Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors or any of the characters. It and they belong to Koei. I own my OCs.
The ride to the Wu palace is NOT enjoyable. I am stuck in a stupid, bumpy, uncomfortable carriage, unable to use my hidden dagger because Lu Xun is watching me and because my hands and feet are tied with rope. Ridiculous, right? I prefer a horse any day.
I roll my eyes as the wooden carriage runs over a bumpy path. The small carriage trembles slightly. Even I can design a better carriage than this! I scratch at the tight rope and glare hatefully at Lu Xun. I am not giving up on my strangling dream yet.
He stares emotionlessly back. In the end we just have a staring contest all the way to the Wu palace. Sadly, no one wins.
The carriage halts abruptly and my back slams ungracefully against the hard, wooden carriage. The carriage door is rudely kicked open, startling me. I wince slightly, pitying the door.
"Eh, so this is the so called Assassin," a tall guy with bells says as he inspects me. "Must not be tough enough if you were captured. After all, you're a girl!"
I glare menacingly and say slowly, coldly, and venomously, "I will make you regret those words the day I stand over you with a knife in my hands or a bow with my arrows."
"Heh, as if you can defeat the great Gan Ning!" exclaims Gan Ning arrogantly and confidently.
"You mean I can defeat the idiot and arrogant pirate with ridiculous, pathetic bells and who also needs a bath," I shoot back quickly.
"Why you-" he starts to say while lifting a fist, but is interrupted by laughter and applause.
"Ling Tong, why do you have to come now?" demands Gan Ning.
"Because I can and it's free," answers Ling Tong nonchalantly, while sticking his tongue childishly out at Gan Ning.
Then, he turns to me and says, "I totally agree with you by the way. The idiot pirate with the ridiculous bells does need a bath."
I grin sweetly at him and say, "I'd high five you right now, but I have my hands tied."
"Ahh, Lu Xun's work?" says Ling Tong as his eyes flicker over to Lu Xun.
"Yup," I say as I look at Lu Xun, not noticing a tint of red appearing at his cheeks.
Lu Xun stared at us blankly and says, "What?"
"Nothing, nothing," I shrug as I say.
"You jealous, Lu Xun?" laughed Gan Ning as he throws an arm around his shorter friend.
Regaining his composure, Lu Xun asks coolly, "Why would I be?"
"Eh, whatever," shrugs Gan Ning carelessly.
"I suppose I'll be thrown in a cell now," I ask as I nod at Ling Tong.
"Don't make us sound like savages," laughs Ling Tong freely. "We'll walk you to your cell, politely ask you to go in, and decide what to do with you after."
"And if I don't go in?"
"Then, we'll carry you in."
"I see," I say thoughtfully, and then I gesture to the ropes on my ankles. "Care to untie them, then? I'm sure you wouldn't want to carry me."
"I beg to differ," says Ling Tong with an evil grin.
"WATCH OUT, LING TONG IS GOING TO DO SOMETHING EVVILLL!" screams Gan Ning dramatically. Then he falls backward, crashing against the hard, wooden seat of the carriage as I wince.
Rubbing his back, Gan Ning complains, "Why didn't you catch me Lu Xun? That was your job."
Lu Xun silently crosses his arms and says, "How am I supposed to catch you when you don't tell me to. Plus, you are too heavy."
"Well you should know," whines Gan Ning as he prods Lu Xun's arm.
Rolling my eyes, I turn back to Ling Tong. The evil grin is back on his face. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me outside. For a moment, I think he is going to let me down, but he just throws me in the air and catches me again. Now I'm sitting on his shoulder with my arms around his neck. Talk about awkward.
"PUT ME DOWN!" I scream loudly.
"I'm afraid I can't. You're our prisoner after all," he says a little too cheerfully.
"PUT ME DOWN. NOW!" I shout again fiercely.
Two men jog up to Ling Tong and me and my face starts to feel warm.
"Hey Sun Ce, Zhou Yu," greets Ling Tong cheerfully.
I smack him on the head.
"Who's this," asks Sun Ce, nodding at me.
"This is our prisoner. You know, Assassin," says Ling Tong calmly as Zhou Yu frowns at me.
"Why are you carrying her?"
"She said that she was sure I wouldn't want to carry her."
"Hey, put her down for a sec," orders Sun Ce with a sly grin. "LUU XUUNNN! Get your behind out here."
A few seconds later, Lu Xun appears indignantly with his face a dark shade of red.
"Carry her," demands Sun Ce, pointing to me. "to the dungeon."
"WHAT?!" we yell in unison.
"I order you as your ruler, to carry her to the dungeon," repeats Sun Ce way too calmly. "Or you can say goodbye to fire attacks."
Sun Ce smiles easily and happily while Zhou Yu lets out a chuckle. I glance over at Lu Xun's horror stricken face. I have to resist the urge the laugh.
Lu Xun walks slowly over and hesitantly wraps his arms around my legs.
"You are so heavy and fat," growls Lu Xun.
"Lu Xun," I say innocently.
"What?" he snaps back.
"Say hello to Shoe," I smirk while kicking him in the stomach. But it is a good thing we are facing opposite directions because he has abs as hard as rocks. Without him looking, I wince.
"You are an evil woman. Why are you even wearing combat boots?" whispers Lu Xun harshly.
"There is a reason these boots are called combat boots. And there is a reason I am called an Assassin," I hiss, irritated. "Do the words combat and Assassin register anything in your brain? Why do you call yourself a strategist if you can't figure that out? Oh and just to let you know, I can choke you to death right now with my arms." I say the last part smugly because my arms are around his neck.
"Evil, fat woman."
"Skinnier, smarter, and nicer than you."
I am now currently chipping away the bars of my prison window with a rock. What? It's better than doing nothing. I wish I made my dream of strangling Lu Xun come true though. I regret it now because I had a chance earlier.
"You know you will never break out. Why do you insist on resisting?" asks a demanding voice.
Whirling around quickly, I spot Zhou Yu watching me intently with a sword in his hands.
"I will fight to the last stand," I retort furiously. "I WILL die resisting. Just because I surrender, doesn't mean I will stop fighting. If I have to, I will kill myself rather than let you kill me!"
Then, I resume my futile attempt of breaking out by chipping away at the window. He is silent for a moment, taking in my words. After a minute, he retreats to the brighter parts of the palace, his footsteps growing fainter and fainter with each step until there is no sound.
I begin thinking of an escape plan. I would have to do it at night, but I need the full moon's light. That should be three days from now. Glancing at the guards outside my cell, I suddenly realize that they switch. I would have to break out when they switch. But how would I break out? I suppose I could pick the lock. I mean I am an Assassin. Pick locking is one of the basic skills. The only remaining question is what I would pick the lock with. I sigh, completely frustrated.
I lean against the stone walk and slowly slide down in a sitting position. Then, I drift off to and uncomfortable sleep.
The sound of rusty metal bars creaking open wakes me up. My eyes immediately shoot open. My hand instinctively reaches for my dagger. In the firelight, I can see it is Lu Xun and I relax a little bit. After all, who's afraid of whom? I can take him on any day. But I still groan mentally. Why does he have to come right now?
In Lu Xun's hands is a small, red basket. He kneels next to me and pulls out a small bowl of white rice. My hands fly outward and rest on top of the basket, preventing him from supplying more cold food.
"Don't bother," I say while stifling a yawn and rubbing my eyes. "I'm not eating that."
"Don't think I'm doing this because I want to," snaps Lu Xun angrily. "I was put in charge of capturing you and now they want you to be kept alive."
"Well, nice to know Mr. Politeness," I say sarcastically. "Go put something on that covers your whole body. You disgust me!"
I actually disagree with what my mouth says. He has very nice abs and he looks kind of…cute….hot? What the heck am I thinking?
"Fine, then you better eat this," he says warningly.
"And if I don't?" I insist stubbornly.
"Then I'll make you."
The next morning, I yawn and stretch. My body aches from sleeping in an uncomfortable position. For some reason there is a red, soft blanket covering me the whole night. I look around wildly, but see no one.
"Hey there, good morning."
I look at the gate to see Ling Tong smiling.
"Hey," I greet as I walk over to him.
"Want some fresh air?" he asks kindly.
"Love some. But won't you get in trouble?" I question.
"Nah, they want to keep you alive and healthy. And you need fresh air to be healthy," grins Ling Tong happily. "What kind of person worries for their enemy?"
Laughing, we head outside.
"So where are we going?" I ask curiously.
"To the training grounds, I want to show you something," answers Ling Tong while grinning mischievously.
"Aren't you afraid I might run away now?"
"You are a warrior with honor. You won't escape now."
"How are you so sure? People are different."
Ling Tong shrugs in reply. But, he is right. You can call me stupid for all I care, but I still find that he is right. And the fact that there are guards all around me makes me think twice about escaping now.
"There," guffaws Ling Tong, pointing to a pirate with a shield and a woman firing arrows at him.
We walk calmly-as we could-toward them while stifling our laughter.
"Hey Shang Xiang!" shouts Ling Tong loudly.
"You don't have to yell in my ear like the immature boy you are, Ling Tong," grimaces Sun Shang Xiang, as she looks at him. Then, her eyes fall on me and she smirks.
"Did you pay her to walk here with you?" asks Sun Shang Xiang, and then she turns to me. "No offense."
I smile politely. There is something about her that makes me like her instantly. Perhaps it's the way she is firing those arrows at Gan Ning, or the talent she has for pissing people off.
"None taken," I reply. "I'm Xin Ying."
"Sun Shang Xiang. You can call me Shang Xiang" she smiles warmly.
"I see the idiot pirate didn't take a bath yet," I giggle uncontrollably.
"Got that right," grumbles Shang Xiang, frustrated. "I've been firing arrows at him all morning. The stinky pirate says he'll take a bath if I can hit the shield."
Sun Shang Xiang grabs another arrow from her quiver and shoots again. Missing by one inch, she groans in frustration.
"YOU MISS! AND YOU MISS AGAIN! YOU WILL NEVER GET MEEEE!" sings Gan Ning as he dances and skips around merrily.
"Did I mention he can move while I shoot?" moans Shang Xiang.
"Can I try?" I ask solemnly.
"Sure," answers Shang Xiang, happy that she can take a break. She hands a quiver of arrows to me.
"I only need two," I say confidently, seizing two arrows and taking her bow.
"GAN NING! PREPARE TO BE DEFEATED!" I shout at him.
"IN YOUR DREAMS!" he shouts back.
I use the first arrow to fire at his feet. Gan Ning quickly dodges it and while he is distracted, I grab another arrow and aim for the shield.
"Despicable!" yells Gan Ning angrily, after the arrow lands on target.
"Never said I couldn't be!" I yell back triumphantly.
Receiving high fives from Shang Xiang and Ling Tong, I shout at the pirate, "Go take your bath now!"
The next afternoon I find myself in the company of Shang Xiang, Gan Ning, Ling Tong, and Lu Xun, who is seriously pissing me off. We are drinking tea outside and I decide to make a comment on Lu Xun's clothing choice.
"Glad to see your wearing something that actually covers your whole body," I say.
"Yeah, to lessen the impact of the fat lady's combat boot," retorts Lu Xun crossly.
"Aren't you grumpy? And SKINNIER THAN YOU!" I shoot back furiously. "Oh and did the words combat and assassin finally get through your THICK SKULL?!"
"Look who's talking? I heard you were chipping away the prison window."
"Better than doing nothing!"
"Fat idiot."
"Asshole."
"Moron."
"Retard."
"I would be telling you that you guys are arguing like an old, married couple right now, but I'm pretty sure you'll make me regret it if I say it," intervenes Gan Ning cautiously.
"Someone's being smart today," Shang Xiang remarks.
"DAMN RIGHT I WILL!" Lu Xun and I shout in unison.
"SHUT UP!" we yell together at each other, while Gan Ning, Ling Tong, and Sun Shang Xiang laugh uncontrollably.
"You know what? I have a very interesting fact for you all," I say sweetly, while smiling innocently. "Did you know that the tea you guys are drinking right now might have been used to wash Cao Cao's face, or rinse Liu Bei's mouth? It's the same water that goes through the water cycle."
Coincidently, Lu Xun and I didn't touch our tea yet which makes my scheme even more perfect!
They spit out the tea they are drinking at the same time and yell things angrily like, "EWW, CAO CAO COOTIES. YUCK LIU BEI'S GERMS. SAVE US!"
Laughing extremely hard, Lu Xun gives me a high five.
Tonight is the night I escape. I am a little uncertain about my escape plan, but I have to trust myself.
"Hey."
I quickly whip around to see Lu Xun holding a glass of water. I wait for him to make an infuriating comment, but he doesn't. Instead, he politely hands me the water.
"Thanks?" I say or rather, ask.
I reach out to seize the small glass and my fingers accidently brush against his. For some bizarre reason, I receive something like an electric shock. The weird thing is that the impact is sending tingles around my hands and fingers. My eyes shoot up to meet his. For the first time, I truly notice his eyes. They are a beautiful shade of warm, chocolate brown. The moonlight peering through my prison window is making his eyes less like a chocolate brown color, but more like a golden color. I notice his eyes are focusing intently in mine in concentration. We stay like that for a few minutes. Suddenly, loud clatters outside rudely snaps us out of our….trance?
I grab the cup and chug the cool water. I end up choking and coughing which is very embarrassing. Lu Xun gently and soothingly pats my back. Wiping my mouth with my arm, I skillfully pretend to fall asleep. After Lu Xun leaves, I open my eyes. This guy seems to have split personalities; gullible and innocent, cold and cunning.
Grinning, I pull out my small dagger and try to walk quickly to the gate of my cell. Smoothly sliding the dagger in the rusty, metal lock, I twist the dagger around with my eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Finally, the lock clicks and the gate slowly and squeakily opens.
I attempt to walk speedily out, but I find my legs are weak and I am extremely dizzy from hunger. I stagger ungracefully out, shake my head, trying to rid myself of my dizziness, and blow out the remaining amount of fiery light.
I climb up stone stairs and shove open a large door. Light begins to flood in as I move a hand in front of my eyes. Suddenly, I feel warm in comparison to the dark, clammy cells.
Hearing soft, faint footsteps, I hastily throw myself into a broom closet and shut the door. Breathing a sigh of relief, I swiftly realize that the footsteps are approaching the door. I tightly squeeze my eyes shut, and accidently kick over a bucket.
I grit my teeth in annoyance and panic. Silently cursing me as the door slowly and shyly opens, I pull the person-which turns out to be a maid-in. Then, I knock her out.
Stepping out of the broom closet, I tug at the maid's uniform which I just stole and that is now clinging to my own slim body. Silently, I pray I can make it out of here. After all, I can only rely on my fighting skills, memory, and maybe some other things.
I keep my head down and quietly walk down the bright, inviting halls. I happen to pass by Zhou Yu and Sun Ce who are discussing something that seems important, but to my relief, they do not pay attention to me.
"LORD SUN CE, LORD ZHOU YU! OUR PRISONER IS MISSING!"
Shoot! I have to make a run for it now. As quickly as I can, I dash away. Down halls and around rooms I go. Until finally, I shove the large doors of my treasured exit harshly open. Panting heavily, I sprint outside, ignoring my dizziness. I see colorful spots, I hear cries and commands of my capture, I feel dizzy, weak, and tired.
My hands grip on a rough, wide branch of a tall tree. I haul myself tiredly and ungracefully up. I climb higher and higher, as cries below grow louder and louder. My exhausted eyes look up to see a sky full of bright, shiny stars. They look like the sprinkles of a sweet cupcake. I feel like giving up, surrendering, but I want to keep fighting. Cool air hugs me as I soar downward with and I squeeze my eyes shut. Then, pair of strong arms catches me. Looking up carefully, I can see a pair of golden eyes before my world goes black.