[Mulan nods in response. Fighting to protect someone you care about, now that's something she definitely understands. Even if Lefou's situation was slightly different, the emotions were likely still the same.]

I didn't have a choice. Well I mean, I did, but-

[She sighs and rubs at her neck, pausing for a moment before starting again.]

We were being invaded. The Huns, they- they destroyed everything they touched. They were going to kill us all, if they had the chance. The Emperor called for one man from every family to enlist, and...

My father, he's getting older. He walks with a cane and his back hurts before it rains, and I just couldn't let him go. I know I'm...

[She holds up her arms and gestures to herself. Her small, not-beefy, not physically-strong self.]

Well, I'm exactly soldier material. But I stand a better chance of surviving the war than my father does.