Love or Law

The Flower that Blooms in Adversity

Mulan found herself fighting a blush seeing the intensity in Shang's eyes as he gently helped her to her feet.

"Mulan....I..."

"MULAN!"

Mulan couldn't help but giggle slightly seeing the annoyance and frustration written across her Captain's face at the interruption. Po, Ling and Yao came running up to them.

"How did you...?"

"Where did you...?"

"Are you...?"

"That was a deliberate attempt on my life!" A familiar, high-pitched, nasally voice shouted above them all. The group of five turned to see Chi-fu stomping down the stairs towards them, clipboard firmly attached to his arm and his pretentious hat smoldering from a close encounter with a stray firework.

"Where is she? Now she's done it. What a mess!"

Mulan didn't know what to do. Yes, Chi-fu was annoying but he also represented the Emperor, which gave him full power over her life. Gentle hands guided her further away from the enraged man as Shang stepped forward to confront him. Then her view was blocked as her three friends moved in front of her, instinctively creating a protective barrier.

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"Stand aside! That creature's not worth protecting!" Chi-fu yelled, making sure he had everyone's attention during his moment of righteous anger. But Shang was not about to let Chi-fu undermine Mulan and take her away from him again.

"She's a hero!"

Chi-fu snorted disdainfully at Shang's claim.

"She's a woman!" He explained as if Shang were the dense one, "She'll never be worth anything...!"

And that was when Shang finally reached the last of his patience with the stuck up, self centered prat. Making sure he had the rat's full and undivided attention Shang grabbed him by the collar of his ridiculously expensive robes.

Listen, you pompous...!!!"

"That. Is. Enough."

At the commanding tone Shang immediately released his hold, allowing Chi-fu to stumble away, and turned to give his ruler his full attention.

"Your Majesty, I can explain..."

The Emperor, who stood as tall and firm as the mountain he aspired to be despite his age, held up one hand and Shang immediately ceased to speak. He knew an unspoken order when he saw one and recognized another as the Emperor lowered his hand with a sideways sweeping motion. Bowing his head in acquiesce and respect, Shang moved to his left. At his movement, Po, Ling and Yao followed suit.

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Mulan heard Shang say, "Your Majesty, I can explain..." Only to cut himself short and she panicked. The Emperor was there, just beyond her friends and she was a woman. A woman who had infiltrated his army. She tried to think of something, anything she could do to make this situation better and her hands landed on her hair. The hair she had cut short and which was now most certainly a disaster. She frantically began finger combing it in an attempt to make a slightly better impression. Then her friends were bowing and moving to either side, revealing her to the Emperor for the very first time. The man was imposing and certainly carried himself with all the honor and dignity a royal was expected to portray, and he did not look pleased.

Remembering herself and the few manners her mother had managed to drill into her head. Mulan took a tiny step forward, folded her hands in front of her and bowed until she was bent in half. Now she could no longer see the Emperor's stern disapproval through the curtain of her relatively straight hair.