This chapter has been edited and re-post. Don't care? Skip it.
I do not own any of the DW characters; they belong to Koei or whoever. I do own the OC and some minor characters that might pop up.
Two days had passed since I was reunited with Zhao Yun and many of the others. My ribs have finally begun to heal properly; it felt so great to be able to breathe without stabbing pain as my reward. I sat beneath a large tree overlooking the stables dressed in some of Xing Cai's loose travel clothes. She had been so kind to lone me several comfortable outfits while we stayed at the camp. I pulled the pale green shirt out enough to take a good look at it, it was an ugly color, but beggars cannot be choosers I suppose.
An angry whinny drew my attention back to the paddock I had been watching. Bay had grown accustom to the other horses, but he seemed to be making friends with many species here. As of now, I was watching him chase Tong around the paddock because he had tried to brush his tail before his mane. That horse can be so fussy sometimes.
I had not seen much of Zhao Yun for this time, other than then when he had taken me to see the doctor of the camp for my ribs. Since then he had been trapped in meeting after meeting. They were planning a battle against the people who had kidnapped me. Another reason I was still in the camp, Zhao Yun did not trust anyone else to escort me back to his house and he was too busy to take me himself. I wish he would learn that I am not just some weak little girl that needs someone holding my hand all the time.
"Hey, maybe you should calm down a bit. Anger is not becoming of one so pretty." Ning's voice came from behind me. I glanced up at him confused and he pointed at my hand. Apparently, I had ripped some grass out of the ground while lost in my thoughts. I gave a meek smile and brushed the dirt and foliage from my hands while he took a seat next to me. He looked down the hill to watch Bay chase Tong; a chuckle came from him at the scene. Bay had cornered a very scared Tong between the fence and barn and was giving him an earful in the equestrian language.
We were content watching Tong slowly realize what it was that Bay wanted. He ran through Bay's mane and smiled when he received a happy whinny in response. I smiled at the two but it quickly faded when I felt a hand placed on my thigh. I spun to face Ning while pushing his hand away. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" I snapped at him, causing him to jump back and stutter his comeback.
"W…well I… I just thought that maybe we could," He had the whole deer in the headlights look on his face. I did not give him a chance to finish he thought, "Maybe we could what? Get a bit too touchy feely?" I could almost taste the acid in my tone. He cringed at my words, shaking his head he stood and with a huff stomped away. I jumped to my feet. I am not done with you yet!
"What are you just going to cop a feel and run when rejected? You better get back here and explain what the hell you were thinking!" He growled and continued to march away. I let out my own growl and spun around to stalk off when again, I hit a large, solid, silver wall. This time I gave a grunt of exasperation when I felt the strong arm of the wall come around my back to prevent the predicted stumble backward. I looked up to his face only to be met with the sight of his chin as he glared at the retreating form of Ning.
When the other man was well out of sight Zhao Yun took a step back and looked into my eyes. I could see a mixture of worry and anger in his stare but only heard the worry in his question, "What did he do that made you so angry?" I shifted out of his reach; again, he was acting as if I was unable to handle myself. What is it with men in the time, one moment they leave you almost completely hanging, and then the next they are over you. I did not answer him; I simply moved to make my way down the hill toward Bay and Tong. I was stopped by a hand around my wrist, I tried to pull away only to be met with a tighter grip.
"I am not letting go until you tell me what happened." His voice was firm, like reprimanding a child. I growled at him and yanked my hand from his hold, snapping, "Nothing I can't handle on my own. You do realize that I can do that sometimes, right?" I did not even glance back as I stalked down the hill to the barn; I needed to go for a ride. I heard him growl behind me and take off to a run to come to a stop in front of me. I ducked to the right to brush past him only to be caught by an outstretched arm.
Giving an exasperated huff, I turned to look in to his face. His eyes gave that same apologetic look as back in the garden. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he began, "I understand that you are not completely helpless. Lady Sun told me how you escaped on your own and found them. I am just concerned that I will lose you for good. I do not know if I could handle that. Do you understand?" I rolled my eyes and nearly laughed as that same surprised look flashed on his face, just like when I did that before.
Suddenly the grass seemed much more interesting than his chiseled face. His hand moved from my waist to my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. I shook off his hand and moved to continue my walk to the barn. I could hear his steps as he chased after me, my pace increased hoping that he would get the hint and back off. As I reached the barn and went in, I knew he had not. He followed me straight to Bay's stall where Tong stood petting my mount. I stopped in front of the gate and gave Bay a scratch on the nose.
Tong looked up to Zhao Yun then to me but I spoke before he had the chance, "I'm going to take Bay for a ride. Thanks for brushing him down. I'll do it when we get back." The man nodded and made his way out of the barn. I went to open the gate but found a hand holding it closed. This time I slapped the wood, startling both Bay and Zhao Yun back for a second. Turning my body to face my silver stalker I all but screamed at him, "Don't you get it Zhao Yun, I need some time to myself! Back off!"
He stood like a statue, unmoving and entirely unreadable, staring at me with only determination in his look. "You are still healing. Riding now could intensify your injury." I tried to shove his hand away, just to have him catch mine and spin me around. Pinned between the stall gate and his imposing stature I was forced to look him in the eye. "Lady Koa, I know you are not happy with the situation, but please, let me protect you. It is not wise for you to go off alone right now. Wei is near and Cao Cao is after you for some reason."
I closed my eyes, searching myself for some kind of inner strength. Taking the moment, Zhao Yun moved his head to where when I opened my eyes again I was staring directly in to those coffee colored pools that shone on his face. Our noses were so close I could feel the fine hairs on both brush against one another. I felt a knot form in my stomach as we stood there, each waiting for the others next move. I shifted so that my hands were place on his chest, however, he moved before I could. Swooping in, he pressed his lips to mine; he was firm while retaining some softness as if he were afraid I would break if he were too forceful. I went stiff in surprise as his hands moved from the wooden gate to my waist.
After what seemed like an eternity, he released me from his grip and took a step back. I remained pressed against the gate, breath hitched in my throat, staring at him. His hand went to his messy black hair as his eyes went to the dirt at our feet. Slowly and somewhat shaking, I took a step toward him, "Why did you..." he cut me off with the hand from his hair held in the air.
"I am sorry, Lady Koa, I do not know what came over me." I looked at the dirt myself, glancing up when he cleared his throat. He was again looking at me, a new emotion hiding in his eyes, one I could not name. He seemed to hesitate before he spoke again, "Will you please change your mind on going for a ride for now? Lord Liu Bei has asked to speak with you. That was why I first sought you out this morning." Inside me, an anger I have never felt before flared. I was silent as I turned to Bay, gave him a pat on his forehead, and stalked out of the barn.
From behind me, I heard Zhao Yun hiss something to himself then move to hurry after me. He took the lead, showing me the way to the building that Liu Bei and the others had been using for their meetings. When I entered everyone looked up to me, I recognized some from the party sitting on one side of the table. On the other side of the table were Lu Meng and the kid that came to meet us on the path with others that I did not know at all. Yue Ying was among the people at the table, she gestured for me to sit next to her at the table.
Once Zhao Yun and I had taken our seats Liu Bei nodded to the man sitting brown haired man next to him. That man looked to me as he spoke, "Thank you for joining us, Lady Koa. As I am sure you know, we are planning a large-scale attack on Wei soon and have been working out strategizes for this battle. We have come to the decision that we may need your help. Would you be willing to do so?"
My gaze went first to Liu Bei who wore an apologetic expression, then to Zhao Yun. His face held a dumbfounded look as he stared at the man who had addressed me. Looking back to the man I opened my mouth to respond but the sound was lost to Zhao Yun's booming voice, "Lord Sun Quan! You cannot be serious. Lady Koa is not a warrior; she could not assist in the battle. On top of that she is…" Lu Meng cut him short by slamming his hand on the table. Everyone at the table turned his or her attention to the aged man.
"We are not asking her to fight, Zhao Yun. Not that I believe she is completely incapable of such," He paused to look me in the eye, "Ling Tong and Gan Ning told me how she had help hold off two of Wei's strongest generals." I felt myself puff in joy at the long awaited recognition that I was able to handle myself. "We are simply asking her to make an appearance on the battlefield. We all know that Cao Cao is after her. Maybe her showing up could draw his attention from the fight and make him an easier target for us." I instantly deflated. A decoy, they want me to be a decoy!
While I was still picking up the pieces of my brain to form a response, Zhao Yun volleyed back, "So you want to push her out into the middle of this fray to get captured or killed!" Lu Meng again shook his head, "She will not be alone. A small platoon will be her guard; we will not allow Cao Cao to take her. We just need a moment where his defenses are weakened." Zhao Yun opened his mouth to throw some more reason in to the argument just as I had my mind straightened out enough to have an intelligent thought spill from my lips.
"Enough!" I bellowed, effectively silencing the entire room, my eyes shot to Zhao Yun and his gaping mouth followed by an accusing finger, "Shut it", I hissed and his jaw snapped shut with a hollow clap. I then turned to Lu Meng who wore a similar face, "I won't be completely alone?" He nodded, "And I won't have to be in the open for long?" Again, he nodded; I turned back to Zhao Yun, a determined glint in my eye. "Fine, then I will do it."
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-Alwayshappytohelp