As he walked her into the room that was now their room, Ma Dai sighed as his eyes half closed to see the way she glanced up long enough to see the bed and then flinched. Her shaking had gotten even worse, if that were possible. As he lead her toward the bed, he smiled. "Don't worry about that. That isn't going to happen tonight. I can't even think about doing that with someone whom I haven't heard say anything other than 'I will', 'My Lord' and 'Father'. Just sit down and relax, you are fine."
When he let go of her hand, Cao Xue gave a small nod as she slowly and stiffly sat on the very edge of the bed. She couldn't even look up at him right now. "Yes My Lord."
With a sigh and a stern look on his face, Ma Dai reached out and gently took her chin in his hand and pulled her now startled blue eyes up to look at his as he shook his head. "Don't call me that. Ever. I am your husband, not your tyrannical lord that demands proper titles. All I ever want you to do call me is Ma Dai. And I do want you to look at me when you talk to me, not the floor."
Her face red again, this was the first good look that she has gotten of her husband. Even when he kissed her she didn't get a good look at his face. Seeing just how handsome he really was made her even more nervous about the situation now. "Alright. Ma Dai."
Pulling his hand back from her face, Mai Dai sat down with one leg on the bed and put one hand on each knee as he gave a nod and a smile. "See. Now that is much better isn't it?" But he lost his smile when she only nodded and dropped her eyes to the floor again. Taking a deep breath as he crossed his arms, Ma Dai wanted to try to make her feel more at ease by bringing her here to talk to her. But who knows what happened thanks to her father.
Turning so that he sat the same way that she did, Ma Dai leaned his elbows down on his knees. "Alright. I guess straight to the point then. I want to know what is with the terrified look in your eyes? Is it because you don't know me or anyone else in Shu?" Watching her carefully as she didn't move, he blinked. "Or was it your father?" Her reaction telling him that he was right about her.
Gasping as she flinched and tensed, Cao Xue instantly hugged herself and then closed her eyes tightly. But the tears that fell betrayed her. She had hoped that no one would have guessed that it was her father that she was scared of, but the situation. But the threat that he drilled into her head from the day he took her out of the cell two weeks ago. Knowing what he did to her mother. What he has done to her growing up. She just knew that he would make good on it if she didn't keep her mouth shut. "I…I…..I can't…"
With a sigh as his eyes took on a sympathetic look, Ma Dai moved before she could do anything and was sitting right behind her with his legs on either side of her. Reaching out he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against him as he let out a long sigh. "I thought it was your father the way you acted when you came in. What is it? What did he do?"
Shaking her head, Cao Xue stayed stiff and rigid. She couldn't tell him! If her father were to find out, and she had no doubt that he would then her fate would be worse than death. "I can't. He will….I just can't I am sorry."
Moving again, but moving her with him, Ma Dai had her looking straight at him as he held a shaky hand, and made her look up at him. "Right now is the safest time to tell someone what your father did to you. Not a single person here in Shu would tell him anything. And, I will make you a deal. You tell me what happened, and we treat this like we normally would. Though we are married, we take our time and get to know each other. If when the reason for the alliance is done and you don't love me, you leave as pure as when you got here. To be set free to find love on your own. I wouldn't be able to send you back to him. Even if you don't tell me seeing how terrified you are right now just trying to talk about it."
Her eyes going wide as she flinched, Cao Xue looked into his soft brown eyes with pure shock on her face. She didn't expect to hear that! But she could see it in his eyes. Whenever her father or brother would say anything to her, it was always a lie or cruel, and they had a cold hatred in their eyes. His was soff and worm. He meant what he said. "Do…do you mean it? Really? No matter what happened with us you won't make me go back to Wei and him?"
Moving his hand from her chin to cup the side of her face, Ma Dai smiled as he sighed. "Of course not. We give it a real try between us and see how things go. No sex until we are both sure how we feel, or the reason for the alliance is done. Then either we work on a family, or you are set free, right here in Shu. If you don't want to go back to him, then you won't it is simple as that."
Taking a few deep breaths as her eyes stayed locked with his, Cao Xue didn't know what to do right now. There was no lie in his eyes. He meant it. He really did! The feeling of finally being free from her tyrannical so called father washed over her as tears filled her eyes. She then pulled a gasp from him as she fell into his chest as she clung to him and sobbed harder than she ha long time. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders and set her free.
With one arm around her waist, Ma Dai used the other to rub her back as he smiled watching her cry. He saw the shock in her eyes when he said he wouldn't send her back if it didn't work out with him. He saw that look of being freed from something. Whatever it was that her father put her through must have been horrible. 'I knew that Cao Cao was an evil tyrant. But to have instilled this much fear in his own daughter. It shows he has no limit to how cruel he really is.'
X
Sitting in his study now with his wife, Liu Bei was on his feet along with Shang Xiang when Ma Dai walked in carrying his sobbing bride. "Ma Dai what in the world….."
Shaking his head, Ma Dai smiled. "In a moment My Lord." Sitting Cao Xue on a futon, Ma Dai gave her a nod as she reluctantly let go of his clothes as she dropped her head. Turning to Sun Shang Xiang he smiled. "My Lady if you wouldn't mind sitting with her for a moment?"
Shaking her head, Shang Xiang moved and sat next to her as she reached out and took her hand. "Not at all."
Liu Bei looked up to see Ma Dai just turn and walk out in the hall with an angry look on his face. Following him out, Liu Bei glared. "What happened Ma Dai?"
Stopping a short way down the hall, Ma Dai turned a serious look to his Lord as he crossed his arms. "I don't know anything specific. But it is a good thing that no one in Shu or Wu trusts Cao Cao or really going to rely on him for anything. His tyrannical acts go deeper than we thought, and I have a good idea why he married her off to seal our alliance with him." When Liu Bei gave him a hard as serious look, he took a deep breath as he closed his arms. "Once I was able to calm her down and convince her that she was safe here, she told me what I gather is only some of what happened to her at the hands of her father. Her mother was taken by force from a Wei village and raped until she became pregnant. When she was born a girl, not a boy, she and her mother were kept in a dungeon cell for five years together. He then killed her mother and watched as she died with her head in her daughter's lap. That was when her beatings started. Days without food. A constant threat of rape if she tried to fight back or ask for food. I am sorry My Lord, but with all of that, she isn't the kind of woman that is so loyal and devoted to her father that she would offer herself to a stranger just to help him seal an alliance. But rather a woman who was…..
His eyes wide now as he looked back at the closed door. "Who was offered by her father to seal an alliance with alternate intentions. He is going to plan to start a war with us and use her as a reason for doing it. That damn snake. I swear if it were not for Shang Xiang I would just write Wu off and defeat them for good. But he is her brother and I can't see her cry. I just wish that Sun Quan didn't have his head in the sand compared to his father and brother."
"Indeed that would make things easier." Ma Dai then rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed. "My Lord I got her to tell me that much, because of a promise I made her. We are going to actually take our time getting to know each other. Nothing physical until we both know how we feel about each other and want that. If she isn't happy once Cao Cao is gone, then I am going to set her free and she can stay right here. She was horrified that at some point, we would send her back to her father."
"Never." He then sighed as he turned to go back to his study. "Well Ma Dai if nothing else, at least we helped someone who needed it to escape from him."
"Indeed. I am going to take her back to our room now and let her get some sleep. I just wanted to make sure that I told you what she told me so that you could talk to Zhuge Liang about it."
"Thank you." Once in the room, Liu Bei smiled as he went to the girl and gently touched under her chin and pulled her still crying blue eyes up to look into his own brown eyes. "My dear, as Ma Dai has told you. You are safe here, and with him or not. Your new home will always be Shu. And Cao Cao will never get close enough to hurt you again. I promise."
Nodding, Cao Xue smiled as she dropped her head. "Thank you My Lord." But then threw her arms around Ma Dai as he gently lifted her and sobbed into his neck again. She was never going to have to see him again! For that alone, she would stay with Ma Dai forever if that is what he wished.
Watching as Ma Dai turned to leave, Liu Bei welcomed his wife in his arms as he sighed. "Ma Dai. I will have Jiang Wei and Zhao Yun take up you rounds for the next week. Take your time and get her settled in and show her around."
Nodding as he left, Ma Dai headed back toward his room with his wife in his arms. He knew that it would be easy for him to love her. Not just because of her past, but he could see it. Once she got over her father and the fear, her true personality was pure and good. But he needed to see how her heart would sway in the days and weeks to come before he let his go. That way, it wouldn't hurt as bad if she wanted to be let go.
X
Now that Zhuge Liang was there with him and his wife, Liu Bei crossed his arms as he met his gaze with his own serious one. "Ma Dai came in here with Cao Xue not long ago. She was a sobbing mess. I have no reason to not rust his judge in character. He told me some of what she went through at the hands of her father. Not the typical father daughter relationship that you would expect. In fact he tortured her for most of her life."
"I see. I suspected that this was a ply from Cao Cao. However I did not expect this. I expected with the instant that she marry Lord Liu Shan that he wanted her to learn our secrets." Crossing his arms, Zhuge Liang thought for a moment. He could use this, and Zhou Yu would as well. Since it would seem that there were only three in Wu that seemed to want to end Shu. Sun Quan, Lu Meng and Lu Xun. "I can use this to our advantage. I will inform Zhou Yu about what is going on. Those in Wu would be willing to help I am sure save three. I trust Ma Dai and his judge of character. He would not just willingly trust someone who he knows is a child of Cao Cao and do this, knowing Ma Chao the way he does if he were not serious about it."
"Ma Dai said that he thinks the offer to seal the alliance with her, is laying the plans to turn around and wage war on us, using his 'daughter' as the reason for it. With that being said, I think that Ma Dai was actually the best choice." Crossing his arms, Liu Bei sighed. "Though I hate to see what Ma Chao's reaction is going to be in a few days when he gets back."
With a glare for the ground, Zhuge Liang sighed. Ma Dai was probably right about that one. "I do believe when you put everything together that Master Ma Dai is right. I will formulate a plan when I meet with Zhou Yu in a couple of days to make sure that everything is a success. Making Sun Quan see reason, and defeating Cao Cao. While make sure that Cao Xue stays hidden and safe from her father."
Nodding Liu Bei smiled. "That sounds perfect." Walking him to the door, Liu Bei turned around to find his wife starring out the window with half closed eyes. Going to her he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and smiled as she sighed and melted into his arms. "What is it?"
"Just thinking about what that poor girl must have gone through that she didn't tell him. It really makes me sad when I remember how perfect my relationship with my father is. And how stubborn and stupid my brother is being right now. I still say it is Lu Meng that is feeding him lines." She then took a deep breath as she sighed and laid her head back on her husband's shoulder. "But I guess some good is going to come out of it. Quan is going to learn the hard way like he had to do when we were kids. And I think Ma Dai and Cao Xue will have a happy ending. I saw the look for her when he picked her up. But even if I am wrong, least she is away from her father."
Turning his wife in his arms, Liu Bei smiled down into her beautiful eyes as he pulled her flush against him from her waist. "Indeed my love." He then dropped his head and seared her mouth with his as he cupped her cheek. Letting out a soft sigh as she let out a small moan and clung to his clothes as she leaned into his kiss. They have been married for many years now, and have a grown son together who has a wife of his own. But each and every time he kissed her, the feeling was still like that of their very first kiss on the day they were married.