The sun was just barely beginning to show his face when the riders prepared to set out. There was a mass of about 150 soldiers that were checking their packs, holstering weapons, and loading the carts with supplies. Loved ones were busy saying goodbye and good luck to the warriors as Lord Sun Jian came out into the dim light of the sky. Behind him appeared Huang Gai and Lu Meng, armored and ready to go. Li Tai and Sun Shang were busy loading the carts, but immediately stopped when the man came outside. Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and Zhou Tai came from the stable with horses for the riders, stopping in front of them and bowing.

"We should only be about a month or so," Sun Jian told the group around him. "I want to dispel these rumors and secure the borders as quickly and uneventfully as possible. If anything should happen, I will send word for help. Sun Ce, make sure that the remaining army keeps up their training should anything go wrong. I am counting on you to keep everything under control here." There was a collective grin among the group as Sun Ce puffed out his chest again.

"Sure thing. You can count on me." Sun Jian smiled and motioned for the horse that his son was holding. After a brief hug from his son, he mounted the horse and motioned for the soldiers to get ready to march. Hang Gai immediately got on his horse, but Lu Meng stayed a moment. He enveloped Li Tai in a strong embrace, and gently kissed her before climbing onto his own horse. She patted the horse's neck and, smiling up at her husband, slowly backed away. As soon as she moved, Sun Jian motioned and the group marched off. The remaining people waited until the small army was out of sight before heading back to the palace.

As Li walked up the long flight of stairs, she noticed that Sun Quan and Lu Xun were standing at the top, also watching the army leave. There was some concern on Lu Xun's face in particular, which for some reason was worrying Li. Sun Quan waited until his brother and sister were up the stairs before turning to go, but Lu Xun stayed behind. Li decided to wait until everyone else had left before approaching him. "Is something wrong, Lu Xun?"

He turned to her and gave her a sad smile. "I am worried about our Lord. I have been feeling uneasy these past few days, and yesterday I had the strangest dream." He faltered a moment, then continued. "I saw Lord Sun Jian, Huang Gai, and Lu Meng reaching a village near the border of Wei when they were attacked. There was an evil looking man standing there, watching the whole scenario take place from inside a giant fire. He let out a laugh that woke me with a start. I decided to go outside and get some fresh air, but when I went outside I swore I saw something move. I thought it was just my imagination until the shadow moved again. It ran down the hall and out of sight. For some reason, it reminded me of the evil man from my dream."

"That's odd," Li Tai commented. "But we shouldn't worry. Lord Sun Jian is a very capable leader, and I believe that the army is capable enough to protect him should anything happen."

Lu Xun nodded. "I just can't help but feel worried. I fear that Cao Cao may be planning something. I just don't know what." Li nodded and made to go inside.

"Then we shall be ready for him." Lu Xun turned around, confused. "Don't forget that we have the best army in all of China. If Cao Cao tries anything, we will be ready for him." She motioned for the young strategist to come inside. "Now come on. You won't do your fears any good by watching the sun rise."

Despite everything that she had done that day, Lu Xun's words still echoed in Li Tai's head as she readies herself for bed. Watching her husband leave with Lord Sun Jian and Huang Gai, she had not felt anxious or worried about them. But as Lu Xun had conveyed his dream to her, Li felt herself grow nervous for them. She had not considered the fact that they may be in danger. After all, they were three of the best soldiers in China, and they had a good number of men with them should anything happen. Yet, something had begun to gnaw away her insides, making her unsure of her confidence in the army.

It reminded her of how she felt during Hua Ling's accusations. All of her confidence had been destroyed as she looked around the room, each pair of eyes now seeing her differently. Li shook her head to try and rid herself of those memories. That had happened months ago. It was time to move on. The men are fine, Li told herself. And no one knows what happened to Hua Ling. Stop letting things worry you.

There was a creaking noise that drew Li Tai to her balcony. Cautiously, she turned and walked outside, looking around for whatever could have made the movement. She clenched her fists as she had no weapon, ready to defend herself. She looked out into the night. Nothing. She took another look around. Still nothing. Scoffing at herself, Li turned sharply and headed back inside. All this worry that Lu Xun had planted in her head was making her far too twitchy. She needed a good night sleep to calm herself. She took one last look around the room and, satisfied that everything was in order, blew out her candle and threw the sheets over her head.

Cheng waited a whole hour after she had slipped into bed before climbing onto the balcony. After doing this job for many years, he had learned that patience often got you the results you wanted. Of course, there were exceptions, but as a general rule, it seemed to work just fine. He looked around for guards in her room. Finding none, he smirked to himself. Of course there wouldn't be any guards. She was a great warrior of Wu. She didn't need them.

Perfect.

Slowly, he made his way towards her bed. Tonight, she was alone. Her husband was patrolling the borders, and if everything went according to plan, he would have him, too. He watched the sleeping Li Tai for a few moments. Her long dark hair nearly covered the pillows, and a small strand was strewn across her face. Her mouth was opened slightly, and her breathing was barely audible. She was absolutely beautiful in slumber. Absolutely beautiful.

Cheng could not resist kneeling next to her bedside to get closer to her. He remembered the first time he had seen her. She was seven, the daughter of a farmer and a very hard worker. But her father was very outspoken against his master at the time, so he and his group were forced to raid their village and kill them. He had spared the two children, knowing that one day he would meet them again and claim Li Tai for himself. Even at eight, he knew she would blossom into a beautiful young woman.. But her brother, Zhou Tai, had become very possessive of his sister, and for that, he would also have to be killed. A shame, as he was a highly skilled warrior and would be a fantastic addition to his mercenary group.

"At last, my Lady, we are together," Cheng whispered. He slowly moved his face closer until he could feel her breath on his face. "Soon, I will not have to come to you in the dead of night. Soon, we shall be together forever." He bent is head and continued to move closer until his lips touched her own. She truly was delicious.

And, unfortunately, a light sleeper. Her eyes shot open, and she quickly pushed him away and jumped up on her bed. Cheng knew that he could overcome her, but again, he would have to wait. "I apologize for waking you, my Lady."

"It's you. You're the one from my nightmares."

He grinned. "Perhaps. I am in a lot of people's nightmares, my lady."

Li scowled. "What are you doing here? What do you want from me, you bastard?"

"All that will become apparent in time, Li Tai. I have been watching you closely for many years. But the final part of my plan is falling into place quite nicely. Soon, you and I will be together, and I can stop this work and live with you forever."

"I don't know who you think you are, but I am married and the only person I'm living with is my husband. Now get out before I wake the house."

Cheng's grin returned. "There is no doubt in my mind why I chose you. You are strong willed, cunning and quick witted, and not to mention very beautiful. I cannot wait to make you mine when this is all over."

Li Tai knew that she could not get him out on her own, so she did the only other thing she could think of.

She screamed.

Cheng was not expecting this, as he jumped back from her cry and ran towards the balcony. He stopped at the railing and looked back at her. "Until we meet again, My Lady." With that, he jumped down and landed near a black horse. Li ran to the balcony after him and watched him ride off into the night, shaken from her encounter. Who was that man? And what did he really want with her? Had she finally come face to face with her nightmare?

The sound of running footsteps and her brother's voice drew her back inside her room. She was going to have to make up a reason for her scream, and she knew she couldn't tell them the truth. At least, not quite yet.

Lu Meng crossed his arms over his chest as he looked out into the night air. They had only been away from home for a week or so, but something in his heart told him that they had been away too long. So far, nothing eventful had happened during this border check. In fact, it seemed too uneventful, if there was such a thing. He longed for this to be over so he could return home to Li. Every time he thought of her, he could feel danger crawling up his back. Lu Meng wasn't sure if it was imagination or precognition of danger. It annoyed him that he wouldn't know if she was alright for another month or so. Sighing, he continued to stare into the night.

The sound of footsteps drew closer, and soon Huang Gai appeared next to Lu Meng. "What is so interesting about the night that you insist on staring at it?" His gruff voice almost made it seem insulting to look out into the darkness.

"I am thinking," Meng answered. "I am getting anxious to be home. There is something unsettling here, and it pains me that I can't put a finger on it."

Huang Gai let out a laugh. "Well, why don't you go and sleep on it? I'm here to relieve you of watch duty." Lu Meng paused a moment, then shook a thought out of his head and went back into camp. As he passed by the main tent, Sun Jian stuck his head out and called to his officer.

"Lu Meng, may I speak with you?" He turned, bowed, and entered the tent behind Sun Jian. There was no one else in the tent at the moment, and a single lantern in the center of the table provided the only light for the room. Meng waited until his lord sat down before taking a seat himself. Sun Jian slowly removed his helmet from his head, allowing Lu Meng to see the worry etched in his face. "I am getting nervous about this excursion, my friend. I keep feeling that something is coming, something bad. But I don't know what it might be."

"Perhaps your fears are not unfounded, my Lord. I, too, have been feeling worry creep into my body lately. I ache to return home." Sun Jian sighed and put his head in his hands. Lu Meng thought a moment. "Do you think that Wei is planning something, my Lord? With regards to Wei, there is often calm before the storm. I fear that that is what is happening now."

"For all our sakes, I hope you're wrong," Sun Jian said, still looking down at the table. "But my gut is telling me otherwise." No sooner had the words come out of his mouth when the drums sounded from the edges of the camp. Voices were shouting different things, and within seconds a single voice carried above them all.

"Ambush!" Huang Gai called out. "Every man ready! Someone get Lord Sun Jian to safety! Wei is attacking full force!"