Love in War

Love in War - Chapter 14: Confidentiality

Morning arrived hours after their encounter, and Mulan awoke wondering if perhaps it had all been a strange dream. She immediately slid her hand underneath her mattress and found the red envelope the princess had given to her.

It was real; Mei had been here.

Knowing that the pocket's mere presence would create a nightmare for every party involved, she put it in the pile on her vanity. It would be dealt with... eventually.

Mulan dressed and made her way downstairs only to find the house was vacant. Where her parents and grandmother usually sat to enjoy their morning tea was empty. This wasn't far from the time her father would typically visit their ancestral shrine, but it was rare for all three of them to be out at once. Nevertheless, she went outside to check.

As she made her way through the property down the path, she was struck by the odd amount of commotion that filled the air. At an early hour, it was usually serene and quiet with the soft ambiance of birds and the occasional barking dog. Right now, however, soft murmurs of crowds could be heard alongside the steady beat of horse steps against the dirt paths. Mulan's attention was drawn toward the sound, which led her to the entrance of their estate.

Their home's gates were open, and Mulan's mother and grandmother stood inside them, staring out. Mulan approached them timidly, lightly resting her hand on her grandma's shoulder, who gripped it softly in response. Peeking her head out the gate, a band of Imperial Guards on horseback caught her eye. There were at least 10 of them in direct view, and they had amassed a crowd around them. Her father had just wrapped up conversation with one of the men before returning to them.

"It would seem that Princess Mei has run away from the palace," he informed his family urgently.

"Mei?" Fa Li started worriedly, as if running the name through a list of records in her mind, "Why, Mulan! Isn't that one of the princesses you had escorted to Qui Gong?!"

"Uh... yeah it was," Mulan answered, not knowing what else to say. She couldn't lie; at least not about that!

"Oh how awful!" her mother continued, "What could've led the poor girl to do such an awful thing?"

"She probably got fed up is what," Grandma Fa announced, "happens to the best of us."

"You're not concerned?" Mulan asked in shock.

"Oh she'll come back," her grandmother dismissed. "You know how many times I dreamed about runnin' away when I was your age? You got it from me, ya know!" she said with a lighthearted smile as she patted Mulan on the arm, "I'm goin' inside. Never one for royal gossip."

Mulan and her parents stared at her as she walked back inside before facing each other.

"Well as long as we have no information to help with the investigation, we are of no use to the guards," Fa Zhou told the two of them, "it is best we leave them to do their jobs."

He placed a hand on Fa Li's shoulder and the couple started back to the house as well. Mulan was about to join them when two animated figures caught her eye. Upon getting a more intent look, she recognized them as Chien-Po and Ling, who were urgently waving at her to come to them.