#pls excuse my extra af ass because i fucking made graphics

[mulanzhou-blog]

How seven years flew by, Mulan would never know.  She still remembered her first year, coming into the magic world as a muggleborn with no prior experience or knowledge of what it meant to be a witch.  It was in her first year where she discovered her joy of flying and the rush of Quidditch.  Hogwarts had presented so much to her, taught her so much about herself, that it was bittersweet to now leave.

The weeks leading up to graduation filled Mulan with excitement and nerves.  Not only did she have to figure out what she was going to do at the ceremony, she wasn’t sure which path to take toward her future.  Her family still saw little worth in flying and quidditch, but here were two opportunities calling for her because of her skills in the sport.  She knew she’d need to make a decision soon.  But now she was here at the graduation ceremony, waiting to be called up next to complete the final task.

Many people went before her as she reared the end of the student list.  The longer she waited, the more anxious she grew.  Once it was her turn, Mulan felt all the nerves just melt away.  If she learned anything, it was that she will go out confidently and believing in herself.  With her head high and a smile on her face, she moved up toward the stage with her hand gripping her wand.  However, the moment she reached the center, the world seemed to melt away.  Her hands were now balled up in fists.

“I’ve heard a great deal about you, Fa Mulan.”  A regal-looking older man spoke to her.  His face was stoic but expressing a sense of displeasure.  His tone wasn’t exactly a good one.  Mulan cringed, her body tense but she bowed down in apology and shame anyways.  Did she land in some new realm just to be another disappointment?

"You stole your father’s armor, ran away from home, impersonated a soldier, deceived your commanding officer, dishonored the Chinese Army, destroyed my palace, and…”  Yep, indeed Mulan seemed to have landed straight into another scene where all she did was mess things up.  This Fa Mulan, who shared her name, had gotten into a lot of trouble.  But did he just say she impersonated a soldier?  Like… like the way she did for quidditch?  Something wasn’t adding up, but she had no time to calculate everything because every claim the emperor made felt like sharp stabs of shame.  Mulan’s eyes closed shut, bracing for the final blow.

"You have saved us all.”

What?  Her eyes opened slowly and she hesitantly moved up, allowing herself to glance at the emperor.  His face softened and he did the unthinkable; he bowed to her.  Stunned, Mulan’s back straightened and her eyes widened.  This can’t be.  But the moment the emperor had bowed, everyone in the surrounding vicinity did the same.  The emperor’s counselor, the soldiers and general next to her, all lowered their heads and planted themselves onto the ground before her.  Only then did Mulan realize the scope of her environment.  She was surrounded by crowds of people, all of whom were now also bowing towards her.  What had she done to garner such honor?

“I-” she didn’t know what to say.  When they all rose back, the emperor offered her a position on his counsel.  Politely, Mulan declined.  She had no skills in helping royalty or any experience in how to run a country.  The emperor nodded and gifted her with a pendant and a sword, gifts to honor her and her family.  She couldn’t help herself and she hugged the emperor in thanks before turning to leave.  Though she cannot understand what she had done, his validation in her made her heart swell.  But now, where was she supposed to go now?  How was she supposed to get back to graduation?

As she pondered her questions, the most high-ranking-looking officer approached her.  He seemed to want to say something, but his words choked up and all that came out was, “You uh fight good.”

Mulan frowned in confusion.  “Um.  Thanks.”  There was something very familiar about this man but she simply smiled and walked away.  Before she could even comprehend what to do next, the items in her hands melted away and now she was standing in a field.

In her hand now was a hoe.  More confusion filled her.  Where was she?  Was she supposed to farm the land?  She glanced from her hoe to the ground when a sudden shuffling noise caught her attention.  Her head whipped around to find the source of the noise, but she relaxed when she spotted a small child peeking from behind the tall grass.  The young girl, now caught by the very person she had been spying on, rushed over.

“Fa Mulan!  Fa Mulan!  Can you teach me to be a warrior?  Can you teach me to be like you?”

Mulan was taken aback.  Guess she was still stuck in this Fa Mulan’s shoes.  But was she still… a warrior?  But before she could process this turn of events, more young girls came out from the tall grass, all just as eager and excited as the first girl.  “Yes, Mulan!  Please teach us to fight!  Teach us how to be strong and confident like you!  You taught us so much yesterday but we want to learn more!”

This didn’t seem right.  Mulan knew nothing of fighting and her only skills were in flying.  Well she knew how to dance because her mother had forced her into dance classes, but fighting?  “Well, I…”

“Now, now children,” a young man called out with a chuckle.  “Lesson number two can wait tomorrow.”

“It’s the General!” the young girls squealed, most of them now running to greet the new visitor.  They fawned over him, and Mulan could tell why.  He was tall, handsome, confident (though bordering on cocky), and he had a kind smile.  But his face also revealed a history of pain and loss.  Then she realized it was the very same man from earlier, the “you fight good” man.

“Can you all take care of this for me while I speak to Fa xiao jie?” he asked kindly to the young girls.  He handed them his impressive-looking helmet that clearly showed his status as a general.  Once more greeted with squeals, the young girls grabbed the helmet and ran off, fighting on who gets to hold it.  As they ran away, the General chuckled and approached Mulan.

“Something tells me you might not get that back,” Mulan laughed.  Though she didn’t know this man (despite having met him the one time earlier), she felt comfortable around him.  Like a mutual deep trust already existed between them, despite his awkward “you fight good” line.

“That is okay.  It’ll be worth the price to pay just to spend a little alone time with you,” he chuckled.  He wrapped an arm around her and laid a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.  At first, she was a surprised, but the comforting and familiar feeling of this man eased away that tension and she kissed back.  But soon enough, he pulled away, a small smile still curved on his lips.  “The girls love your lessons, by the way.  I hear the village rave about your teaching,” he chuckled.  “I’d expect nothing less from my best lieutenant.”  Mulan raised a brow but didn’t get to ask when he added, “I wish we could stay here a little longer, but the emperor needs us.”

“I- what?  Why does he need me?” Mulan frowned.  From her knowledge so far, this man was the general, not her.  The children did call her a warrior and he referred to her as his lieutenant, but that didn’t mean much.  She had meant to ask the man about that, why the girls were asking her for lessons, but she held back, afraid to ask a silly question that had an obvious answer to everyone but her.  Her mind raced back to the previous moment, when the emperor had said Fa Mulan saved China.

The General chuckled though at her question.  “Why you?  Because you’re Fa Mulan!  Hero of China!  If there’s anyone he needs to save China again, it’s you.”  There was something very sweet and genuine and full of pride in the way this young man spoke of Mulan.  It was a feeling she had never felt directed at her before.  The confusion on her face must have shown because the man’s features softened.  “I know you’ve been through a lot.  You’ve risked a lot.”  He brushed his fingers through Mulan’s hair, a comforting feeling.  “I’m still sorry that I doubted you and I’m sure your family is too.  But you’ve proven us all wrong.  You, the first woman in the Chinese Imperial Army, the one who saved her family and all of China!  You’ve brought immense honor to us all.”

“Wh-” Mulan’s words caught in her throat.  But that was Fa Mulan, not Mulan Zhou.  That sounded like some revolutionary woman, defying standards.  “Th-that can’t… you’re mistaken,” Mulan muttered softly.  “Me?  I’m no hero” she laughed.  Though she recalled the previous moment where the emperor and all the people bowed to her, it wasn’t for her exactly.

The man furrowed his brow.  “You know, you’re usually a little more confident.  Is being the hero so funny?.  What’s really on your mind?”

Mulan though for a moment, unsure of what to say.  So it wasn’t funny that she was some supposed hero of a large ass country.  Whoever’s shoes she landed in, well this Fa Mulan definitely was an impressive woman.  But she couldn’t exactly tell him the truth, that she didn’t belong in this world, that she was a witch about to graduate from Hogwarts, unsure of what to do and who to be.  She had her own worries to dwell on.

“I… I don’t know.  Do I follow listen to my family and live for honor?  Or do I listen to my heart and do what I know is the right path?” she asked, the questions plaguing her even in this new realm.  Her inquiries were vague, but perhaps this man had an answer.

The conversation seemed to turn a bit heavy, but the man was not taken aback; it seems this “Fa Mulan” also shared similar sentiments before.  “The Mulan I know said once that her duty is to her heart.  You have a good heart, Mulan.  You know what is right and you act on that.  All the things you’ve achieved, yes they’re massive, but they’re a by-product of your true heart.  You didn’t join the army to save China; you joined to save your father.  You didn’t save me because you thought I’d reward you, but you did because… well.”  The man stopped and his cheeks appeared slightly pinker and he quickly cleared his throat.  “You are a warrior with a duty to her heart.  I know you will do what is right.”

The words were enough to soothe her and Mulan smiled up at the man with a small nod.  “Thank you,” she whispered as she leaned forward to place another kiss on his lips.  “Now, you said the emperor awaits?” she chuckled.

He nodded and smoothed her hair once more, planting a gentle kiss on her forehead.  “He does, my love.  We best be going.  I’m sure the girls will want you back soon to resume their training.”

“Hey, I just want to teach these girls to be themselves,” she laughed.  The man nodded his head, chuckling.

But before they could head towards what Mulan was sure was the Emperor’s palace, the scene once more melted away from her.  The sudden shift in the air dazed Mulan momentarily as her wand was still tightly gripped in her hand.  She looked around as faces stared back at her, waiting for her to perform her task.  What had happened in that split second where she blacked out, Mulan couldn’t remember, but she remembered feeling that she needed to follow her heart.

With a flourish of her wand, Mulan summoned small branches and transfigured them into seven brooms like the number of players on a quidditch team, enchanting them to fly patterns in the air before they soared out into the crowd and into the hands of whoever caught one.

Perhaps the road ahead was going to be rough, and she had responsibilities pulling her in all directions, but she was going to try her best to listen to her heart and do right by herself.