Hey, chapter nine is up! As usual, please R&R. Hm, well, nothing else to say, so I hope you enjoy!

Chapter Nine

When Mei Li had first heard the news that she had been asked to be the new apprentice to Zhuge Liang, she was shocked. She never thought of herself as particularly smart or clever, and certainly not intelligent enough to have all the secrets of Zhuge Liang passed onto her. Instead of answering immediately, she had asked to think it over in her room for a while. Zhuge Liang seemed pleased with her response, and expected her answer, at most, tomorrow. Li thought about what it would be like. She supposed she would study a lot, read many books, learn war strategies and memorize the patterns of certain enemies. She'd have to be familiar with war jargon and be able to think on her feet. On the other hand, it offered her a job and a place to stay for many years to come. All the people in Shu were nice, and after a long time of contemplating, Mei Li could see no downside to the offer. She was about to open up her door and go look for Zhuge Liang in the library to tell him her answer, when the door opened itself. In a second she was face to face with Guan Ping.

"Oh, hi," he said, obviously not expecting to find Mei Li standing right at the door when he opened it. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, but I just wanted to … uh, congratulate you on your birthday that you had yesterday. So, happy birthday."

Li eyed him suspiciously. "Thanks," she said. She was delighted he had actually come to see her, but he sure was acting weird.

"So, what are you doing now?"

"I was just on my way to the library to -"

"Great I was on my way there, too!" he said, interrupting her. "Mind if I walk you there?"

Mei Li smiled, pleased with the way this conversation was going. "No, I don't mind. Not at all."

"Alright," he said. He backed out of the way of the door, giving Mei Li room to come out. She stood beside him and they started walking. Even though this was only her second day here, Mei Li already knew where a couple of places were, including the library, the dining hall, and Xing Cai's room, since it was right next to hers. She suddenly remembered the sketch she had promised to finish for Xing Cai today. Well, she thought, I guess it'll have to wait for a little bit while I talk to Zhuge Liang.

It was a short walk to the library, so neither Guan Ping or Mei Li bothered trying to start a conversation. They entered the room. It was considerably cooler than the rest of the building, probably because it was so big and spacious, and it smelled of old books. Li wandered around, admiring the many items put on display and examining the books. Zhuge Liang was sitting in a chair, leafing through a book when Mei Li and Guan Ping found him.

"Hello, Prime Minister," she said. She had learned to call him by this title, as many other people did and she figured she ought to now that she was to be apprenticed to him.

"Good morning, Mei Li." Zhuge Liang said, politely closing his book and glancing up at the two people standing there. "Good morning, Guan Ping." He added when he saw the young officer who had accompanied Mei Li.

"Good morning, sir," he responded. He turned to Mei Li, sure that she had something important to discuss with Zhuge Liang, and said to her, "I just remembered that I have to be … somewhere with my dad right now, so I need to go. But do you mind if we hang out, maybe tomorrow or later today? I'd like to show you the peach garden in the back."

"That sounds like fun," Mei Li said, smiling at him. "I guess I'll come looking for you when I'm done here."

"Okay," he said. He turned around and left the library. Mei Li turned back to Zhuge Liang, a little embarrassed that the strategist had witnessed Guan Ping asking her to hang out with him. She cleared her throat and tried her best to overlook the incident.

"I have made my decision about becoming your apprentice." She said.

"What have you decided?"

"It was an honor of you to ask me, and I will take you up on your offer."

"Wonderful," he said, obviously pleased. "Come, have a seat. I have a few things to discuss with you before we actually start your studies."

Mei Li sat down in an empty chair that had been next to the strategist. She did her best to sit up straight, with good posture, and fold her hands in her lap. She needed to be presentable and intelligent looking at all times.

"I hope this doesn't make you feel uncomfortable," he began, and at those very words Mei Li knew he was going to say something that would make her feel uneasy, but she continued to listen attentively. "But I'll need to know a little bit about you as a person before we can start the studies. After all, I am your teacher, and you my student. We shouldn't be such strangers."

"Okay," Mei Li said. That wasn't so bad as it sounded.

"So, if you do not mind, I will ask you some questions. We'll start out small. I already know your name and age, so, where did you used to live before you came here?"

"On a farm, with my aunt and uncle."

An expression passed over his face so quickly that Mei Li was unable to decipher what it meant. His original calm composure was regained and he proceeded with the questions.

"How long did you live there?"

"Ever since I was six."

Mei Li figured the next question would be, "And where did you live before that?" But that wasn't what Zhuge Liang asked. He seemed to be avoiding that question.

"Hm. Okay, and why did you come here?"

"Because I needed a place to stay."

"Oh? Did something happen to your uncle and aunt that made it impossible for you to live on the farm?"

"Well," Mei Li swallowed hard. "My uncle died and it was a little too much for me. So I ran away from home."

"Do you live nearby?"

"No, I live two weeks from here."

"How did you get all the way to this town, then?" Zhuge Liang asked, his interested roused.

"I traveled with the gypsies." Figuring he'd ask her to elaborate on that, Mei Li continued without question. "I knew they were coming to my town, so the day after my uncle died I ran away to join them. Even though they were supposed to do a show, someone else on the caravan convinced them to continue, because if I stayed in that spot for too long I would be found. I paid the gypsies to take me two weeks out of my town, which just so happened to mean that I would stay here. I guess you know the rest; Pang Tong and I found each other in the market and he agreed to let me stay here, with all of you."

Zhuge Liang nodded, as if he already knew most of the story. Much to Li's surprise, he didn't reprove her, scold her, or even suggest she go back home. Instead he started talking about Pang Tong.

"He is an interesting man indeed. No doubt you have a lot of questions about him."

"Yes, actually, I do." Mei Li said, glad the focus of the conversation was finally off of her. "Why he walks that way, why he has no family, what he's doing here with all of you …" If he really was going to die that horrible death…Mei Li added silently to herself.

"But you don't wonder why he covers his face, though that is the most obvious question?"

"Oh, I already asked him that," Mei Li said. "He had a most peculiar reason that still doesn't make much sense to me."

Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "He thinks he's ugly."

"Yes, exactly." Mei Li said. "Is he ugly, Prime Minister?"

The man shrugged, saying, "I have not seen his face. I don't think anybody here has. He came to us that way. Though it no longer matters to me what he looks like; I feel no need to see his face. He is a good warrior, a good strategist, and a good friend, so I am content with that."

Mei Li nodded. Still, she thought, I'd like to see what he looks like. An image of him riding on the horse suddenly came to her mind, and Li knew what she had to do.

"Prime Minister, sir…" she started to say. "If you'll be open and believe me, I have something hardly reasonable to tell you." She knew she could trust Zhuge Liang.

"I'm listening," he said.

"There's more to why I ran away, exactly," she started. "Ever since I can remember I've had these … these dreams. And they're not just any dreams, they tell the future. When I was little they used to scare me, and I thought I had been graced with horrible nightmares. I even remember snippets of dreams I had when I was younger, though I don't know if those dreams ever came to pass." She paused, remembering the ones about the man, the woman, and the shadowy figure. "And some," she continued. "haven't happened yet but I'm afraid they will." She thought back to the dreams of her tied up in the shed, and the dream of Pang Tong dying.

"This is most astounding," Zhuge Liang said. "Have you had any dreams recently that have already happened?"

"Well," Mei Li said. "I dreamt about my uncle's death, and then he died in that exact way the very next day. It scared me," she admitted. "I hadn't had a dream like that in a long time, and then suddenly they started coming back again. I felt like his death was my fault."

"Dear," Zhuge Liang said. "In no way was your uncle's death your fault."

"But I knew it was going to happen," Mei Li retorted.

"So do I know this book will break that window if someone walks in here and throws it." The Prime Minister said, holding up the book he had been reading. "But there is nothing I can do about it."

"You could stop the person from picking up the book."

"Ah," Zhuge Liang said. "But can you stop death from happening? Can you barter with Mother Nature and tell her not to take your friends?"

"No," Mei Li muttered back.

"Then it was not your fault," Zhuge Liang said. "But I can tell something still bothers you. What is on your mind?"

"It's Pang Tong," Mei Li blurted out. "I know how his death is to come about."

Zhuge Liang leaned forward, started to get anxious. "Do you know when, or where?"

"No, all I know is how." She said. "He'll be riding a horse … and then he'll die. He'll get ambushed, or something, in battle. I'm not exactly sure, but the horse is of significance."

Zhuge Liang paused, processing the information.

"Do you think I should tell him?" Mei Li asked.

The Prime Minister shook his head. "No, it is better left unsaid. Since we don't know when the death will take place, or where for that matter, the knowledge is almost useless. We could spend years having him cooped up in this very library in order to protect him, and in the end our attempts would be futile if we decided to finally let him go only to have his fate finally meet him."

Mei Li nodded, understanding what he had said. "But we can't just sit back and do nothing." She said. "We at least know something, so should we do something?"

"I'm afraid in this case, Mei Li, we're just going to have to let nature take its course." Zhuge Liang said. He stroked his beard, deep in thought. "And I don't think we should tell him, either. To have him know how he's going to die would only make his mind anxious. He could be worried about it for years before it actually happens. Then his life would be wasted."

Mei Li sat in silence, knowing that the strategist was right. All of the sudden, Zhuge Liang started speaking, drastically changing the subject.

"I want you to tell me about your parents, Mei Li. How did they die?"

Her head shot up and she stared at him. "How did you know my parents were dead? All I told you is that I lived with my aunt and uncle."

"How did I know they were dead?" He asked. He stood up from his chair and went to stare out the large window that faced the peach garden. He was silent for a second. When he finally spoke, his voice took on a softer tone than usual, a tone filled with nostalgia and longing for the past.

"I knew them when they were alive," he said. "I attended their wedding. I was there when you were born."

Oh, ho! Looks like there's more to Zhuge than meets the eye! Lol. Looking forward to my usual reviews from BlueSun, and hopefully a couple from other people too!