At dawn she takes leave of Father and Mother,

In the evening camps on the Yellow River’s bank.

She doesn’t hear the sound of Father and Mother calling,

She only hears the Yellow River’s flowing water cry tsien tsien

As Mulan and Luhan approached the camp, they could start picking distant sounds - the crack of a whip, the gallop of horses. The sky above them was a pale pink with splashes of pastel yellow and orange. The rising sun spread a warm amber glow over the plains of dried grass and caused long shadows across the ground. By morning, the two had reached the military camp. 

The two quickly led their horses into the stables before walking towards the wooden buildings. 

Mulan felt herself panicking as the two attempted to blend into the crowds of soldiers and men waiting to enlist. She felt herself short of air. It was as though her mind had finally understood that what she was doing could be punishable by death. 

It isn't too late to pull out. I can leave now and no one will even know.

But then she thought of her father, ill and tired, and she immediately shook those thoughts away.

I can do this. Pull yourself together Mulan. Just walk up to the desk, sign up and train. And fight. We've practised this before, no one will even suspect you.

Mulan squared her shoulders and slipped into the line. She found herself staring into Luhan's broad shoulders and it was only then that she realised how tall he was. 

The wait was long and frustrating, and to make things worse, the sun had risen far up into the sky and was heating up the ground and making the air around them hot and uncomfortable. 

By the time she was at the front of the queue, she was exhausted and didn't even have to try when she trudged up to the official. The man gave her scathing look before jerking his head at the scroll in front of him. Mulan in a deep breath before dipping the brush in ink and signing her father's name.

Hua Han Tuo

She placed the brush back into the ink pot and stood up straight. The man gave her a curt nod before pointing towards a large structure. It was a roughly-made shelter, the walls built from the trunks of young trees. 

Walking towards it, Mulan mentally prepared herself. 

From this moment onwards, I am not Mulan. She is unrelated to me. She has nothing to do with me. My name is Hua Han Tuo and I am a warrior.

The barrack was dark and crowded, and a foul odour seeped out from it. Mulan wrinkled her nose in disgust as she tried pushing her way through the other soldiers. They all seemed taller and stronger than her. By the time she reached the back corner, she was exhausted. 

"Hey!" called Luhan, standing next to a hammock that was tucked away in the corne