Mulan (More Than a Story Book 2)

A Drunk Man's Lament

*A few days later

I tiptoed quietly out of the tent, making sure not to wake up my snoring roommates. A small cricket's chirp stopped me in my tracks. I winced as I turned to the satchel swung over my side. "Shhh" I warned Cri-Kee.

"Your selfish, you know that? Ain't nobody tryna' go anywhere at this time of night!"

Well, ain't nobody said you had to go with me. I'm just going to visit Khan.

"Right, cause we all know how well that went last time."

I can handle myself Mushu-

"Just shushhhhh." He held his finger to his lips. "I have a headache the size of Poe's appetite. I need silence."

I rolled my eyes as I pulled the flap of the tent back. I strolled down the path that led to the horse stables, humming silently to myself. Soon, I could see the large wooden structure come into view. It was about 4 rows of separate compartments that each held a magnificent stallion. My own black beauty was kept in the very middle. He whinnied when he saw me approaching him, and I reached out to touch his nose. Smoothing down his hair, I held him close to me, rubbing my cheek against him. I closed my eyes and imagined I was back on my own farm.

But suddenly, I heard a strange noise coming from another direction. I looked all around me, trying to find where it was coming from.

"What is that?"

I don't know. Ima check the next row.

I peeked around the corner and saw a slumped over Shang, sitting on the wire fence that gated the stables and reading a stack of papers. He held a bottle of some sort of alcohol in one of his hands, which he brought to his swollen lips slowly. He took a big swig, and some of it drizzled out the side of his mouth. He sniffed again, wiping his nose.

"Mulan, you better not!"

Even from here, I could see the tears running down his face. His eyes were probably puffy and red. He was clearly under the influence.

"Your not supposed to be out here! And he's probably drunk out of his mind, who knows what he could do!"

He threw the papers to the ground and finally His head dropped down to his hands. I saw his body shaking violently as he wept. All I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him. To comfort him.

"Don't even think about it!"

Too late.

I awkwardly shuffled into the middle of the isle and, of course, nosily knock over a bucket of water. Shang was so startled by the sound that he fell off the fence with a loud crash. Out of instinct I formed a large O with my lips and stopped in my tracks. He glared at me from the ground and stumbled to his feet. "What are you doing here? It's way past c-curfew!"

He stumbled forward but I caught him before he could fall flat on his face. Slowly, I sat him down on the ground. "I couldn't sleep well, my apologies sir." I dared myself to look him in the eyes for once. He looked so broken and vulnerable, which was very unsettling to me. I was always used to looking up at him when I talked.

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, attempting to dry away his tears. "I should kill you with my bare hands. No one should ever live to tell there comrades that they saw there own General... crying."