Legacy of the Lunar Spear

Chapter 25

An Interesting Turn of Events

"Some things never change." Cao Ren grinned as Xiahou Dun materialized from the palace. His cousin was always pissed about something and it made him realize how good to was to be back with the family, he forgot how much he missed these crazy bastards.

Xiahou Yuan sighed. "What now?" He had hopes of a nice relaxing evening but that all vanished as his brother stormed across the courtyard, his scimitar clanking noisily in it's scabbard announcing it's owners less than jovial mood.

"Stupid bitch." Dun muttered and grabbed his brother's mug, drinking the contents before throwing it into a nearby building. "Why the hell does she have to be so difficult?"

"Because she's a girl." Yuan suggested as he found himself a new mug and filled it for himself.

"Well she should act more like us, then she wouldn't have these problems." Dun retorted

"Then you should have married a guy." Ren chuckled and handed Dun his own mug before he got grabby again.

"She does act like us." Yuan poked his brother in the arm. "The reason you don't get along is because she acts
like you."

"That's ridiculous."

"No….I do see what he's getting at." Ren nodded. "That plate thing was definitely something you would have pulled back in the day and you are impossible to get along with."

"I don't have a hard time recalling those uninhibited days Dun." Yuan took another drink ignoring Ren's smart-ass comment "Maybe the problem is you're forgetting she's only sixteen."

"Let's not talk about my immature wife anymore." Dun refilled his mug. "I came to drink with friends to get away from her."

Yuan cleared his throat, "Why?"

"I just don't want to deal with her right now, so stop asking." Dun gave his little brother a death glare and began to drink.

"I can't believe you're married Yuanrang…that's a miracle in itself." Cao Ren refused to drop the subject. He was confident in his ability to fight his older cousin if need be.

"It would have happened sooner or later." Yuan admitted. "Mengde would have used him to secure some alliance…a brief one probably."

Dun ignored the distraction attempt and refilled his mug once more. He was sick of dealing with this shit and it was impossible to get away from it. He needed to set things straight and put his foot down, but someone was always in the way. Everyone knew his business and that would have to end.

"Liao…I'm fine. I don't need to see a doctor, I'm sure he's busy…" Ling Qi plead as Zhang Liao's strong arm guided her towards the last known location of Hua Tuo. She didn't need another announcement of how unfit she was to be here.

"Enough." Liao's stern reprimand stopped her complaints. It may have been years since he had to use his paternal commands, but they were no less effective. "Ling, when did this happen? Did it happen at dinner? I heard you and Dun had another argument."

"I guess." She walked along side him keeping her head down. She was so sick of the stares people were giving her, like she was incapable of taking care of herself.

"You need to stop fighting with him, you're his wife and a mother-to-be, you have to step up to this challenge Ling. I know it's not easy, I know these past few months have been difficult and your marriage wasn't under the most desirable circumstances, but enough is enough."

"He started it!" Ling pouted. Why was she getting yelled at! Dun was the one acting like a child!

"I don't care." Liao guided her towards Cao Cao who was talking with Guan Yu as the giant groomed his prize stallion. Why did there have to be reminders of Lu Bu's demise everywhere? "You are his wife, you even love him….you must try to work things out instead of carrying on with these ridiculous displays. If you want to keep your position in the army, you can't be showcasing how much you love to disobey orders and provoke high command. You're an adult now Ling, you have to start acting like it."

Ling bit her lip. Liao's lectures were always the worst. He never raised his hand like her father did; instead he told her the truth and expressed his disappointment. His words always hurt so much because she knew they were true. He made her see things she didn't want to see and it was never easy. When her father was alive, Liao's talks were limited to training….now she knew he was more than capable of transitioning to life lessons. He'd do a better job of it than her father did too, Lu Bu never made her cry.

Cao Cao's sharp eye caught Liao's approach and he knew from the way Ling was walking that she was in need of a doctor. He also could tell from Liao's face that he was lecturing the girl. So he wasn't the only one who was sick of the Xiahou-Lu feud. "General, is there a problem?"

"My lord, I was hoping your physician was nearby."

Guan Yu looked up and fed his steed a treat. He dared not ask what happened, but he honestly hoped her husband hadn't hurt her. He wasn't that impressed with Xiahou Dun, the man let his emotions dictate way to many of his actions. From what his son had gathered from the talkative Xiahou Mao, some events had unfolded at dinner that may have lead to this. Poor child, how quickly she turned from a spitfire to an injured doe.

"I'll send him to your quarters, you need your rest." Cao Cao touched her shoulder. He had a difficult time seeing her as a mother…and an equally hard time seeing Dun with a baby of his own. For once, even the great Wei lord was unable to guess what the future held for the couple.

"Father, you wished to see me?" Cao Zhi approached seeing an opportunity to have his father distracted. He'd been putting off the discussion with him regarding his disappearance from the battlefield for hours and now that the old man was occupied with Guan Yu, Zhang Liao and Lu Ling Qi, it seemed like the appropriate time to hail him.

As Liao escorted Ling back to her room, Cao Cao turned to his son. He really wasn't in the mood for discussing his desertion, so why bother? Zhi already knew what he'd done wrong and had tried to make up for it. He was more interested in what the latest turn of events would hold for Lu Bu's daughter than how apologetic his young son could be. So, for efficiency, he just skipped to the punishment. "Zhi, go tell your Uncle Dun that Dr. Huo is reassessing Ling's condition and that he should probably be present."

Cao Zhi's eyes grew wide. "But….Uncle Dun's been drinking…"

"Yes. However that doesn't excuse you from the task nor does it excuse your utilization of a transition to initiate a sentence. Shame on you son, your grammar is far better than that."

Cao Zhi went pale as his father walked away to find the doctor and Guan Yu had to turn away to hide his smirk. Oh, he couldn't wait to use that technique on Ping one day.

"I can't help you if you don't listen." Hua Tuo snapped. "Do you understand how difficult that surgery was? You would have died, young lady, and now you're all over the countryside pretending to be a soldier."

"I am a soldier!" Ling Qi shot back. She wasn't going to let this crazy doctor bully her around, not while Cao Cao and Liao were in the antechamber. She knew they were listening to everything, and she hated it. She made sure her robe was tied tightly, not wanting the pervert to see any more of her naked form. Doctor, sure. Disgusting geezer!

"You are a woman." Hua Tuo waved his old wrinkled finger at her. "And women do not run off to war. You can see what happens when they do. Where is your husband? Perhaps he has more tolerance than me in dealing with you."

Ling ground her teeth. "I'll show you tolerance!" Before she could ball her fist Liao was in the bedroom and striding towards her.

"Ling…you need to let him help you."

Ling only wrapped her robe around herself more tightly. It was bad enough she had to sit here naked while the nasty old man prodded her. At least she got her robe back on immediately. Nasty old man!

"I'll speak with General Xiahou when he arrives, since she's hardly capable of comprehending the nature of her injury." Hua Tuo huffed and swished out of the room, snapping his fingers at a boy to carry his medical bag out.

Zhang Liao sighed and sat down on the bed. "Insult him after he gets you healthy. Ling, he's the best doctor in the country."

"He's disgusting and rude."

"He's old." Liao whispered. "Men his age aren't used to seeing girls fighting."

"Men his age shouldn't be seeing girls at all. I need a bath; his cold crinkly fingers touched me." Ling stuck out her tongue in disgust.

Liao rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. Fengxian, she's just like you. His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and slamming shut. Xiahou Dun had arrived. Ling knew it and jumped off the bed, trotting as fast as she could to meet him. She still ran to him….perhaps they really didn't need all this help after all.

"General Xiahou, we must discuss your wife in private. I have better things to do than fix her after a foolish jaunt across the country." Hua Tuo began rattling on and gave the young woman a look of distain as she emerged from the bedroom.

Ling grumbled, the old doctor pissed her off more and more. "I'm feeling better…."

"No you're not. You need to stop riding as well, stupid notions in your head. You are a mother, you're irresponsible. You have to rest."

Dun played with her hand as she came over and tugged on his arm. He was hardly concentrating on anything that was being said. Way way too much wine. "How long will she be laid up?"

"Eight weeks…maybe ten."

"I have responsibilities!" Ling hollered.

"Yes, as his wife. Your responsibility is to bear him a healthy child! I am not impressed with your high pain tolerance, so you can stop being stupid." Hua Tuo glared at her, how difficult was this going to be?

"Eight weeks?" Dun asked as he looked her over. She didn't look hurt, what was the problem?

"Yes."

Ling pulled away from Dun and sat down, how the hell was she going to deal with eight weeks of doing nothing? Cao Cao took her hand and squeezed encouragingly. "Sir?"

"It will be fine; he is the best doctor out there." He hated seeing anyone who loved to fight taken off the battlefield, especially when they were fighting for him. Hua Tuo was piping up for another announcement, great.

"Perhaps General, you should take this opportunity to remove her from the fighting and teach her how to be a proper woman. Thankfully you have already forced her to conceive usually it helps to calm them down a bit" The doctor looked down at his annoying patient and huffed. That should show her.

"Don't tell me how to treat my wife." Dun snapped.

"I was only saying that ordinarily…"

"Ling is no ordinary woman. Is she was, she would not be my wife." Dun glared at the doctor, who the hell was this asshole to tell him anything?

Ling picked her head up and watched her husband defend her. "Dun…"

"I've heard enough, haven't you? Come on." Dun stormed out of the room promptly followed by his wife.

Cao Cao raised his eyebrows and looked over at Liao who was leaning against the bedroom doorframe. An interesting turn of events.

"Dun…." Ling grabbed his arm.

"Don't listen to him. I swear all these damned doctors want is to retire the fighters and patch up the cowards. Bastards."

She looked him in the eye. "Did you mean that?" She smelled a hint of wine on his breath…was it just alcohol talking?

"Ling I married you to fight next to you, not send you off to some village to reproduce." Dun clenched his fists, why the hell did a doctor think he had any right to tell him what to do! "Treating you like a common peasant, doesn't he know who you are?"

Ling watched his eyes cloud with a bit of rage before being washed away by the watery blur of intoxication. He defended her… "I love you." It was blurted out before she could think it through. She wasn't supposed to like him, she wasn't supposed to fight for Cao Cao….she wasn't supposed to lose everything and ever be happy again. Against all odds and against her own will, she genuinely did fall in love with him. All it had taken was one night in the palace kitchen slammed against the wall. Liao was right, they provoked each other and she wanted it to end. She wanted Xiahou Dun and knowing it made her feel complete. She was still terrified about the baby and being left behind, but as long as she had him it would be alright. She bit her lip as he looked at her confused, instead of repeating herself she wrapped her arms around him and put her head on his armored chest. Please don't let me regret this…there's no going back.

Dun blinked and wrapped his arm around her. He wasn't expecting that…ever. What the hell had just happened?