Phoenix In The Mist

Chapter 2: Honour To Us All

Flashes of a knife plunging into a lady's belly. Blood as red and as fresh as spilt rose hip tea staining the floor. Silently, I screamed, but there was nothing I could do.

~

"Mulan, wake up!"

Nai Nai 's** voice roused me from my slumber.

"Get up, get up! It's a big, big, big day!" Nai Nai yanked the covers off me.

"Nai Nai!" I complained.

"Quick, get your chores done, and bring your father's medicinal tea to him. Don't let him drink the ji-ou** before then!"

"Yes, Nai Nai. Whatever you say, Nai Nai."

Nai Nai's hands shot to her hips. "Now look here, Mulan. Don't you give me that snark. I've been looking after you ever since that horrible Fa Li made a mess of things."

There was an awkward pause. No way a mention of Ah Yi*** Fa Li would have been comfortable. Eleven years ago, my nanny Ah Yi Fa Li had tried to kill me for a Gift she had deemed dangerous. I had only survived because my Phoenix stepped in to protect me. I couldn't remember it all, I was just so young then.

"Besides, if you keep that attitude up, you'll never pass the Matchmaker's test," Nai Nai continued stiltedly.

I groaned. The Matchmaker's test was held once a month, as a way to find the girls turning of age in that month a suitable husband. To pass that test with flying colours was to bring honour to the sixteen year old girl's family.

"Now, get dressed and finish your chores! Do it as fast as possible; we have much to prepare for."

~

Baba**** was praying at our family shrine when I found him.

"Morning, Baba," I said, carefully navigating past the small statue of our family Guardian, a dragon, with my tray.

"Ah, Mulan. I was just praying to the Ancestors."

"What about, Baba?"

"That they'll grant you success in the Matchmaker's test, of course."

I grimaced. "Baba, there isn't any guarantee that if I marry, my spouse won't discover the true extent of my Gift," I pointed out.

"Then do well, so that we can get to choose your husband. Remember all your training."

"Isn't it safer not to marry?" I questioned. "Or to at least put it off, until we know that the guy is worth trusting?"

Baba pursed his lips. "Now, Mulan. You look here. We've been over this. The longer we wait, the more you'll stand out. People will start to wonder, and you'll get even more unwanted attention. The last thing you need is to be labeled. Besides, there is only one way a girl can bring her family great honour, and that is by marrying. You will not besmirch our family honour, and that is final."

I sighed. I didn't like it, but Baba was right. I will always have to hide part of myself to fit in if I was to be kept safe. It was also the best thing for my family's honour. Whenever it came to family honour, Baba was adamant about doing everything to uplift the family name. As the last scion of the Hua Family, I understood, but that didn't mean I had to like it.

"Yes, Baba," I murmured.

At my acquiescence, Baba's expression lightened. That was one thing I loved about Baba, that he was slow to anger, except in cases concerning family honour, and he was quick to cool once the other party realised their mistake.