Fate is a strange thing, if one believes in it or not. Mulan had met old soldiers who spat out at the mention of fate whereas others lived as if they had no free will at all, claiming that their path was carved in stone. She didn't know what to make of it. Hesitating to follow one of those ways, which parted before her like a fork in a road, Mulan would turn around to look back the way she had come. And made her choice.
-.-
The water was cold enough to make her regret her decision for a few moments during her slow steps into the river bed. Cold waves took her breath away as she tried not to slip on the slimy stones that covered the ground and tried to fight the strong current which thretened to sweept her off her feet. It was like the god of the river wanted to make clear she was not welcome but if she had to spent one more second with the blood ad gore of fallen emperor soldiers on her skin she would throw up. Not that she felt remorse or disgust, she tried to persuade herself as she plunged herself head-first into the water, the sweet, rotten smell of decay was distracting during fights and she had to get rid of it if she wanted to focus.
When she resufaced, the river's noise was still drowned out by the sounds of screams. Harshly, Mulan rubbed her face, her armpits and cleaned frantically between her legs so she could get out of the water as quick as possible. Her hands had turned white, almost bluish, and her teeth rattled while she made her way out of the water carefully and over to her clothes that hung in the branches of a willow. The fabrics and leathers smelled stomach-turning but she had watched over an economical use of the spare sets of clothes they had salvaged from the villages her men had raided. There was not much since most of the men had be recruited and ordered away and took their alls with them. Mulan and the left flank were not met with a lot of resistence just as her father had foreseen and so she had not much to do but to ration the food, materials, weapons and other things that they could use.
Trying not to gag, Mulan got dressed, tied her hair in a knot and made her way back into the village. She had forwent anyone to watch over her during her bath, although the three men who where usually functioning as her life guards had let her go nervously and only after a harsh command on her side. They probably feared what her father would do to them if something happened to her but Mulan was not in the mood to indulge them. They could not know that her father would not lift a finger in that case. She was the leader, leaders died. And if it happened that they ended their life idiotically during a – not strictly necessary – bath, it probably was for the better.
The smell of smoke and roasted meat filled the air as Mulan reached the first of the misreable huts, and kept on walking, back to the spot she had made her own to receive soldiers, messengers or work through jurisdiction. It was close enough to the fire and as she approached her three life guards jumped up from their comfortable lounging spots. She gave them a nod, reaching for a cup of the clear, strong alcohol one of them offered to her. She took a big sip although she knew that it was going to burn her throat. The village might have been rather poor but the people on this side of the wall seemed to like to indulge in this drink as her men had found several containers of it during their search around the huts. The taste was weird and she had to clear her throat after swallowing it down, but at least it was chasing the cold from her limbs.
"Milady.", the eldest of her three shadows addressed her as he accepted the half-full cup from her hands. Mulan thanked him – what was his name again, Kete? - and looked around. They had settled in what must have been the village square and had now turned into a warcamp. Piles of items ruled the picture as her men stood in line to receive their share of provisions and as it seemed, everything was going smooth. Ignoring the ever-lasting screams of the remaining villagers that hadn't died in the short siege, Mulan answered the respectful bows of soldiers passing by with a nod.
"We ride at first light. Make sure that the soldiers are ready to leave, I will not tolerate any delay. Also tell the distributors that any leftover provision is to be loaded, this applies to any medical supplies as well." Kete bowed to signal his understanding. "The men found few weapons of poor qualitiy, about five swords and apart from that mostly tools of field work.", he informed, his eyes darting up to her face and back to the floor several times.
"All our men are sufficiently armoured and equipped?", she asked and Kete bowed again in answer. "Then leave them. We'll ride as light as possible, no extra strain on men and horses. I want to move fast and reach the next settlement by noon in order to cross the river for the lower route of the mountain pass tomorrow evening."
He seemed a bit surprised and Mulan felt the question burning on his tongue – why the haste if there was woman, food and shelter here and her father would need at least a week to their meeting spot with his delaying wait for the men left on the other side of the wall? She decided to share her thoughts. "By now the message of our siege will have reached the capital and although unexptected, the emperor will have gathered his army by now even with the reserves and recruits traveling from the exterior provinces." She paused and sighed, feeling tired to the bone and unhappily looking forward to a night with next to no sleep. "It is to be expected that they plan to meet us before we reach the bridges at our next stop, maybe the people there have already received notice to break them down. In any way we need to pass to the other side of the river and if the latter is the case it will cost time and men. Once we've reached the mountains it will be much less easier for the emperor's troups to track us down."
This was probably the longes speech she had given in years. Mulan knew that she owed them no vindication but she prayed to the gods that her plans would succeed. If she was to be honest, Mulan missed someone to sanction her decisions. She missed Xang Xang. But the old armourer was not around to assist her with his wise, experienced council; her father had commandeered him to stay behind and lead the rearguard. Deliberately as she was supposed to make it on her own. He was testing her, Mulan saw that; her life, the number of soldiers she would lead to the meeting spot and his trust the prize she would gain.
Her three shadows remained quiet for a second but when they signaled their understanding it surely wasn't due to her imagination if their bows turned out a bit deeper. "Everything will be done as you wish, Milady Mulan."
She felt her heart beat faster. Something had changed and she felt it. Obviously her willingness to share her plans was appreciated and would possibly transform her men's sense of obligation to devotion, sooner or later. Mulan would have given her right hand for the love of her men and knew that she would have to come a long way in doing so. But maybe the foundations had been laid today. Of course she didn't let anything of what was going on insider her head show on her face.
"Spread the word." With this and another deep bow the three men disappeared to inform the distributors and overseers to deliver her orders. Mulan, however, would retire for the night. The sun was already setting and she wanted to reasses all her decisions not to overlook anything vital before resting. Let the men drink their share and amuse themselves with the remaining villagers, they needed an outlet after the harsh travel and fights.
Although she tried to reread the messages she had received from her father and work on the maps they had gathered, Mulan felt her eyes drop slowly but steadily and decided to stop fighting it. By now her three shadows were surely surrounding the hut she resided in, waiting for the change of guards so they would get at least a bit of sleep, too. At first Mulan had wanted to refuse their watch at night but even her father had soldiers surrounding his tent at night so she tried not to mind it. They did not guard her sleep because she was a woman and the war chief's daughter, but because she was their leader.
Listening to the crying of women and loud, rowdy voices of her men, Mulan stared into the darkness. Suddenly her eyes caught on something in the corner, shimmering in the dim firelight which reached in throught he window. Gold?, she thought. Mulan blinked and as she gave it another look it had disappeared. Just her imagination.
-.-
Of course their departure was delayed. A few of the men wanted to bring a few of the village women along, unwilling to forgo their carnal cravings. Worse, the openly refused her orders to leave them behind – a mistake as they would learn. Mulan knew that these bastards defied her because they believed in a lack of support on the troupes part; they would share the meat with them, after all. What they did not expect was a large number of their comrades to rid them of their weapons, provisions and clothes, immobilising their struggles just as Mulan had ordered them to do. Calmly she got off her new horse and drew her weapon. One after another she cut their throats, deaf to their pleading, while the women were taken care of as well. Not a word was uttered apart from the disobedient soldiers' cries and none were spoken as she mounted her horse, nodding at her men. Wiping the blood off their blades, the soldiers who had fulfilled their duty bowed deeply to her and went back to their mounts. She saw on the many faces watching her that the message had been loud and clear and was received as such.
"Move!", she yelled and, flanked by her three shadows, she rode out, leading the way. A girl had reached the village the day before but it was Mulan the general who left it the next morning at first light. If not loved by devoted men, the respected and feared by her soldiers.
I never abandoned this story! But, well, life happened and it was just not the right time for this to continue. I want to explore this idea further but be warned, I will not update on a regular basis and - as you might have noticed already - this is slowburn.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews, as ever, are love!