"I'm so sorry," Shang whispered, tears of his own streaking his face.
She ignored him as she lifted his tunic to inspect his wound. It looked very much like the wound she had received from Shan-Yu's sword in the Tung Shao Pass. Mulan grabbed a piece of her ripped tunic and pressed it against the wound, causing Shang to wince.
"You'll be alright," she whispered, wiping tears from her love's face, "we're alright."
Shang managed to remove his own tunic, handing it to Mulan to cover herself. She put it on, tying it tightly. She gave Shang a small smile as he brushed his thumb across her face, pulling it away to reveal her own blood.
"Mulan, you need stitches."
Mulan shook her head, a sad smiling on her lips.
"I'm fine, love," she told him quietly as tears ran down her face.
She bent down and placed a kiss on Shang's forehead as she heard footsteps coming toward them. She immediately stood up and turned to see who was coming. Her defensive stance relaxed as she saw Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po running toward them.
"Mulan! General!" they all yelled, seeing that both were covered in blood.
Mulan sunk to her knees again. Everything had happened so quickly, she hadn't been able to process what they'd been through. She felt more tears begin to roll down her face.
"We need help," she told the gang in a shaky, broken voice.
Her throat was already bruising from Shan-Yu's grip.
"We passed through a village not far from here," Yao told her, "I'm sure we can find a doctor."
Mulan whistled, smiling when she saw Khan come running into the clearing, followed by Shang's white stallion. Ling gave Mulan a hand while Yao and Chien-Po carefully helped Shang to his feet. He was unsteady from losing blood, but he was determined to walk on his own to his horse.
Mulan gave him a worried look as he stumbled over to the stallion. He put his foot in the stirrup, nearly falling over. She came up behind him and gently steadied him as he climbed into the saddle.
"Shang, may I ride with you?" she asked quietly, looking up at him.
"Of course, my love," he told her.
Mulan pulled herself onto the horse's back, sitting behind Shang. She placed her hand on the ripped piece of fabric, gently removing it from his side to check the wound. It was still bleeding but it seemed to have slowed. She placed the cloth back against the wound, praying to the ancestors that Shang would be alright.
After half an hour, they arrived at the village. The gang of three split up to search for a doctor, leaving Mulan and Shang alone with the horses. Shang placed his hand over Mulan's as she held pressure to his wound.
"I'm so sorry, Mulan," he whispered, turning his face to her.
"You have nothing to apologize for," she told him, wrapping her other arm around his waist.
"I couldn't protect you. What kind of husband will I be if I can't keep you safe?"
Mulan saw the tear slowly slide down his cheek as he turned away. She rested her forehead against his bare back for a moment, hearing someone yell her name. She raised her head, turning to see Yao running toward them, followed closely by a man she assumed was the doctor. She jumped down from the horse to meet them. The doctor began inspecting Mulan, seeing that the tunic she wore was covered in blood.
"I'm fine," she cried hoarsely, "General Li is the one that needs help. Please."
Mulan turned to help Shang down from his horse. Ling and Chien-Po returned as Shang stepped down from the stallion. They stood on either side and helped him walk as they followed Yao and the doctor to his home.
Mulan turned away, unable to keep the tears from flowing any longer. She walked swiftly over to Khan, burying her blood and tear-stained face into his thick neck. He nickered softly, understanding that she was upset.
After several minutes, her tears had run dry. She took a deep breath and turned to go find the others, leading the two horses behind her. It didn't take long to find the home of the doctor. She spotted the gang sitting outside, worry plastered on their faces.
"How's it going?" her voice was no more than a whisper.
"Sounds like he finally fainted," Chien-Po said softly.
"Yeah, you missed the yelling," Yao said, prompting a swift elbow to the ribs from Ling.
"Hey! What was that for?" He yelled, ready to punch Ling in the gut.
Ling nodded his head to Mulan, who had turned away, fighting the urge to vomit.
"Oh. Sorry," Yao mumbled, looking from Mulan to his feet.
Mulan shook her head and walked past the men into the home of the doctor. He walked out of the room and motioned for Mulan.
"How is he?" her voice shook with worry.
"He will be alright," the doctor began, "he lost a lot of blood, but I was able to close the wound and wrap it with herbs to prevent infection. General Li will be very weak for several days. It would be wise to stay in the village until he regains his strength."
"May I see him?"
The doctor motioned to the door and nodded. Mulan bowed before quietly entering the room, closing the door behind her. She walked across the room and knelt beside the bed where Shang lay.
His bare chest rose and fell evenly with each breath. The bandage covered much of his abdomen. Mulan gently stroked Shang's hair as she listened to his steady breathing. She laid her head down on the bed, still caressing his soft hair. As her eyes drifted closed, Mulan let the comforting sound of her fiancé's breathing lull her to sleep.
Mulan wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep when she felt Shang stirring. She lifted her head to see his dark eyes looking down at her. He lifted his hand, brushing the hair out of her face. He frowned when he saw that her face was still bleeding.
"Mulan, please have the doctor stitch your cut."
"I will," she assured him.
He smiled, relieved she didn't argue with him. Her eyes glistened with tears that she refused to shed, but he could see the streaks that ran down her face, mixing with the bloodstains.
"How do you feel?" she whispered.
"Tired. And Sore," he groaned.
Mulan began to speak, but before she could, the doctor came into the room. Mulan and Shang could both see that he had the materials needed to stitch the wound on her face.
"Are you ready for me to clean and sew your wound?" he asked.
"Yes, she is," Shang answered for her, seeing the hesitance on her face.
The doctor sat on a short stool beside the bed, cleaning the blood from Mulan's face. He used a liquid that burned when it touched the open wound, making Mulan wince. Shang grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She was his toughest soldier, but he knew that she needed his comfort now.
"You must stay very still as I stitch. Do you understand?"
Mulan nodded, her eyes stayed tightly shut. Shang held her hand as the doctor stitched, enduring the grip that he didn't know she had as the doctor pulled the needle through her skin over and over. When he was finally finished, he left Mulan and Shang alone once more. Mulan opened her eyes as a few tears trickled down her face. Shang carefully wiped them away.
"Happy?" Mulan asked her fiancé sarcastically.
"I'm happy that you got it taken care of, I'm not happy seeing you in pain," he told her.
Shang carefully moved over, making space for Mulan on the bed. She smiled at him before standing up.
"I'm going to go talk to the guys, I'll be right back."
He nodded, watching her walk away.
Outside, the men were all asleep on the ground. Mulan cleared her throat, waking the gang but causing her to wince.
"How is he, Mulan?" Ling asked, eager to hear the condition of their General.
"He's awake, but he's very tired. The doctor said we must stay in the village for a few days until Shang is strong enough to travel."
"I saw an inn not far from here. We'll go and make arrangements with the innkeeper. You two get some rest," Chien-Po told her, standing and picking Yao and Ling up.
Mulan smiled as she watched the three men walk away. When they were gone, she turned and walked back into the home of the doctor. A soft smile crept onto her lips as she entered the room and saw Shang waiting for her.
"Shang, you know it isn't proper to share a bed before we're married," she giggled.
Shang knew very well that Mulan wasn't the type of woman to care about propriety and tradition. He also knew that they both could have been killed. He didn't want to be away from her. Shang didn't know what he would have done if Shan-Yu had killed her. Or if he'd been killed and Shan-Yu took Mulan back with him and…
Shang shook his head, trying to ignore the thought. Shan-Yu was dead. They were sure this time.
"Honestly, Mulan, I don't give a damn about being proper right now," he told her, making her raise an eyebrow at him.
Mulan sat on the edge of the bed, looking down into her fiancé's eyes.
"As soon as I am well enough to leave, we are going to return home and I am going to make you my wife," he told her, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.
Mulan smiled, feeling tears well up again, but this time, from joy. She leaned down and kissed Shang's lips, her hair falling around their faces. She had intended it to be a chaste peck, but the events from earlier in the day returned to her mind. She thought of how Shan-Yu had aggressively kissed her, only wanting to cause pain and agony and to prove he had power.
Kissing Shang was a beautiful dance that she had partaken in countless times since they had returned from battle and confessed their true feelings. Their lips moved together effortlessly, parting to allow the other's tongue entrance.
His mouth was sweet, his breath warm against her skin as his lips travelled from her mouth and placed delicate kisses along her jaw and down her throat, replacing the bad memories of Shan-Yu's hand with new memories of love.
Shang carefully sat up from the bed, gently holding Mulan's face in one hand and propping himself up with the other. Mulan let her head fall to the side, allowing Shang better access to her throat. His feather-light kisses moved back up her throat before returning to her lips.
"I'm sorry I let him do those things to you," Shang whispered breathlessly between kisses, "please forgive me," he pleaded.
"You've already been forgiven," Mulan told him, reaching her hand up, entangling it in Shang's hair, removing the tie holding his topknot in place.
Shang's hair fell from the knot. The couple broke apart as they heard a knock at the door. The doctor walked in, seeing the young couple breathless and flushed as they sat on the bed. Mulan blushed and looked away.
"General, if you wish to recover quickly, you must rest. You and your wife are most welcome to stay here tonight."
Shang nodded, thanking the doctor. He didn't correct him about Mulan's title. If the doctor knew they weren't married, he might ask her to leave for the night. The doctor bowed before leaving, closing the door behind him.
When the door closed, they began to giggle. Shang soon stopped, wincing when the laughter caused too much pain in his wound.
"Sorry," Mulan whispered, her smile disappearing, replaced with worry.
"Don't be, I'm alright," he smiled, laying down.
He reached out, pulling Mulan gently into his arms. She was careful not to touch his wound as she snuggled against his side, resting her head on his broad, bare chest.
"Goodnight, wife," Shang whispered, kissing the top of her head.
"Goodnight, husband," she smirked, closing her eyes.
That night, Mulan and Shang fell asleep to the sound of each other's heartbeats.