Mulan: 2

Instead, she felt like a sword forced back into a scabbard that no longer fit.

She should have been happy. She had a general’s rank, a prince’s heart, and a mission to deliver three princesses to a peace treaty. Mulan 2

Then he smiled—the small, crooked smile she had fallen in love with. Instead, she felt like a sword forced back

“What would you have me do?” he asked. “Start a war to prevent a peace?” Then he smiled—the small, crooked smile she had

Shang’s jaw tightened. “The Emperor gave us an order. For the good of China.”

The next morning, the caravan took the low road through the bamboo forest. Halfway to the border, Mulan called a halt.

“The good of China,” she repeated. The phrase tasted like ash. She had once believed in orders without question. Then she had dressed as a man, climbed a mountain of corpses, and learned that honor was not always found in obedience.