This is a slightly edited entry from one of the writing contests held on the Koei Warriors Forum back in May 2015. It's one of my favorite entries and the only one I can post here so I hope you enjoy it!
Yueying huffed as she finished scaling the tallest hill overlooking the battlegrounds at Wuzhang Plains. After taking a few moments to catch her breath, she pulled out a map of the battlefield, studied it carefully, using her brush to mark various locations of the battlegrounds. Yueying was not only scouting for the Shu Army, but was also finding the best locations to place various weaponry that she and her husband, the famed Zhuge Liang, had invented. While she was writing on her map, she noticed a falling star out of the corner of her eye. She stopped writing and looked up at the twinkling sky, particularly watching the shooting star. Yueying began to feel sick as soon as the star disappeared from her view, but she didn't know why. She rolled up the map and decided she would traverse back down the hill to check on her ailing husband. As she turned her back to the battlefield, she saw another woman who was making her own way up the large hill.
As the woman reached the summit, the two stared at each other in silence. They both appeared to be the same height and the same age; if it was not for the other woman's revealing clothing, Yueying could've believed she was looking into a mirror. "Hello?" Yueying finally spoke up.
The woman relaxed and sighed with a soft smile. "Hello, dear."
Her smile made Yueying less suspicious, and more curious. "It's not everyday I see another woman on the battlefield..."
The woman walked passed Yueying and looked on at the battlefield where the armies of Wei and Shu were soon to clash. "I could say the same to you." She turned back to Yueying and questioned her in an inquiring tone. "What are you doing here?"
Yueying attempted to hide her map, as for all she knew, the woman could've been a spy for the Wei Kingdom. "I could ask you the same thing." She responded quickly.
The woman was shocked for a moment; she hadn't expected to receive such a clever and hasty response. She quickly regained her composure and smiled again. "I'm keeping an eye on my husband and my sons. My husband is always trying to overexert himself. My first son is too obsessive, and my second son is too lazy!"
Yueying hadn't expected this answer, but she was glad that she could relate. "I understand. Although my husband is very ill, he still insists to come to this battle!"
The woman put her hands on her hips and nodded in agreement. "Exactly. My husband thinks he's so perfect! That he's the greatest man in the entire land!"
Yueying sighed and rolled her eyes. "Oh, you think that's bad? EVERYONE thinks my husband is perfect! I'm certain it's because of their impossibly high standards that he pushes himself so hard!"
The woman giggled as she spoke. "What would our husbands do without us?" Yueying shook her head and laughed in agreement.
After this, the conversation degraded into silence. Although she enjoyed the company of this woman, Yueying needed to return to her husband. "Well... Goodbye." Yueying turned away and began to descend the hill.
"As a fellow matriarch, who must protect her family, I'm sure you understand what I'm about to do." Yueying turned back to the woman as she heard this, and saw multiple wires with claws at the tips fly at her.
Yueying jumped to the side at the last moment and grabbed her dagger-axe that was fastened on her back, she then pointed it at her assailant. "What are you doing!?" Yueying asked furiously.
The woman retracted her wired claws and put her hands on her hips. "I am Zhang Chunhua. The wife of Sima Yi." Yueying's eyes widened. "And you are Yueying. Wife of Zhuge Liang. I know that your husband is sick, perhaps the grief of your death will finally finish him off. Then Sima Yi will have no match in all the land, and he will be able to finally rest."
Yueying stayed in her defensive position and responded quickly. "And what if I kill you? Who will be there to take care of your husband?" Yueying paused, but spoke before Chunhua could reply. "Or your sons?" Yueying didn't want to fight, but she knew running wasn't an option.
Chunhua looked away and rubbed her cheek, obviously she hadn't considered that outcome. She closed her eyes and sighed before looking back up at Yueying. "You're right. However, I still can't let you leave." Chunhua sent her wired claws flying at Yueying again. Yueying held up her dagger-axe to block the claws, but they all missed her, or so she thought. When Zhang Chunhua retracted her claws this time, Yueying's map and battle plans were attached to them. "At least, not without this."
Yueying gasped and stepped a little closer to Chunhua. "Hey! Give that back!"
Zhang Chunhua smirked as she figured that Yueying didn't want to fight. "Come get it if you want it." She teased.
Yueying growled in frustration and realized she couldn't avoid a fight. She quickly charged at Chunhua with her dagger-axe in hand. "Give it back!" Chunhua was taken by surprise but was able to dodge to the side as Yueying swung at her. Unfortunately, Yueying was so close to the slope of the hill that her missed swing sent her flying down the hill, but not before she managed to hook Chunhua's dress and drag her down also.
They both rolled all the way down to the base of the hill. Yueying was scraped and bruised, but not seriously injured. Yueying slowly stumbled to her feet first, and looked over at Zhang Chunhua who seemed to be more injured, as she could not get to her feet. Yueying walked over to Chunhua to check on her, until Yueying heard a rough, slurred voice. "Well, whadda we got 'ere?" Yueying turned towards the voice and saw a band of soldiers, she could tell they were drunk because of the way all of them clumsily walked. "Two beautiful ladies, why not 'ave some fun before the battle, fellas?" The rest of the brutish soldiers loudly agreed.
Yueying could've left Chunhua behind and easily escaped the soldiers, but she could not bear the guilt of leaving Chunhua to be used by the men. As the men all grinned, laughed, and flaunted as they got closer to the two, Yueying reached behind her to grab her dagger-axe, but it was't there. She realized that she must have dropped it while rolling down the hill. She panicked and frantically looked around for her weapon, but it was nowhere in sight. All she had left was her wit.
Yueying watched as the drunken men got closer and closer and took a deep breath; she wondered how hard it would be to trick drunks. "Oh, boys?" Yueying attempted to sound seducing, and laughs came from the group of soldiers, her face became flustered yet she stood fast. "Wouldn't it be much more fun if only one of you got both beautiful women, instead of having to share?" Some grumbling came from the men, and she felt her plan was working. "Why should you have to share!? You're the toughest, aren't you!? So prove it and take the women for yourself!" After some arguments between the group of soldiers, a large fight ensued, and all the drunk men proceeded to beat each other senselessly.
As the men all fought, Yueying looked around and found her dagger-axe. She grabbed it and quickly ran back to Chunhua, who had barely managed to get on her knees. Yueying helped her up to her feet, Chunhua groaned lightly and looked at Yueying. "You could've left me..."
Before Yueying could respond, a man on horseback rode to the drunken brawl. "Everyone, stop! I will have you all executed if you do not!" The mounted man shouted. The fighting eventually ceased, and all the men, now bloody and battered, returned to their posts. The man then rode his horse over to Yueying and Chunhua. "Mother, are you alright!?"
"Yes, dear." She said as she brushed dirt off of her dress.
"Who is this woman?" Her son pointed at Yueying.
"As a fellow matriarch, who knows how important a woman is to her family, I'm sure you understand what I'm about to do." Yueying remembered this phrase from before and what followed it. She began to panic and clutched her dagger-axe tightly, but her fears went away as Chunhua continued. "She's nobody. And you are going to let her go, understand, Shi?" Sima Shi nodded, looking very intimidated. Zhang Chunhua climbed on his horse and smiled at Yueying once more. "Farewell, and thank you... Let's go!"
As Zhang Chunhua and her son rode back towards the Wei camp, Yueying noticed a piece of paper fall behind them. She picked it up, and realized it was her map with her battle plans on it. As she made her way back to the Shu camp, Yueying wondered if Chunhua meant to drop it as thanks for saving her life, or at least her dignity— Yueying guessed that she'd never really know.