Disclaimer: Dynasty Warriors and its characters are not mine. I'm not making any profit from writing this story.
Beta-reader: Nightlore.
Warning: This story may contain some disturbing imagery, but it's just for a brief moment and it's not the focus of the story.
A/N: Cao Cao was known to be a very good poet.
The Last Poem
The day was calm; the sun was gentle outside. Cao Cao could see the delicate sunrays whispering a golden secret to the windows of the room he found himself in. The first impression it gave was one of simplicity due to the clean lines and the not overly ornate decorative style. There weren't many pieces of furniture; the most notable items were a rectangular table in the center, surrounded by obedient chairs. One could be wrong; however, if they thought it was an ordinary room, it was designed to hold more intimate meetings with few selected guests. One who had the honor of sitting in one of those chairs felt an elevated aura; the nobility of the place didn't lie on extravagance and excess, but rather on the harmony of simplicity.
Cao Cao stared down at the table, seeing many different dishes displayed in front of him; the colors were vivid, inviting and agreeable. The aroma that came from them was soothing as it ascended the air in dancing lines. He paid attention to the delicate designs of the exquisite set of dishware, lines of royal blue over pure white.
Closing his eyes for a moment, Cao Cao concentrated on the feeling of a soft breeze over his skin. The king of Wei felt especially inspired that day, it would be possible he would end up writing another poem soon. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he saw flags waving, a bright victory; sometimes, he heard battle cries and dreamed of war; that day, however, he imagined a garden, flowers in bloom. In his head, white petals were graced with a pinkish hue that suddenly turned to red, when he heard footsteps approaching.
The boots meeting the impeccable shiny floor created a rhythmic sound that echoed over the room.
"My lord," Xiahou Dun said when he was beside the king of Wei.
Cao Cao opened his eyes, but didn't turn to look at his loyal general, he just stared straight ahead. "Leave the tray on the table," he instructed.
Xiahou Dun did as he was told, placing the object at the center of it.
"Now leave," Cao Cao ordered, voice nor too soft or too harsh.
The general bowed slightly and made his way outside.
Cao Cao waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps, then leaned forward slightly and picked a small amount of rice, bringing it to his mouth, savoring it for a while. He tried the pork after, and it tasted very fine.
"What do you think? Is this food to your liking?" he asked the warrior in front of him.
"Well, it's very modest…" Cao Cao heard another person answer the question instead. "It can't be compared to my banquets, but I guess there is some charm in enjoying simple moments like this…" Yuan Shao said with a pompous expression on his face.
"I think it's very good, I appreciated it much," a blonde-haired young man said with a sincere smile on his face.
"It's not bad…" Yuan Shao said. "I just think it could be a little better." The man arched his eyebrows, pressed his lips in a way that resembled a small pout and gesticulated with his hand in the air, creating absent-minded circular patterns. "Do you remember my banquets? You can't deny it, they were the best."
Cao Cao chuckled slightly. "Indeed, my friend. I can't disagree."
"Ah, but I prefer your feasts a lot more, my lord," Guo Jia smiled. "The women… There is no other occasion where I had seen so many beautiful women gathered in a place…" the strategist said dreamingly, but suddenly snapped out of his reverie. "Ah, of course, the other aspects are great too, the food is excellent and the wine… oh the wine... the best I have ever tasted."
"Yeah, I have to agree," Xiahou Yuan said with a joyful expression on his face, before he raised his goblet and drank with contentment. No longer after, his eyes were scanning the table, his mouth salivating at the sight of the dishes. "The food really looks good."
"Yeah… very good…" a burly man standing next to the table said while his eyes were entranced by the food.
"Hey, Dian Wei," Xiahou Yuan said. "What are you doing standing there, sit down and eat!"
Dian Wei's eyes widened as he kept staring from Xiahou Yuan's smiling face to the table repeatedly. "Can I?"
"Of course, Dian Wei," it was Cao Cao who answered. "Take a seat and share this moment with us."
The warrior showed a large smile and sat on a chair enthusiastically, "If you say so, my lord."
"Why not, Dian Wei? You've been so loyal to me…" Cao Cao's face suddenly gained a sorrowful expression. "Should I have been better to you?"
"What are you saying, my lord!" Dian Wei said. "You are the best lord I could have."
"You really think so…" Cao Cao whispered contemplatively. He then turned to the other side of the table and saw I young dark-haired man in very fine clothes. "What about you, my son? Do you think I could have been a more present father?"
Cao Ang, the eldest son of Cao Cao, said in a calm voice that hid a deep emotion, "You were a great father."
"I think I spent too much time away from you."
"You were working to realize your goals."
"Yes, I was," Cao Cao said. "I can barely remember a time when I wasn't anymore. One day, I decided I had to fight for what I thought was right… Since that day, it had been my greatest concern, my sole purpose in life. Only a man destined for greatness can understand what it is like."
"You are great, indeed, my father," Cao Ang said respectfully.
"I understand what it is to follow your ambition, but don't you think you went a little too far on your quest?" Yuan Shao asked.
"I regret nothing," Cao Cao said, simply, truly.
"You see, my lord only battled against you because it was necessary for him to accomplish his goal. If he didn't attack at that time, maybe he would be the one attacked by you," Guo Jia said more seriously, showing a little more of his tactician mind.
Yuan Shao showed an unreadable expression for a while, but then he let out a good humored laugh. "I understood your plans, it was a very good strategy… the only bad thing is that I was on the opposite side…" Yuan Shao stopped contemplatively, but then continued. "You sought power, it would be inevitable that we battled sooner or later, I was in your way, I know, but what about your allies, the lives that were sacrificed for your ambition?"
"I have no regret in dying for my lord," Dian Wei stopped eating for the first time since he started.
"Yeah, same here," Xiahou Yuan raised his hand and looked serious for a moment. "I'd die for my lord, as many times I could."
"I would do the same, father," Cao Ang said.
Cao Cao stared at each one of the faces that had been a part of his life and fell silent for a moment. What he felt at the time had nothing to do with grief, even though it wasn't a complete joyful sensation. "It's good to see you here…" he finally said.
"Yeah, it's good to be here eating good food," Xiahou Yuan said.
"Being in so good company," Guo Jia added.
"Meeting old friends," Yuan Shao smiled.
Dian Wei stared at the other men at the table and felt a little nervous, "Hm… the food is great," he said, thinking people expected him to say something.
"Hey, I already mentioned the food, you have to say something else," Xiahou Yuan laughed and Dian Wei felt very embarrassed.
The room was filled with laughter and the atmosphere was lighter for a moment. However, the joyful sounds died down and the room was silent once again, until Cao Cao's voice was heard once more, "What about you? You've always been silent, spending more time observing than talking. I appreciated that in your behavior."
Cao Cao selected some vegetables and ate them slowly, before speaking again, "Do you remember this place? I invited you to have dinner with me here once. I asked more about you, you only gave me short answers, uneasy for some reason. Then I declaimed one of my poems, asked for your opinion, you just listened silently, but I could tell you paid attention to every word as you nodded slightly. You said, 'I like it' in the end and your expression softened. I knew I could talk to you about what I wanted to discuss then… Even so, it wasn't enough to convince you. I gave you all the reasons and yet you refused my offer, you ran away, following the path of a fool. Now, tell me, who was right in the end?" He stared straight at the lifeless eyes of the officer's severed head on the middle of the table. "Who was right in the end, Guan Yu?" Cao Cao asked in a low voice, barely audible.
He inspected the estate of the head on the plate: the skin was pale, so the thick black color of the hair contrasted against it. His eyes seemed a little brighter, but distant, and his lips were slightly parted. His neck had been cut in an almost perfect horizontal line, so it supported the head in a way that it didn't lean more to one side than to the other. Even though the head was clean enough for what had happened, there were some visible traces of dark red sprayed over the skin, on the long hair and beard; some of the blood still poured from the gash on the neck and covered the surface of the plate with a thick pool or dark red. Cao Cao kept studying Guan Yu's face and realized that even though the warrior had lost the battle and his life, it seemed he still had some sort of a dignified expression, an aura of superiority that would never leave him, even after his death.
During the long time Cao Cao stared at the warrior's face, he didn't feel rage; even though he had ordered Guan Yu's head to be brought to him, he just felt a strange calm, a stillness in his chest, a silence in his heart.
He poured some wine into a goblet and toasted to himself, before swallowing. Although he knew it wouldn't be so sweet, he felt the taste was a little too bitter. Suddenly, he coughed and spilled the content he had swallowed back to the goblet. The liquid had to be clear, but he saw it red. He thought he was imagining things, like the illusions of the dead from moments before. Cao Cao moved the goblet in his hand slightly, making the liquid move from side to side. He kept staring at it and, for a moment, if he concentrated, he could see himself reflected on the red liquid, he could see himself reflected on his own blood.
He then dropped the goblet to the table and held his knees with his hands tightly. His chest burned and his body trembled. Cao Cao could feel a thin layer of sweat covering his cold skin and he willed himself to calm down. After a while longer, he felt he could breathe steadily again and the pain had subdued, leaving only a bitter memory behind.
Slowly, he stood up and guided himself to the door. He wasn't surprised to find Xiahou Dun waiting outside.
"Are you alright, my lord?" the general asked in concern.
"I'm fine," Cao Cao answered. He saw Xiahou Dun trying to reach out for him to help him walk, but he dismissed the gesture, "I said, I'm fine."
Cao Cao wasn't fine, but he didn't want to show weakness in front of his general. Even though he knew that maybe he needed some help for support, he was satisfied with just the feeling of his cousin's presence nearby.
Xiahou Dun knew his lord wasn't well, but he knew better not to argue, so he kept an eye on him instead. The man couldn't deny he felt delighted in being the one to bring Guan Yu's head to his lord, he had never liked the warrior of Shu, he had even been jealous of the treatment he received from Cao Cao in the past. Even though he was satisfied the man was dead, he still felt concerned by how it affected his lord, he knew Cao Cao once held great respect for Guan Yu and did everything he could to keep the warrior fighting by his side.
Damn him for doing harm even in his death.
"Xiahou Dun."
The man tried to calm down and stared at Cao Cao, "Yes, my lord."
"Where's my son? Has he returned yet?"
"Lord Cao Pi has arrived, my lord, do you want to meet him now?"
"No, I just wanted to know if he was near…"
Xiahou Dun inspected Cao Cao's expression, he seemed to be very calm… overly calm.
"I'm going to my room now, you can leave."
"Are you sure?" Xiahou Dun asked. "Okay then," they were very close to Cao Cao's chamber; he could watch him at a distance until he reached the door. "Try to take some rest; I think you need, my lord."
A laughter was heard and Xiahou Dun stared at Cao Cao in question.
"I don't want to rest, I think I'm going to write a poem."
Xiahou Dun crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I still think you should rest."
"I'll have plenty of time after I finish this poem…" Cao Cao stared at a window and saw a gracious garden outside; delicate flowers that whispered of life in a time of death and war. "I feel inspired today…"
A/N: I hope you liked my Cao Cao's story. I like him very much as a character and I wanted to add him to a story, but I never saw an opportunity until now. I'm glad I could add Xiahou Dun and Dian Wei, that are characters I also like and had never included in other stories. This fic has never been planned, I just had an idea all of a sudden and I started to write. I was thinking about writing a story for a different fandom and with a totally different plot, when I had the idea for this story. The only thing that remained slightly linked to that other idea was the severed head, all the rest is different xD
I'd like to thank you for reading, I'm almost sure I won't have much attention from the readers, but I'd really appreciate it if I received reviews with your opinion.
I also have to thank my beta-reader Nightlore for the help he always gives me.