"Is that all you plan on doing?" Aladdin asked.
Mulan hesitated, then said, "I also plan on finding a small... red dragon. He's family."
"You have a dragon?" Aladdin asked, raising a brow.
"Yes, but it's complicated. He was a family guardian who had been sent here to protect me," Mulan replied with a nod. "But he's small, mischievous, funny, and knows what to say when I feel down… not like the giant, ferocious dragons people usually imagine."
Seeing that Aladdin wasn't laughing at her story, Mulan felt a small sense of relief. She didn't know why she was telling him all of this. Perhaps it was because he had saved her life and she had come to trust him, even if only slightly.
With the things he had shown her, he seemed like the kind of person who would understand her plight and help her find Mushu.
"He seems like an interesting little red dragon. I can't wait to meet him. Do you know where he went so we can start searching after we're done alerting the other camps?" Aladdin asked.
"No," Mulan shook her head. "I have no idea… I don't even know where to start looking." She sat down with her back against the tree and her arms wrapped around her knees.
Aladdin furrowed his brows in thought.
No matter what happened, Mushu always stayed beside Mulan. They were inseparable. So for him to suddenly go missing…
Aladdin came to a conclusion that he didn't dare say aloud.
"Okay. After we're done alerting the other camps, I promise you that I will do my best to help you find him," Aladdin said, squatting before her and stretching out his hand.
Mulan nodded and held his hand.
They shook each other's hands.
Aladdin used the opportunity to pull her up. "After all the work you've done, you need to eat something so you can fully recover." He had also spent an enormous amount of magical energy bringing Mulan back from her near-death state.
Although he could do it again, that didn't remove the effort and strain it took to accomplish it.
Mulan dusted herself off as she rose to her feet.
"Are you going to introduce me to your companions? I know that my previous behaviour might not have been appropriate, but I promise that it won't happen again," Mulan asked, observing Aladdin as he looked toward the sky.
"You don't need to apologise. I'm certain that they'll be very understanding of your previous situation and will be happy to meet you as well," Aladdin replied. He placed two fingers in his mouth and whistled.
A dot soared toward their position, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound.
It was Carpet and Abu.
They arrived before Aladdin and Mulan in an instant.
Mulan almost wanted to leap behind a tree and hide, but she forced herself to remain where she was.
Abu leapt from Carpet and landed on Aladdin's shoulder.
"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Aladdin apologised.
"Don't care," Abu snorted. "Just tell me how it went."
"He... He... He can talk?" Mulan pointed at Abu and asked, stuttering.
Abu rolled his eyes. "Come on," he muttered under his breath.
"Yeah, this is Abu. He doesn't like to talk much, but that's one of his unique qualities. He's also really strong, so you can count on him to protect you if you ever find yourself in a troublesome situation," Aladdin responded.
Abu raised his two small arms and flexed his muscles. Instantly, muscular biceps bulged out beneath his attire. He raised his brows at Mulan and winked at her.
"Eeww," Mulan turned her head away and almost felt as though she was going to throw up. But she quickly regained her composure.
Abu folded his arms and snorted, turning his head aside after witnessing Mulan's reaction.
Aladdin pretended as though he hadn't seen anything as he introduced Carpet.
"This is Carpet. He's our magic flying carpet. Unlike Abu, he can't talk. But when you get to know him, you can understand most of the things he says easily."
"I'm Mu... Ping. Fa Ping," Mulan stepped forward and shook Carpet's and Abu's hands despite the latter's feigned reluctance. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."
Carpet bowed, grabbed Mulan's hand with his tassels, and kissed it with his edge.
For the first time since waking up, Mulan felt a faint smile tug at her lips, "What a gentleman."
"The pleasure is all mine," Abu replied with a lip curled to the side.
Mulan chuckled. She couldn't help but feel that these two weren't as frightening as she had initially assumed.
"Okay. Let's go somewhere better and eat something so we can rest and prepare for tomorrow," Aladdin interrupted.
Carpet swiftly rose into the air.
Aladdin climbed onto it and stretched out his hand toward Mulan.
Mulan pointed at the flying carpet nervously and asked, "Is this safe?"
"Of course it is," Aladdin replied with a smile. "Do you trust me?"
Mulan hesitated for a few moments before nodding. She grabbed Aladdin's hand and was pulled onto the carpet.
Carpet slowly rose into the air before soaring at breakneck speed into the distance.
Every now and then, Mulan glanced at Carpet to make sure that it was still actually flying.
"Where are we going? Do we really need to go that far just to eat something?" Mulan asked.
"We can't continue to stay here in case the barbarians return to investigate the camp. The mountains are the best place to stay while also monitoring the situation from a safe distance," Aladdin replied.
Mulan nodded in understanding.
Carpet quickly soared over the forest and entered the mountain range. After spotting a suitable area, Carpet slowed down and descended onto a rocky ledge.
Aladdin quickly got down before helping Mulan down as well.
"This is perfect. It's not too far from the ground, but high enough to allow us to monitor the situation from above and provide protection against advancing forces." Aladdin surveyed the environment and nodded in approval.
Mulan scanned the area and nodded in approval as well.
Aladdin turned and walked farther into the mountain range. After finding a flat area, he brought out a large carpet from his storage ring and spread it on the ground.
"How did you do that?" Mulan asked, wide-eyed in surprise. The more strange abilities Aladdin displayed, the more she doubted whether he was even human.
Aladdin took his seat first, then responded, "Have you ever heard of magic?"
"Yes. I used to think that none of that existed until I met Mushu," Mulan replied as she took her seat beside Aladdin, then shook her head. "But it shouldn't be the same thing. Mushu is a part of my family's ancestral heritage, and you... You are human."
She looked at him. "Are you not?"
"Would you be surprised if I said that I wasn't?" Aladdin replied.
"No," Mulan shook her head, "After everything I've seen today, I think I've run out of things to be surprised by."
"I'm human," Aladdin smiled. "Where I'm come from, there are those who can do this and much more."
"Where are you from then? I don't think I've asked," Mulan said, brushing her hair to the side as she curiously awaited his response.
"It's so far away from China that I don't think you could make it there safely in your lifetime without a magic carpet," Aladdin replied.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the best you're getting until you've eaten."
Mulan wanted to speak again, but a rumble instantly emerged from her stomach.
"We'll leave the questions for later," Aladdin said with a smile. "Close your eyes. Let me show you another magic trick."
Mulan hesitated briefly before summoning her courage and closing her eyes. With Aladdin's strange abilities, if he had wanted to harm her, he could have done so already. There was no reason to wait until now.
"You can open them now."
Mulan opened her eyes and immediately froze at the sight before her.
Decorating the once-empty carpet were bowls of rice, roasted chicken and lamb, flatbreads, fruits ranging from sweet melons to grapes and dates, and much more. There was even a small fountain flowing with mint tea, watermelon juice, and water.
The sweet aromas of the dishes drifted through the air, replacing the earthy scent of the mountains and enticing their senses.
Abu had already dug into the meal before him, while Carpet patiently helped him by bringing additional dishes closer for him to enjoy.
"You'd better dig in, or he might finish everything. His appetite is bigger than you think," Aladdin said, looking at Mulan.
Mulan nodded seriously. Just as she was about to begin eating, she noticed Aladdin standing up.
"Where are you going?" she asked with a frown.
"There's something I need to handle. Don't worry about me. I'll be back soon," Aladdin replied, gently patting her shoulder.
Without waiting for her response, he took a step forward and soared into the sky.
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