Disclaimers: Do I even have to bother? Does it look like that I own Dynasty Warriors? Enough said.
Chapter 4
Soi had never slept so peacefully in her life. Its as if she felt the clouds below her head and a cool yet warm sheet of water that enveloped her legs. Yet…voices?
"…I think she's waking up…"
"She'd better! I'll give her a piece of my mined!"
"SHH!"
The girl finally stirred. Sun Ce folded her arms and sat smugly. Boy, is she gonna get it!
"Sun Ce, I would advise you not to lose your temper. It might ruin any chance we have at a friendly relationship or the chance to acquire information—"
Sun Ce scoffed. "Friendly? I don't want to be friends with anyone who dared to hurt my Da Qiao! And as for information, she can stick it up her—"
"My Lord! Please…" Lu Meng pleaded. "An individual that was able to carry on a nonsensical yet at the same time intellectual conversation that worked for her escape—well, almost escape—"
"And at the same time was able to play a game of tag without being caught until the very end—" Xiao Qiao bubbled.
"And was able to outsmart, outmaneuver and make total idiots out of you guys, is someone really worth working with!" Shang Xiang added, smirking.
While they all argued, Lu Xun looked at the girl with interest. He might learn a thing or two from her in circumstances would allow it…
While they were making a racket, Soi opened her eyes and looked around. She was back…damn. But…the bed feels nice…
"How are you feeling? Are you hungry?" Da Qiao smiled as she hovered over her. "I asked the cook to prepare something for you so—"
"Da Qiao! Why are you being so nice to her? She tried to kidnap you!"
"But Ce…"
"No buts!"
Soi's eyes fell on the man sitting on the chair beside her. He had his arms folded and was glaring at her. She recognized him as the man who argued with her about the purple chickens and dogs. A shadow of a smile crossed her face.
"You're awake at last" he started, his eyes fixed on her. "Before anything else, tell us your name so that we can stop calling you that 'weird looking gray boyish girl'. Or do you prefer being called that?"
She looked at him. Demanding. He looked like he was the big boss. She decided not to push her luck. "Xiu…Soi"
Sun Ce smirked. Another point scored for Wu's number one man! He totally tamed the little monster!
Soi rolled her eyes at the smug expression on his face. Really! He didn't even bother to tell her his name.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Xiu Soi. I am Zhou Yu, and this man beside me is the sovereign of Wu, the Little Conqueror, Lord Sun Ce."
Sun Ce…? Zhou Yu…? Wait…that sounds familiar…Soi looked at the man who just spoke and she felt her breathing cease. She saw silky brown hair, long lashes, an almost feminine face…a gentle smile, graceful gestures and sincere eyes. Although irritated, she found herself smile and all other thoughts instantly vanish.
"This is my wife, Xiao Qiao"
The smile she had was frozen in place as she nodded her head to Xiao Qiao. I thought so…
"And I am Sun Quan, brother of the Little Conqueror" said a guy with…sideburns?
"And I am Sun Shang Xiang! The youngest of them all! This guy over here is Lu Meng and his apprentice, Lu Xun."
Xiu Soi looked at them and nodded. "Nice to meet all of you" she added quietly. They all looked at her, bewildered. They never thought that she would be so cooperative.
"Why are you all being so nice to her! Can't you all see that she tried to kidnap Da Qiao!" Sun Ce shouted.
"Lord Sun Ce, everything is fine…" Da Qiao soothed. "She did nothing to hurt me…she was gentle and needed a way to escape. She was going to let me go afterwards…please do not be angry at her anymore…"
Sun Ce sighed. It's hard to say no to Da Qiao…oh the heck. "Alright…but that doesn't mean I trust her!"
Da Qiao smiled and bowed thankfully. She turned to Soi and said, "And my name is—"
"Da Qiao, right? It's impossible not to catch it with your husband's 'lovely' voice…It's a nice name" she added.
Da Qiao blushed. "Why, thank you…how did you know…?"
"That he's your husband? I didn't bring up the dogs and chickens without reason…it served three purposes: one was to provide a distraction so that you all may be caught off guarded by my sudden escape, two: provide ample time to think of an escape route. The third is optional, which is to grab a worthy hostage. I found out that you were indeed important to him—she motioned at Sun Ce— when he did what I hoped he would do…talk to all of you. I figured that the possibility of him talking to his beloved or his beloved going near him was high, so I took my chances…and picked you"
"But still…"
"How? The way he talks to you…the way his eyes and the tone of his voice changed when he looked at you. The way his gestures seemed to soften a wee bit when he addressed you. He was different when he was talking to you than he was talking with me or Lu Xun or Sun Shang Xiang. And, the way he talks about you. The 'MY Da Qiao' part was a clear giveaway"
Amazing! Lu Xun thought
She's not human! Lu Meng grimed.
This girl…is quite a find. Zhou Yu smiled.
"Wow! You're good! The gods must've given you to us! That's why you fell on Lord Sun Ce!" Xiao Qiao said, as she was the only one who was able to voice her opinion.
"Not really…I'm just sensitive to people…what they feel basing on their laughter, eyes, gestures, facial expressions…even though some try hard to mask them ir hide, I always know there's something. Call it instinct…"
"But you are!" Xiao Qiao jumped and took both of her hands in hers. "You were given by the gods to Wu! You're nice, even if you caused a lot of trouble! Gan Ning, Ling Tong, Shang Xiang and I cause trouble too!"
"Xiao Qiao…that's not…" Zhou Yu added, smiling apologetically.
"…And Lord Zhou Yu always forgave me! Now that everything's okay, we can be friends, right? Sun Ce if forgave you, then everyone will too! And you can help us bring Wu to glory! We could beat that evil Cao Cao!"
"Forget it Xiao Qiao" Sun Ce added. "She's not going to help us. She's got no reason to. We chased her around the castle and everything, and she caused a considerable amount of damage! Who's going to pay for all the broken curtains, pots and vases?"
"You will!" Sun Shang Xiang cheerfully said. "And even though she might have no reason to help us, that won't stop us from being civil, right bro?"
"It's okay" Soi said quietly. "If you could just let me go.—"
"No! We're not sure of your identity! We're not sure if you're a spy of Cao Cao's, or Lu Bu's or—"
"Brother! Would a spy fall out of the sky?" Sun Shang Xiang said, irritated.
"Brother, I sincerely think that this is something divine…" Sun Quan said quietly. "Lord Zhou Yu and I saw it…We were in the middle of the sea. The land was miles away…there was no other way to reach us except by boat."
"And it is not possible for a human to survive after being catapulted, Sun Ce. An army would be foolish to try to attempt such a feat with their few, most talented spies. And the target hit you hard. It is nothing but the work of a divine hand that you and Xiu Soi are alive"
"And there was a huge disturbance in the clouds when we looked up brother. That really meant that she came from the sky."
"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't felt it…" Sun Ce said, still feeling the body pains that he suffered. "Alright guys…but I'm still placing her under house arrest until we clear things up! We will have a major interrogation! And I'm sure ALL of the generals would want to take part" Sun Ce grinned at her evilly.
"Then it's settled!" Xiao Qiao said excitedly. "You'll be staying with us!"
A servant came in and informed them that dinner was served. Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang helped her out of bed despite a protesting Sun Ce, telling him that a guest of honor can deserve nothing less than to dine at the table along with the other generals and they will not stand for her to have dinner in her prison. They also insisted that they have to prepare her for dinner.
"But even if…" Lu Meng found the voice to speak. "To be able to spot the most little and vague difference in such a short amount of time, to be able to assess and act on the situation calmly and logically, knowing when to fight or retreat…taking reckless gambles that end up being successful…"
"Are the qualities of an excellent warrior" Lu Xun ended helpfully.
"Not only of a warrior, young Lu Xun, but of a strategist" Zhou Yu ended, smiling. "Yet…that is not possible…"
"Yeah" Sun Ce scoffed. "A woman can never be a strategist!"
They entered the dining table and saw that the other generals were already present. Some of them were bruised, charred and what-have-you.
"Okay boys!" Sun Ce announced as he took the head of the table. "Tonight, after dinner, there will be an intense interrogation of our 'guest of honor', the Falling Star! So make sure you guys squeeze every bit of information out of her, got it?"
They all cheered. "She'd better be ready for Gan Ning!" Gan Ning shouted as he waved his cup of wine.
"Careful Ning, she'd better be ready for you to throw all your dinner at her in case you get wasted before dinner even starts" Ling Tong drawled.
"Shut your mouth!"
As they go into a full scale argument with Huang Gai and Taishi Ci keeping them in check, Zhou Tai asked "My Lord Sun Quan, how is the girl right now?"
"She had just woken up. Thank heavens that she is alright. She will join us for dinner in a short while"
After a few moments, the door opened and everyone stopped.
The two Qiaos, along with Sun Shang Xiang, ushered Soi in. She was wearing simple, white silk robes and a red choker that they have never seen before. She was much cleaner and her face brighter. They realized that she was prettier without dirt on her face…
"Everyone" Da Qiao said, "the Falling Star, Lady Xiu Soi"
"Hey guys! It's rude to stare!" Shang Xiang mocked, grinning devilishly as they sat down.
They praised the gods and started eating. Everyone kept glancing at Soi's direction. Everyone could not believe that this was the weird looking, gray boyish girl that they had just chased.
Soi looked at the food that was served. She felt her stomach ache as she was unable to eat properly for a few days now. Would she be prim and proper for them? Or…what the heck.
She took the utensils and chowed down. She didn't care if they were staring at her. She felt their eyes burn on her as she emptied her plate and moved on to the second one.
"Wow…the only other one I know that can empty a plate that fast is either Gan Ning or Huang Gai…" Sun Ce commented.
In a matter of minutes, her plate was wiped clean and she was already draining a glass of wine. She placed the cup down and sighed, already full. Then she noticed the stares that everyone was granting her, especially Lu meng, Lu Xun, Zhou Yu and Sun Quan. She must've broken at least 11 of the 10 rules of how to behave like a lady. She smiled sheepishly and commented "um…it was a feast…?"
Gan Ning and Ling Tong immediately clapped their hands. "What a performance!" Gan Ning shouted.
"It brought tears to my eyes!" Ling Tong added.
For the first time in ages, she laughed. Lu Xun liked it…it was clear and lively.
Taishi Ci joined in the fun as he brought his cup to her. "I drink to your wonderful talent. Watching you, has made me realize how hungry I am. Cheers!" he drank.
"It looks like someone beat me this time…but you won't beat me a second time!" Huang Gai started emptying his plate as well, with Ling Tong and Gan Ning cheering him on.
Sun Ce, who couldn't resist, joined the fun. "Go Huang Gai! You can do it!"
After a lively dinner, with everyone not eating much due to intense laughter, they all went inside a room with considerably light spirits.
Sun Ce directed Xiu Soi to a chair where everyone can see her. Sun Ce, Sun Quan and the women sat down while the others stood up.
"Okay. Now that we know that your name is Xiu Soi, allow our other generals to introduce themselves…" he nodded at the others to start.
Zhou Tai was the first one to speak. "I am Zhou Tai, loyal servant to the Sun Family."
"And I am Huang Gai, a long time friend and servant of the Sun Family"
"I am Gan Ning! Ex-pirate and now an officer of Wu!"
"Idiot, that's not how you make an impression on a lady!" he stepped forward and bowed. "I am Ling Tong, son of Ling Cao. A pleasure to meet you"
"And I am Taishi Ci" he ended simply.
"Okay, now we got over that, let's get down to business" Sun Ce said, adjusting to a comfortable seating position.
Zhou Yu was worried and knew he's have to keep an eye on his childhood friend. He knew Ce still harbored 'unkind' feelings for the girl.
"Who are you really? Where did you come from? "
"As I have told you, I am Xiu Soi. I came from…" she suddenly stopped and looked at them, remembering something. "What year is it?"
"What? Hey, that's not fair! I asked you a question first!" Sun Ce replied.
"Just tell me"
"Its 197 A.D…why?" Zhou Yu asked.
At this, Soi burst into a fit of laughter while all of them stared. Was she crazy or what…?
"Don't tell me this is real! Now I know I'm dreaming…" she wiped her eyes from laughing. "It's either that, or I've totally lost my mind!"
"Why…? What's wrong…?" Da Qiao asked.
She looked at her. "Da Qiao…one of the famous "Two Qiaos". Their beauty shines brighter than the sun and moon put together and put the most beautiful flower to shame…"
"Y-yes…?"
"Oh God!" She stood up and paced around. She pointed at Zhou Yu. "And don't tell me that you are Zhou Yu, also known as the 'Handsome Young Zhou Yu', along with Sun Ce, 'The little Conqueror and…there's Lu Bu the strongest of all…Cao Cao the hero of Chaos and Liu Bei, the man of virtue…together the three of you would be the strongest power to be reckoned with and be known as the era of the three kingdoms…"
As she ranted, Taishi Ci leaned over Huang Gai and whispered "What is she ranting about…?"
Huang Gai shrugged as Da Qiao offered tea to a frantic Soi with Shang Xiang calming her down.
"I'm in the middle of a freakin' war!" Soi shouted as the tea was offered. She drank it straight down, in which Shang Xiang and Da Qiao glanced at each other nervously. That tea was scalding hot!
She felt the heat and coughed, almost choking. She buried her head in her hands and shook her head. "This isn't real…I'm going to wake up…I'll still be in the back woods of the library…this is not real…not real…"
Sun Ce walked towards her and hit her on the head. "You fool! If this is all not true, then what do you call us?"
She felt her head. He was right. It hurt. It's too unreal to be true…she felt pain, hunger, exhaustion…but she was afraid that if her mind were to process this, she would go crazy!
She looked up and smiled, though the tears were close to falling. "I came…from a different world. Not exactly different from this one…but not the same. You get me?"
"I think I understand…I think" Sun Ce answered, puzzled, and Sun Quan chuckled.
"Wow! A different world! How do the clothes look like in your world? Like that gray thing?"
"No…there are more prettier clothes…there are different styles"
"Let's make them!" Da Qiao said enthusiastically.
Shang Xiang wrinkled her nose. She wasn't really into those kinds of things. "Hey, what's your world like?"
"Pretty screwed up…chaotic. Prices increase, there are wars, peace treaties, negotiations that goes no where…children unable to go to school to learn, some of them dying, some of them killed by the parents, the rich keep getting richer, the poor poorer, even the food that you eat, the water that you drink and the very air you breathe is not safe anymore…yep, I live in a wonderful world."
She smiled at the shocked and outraged faces of he people around her. "Children? Murdered? An outrage!" Huang Gai shouted.
"You cannot eat, drink, even breathe safely? You must be kidding…are you?" Lu xun asked, worried.
"Is there no one with honor?" Zhou Tai said disgustingly.
"They do. Not much people. Evil has ruled my world." She said casually.
"What about your parents, lady Xiu Soi?" Lu Meng inquired.
Xiu Soi froze. The porcelain cup that she was holding started to tremble.
"Lady Xiu Soi…?" Da asked, worried.
"Never.mention.those.words.again" she stood up as the tea spilled from her hand and glared at Lu Meng.
For a moment, Lu Meng saw fire in those eyes and felt a stab of fear.
"Lady Xiu Soi!" Shang Xiang pleaded.
Her face suddenly returned to its original state as she stared at Lu Meng. "I'm sorry…I must've lost my temper back there…"
She sat down and breathed deep.
"Hey are there pirates in your world?" Gan Ning asked and she laughed.
"Hmm…it depends what is your definition of pirates. There are pirated cds, dvds…and the like"
"Huh?"
"What about music, Lady Xiu Soi?" Ling Tong asked. "Can you sing a sample?"
At this, everyone's mood lightened and looked at her. She shook her head. "Oh no…no please. I can't sing"
"Just one?" Ling Tong pleaded.
"No…um…isn't it late already?"
"We can stay up all night!" Gan Ning offered.
"Um…um…wait! How come you guys can speak perfect English! This is China after all…"
"Huh? But my Lady, you are the one speaking perfect Chinese! And perfectly, I might add" Lu Meng smiled.
Okay…that was creepy…but hey! If they understood each other, no problem.
"I'm sleepy!" she yawned. "Look at the time! Good night!" she ran towards her room and bolted the door.
"Hey!—Oh darn" Xiao Qiao pouted. "I wanted to know how song in their world sounded like!"
"There's always tomorrow Xiao Qiao…" Zhou Yu smiled.
Just then, a servant came in and requested for Sun Ce to address two messengers that arrived.
He followed the servant, wondering from who the messengers were from.
Lu Meng and Taishi Ci had just finished their sparring session and had just taken a break in the backyard, near the castle. Taishi Ci looked at the window above them, which was Xiu Soi's and smiled.
"She is a lot like Lady Sun Shang Xiang, is she not?"
Lu Meng looked at Taishi Ci for a while and saw that he was looking up a window.
"Ah! Did you mean Lady Xiu Soi? Yes, she is…wait…" Lu Meng warned. "…Taishi Ci, did you hear something…?"
Xiao Qiao and Sun Shang Xiang snickered as they made their way towards Soi's room, carrying a dress. They have been together for at least two weeks now and the girls have been rather lose. Sun Ce has finally agreed to his little sister's request that Xiu Soi be moved to a more decent room.
"Wait Xiao Qiao…do you hear something…?" They tiptoed toward Soi's room and opened the door just a little bit. It was Soi! And she was singing! She has a pretty voice…
She stopped and looked at the door. "Who's there?"
"Aha!" Shang Xiang and Xiao Qiao jumped into the room
"OH F#! I told you two to knock or something!"
"We caught you singing! And it was pretty! And…" Xiao Qiao taunted.
"And we want you to sing it tonight!" Sun Shang Xiang added.
"Huh?"
"There's a party in your honor!"
"WHAT?"
"It was decided two weeks ago!"
"HOW!"
"There were two messengers from Wu and the newly formed kingdom Shu who heard about the Falling Star and wanted to see for themselves…and pay their respects in case your are from the heavens…at least, that's wht Zhou Yu says!" Xiao Qiao said.
Soi's chest hurt at the sound of Zhou Yu's name.
"If you ask me, they just want to see if Soi's real! You have to prove it Soi! You have to try your best to act from your world to convince them that the kingdom of Wu does not lie! So here…" she handed her a dress.
"You can alter that dress into any style you want, and you have 12 hours to practice your song with the musicians if you want. So good luck!" she patted Soi on the back and started to leave with Xiao Qiao.
"Wait! I wasn't informed properly on this! Why?"
Sun Shang Xiang and Xiao Qiao looked at her and smiled. "We knew that you would either escape or devise a plan to get out of it. Forget about escape, there are guards by the window and door! And whatever may happen, you are not getting out of the program! We have medicine and the best doctors and they will know if you're faking an illness! And even the kitchens are guarded, so don't try anything funny!" she went out of the room hurriedly.
"Best of luck to you!" Xiao Qiao waved as she skipped out of the room.
Soi decided that she will strangle Sun Ce for this…she looked at the dress and sighed. What can she possibly do at a short notice…?…and an idea hit her.
She looked at her bead container and got her creations out. Gold was definitely out…beads were in.
She held out the dress and a smile crept on her lips.
Hmm…what if?
TBC
Author's notes: Okay…So no song insertion! I promise you all that in the next chapter, there will be! And you will all be surprised at the song. And many more song insertions in other chapters…sorry! I'm a music lover! nn
I set it so that Lu Xun was still an apprentice in this one. Don't worry, he'll evolve