Some small revisions were made. (04/24/2017)
Everything was pitch black, until she slowly opened her eyes. It was the start of another beautiful day. Xiao Qiao got up from her bed and changed to her usual everyday clothes. She remembered why Zhou Yu wasn't beside her. He, along with other troops, including Sun Ce, had to go on a mission to capture another castle not so far from the one they were currently in. She went out of her room and walked along the corridor of the sleeping quarters. She finally got out and now she was in the main hall of the castle. She saw her sister in the distance and decided to go to her, and ran.
"Gooooooooood morning sis!" she sang in a cheerful manner.
Her sister, Da Qiao, giggled and smiled at her cute greeting. "Good morning to you too Xiao Qiao."
"Today's such a great day! Right, sis?" Xiao Qiao looked at her and smiled.
Da Qiao replied, "It sure is, Xiao Qiao. I just hope that Sun Ce and the others get back safely."
"Oh don't worry about that sis! Lord Zhou Yu and Lord Sun Ce can battle more than a thousand bad guys and still win!" Xiao Qiao reassured her big sister.
Da Qiao knew her sister was right, but that doesn't mean the outcome will always be good. There will always be a chance of defeat.
"I sure hope so." she said.
They started walking along the hall.
"So sis, what do you want to do?" Xiao Qiao asked her.
Da Qiao haven't thought of any activities to do today. "Hmmmm... I don't really know."
Xiao Qiao thought of many possible things to do, like training, eating, or maybe even secretly watch how Master Sun Quan acts like when he's drunk. The two sisters heard he acts like a very different person whenever he drinks. Xiao Qiao giggled at the idea, but decided to do that some other day. She had another idea in mind.
"Hey, how about we plant some flower seeds in the garden?" She smiled.
Da Qiao wanted to do that as well, but there was one little problem. "Sorry Xiao Qiao, I don't think we can do that. The castle's garden isn't quite finished yet." She frowned.
Xiao Qiao sadly sighed. "Awwww, but I really wanted to do that!" she frowned. Her face suddenly lit up, another idea coming to her mind. Da Qiao noticed this, and was confused.
"Oh! I know another thing we can do!"
"What is it?"
"Let's try out each other's weapons!" she grinned.
"I don't think it's safe, I mean we're not used to each other's weapons and all."
"Silly!" Xiaoqiao giggled. "That's why we're gonna try it out! So we can learn how to use them!"
Da Qiao mentally facepalmed. Oh right… silly me indeed… "Well, if you say so." She smiled. They went to the Training hall.
There were some soldiers who were training. The weapons were located in one corner of the hall, they were all in one row. The weapons consisted of swords, pikes, spears, and bows.
The soldiers greeted the two Qiaos, with the two returning the kind gesture. The two sisters hid their weapons in their own special place within the training hall. They went there and got their weapons.
Xiao Qiao looked at her sister's weapon, the Pugil sticks. "Oh it looks so cute!" They started trading their weapons.
Da Qiao was quite happy when she got the twin fans. "You know, as much as I like my current weapon, I do miss using two fans."
Xiao Qiao, who was familiarizing herself with her sister's weapon, heard her. "Sis, you can always ask me if you want to borrow my fans." she smiled.
"Really? Thank you, Xiao Qiao." she returned the smile.
"Anything for you big sis!" They were about to start using each other's weapons, but Xiao Qiao was having trouble. She looked at the sticks.
"Now how do I use th-" she accidentally pressed a little button on the handle, making the weapon fire. She was blown back by the weapon, making her fall to the floor.
Da Qiao rushed to her side, concerned. "Xiao Qiao! Are you alright?"
Xiao Qiao just laughed. "That was so fun! Your weapon's so cool!"
Da Qiao helped her up. "Okay, I think that's enough for today." She noticed the small scratch on her sister's right arm.
Xiao Qiao disagreed. "But we just started!"
"No, Xiao Qiao. I don't want you getting injured anymore."
"But it's only a small scratch. Come on sis, pleaaaaaaaaase?" She pouted.
Da Qiao couldn't resist her sister's adorable antics and eventually gave in. "Okay, fine. Just please be more careful alright?"
Xiao Qiao hugged her, making her smile. "Yay! Thank you so much sis!"
A few minutes have passed and Xiao Qiao was getting quite used to her sister's weapon. Da Qiao, on the other hand, enjoyed using the twin fans once again, memories of her own set of twin fans coming back to her.
On the opposite side of the hall, there were two soldiers. They were checking out a barrel that seemed out of place.
"Who do you think put this here?"
"I don't know, probably someone who drinks a lot. This is a barrel for booze, right?"
They looked inside the barrel, and noticed a strange circular object inside. They also noticed it was actually resting on top of the gunpowder inside.
One soldier tried to pull the object, but it was stuck. There was a piece of string connected to it. Little did they know, they just activated the trap. The pulling of the string caused a spark inside the barrel, causing the gunpowder to ignite in flames.
Eventually, it exploded.
The two sisters heard the explosion and saw the already burning area of the hall.
"We need to get out!" Da Qiao said. Xiao Qiao nodded. Along with other soldiers, they ran to the only way in and out of the training hall. Suddenly, a group of soldiers closed the large door, trapping the two Qiaos and the other troops. One soldier who was with the sisters, said to the group, "Are you out of your minds?! We have to get out of here!"
One soldier from the group said, "This is revenge for Wei's defeat!" Wei soldiers have disguised themselves as Wu soldiers. He swung his sword at the other soldier, but he was able to block it with his spear. The Wei soldiers started fighting against the so called two Qiaos' group.
One Wei soldier was about to hit Xiao Qiao, but she quickly hit him with the Pugil sticks. The other Wu soldiers fought the Wei soldiers, but only a few were training at the time, making them outnumbered. The sisters had to help them.
The fire was already spreading out up to the ceiling. Debris were falling. They had to get out of here, fast. Eventually, they defeated the Wei soldiers. Only a few Wu soldiers survived. Da Qiao noticed the piece of wood blocking the door from opening. She figured out how to remove it, but she's going to need assistance.
"Please, help me with this!" Xiao Qiao and the other soldiers rushed to her side. "We have to pull this out at the same time!" They all nodded.
"Okay, one, two, three, pull!" They all pulled at the same time, and it worked. With all their combined strength, they pushed on the already burning and now fragile door. They quickly ran outside the destroyed training hall.
One Wei soldier inside the training hall slowly got up, taking in his last few breaths. He went towards another barrel trap they planted, located beside the large door. With his last words, he ignited the barrel. "For...the glory... Of Wei..."
The two Qiaos and the surviving soldiers sighed in relief. Their faces and their clothes were covered in ash. They all dropped their weapons, already sure that there were no more Wei soldiers.
"Xiao Qiao, are you alright?" she asked her sister.
"I'm okay." she said.
One of the soldiers said, "How did we not see that there were Wei soldiers who infiltrated our castle? We have to report this to lord Zhou Yu once they get back."
Thoughts were going into Da Qiao's mind, making her scared. She looked at the burning training hall. "W-what if the mission Sun Ce and Master Zhou Yu are doing are traps?" N-no! Please no...She looked down on the floor and held her hands together, tears were forming in her eyes.
Xiao Qiao went closer and put her hand on her shoulder. "Sis, we can't know for sure, but I do know that they can overcome any of those traps set by the bad guys. I promise, they'll be safe." she reassured her sister. She hugged her, making her return it as well. Moments after, they finally let go of the embrace.
"I think it's a good idea to get far from this place. Besides, I'm getting quite hungry." She tried to lighten the mood.
Da Qiao smiled. "You know what? Me too." Both of them, along with the other soldiers, started walking away from the destroyed hall.
Suddenly, another explosion from within the training hall was heard. They looked to where the sound of the explosion came from. Da Qiao's eyes widened. Shards of wood started flying in random directions. They all raised their arms to shield their faces. They were all in fear and shock that they just stood there, watching the terrifying event in front of them.
"W-we have to get out of here before things get even worse!" Xiao Qiao shouted, with a worried face.
She looked at her sister and said, "Sis! Let's go!" Da Qiao just stood there and didn't respond. Xiao Qiao was confused. "Sis, come on!" She tugged her arm, and noticed what happened when she glanced down. Sister…? An overwhelming feeling of horror struck her as she suddenly realized what just happened.
Da Qiao was impaled by a big shard of wood, in the left-center area of her stomach. She slowly collapsed to the floor.
"NO!" Xiao Qiao kneeled beside her seriously injured sister. Th-this can't be happening! Sis!
"Lady Da Qiao!" the group of soldiers were about to go to them, but parts of the ceiling above them collapsed and fell. Xiao Qiao watched in horror as she saw the soldiers perish in an instant.
"SOMEBODY! HELP!" she screamed with a very worried look on her face, as tears were starting to form in her eyes. Xiao Qiao looked down at her sister. She didn't want to leave her alone.
Da Qiao slowly raised her right hand and tried to remove the piece of wood. Xiao Qiao tried her best to not become nauseous at the sight.
"No sis don't!" she tried to stop her sister.
"No... It's okay... " Da Qiao said very weakly. She gathered up her remaining strength and carefully pulled the piece of wood, trying hard to resist the pain. As she pulled it out, she screamed in pain and agony. She covered her open wound with her right hand. Tears were forming in her eyes because of the intense pain.
Xiao Qiao could feel her sister's pain after hearing her shriek. It made her tears flow so much. She couldn't bear it. Her was sister was suffering, dying, in front of her, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. The only thing she was able to do was made her presence felt, to know that she was still by her side, holding her left hand firmly with both of her hands.
"Sis, we're gonna make it through this, okay?" She cried.
"No... Xiao Qiao... you're… gonna make it..." Da Qiao said very weakly.
"No, p-please don't say that..." Xiao Qiao whispered.
Da Qiao moved her already blood-stained right hand and caressed her sister's cheek, staining her little sister's cheek, but also made the blood from the large open wound flow out even faster. Xiao Qiao responded by holding her blood-stained hand. It felt so weak and shaky, but it still relaxed her a little after she felt its warmth; the warmth that could only last so long.
"X-Xiao Qiao... I-I'm s-sorry..." Her voice was so frail. Her breathing changed to short and quick ones. It was difficult for her to talk. She was ready to accept her fate. "P-promise m-me... t-that you'll… m-make it…"
"I-I...I p-promise…" her little sister cried even more, if that was possible. She tightened her grip on her left hand.
"T-ell... S-Sun Ce... I'm s-sorry... " her voice choked up as she released the last remaining tears from her eyes. Her breathing suddenly slowed down. Her heartbeat slowed down, and she finally closed her eyes, prepared for her eternal slumber. Her hands lost all grip, yet Xiao Qiao never let go.
"Sis?" she shook her lightly. "SIS! Wake up!" She shook her even more. She was still crying, using up all those remaining tears she could possibly have. She lied down beside her now lifeless sister, and hugged her.
Sadness was evident on Xiao Qiao's face as she looked at her sister, all the while still embracing her. "Sis…" She never wanted to stop crying, as she just lost the person who was the closest to her.
Xiao Qiao was unaware of what was happening around her because of her emotional distress. The fire caused by the explosions had already spread to the other parts of the castle. She had to get out of the blazing inferno soon to cover the whole area. But, she felt so tired, so drained. What was the point in trying to escape from this hell, when her sister, her family, was gone? She lied down beside her, waiting for the flames to come and finish her life, just so that maybe, just maybe, she could be with her once again, and end all this pain. But, she remembered what she told her. She promised her she would live through this, and did she dare to break that promise? No! There was no way she was going to break this one last promise for her. She stood up, carefully letting go of her hands. She ran towards the safest place where the fire didn't reach yet. She looked back, with dry tears on her face, as she saw her sister, lying down peacefully, slowly disappearing as her resting place became engulfed in flames.
Moments later, Xiao Qiao arrived in the safe area of the castle. People who were knowledgeable about medicine were there to treat her, and there were some soldiers who were figuring out how the Wei soldiers were able to infiltrate the castle. She was lying down on one of the beds.
In one corner of the room, two soldiers were having a conversation, and at times they would glance at Xiao Qiao. "I've never seen Lady Xiao Qiao so sad before." He frowned.
The other soldier replied, "Well, she did just lose her sister, and Lady Da Qiao was just so young and pure hearted. They didn't deserve any of this."
A little girl approached Xiao Qiao. "Ummm Miss Xiao Qiao? I'm s-sorry about what happened to Lady Da Qiao..." the little girl felt really sad. She had known the two Qiaos for quite some time already. Those two were her idols, and to think that one of them would die so suddenly, it was devastating.
"Sis…" Xiao Qiao's eyes became red from all the crying. The little girl hugged her, although she only moved a little to let the girl hug her, as she felt so drained after the events that happened.
Xiao Qiao shifted uncomfortably in her bed, with dry tears on her face. She woke up and sprang her head forward, sitting up straight. She just realized it now. It was all just a nightmare. But she noticed something strange. Zhou Yu wasn't there. She remembered in her bad dream that Zhou Yu wasn't there too. What if that wasn't a nightmare at all? What if it was real? Many questions filled the girl's mind. Tears were starting to form in her eyes again, but she still had doubts. This was her only way to find out. She quickly got up from bed and left the room. She noticed that the sun was just about to rise, so it wasn't that dark anymore.
"Sis! Where are you?! Sis!" It was either because she was so emotional right now or she really didn't know where her sister's room was. Tears were already falling from her face, as she searched for her sister.
She was already near the end of the sleeping quarters, yet she still hasn't found her sister's room. She was beginning to believe that all those horrible events actually happened. It all felt too real. She's not going to give up yet, as there were still a few rooms to search. She stopped for awhile and tried to catch her breath after all those running, the sleeping quarters in this castle was quite large compared to the other castles the Wu kingdom have captured.
"Sis… where are you…" Xiao Qiao sadly said. She suddenly heard a groan nearby. It sounded like a girl's voice. Xiao Qiao's face lit up a little, as a thought came to her mind. S-Sis…? Is this it? Is it really her? Apparently, her questions in mind were answered.
"X-Xiao Qiao… can I borrow… your twin fans… thanks…" With how quiet the environment was, she heard her sister mumble and talk in her sleep. She ran to the room where she believed her sister was, and just forced her way in. She launched herself at her sister, who was sleeping so peacefully. And that peace was just ruined. Da Qiao was so surprised and screamed. She was literally on the edge of the bed because of her little sister.
"Xiao Qiao?! What are you doing?" She said. Her voice was rather hoarse as she still felt a little sleepy. She heard her sister crying. "X-Xiao Qiao? What's wrong?"
Xiao Qiao, who was embracing her sister, wiped away her tears. "I-I'm so glad you're alive!" Da Qiao was confused by this.
"Of course I'm alive Xiao Qiao." She said. Xiao Qiao finally let go of the embrace.
"I-I had a bad dream… and I saw y-you… die…" She started to cry again. "And I s-saw y-you disappear… in the f-flames…" she was choking up. She couldn't stand the sight of her sister dying.
Da Qiao was very surprised and a little horrified, but none of it happened. She tried to hush her. "Shhhh… it's okay now, I'm still here, see? It was just a bad dream."
"B-but Zhou Yu and Lord Sun Ce w-weren't there t-too... just like now…" She kept telling herself that it's not real, that it's over, but the fact that the situation all looked similar in her nightmare, she couldn't help but think that it's actually going to happen sooner or later.
Da Qiao knew the answer to that. "Xiao Qiao, Zhou Yu and Sun Ce are just training outside, well, that's what Ce told me…"
"It all felt so r-real… " Xiao Qiao said.
Da Qiao tried to calm her down. "Nothing's gonna happen, alright? I promise." She reassured her little sister, and smiled at her.
"S-Sis? Is it okay if I... sleep with you… f-for now?" She didn't want to leave her sister's side, still afraid of that nightmare.
"Well… why not?" Da Qiao smiled at her.
Xiao Qiao went closer to her sister and snuggled up to her, clutching her arms. Da Qiao stroked her little sister's hair soothingly. Xiao Qiao still snuffled a little.
"Sleep tight, little Xiao Qiao…" Da Qiao whispered in a soothing manner. She remembered those times when they were younger, when Xiao Qiao would have bad dreams, she would always go to her, asking her if she can sleep with her. Just like old times…
Xiao Qiao was finally at peace, but she suddenly remembered one thing, and so she told Da Qiao. She opened her eyes and looked up at her.
"Don't worry sis, I'll let you borrow my twin fans," she smiled.
Da Qiao looked down at her, and she simply smiled and giggled at her question.
Totally different from "The Gourmands' Consequence", right?
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed reading!