Author's Notes; So I've decided to give a Dynasty Warriors fanfiction another attempt with an idea that has been circulating in my head for months. This chapter is pretty short, and I plan to write a little more as I get more creative and what not but this is just an introduction to my OC (which I always use) and her history. Any reviews are welcome.

Chapter One – Flames of Suffering

"You should get some rest, you look exhausted. We shall continue training tomorrow morning; your blade isn't going anywhere."

Doing as she was told without argument, the girl sheathed her sword and gave her father a curt nod. Her entire body was aching furiously, and every muscle seemed to ache in protest as she began to move, seating herself down in front of him and gladly accepting the meat-bun he pushed towards her. They both ate and drank in silence as they regarded the comfortable wooden confines of what they called their home.

Once the meal had come to an end, the girl got to her feet and inclined her head towards her father once more who gave her a warming smile, before she left the room altogether to go to her quarters. She was indeed exhausted and her mother would not be impressed that she had spent the entire day practising to yield a sword and a bow. She was completely against the idea that a woman should even want to consider entering into battle and preferred them to do menial tasks such as threading clothes, washing materials, farming and keeping their home in good condition. This would be why her mother chose to favour her sister, who was far more matronly and feminine than she ever would be, and why her father favoured her.

Laying her sword down by her side, she observed it with admiration before finally resting herself. She fell into a deep doze as soon as she closed her eyes.

It didn't feel as though more than five minutes had passed before she was awakened. Feeling disorientated and confused, her eyes became trained on a strange orange glow that was very unlike the sunset or sunrise that she was accustomed to. As she became more awake, she felt the baking heat on the side of her face and perspiration began to bead across her forehead. Her hand automatically reached for her sword as she quickly clambered to her feet. Now that her senses were intact, she could hear screaming and crying, the clanging of metal against the metal and worst of all, the crackling of crumbling wood.

The pungent smell of burning reached her nostrils and she cringed away from it, panic starting to fill her mind and rooting her temporarily to the spot. Her sword was held limp at her left side as she tried to get herself under control, and it was only when she heard a scream inside her very own home did she start moving.

Lunging out of the room, she saw her mother cowering in the corner with her sister embraced within her arms. Her father was already in combat against three soldiers, brandishing his own sword with the movements he had been teaching her. He veered to the left to avoid being hit and caught sight of his daughter in the corner of his eye.

"Go! Grab White Oak and get out of here! I'll hold them off!"

Almost immediately, her mother and sister arose and began to head towards the only other exit available to them, attempting to bring the sword-wielding girl with them. She shrugged them off and went to her father's side, ignoring his orders for the first time ever. She reared her arm back, ready to defend him and the rest of her family but he shoved her aside, his face full of fury.

"Defend your mother and sister! Go now!"

With angry tears pricking in her eyes, she turned away from her father and followed her mother and sister's suite, sprinting through the burning house towards the unguarded exit. There was a guttural yell from behind her and she looked back over her shoulder in time to see the falling figure of her father. The smoke was thickening as the fire spread rapidly, moving across the dry beams of wood and obscuring her vision completely.

Still trying to keep her sister and mother clearly in her mind, she forced herself to move on and not allow the grief to overtake her, at least not yet.

Cutting her way through the wood with urgency, she forced her own way out of the burning scaffolding and tripped in the process, landing heavily on the hard ground. Blood sprayed against her face as she landed and once again she scrambled quickly to her feet, her eyes trying to look everywhere at once whilst she wiped absent-mindedly at her face with her free hand.

When she looked down to see where she had landed, the world started to grey out in front of her and it felt as though her heart had stopped completely. Her sister lay dead in front of her very eyes, blood seeping from several stab wounds in her abdomen and her mother lay a few feet away, suffering the same fate.

The grief seemed overwhelming and she sank to her knees, dropping her sword and reaching out for her sister's hand, which was already starting to grow cold as the blood drained from her body. She stared at the lifeless glazed eyes which would now stare eternally up at the heavens and felt tears falling from her own, cutting clear streaks through the blackened ash and dirt on her cheeks.

"There's another here!"

The girl looked over her shoulder again to see a group of the blue-clad soldiers, and reached for her sword. It was useless fighting in such a state, she had been taught well by her father, and grief would only mask her abilities. Instead she forced herself to her feet and began to sprint around the crumbling foundations and found that White Oak was still tied up, pawing the ground nervously.

She mounted the horse with effortless grace and leaned over to slice the rope with her sword. Without having to do anything else, White Oak began to gallop swiftly, taking the grief-stricken girl away from the burning town, away from her dead family and out of harm's reach.

Forcing herself to remain upright on her horse, her head lolled against her chest and observed the dry, cracked land with no idea on where she was to go. She had lost everything within seconds and now she was roaming the land with no destination and a heart full of grief and despair. In her hurry, she had been incapable of packing any food or water and had eaten nothing for the past three days. She had managed to come across a source of water the day before, giving White Oak and herself a long rest to recuperate. But now she was regretting her decision to leave the slightly sheltered area as she crossed underneath a baking Sun, with her malnourished body protesting against her every move. Her grip on the reigns of her beloved horse was becoming slacker as they continued onwards, her energy depleting at an alarming rate.

The world was becoming discoloured again and her vision was becoming blurry and unfocused, but she willed herself to go on, relying instead on White Oak to lead them somewhere that might become a safe haven for them.

She didn't even realise that her horse had come to a halt as her consciousness began to slip slowly away. The world came into one brilliant blur before she lost the hold she had on her consciousness and her horse, slipping from the glossy white body and falling heavily to the ground.

If she had been capable of seeing her surroundings, she would have noticed the oncoming soldiers and she probably would have fled in the opposite direction, but as it were, her body had closed down on itself and all her senses along with it.

White Oak nudged the unconscious girl with his muzzle but to no avail. At the approaching soldiers, he pawed at the ground again and shook his head back, almost seeming to protect the fallen girl.

However, the warrior leading a horse of his own as well as the soldiers slowly approached the girl and the horse with apprehension. He was aware that the horse was on edge, but he continued to move forward, slowly extending his hand to pat the horse gently on its side.

"There, boy…I'm not going to harm you or your rider…"

There was intense silence as the man continued gently stroking the horse, attempting to gain access to the helpless girl without the horse deciding to rear up and attack him first.

"Quickly, get this girl and her horse some food and water!" He said abruptly a few minutes of tension, and the soldiers acted immediately, handing over a pot of water that had been tied to the warrior's own horse and then several strips of meat.

Throwing the meat to White Oak, the warrior knelt down beside fallen girl and slipped his arm underneath her thin shoulders, lifting her up and using her free hand to pull down her chin. He slowly poured the water into her open mouth, and then over her drying skin.

The sudden feel of cold water made her pores scream with relief which was only mirrored as the cool substance made its way down her throat. Her eyes opened slowly, revealing azure underneath her lids but she was only capable of seeing a blurry silhouette against the blazing sky.

"What is your name?" The warrior asked gently, still holding her up and staring at her with growing sympathy.

"Ling Cai," The girl croaked, her body yearning for more of the water even though her stomach was starting to cramp. She felt no fear towards the man who was holding her, but perhaps that was because she was too numb and too weak to feel anything at all.

"Well Ling Cai, I am Zhao Yun and I assure you that you will be safe now, we shall..."

But by that point, Ling Cai had lost consciousness once more.