Something is different, Mei Li thought as she woke the following morning. The floor had suddenly become soft and warm, her body didn't ache, and the area was unusually quiet. Curious, she opened one eye. An old man was seated on the floor nearby and facing away from her. Her body froze. This wasn't Zhang Yui's house. None of this looked right. What was going on?
She bolted upright in fear. The man turned around and smiled at her. "Ah, you're finally awake. How did you sleep?" He walked over to where she was and handed her a cup of tea. "I see you're still a little frightened. I promise I just walked in here. No one else was in your tent last night."
"My…" Li trailed off as she finally got her bearings. It all came back to her. The destruction of her village. Her capture by the Shu soldiers. The doctor and his assistants cleaning and redressing her. Zhao Yun. She looked down at her tea and frowned. "I apologize. I'm not used to waking in such luxury. I'm afraid I confused myself."
The doctor laughed and sat down on the floor. "If this is luxury, I can only imagine what your life has been like until now. Drink your tea while it's still hot. It will help to clear your body and your mind."
Voices passed by the tent. "When are the Shu forces returning to Cheng Du?" she asked.
"They're packing up as we speak."
"Oh." She looked around the mostly empty tent. "I'm holding you up, aren't I? Is there anything I can do to help?" She set her tea on the floor and stood. The room spun a little.
The doctor stood and pushed her back onto the cot in one fluid motion. "My lady, you need to rest. Yesterday's activities were hard on your body. I promise you that we are in no rush." His eyes roamed over her face. "Is something troubling you?"
She hesitated. A majority of the men in camp had been nothing but kind to her since her arrival. She didn't want to seem like a burden, but she couldn't understand why anyone would fuss over her. "I guess I just don't understand why I'm being treated special. All I did was direct your soldiers to my master."
He chuckled. "All? It was a great and wondrous 'all,' my lady. You showed remarkable bravery yesterday against our men. There aren't many people who would have the courage to face them, especially when all hell as broken loose around them. And he's not your master anymore. No need to worry."
"Thank you," she said.
He went to work packing up his herbs and medicines while she finished her tea. "So," he said while gathering his belongings in the center of the tent, "will you be joining us in Cheng Du? Or will you part from us this morning?"
"I'm not sure. I'm not really fit for anything other than amusing men." She tried not to sound bitter about the last part.
The doctor, however, picked it up immediately. "I can promise you that any work you find in Shu will have nothing to do with whoring yourself out." Mei Li dropped her cup in surprise. "I'm sorry for speaking plainly," he said, "but I don't understand the practice of taking women as slaves and then using them in such a manner. Our Lord Liu Bei does not condone this either. Surely you must have talents beyond being an arm decoration."
Despite his tone, she smiled. "At the moment, I wish I had some medical talents. Your female assistants seemed quite happy yesterday when they helped me. I can see that working with you would be a joy."
He laughed again, picking up her fallen cup and adding it to his pile. "I would welcome another smiling face."
"Then allow me to start training right now," she said. She stood, smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress, and turned her attention to the cot. A smile crept across her face as she shook out the blankets and began rolling them up for transport. A song began to play in her head. Without thinking, Li began to hum while her hands worked. It was a habit she had picked up from her mother. Focusing on a song always seemed to make the time and the work go by faster. This had lead to Li making up her own songs to sing, and it hadn't taken long for those around her to notice. Now it seemed like she only sang at her masters' biddings.
Mei Li didn't realize that the doctor was staring at her until she turned to hand him the linens. She blushed and immediately looked at the floor. "You have a beautiful voice, my lady," he said. "I thought you told me that you lacked any other skills."
She began smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles again, suddenly embarrassed. "My voice has only kept me chained to a concubine's life."
"You never sing to yourself?"
"I haven't in a long time." She slowly looked up at the doctor, afraid of what his face my show. To her surprise, he was smiling gently. "I'm sorry. I'm distracting us from our work."
"It is no trouble," he said. "Perhaps I should refrain from taking you on as an assistant. It would be a waste to let your voice go unheard." He put the blankets on top of the pile and nodded, apparently satisfied with their collection. "Have you ever taught others to sing like you do? The songstresses of Shu could learn a great deal from you. I'm sure you would welcome the chance to let someone other than yourself entertain people with your music."
Another man entered the tent before she could answer. Zhao Yun looked as cheery as he had the night before. He eyed the small pile in the center of the tent with amusement. "I see the good doctor has found himself another helper. Does this mean you will be joining us, Lady Mei Li?"
She found herself blushing again under his gaze. Unnerved by her discomfort, she focused on a clump of grass at his feet. "All of my life, people have treated me as if I were nothing. Within a day I have found a chance to start over. I wish to repay the kindness you and your men have shown me in any way I can. If I must travel to Cheng Du to do so, then I will gladly join you."
"I don't think she'll have any trouble finding her place, my lord," said the doctor. "She's handy with cleaning from what I've seen. I'll gladly take her on myself." The grin he gave Zhao Yun startled her. It was devious, an odd look for such a gentle man. "Personally, I think we should turn her loose on the court dancers and singers. This one's got a voice that'll charm the stars right out of the sky."
Yun smiled. "It will be up to her to decide what she wants to do. I will make recommendations to our lord as soon as we reach the capital." He turned back to Li. "I'm pleased that you will be joining us, my lady. In all honesty, the Shu kingdom is one large group of misfits and strays. All of us have been given a second chance ourselves. You'll find your place among the people. I'm sure of it."
The tent flap opened again, this time revealing the man who had accompanied Zhao Yun. He was out of breath and his lip was curled in a sneer. "My lord, we have a problem. Zhang Yui isn't in his tent, nor can we find the men who captured him and Lady Mei Li. I've searched the whole camp and I have some men combing through the village. The peasants didn't see him either."
"And our scouts?"
"If one of them aided in their escape, I haven't found him yet. They all seemed just as shocked as I was." He rubbed his temple and grimaced. "I've never seen such a blatant betrayal before. It's come at a bad time, too. The camp has almost been completely dismantled."
Zhao Yun muttered something under his breath and put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "We'll have to leave some of the men behind to keep looking for them. The rest of the prisoners are secured?" The other man nodded. "Our lord is expecting us back to the capital soon. We cannot delay this, as much as I would like to stay. I will divide some of our companies up and reissue orders."
"Understood. What would you like me to do?"
Yun glanced back at Li, who had gone very pale. "Stay here with Lady Mei and the doctor until I get back. I want to question some of the lookouts, and then we need to work out our travel arrangements."
The man nodded and Zhao Yun stormed out of the tent.
Mei Li sunk back onto the floor. She should have expected something like this. Only a fool assumed that a new start in life would be smooth.
The doctor and the other officer rushed over to her side. "My lady, are you alright?" the younger man asked.
She nodded and drew her knees up to her chin. "I'm sorry. His escape was my fault, wasn't it?"
The two men looked at each other, confused. "Unless you managed to be in two places at once," the doctor said, "I highly doubt that you could have assisted in the man's escape."
"But if I hadn't angered those soldiers-"
The officer cut her off with a shake of his head. "They were determined to get revenge on Lord Zhao Yun, not you. Please don't fret over this, my lady. Zhang Yui and the others will be caught. It will just take longer than expected."
"Wasn't his capture the point of your mission?"
"He was only a part of it. We were sent to this area to eradicate the remaining Yellow Turban supporters. Your former master was the last one on our list."
The doctor stood and stretched out his arms. "As Master Jiang Wei said, there is no reason to be concerned. Our scouts are sharp. They'll catch the fugitives without much difficulty." He held a hand out to help Li to her feet. "We should finish loading up our belongings. Lord Zhao Yun will be much happier if we are all ready to move out when he returns."
The officer, Jiang Wei, agreed. "I think he'll feel better once this is all behind him. He doesn't like these kinds of missions very much."
"Why not?" Li asked.
Wei took one of the bundles and motioned for her to follow him. "I'm sure you've heard stories about his feats in battle. Yet there are few who know the true man underneath such legends. At heart, he is a kind and gentle man. He serves our lord in battle because he knows it will help bring our country together under the Shu banner. War is not the calling he chose for himself. It has become him."
"He does seem conflicted," Mei Li said as she helped Wei to load a cart. "When he was giving orders, you could see the warrior within him. When he removed his armor and took on a more simplistic look, he appeared more comfortable."
Wei chuckled. "You have shrewd eyes, Lady Mei."
"I'm simply not used to seeing multiple sides of soldiers. You and your fellow officers are showing me that even warriors think beyond battle."
"For that, we are extremely pleased."
"Forgive me for asking, Lord Jiang, but what is it that you do for your lord? Do you often fight alongside Lord Zhao Yun?"
He nodded, smiling. "I have been fortunate to work with such talented officers during my time with Shu. I prefer to leave most of the fighting to them, however. My skills lie in strategy." He reached over to help her with a heavy bundle. "Lord Zhao told me that you were displeased with the villagers' treatment. I am to blame for that tactic, and I humbly apologize. I did not know what their feelings were on their master."
She quickly bowed, a slow blush creeping into her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to offend anyone with such a comment. My thoughts at that time were only of the innocent people that died."
Wei laughed and tilted her chin up. "There's no need to worry, Lady Mei. I believe we all understand the situation better now."
The doctor handed him the last bag from the tent and grinned. "Lord Liu Bei will be pleased to have such a lady in his court, don't you think? Always thinking about others and never worrying about themselves."
"Indeed. Such an addition will benefit us all, I think." He looked over at Li, who was still blushing madly. "Have we spoken out of turn, my lady?"
"No, I just…you said 'court lady' and I…well, uh…I'm not really…" She finally ran out of words and sighed. Both men were laughing now at her expense. At any other time she would have felt uncomfortable. This, though, was different. They weren't poking fun at her mistakes or laughing at some morbid thought in their heads. They were simply enjoying themselves. Li couldn't help but smile along with them.
Zhao Yun returned by the time they'd finished loading up the cart. Li could tell by the look on his face that Zhang Yui was still at large. All three of them bowed to him, but he ignored them and instead inspected the cart. "Thank you for continuing your work in my absence. Are the men ready to go?"
"For the most part, I think," Jiang Wei said. "I've been busy helping these two. Shall I go and see what else needs to be done?"
Yun smiled weakly. "I would be indebted to you, Master Jiang. Forgive my distraction today."
"It's perfectly reasonable." Wei turned and bowed low to Li. "Thank you for your help, my lady. I will see you in a moment." With a nod to Yun, he took off for the center of camp. The doctor followed shortly after him.
Mei Li suddenly felt uncomfortable being alone with Zhao Yun. His mood was still sour, and she still felt as though she were at fault. It pained her to think that she had caused this. He had been nothing but kind to her. She tried to think of something to say, anything at all that would brighten his face again.
She didn't realize she was staring at him until he took a step forward. "Are you alright, Lady Mei? You seem troubled."
"Uh, no, not at all," she said with a bow. "I should be asking you the same thing. This whole experience has been hard on you."
He held up a hand to stop her. "Not nearly as hard as it's been on you, my lady. You should not worry yourself over me. I had hoped that today would be filled with joy, especially for you. This was supposed to be the first day of your new life. Instead the weather has turned foul."
"My lord?" Li was not sure what to make of his little speech.
Yun shook his head, smiling gently at her. It seemed strained. "Perhaps we will all feel a little better once we reach the capital. Have you given any thought to your traveling preferences, my lady?"
Li shook her head. "I…I didn't realize it was something for me to choose."
"All heroes should at least be allowed to travel in a manner of their choosing," he said.
"But Zhang Yui escaped."
"This is true. That does not make your actions any less noteworthy. He may be on the loose, but we know which direction he fled in now. It will not be long before we apprehend him again. He would have been long gone without your information."
"Well, I…um…thank you," she sputtered.
Jiang Wei rode up on his horse in time to save her from more embarrassment. Behind him was the strangest looking man Li had ever seen. He looked very short next to Wei even though he, too, was on a horse. Only a sliver of his face was visible from beneath his wide brimmed hat, and the rest of his body was completely covered in many layers of fabric. It was comical compared to the modest dress of his companions. They, however, made no mention of his appearance.
"The soldiers are ready to move on your orders, my lord, "Jiang Wei said. "Have you already sent out the men who are staying?"
Yun nodded. "All necessary preparations have been made."
"About time," the hooded man said.
Wei rolled his eyes and turned to Li. "My lady, will you be traveling with us?"
"Of course, you may travel with the other villagers if you do not wish to stay with us," Yun interjected. "They will take a little longer to reach the capital, but they will have a small company of soldiers to protect them. It is up to you."
The hooded man laughed. Li was surprised by its childlike nature. "As long as she knows what she's getting into. We're a bunch of ragtag misfits, my lady."
His comments made her smile. "Then I shall fit right in."
"Excellent." Wei dismounted and walked his horse to the cart they had loaded. "I'm afraid you'll have to ride with one of us though. The cart isn't comfortable when it's full, and we don't have another horse to spare."
"Unless you ask Lord Zhao Yun to walk."
Yun motioned to the hooded man. "This is one of our strategists, Pang Tong. He speaks plainly in front of everyone, I'm afraid. I apologize if he offends you."
"No, he's okay," Li said. "I rather like his personality."
Tong tipped his hat to her. "Why thank you, Lady Mei. A compliment from such a beautiful woman does my heart glad."
Wei chuckled as he tied the cart to his saddle. "Now don't go making the journey uncomfortable, Master Pang. We would like for Lady Mei to stick around for a while."
Yun turned to Li while the other two bantered back and forth. "They'll be like that the entire journey. I apologize in advance." She laughed at him, drawing out a more genuine smile from the famed officer. "Would you be alright riding on my horse, Lady Mei? He can easily carry two. Or would you prefer Jiang Wei's company?"
"Oh, no, your horse is fine. I don't want to be a bother."
"I don't think you could be." Yun suddenly blushed, embarrassed. Li suppressed a smile. He is rather handsome when he blushes, she thought. A soldier appeared at that moment with a stunning white horse in tow. He handed the reins to Yun while the officer gave him orders to begin marching. "Shall we get going?" he asking, holding out a hand to Li. She let him help her onto the stallion before pulling up in front of her. For that, she was thankful. She felt at ease with these men of Shu, but she was not quite ready to have a man's arms around her yet.
Li allowed herself one look behind her as they finally left the campground. The remains of her village still smoldered in the distance. It was sad to see such destruction. Yet around her was a new life and a better future. Jiang Wei rode to her right, a perfect image of youthful idealism. To her left was Pang Tong, the wisecracking and accepting hermit. In front of her was Zhao Yun, a true leader and humble soldier. They had given her a chance to shed her past and her old ways in favor of a happier life.
Yun had been afraid that her day was ruined by Zhang Yui's escape. He couldn't have been further from the truth, she thought as they began the long journey to Cheng Du. With three strong protectors around her and a chance to start over, there was no way to quell the happiness within her.
A song formed on her lips before she realized it. For a few minutes she lost herself in the melody and the words. Her elation and her sorrow coated every note and every syllable. She even forgot that she had an audience. Her voice had been restricted for so long. Now, twice in one day, she had been able to free herself from those shackles.
"The good doctor was right," Yun said softly from in front of her. She was suddenly grateful that he couldn't see her face. "Your voice is stunning, my lady. Who trained you?"
"My mother," she said. "It was her gift to me. She helped me to cultivate it when I was young. It's been both a blessing and a curse, I suppose."
"It is the same for those who hear it."
"What do you mean?"
He looked over his shoulder at her, a sad smile on his face. "I feel blessed to have heard such a sound, but I will never be able to listen to the songs in my lord's court without remembering this moment."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Lord-"
"Don't be," he said. He turned back to the front. "But please, don't stop on my behalf. You have true talent, my lady, and I'm sure it has not been easy for you to show it. If the spirit moves you, then let it take you where it wants."
"Thank you," she whispered. Already another song had begun to form in her mind. She wondered if he knew that everything was made up on the spot. She wondered if he could hear the years of disuse in her voice.
She shook the thoughts from her head. Clearly that didn't matter to him. And if it brought him joy, then she would continue. It had been a long time since someone truly appreciated her gift. A song was the first step towards repaying his kindness towards her.
So she opened her mouth once again and let the music flow.