Looking up as the door flew open, Guan Yu found two of his four children racing in the room. "Xing. Ping. Did you find her?"

Stopping at their father Guan Ping shook his head side to side. "We have not. There is no trace of her anywhere. The only thing that has been found was when we found her weapon."

"Any luck?"

Looking up, the three found Guan Suo and Zhang Bao walking toward them, both with worried looks on their faces. Though Zhang Bao had more of a guilty look than anything. Guan Yu sighed as he closed his eyes. "Stop feeling like that Zhang Bao. It is not your fault."

Dropping his head, Zhang Bao sighed. "I can't help but feel like it is though Master Guan Yu. After all she left right after you and Father told her about the marriage." Though he himself was still wrestling with the fact. Every time he tried to set his sight on it since it was what their father's wanted, he couldn't help but picture the woman he would always truly love instead of Yingping.

"It is not your fault. If it is because of that the fault lies with myself and Zhang Fei. When we find her I will have a talk with her and figure this out." Guan Yu then sighed as he looked down at his daughter's weapon that he still held. "Where are you my daughter?"

"My Lord! My Lord!"

Looking up to see a servant racing for them holding a scroll. "What is it?"

"This was just dropped off! It is a scroll from Wu! Claiming that they have Lady Guan Yinping."

All eyes went wide as Guan Yu took the scroll and read it. His eyes bleeding and seeing rage when he read it. "That is what it is alright. And we just reformed our alliance with them! They wish for me to force brother to step down and let Sun Ce have all the lands to get her back. Curse them!"

Guan Yu then turned and stormed toward the doors that lead deeper into the castle. "I think it is time that we deal with Wu and their ways of teeter totting around with who they will ally themselves with or not. They have gone too far this time."

X

"I see."

All eyes turned to see the doors flinging open, then even more rage fly into Guan Yu's eyes. Liu Bei rushed around and put himself between his brother and his wife's brother. "Guan Yu, you need to listen to me."

"I have all the proof I need right here. You dare send me this and then come here Zhou Yu! How dare you insult us like that!" Guan Yu then threw the scroll at him and glared as he stood there. Looking down at his brother he fisted his hands at his side. "They have my daughter. And want you to step down and serve them to get her back."

Dropping his weapons and walking around with his arms crossed Sun Ce sighed. "I bet you anything that is not Zhou Yu's writing Guan Yu. We came here because of a scroll we got. Saying that you have taken Zhu Ran captive and that Liu Bei wanted the same thing." Turning to Zhou Yu he hardened his glare. "I bet it is the same writing isn't it?"

His eyes wide, Guan Ping walked from around his father to Sun Ce. "So you are saying that you didn't send that? That you don't have my sister?"

"That's right. Though Father is acting as Lord while I am here on the matter, I am Lord of Wu now. If I wanted something I would just challenge you all to a fight and do it that way. I wouldn't kidnap someone's daughter. I have two of my own remember." Sun Ce then went back to stand with his wife. "The way we figured it just before you came in, is that there is only one person right now who would want to see us at each other's throats and not working together. That would be Cao Cao."

Nodding as Liu Bei went back to stand with his wife, now that his brother was calmed down he crossed his arms. "It is like they wanted to make us think that each other was kidnapped by the other." Looking over at his wife with a smile, Liu Bei reached over and took her hand. "They had not took into account the relations that we have now with Wu. Not only is our alliance reformed and stronger than ever, but Lord Sun Ce and I had a very long talk just the two of us right after."

Nodding with his own smile, Sun Ce nodded. "That's right. Which is why I knew right away that this scroll was a fake when I read it." He then turned to Guan Yu with the same smile. "No hard feelings either since you seemed to have thought it was truth. If it were one of my girls, I would have probably done the same thing. Now the only thing to do is figure out where they would have taken them."

X

Opening her eyes with a moan, Guan Yinping held her head as she stood up. "Oh man what happened."

"Well rise and shine sleeping beauty. Welcome to hell."

Jerking up to sit, Yinping's eyes went wide. She looked around and came face to face with Zhu Ran. Looking around again she saw that she was in a cell! "Where am I?"

Crossing his arms as he closed his eyes, Zhu Ran took a deep breath. "We are somewhere in Wei in a cell. Exactly why I don't know. I have been here for four days you just got here last night."

Holding the side of her head, Yinping moved so that she was sitting across from him leaning up against the wall. "Oh this is just great. More bad news."

Looking up at her then back down at the ground, Zhu Ran sighed. He knew that Sun Ce and Sun Quan both wanted to continue the peace with Shu. But Lu Meng did make a sound argument in his opinion. If the land that Liu Bei really wanted to create was a land of benevolence then why was he trying to become a Lord instead of just handing it over to someone better suited for the job? All he wanted was conquest. Much like Cao Cao but used virtue as a ruse to cover it up.

And now to top it all off, he was stuck in a rather small cell with the daughter of Guan Yu. To him, nothing could be worse than what was going on right now. He was being held captive by one enemy, and forced to share a cell with another!

"Hello! Earth to Wu person!"

Blinking as he glared up at her, Zhu Ran turned his head sharply then closed his eyes. "I do have a name and it is not Wu person. How rude is that?"

Crossing her own arms, Guan Yinping glared right at him. "Well if you weren't off in your own little world you would have known what I said. I said, I am Guan Yinping. What is your name?"

"I am Zhu Ran. Happy."

"What is the deal with the attitude!?"

Turning serious eyes to her, Zhu Ran wasn't about to fold just because she was a girl or what the situation is. "I am from Wu, you are from Shu. Do I really need to say any more than that?"

Her eyes raging as she narrowed her eyes, Guan Yinping couldn't believe what she just heard! She knew that the strategist Lu Meng was responsible for the betrayal at Fan Castle. Had it not been for Sun Ce riding in to stop him, he had every intention on killing not only her father but her and all of her brothers as well! It was clear that this jerk obviously shared the same ideas as that one.

Turning sideways as she closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Well excuse me if you are one of the few in Wu that don't like Shu. Obviously your princess doesn't share that view. Or your Lord."

Laughing Zhu Ran looked at her again as he put his hands on his hips. "Ha! Had Lord Sun Ce not stopped us that day, the princess being married to Liu Bei was nothing more than a chain on him. She seemed excited about it, but it was nothing more than putting a chain on his neck. That way when we did have to move on Shu he wouldn't really be able to put his heart into the battle because of that."

Now it was her turn to laugh. Guan Yinping looked over at him with a confident smile. "You don't know Lady Shang Xiang as well as you think you do then. If that was the reason behind even her brothers and father arranging the marriage, she would have proven you all wrong. She wouldn't have stayed his hand but fought just as hard as he would have right next to him. Supporting him, just as she would have myself and my brothers had you actually succeeded at Fan Castle."

"We would have if Lord Sun Ce hadn't found out somehow."

"Well aint this cute. Getting along as well as we had hoped I see."

Both Guan Yinping and Zhu Ran turned their glares from the other to see Xiahou Dun walking toward the cell. On her feet, Guan Yinping crossed her arms. "What are you planning on doing with us?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all but letting you sit right here while suspicions grow in Wu and Shu. Once they fight, and we achieve our goal, if Shu comes out the winner, you young lady will be our bait to draw them into a trap. If Wu, you will be." Xiahou Dun turned his eyes from first the girl to the guy. Getting her was so much harder than getting him.

Laughing as he turned and walked away from them, he waved a hand in the air. "Welcome home. Even if it takes a year you won't get out of there until we get the result we want from Wu and Shu."

Stomping her feet Guan Yinping glared harder. "Humph! It won't happen! I bet by now they have already figured out where we are!"

Turning a sadistic smile to her, Xiahou Dun laughed. "Want to bet on that one? Once we got you across the border of Wei, scrolls were sent out. Wu got one saying that Shu took him. Shu got one saying that Wu took you. It is only a matter of time before they start fighting."

On his feet as well now Zhu Ran glared as he grabbed the bars. "Lord Zhou Yu will see right through this!"

"It doesn't matter if they do or not. You won't be getting away from here alive anyway." Laughing at the glares, Xiahou Dun left the dungeon and headed back up toward his cousin.

Flopping down on the floor, Guan Yinping glared. "Great. Now how am I going to get out of this?"

"Good question. Let me know when you figure it out."

Turning her glare on him, Guan Yinping growled at him. "Like I would tell someone who could turn traitor! And from what you said not only on us, but your own Lord!"

"I would never turn against Lord Sun Ce or Lord Sun Quan!" Zhu Ran was so angry right now he was shaking. "Never take that back."

Turning her back to him, Guan Yinping huffed. "I won't take that back. You know that they want peace with Shu and to work together with Lord Liu Bei but you won't do it. What is that?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you."