The Young Conqueror

Disclaimer: I did not invent Sun Ce or any other major character in this fanfic. Konami is responsible for the general appearance and mannerisms of the characters contained herein. I drew on the game personae for the sake of variety.

Since this is a story about Sun Ce, I've changed a few events to focus more on him. After Guan Yu he's my favourite character in the game and a li'l gratuitous action for the oldest Sun boy can't be a bad thing, right?

Enjoy.

Chapter 5

Da Qiao stared at the ceiling of her bedchamber. Sleep eluded her, in spite of how tired she felt. Something was vaguely bothering her, something she could not put her finger on.

She sighed and turned onto her stomach, staring now at the wall. She did not feel ill, just out of sorts, like something she should be aware of was preying on the edge of her consciousness.

"Ce… I hope you're alright. I think I'm worried about you, but I don't know why. Please, my lord, be safe…"

There was a knock at her door. Xiao Qiao peeked in.

"Sis? You awake?"

"I am now," Da Qiao said, sitting up. "Come in already."

The young sister moved quietly into the room and sat in a chair not far from Da. She shifted around uncomfortably, as if something was bothering her as well.

"Do… do you think they're okay?" she asked.

"I would hope so, they've only been gone a week." Da Qiao responded, trying to sound encouraging. She was relatively certain that Xiao would detect the placating tone in her voice, but she felt the need to hear herself say these things.

"We should've gone with them." Xiao suggested, fidgeting.

"No, Ce was right this time- we would've been a liability if we'd gone. If someone had taken us hostage the boys would be in a bind, wouldn't they?"

Xiao looked petulant. "I just get worried. I think something has happened."

Da Qiao sat up and shook her head. "There's no sense worrying about things we can't possibly know, right? Would you like one of the sleeping teas?"

Xiao shook her head. "Can I just stay here you with you, sis? I don't wanna be alone."

Da Qiao relented, thinking she might actually be glad for the company. Xiao climbed onto the bed next to her sister and clung to her. Da stroked the younger girl's hair and spoke soothingly, hoping she would eventually drift off. Eventually she heard Xiao Qiao snoring and laid her aside gently. She lay a while longer beside the sleeping girl before admitting defeat. She rose and prepared some tea for herself. The scent of the exotic leaves soothed her senses. A few cups later she felt sleep finally taking hold. She crawled back into bed next to her sister and allowed herself to slip into a deep sleep, dreaming of her husband. His powerful arms were wrapped around her and she knew bliss, even if it was only in the confines of her dreams.

Ce drove the butts of his twin tonfa forward, feeling them impact and cave in the chest of his foe. Knowing the enemy was slain, he spun fast and low, sweeping the feet from an assassin who hard surged up behind. Before the man had hit the ground, the Wu prince was driving the tonfa down, crushing his opponent's sternum. He blocked a lethal strike from his left and struck back, forcing the foe to scramble away from certain death.

Ce had gained his stride during the battle, no longer worrying about his personal safety. These assassins, in spite of their skill, could no longer present a serious threat to him personally. His concern was for his father and the men. He focused his attention on finding the lord of Jiang Dong. He heard Huang Gai roaring in anger, doubtless throwing himself into grave peril to protect Sun Jian. Ce leapt in the direction of the old warrior's fury.

Sun Jian was indeed in the thick of the fighting. His tiger blade flashed and thrust with unerring skill, laying an opponent low. He was ringed by foes, all of whom were looking for openings, a chance to dart in and slay the enemy commander. Despite Sun Jian's skill and ferocity, sooner or later their guile would catch up with him. They had separated Huang Gai from the Wu lord, keeping the grizzled veteran busy while they cornered Sun Jian.

Ce met up with Zhou Yu, who has cleaving foes in twain as he fought his way to his liege's side. His blade was running dark with blood as he whirled and slashed at the enemy. A nod from Ce was all it took to know what the plan was.

The assassins found themselves trapped between two unrelenting warriors, attacked even as they hounded Sun Jian. Rather than fleeing, however, they pressed their assault harder than ever, knowing that life meant nothing if they did not succeed, and death was a small price to pay for success.

"These guys are good…" Ce thought as he fought his way forward. "Well-trained and professional- they're not going anywhere until they finish their mission…"

He saw his father fall to one knee as a foe's blade caught him across the back of the thigh. Sun Jian shouted in fury and surged back to his feet, slashing in wide arcs to keep the assassins away. Nearby, Huang Gai was covered in dozens of wounds but showed no signs of abating in his frenzied attempts to reach his lord. Several warriors of Jiang Dong had fallen, protecting Sun Jian from harm with their bodies. Ce swore angrily and surged forward again, leaving himself open to attack in order to reach his father sooner.

An assassin had finally managed to get behind Sun Jian and lunged in for the kill. The lord of Jiang Dong sensed the man and thrust his blade backward, driving it through the man's chest, but not before a wicked blade had plunged down into his shoulder. Sun Jian staggered and threw the foe away, roaring in pain and anger. He staggered as the blade's poison began to take hold. His eyes swirled in his head, everything he could see viewed through a milky haze.

With a wild cry, Huang Gai slammed his mighty club down onto the head of a foe that stood between himself and Sun Jian. The man's body was destroyed almost instantly, so great was the force of the blow. Ce was already there as the old veteran lumbered up, his eyes blazing. Zhou Yu was hard on his friend's heels, his keen blade keeping the enemy at a respectful distance.

"Zhou Yu, do something!" Ce shouted as he sat his father down and then turned to face the incoming assassins. Huang Gai roared in defiance as he squared off with another knot of foes. The men in black were not prepared for this complication. They were acutely aware of how deadly Sun Ce and Huang Gai were- getting past them to reach their quarry would take effort indeed.

A high whistle sounded and the assassins began to leap or bound away, retreating into the shadows. Ce struck and lashed out at the stragglers, taking several down. Huang Gai threw one of his crude thunderbombs after them, staggering or stunning another three. They were made short work of by the warriors of Jiang Dong.

The fight seemed to be over, for now, at least. Ce harboured no doubt that the assassins would be back, however. They were too professional to leave a job undone, no matter how threatening the foe might be. They had simply retreated to regroup and think up a new strategy.

Ce should these thoughts from his mind and returned to his father's side, while Huang Gai arranged a guard detail. Sun Jian was sitting quietly, looking pale, but his eyes were shining with defiance. Zhou Yu had removed his liege lord's shoulder armour and was sucking the poison from his wound, spitting the tainted blood out on the ground. Sun Jian winced occasionally but allowed him to continue.

"You're gonna be fine, pop." Ce said, his face a grim smile. "It takes a lot more than a poisoned knife to kill a Sun."

"That is my hope too." Sun Jian said wearily, nodding his head. "The only question is who sent them? Dong Zhuo or the Eunuchs?"

"I dunno. We'll find out when we get there, I guess." Ce said, scowling. This had certainly been a coward's attack. Reports indicated that if anything, Dong Zhuo was getting more brazen and bellicose in his actions since adopting Lu Bu and conquering vast swathes of territory to the northwest. He had destroyed an imposing Yellow Turbans force at Xi Liang and then defeated the regional lords of Han Zhong. Obviously he felt he could act with impunity and no one could stop him. While he could in theory have sent a force of assassins to intercept and destroy Sun Jian, it seemed incongruent with his current method of operation.

The Eunuchs, on the other hand, were famous for their insidious tactics and subterfuge. With no direct command over an army such as Dong Zhuo or He Jin had, they were forced to resort to other means of achieving their goals. Any worthy army officer would have refused to march and directly attack the heroic Sun Jian of Jiang Dong- the man was renowned across the land for his valiant performance in the Yellow Turban campaign. He was no threat to China's stability, he was indeed a pillar of strength the Han Dynasty could rely on for support in its hour of need.

It was the Eunuchs, then. In all likelihood, they were behind this brutal attack.

"He'll be fine, Ce…" Zhou Yu said finally, standing and letting doctors lay Sun Jian on his back. "I've removed the poison from his system and we have herbs that will help with his wounds."

Ce looked unconvinced. "How can you be sure that you got it all?"

Zhou Yu shrugged. "His blood started tasting like blood, instead of having a noxious taint to it. It seems pretty elementary to me."

Ce laughed, relieved. There was no arguing with that logic. Zhou Yu was standing there, unharmed by the ordeal, so chances are his gambit had worked. "Good enough for me, then."

Sun Jin looked up at his eldest son, obviously in a great deal of pain, even if his life was no longer threatened. "Ce…" he said, his breathing laboured. "I shall continue on, but I do not know if I will be well enough to conduct these meetings. I am relying… on you… to act in my stead until I have… recovered…"

The look in his father's eye chilled Ce. More than ever, now he had to be the Lord of Jiang Dong. He nodded and clasped his right fist in his left hand.

"I will not fail you, father."

Sun Jian smiled weakly. "I know you won't… you are the strongest of my children… it is you… who shall lay the foundation… of our mighty kingdom. Pave the way for us, my son. It is… your… des…"

He closed his eyes and slept, the narcotic herbs the healers had given him taking hold.

Ce turned and looked out at the darkness. His blue eyes were hard and cold as ice.

"Zhou Yu…" he said quietly. "How dangerous was your tiger hunt in the far south?"

"Very, I dare say." Zhou Yu replied simply. "Let me guess, you're going to move the troops on while you and I go and hunt our enemies alone."

Ce nodded solemnly. "Can you think of a better solution?"

Zhou Yu lowered his head and smiled. "They'll never see it coming. I am glad to be here with you, my friend. We shall make the Empire tremble in fear at our names."

Ce clenched his fists at his side, the decision made. "Let's go…"

The host of Jiang Dong moved out, Sun Jian's litter surrounded by a construct of shields and hide. Huang Gai was in command and until Sun Ce and Zhou Yu returned. His orders were to make his way to the capital as quickly as possible and they would catch up with him. Ever dutiful and obedient, the old veteran began the march immediately.

Huang Gai spoke with Sun Jian briefly as the troops began their forced march toward the capital. The Wu ruler seemed in good spirits, in spite of his weakened condition.

"My lord, Lord Ce, your son, has given us our orders and we will execute them fully, unless you intend to tell us otherwise. My loyalty to Lord Ce is unquestionable, but you are my liege lord first. Do you have anything you wish to say?"

Sun Jian nodded. "Ce, did not tell me what he had planned. You will please tell me."

The old warrior looked uncertain, giving the matter some thought. "He did not say exactly, my lord, but he and Lord Zhou Yu have disappeared into the woods. We are to head with all speed toward the capital and they will find us."

Sun Jiang chuckled and then winced, his breath catching in his throat. "I see. For your peace of mind, old friend, I will tell you what he has planned… he and Zhou Yu suspect, and rightfully so, that we have not seen the last of our foes. They have gone to hunt them down and end their threat, away from our army, where they cannot reach me."

The veteran's eyes went wide as he let his lords words sink in. "But… that is madness! It took the frantic efforts of our entire host the first time to fend off their attack! How can two men, even men such as Lords Ce and Yu hope to fight such a numerically superior force?"

Sun Jian smiled. "Because Zhou Yu and Ce are warriors like no other. As formidable as you and I are, they are a breed apart. If they hunt these assassins alone, they have no one or nothing else to worry about- no injured liege lords or fathers to guard, no men to protect… they may act as they please, their only concern being the death of the enemy."

Huang Gai looked incredulous.

"Warriors such as my son, Zhou Yu, Guan Yu and Lu Bu… they are the men who shall shape China's future. If they come to blows, the earth will shake under the blows of such titans… but only warriors of such peerless strength can hope to end the chaos and bring peace to land."

Sun Jian lay back and waved a weary hand. "Follow my son's orders exactly. Get us to the capital and stay on guard for further threats. The eunuchs must fear us if they're trying so hard to prevent our embassy."

Huang Gai nodded. "It shall be as you wish, my lord." He nodded and strode off.

Sun Jian sighed heavily and closed his eyes. "No, my old friend… it shall be a Ce wishes. That is the way it must be. For the good of us all…"

The woods were dark, the canopy overhead only occasionally pierced by splinters of moonlight. In spite of the blackness, the two figures bounded the through the trees with remarkable speed and grace, making almost no sound and leaving no sign of their passage.

They came to a clearing and stopped, looking around. The raven-haired warrior looked at the ground and grimaced.

"Their tracks split up from here…" he said softly. "Do we go separate ways and hunt down our foes individually?"

Ce pursed his lips as he looked at the tracks. He was silent for several seconds before speaking. "It's a ruse," he said finally, nodding to himself. "They were worried we might follow them and are making it look like they split up, trying to discourage pursuit."

He knelt and placed a hand flat against the ground. He cleared his mind and listened to the earth, the physical world melting away as he reached out with senses beyond the mundane and began hunting his foe.

Less than two hours away, he sensed tension and deadly intent. The forest almost cried out at the vitriolic hostility of those hiding under its ancient boughs.

Zhou Yu waited patiently, watching his friends. Several minutes passed before Ce rose and wiped his brow, drawing a deep breath. He pointed casually with his tonfa to the north and west.

"That way…" he said simply. "About two hours. We've got 'em."

Zhou Yu smiled. "Remarkable…" he stated, turning to face the direction Ce had indicated. "Very well, let us be going."

Ce nodded and the two of them sped off into the night, merciless hunters intent on a prey that did not know what was coming…

The acting commander of the assassins sat staring into the fire. His superior had been slain by Sun Jian even as he managed to bury his blade into his target. The intervention of the damned boy and his friend had meant the mission was compromised. The retreat had been so quick there was no way to determine if Sun Jian had been killed or not. Certainly the poison he had been stabbed with was fatal, but they couldn't take any chances.

What if Sun Jian had died, however? What the host of Jiang Dong did next would be up to the boy, Ce. If he continued the embassy, they would have to strike again, for those were their orders- to prevent Sun Jian's embassy from arriving in the capital. The Eunuch Zhang Ren had made this very clear. Failure was not an option.

Another man swathed in black knelt in front of him and bowed. "What are your plans, sir?"

"We must return and finish the job," he said simply, fingering the haft of his knife. "We have never failed in a mission, I have no intention of failing now."

"Our numbers are considerably weakened, sir. Have we the strength to attack again?"

"It doesn't matter," the commander said firmly. "We slew many of their men as well. "They may be expecting us, but we must simply create an advantage for ourselves and exploit it. We will begin by targeting their leaders individually. We kill one and fade back. Our mistake was a concerted attack. If we whittle away at their command structure, the regular soldiers shall lose heart and become less effective each time."

The kneeling assassin nodded.

"We will find out if Sun Jian is still alive. If he is not, we shall kill the old warhorse Huang Gai next. He is the pillar of their morale. If we remove him, they may very well crumble. And those two young lords may fight like demons but they cannot defend the host of Jiang Dong alone…"

"Those're gonna the last thoughts you ever have, pal…" Sun Ce said quietly, smiling to himself as he watched the group of assassins gathered around their fires. Hidden in the edge of the small clearing, he made a gesture to Zhou Yu, whose fingers had drawn the deadly bow taut and suddenly released the keen arrow aimed at the man's throat…

The commander had risen to his feet and was giving his orders but the words died in his throat. He pitched backward, blood gurgling from his mouth as he grasped feebly at the red-plumed arrow lodged deep in his neck. His larynx, pierced by the cruel steel and engorging with blood, pressed against his windpipe and his last conscious moments were despairing ones, wondering whether he was going to suffocate before he bled to death.

Shouts of confusion rang across the makeshift camp, men darting about, wondering how their foes could have tracked them down so quickly. As they attempted to organize themselves for a defence, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu sprang among them like tigers, their weapons lashing out and striking down any within reach. Those nearby sought to defend themselves while others further out made ready to repel an attack. As they organized and waited, the two young lords of Jiang Dong massacred any who opposed them.

Astonishment spread throughout the camp as they assassins finally realized that they were being attacked by merely two men. How was this possible? Was it a suicide mission? It could not have been, for it was the heir of Sun Jian and his comrade who were attacking.

What manner of devilry was this?

The assassins rallied and sprang forward, determined to end this ludicrous game. What did these impudent whelps think they were doing! The assassins had seen them fight before, and while they were impressive, they were nothing these trained killers couldn't handle…

They were wrong. Relieved of the burden of protecting Sun Jian and the warriors of Jiang Dong, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu were focused entirely on offence, the destruction of every available foe their only objective. The merciless hammering of Ce's tonfas and the relentless edge of Zhou Yu's blade crushed any defence, blunted every attack and left no foe alive. They moved with inhuman quickness, terrifying battle auras of flame surrounding them as they drove into the largest knots of men they could find and attacking entire squads with great, sweeping blows none could seem to avoid.

Ce laughed as he felt the joy of pitched battle course through him. His limbs felt as light as air, his reaction time bordering on prescient. In his opponent's eyes he could see their intent before they even acted. He easily swatted aside attacks and broke through the most determined guards, felling foe after foe. Nearby, Zhou Yu's blade ran crimson as he whirled about, his sword kata almost ballet-like in its application. A parry would turn into a counter-stroke, followed up by another strike at a different foe, a weakness in their defence found with unerring skill.

The assassins finally realized that the two men were near invincible in close quarters and were backing away, beginning to hurl darts and stars at their foes. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu made this as difficult as possible by never staying still and remaining amongst their foes. One man could not be certain, but he would have sworn that he saw the warrior wielding the tonfas actually blocked a spike with his weapon and send it hurtling into another man's eye.

Was it possible to defeat such opponents?

The two of them had been separated finally and they could be individually surrounded. The one wielding the tonfas had terrifying speed and power. The raven-haired warrior, while formidable, seemed to be not quite as fast and under observation his movements were becoming predictable. The assassins began to concentrate their efforts on Zhou Yu, perceived as the weaker of the two. Before long they were forcing him onto the defensive.

Zhou Yu blocked and counter-attacked, but he could feel their sheer numbers overwhelming his strength. Sweat poured from his brow as he fought to keep them from gaining the initiative. They closed around him, presenting fewer and fewer chinks in their defences.

Sun Ce laughed from nearby as he leapt against the trunk of a tree and kick off, his foot slamming against the jaw of his target. The man crumbled in a heap and Ce landed, already pummelling another foe into oblivion.

"Hey, Zhou Yu! Now is not the time to be caught slacking! What would Xiao say if she saw you like this?"

Zhou Yu's eyes flared, a fire blazing deep within them. As he gathered himself he spun and thrust his palm forward. He felt the surge of power and a great blast of flame erupted from his outstretched hand. He was almost blinded by the brilliant flash as dozens of men were thrown back fro him, their bodies scorched and immolated by the elemental fury of his attack.

The young warrior stared at his hand in wonder, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened. He gazed around, seeing men fleeing in all directions, determined to get away from him. His sword was loose in his grip, the fight forgotten. For all intents and purposes, it was over anyway.

The survivors had fled deep into the woods, their mission forgotten in favour of survival. Sun Ce walked up to Zhou Yu, his characteristic cocky grin in place. He clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Some fight, huh?" the heir of the Sun family mused cheerfully.

Zhou Yu looked from his hand to Sun Ce. "Was it… is it really that easy?"

"Pretty much, yeah…" Ce said simply, as if such displays of power were commonplace. "You just had to get around to it, that's all. Now it'll happen without you even thinkin' about it. It's all instinct, pal."

Zhou Yu looked around the clearing at the ruins of the assassin's camp, the fitful light of the guttering fire revealing a scene of appalling carnage. Bodies lay strewn about, nearly a hundred of them. Not a soul remained alive within the vicinity. They were dead, every one of them.

Zhou Yu's knees buckled Ce grabbed him to lower him gently. Zhou Yu's breath came in gasps as he felt a great exhaustion flood over him.

"Yeah, the fatigue's the worst…" Ce said, unconcerned. "It'll pass soon enough. You're gonna feel unsteady and kinda shaky for a while, but once your body adapts you'll be fine."

As Zhou Yu supported himself on his hands and knees and caught his breath, Ce looked around and nodded to himself in satisfaction.

"Yep, that oughta do it. We got around fifty back at the camp and this was another hundred or so… can't be too many left. We'll keep huntin', but I'd say we've ended their threat. Next, it'll be time to make the Eunuchs pay for their treachery."

Zhou Yu rose slowly and stood next to Ce, having gained his breath and composure. He smiled as he ran a hand through his midnight locks.

"Hm… the threat is contained but our work is not done. There is an empire to save, after all."

Ce made ready to leave when Zhou Yu put a hand on his shoulder. Ce turned his head to look at his childhood friend. Zhou Yu's face was smiling but behind the smile Ce could see earnestness.

"Thank you, Ce…" Zhou Yu said quietly. "Without you, I would never have known."

"Hey, my pleasure!" Ce said cheerfully, nodding. "Let's finish this and get back to our wives, huh? I mean, you're pretty and all, but Da's more my speed, y'know?"

Zhou Yu nodded as Ce leapt away, suddenly high up in the trees, loping along the great branches of the ancient forest. Zhou Yu laughed and followed. The curse of interesting times didn't seem all that bad when you were young ad invincible…"

Da Qiao was looking out into the sultry night, searching for the cranes that she and her husband had seen that magical evening. She closed her eyes and listened, hoping to hear their graceful voices. Instead, all she heard was the whisper of the wind over the grass and the distant hissing-croaking-coughing calls of Xiao's salamander in the menagerie.

She opened her eyes and sighed, thinking about the vile beast. It was growing like a weed, already longer than Da was tall and weighing more than the two sisters combined, twice. There was nothing it wouldn't eat, including Da's beloved peacocks. A separate compound had been built for it within the menagerie and it complained constantly about its displacement and involuntary severance from its food sources.

"Keep squawking, you fat bastard…" she muttered darkly to herself before blushing at her unladylike language.

"Goddess, why did I say that?" she gasped, clapping her hands over her mouth, as if she were afraid some other obscenity were going to escape her lips without her consent. "That was not like me at all!"

She chastised herself thoroughly for such base behaviour. "There is no excuse for such language, young lady! If you want to swear like a barracks trooper, put on a suit of armour and go learn from the men in the mess hall! Otherwise, behave yourself!"

She walked over to a chair and sat down, trying to compose herself and figure out what she was so edgy and grumpy about. The obvious reason was her husband's absence, but that in itself would not account for such irritability… would it?

She wondered what Shang Xiang would have to say about it. Shang Xiang had many masculine qualities, but she was still a woman and quite knowledgeable about such issues, including men. It was no secret to Da Qiao that she entertained several lovers, both male and female, whichever suited her tastes at that moment.

"It's quite simple, Da, really…" Shang Xiang would say. "It's more than just missing the man you love; it's missing the love from your man. Do you understand?"

Da Qiao flushed as she thought about that explanation, embarrassed that Shang Xiang had not actually been there to tell her such a thing- she'd arrived at the answer on her own.

Her thoughts turned to Ce and the possible truth of 'Shang Xiang's' words. More than just his love, she found herself missing the feel of his body next to hers, the strength of his muscular arms and shoulders, his firm grip as he would pin her to the bed and take her… the power of his hips as he thrust himself into her, sending waves of pleasure through her until she would cry out and…

She shook herself from her reverie. She was sitting at the table still, but she had crossed her legs and squeezed them tight, bouncing one leg on top of the other. She flushed crimson. Was that really it? She missed lovemaking? Her big problem was that she was horny?

Dear gods... how ridiculous…

"Sis?" said a familiar squeak from the door. Da Qiao rolled her eyes and turned to look at her sister.

"Yes?"

Xiao Qiao looked embarrassed as she stepped into the room sheepishly. "Um, hi… first of all, not my fault..."

"What did your lizard eat now, Xiao?" Da asked, her annoyance at the interruption showing through.

Xiao blushed and looked at the floor. "Just… just two peacocks…"

Da Qiao made a disgust sound and stood up suddenly from the table, flouncing over to the window and scowling out, her arms folded over her chest.

"I'm sorry, sis!" Xiao said, running to her sister's side, almost in tears. "I don't know how he got them, there's no hole in the partition or anything! I mean, do peacocks fly? I don't know if they do, but I can't-"

"It's fine, Xiao…" Da said finally, taking a deep breath and sighing. "I'm not angry about the peacocks, I'll just get more. I'm just generally irritable right now."

"Oh…" Xiao said quietly, pondering. "That time of the month?"

"No, Xiao…" Da said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, I know…" the younger sister said, smiling slyly. "You're horny."

Da Qiao gasped and looked at her sister in shock. "Xiao Qiao! If mother could hear you…"

"Oh, am I wrong?" the girl teased, winking at her sister. "What's so wrong about it? We women have needs, don't we?"

"Could we not talk about this, please?" Da begged. "It's kind of creepy."

Xiao giggled. "Oh, it is not… you and I used to talk about boys all the time before we met Sun Ce and Zhou Yu! We even got mother to tell us things. It's part of being a courtesan, right?"

"Well, yes, I suppose…" Da Qiao admitted, not pleased about having to relinquish a logical point to her sister of all people.

"So you're horny… do something about it, then…"

"I'm sure I can control myself until my lord's return." Da replied. "After all… I was a virgin until I'd married him, right?"

"And you could get pretty cranky back then too, as I recall." Xiao countered. "I'll leave you to it, I've gotta find a returning present for Zhou Yu…"

Xiao waves happily and skipped out of the room, leaving Da to her private concerns. The older Qiao went out on to her balcony and took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She found that she was uncomfortably aroused and not really sure what to do about it. Whenever Sun Ce had been gone before, she was usually too busy being worried about him to assess her own physical needs.

This no longer seemed to be the case.

Please, my lord, come back soon… she prayed, folding her hands and closing her eyes. To be without you is hard enough, but to be missing your sensual touch so acutely is worse than death…

She drew a deep breath and headed out of the pavilion and over to the parade grounds to practice with her fans. Maybe some combat training would take her mind off these urges…

Zhou Yu ducked under a panicked blow and swiped backward with his sword. He felt the soft flesh of his foe give way easily before the blade bit into the bone of the man's spine. There was an agonized cry and then the man was silent as he fell to the ground. Zhou Yu withdrew the blade and flung the blood from it with a deft flick of his wrist. As he sheathed the weapon, Sun Ce landed lightly next to him, having taken into the trees after some assassins who attempted to flee.

"That's another twelve." Ce said, dusting off his sleeves. "The last one made a real run for it. I really gave it to him for making me chase him that hard."

Zhou Yu made a wry face, as something occurred to him. "Ce, I am worried… we have established that the Eunuchs are the one's who sent these assassins after us, yes?"

Ce nodded. "Yeah, so?"

"And we agree that the Eunuchs are treacherous and underhanded enough to try such a thing, right?"

Ce thought about what his friend was saying. "But they wouldn't be this blunt, would they? This can't be it, there's gotta be more. If this attack on us failed, we'd be arriving in Chang'an with lots of evidence against them."

"There's something we're missing." Zhou mused, his brow furrowing with concern. "If we have uncovered one part of their plot…"

Ce's eyes went wide. "The girls…"

Zhou Yu looked at his friend, his eyes bright with worry. "What do we do?"

Ce thought hard. "They already know we're coming. If one of us turns back they'll know we're onto them. Who knows what they'll do then?"

"But… to leave the girls unprotected…" Zhou Yu protested.

"It's out of our hands, pal. The girls are more competent than we give 'em credit for. Aside from that, my sis and Zhou Tai are still around. If the palace is attacked, there are plenty of capable warriors left to make sure nothing bad happens."

Zhou Yu seemed unconvinced. "I cannot help but think there is something we're missing, Ce."

"I know," the young prince said grimly. "But there's nothing we can do about it right now. We go to Chang'an, we complete our mission and we hurry home. That's really all we can do."

The dark-haired warrior sighed. "I am afraid you are right. Come, let us dispense with the rest of these thugs and get back to your father. Chang'an still lies some distance away…"

The two of them broke into a run, determined to finish what the Eunuchs had started.