Li Tai slowly opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room. She looked around but saw no one. Satisfied that she would not be disturbed, she set her head back down on her pillow. Judging by the view out of the window, it was late into the night. Everyone else must be asleep, she thought. Suddenly feeling awake, she sat up and waited for her head to clear. When her vision focused, she slipped out of bed and opened the door. Looking around the hall, she guessed that she was in another part of the servant's wing, most likely where the servants of guests stayed. It's too bad they were nicer than her own quarters, but such was the life of a servant. Li shook her head and started down the hall. She really should get back to her own room.

She rounded a corner and gave a sigh of relief. She was beginning to recognize her surroundings, enough so that she could get back to her room. As she walked down the long hallway, she noticed a person standing not far off. Wondering if they were lost or something, Li made her ways towards the person. She opened her mouth to speak when the person turned around.

It was the figure again.

But this time, Li found the use of her legs. She began to cower backwards, ready to run if the figure should approach her. She looked up towards the head and saw nothing but its eyes. For a moment, they locked. Neither moved, lost in each other's gaze. Li felt a strange feeling, like she had seen those eyes before. But, that was impossible. She had never met this...this...thing before. Slowly, she began to back away again. The figure continued to stare at her, but didn't move.

Li bumped into something behind her and whirled around. She quickly fell to her knees and bowed her head.

"Forgive me, Lord Lu Meng. I did not see you. I just..."

Lu Meng put a hand on her shoulder. "It's quite alright, my dear. I was just checking to see if you were okay, but found your room empty."

Li Tai nodded and was about to explain when the figure moved into the light. Lu Meng smiled.

"Ah, Zhou Tai. Trouble sleeping again?"

Li studied the figure that had appeared from the shadows. He was dressed in battle garb from head to toe, but kept his helmet on his head. The helmet made his eyes nothing but slits from under the brim, and she could make out a deep scar across his cheek. He was at least a foot taller than she was, but he kept his back straight and his posture upright. He almost seemed to carry authority, yet at the same time, he appeared shy and reserved. The man moved his eyes from Li Tai to Lu Meng

"No. I wasn't tired to begin with," he said in a deep, gruff voice. It sent a chill though Li' s body.

Lu Meng shrugged. "Suit yourself." He turned to Li Tai. "As for me, I have fulfilled my duties. You seem to be in fine order, so if it is alright with you, my lady, I will retire back to my bed."

Li giggled at him calling her a lady, but nodded in response. Lu Meng left, leaving her and Zhou Tai alone in the hallway. For a moment, neither said anything. The silence was deafening. Li looked around, hoping for an escape. She noticed the sword she had seen earlier strapped to his side. So it had been his sword all along. That's why he was there. She just hoped he wasn't planning on using it on her.

Zhou Tai noticed her staring at it and put a hand on the handle. "Thank you for returning my Katana," he said, almost in a whisper. "I hope I did not frighten you."

Li Tai stared at him. Was this really the same man whom she saw in the stables? This polite, reserved man? No, it couldn't be. Yet, something in his eyes told her that it was the same person, hard as it was to believe. She wanted to say something to him, tell him that he had a very beautiful sword or something. But before she could find words, he gave her a nod and headed off in the direction she had come. Li stood for a moment, alone, trying to understand what had just happened. Shaking her head, she decided that it was too much and headed off towards her own quarters.

The next day was full of talking and laughing about what had happened at the banquet and what officer did what and who they'd talked to, the usual. Li usually just smiled and pretended to be interested, but she couldn't even put on her guise today. She kept to herself, still trying to make sense of the previous night. Was Zhao Tai truly the figure from her nightmares? And what was his connection to her? She felt like she had known him forever in that short moment when their eyes locked, and unless his own eyes betrayed him, she could see the same feeling in them.

She was pulled from her thoughts by one of the younger servants tugging on her arm. "Li, are you alright?" she asked nervously. Li shook her head and smiled.

"Yes, dear, I'm fine. I just had a late night, that's all." The girl seemed satisfied and went back to her chore. One of the other, older servants waited until she was gone before approaching Li.

"Late night, huh?" Li looked up and rolled her eyes. Hua Ling was always trying to spread rumors and cause trouble. "I heard that you fainted, and that Zhou Tai had to carry you to one of the guest rooms. Is it true?"

Several other women stopped to listen in on the conversation. Li ignored Hua until the large woman positioned herself right in front of her. Li sighed and stood to face her.

"Yes, Hua, I fainted. I don't know if Zhou Tai carried me back. I ran into him on my way back to my room, and we talked briefly. Nothing more." Li bent down to finish washing the floor, ushering Hua Ling to the side. The rest of the women went back to their own duties, this time talking about Zhou Tai.

"I've never actually seen him. I hear he hides in the shadows, afraid to show his face."

"He's supposed to be really handsome. Well, until he got that scar, anyway."

"Is he actually Sun Quan's personal bodyguard? I see them talking all of the time."

Li half listened to the chatter. She really didn't care about anything they said. All she could think about was how much he looked like the figure from her dreams. It still haunted her. She shook it off and tried to get back to her work. She focused her attention on one persistent spot until one line caught her attention.

"I heard he came from Xia Cai, in the Jiu Jiang Province. He used to be a pirate, but now personally serves Sun Ce and Sun Quan."

Li stopped. Xia Cai? That's where she was born. Granted, she wasn't there for very long before she became a servant of Wu. But it still stuck with her. How odd that Zhou Tai would be from the same village, much less the same province. She shook her head. Those women didn't know that for a fact. They were probably wrong, like they usually were. Li pushed the thought from her mind as she went back to the floor.

Zhou Tai leaned against the railing, letting the cool breeze blow over his face. He hated the fact that his face was too ugly for people to see all the time, but it was good to feel the wind once in a while. He ran a finger over his scar, remembering the blow he had taken to save his Lord Sun Quan. He carried that scar with a mix of pride and remorse. He wished he could make it go away. He let out a heavy sigh as he ruffled his hair, trying to rub away the memories that kept flooding back. He wished Sun Jian would send him on another campaign so he could keep his mind occupied. He hated just sitting and doing nothing. It bored him.

"So, finally the helmet comes off of his head." Zhou Tai turned to see Lu Meng stride over. "What's this, the third time it's left your head?"

Zhou Tai chuckled. "Very funny." He let out another sigh as he continued to lean against the railing. Lu Meng, seeing his troubled face, put a hand on his shoulder.

"I wish I weren't so disfigured looking," Zhou Tai said.

"We've had this discussion before," Lu Meng responded. "You are the way you are. If other people have issues with it, then it's their problem, not yours." He studied his friend for a moment. "Is this about the servant girl?"

"She fainted when she saw me. You saw her. She's terrified of me. I've never scared anyone like that before, especially a woman."

Lu Meng leaned on the railing next to his friend. "And it has nothing to do with you hiding in the shadows all of the time?" Zhou Tai gave a small grin. "I wouldn't concern yourself with it. She's just another servant girl. Her opinion won't make a whole lot of difference."

Zhou Tai faltered before he spoke. "It's just that...well...she reminds me of someone." Lu Meng gave him a curious look, and he continued. "I don't remember much of my family. But, for some reason, I remember having a sister. People used to say that we had the same eyes." He turned to Lu Meng. "She had those same eyes. I could see them last night. It was like looking into my own eyes."

"So, where is your sister then?" Lu Meng asked.

"I don't know. When I was seven, our village was attacked by bandits. I remember sitting in the bedroom I shared with my sister when a tall man came. I couldn't see his face. He was just this black figure, towering in our doorway. He took my sister and knocked her out. Then he picked her up and left. By the time I came to my senses and went after them, they were no where to be found. I tried to look for them, and it was during my journey that I became a pirate." He paused. "I don't know why I remember that. All I know is that that woman reminded me of her."

Lu Meng thought for a moment. "Well, then I think we need to find this woman. If you truly have a sister, then she must be out there somewhere." He put a hand on his shoulder again. "Come. Let's find this sister of yours and put these memories to rest."