A/N: Sorry it has taken so long to update this fic. I appreciate everyone's interest in it and your encouragement, and I think I'm finally back on track with it. A new chapter 12 and 13 is being posted, along with a completely new chapter 14. I think certain things happened too soon in the story the first time I posted chapters 12 and 13. I am changing some details and order of events, and adding more events and interaction that I thought needed to happen. I think that it needs more work, but at least it's a start.

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Chapter 12: Détente

Mushu hopped onto Mulan's shoulder and they hugged.

"Are you alright, Mulan? Has he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, Mushu. He's actually been treating me very well."

"He hasn't…?"

"No. Not yet anyway."

His eyes gleamed at her in the dark, fixed on her with a puzzled expression. A moment later, a thin stream of fire flashed in the dark and the lantern was lit.

"Are you sure you're okay, Mulan?"

"Yes."

"Listen, Mulan, don't worry about anything. We're going to get you out of here. Yao, Ling and Chien-Po are on the way here with a group of villagers. They're going to try to climb up here the way you did. Did you find the others?"

"No. They've already been killed. Shang is still alive but they're planning to kill him in the morning. I got his father's sword to him, but I don't think he's even going to try to escape. I think he wants to die."

"Well, if that's what he wants, it's his problem. There's nothing you can do about it."

"I know."

"How did you get a hold of Shang's sword, anyway?"

"He was keeping it in the closet out there with the weapons taken from the others. He was giving Shang a…a last night on earth where he got everything he could want. A good meal, me."

"You?"

She nodded. "He sent me back here and told me to wait, and I prepared Shang's sword and took it with me when he sent me to Shang's room."

"You went there?"

"Nothing happened, Mushu. Shang acted like a complete jerk to me and I left him the sword. That's it. Mushu, would you take a peek out there and see what he's doing?"

He hopped off the bed and darted over to the door, peering out.

"He's looking through the weapons closet," he told her when he hopped back up and stood before her.

"He's going to know I took it," Mulan sighed, closing her eyes.

"How? Did he keep count? And by the way, how did you know which sword in that entire pile was Shang's?"

"It's a unique sword. It has a tiger's face on one side of the hilt instead of a dragon's face. I don't know why his father had such an unusual sword made."

"Mulan, are you sure you're okay. What is going on?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't seem to be too concerned that Shan-Yu is about to discover that you brought Shang his sword. You said he hasn't…"

"He hasn't."

"You're not lying to me, are you?"

"No! Why would I lie about that?"

"I don't know. You're really weird. You just don't seem to be very afraid of him."

She shook her head. "It's hard to explain. He treats me like I'm a china doll. I don't think he wants to hurt me."

"He has a thing for you?"

"I don't know."

She frowned, thinking about his behavior toward her. It had all been unexpected to say the least. Her last glimpses of him before she met him in the palace corridor included him leading his army on horseback, thundering toward her cloaked in black, his face barely visible, crouched low, his sword lowered almost to the ground and poised to swipe at anyone in his path. He had brought his horse to a grinding halt when she fired the cannon. And her very last view of him was when he slashed her abdomen with his jagged-edged sword. Of course she was appearing to him now as a woman; but still, his behavior was surprising. Shocking really.

"Mushu, is it possible that we were wrong?"

"That who was wrong?"

"I mean, we know that the Huns invaded and we fought back. But maybe we were invaders first. Maybe our Emperor and our soldiers did harm first."

"Who cares? You're a soldier of the Imperial army and you fought for your Emperor. You did what you were supposed to."

"Well, Shan-Yu is the Emperor now. So we're all supposed to be loyal to him now. The old Emperor is dead and no one else appears to be stepping forward to contest his rule other than Yao, Ling and Chien-Po and the gang of villagers they've organized. And they need to be careful, Mushu. He is intelligent and perceptive and instinctive. They can't underestimate him…"

Mushu darted under the blanket as the door was pushed open with a bang. His large frame filled the doorway as always.

"His sword is gone."

He strode toward the bed and Mulan inched back against the wall, cornered. She brought her knees up to her chest, trying to make herself as small as possible.

"You took it to him when you went there before, didn't you, my love."

Mulan didn't answer.

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Shang felt along the wall for a door, listening carefully to try to hear sounds on the other side of the wall. The passageway was surprisingly well-lit, with lanterns placed throughout.

He had made it to what he estimated to be the center of the east wing of the palace, the wing where the Emperor's room was, according to his father. He now stood on the other side of the wall to what he believed was the Emperor's room. He was sure he had found it, and that this was where Mulan was, with Shan-Yu.

He set down the uniform that he had taken off one of the guards he'd killed, stripping out of his Imperial uniform quickly and donning the Hun uniform. He put his armor back on and tied his father's sword around his waist again.

He found what appeared to be a door in the wall and slid it sideways, revealing a small, dark, empty chamber, and stepped in, sliding the door shut behind him. He crossed to the other end of the small chamber. He could hear a voice on the other side of the wall. Shan-Yu's voice.

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Shan-Yu sat on the edge of the bed now, leaning toward her and stroking her cheek.

"I have been very respectful toward you, Mulan. You know I could have forced you anytime."

"I know," she answered, turning her head away from his touch.

He looked surprised for a moment.

"You have treated me very well," she continued.

He nodded.

"And yet now I find that you have been behaving treacherously toward me."

"I knew that you were going to kill him."

"And you didn't want that?"

"No."

"The Imperial commander is my enemy and must be eliminated. Believe me, I have great respect for him. He is a warrior, and a brave man. But I cannot have loose ends."

She could not respond to that and remained mute.

"I will ask you again. What is he to you?"

"He is no one. I just don't want to see him harmed."

His eyebrows went up. "Oh?"

She thought for a minute, then chose her words carefully.

"You are the Emperor now. He is therefore required to serve you as he would serve any other Emperor on the throne. Why is it necessary to harm him? The same thing for the other Imperial soldiers."

"Ah, but the commander won't do that. He considers me an invader and an enemy, not the Emperor. And his men followed him without question."

Mulan remained silent, at a loss as to how to possibly respond to that.

"He is nothing more to you? Not a betrothed? Not a lover?" he pressed again.

"No."

She wanted to ask him why he cared, but thought better than to open up that conversation. She took another tactic and changed the subject.

"Did the Emperors really invade your land? Or are you just saying that to me?" she asked.

He began to laugh, heartily.

"Trying to change the subject, are you, my love?"

"Yes," she answered, honestly.

His eyebrows went up in surprise.

"But I really do want to know," she added.

He stared at her for a long minute, then nodded, a low, rumbling chuckle coming from deep within him. He reached out once more and his fingers made contact with her face, beginning to stroke her cheek tenderly again.

"I know that you're trying to distract me, my love. And stall me. But I do believe that you really want to know. And I will tell you. But first, I must let my men know to start searching the palace for the escaped commander."

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A/N: Chapter 13 follows.