Viper (Mulan x Cinderella Retelling)

Chapter 1

Even so, I didn't mind all that much. From what I had seen from my cousins, I wouldn't have been cut out to be a self-respecting young lady anyways. They were always primping, worrying about marriage prospects, and fussing over their appearances and reputations while I could sulk alone in the woods if I wanted to. Hunting was relaxing and rewarding, and when I had a chance to spar with the boys my age, it was exciting. It was more fun than hiding behind fans whenever boys came around and mastering the art of flirting, whatever that might be.

"Oh, it's Kailun!" A group of boys were clustered around a market stall selling pork buns. One of them was waving at me, his eyes bright and welcoming, and I recognized him as the baker's son, with his toothy grin and dimpled cheeks. From what I had seen, he was a skilled hunter, his aim in archery far better than mine. I had been in the same hunting group as him on occasion.

I waved hesitantly but still continued on. Aunt Tiaolin didn't like me with the other boys, and I also just preferred to be alone. I really didn't have anything in common with them anyways--we were fundamentally different.

It was only midday, but people were already crowded around the marketplace. Vendors selling food dotted the grounds like ants, and the atmosphere was bursting with loud conversation mixed into folds of cooking aromas. All around me, people were bargaining, chatting, and shouting, and I maneuvered between them with ease, as if I was back in the forest again, weaving between trees. Navigating in an area so crowded would've been painfully difficult, so I wandered to wherever had enough space for me to squeeze through.

I found myself in the temple, my feet carrying me through the arched doorway. A pair of girls around my age were already knelt at a shrine, their heads bowed to expose the white napes of their necks, and as I circumambulated around, not knowing what to do, I heard them whisper in hushed, but excited tones. They smelt of burning incense, and I realized that they were making an offering.

"Do you think it'll work?" whispered one of them, her voice growing in volume with bubbling excitement.

"For one of us." The other gave her a smirk. "At the ceremony, the prince will see me and make me his wife. You can be the concubine."

"Not fair!" The first nudged her friend. "You know what, he'll marry me. You can get a husband too. Have you noticed the boy that just walked in?"

At this point, I had just passed the girls. They both looked over their shoulders at me, and I managed a friendly smile before looking away, feeling uncomfortable by the rapt attention I had been given. When they thought I was out of earshot, they giggled.

"See? He looks nice," said the first girl.

The second scoffed. "He looks so fragile," she retorted. "I want a real man, not a boy."

At that point, I really was out of earshot, and I didn't really feel like listening more anyways. A comment like that shouldn't have hurt me, seeing that I wasn't even a male, but it stung to know that I was forever condemned to pretending I was just a below-average boy. Everyone would always think that I was a weak little sissy, and even though it was untrue, it seemed unfair that it would be thought of me for the rest of my life.

My feet had unknowingly taken me to the shrine the girls had been burning incense at. It still smelt of something burning, and there were still a few flecks of ash on the floor. Here, they'd made an offering to have a chance with the prince during a celebration at the palace, like thousands of others throughout the country had probably done.

"Kailun--there you are!" called a fluttering voice from the doorway.

I turned around to see Lihui in the doorway of the temple. From the edge of her silk sleeve, I saw the butts of a bundle of incense sticks, but as soon as she saw me looking, they completely disappeared up her sleeve. She walked towards me with a sharpened gait, her face smiling hard, though I knew she was hiding something underneath that mask.

"What are you doing at the temple?" she cooed, her fingers latching around my elbow as she moved to drag me out of the building. Her eyes swept across the floor, seeing the incense burner next to my feet. "Why, Kailun! You're not making any offerings, are you?"

"N-No," I stuttered, completely caught off guard. How could she think that of me?

"Oh, baobei, you must have heard about the celebration, then?" her voice took on a sickly sweet tone, like honey that would entrap flies. "You don't have to worry about getting the prince to like you, KaiKai."

"I wasn't..."

"You won't have to worry," she continued, plowing on without me, "because you're not going. I'll ask Mother to give you chores to do during the celebration, okay? No need to think about the prince, then."

"Really, Jiejie, I wasn't making any offerings," I stammered, taken aback by her sudden conviction. "I promise."

Lihui laughed lightly, a pretty noise that tinkled like temple bells, but her bony fingers tightened around my arm. I felt something like at my skin from her sleeve. She led me out of the temple quickly, her long legs scaling the distance between where I had stood and the door.

"Just wait until I tell Mother that you wanted to marry the prince!" she giggled. "What a ridiculous idea, Kailun! You're a boy, after all."