Love or Law

The Soldier from the Mountains

Shang watched in awe as the love of his life walked confidently straight into battle. The simple dress she was wearing did nothing to hide the gentle sway of her hips as she approached the men, making his mouth go dry with the simple elegance of her movements. He had always wondered what she would look like dressed properly as a woman and the answer was breathtaking. The feel of her lips against his, her fingers raking through his hair and her firm, lush body pressed into his still lingered with him, making it very difficult to concentrate on the task ahead. All he wanted to do was scoop her up and carry her back to his home to wed immediately. There was, of course, the pesky little problem of asking for her family's permission but...

With a low groan he slapped his hand into his forehead. What the heck was he thinking? They were in the middle of a battle, for heaven's sake, with the Emperor's life on the line, no less! This was absolutely the worst time to be having these thoughts!

Sudden, violent commotion dragged Shang's attention back to the here and now. His men were on the attack, having taken the Huns by surprise. He watched as Mulan performed a perfect kick, block, punch and tackle sequence to disarm the archer and use his bow against him; all done with the easy grace won by long, hard hours of mindless practice. He was sure the men were doing a fantastic job as well but Shang couldn't pull his gaze away from the woman who seemed to have stolen his breath, thoughts, heart and very soul from him.

As if sensing his eyes on her, Mulan glanced back.

"Shang, go!" She ordered sharply. Her tone was what finally brought him completely back to reality. The guards were defeated and he had his mission. Determined to fulfill his part, Shang charged forward and slammed the heavy doors open, not even pausing for breath before racing up the last set of stairs.

"No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it." He heard the Emperor saying calmly as he reached the top of the stairs and the entrance to the balcony.

He saw as Shan Yu pulled his sword back from the Emperor's throat only to start the swing of what was sure to be a death blow, saying, "Then you will kneel...IN PIECES!"

Shang didn't have time to think through a strategy. As soon as he saw the start of that strike he threw himself between Shan Yu and the Emperor. He blocked the blow with his own sword and managed to kick Shan Yu's thick wrist hard enough to make the man lose his grip on the sword.

With another well aimed kick straight to the face, Shang sent Shan Yu stumbling backward to slam into a pillar. Wanting to end the fight there and then, Shang quickly swung his sword in an overhand blow, not even bothering to get to his feet. But his movements were sloppy and off balance. Shan Yu took advantage of the fact. Catching Shang's wrist he used his incredible upper body strength to pull Shang forward and straight off the balcony; using the momentum of Shang's weight to rise to his feet in the same instant.

Shang reacted on pure instinct. Reaching out and catching a hold on the pillar with both hands, he pulled every muscle tight and allowed his forward momentum to swing his entire body completely around the pillar. His feet came around first and slammed once more into Shan Yu's raging face, shoving the man to the ground. Shang lunged forward and pinned Shan Yu to the ground with the weight of his body. Following up the blow with a solid punch, feeling the satisfaction of his knuckles meeting bone, before a giant hand wrapped around his throat. His vision spun as Shan Yu rolled and switched their positions.

Struggling to breathe against the pressure as Shan Yu tried to crush his windpipe, Shang brought his arm back and then forward with all the force he could muster. Slamming the edge of his hand into the man's elbow, forcing it to bend and breaking his hold on Shang's throat. Then Shang shot the palm of his other hand into Shan Yu's chin. It wasn't enough to knock him out but it dazed him enough to allow Shang to force him onto his stomach and lock one of his arms behind his back, effectively pinning him.

"Chien-Po, get the Emperor!" Shang vaguely heard Mulan order. He felt relief rush through his body. She was safe. The Emperor was safe, and they had the enemy subdued for the moment. The day was definitely starting to look up. Po swept the Emperor over to the edge of the balcony where Mulan stood waiting with a scarf wrapped around a rope strung with lanterns. Shang watched in fascination from the corner of his eye as Po took hold of the scarf, climbed over the railing and let himself drop off the balcony with the Emperor in tow.

"NO!" Shan Yu roared as he saw his hostage escape his grasp. The man surged up with a suddenness that took Shang off guard. He got an arm free and shoved his elbow directly into Shang's face, knocking him off balance and leaving him in a daze. Before he could regroup, Shan Yu was on his feet and grabbing Shang by the head. Shang was unable to do anything to stop the inevitable head butt that caused blackness to edge his vision. He clung to consciousness as he vaguely felt Shan Yu take hold of him once more, and then he was flying, flying through the darkness that threatened to overtake him. Something solid slammed into him, knocking the breath out of him and forcing him to lose all sense of everything.

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Mulan had been about to follow her friends down the line, trusting that Shang had the situation under control. But she couldn't stop herself from taking one last glance back out of pure concern. Flinching when she saw Shan Yu slam his head into Shang's and nearly crying out when Shang was bodily thrown.

"Come on!" Yao shouted from below, but Mulan couldn't tear her eyes away from Shang's crumpled form. Then she became aware of Shan Yu's predatory eyes fixed on her and the Emperor's escape route. She was the only one standing between him and victory. As he advanced, picking up speed as he came, Mulan lunged forward and took hold of the first sword her hand met. With one solid swing she cut through the rope. Shan Yu's sword biting deep into the wood of the pillar. Hoping it would be enough of a distraction to enable her to make a quick escape with her Captain, Mulan ran to Shang.

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Shang came to, to the feeling of gentle hands on his back and the angry roar of a monster. The two were so at odds with each other he instantly forced himself up from where he lay. Mulan. Mulan was kneeling next to him, concern written all over her face. He was going to try and tell her he was alright but then the sound of heavy footsteps and the threatening growl of, "You!" had him turning to face Shan Yu as he approached, jagged sword in hand.

Instinctively, Shang held a protective arm in front of Mulan, urging her back and away from the danger. He knew it was a desperate situation, but he was determined to keep her safe. He withdrew his last weapon, his dagger, only to have it swatted from his hand before he could even register Shan Yu's motion. Another blow, this time from the fist wrapped around his sword hilt, slammed into Shang's face, leaving him completely helpless. Shan Yu caught a fistful of Shang's ceremonial cape and hauled him up until they were eye to eye.

"You took away my victory!" Shang could only glare at the man as he drew his sword back until the razor sharp tip rested against Shang's throat, chilling him. At least he would die fighting, trying to kill the man who murdered his father. Surely his ancestors would see that Shang left the living with his honor intact, although the thought of leaving his mother alone in the world was a painful one. His only regret was not getting to see what his life could have turned out to be like with Mulan by his side. His mother would have loved her.

"NO!" Something flew out of nowhere and smacked Shan Yu in the side of the head, bringing his movements to a halt. Shang couldn't believe his eyes. Had that really been a shoe or was he hallucinating now? He turned his head slightly to see who had caught Shan Yu's attention in such an unorthodox way.

Mulan. Of course it was Mulan, the stubborn woman!

"I did." As she spoke she pulled her hair back and up away from her face and glared defiantly at Shan Yu who stared at her in pure shock as he finally made the connection.

"The soldier from the mountains."

With those words, Shan Yu allowed Shang to fall out of his grip, his attention now fully focused on Mulan. Shang managed to catch himself before his head hit the ground but could only watch in horror as Mulan quickly shoved her shoe back onto her foot and took off running back into the depths of the palace, Shan Yu in hot pursuit. It was at that moment that he remembered the words of the dragon.

"My Girl Is Destined To Save Your Life! And Not Just YOUR Life! My Girl Is Destined To Save All Of CHINA! She CAN And WILL Do It, But Only If She Has YOUR Help!"