Tale
Chapter I, Celebration

Disclaimer: As of this chapter, I do not claim to own Dynasty Warriors or any other characters you recognise. However, Wang Chun is an original character created by me and the situations/storyline is mostly fictionalised versions created in my imagination.
Author's Notes: This chapter and perhaps the next few chapters will be short, however, I hope you will enjoy my story as it is the first I have written in a long time. I can promise you an interesting twist on the story any devoted Three Kingdoms reader will know well.

The party was large and elegant. The table was stocked with food yet to be enjoyed, and there were many lords of different provinces and duchies waiting before the elderly but wise lord, Wang Yun, who was using his staff to walk onto the stage. He kept a keen watch on the lords and their most trusted officers, who were enjoying the night flirting with many of Wang Yun's maidens and nieces. The elderly minister began to beat his staff into the ground to gain the attention of the lords.

"I hope you are enjoying your stay here," Wang Yun croaked as he lifted his wineglass and raised it, receiving a response in cheers. "But I must reveal the truth to you all. You are indeed here to celebrate the birth of my nephew, Chun, but that is not the prime intention of your gathering here."

The lords suspiciously made glances at one another. Wang Chun, the young nephew of the minister, had taken a seat beside one of the lords, who wore a small dark beard and a cape of purple. Wang Yun took a step forwards to ensure that each and every lord could hear every thing he said. He then smiled and stroked his chin.

"The true reason of your gathering is that for many decades now, our empire has faced strife, and in this last one, we have lost many a thing," he spoke, reading the faces of the lords. "The rebellion has destroyed our lands and the ten commanding officers of our empire had betrayed Lord He Jin, a good friend of many of us. Lords Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu of Ji, whom are both amongst us now, made their best effort to rid the land of them, to great success. But taking the advantage of us was Dong Zhuo, who ashamed four centuries of priviliged heroes by forcing the young Emperor Shao into abdicating to the younger son of our late Emperor Ling. Dong Zhuo has abused the power he has and is manipulating us, one by one! He is taking the good lords of our empire and turning them against us. Master Hua Xiong, the officer who had showed great bravery in saving my life earlier this year, is now in the ranks of the tyrannical man who is abusing the power and destroying the capital inside out!"

Wang Yun turned to his nephew, tears trickling down his face as he made his speech. Some of the lords were shedding tears also at the realisation that they were letting their ancestors down. Then the minister looked at the lord seated next to his nephew and bowed to him, for he was the one he respected more than any of the other lords – he was Cao Cao, the son of Wang Yun's close friend Cao Song. Cao Cao took a sip of his wineglass, almost bored by the speech, but Wang Yun continued.

"If you are here to look down on me, or to look down on one of the other lords, you are looking down on the Han Dynasty!" he shouted, pointing his cane at various lords. "But I trust you all to the last of my breath and can ensure that you are all honourable men of the Han and that tyrant is taking away our power! We must not let our duchies and our provinces and our clans fall to that man, otherwise our households and families and lives will fall apart and he will drag us to a hell worse than that witnessed by the demons themselves! Do not allow him to consume you with his insanity but fight with the goodness in your hearts for we are the lords of the Han and we do not falter to evil!"

All of the lords, bar Cao Cao, were moved to tears. As they wept into their sleeves and handkerchiefs, Cao Cao simply looked around to see if he could recognise faces. He spotted his close friend, Yuan Shao, comforting one of his officers who was weeping for the Han. Cao Cao clapped his hands in applause, though it may have been slightly sarcastic, and then, he began to cackle, first silently but then aloud. Many lords began to eye him with suspicion as he crossed his legs and sipped some more of his wine.

"Will all this weeping slay Dong Zhuo?" Cao Cao asked, as soon as he had controlled his laughing.

"Your forbears ate the bounty of the Han!" Wang Yun shouted in anger at his respectable guest. "Do you feel no gratitude? How can you laugh?"

Cao Cao sighed before replying, "I laughed at the absurdity of an assembly like this being unable to compass the death of one man."

A few lords stood up and their officers drew their swords. Wang Yun felt hurt by Cao Cao's words, for He Jin was a good friend and a great leader, and his death had gone in vain. He then looked back at Cao Cao, who had just swallowed the rest of his wine in one go.

"Foolish and incapable as I am, I will cut off his head and hang it at the gate as an offering to the people," Cao Cao continued, shaking his wineglass before placing it on the table. "Recently, I have bowed my head to Dong Zhuo with the sole desire of finding a chance to destroy him. Now he begins to trust me, and so, I can get close to him. You have a sword with seven precious jewels which I would borrow, and I will go to his palace and kill him."

Wang Yun looked at Wang Chun, who poured more wine into Cao Cao's wineglass. The young nephew then drew the sword with the seven jewels and held it in the air for all to see it. There were a few gasps of awe before Wang Chun offered the blade to Cao Cao and nodded his head to the older lord.

"I care not if I die for it," Cao Cao spoke, clutching the jewelled sword and hiding it under his robes.

He then stood up and bowed to the people before passing them and leaving the hall. Wang Yun raised his wineglass once more to allow the celebration to continue. Wang Chun turned his eye to see his cousin, the beautiful songstress and adoptive daughter of Wang Yun, enter the hall and curtsey to Cao Cao. She then made her way to her father and sat beside him.

"He is such a magnificent speaker," she said quietly. "What a brave man. I do not believe that he would use all of that potential to the Han as you do, though. Do not trust him, father."

"He is a friend, Diao Chan," Wang Yun spoke, stroking her hair and smiling. "Besides, I have a visitor tonight so I do not want you bringing up any news about Cao Cao. I entrust all of these people are loyal to the Han and I do not want you to speak the wrong things."

"Who is the visitor, father?" she asked, tapping his shoulder.

"It is the adoptive son of Dong Zhuo," he answered her, walking away from her, leaving her in shock.