Chapter Four: Warrior Song
Mulan awoke before dawn, alert and cautious. Instinctively, she listened for movement, for danger of any kind, and found nothing that sounded like her camp with Phillip. Then she remembered, something strange had happened. She opened her eyes and found herself on a conjured bed.
She stretched and donned her armor with little noise, and snuck out of the cottage for her morning sets. First came the draw and sheathe drill, where she focused on speed. This task demanded her full attention, as it was her weakest skill.
It was also the skill that haunted her.
Each draw reminded her of her lost love. Each shwing! that sounded reminded her that if she was seconds faster, she could have saved him, or if she was seconds slower she would have joined him.
She would never fumble again.
Next came the stances and shadow fights. They blurred together in her mind. She focused on her form, following the strict instructions that echoed with remnants of her past. And though it hurt, and though the pain resonated with a mourning cry deep in her heart, Mulan forced herself to remember them.
She forced herself to honor them all.
The sun began to paint the sky in purples and pinks. Daybreak neared, and work would soon begin. In the distance, she could hear the birds greeting each other. Most of them said "Hey, over here!" "Here, here!" "Hey, hey, hey!" or similar attention seeking calls. It was unintelligent, repetitive, and very annoying.
She missed the birdsong already.
With a sigh, Mulan sheathed her sword and began her cool downs. She'd go inside and make her favorite tea. Hopefully they'd wake up soon, she didn't have time to waste.
She stared at her tea, watching as the steam rose and curled into the air. Mulan tried not to think of leaving Phillip and his true love to wander the forest alone. It was a dangerous place since the Curse, but she had faith in her friend.
She did not have much faith in her current companions.
Mulan liked Snow White, admired her strength and fortitude. Snow was a great shot too. By circumstance and consequence, she trusted Emma and Snow - even if she had been reluctant to follow them.
She did not trust the others. In fact if not for learning that Emma's Mary Margret was Snow White, she probably wouldn't have trusted any of them at all.
Then again, they had brought that child. That small, young little girl. Why? What purpose did she serve?
A reason to trust them?
Mulan frowned. If they wanted her trust, they would have to prove their worth. Mulan would give them the benefit of the doubt, but she would watch them, thoroughly.
A shout broke through the cabin, and she hurried to the source. What she found was Snow White bemoaning the growth of her hair. She watched for a moment as the Champion and Godmother exchanged a glance.
"Mulan, follow me," Alexander commanded. "We'll see where you are and where we need to go."
Meanwhile, Phillip and Aurora returned to the refugee camp run by Lancelot. Phillip was excited to introduce his true love to everyone, especially the knight that helped him find her.
Aurora wasn't.
She didn't like the crowd, they stared at her, calculating her worth and deeming her useless. They compared her to the warrior she had seen with Phillip. The one who went off with those two strange women she thought she knew.
Aurora didn't like it here, but Phillip did. He talked and smiled at old friends and occasionally turned to her as if he was expecting someone else.
Probably Mulan.
They were only friends, she reminded herself often. And that was true. The warrior and her Phillip were just friends, but it hurt to see that expectant look shift into sadness whenever he turned to her.
Maybe she wasn't a warrior, but she knew more about magic than most! Growing up with fairies did that. Maybe she had the answers, if only someone would ask the questions.
Aurora returned her attention to the conversation, subtly hinting for a new topic. Phillip had already told his friend about the two strangers, and that Mulan had left with them...
She just had an odd feeling.
Luckily, Phillip had no idea about that odd force that compelled his friend to leave. Aurora didn't know why that was lucky, but she knew talking about that was bad news.
Even the slightest hint towards that idea sent shivers down her spine.
"Excellent," that was the first word spoken in the field that morning, and he filled it with every bit of his joy and conviction. "A wonderful warm up! I'm glad you have proper training in the sword. You have no idea how many born Champions go through their first quests knowing nothing but how to stab his enemies."
Mulan nodded, winded, but smiling. Her teacher was good, she would learn much from him.
"Now then," he continued. "Do you know when you enchanted that blade?"
"What do you mean?" Mulan asked. She had never enchanted anything. "This sword had been in my family for generations."
Alexander frowned, thinking furiously. Then he understood.
"When was the first time you found out your blade was special?"
Her eyes clouded with guilt as she remembered.
She fumbled for her sword.
Red bolts of fire soared past them. "Retreat! Sorcerer!" The shouts still echoed through her mind. Someone tugged on her sleeve, tried to pull her along, but he gave up and bolted.
Just like the rest of them.
The sorcerer sent his flames everywhere, tearing down her comrades and ignoring her completely.
Because she was a woman.
So she stood there frozen, angry. Her grip tightening, blood pulsing. Her love. Her Shang dead at the hand of that man.
He died and the sorcerer dared to laugh at her. Dared to ignore her fury!
He dared to hurt those she considered friends!
It happened so fast she barely noticed she had drawn her sword. She charged in anger, swinging it blindly, deflecting fireballs and spells. Stabbing the panicked wizard in the heart, twisting the blade to force the life out.
Her blade deflected magic, and she had found out too late.
He was gone and she was nothing.
The only man who truly respected her, loved her was dead.
She was lost.
"If I had known sooner..." Mulan whispered.
Alexander stood. "I'll be blunt," he decided. "You could have done nothing to save him."
Mulan's head snapped up, angry, mostly at herself. "I could have!"
Alexander shook his head. "Mulan, this blade is filled with your magic. In that moment, your anger gave this blade the ability to deflect magic."
Her grip tightened. "How? How would you know?"
"One of my gifts. I can see magic," he told her.
"Can you teach me?"
"No. Not that," Alexander shrugged. "Perceiving magic is a gift. You are either born with it, or are given it. It cannot be taught or acquired any other way."
Mulan nodded, "What about everything else?"
"I'll do my best," he agreed. "But first, more tests!" He readied his blade and gave her a nod.
Never again would her friends die because she was weak. Never again would she lose someone she loved.
With a determined shout she swung at him.
She sat on the grass feeling drained, but her muscles sang their elation. It was a good work out, an excellent spar.
Alexander brought out the sword Emma had decided on wearing with a large grin. "Your friend tells me she's a novice to the blade," he announced. "So we'll start by learning the subtleties of imbuing a weapon with magic."
He sat the sword in her lap. "First draw the blade and think of what you want it to do."
She tried, but her focus failed, and the sword glided out without change.
So she tried again, but what did she want?
"I don't know what to do," she admitted.
Alexander frowned. "Use your imagination. What would make this sword better?"
Mulan took a breath. Fire. That was the first thought that came to her. She pictured the edge dancing with flames and drew the sword.
The edge glowed white and warped under the heat.
"Ah," Alexander suppressed a laugh. "I see you've got the idea easy enough...well I guess we'll go over purging your magic from a weapon. Then we'll go over useful and useless enchantments..."
Aurora watched as the sun set on the camp, a worried frown etched across her face. The magic of the forest felt different, lighter. As if a great weight had been taken from her.
And yet she could not fight this odd feeling. Something was very wrong.
Lancelot and her Phillip were still talking. About Mulan and those strangers. He promised to leave her out of the conversation, and she was sure he had no inkling of why Mulan had left them.
Aurora didn't like it here at all, and she was grateful they would set out to search for her kingdom in the morning.
She'd be glad to get away, happy to be free of the stares. Away from those that judged so quickly. Aurora was a princess who grew up in these woods. She knew of finery and foraging. They knew nothing about her...
She stared out into the sunset, completely unaware of the lone figure slipping into the forest.
This time, Mulan woke to see Snow sitting at the table. In her hands was a cup of tea, and from what Mulan could smell, it was her's.
"Good morning," Snow greeted softly. She looked a bit lost, maybe sad. Mulan assumed she missed her prince.
Mulan nodded. "Good morning."
They sat in silence, neither knowing what to say.
"I miss them," Snow spoke suddenly.
"Your husband?" Mulan asked politely.
Snow nodded. "And my grandson, and our friends..." She trailed off and looked back at her tea. "You?"
Mulan sighed. "Phillip was a good companion, a great fighter. I do miss his company, but there is no one I need return to."
Snow looked out the window to hide her pity, and silence loomed again.
It wasn't fair at all that he had been sent out on foot when those royals had arrived on horseback. What had taken them a day, maybe two, had taken him nearly five.
If his sour mood was not enough torment for the local wildlife, the angry yell that accompanied his passing the same tree for the twenty-seventh time pushed the remaining creatures over the edge. Quiet filled the clearing that looked quite a bit like a ready-made camp. He sat himself on a log and took a swing from his flask.
There was no doubt there was magic in the forest, probably a kind that usually allowed for easy travel. He had heard plenty of tales from the refugees, heartless or not, their stories were true enough.
"Let Forest guide you," one of the elders had spoken grandly. "If you ever lose your way or forget where you're supposed to go, the Forest will take you to where you are meant to be. Or else you might as well be lost."
Would the forest guide him? He didn't know. But honestly, if walking in a straight line - guided by the stars no less! - led him in circles, wandering aimlessly might very well take him where he needed to go.
Mulan watched warily as the Godmother led her into the woods. She had watched Emma do this yesterday, and the princess came back mumbling about streams of colors. Mulan knew right away what happened.
Somehow, Emma had been given the ability to see magic.
Alexander had told her that Champions rarely received that gift, but it was a staple skill for any Godmother. She wondered why Elena was taking her to the fae, but she trusted them enough not to voice it.
"Stay here, I'm going to cast the 'All Forests Are One' spell. It'd be better if you didn't move," Elena's tone did not scold or jest, it was a simple matter if fact. Mulan understood.
It was...different, watching someone preform magic that wasn't trying to kill her.
The Godmother took out a staff Mulan had rarely seen her use, and made a swift flick as if she tossed something into the air. Elena muttered words and magic swirled about her. Mulan couldn't see it, but the presence of magic was unmistakable.
In its sheath, her sword hummed unappreciatively.
The magic grew denser, and it became harder to breathe. Elena struck the forest floor three times with the staff, and Mulan could barely catch the "just as yesterday, please," that ended the tornado of magic.
Elena nodded, obviously approving her work. "Come along then, Mulan. We're expected soon."
They began to walk again, and slowly the trees changed. The trees now stood in twisty waves, as if they danced through the forest. The underbrush parted into neat paths and fairies of all sorts darted through them.
Then she could not pay attention to anything but the regal figure before her. Instinctively, she knew him to be the Fairy King.
"This is Mulan," Elena's voice barely registered in her clouded mind. "She is a born Champion here for her test."
She did not know if he spoke, but he met her eyes and smiled. His hand brushed her hair and he pressed something against her forehead. Then the woods returned to normal.
"What was that?" Mulan asked, noting a bemused look on the Godmother's face.
Elena blinked. "It seems you have already passed your test. The King simply gave you his blessing..." She trailed off and sighed. "This is a good thing. It means you'll have an easier time with the fair folk."
"Am I going to be seeing magic?" Mulan asked warily.
Elena shook her head. "That's usually a gift from the Queen. This is simply a blessing."
Mulan wasn't sure if she was grateful or not. She didn't want to train herself to cope with a new sense, but it would have been nice to tell if things or people were cursed...
Well she'd worry about that later. For now, it was best just to prepare for the next part of their quest.
A week was not enough time to learn everything, but it was enough for the three Questers to learn what they needed to, grow a little, and be prepared for the tasks ahead. Unfortunately, time was running short for everyone, and Emma hated every day that kept her away from Henry. So they all packed up and said good bye to the small, homey cabin.
Elena passed Emma a small satchel. "Here," she began nervously, "I've packed you a few things that will be useful. The most important things are the small journal-like book and the mirror. If you need anything, call for Lina. She's a mirror-servant apprentice, and assigned to your mirror. She'll connect you to me as soon as I'm available. The book is connected to my library...be careful."
Emma nodded. "I will, at least I got the hang of things right?"
"We'll do just fine," Snow stated firmly. "I believe in us, and I'm pretty sure we'll be done with this mess soon." Mulan gave a confident nod in reply.
The Godmother smiled. "I know. I just - be careful of who you meet next. Quests generally have tasks and challenges that will get in the way. You've met your guide and your helpful source...there's only so many roles left..."
"I know, I know," Emma sighed. "I have to be careful with who to trust. Trust me. That will not be a problem."
Snow couldn't help but giggle.
"After this quest come see me. I'll do my best to get you both home," Elena reminded them softly.
The small family climbed into their carriage. "Remember, when all this is over, call me back for more lessons!" Alexander shouted cheerfully. He had no doubt he'd see them all again.
They watched the carriage fly off and turned to each other with ready hearts. "Off we go?" Tawny asked.
"Yes, let's."
There was a tower in the middle of the forest. For what gods blessed reason would there be a bloody tower in the middle of the forest? No door, no ladder, just one window. He sighed. "That's the last time I listen to gossip," he muttered. "No point in sticking around then."
He left the clearing, unknowingly setting off a perimeter spell set by a rather green witch that resided in the tower.
"Well now," her voice curled with curious glee, "I thought it would take some time for me to find a heart." Her lips curled into a careful smile. "I'm rather lucky, aren't I?" She asked her newest pet.
She still needed to find the others, so she'd have to harvest his heart a bit later. It wouldn't do to have one of her ingredients constantly attacking her...
Still, it felt wonderful to take something off her list.
"Now if only I could find a baby with the proper lineage...such a shame my baby sister had to cast her curse...the little princess would have been perfect..."
A/N: Okay, so world building should be done...plot stuff comes next, or maybe a look into Storybrooke. It should be fun...
Please let me know how I'm doing, and thanks for reading!