Mulan and Shang entered the stable at the Fa residence. They both wore smiles on their faces, unable to focus on what they original intended when they entered the barn. Mulan placed her hands on either side of Shang's face and pulled him down to her, kissing him on the lips. After a moment, she pulled away, blushing. As she turned to saddle her horse, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. Shang pulled her to him, kissing her once more. The kiss was full of love and passion. Mulan wrapped her arms around Shang's neck, reaching her fingers into his hair.
As Shang's hands started to roam, Khan nickered, pulling the couple out of their kiss. They both looked at the black horse, who seemed to shake his head and roll his eyes. This made Shang and Mulan laugh. Mulan placed one more chaste kiss on Shang's lips, then turned and began saddling her horse. When her back was to him, Shang let out a shaky breath and walked to the other stall where his big, white stallion was kept. They saddled their horses in silence, Mulan thinking of the kiss, Shang thinking of what he was about to do.
After a few minutes, Mulan walked over to Shang and his horse, leading Khan behind her.
"Almost ready to go, General?" she asked, a smile on her face.
"Oh. Yes, almost. Just one more thing," he said, pausing.
Mulan chuckled when Shang's horse nudged him, causing him to take a step forward, his face inches from Mulan's.
"Mulan, I haven't known you for very long, but I feel that doesn't matter so much when a man is in love."
Mulan's eyes grew, and a smile spread across her face. She knew Shang loved her, he'd told her several times.
"As Ping, you were my best soldier. I trusted you with my life and you saved it on more than one occasion. When I found out who you really were, it didn't take long for me to realize that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you and no one else. You are an incredible, beautiful woman," Shang got down on one knee, "Mulan, it would bring me great joy and honor if you would be my wife. Will you marry me?"
Mulan jumped on Shang, knocking him down.
"Yes!" she yelled, overjoyed that he had finally asked her.
They both laughed as they shared another kiss before standing and brushing the hay off of themselves.
"We should go tell MaMa and BaBa before we leave," she told him, a smile still on her face.
"They already know," Shang told her, smirking. "They've known for quite a while, actually."
"Well, General, you are very good at keeping secrets and surprises," she joked, lightly hitting his chest.
The couple led their horses out of the stable and tied them to the hitching rail before walking into the family home. Her parents and grandma were standing on the porch, all smiling, her mother wiping tears from her eyes. Mulan hugged each one of them and Shang kissed Fa Li and Grandma Fa on the cheek before bowing to Fa Zhou. Fa Zhou placed a hand on Shang's armored shoulder.
"Take good care of my daughter, General," Fa Zhou told him in a fatherly voice.
"I will protect her with my life, sir," Shang promised.
Fa Zhou nodded. Shang bowed once more before following Mulan back to the horses. They untied the horses and mounted. They waved to Mulan's family before going through the gate.
Once the gate closed behind them, they kicked their horses into a gallop, racing down the road. They both laughed as Mulan and Khan ran ahead of Shang and his Imperial stallion. When Mulan had obviously one, she slowed Khan to a walk so Shang could catch up to her.
"I think we one," she looked at him and winked.
"We let you win," he chuckled.
Mulan rolled her eyes and smiled. She was still so overjoyed about Shang's proposal she could hardly think about anything else.
"What are you thinking about?" Shang asked, noticing her silence.
"Nothing, I'm just happy," she told him, looking over at her fiancé.
Shang reached his hand out and Mulan took it in hers. He leaned over and kissed her cheek as they walked down the road. They rode through the village, ignoring the stares and comments from villagers on the street.
"Fa Mulan had to run away to find a man. She knew nobody would marry her after her meeting with the matchmaker," they heard one woman say to another.
"A man as handsome as that only has one use for a woman like her," the other woman said.
Shang knew about her meeting with the matchmaker. Her grandma had brought it up at the first dinner Shang had with her family. Mulan stared straight ahead as they continued to ride through the village. Shang's grip on her hand tightened slightly, making her feel a little better. She knew that what they were saying wasn't true. She knew that Shang loved her for who she was and that she loved him. Mulan turned to the handsome man riding beside her and smiled. The matchmaker was wrong. She was going to be a bride. She had brought honor to her family. Of course, she had to join the army to achieve those things. That thought made her laugh to herself.
"What's so funny?" Shang asked, an interested smirk on his face.
"My life," she replied, laughing again.
Shang raised a quizzical eyebrow, prompting his fiancé to explain.
"I never thought I would be where I am right now," she explained, "engaged to be married. To a man that was my captain, no less. I never dreamed that I'd run away and join the army, save China, and make the friends that I have. It just seems unreal."
As she finished her explanation, Mulan and Shang turned to see three familiar men being kicked out of a building. They both laughed.
"Speaking of friends," Mulan said, smiling at Shang.