Once Upon A Time

by hara-leah

Once Upon a Time, they were beautiful and strong. Once Upon a Time, they were the evil-doers, the malicious ones. Once upon a time, they were magnificent. Once Upon a Time, they didn't need their children to be beautiful and cunning and powerful for them. Once Upon a Time, they didn't need to send their kids to rule the world for them, because they were already doing it themselves.

7. He Brought Honour To The Huns

Once Upon a Time (He Brought Honour to the Huns)

Lei. Thunderous. Her name was Lei, and she was the thunder of the Huns. She roared over the hill, warning everyone of the approaching storm, but never did any damage. Lei. Thunderous. Powerful. Her father was Shan Yu, leader of the Huns, and she would return honour to her tribe, no matter what.

because now, now that Mulan had defeated them, her father was unknown. The leader of the Huns, or 'Mulan's villain'. People used to tremble at the mention of his name, now they laughed. Shan Yu wasn't terrifying, he was laughable. So Lei would restore honour to their tribe. That was her job. That's what she was born for. She was the thunder of the Huns, and she would roar.

She was trained, practically from birth. Trained like Mulan was because the best way to beat your enemy was to become your enemy. Lei was born and bred to bring honour to the Huns, at least that was what her father said, but more specifically, she was born and bred to bring down Mulan. So she trained. She didn't have friends, like those city brats. She didn't even have alliances, because someone would stab her in the back eventually. It was her and her father and the masses of Huns and their sons, all of them teaching her how to be fierce like only Huns could be. No matter what.

Because she knew the consequences. Once upon a time, she'd had a friend. The only other female to be kept among the Huns. Her sister. They were confidants. They trusted each other, would always have each other's backs, would kill that Mulan that had thrown them in this rotten Hell and forgotten all about it. That bitch. But when Shan Yu saw how close they were, how they were the best of friends, he killed her. He killed his second daughter because Lei was not focusing and that was really all he asked. How difficult was it?

At age 12, he put Lei in the fight ring. She won every fight. Every single one. Gaston Jr., Dimitri Tremaine and all the children of the Huns were useless against his daughter. She was ready. Maleficent's scheme just had to work.

It didn't.

But Queen Mal's did.

And Mulan tried, she tried so hard to fight, but Lei was born for this and it was her one purpose in life and she'd be damned to all levels of Hell before she failed. And Shan Yu stood over (Auradon's greatest warrior) Mulan's mutilated corpse, and the corpses of her mother and father and husband and son (where was her daughter?) and he laughed himself hoarse, because finally, finally, here lay China's warrior princess at his feet, where she belonged.

At Lei was offered the chance to kill her father, the one who had put her through so. Much. Pain. And she said no because the Huns were not honourable, but they were family, they were a team (and that King Jay understood, even if he didn't understand why she forgave that monster), and what kind of leader would she be if she killed the old and weak?

So no, Lei did not kill her parent as so many other Descendants did.

(But she led the Huns into victory.)