Hello lovelies!
Here is the second chapter! Thanks to faithcorry634 and the British guest for reviewing!
*Disclaimer - Disney, please don't sue me. Mulan is the property of Disney, I'm just taking my creative license with it.*
That's me done.
Chapter 2:
Mulan scrambled around her tent, pitching this way and that as she hurried to clean her area, that resembled the chicken's natural habitat at home. Being a military captain meant adopting a sense of military precision and cleanliness. Unfortunately Mulan had never been the tidiest, evidenced by personal belongings spreading everywhere from her quarters. From his place on the table, Mushu watched her scrambling about with nonchalance.
"I don't know why you're scurrying around to clean up. It's not like Pretty-Boy's gonna be in here smooching up to you."
Mulan shot him a glare as she walked past him to collect some official documents that were sticking out from under a pile of laundry. "Mushu, captain's tent means official meetings happen here. I can't have it looking like a pig sty. And would you stop leaving burnt twigs around?!" she asked as she swept said burnt twigs haphazardly under the table.
Mushu looked offended. "Hey hey, don't go after me for that, it's not my fault Cri-Kee likes to collect twigs for random things." Beside him, the cricket chirped up in indignation. "What d'ya mean I'm lying? Do I look like the kind of rascal who would lie about a friend like that?!" Another chirp. "Well so much for loyalty I guess, I can't even count on the bed bugs anymore," Mushu exclaimed, as Mulan passed by to grab her sword from it's place on the table and tie it to her waist.
"Mushu, I don't care who's responsible, I just need you guys to hold it together long enough that when Shang gets here this afternoon, the tent is still spotless."
She missed Mushu glancing around, taking in the twigs still under the table, the bowl from last night's supper sitting by the tent flap, and a dirty sock still hanging off the beams holding up the tent. "Riiiiiiight, spotless. Hey, not that this tent isn't the uh… pinnacle of cleanliness already, but maybe you wanna put your dad's letter here to 'Mulan' somewhere Pretty-Boy ain't gonna see."
The letter. She walked over to the table, snatching up it up and stuffing it into her satchel hanging by the door, huffing out an irritated, "You know, he has a name; Shang. You should try using it."
"What, don't wanna put 'Pretty-Boy' on the wedding invites?"
"Captain Ping, the General has arrived!"
Shang was here. She thought she'd had more time than that!
She flipped the bag closed, and hurried out past the flap and the antsy soldier moving out of her way.
Mulan gazed on in dismay, as seven horses pulled up to the front of the camp, dust rising behind them as they stopped. Atop the lead horse sat none other than General Shang, his face taking on a small smile once catching sight of her.
Mulan's chest constricted as she started moving towards him, while he dismounted. She tracked his every move with her careful eyes.
He certainly looked better than that day he had come to her family home.
That day, standing agape at the sight of her, he had looked haggard, as if sleep was beating him black and blue, instead of being restful. His countenance was someone who had burdens and worries hidden behind his eyes, his words coming out with the heartache and pain of someone who had lost almost everything. The Shang standing before her now was robust, seeming full of life, his stride filled with purpose, and his eyes with charm and pride. His broad shoulders were held straight and back, his vibrant red cape swishing as he walked.
Mulan's chest constricted again. Maybe there was some truth in Mushu's earlier statement. About 'captain pretty-boy'. She was glad she had left the little dragon back in the tent. She'd never hear the end of it.
"Ping, good to see you," Shang said as Mulan stopped in front of the general, giving a bow with her hand over her heart.
"Good to see you general. I thought you weren't arriving till later today. Perhaps I was mistaken," she said, straightening up and offering a small smile. Shang clapped his hand on her shoulder, the two of them walking towards Ping's tent, as a flurry of action started up behind them as men raced to take care of the general's horse and set up his tent and the others.
"No no, you weren't mistaken. I was going to arrive here later in the day, but uh, Jie arrived with an urgent message from the Emperor. He also asked me to pass along a message to you. Asking if you were coming to visit anytime soon." Mulan smiled in fondness, remembering the clumsy little messenger who couldn't get enough of Ping, and who thought he was the best thing ever. "Maybe you should tell him the general of the army is being such a slave driver, I can't get away and he should deliver me a message personally." Shang chuckled again as Mulan opened the flap to the tent to let him in. He ducked under, crossing the room to kneel at the table. Mulan let the flap swing shut behind her and immediately froze, catching sight of a sock, hanging above the table. A dirty sock. Hanging from the tent beams.
Directly under the sock, sat Shang, who was starting to talk, not noticing his companion frozen by the doorway.
Her mind was screaming at her. How could she had missed that? How had that even gotten there?! She did not know if her dragon or herself was to blame for it's placement, but it did not matter now. She snapped back into motion before Shang could notice her staring at the stupid thing. Better to pretend it wasn't there than to go through the embarrassment as a friend and subordinate of fetching it down.
"So, I trust your journey here was a safe one. Although I'm still curious to know why you're here early. Nothing wrong I hope?" She kneeled opposite to Shang looking at him expectantly. His head dipped slightly to the side, his eyes flicking upwards, his hand on his neck. "Well the journey here was fine, but I wish it was on a more pleasant matters."
Mulan held her breath, hoping he wouldn't look too high. Hoping against hope that for once, Shang wouldn't look straight up as was his tendency when stressed.
When stressed.
The regular camp din faded from her attention, as she focussed on him with a new intensity. He was stressed. He got a message from his majesty, the Emperor, then showed up to her camp early and was stressed, evidenced by the hand on the neck, and his tense shoulders.
Not that she was paying special attention to his shoulders, Mulan thought, her face scrunching up slightly. She was just observant, and was concerned as a soldier and a friend. Yes, concerned and very observant.
He was stressed, and she needed to know why.
"Uh, so what did the Emperor say then? Can't be good news," she said.
"Well no, it's not. The Emperor believes we are going to suffer another attack. This time from the Mongols. We've barely put enough time between us and the last war, and yet someone else is coming our way." He put his head into his hand, the other drumming on the table. "The Emperor has ordered us to stop searching for the woman who saved China. In order to train and prepare, everyone should be focused. Including me." He seemed… disappointed.
Mulan went to put her hand over his, and stopped herself right before he noticed. Too much like Mulan, she decided, so she settled for a gentle pat on the shoulder. "You seem very invested in finding this woman. Outside of the orders I would say."
His head bolted up and startled her. "You should have seen her Ping! It was incredible. She moved like a trained soldier, yet her way of thinking and fighting was distinctly… unorthodox. Ideas and tactics to rival our nation's greatest warriors, and from a woman! I could understand the Emperor wanting to bypass that fact and reward her for the heroics. I wish to do the same. The only issue is we can't find her to do that. Maybe she's hiding, or she's being held captive by remaining huns."
Amidst the inner grimacing from the sheer irony of the situation, Mulan stilled as realization stuck down her turmoil.
They wanted to find her, because she saved the Emperor. In Shang's eyes, it appeared she had proven herself worthy of being a warrior. As a woman.
"-the chance she could also be dead." His voice shook her out of her stupor and she looked at him. Dead? He thought she could also be dead.
"Why would you say she could be dead? I mean, I know you have been searching for a while, but that doesn't mean-"
He cut her off, fingers picking at nothing on the table. "She was bleeding. She blew up the rooftop, with Shan Yu on it, and managed to catch a rope on her way down. She fell on me… escaped through the crowds before I fully realized I should have gone after her. My armor, it was… covered in blood."
She drew in a sharp breath. "And a fall that like, could only make it worse. While I'd like to think someone that resourceful and amazing could survive that, I have to use my head. Still human. Still a chance our search may never turn up anything."
She remembered locking eyes with him through the crowding people, but she didn't realize he knew she was injured.
She held her breath. He was smart. He would connect Ping's wound with the woman's and know it was her.
It wasn't why she was scared, she reminded herself. Mulan being rewarded for saving her nation's ruler and her nation itself was an exception. Mulan impersonating an officer of the military, and assuming that role as a woman pretending to be a man? That was fraud. A crime punishable by death. She was in hot water if anyone ever found out.
No, Mulan would have to remain hidden, and Ping would have to exist in her stead. They could never find China's savior out to be her. If they never found her, it was still preferable to being beheaded.
She shook off her thoughts, remembering the initial reasons for his visit.
"So then, let's get down to business." She stood up, going to her cabinet, pulling things down to make tea. "The Emperor thinks we have the Mongols bearing down on us, and so he wants us to take defensive positions?" She started water over her fire, and putting cups on the table as she continued to talk. "Or maybe he wants us to train harder. Originally this visit was supposed to be the general, checking in on camp progress," she said looking up inconspicuously to check that the sock was still hanging in there as she distractedly measured out tea. "Now I guess we will be discussing war plans on top of that."
Shang pulled out the small scroll from the Emperor, as she came to kneel in front of him again, waiting for the water to boil.
"Yes, I will still be staying for a few days to monitor the camp's progress and run some exercises of my own. You and I will discuss war strategies per the Emperor's instructions but for now, I'll have you read his majesty's message," he said as he handed it over. Mulan took it from him and started to scan it, clutching it as she frowned, taking in his majesty's words and processing them.
People were starting to disappear from the outer villages along the border beside Mongolia and there had been reports that the kidnappings were occurring further inland as time went on. The villages from which people were disappearing from seemed to be marking out a clear path to the palace and seemed to be getting more aggressive in nature. His majesty was outlining instructions for Shang to conduct his check with the army camps per routine, but also start to prepare for war. Among other tactics discussed in the message, one among them was of an alliance.
Mulan paused, hearing the water boil. She got up, aware that Shang was watching her, waiting for her to speak. She cleared her throat, bringing the filled teapot back to the table and setting it down, not bothering to pour it, distracted by her thoughts as she was.
She took a deep breath.
"His majesty wants to marry one of his daughter's to the prince of Qui Gong to strengthen our ties," she stated. The idea made her uncomfortable, as a woman, hearing about other women being used as trading pieces in a war. Sure, it wasn't uncustomary to do so, but her stomach still turned as she thought about it. The Emperor made it sound like it was more of a last resort than anything but still; with war on the horizon, his majesty might consider it necessary.
Shang seemed to share those unspoken sentiments, as he nodded. "I hope it doesn't come to that. I've met with the ruler of Qui Gong with my father, and while they would be good allies," he paused taking the scroll from Mulan, tucking it away, "his highness of Qui Gong does not seem to be the most clever ruler I've met." He chuckled, quickly changing course. "We can talk more on this later. How has the camp been doing since you've been in charge."
How had the camp been doing? Mulan gave a nervous chuckle reaching for the tea pot, trying to find the words for how things had been going with her in command. Up above, she failed to notice her dragon guardian observing the situation.
