It was as if the world itself was saddened for Li Tai. The night was interrupted by the constant claps of thunder, and within minutes the rain had taken hold and drenched the earth with its tears. 'Weep, dear Li. We weep for you,' the rains whispered. For Li Tai would not cry. As the rain fell, she leaned against the railing of her balcony, the wet winds touching her face while the roof over her kept the hard rains out. Her face was hardened, yet sad. She wanted desperately to weep, but the warrior within her refused to give in. Yet even then, she could not sleep. She saw Hua's innocent face accusing her in front of the court. But Li could see her smile as she brought about her downfall. It was sickening.

There was a knock at her door, but Li Tai made no attempt to open it or respond to it. Without turning, she heard the door open and close.

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer until she could feel another body next to her own. She did not need to look to know who it was.

"Li, you must sleep. You are hurting yourself more by thinking about this."

She sighed. "I cannot help it. I knew that Hua Ling hated me, but I never imagined that she would do something like this. I did not think it possible of her."

"I have seen the impossible before," Zhou Tai said, a hint of sadness in his voice, "but even I did not think a servant could stoop any lower.

I have been silenced."

"When I worked with her, Hua always spoke of getting out of the capital," Li said softly. "She wanted to start a new life where no one knew her or anything of her previous life. She wanted to rise to the level of the gods themselves." Li faltered for a moment, then continued. "She always saw herself as superior, even among the servants. I can understand why she would detest me for rising above her, but her accusation was just horrendous."

"She may have convinced some, but none who count," Zhou Tai said. Li looked at him, and he gently wiped the rain off her cheek. "Sun Jian is not sure what to believe. The princess and the Qiao sisters believe nothing of what she said, and Sun Shang Xiang in particular has been quizzing the other officers to make sure no one else believes her either. I think she's scared Lu Xun away from her for a while."

Li Tai let out a small laugh. "And what of Lu Meng? Does he now hate me because of this?"

"I have not been able to talk to him," Zhou Tai said, seriousness in his voice. "He has been tearing the servant's quarters apart, trying to find anything that Hua might have used for her act. I have never seen him so focused on one thing before. It has...driven him mad."

Lu Meng barely noticed the servants as he barged down the hall, nearly blinded by his fury. Many were forced to dive out of his way to avoid him. Fully dressed in his armor from his shoulders down, he could easily crush the life out of anyone who stood in his way. But he ignored them as he turned down a corner towards Hua Ling's quarters. His rage was indescribable. How dare someone of lower class to this to one of his friends. Especially to Li. He hoped Hua didn't come within ten paces of him, because there would be nothing to stop him from wringing her neck on the spot.

"Why?" Li Tai was now stunned. "I can make my case to Sun Jian on my own. There is no reason for him to get involved. I don't want to drag the innocent into this fight."

"Lu Meng has an unmatched hunger for justice. Although he will always choose peace over war, his sense of duty to Lord Sun Jian will always overcome his emotions. But he is also very loyal to his friends. He takes it very personally when something like this happens."

"I just don't understand, Zhou. I may be a friend, but I would never ask him to prove my innocence. What if one day I am guilty? Then I would bring him down with me, something I would never ask upon anyone."

He finally reached Hua's room. Luckily, there was no one inside of it. There were several palettes on the floor, each made up and cleaned. Opposite them were several trunks that no doubt held clothes, and a mirror hung above a wash basin. The typical servant's room. Which meant that there was no way to tell which one was Hua's trunk. But he would have to start somewhere. So he walked over to the trunk closest to the door and opened it...

Zhou Tai gave his sister a sad look. "Oh, Li. Can you not see it?"

"See what?" Li looked at him, alarmed. He reached up and tore off his helmet, dropping it to the floor with a loud clang. His dark hair fell around his face, but nothing could hide those dark and penetrating eyes.

"Li, he loves you."

With unmatched fury, Lu Meng threw open the last trunk. If there was nothing in here, he would have to go find the wench and get the truth out of her himself. The others had held only clothes and small gifts from family members. If he found the same in here...no, he didn't want to think about it. He grabbed the robes and other clothing items from the top and tossed them over his shoulder. But there was something else in this trunk, at the bottom. He could feel it. Quickly, he grabbed the last garments and threw them out of the trunk.

A slow smile spread across his face. He carefully pulled out several clay jars that were beautifully made and decorated. Even in the poor light, he could make out Li Tai's name painted on the sides of the containers. He opened one, revealing a deep blue powder that was almost half gone. The others held similar powders of different blue and purple shades. The last one held a white powder, often used to make the face look pale. Only members of the court were allowed to use these. Servants were not allowed paints and powders for their faces unless Lord Sun Jian demanded it for a celebration or similar event.

Lu Meng closed the containers and looked at his hands. The blues and purples had mixed on his skin, giving his hands a bruised and sickly look. Eyes wide with realization, he slammed the top of the trunk down, grabbed the containers, and marched out of the room. The servants that had crowded in the doorway scattered, all except for one. But he was not a servant. Lu Meng smiled again as Zhou Yu's eyes went from Meng's hands to his face.

"I shall call Sun Jian and Lady Tai immediately," Zhou Yu said. Lu Meng nodded as the strategist headed down the hall. He turned without a word and headed of in the other direction.

Li Tai stood quickly, staring at her brother as if he had condemned her to some terrible ordeal. "What did you say?"

Zhou Tai stood and grabbed her shoulders so she could not get away. "You heard me, Li. He told me with his own lips. In fact, he wanted to declare his intentions to you after the meal. That's why I came to you this morning and asked you about marriage."

He released her, and she slowly sunk to the ground, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "How? How can this be? Zhou, I have nothing to offer anyone. Especially not Meng."

Zhou knelt next to his sister on the hard ground. "Is your own love not enough to offer, Li?" She looked up at him, fighting back tears. "I have seen the way you two look at each other, as if there is no one else around you. You may not notice it, but I have."

"But...why me?" Li began to tremble from the cold and the sudden flood of emotions. Zhou Tai look her hands and gently pulled her up.

Putting his arm around her shoulders, he helped her back into her room and seated her on the bed. Sitting beside her, he pulled her head close to him and let it rest on his shoulder.

"Li, it is okay to cry. Even the strongest of warriors cry sometimes." At his words, she let the tears fall, but refused to make a sound. Zhou sighed deeply. It was a start. "Just listen to me for a moment, Li, and I will tell you why. Lu Meng was born into a good family and a good life. He was always surrounded by people who loved and cared for him. As a result, he has always felt the need to reach out to those less privileged then he was. He has always been a kind a caring person to all, with a good sense of humor, I might add. In fact, when Sun Quan brought me back to the capital to serve him, there were many who did not trust me simply because I had been a pirate. But Meng quickly accepted and befriended me, and in time everyone followed his example.

"However, as I already told you, Lu Meng has this impenetrable sense of honor and duty. It took precedence over everything else. His friends and I worried that his dutifulness would be the death of him, much in the same way as Zhou Yu will eventually work himself to death. We thought the best way for him to calm down would be to settle down. There were many women in the kingdom who would gladly take him as a husband. But he refused them all. He told me once that he wanted a woman who was strong in mind and body, who shared a deep sense of loyalty and honor, and who respected others and treated them with that respect.

"Then you came along, Li. I know in my heart and have seen with my eyes that you possess all those qualities that Lu Meng holds dear. It is for these reasons that he truly fell in love with you. Not to mention the grace and beauty that comes with this great and wonderful gift."

Li stopped crying and looked her brother deep in the eyes. A smile slowly spread across her wet and disheveled face. "If anyone had said something more beautiful to me before, let the gods strike me down now," Li said in a hoarse voice. She pulled him into a warm embrace, which he returned. Brother and sister had finally seen each other in a way that no one else could, and had reached a love that no one else could break. And it was by the grace of the gods that Li finally felt her world being put back together.

Another knock came at the door, and it opened to reveal the pale features of Zhou Yu. "Ah, I had hoped I would find you both here." He turned to Li. "Lady Tai, I believe your friend Lu Meng has found the proof he promised. He and Lord Sun Jian are waiting for you in the meeting hall. So if you would follow me, we can get this whole ordeal over with."

Li wiped away the tears and nodded, slowly getting up with help from her brother. As they left the room and headed down the corridor, Li could feel the stares of the other servants upon her. But with the strong hands of Zhou Tai around her, and Zhou Yu leading them to a newfound hope, she knew that their suspicions didn't matter. This whole mess would soon be cleared up. And as if to share in her joy, the sun began to rise and dry the land.