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Shan-Yu's Victory	By : lightbird Category: +M through R > Mulan (Disney) > Mulan (Disney) Views: 16642 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the cartoons of Disney Studios, nor any of the characters from them. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Mulan didn’t know what route Shang used to escape with the doctor. She’d been watching the Imperial Square, expecting them to come from there. But instead they’d appeared from behind them, from inside of the temple. Was there a tunnel that somehow came out there from the palace? General Li had been the former Emperor’s most trusted officer. Perhaps he knew his way around all of those hidden passages and passed the information along to Shang.

There were teams of Hun soldiers scouring the square and the alleyways, possibly searching for them. They remained hidden inside the temple until the streets began to clear, then made their way out of the city. They walked along the road to their camp quietly, save for the tongue-lashing that Mulan gave Shang for ordering Chien-Po to pick her up and take her out of the palace, without even giving her the choice to walk by herself. Dr. Kong and her three friends walked hurriedly, putting themselves several steps in front of the arguing pair and leaving them alone to bicker.

“I can’t believe that you wanted to stay with him,” Shang muttered, annoyed. “And I knew you did. You wouldn’t have left on your own.”

“You don’t know what I would or wouldn’t have done,” she snapped.

He sighed. “I know that things changed after you were pregnant with his baby.”

Her hand flew up before she could control the impulse and she smacked him in the mouth. She was about to storm away from him but he seized her arm and stopped her. He grasped her shoulder with his other hand as she turned to face him, glaring angrily into his eyes.

“Mulan, I was just worried about you. It wasn’t safe for you there…what if Shan-Yu discovered who you really were…?”

She fell silent, not wanting him to know that he had.

“I’m sorry for the remark I made just before,” he murmured softly. “I seem to have a knack for saying all the wrong things to you.”

“That’s for sure.”

A pained look came into his eyes and she felt a twinge of concern for him. He really wasn’t a bad guy. She cared for him still and even considered him a friend despite their short but dramatic history together.

“My father was killed at the hands of that man,” Shang was saying. “I just…I don’t understand…”

Neither did she, but she couldn’t tell him that.

“Shang, he has his side of the story. I’m truly sorry about your father, really I am…but we were invaders, too. His wife was killed. It doesn’t change the fact that his army destroyed ours, taking your father with him…but…I’m not wrong because I recognize him as a human being.”

His jaw dropped slightly.

“Because of him my father was conscripted to go into the army…and because of that…well, you know everything else. Nothing is black and white,” she added with a sigh and almost burst into laughter as the words came out. It was something that Shan-Yu had said to her. He really had made a deep impression on her.

There was inexplicable sadness in Shang’s eyes and she extricated her arm from his grip and reached up, placing her hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

“Do you remember what you said to us in the mountains? ‘Prepare to fight. If we die, we die with honor.’ You used the word ‘if’. But given our circumstances, a small band of foot soldiers surrounded by an entire army, with only one cannon, it seemed inevitable. And you were prepared for it, because it’s part of war and being a soldier. You were willing to die with honor trying to defend your Emperor. Do you think your father was any different? I’m sure he knew every time he went into battle that this could be the time that he gave his life.”

“Not in the end he didn’t,” Shang muttered cynically. “He was too arrogant.”

“Somewhere inside of him he still knew. And he was willing; it was part of the life of a soldier, an Imperial general. He died honorably, serving his Emperor and trying to protect his country and the people he loved.”

Almost the same words her father had spoken the last night she was at home. A lump began to form in her throat and she swallowed hard, attempting to force it back.

“Mulan…you risked your life for me. Why did you do that…if you wanted to be with him?”

She was almost relieved when he made the stupid remark. It irked her enough that she forgot about her sadness.

“What does one thing have to do with the other? I consider you a friend, Shang, and I care about your well-being.”

“Do you love him, Mulan?”

“No.”

He raised an eyebrow. Did he not believe her? She’d answered quickly, not because she was denying it but because it was the simple truth.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” She heaved a sad sigh. “I don’t even understand why it matters to you.”

His next words were whispered, barely audible as he bowed his head and stared at his feet. “It just does.”

A thick silence descended on them, making her squirm, and she spoke up quickly.

“We should catch up to the others,” she commented as she glanced toward her friends, who were so far ahead now that all she could see were blurry figures in the darkness. They needed to catch up, and she needed to end this uncomfortable conversation that had so strangely and suddenly morphed from an argument into a raw honest conversation that had peaked with a near-confession from him.

He released his grasp on her and they both hurried forward to join their comrades.

A group of men from Dr. Kong’s village were gathered in the forest to the east of Chang’an, a small fire lit in the center of the circle made by their tents. They were all from the village where she’d met Bi and Dr. Kong. Shang quietly indicated that they needed to camp without a fire and snuffed it quickly.

“If a team of soldiers comes looking for us, they’ll be drawn right to the firelight.”

“Maybe we should move off now and head home,” Gao suggested. “If the Hun army is so interested in us, or Mulan, they’ll come after us anyway, but we’ll be easier to track by day than at night.”

“No, we can’t,” Dr. Kong spoke up quickly.

“What? Why not?”

“Well, Mulan should stay here. And I will remain with her. She needs to rest.”

Several pairs of eyes were fixed on her now, looking her up and down, and she felt her face flush. Apparently everyone had heard about her.

“She can rest back in the village,” someone spoke up. “Bi knows her. I’m sure she’d let her stay there.”

“No, I mean she shouldn’t travel so far. Do you realize what she’s been through? Her body needs to recuperate. She cannot go hiking through the mountains to our village and she certainly can’t be bumped around on a horse.”

Shang sighed. “I agree, but I really don’t think we should risk staying here. We need to put distance between us and the city. And I think she would be better off if we got her someplace where she could rest, inside instead of in the middle of a forest.”

“Maybe…if we moved slowly…” Chien-Po suggested hesitantly. “Mulan is the only one here with a horse. The rest of us will be on foot.”

Now a larger group of men was deciding what was best for her, she thought irritably.

“What makes you all think that the Hun army is going to be so interested in me?” Mulan finally demanded, interrupting them.

“If Shan-Yu knows about you…”

“He’s not going to admit it to anyone, certainly not to his subordinates. Besides, I’ll be fine. You don’t need to treat me like an invalid. Khan senses when I’m in pain and he’ll stop if he detects any problem. Or I’ll walk.”

Mushu would look after her as well, but she didn’t mention him to them.

She moved off away from them and sought out the faithful black steed where he grazed near the stream. He looked up and neighed softly, delighted to see his mistress again. She patted his nose and stroked his coat affectionately. The large horse butted her with his head, expressing his gratitude. So glad to be reunited with her he even seemed to be tolerant of Mushu’s presence.

“Shang rode him after he escaped from the palace the first time. That’s how he got back to the Tung Shao Pass to meet the others,” Mushu informed her. “I think he used your stuff, too.”

“Well, I don’t care, I wasn’t using it. Although I don’t really see how comfortable he could have been sleeping in my tiny tent. He’s a little too big.”

“Khan got a little uppity when we first approached him, but I explained that we were trying to help you and he calmed down.”

Glancing at him sideways, she grinned in amusement. She loved Mushu; he had become a true friend that genuinely cared about her well-being. He had changed too, as much as she had. Once a lovable but self-serving creature with his own agenda who tried to use her to accomplish his own goals, Mushu had now become a more serious and responsible guardian who was dedicated to protecting her. But a bit of the old, self-centered and pompous little dragon remained. He was somewhat clumsy still, just as she had been at one time; and he was often the cause of accidents and near-disasters. Of course, sometimes good things came out of his bumbling, such as the bed catching on fire in the palace after he tried to singe Suren. Then there were other times.

She sighed and gave Khan a final pat on the nose.

“We should get back to the others. Don’t want them to think I’m anti-social.”

Dr. Kong frowned at her as she approached, leading Khan along.

“I’ll be fine,” she reassured him.

He shook his head and sighed, doubt and worry painted on his face.

“You’re not fully recovered and I don’t like this,” he answered finally. “It’s foolish. Still, what can I do? You’re a grown woman and can make your own choice. Alright, but I’m going to keep a close eye on you. If you start to bleed again we’re stopping immediately and I won’t let you travel any further.”

Camp was packed up and Mulan prepared to mount Khan as everyone readied themselves to move out. Shang came up to stand beside her and she whirled around to face him.

“Mulan…I…um…let me know if you’re in pain. We’ll stop so you can rest and Dr. Kong can treat you,” he told her softly.

He patted her shoulder, in the same way that he had when they were soldiers and he thought she was Ping. She smiled warmly at him then turned to mount her steed.

“Let me help you,” he offered, giving her a leg up so she wouldn’t have to exert herself as much.

“Thank you, Shang.”

They set off at a slow hike, traveling along the main road, back toward the mountains.

~~~

Finding the room empty he had sent Altan and Qulan to gather the others. Search teams were organized, guards were placed at all entrances to the palace and each entry point into the hidden passageways. Shan-Yu now stood on the balcony overlooking the square, his mood dark, brooding. The exercise was futile and he knew it would be even before his men returned to him with an update. That commander knew his way around those passageways better than he did.

“We didn’t find them, in the passageways or the corridors. A group of men is scouting the square.”

“They’re gone,” he answered, the anger and frustration simmering just beneath the surface.

“It’s possible they’re still in the area.”

“No. I’m sure they’ve left the city.”

“And the girl?”

“Her too. They took her out of here with them.”

The Hun leader turned on his heel and beckoned for his three comrades to follow him inside.

“Let them go. There are more important things to do. Boke’s gone but we must weed out his accomplices. And there is much work to be done. I have plans.”

With a clicking of his tongue he called his falcon to him. Batu, Altan and Qulan accompanied him to his chambers where he discussed his strategic ideas and gave them instructions. Then he withdrew paper, ink and a brush and began to write a message while Suren waited patiently on his shoulder. At least there was one good thing that came out of his family living so close to the border and the Chinese; he’d learned how to read and write, something he’d come to greatly appreciate. Thinking over his words carefully, he composed an appropriate letter to Chakha, the leader of one of the larger and more powerful tribes of the steppe. As was the case with many of the wiser leaders, Chakha had learned the ways of the Chinese as well as their spoken and written language.

After the ink had dried he tied the letter to the bird’s leg and sent him off with it. Then he stood up and began to pace, pondering his next moves. It would take time for his falcon to get to the north, as swift as Suren was, and even longer for Chakha to pass along the message to the other tribe leaders of the area, especially if it was to arrive in the farthest reaches of the northern steppe.

He was the Emperor of China now. And if he could unite the tribes of the north and make them part of his empire it would become a powerful one indeed.

As for the girl…she was unique, there was no denying that. He would miss her passion, the intelligence behind her eyes and every word she spoke, the sensual curiosity that he didn’t find in the more experienced women he lay with. But as Emperor he could have anyone he wanted and he now lived in a palace filled with concubines, the only residents of the palace that had been unable to flee after the assassination of the former Emperor. Councilmen, servants and many of the other residents had run off and escaped, knowing that in the aftermath they would be killed too.

His wife had been a mystic, with a deep involvement in all things spiritual. Clever and intelligent like Mulan, Ibakha spoke with the aura of a sage at times about everything in the universe being connected and having a purpose that they didn’t necessarily comprehend on the level of their small everyday lives. Had she been there with him now she might have remarked that he met Mulan for a reason, and the point of that meeting hadn’t reached its full fruition yet. And he did have an odd feeling that someday he would run into her again by some strange chance.

One day maybe he would find out what the hell she was doing in the Imperial army.

Shan-Yu was still pacing restlessly in deep thought when Batu returned to his chamber a short time later.

“Many of the men that we knew were Boke’s accomplices have been killed, not by us. I’m not sure who succeeded in…”

“I believe it was our guest, the Imperial commander,” Shan-Yu answered with a gruff laugh. “He did us a favor, whether he knew it or not.”

“Yes. Unfortunate that we lost a few of our own close comrades. A heavy blow, especially after losing so many in the mountains.”

“All’s fair in love and war,” he remarked cynically. “Our army was destroyed there…by a child that had been brought up to serve the Emperor and knew nothing more than that. A soldier doing their duty, in the midst of a battle.”

A melancholy sigh escaped from his lips and his master archer and councilman stared at him quizzically.

“Yes,” Batu began hesitantly, reluctant to risk saying the wrong thing to his leader when he was in such a darkly morose and potentially volatile mood. He steered the subject back to strategy. “So far our men have been managing to interact with the local governments peacefully.”

Shan-Yu halted his pacing abruptly and turned to him.

“And we will continue to do so. For a long time I’ve been a man of violence. But you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, as I’ve learned recently. We may have more clout with the use of peace instead of force, especially if we’re shrewd. There have been other non-Chinese and mixed blood leaders before, including the one that we recently dispatched with. Those leaders adopted the ways of the Chinese and infiltrated themselves into the country that way. Much more subtle but very successful. Invade without letting them know they’re being invaded. And that’s the strategy that we’ll use to ensure our stronghold here.”

“What about that girl…”

Shan-Yu cut him off curtly. “She’s gone with the rest of them. That commander wanted to rescue her; and he succeeded. No point in dwelling on the past. There is the future to look to. If all goes as planned, Batu, we will have a very powerful empire. My day is still to come.”

~~~

The journey was long given their snail’s pace, but they plodded on day by day, finally beginning to ascend the mountains after several days of traveling. Shang stayed close by Mulan as the group traveled, deeply concerned about her as he noticed how tired she looked, how her face grew paler with each passing day. Dr. Kong had been right; she’d been through too much. The miscarriage and that tea she drank that had brought it on had taken a heavy toll on her, both physically and psychologically. Often, after they had made camp for the night, he watched her as she wandered off alone. Her three friends commented on it and were worried about her too. On many occasions Shang followed her and encountered her weeping, the little red dragon perched beside her trying to comfort her.

They stopped for the night under a thick clump of trees and made camp. Dr. Kong spread down a blanket and urged her to lie down while he checked her for fever. Shang went to sit beside her while the doctor brewed an odd-smelling tea over the campfire for her. Mushu climbed out of her sleeve and hopped down her leg. Perching himself at the edge of the blanket, he peered at Shang, watching him closely. Probably making sure he didn’t insult his baby.

The captain turned his attention from the little red dragon to the ill young woman.

“Are you comfortable? Is there anything I can get you?”

“No. Thank you.”

“I’ll start keeping an eye out for a village. Dr. Kong is right, you need to stop traveling.”

Annoyance flitted across her features but she said nothing, too weary to argue probably.

“Where is your home, Mulan?”

“My home?”

“Well, yes, you are going to return home, aren’t you?”

“I wasn’t planning on it at this point. Even if I wanted to, I can’t. My family will never accept me back after what I’ve done.”

“Mulan, what you did…it was honorable and noble…I should think that your father would be proud of you, honored to have a filial daughter. And very glad to see you again, alive and well.”

“I don’t share your optimistic opinion,” she muttered dejectedly.

She brought a hand up to her face and angrily rubbed at one eye, then the other.

“What about you? Are you planning to go home?”

He sighed. “I don’t know. There’s no one there anymore. Just servants.”

“Oh.”

“Besides, I don’t like the idea of that man being in power. Even if he is trying to do a good job, I don’t trust him. I won’t act right away. But I plan to gather a group of good men and train them. If Shan-Yu changes his tune and becomes the tyrant that I know he is, I want to be prepared to move against him.”

“Revenge?”

“No.”

“With just a small army?”

“It can be done. I came up with an idea when I was escaping with Dr. Kong.”

“I was wondering about that. We were expecting you to come from somewhere in the Imperial Square. But you came from behind that temple, which is in no way connected to the palace.”

He nodded. “The passageways. They don’t just run within the walls; they go underground too, to other buildings in the area.”

“Did you spend a lot of time in the palace when you were little, that you know so much about the inner passageways?”

“Not that much. But my father did and he told me how to navigate them. I found the way out to that temple by accident. I was leading Dr. Kong down to the lower levels, where the servants were, hoping to find a way out. We found a tunnel and followed it. It led us down to the dungeon and into one of the cells. A prisoner must have dug their way out at one time; we found his route and came out at the temple.”

She stared up at him in astonishment. “And that’s how you’ll plan to get back in?”

“Exactly. But not right away. Dr. Kong suggested that I bide my time. Make my move when the time is right and I have a force prepared.”

“It’s a good idea. But keep in mind that Shan-Yu is shrewd and intelligent. He knows about those passageways and I’m sure he realizes that an enemy could get in and move around. He may already be working on closing them off.”
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Shan-Yu's Victory