So we finally arrive to the pass. However shall this scene play out? I guess all I, as the author, can do is let the story decide.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Mulan, guys. Why must we do this all the time?

Here the Chapter Starts

Leaving the village and heading into the Tung-Shao Pass was a silent and mournful journey. The image of what they could end up becoming, what they have to stand against, burned into their minds and refused to leave. No jokes or talk of women could raise the spirits of the troop that couldn't help but wonder one thing.

If a well-trained army like the general's could be defeated, what chance do they have?

Mulan was already shifting through things she learned during her time among the Huns. There are a few men in the troop she would like to keep alive. If anything, she would prefer to keep the entire group alive, but Shan-Yu may not be so merciful if pushed. If he is, his men may not.

She knows he had to go through a lot in order to gain his rank as a warlord. He had to do much just to get the men he needed for this war. She just hopes he is still the same man he was before she was taken away. That he is still the same person she remembers and fell in love with.

A sudden explosion made her duck down while looking up, eyes wide in shock upon seeing the head of a cannon flying towards the sky before exploding. Brows scrunched up in annoyance, she glared towards the stunned dragon that pointed to the cricket beside him, trying to redirect the blame. It didn't work. After all, a little cricket can't do anything to ignite a cannon. A fire-breathing dragon seems the more likely suspect.

"What happened?!" Shang demanded, having rode his horse to her.

Mulan didn't know what to say. Blaming a dragon seemed like a foolish thing to do, despite it being true. No one here knows Mushu is with her.

"You just gave away our position!" the captain raged, pointing towards the mountains. "Now we're-"

What they were was not said because of an arrow striking Shang's shoulder hard enough to knock him off his white stallion. From behind boulders along the mountainside, Hun warriors rose, a wave of arrows flying from their bows and heading straight for the troops.

The artillery unit, Mulan realized. Meant to force them to a more open area with little cover. Mainly for the bulk of the army to trample under hooves.

Shang yanked the arrow from his shoulder before ordering, "Get out of range!"

"Come on, Khan!" Mulan urged, pulling her stallion along behind her as arrows flew around them. Then came the arrows that were on fire, several striking the easiest target, the cart of cannons.

As the men unloaded as much as they could from the cart, Mulan used her sword to cut the bindings to free Khan before it could blow and take him with it. She tried to mount him, but the explosion was still too close and she flew off his back. Mushu and Cri-Kee landed in the snow by her, the dragon shakily getting up and noticing what she had done.

"Oh sure, save the horse," he grouched, falling back into the snow before she grabbed him and tucked him into her armor. Cri-Kee jumped on the snow after her, clinging to her pant leg as soon as he could. "You are one tough bug…"

Cannons fired off towards the mountain in rapid succession, even with Shang giving the order to fire. But this was just the artillery unit, Mulan reminded herself. This isn't even a fourth of what Shan-Yu must have brought. All they are doing is wasting cannons, which is probably what he is waiting for.

"Hold the last cannon!" the captain ordered before Yao could strike his flint to light it.

At the crest of the pass was a single man on horseback. Even in the distance, his massive bulk was intimidating. Slowly, as war cries echoed through the air, the line of his army came into view.

"Yeah, that wasn't enough men," Mulan sarcastically scoffed, rolling her eyes. But the amount of men he has with him can easily slice through this small group of soldiers. In fact, only the first to reach them would get a chance to bloody their blades. The reveal wasn't much more than an intimidation factor, or a challenge.

"Prepare yourself, men," Shang ordered the troops. "If we die today, we die with honor."

Knowing they didn't stand a chance, the soldiers still drew their blades. Fear was evident on their faces, a few even trembling. Mulan, however, held her blade across her chest and allowed the sunlight to bounce off the metal, flashing it towards the Huns.

In front of the massive army, Shan-Yu read the blinking light coming from the soldiers down below. They drew their blades, so really, he should charge his men down the pass and cut through them. There are so few, some may grouch over having killed no Imperial. But what he saw just the other day through his falcon's eyes peeked his interest.

"A talk?" Batu mocked from beside him. "I didn't think Imperials would lower themselves to speak to barbarians like us."

"Imperials wouldn't," he agreed before grinning. "But that is no Imperial." Looking to his elite men, he gave out his orders. "Husun and Jungsai, you two take half the men and flank from the east. Ulagchi and Nogai, take the rest and flank from the west. Circle this group of 'soldiers' and we shall see what they want to speak about. Batu, you're with me."

Shang watched as the Hun army split, following along the side of the mountains they were between and charging towards them. "They're flanking!" he announced. This would divide the attention of his soldiers instead of a forward charge. Though Shan-Yu still stood out, he could probably still have Yao use the last cannon to kill the warlord.

"They're not going to attack," Mulan informed loudly.

"Of course they are!" the captain argued.

"No, they're not! They're flanking to keep us in one spot so that a talk can happen," she corrected, glaring towards him to silently dare for the captain to argue with her. "When my sister was kidnapped by the Huns as a child, she learned a few tricks. The army split in half, meaning they are going to encircle us. The leader and his second will come straight to us for talks."

It was actually common when Hun tribes fought if one side was smaller than the other and preferred a way to keep the tribes alive with little bloodshed. The two leaders would discuss how to best settle their matter, usually by allowing their strongest to fight. To the victor, the spoils.

"You're sure about that?" Ling asked hesitantly, wide eyes watching the army as it gave them a wide berth before curving around them.

"I'm sure," Mulan reassured gently. "Yao, do not light that cannon. I sent the signal for the talk."

"How did you know to do that?" Shang asked with suspicion.

The army managed to create a few lines for the warriors to stop, none getting down from their horses as the rest settled into place. The only opening was wide enough for Shan-Yu and his archer commander to come towards the group, the gap closing behind them.

"Hope you know what you're doing, baby girl," Mushu stated lowly, slipping under her armor.

Shang got into a fighting stance, his sword in front of him as he prepared for the larger man to attack without warning. The other soldiers didn't know which way to face, knowing they are completely surrounded and outnumbered.

Mulan watched as Mide was silently ordered to stop and Shan-Yu dismounted, golden eyes scanning over the small band of soldiers before landing on Khan. The horse nickered, lowering his snout to rest on Mulan's shoulder, her response being to pat his nose with a small nod to the warlord. Hayabusa landed on his human's shoulder, letting out a shriek that echoed through the still air.

Batu hummed from his mount, letting the horse slowly walk around the small band of Han soldiers. "Is this all that the Emperor has left to throw at us?" he mocked.

"Not much," Shan-Yu added on. "Especially in the face of my men." He looked towards the defensive Shang with a feral smirk. "If anything, I'd say there is only one seasoned warrior in this little parade."

"Why I-!" Yao growled, but grudgingly went quiet when Mulan smacked the back of his head.

"Though I do have to admit," Shan-Yu redirected, looking to Mulan. "You look odd dressed as a Han soldier. Need a new change of clothes?"

"I would love that, but not around these guys," Mulan replied without altering her voice, removing her helmet then undoing her bun.

Most of the men gaped in shock, Shang speechless as he came to the realization that his most resilient soldier is actually female.

"Han are touchy about women in their army," Mulan explained as she led Khan over to the larger man. Her stallion nuzzled against Mide's neck, which was returned alongside a tug of his mane.

"Always did say they're idiots," Batu snorted, grabbing a bundle of clothing and tossing it to Mulan. "You can change into that when we set camp."

"Thanks," she accepted, removing the plating of her armor until she was in just the clothing. As she removed the heavier armor, she could feel the dragon scramble to slip under the back of her shirt. "You look like shit, by the way."

"And you look like a Han," Batu scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "Figures, since you've been held here for the past few years."

"Couldn't escape by myself," Mulan shot back.

Shang suddenly remembered how to speak, growling towards the young woman and not noticing that his men were already restrained during their brief moment of shock. "You! You dishonor my whole army and you're a traitor! I should kill you!"

"Try it," Shan-Yu chuckled warningly, flashing his unusually sharp teeth in a feral grin. "Your blade won't have time to fall to her neck before your body hits the ground."

"Besides, you can't really call this an army," Mulan told the captain with a scoff and roll of her eyes. "Honestly, your 'army' is a bunch of men that had to get conscripted into the military in order to fight off all this." She waved her hand over the Hun army that was around them. "Face it, Captain Li. This isn't an army. This is a sacrifice. This is lambs to the slaughter. You cannot expect these men that have never seen true battle before to even try and fight all these warriors who live and breathe battle."

"That's my girl," Mushu chuckled from her collar, realizing she was doing two things. One, she was making Shang and the military command look like idiots that didn't care for the people it claims to protect. And two, she was trying her best to convince the men to stand down without outright saying it.

"You claim it is for honor," Mulan continued on. "If we die today, we die with honor? You Han and your damn honor, Li Shang! Your honor does nothing more than get you killed! Why the hell do you think I'm even here in the first place?! Other than for you, Shan," she added quickly, looking to the large man that was watching in amusement. "Just what does honor do for you when you're dead? It doesn't bring you women or food or money! You're dead! If anything, your name lives on for a few years then is forgotten. Hell, if you die today, the only name to be remembered would be Captain Li Shang! To everyone else, this army is a bunch of faceless men not worth remembering."

"We have no reason to listen to a woman's babbling!" Shang snapped at her. One of the soldiers came up behind him, quickly disarming the captain then wrapping an arm around the man's throat then using his other hand to press one of Shang's arms against his back.

"He's annoying," Jungsai muttered to his brother, who nodded in agreement.

"Keep in mind that honor got your father killed, boy," another said as he walked through the throng of warriors. Mulan smiled when she saw the aged archer, though doesn't recall him having so many scars. "To the Han, there is honor in killing the Huns. To the Han, there is honor is slaughtering women and children and elderly. Your honor drove your people to attack our tribes unprovoked when all we do is struggle to survive. Your honor drove your father to slice my wife's throat." He sneered down at the stunned Shang, scoffing in distaste. "Take a good look at this boy trying to fill his father's shoes, Batu. He is so eager to be a slayer of women, like his honorable father, that he threatens Shan-Yu's bride-to-be simply for being a woman."

"Shan-Yu's what?" Yao said quickly, eyes wide as he exchanged looks with and Chien-Po and Ling.

"Mulan is going to marry Shan-Yu?" Chien-Po asked lowly, confused by the idea.

"I feel like we got ourselves into a weird situation," Ling commented.

"Liar!" Shang shouted, glaring at Chuluun with clenched teeth. "My father would not kill a woman without reason!"

"My mother was a Hun, that was reason enough," Batu bitterly pointed out, notching an arrow before aiming towards Shang. "Should I remove this weed before it plants its seed and taints the ground more?"

"No," Shan-Yu denied, scratching at his chin with a smirk on his lips.

"Shan, what are you planning?" Mulan inquired, crossing her arms.

"Well, I think instead of killing them with the idea they are dying with honor, we do something the Han simply cannot stand," he suggested as he mounted Mide. Catching on quick, Mulan jumped up onto Khan's back, gripping his reins tightly as she moved to Shan-Yu's other side. "Restrain them. We could always use more slaves."

Here is a line!

"The Imperial City is two days of forced march away," Batu informed. "Four if we want to take our time."

"Best we do this as quickly as possible," Shan-Yu decided. "I promised the other chieftains the head of the emperor. We're close now. No need to draw it out any further."

"Thought you would want to slow down a bit now that Mulan is back," Husun commented.

He shook his head. "No. That gives the Emperor time to conscript more idiots for us to slaughter. Eventually, he'll run out, which would make it easier for us." He looked over his shoulder when Hayabusa chirped curiously, spotting the young woman approaching him. She looked quite comfortable in the leather and pelts now adorning her body. And damn if it wasn't a tease for him, seeing the way the clothing clung to her body.

"A few of the women managed to find something in my size," Mulan explained. "Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes, Batu, but they were too loose."

"At least we do have some small women with us," Ulagchi said as Mulan sat beside Shan-Yu.

"Shan-Yu, stop burning holes in her head!" Batu taunted with a grin, swiftly dodging the large hand that threatened to shove him into the cold snow.

"So, what's the plan?" Mulan asked, leaning against the larger man and looked up at him curiously.

"We can reach the Imperial City in a couple days if we push the men to move their asses," Jungsai replied.

"Shan-Yu told the other chieftains he will kill the emperor if they loan him their men," Nogai added, gauging her reaction.

Mulan shrugged uncaringly. "Sounds fair. What about after?"

"We open the borders," Shan-Yu replied. "We let the other tribes into the providence. There will be distrust, but it is time we try to establish stable trade. Gives us new land to grow crops or livestock. Perhaps we can even stop being nomads."

"It's definitely a thought," Mulan agreed with a nod, stifling a giggle when she felt Mushu's claws scratching at her side. "Excuse me, guys. Now that I have something to wear, I'm going to check on Khan and make sure he's fitting in with the other horses fine."

"Considering your horse is infatuated with Mide, I think he's fine," Batu chuckled as Mulan hopped to her feet and started to walk off. Looking to Shan-Yu, he smirked as black-gold eyes followed the sway of hips while the woman walked. "You're staring again."

"I can stare," the warlord defended.

Mulan snorted and shook her head in amusement, having heard the comment. Honestly, she didn't think she developed much like the other women her age. She felt small and petite, especially compared to the Hun women that tagged along for this war. But knowing that she was drawing his stares made her want to put a skip in her step. She really had to hold back on the urge though.

Mushu slipped out of the hood, going over one shoulder to curl around her neck in order for him to look over her other shoulder. "Alright, I guess the stories add on more 'grr' than they should," the dragon commented. "But baby girl, are you sure about the whole 'death to the emperor' thing?"

"It would not end well if he lives," Mulan told him, using a finger to scratch between his shoulders. He shivered and let out a low moan. "If he pulls back now that he has me, it only shows weakness to the other tribe chieftains. As well as the fact that he doesn't keep to his word. Besides, everything would be better when the emperor is dead."

"Why is that?" the dragon inquired curiously.

"Things have always been rough between Han and Hun," she explained. "But with this emperor, things are just getting worse. The wall was built to separate, but the Hun tribes saw it as a way of slowly killing them off. More patrols found more tribes and killed whatever tribe they came across. Some were even peaceful tribes."

Mushu sighed and shook his head. "You know, I'm glad you got your Hunny Bun back. Really, I am. But… I don't know. I'm kind of confused right now on how things are going. I thought if you got to him before he got to the city, you could talk him out of it. We go home with him. You settle down and have your own little family with the guy you love. This really isn't going like I thought it would."

"Nothing ever really does," Mulan pointed out, her eyes drifting to the area where the small army was tied up. Out of all of them, Shang was the one to try and struggle against his bindings. The others realized a while ago that they were not getting loose. "But maybe I can do something for them."

Mushu blinked at her and tilted his head. "Like what?"

"When Shan opens the borders and the Huns come in, any slaves that are not bound to a master will basically be up for grabs," she explained, turning her gaze away. "They could go to anyone that would use them for anything."

The dragon gulped at the implication. "So you're thinking of giving them to people before someone bad takes them? Girl, why not just set them free?"

"Because the first thing they would do is run ahead and warn the Emperor or try to attack the army," Mulan pointed out as she reached the herd of horses. Khan perked up when he spotted her, happily trotting over to his rider with playful nickers. "Also, if anyone in this army sees one of them slipping away, they'll kill them on the spot. I know you don't like it, Mushu, but keeping them as slaves right now is what's keeping them alive."

"And you plan on helping them stay alive, right?" Mushu inquired as he picked at his claws. Khan snorted in annoyance at the small dragon then leaned into Mulan's hand as she stroked his head. "I wasn't doubting her!"

"I just need to find out who would be best," she sighed. "And which of them will actually listen to me now."

Here the Chapter Ends

Was planning on assigning certain people to others but guess that will have to be next chapter. Don't worry, the slavery is actually just a temp thing, if I can play my cards right.

Also, this had a variety of scenarios running through my head, but apparently this one decided it wanted to be typed. Hope no one was overly disappointed by the lack of action.

Wish me luck and let me know what you think!