"Really, Lady Sun, you don't have to do this." San felt rather uncomfortable walking alongside the princess of Wu with a weapon in her hand. It didn't matter that Shang Xiang was also carrying weapons. It also didn't matter that San's guards had been dismissed by the princess. She was a guest of Wu and, by the very nature of her visit, should not be allowed to carry swords around at all.
But Lady Sun had been persistent all morning. "Nonsense. A warrior should always be allowed to practice. Besides, I want to see you fight. You were only a child when I was there last and I have heard rumors about your abilities." She grinned and rubbed her thumbs along her chakram blades. "If we get there early enough, we will be able to practice in private. It is rare to find other women around who want to fight anyway."
"Will Lady Li Tai be there?"
"I am not sure. Both she and her husband have been through a whirlwind of emotions ever since you arrived. They have a lot to consider right now. Lu Xun's wife and Zhou Yu's daughter also returned last night from a trip of their own, which has not made any of this easier."
San nodded. "I heard them last night. May I ask where they were before?"
"Their mothers, the Qiao sisters, have family a little to the north of here. Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao thought it would be best to keep Zhou Ying away from everything after Lu Ba's capture, and Sun Yi has been missing her cousins. We hoped the trip would do Ying some good. She is not happy that your arrival has disrupted her wedding plans." Shang Xiang frowned a little. "I assume you figured as much from listening to them in your room."
"She called me a whore and a wench. My sympathy is lacking."
The princess laughed. It sounded sincere for the first time since San had arrived. "Best not mention that when you see her, San. She dislikes looking like a fool, and I do not think she would like finding out that you overheard her conversation."
"Zhou Ying doesn't seem to like anything."
"Ying had some difficulty growing up. Sun Yi is the only other girl close in age that is around all the time. The other children are all boys. Zhou Yu wanted his daughter to be a refined young lady, so she has spent most of her life surrounded by noble women while the others got to run around and do more fun things. I think she resents her father a little for choosing her destiny. She does not realize that all of us women share the same fate. You are lucky that your father allowed you a choice."
San frowned. "So why is she so anxious to get married?"
"I believe that she truly does care for Lu Ba. She followed Zhou Xun and Ba around right up until her father changed her direction. To her, if she must be married, it brings her comfort to know that it would be to a childhood friend. Her family thinks highly of him and we both know that he would treat her well. A part of her fears that, if these plans are disrupted, the perfect future she has envisioned will crumble."
"But Zhou Yu wouldn't pick just any man for his daughter."
"No. He would be very careful with his selection. Yu was delighted at the idea of his daughter marrying the son of Lu Meng. But he is also a strategist, and he understands that sometimes there are better options. It is unfortunate that Ying cannot see things the same way. I sympathize with her feelings though."
"What about Sun Yi?" San asked. She was determined to get as much information as she could about the other women of Wu before she met them. It never hurt to be prepared.
Shang Xiang rolled her eyes. "If there ever was a perfect noblewoman in Wu, it would have to be Sun Yi. She has Da Qiao's beauty and grace with a hint of Sun Ce's playfulness." The princess chuckled to herself. "She always confided in me when she was growing up. Yi shared Ying's concern about her future, especially when it was agreed that she would marry Lu Xun, a much older man. But she also knew that it would benefit both families and that she was unlikely to do any better. Xun is kind to her and attentive to her needs, and she has grown to love him dearly. She is anxious to meet you, by the way. I spoke to her briefly this morning."
"Me? Why would she want to meet me?"
"She, too, is Lu Ba's friend. I am not surprised that she would want to meet his savior. And before you ask, I do not believe her husband has put her up to anything. He knows better than to pressure her into anything. She will simply close herself up." She glanced sideways at San, who looked a little nervous. "There is no need to worry. Sun Yi is simply curious. She does not judge as easily as most people around here do."
They had reached the training yard by the time Shang Xiang had finished talking. The princess was right. Most of the area was empty, save for a few of the younger soldiers waving weapons around. All of them stopped and stared as the two women approached. San glared at them. She felt like a sideshow attraction. Lady Sun pretended not to notice. Instead, she put her chakrams on the ground and stretched out her arms. "I'm not sure how you usually start your training, so I hope you don't mind if I jump right into my routine."
San shook her head and stood back to watch for a moment. The refined princess of Wu had become a solider in a matter of seconds, throwing all formality away in favor of a good spar. She stretched out her limbs before moving into a graceful series of flips, kicks and punches. It was like watching a dance instead of a training routine. Despite her age, Shang Xiang was limber and strong. San felt a little embarrassed to be on the same field as her. She hope her elder didn't put her to shame.
Eventually, San moved into her own warm-ups, stretching her muscles and moving through the series that her father had taught her. It wasn't long, however, before they attracted more of an audience. "It seems we have company," Shang Xiang said after San had finished her first flip. The teenager turned to see a small entourage heading towards them. "Ah, I guess you won't have to wait to meet the young women of Wu."
San groaned. Lady Sun was right; Sun Yi and Zhou Ying were leading the group, comprised of servants and the eldest Qiao sister. She hurried to wipe the sweat off her forehead. "I don't do well with an audience," she hissed.
"Relax. If you can fight in front of a crowd with Lu Ba, you can fight in front of them."
"He told you about that?"
Shang Xiang flashed a mischievous grin. "With much enthusiasm." Before San could protest, the princess turned and bowed to the group. "Sun Yi, Zhou Ying, I trust your trip was uneventful."
Sun Yi smiled. It was sweet and seemed natural on her face. "It was lovely, Lady Sun. I trust my father is still resting. I have not seen him at all this morning."
"You know him. He fights everyone tooth and nail to be out there practicing and playing jokes and conquering the world. We have been keeping an eye on him, I promise."
"Excellent." She turned her eyes towards San, who suddenly felt uncomfortable. Everything about Sun Yi looked perfect, while she was in plain training clothes with sweat trickling down her face. "You must be the young woman who saved Lu Ba. I am Sun Yi, daughter of Sun Ce and wife of Lu Xun. It is a pleasure to meet you."
San bowed. She may be a warrior at heart, but she knew how to play the rules of the court games regardless of how she was dressed. Mei Li had taught her well. "The pleasure is mine, Lady Sun Yi. I am Zhao San, daughter of Zhao Yun. I apologize for the turmoil I have caused your kingdom. You were not expecting such news upon your return home, I am sure." Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Shang Xiang and Da Qiao give each other a look of surprise and respect.
"The Little Dragon's daughter," Yi said. There was a tinge of awe in her voice. "This is a high honor indeed. May I inquire as to how long you will be with us?"
"Three days, I believe. I brought a letter to your husband from our own strategists. They are in the process of working out some kind of arrangement. I hope I will not disturb you for too long."
Yi shook her head. "Think nothing of it, Lady Zhao. It has been a long time since we have had any interaction with Shu. You are welcome here as long as you like." Ying made some kind of noise from behind her. Yi's face turned a shade of red as she ushered the young woman forward. "Where are my manners? Lady Zhao, this is Zhou Ying, daughter of Zhou Yu and my aunt Xiao Qiao. She and I have just returned from a trip up north, so you must excuse her if she seems a little tired."
San bowed to her. Ying did not bow back. "It is an honor to meet you, Lady Zhou Ying. I hope your trip went well."
"You're the one who came back with Lu Ba." It was a statement, not a question. San had to remember that she was a noblewoman and that it would be a very, very bad idea to say the wrong thing to her.
"Yes I am."
"When did you last see him?"
"I spoke to him briefly at supper yesterday. I have not seen him since then. I believe he has been spending time with your eldest brother."
San noticed a slight tick in the corner of Ying's eye. "May I have a private word with you, Lady Zhao?"
"Of course." Well, at least she knows enough of the game to call me a lady, she thought.
She ignored the looks the other women were giving her and followed Ying until they were just out of hearing range. She hoped the young girl wasn't going to try and stab her. "What is your true business here?" Ying immediately demanded. "And may I remind you that I am the daughter of Lord Sun Jian's most trusted officer and demand the same respect that you would give him."
"Then I will also remind you that I am the daughter of Lord Liu Bei's most trusted officer and am not required to give you anything. My business is to deliver a letter to Lu Xun regarding peace arrangements and then take his answer back to Shu. My messenger duties are complete after that."
"Are you sure there isn't more?"
"No."
Ying's eyes narrowed. "Let me explain some things to you. I don't care that you brought Lu Ba back to Wu. I don't care that the Sun family seems to think you are a hero and that his parents think its appropriate to give you the time of day. Lu Ba is my intended and nothing is going to get between us."
"What makes you think there is anything going on?" Her father's voice filled her head. Be careful, San. You are in dangerous waters here.
"Your arrival has interrupted my plans. Lu Ba won't even see me, much less my excuse for an older brother. Now my father is telling me that you and Ba are the key to this arrangement with Shu. I will tell you this once and only once. Stay away from my future husband. If I find out that you are the reason I am not getting married, I will personally make your life miserable in any way I can. Do I make myself clear?"
San forced herself not to laugh. All of the beauty she had seen in Ying last night had vanished. Some of her confidence in herself returned as she drew herself up to her full height. "Crystal. Now let me make something clear. I don't care what's going on behind closed doors in terms of your marriage arrangement or the peace agreements. I don't care what anyone's reasons are for not seeing you. And I don't care for your attitude towards me. I am here to train and then wait for Lu Xun to finish his letter to his contact. Then I will leave."
"How dare you speak to me that way, you Shu…"
San took a step back and bowed, which only infuriated Ying more. "If you will excuse me, Lady Zhou Ying, I must return to my practice. May I offer a word of advice before you verbally abuse me some more? Jealousy does not look good on you." She didn't even bother turning to see what Ying's face looked like. She could tell based on Lady Sun's expression and the fact that Sun Yi rushed past her towards he friend.
"San, play nice," Shang Xiang said. "You've hurt her feelings." The princess didn't seem at all distressed by the fact that San had just verbally attacked an influential member of her father's household. In fact, she seemed rather amused.
"I'm a Shu whore, remember?"
The princess shook her head, trying not to smile. "I hope Yi can think of something to distract her with. Otherwise you will have Zhou Yu on you for harassing his daughter. She can be very persistent."
San groaned again. "All I want to do right now is have a good spar."
"Good." Lady Sun picked up her chakrams and pointed one at her. "I hope you have sufficiently warmed up."
"At this point, I don't even care."
"Then I won't go easy on you." Before San could blink, Shang Xiang was forcing her weapons down on her. Her speed was lightning fast. San managed to roll out of the way and lunged at the princess, who narrowly missed the broadside of a small sword. The teenager quickly realized that all of the stories about Lady Sun were true. Her reflexes and acrobatics on the field were unlike anything she had ever seen before, which easily made up for her lack of strength. It was like fighting a female version of her father. It took every ounce of strength and wit she had to keep up with the princess' bevy of attacks. It also didn't help that the sword she was using was unfamiliar to her. The small swords she had carried with her to Wu were in the hands of the Lu family. It was a difficulty she didn't need. She soon forgot that they had an audience. She just wanted to keep her head intact.
Luckily for San, it became apparent quickly that Shang Xiang followed a pattern. Every move was designed to disorient her opponent until she had spun circles around them and caught them off guard. Xing Cai had a similar style. It just took patience to crack it enough to tear a hole in the attack. After several unsuccessful attempts, San finally found the opening she was looking for. Lady Sun launched into a spin that required two seconds of recovery time. The young woman waited until the swing was finished, then nimbly stepped onto her chakrams and vaulted herself over the princess. She had a three second window to complete her attack before she missed her opportunity.
San's swords, however, met wood instead of metal when she completed her swing. It took a full second to realize that there was a new opponent on the field.
"Starting the party without me?"
There was no way. San found herself unable to breathe as she looked up into the dark eyes of Lu Ba, whose staff was now housing her small swords. Shang Xiang stood behind him, grinning from ear to ear. San quickly pulled her swords back and put a foot of distance between them. "What are you doing here?"
"I heard you were practicing with Lady Sun. My mother wanted to see you fight, remember?" He waved behind him, where Li Tai was standing with the other women. She didn't dare look at Ying's face, if the girl was even still there. "Anyway, I thought we could continue our fight from last time." She simply stared at him. His face fell a little. "Unless you want to keep practicing with Lady Sun. Would you like me to wait?"
San quickly snapped out of her self induced coma and shook her head. "No! I mean, uh, no that's fine. I just wasn't expecting you. I though you were still catching up with Zhou Xun."
"He said he needed to talk to his father for a moment. He should be coming later. And he said it was important for me to spend time with you while you're still here." He studied her face for a moment. "Are you okay? You seem agitated."
"I'm worried that your fiancée is going to try and murder me later because you're talking to me and not her."
"Oh." He cast his eyes to the ground. "I was hoping to talk to you about that later."
"There's nothing to be said. You and she are betrothed, and once I take my message back to Shu, your marriage plans will be finalized."
San willed her heart to keep beating when he looked back up at her. The laughter in his eyes vanished as she spoke. Something about the way he looked at her scared her. She saw fear, anger, and sadness. It felt like she was watching a child cry. She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up his hand to stop her. "We can talk about it later. There are some things I want to tell you. But they should be in private."
"I…I should probably tell you some things as well." She chanced a glance over Ba's shoulder. Li Tai and Shang Xiang were whispering something to each other, smiling. The princess shared what was said with Da Qiao, who nodded. Sun Yi was holding Zhou Ying's hands. San couldn't help but smile. The girl was absolutely livid. "But you're right; they can wait until later. I haven't worked out all of my frustration yet."
Ba grinned. A little of her heart melted. "Same here. Are you sure you can handle me again?" He whirled his staff around and something metallic flashed across her line of vision. That was no ordinary staff in his hands. A cruel looking blade was fashioned at one end, coming to a slightly curved point. A metal spike graced the other end. "By the way, I've gotten better with that jump you taught me."
"Until you master it, it'll be useless against me."
"We'll see if that matters," was his only response.
A/N: Just a quick note here - I sometimes move back and forth between 'Lady Lu' and 'Lady Li Tai', but they are the same person. I don't mean to confuse anyone and the switch will be coming up more often in the next few chapters (I think...I need to check my notes). Thanks to everyone who enjoyed the last chapter. Special thanks to the beautiful AngelEtty as always :-)