Summary: Somewhere between her best friend's car and her house, Victoria got a little lost... How did actual history go again? And why the hell couldn't she have wound up in Shu?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but various and assorted DW games and WO2. If only my ownership extended beyond mere copies of said games...

Queen's Quornor: Damn, it's been three years since I last updated this thing. A new Dynasty Warriors, and its various expansions and spin-offs, has come and gone, and there's a new one on the way for the States (lucky Japan, getting it first...). I realize I really have no excuse, but I do have a reason why I haven't updated this in so long. Job, money worries, lack of ideas, you name it. Graduating really put a damper on my creativity and drive for some reason, and I'm still trying to fix this situation. But I do want to finish this story, among others. But when I first posted HRM, the most up-to-date Dynasty Warriors game was DW6. The characters have all undergone some serious cosmetic changes in that time, and a bunch of new faces have been added. My only regret with this story, now, is that I won't be able to have Tori encounter the Sons of Sima and Zhong Hui. She'd have a lot of fun putting that arrogant little traitor in his place! Eh, I have been kicking around the idea of a Warriors Orochi spinoff of this fic. Maybe I'll do that in the future. We'll see. Anyway, as you can surmise, I'm going to have a few of the new faces pop up in Tori's path. Whether this will have an effect upon her decision to stay in Wu or make a break for what will eventually be Shu, you'll just have to wait and see. Also, for convenience's sake, I will not be using everybody's full names at all times. In Tori's mind, they are hereafter designated by their personal names, not their styles or their family names.

How Not to Choose Your Weapon

Thrust, circle, return.

Thrust, circle, return.

"Again!"

Victoria groaned and thrust the spear forward for what seemed like the thousandth time, wishing she had denied her fangirl urges when Ning had told her to choose a weapon. She had picked the spear, in theory, because of its range. In reality, it had been because that was Zhao Yun's weapon of choice. She had already attempted a few of his signature attacks, only to be informed by her self-appointed instructor that she needed to master the basics first.

Now her arms felt like they were slowly removing themselves from her shoulders. Spears were heavy.

"Can't we take a break?" she begged. "I think I'm about to dislocate something!"

The former pirate shook his head. "You're in pathetic shape for someone who's supposed to be a harbinger of divine favor," he told her bluntly. "If I let you out on a battlefield like this, you'll die real quick. We've got to get you up to standards as fast as possible, and I guarantee this training will do it." He adjusted the spear in her hands, then stepped back and folded his arms. "Now, again!"

Victoria grit her teeth and forced herself to repeat the manuever. She never regretted all those pizza parties and diet-off sleepovers as much as she did at this moment. According to her friends in her own time, she was in great shape. Ning, however, was of a far different opinion. He wanted toned muscle, not a trim waist and perky breasts.

Well, by the time he was done with her, she'd have that muscle. If she didn't turn into a quivering puddle of goo first.

"Put your back into it! Lazy attacks like that won't save you!"

"How about I make you stand up straight by shoving this spear up your ass?" she growled, repeating the attack pattern once more.

"That's the attitude you want." Ning nodded sagely, a smile curving his mouth. "Now take that anger and channel it into your attacks. Again!"

Victoria felt her lip curl in a snarl. He wanted angry? She'd show him angry!

She performed the attack, but after the withdraw she kicked at her her invisible target, visualizing her friend's cocky smirk as she swung around. Coming out of the kick, she rammed the spear forward, about where his mouth would be. That done, she resumed the ready position, thinking about his teeth bouncing along the pavement.

"Not bad. Not bad at all!" His compliment startled her, and she twisted to regard him with surprise.

"I did good?" she asked.

"You put your own spin on it, which I like seeing in a warrior. It shows that you're using your brain, not just sticking to what you've been taught." He glanced up at the sun and nodded. "I think that little display should get you a quick break. We've been out here a few hours."

She sighed in relief, stretching her arms. "Thanks, man. You have no idea how heavy this thing is right now." She glanced down at her sweat-soaked shirt, enjoying the breeze as it cooled her down. When the day's training session was over, all she wanted was a bath.

"Probably not. I trained with spears when I was a kid, and they feel like sticks to me now." Ning handed a her a clay jug, watching as she gulped down the water. "Careful, you don't need stomach cramps on top of sore arms."

Reluctantly, Victoria relinquished the jug. "Is this the kind of thing you put your men through?" she asked, retreating to the shade of a nearby tree. Hot sun and heavy spear? She deserved a freaking nap after a workout like that!

"Until I'm satisfied that they can fight, yeah." The former pirate joined her, leaning against the truck while she sprawled between the roots. "You know, you've got muscle. It's just not in the right places."

"What do you mean?" she asked, rolling her head to look at him. She decided not to comment on how his comment made him sound like a creeper.

"Your legs are strong. There was more power in the kick than anything you did with that spear. If we can get your arms to that level, you'll be good to go."

"Well, that comes from running around in the woods so much."

Ning gave her a quizzical look, so she elaborated. "My home is in West Virginia, one of the hilliest states in the US. There are so many mountains and valleys, entire towns used to be completely isolated from the rest of the world. A few still are, in my time. On top of that, it's all forest. I live in one of the backwoods areas, so I used to spend a ton of time hiking and exploring." She pushed some loose hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "Never went hunting, though. That was more my dad's thing, and my eldest brother's. Sam and Joey are pretty keen on it, too. Though, they're too young to use a gun yet."

If her friend was curious as to what a gun was, he kept his interest to himself. Instead, he was looking across the courtyard with an appreciative smile. "Well, this day's certainly looking up. First I get to teach one lovely lady how to use a spear, and now here come two more!"

Curious, Victoria sat up and propped herself against the tree, catching sight of the approaching females. One was Shangxiang, who had abandoned her usual bright attire in favor of a sleek red and gold two-piece dress. For some reason, she had paired the outfit with a big red flower, which she had pinned in her hair. Her companion was a woman who just about matched what Victoria would consider the ideal Asian beauty, although her skimpy orange garb definitely did not fit the image. She walked beside the Sun princess with quiet dignity, a gentle humor suffusing her brown eyes.

"Tori!" Shangxiang came to a stop at her feet, gesturing to her companion. "I want to introduce you to someone. This is Lady Bu, but everybody just calls her Lianshi."

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," Lianshi murmured, bowing. Her long black hair spilled forward, rolling off her milky shoulder, and Victoria was reminded that she needed to grow out her own hair. This woman had the longest ponytail she'd ever seen.

"It's nice to meet you," she replied. "My name's Victoria Townsend, but you can call me Tori."

"Everyone does," Ning quipped. "So what brings you two out here? It couldn't have just been to make introductions."

"We came to work on our archery, and I saw you two sitting over here. Lianshi only just got back to the palace, so I figured it was time for her to meet you." She turned to the taller woman, an impish smile playing about her lips. "I almost forgot. The loudmouth there is Gan Ning. Pay no attention to the smell; this is him after he's had a bath."

"I understand that you are not from our land, Lady Tori?" Lianshi inquired, ignoring Ning's squawked protest.

"Yeah, I'm from about as far away as you can get," she replied, tugging at her little ponytail. Though, was she? If she really was to start digging through the earth, would she end up in the USA? Or would she find herself drowning in somewhere at the bottom of the Atlantic?

"Then it must be rather lonely for you, being so far away from your friends and family."

Victoria shrugged, ignoring the familiar pang stirred by the other woman's words. "I miss them, yeah. But hey, I've got new friends now, and I'm sure that over time, they'll start feeling like family." She chuckled softly, watching Ning and Shangxiang bicker. "Everybody in Wu seems to treat this like one big family, as it is."

Lianshi giggled and shook her head. "I know what you mean. Half of the time, I have to remind people that I'm the princess's handmaiden. They're so friendly with me, they often forget my position."

"You're her handmaiden? Really?" Victoria asked in surprise, staring at her. This gorgeous woman looked more like she belonged in the Court, not serving Shangxiang.

"She is. Though, if Quan has his way, I'm sure she'll out-rank me someday," Shangxiang put in, her teeth shining in the sunlight. "If you ever watch them together, it's pretty obvious that he's sweet on her. I daresay she's of a similar mind, though she'd never admit it."

"My lady!" Lianshi protested, her porcelain skin darkening to a soft pink.

Ning snorted. "I can see why he'd like you so much. Any man would be, if your personality's as good as your looks."

The handmaiden looked down, a smile playing about her lips. "I am not the only woman so worthy of attention, my lord. From what I understand, Lady Tori is quite the topic of conversation about the palace."

"Well, she is our Messenger of Heaven." Shangxiang walked over and knelt down, pulling the tie on Victoria's hair, letting it fall about her shoulders. The golden tresses caught the light streaming through the leaves, flashing brilliantly where the sun touched it. "When people see this, they always take notice."

"But is she really of the heavens, or from another land?" Lianshi inquired, tilting her head slightly.

"Who knows? All we know is that she's definitely not from around here." Ning's comment brought Victoria's attention his way, and he nodded to her with a strangely reassuring, cocky smile. "I mean, even if you could explain the hair, what about the eyes? Nobody has eyes that color."

"I suppose you are right," Lianshi demurred. "She is most unusual in appearance, but I can see where her exotic looks would stir thoughts of Heaven. Does it truly matter where she originated, when those around her will formulate their own beliefs regardless of what they are told?"

"That's exactly what Zhou Yu said when he met her," the spunky princess said, putting an arm over Victoria's shoulders. "He thinks that having her in the ranks will make the soldiers fight harder, because she's Heaven's Will personified. I can tell you that she's already had an effect on the men while they train and keep watch; nobody wants to look bad or weak in front of her, so they put everything they have into whatever they're doing whenever they realize she's around."

"It's also because no man wants to let a pretty girl see him doing a poor job. I know if I was in their position, I wouldn't give anything less than my best while Tori's around." Gan Ning scratched his back against the tree with a satisfied grunt, sending bits of bark raining down on the grass. "There's no better motivation than a beautiful woman to get the boys in shape."

"So you really do think she's pretty, huh?" Shangxiang asked, standing up and brushing off her knees.

"Me and every man in a hundred miles," he replied, pushing himself off the tree. "Actually, all three of you are beautiful. But according to you, Sun Quan's got a thing for your handmaiden, and if anybody goes after you, Princess, it'll be someone braver and dumber than me. I like my head exactly where it is, thank you."

"As if I'd be interested in someone like you," Shangxiang scoffed. "I prefer men who know the meaning of hygiene, and I don't mean a quick dive in the river!"

Lianshi laughed. "I suppose that leave Lady Tori as the only possible option for you, Lord Gan Ning."

Victoria's eyes grew and she stared at the taller woman, stunned. Ning? He was just a friend! Couldn't anybody see that?

Ning's voice brought her out of her momentary stupor. "If Sun Quan's kid sister is off-limits, do you really think I could get away with chasing Tori? I put one hand on her, and half of Wu will want me dead!" He huffed and shook his head. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that you want me to get killed in some romantic misadventure, Lianshi."

"Not at all. But I do think that both Lady Tori and the princess are going to find their husbands chosen for them in the future. So perhaps it would be best if you maintained some distance between yourself and them."

"Don't remind me," Shangxiang grumbled. "I don't want Quan to pick some simpering minister for me. I've made it quite clear that I want a hero. All others need not apply."

Victoria bit her tongue. She wanted to tell her friend exactly who she would wind up marrying, but... Wouldn't that fall into the time-alteration, let-it-happen-on-its own category? Would telling Shangxiang that she would wed the man who would found a nation known as Shu screw up history?

She decided discretion was the better part of valor and kept her thoughts to herself. God only knew how the two of them met in the first place.

"I think it's time we headed to the archery range," the handmaiden said. "These two need to get back to their practice, and I know you are itching to fire your bow, my lady."

Shangxiang nodded. "I guess you're right. From what I saw, Tori really needs the help." She started walked off at a brisk pace, forestalling Victoria's defensive retort. Lianshi followed her, giving the blonde teen a sympathetic smile.

"Well, I guess the break's over." Ning stretched and reached down, yanking Victoria to her feet before she could protest. "I think it's time I started you on some more complicated moves, since you seem to have the basics down. C'mon."

Victoria grit her teeth and picked up the spear, wondering if her sadistic instructor would have mercy if her arms spontaneously detached from her body.

"Now, Tori!"

Cursing her decision in choosing the spear, she forced herself to run after Ning.