Here Beside Me

The Attack

Everyone's heads were down as they made their way up the mountain, whether on horseback or by foot. Mushu popped his head out of the bag, yawning. "Isn't it a great day?" He kept smiling despite Y/n's frown and low head. Stopping at a crossroads, she glanced over at Mu, meeting eyes with him. They lingered for a minute until he looked away. Head held up high, she kept her horse moving to the right with the guards while Mu went to the left with the princesses.

"Guys, come on!" Shang turned to the left. "Mu, hold up!"

-

"I see pretty boy isn't talkin' to you. And you're not talkin' to pretty boy."

Y/n looked back at Mushu, eyes filled with tears.

"Well, you know you can always talk to me." [I'd rather eat shit and die.]

She looked away again. Taken aback, Mushu reasoned with himself, "Huh. Just wait 'till after realizes what I've done for her. Will turn that frown upside-down!"

Cri-Kee poked his own head out and chirped loudly at him, making Mushu's smile drop.

"Snapdragon?! Just for that, I'm not talking to you." He crossed his arms and turned away from Cri-Kee.

-

"Can't you just talk to her?" Shang asked, riding next to Mu.

"No."

"No," he repeated with a frustrated sigh. "You two fight side-by-side in the army, save China together...heck, you were ready to risk your life when you thought I was going to kill her! Now you can't even be bothered to talk to her?"

"That was before," he said monotonously, eyes still on the road.

"Before what? Before you had a disagreement?"

"It's more than that..." He stopped the horse for a minute, contemplating if he was really ready for anyone else to know about this. With a sigh, he began. "I never felt like I belonged in my own village. I was expected to 'be a man' or whatever. I was a klutz, never able to do anything right. When drafting came, I didn't just go because I was the youngest man...I thought that I could prove to myself and everyone else that I could be like any other guy. And when I met Y/n..."

The princesses looked up as they heard him talk. Su his her face in Ting-Ting's shoulder while Mei squeezed her panda, looking downward.

"...I don't know, I thought that...I thought that I had met someone who understood what it was like to follow your own heart..."

"But Mu, this is different. This isn't just risking dishonor for one family. This is China. And I...I feel awful that they can't marry whoever they want, but if it's then or all of us, I would choose to marry them off again." He looked back at the princesses and said awkwardly, "Uh, no offense, of course..."

They glanced up at him, understanding, but still not liking it. Finally, Ting-Ting spoke to. "We're so sorry for what we did, Fa Mu."

"You inspired us to follow our hearts," Mei said quietly. "And we repay you by ruining your relationship..."

"No," he said quickly. "You just opened my eyes to how broken it was. I'm indebted to you, Mei."

She reached over and gave his hand a squeeze, smiling up at him.

"Wait, you're not mad at me, then?" Shang asked as they started up again.

He shook his head. "You're my friend, not my fiancé. And you trust me."

"With my life, Captain," he agreed with a nod.

As they came out the other end, Shang warned everyone, "Keep a sharp eye. This is bandit country."