Honor to us all (or not)

Chapter 1: Loyalty

Hello everyone!

Here the first chapter of this new story for the prompt given by Dr-Cokebottles and with the cover created by the talented lindaisfangirling !

This chapter answer to an another prompts series (with the prompt "loyalty") written by Dr-Cokebottles JVH624 Meggyhashope rainingmeteors Daphnecs8

(I hope I don't forget anyone!)

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Loyalty

Since she was young, Shancai was a Disney Mulan lover. She admired Fa Mulan as well, the legendary, the real one, but her ending was way too dramatic for such an optimistic girl. She preferred watching Mulan continuously, Mushu and her cricket fighting against the Huns with the handsome general Li Shang.

Quickly Mulan wasn't only her favorite movie anymore but a real way of life. A problem at school? Someone was threatening her or was bullying Xiaoyou? She stretched her muscles and declared: "Let's get down to business – to defeat the Huns! Did they send me daughters when I asked for sons?" before attacking her opponents, kicking them in their faces.

A few years after, when puberty came with various feelings, complexes, loneliness, and uneasiness, Mulan was still here. If she had a heartache – bloody Jiang Chen! – A taste to not belong here or a simple argument with her parents, she confined in her room, watched herself in a mirror with her face covered with tears and she began to boisterously sing: "Look at me, I will never pass for a perfect bride or a perfect daughter. Can it be I'm not meant to play this part? Now I see that if I were truly to be myself, I would break my fam' ly's heart."

Until her parents banged on the door, yelling: "That's our ears which are breaking, now!!!" and Shancai sighed telling herself that she would never be understood.

She managed to lure Qinghe in her fantasy and, in the school playground and even later, she played Mulan, and he was his faithful and loyal Mushu, following her everywhere. If, in the beginning, he was disappointed he didn't play general Shang's role to win more easily Shancai's heart; eventually, he was satisfied to be her protective dragon.

After all, if he were always on her side, one day she would realize how much she cared for him, wouldn't she? He decided to emphasize loyalty above all, standing silently by her side, hoping that one day, she would like him differently.

That's why, when students asked to Qinghe to host the drama club of Mingde faculty, his choice was naturally to create Mulan The Musical.

At last, he would have the opportunity to bring Shancai in the spotlight, to show her his tremendous dedication and admiration, to prove her his eternal love with that play created in Shancai's honor. He would show her, once again, his unbounded loyalty.

But there was one thing he didn't plan.

Shancai firmly refused to play the leading role and even refused to play any role in the play. "That's not a big deal, Qinghe!" She told him with a comforting smile. "I'll gladly come and see that show! I'm delighted you had that idea! But I've no talent to play."

Unfortunately, for Qinghe, that was impossible. Only one person could play Mulan, and that was Shancai! Putting aside his pride, he even approached the handsome and mysterious Huaze Lei.