Awakening Chapter 2

 

her best to cover her face from the raging sand storm, Merida keeps a steady watch on the faded lights well ahead of her. Lights that signaled civilization. A city by the name of Agrabah. It was here that the next of the corrupted princesses awaited. Merida grips her bow tightly when she feels a sudden gust of wind come at her kicking up sand from the ground. She turns in reaction to it letting it pass by and in doing so notices something sticking out from the sand. A body, already close to being mummified by the sand. A traveler who had come so close? Or worse? Merida turns away from it and continues on her trek once the wind has died down.

“This...this is quite preposterous!” Exclaims the sultan entering the throne room waving a sheet of paper above his short stature while he approaches Jasmine, lounging back in the throne. Her fingers grazing along her thigh as she soon acknowledges her father.

“Hm?”

“These taxes you're proposing.” The sultan begins as he looks down at the sheet growing more worried than upset. “The people just won't stand for them.”

“If the people won't stand for them,” Jasmine begins, clearly well beyond negotiation on these new levies. “Then they can walk to any other city that happens to be out there.”

“The people will riot!”

“Then perhaps we need to end things here and now.” Jasmine says softly as the sultan sighs a note of relief. That is until he feels the heavy leather bound handle of a twisted dagger put into his hand. He looks up as Jasmine stands before him. “Stab your daughter. Expel her from the people's misery.”

“I-I-I...I...”

The sultan stammers as Jasmine steps back brushing her ponytail in behind her shoulder before throwing out her arms leaving herself open. Seeing this as potentially the only way, the sultan closes his eyes and lunges the dagger forward only to be stopped and slammed to the ground by the ferocious tiger Rajah who immediately brings his jaw to the squirming sultan's neck. Jasmine turns pointing down at her father.

“Guards! This traitor would dare bring a weapon into the throne room on acts of assassinating the Queen.”

“Q-Queen?” The sultan proclaims as Rajah steps back allowing for the guards to bring the elderly man up to his feet.

“To the dungeon?” One guard inquires as Jasmine shakes her head.

“No. He was so worried for the people...let him starve with them.” She says from down her nose as she turns to her father being pulled away.

“If...if Aladdin were here-” He begins before being jerked forward. Jasmine simply scoffs at the name taking her place back at the throne while Rajah goes to sit at her side accepting his Mistress' hand down the back of his thick neck.

“But he isn't.”

“And why is that?” Merida asks shortly after the guards depart as Jasmine sighs.

“A guest. Really should shorten my hours.”

“What has Aurora been telling you?” Merida asks coming in closer. “What lies has she been filling your head with?”

“No lies. Only the same thing she's been telling...” Jasmine stops when she notices the look in Merida's eyes. Her grip tightens on the fur covering up Rajah's neck making him growl at the guest sensing the Queen's discontent. “You aren't Awakened. What are you doing here?” She hisses.

“I've come to put a stop to your madness. To all madness within the Kingdom.”

“Rajah!” Jasmine shouts releasing the tiger as he rushes forward as Merida steps back exposing her bow firing it straight at the animal catching it in the leg. Rajah stumbles as Merida looks back to Jasmine.

“Cinderella attempted the same thing.”

THONK!

Merida collapses down unconscious as Jafar steps in lowering down his staff while eyeing the unconscious archer.

“Did she also do that, I wonder.” He asks.

Merida wakes up with a grown feeling as though she were floating. Putting that as recovering from the bump on the back of her head, she focuses more on what's going on. She hears voices, a loud one and a softer one as she touches along her aching head feeling...clothe there. Bandages? No. There's something hard at the base of this clothe. Her hand continues to trace, following it along to her mouth where fabric hangs down over the front of it like a veil. Her touch continues down when she feels something hard at the base of her neck. She goes to feel around it when she hears the noise of rattling chains.

“Oh, she's awake. Will you grant my wish now?” Jasmine demands as Jafar looks a little uncertain.

“Princess,” He begins until he notices Jasmine's brow furrow. “Your highness, perhaps you forget the...limitations to my power?” He adds with a positive twist at the end hoping not to enrage the holder of his lamp. “Making her willfully obey you is really no different than making her love you. And that I simply--”

“This isn't about love! It's about stopping her now!” Her shout creates a snarl from the recovering Rajah. Jasmine then steps closer to Jafar glaring up at him. “Grant. My. Wish. Or are you not the all powerful Jafar?”

Jafar pauses a moment eyeing down at Merida now sitting up in her harem gear atop a pile of pillows. The chains and restraints around her neck and wrists playing up the fact that this wasn't the archers' decision in life.

“Ego aside, your highness, I cannot grant your wish.”

“Then be gone from my sight.” Jasmine hisses as Jafar bows disappearing into the black lamp resting by the throne. The Queen then looks down at Merida as though deciding her fate. “Wine.”

“What?”

“Bring me wine from the kitchen. I am your Queen now and I command this of you.”

Merida stands up to her feet gesturing out her defiance with her hands rattling out the chains connecting her restraints.

“I'll do no such thing.”

“Then I'll sell you. To Aurora. Or leave you to wander the desert as you are. They say there's another city about a hundred miles east. Or perhaps it was west.” Jasmine says with a smirk as Merida tightens up her fist and turns storming her way out of the throne room leaving the Queen to relax back into her throne.

Once outside the throne room doors, Merida grumbles and looks around trying to figure out where the kitchen would be when she notices a shadow swoop down over her face. Curious, she looks in the direction it was going and slowly heads that way down the hall. It isn't long until she hears the loud yell of “Look out!” before getting a faceful of feathers. Merida steps back using the wall to maintain her balance when she notices a red parrot down by her feet.

“Who...who threw this bird?”

“No one threw me.” The bird explains dusting himself off.

“You...speak freely?”

“If by free you mean I don't gotta worry 'bout chains like yours? Yeah, I'm free as a-”

“Bird?”

“Watch it.” The parrot warns as Merida gives herself a moment to smile. Even in times like these...it certainly helps.

“So what are you doing here?”

“I used ta be Jafar's accomplice.”

“Accomplice?”

“Yeah. Accomplice. Ya got something t'say about that?” He warns again.

“No, no. Jafar...he was that man with Jasmine earlier. What exactly happened, er...”

“Iago.” He answers. “And I'll explain on the way.” He says as he swoops up.

“Where?”

“To the kitchen. You got errands to run, don't ya?” Iago says as he lands himself down on Merida's shoulder using a wing to point in the direction. Sighing, Merida starts down the hall.

“So?”

“It went down like this. Aladdin outsmarts Jafar giving him the ol' mental one-two. He marries Jasmine, everyone lives happily ever after!”

“Only...”

“Only they don't really. 'bout a week ago things were looking pretty spiffy. Then you got some blond bimbo takin' in Jasmine for some private conference and BAM! Things get turned way upside down around here. Aladdin starts talking like he's gotta follow his father's legacy, become some...treasure hunter or whatever.”

“So he leaves.”

“For a boat. But he never gets there. Those that accompanied him did though. Came right back.”

Merida remembers the body she had seen in the desert and begins putting pieces together. The puzzle she was doing was still upside down so she had no idea if the pieces even fit, but it was still enough to go on in making a guess as they enter into the kitchen.

“Since then Jasmine's been acting all cuckoo. Took Jafar, fed that monkey thing to Rajah, and started acting like the boss around here.”

“Jafar mentioned Jasmine having already used a wish. None of this is on account of that?” Merida asks looking from Iago to around the kitchen for the wine.

“Nope.” Iago answers swiping a wing through the air. “Her wish was that no magic could ever happen inside the throne room. Like some protective barrier.”

“No magic?”

“That way Jafar couldn't do anything to her and ol' Genie'd be just some man if he came to confront her in the throne room.”

“Probably explains why he couldn't grant her second wish in there. Granting wishes is magic.”

“Maybe.” Iago says scratching at the side of his head while Merida, spotting the wine, takes it down from the top shelf and places the jug on the counter. With the added restraints to her wrists things were made a little more difficult.

“Earlier you mentioned not having chains like my own. What did you mean by that?”

“Rajah. He's my chains in this joint. Can't get anywhere with him prowling about. But after I saw what you did t'him...I figured you weren't so bad to tell all this to.”

“Well...thank you. But what now?”

“Now?” Iago asks looking back at her blankly. “Now you bring her back that wine and keep doin' what she tells ya 'til you find your opening.”

“Gee. Thanks.”

“Happy to help.”

And with that, Iago flies off as Merida watches him and sighs. She pours out some wine into a cup and brings it along with her back into the throne room where she's met with a pair of tiaras.

“Explain these to me.” Jasmine commands before taking her offered cup of wine. Merida looks the tiara's over, the one dangling off of Jasmine's pinky to be precise, and lowers her head.

“Tiara's of the princesses.”

Jasmine crosses her arms and furrows her brow down at the woman in such a manner it actually makes Merida feel small. Insignificant.

“Your majesty.” She adds much to Jasmine's acceptance as she looks the shimmering items over.

“I recognize one to be Cinderella's but I've never seen this one before. Whose is it?” Jasmine asks holding out the tiara that looked a little more like a thin circlet.

“My mother's...your majesty.” Merida answers as Jasmine nods taking a closer look.

“And why are you in possession of it now?” She asks knowing the answer, she just wants to hear Merida say it.

As for Merida, she trembles when a flashing image of a savage bear slashing it's thick paws at her plays out in her mind. Its teeth still fresh from the blood of her siblings as it looked to make Merida its next meal. All after Aurora's visit.

“I killed her, your majesty. My mother had gone full feral by the time Aurora left our castle. She...she killed my brothers, wounded my father severely, and then came after me. Because Aurora...” Merida stops when she notices Jasmine looking at her oddly. Like there was something in her story that wasn't making sense.

“Why did Aurora go after your mother for the Awakening when it's the Princesses that she's after?”

Merida...had no answer to give to that as she lowers her head to indicate as such. Jasmine actually accepts this, for now, and takes a drink of her wine turning away.

“Dance.”

“Yes...your majesty.”

No fight, no defiance, Merida is just relieved the topic has moved from her mother as she now has to search through her mind for any dances she did bother to learn. Nothing she could present solo, everything she learned was by her mother leading up toward her engagement. But as Jasmine sits down, Merida begins to sway in her part just bringing up her hands instead of envisioning some dance partner. She moved, she swayed, she even teared up as while she danced without a partner she dreamed of her mother being there with her.

That night, Merida was told by Jasmine to sing to her during supper. She had some songs to give, songs of her own country she would sing to her triplet brothers. Songs to calm them down or help rile them up. She, at first, sang from both sides of the spectrum and realizes Jasmine much preferred the songs of calm rather than those that would be performed in some longhouse with pints of beer being smashed into one another. So she sang those until Jasmine retired for the evening, all the while Rajah kept an eye on the woman as though waiting to be commanded to feast. In its wounded state Merida could fend the beast off, for a little while, but then her restraints would become too much of a burden. She thought how the fight could go. She could run the chain into his mouth, keep him from chomping down on her neck. But his paws would only need to dig into her chest and rip it open for that not to work. She could work her way around and get at the throat and strangle the beast. But cats had proven to her to be more agile, more flexible to be taken down in such a manner. So until she could figure out a plan she obeyed the commands, slept on the pillows in the corner of Jasmine's room, referred to her as “Your majesty” for what seemed like days. It was getting to the point where Merida was becoming accustomed to her own restraints. She would forget about them for hours at a time. This was a sign, she needed to act. But Rajah needed to be dealt with first.

It came on the fifth day, Merida's plan, as she worked in Jasmine's garden under the watchful eye of the pet tiger. His tail shifted and there was never a moment where he wasn't growling under his breath. Except...when he was distracted. His attention was upward and when Merida snuck a peek she was met with a loud growl. Birds flew out from the tree and that's when Merida realized it. Despite being a massive killing machine...Rajah was still a cat. A cat that was curious, distracted by birds and there was only one bird she could actually rely on to come when she needed him to.

When it came time to fix breakfast in the morning, Merida took a bit of a detour making her way around the palace silently calling out Iago's name. She was met with no answer, not even the sound of a single flutter. Iago wasn't coming out it seemed. Merida would have to find a means of summoning him or find another plan altogether. This, these shackles, this wasn't going to be her end.

Afternoon came and, for the first time for a while, Merida saw Jasmine out on the balcony overlooking the city talking with Jafar. It seemed a one-sided conversation, which the Queen was more than thrilled about. Even moreso when she notices her servant approaching.

“Girl, there you are.” Jasmine had detested Merida's name since the beginning and opted to give her a descriptive instead. It was just something else Merida felt she had to get used to as she approaches giving her best smile as though actually happy to be summoned to her side. “I've just used up my second wish. Would you like to see it?”

Merida looked a little concerned as she turned from Jafar over to Jasmine nodding her head simply from curiosity. Excited, Jasmine points out a retreating caravan attempting to leave over the rolling hills of sand outside the city walls. Merida steps in closer to the balcony railing for a better look seeing whole families in the caravan. When she looked over to Jasmine, she found that her hands were out and a look about her face that read concentration. Jafar's grip over his staff tightened as he too was curious how the Queen would perform.

“What's...going on, your majesty?” Merida asks as Jasmine says nothing.

Out in the desert, well beyond the walls, sand begins to dust up into what would best be described as a wall. Merida watched as it formed before focusing back on the caravan. Once the wall finishes forming, Jasmine brings back a hand and, as if being pulled, a cone of sand appears out from the wall startling the caravan as Merida quickly realizes what was about to happen.

“Your majesty, stop! There are children, infants even in that caravan!” Merida pleads but to no avail as Jasmine brings her hand slightly up forcing the cone to follow.

Feeling no other alternative, Merida goes for Jasmine only to be tackled to the ground by Rajah who roars ferociously in her face. Merida goes limp and can only watch between the railing pillars as the cone of blowing sand is dropped down onto the caravan left until the damage was done and not a soul remained uncovered. Merida trembles as the wind eventually dies down as Jasmine steps back looking to her hands and then to her servant still lying on the floor.

“Tea.” She commands. “Now.”

Pushing her way into the kitchen, Merida quickly finds a bucket she can vomit into before dropping to her hands and knees thankful the bucket keeps upright as she throws up a second time. In her suffering, she notices red and blue plummage making its way slowly across the table. Bringing her head up from the bucket, she notices Iago sitting with his back to Merida.

“You saw that, didn't you?” She asks as Iago half turns his head nodding.

“...yeah.”

“In my time here...I've read up a lot about this city's history. Even it's most current.” Merida continues as Iago just goes silent. “You and Jafar, you were no different.”

“We...didn't kill.” Iago says as though attempting to redeem rather than argue.

“No, but you didn't mind the suffering. You both played a hand in this, you both showed Jasmine how wicked people and animals could be. Her Awakening must have been pretty easy because of the two of you.”

“Aurora...wasn't here long.” Iago answers as Merida gets up to her feet.

“That's what I figured. But you have a chance to make things right, to turn all of this around.”

“How?” He asks, still only halfway into the conversation.

“Distracting Rajah.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, give me the easy job.” He says still half heartedly but still quite sarcastically.

“Jasmine must be killed, there's no other way for her now. Not after she's been Awakened. To do that I need Rajah out of the picture. I can't deal with her, Jafar, and Rajah at the same time. So please...don't do it for me, but for everyone here.”

Iago remains silent seemingly refusing to give any kind of response whatsoever. Merida just lowers her gaze and grabs hold of a common cutting knife before heading for the door.

“I read up on more recent history, Iago. Despite everything you had done...Aladdin was still willing to trust you.” Merida looks back as Iago's shoulders slump down further. She then departs ready to do this herself if need be.

“Weapons are forbidden from the-” The guard begins before feeling the knife enter his gut. Merida pulls it out and takes a hard slash at his throat killing him instantly before pushing on into the throne room.

“Ah, the girl returns with my—wait, what is that? Weapons are forbidden!”

“I heard something like that just a moment ago.” Merida replies as she quickens her pace toward her majesty.

“Rajah!” Jasmine commands as the tiger pounces out.

This time, Merida is ready stepping back out of the tigers way and the two slowly begin to circle one another. Their eyes remain locked as soon Rajah pounces out startling Merida who takes the paws full on her chest as she's knocked to the floor. She attempts to get her chain under the chin but it's to no avail. Luckily, with Rajah going first with his jaw, she's able to get it into his mouth. However, she quickly realizes this is going how she had planned and knew what was bound to happen as she works to get to her feet. That's when Rajah presses all his weight down onto Merida's chest and snaps through the restraints before growling once more. Not...what Merida was expecting as she covers up for the final bite.

“Gang way!”

Iago announces scratching at the top of Rajah's head taking his attention long enough for Merida to get to her feet. She watches as Iago continues to soar around the room going just low enough to keep Rajah's attention as the tiger takes some leaping swats at him. That's when Jasmine jumps up on Merida's back and grips her throat tightly and wraps an arm around her head all of which causing her to drop the knife to the floor.

“You know,” She begins as Merida struggles to get her off her back. “When Jafar took the kingdom and enslaved me, he forced me to watch as my father was marionetted for his own amusement. I didn't find it funny at the time but maybe after I string up your corpse for a few dozen performances...I might start seeing the humor in it.”

Merida rushes back first into the wall pounding Jasmine against it hard loosening her grip enough to flip her down. However, Jasmine isn't finished as she slashes out with her own claws blinding Merida who turns covering up her face. Jasmine gets to her feet and notices the blade resting on the floor. She retrieves it and looks it over mockingly.

“A pearing knife? You would dare kill your Queen with such a common instrument? My dear slave, such a thing is more suited for your demise.” She says ready to stab it deep into Merida when she's knocked back by a flash of red and blue. “Ah! Rajah! Kill that thing already!”

Iago just looks back and smirks over the work he's done not noticing as Rajah readies to pounce and when he does swipes his paw hard enough to send the bird crashing against the wall and flopping to the floor. As Rajah slowly approaches the stunned bird, Merida looks by the throne noticing Jafar's lamp. She then steadies herself and shoulder tackles Jasmine out onto the balcony. Before rushing back in grabbing hold of the lamp only to be pulled back out and stabbed in the shoulder. Merida SCREAMS out in pain before Jasmine tears out the blade and brings it up high with both hands above her head.

“Farewell, girl.”

“Jafar!” Merida calls out. “First wish...restrain her!”

“What?” Jasmine swings downward regardless of Merida's words but feels her wrists halting halfway before being pulled right back up. “What...what is the meaning of this?”

Jasmine notices the lamp in Merida's position and just where they are. Out on the balcony and not inside the throne room. She struggles as Merida gets up to her feet resting a hand to her shoulder as she takes some heavy breaths looking back at Jasmine. Finally, the Scotswoman rears the lamp back and slashes it clean across Jasmine's throat creating a splatter of blood across the balcony floor. For a moment, as Merida watches, Jasmine chokes out on the blood rising up in her throat before dropping her head. Her body still held up as though restrained, or better yet as though waiting to begin some marionette theatre.

Merida drops the lamp and looks back into the throne room wondering what had become of Rajah and why he wasn't out here giving her more grief. Stepping inside she found out why. The beast lay slain on its side. It's tongue hanging out with a fair sized bulge down inside its throat with a few scattered red and blue feathers around. Merida takes the knife that had fallen from Jasmine's deceased hands and comes cutting open the tigers throat. Unfortunately, she was too late. Iago's body practically comes slumping out of the hole created by the knife, the inside of Rajah's neck still clung to tightly in his beak. Stroking the damp bird's head, Merida cuts out the tissue he had chomped down on and carries him to the garden where she buries him beneath some lillies. Stepping back to pay her final respects, Merida soon finds herself joined by Jafar stabbing his staff into the ground to make his presence known.

“You still hold two wishes. Although I am bound not to bring Iago back by my own limitations.” He says showing no sympathy over his former compatriots sacrifice.

“My second wish,” Merida begins as she clutches the lamp tightly in her grasp. She soon turns back to Jafar holding it out to him. “Is for this to be buried deep in the Cave of Wonders.”

Jafar looks at her, stunned by by what she's saying.

“Perhaps you don't quite comprehend my capabilities, young Mistress.” He begins.

“And then...for my third wish...” Merida only continues. “I want you to bury the cave even deeper.”

Jafar could tell there was no talking Merida out of this as he simply furrows his brow at the girl.

“You understand this will only delay my inevitable return, girl.”

“Perhaps 10,000 years. Perhaps long enough for you to be forgotten. Now...answer my wishes and begone.” Merida commands, her voice becoming stern as Jafar simply bows resting a hand to his chest.

“Very well.” He says before he and the lamp both disappear leaving Merida alone. Or...at least make it look like she was.

“Where were you?” Merida asks before turning back to the Fairy Godmother who was crouched over Iago's grave. “You said I'd have your power. I didn't feel any stronger. I could have saved those people!”

“I know you could have and I did not lie. I am with you but...I am also not with you. I'm afraid that with Aurora's awakenings my powers are only diminishing further. The best I can do is grant you something from the recently purified soul.”

“What do you mean?” Merida asks as the Fairy Godmother stands up bringing out her wand slowly waving it about.

“Bippity boppity boo, this gift I give to you. The sand you see if the gift from me. Bippity boppity boo.”

With a twinkling to her hands, Merida looks down not feeling anything. When she looks up to address this she finds the Godmother gone. She quickly looks around but finds no sight of her and decides she should just leave. Though a quick trip to the armory first would have her kitted back up with a new bow and some arrows. Arrows she adorns with red and blue feathers as she makes her way out of Agrabah.

The city would meet with civil unrest soon enough. With Aladdin gone and Jasmine dead, the sultan's power would come under more scrutiny. The lavish lifestyle of the higher class would become a target and soon enough struggles would become conflicts would become war once it is found out there is no heir to the throne. Another kingdom left in shambles due in part to Aurora's Awakening. Merida would confront this princess as she made her way back out through the desert. This time finding it a little easier to keep the sand from her face.

Mulan drops to her knees relinquishing her blade into the dirt as she grasps her neck and begins to cough out. Above her, a tender hand rests beneath her chin bringing it up forcing the warrior princess to match eyes with Aurora.

“Witch,” Mulan gasps out. “What is this air around you?”

“Suffering,” Aurora answers coldly. “For those who refuse the Awakening.”

“I...don't need...” Mulan struggles as she begins to push herself up off her sword embedded deeper now into the ground. “Such gi-”

She stumbles down into the mud as Aurora steps back, her hand still out where she was gracefully touching it under Mulan's chin. Looking out along the hill, she sees a small group of Mongol warriors approaching, weapons drawn. Aurora walks past them leaving her instructions.

“One hour. Leave her intact at least.” She says as Mulan looks back over her shoulder to see the armed warriors advancing upon her.

The hour passes and Aurora returns to the camp to find Mulan's body tied to a stake pushed deep into the ground. What seems to annoy her is the severed head of the warrior princess stabbed down over the top of the sharpened pole, far enough that it actually pierces out through Mulan's mouth. Aurora stares at this sight unimpressed as she hears the sounds of uproaring laughter from a tent inside the camp.

Beer mugs are smashed against one another as jokes are told and merriment is indeed being had. The mongol warriors revel in their most recent kill when the tent flap swings open and their attention is diverted. Standing, with her hand tightening across the hilt of her sword, was Mulan. A fresh scar all around her neck as her empty eyes glared into the tent at the now frightened warriors. Fear doesn't remain the better of them as they each draw out their swords and charge the warrior princess looking to kill her a second time.

Mulan swings her blade cutting straight through the first warriors before severing the upper half of his head clean off. Another catches her with a shield knocking her from the tent as they all follow her out into the cold. She stabs her sword through the first one to come out swinging it out cutting out through his gut leaving him halfway severed at the waist as she narrowly dodges a spear being thrust at her. She catches the spear and rides her sword all the way up into the man's arm cutting in clean off as he drops to his knees screaming in pain. While another soldier attempts to match her skills with the blade a warrior in the background grabs up a bow and arrow and fires catching Mulan straight in the kidney. His fellow soldier gets too much a sense of glee in this assuming this to be Mulan's end that he lowers his guard momentarily allowing for Mulan to cut straight through him and turn only to get an arrow into the gut. She staggers back from the force but begins to approach as the warrior, with shaking hands, arms another arrow and fires catching Mulan's heart. Seeing this not work either, he drops the weapon and goes to flee only for Mulan to rip off the left sleeve of her top exposing the red dragon tattoo. Not long after, it begins to materialize alongside her as though growing from her shoulder. When he hears the low growl, the fleeing soldier turns to find the dragon and cries out as he's quickly burnt to a crisp.

As Mushu takes his place back along Mulan's arm, another patrol of Mongol warriors with captured Chinese soldiers arrives stunned by what they had just witnessed. Mulan turns and a second bloodbath quickly ensues. Once the Mongol warriors were slain and the Chinese soldiers all but released from their bonds, Mulan lowers the tip of her blade to the ground where it begins a pool of blood. When she hears the cheers of her fellow soldiers, she turns finding the one in the lead smiling offering out his wrists to be freed. Mulan's grip tightens as she approaches quickly and with purpose and swings, cutting down the first soldier.