Disclaimer: They don't belong to me. If not, oh well a girl can dream, yes
no?
*** Chapter 7
"Tonight, we celebrate two things my people, the first being our new land, the second that I will be bound in marriage to Wu's only daughter. Our survival is assured!" Liu Bei raised his arms high above his head.
A great roar went up among the people.
Wei Yan watched it all with grim amusement. *They're so tired I doubt they care what land they're in nor whom Lord Liu Bei marries.*
He yawned, trying not to fall asleep. The people absolutely adored his new lord. There was no doubt about that in his mind. There was something odd though about a man claiming to want only peace surrounding himself with some of the most renown soldiers of his time. He shrugged. Who was he to consider anyone else's behavior odd considering how he pretended to be?
He watched the party around him unfold. Several warriors demonstrated their abilities with weapons, delighting both children and adults alike.
On the other side of the party he saw Zhang Fei guzzled down enough drink to make even his head hurt. Shuddering, Wei Yan shoved aside memories of his real father's drinking binges. He would stick with simple water.
Turning, he watched as the young general from earlier stood at the ready beside his lord. Little Dragon, they called him. Even Wei Yan had heard how he had rescued Lord Liu Bei's infant son. Zhou Yun stood at attention, but his eyes kept on roving over towards the young women in the crowd. A brave few tried to get him to leave his post, but he declined, promising to save them dances for later. *Lucky bastard.* There hadn't been a woman here tonight who hadn't eyed him at least once, and most weren't doing it because he was a great warrior.
The masked warrior leaned back against a wooden gate that had been erected earlier in the day. Guan Yu talked to the older men; even from this distance he could tell they were discussing strategies. Huang Zhong walked over, quickly being accepted at the table.
Wei Yan considered joining them. Zhong would never turn him away, and the gods help anyone who would say something about him in front of the older general. When he had been younger he had once watched Zhong get into a fistfight because someone had called him a half-wit. His adopted father had been reprimanded, but no one was foolish enough to turn away Huang Zhong's help.
No, he didn't feel like joining him just yet. It would be soon enough for the rift to form between his father and the other generals. The rift would form; he had no doubt about that. It had happened last time as well. People liked Huang Zhong, though he did brag a little bit too much for his own good. But as for the younger general, Wei Yan knew what people considered him. Freak, ugly, and half-wit were usually the nicest words reserved for him. There were much worse things to be called, after all.
Oh yes, he had been insulted so often that the words now were just that, words. They rarely injured nowadays, but they usually gave him a reason to be in a fight. After all, wasn't that what he lived for now? The hum of his blood as he faced down another man in single combat could not be replaced by any other feeling in the world. It was the only thing that he had left other than the man whom he owed his life to.
He watched Huang Zhong laugh along with the other men. Wei Yan wasn't sure about allying themselves with this group. There was just something wrong with marrying a woman because of politics. Then again who was he to say anything about how to deal with women? Most women ran from him before he could even open his mouth.
"Prime Minister!" the voice interrupted his thoughts. "Prime Minister, please wait."
Wei Yan took a step farther back in the shadows, not wanting to have to talk to anyone just yet.
He was surprised to see a man that looked similar to Zhao Yun come running up beside the white robed strategist.
"Yes Jiang Wei?" The man's calm radiated from him like heat from fire.
"Here is the scroll I borrowed yesterday."
Zhuge Liang nodded. "Come with me. I have need to find out more about these warriors that my wife has brought us."
They passed by in the darkness, never noticing the man shrouded in shadows.
Hours passed, and he stayed unmoving, watching all around him. As the stars became more prevalent she saw a slender woman emerge from the tent from earlier. He watched the woman enter the party. She picked her way through the crowd, finally sitting down in a corner, away from the main host of people. Her armor was gone; in its place was a simple dress. He approved whole heartily. It brought out the natural highlights in her hair.
With a sigh he looked away. She was pretty, but she was married. There was no getting around it. Even if things were different, he doubted that she would want to even talk to a man who could hardly string together words to form sentences on the best of days.
Throughout the night his eyes kept drifting back to her though. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but there was something about her. Maybe it was because she had smiled at him? He had never had a woman actually smile at him. Unless you counted the one who had almost killed him. Yes, the smile had to be why he couldn't tear his eyes off of her.
As the night wore on, more and more of the older people left. Soon only a few troops, and four generals remained. He looked around at the others. Zhao Yun and Jiang Wei were leading a wild dance around a large bonfire. Their moves were erratic and feral. Ma Chao, on the other hand, sat talking to Yue Ying. He had arrived sometime earlier, moving quickly to claim the seat beside the woman. Wei Yan didn't blame him a bit. If he had more nerve he would have sat beside the woman himself. Standing was getting tiring after all.
Yue Ying seemed to be just a tad bit into her cup, so to speak. He watched as she took another sip of the drink in front of her. He considered stopping her, but quickly put the thought aside. She was an adult. She could make her own decisions.
Ma Chao nodded, rose, and left. Wei Yan watched on, interested in seeing what the woman who defeated his father would do.
She rose to her feet, then promptly fell down. Looking up, Wei Yan checked to see if anyone else had seen her less than graceful tumble. Nope. His attention back on the two generals, he saw that they were too tied up to notice. They were both dancing with at least five girls, and more than one girl seemed to have lost some article of clothing.
*Maybe I should help her out before she does something she'll regret in the morning?* Walking over to Yue Ying, he offered her his hand. "Me help?"
She nodded, then giggled. "Help sounds nice. Do you usually go to parties to see if any married women need help?"
He shook his head. "You first."
Her smile was dazzling. "Thank you." Taking his hand, he helped her away from the party. After a moment she stopped and turned to him. "Why did you save me?"
"You too drunk to walk by self." Surprisingly she didn't smell of liquors. Her scent was more of something flowery. He couldn't quite but his finger on the fragrance though.
"No, earlier?"
He tucked her arm under his and began walking in the direction that he hoped was her tent. "You nice. Tried help friend."
She nodded. "But you actually saved him." She tripped in the near darkness and fell against him.
He swung her up into his arms. Her husband should never have left her at the party alone. What if the younger generals had been trying to get her drunk to take advantage of her?
She gave another giggle, this time throwing her arms around his neck. "You're very strong."
He felt a blush claim his cheeks; luckily it was too dark for her to see it. "Practice a lot."
"Why do you wear the mask?"
He shrugged. "Why you wear armor?"
"My husband told me to." She nodded her head. "Zhuge Liang told me that I had to make sure not to die on a battlefield. It would be shaming to him and Shu. It would make them appear weak that they couldn't protect their own people." She was quiet for a moment, then her hand reached up to touch the bone mask. "Are you hiding something behind that?"
"No," he continued walking. Up ahead he could see the tent that belonged to her and her husband. He sped up his steps. She was asking too many questions for his sanity's state.
"Unhand my wife."
The voice startled him enough that he dropped the woman without a second's hesitation. Narrowing his eyes, he saw the strategist sitting besides the opening to the tent.
"You are Wei Yan, are you not?"
He nodded. Even from this distance he could see the man held a blindingly white fan in his hand. The masked warrior's palms began to grow sweaty. He had to admit, if their roles were reversed, he would be pretty pissed off himself.
"Why were you carrying my wife?"
Yue Ying swayed as she got to her feet. "I think I'm drunk." She turned to Wei Yan. "Am I drunk?" With a giggle she fell back on the floor.
*I hope he doesn't blame this on me.*
"I find it odd to find my wife in this position, as she has never gotten drunk before." Zhuge Liang glared at the masked warrior.
"She was at feast. Me brought her here." Surely the man wouldn't blame this all on him. He was the innocent party here! He was just trying to return a favor.
"Indeed." The strategist's eyebrow rose. "I have spoken with Lord Liu Bei already. I asked him to put you to death."
Yue Ying pouted. "That isn't nice. You promised you would be nice to the new generals." She tried to get to her feet again. But they slid out from underneath her, and she fell back with a loud squish in the mud.
Zhuge Liang glared at his wife, then turned back to the warrior. "You will eventually think to betray us as you did your now dead lord. Perhaps even now the way to do it floats through your head?"
"Me never-"
"Know this, if you ever betray us, I will make sure that your rotting head becomes my trophy." With that, Zhuge Liang turned and entered the tent, leaving the two people staring after him.
*** Chapter 8: Back to the kingdom of Wu! What do the fan girls really think of their wedding? And how will their picnic go with the boys?
***
Chunsa: Glad you liked the way I portrayed them. I was nervous about that chapter to be hoenst.
Lady Qiao : Each chapter I'm planning on changing kingdoms. I haven't started on Wei yet, and I'm trying to figure out exactly where I need to begin their tale. But Wu will be next. (actually the chapter is almost done. It just needs a tad bit more spit and polish.
Verok: I'm glad I captured her spirit *is beaten up by the spirit* she's a tough filly to tame. I've read your fic in the past. EVERYONE is waiting for you to get the next chapter up. I know I know, your computer is dead. Well do a Frankenstein and bring that bad boy back to life! You also might want to consider adding a chapter that basically says, "My computer is dead, can not update. As soon as it's brought back to life I will update." so that everyone knows what's going on and that you haven't dropped off the face of the earth. :op
I have to admit, Lu Xun is a cutie pie. The man should be made into a plushie toy and given out to everyone in the world. No exceptions. He's just.snuggly soft! ^_^ I shall name him.Marshmellow!
Sun Jian is going to need Excedrin and soon (chapter 11 give or take) because Sun Shang Xiang is going to do something very naughty. Bad SSX! Bad SSX! As for Sun Ce, who doesn't love that guy? Plus he's even more fun to love when he's being a prick.
*** Chapter 7
"Tonight, we celebrate two things my people, the first being our new land, the second that I will be bound in marriage to Wu's only daughter. Our survival is assured!" Liu Bei raised his arms high above his head.
A great roar went up among the people.
Wei Yan watched it all with grim amusement. *They're so tired I doubt they care what land they're in nor whom Lord Liu Bei marries.*
He yawned, trying not to fall asleep. The people absolutely adored his new lord. There was no doubt about that in his mind. There was something odd though about a man claiming to want only peace surrounding himself with some of the most renown soldiers of his time. He shrugged. Who was he to consider anyone else's behavior odd considering how he pretended to be?
He watched the party around him unfold. Several warriors demonstrated their abilities with weapons, delighting both children and adults alike.
On the other side of the party he saw Zhang Fei guzzled down enough drink to make even his head hurt. Shuddering, Wei Yan shoved aside memories of his real father's drinking binges. He would stick with simple water.
Turning, he watched as the young general from earlier stood at the ready beside his lord. Little Dragon, they called him. Even Wei Yan had heard how he had rescued Lord Liu Bei's infant son. Zhou Yun stood at attention, but his eyes kept on roving over towards the young women in the crowd. A brave few tried to get him to leave his post, but he declined, promising to save them dances for later. *Lucky bastard.* There hadn't been a woman here tonight who hadn't eyed him at least once, and most weren't doing it because he was a great warrior.
The masked warrior leaned back against a wooden gate that had been erected earlier in the day. Guan Yu talked to the older men; even from this distance he could tell they were discussing strategies. Huang Zhong walked over, quickly being accepted at the table.
Wei Yan considered joining them. Zhong would never turn him away, and the gods help anyone who would say something about him in front of the older general. When he had been younger he had once watched Zhong get into a fistfight because someone had called him a half-wit. His adopted father had been reprimanded, but no one was foolish enough to turn away Huang Zhong's help.
No, he didn't feel like joining him just yet. It would be soon enough for the rift to form between his father and the other generals. The rift would form; he had no doubt about that. It had happened last time as well. People liked Huang Zhong, though he did brag a little bit too much for his own good. But as for the younger general, Wei Yan knew what people considered him. Freak, ugly, and half-wit were usually the nicest words reserved for him. There were much worse things to be called, after all.
Oh yes, he had been insulted so often that the words now were just that, words. They rarely injured nowadays, but they usually gave him a reason to be in a fight. After all, wasn't that what he lived for now? The hum of his blood as he faced down another man in single combat could not be replaced by any other feeling in the world. It was the only thing that he had left other than the man whom he owed his life to.
He watched Huang Zhong laugh along with the other men. Wei Yan wasn't sure about allying themselves with this group. There was just something wrong with marrying a woman because of politics. Then again who was he to say anything about how to deal with women? Most women ran from him before he could even open his mouth.
"Prime Minister!" the voice interrupted his thoughts. "Prime Minister, please wait."
Wei Yan took a step farther back in the shadows, not wanting to have to talk to anyone just yet.
He was surprised to see a man that looked similar to Zhao Yun come running up beside the white robed strategist.
"Yes Jiang Wei?" The man's calm radiated from him like heat from fire.
"Here is the scroll I borrowed yesterday."
Zhuge Liang nodded. "Come with me. I have need to find out more about these warriors that my wife has brought us."
They passed by in the darkness, never noticing the man shrouded in shadows.
Hours passed, and he stayed unmoving, watching all around him. As the stars became more prevalent she saw a slender woman emerge from the tent from earlier. He watched the woman enter the party. She picked her way through the crowd, finally sitting down in a corner, away from the main host of people. Her armor was gone; in its place was a simple dress. He approved whole heartily. It brought out the natural highlights in her hair.
With a sigh he looked away. She was pretty, but she was married. There was no getting around it. Even if things were different, he doubted that she would want to even talk to a man who could hardly string together words to form sentences on the best of days.
Throughout the night his eyes kept drifting back to her though. She wasn't the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but there was something about her. Maybe it was because she had smiled at him? He had never had a woman actually smile at him. Unless you counted the one who had almost killed him. Yes, the smile had to be why he couldn't tear his eyes off of her.
As the night wore on, more and more of the older people left. Soon only a few troops, and four generals remained. He looked around at the others. Zhao Yun and Jiang Wei were leading a wild dance around a large bonfire. Their moves were erratic and feral. Ma Chao, on the other hand, sat talking to Yue Ying. He had arrived sometime earlier, moving quickly to claim the seat beside the woman. Wei Yan didn't blame him a bit. If he had more nerve he would have sat beside the woman himself. Standing was getting tiring after all.
Yue Ying seemed to be just a tad bit into her cup, so to speak. He watched as she took another sip of the drink in front of her. He considered stopping her, but quickly put the thought aside. She was an adult. She could make her own decisions.
Ma Chao nodded, rose, and left. Wei Yan watched on, interested in seeing what the woman who defeated his father would do.
She rose to her feet, then promptly fell down. Looking up, Wei Yan checked to see if anyone else had seen her less than graceful tumble. Nope. His attention back on the two generals, he saw that they were too tied up to notice. They were both dancing with at least five girls, and more than one girl seemed to have lost some article of clothing.
*Maybe I should help her out before she does something she'll regret in the morning?* Walking over to Yue Ying, he offered her his hand. "Me help?"
She nodded, then giggled. "Help sounds nice. Do you usually go to parties to see if any married women need help?"
He shook his head. "You first."
Her smile was dazzling. "Thank you." Taking his hand, he helped her away from the party. After a moment she stopped and turned to him. "Why did you save me?"
"You too drunk to walk by self." Surprisingly she didn't smell of liquors. Her scent was more of something flowery. He couldn't quite but his finger on the fragrance though.
"No, earlier?"
He tucked her arm under his and began walking in the direction that he hoped was her tent. "You nice. Tried help friend."
She nodded. "But you actually saved him." She tripped in the near darkness and fell against him.
He swung her up into his arms. Her husband should never have left her at the party alone. What if the younger generals had been trying to get her drunk to take advantage of her?
She gave another giggle, this time throwing her arms around his neck. "You're very strong."
He felt a blush claim his cheeks; luckily it was too dark for her to see it. "Practice a lot."
"Why do you wear the mask?"
He shrugged. "Why you wear armor?"
"My husband told me to." She nodded her head. "Zhuge Liang told me that I had to make sure not to die on a battlefield. It would be shaming to him and Shu. It would make them appear weak that they couldn't protect their own people." She was quiet for a moment, then her hand reached up to touch the bone mask. "Are you hiding something behind that?"
"No," he continued walking. Up ahead he could see the tent that belonged to her and her husband. He sped up his steps. She was asking too many questions for his sanity's state.
"Unhand my wife."
The voice startled him enough that he dropped the woman without a second's hesitation. Narrowing his eyes, he saw the strategist sitting besides the opening to the tent.
"You are Wei Yan, are you not?"
He nodded. Even from this distance he could see the man held a blindingly white fan in his hand. The masked warrior's palms began to grow sweaty. He had to admit, if their roles were reversed, he would be pretty pissed off himself.
"Why were you carrying my wife?"
Yue Ying swayed as she got to her feet. "I think I'm drunk." She turned to Wei Yan. "Am I drunk?" With a giggle she fell back on the floor.
*I hope he doesn't blame this on me.*
"I find it odd to find my wife in this position, as she has never gotten drunk before." Zhuge Liang glared at the masked warrior.
"She was at feast. Me brought her here." Surely the man wouldn't blame this all on him. He was the innocent party here! He was just trying to return a favor.
"Indeed." The strategist's eyebrow rose. "I have spoken with Lord Liu Bei already. I asked him to put you to death."
Yue Ying pouted. "That isn't nice. You promised you would be nice to the new generals." She tried to get to her feet again. But they slid out from underneath her, and she fell back with a loud squish in the mud.
Zhuge Liang glared at his wife, then turned back to the warrior. "You will eventually think to betray us as you did your now dead lord. Perhaps even now the way to do it floats through your head?"
"Me never-"
"Know this, if you ever betray us, I will make sure that your rotting head becomes my trophy." With that, Zhuge Liang turned and entered the tent, leaving the two people staring after him.
*** Chapter 8: Back to the kingdom of Wu! What do the fan girls really think of their wedding? And how will their picnic go with the boys?
***
Chunsa: Glad you liked the way I portrayed them. I was nervous about that chapter to be hoenst.
Lady Qiao : Each chapter I'm planning on changing kingdoms. I haven't started on Wei yet, and I'm trying to figure out exactly where I need to begin their tale. But Wu will be next. (actually the chapter is almost done. It just needs a tad bit more spit and polish.
Verok: I'm glad I captured her spirit *is beaten up by the spirit* she's a tough filly to tame. I've read your fic in the past. EVERYONE is waiting for you to get the next chapter up. I know I know, your computer is dead. Well do a Frankenstein and bring that bad boy back to life! You also might want to consider adding a chapter that basically says, "My computer is dead, can not update. As soon as it's brought back to life I will update." so that everyone knows what's going on and that you haven't dropped off the face of the earth. :op
I have to admit, Lu Xun is a cutie pie. The man should be made into a plushie toy and given out to everyone in the world. No exceptions. He's just.snuggly soft! ^_^ I shall name him.Marshmellow!
Sun Jian is going to need Excedrin and soon (chapter 11 give or take) because Sun Shang Xiang is going to do something very naughty. Bad SSX! Bad SSX! As for Sun Ce, who doesn't love that guy? Plus he's even more fun to love when he's being a prick.