*Some info about this chapter:

1) Some of Mulan's family were from the burned village, before the Tung Shao Pass. Her mother, father and grandmother were still alive and well.

2) Don't come for me, Idk who the baby daddy is, but she is for the purpose of the story... I'll probably re-write at some point with the addition of how, but for now, imagine it's already done*

Mulan woke up sore. It was the morning after a rough training session the day previous, and it was brutal. Shang had made them carry buckets of water through and up mountains, run around the camp in laps of 3 without stopping, save for downing some water, until the last man dropped. Mulan, thankfully, had quite a high stamina, what with being the only child of the Fa Family, she was used to carrying and lifting things, and especially running, usually when she was late for her morning chores. She easily kept up with the fitter men, despite her skinny and lithe form.

And then had them attempt the massive pole in the middle of the camp again. No surprise, nobody came even close.

With each activity they did, the last (wo)man standing was allowed some extra food that night, and a long bath in the lake. Before she joined the army, Mulan would have laughed. They thought that was a reward? But no, having partaken in some of the activities, she understood the desire for such things.

But then, 3 months of rigorous training passed, and Mulan realised, with a very very cold rush, that she had missed her period. Calculating when she last bled, it was well over a month before she'd even joined! Mulan confided in her trusty companion, Mushu, of her woes, and he confirmed her worst suspicions.

She was pregnant, and well into her second trimester.

~

Another month of training passed, and Mulan's stomach had grown a little. Not much, and it could easily be put down to excess weight, but nonetheless. She'd grown more careful of her stomach now, especially since it was housing her little warrior inside. Mulan suspected Shang suspected something was wrong. She'd fallen behind the others a little, not winning as many training sessions as before, and from the constant looks he was sending her way, she knew it wouldn't be too much longer before he confronted her.

She'd also grown ill during her second trimester, being nauseous and vomiting most early mornings and late evenings. Thankfully, for the most part, nobody seemed to notice. Until one night, after a particularly strenuous round of non-stop vomiting, she heard: "Ping? Are you in your tent?" She squeezed her eyes tightly shut and cleared her throat, "No, I'm getting some fresh air, Captain." She said in her manly voice. Shang's head peaked round from the tent, followed by his body. "Isn't it a bit late for some fresh air?" He asked nonchalantly. Mulan shook her head, "I can't sleep, and the stars usually help," She said in her Ping voice. Shang hummed. "So... it wasn't you re-visiting cook's dinner, no less than 10 minutes ago then?" Mulan's eyes slid closed. "My body doesn't agree with some kinds of rice, and apparently, that was one of them," She offered.

Thankfully, so far, Mulan didn't show much. She was around 6 and a half, to 7 months into her pregnancy, and was carrying quite small and low that, for the most part, was hidden by her armour.

Shang huffed slightly. "As long as you do not carry an illness, I cannot do with the flu ripping through camp now. We are leaving soon, and I need all my soldiers to be healthy and fit." Mulan almost laughed, there was a 100% chance that she would not pass her illness on. Instead, she chose to nod. "I assure you, Captain, it is only a foul reaction to some food. I bare no illness and have not been anywhere to have contracted it." She met his eyes. "Very well then. Get some rest, you'll need it to feel better,"

And he was gone.

~

On the journey to the Tung Shao Pass, Mulan had managed to keep her morning sickness at bay for a large part. She would take the early morning guard, vomit, and continue with her day. She was surprised that nobody else knew yet, but then again, boys weren't exactly the most observant people. Hopefully, the attack would be over before she went into labour... there would be no way to talk her way out of that one.

"Captain! A village!" A soldier from in front of her yelled. Mulan's heart shrunk a little: they were coming up to the village her family lived in, and she could do without them ambushing her and blowing her cover. But then the same soldier spoke again: "There's smoke,"

They rushed to the village, with Mulan praying to everybody she could think of for her family to be ok and have escaped the attack. But they rounded the hill, and her heart fell into her stomach. "No," She whispered, stepping forwards. She absent-mindedly handed the reins of her horse, Khan, off to another soldier, and continued walking forwards. "Search for survivors!" Shang yelled, galloping away. Mulan's feet lead the way to her old home, now nothing more than smouldering wood. She dropped to her knees and felt the tears drop down her face. "No, no, no, no, no!" She cried, punching the snow. She felt her baby wriggle slightly, as it had been doing for a few weeks now. Just in front of her legs lay a doll... the same doll her baby cousin insisted she sleeps with every night. Chargrilled and burned, but the doll's eyes stared back, the last memory of her baby cousin. Her head dropped as she sobbed quietly. Damn it, men don't cry like this! She had to pull herself together, otherwise, they'd know! It was stupid to cry over such a thing...

Mulan sniffed harshly and she clutched the doll tightly. "Ping?" Somebody asked from behind. She stood up to her full height (5 foot 3 inches, or 1.6 meters) and held the doll close to her heart. "You ok?" The same person asked. "Yeah... I'm ok, Ling..." She meekly responded. "Why do I feel like there's more to it than this?" He asked, standing next to her. Mulan chuckled darkly. "There is... This was my family home... where my aunt, uncle, grandparents and cousins lived." She shut her eyes tightly. "Oh, Ping... I'm sorry you have to see this..." Ling tried to comfort. Mulan shrugged, desperate to get away from this place. "As is war... at least they're in a better place now... a place free of war and destruction."

She walked off and left Ling staring at her retreating form. She approached a cliffside but paused. Shang stood there, holding a helmet... the General Li's helmet. She felt her heart tighten again. It would appear he lost someone as well. She slowly approached and waited around 2 feet behind. Her little warrior squirmed and wriggled, sending a small flash of discomfort through her body. She watched as Shang stabbed his father's sword into the ground, and placed his hat atop it. He stood, patted her shoulder, and left.

Mulan's face held a small smile as she stared into the eyes of her general. "Ping, you are the craziest man I've ever met!" He scolded. The smile dropped. It was rather crazy what she'd just done, and not only had it nearly just killed her and her commanding officer, but it also warranted her with a slice on her stomach, making her worry for her little warrior.

"And for that, I owe you my life," Shang continued, letting a smile of his own adorn his face. "From now on, you have my trust," He said, laying a hand on her shoulder. Mulan ignored the butterflies that danced in her stomach... or maybe (hopefully) that was her warrior letting her know that they were still alive and safe.

The army yelled in joy and triumph for Ping, the man who'd single-handedly, taken out the Hun army in one fell swoop. That was, until her wound shot a white-hot streak of pain across her body, forcing her to her knees and her brain to shut off.

~

She woke to the medic dabbing her recently stitched wound. "You are aware the penalty for this is death, aren't you?" He spoke quietly. Mulan nodded. "Yes... and I will tell the Captain as soon as I am well... Please do not tell him before me, I beg you," The medic paused but started bandaging her side. "It is not my business what you and the Captain discuss, all my responsibilities are to heal and care for the injured and sick... but I must insist you make it a priority to say something." Mulan met his eyes. "I know... and now that my duty has been fulfilled, I will. This has gone on too long for me to continue hiding from it." The medic nodded and stuck the bandage down. "That should keep your stitches and wound nice and clean. No strenuous activity for at least 5 days, lest you catch an infection." Mulan nodded. "And I will come to tend to it every night, bathing it and re-bandaging it." She nodded again, seemingly unable to do anything else.

"I shall tell the Captain you are to see another day," He smiled. Mulan opened her mouth, but couldn't find the words to say. "I will tell you very quickly, that the only reason I will not expose you to the Captain and the army, is because I know you are with child, and I will not see an innocent baby lose its life while it is still in Utero..." And he left, the tent flap quietly shutting behind. Mulan forced away any tears in her eyes, knowing it would be game over for her. She pulled the blanket up to cover her chest and sat with her knees up to her stomach... or as close to as they would go. "Ping, thank god you're ok," Shang said. Mulan's eyes widened, and she pulled the blanket up higher. "At one point, we thought we were gonna lose you..." He continued, crouching down by her legs.

Mulan met his eyes with a small smile, "All in a day's work," She joked in Ping's voice.

Shang chuckled.

Mulan's identity was blown when she was bathing and Shang caught her. "Ping! You..." He paused, and Mulan hurried for something to cover her breasts. Being nearly full-term, they were larger than usual. And as such, harder to hide. "A woman... you're a woman..." Shang whispered. She sighed and dropped her head. "I'm so sorry, Shang... I had to do this," She tried. "You realise the penalty for this is death, don't you?" He snapped, looking away. "I know! It- I- Oh!" She said, grabbing her head. Neither of them spoke, for they were too afraid to. "Shang, my father would have died before he left the camp." She tried again. Shang sighed loudly and punched a tree. "God, what even is your name? Are you even a Fa?" He snapped. Mulan bowed her head. "Yes. My name is Fa Mulan," She spoke. Her baby wriggled, as Mulan found, what they did while she was in the water. They seemed to like it. She couldn't tell Shang that she was with child... it'd make everything 10 times harder. "God... if anybody finds out, you'd be killed and your family dishonoured! Possibly even exiled!" Shang snapped, rubbing his face. "I didn't mean for it to go this far... I didn't want this to happen," She whispered.

"I cannot have a woman in my army," Shang whispered back. Mulan's eyes widened, but she knew he was right. "Are you going to kill me?" She asked quietly. He shook his head. "No. You have done far too much to warrant that... But I am going to discharge you. On a medical basis," He said back. Mulan's eyes widened even further. "You will make your own way back. I will tell the others that you left in the night, with the company of your horse. You can either go before or after we leave, it is not my concern."

And like that, he left.

~

After the debacle at the Emporer's palace, Mulan finally managed to get back home, alive and safe and sound, and most importantly, honoured, and by nobody else than the Emporer himself, bringing great honour to her family.

She ended up giving birth to a healthy little girl, whom she called Fa Hua. Her mother and father were very surprised, but supportive nonetheless.

She was feeding her daughter when there was a knock at her door. Her parents had gone out to get some dinner supplied, and her grandmother was at some gaming afternoon. She tossed a blanket over her shoulder, to hide the modesty of both Mulan and Hua, and opened the door.

"Oh! Mulan!" Her eyes widened. "Shang, what're you doing here?" She asked awkwardly. She adjusted the blanket over her shoulder, trying to look as subtle as possible. "I um... I came to return your helmet... or rather, your father's helmet," He stumbled. Mulan smiled slightly. She knew her next action would expose her massively, but it was very rude to not offer. "Would you like to come in for some tea? I've just boiled a pot," She offered. Shang smiled and nodded. "That would be great, thank you." Mulan led him in and shut the door behind him. "If you just take off your shoes, I won't be a moment. I have some slippers you can use," She smiled, and walked off before he could protest.

"Ok, little Hua, let's pop you down here and mommy'll be back in a bit," She kissed her 6-week-old and placed her in her baby bed. Hopefully, Hua would settle down nicely and not cry too loudly, but Mulan didn't have her hopes high. She found a pair of guest slippers just outside her room and rushed back over to Shang, who was sat awkwardly. "Here," She said as she thrust the comforting items at him. "Thanks," He smiled.

Mulan poured the tea. "So, General Shang, what brings you here today?" She asked, putting the pot down. "Well, I-" He began but was rudely interrupted by Hua screaming. Mulan sighed deeply. The one time she needed her daughter to sleep! "What on Earth was that?" Shang asked. "I'll show you," Mulan smiled tightly. She got up and shuffled to her's, and now Hua's bedroom. She picked the infant up, whose cries instantly stopped. Typical.

Mulan made her way back into the living area and displayed the calm baby to her old commanding officer. "This is Fa Hua," Mulan smiled. "Aw, she's cute. Aren't your parents too old for children now, though?" Shang asked. Mulan cringed. "Yeah... she's not my sister... she's my daughter," She brushed back Hua's small tuft of dark brown hair on top of her head. "I'm sorry?" Shang blinked. "Hua is my daughter," Mulan repeated. "And she's how old?" He asked. "Six weeks," She replied.

"Mulan, were you pregnant when we fought the Huns?" Shang's sharp voice asked. She sighed deeply. "Mulan! You could have gotten yourself, or her, killed!" He scolded. "Yeah, but I didn't. And we're both alive," She bit back. "And besides, I didn't know I was pregnant until I was in too deep to pull out." She finally met his eyes. "You were pregnant when you took out Shan-Yu? Both times?" Mulan resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "It would seem that way," She instead sniped.

"I can see why the Emporer wants you to help me train the next army group," Mulan gaped. "I'm sorry?" Shang grinned. "That's the other reason I came. The Emporer wanted to know if you would be my second-in-command for training the next recruits... but I understand that you can't now." He continued. Mulan scoffed, "Why won't I? Just because I have a child now? I assume we will not begin within the next week or two?" She asked. Shang shook his head slowly. "No, we wouldn't start for another 3 months."

"Well, then. My little Hua will be 5 and a half months old, plenty old enough for me to assist." She grinned at the cooing baby. "I would be honoured,"