Mulan shoved her way out of the door and looked at Ling.
"Tell the children to dig trenches. Use your authority. Tell the women to fill them with water. We need the trenches filled, just in case. I need to get ready. Prepare for battle as soon as you're back."
Mulan gestured for Yao and Chien-Po to follow, and she led them to her home. They went in and she pointed toward their rooms. "We're going to fight. Get ready."
The two men obeyed, and Mulan slipped into her parents' room then opened the cabinet that contained her father's armor. She didn't hesitate this time and got ready with practiced precision. Then she retrieved what she'd need for her plan, her bow and one arrow. As she was preparing the arrow, Mushu came skittering in. Without a word, she gestured at her armor, and he crawled up between her underclothes and the armor. She came out tying her hair up to find that all three men were present and ready.
They stared at her then grinned. "Welcome back, Ping," Yao said.
"No," Mulan said. "I am Mulan, not Ping. I don't have to be Ping to be a soldier." She paused and looked at them with uncertainty, a chink in her otherwise hard armor.
"No, you don't," Chien-Po agreed.
Mulan smiled then put on her helmet and grabbed Khan's reins. She led them out and told Chien-Po to supervise.
"Yao, Ling, and I have something we need to do," she said.
She mounted Khan then pulled Ling and Yao up behind her. Khan took the weight with a toss of his head.
Her father's voice came to her, startled and afraid. "Mulan!"
Mulan jerked the reins around then looked at Chien-Po. "It's been an honor."
"Likewise," Chien-Po said solemnly.
The call came again. "Mulan!"
Mulan spurred Khan forward, and he galloped toward the south. She pulled out several scarves.
"Put these on when we stop," she commanded.
When they got to about half a mile from the village, Mulan reined in her horse and urged them to dismount and put on the scarves. Ling and Yao both did so. Pulling out another scarf, she patted Khan's flank then fitted a scarf over his nose. He huffed but didn't fight. She pointed out a pocket of dried earth that bulged, and she punctured it with a thrust of her sword. Some sort of vapor rose up.
"Break open all you see. The fumes are deadly. Breathe shallowly."
Yao and Ling glanced at each other before they shrugged and went to work. Along the road they cut open every pocket they found as they worked their way toward the smoking ruins of Chiangdu. None of them spoke as they moved, focused on breathing in shallow breaths as the air grew foggy with fumes. They switched from side to side as they walked, Khan trailing behind them.
An arrow whizzed by Mulan after an unknown amount of time, and she straightened. The others followed suit, and they saw a small party of Huns grinning at them. It was a scouting party, and they looked like they wanted to have some fun. Mulan, Ling, and Yao stood together and faced them, silent and watchful. The Huns made the first move, three of the five men barreling forward. Mulan stepped to meet one then ducked down and swept his legs out from under him, sending him headfirst into the bog. Ling and Yao each tackled their own foe, and Mulan leaned down to whisper to Mushu, who was hiding in her armor.
"Go."
She felt him slither down her back then heard him scamper off as the fourth and fifth men dove for her and slammed into her. One of them threw a punch that sent a white burst of stars across her field of vision as it connected with her left eye. She let out a cry that was far from masculine, and there was a laugh.
"A girl? Do we have a girl? Something to pass the time boys!"
Ling and Yao renewed their efforts as Mulan rammed her knee into one of the Huns' groins. He let out a cry that was higher pitched, and Mulan laughed as he went down.
"You won't be passing the time like that for awhile," she mocked.
The Hun behind her jerked her arms higher up her back, and Mulan gritted her teeth as her shoulder wrenched. With no warning, the Hun released her and cried out.
"Something bit me!" he howled.
Mulan saw a flash of red scales and grinned. Ling and Yao dispatched their foes then hurried to take down the one complaining about being bitten. For good measure, Yao knocked out the one clutching his groin. The one who'd fallen in the bog hadn't come up. Mulan stood up, desperate for air, but they didn't have any fresh air to breathe in. She felt Mushu climb under her armor.
"We need to get back. Quickly!" Mulan shouted over the scarf that muffled her voice.
With one heave, Mulan swung herself onto Khan's back and held out her hand. First Ling got on behind her and Yao took up the rear again.
"Hold on," she commanded, then spurred Khan forward.
Because of the gasses, she didn't want him to run unless he had to, so they trotted through the foggy bog, barely able to see the road in front of them in the dark of the night. As they trotted back toward the village, they became aware of noises behind them. Khan threw his head but continued forward at a serene pace. The noises grew louder, and they could pick out rapid hoofbeats and jeering shouts.
"Hold on, you two," she commanded.
Ling wrapped his arms around her waist and held on tightly. "Go," he commanded. "Yao's got me."
So Mulan rammed her heels into Khan's side as the Huns spotted them. Khan shot forward, his hooves pounding the ground as he raced through the fog. The Huns picked up their pace, but Khan was faster and fresher. He galloped toward the village and burst out of the foggy air. Mulan reined him in as the villagers stopped what they were doing and stared at them.
"Mulan?" Ling asked nervously as she swung off Khan's back. "We need to go."
"Whatcha doing, Mulan?" Yao asked.
"This is my plan," Mulan said.
She pulled out a single arrow and swung her bow off her back. With a spark, the soaked tip of the arrow burst into flames, and she drew back her arm, waiting. When the first Hun came charging out of the pack, Mulan released her breath and the arrow. As soon as it passed the Hun, a look of triumph crossed his face. Mulan only smirked and turned away so her back was to him. The Hun grabbed her arm and wrenched her around, raising his sword. Yao leapt off the horse and was only a step away when the arrow hit the gas and Mulan's plan was put into action.
The next instant, the world became a fiery inferno as the gasses ignited. The very ground shook as a fireball rose into the sky, making the world as bright as daylight. Yao and Mulan were thrown back by the concussive force of the blast, and Mulan screamed as the Hun that held her arm twisted her violently before his grip slackened. Pain was her reality as her shoulder burned. She knew it was dislocated, but she didn't have time to worry about that as she began scrambling away from the fire. Ling was still astride Khan, and he reached down and pulled Mulan onto the horse. Mulan grasped Yao with her right hand and heaved with all her might as Yao kicked off the ground.
"Go!" Mulan gasped as he settled behind her and held her waist tightly. She grabbed onto Ling's waist with her uninjured arm and held on as Khan bolted for the village, racing not Huns, but the fire that blazed behind them.
Ling leaned forward as Khan snorted and reared his head back, jerking the scarf away from the horse's nose. With renewed vigor, Khan filled his lungs and galloped toward the village. He easily cleared the trenches of water, and Ling reined him in as he landed and jerked him around to gaze at what they'd done. Seeing the utter destruction that they'd left behind them, Ling couldn't help it. He began to laugh. Ripping the scarf from his face, he gasped in air and laughed until he was crying. Yao pulled his own scarf off his face as Chien-Po hurried over with the biggest grin.
"She did it again!" Ling finally managed to shout. He threw his helmut into the air and laughed again. "Here's to Mulan! The bravest of us all!"
The villagers all turned to stare at the horse and the three riders as Mulan reached up and ripped the scarf away from her pale face. Yao scooted off Khan's back and landed with a grunt. He noticed Mulan's expression first and tapped on Chien-Po. When his friend looked at him, he gestured surreptitiously at Mulan. Chien-Po immediately helped her off of Khan's broad back. Ling gingerly dropped down next, patting Khan's side, and he looked around to make sure the fire was under control.
"Think you've got the fire?" Ling asked one of the village elders.
"Yes," he said, staring at Mulan as she began limping toward her home with Yao and Chien-Po behind her.
"Good. I think I need to sit down. That Hun really hit hard," he said, grasping his head. He turned and followed Mulan with Khan, leaving the villagers staring after them.
Mulan was grateful when the doors closed behind them, cutting off the stares and talk. She held her arm tenderly against her side.
"You okay?" Yao asked at once.
"Pretty sure he dislocated my shoulder," Mulan said tightly. "Help me with Khan."
After tending to Khan, during which Mushu slipped out of her armor and back to the shrine, they went back into the room they were staying in and shut it before there was an awkward silence. "What do you need help with?" Ling asked.
"Get me out of this armor," Mulan said, her face drawn with pain.
After shrugging out of their own armor, the three men helped Mulan out of her armor. They weren't quite sure what they'd see underneath, but they were relieved that she wore some sort of underclothes. Seeing their friend naked would have certainly changed things, but as usual, Mulan was prepared.
There was a bang in the house and her father's voice. "Mulan!"
Mulan sighed. "You might want to stay in here. I don't know what's going to happen."
"We're with you all the way," Ling said.
"It's the least we can do," Chien-Po added.
Yao gave her a smile, and she smiled back, blinking away tears of gratitude. Then she turned and opened the door. The four soldiers limped out of the room to see Li, Grandma, and Zhou looking stressed. As soon as he saw his daughter, Zhou let out a guttural noise and hurried over to throw himself at her. His walking stick clattered to the floor as he clutched at her.
"Bàba!" Mulan gasped, wincing as her injured shoulder was jostled. "I'm all right, Bàba."
Zhou pulled back and gazed at Mulan with such tenderness. He reached up and touched her black eye. "What happened?"
Mulan's face went blank and she didn't answer.
"Mulan?" Zhou asked.
"It's nothing, Bàba."
"It's not nothing!" Li shouted, and she strode up to her daughter. "I can't stand not knowing anymore! What happened, Mulan? You must tell us!"
"Wait," Ling said, staring between them. "They don't know what happened?"
Mulan gazed impassively at him. "They didn't want to hear it. Nobody did. Except Grandma. And the villagers are too busy insinuating that I was hiding a pregnancy and that's why I left. Oh, and you should probably know that I took you down the road so you could each take a turn with me. There's bets as to whose child I was carrying too. Most bets are on Ling."
Ling frowned. "Well, that would explain the questions we got when I was sending the letter to the captain."
Zhou looked horrified. "You know about the rumors?"
Mulan looked her father in the eye. "Well, I've heard all the rumors about myself, Bàba. I'm quite used to it. I'm the village weirdo, don't you know? And the soldiers' whore. You and Mama are probably the only ones who don't know. They whisper around you because they respect you. They don't honor me like that. You don't honor a slut, don't you know that?"
Zhou took a step back and stumbled. Chien-Po immediately stepped over and helped him balance as Yao grabbed his walking stick and handed it to him.
"We need a doctor," Ling said after a moment. "If you could send for one, Fa Zhou, we would be most grateful."
Zhou nodded blankly then he straightened. "Afterwards, you can tell us what happened."
"If that's what you want, Bàba," Mulan said tiredly.
"It is. Li, Mama, please help them wash. I'll fetch the doctor."
They both bowed slightly then watched as Zhou limped out. Grandma moved first, clapping her hands together.
"Go get the water hot, Li. No time for a whole tub. They'll have to use rags. You help Mulan, and I'll help these fine young soldiers." She waggled her eyebrows and smirked.
Ling, Yao, and Chien-Po went red. "I think we can bathe ourselves," Yao muttered.
"Oh, but you're king of the rock, Yao," Mulan said, her lips pressed together as she fought a grin. "And a king should be served."
All three men jerked their heads around to her and suddenly recalled that night in the lake when they went swimming with the guys. Only Ping hadn't really been a guy.
Without a word, they turned and fled to their room.
"What was that about?" Li asked.
"I'm not sure, Mama," Mulan said smoothly, but when she caught her grandmother's eye, she winked and gave a cheeky smirk while Li went to warm water. Grandma burst out laughing, hooting as she stomped her feet.
"King of the rock, eh?" Grandma asked.
"Mention the snake," Mulan murmured. "That'll get them."
Grandma nodded then scanned her granddaughter. "I think I'll help Li with you first. Let's get you undressed."
They padded to Mulan's room, quiet and thoughtful. Mulan wasn't looking forward to resetting her shoulder, but she'd dealt with that before and it wasn't so bad. She'd rather reset her shoulder a hundred times than explain to her family what had happened after she'd left home. But she couldn't escape it this time.