Re: Fill - Part 3
anonymous
February 12 2012, 17:19:48 UTC
In the days following their betrothal Mulan confessed to him that she felt a little strange about the whole matter, but she never quite seemed unhappy about it and she did at least enjoy Chao’s company. Chao, meanwhile, kept finding new things to like about his bride-to-be every time he saw her: Her hair, her handwriting, the way he’d sometimes catch her finishing up her chores by way of making Little Brother herd chickens or some equally zany scheme… He knew some people whispered about how the matchmaker had put them together almost as a joke, as a petty punishment for Mulan’s behavior at her appointment. He knew some joked around about it, wondering aloud which one of them had it worse. He expected most of the snideness; he wasn’t stupid, he could see this stuff coming. But he didn’t care. He felt like the luckiest man in the village, possibly in China.
Then the Huns invaded. The conscription notices came.
He’d been among the crowd when she’d run out and begged for her father to be spared from the draft. He’d wished he could chase her home afterward to comfort her, but even at his top clip with his two canes he wouldn’t be able to even overtake her limping father; there was just no point in going after her. And besides, he realized, as his own family’s name was called and his brother stepped forward, he had his own worries. He could see her later, tomorrow, perhaps, after his brother left.
Only he couldn’t.
“She’s ill,” Fa Li said firmly, nearly slamming the door in his face. He was quick enough shove the tip of one of his canes in the doorframe, though, and she begrudgingly reopened it. He noticed the woman’s eyes were red and puffy; she was no doubt upset about her husband leaving.
“Please,” he said, “I know this is a bad time-a bad day for all of us, but I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“She’s very ill,” Mulan’s mother repeated stubbornly, and Chao noticed her eyes watering, “You can see her when she gets better.”
“But I only want a momen-” he began to say, but then he heard a sound. It was a quiet, choked off sound, from somewhere within the house, but it was loud enough for Fa Li to hear too; he saw it on her face.
It was sobbing. A man sobbing. Chao knew there shouldn’t be any men left in the Fa household today. From here it didn’t take long for realization to dawn. He wasn’t stupid.
“She’s gone,” he whispered, “Isn’t she?”
“Chao,” Fa Li whispered back fiercely, “You can’t tell anyone-”
“I know, I know,” he murmured back, nodding earnestly. He felt a little faint. In retrospect he realized he almost should have expected something so crazy from Mulan after she’d gotten so upset but at the time he could barely wrap his head around it. He’d distantly muttered something about telling Mulan he wanted to see her if/when she got back and wandered home in a daze.
About a week later his brother came home from training in shame; he’d somehow managed to break his arm, rendering himself unable to complete training and useless.
Even the few days since Mulan’s disappearance had taken their toll on Chao: He slept fitfully, barely ate, and his mind seemed to wander constantly, leaving behind a gaunt, dazed, shadow of a man who looked even more pathetic than he usually did with his one leg and two canes. As Fa Li told anyone who asked that Mulan was terribly ill, he at least had an excuse for pining after her so, but even so he stayed home and avoided people as much as he could, terrified that someone would look into his eyes and see the truth and Mulan would be dead within days.
Re: Fill - Part 4
anonymous
February 12 2012, 17:21:15 UTC
Chao resolved to do his best to act casual as he tried to glean from his brother what the training Mulan would even now be undergoing was like, and started as innocently as he could:
“So how did you break your arm?” They were lying awake at night again, whispering under the noise of their parents grumbling at each other in another room. The family had eaten dinner in sullen silence, barely even acknowledging that a member had been gone for a week, but now that they were alone Chao needed to hear from his brother.
“Trying to climb that damn pole,” his brother grumbled, “That arrow was this close…”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh,” said Chao, “Sorry.”
“Thanks,” said his brother, “And one more thing: I’m not going to be the only one who comes home early, okay? That Shang’s a hardass and a half.”
“Really?” said Chao. For the first time since he’d learned she’d gone he felt some honest hope. If the training was really that bad then surely a woman wouldn’t make it through another few days or so. This Shang fellow could just send Mulan home, never suspecting she was anything more than a bad soldier, it might all be alright…
“Don’t get so excited,” his brother mumbled, “Man, I said I was sorry, and I knew Father wouldn’t get over the shame for a while, but I thought you of all people…”
“Oh, no, it’s not that,” Chao insisted quickly, “I could never be ashamed of you, it’s just…”
“Yeah?” His brother didn’t sound like he believed him. He couldn’t stand the thought of alienating his one truest friend that way, so he told him. He whispered so quietly that occasionally he had to repeat himself, but at least he was sure his parents couldn’t hear. He related his entire visit to the Fa household, and his brother listened, letting out a sigh at the end.
“That’s insane, but I think it’s going to be okay.”
“Really?”
“There’s this guy who’s really behind in training, just bad at everything. Name’s Ping. Looks too young to be there in the first place, pretty weak, kind of prissy. A bunch of us thought he was, well, you know, but now that you’ve told me this…”
“You think it’s her?” Chao sighed, “If only I’d introduced you two before you left...”
“Trust me, if she isn’t Ping, she’s way too convincing a man. And Ping’s coming home soon; I’d bet on it.”
“Really?”
“I promise,” said Chao’s brother.
Chao slept through the night for the first time in days.
Two weeks later, a few more men had been forced to go home in shame, but Mulan remained “ill”.
“I’m sorry…” his brother had whispered to him one night. Chao didn’t respond.
More weeks past in a blur as Chao lost more and more sleep wondering what had become of Mulan. He began to believe her dead as news came in that the Huns were gaining more ground, massacring village after village and defeating the army with no trouble at all. He kept thinking of the last time he saw her, how he’d thought to comfort her but didn’t. He wished he was whole and strong enough to fight, to go kill all the Huns that had taken her away, along with so many of the village’s men.
Re: Fill - The Final Part - Thanks for Reading!
anonymous
February 12 2012, 17:22:39 UTC
China won the war, eventually, and the entire village celebrated, if rather solemnly as most of their conscripted sons and brothers and fathers had yet to return. Some began to think Chao needed to “get over” his betrothed’s alleged illness, to just be thankful that at least she lived, as did his brother and his parents, that he should be happy he didn’t have a soldier to worry over as most families did. He did his best to pretend they were right.
Until the real news came.
The Huns staging a coup right in the Imperial City. The emperor held hostage. The woman who had impersonated a soldier saving the day, practically single-handedly, at that.
Fa Mulan. The Hero of China.
The Fas became celebrities within the village, but most people who didn’t know him forgot all about Chao. His parents asked him if he’d known and for some reason he told them no. Oh well, it wasn’t their business, anyway. The first moment he got alone since hearing the news he wept a little in relief.
“What will it mean for you two?” his brother asked him that night. They didn’t bother to keep their voices all that low this time around, even though their parents weren’t fighting for once. What did it matter if they heard them?
“What will what mean?” Chao murmured. He had already drifted halfway into a peaceful slumber.
“She’s a soldier now, and the Hero of China,” said his brother, “I mean, if she saw the matchmaker now…”
“She won’t,” said Chao, “But I don’t know what it will mean. I don’t care, really, right now.”
“You don’t?”
“It’s enough that she’s alive,” said Chao. That night he got the best sleep he’d ever had.
He didn’t see Mulan when she first got back, but he hadn’t really expected to; of course she’d see her family first. He did, however, see the stranger in the uniform of a general, wandering about town, looking anxious.
“Excuse me,” the general shocked Chao by walking up to him, where he stood in line to buy some rice at a vendor.
“Yes?” said Chao, shuffling about on his canes a little, feeling a little intimidated.
“I’m sorry,” said the general politely, “But do you know where Fa Mulan lives?”
“Mulan?” Chao repeated breathlessly.
“Yes,” said the general, and there was a light behind eyes and a tremble in his voice that told Chao all he needed to know about why the man was asking after her. Leaning on one cane, he wordlessly pointed the other down the road that led to the Fa household, a lump forming in his throat.
“Thank you,” said the general, and he was off like a shot. Chao briefly wished he could run ahead of the other man, beat him there.
Chao went to see Mulan the next day. She was happy to see him, but, he could tell, not as happy as he was to see her. He caught her up on what had gone on in the village while she was away (not a lot) and they made idle chit-chat for a while. He did most of the talking.
Eventually he ran out of breath and piglet anecdotes, and, when she didn’t seem to have anything to add either, he at last had to ask about the general he’d met yesterday.
It turned out that that was “hardass and a half” Shang, and Mulan couldn’t say his name without getting that same light behind her eyes and a tell-tale flush in her cheeks. Chao understood. He wasn’t stupid.
It’s enough that she’s alive, he’d told his brother, and he’d meant it, but he’d hoped to make her happy too. Now he knew how.
“I’m thinking of seeing the matchmaker again,” was the next thing he’d told her, and he thought he detected a small sigh of relief from her in reply. They kept chatting for a while after that. He didn’t remember much of what they talked about, but he loved every word that came out of her mouth.
Re: Fill - The Final Part - Thanks for Reading!contrary_izybelFebruary 12 2012, 21:00:22 UTC
WHY WOULD YOU WRITE THAT!? IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL AND I'M SO SAD AND I WANT CHAO TO LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER AND I'M GOING TO CRY FOREVER!
This is absolutely amazing and the way you wrote Chao was just so...perfect. So likable and noble and the way he felt about Mulan was just beautiful and you're amazing and I'm seriously crying.
Thank you sooooo much for this fantastic fill. Now excuse me while I bawl into my pillow.
Then the Huns invaded. The conscription notices came.
He’d been among the crowd when she’d run out and begged for her father to be spared from the draft. He’d wished he could chase her home afterward to comfort her, but even at his top clip with his two canes he wouldn’t be able to even overtake her limping father; there was just no point in going after her. And besides, he realized, as his own family’s name was called and his brother stepped forward, he had his own worries. He could see her later, tomorrow, perhaps, after his brother left.
Only he couldn’t.
“She’s ill,” Fa Li said firmly, nearly slamming the door in his face. He was quick enough shove the tip of one of his canes in the doorframe, though, and she begrudgingly reopened it. He noticed the woman’s eyes were red and puffy; she was no doubt upset about her husband leaving.
“Please,” he said, “I know this is a bad time-a bad day for all of us, but I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“She’s very ill,” Mulan’s mother repeated stubbornly, and Chao noticed her eyes watering, “You can see her when she gets better.”
“But I only want a momen-” he began to say, but then he heard a sound. It was a quiet, choked off sound, from somewhere within the house, but it was loud enough for Fa Li to hear too; he saw it on her face.
It was sobbing. A man sobbing. Chao knew there shouldn’t be any men left in the Fa household today. From here it didn’t take long for realization to dawn. He wasn’t stupid.
“She’s gone,” he whispered, “Isn’t she?”
“Chao,” Fa Li whispered back fiercely, “You can’t tell anyone-”
“I know, I know,” he murmured back, nodding earnestly. He felt a little faint. In retrospect he realized he almost should have expected something so crazy from Mulan after she’d gotten so upset but at the time he could barely wrap his head around it. He’d distantly muttered something about telling Mulan he wanted to see her if/when she got back and wandered home in a daze.
About a week later his brother came home from training in shame; he’d somehow managed to break his arm, rendering himself unable to complete training and useless.
Even the few days since Mulan’s disappearance had taken their toll on Chao: He slept fitfully, barely ate, and his mind seemed to wander constantly, leaving behind a gaunt, dazed, shadow of a man who looked even more pathetic than he usually did with his one leg and two canes. As Fa Li told anyone who asked that Mulan was terribly ill, he at least had an excuse for pining after her so, but even so he stayed home and avoided people as much as he could, terrified that someone would look into his eyes and see the truth and Mulan would be dead within days.
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“So how did you break your arm?” They were lying awake at night again, whispering under the noise of their parents grumbling at each other in another room. The family had eaten dinner in sullen silence, barely even acknowledging that a member had been gone for a week, but now that they were alone Chao needed to hear from his brother.
“Trying to climb that damn pole,” his brother grumbled, “That arrow was this close…”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Oh,” said Chao, “Sorry.”
“Thanks,” said his brother, “And one more thing: I’m not going to be the only one who comes home early, okay? That Shang’s a hardass and a half.”
“Really?” said Chao. For the first time since he’d learned she’d gone he felt some honest hope. If the training was really that bad then surely a woman wouldn’t make it through another few days or so. This Shang fellow could just send Mulan home, never suspecting she was anything more than a bad soldier, it might all be alright…
“Don’t get so excited,” his brother mumbled, “Man, I said I was sorry, and I knew Father wouldn’t get over the shame for a while, but I thought you of all people…”
“Oh, no, it’s not that,” Chao insisted quickly, “I could never be ashamed of you, it’s just…”
“Yeah?” His brother didn’t sound like he believed him. He couldn’t stand the thought of alienating his one truest friend that way, so he told him. He whispered so quietly that occasionally he had to repeat himself, but at least he was sure his parents couldn’t hear. He related his entire visit to the Fa household, and his brother listened, letting out a sigh at the end.
“That’s insane, but I think it’s going to be okay.”
“Really?”
“There’s this guy who’s really behind in training, just bad at everything. Name’s Ping. Looks too young to be there in the first place, pretty weak, kind of prissy. A bunch of us thought he was, well, you know, but now that you’ve told me this…”
“You think it’s her?” Chao sighed, “If only I’d introduced you two before you left...”
“Trust me, if she isn’t Ping, she’s way too convincing a man. And Ping’s coming home soon; I’d bet on it.”
“Really?”
“I promise,” said Chao’s brother.
Chao slept through the night for the first time in days.
Two weeks later, a few more men had been forced to go home in shame, but Mulan remained “ill”.
“I’m sorry…” his brother had whispered to him one night. Chao didn’t respond.
More weeks past in a blur as Chao lost more and more sleep wondering what had become of Mulan. He began to believe her dead as news came in that the Huns were gaining more ground, massacring village after village and defeating the army with no trouble at all. He kept thinking of the last time he saw her, how he’d thought to comfort her but didn’t. He wished he was whole and strong enough to fight, to go kill all the Huns that had taken her away, along with so many of the village’s men.
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Until the real news came.
The Huns staging a coup right in the Imperial City. The emperor held hostage. The woman who had impersonated a soldier saving the day, practically single-handedly, at that.
Fa Mulan. The Hero of China.
The Fas became celebrities within the village, but most people who didn’t know him forgot all about Chao. His parents asked him if he’d known and for some reason he told them no. Oh well, it wasn’t their business, anyway. The first moment he got alone since hearing the news he wept a little in relief.
“What will it mean for you two?” his brother asked him that night. They didn’t bother to keep their voices all that low this time around, even though their parents weren’t fighting for once. What did it matter if they heard them?
“What will what mean?” Chao murmured. He had already drifted halfway into a peaceful slumber.
“She’s a soldier now, and the Hero of China,” said his brother, “I mean, if she saw the matchmaker now…”
“She won’t,” said Chao, “But I don’t know what it will mean. I don’t care, really, right now.”
“You don’t?”
“It’s enough that she’s alive,” said Chao. That night he got the best sleep he’d ever had.
He didn’t see Mulan when she first got back, but he hadn’t really expected to; of course she’d see her family first. He did, however, see the stranger in the uniform of a general, wandering about town, looking anxious.
“Excuse me,” the general shocked Chao by walking up to him, where he stood in line to buy some rice at a vendor.
“Yes?” said Chao, shuffling about on his canes a little, feeling a little intimidated.
“I’m sorry,” said the general politely, “But do you know where Fa Mulan lives?”
“Mulan?” Chao repeated breathlessly.
“Yes,” said the general, and there was a light behind eyes and a tremble in his voice that told Chao all he needed to know about why the man was asking after her. Leaning on one cane, he wordlessly pointed the other down the road that led to the Fa household, a lump forming in his throat.
“Thank you,” said the general, and he was off like a shot. Chao briefly wished he could run ahead of the other man, beat him there.
Chao went to see Mulan the next day. She was happy to see him, but, he could tell, not as happy as he was to see her. He caught her up on what had gone on in the village while she was away (not a lot) and they made idle chit-chat for a while. He did most of the talking.
Eventually he ran out of breath and piglet anecdotes, and, when she didn’t seem to have anything to add either, he at last had to ask about the general he’d met yesterday.
It turned out that that was “hardass and a half” Shang, and Mulan couldn’t say his name without getting that same light behind her eyes and a tell-tale flush in her cheeks. Chao understood. He wasn’t stupid.
It’s enough that she’s alive, he’d told his brother, and he’d meant it, but he’d hoped to make her happy too. Now he knew how.
“I’m thinking of seeing the matchmaker again,” was the next thing he’d told her, and he thought he detected a small sigh of relief from her in reply. They kept chatting for a while after that. He didn’t remember much of what they talked about, but he loved every word that came out of her mouth.
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This is absolutely amazing and the way you wrote Chao was just so...perfect. So likable and noble and the way he felt about Mulan was just beautiful and you're amazing and I'm seriously crying.
Thank you sooooo much for this fantastic fill. Now excuse me while I bawl into my pillow.
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I demand you give Chao a happy ending.
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As for giving him a happy ending, I suppose if I get any good ideas I might write a brighter epilogue later, but it would probably take a while.
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