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A brief moment in time	By : Fanatical Category: +M through R > Mulan (Disney) > Mulan (Disney) Views: 23245 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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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Chapter 3:

Fa Li waited anxiously in front of the Matron’s house. Today was the day that Mulan would greet the matchmaker and be selected for approval to find a suitable husband. She remembered the year that she met her husband. She had been very nervous but managed to pass the scrutinizing eye of the dreaded Matchmaker. She had more power in the village then the local magistrate. Dreams were dashed with the stroke of her check list. It all came down to whom she picked for you. The legend was, that she was working with the blessings of the spirits. They selected the right man for the woman. She was merely an intermediary. The woman selected by the higher powers to ready the girls for this auspicious and Holy moment.

Fa Li frowned. Spirituality be damned! The woman had a fickle temper and abused her position. Her moods arranged the matches not the Spirit world. But Fa Li realized that sometimes the spirits could control their arranger. She understood this when she was paired with the General from the great wars. She had been fearful of marrying a man of the military. They had a mind set that was always in combat. They never got rid of it. Gentle and compassionate was not in their vocabulary. They ran their homes like their camps. Everything had to have a schedule. Everybody from the servants up to their wives had to have their place and assigned duties. And when they weren’t organizing everything, they were off in the towns drinking. Then, they would receive a call to arms and eagerly go off. Leaving many a wife behind with additional burdens and
wishing the war spirits would call them home. She had heard enough gossip in the village to know what to expect. And Fa Zhou had been a General. And a famous one at that.

But when she met him, he was nothing like what she expected. He had retired from service. And meant it! He had built a nice home for her. He ran the household with a gentle discipline. He had treated her as if she were a human being, not just another one of the servants. And unlike other war veterans, he seemed content to be at home. When he wasn’t fixing something. He was gardening and tending to the livestock. Working on a farm seemed natural to him. He seemed at peace whenever he was in the fields. Whether directing the hired hands or laboring alongside of them.

When he had touched her on their wedding night. It had been pleasant, gentle. It was as if he were touching her to honor her, not merely to satisfy himself. But what amazed Fa Li even more was the birth of Mulan. She knew of the custom of female births. It was something done but not spoken of. She knew that females were not valued. Many were given to passing caravans if they were lucky or sold into bondage. Or worse! But Fa Zhou was horrified when a passing neighbor made an offering to take care of the problem for them. Fa Zhou would not hear of it. He had to be restrained from killing the man. The only time, Fa Li ever saw him in his war mode.

He doted on Mulan. Stranger still, he had made sure she had an education. And that she did her chores when she was older. He loved Mulan as much as he loved her. Fa Li sighed. He had been heaven sent.

So that was why it was not good to make the Matchmaker angry by being late! A commotion had garnered her attention. Her eyes raised in horror as she watched her mother walk, eyes closed, holding a cage, into the middle of the street. She raised an outstretched hand in terror as the road was filled with speeding horse drawn carts. Her grandmother disappeared beneath the busy throng. The air was filled with the sound of horses screeching. The sound of splintering wood and the anguish of startled drivers.

Fa Li opened her eyes anxiously. She waited until the smoke cleared. Her mother was standing unscathed, slightly dusty in the middle of the street, amidst a pile of twisted wood, roaming horses and furious men. She was holding a cage up for Fa Li to see. “This one’s lucky!” She exclaimed. Fa Li rolled her eyes. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she glimpsed the small shadow of something moving in the cage, actually keel over.

The galloping of hoofbeats brought a large black horse through the rubble. Mulan reigned hard on the horse and dismounted with a flair that was very unlady like. She bowed to her mother in a self-congratulating manner. Her mother angrily plucked the feather out of her hair. Mulan looked confused as she was dragged into the Preparation Building.

Fa Zhou eagerly looked up from the small family temple as Fa Li returned. He did not see Mulan with her. He looked up at his wife with a questioning look. She shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. Fa Li sighed. He knew before his wife spoke. “She is coming later. Things had gone so terrible that she ran off before I could comfort her. Mother went to get her.”

How could this happen to me?! What did I do so wrong to anger the spirits. I have always been a good girl? I love my family. I help them around the house. Why oh Why did it fall apart? It was that stupid’s cricket fault. I had tried to get it out of the cup before the Matchmaker drank it. And then everything went down hill from there!. I tried to put out the fire with my fan. I made it worse! The ink on my arms got smeared on her face. I am such a jinx!

Mulan stopped thinking about it. She had never been so humiliated in all her life. Not only did she end up causing burns to the fat lady’s butt, but she was insulted in public. She said she was a disgrace and that she would never bring her family honor! Her mother tried to comfort her but she wouldn’t allow it. She took off down the street.

The market was busy today. Several of the shop owners looked up at her. A few of them gave her gentle smiles. But Mulan turned away. She was sure those people were laughing at her. “We’ve caught one!” A triumphant shout filled the narrow market. “A Hun! We’ve got one!”
Someone exclaimed. A slender young man, dressed in a plain tunic and trouser, came running down the street. “Say, what’s with all the noise young man?” An elderly man bent over a cane inquired.

“We’ve caught a Hun. The one from that massacre several months ago! You should see him. He’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen!” Mulan jolted to a stop. Her eyes were wide with alarm. Could it be? No! It can’t be! Quickly she followed the throng of eager people spilling into the market center to see what the boy had been talking about.

Mulan stopped short as the crowd reached the top of the market. The cross street was lined with armed soldiers. They had formed a circular position around a large horse drawn cart. The cart was a large wagon composed of heavy oak. It had a bird sized window on one side and was pulled by two draft horses. There was a soldier standing on top of the roof. Several villagers had been pulled from the crowd and escorted to the back of the cart.

Mulan remembered them. They had survived that horrible slaughter of their homes. One of the guards opened the door. Mulan squeezed through the throng and made her way to the small knot of people formed around the cage, unnoticed. They weren’t paying much attention to her anyway. Who would want to look at a too-skinny-not-good-for-bearing-sons-girl?

She peeked between the people gathered around. Amidst the gasps of astonishments, she saw him. The man who had saved her life. Shan Yu. He appeared tired, bruised and bloodied. He had been tightly secured with chains. “That’s him!” A woman cried out angrily. “Yes! Its him! I remember him. You foul beast! You raped my daughter! You murdered my father when he tried to protect her!” Mulan was horrified. No! Shan Yu wouldn’t do that! No! He is not like the other Huns! “Hang him!” Another chimed in. Shan Yu lifted his head up. Exhausted, his eyes still held their strength. He looked calmly at the assembled group with a fierce gaze.

“I would not even touch your daughter madam.” He began in perfect Chinese. “If she’s anything like you.” The woman’s eyes widened in outrage. “I need not force myself on any woman. I simply wait and they come to me.” He added wickedly after seeing the appalled look on her face. “Why you barbarian scum! How dare you speak to me like that!” “I believe I already have.” He answered turning his head away. “The insolence!” Another cried out picking up a stone. Mulan reached for the hand holding the stone. “Alright! That’s enough! He’ll be tried in our Majesty’s court. You will all be expected to attend and present your claim.” The soldier said closing the door and locking it. “Now, back to your homes. You will be contacted as to the date of the trial. Leave your name and location with the Scribe.”

Shan Yu sat quietly as the cart started off. He had know idea what that woman was raving about. Was that the same massacre that Mulan had mentioned? She should be grateful that she lived. His people were a thorough lot. Once they decided to destroy something, nothing remained.

He had been returning to his village after seeing Mulan off. About two days into the trip, he had been ambushed. Shan Yu was a capable fighter, but he had been no match for seasoned troops. But he hadn’t made it easy for them either. In the end, they through some type of powder in his face which knocked him out. When he woke up. He found himself bound and locked in this cage.

He had tried to free himself but his fastenings were too secure. Then he attempted to kick at the wood. When that didn’t work, he tried ramming himself against the sides. But they didn’t even give under the force of his heavy weight. Helpless, frustrated and angry, he remained quiet.

Those men were not simple soldiers. They had been dressed to blend in with their surroundings. Their weapons had not been Imperial issued. Some of them had been foreign. He even caught a Hun weapon or two. They were versed in his native tongue as well as their own. But what really worried Shan Yu was the close proximity they had been to his village. Were they looking for it? That meant they must of known about it! That stupid girl! I should never of helped her! I should have.....Shan Yu stopped.

Emotions, cloud the mind. His teacher once said. There was no way she could have said anything, Those men were already in the valley. But how did they know where to look? Was there a traitor in the village then? It couldn’t be a Hun. He would have no where else to go. One of the Chinese settlers? Possibly, they were refugees fleeing from the Palace because the Patriarch did not agree that the Huns should be destroyed in the name of Chinese expansion. So that would eliminate them as suspects as well. Perhaps someone in that family that had been disgruntled. Not everyone agreed with a father’s decision just because he made it. Or maybe they didn’t know about the secret village at all and finding Shan Yu had been lucky. Shan Yu shook off the conflicting thoughts. To dwell on the situation would only serve to further cloud him.

He knew how the trial would go. He would be read his charges, ask how he pleaded. They would allow him an opportunity to say something in his defense. They would be polite and listen. And then they would pronounce sentence. It would not matter if he told him that he was not the one. That they had the wrong man. They could care less. He was a Hun and that was all there was to it.

Shan Yu had to find a way out of here. No way, where they using him for a scapegoat. Besides, his people were in danger. Whatever the reason was for those soldiers being in the woods, they were very close to locating the secret village. His people were in danger. He had to get free.

Mulan poked at her food when she finally returned home that night. She was quiet at the dinner table. Fa Zhou looked worriedly at his daughter. She seemed lost in thought. “Is anything wrong daughter?” He asked. Mulan looked up at him. “Uh, what? Oh nothing.” “Why don’t we clear off the table. I think we’re finished.” Fa Li said quietly removing the dishes. Her grandmother took the cue and helped her clear off the table.

Fa Zhou waited. His daughter had something to say. “Father.” She began slowly. “If you knew someone was innocent of something. What would you do?” An odd question. But then, his daughter was noted for it. “Why, I would stand up for this person.” Mulan continued to twirl her rice. “Even if it would bring shame to the family’s honor?” Fa Zhou looked sharply at his daughter. He did not like where this conversation was going. “Mulan?”

“Do you remember when I was lost? You asked me where I had stayed and I told you that I had found a cave?” Something told Fa Zhou his daughter had lied to him. “Well, I had been attacked on the road. And this man saved me. A Hun.” She said nothing more. Fa Zhou’s eyes opened in shock. “Why didn’t you tell me this?!! A Hun in these parts is a serious problem! The Military has to be alerted. If there is one, there are more!” Mulan tilted her body back in shock. She had never heard her father speak so viciously.

“It’s that man they captured, isn’t it?” She nodded her head. A knot of disappointment tour through her. She had promised Shan Yu she wouldn’t say anything. “Those filthy savages! I know what they do to women! I have seen them at their worst. I spent my youth in war dealing with them! What did he do to you? Did he touch you?” Mulan was looking at her father as if he was a demon! His face was twisted in fear and rage. “He didn’t do anything to me father. He gave me a blanket to sleep on. He fed me. And kept me safe. He then let me go.”

Fa Zhou was quiet. But his face was contorted in anger. “He probably wants something from you. That’s why he released you?” Mulan was appalled. Shan Yu was not that kind of man. It didn’t seem like his character. “Father, you don’t know him. He’s not like his people. There is no way he could have committed that massacre!” Mulan challenged. “And why is that daughter?” Her father asked imperiously. He was dangerously focused now. Mulan opened her mouth to speak but remembered that to answer would be to reveal that a village of Huns and Chinese were living within the wall.

“I don’t know father. But he saved my life. That should count for something!” “Mulan!” He began authoritatively. “Under no circumstances are you to go to that court tomorrow. You will say nothing about this to anyone! They are Huns! They are not to be trusted! They are savage and brutal. Life means nothing to them! They have no honor!!” Fa Zhou seemed spent now. He took a deep breath. “Perhaps he did save your life. I thank the spirits then. In return, maybe he’ll be granted a swift death in honor of his act” “But....” “One act does not define a man’s character! Who knows why he did it! But he is a Hun, he will always be one!” Mulan choked back the tears.

“Go to your room, Mulan. We will speak no more of it.” Mulan ran from the room drenched in tears, guilt and sorrow.
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A brief moment in time