Mulan: The Untold Story

Chapter Three

The next morning, Mulan, her grandmother, and her mother, went into town to get her evaluated by the High Countess, otherwise known as the matchmaker. All of the towns girls were to be treated by the Countess to see if they would qualify for husbands. Mulan, of course, did not want to go. She wanted to stay in her room all day and not talk to anyone.

As they reached the Countess's area*, Mulan was amazed by all of the girls she had seen that were dressed up in fancy clothes and heavy makeup. They were all as white as snow and had streaks of heavy color on their faces. She was also dressed in the same elaborate attire. She wore heavy make up like them and had on a very pretty dress. Most of the girls were clustered together and giggling lightly about things they were talking about. She was curious to know what was so funny, and she was also curios about their lives. Had they practiced as hard as she had in order pass this evaluation? Did they have strict mothers and fiery fathers like she did

All of the girls who were to be evaluated stood in a line in front of the Countess's office. They folded their hands in front of them and stood patiently, ignoring the blazing heat from the hot sun. They all seemed calm and mature, and confident that they would pass the evaluation. But Mulan, however, was nervous. She did not know what the Countess would think of her tomboyish ways and strong mind.

"You, girl," said the Countess. She pointed to Mulan. "Come here, now." Mulan ran to the Countess with vivacity, kicking dirt into other girl's faces and dirt climbed up her dress. When she reached the Countess, she stood at perfect attention. The Countess took a firm grip of Mulan's shoulder and she smiled a toothless grin into Mulan's face. Mulan shrank from the putrid smell of the Countess's breath.

"You see young girls," said the Countess. At that moment, she had firmly gripped both of Mulan's shoulders and stood behind her. "This," she gestures towards Mulan's face. "Is the prime example of what I don't want you to look like." Suddenly, the girls in line burst with laughter, their nervous worries vanishing from them like a rock does in a river.

Mulan stood agape with embarrassment. Tears welled in her eyes. She glared harshly at the Countess. The fire started from inside her belly. Then it coursed through her veins. At one moment, the good spirit in her begged her to stop, and be strong, but she could not wait. She balled up her fists, and with the anger that had welled inside her mother earlier, punched the Countess square in the gut.

The Countess's intense shriek prompted the girls to stop laughing. The sight of the Countess being doubled over in pain shocked them. Some girls glared at Mulan. Others whispered to their friends about the commotion, already starting a ridiculous rumor to spread to their friends when they got home.

The Countess wailed dreadfully, and clutched her abdomen in absolute horror.

"You..." she said with red eyes to Mulan. Before finishing her sentence, the Countess dropped like a fly into the dirt, with her mouth agape and life drained from her face. Panic touched each one of the girls, and sent most of them into frenzy.

"You've killed the Countess!" one of them yelled at Mulan.

"No... No I didn't! I didn't hit her that hard!" Mulan retorted. But the girl did not listen. She, along with the girls had screamed with fear and ran around in circle, gawking at the Countess. Some girls fainted, others screamed or cried. Tan dirt flew as girls ran. Some of it was kicked into the eyes and mouths of girls. This caused even more frenzy as girls struggled to say what they wanted or see each other. Mulan, however, stood frozen with fear. Have I really killed the Countess? She thought.

At the precise ending of that thought a horrible cracking sound echoed through the air. All the girls stopped running in place, and some other fainted when they saw the origin of the cracking sound. For where the sound originated was from the Countess's husband, aptly named Count Gore.