sideburnedprince:

     The Imperial City. Hans had heard plenty about it during the course of his life, but he’d never been able to put together a picture in his mind of what it might look like. Had he even attempted it, he was certain his vision would not even come close to the sight that stood before him now. The palace was easily unlike anything he’d ever seen before, far larger and grander than anything he could have imagined, at least from a country his native Europe had little real regard for.

     His brothers called this a punishment and he had yet to understand how. Granted, the voyage from the Southern Isles was long, tedious, and dangerous. Stormy waters made him sick on several occasions and they’d had no choice but to linger in the doldrums for nearly a week before the winds picked them up again. Were he honest, he’d say it was probably the most miserable he’d ever been in his life, which was something he would never admit to his brothers, not even upon return. In any case, by the looks of it, things seemed as if they were looking up. He imagined cozy sleeping quarters, feasts, and comforts awaited him by the dozen – or at least he hoped as much.

     But first, he and his men had to tackle the stairs to the palace.

     Halfway up, it already seemed like a terrible idea. Paired with the fatigue from months of sailing, the added exhaustion of climbing up and up left him with limbs and head that ached relentlessly. He’d had a bath and a decent night’s sleep, at least, but full recovery was quite far off and the ascent was making him grumpier the more steps they conquered.

     By the time they reached the top, Hans needed to lean against the pillar to his right to recuperate. One of his men asked if he required assistance; he snapped back that he absolutely did not, thank you, he could easily handle himself. In reality, what he wanted was yet another long, hot bath, some fresh, cold water, and a selection of good food.

     He finally managed to haul himself upright after a time and, standing straight, he feigned elegance despite his exhaustion in order to stride through the front doors with some dignity intact. His chin tilted upward and he wore that innocent, charming smile that often garnered him trust where it was not deserved. A woman nearly passed him on his left and he reached one hand to gain her attention and stop her.

     “Hello there,” he said genially. “I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, if you would be so kind as to alert the Emperor of our arrival.”

     How was he to know that he spoke to China’s great savior, not a royal house maid?

The hero of China swung down from Khan’s back and looked around the stable yard, relieved that nobody had rushed to help her.  Soon enough, she would attract stares: the hem of her tunic might reach to the floor, but the open sides revealed the trousers she wore underneath, both for warmth and mobility.  Add that to her quick stride and cropped hair, and the stares would turn to gazes of recognition.  But in the meantime, Hua Mulan was dressed in muted colors and simple cloth, good for traveling; she smelled of horse; and at least she would not have to navigate the tortuous court alone.  With a quick pat of thanks to Khan before the palace grooms saw to him, she sought out Tian, the soldier she’d traveled with from Sichuan, who’d trained with her under Captain - now General - Li Shang.  

“The more often I return,” commented Tian, “the less imposing the palace compound seems to me.”

Even though Tian lived in a village near Mulan’s and she had seen him around, they’d never spoken much until after the end of the war.  He had been there when Chi Fu had exposed her in front of the remnants of the army, but never commented on it, - that is, not in front of her.  He treated her as he might treat any of his other comrades-at-arms (thought Mulan), and they had a very easy way with one another.  So she smiled and said - well, something polite, but her thoughts were in Sichuan.  

When she had refused an office at court, Mulan had not realized that returning to her family’s farm would only be overshadowed by the continuous arrival of messengers from the Emperor.  For some, raised to military duty, this might have been an expected honor; as for Mulan, she could only feel dismay and pain.  There was no question in her mind that she must serve her country, but Mulan longed for a peace that lasted more than a few months.  Unlike Tian, she could never feel completely at ease in the Imperial palace, and anyways it wasn’t exactly as if they had been summoned to socialize.  Mulan and Tian walked in silence, conferring with each other only to puzzle out the hallways and wings of the massive building.

“Undoubtedly,” mused Tian as they turned into another corridor, “General Li will be present at the council meeting.”

“He is a higher-ranking officer than either of us,” Mulan pointed out, biting the inside of her cheek to hide her annoyance, because Tian was looking at her as if he wanted to say more.  He might have, except that two things happened at the same time instead: One was that Mulan stopped, planted her fists on her hips and declared, “We’d better ask for directions from someone if we don’t want to be late - ”

And the other thing was that somebody grabbed her.  Mulan twisted sharply to stare at him, hair swinging into her eyes, and Tian stepped forward, putting his hand on his sword.  "Don’t you have any idea who you’re speaking to, lǎowài?“ he barked - which made Mulan’s opinion of the older man soar considerably.  "Find a servant to run your errands for you.”

“Tian, it’s all right,” Mulan interjected, wishing she could exchange an eye roll with Mushu.  Soldiers, of all people, should have been the last to be spoiling for a fight where none was needed.  You’d think.  She stepped backward, extracting herself neatly from the other man’s grasp and drawing the attention of both men.  "As a matter of fact, we’re on our way to an audience with the Emperor.  I’ll try to remember to pass your message along,“ she frowned slightly, "but please don’t make me accountable for a stranger.”  She and Tian took another step almost simultaneously, ready to continue their search.