Zhuyue woke up to find herself alone in the bed. Groggily, she sat up, wiping the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand. Once it was relatively clean, she blinked a few times and looked around the darkened tent to see that Dun was nowhere to be found. Had the battle started? Did he decide to leave her behind? Now startled from her drowsiness, she sprang up from the bed and ran out of the tent to see that the camp was mostly deserted. Only a few guards were awake, patrolling around to make sure they were not caught unaware as the others slept. The sun had not yet risen in the sky and from the looks of it, it would not do so for another hour or so. The wind carried no sounds of battle. It had not started yet.

She released a breath she did not recall holding. She wasn't sure if she was relieved of the fact the battle hadn't started or frightened. It took a long time for sleep to overcome her last night. There was a whirlwind of thoughts rushing through her mind. The first being the kiss she shared with Dun.

Last night, she berated herself for being so unchaste with him. Her mind wondered back to that moment when passion clouded her judgment. She could vividly remember wrapping her legs around his waist and pulling him closer to her body. A shiver ran over her as she remembered the feel of him pressed against her. At that time, she needed to feel his body against hers. If they hadn't been interrupted, she was fairly certain they would have gone further than that.

Zhuyue couldn't understand why it happened. She couldn't figure out what possessed her to kiss him. What did she want from him exactly? It started off as just wanting a way to get away from her father and away from being some noble's prettied up little doll but it has morphed into something more. It was pointless to deny that she felt something for him but it was hard to make sense of what that something was. What did he want from her? He certainly didn't pull away when she kissed him. No he definitely reciprocated in-kind. There was also the matter of the aftermath of the fight she had with Zhang Fei. The way he held her, she felt safe, protected. In the entirety of her short life, she has never felt that way before. Zhuyue has looked out for herself since she was a child. It was an odd feeling to have someone else come to her aid. Not only that, but he threatened to kill them if they came near her or her family again. No not threaten, he promised. Dun did not strike her as the type of person who made idle threats. She believed he fully intended on making good on that promise. This was strange territory or her. Having someone who looked out for her. Perhaps she was looking into this too much. He said himself that he found her useful. Perhaps that is all this was, but inside, she couldn't help but wonder if there was something more.

It didn't matter. This wasn't the time to think on such things. There was a battle to be fought soon. Her time should be spent thinking of that. Heading over to the table, she ran her hands over the armor he left for her. It was standard light infantry armor. She would be able to move in it a lot better than her robe and it would provide a modicum of protection. She looked down to the torn garment and tsk'd wishing she brought more clothing with her. It didn't occur to her that she would be getting into a fight on her first day here. With a sigh she removed the three daggers she had hidden in her robe and placed them on the table. Once finished, she began shedding her clothing, letting it fall to the ground at her feet. It looks like she would be stuck wearing this armor until she was able to get new clothes.

Just as she finished with securing the armor the tent flap opened. She immediately grabbed one of her daggers which still lay on the table as Dun walked in. He eyed her then the dagger and shook his head, stepping further into the tent and letting the flap fall closed.

"Why the fuck are you so jumpy for? We are in an allied camp and there are no signs of battle." She grimaced feeling foolish at her actions. He was right, it was a silly thing for her to be so on guard but old habits die hard.

"The impending battle has me wound tightly I suppose." This was more true than she would like to admit. Thoughts of the battle was the other thing that kept her up last night. He regarded her in silence for a few moments before stepping in front of her. Her first reaction was to step back but she willed herself to stand her ground. She tilted her head up to stare at him.

"Afraid?" He asked. There was no mocking in his tone. It was a simple question nothing hidden behind it.

"No." She responded. Placing the dagger back on the table and folding her arms across her chest.

"You will have to kill out there to survive and you don't feel even the slightest bit of fear? I find that hard to believe."

"I can handle it."

"Can you? Can you really? Have you ever seen what a man looks like when death comes for him? To see the life drain from his body, his eyes look at you wanting to know why? Why he had to meet such a miserable end at edge of your sword? There are greater men than you who to this day still can't deal with the haunting gaze of a victim who's life they were forced to take. You think you're tough shit now but that will change when you are on the battlefield and I don't need you breaking down out there. I need you to understand exactly what you will be doing." Her face was unreadable. She held his gaze and spoke bluntly.

"I said I can handle it." He shook his head.

"You lived a life of privilege. You probably never even slaughtered a pig for supper. Stop trying to act so damn-"

"I've taken life before! I can handle it!" She blurted out, effectively cutting him off. His mouth snapped shut as she covered her own at the admission. He always knew how to push her buttons, make her lose control. She admonished herself for letting such a guarded secret slip out so easily. She dropped her hand from her mouth, and braced herself for the follow up question that was sure to follow. The question never came. Dun merely smirked, seemingly satisfied with her answer. He headed back to the entrance of the tent.

"You'll be under my direct command. Hurry up and get out here so you can get something to eat and we can go over exactly what you'll be doing." With that he exited the tent, leaving her alone. She stared at the tent flap, both relieved and confused that he did not question her. With a heavy sigh, she pushed it out of her mind and tried to figure out where she could hide her daggers in this cumbersome armor.

Zhuyue stepped outside of the tent, frustrated that she could only hide one of her daggers inside of her new armor. She pulled at the armor, shifting it on her as she tried to get use to it. It felt extremely uncomfortable. So focused on her armor, she walked right into Yuan Shao. She looked up intending to apologize but dropped her head immediately once she recognized who it was.

"It is customary to apologize when you offend nobility." He spoke with that same air of superiority she hated. She bowed her head to him.

"Apologies my lord." Yuan Shao quirked a brow at hearing her voice. She tried to walk away but he stopped her.

"I did not dismiss you. Get back here this instant." She hesitated at first then reluctantly turned around, her head still bowed.

"Show me your face." She complied, raising her head so that he could get a good look at her. He stared at her for a few moments in silence.

"I know you, do I not?"

"I don't think so my lord." She said hoping he would believe it and not dig into it any further.

"No..." He looked her over from head to toe. "I doubt I would know someone of such low birth. It is admirable of you to fight however, despite your low station." She could feel her anger rising and had to stop the irritated sigh that threatened to bubble out of her.

"I must ask..." He continued, paying no heed to the irritation she was sure had to be visible on her face by this point. "What is a woman doing on the battlefield? This is no place for your kind." She didn't have to responded. Thankfully an unlikely source interfered.

"Ah here you are, Benchu! I believe there are a few more things we need to discuss before the battle." Cao Cao exclaimed, coming from somewhere behind Zhuyue. He came to a stop beside her, standing so he could clearly see her and Yuan Shao.

"And I believe, Xiahou Dun is looking for you." She silently thanked him for rescuing her from this pompous fool.

"Ah, Cao Cao." Yuan Shao responded. Zhuyue could see a frown flicker across Cao Cao's face at the use of his given name instead of his style name. As quickly as it came, the frown was replace by an impassive expression. She doubted Yuan Shao even noticed it.

"So this is one of your soldiers?" Cao Cao gave him a half smile and spoke with a pride. "She is and more. She is my dear cousin's betrothed." Zhuyue's eyes widened in surprised at the enthusiasm in which he spoke. He had only known her for a few hours and yet here he was speaking of her so fondly.

"And your dear cousin-" Yuan Shao's tone was unmistakably mocking. "Thinks it is okay to put his betrothed in battle? A woman's place is not on the field of battle with men after all."

Cao Cao gave him a smile but it wasn't one born of good will. "Death can come from a man or woman, Benchu. Only a fool would dismiss someone who is skilled due to gender."

"How...quaint..." Yuan Shao replied, no longer interested in her. It seems that he completely missed the thinly veiled insult Cao Cao had lobbed at him. Cao Cao's lips pressed tightly together but like before, it only lasted for a moment before falling back to that impassive expression. Zhuyue could tell that Yuan Shao rubbed him the wrong way.

"You better go. You know Yuanrang isn't known for his patience." Zhuyue nodded and ran off to meet with Dun.

Zhuyue sat atop a brown horse to the right of Dun. To her surprise, he had kept the black stallion she had given him when they left the place she once called home. It seemed like that was so long ago. To Dun's left sat Cao Cao. She was surprised he would be taking part in the actual battle. Yuan Shao, the leader of the coalition seemed content to direct the battle from the main camp. Coward. Zhuyue took a moment to look around to the soldiers around her. They all had grim countenances on their faces. It was obvious that they were afraid. Her eyes made its way back to Dun. His facial expression was the exact opposite. He was...smiling? But it wasn't one of happiness. It reminded her of a beast, getting ready to be released on its pray. He was looking forward to this battle, just waiting for the moment he could be unleashed. Dian sided up to her on his horse. She turned to him hearing the approach. He had a genuine smile on his face.

"Hey there Lady Zhuyue!" He said cheerfully. She nodded to him, finding his cheer to be a bit out of place when they were mere moments away from battle.

"Just Zhuyue will do, Li Dian. I no longer hold any claim to nobility."

"Ah, that's right." He said with a smile. "So Zhuyue, Are you ready for this?" She gave him a half shrug, returning her gaze to the horizon.

"As ready as one could be before a battle."

"Don't worry. You'll do fine."

"If not, I'll be run through and left for dead on the battlefield." She said with a small frown as she imagined a sword running through her gut. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to push the unpleasant thought from her mind.

"Trust me, you'll be fine. I've got a good feeling about this battle." Dian said with that same cheery tone which started to irritate Zhuyue. She knew he was just trying to cheer her up but the fear that was slowly gripping her heart would not be ignored. His words of confidence did nothing to sate her unease.

"Enough." Dun's voice interjected, causing both of them to turn their attention towards him.

"No more chatter. We are moving out. Dian, you know your role, get to it. You..." He said referring to Zhuyue. "Follow me, do what I say. Don't argue with me. The battlefield isn't the place for your defiant bullshit."

Zhuyue did not respond. She instead gripped the reins which she formally held slack in her hand tighter and focused on the road ahead of her. She saw Dun ride off in front of her and she urged her horse to follow. Her steed quickly picked up speed as it followed behind Dun. She felt as if her heart pounded as hard as the her horse's hooves on the ground. They were almost upon the enemy now. Her hands gripped the reins so tightly her knuckles were turning white. Zhuyue swallowed hard and she could swear she heard the thundering of her heart in her ears.

Enemy archers were ahead. She could faintly hear someone scream for them to spread out but her body didn't follow the command. The fear that had encroached her heart now firmly seized it, squeezing so tightly that she couldn't breathe. An arrow whistled by her head, barely missing nicking her face. They were upon the enemies now. The archers had run behind the spearmen. Dun had already slaughtered one, his massive sword nearly completely cleaving one's head off. He gave a quick gaze over his shoulder to see Zhuyue's mount had come to a stop and she just sat there, frozen.

"FUCKING MOVE!" He screamed, blocking a spear with his sword from an enemy who thought to catch him unaware. He was promptly rewarded with Dun's boot to his face followed by his sword being thrust into his stomach as he fell backward. Dun moved to Zhuyue's side and yanked her roughly towards him, nearly pulling her off of her horse, having her dodge an arrow that nearly found its mark in her throat.

"What the fuck are you doing? Move!" Zhuyue looked up to him and he could easily see the fear in her eyes. He shoved her forward onto her horse and blocked another attack. The enemies were intent on taking advantage of her inactivity. If this kept up, she would definitely die and so would he if he continued to sit here and babysit her.

Zhuyue couldn't register anything that was happening to her or around her. She was too afraid to even breathe. Why was she here? She was definitely going to die. She shouldn't have come here. These people around her, they were fighting for something she didn't even care about. Dun blocked another attack aimed at her. 'He's protecting me?' She thought dully. She shouldn't be here. She should be safe at home...at home...as a trophy wife? No...that's not right. That isn't what she wanted. She came here because he saved her from that existence and she had decided then and there she would fight for him. Even if that fighting meant death, it would be better than the alternative wouldn't it? Yes. She was sure it was.

She took a deep breath and a familiar feeling became to overtake her. The same feeling she felt outside that small home just off the road in the dead of night nearly three years ago. The night she took her first life and four more subsequently after. Just like that night, something inside of her snapped, her psyche shattered. She had to fight, not for herself, but for him. The man who saved her from what she thought to be a fate worse than death. She will repay him with the blood of their enemies.

Another spear was trusted toward her. To her enemy's surprise, she grabbed it and yanked him forward. As he fell forward she extended her foot allowing it to catch his fall as he fell toward her horse. The man released the spear in favor of grabbing his nose which was now gushing blood. She deftly twirled the spear in her hands and thrust it back down into his throat. As the man fell backward, she jumped off of her horse. She wasn't use to fighting on horseback and could do a lot more damage on the ground. She unhooked her weapons from her armor and looked at her future victims. Rolling her shoulders once, she gave the group in front of her a dark smile and charged forward.

Dun watched in awe as Zhuyue seemed to transform right in front of his eyes. She went from a fearful little mouse to a fearsome beast. She mercilessly ripped through their enemies, her strikes as quick as they were precise, slicing quickly at their enemies vitals. Each swipe of her duck blades ripped through her enemies throats and if she wasn't able to get to the throat on the first strike, she would slice at the exposed parts of their body until a vital spot was revealed and she would plunge her blade into that area, not waiting for them to finish bleeding out before ripping her blade from them and moving on to her next victim. The duck blades were a close range weapon and she wielded it as if it were an extension of her body. Dun had to forcibly tear his eyes away from her and concentrate on his own battles.

Zhuyue advanced on the enemy commander in charge of the garrison. He gripped his spear tightly, eyeing her wearily. He just watched her mercilessly cut through a dozen of his men in a matter of minutes. Blood was splattered across her face but she didn't seem to notice or perhaps she just didn't care. Her eyes were cold and it sent a chill down his spine.

"I-I am Niu Fu!" He declared, his voice betrayed him however, and it was easy to see that he was afraid. Regardless, he continued, attempting to give himself confidence.

"Turn back no-" He words turned into wet gurgles as blood seep from the fresh wound on his neck. When did she get so close to him? How? His last thoughts were filled with lament as his life blood poured freely down the front of his armor. Seeing their commander fall, the other soldiers ran from the base, leaving it in the control of the allied forces. The soldiers cheered at the small victory. Dun dismounted from his own horse and walked over to Zhuyue who still stood over the body of Niu Fu. She looked up to him once he stood before her, the cold distant look still present in her eyes. Just being around her he got a different feeling from her. Ferocity, deadly. She pulled her helmet off and ran a hand over a few unruly strands that slipped out of the braid she had put her hair in earlier that day. The blood on her hands made the hair stick in place. Dun looked over her. Her chest heaving from exertion, blood splattered across her that wild look in her eye. She was beautiful. He wanted to kiss her right there in the middle of the battlefield amidst the fallen bodies around them. He restrained himself however. This wasn't a time to let one's guard down.

"You alright?" She nodded in response and he nodded in return. A soldier ran up to them immediately dropping to one knee once in front of them, bowing his head.

"Sir! Sun Jian is holding in front of ShiShui Gate but provisions haven't reached him! Our front line will fall if something isn't done! Dun growled.

"What is that coward Yuan Shu doing?" He looked at Zhuyue.

"I need you to go see why that idiot Yuan Shu hasn't sent provisions to Sun Jian. The battle will be over before it begins if he is forced to retreat from his position." Zhuyue nodded and mounted her horse. Dun grabbed the reigns before she could ride off.

"We are going to be advancing to the gate to reinforce Sun Jian's position. Meet us there once you find out why the supply lines hasn't been established...be careful. " With that he gave the horse a swat on its rear causing it to take off out of the base.

Zhuyue rode hard and her horse whinnied in protest. She steered her mount away from the crowds of enemies. While this was a safer path, it was a slower one. She cursed under her breath, admonishing herself for not being able to fight on horseback.

"Yo! Zhuyue!" She turned her head to the sound of her name to see the grinning face of Li Dian riding toward her. He swung his wheeled halberd at a group of enemies he cut through in his path toward her. How he managed to wield such a large weapon with ease she had no idea.

"Woah." He said as he reached her side, seeing the state she was in. It didn't look like the blood that covered her was her own and she didn't look injured so he decided to not comment on it. "I'll cut us a path." He stated with a smile when he reached her side. "We are going to the same place after all." Before she could reply, he already urged his horse ahead, creating a swath through the enemy ranks leaving a path for her to follow.

This new path allowed them to reach the garrison Yuan Shu currently occupied quickly. The gates were closed and enemies had it surrounded. Li Dian stopped a few feet away from the garrison to assess the situation. Zhuyue stopped her horse beside him.

"Hmm..." He said thoughtfully, hoisting his halberd to rest on his shoulder. "A decent amount of enemies...and two enemy generals from the looks of it. Nobody too special though. I don't recognize either of them." The enemies had noticed them now and a group of them were beginning to break off from the group surrounding the garrison to approach them. Zhuyue slipped off of her horse and readied her weapon.

"You take one and I'll take the other?" Zhuyue asked, eyeing the approaching group.

"You can take on that many people at once?" He asked. She didn't respond to him. Instead she waited until the enemies were closer before running head first into the group. This tactic surprised them and she managed to catch a few that were still reeling from the shock of such a brash attack. The others regrouped and attacked back. She dodged the flurry of swords aimed at her, throwing an enemy that was a bit to slow into it instead. He took the blows for her and his fellows just shocked that they killed a an ally, tried to remove the weapons that they lodged inside of him. She took advantage of this to lay the killing blow to two of them simultaneously, quickly ripping the blades she just embedded in them out and taking on the next enemy. Dian stared at her, mouth agape at the scene before him.

"I...guess you can..." He muttered to himself focusing on his enemies. Zhuyue had finally cut a path to the commander. Unlike the last one she face, he didn't look perturbed by her. 'Good. At least this should be an interesting fight.' She thought.

She stopped before him, allowing the lull in action to catch her breath. They slowly circled around each other, sizing each other up. The man gripped his sword tightly and began bouncing on his feet. He was getting ready to attack. Zhuyue prepared herself mentally but did not outwardly show any change. She would try to throw him off guard.

He charged, swiping fast to her left. She dodged. Another to her right, she dodged again. He was fairly slow. Perhaps this wouldn't be as interesting as she thought. He attacked again. No point in dragging this fight on longer than it needed to be. She did not dodge this time. Instead she blocked with one of her blades. Moving quickly, she twisted the blade, catching his blade between the two bladed points that jutted out of her weapon and wretched it out of hand. Not losing momentum, she stepped forward and thrust her other blade towards his throat. He foolishly tried to grab at the sharpened point of her blade with his hands. She continued to push the blade toward his throat. He tried to step backwards, to get away from the attack and she followed him step for step until his back was against one of the garrison's walls. With no place to go any longer, he struggled to push her away, blood from his hands flowing freely coating her iron blade red. She put her full weight into the arm pushing the blade and with her pressure off of her back leg, kneed him right in the groin. This was the lapse she needed. He faltered at the pain that exploded from his groin and he no longer pushed against her with as much strength. Feeling the relief of pressure, she pulled her blade to the right, cutting off several of his fingers with the motion. He cried out in pain, holding his hands which were now missing several digits awkwardly in front of him.. Once free she shoved her blade into his throat, this time unhindered silencing his screams. She pushed it in as hard as she could, nearly decapitating the man. Footsteps to her left made her head snap up and she raised her free blade towards the new threat. She lowered it once she saw Li Dian standing there.

"I think I see why Master Xiahou Dun likes you..." He muttered. She didn't acknowledge that she heard it. She was too busy trying to pull her blade from the man's throat. Once free she gave a swift swipe in the air to clean some of the blood off of it. She tsk'd when the motion only flicked the excess blood off. She would have to clean the blade thoroughly later. The door to the garrison opened up. Dian nodded his head towards it before walking inside. Zhuyue followed after him. They were swiftly lead to Yuan Shu.

"You two defeated Zang Ba and Xu Rong! Thanks to your efforts we can now fortify the front lines. I would have your names so that I may inform my brother of your contribution."

"Why did you hide out in this garrison?" Zhuyue asked, purposely ignoring his question.

"Excuse me?" He asked, an outraged look on his face.

"You have plenty of soldiers here and yet instead of engaging the enemy, you cowered in here." Her words dripped with venom that was palatable to the two men.

"How dare you! I will not be spoken to in such a way, especially not by a woman." Li Dian raised his hands up in defense, trying to defuse the situation.

"Now now my lord. She just means that we could have lost the front lines if you would have stayed holed up in here. She is merely curious as to why you decided on the course of inaction instead of trying to take the offensive against your enemies given that you had an advantage being in a garrison." She huffed, not liking how Dian attempted to soften the blow.

"I am asking why you are such a pathetic coward who would prefer to sit in a garrison with his tail between his legs instead of actually contributing to this war?"

"HOW DARE YOU!" He screamed, spittle flying from his mouth as he raged on. "I WILL HAVE YOUR HEAD YOU WHORE! YOU WILL RUE THE DAY YOU SPOKE TO ME IN SUCH A WAY."

"Feel free to try and take it whenever you grow the balls." She whistled for her horse and mounted.

"I am going to meet our forces at Shishui gate. I can't bear to be in this coward's presence any further. You coming?" She didn't wait for his reply and galloped off to meet the main force, Yuan Shu still screaming obscenities at her as she rode away. Dian sighed and called for his horse, following behind her.