Mulan, the female warrior

I'll protect you

Mulan scrambled to her feet and ran to join the others. Her dismissal no longer mattered, they were in danger. She had to help. Shang glanced at her, opened his mouth to speak, but decided to hold his tongue. He needed to ignore her and stay focused on giving orders. 

"Aim the cannon at Shan yu," Shang said. As instructed, Yao placed the cannon in position ready to fire. They were outnumbered, and everyone knew it. Think. Think. There has to be a way. Mulan felt the pressure mount as the Huns drew closer. She glanced down at the sword she was holding with trembling hands. Then, something in the reflection caught her eye. It was risky, but she had to try. Mulan bolted forward, pushed Yao away and grabbed the cannon.

She aimed the cannon directly at the mountain and did her best to ignore Shan yu, who was charging at her.

As the cannon fired, Shan yu got close, raised his sword and slashed Mulan across the chest. She was so consumed with adreneline, she hardly noticed in the moment. Avalanche! It was time to run. It was a tense few minutes but with the help of Khan, Mulan saved herself and Shang. 

Breathless, Mulan and Shang stared at each other as though they were in a trance. They were at a loss for words. Both soldiers took a moment to process the situation. It had all happened so fast. Was it over?

"Mulan. You are the craziest woman I've ever met, and for that, I owe you my life."

Mulan? Ling, Yao and Chien po looked at each other in visible confusion. Did Shang mix his words up? They didn't get chance to ask. Suddenly, Mulan gripped the wound tightly. Her face tightened in pain. It hurt worse than anything she'd ever experienced before. Red fluid gushed through her uniform. She fought hard to keep her eyes open until she couldn't.

"Oh no, he's bleeding out!" A soldier yelled.
"Someone get help!"

Two soldiers ran to get assistance while the others flocked to Mulan's side. Shang felt as though his world was collapsing around him. He was overwhelmed with sadness and fear.

The soldiers return with a medic. Mulan was carefully carried into a tent for treatment. Shang paced back and forth outside. It was Mulan's courageous act that saved his life and everyone else's. His heart pounded. He felt sick. The vivid memory of blood pouring out and her body turning limp replayed in his mind. It took all his strength to stop himself from bursting into the tent to check on her. He needed to see her alive, but the medical soldier needed space to treat her. If she was fighting for survival, he'd only get in the way. Regardless, he was too worried to stay put. Shang was consumed by an overwhelming desire to be at her bedside. After several more minutes, the medic walked towards him. 

"Is Ping still with us?" Shang asked, desperately.
"Yes, but captain there's something you should know."
Shang didn't let him finish. "Excuse me, I need to see her!" He exclaimed. He ran to Mulan who was lying eyes closed.

"Ping?" Shang said, suddenly conscious of how close the other soldiers were. "Ping," he repeated. "Mulan," he whispered.

In that moment, Shang recalled his previous words. Mulan, you are the craziest woman I've ever met.
I need to see her. 
He buried his head in his hands and kicked himself for his mistakes. He'd accidently revealed her secret not once, but twice. The situation was so tense that in the moment, her façade hadn't even crossed his mind. He worried about the other soldiers and how he would explain things to them. Would they still see her as a hero? Then, he worried about Mulan. He'd need to break the news to her. Eventually, she began waking up.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" Shang asked.

"I'm, um. I'm okay," she muttered, slightly disorientated.

He wanted to ask what she could remember, apologise for dismissing her before, and gush about how incredible she was, but guilt pushed firmly against Shang's lips. There was an elephant in the room that he needed to address.

"I'm so sorry!" he blurted out. "They know, but it's okay. I promise I'll protect you. I won't let anything bad happen, you have my word."

Mulan let out a small gasp. She felt her heart in her throat. It was bad enough that Shang knew. She dreaded the reaction from her friends, or potentially, former friends.

"Please, say something," Shang urged.

"I don't want to ever leave this tent."