For The Love of the Warriors
The Beginning of a New Era
It was night; the wind was blowing ruthlessly through the gaps in my window, the cold breezes stung like a wasp sting that blew coldness throughout my body. I slowly wrapped my silk, smooth dressing gown over my shoulders and placed my arms through to warm me up from the winter's wrath. The birds outside had finished singing and all was silent all through the far west of central China, calling out to my mother, brother and sister I said goodnight and got into bed. All sorts of thoughts were flying through my mind like; how and why did my father die, why am I part of the Han Dynasty training sessions when I have not been to battle yet. I was drifting deep into my dream world where all over China the wars had stopped and peace was known to everyone, people getting along having fun and not a single sense of hate anywhere, a world where we could live in harmony. Still dreaming helplessly into tranquillity and serene feeling I could feel something wrong, something was disturbing my dreams but I thought nothing of it. A sudden and shrill scream echoed throughout the whole house, immediately I rushed out of bed running to my sister, Chou Ling, from where the scream had come from. Catching a small glimpse of the murderer I stopped running and leapt towards my sister who was slowly dying from a dagger in her side. Kneeling by her side as she died I said softly to her,
"Do not fear the afterlife that heads before you my sister, I will catch the murderer and destroy him for ruining our family. When you die I shall take the dagger that killed you to the shrine in Jiang Dong were all of our family shall be remembered. Goodbye Chou Ling we shall meet again when the stairs rise for me and you wait for me at the gates to join you ¼and father." I finished with tears rolling down my face when she replied her final words.
"Goodbye Zhen Chi, we will always be family even in spirit, as for father I shall send him hello and thanks from you¼ find the murderer and ¼ let him know the name of the family he has torn apart¼ goodbye¼" The tears from my emotion were falling like a mighty waterfall when I suddenly realised it was too quiet in the house, then I wondered where my mother and brother were, they had been taken captive by the assassin. Now it was personal, my family has torn to pieces by one man who does not know what he has done. With this I rushed to my closet to gather my war equipment I was given in my training sessions and placed on armour over the clothing. Behind a secret compartment enclosed by a locket hidden away were my weapons, a few daggers with the family insignia inscribed on the handles, a long spear with feathers from a peacock to show grace, a strong bow with many arrows, and my personal sword. The sword had my birthstone inside the handle with gold plated ribbons wrapped around it, each one of family had one and whenever a member died we would have to find it, place it on the shrine and cut part of our hand to give blood to the spirit that flew above in the heavens.
