A very random fic...but only the first chapter.
(I own nothing)
Farewell to Starry Skies
Running, running, running.
He didn't know how long he had been following the river. He didn't know how long he had been running through bushes and mud and whatever else was in his path. Twice he had cut himself. Once he nearly tumbled down the embankment and into the river, thus nearly sending him to his death---for he was not a swimmer. He began to tire, but the sound of men and horses behind him were signals that he was not allowed to stop. He had to outrun them.
"Come back!" Lu Meng's voice beckoned.
No. He wasn't going back there.
An arrow flew dangerously close to his face. Crap. Now they were determined to take him back. One grazed his arm. Blood flew, but he ran on. More arrows, more near misses. He knew it was only a matter of time before he was hit. He moved closer to the river, hoping that it would throw them off. Thunder rumbled low overhead, and the sky darkened considerably. The arrows continued to come.
Then it happened. One shot sank itself into his right calf. The pain in his step caused him to stumble, slipping in the mud and sending him down the embankment into the river. The water dragged him under, tossing him around like he was a rag doll. He struggled to keep his head above water, but wasn't about to flail around like a beached trout. He caught glimpses of his pursuers, their horses running parallel to him. His mentor was there, leading the pack, followed by his friends and the man he once called his lord.
But soon he knew it would be over…all over.
For when the lightning flashed, he saw the water vanish over the wall. The water dragons pulled him under once again, and sent him over the edge.
"Lu Xun!"
Lu Meng's horse halted at the cliff face. He dismounted and watched in horror as Lu Xun's body was sent down the waterfall. There was nothing that could be done.
"There's no way he'll survive that!" Gan Ning said when they lost sight of him in the storm.
"Find a way down there!" Lu Meng ordered. Gan Ning and Ling Tong turned their horses and ran off, vanishing into the gloom.
Rain began to fall.
"Why did he leave?" Lu Meng asked the storm. Thunder answered, leaving the mind to wonder.
----
Am I dead?
Lu Xun slowly opened his eyes. He felt sore, but definitely alive. He slowly tried to sit up, waiting for his vision to clear. His clothes were still soaked, and his hat was definitely K.I.A. The river was just at his feet, and the bloody arrow that had once been lodged in his leg was laying innocently on the bank nearby. He rubbed his eyes and flopped back onto his back, exhausted from that little of activity. He looked up at the cloudy sky, trying to guess what time it was, but to no avail. After ten minutes or so, he sat up again. He tried to stand, but his injured leg gave out and he crumpled to the ground with his back to the river.
Before him, grazing peacefully, was the largest and blackest mare he had ever seen. She lifted her head, which had a dirty, torn halter. She looked at him for a moment before slowly walking over. Lu Xun began to tremble. He was not a horse person, and tended to avoid them whenever he could. This mare lowered her head, her wild and unkempt mane falling over her neck. With timid hands, Lu Xun grabbed hold of the wiry black threads. She lifted her head, and Lu Xun made an effort to stand.
With some difficulty, he made it to his feet, holding onto this strange mare for support. With a weary hand, he removed the halter, and she tossed her head like a huge weight had been lifted. They began to walk, slowly...
Together.
8#8&
"Anything?" Lu Meng asked. Gan Ning shook his head.
"I found this." Ling Tong held up a bloody arrow. Lu Meng studied it carefully.
"Look, what do these look like?" He asked.
"Teeth marks?" Gan Ning ventured. Ling Tong and Lu Meng nodded.
"Horse teeth." Ling Tong added.
"But Lu Xun's horse is still here. He didn't touch Storm Runner."
They stood in silence for a moment, thinking.
"What happened to Sun Ce's horse?" Lu Meng asked.
"Shadow Hex? The Untamed One? She was given to his daughter..." Gan Ning replied.
"But she was killed almost a month ago, a day before her eighteenth birthday..." Ling Tong added.
"What happened to S-Hex?"
"She vanished...or so said Lord Sun Quan."
More silence as they thought.
"Ce's daughter...she and Lu Xun were good friends, right?" Gan Ning asked.
"Yeah, like they knew each other since childhood."
There was more silence, given out of respect for the dead. But they wondered about the missing black mare, Shadow Hex.
"Anyone know what happened last night?" Lu Meng asked.
"All I saw was Lu Xun rush from the strategy room as fast as he could...and I remember Lord Sun Quan being smashed." Gan Ning said.
"Why not check the room in question? I don't think anyone dares to go near it but you and Lu Xun." Ling Tong added. The two nodded.
The room was a disaster area. The main table, with a map of Fan Castle, was tipped over. Scrolls were scattered all over the place. The two chairs in the room had been tipped. The maps on the wall seemed like they had just crumpled to the floor.
"What the hell?"
Lu Meng cautiously entered the room, but Ling Tong spotted the clues.
"Lu Meng, what would you suppose these are doing in the room?" He asked, holding up a fine white silk scarf and a length of rope.
It wasn't long before the three spread out, on horseback and moving as fast as their mounts would carry them.
549048794495987598
Chapter end! Ideas, questions, comments, all are welcome. Flames will be used for torture. (grin)