The Concubine's Cannon

Chapter 11: Broken Body

"Your Majesty." She bows to his presence. "No need to be so formal. We are just a man and a woman." An embarrassing heat rushes to her aid. She had heard stories from the other concubines that they hadn't even touched the emperor before, let alone be in a bedroom with him. Why did it have to be her? Why so close to what she was planning? She forces down a gulp finally nodding. They take a seat on the bed. He wouldn't rush into this, right? While it was true she'd never had any real intention to marry or fulfill a true woman's destiny she'd rather be a housewife than have to deal with an old man. "At least he's nice." Was her last thought before squeezing her eyes shut.

"I am an old man," she opens her eyes at the emperor's beginning of a conversation, "I need an heir. You understand this and I appreciate you for that. My mother had always taught me to respect women even younger than myself. I hope you understand this." A smile forms onto her lips, not from the knowledge that she'd soon be losing something so dear to her to an old man but from hearing about his mother. Even when informal he never spoke about his family. She is the only one. "I will be quick." He informs her. He reaches over to her but she pushes herself away. However long she could stall she would.
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"So she's sleeping with him right now?" Shang drinks to his oblivious and stupid question. "Yes," he finally sets down the drink. They had started talking when Mang somehow convinced him that he could stop guarding Mulan. It wasn't as though he wanted to hear the two in the midst of doing the act but he also didn't want to leave her in there with him, even if it was her job and he was the emperor. "And you're okay with that?" An angry growl threatens to release from him. He acts as if he wasn't the one who had pulled him away.

"I have no say in the matter. It is what the emperor wants." He takes another sip of the liquid. It burns as it slides down but he wants to forget so forget he shall. "I asked for your feelings. Not whatever his royal highness wants you to say." The idea ponders persisting, abiding to remain. "I'll ask you again. What do you think about her and the emperor?" It doesn't even take a minute to respond. "Sicking." Mang almost chokes on his drink from this. "Now that's a surprise coming from you." Shang shakes his head, a rumble coming up his stomach. "I'm talking about me."

The man rushes to the nearest waste bin, bucket, anything. He hacks into it, green chunks of liquor settling in the bottom of the mop bucket, mop still in it. "Looks like they'll be two of you throwing up tonight." Mang takes another sip, drawing out another loud puck from the poor General. "I'm getting sick of you," he says dizzily, finally pulling himself together from the sickness. "Yeah, yeah just cough it up." Once again the poor man's cheeks fill up and he has to reach for the bucket. Why did he ever allow Mang to do this to him?

"No wonder you don't have an opinion. You're way too drunk to even care what happens to her!" The short-statured captain struggles to keep his superior on his shoulder. He really had a lightweight on his hands. "Shut up..." The general slurs. "Just saying. I mean, I would be devastated if I were you. Not just for the fact that you won't get to be her first but worried about if she gets hurt, or if she liked it, or if she....." He trails off as his friend begins to somehow get heavier. "Shang? Shang?" He tries to shake the man but he's out cold. "Mulan," he hears the general whisper. "Young love." Mang shakes his head but lets out a sigh for the young love birds. All they could do now is wait.
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She's at the edge of the bed now, all she's met with is the wall as the emperor climbs over. She hides her now revealed body underneath the covers. If she fought him it would surely be her head, same if she denied him. Did he think she was his last hope for a son? But she's so thin. The ideas come in the angry clouds only to wash away like the tearful rain. "I promise to be gentle." She scrunches her eyes closed at his sorrowful assurance. She'd rather be in bed with Shang than have to hear his whispers every five seconds. Her heart sinks, she tries to imagine Shang crawling to her, his breath drawing closer. It's only when his lips are a whisper away when the door knocks. The old man retreats and she's finally able to breathe again.

They get back into their clothes. Mulan opens the door to the jumping servant. He jumps and hums but does not speak. "Chi?" She blinks in surprise to the urgent looking fellow. He usually works in the kitchen or with the alcohol, he's never sent to fetch anybody. "What is it?" She tries to make sense of the alerted boy's language. She fails miserably. "I'm sorry I..." She's interrupted by the call of the emperor. "What is the meaning of this?" His voice is stern and fearful, the exact opposite of how he spoke minutes ago. "I'm sorry. He can not speak, I'm not sure what he..." Again she's interrupted, this time by a paper. "The girls," is all it reads. "If it has to do with them then I really should leave. The tall man snatches the paper from the servant's hands. With a sigh, he nods and complies. "You may go. I have my people and you have yours.

She bows to him and takes her leave. The young boy pulls her along down the halls. Left to right, right to left. It seems like forever till they stop. "Where are they? Can you point?" She looks frantically at him but he only smiles. "Chi. What's going on?" Her expression deepens and Chi reaches into his pocket. He pulls out another note and hands it to her.

Her mouth gaps open at its containment. It was just an excuse. "Thank you." Tears threaten to pour as if she'd let them. She shakes her head and smiles, engulfing the child into a hug. "Thank you so much." She says it one last time. A single tear drops down. She wasn't ready to be a mother.
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"MULAN!" He shouts and finally gets up. He jumps out of bed and runs through the halls. The windows all had the same picture painted in them, the moon. He pants as he reaches her room. He doesn't even think to knock, his nightmares had taken over, all thanks to Mang. The door flies open and the room is dark. Relief floods through him. She's asleep. He walks over to the sleeping beauty. He knows that he shouldn't but he couldn't help himself. While passed out she was all he was thinking about, all he was dreaming about. He squats down to see her face. Uncovering the covers all his worries break through the gates.

It was a pillow. He throws off all of her blankets. What he thought to be her body was just a bunch of pillows.

"Mulan!" He calls for her through the halls. He checks every room, every place, every little corner where she may be hiding but nothing. "She's not here..." His heart pounds in his chest. Had she run away after he left? Had she tried to fight him off and got a sword to the neck?  Was she the pillows that he found, somehow turned into them? All of these questions and more run wild through his mind like horses in a field.

He runs into the training yard, again and again thinking she might be there. She isn't. He returns into the palace to check if she's there. The moon is painted high once he gets in. He notices a figure as he passes by a balcony. Silk robes line the woman's body. She's sitting out on the edge. "What are you doing?" He pants, approaching the maiden. "Mula..." he fails to finish his sentence. A tear glistens in the moonlight but a smile dances on her lips. Her serenity takes him in as he notices a blue silk scarf placed over her shoulder. Why? She could've skalled the pillars in where they practiced earlier but instead, she climbed this one out in the open. How reckless could she be?

He takes his place beside her, a sigh escaping his confines. A smile lines his own lips once he glimpses over the training yard. So that's why. "Hi," she finally speaks, her voice broken yet strong. "Hi." He looks over at her and their eyes meet. Their expressions are soft though their hearts are sharp. With a breath, they become just two people. Two little bunnies in love. One leans in and the other does not dare to break away, even if it does surprise him.

Author: OKAY! OKAY! OKAY! I hope you guys can forgive me for putting her through this and for making you wait so long, but this is my favorite chapter simply because of the ending. I swear next chapter will be better and this situation she has found herself in will be over, but for right now let's just appreciate this scene of serenity.