Chapter Four:
Zhou himself was just returning to the camp when Sun Ce came back. He had remained outside the door of the training hall for some time, listening to Mai Li vent her anger. She was definitely fiery, but it only served to make him even more attracted to her. He winced at the memory of the way she had whipped him with her words in that beautiful voice. He was going to have to guard his feelings well around her if he didn't want to get hurt–and the fact that she could possibly hurt him startled him for a moment. He had known the girl for all of a few hours, and yet she was already worming her way under his skin.
"Zhou! You're out late," Sun Ce said, breaking him out of his thoughts.
He smiled. "So are you."
"Yeah, well, I went to talk to–whoa, what happened to your face?" Sun Ce asked when he got close enough to see the damage that had been wreaked upon him by a vengeful maid. "And your shirt! It looks like you've been in a battle!"
"I have been," Zhou said wryly. "Remember the girl, Mai Li?" At the blank look on his best friend's face, he laughed. "I should have guessed that you wouldn't–you were too busy looking at your fiancé. Mai Li was the third woman that came in, she's Qiao Da's companion that is returning with us to the city."
"Ok, I think I know what you're talking about...but what does this have to do with you being in a battle?" Sun Ce asked, puzzled.
"She's the one I battled."
"You're kidding! What, did you let her stomp all over you?"
"No, I didn't. I was testing her out to see how good she was with knives and daggers and, well, she's better than I had expected her to be. And more creative," he said, working his painful jaw which was now a lovely shade of black/purple.
Sun Ce laughed. "A girl defeated you?" he asked, amused.
"No!" Zhou Yu replied defensively. "It came to a draw," he said, trying to salvage his dignity. It didn't work.
"I can't believe it," his friend said, still laughing. "The greatest general of Wu, and you were defeated–I mean, you had a draw–with a girl. This is great, I can't wait to tell Dad..."
"You try taking her on and see what happens!"
Incidentally enough, Mai Li returned to the Qiao sisters' quarters shortly after Da herself had come back in from the gardens. "Mai Li!" Da exclaimed when a tired Li entered. "Where have you been all this time?"
"I had a run-in with an infuriating, completely insane Wu general," Li replied with a sigh. She told her friend the story, then said, "He's giving me my first lesson in swordplay at dawn."
Da stared at Li incredulously. "You mean you fought against Zhou Yu and he came away the worse for wear?"
Li grinned at the memory. "If you don't believe me, take a look at his face in the morning," she said, and then laughed. "So why are you up so late, Da?" she asked suddenly, switching the topic.
The girl blushed, much to Li's astonishment and said, "Lord Sun Ce wished to speak with me. I took him out to the garden."
"Oh really! And what did you two 'speak' about out there in the romantic moonlit garden?" Li asked teasingly.
"Li!" Da exclaimed, her cheeks still rosy with embarrassment.
Mai Li subsided. "You like him, don't you?" she asked, looking closely at her friend.
"Yes, I think I do," Da whispered, looking down at her lap. She would say no more after that, regardless of Li's pleading.
Eventually Li gave up and they went to sleep.
Dawn came much too soon for Mai Li, who groaned as she sat up and stretched. Her arms and back were on fire from yesterday's bout, and she had no doubt that when she stood up her legs would feel the same. She nearly laid back down and went to sleep again, but remembered that she had a meeting with a maniac of a general in the training hall. Only the fact that he was going to teach her about the one weapon she most wanted to learn made her pull on her clothes–which, she reflected, would have to be washed after this...not to mention that she needed a bath as well.
First things first, however: get this lesson out of the way and get away from Zhou Yu as soon as she possibly could. She grinned as she moved swiftly through the corridors. It would be interesting to see how his jaw was doing, at least. She couldn't regret that in the least, considering the way he had attacked her. She still couldn't believe that he had been stupid enough to do something like that with unprotected blades.
She was still shaking her head when she slid the door to the training hall open. He was standing completely motionless in the center of the room, his back to her. She couldn't help but notice that today he was wearing a sleeveless shirt that revealed his lean-muscled arms and loose, baggy pants. His long hair was hanging down his back as it had yesterday, the red band around his head holding back unwanted hairs from getting into his face. She didn't understand why he didn't just pull it into a topknot or a braid–maybe he was simply too into his own good looks to do so.
Whatever the reason, she would have to wait for an explanation, for he said, without so much as turning around, "I want you to pick up every sword on the shelf. Test each one for weight and grip, and find out which one feels most comfortable to you. Do this in silence, if you can manage a simple thing as that."
Fuming, she did as he bade. The first five swords were too heavy–she thought that even on a good day she would barely be able to pick them up. They must have been at least three quarters of her own body weight. She picked up several other blades, and while some were light enough, their grips were terrible for her hands, and there were even a few that were too light in her grasp. She was down to three, and was beginning to lose hope that she would find one that would be comfortable.
Finally, on the second to last one, she seemed to find the best of the lot. It was a slightly curved blade, narrow near the hilt and widening down the length before narrowing to a sharp tip at the end. The grip seemed to mold to her hand, and while it was still a little too heavy, she thought she could work with it, given time to build up her strength a bit more. Still, she put it down. He had said to pick up every blade, and so she picked up the last one as well. Finding it decidedly unsatisfactory, she replaced it and took up the one she was pleased with once more.
"Today," he started, and she turned around to look at him, a bit puzzled to find that he was moving with slow and precise movements, almost as if he were dancing, "we will find your balance. You cannot simply swing a sword right away, you must first learn to find balance within yourself and with the earth you stand on. Once you find that balance, you will begin to learn the dance." While he talked, he kept moving, his sword seeming to scribe designs slowly in the air. It reminded her of moving in water, and she found herself studying his lines of movement, the way his feet fell softly to the floor and how his supple body moved with catlike grace.
When he stopped, he was in the same position as he had been when she first entered the room. She shook her head to clear the haze of the hypnotic state she had fallen into all unknowing.
"Come here," he said, not moving. She obeyed, and when she reached him he stepped aside and bade her stand where he had been. "Spread your feet a little farther apart, one foot slightly ahead of the other–put both hands on the hilt of your blade, turn your body the same direction as your forward foot," he said, and she quickly complied. "Now," he said, moving to stand behind her, "you lift your blade like this..."
He put a hand on each of her wrists and lifted them, adjusting the way her hands held the hilt of the sword so that they were a little farther apart. His masculine scent and the warmth of his body against her back and on her hands inadverdently sent a wave of excitement and pleasant warmth through her body.When he was satisfied with her position, he let her go and circled around her once. "Good. Now remain exactly like that until I tell you differently. Do not move. I shall return in a few minutes, but don't think to change your position while I'm gone–I will know."
With that, he walked out of the room, leaving her to mentally curse him and erasing all pleasant feelings she might have felt towards him earlier.
I've discovered that this story WILL indeed be longer than 5 chapters, apparently. There's more that has to develop and such, and it's going to take longer than expected. Not that this is a bad thing, mind you!
Winds of Eternity: I know I sent you an e-mail earlier, but I have to thank you again! Soon as I get the chance, I'll read one or two of your DW fics–they look interesting.
