I ran as fast as my legs would carry me, but I had lost sight of them. I looked around desperately. Bright colours caught my eyes. They were a stark contrast against the solid red of the Palace. My breath heavy, I slowly reached them. I touched her shoulder. She swung around to look at me, her eyes full of shock.

I untied my cape and mimicked their movements, wrapping it around the pillar. I saw the smiling faces of my..... warriors? Faces painted, they looked like.... like.... women. Sort of. I sighed. Coated with paint and silk, they looked odd and misplaced, but underneath, they were still warriors. They were heroes, no matter what they looked like. I sighed. I owe Mulan a big apology.

We reached the top of the pillars and pulled ourselves up onto the balcony. Mulan turned to me.

"You came," she whispered, her features softening and her eyes going wide. My guilt increased. I nodded, suddenly at a loss for words. She gave a weak smile, and turned back to the others.

"Okay. Ling, Yao, Chien Po. We'll distract the guards. Shang, you come on my cue, got it?" I smiled.

"Yes, sir." She gave me a wide grin.

"Okay. Lets go." We silently made our way to the guarded throne room. Well, almost silently. The only sounds were Yao's complaints about his sore feet. I tried not to laugh. Mulan noticed my struggles and raised a thin eyebrow. As we approached the doors, she walked right past me.

"And you think being a soldier is hard. Try wearing a woman's shoes." I stopped in surprise, this time it was my turn to raise my eyebrows. The others walked past me, smiling knowingly.

"Nice," hissed Yao.

Mulan stuck her head out from the last pillar. At her nod, they pulled brightly coloured fans from their belts and stepped into the light. I prayed this would go well. I ducked beneath the shadows as they neared the guards. I watched Mulan waving the fan in front of her face, her hair swaying back and forth..... My cheeks heated and I looked away, realizing I'd been watching her. Captian Li Shang did not blush.

Ling walked forward and actually giggled, but then, to my horror, the apple rolled from his robes and hit the ground, and rolling to the feet of the guard. I groaned. That's when the fighting broke out.

I watched as Mulan kicked a bow out of the Hun's hand and pinned him down, using the empty bow as a weapon. "Shang! Go!" I charged out from behind the pillar, sword drawn and through open the doors. Why did this place need so many stairs?

I erupted through the doorway just as Shan Yu raised his sword. Our weapons collided, and the strength of the hit sent shock waves up to my shoulder and into my legs. My knees buckled, and I rolled to avoid the next thrust of his sword. Stay alive. Just stay alive. My foot came down on his sword and my foot slammed into his jaw, sending him flying back into the pillar. You think that hurts? I thought. Try getting a hit from Ping. I swung my sword over my head, but his powerful hand clamped around my wrist. I felt my feet sail off of the stone floor and over the crowd of horrified spectators.

My hands barely closed around the pillar and used all my strength to swing around and kick Shan Yu's cheek. He crashed to the ground. I seized the opportunity and pinned down the Hun, my fist contacting his face. He shoved me off and gripped me by the throat, rolling us over. Stay alive. My fist swung up again and I gripped his arm behind him, pulling it up his back. He let out a animal-like growl. Mulan, Yao, Ling, and Chien Po burst through the doors. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw them alive and unharmed. Chien Po picked up the Emperor and swung off the side of the balcony, using the string of paper lanterns as transportation.

Suddenly, his elbow shot up and my head snapped back. He pulled me to my feet, and before my ringing head could allow me to react, his powerful hands closed around my head. He gave a sick grin before pulling back his head and smashing it down on my skull. And then darkness. Only darkness. Mulan!

Stay......alive.........