With Changes Come Chances
Chapter 2
DISCLAIMER: See chapter 1
A/N: Yay, people actually like this ficlet! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you made me feel wanted… (wipes away a tear of joy) Aaaaaanyway, on to the story...
She was in a long, dark corridor. She didn't know how she got there, but she knew she had to move. She was wielding two slightly ovoid discs with blades protruding from the ends, attached to her hands in the same way as a shield, but it didn't hold off the sense of being watched. She was sure she wasn't alone.
A sudden movement from the shadows made her spin round... to find no-one there. A light shiver went up her spine, and she could feel the panic, lying in wait in the pit of her stomach.
Suddenly, she made up her mind. She spun round, and marched off up the corridor, where a glimmer of light suggested that something - a doorway? - was there.
She marched on and on, still listening for any sound of movement, but failing to hear anything. She reached the doorway, and put out a hand to open the door -
"Na… Na, wake up…"
Na Mei suddenly found herself wide awake on her bed, with a pleasant tingling feeling running through her injured shoulder. Taking care to not use her bad arm, and her dream lingering like a bad smell, she sat up in bed, and looked over to where her brother was. It was still quite dark, but the moon was full, and it shone in the window, giving just enough light to see her brother by.
"What is it, Sying?" She quietly answered.
"I've just been thinking... If we were to be warriors, what would we fight with? How would we fight? Could we actually kill...?"
Na blinked. A sense of deja vu had just washed over her, as she remembered her dream.
"Well..." she said carefully, "Remember when we were little, mother and father taught us some self defence..."
Na saw a smile pass over Sying's face, and smiled herself. She remembered how the small, impromptu dummy had shuddered and frayed, until finally it had disintegrated at her touch. They had only been wielding small swords at the time, but the power surge she had felt...
"Na, are you listening to me?" Na jumped. She hadn't realised that she'd drifted off into her own world, or that Sying had been talking.
"Sorry, Sying. What were you saying?"
"I said, I think we could do it. Become warriors, that is."
"But do you want to?" she said softly. "Father was a warrior, and remember all the scars he had? I think Mother is – no, was – a fighter, too. I think she wielded those pink maces that hang in the bedroom. I don't doubt we could become good fighters, but what about the cost?"
"But think of it this way, Na – we have nothing to lose apart from our lives, and if we are good enough, there's no chance of that happening. We should at least try." He replied quietly.
"I know. I just don't think I could kill again. A tiger has no one that loves it – all it knows is hunger, fear, survival. But a human… We all have people who love us. I just don't think I could live with being the person to cause so much pain to someone." She raised her head slightly. "But you are right. We should at least try."
Sying smiled in the dark.
"And if it doesn't work out, they may let us stay anyway."
"Yeah. You're right."
Na flopped back onto her bed, and stared at the ceiling, deep in thought.
Na didn't know when she fell asleep, she was only aware of waking up to find sunlight streaming in the window, her brother still asleep, and Lu Xun sitting on a chair beside her, reading a long scroll. He looked up as she pushed herself up onto her elbows, and nodded.
"What does the kingdom of Wu have in store for us today, then?"
"Well, first, breakfast, then Lord Sun Ce wishes to see you in his office. And then, possibly, weapons practice, if you feel up to it."
"And my brother?"
"He has been confined to his bed for now, but he can join us as soon as he is up to it."
He seems to have had a lucky escape... as have I. Is this fate...? Na wondered.
"I'm not that hungry, I'll have something to eat later."
"Ok, then. I'll wait outside while you get dressed." Na watched him walk out, then looked around for some clothes. She soon spotted them, but she was amazed at the quality of the material and detail on the robe. How could they be for her?
She swung her legs out from under the covers, discovering that she was wearing a fine, silk night robe. She was amazed at the splendour of the place - the clothes, the food, the servants - and instantly knew that the kingdom had sucked them in, given them shelter, tended to their wounds, and that she could only repay this by helping to protect her. Swinging her legs out from under the soft white sheets, and walking slightly unsteadily after the couple of days rest, she went over to the chair and got dressed.
Lu Xun stood just outside the door. All night long, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about the strange couple. He knew he wanted to be friends with them, but part of him couldn't help feeling curious, and also slightly apprehensive of what he would find out should he ask into it. Feeling decidedly confused, he turned around to see Na standing beside him.
She was wearing a short skirt robe, the type the Qiao's favoured (A/N: think Dynasty Warriors 4), of pure red silk, with gold detail picked out on it. A small tiger was sewn in silver near her left hip. The robe clung to her figure, and looked amazing on her. She had her hair lying on her shoulders, with a small-ish red lotus pinned to the left side of her head, near the back, and was wearing white leg covers, and soft, red shoes.
Na noticed the look she was getting from Xun, and went slightly pink. Turning away, she said over her shoulder,
"Well, I expect Lord Sun Ce is waiting for us."
"Oh, yes, follow me." He set off down the corridor, Na following close behind.
"Can I ask you something?" Xun asked as they walked.
"You just did, but I'll let you ask something else." She replied, grinning.
Xun smiled at the cheeky reply.
"Why do you and your brother have... strange eyes?"
"I don't know. We've been like this since birth. People always claimed we were special, but we didn't believe them."
"Oh... well, here we are. I'll wait out here. Go in!" Xun gestured at the door he had stopped in front of.
Na nervously entered the room, to find Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and another man she didn't know, all sitting, talking quietly amongst themselves. They all looked up as she entered and stood in front of them, looking awkward.
"There you are. We were wondering when you'd turn up." Sun Ce said with a smile. "You've already met Zhou Yu, and this is my brother, Sun Quan." Quan acknowledged his name with a nod, "But let's get down to business. You and your brother are currently guests here. You show the makings of a warrior, perhaps even a general. I know you have nowhere else to go, so do you and your bother want to stay here, as fighters? Obviously, you will receive training, but in these times, we need all the warriors we can get, and you don't really have any other choice than to be a citizen, but somehow I don't think you want to settle with that. So what do you say?"
Na gaped at the bluntness of this. It was almost like they could read her mind – she wanted to squeal and jump up and down and shout yes, but she knew this wouldn't set a good impression, so instead she answered carefully with,
"The offer is certainly generous. You are right, I wouldn't be happy just existing in the background as a citizen. I and my brother do indeed wish to help to defend the kingdom – it is the least we can do, after you have shown us such kindness – but if it doesn't work out, and we aren't fit to defend Wu, would you allow us to stay anyway?"
Quan leaned over to Ce, and whispered something in his ear. Ce nodded, then turned his attention back to the nervous girl in front of him.
"I dare say Da and Xiao Qiao would welcome you, so ok. From what Lu Xun saw, though, I don't think you'll do too badly. Welcome to the family!"
With those words, Na felt she was being dismissed, so she bobbed a curtsy and left.
As Na left the room, Sun Quan turned to his brother.
"Ce, we don't know who she is or where she came from. How can we trust her?"
Ce sat back in his chair, and placed his hands behind his head.
"Look at her. She must only be, what, 16? She's young, scared, and confused. No one can act that well."
"...I suppose you're right. But-"
"Quan, don't worry! Of course we'll keep an eye on her, and her brother. Besides, did you see her eyes?"
"Yes, they did strike me as odd. Isn't there a legend about that though?"
Zhou Yu spoke up.
"I was just thinking that myself. I shall certainly have a look."
Lu Xun was getting bored. He could hear snippets of the conversation from the other side of the door, but felt sure he shouldn't be listening in. He leaned against the wall, and crossed his arms, just as the door opened. Turning towards Na, Xun could see she was troubled.
"What's up?"
Na turned to look at him. Xun couldn't really decipher her expression, but he saw the concern in her eyes.
"I have been asked to stay as a warrior. But..."
"You're worried you won't pass the training, aren't you? You'll be fine!"
"...No, it's not that so much... oh, it will sound stupid to you."
"Try me." Na sighed
"I am just wondering... What if I pass all the training, but when it comes to actually killing someone, I can't do it?"
"Is that it? Don't worry about that. I was like that when I first started training. I'd actually have been slightly worried if you'd told me you were looking forward to killing."
Na just wanted to stop talking right there, but something made her keep on talking.
"I mean, yes, I killed the tiger, but I was physically sick afterwards. That isn't really a good thing for someone who kills scores of people at a time."
"So? Why did you kill the tiger? Because it was it or you two. It's just like that in a battle. Either you take them out, or they take you out."
Na nodded sadly. Xun looked sideways at the young girl beside him, and knew that she was facing an uphill struggle inside. It may have been better if she faced it now, but it was never a pleasant process.
"Can you show me back to my room? I think I need to talk to my brother." She said quietly.
Xun nodded, and lead her back to her room in silence. When they reached her door, Xun turned to her.
"We still have weapon's practice. Do you still want to join in?"
Na looked unsure.
"I think I will talk to my brother, and then we shall see."
"Ok, if you do feel like it, then my room is the one opposite yours. And if you want anything, just ask one of the servants."
Na attempted a smile, before entering her room, and closing the door. Xun dithered a bit, before turning, and entering his room.
Na walked over to her brothers sleeping form, and gently shook him awake. Sying let out a small snort as he woke up, before looking up at his sister.
"What's wrong?" he asked, as he clocked his sister's worried expression.
"Well, the good news is, they've asked us to become fighters. And that's also the bad news." Na watched anxiously as the look of realisation appeared on Sying's face.
"You don't have to do it if you don't think you can handle it, you know." He said softly.
"I know, but I also know I have to do it. The kindness this kingdom has shown us must be repaid, and if this is the only way to repay it, so be it. And anyway, Lu Xun already invited me to join in with weapons practice. It would be impolite if I didn't go."
"So go! If there's an ambush, we need to be able to take care of ourselves!" Na studied her brother's face carefully, before straightening, and nodding.
"I suppose you're right. We will have to watch ourselves. I will go and let Lu Xun know I have decided to go to the practice."
Na turned, and walked towards the door, but when she reached it, Sying called out to her.
"Na!" She turned to face her twin brother.
"小心!" He said, half smiling.
Na couldn't help it. She smiled back as a fat tear slid down her face, followed by others. She ran back to her brother, and hugged him, tears flowing freely now.
小心! meant a lot to her. It was what their mother would say to them, to tell them to take care, and it felt like the only thing of their mother they had left.
"Oh, Sying, I miss mother. I don't know what I would do without you!" She sobbed into his shoulder. Sying hugged her, trying to hold back his own tears. He missed their parents as much as Na did, but he knew he had to be strong for his twin.
"I know, Na, so do I. And I don't know what I would do without you, either. But come on, crying won't bring them back. We need to be strong for them." Sying said, his voice breaking.
"I don't know if I can be strong, I really don't! I - I - I just feel so - so -" Na hiccoughed.
"Come on, Na. We have to be strong. I know you have it in you! Father always favoured you - why do you think that was? You have to be strong. For our parents. For me. Can you be strong for me?" Na seemed to get a hold on herself, the tears still flowing, the wails and hiccoughing stopping. She looked up into her brother's eyes as he reached over and wiped away some tears.
"Thank you, Sying. I will be strong - for everyone. But it will be hard..." Na stood up again, sniffed, and wiped away the last of the tears.
"I suppose I had better go to weapons practice, now." she said, her voice steady. Sying smiled at his sister's remarkable control, as she turned, and walked through the door.
"So, what weapon do you want to try?" asked Lu Meng, who was in charge of the weapons rack that day. Xun looked over at Na, who was staring in wonder at the range of weapons. There were swords, spears, pikes, fans, staffs, and many others she didn't know the name for. She ran her eyes over the rack, waiting for one to jump out at her, when she saw them.
They were two slightly ovoid disks with blades protruding from the ends. Na stared at them as a sense of deja vu washed over her again. They were exactly the same ones she had used in her dream.
Lu Meng followed her gaze, and picked the disks up.
"These are the Twin Wonders. Are you sure you want to use them?"
"Yes, please." came the short reply. Meng looked puzzled for a minute, before shrugging, and giving them to the young girl. She carefully weighed them in her hands, before slipping them on, and following Xun over to the dummies.
"So, that's the new arrival then?" came a voice from above Lu Meng's head. He looked up to see Sun Shang Xiang perched on a branch above him.
"Princess, it isn't safe up there. Please come down!" Shang Xiang made a face, but dropped off the branch to land next to him.
"There's something about her... she reminds me of someone in a story my mother used to tell me. I think I'll be having a word with my brother about this..." she said, before wandering off back up to the castle, deep in thought.
Over by the dummies, Xun turned to Na.
"I have to ask you - why did you pick those weapons?"
"Why?"
"Just tell me - why?"
"'Cause I remember using them in my dream."
"What else happened in this dream?"
"Well, there was this big, long, dark corridor. It was really creepy; it felt like someone else was there. I went to the end and there was a door, but I woke up before I could open it." Lu Xun was quiet for a minute, before he spoke again.
"If you have the dream again... don't open the door. Don't ask me why, I just know it's bad. I need to talk to Zhou Yu about it."
"Ok." Na decided not to push it - the young man seemed deadly serious.
"Anyway, we're here to practice with weapons. Do you know any techniques?"
"I know some... my father insisted we were taught how to defend ourselves, but he seemed to concentrate more on the offensive than defensive moves."
Xun carefully ignored the mention of her father - it would look strange if he went pale out here.
"Show me."
Na nodded, turned to the dummy, and proceeded to batter it with some of her best moves. Within minutes, the dummy was ragged, and on the point of disintegrating. Na turned to face Xun, a slight grin on her face but stopped dead when she noticed the way Xun was staring at her.
"What?" she asked nervously. Looking past Xun, she could see some other people staring at her and the dummy. Looking back at Xun with a puzzled expression, he finally replied.
"... Those dummies... were next to new... no one can wear one down that fast... I think I can safely say you were a born warrior...just... one thing?"
"What?"
"Don't do that again, please?"
A/N: Hehehe I enjoyed writing that. Some more revealed about Na and Sying, but what will happen next? R&R, please, I need to know how to improve my work! And I have no idea what is the deal with the whole "take care" thing either.
A/N2: Finally sorted out the rulers. Enjoy, and review!
