A/N: I own Gao Xan and his father, obviously.
This is Gao Xan's armour(the current colour is during his time as a Ronin. As he joins a force, the colour of the armour will change to correspond with his new force), and his facial appearance:
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Gao Xan is 17 at the time of the Coalition against Dong Zhuo.
(If I use brackets in the middle of writing the story at all, it's going to be an A/N... to say my bit at the time, rather than at the end/beginning of the chapter in question)
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Gao Xan sighed as he gazed out at the serene scenery before him. The day had finally arrived. His father was off to war, and he wasn't, and it aggravated him to no end. He was old enough to fight, his father knew this, he knew it. He'd been trained heavily for a number of years by many Imperial generals, and had, as time went on, bested them all. Footsteps broke the silence around Xan, and he lifted his head to see his father, Gao Zing, looking down at him, a look of sadness on his face. Xan scowled at Zing, before turning his attention back towards the scenery, his eyebrows furrowed in anger.
"Xan, what is the matter?" his father asked, concern obvious on his features, though Xan did not notice this as he was too busy staring at anywhere but his father.
"Father, you know I'm good enough to fight!" Xan growled.
"I do not doubt your abilities-"
"Then why am I not going with you!" Xan roared, shooting up onto his feet and faced his father, his fists clenching at his sides as he shook with anger.
Zing knelt in front of his son, placing a hand on his shoulder as a look of sadness overwhelmed Zing's features. "You are my son. I care about you greatly. I do not want you fighting yet. I do not doubt your abilities as a General, but as a father my heart threatens to burst as I worry."
Xan's anger was clearly faltering, and he breathed out a sigh, a look of defeat spreading across his face as he stared at the ground. "Father, promise me you will return."
Zing smiled weakly as he cupped his son's chin. "I will return." Zing embraced his son and they remained in the embrace for several moments, before a horn erupted in the distance, causing Zing to break the embrace. "I must go now. Remember Xan, I have always been proud of you, and I love you greatly. Before I go, I must inform you. You will be getting warriors' equipment in a few years, personalised. It is my gift to you. I would give it to you now, but you're still growing."
Zing stood up then, and began to walk away, before looking back at his son one last time. "Keiru," Zing started, using a nickname that had developed for Xan many years ago. "Don't forget that there is more to life than being a warrior. Love is important. Love is what has kept me going for as long as it has, love for you and love for your mother. I think, when you're fifteen, you should travel the land."
"Become a ronin?" Xan asked, confused as to why his father was saying this to him.
"Yes. I don't think you'd enjoy being stuffed up in an Imperial city, you don't enjoy it here as it is. When you're of the right age, you can go out in the world. Who knows, maybe you'll find your love out there. I remember I did." Zing smiled softly, before leaving.
Xan stayed motionless for several moments, before crumpling to the floor as tears overflowed from his eyes as the emotions flooded over him. His father was going away to war, and he was alone. Until his father returned. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of Xan's head that worried him. What if his father didn't return.
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Several Months had passed since his father had left, and in the months that had passed, Xan had grown considerably taller, now standing around the height of six foot, six inches. Xan was currently pacing to and fro, and Xan was now waiting impatiently for news of his father's return. News had already arrived that the Yellow Turban leaders had been vanquished, and the generals were on their way back. He was brought out of his thoughts when a knock sounded on the door behind him, and he turned round as it opened, and a man clad in Imperial Han armour stepped in, a grim look on his face.
"My father?" Xan asked, fearing the answer.
"He was slain by Zhang Jiao when we confronted him at his altar." the man responded. "I'm sorry."
Xan staggered backwards in horror, his legs buckling beneath him and he fell onto his kness as he stared at the ground as his body trembled. A cry of pure pain erupted from Xan as he slammed his fist into the wooden floor, causing it to splinter by the force of his punch, his fist getting cut in the process, and a crimson liquid began to seep from the various small wounds on his fist, though he seemed to not even notice the pain as he slammed his fist into the floor two more times, before stopping, and he looked up at the Han general before him, his eyes seemingly devoid of all emotion, a stark contrast of his face which showed signs of worry and stress.
"You were a friend of my father's correct?" Xan asked, and the man nodded. "Did he inform you of his gift planned for my fifteenth birthday?"
The man nodded once more. "I would like the gift now."
"But-"
"There is nothing left for me here. My father wished for me to travel, and I wish to travel too. I have no reason to remain here." Xan stated simply as he rose to his feet, a determined look glinting in his eye, which the man in front of him noticed, and a sigh of defeat was released.
"Follow me." the man said simply, leaving the room, and Xan scurried after him.
They walked briskly through the halls, finally coming to Gao Zing's room, and the Han officer flung open the doors, striding in, closely followed by Xan, heading towards a set of double doors at the end of the room. The man paused for a moment in front of the doors, before opening them, causing a gasp to rise from Xan's mouth at the sight in front of him.
Before him was a mighty suit of black armour with golden trims in intricate patterns. The shoulder pads of the armour were bulkier than the rest of the upper armour, and were just as bulky as the lower arm gauntlets and the side hip areas of the armour. Around the groin area was a dark brown cloth material of some sort, with a black metal pad held to the armour by small chains around where the wearer's groin would be. What surprised Xan even more was what was next to the armour. It was a large, black spear, and it was more heavily sized before the spear blade itself, and was the exact same colour as the armour, and was intricately covered in gold trims as well. Xan felt as if his jaw had dropped at the sight before him, and turned his head to the man next to him.
"It is yours. Your father had the armour crafted by the greatest blacksmith in the Imperial Empire, as well as the spear." the man explained. "I would stay, but I must attend to matters of my own. I wish you luck on your journey. I do wish your father had lived to see this day. He would have been proud."
Xan nodded, walking towards the armour, placing a hand on the chestplate as he absentmindedly rubbed his hand palm along the armour, a look of admiration on his face. He was engrossed in just staring at the time for a while that he didn't even notice the man slip out until he'd turned around and didn't see him anywhere. Shaking his head, he prepared himself to put the armour on, finding it fit him perfectly, leaving him to hope that he wouldn't grow anymore, otherwise he'd be out of luck with the armour. With determination, he grabbed the spear off the wall, and made his way out of his father's room for the last time he would ever do so in his life, leaving behind the Imperial Han as he set off into the unknown. But first he had to do something.
Stopping at the small pond outside his house, he tightly gripped the back of his long hair, and lifted it up before slicing it off with his spear, and dropping the clumps of hair into the pond, before examining his reflection.(basically, he cut his hair to what it is in the picture in the A/N) He paused for a moment, pondering if he should do anything else, but was content, and stood up, making his way from his home. Leaving his past behind.
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Three men clad in green armour strolled forward across the snowy ground in the Coalition encampment. As they walked down the path, a large bald headed man clad in blue walked in the opposite direction, staring intently at the stout and unkempt looking member of the green trio, who returned the stares until he was gone past him.
"Hmph. I see one or two famous faces here today." he grumbled, clearly annoyed for some reason.
"Yes." the taller, apparently red-skinned one said. "Not only do we have Yuan Shao, the leader of the alliance, but its instigator, Cao Cao, as well... Yuan Shu, Sun Jian. Quite a list of dignitaries. Ah... And yet our brother is still unknown."
The duo, who had since been abandoned by their 'brother' for some reason, turned around to see him tending to a man struggling to stand. The red-skinned man turned back around, and began stroking his long beard. "At least, until we defeat Dong Zhuo here today, that is."
Silence fell upon the camp as the different factions lounged about, awaiting their orders to march. Yuan Shao, the leader, was busy studying the maps on a table in front of him, trying to formulate a plan when a resounding boom of the gates slamming open brought the eyes of everybody in the encampment to a tall figure clad in black and gold intricate armour walking into the encampment, his spear in hand. Instantly, everyone was on alert, gazing intently at the individual as he made his way towards Yuan Shao.
He was roughly around the age of 17, with medium-length blonde hair, which flowed around his face, one lone strand hanging away from the rest just next to the bridge of his nose. His skin was tanned, and his cheekbones were clearly defined. His eyes were as crimson as blood itself, and he had a determined look on his face, and his jaw clenched as he scanned his surroundings, quickly sizing up the officers around the encampment. He was a remarkably handsome man, and if you looked at him without his armour you would never think he was actually a warrior. If, of course, you were blind and unable to see that he was very physically defined, his body built up with muscle, but not too much muscle to the extent it looked off on him. He was lean and muscular to put it simply.
"Hey, Yu, who is that kid?" The stout man in green asked, looking at the red-skinned man.
Guan Yu merely stroked his beard in interest as he gazed at the young man. His attention was drawn when two officers stood in the man's way, preventing him from reaching Yuan Shao, and they had their weapons drawn and in their hands. Yu recognised them as Wen Chou and Yan Liang, formidable officers of Yuan Shao's forces, in fact, his strongest officers. Yu looked back at the young teen, but couldn't help but notice the look of concern on Liu Bei's face as he realised what may happen.
"This does not look good." Liu Bei frowned.
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Cao Cao narrowed his eyes as a smirk spread across his lips whilst he studied the young man that had entered the encampment, and was now standing across from Yuan Shao's finest generals, who both had their weapons at the ready. He couldn't help but find this encounter interesting.
If this warrior is worth anything, he would be a worthy addition to my plans.
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Sun Jian frowned at the confrontation in the middle of the encampment, worried for the teen who had just entered the camp, as well as annoyed by the overreaction of Yuan Shao's generals. The boy, to Jian's knowledge, hadn't even done anything to provoke the confrontation at all, and any harm would be undeserved. Concern etched itself onto Jian's face as he waited for something to happen.
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"What are you doing here?" Wen Chou demanded, waving his sword in front of him as if to show he were prepared to use it, which of course, he was.
The teen merely stared back at Wen Chou, seemingly not even reacting to his words, which angered Chou, who growled in frustration.
"You think he's a spy, Wen?" Yan Liang asked, glancing at Chou.
"I do not know, Yan." Chou responded, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the teen, who now had a smirk on his face. "What are you smirking at boy?"
Again, the teen didn't respond, apart from a laugh which seemed to echo around the camp. The teen stopped laughing moments later, and shook his head at the conclusion that Yan Liang had come to. He was a fool, clearly. To start with, the teen looked nothing like a member of Dong Zhuo's forces, and if he were actually a spy, why would he come walking in through the front door.
"Stop your laughing welp!" Chou roared. "If you don't answer me, I'll cut you down on the spot!"
At this, laughter once more rose from the teen's mouth, and he uttered words for the first time in the camp. "I'd like to see you try."
Chou glanced back at Yan, who nodded at him, and the two of them charged towards the teen, bringing their swords down towards his head from above him, and they both smirked when they saw he hadn't even reacted. Their smirks dropped when a clang broke the silence, and they noticed he had blocked their attacks with his spear, a bored expression on his face. With a swift movement, he sent the swords flying through the air, both of them landing on the ground with a thud away from Wen Chou and Yan Liang, the duo now disarmed, and at the mercy of the newcomer who had his spear pointed at the duo, a look of what seemed to be amusement on his features. Everybody else in the encampment was in shock. Two of the greatest warriors in the alliance had just been defeated by a teen. In one move.
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Cao Cao smirked at the result, both impressed and disappointed. He had been hoping to see some display of skill on the part of the teen, but was left disappointed as he only defeated the duo in one move, but he was still impressed, because the duo were remarkable warriors, and had been defeated in one move by an unknown and teen warrior.
"Dun, this boy... I am intrigued." Cao Cao stated.
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Liu Bei and his brothers were in awe at what had just happened. This random boy had just defeated Wen Chou and Yan Liang in one move. It was at this point, that Liu Bei now noticed that many officers in the camp had now drawn their weapons and were nervously moving to encircle the warrior. Liu Bei wanted to do something to save the boy, but something prevented him from doing so, and he remained where he was, watching with concern.
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Just as one of the officers was about to lunge at the teen, a booming voice erupted through the camp. "Enough!"
Heads turned to see the owner of the voice, and was surprised to see it was Yuan Shao, who was striding straight towards the teen, no weapon on his person, causing some of the officers to feel uneasy.
"My Lord! He has come in our camp and attacked two of your generals! He's obviously on Dong Zhuo's side, we must kill him!" a voice rose up from one of Yuan Shao's officers, and a laugh erupted once more from the teen.
"They attacked me first." the teen responded, and if somebody was paying attention, they would have noticed the hints of a smirk on Yuan Shao's face after the comment.
The teen watched as Yuan Shao approached him, holding his spear nonchalantly upright at his side, the end of it flat on the ground as he waited for Yuan Shao to get nearer, and was then embraced by the general, surprising everybody in the encampment. What surprised them even more was when the teen genuinely smiled and wrapped one arm around Yuan Shao, returning the embrace. Yuan Shao broke the embrace and looked at the teen before him.
"You've matured since I last saw you." Yuan Shao smiled.
"As have you." the teen responded simply. "Look at you, leader of a coalition against a tyrant now. Who'd have thought it?"
Yuan Shao laughed, patting the teen on the back, when a confused Yan Liang spoke up. "Uhh... my lord? Who is he?"
Yuan Shao turned around, placing his arm around the teen's neck and shoulders, a smile beaming on both their faces. "He's Gao Xan, son of Gao Zing. His father is an old friend of mine."
"And you are an old friend of mine, Lord Yuan." Gao Xan spoke up, smiling.
"Milord, I must enquire, what is Lord Gao doing here?" Yan Liang queried. "He has brought no army, what purpose does he have?"
"I am no Lord." Gao Xan sighed. "I am a wanderer. A ronin if you will. I have come here for the same reason as you all have. To rid the land of Dong Zhuo." And also to find my friend... I fear for her.
"What good is one man extra? We do not need you." Wen Chou grumbled, and there were a few murmurs of agreement from a few officers around the camp.
"What good are you two? I defeated you in one move and could have slain both of you." Gao Xan smirked.
"Enough. Gao Xan is a formidable warrior, a respected friend of mine, and he has come to offer us his skills. We must prepare for battle at Si Shui Gate, our advance attacks were repelled by Hua Xiong and we need to prepare a strategy. Lords Cao, Sun and Liu and Yuan, please accompany me for our plans. We head out soon, so our strategy must be concluded quickly." Yuan Shao commanded, and began walking away, and turned his head to look at Gao Xan who was now walking alongside him. "Xan?"
"Lord Yuan, I am taking part in this battle and would of course like to see what our plan is. And maybe I could offer up some advice." Gao Xan smiled.
"Ah yes, I forgot you were reasonably skilled in the art of strategy." Yuan Shao chuckled, and Gao Xan merely shook his head.
"I have dabbled in the art of strategy. Nothing more."
"You know, Xan, after our victory, have you considered joining a force?" Yuan Shao asked, surprising Gao Xan.
"Lord Yuan?"
"If you want to continue being a ronin, then that is fine. But, the land is in chaos, and I fear that it will continue to be in such a state after we have defeated Dong Zhuo. Cao Cao worries me greatly, he isn't doing this for the good of the land, I know him too well. He seeks personal gain out of this-" Yuan Shao sighed.
"Don't we all?" Gao Xan asked.
"Touche. Though, that does not explain why you have turned up here." Yuan Shao spoke up, and Gao Xan sighed. "Not that I am displeased to see you again, but I am surprised."
"Let's just say I had a bit of a run-in with some of Dong Zhuo's men... and I am less than happy with what happened. I have also realised that I cannot sit idly by and let the tyrant ruin the land." Gao Xan frowned, before smirking. "Plus, I heard you were the one designated as leader, and I had to see it for myself."
Yuan Shao smiled as he gazed at Gao Xan. "My friend, if you would honour me the privilege of being your commander I would be most pleased."
"You would like me to join your force?" Gao Xan asked, and Yuan Shao nodded. "I would be honoured, Lord Yuan."
"That is good. I am pleased. An old friend, who is also my strategist for this battle- Sorry, I hope you don't mind?"
"Not at all Lord Yuan. Of course, you've already come up with a plan, and I will just be giving advice for this battle. Though I don't think it'd be wise for me to be your overall strategist, I have heard you have several geniuses in your army already." Gao Xan said, and Yuan Shao nodded simply. "There is one thing though." Yuan Shao looked at Gao Xan with interest. "I take it I'd have to change the colour of my armour?"
"But of course." Yuan Shao smiled.
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The six men stood around a table, the tense situation obvious to those with a keen eye, as there was a visible distance between the various warlords, apart from Gao Xan, who stood on the right flank of Yuan Shao, observing the map.
"There is a supply depot in the northwest. Yuan Shu will be in command of the supply depot and will provide the supplies for our army during the battle. Sun Jian and his forces will be the advance force and will attack here-" Yuan Shao pointed at a base at the centre of the map. "And will hit the enemy forces here, and here, with swift and powerful strikes. Liu Bei, you and your men will remain in the main camp, C-"
"My lord, if I may intervene." Gao Xan spoke up, drawing the attention of those at the table. Yuan Shu was glaring at the young teen, whilst the trio were looking at him in interest, whilst Yuan Shao merely nodded. "I think it would be best if Liu Bei were to station his men here-" He pointed at a base in the northeast. "-in this location, he would be able to head to either the centre to support Lord Sun if problems arose, or head to the supply depot if anything happened there."
Silence filled the air as everybody looked down at the map, then back at Gao Xan, before looking at the map once more.
"The young man is right." Liu Bei said.
Yuan Shao nodded. "You know what to do Liu Bei. Finally, Cao Cao, you shall protect the Main Camp along with our main force. We will await the signal from Sun Jian's men before we make our advance. Dismissed."
Before anybody could leave, Gao Xan spoke up once more. "My lord, the southern pass worries me. We have troops stationed there, correct"?
"Yes, Gao Xan, why?" Yuan Shao asked.
"Just a thought. It's alright. Let us go." Gao Xan responded, and walked off to prepare himself for battle.
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Gao Xan let out a sigh as he leaned back against a crate staring out at the main camp. He had grown bored over the hours since the war meeting. The battle had already begun, but the signal had yet to come. In fact, no word had come from the front for some time, and it was worrying Gao Xan. His attention was then drawn by the arrival of a messenger hurrying towards where Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were deep in conversation, and Gao Xan made his way over to the duo as the messenger got to them.
"Lord Yuan Shao, the supply depot has been cut off and surrounded by He Xun and He Yong and is in grave need of reinforcements, otherwise the supplies won't be getting out of the depot! Not only that, but Lord Sun Jian's troops are growing weary from lack of supplies and have also been cut off and surrounded by Niu Fu and Xu Rong!" the messenger gasped out, and gasped for breath for several moments before continuing. "Hua Xiong is also advancing upon our main camp from the southern pass. He has cut through our lines with each, and has slain several officers who had been in his way."
"What are we going to do? Our entire front is crumbling! Damn Dong Zhuo!" Yuan Shao growled, but a calming hand was placed on his shoulder by Gao Xan, and Cao Cao stared at the duo in hidden amusement, waiting.
"Lord Yuan, fret not, I have a plan to cover all fronts." Gao Xan stated, causing Yuan Shao to look at him. "Lord Cao shall lead his men to the aid of Sun Jian. He will break through and reunite with their men and engage with Niu Fu and Xu Rong's forces. Meanwhile, Lord Liu will march from the northeastern base and aid the supply depot, so send him the orders."
"And what of the southern pass?" Yuan Shao asked. "Who shall go to the southern pass? We do not have the extra men to spare."
Gao Xan smirked in response as he began walking away. "I shall."