Once Upon a Time Mongolia- The story of Mulan

**Magnolia- the Story of Mulan**

_Chapter 1_

Hua Mulan laughed, enjoying the wind that teased her as she galloped past. The surroundings became a blur as Mulan relished the exhilaration of soaring through the woods.

"Come on Xia Xue, faster!" she laughed. The horse neighed in response and sped up, galloping across the forest so fast that it seemed like they were flying.

Mulan closed her eyes, enjoying the wondrous sensation of freedom. She took in a deep breath, inhaling the soft fresh scent of grass and the earth.

This was heaven.

The horse skidded to a stop, almost throwing Mulan off her back.

"What's wrong, Xia Xue?" Mulan cooed, stroking the ebony mane of the horse. Xia Xue snorted, jerking her head at the direction of the spot just in front of her. Mulan got off the horse and rushed forward.

On the grass lay a wounded man, blood oozing out of his wounds. An arrow stuck out painful at his shoulder as his chest heaved up and down. At least Mulan knew that he was alive. Mulan gingerly heaved the man up Xia Xue, trying not to disturb the wound. Once she made sure that the man was secure, she mounted Xia Xue and they trotted back home.

Mulan carefully wiped the sweat of the man, shocked at how hot his body was. He was definitely having a high fever. The man was slipping between consciousness and unconsciousness and that worried Mulan greatly. Although he was just a stranger, Mulan could not bear to see him die.

Xia Xue could sense her owner's concern and was careful in her route back home.

The journey back home was torturous. Mulan tried whatever she could to allow the man to be as comfortable as possible while riding on a horse. She ended up placing his head onto her lap. She whispered soothing words into his ears, trying to calm the man down as he tossed and turn, cold sweat breaking across his forehead.

When they finally reached Mulan's humble home, she carefully carried the man off the horse and into the house. She kicked open the door that led to her room and gently placed the man onto her bed.

She ran to the kitchen and grabbed a bucket of water and hurried back to the man. She soaked her handkerchief into the water and gently placed it onto the man's forehead.

Oh god. If he weren't treated soon, he would die. Mulan took in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

"Alright. First things first, find the doctor," she muttered to herself and bolted out of the house.

"Tian! Call your father out! I need his help!" Mulan huffed, skidding to a stop outside the doctor's house.

The young man poked his head out and seeing Mulan agitated made him nervous. Mulan was never this agitated. She had always been calm and collected, although she had a foul temper.

"Father! Mulan is urgently looking for you!" Tian rushed inside to inform his father, the village doctor. The elderly man perked up and hobbled quickly out of the house.

"What is it Mulan? Is your father's illness acting up again?" he asked, his voice dripping with concern.

"It's not my father, sir. I found an injured man and I am afraid that if treatment is delayed, he would lose his life!"

"I understand. Tian, take my medical kit and follow us. Mulan, brief me on the man's condition," the elderly barked orders.

Tian scurried into the house and emerged with a huge box filled with all kinds of medical tools. They hurried back to Mulan's house, urgency whirling through their minds.

At last they reached and none of them wasted any moment. The doctor rushed to the patient and Tian sterilized the equipment.

"His wound is infected. We have to get the arrowhead out." The doctor snapped the long arrow, leaving only the buried part. He slowly stuck his finger down the shaft, feeling the depth of the wound. He then took a pair of tweezers and pulled out the shaft and arrowhead in one piece, making sure that the head did not graze against any part of the flesh.

He then ordered Mulan and Tian to crush up some herbs into paste and spread it on a clean sheet of cloth. He then pressed the cloth against the wound. A sharp hiss escaped the man. Tian entered the room with a bowl of foul smelling liquid and the doctor poured the contents down the man's throat as Mulan propped his head up.

"Will he be alright?" Mulan asked, concerned for the man.

"He should be. Make sure he drinks the medicine four times everyday. It helps with the fever and infection," the doctor ordered and left.

"Wait, what about payment?" Mulan called after the doctor.

"I owed your father a few favors from before. Take it that I am repaying my debts," the doctor smiled kindly, "you will soon be part of our family soon enough anyway." At his words, Mulan and Tian blushed, their cheeks as red as the blood that oozed out from the wound.

"My father will be back from his chess games," Mulan bowed and passed the doctor some pastries, "please take these as a form of my gratitude."

"Thank you Mulan," the doctor smiled and went off. Tian gave Mulan a small smile before chasing after his father.

When they had went out of her sight, Mulan sunk onto the floor, waves of exhaustions hitting her.

Before she could drift off to sleep, she remembered that she had yet to prepare the medicine for her father and the new stranger. She scurried up onto her feet and into the kitchen. She boiled the herbs that the doctor had kindly packed for her.

She took a wooden tray out and placed two drinking bowls onto it. She knew that her father hated taking his medicine and thus she had to come up with some tricks to make her father obediently drink his medicine up. She took out the wine bottle and emptied it into the first drinking bowl. She then poured the medicine into the wine bottle and carried it out to the back garden.

Her father had just returned home and was now talking animatedly to his friends about his experiences at war.

Mulan smiled warmly at her father and presented the tray to him. "Father, it's time for your medicine."

Hua Wei's face scrunched up in disgust.

"Let's make a deal. You drink up the medicine and you can have the wine," she smiled playfully, knowing perfectly well that her father could not resist the temptation of wine.

"I drink the wine. Only the wine," he huffed and grabbed the wine bottle, gulping the contents down. His face twisted in disgust and he gagged at the bitter taste of the medicine.

Mulan smirked and passed him the other bowl that contained the wine. "Here, your wine."

Hua Wei scowled and sniffed the content, making sure that it really was wine, not another bowl of that rancid medicine. When he was sure that it was his precious yellow liquor and not the medicine, he gulped in down, trying to wash his mouth off of the foul taste caused by the medicine. "At least you still have some sort of conscience in you!" he huffed, glaring at Mulan.

"Hua Wei, your daughter has not only inherited your talent of martial arts, she has also inherited your wit!" Uncle Liang laughed as Hua Wei scowled.

"Thank you for your compliment," Mulan smiled, dropping in a mock curtsey.

"If only she were like the other girls her age, obsessed with getting boys to _like_ her, not _beating _the life out of them," Hua Wei shook his head, leaning against his cane, "If this goes on, Mulan can never get married."

Mulan grinned and put her arm around her father's shoulders, "Then I will latch onto you forever and ever, making sure you obediently take your medicine!"

Hua Wei shuddered, eliciting laughter from his friends.

"I am so sorry to break the little party up, but it is getting late and my father needs his rest," Mulan curtseyed.

"Sure, sure! Hua Wei, we will make a move first, before your daughter come haunting us!" they laughed and walked off. Mulan grinned and waved cheerfully.

She held her father's arm and led him back to his room.

"Father, I have found an injured man. He will be staying with us until he recovers," she bowed, her eyes down casted.

"I couldn't possibly stop you from taking care of him. With your stubbornness, you wouldn't care for my words," Hua Wei shook his head as he sat down on his bed.

"Thank you father!" Mulan grinned, wrapping her arms around him.

He snorted, "Now shoo. I have to rest."

Mulan grinned and skipped off to her room, where the man lay.

She tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear as she cleaned his face with a wet cloth. He was looking a little better now. Some of the colour had returned to his face.

Mulan realised that he was quite a handsome man without the dirt and mud that initially covered his face. He had a strong and sharp nose, with full lips. His jaw was strong, giving him the aura of a warrior or a general.

The man was tossing and turning, beads of perspiration dotted his forehead. She continued to wipe his forehead, hoping to cool him down. She whispered soothing words into his ears, trying to calm him down. His hand subconsciously grabbed hers and held it tightly. Mulan held his hand, trying to provide some form of comfort.

Not long after, she found herself drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

**Notes: **I used the original pinyin of the family name of Mulan, Hua.

Xia Xue literally means summer snow

Mulan's father is now called Hua Wei. Wei means mighty, or great.

Tian means Sky.


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Adventure, Romance