Disclaimer: I do not own Guan Yu, Dynasty Warriors or any of the mentioned characters

Guan Yu's Escape

Chapter 2

Before the early morning sun had crept over the mountains and slid across the lake, Guan Yu was awake, fully dressed and armed with Blue Dragon, his noble spear. He wore his ornately decorated robes, as green as spring. His few pieces of leather armour were strapped to his shoulders, forearms, waist and legs. His long, jet black beard shimmered beautifullylike gossamerHe shouldered his halberd and stepped out into the corridor, sliding the door back into place silently.

The ladies Fui and Yan were waiting for him in the courtyard, their cloaks pulled over their heads so they blended slightly with the darkness. They heard his footsteps and looked round with a start, then relaxed as his face came into focus. He strode over to them and whispered:

"The men are waiting outside the city, my ladies. We will meet them there. Please, follow me."

He led them to the nearby stables. Waiting for them was a simple wooden carriage led by two fine horses, and a small man dressed in dark clothing. Next to the carriage the horses looked strange, like a king's blacksmith using worn, shabby tools. Guan Yu apologized for the modest transport, but claimed he could only find either fine horses or a fine coach, and speed was more important than comfort for their journey. He lent each woman a hand in turn and helped them into the carriage before softly closing the door. He nodded to the short man, who climbed into the driver's seat of the carriage and clutched the reins. Yu could see his knuckles whiten with nerves. He himself walked over to a large, spacious stall and opened the gate.

Before him stood the most majestic horse in all China. It stood more than 17 hands high and its body was a deep, dark red. Its mane and tail blew in the gentle morning breeze, dancing and flowing like fire in a hearth. Red Hare woke at the soft creak of the door. Its eyes, two black coals amid a blazing fire, flickered open and it gazed into Guan Yu's. The stallion nodded its great head slightly, and then nuzzled Guan Yu affectionately. Guan Yu rested his head against the horse's muzzle. Red Hare was one of the reasons he was here in the first place. He had fallen for the horse the moment Cao Cao had taken it from the stables to present to him in return for his loyalty. Cao Cao had taken it from Lu Bu at Xia Pi. The beast was said to be able to run over 300 miles in a day. As men fled from Lu Bu, so horses fled from his great steed.

Guan Yu placed his foot in the stirrup and gracefully mounted the beautiful stallion. He turned his head to face the driver.

"We will head west, towards the city of Luo Yang. To reach the city we must pass through Dong Ling Pass. There we will decide upon our next move."

The driver nodded humbly. The stable doors were unbarred from the outside and pulled open. The stable-yard was filled with soldiers, clad in green cloth and armour. These were the men Guan Yu had judged to be loyal to him; those who had joined him in his capture from Xia Pi, but had not become subservient to Cao Cao. They numbered around two hundred and were from a rabble of different units; swordsmen, spearmen, pikemen, archers and even a few cavalry lancers mounted on the black horses typical of Cao Cao's army. These thirty horsemen were to ride ahead with Guan Yu, while the mismatched infantry defended the carriage from rear attacks or anyone who got past the front sweep. Yu spun his great halberd over his head and struck the shaft hard against the ground. The yard fell silent as every pair of eyes fell upon the mighty warrior.

"My friends," he spoke softly but still loud enough to be heard. "You are the men who have remained loyal to me and our true master, Lord Liu Bei. For this, you have my sincere gratitude. I will not make false promises that each and every one of you will live to see our Lord, for this is something you know I cannot guarantee, nor would you believe me if I did."

This received a laugh from the men. Guan Yu was popular amongst his soldiers. They knew that he cared deeply for their wellbeing, as well as that they were perhaps safer with him than with any other general; he was a powerful fighter, a strategic thinker and the bravest man any of them had ever met.

"What I can promise you, however," he continued, "is that those of you who fall in this escape will be honoured as the heroes who fell whilst valiantly defending the wives of your Lord. My friends, they claim that I am a warrior to match a thousand men." He raised his voice. "Well here I tell you, I would sooner face ten thousand men than face this two hundred before me now!"

The men cheered enthusiastically. Many generals have tried and failed to give inspiring speeches before great battles, but this was Guan Yu. No finer soldier, general or leader existed among men. His meagre army would have fought the legions of Hell at his bidding.

He wheeled his horse to face the stone archway, gave a shout for the look of the thing, then spurred Red Hare through the gateway into the great azure morning, his brave spartans eagerly following behind.