Meilins pov

Hong had gone through my entire closet until she determined that I was hopeless, and I would have to wear something from hers. "How is it your mother let you leave without one formal gown? I mean seriously your entire closet is full of casual close and semi-formal yukatas." Hong spoke as we walked into her room and she walked to her closet and started to rummage through it.

"My mother and I didn't think I would be staying so we agreed such close were unnecessary. Plus, if I were to win the heart of the prince, I would hope it was by my personality not my looks." Not that I want his heart, but truth be told I really do hope he chooses his bride by her personality not her looks, for the sake of the empire and its people. The empress needs to be someone the people can cherish and love not fear and hate. I don't even want to imagine what a greedy empress would do to are country.

"Why such a gloomy face? Are you really that unhappy about wearing a dress?" Hong words shock me out of my thoughts and I look at her to see a concerned look on her face.

"No, it's not the dress I'm just thinking about ... well" I walk over to Hong's bed and sit down before continuing "I guess just how bad a greedy empress would be for are country." Hong looks at me then rolls her eyes.

"Like I already said he definitely already chose someone kind hearted and nice" she looked at me pointedly "but if you're really worried let me remind you the prince is a smart man and wants the best for our country just like you." She then turned back to her closet to continue her search for a dress for me. Since she seemed preoccupied, I couldn't help but sit and think about things from long ago. From when Mulan and I were just children playing outside on a sunny day completely unaware of the shocking discovery we would be making.

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"Mulan! Slow down I'm not as fast as you." She looks at me form over her shoulder but didn't slow down.

"I don't need to slow down you just need to speed up!" I glare at her and come to a stop to catch my breath and she rolls her eyes and stops as well. "You need to stop spending so much time inside with mom and more time with me and dad in the fields it would put some muscle on your bones."

"I would rather not."

"Why? Don't want to get to bulky in fear a man won't want to marry you." She pretended to be horrified by what she said and started to pat my shoulder. "Don't worry I'm sure the match maker will be able to fined you a husband, even if you can lift a hoe."

"Ha ha vary funny." I swat her hand away annoyed that she always teases me about my girly looks and likes. I start to walk, and she runs ahead to walk backwards in front of me. "You know it would make mom really happy if you would let her teach you just a little bit about needle point or cooking. You might even find it interesting."

"Meilin you know . . . "she suddenly stopped talking and started looking around "did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"I don't know, it sounded like whining or crying but it was vary quiet so shut up and listen with me ok." I sigh but started moving my head around trying to hear what she heard. We both stand still and listen until we hear a sound coming from the right side of the road.

"hmhmhmm" We both start slowly moving in the direction of the sound until we come to a box placed in between to buildings. We look at each other then Mulan reaches over and opens the box to reveal a black and white puppy lying on its side panting.

"It's a dog!" Mulan reaches into the box and picks up the puppy holding it to her chest. "Mulan what should we do he looks sick." I step closer to look at the puppy in her arms.

"It does look like it needs help, we should take him home and have father take a look at it. I'm sure he'll be able to help." With that Mulan began to run home with me doing my best to keep up with her, we made it home in record time. We ran straight to the family shrine were father is at during this time most days. "Father are you here!"

"Yes, what's wrong children?" Father stepped out of the shrine to look at us. He eyes scanned us looking for injures or something of the likes since Mulan had called for him out of breath and in a slight panic. "What is that in your arms Mulan?"

"Father we found this puppy in an ally and it seems to be sick." Mulan held the puppy out for him to see. Father looked at the dog and sighed.

"Please help him dad!" I looked at my father with hope in my eyes and let my eyes water just a little. He looked into my eyes and his tough ulterior crumbled.

"Ok fine, give me the dog I'll do what I can." Mulan handed him the puppy and father headed to the barn. With him gone my tears dried and I smiled at Mulan.

"I wonder if he will ever not fall for that?" Mulan crossed her arms and smiled back at me.

"Honestly, I think he knows what I'm doing he just can't help but be affected. So, do you think the puppy will be ok?"

"I'm positive father will save him" and sure enough after a few days of father caring for the puppy it was back to full heath running and playing with me and Mulan outside. As we are playing with the puppy father comes over to talk to us.

"Mulan, Meilin come here for a minute."

"Yes father." We both say and then run over to him with the puppy not far behind.

"I'm sure you are both aware by bringing this dog home he is know your responsibility correct?"

Mulan speaks first "of course we will raise him with love and iron fist." We both look at each other smiling then we turn to father and bow.

"Thank you father for allowing use to keep this puppy!" then we stand up straight and hug him.

"Well know that he is are family dog I believe he will need a name. Do ether of you have any ideas?" I think for a second then it comes to me.

"I know, since he is joining are family, he is like are little brother, so we should name him little brother."

"I like it, know I have two little brothers." Mulan says this with a triumphant and slightly mischievous smile on her face.

"Hey, I'm only seven minutes younger than you." I glare at her and she just keeps smiling.

"That's still younger."

"It doesn't count" I turn to are father with a pleading look on my face "dad tell her it doesn't count." Father shakes his head and lets out a slight chuckle.

"I'm sorry Meilin but your sisters right you are technically younger." He ruffles my hair and laughs.

"Dad!"

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*Bang*

A loud sound snaps me out of my day dream and I look up to see Hong picking up a shoe box she had dropped. She see's me looking and smiles. "Have you returned to the land of the living?"

"I'm sorry I was just thinking." She places the shoe box on the table it seemed to have fallen from and looks at me.

"What about?"

"Just about when me and my twin brother found a puppy when we were younger."

"You have a twin brother! Did he join the army?" She looked shocked at first but then sad as she asked her second question.

"Yes, he's extremely brave. He went in place of are father." In a way what I said was not a complete lie considering I was going in fathers place, so when Mulan took my pace, she also took his place as well.

"Are you worried about him? My little brother took are fathers place as well and its all I can do not to cry when I think about the possibility of his death." Hong looked extremely sad and I couldn't blame her but are loved ones wouldn't want use to cry over them but to have hope instead.

"I choose to be hopeful instead of sad, a positive attitude can make any situation just a little brighter."

"Your right." She smiled and walked over to the closet taking something out. "anyway, enough of that and back to the problem at hand, your dress. My mother packed this for me saying I should ware it if the prince is into the cute type, but I doubt a dress will do much for my image. Plus, it will look amazing on you, the prince won't be able to keep his eyes of you." The dress she held up was a strapless gray ball gown with white lase on the top and a big pink ribbon tide in a bow separating the top from the skirt. The dress was beautiful and if I was a girl, I would feel lucky to be able to ware it. "Well why are you just standing there? We need to get dressed for dinner or we'll be late." She handed me the dress and picked up a tight black mermaid dress for herself. I looked at the dress then at her unsure what to do but before I could ask, she spoke "If you wish to you can change in the bathroom over there." She pointed to a set of doors in the left corner of the room opposite of her closet.

"Thank you." I bow and then head over to the bathroom hoping she just thinks I'm shy about showing other people my body. Once I'm in the bathroom a new problem revealed itself, putting on this dress without any help and somehow come out still looking like a girl. The yukatas had many layers and covered up most of my skin making it easy to look more like a girl with less of a chance of being found out. Though this dress covered my lower half easily it made it much harder to hide the fact I did not have much to fill the top with. When I got the dress on as well as I could without help, I looked in the mirror as I held it up with one hand and found even in a strapless dress I just looked like a really flat chested girl "Sigh, when will my reflection show who I am inside?"

"Did you say something?"

"Hu . . . wa . . . no . . . ah . . I mean yes could you help me with the corset I can't do it alone."

"Sure, no problem." With her words Hong opened the bathroom door and stepped inside moving behind me to start lacing up the back of the dress. With every loop she laced up she pulled tight enough to restrict my breathing. I think Hong saw the face I was making in the mirror because she snickered to herself before saying "I know corsets are practically torture, but they help accentuate are womanly curves. I know you want the prince to pick his wife by her personality, but he is a man so looks will have at least a little to do with it." With her last word said she lased the last loop and gave one last hard pull on the lase.

"Aug! I understand. . ha. . but. . ha. . I can hardly breath!"

Hong smiled at me and patted my shoulder "that means it's working." She then left the bathroom to finish changing herself leaving me to look in the mirror and catch my breath. I can't help feeling respect for every woman whose normal attire includes a corset. There pain tolerance must be unbelievably high. I can only hope this kind of dress will only be necessary for the first dinner then I can go back to wearing my yukatas. "Hey Meilin, it looks like the other girls are starting to gather in the hallway we should probably join them before we get left behind." Hong lens against the bathroom door frame now fully dressed in her black mermaid dress that showed off every curve on her body.

"Wow! You look amazing are you sure everyone won't be to busy looking at you to even glance my way." She gave me a confident smirk.

"Trust me the prince won't keep his eyes of you but that doesn't mean I can't steal the eyes and hearts of every other man in the room. Know come on we need to join everyone ells." She grabbed my hand and we walked out of her room to join everyone ells in the hallway. It seemed everyone was just talking among themselves when someone spoke at the front of the hall.

"Good, it seems everyone has joined us know we can head to the dinning room." We looked to the front to see Cheung looking at use before he turned around and began walking saying "Fallow me please and remember how to get to the dinning hall because I will lead you only this one time then it will be up to you to get there by a suitable time starting tomorrow. Try not to keep the royal family waiting." With his last sentence he seemed to send a pointed look at Hong and me since we were the last to join everyone in the hallway.

"Oh no, I think mister royal lap dog is mad at us." Hong had a fake look of concern on her face as she talked to me. Then she smiled and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear "I'm sure we'll be fine a lap dogs bark is always way worse then it's bite." Without even looking are way Cheung spoke in a calm voice.

"All I need is my bark to be rid of a woman" at this point I could hear a little disgust seeping into his voice "like you." Hong's smile dropped from her lips and tension began to fill the air. I watched as the other girls did there best to put as much space between them and Hang as possible without being separated from the group. Even I felt the need to take a small step to the side to give her some space.

"And what kind of women would that be?" If glares could kill Cheung would be six feet under right know.

"Just a rude ill-mannered tramp who should have been sent home earlier today."

"Oh! Well that's not so bad, I've been called worse" She looked at Chunhua when she said that "if anything that's a little disappointing." With those words Hong's happy demeanor returned and for the first time Cheung stopped and looked back at use with a shocked and slightly annoyed look on his face. "Why are you stopping? I thought we didn't want to keep the royal family waiting."

"Che" he turned around and started walking a little faster than before, probably trying to get away from us a little sooner. With their little squabble over everyone walked in silence taking in the palace around use trying are best to remember all the turns we were taking. It wasn't long before we took one last left and were confronted with two large doors. Next to the doors were two soldiers who upon are arrival stepped forward and puled the doors open. As we stepped through the doors, I could feel everyone's eyes turn to us and I felt as if we were all sheep throne into the lion's den. I looked around the room and found the prince looking at use and next to him sat his mother with a sickly-sweet smile on her face and I could tell she was probably the most dangerous person in this castle. As we were led to are seats next to the royal family, I just prayed we would survive the night.

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As Meilin was led to his seat the prince didn't take his eyes off him and that was not unnoticed by the queen who decided right then and there tonight she would make sure this girl was worthy of her son.