge over the small pond in their garden she caught a glimpse of herself in the water. Reaching up she felt for the leaf that was tangled in her hair, pulling it out and letting it flutter off in the breeze. Then she turned toward the house.
"Mama, where's Baba?"
"Mulan, finally," her mother exclaimed as she entered the kitchen. She eyed her and a disapproving frown crossed her face.
"What?"
Her mother's heavy sigh was audible, her impatience clear. "It's already sunset and we're having guests for dinner tonight. Your father is getting ready, and you should be also. Hurry up and get washed, then come help me."
Returning to the kitchen after washing and changing, Mulan asked her mother who was coming to their home that evening.
"Your father's old friend General Li. And his son."
Hua Li's mention of the son made her perk up and she wondered if the son was the young man she'd seen in the forest a couple of days before, a very handsome, well-built soldier with chiseled features, a strong square jaw and intense dark eyes. Despite his extremely serious expression she thought his face a nice, kind one and quite good-looking.
All four officers were muscular and well-built, and they all made fine figures in their armor and full uniform that included the customary bright red cape that swirled behind them as they moved; but it was the youngest of the four that had caught her eye. He looked particularly striking in his armor and cape and he had a dashing, refined mien. She couldn't take her eyes off of him when she caught sight of him from the clump of trees she was hidden behind. The young soldier saw her too. No words were spoken but their eyes met and he appeared to be as stunned as she was.
She had gone back the day before and that afternoon to see if maybe he was there again. There were several soldiers already stationed throughout, guarding that boundary of their town, but she didn't see him on either day.
After meeting General Li and his seventeen-year-old son Shang, a polite, quiet and intense young man, she helped her mother and grandmother in the kitchen and assisted in carrying out the many dishes of sumptuous food that had been prepared as the men took their places at the table. Taking her own place across from Li Shang, who was the same handsome young soldier she'd seen in the forest, her heart thudded rapidly in her chest as she nervously poured the tea, keeping her eyes averted and concentrating on getting the steaming liquid into the cups without spilling any in front of their guests.
"There is a rumor in town that the men are disguising their daughters as boys," General Li remarked to her father as they all began to tuck into their food.
"Only one man. Lu Hu. But he got everyone in town into an uproar over it."
"Poor Mei," Grandma remarked wryly. "At least he finally agreed to let her tie her hair up into a warrior's topknot instead of hacking it all off. She was very upset about the idea of her hair being cut short. Her father chased her with a knife, all the way into the forest."
"Really? Interesting. You know, Li Shang was saying he thought he saw a young woman in the forest a couple of days ago."
"Oh, no," she corrected. "This happened a week before you came here. You wouldn't have seen Lu Mei in the forest."
"Besides," Hua Zhou began, staring pointedly at Mulan, "all of the women and girls of the town are supposed to be remaining safe inside, not roaming around the forest. Isn't that right, Mulan?"
"Yes, Father."
"I suppose maybe we'll never know who the mystery girl was, Li Shang," the general commented with a chuckle.
Mulan raised her eyes to the young man for the first time during the entire meal. He had been staring into his tea, but at that moment he looked up and his eyes met hers briefly, an unreadable expression in them. He shifted his gaze to his father then.
"Maybe," he conceded quietly.
"Well, no matter. All of the area around this village will be protected and everyone will be kept safe."
Conversation was pleasant during dinner and their two guests complimented them on the food. Her father and General Li had something they had to talk about in private afterward so Grandma suggested that perhaps Shang would like to see the gardens.
"Mulan will show you around," she added. Mulan felt her face begin to flush as her grandmother shot a private wink her way.
Hua Zhou just gave his mother a look and Hua Li's face took on a flustered appearance of embarrassment.
"Go on, Mulan," her mischievous grandmother coaxed when they had cleared the table and she gestured in the direction of the garden. "He's waiting."
"Grandma," her mother muttered. "Honestly."
Her grandmother's laughter still reached her ears as Mulan led Shang out the front door and into the courtyard.
"This way," she told him, gesturing.
They walked through the moonlit garden and she pointed out to him the pond, the family shrine, her favorite magnolia tree with the stone bench underneath it where she often sat with her father looking at the pond.
"You have a very beautiful home," Shang remarked politely as they strolled along the grounds together.
"Thank you."
She snuck a glance at his incredibly handsome profile and fine stature. Though he was only seventeen he was already very tall.
"Where do you live, Shang?"
"We have a home in the countryside not far from the Imperial City but we're rarely there. I've either been at the Imperial Academy in Chang'an or in the camps with my father."
"Your father seems to be very proud of you."
He nodded. They continued to stroll in silence for a few moments before he spoke up again.
"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in the forest the other day?"
"You knew it was me. I wasn't sure how well you could see me."
"I recognized you immediately. It was your movement between the trees that I saw first, but then when you peeked around the trunk at me I could see you very clearly."
"Thank you. You didn't say anything to my father."
"I wouldn't. Although it seems like he already knew anyway."
"Yeah, he did," she sighed.
"That was quite dangerous for a young girl like you to be out there by yourself."
"I can take care of myself," she replied with a hint of indignation, unable to suppress the slight challenging tone that was laced through her voice.
One eyebrow was raised as he stared at her. "Oh?"
"Yes. I know martial arts."
"Really? But you're a girl…" he trailed off the moment he caught the annoyed expression that came to her face and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Well, what I mean…that's not something girls usually learn…"
"That's true. But I always had an interest in it and my father was willing to teach me. I kept practicing and even he commented that I'm getting good at it."
His eyes widened and a lopsided smile came to his lips, softening his intense, serious facial expression.
"I'd like to see it."
She looked at him through narrowed eyes. "Is that a challenge of some sort?"
He shook his head.
"Um, so what were you doing there in the forest?"
"Just walking," she answered with a nonchalant shrug.
"That was still unwise, even if you did learn a little bit of martial arts. What if Shan-Yu and his men had come? You might have been in real trouble."
She shrugged again.
"It's fortunate that we were there," he added somewhat pompously. "In the event that did happen."
"Shan-Yu wouldn't be on this side of the village yet. He and his men will be coming from the north," she answered.
Feeling somewhat smug, she smiled when she saw his look of astonishment.
"I'm the daughter of a general," she explained. "And I pay attention."
"You still need to be careful," he repeated softly.
Voices calling to them from inside the house reached them in the garden, interrupting their conversation.
"We have to go back," she murmured turning toward the house, feeling somewhat reluctant to part company with him.
"This is a beautiful garden. Thank you for showing me around."
"You're welcome."
"A girl doing martial arts," he mused. "You're very unusual."
"Well, maybe next time I see you I'll be wearing appropriate clothing to accept your challenge and I can demonstrate for you."
He remained quiet but when she glanced at his expression she was slightly irked as she noted that he was clearly amused by her.
Thanks and goodbyes were offered to the family then Mulan went with her father when he walked General Li and Shang out to the gate. When they were gone, she walked back into the house arm in arm with him.
"Li Shang seems like a very nice young man," Grandma commented when they were inside again, winking at her.
"He is already an excellent soldier and will be as great a warrior as his father some day," her father answered.
"And quite good-looking, eh, Mulan? Did you have a nice walk with him?"
Mulan caught the annoyed glance that her father sent his mother's way. She suppressed an amused smile. Her grandmother was not afraid to come out and say exactly what she meant; she never minced words.
"Yes, Grandma," she answered demurely. "He liked our garden very much."
oooOooo
"According to Hua Zhou, the old man still lives in that lone house here," General Li advised them as they sat in the office that was serving as his quarters, the map spread before them. "His name is Jin Hao. And yes, Captain Lau, you are right. He's been living there for about forty years and is very stubborn."
"So, what are we going to do?"
"We will have to diplomatically and respectfully convince him that it would be in his best interest to move temporarily."
"Your orders then, General?"
"Advise Jin Hao that Hua Zhou has offered to put him up until we've driven the enemy out. He can then safely return to his own home. Appease him as much as possible while convincing him. Report back to me if there is any problem."
"Yes, sir."
Captain Lau left the office and Shang remained with his father.
"Well, Li Shang, it seems we already have several families here who want to invite us for dinner. All with daughters," the general added with an amused laugh. "I have already made it clear that you have time before you need to start thinking about marriage. Your career comes first."
He felt a surge of relief when his father said that. "Yes, sir."
"And we should not be getting such special treatment every night. The men will grow resentful. Hua Zhou's invite was different. He's an old friend and he looks at events from the point of view of a general. We discussed strategy last night as well as catching up on old times."
"Um, his daughter Mulan…when we were walking in the garden, she told me she knows martial arts."
"I don't doubt it. Hua Zhou had no son to teach and she was interested in learning. It's unusual. But then, she's an unusual girl. Not interested in the things that most girls are concerned with." He fell silent for a moment, pondering something before he spoke again. "In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if Hua Mulan turned out to be your mysterious little forest nymph, Li Shang."
oooOooo
He didn't have to go on watch until later that evening, but he found himself drawn toward the area of the forest earlier, in the mid-afternoon. He went on foot again instead of by stallion. The sun had crossed the sky toward the west, sinking slightly, and rich orange beams between the trees bathed him in warm light as he strode up the road past the row of gated houses, including the one where he'd been the previous evening.
The gate to the house was open and he couldn't help but glance inside as he drew nearer. He immediately caught sight of the lean, lithe figure in the courtyard and stopped just outside the threshold, an involuntary grin coming to his lips. Today she wore trousers and a loose tunic instead of a dress. He lost track of time watching her as she stretched and punched straight ahead into the air, thrusting her fists forward powerfully, the right hand then the left then the right again.
Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, she leaped and practiced her balance. On a particularly difficult exercise she faltered slightly and Shang chuckled involuntarily. She stopped her workout in its tracks and whirled around. He straightened to his full height and stared back at her, immobile, feeling as if he'd been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing.
Catching her breath and pushing her damp hair out of her face, she moved toward the gate entrance and stepped out into the road. Her eyebrows knit together in annoyance as she gazed up at him.
"What are you standing there for?" she demanded.
"I…the gate was open and I saw you…I wanted to watch."
He managed to regain his composure, then continued speaking.
"You're very good, Mulan, and quite advanced. Your balance could be better, though."
She folded her arms defiantly and peered at him through narrowed eyes. His mind raced as he realized immediately that he'd said the wrong thing again and he tried to think of something to say that would remedy it.
"Oh?" she replied haughtily.
"I didn't mean…"
"My balance isn't that bad," she muttered. Her face suddenly appeared somewhat crestfallen to him.
Shang took a deep breath before answering. "No, you're very good and that exercise that you were doing is a difficult one, very high level. Maybe I can work with you and help you improve at it."
"Hmm," she grunted. "Aren't you busy guarding our town? When will you be able to work with me?"
"Well…when I'm not on duty…I'd be happy to work with you," he added softly.
"Thank you. It's very kind of you to offer."
She glanced back toward her house then turned around to face him again.
"Would you like to come in?"
He looked away for a moment and stared off into the distance, beginning to feel his cheeks become warm with embarrassment. The gate was open and he happened to see her; he hadn't come there looking to be invited in, though he was beginning to suspect that it appeared that way.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to intrude or to become an uninvited and inconvenient guest…" he trailed off, feeling the blush spread, creeping up into his ears.
"You're not. Your father and my father are old friends. So that makes you a friend of the family more or less."
He smiled. "Thank you."
She shrugged.
"Um…maybe some time we can walk into town together. You must have errands you need to do for your family."
"My father's been running the errands in town because the women and children are being kept inside, behind the gates."
"Oh, yes, of course. Well…it is safer for you that way."
She grinned at him.
"Come on inside, Li Shang. I'll make you tea."
They were about to head into the courtyard when Mulan suddenly stopped, gazing at something on the horizon that had apparently distracted her.
"What is it?"
"Look," she answered, pointing skyward and into the distance.
Shang followed her line of vision and caught sight of the large grey bird soaring northward, an object that was large enough to be seen from that distance clinched in its beak.
"It's a falcon," he told her. "And it looks like he already got his dinner for the night."
"He flew out of one of the gardens near here," she replied, looking somewhat concerned. "At least that's what it looked like. Do falcons usually hang around houses?"
"He must have found prey there and swooped down to get it."
She nodded and turned. He followed her through the gate then and into her house.
oooOooo
They camped without fires once more that night, as they had done every night for several days. There was a chill in the mountain air, but they were dressed in warm fur-lined clothing and were accustomed to living in the cold winter nights of the steppe. Light from the full moon bathed them in an eerie, diffuse milky white, enabling them to see. As they rested from their journey underneath the cover of the trees, a bird soared overhead, dropping something down to his master, who snatched it out of the air with one hand as it fell toward him. Circling back around, the falcon dove down, stopping to rest on a branch in a tree above the gathering of men and keeping vigil over the campsite.
Shan-Yu inspected the prize that his faithful falcon had brought to him, a small doll that belonged to a little girl in a village somewhere south of where they were. He looked it over with a scrutinizing eye and sniffed it, then tossed it to Arslan, one of five of his elite soldiers and closest comrades.
"What do you see, Arslan?"
Catching the doll in mid air, Arslan looked it over carefully. "White horse hair. Imperial stallions."
Temujin beckoned for Arslan to toss him the doll and he brought it toward his nose when he caught it and began to sniff it.
"Dangshen. That grows in the valleys of Shanxi."
"This doll came from a village in the Fen River valley, in the central part of this province. An Imperial troop is stationed there now."
"We can avoid them easily," Arslan began.
"No," the warlord interjected, his golden eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and ferocity. "They're expecting us. It would be rude of us to not accept the general's kind invitation. Besides, the fastest way to get where we're going is through that valley. We will add weeks onto our journey if we circumvent it and stick to the mountains. It would mean rougher terrain as well as a much longer distance. I've made my decision. We will go through the valley and pay our respects to the Imperial General who invited us in."
"They'll probably have a trap set up for us already," Temujin offered quietly. "It's what I would do if I were that general."
"Yes," Shan-Yu replied, rubbing his chin absently. "We will have to scout ahead before we go in."
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A/N: More to follow soon.
