Disclaimer: I don't own any of this. Owing to that, that does not mean I don't like reviews. I am increasingly concerned with the considerable lack of reviews I've been getting, so here's your chance to review. I would like to know if this story is worth my time or if I should just scrap it entirely.
If I should continue with this story I have one question for ALL readers: Should I continue with the T rating or do you think I should bump it up to M? This will affect how I will write future chapters. There won't be much difference, but if I were to bump it to M I would be writing more explicit and detailed scenes. I am giving you all a chance to tell me what you want. Please reply with a review.
Now that I have said my piece: on with the story...
Chapter 10: Snow Blind
His body felt heavy, way too heavy. And to add to this, a deep burning fire from his gut raked his nerves. Zhou Yu wanted to move but couldn't. It wouldn't be a good idea anyway. He was still stuck. Glimpses of his horrors pinned him in this catatonic state. Zhou Yu found himself in the jungle brush, kneeling before the mauled corpse of a tan-skinned little boy, the growls of a tiger not far away. As young man himself, he was a little shaken as he laid the corpse down in front of distraught parents. He was careful to place a white blanket over the child, but the blood staining the white sheet only proved to horrify the parents even more.
He saw glimpses of a familiar man, with medium-length brown hair and rough stubble, falling off a cliff to what Zhou Yu assumed was his death. He tried to help him, reach down and grab him. But the man's blue eyes were distant, almost as if he were accepting of his fate.
It wasn't fair. It was…Where had he seen this?
"Hey, girls," Sun Ce greeted the Qiao sisters. He was surprised to see them bustling around the medical hut, bringing in water and cleaning the place up a little. The doctor, however, was nowhere to be found.
"The doctor had to leave for a while and asked us to look over the place," Da Qiao explained.
"Are you two alright? I mean it was pretty gory in here a day ago."
"Well the doctor had most of the bloody stuff finished, now we have to wait for the salve to begin the healing process. It has to be applied every hour. But the doctor is worried about a fever. Lord Zhou Yu's body has been heating up."
Sun Ce glanced down at the body. Sure enough, there was a light sheen of sweat all over Zhou Yu's skin and his breathing was shallow. Even in this cold weather, Zhou Yu was mostly bare, but still flat on his back, not moving from that position.
"The doctor told you all that?" Sun Ce sounded incredulous. "Jeesh, the man barely says two words to me, but he gives you girls a full medical report!"
Xiao Qiao giggled, "You'd be surprised at how convincing two girls can be."
Sun Ce smiled, his eyes still on Zhou Yu, noticing the cloth over his waist. The only thing separating the eyes of these girls from his... Oh boy.
"You gals didn't peak now did you," he jokingly asked, raising an eyebrow. Da Qiao looked horrified at the insinuation.
"Oh, no, that's improper," she replied. "But it wasn't like there weren't attempts."
Da Qiao jerked her head towards her little sister.
"You obviously have no sense of humor, do you," Xiao Qiao shot back, stopping her process of wetting a cloth from a pail of water.
"Xiao, the man is sick and unconscious."
"When opportunity knocks, sister."
Da Qiao turned back to the commander, "Don't take anything she says seriously."
Sun Ce laughed, "I'm sorry to say, but I would attempt the same thing if I were in her position. You know...if I were a girl or if he were...nevermind."
He was chained onto a table. At least he felt chained. And he felt considerably younger, like nine or ten year old. Zhou Yu was aware of this because he felt that he was shorter and less mature…and naked. And, in his youth, he felt fear. This was all a memory that he had tried to keep hidden. The room was dark except for a fire flickering somewhere. The room was made of stone, carvings of mystical animals and bearded warriors littering the walls, the lines deepening with the flickering of the fire.
He heard whispering and chanting around him and he was aware of tall shadows surrounding the room.
A man muttered something and then a woman appeared in his line of vision. The beautiful woman had bronze skin, a shear shawl covering her black hair, and a band of jewels dangling over her forehead. Her eyes were gently closed and she wouldn't open them. Zhou Yu had a feeling that she was blind. The woman whispered to the man, but Zhou Yu could hear every word.
"Ara adeh alasna fialmstq'bal alsbay. Wa'sewf t'sethalk alemsharba latlaq alnar aly'h wa'weduha he'd lih l'en ykewn baayda." (I have seen biting teeth in the boy's future. The stripes of fire will consume him and his end will not be far.)
The language was foreign, but he understood every word and it only made him more afraid. The recognizable blue-eyed man came into view and gave him a pitiable stare. He gave a subtle motion with his arm and stepped away from Zhou Yu's line of vision. Then he was conscious of a sharp sizzling sound and a tan-skinned bearded man stood over him, holding an iron, the tip glowing white-yellow. The man put his strong hand on Zhou Yu's chest, his eyes showing shame and pity. More hands held Zhou Yu in place. The man with the iron grabbed hold of Zhou Yu's arm, and pressed the burning end into his inner forearm.
White-hot heat coursed through his body as the iron burnt into his flesh. The man began carving something into his arm, the stench of burning flesh striking his senses. Zhou Yu tried to writhe out of their grasps but the hands kept him down. He opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. A gentle hand cupped the back of his head and the familiar man's voice whispered calming words, almost like a prayer.
"What's happening?" Sun Ce asked seeing his strategist's body start to seize and thrash. The doctor rushed to slab, "It's the fever. Hold him down!"
Sun Ce obeyed, wrapping his strong arms around Zhou Yu's legs and waist. Xiao Qiao put most of her weight on the man's chest, while her older sister grabbed a hold of his arms. Everyone knew Zhou Yu had surprising strength, but that didn't prepare the four for struggling to keep him still. They all wrestled with his body, while the doctor tried to put more salve on the wound that was quickly opening back up with Zhou Yu's jerky movements. Xiao Qiao's browed furrowed with worry as white foam-like substance began to spill from his mouth.
Finally, Zhou Yu's body began to calm down until he was completely still. The four restrainers and the doctor, let out a breath of relief. Sun Ce let go and began rotating his shoulder to loosen it and ease the aching.
"Mistress," the doctor cordially addressed the younger sister, "Did he bite through his tongue?"
Xiao glanced back at the man's face. The white residue was there but no signs of blood, "I don't think so. But there's this white stuff he spat out."
"That shouldn't be an issue," the doctor sighed, taking a cloth and cleaning Zhou Yu's mouth. "I always say if the wound doesn't kill you the fever will."
"Yi Ju, you're being a little insensitive. There are young women around," Sun Ce scolded.
The doctor, in his usual taciturn way, replied, "If I wasn't insensitive, I'd be creating false hope."
"Then you are very pessimistic. Seriously, you're worse than he is," the young man pointed his finger at Zhou Yu's body.
But then, Zhou Yu spoke. It was feverish mumblings in his unconscious state, at least that was what Sun Ce thought, but he was still speaking. His voice wasn't over a whisper and he was saying things no one could understand, but Sun Ce had a feeling he was speaking coherently. Maybe in a different language?
Sun Ce and Xiao Qiao bent over to listen, to see if they could pick up anything.
"What's he saying?"
The sister shrugged.
"The fever not only toys with the body but with the mind as well," the doctor grunted. "In most cases, they're calling for their mothers."
"Na, it doesn't sound like it to me. What language is that? Mongolian maybe?"
"No, Mongolian doesn't have sounds like that."
"Well, if you're done debating about Zhou Yu's talented tongue, I would like your attention." They didn't notice Taishi Ci enter the hut, "Sun Ce, your father wants you."
The young man groaned, "Dammit!"
With slumped shoulders, he followed Taishi Ci out.
Huang Gai stood outside Sun Jian's tent, as a vigil. He was amused to see Sun Ce following Taishi Ci, looking dejected and utterly annoyed. Sun Jian would set him on the straight in narrow, simply because as much as Sun Jian had a light heart, when it came to battle, he had no time for silly squabbles. Once getting through to Sun Ce was done, Huang Gai had the firm belief that the boy held tremendous potential.
The burly man stood aside, allowing the two warriors in, and his gaze caught Ling Tong and Gan Ning. Now those two…
Those two were sitting cross-legged on a strategist's table, just staring at each other. Curious, Huang Gai wanted to know why those two weren't out on the battlefield.
"What the hell are you two doing?"
"Shh," Gan Ning muttered on the corner of his mouth, not taking his eyes away from his rival, "It's a staring contest."
"What for?"
"Don't know," Ling Tong murmured, "If I win he has to be saddled with Lu Meng riding his back. If he wins I have to go with that old man."
"And I get to sleep with his sister," Gan Ning added for good measure.
Ling Tong shook his head, "He's not serious. He's just trying to make me blink."
The pirate smirked, "Yeah, what he doesn't know is that I already slept with her."
Ling Tong's eyes went wide and then, unfortunately, he blinked, "WHAT!"
Gan Ning bounded off the table and slammed his hand down of the surface, "AHA! Take that!"
Huang Gai shook his head and made his way to his troops, "It's like working with monkeys."
When Sun Ce entered his father's hut, he spotted his dad, considerably calmer than when he last saw him. Zhou Tai was with him and they immediately stopped their conversation when they saw Sun Ce and Taishi Ci.
"Sun Ce, please have a seat," Sun Jian motioned to the war table, where Lu Meng, Cheng Pu, and other major generals sat. Sun Ce did as he was told and sat next to Lu Meng and Taishi Ci sat next to him. Sun Ce, once he was sure that his dad wasn't looking reached over to the cabinet behind him and pulled out a flask wine that he knew his dad kept there.
Sun Jian heavily sat down in his seat. He rubbed his forehead, rumbling, "The north gates of Guan Du has fallen. Zhou Yu is mortally wounded, and the snow has started to fall, so our supplies are starting to freeze. Someone give me good news."
"Master Sun Ce has been victorious over Lu Bu. Dong Zhuo will remain crippled," a general spoke give a mighty gesture towards Sun Ce, who was taking a swig of wine.
Lu Meng took notice of Sun Ce's behavior, "You know we don't really drink at the war table."
"Yeah, and I usually don't sit on reserve for days. So we're all out of our comfort levels. And you should talk…"
"Alright. Calm down," Sun Jian spoke, his voice back to it's usual strength. He turned to Zhou Tai, "These strangers…What are they?"
The muscle in Zhou Tai's jaw quivered as he remembered the carnage Dong Zhuo's mercenaries were able to inflict.
"They are cavalry and use an interesting tactic. Instead of rushing as several horsemen, they pull their forces together to make one big juggernaut. It makes them easier to hit, but they are hard to kill. If one horseman falls, another will immediately take his place, without a loss of stride in their step. It's like they are immortal."
A scoff came from the other side of the table. Sun Ce smirked, as if he found what Zhou Tai said amusing. Zhou Tai's lips thinned and his cheeks tinged pink a little, feeling embarrassment or anger.
"No one's immortal," Sun Ce said in a voice unlike his usual tone. "It think my beating Lu Bu has established that."
Zhou Tai crossed his arms and eyed the boy.
Sun Ce stood, "If the past few days said anything, it is that no one can escape death."
Sun Jian interrupted his son, "But it can be cheated. You cheated it boy. But death will always take someone else instead."
"If you mean, Zhou Yu-"
Sun Jian didn't have to answer. Sun Ce already felt guilty enough, he didn't need his dad constantly reminding him that he indirectly caused Zhou Yu's critical condition.
"He knew he was going to die, father," Sun Ce's eyes didn't leave Sun Jian's. "And it was like he welcomed it. You weren't…you weren't there."
Sun Jian smiled, "And Zhou Yu still lives. So he has cheated death for the moment. Someone must take his place."
It took a while for Sun Ce to get what his father was thinking. His eyes widened, and his lips formed a determined smile, "Dong Zhuo."
"Yes, but patience is needed. First we have to avoid these mercenaries and pick off smaller bases. Dwindle the forces," he turned to Zhou Tai, "You and I will take the east. Sun Ce, you will go with Taishi Ci to the west. Huang Gai is already barricading the north, but Lu Meng, you take your men and aid them as much as possible. Do not press forward. Pick off enemies one-by-one, and we will endure. Now let's kick ass!"
The men gave roars of agreement and filed out.
Of course waiting for days did not sit well with Sun Ce. He was awaiting news of some sort. News of any kind would be welcomed at this point, but mostly he wanted to know if Zhou Yu had woken up yet. It had been a long week and he still hadn't regained consciousness. And now he was stuck on this little outpost with Taishi Ci twiddling his thumbs.
Oh my god, yes! He thought when a group of his spies returned safely. They gave him a full report. There was a small unit building up fortifications deeper in the woods and that they were vulnerable.
"Hey, big guy," Sun Ce called to his comrade. Taishi Ci turned from his vigil.
"Lord Sun Ce."
Sun Ce spoke in a low voice, his breath coming out as smoke in the cold weather. The snow wasn't blowing hard, but the air was icy and the sky was gray and dull. Even so, Sun Ce managed to speak without a lip quiver or teeth chatter.
"What say we do something…"
"What, my lord?" Taishi Ci was playing along but he was skeptical. His lord couldn't fool him, he saw that gleam in his eye.
"The spies reported that an enemy unit is making a fortification further in. They are, otherwise, vulnerable."
Taishi Ci responded with a blank stare.
Sun Ce sighed and shrugged, "It's just one unit, no more. And besides, we need to warm ourselves up. Can you honestly tell me that you are able to feel your testicles in this cold?"
The loyal man's cheeks flushed even pinker with embarrassment, but replied, "Do you at least have a plan?"
"An outline of a plan. But a plan, nonetheless."
A/N: The foreign language seen above is an actual language and is very rough in terms of phonetics. I won't reveal what the language is or else it give things away. It will be revealed later if I see fit to continue with this story.