United

[Mulan]

March 27th, Year 1

  The idea had been a good one.

  In the interests of the people, there would no longer be a singular leader for the now-named Dawnseekers. It pained Mulan that they had been born of the fires of conflict, but she had to believe that in that fire they would be forged strong. United. And this council, this elected group of representatives... Mulan felt this was a step in the right direction towards that union. She just wished it had been under better circumstances.

  But the time had come to move on. She was ready to move forward, and in light of her peoples' faith and trust in her, Mulan had a new duty to fulfill.

  She finished getting dressed and stepped outside to greet the chill of the Canadian morning. The buildings, courtesy of Zamora and every able-bodied member that had volunteered to help her, had been a boon on their own to group morale. Sleeping somewhere warm and dry compared to the weather-worn remains of an old barn house made a world of difference.

  But the structure Mulan chose to enter was not a place of rest, but rather a place to gather and reach decisions and compromises together. To Mulan, that was the ultimate goal here. No longer would they be a sea of faces answering to a tyrant that couldn't see them. No more scrambling, no more squabbling. This council, to which Mulan had been chosen for the honor of serving, was duty-bound to its people, not the other way around. As she pushed inside the door and slipped in, Mulan felt her resolve strengthen once more.

  The idea had been a good one.

[Shani]

Shani was already in the building, the lioness had arrived extra early to give herself time to feel around the place and get her bearings. It was like learning to walk all over again, being in such a different environment when one couldn't exactly see their surroundings. Shani couldn't express how fortunate she felt to have so many friends and family who were more than willing to assist her though, and it wasn't taking long for her to know where things were around their new camp, even with new buildings popping up every day.
New Buildings like this one, for example.

To say Shani had been surprised when she heard she had been voted as one of the new members of the council, a leader for the army, would be an understatement. She wasn't exactly sure she had the qualifications of a leader, her disability aside. Sure, she had essentially fallen into the role of head medic back in the Freedom Fighters, but that was just a small group of people. This was an entire army.
Would they even listen to her?

Her ear twitched when the door to the Council's building creaked open, and after the initial burst of cold air had hit her nose, she could tell it was Mulan that had joined her. 
"Good morning," she chimed, trotting her way over, "The others will be here soon, I think, as long as nobody accidentally slept in."

[Flynn Rider]

It didn't feel right.

He was a coward, everyone knew that. The first sign of trouble, Flynn Rider was out of there, lickety-split. No one should trust him, let alone trust him enough to be a leader. Hell, his reputation precedes him; He's a thief! Well, ex-thief, but still! No one in their right mind should ever put a man like Flynn Rider in charge.

He's a coward. Always was. Always will be.

And yet...

The people's vote fell on him. It stunned him. He almost turned it down in favor of Rapunzel, but she made him do it. "Maybe people didn't vote for Flynn Rider... Maybe they voted for Eugene Fitzherbert," was her reassuring advice, and Eugene wasn't sure he believed it fully. What did he have that the other leaders didn't? Mulan's combat prowess and awe-inspiring leadership, Dhall's incredible majesty of magic and the arcane, even Shani's medical skill and the people who followed her because of her ties to Jasper were fine qualifications. What did Flynn have?

An obsidian knife, a long scar down his chest, and nothing but a heavy heart filled with regret.

Flynn Rider entered shortly after Mulan, rubbing gloved hands together. Sure, it wasn't as cold as their first few weeks, but Canada was still a chill region, and the brisk morning air didn't help the still-healing "leader" much.

Even now, you're out of place, Flynn. What could you possibly contribute?

"Morning, all, and no, I did not sleep in. After ten thousand hours stuck in a bed, I think I prefer sleeping standing up straight." A sly look at Shani was quickly followed with a hand applied directly to the forehead. "Don't worry, Shani, it was a joke... Well, mostly a joke."

Leaning his back against the wall, Flynn winced slightly. His wound was mostly healed, but a slight twinge of pain still persisted. "Well, here we are! Leaders of a brand new army, working towards a brand new world, and only... y'know, only two armies who might be at our throats soon."

Flynn, reaching into his small satchel, pulled paper and quill, and started to seem to scribble aimlessly. "Shani, Mulan. Any ideas on how to get us back into fighting shape while Dhall takes her sweet time?"