Thanks for the reviews, faves and follows! Much appreciated! This is a fairly long chapter. I included a couple passages from another Mulan 2 fanfic I wrote, In Sickness and In Health, because they seemed to fit.
As the group made their way into bandit country, all were silent. Shang and Mulan were each lost in their own thoughts. Once, they both stopped at the same time, and turned and looked at each other. They were thinking nearly the same thing; that they regretted sleeping with the other. Both worried Mulan was with child, and both knew they would never fully move on from the other.
But each was too stubborn to give in, so they turned away and continued down the trail without any attempts at reconciliation.
Back in Shang's tent, as well as behind the rock and behind the trees, they had each shared with the other a piece of themselves that they could never get back. It was as if each held a little piece of the other's soul that they refused to give back.
Mushu poked his head out of the saddle bag and tried to talk to Mulan.
"I see Pretty Boy isn't talking to you. And you're not talking to Pretty Boy. Well, you know you can always talk to me." Mulan just looked at him, and Mushu realized again that he couldn't make this better for her. He had helped her destroy the Hun army, and aided her in killing Shan Yu and rescuing the Emperor. He'd even helped her through the rigorous army training. But he couldn't fix her broken heart. He sighed and ducked back into the saddle bag.
Shang rode ahead slightly, and then Mulan was riding next to the princesses.
Ting Ting spoke what had been on the minds of all three of them. "We're so sorry, Fa Mulan. You inspired us to follow our hearts, and we repaid you by ruining your relationship."
"No, you didn't ruin it. You just opened my eyes to how broken it was. I'm indebted to you." Mulan reached over and took Mei's hand for a moment and held it. The princesses all gave her a sad smile.
Shang glanced back towards the guards. "Keep a sharp eye out." He ordered. "This is bandit country." He was beginning to wish he had listened to Mulan last night when she'd suggested following the river. Then he thought about how he'd been so sure he'd only need three soldiers to safely carry out the mission. A gang of bandits could easily outnumber them. Finesse, indeed. What they needed was force, he realized with regret.
The guards were walking next to the princesses, and talking to each other about what they would tell the princesses if they were allowed to talk to them. Technically, they were still following orders.
Ling told Yao "I'd tell Ting Ting she's the prettiest, funniest, most extraordinary girl I'd ever met." Ting Ting smiled at him.
Chien Po told his comrades that he'd tell Su "that she was like fresh ginger on the rice bowl of my life." Su giggled happily.
Yao exclaimed that he'd tell Mei that "she was one right babe." She gazed with love at Yao and smiled.
Mushu tried to talk to Mulan again. "How about a little pick-me-up?" He offered her a dumpling. She ignored it. She was looking at her half of the Yin Yang necklace.
"My father said differences can make you stronger. He didn't realize that Shang and I are just too different." She stopped Khan. Mushu jumped up on the saddle in front of her.
"Well, you know, you always got me. The old team, right?"
"Aw! You're always looking out for me, Mushu." Mulan was thankful for the friendship of her guardian.
He cringed. "Well, I'm just doing the best I can."
"Really, I just don't know what I'd do without you. You're the best friend I've ever had."
Mushu couldn't take the guilt anymore. He knew Shang and Mulan's fights were his fault.
"Oh, I can't stand it no more! The only thing wrong with you and Shang is me. I'm the one that got between you." He cowered, waiting for Mulan's wrath.
"What are you talking about?" Mulan was incredulous. What did he mean?
"It's not like you made the carriage go into the river."
Mushu grimaced, nervously. "Now, that was an accident. I didn't think kicking it would cause all that."
"And it wasn't you outside Shang's tent."
Mushu was growing more nervous now. "You know how I gab."
"And you woke him up after I left?" Mulan was growing angrier now.
"It wasn't easy, either. That man can sleep."
"Mushu, what did you do?"
"I wanted you and Pretty Boy to stop sneaking off and doing the babymakin' dance. So I did things to make you two mad at each other. I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause you to break up."
"What you did was unforgivable." Mulan turned her face away from her dragon, much the same way her father had once turned his face away from her.
Mushu tried to redeem himself. "But you and Shang are so different!"
"Wait a second! Not as different as I thought. Oh, all those problems… They weren't us." She glared right in Mushu's face. "They were YOU!" He shrank back. He knew he didn't deserve for her to polish and raise his pedestal. Then he realized that he had in fact interfered, so the pedestal deal was off.
"I've got to talk to Shang. Tell him I love him!"
"Hyah!" She sped up Khan and cantered towards where Shang led their group.
"I'll make it up to you! I promise!"
Mulan threw Mushu into her saddle bag. "Forget it! You've done enough!" Crickey chirped an "I told ya so" in his face and he sulked in a corner.
"Shang! Shang!"
He stopped and turned. What did she want? He had just been thinking about her and wondering if he should talk to her about trying to make it work. Had she been doing the same?
An arrow narrowly missed his head, landing in the rocky cliff behind him.
"It's an ambush!" She pulled on Khan's reins to stop him. Suddenly ropes appeared over the sides of the cliffs and bandits slid down them.
"Bandits!"
"Close ranks! Save the princesses!" Each guard grabbed a princess and ran. Shang and Mulan started fighting the bandits, but they were being outnumbered. Two of the bandits chased the guards and princesses and grabbed Mei. They were roughly trying to pull a gold bracelet off of her arm as Su and Ting Ting were throwing rocks at them.
"It won't budge!"
"Then take the whole package!"
One of them picked her up and they started running. Shang and Mulan chased them, after telling the guards to hold off the other bandits. They ran onto a rope bridge, and the bandit carrying Mei lost his balance. She jumped up and ran towards where Yao and the others stood on the cliff's edge. A bandit punched Shang and knocked him down. Then they raced to the other side of the bridge. The last one started cutting the ropes as Shang and Mulan wobbled for balance. They started to fall, but Mulan grabbed onto a rope as Shang grabbed her arm. Now they both dangled hundreds of feet above a river. Their only hope was that Chien Po could pull both of them up to the top of the cliff, except the rope was starting to break.
"Shang, hang on!"
"It won't hold us both."
"It will. It will, Shang. It will." Tears were streaming down Mulan's cheeks from the sheer terror of dangling hundreds of feet over the river. Her body was being stretched between the rope and Shang's weight.
Shang knew both of them couldn't be rescued. The rope wasn't able to hold both of them for much longer before it would sever the rest of the way and they would both die. He wanted Mulan to live. She had a mother, father and grandmother to go home to. Before they had left the Fa home to go on the mission, he had promised Fa Zhou he would watch over Mulan and keep her safe.
Shang had no family other than Mulan. The Emperor could find another general. He made his decision.
"Mulan, I'm sorry." Such a simple phrase, but he meant so much by it.
*I'm sorry for the fighting...
I'm sorry for not being able to marry you or have children with you...
I'm sorry for blaming all the failures of the mission on you...
I'm sorry for nearly taking your life at the Tung Shou Pass...
I'm sorry for leaving you on the mountain disgraced and wounded and half-dressed without a tent and vulnerable to the many dangers of the mountains while the rest of the army left...
I'm sorry for not listening to you when you tried to warn me the Huns were alive and in the city...
I'm sorry for doubting your plan to rescue the emperor…*
Shang let go of Mulan's hand. He felt himself falling as he heard her screaming his name. A thousand memories of her flashed through his mind as he fell.
*"Uh, sorry. I mean, uh, sorry you had to see that. But you know how it is when you get those manly urges and you just gotta kill something, fix things, cook outdoors..."
"Hey, I'll hold him and you punch. Or not. For what it's worth, I think you're a great captain."
"My name is Mulan. I did it to save my father. Please, you have to believe me."
"Shang, the Huns are alive. They're in the city."
"Hey, guys, I got an idea!"
"With all due respect, Sir, I think I've been away from home long enough."
"Would you like to stay for dinner? Would you like to stay forever?"*
(starred italic sections taken from my fanfic In Sickness and In Health, I thought it fit so I included it)
Mulan had been the best thing that had ever happened to him. He hoped she would find happiness with someone. Then he felt a thousand needles hit his skin as he crashed into the freezing river and everything went black.
Up on the cliff, Chien Po pulled Mulan to safety. After she reached the top, she spotted Shang's sword on the ground near her. She picked it up and held it, oblivious to the rain that started to fall on them all.
As lightning cracked overhead, Shang's face seemed to flash on the sword momentarily. A wave of unbearable grief crashed over Mulan and she plunged his sword into the ground, sobbing. She held onto the handle for dear life, as memories of Shang ran through her mind.
"Thanks to your new friend Ping, you will spend the night picking up every single grain of rice."
"Soldiers! You will assemble swiftly and silently every morning. Anyone who does otherwise will answer to me."
"Ping, you are the craziest man I ever met, and for that, I owe you my life."
"A life for a life. My debt is repaid. "
"You don't belong here, Mulan. Go home!"
"Uhm, You… You fight good!"
"Dinner would be great!"
"Oh, Mulan! Seems your Grandmother invited someone over to help celebrate our engagement… China!"
Mulan didn't know how she was going to go on without him. She didn't know how long she knelt there clutching the handle of his sword that she'd driven into the ground. Only that it was done raining when she finally let go.
The guards and princesses approached her.
"Fa Mulan" said Ting Ting, "We're ready to go through with the wedding."
"No. Your orders are to take care of each other." Mulan stood up. "Shang's death will not be in vain. No matter what it takes, I'm finishing this mission."
She felt a determination similar to what she'd felt when she started the avalanche and when she led Shan Yu up on the roof to his death. It was up to her now to seal the alliance and save the Middle Kingdom.
"Please tell my family that Shang is dead, but I am alive and will be married to a prince in Qui Gong. Tell them I love them, and that I'm sorry, but that this is what I needed to do to save the Middle Kingdom."
Chien Po, Ling and Yao vowed to give her message to her family if it was the last thing they did. Mulan hugged each of the princesses and each of the guards, then climbed on Khan and took off with a loud "Hyahh".
The princesses and guards realized that they could each marry the one they'd fell in love with, so they began to talk about heading back. They still had the oxen the princesses had been riding before the bandit attack. Each guard had a little bit of coins, enough to buy food for the trip back. They were by the river, discussing the return journey and Mulan's departure.
"Mulan said she was going to finish the mission no matter what."
"But how can she without us?"
Just then, a familiar voice answered Mei's question. "By taking your place."
They all turned around. It was Shang, leaning over the neck of his Imperial stallion looking exhausted. Everyone ran up to him, cheering.
Shang smiled, then grew serious. "Mulan is right. No one should marry someone they don't love. I'm going to Qui Gong."
Ting Ting answered him. "We're going with you."
"No, you're not. Stay here." He didn't want them there, as he worried that Lord Chin may try to force them into marrying his sons.
He took off on his horse towards Qui Gong. The guards and princesses stared after him.
"Hmmm….," wondered Ling. "Would you say that was an order?"
Chien Po answered him. "I'd say, it was a friendly suggestion. Let's go!"
It was only an hour walk towards their destination. The guards helped the princesses onto the oxen and they left. Walking long distances was painful for the princesses, due to their feet being broken and bound at a young age to keep them small. They were grateful that the guards understood this.
Ting Ting had noticed that every time Mulan had looked at their tiny feet, her expression had darkened and she'd sighed. At first, the princess had thought Mulan was jealous of their tiny feet. But as she'd gotten to know her better, she realized it was because the heroine detested the injustice of it, and hated that the princesses had suffered in the name of fashion and tradition. Mulan hated injustice, especially when it had to do with the mistreatment of women and girls.
.
.
.
Mulan arrived to Qui Gong, and requested audience with Lord Chin. She explained to him that the royal carriage had fallen into the river and all had been lost except for her.
"Oh, a grave loss." The ruler rubbed his chin, then glanced over at his advisors as they shook their heads at him. "But, this does not alter my agreement with the Emperor, and unless it is honored, I will sanction no alliance with the Middle Kingdom. A marriage was promised!"
Mulan, determined as always, answered him. "And a marriage there will be."
She bowed. "I would be honored to wed a prince of Qui Gong."
Lord Chin was not impressed. "You?"
It was obvious to his advisors that he did not fully understand how heroic this renowned woman was. One of them approached him.
"My Lord, Fa Mulan. The heroine of China. Oh, a jewel in your crown. Far more dear than three mere princesses." He glanced back at the others, who all nodded enthusiastically. She would make a good addition to his bloodline, and bear heroic sons. Lord Chin smiled and turned his attention back to Mulan.
"This is not what was agreed upon. However, the Golden Dragon of Unity smiles upon you today. And in view of the tragedy, I will accept your offer. You will make a fine bride for my eldest son, Prince Jeeki."
He gestured towards a hallway, where guards brought forward a boy who couldn't have been more than 13. He was busy playing with a pair of chinese handcuffs. When he saw Mulan, he became embarrassed and tried to hide the fact that his fingers were caught in them. Then he scowled.
"This is her? But she's so old!"
Mulan glanced at Lord Chin and groaned. She had at least four years on this boy, being 17. Servants came and escorted her to a chamber where she was given a bath in water full of Lotus petals and cherry blossoms. Then she was dressed in a traditional wedding gown and makeup was applied to her face and her hair was done up beautifully. All that remained was to put on the traditional hat. Mulan asked to be left alone, so the servants all exited the room. She tucked her wedding comb into her hair and started to place the hat on her head. She set it down when Mushu, who had been watching her from a corner most of that time, placed his hands on her arms.
"Looks like we won't be a team after all, Mushu."
"Mulan, what are you going to do about the fact that you're not a…" She cut him off.
"Shhh… they might hear you. I'll just have to hope that my young husband-to-be doesn't notice, or doesn't know what should happen."
She meant that hopefully Prince Jeeki was inexperienced and too naive to know that a virgin should bleed the first time she has sex. Because she certainly was not going to bleed, as she had given Shang her virginity just about five days ago. But Mulan also knew that there was a chance Prince Jeeki may realize he wasn't her first, and report it to Lord Chin, who would probably have her put to death and cancel the alliance.
"I'll just have to take my chances, Mushu. Now is not the time to tell me 'I told you so'"
"Oh Mulan, I'd give up a thousand pedestals if only I could stop this." He reached up and put his hands on her face. He knew that if the truth was discovered and revealed, she would be killed.
She turned her head as a horn blew. "I doubt even the Golden Dragon of Unity could stop this now." She moved his hands from her face, put on the hat and stood up straight.
"Goodbye, Mushu." As a drum started beating, she walked towards the room's entrance and a curtain was pulled up. She could see that the courtyard was full of onlookers, and they gasped as she came into view. She started down the stairs and Lord Chin smiled as he caught sight of her.
Prince Jeeki had been trying to free his fingers from the chinese handcuffs, but stopped and hid his hands when he saw her. The boy didn't even look old enough to shave, let alone have a wife.
Mulan inwardly groaned at what she knew she would be expected to do that night. Hopefully, the boy would not realize she was not a virgin. But, if she was completely honest, she didn't regret giving herself to Shang. She had memories of him she could hold onto forever now. She glanced down at her abdomen briefly. There was a chance that she had conceived with the General. She could pass the child off as Prince Jeeki's if that was the case. Then she would always secretly have a part of Shang with her.
The sound of Lord Chin starting the ceremony startled her out of her thoughts.
"My people, the Golden Dragon of Unity, who guides us in all we do, today sanctifies a union that will be a blessing for all of Qui Gong." He handed Mulan a chalice of wine. Then he attempted to hand one to his son, whose fingers were still caught in the chinese handcuffs. Prince Jeeki slipped the handcuffs over it and put his hands around it. Lord Chin shook his head at him.
Mulan stared at the contents of the chalice. She realized she would likely never see her family again. A tear slid down her cheek and fell into her wine as she wished she was holding a ceremonial cup with Shang, surrounded by her parents and grandmother. Up on a ledge just below the great dragon statue, Crickey panicked and told Mushu to do something to stop the wedding.
"Of course I want to stop this. But what can one itty bitty dragon do?"
"With the tying of this sash, we unite not only two lives, but two kingdoms." Lord Chin tied a silk sash around both glasses and stepped away.
Just then, a metal star severed the scarf and lodged itself in the wall behind it. Lord Chin shrank back. Everyone gasped.
Mulan looked up to see who had thrown it, and saw Shang on his horse. She blinked to be sure it wasn't a hallucination. He rode towards her amidst exclamations of "General Li Shang!" and "He's alive!".
As Shang dismounted, she ran towards him. They grabbed hands.
"You're alive!"
"I couldn't let you get married without me."
Lord Chin pushed them apart. "General, this is outrageous! You will leave at once."
Mulan's thoughts screamed "No!". She had just gotten him back from the dead, she wasn't about to let him go.
But Shang had no intention of leaving so Mulan could marry this mere child. The thought of any other man touching his Mulan made him want to vomit.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Mulan walked up behind him and spoke softly in his ear. "What are you doing?"
"I don't know. I'm winging it!"
Mulan could not have been more surprised if Shang had walked up to Lord Chin and kissed him on the lips. The General never winged anything!
"How dare you trample upon this sacred ceremony!" Lord Chin was visibly furious. He wanted this courageous woman for his descendents' blood line. Shang briefly wondered if he somehow planned to take Mulan for himself.
Up high, perched under the Great Golden Dragon statue, Mushu and Crickey were panicking. "Oh, my god! He's gonna lower the hammer on Shang! Where is the Golden Dragon of Unity when you need him?"
Crickey suddenly got an idea and chirped loudly and urgently while pointing at the statue. Mushu glared at him.
"Don't bother me now, Crickey, I…" Suddenly, he glanced up at the huge statue.
"I have an idea!" He quickly scaled up the statue until he reached the mouth.
Shang stood face to face with the indignant Lord Chin. "My Lord, I love Mulan and I don't care what the rules say."
Mulan couldn't believe what she was hearing coming out of Shang's mouth. He didn't care what the rules say? Did that dip in the river make him waterlogged? Who was this creature and what did he do with the real Li Shang?
He turned to her and took her hands. "If she'll have me, I intend to marry her right here, right now."
Lord Chin charged between them, and shoved the couple apart. "Insolent dog!" He pushed Shang towards his guards. "Seize him!"
"Shang!" Mulan tried unsuccessfully to grab Shang's arm. She was about to lose him again! He reached out for her, but the guards were dragging him away. "Mulan!"
Suddenly, a huge tongue of fire landed on the ground right by both of them. Many people screamed, including Lord Chin.
A loud voice boomed. "Yo! What's with all this drama?"
"The Golden Dragon of Unity. He lives!" Lord Chin cowered.
A gong sounded and everyone but Shang and Mulan bowed. In the audience, the princesses and guards also bowed.
"Oh, you dang right I live. You best drop your dumplin'-eatin' behind on down and tell me why we ain't bustin' out the vows already, huh?"
The voice sounded a little bit familiar to Shang but he couldn't put a finger on it.
Lord Chin looked up from where he had bowed to the ground. "But.. But, Your Greatness, General Li Shang is not a son of Qui Gong."
"Silence!" Another lick of flame landed at Lord Chin's feet. He screamed and ran and hid behind Shang. Mulan stifled a laugh. She had figured out by now that it was Mushu up there inside the statue.
"I am the Golden Dragon of Unity, and I decide whom to unify. My all-seeing eye has peered into the very heart of China and I have never seen two people more right for one another than this lovely couple right here, Mulan and Shang."
The couple smiled and Shang pulled her closer to him. Now he recognized the voice. It was Mushu, pretending to be Qui Gong's Great Golden Dragon.
"Give it up for them, would you please?" The entire audience, including the princesses and guards, cheered.
"Now I command you to proceed at once!"
Lord Chin bowed down again. "Yes, Your Greatness. As you command!"
"Now let's get down to business. Mulan, do you love Shang?"
Mulan looked up at Shang and smiled. "Of course you do!"
"Shang, do you love Mulan?" He gazed into her eyes and smiled.
"Yes, very much! Moving on… By the power invested in me, by me, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife!" The two lovers gazed at each other, totally in love.
"You got anything to say, Lord Double Chin?" Another lick of fire touched onto the ground right in front of the Emperor. He screamed and jumped away. "Yes, Uh… I mean, No, Uh… I mean… Whatever you say!" He looked at Prince Jeeki and shrugged. His son handed him the chinese handcuffs and he instantly was hooked, laughing delightedly at the fun little challenge. Mulan got the feeling the prince was relieved to not be getting married that day.
The audience cheered.
The Dragon continued. "And furthermore, I hereby decree that the princesses of the Middle Kingdom, wherever they may be, are released from their vows and may marry whomsoever they please. And who pleases them, that's very important."
All three princesses cheered and turned to kiss their respective guard. Ting Ting and Ling shared a kiss while Chien Po put his arms around Su and kissed her. Yao hugged Mei and gave her a kiss, too. Now they all could be with the ones they loved, and the guards finally each had 'a girl worth fighting for'. The princesses were able to 'marry someone I love, who loves me for me'.
Up on the stage, Mulan and Shang shared their first kiss since before their break-up at the river village. After a moment, Shang pulled away from the kiss and leaned his forehead against Mulan's. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I am too," whispered Mulan. "I can't believe we're married!" They looked at each other and smiled, each thinking that they didn't have to sneak around anymore to do what Mushu called the babymakin' dance.
Before the group left, Lord Chin gave Shang a sealed letter confirming Qui Gong's alliance with the Middle Kingdom.
While Shang and Mulan rode together, slightly away from the rest, they talked.
"I'm sorry about everything, Mulan. You were so right about the river. We should have followed it."
"What's done is done now, Shang. We're both alive and we're together now, that's what matters.
"I'm sorry I blamed you for everything when I followed all of you to that village. The princesses made their own decisions and so did the guards."
"I know. I forgive you, Shang. Mei had asked me earlier in the day about what led me to take my father's place in the army and how I'd decided between duty and heart. I told her I'd realized that my duty is to my heart, and that's how she came up with that phrase in her letter."
"Ok, that explains it."
"There's something you should know. Mushu was getting between us, making us fight so we wouldn't be sneaking off and having sex every time he turned around."
"Are you serious? Even after he said he wouldn't interfere anymore?"
"Uh-huh! He was whispering in your ear all kinds of negative things about me while you were sleeping, then he made it sound like I was gossiping about you to the princesses outside your tent."
"That explains a lot, then. While I'm apologizing for things, I need to get something else off my chest. Back at the Tung Shou pass, I should have taken you with us to the Imperial City. Even though Chi Fu was insisting I carry out the law, I was the commanding officer. I could have stood up to him. I'm sorry for leaving you on the mountain alone and I'm sorry I allowed him to grab you and drag you out of the tent. I knew you had only training pants on and a blanket."
"I forgive you, but you need to know that my wound opened up again when he threw me on the ground. Thankfully, Yao, Ling and Chien Po had given me food, a blanket and bandages before they left, so I was able to patch myself up again. Mushu got a fire going and I was able to keep a little bit warm and eat."
"I'll have to thank them for looking out for you when I didn't. How do you not hate me for that day?"
"Right at first, I did. Then I saw how you stood up to Chi Fu after I killed Shan Yu, and it changed how I felt about you. When I thought you were dead, I couldn't stand it. I never want to be without you again."
"Mulan, I am a general in the Imperial army. I'm going to have to leave you at some point for military duty. Probably more than once."
"Can we talk about this another time? I just got you back from the dead. I don't want to think about having to send my husband off to war now."
"Yes, I suppose. But not wanting to talk about it doesn't make it any less true. What were you planning to do about your wedding night if you had married that little prince?"
"I was just hoping he wouldn't notice that I didn't bleed. If he had, and told Lord Chin I wasn't a virgin, I'm sure I would have been killed and the alliance nullified."
"Yes, I'm sure. That would have been humiliating for you. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what? If you remember, I pushed for it originally."
"True, you did. But if you remember correctly, I wasn't complaining. I wanted that as much as you did."
"You know what I was thinking as I was getting ready for that wedding? That I didn't regret what we did. I knew I would never stop loving you, and that at least I had the memories of giving myself to you before you died."
"What if you were with child because of me? Would you have known whose child it was and just passed it off as being the prince's?
"I'm not positive I would have known if it was yours or not. And yes, I would have led everyone to believe it was the prince's."
"Speaking of which, when would you know if you were?"
"Another week. If my bleeding doesn't happen by the week after, then I probably am."
"I'm so glad it all turned out how it did. Now we're married, and get to spend the rest of our lives together. I can't wait to have children with you."
"Me, neither. My skin crawled at the thought of having to sleep with that prince. Ugh!"
"I took one look at him and thought there was no way I wanted him putting his little hands on you."
"Me, neither."
"We belong to each other now."
"I love you, Shang!"
"I love you, too, Mulan!"
It was close to sundown when they reached the river, back at the spot they had chosen the first night when the carriage had gotten destroyed. Amazingly, their supplies were still where they had stashed them, so they had tents, cooking supplies and clothing.
The guards caught several fish and Shang and Mulan cooked it. After everyone had eaten and drank some tea, the guards offered to take the first watch. As Shang and Mulan set up their tent, they got a lot of ribbing from Yao, Ling and Chien Po.
The couple was just about to go into the tent when they spotted Mushu standing by the entrance. He smiled. "I know. You actually married. So go do the babymakin' dance all you want. I'll make sure no one bothers you. I'm sorry I made you two fight so much you ended up breaking up. I'll make it up to you somehow."
"Mushu, you already did. If it hadn't been for you playing their Golden Dragon of Unity, Shang would be in a prison in Qui Gong and I would be having a wedding night with that little prince." Mulan made a gagging sound.
"Ew! I did what I could. You're welcome!"
They smiled at the little red dragon and went into their tent and shut the entrance tightly. Shang pulled Mulan into his arms tightly and his lips met hers. Sashes and robes went flying and in moments they were laying on the mat under a blanket wearing only their Yin and Yang necklaces.
Shang gazed into Mulan's eyes. "I never thought I'd get to look into your beautiful eyes again. Or see your beautiful breasts." He leaned over and kissed each breast, then ran his hands over them. "As I was falling after I let go of the rope, I thought about you all the way down, until I went unconscious. When I woke up, you were the first thing I thought of."
Mulan planted kisses on Shang's chest and neck. "I never thought I'd get to hold you again."
"Neither did I."
Remembering the first time they'd made love, Shang moved his hand down to Mulan's core. He slipped two fingers inside her and she gasped in surprise and moaned. She reached her hand over to touch him, but he moved it away. "Not yet. I'll be done too quick."
His thumb found her sensitive little bump and he made little circles over it, while moving his fingers in and out of her. He watched as she closed her eyes and tilted her head back and her breath came in little moans. Suddenly, she arched her back and let out several loud cries as she climaxed under his touch.
Shang climbed over her and slid himself inside. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered "I love you, Shang".
"I love you, too, Mulan."
The two made love several times, hoping to make up for a little bit of lost time. And to celebrate their marriage. And just because they could.
It was nearly daylight before the guards banged on the sides of their tent to get their attention so they could take over. They would have gone inside their tent, but the guards knew the couple was likely not dressed and acting like the newlyweds they were.
When the two dressed and came outside, Yao and Ling laughed and slapped Shang on the back. Mulan blushed furiously and quickly walked away.
Even from several feet away, she heard Yao. "Way to make her scream, Pretty Boy!" She was mortified to think the guards had heard her and suddenly felt like crying.
Shang stopped and leaned down so that his face was about two inches from Yao's and used his harshest drill sergeant voice. "You are not to speak about MY WIFE in that manner again, am I understood?" The soldier looked startled, but saluted Shang. "Yes, Sir."
After Shang joined Mulan at the edge of the clearing, she whispered to him. "Thank you, that was really humiliating to know they heard me."
"I know. It won't happen again."
In the distance, they heard Chien Po scolding Yao for his big mouth.
The group covered a lot of ground that day. At nightfall, the guards took the first watch and the couple pitched their tent further away from them this time. Inside, Shang laid down and pulled Mulan on top of him. She made an effort to be quieter, and Shang did what he could to make that difficult.
.
.
.
The guards and princesses were getting to know each other better, now that the guards were no longer under orders not to talk to them. The princesses could finally relax, now that they knew they weren't going to be married to princes they'd never met.
The remainder of the trip back to the Imperial City was uneventful, compared to the trip out to Qui Gong. Mushu did everything he could to make up for his earlier behavior, including starting fires when the group needed them for cooking meals.
Only one obstacle remained, and that was explaining to the Emperor why his daughters were returning to him and that they had fallen in love with the guards. Mulan and Shang also had it in the back of their minds that they were going to have to explain to her family how they were already married. She could already hear the ribbing they were going to get from her grandma Fa.
When the group arrived back at the Imperial palace, Shang went in alone to talk to the Emperor and present the written agreement of alliance from Lord Chin. After kneeling and explaining the events of the mission, he waited for the Emperor's response.
For a few agonizing minutes, the Emperor was quiet and Shang hoped he'd be given a chance to say goodbye to Mulan before his head was lopped off.
"General Li, this is highly unexpected. I've never known you to defy an order before. However, I am grateful that I will now have my three daughters here with me once again. Had they married Lord Chin's sons, I almost certainly would have never seen them again."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"And would you say these guards my daughters fell in love with are your three best soldiers?"
"Yes, sir. They aided in your rescue when the Huns ambushed us at the victory parade."
"I must meet them before I give my approval. I understand you now need to explain to Fa Zhou why you are already married to his only daughter. I wish you luck."
Shang smiled. "Thank you."
"You and your new wife may be on your way after you bring in my daughters and your three best soldiers."
Shang nodded and left to bring the princesses and guards back to the Emperor. Before they entered the throne room, he gave each soldier a salute and they saluted him back. "I never thanked the three of you for helping Mulan when I left her on the mountain. She told me you gave her food, a blanket and bandages. Thank you."
Mulan hugged each princess, then they were on their way.
It was a few hours from sundown, so the couple rode until bright red, orange and gold streaks signaled the end of another day. They pitched their tent by a stream. After catching several fish and cooking them over a fire, they decided to cool off in the water.
It was already dark as they removed their clothes and left them on the shore. Shang picked up Mulan and carried her into the water, setting her down by a large rock in the middle. It reminded them both of the stream at Wu Zhong. Mulan smiled as she remembered a time when she'd seen Shang getting out of the water and how attracted she'd been to him.
"I've got a confession to make, Shang."
"What? About what?" He looked concerned and his thoughts immediately went back to Qui Gong where Mulan had almost gotten married. Had something taken place she didn't tell him about?
"Did something happen in Qui Gong?"
"No, no, not at all. Once at Wu Zhong, I was headed to the stream to bathe when you were just getting out. I hid in the trees and watched you dry off and get dressed. I was totally transfixed by your body, but I never thought I'd actually get to touch it."
"You watched me get out of the river and dress?"
Mulan nodded.
"And you liked what you saw, did you?"
Mulan nodded again, feeling a warm excitement forming between her legs as she remembered gazing at the naked General from behind a tree.
"What did you do?"
Mulan turned bright red. "After you dressed and left, I quickly bathed and hurried back to my tent. I couldn't stop thinking about you, so I touched myself and imagined it was you."
Shang grinned at her and his eyes darkened with desire. His hand slid down to her core and his fingers lightly grazed her outer lips.
"Is this where you touched yourself?"
She nodded, desperately hoping he would put his fingers inside her and rub his thumb against her again.
"Here?" He lightly ran his finger up the inside of her slit, grazing her clit as he did. She jerked and moaned at the sensation, then whimpered when he pulled his hand away.
"Yes! There!" All Mulan could manage was a whisper.
Without warning, Shang picked her up out of the water and sat her on a ledge on the boulder. She sat even with his shoulders, and he pushed her legs apart and gazed at her womanhood. Mulan leaned back against the rock, desperately wishing he would touch her.
Shang began kissing along the insides of her thighs, every so often letting his lips lightly brush her clit. Each time he did so, she shuddered and moaned.
"You really want me to touch you, don't you? You want Shang to touch your womanhood?"
Mulan nodded and bit her lip. He could see the desperation in her face.
He planted one kiss against her clit, and she whimpered. After a few seconds of waiting, he did it again.
"Shang, please? Oh, gods, I want you so bad."
He ran his tongue up from the base of her vagina to the top of her clit, then pulled away.
"Please! Please!"
Shang looked up at his wife. She was leaning against the back of the rock with her eyes closed and a look of desperation on her face. One hand was twisting a nipple and the other hand had grabbed his hair. Her legs were spread open and he could see the moisture building up and leaking out. He made a circle around her clit with his tongue, and pulled away.
"Shang!" Tears were actually forming in Mulan's eyes. "Please!"
"What do you want Shang to do?"
Mulan groaned. This was almost too much. She felt like she was on fire as she waited for Shang to relieve her desperation.
"Just please touch me again!"
Shang decided she'd had enough and began furiously licking her clit. He slid two fingers inside her heat and was excited to feel how swollen and hot with excitement it was. He listened as her moans grew higher pitched and her breathing got faster. She still twisted a nipple with one hand and her other hand was tangled in his hair. Her back was arched against the rock and her eyes were closed.
"Please! Please! Shang! Please!"
He sucked the little button into his mouth and Mulan jerked up and fell back against the rock.
"Oooohhh, oooohh, oooohh… Shang!" She jerked up and fell back again as her release rocked her whole being. He grinned as he watched her orgasm take over her body, pleased he could give her so much pleasure.
Shang gently picked Mulan up again and set her down next to him. She was still breathing hard and her cheeks were flushed a bright shade of pink. He leaned down and kissed her, then picked her up in his arms and carried her to the shore of the stream. There he laid her down on her back and the two made sweet love under the stars.
After Shang had rolled to his side to catch his breathe, he pulled Mulan close to him and they stared up at the black sky covered with tiny pinpoints of light.
"I love you, Shang."
"I love you, too, Mulan."
"Oh. My. God. Are you two done yet or what? This saddlebag is getting mighty stuffy!"
Mulan groaned. She'd forgotten about Mushu. Crickey chirped angrily at him and yanked a whisker.
"What? I'm not interfering."
Crickey continued his tirade.
"I know they just got married and they need time alone. I'm not bothering them. See, I waited till they were done. And, no, you pesky little insect, I was not watching!" Mushu ended his statement with a gagging sound.
Crickey let out one more chirp that sounded a lot like "fine" and hopped away in search of dinner. Earlier, Shang had lit a lamp and hung it in a tree. This provided a nice buffet for a hungry cricket.
The two lovers gathered their clothes and went into their tent. Staying naked, they curled up together under the blanket.
Shang remembered something Mulan had said out in the stream. "So you touched yourself after you saw me naked at Wu Zhong?"
Mulan blushed and nodded.
"I want to watch you touch yourself."
"What? No! I can't do that in front of you."
"Please?"
"Alright!"
Mulan closed her eyes and wet her fingers in her heat and rubbed them against her clit until she reached an orgasm, while Shang licked and kissed her breasts. After she had opened her eyes again and looked at him, embarrassed, he turned into his back.
She smiled and climbed over him, pushing him deep into her wet heat. He guided her hips as she began to move. She picked up speed and rocked against him. Just before they both reached a peak again, he rubbed his fingers against her clit and she let out a scream as he brought her to a climax. Then the spasms around his length brought him to his own orgasm. Thoroughly exhausted, the couple curled up together and fell asleep.
.
.
.
Too soon, it was daylight. Dragons wake at the crack of dawn.
"Alright! Wakey wakey, lovebirds! Rise and shine! Y'all done enough babymakin' for one night. Let's hit the road!"
Mulan groaned and opened one eye. "Mushu, go away."
Mushu put his hands on his hips. "Come on, girl! Get your butt up outta that bed!" He jumped to dodge a shirt Mulan threw at him and marched out shaking his head.
About an hour later, the two did finally get up to find Mushu had started a fire and was heating dumplings over it. He'd also made tea. Mulan gave him a hug.
"Thanks, Mushu!"
"Y'all got a big day today. You gotta explain to Mulan's family why you're already married!"
They looked at each other and Mulan slapped her forehead. "You're right, Mushu. I'd forgotten about that."
"Yeah, I wonder why…"
"Mushu!"
"Y'all might wanna tone down the sound effects a bit unless you want Granny Fa teasing you constantly!"
"Mushu!"
"What? Girl, you know I'm right."
Mulan groaned and smiled. The dragon was right. Her Grandma Fa would have a heyday teasing them. She glanced at Shang.
"He's right, she'd be merciless. Guess I better tone it down. Or maybe you shouldn't make me beg!" She poked Shang in the chest. He grinned at her.
"Not promising a thing!"
"Look, can we get on our way before you two are tearing each other's clothes off again?"
"Yes! We can go."
In short order, the site was packed up and they were on their way.
It was just after sundown when they arrived at the Fa home. While they ate supper, Mulan and Shang told them about the mission, ending with them being married.
"Wait, you're already married?" Fa Li looked incredulous.
Mulan and Shang smiled at each other and nodded.
"Wow! What do you know about that!" Grandma Fa grinned at them. "I bet you two had a nice trip back from Qui Gong, didn't you?"
Mulan blushed. "Grandma!"
"Mm-hmm… that's what I thought!"
From outside the window, Mulan heard Mushu whisper. "Told ya!"
The next morning, Grandma Fa was already awake and about when the couple got up. As soon as she saw them, she started at it.
"Well, I was hoping to get a good night's sleep last night, but there was this newlywed couple in the room next door that kept me awake."
"Grandma!"
"Well, it's ok as long as I get a great-grandbaby out of it."
"You will soon enough, I'm sure, Grandma." Mulan smiled, but in her head she was calculating calendar days. She was due to start any day now.