Da stepped away from the window, eyes wide. She brought one hand to her chest, and she concentrated on breathing. What was such a monster doing at their castle gates? "He's destroying our soldiers!" Xiao stuttered, pointing out of the window. She glanced from her mother to Da, back to the window. "I don't even think they're slowing him down!"
"'Tis all your fathers fault." Lady Qiao glared down at the monstrous man.
"How could Father bring such a mans anger upon us? Father has been gone for weeks."
"Exactly. Obviously he has done something to anger somebody powerful. Only the powerful have such men in their ranks. What else could have worried our Lord so, but knowing such a man would be coming to kill us?" Lady Qiao stood and walked past the two girls with her usual elegance. "One can only hope your father can right his wrongs, or that death shall be swift."
Da reached for Xiao, and the two held hands at their mother's words. The noble woman did not glance back as she opened the door. A soldier moved to stop her, telling her it was safer to wait in the room, to which she replied "Why bother? You shall not slow such a powerful man. And where should I escape to with only two girls? The forest of which the monster appeared from? I shall be in my room. If he should reach me, I wish to die in some form of comfort." With that, she disappeared down a hall.
The soldier stood, mouth open for a moment before glancing in the room. Xiao shook her head wildly before dashing out of the room. Da called out to her, and pushed past the soldier. The soldier glanced around, from the way Lady Qiao went to the other hall that the Two Qiaos took. When another soldier quickly appeared, with orders to get the ladies away from the castle, the soldier shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
Xiao dashed down the halls to her father's room. As sickly as he was, his condition had worsened that day, he could not have brought such a horror to their front steps. Da's callings barely registered as she ran, and when she spotted her fathers door she gave a slight sigh of relief before pushing it open. Some soldiers were trying to move the noble into the escape way without hurting him. All three looked up when she burst into the room.
"Mother lies! You didn't do anything wrong right Father? This bad guy isn't here because of you is he?" Xiao stumbled towards him.
"Xiao? I was so worried he might have gotten to you! Is Da alright? She too is safe?" Yuan, looking sickly and frail, looked from her to the doorway where Da now stood. "Why aren't you out of here yet? He can't get you two!" He reached for Xiao after giving a soldier the best glare he could give. Yuan suddenly had a coughing fit, and would have fallen if he had not been held by the two soldiers.
"Father!" both girls cried out and ran to him.
"My girls, you must get out. You must get away. Not to the forest. Never enter the forest! But away. You must get away from the beast." Yuan said between coughs.
"Father? What do you mean?" Da asked.
"They will go nowhere but the forest you waste of skin." A baritone voice filled the room. In the doorway stood the man from the gates. "I had hoped for more of a challenge, but retrieving the Two Qiaos has to be the easiest thing that fat man has ever had me do." The two soldiers in the room charged, to which the black soldier swatted one away and stabbed the other with his halberd.
"Not my daughters. Please, they don't deserve this! Not my daughters!" Yuan cried, begging. For a fraction of a second, his black eyes softened before he stomped over and towered over the three. Scoffing at the old man, he raised his halberd to kill the man off.
"Father!" Da and Xiao cried, and covered Yuan with their bodies.
"You have come for us, correct?" Da said between tears. "Do not kill anybody else, and we shall leave peacefully with you, mighty warrior." She held Xiao's hand, which tightened when the warrior looked at her. Scoffing, mumbling about sentimentals, he nodded his head. Carrying two thrashing girls all the way back to the castle without dropping one, which would result in an injury for the girl, would only bring down Dong Zhuos wrath on Diao Chan.
"Come girls. This place bores me already; with the fighting gone this place will resemble the garden." The warrior watched the two stand, holding each other, and he followed them out. At the courtyard, both girls gave a terrified gasp. Around Red Hare were all the bodies of the soldiers. No longer a beautiful yard, it resembled more of a gore fest, which was what it was really. Lu Bu had to find stress relief somewhere.
He picked one up the closest girl and set her on Red Hare, and quickly did the same with the other. How such small girls were going to entertain Zhuo was a mystery that Bu was ready to leave alone. He had never wanted to get into his adoptive fathers sick mind. Da and Xiao cried, hands clenched either in the horses mane or in clothing. Da held Xiao around the waist, and tried not to break out into wails. Xiao was already hiccupping in front of her, her shoulders shaking horribly. Bu pulled himself up behind her and took the reins. The last thing the girls saw was their mother staring down at them from a window with a restrained expression.
The ride to the castle was a blur of tears and green. When they entered a garden, still green and blossoming under the snow, Bu dismounted and picked each of them off the horse. They held one another, hiccupping and sniffing. They glanced around the garden, confused and lost. When they turned back to the giant warrior, the flesh was replaced by stone. Gasping and pulling each other way from it, they glanced around.
"I'm scared."
"I know Xiao." Da took a labored breath. "We need to find our… host. Maybe we can convince him to return us home." She gave Xiao the best smile she could. Xiao tightened her grip on Da and nodded her head. Again, she wished for Yu's strong embrace, and wise advice. Instead of whining her thoughts, she concentrated on making her jaw stop trembling.
The two followed a trail, guessing on which one to choose. All the while, both girls would look over their shoulder. The feeling of being followed unnerved almost as much as finding their kidnapper turned to stone. Instead of calling out, they quickened their steps until they found the castle doors. Looking to each other for reassurance, they entered the place.
The hall was well lit, torches and candles on the wall, giving the hallway a glow. Closing the door behind them to keep the chill out, Da called out for the owner of the castle. At no reply, the two started to walk down the hall. They followed the light, as only one hallway was lit. At the end of it was a large door, and behind it was a feast.
"Food?" Xiao said eyes wide in shock. "He kidnaps us and then gives us food?" Da could only nod her head in agreement. They glanced around the room, seeing nobody else, before returning to the table. "I still don't believe it." Xiao crossed her arms over her chest with a frown.
"Please, believe it. The food was made for you two, our honored guests," a soft voice said. Da and Xiao spun around in fear to see a lovely lady standing back against the wall behind them. "I am Diao Chan, no threat to either of you."
"You're a servant to the man who kidnapped us?" Xiao asked, glaring.
"… Yes." She seemed to stop and debate the answer. "Please, be seated and eat. Such an experience has to of left you famished." Da glanced around, and then stared at one of the chairs. Squeezing Xiao's arm, she moved to take a seat. Chan gave her a sweet smile, if not full of pity. Da stared at all the food, really not that hungry.
Xiao glared from Chan to the table, fists clenched. As Da popped a small grape into her mouth, Xiao snapped. Reaching over, she shoved a great deal of food off the table. The china smashed against the floor, the sound echoing in the castle.
"Xiao!" Da screeched eyes wide.
"I won't eat some crazy, creepy mans food after he's kidnapped me!"
"Maybe if we can be reasonable, so can this man. Angering him will get us nowhere Xiao!"
"This crazy psychopath sent some homicidal monster to kidnap us that turns to stone in a garden, and then has the nerve to give us food with no welcome except some equally creepy maid that won't leave the wall!" Xiao cried out, arms flailing wildly. "Creepy people like this person don't reason with the sane Da! They keep people like pets and torture them in some cellar or worse!" Tears started fall again as Xiao sobbed. Da quickly rose from her chair and pulled Xiao into a hug.
Da mumbled soothing words into Xiao's hair, wishing her tears would stop as well. Eventually, Chan interrupted by saying, "Excuse me, my ladies. I apologize for my Lords manners. Sadly, he has become busy this night, but surely wishes he could have been here to welcome you. Your rooms have been made up, if you wish to retire for the night."
"No! I want to go home!" Xiao yelled, to which Da could only agree with. However, at the sad but stern look on the maids face, Da had to reason with her sister to calm down. The maid led them down some halls and up some stairs. Her dress hardly swayed as she walked, almost like she floated through the halls. Xiao mumbled about ghosts, which Da quickly shushed her about. Already living a horror story, neither of them needed to hear about such things, in Da's opinion.
When Chan stopped, she pointed to two doors. "There are some changes of clothes in there for you, my ladies. Please do not leave your rooms at night. Tomorrow, I or our lord shall give you a tour of the castle. Good night."
As she turned to leave, Xiao made a snide remark, "Not my lord." Da did nothing to reprimand her. "Da, may I sleep with you?" Xiao asked in a much more Xiao like voice.
"I was going to ask if you wanted to," Da admitted. Neither girl liked the idea of being alone in the castle of their captive. Refusing his clothes, they stripped down to their slips and crawled into the large bed. They clung together, crying until they were too tired to stay awake any longer.
In the morning, they rose with hopes that it had all been a nightmare. Instead, they found it had all been true. The room that they had not inspected the night before was large, with a carved dresser and a window as tall as the wall itself. A nightstand matching the dresser was next to the bed, and the chair they had laid their dresses on was empty.
"He stole our dresses! Da! The pervert stole our dresses!" Xiao shrieked, pointing to the chair with a shaking finger.
"I'm sure just a maid came in to wash them," Da said. "They probably came in, opened the curtains, and to the dresses to be washed." Or, she sincerely hoped. They had seen nobody but Chan in the castle, excluding the stone warrior.
"They shouldn't have." Xiao crossed her arms and glared at the chair. She had given up on crying, and refused to show the creepy psychopath that now held her and her sister anymore weakness. Being a crybaby would only stress out Da more; it would not help them return to their father and await Ce and Yu so that they could tattle on the creep and have their knights in shining armor come kick the bad guy's butts. She had made the promise to herself last night, that it would be the only time she cried in the castle from then on.
"It seems if we wish to be decent, we must use his clothes," Da mumbled and stared cautiously at the dresser. Sliding off the bed, she walked towards it and pulled it open. Inside were lovely gowns of many colors. All were thick and made for the harsh winter. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Da picked one and pulled it out. "Come Xiao, and pick a dress. We do not want to give this man any untrue thoughts."
Xiao's eyes widened at the statement, and rushed to the dresser to pick a dress. Dressed, the two peeked out the door. Not seeing or hearing anybody, they started down the way they came. When they came upon the stairs, they spotted Chan walking towards them. "Good morning my ladies. Lord Dong Zhuo is awaiting your company. If you would please follow me." She bowed to them before turning and walking another way.
The two followed, not knowing what else to do but meet their kidnapper. As they walked they saw nobody else in the castle, though it was well taken care of. There was no dust on any of the furniture, and any flowers were blooming perfectly. Da and Xiao gave each other a shrug when they looked to one another. Chan stopped in front of a large door that towered about all three of them. "Lord Dong Zhuo awaits," she said with a bow.
Da grabbed Xiao's hand, and the two walked inside as the door opened for them. Inside sat the fattest man the two girls had ever seen. He was reclining on some dozens of pillows. His round stomach was obvious, and with his black beard fanning around his face, it made seeing anything other than his stomach and amber eyes hard to see.
"Yes, you two are marvelous, and will make such fine additions to my paradise!" the man boomed. Both girls flinched at his tone and had to suppress gagged when he dragged his tongue over his lips.
"Excuse me sir, but my sister and I would rather that we returned home," Da stuttered, straightening her shoulders and trying to look Zhuo in the eyes.
"Return home? Hah! Even should I allow you two to leave, you could not. By my magic, you are bound here to the castle grounds! Never shall you leave!"
"Magic?"
"Never!?"
Zhuo laughed maniacally, his belly shaking repulsively. "Yes, magic! I am a wizard of old times, and my magic exceeded that of most. You two shall never leave these grounds without my permission, which I assure you that you will never receive it. Go ahead, try. You will not leave."
Both girls crestfallen expression set him off laughing again. They clung to each other, Da's jaw trembling. Xiao, refusing to cry clenched her jaw and focused on her anger. She shot the fat bad man a glare and continued to think mad thoughts and remembering how to breathe correctly.
"You two should be honored to be apart of my paradise."
"I do believe that your opinion and our opinion of paradise differ greatly!" Da shouted with a glare. Zhuo sobered up quickly, and stared down at the two girls.
"Whether you like it or not, you two are now mine! Mine to do with as I please!"
Xiao cut him off. "We already claimed and unattainable by the likes of scum like you!" Xiao grabbed Da's arm and pulled her out of the room. They ran down the stairs and pushed open the doors. Together they ran towards the gate. Da reached the gate first and started to try to push it open.
"It will not budge!" Da cried out in desperation. Xiao slowed to a stop, and looked the gate over. There was no lock on it, nothing to stop it from swinging open. The way Da pushed against the gate, it should have swung open and left her sister face first in the snow. Truly feeling helpless and hopeless, Xiao fell to her knees. Da soon followed, sliding down the gate and leaning her forehead against the cold metal.
I don't like this one at all. Phooey. Xiao's temper tantrum at the table has a meaning to it, she didn't just have a 5-year old moment, I swear. Well, she might have, but it does have meaning to the story. I don't like saying Bu and Chan (Instead of Lu Bu and Diao Chan) but it wouldn't be right to use their full name when I usually don't with the other people. Phooey. And Diao Chans back was melded to the castle, and her feet were when she was walking, in case people didn't catch that. It'll be explained later (probably somewhere in the next chapter). Oh, and profile has a note for those who are actually keeping with this story (3 chapters, oh boy! But I don't think there'll be that many more... I think)