Just something that's definitely been nagging me for weeks now… a random Fanfic that I have the sudden urge to write. Will most likely NOT be updated as often as the main one I am writing right now, Solace, and really written as just a little… uh, something different? No hints or giving away my plot in this one - I'm gonna see how it rolls. I will just say it was inspired by Diao Chan's storyline in DW3XL.

Enjoy, please comment me.

Prologue

I'd climbed so many sets of concrete, grey dull staircases, that I do believe the muscles in the back of my thighs were screaming in agony; threatening to tear from my skin. Being holed up in these cold stone walls for the majority of two months was beginning to take its toll on both my fitness and my will to carry on; and our Lord's threats of "a thrashing to all the feeble working scum" in the case of a single soul leaving the fortress of Xia Pi had done nothing to ease the mood or give anyone the much-needed inspiration to continue with their lives normally.

We were being scrutinised; our lives were already over, it was common knowledge which had swept throughout the fortress and village in rumorous whispers that Lu Bu's reign was at an end, all that was left for his 'greatness' to do now was sit out the purge of nothingness and wait for defences to bolster; Cao Cao's allied force would very soon after rush the gates. Food was running low, water too – Bu had banned alcohol on the castle premises; and the sneaky, more slippery servants of the palace who horded the last few kegs of ale like pirates to their bounties were sure to be discovered soon enough.

As I approached the top of the stairwell; leaving the musky, gloomy interior of a past-loved castle behind, the chilling night air hit my face with such force that I was surprised I hadn't been thrown backward down the stairs. It was only the guards who were meant to be stalking the exterior walkways of the roofs; however innocent pleading and a girly eyelash-flutter which had worked so many times before for the infamous Diao Chan was no different today; the guard had just grudgingly bid me to be careful, and to stay out of sight of the hawk-eyed guards.

To be honest, he was most obviously taking pity on me – everyone who had been here the whole two months knew what it was now like to desperately wish to breathe lungfuls of vaporous Autumn air – the rather distasteful mix of soldier's body-odour, rotten food stenches and leftover ale was beginning to get to one's sinuses, and it was now, as I stepped out onto the moonlit cobblestones of the upper walkway that I could finally cherish the sweet evening air, even if I could only savour this small pleasure for a minute or two.

Glancing about me wildly in case of a nearby patrol-soldier, I dashed across to the high castle walls, which just fell short of my waist, enabling me to peer down at the moat below, my eyes having to take a minute to adjust to the inky darkness which cloaked the muddy grass below.

And then I could clearly see them; brown tents, nailed into the grass, weathered, looking as if they had been there for the longest time. Soldiers, just like ours, patrolled the terrain – though their postures and strides were not quite so downcast, out of hope, just fed-up. The contrast, ironically, between our two armies was that one was the prey, already hunted, putting up a stubborn, cowards fight whilst the predator had already secured its victim in its jaws, it just needed the power to crunch down.

"M'lady?"

I whipped around so fast, with such a surprised expression painted across my features that it must have looked like the stones in the castle wall had just sprouted arms and legs and performed a tap dance for me, there in the still night.

Zhang Liao looked just about as weary as I myself felt, and when I acknowledged this for him he just gave a tired sigh, approaching me where I stood stock still in the evening.

"You are right. All this doing nothing has really started to tire me out." He even managed a grin, despite our current circumstances; always such a charmer.

Strands of unkempt hair, once silky and cared for, now whipped about my face in the breeze, and I managed to sweep it over my shoulder arrogantly before making a reply and turning back to survey the ground below, my palms pressing lightly on the top of the wall. "Is he… sending more troops out tomorrow?"

I glanced sideways across at Liao, to see his lips taughten in a firm line, his brow furrowing. "Yes… I am heading the assault."

I tried not to let the sudden wave of shock which spread throughout my insides show upon my blushed cheeks, and instead just gave a swift nod, trying to look as if I wasn't too worried. "Yes, of course… I guess you're the last hope."

Ok, what I really wanted to do was throw a little fit and stamp my feet indignantly, beginning to scream and curse at the dastardly Lu Bu for sending Zhang Liao on such a crass suicide mission – and even though I knew my friend would not be affected by such an outburst, I didn't want to admit to myself that maybe this was the end.

Maybe this was the last time I'd see him…

His voice was much more soothing than I believed possible, under such conditions. "Chan, it's late. You should be inside, keep warm."

"I don't know if I can keep warm anymore… everyone in the palace has turned so… cold…"I muttered quietly, against the breeze, more to myself than my friend who stood so proudly beside me.

"Is Lord Lu Bu with –

- his wife?" I finished for him, spitting out the second word with much more venom than I originally intended.

I was even more surprised when Liao let out a small chuckle… it wasn't quite one of real humour, and he wasn't laughing with me, or at me – he seemed to have pity.

"Did you fall for him harder than you intended?" I could hear the slight sarcasm in his tone, and flinched against it, placing a palm against my cheek, shielding myself from his amusement.

"No…" my calm, sing-song voice faded into the thin air, though he still managed to hear me.

"I fell for someone else."