Pity me... Reviews less than ten... Can't blame you guys. The chaps in the beginning are really boring... Heck... Anyway...

Happy Reading!

I'm beginning to pity myself...

Ai Xin slid off from the Master Strategist's room and ran to a secluded place. Her heart pounded wildly as tears flowed down from her eyes. That guy really needed an anger management treatment. She leaned against a wall and sat down to the floor. Pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping them around with her arms, she looked beyond, deep in thought.

Someone noticed her sitting in the corner.

"Hello," came a smooth voice. "Are you lost?"

Ai Xin kept her head down, and spoke between silent sobs, "No..."

A hand touched her shoulder, "There there, its alright. No need to cry about anything. Look at me." Ai Xin lifted her head. Her eyes grew wide. A woman smiled kindly to her. She has cool brown eyes and a beautiful fair face.

"Come on, stand up dear," spoke the woman. Ai Xin obliged. She is a few inches shorter than the woman.

"You must be the girl Zhang He brought in," spoke the woman. "I suppose you know me?"

Ai Xin racked her brain, she saw this woman before. What's her name again?

"You're Lady Zhen Ji!" Ai Xin breathed.

"You got that right dear," smiled the woman named Zhen Ji. "You look down. What is the problem?"

Ai Xin looked away. Should she tell her?

"It's about... that man... Sima Yi..."

Zhen Ji sighed and shook her head, "Sima Yi again. No wonder Zhang He is all crying when he barged into my room." She stood silent. "You're his new maidservant... Am I correct?"

Ai Xin nodded.

"And did you do something wrong that made him angry?"

"I slipped on an empty ink bottle and fell down with books crashing on me."

Zhen Ji nodded. She produced something from her back. Ai Xin's eyes grew wide. A flute craftily designed and made of steel, plus adorned with jewels.

"Like it? It's my Dark Moon Flute," she said, giving it a few swooshes. "Now let's go and give Sima Yi some girl power!" She began marching forward when Ai Xin suddenly stopped her.

"Please stop Lady Zhen Ji," she said.

Zhen Ji stopped and faced Ai Xin. She cocked an eyebrow, "Why?"

"I angered Master Sima Yi after he became angry at Lord Zhang He," said Ai Xin. She didn't know why she started putting up the respectful rank names. "But please, when you talk with Master Sima Yi, please don't include my incident.

Zhen Ji stared at the girl with interest.

"Even though he kicked me out of his room. I am entered to his service by Lord Zhang He and I will do my duty to Master Sima Yi. Please, leave this situation to me for me to sort it out."

Zhen Ji nodded and smiled. This girl can be very flexible and if trained well, she can be very forminable.

"Very well, if that's what you wish to do," she said, with a smile. "Be careful not to hurt yourself or be hurt by him okay? And the servants' quarters are just beside the kitchen. You can stay in my bodyguard's quarters if you please."

Ai Xin bowed, "Thank you very much Lady Zhen Ji." Zhen Ji nodded and left Ai Xin.

Zhen Ji left. Ai Xin roamed the halls. Deep in thought.

What must I do to earn trust and respect of Master Sima Yi? Well, the only order I had so far is to fix and clean his room. Maybe that's what I should do. But I can't afford to be seen, not by him or by anyone else I guess.

She passed by a half-closed room. There, she heard voices. Curiousity is bound to kill the cat when one is not clever enough to get caught. Ai Xin leaned on her ear to the securedly closed part of the door, trying to eavesdrop... That's not good... is it? Sadly, she only heard the end of the meeting held inside.

"... We will leave first thing in the morning. Zhang He, can you please go to Sima Yi's room and tell him he's going with us too."

Ai Xin pressed harder on the door and heard Zhang He's sobbing protest, "Never! After that incident, I'm never going to talk to him till I am the one who cools down."

"Zhang He, you're overreacting again," spoke a calm voice somewhere in the back.

"Fine, so I'm overreacting!"

Ai Xin suddenly heard scraping of chairs. The people inside are going out. Thinking quickly, she moved away from the door and loads of steps backwards. If this small plan works out. She could pretend as a servant who happens to report to the head.

Walk casually girl and everything will go out fine. And so she did. The people inside filed out. Ai Xin stopped and paid her respects by bowing. She quietly looked up and recognized some of the people. There's Lord Cao Cao, his cousin Xiahou Dun and his brother Xiahou Yuan and the short-yet-not-so-short Cao Ren.

Cao Ren looked at her and said in a rough yet kind voice, "Please clean the room inside. Thank you." After that he left.

Ai Xin straightened her position and blew her cheeks. Now that's a real close one. She quietly entered the room. By the looks of it, it's the conference hall. On the side, Zhang He is accompanied by a man with a thin mustache, which gave him a foreign look. Ai Xin began pushing the chairs to their original positions and gathering up some tea cups and placing them on a large tray.

"Ai Xin, what are you doing here?" came a cracked femininated voice. "Shouldn't you be working under..." The voice trailed off and came again the silent sobbing and hiccups.

Ai Xin tried not to hear the man who called her, but the sound of his sobbing hurt her ears. She finished arranging the place and turned her attention to the man who called earlier. She was glad in the inside, he stopped crying.

"Lord Zhang He, are you feeling any better?" she asked politely.

Zhang He cocked an eyebrow, he still looked feminine despite the red eyes due to crying, "Of course I am... just... racked. Why aren't you working? Did Sima Yi let you off?"

"I did something that increased his anger," answered Ai Xin in a low voice. "He kicked me out of his room."

The man with the funny mustache, Ai Xin finally recognized him as Zhang Liao, spoke, "Well, it is very hard to serve under Sima Yi. He can be quite a perfectionist, especially when its rivalling against Shu's Zhuge Liang."

Zhang He sighed, "Well... I am still not talking to that guy. Now I learned something, he didn't even bother taking in my present! That is sooo absurd. I am not going to talk to him until he accepts Ai Xin's service." With that, he crossed his arms as a sign of promise.

Zhang Liao sighed and shook his head, he turned to Ai Xin, "You better get back to your task at hand. Come on Zhang He, we still have a message to send." He started walking. Zhang He didn't budge from his place.

"I'm not going."

Zhang Liao sighed. "I know this will make you hate me, but its the only way for you to move." He shot a hand out and grabbed Zhang He's ponytail.

Zhang He shrieked, "Okay! Okay! I'm going!!!" They both left, leaving Ai Xin in the room.

Ai Xin left the room with the big tray on her hands. It seems to be heavy, but she got used to it. Life on the field, they carry things sometimes two times heavier than their weight. Since she's new, she had to ask which way is to the kitchen. To her luck, the head of the servants in this castle is the one she bumped on.

"And who are you?" asked the head.

"I am Ai Xin ma'am," Ai Xin replied, still holding the tray in her hands. "Do you know where is the kitchen? I am to return these."

"Ai Xin... hm... ah yes! Lord Sima Yi's new assisstant. News spread so easily in these walls... Its hard to keep a secret," she spoke. "I am Lien Hua, the head of the maids and servants in this castle. Follow me and be sure to keep up."

After the long corridors, Ai Xin had to memorize the pathways, then the kitchen is there. Lien Hua led her in. "You can place the tray on that table, the rest will take care of it. I need to talk to you about a few things before you can get along with the people here."

Ai Xin nodded. Lien Hua smiled and led her to a room.

"Pardon me if this is a small room, but it would suit you best."

"It is okay Lady Lien Hua, I'm used to it."

"And please don't call me in any way of respect or disrespect. Just call me Lien Hua."

"Okay Lien Hua." Ai Xin looked around her room, then she noticed a small glimmer somewhere in the corner. She observed it closely to realized it as a one-edged sword.

"Are you a swordsman Lien Hua?" she asked.

Lien Hua sighed and nodded. "Let's talk about it later, for now, I guess you have to tell me of your tale."

Ai Xin had this sick feeling of telling the same story over and over again. Lien Hua seemed to understand her. Time seems to pass by so fast because it is almost supper time.

"Well, if that's how your thoughts would be," spoke Lien Hua. "I am willing to help you, for a favor."

"What is that?" asked Ai Xin.

"Can you help us out on serving the meals for tonight? I expect a lot of hungry mouths again."

Supper time came. The people of the castle has assembled in the mess hall. Lien Hua started giving out orders. Ai Xin and the other servants began filing up and group by group started serving the dishes they carry on trays. It was a tiring night. An hour or two passed, supper time is finished and it was the servants' turn to eat.

Ai Xin sat in the corner, thinking far away while nibbling her meat bun.

"Hey."

She looked up, Lien Hua is smiling at her.

"You did great tonight."

"Thanks, you too."

Lien Hua sat beside Ai Xin.

"Lien Hua?"

"Yep?"

"I know I asked this earlier, have you ever wielded a sword before?"

Lien Hua sat silent, then spoke, "Yes, I have."

"Why are you not using it anymore?"

"Let's say I'm nothing more than brittled bones. Before, I used to be an energetic bodyguard, now... Well... You get the picture."

Ai Xin nodded. "Do you think I will get the trust of Master Sima Yi?"

Lien Hua answered, "It depends on how much you want to prove yourself to him."

Blitz: sobs in a corner

Ai Xin: What's wrong?

Blitz: The story is too boring!!!

Sima Yi: Hah! Serves you right!

Zhang He: Shut up! I'm still not talking to you, you know!

Sima Yi: Rrrr...

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