Chapter 5

As we got prepared to leave, I was suddenly unwilling to leave the town, knowing that I would not be at peace until I came back here.

It was an unexpected feeling, one of worry and restlessness, something that I hadn't felt since my parents died.

As the the three of us rode out, the cadre of little girls saying goodbye to us made me smile and give them each a kiss on the cheek, my eyes moistening.

Mulan glanced at Phaedra, who smiled and shrugged.

Her former mentor never ceased to amaze, thought Phaedra.

She wished she could look at someone the way Mulan looked at Alaric, then shook her head.

Nobody would dare accuse her of being soppy like those two, not without suffering a great deal of pain.

"Soft old man!" Mulan said, as we rode out of earshot of the town.

I smiled at her seductively. "I'm going to make you regret those words, luv."

Mulan reddened, then sent me her own smile, sending shivers down my spine, and my blood boiling. "Don't start what you can't finish."

The sudden urge to drag her from her horse, and taking her at that very second was almost overpowering.

"All right, ya two, don't feck just yet. Wait until the opportune moment, will ya?"

I sent the grinning scot a withering glare. "You are loving this, aren't you?"

She sent me her patented smug smile. "Ever so much, old master!"

Swearing under my breath, I glared at her. "Little witch!"

Mulan smiled, shaking her head as the two playfully insulted each other.

Suddenly, Alaric's horse stumbled, and there was a yelp from one of his saddlebags.

Alaric, never one to be caught off his guard, fished out a desheveled-looking Mushu, glaring down at the dragon.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Alarmed, Pheadra galloped over, drawing her sword.

"Hey, wazzup, man? Long time no see." The dragon said, in that strange accent of his.

I smiled, my teeth bared, no joy in my smile. "The last time I saw you, you tried to kill me!"

Pheadra frowned at the offending dragon, wondering how such a small creature could do that.

"Man, I would never kill you. After all we've been through together-"

My sneer silenced him. "You as good as almost killed me, abandoning me in the midst of battle!"

Mulan glared at Mushu, remembering a few months back how Alaric had returned from a mission, bloodied and enraged, saying only that he had been betrayed by someone he trusted.

Alaric, when she witnessed the few times he had been angry, was like a lion, growling and snarling curses while pacing the floor.

Mushu looked properly contrite, but probably only because Pheadra's sword was at his throat.

"So I screwed up. I'm here to make it up to you, man!"

I snorted. "Nonsense! All you care for is your pedestal!" I threw my hands into the air, and the two girls exchanged a look, sensing the danger in the air, as the "Angry Lion" glared at his prey.

"So I'm selfish. I understand that you are mad, but it was a one-time thing-"

My snarl cut across his pathetic excuse. "You will be silent, Mushu! I gave you the guardian-ship of the Fa family, in return for helping us to defeat Shan Yu, and you run at the first sign of trouble!"

The dragon wilted under my onslaught, but I was not done. "I would never have done the same to you. Hell, I would have helped you. That's what friends do! Let me ask you a question, O guardian: if I had died, what would have happened to the Fa family? They would die out without a son, leaving you with nothing."

Mulan paled at the thought, remembering how she had felt when Alaric was wounded on the mountain pass. No, not again. Never again!

"I was late for my yearly review of guardianship. It was unavoidable, but I didn't want to do it." Mushu protested, and Mulan's patience ended.

CRACK! Mushu was thrown to the ground by her slap to his face.

Mulan dismounted her horse, and would have done more if Phaedra hadn't leaped from her own horse to drag her back.

"How dare you? How dare you do this to him, after all he's done for me and for my family!" Mulan screeched, trying to push Phaedra out of the way, but the girl had a grip of iron.

"Donnae be stupid, Mulan!" Phaedra said through gritted teeth, and then my shout stopped everything. "Enough!"

I drew my sword, and pointed it at Mushu. "I shall give you one more chance, for old time's sake. If any of the three of us get so much as a scratch, I swear by all that is holy that there will be nothing you can do to stop me from tearing you to pieces!"

Mushu nodded, looking dead serious. "I won't fail you again."

A short time afterwards, we made camp in the evening, in a small outcropping of trees.

We had two tents with us, and for some reason, Pheadra insisted on using the smaller one.

She had a small smirk on her face, and as she passed by Mulan, she whispered, "I'm a very deep sleeper, so donnae worry about wakin' me up with your activities."

She stressed the last word, and Mulan blushed, returning the smile with her own.

"Noted, sister." Phaedra paused, and her smile became gentle and almost loving. "There are load of girls in England who would be so envious of you. I would be one of them, if he wasn't the father I've always wanted."

With that, she entered her tent, leaving Mulan to watch Alaric remove his weapons, and she sighed, feeling her heartbeat increase rapidly.

She had been waiting for this moment for years, ever since their first kiss on the mountain that still sent shivers down her spine.

She knew that she was crossing the line, but her father and mother had more or less known that they would cross said line sooner or later.

Besides, she knew that both adored Alaric as if he was their son.

She also knew that Alaric would refuse her out of fear for her honor being tainted, but to hell with that, and to hell with the risks!

She wanted him, needed him, and nothing was going to stand in her way!

I looked up as Mulan entered the tent, and my breath was taken away by the look in her eyes, full of lust and desire.

"Are you sure?" I asked, and she nodded. "More than anything."

I returned the nod. "I guess you do realize what is at stake, your honor, your familie's honor-" She silenced me by crushing my lips against hers.

I instantly deepened it, our tongues clashing and sparring against each other for a long moment, as I grabbed her by her toned waist and pulled her onto the bed.

Mulan pounced like a cat, our kisses slow and deep as our hands moved on instinct.

We tore each others' clothes off, and sat for a moment, beholding each other.

Mulan melted at the love and lust in her lover's face, his eyes darkening from the latter emotion, as he perused her naked curves with her eyes.

"You are a goddess." I said, looking at the soft but firm curves I had dreamed of for so long.

Mulan smiled shyly. By her ancestors, he was more than what she had seen before, with a muscled form that took her breath away.

After a moment, I said, "Mulan, I have heard that it hurts at first for the female to do...this. I don't want to hurt you, and I wanted to wait until we are married to do this, so that your honor would not be violated. I cannot bring myself to do either."

Mulan's eyes filled with tears, deeply touched at his caring and dutiful nature.

"I know, Al, but my mother and father have realized that the latter would create complications with our feelings, and they think of you as their son already. Besides, I have waited a long time for this, no...I'm dying for this. If it hurts, then let it hurt. That pain would be nothing compared to how I feel when you are not at my side. Nothing is true, and everything is permitted. I was yours from the moment that I first saw you, and you were mine. Honor and mortality are trivial compared to the love that we share."

I nodded, smiling. "I know. It goes beyond sexuality or pleasure. I think it is more deep than that, more deeper than friendship. We were born to find each other, my love. All the pain and joy, every decision that we have made, brought us here, together for eternity, my wife."

She beamed, then whispered. "Together for eternity, my husband."

And so we did, taking each other before the eyes of whatever deity existed.

So, what do you think? I didn't want to get too descriptive, since I wanted to highlight their relationship as being something deeper than mere sexuality. In my doctrines, it indicates that a man and a woman are born and raised to meet the other, soul mates, si vou plais! My doctrines indicate that they find each other, and live together in the natural world(friendship might be a better approach at the start, since getting to know the person might be a good thing, but it does vary from couple to couple), and in the spiritual world. My doctrines talk about people getting married in heaven as well as on earth, so even though I'm a virgin/and single in this world, I'll find that special someone in the other, so I'm not worried about it. For more information about Marriage Love, read "Conjugial Love," by Emmanuel Swedenborg.