He Xiao looked out over the Red Hills Courtyard from his position at the top of one of its towers, still somewhat unable to believe his good fortune. Although he and his men had been just as determined as their young general to live in and protect Yanbei, the events of the icy lake had brought home to all of them that home was not found in a place or a nationality but with the people you loved. So when he had broached the topic of the future to the dozens of men who were all that remained of what had once been a force of 500, they'd all agreed that home was wherever Chu Da Ren was.
The look on Chu Da Ren's face when he'd told her as much was something that he'd treasure for the rest of his life; there wasn't a single man in their troop who wouldn't lay down his life for her without hesitation, and they'd wanted to make sure that she knew it. Young Master Yue had neatly solved the problem of where they would go by offering them the use of Red Hills Courtyard since, as he'd put it, "Xing'er worked so hard to empty it for me."
When he and his men had learned the bloody history of the place and the role that their general had played in completely eradicating the entire branch of a family, they'd eagerly claimed the place as their own via the right of conquest of their beloved general. Not that they held any illusions about the true owner of Red Hills Courtyard or that they meant any disrespect to their general's husband; he and his men simply reveled in the thought that they were living in a place that had been emptied because Chu Da Ren had cleansed it of evil.
As if his thoughts had summoned her from the morning mist, the small, lithe form of his general hurdled almost soundlessly over the side of the wall that would be the most difficult for anyone from Green Hills to observe. He Xiao smiled as his general gripped the scabbard of Can Hong Jian in one hand while trying to smooth out her feminine robes with the other.
Not that he believed that she'd be in said clothing much longer; he knew full well that Chu Da Ren kept a couple of her old military outfits at Red Hills that were much more suitable for training than her current attire. After spending a couple of hours training with her men, he knew she'd change back into her more lady-like clothing and sneak back into Green Hills like she'd never left.
As she strolled confidently towards what was now the barracks, greetings of "Chu Da Ren!" rang out across the courtyard. She reemerged from the barracks a short time later dressed in the same dark blue robe and left shoulder guard that she'd worn the day that she'd come back to Chang'an for the Xiulis and defeated the then-owner of Red Hills Courtyard on their behalf.
A loud cheer arose from the men as they recognized the outfit, but Chu Da Ren didn't even seem to notice the noise as she drew her sword and launched into what looked like an effortless series of complex drills. The noise level of the Courtyard dropped off almost comically as everyone—He Xiao included—got wrapped up in watching their general weave her magic with the sword that matched her husband's.
All of a sudden, his mind was transported back to Xiuli Mountain on that fateful day when all of the tension between the competing powers of Yanbei had finally come to a head. Just like he knew that he'd never forget the sight of his general riding through the gates of Chang'an like an avenging goddess, he was certain that the image of a soaking-wet Chu Da Ren standing in front of an equally-wet, almost-dead Yuwen Yue at the edge of the icy lake with his sword in her hand and the snow swirling around her would be stamped on his mind for the rest of his life.
He and the Xiulis who had successfully fought through Cheng Yuan's troops had broken the tree line and charged almost mindlessly towards their general, thinking only of shielding her from the barrage of arrows that was sure to come raining down from the ridge. They'd reached her just as the unmistakable form of Yan Xun had raised his hand to signal the release of the hail of arrows that would likely bring their deaths.
Chu Da Ren's face had contorted with grief and rage and she'd...in all honesty, he still didn't understand exactly what she'd done any more than he understood how she'd rescued Yuwen Yue and herself from the depths of the icy lake. She'd told him about the Wind and Cloud Decree and her returned memories, but he found much of it beyond him. All he knew was that she'd somehow released a great force from her body that had succeeded in knocking aside all of the arrows coming their way and sending untold thousands of frozen needles of ice and snow hurtling towards the enemy.
The cheers of the men jerked He Xiao back to the present, and he realized that Chu Da Ren had finished her sword drills. A white figured moved at the edge of his vision and he instinctively reached for his sword, only stilling his hand when he recognized the inscrutable features of his master. He gave the proper greetings, but Young Master Yue only nodded once absentmindedly, his gaze fixed firmly on his wife as she accepted the accolades of her men.
Suddenly fearing that his general was about to get in trouble with her husband, He Xiao said, "She only does non-contact drills that don't endanger herself or...the life growing inside of her."
He Xiao feared that he had overstepped his bounds, especially since talking about pregnancy could be a touchy, taboo subject. Yuwen Yue said nothing, and He Xiao once again focused on Chu Da Ren, who was now instructing some of the men on the finer points of archery. The contentment on her face was visible even from the top of the tower.
"All her life, Xing'er has craved freedom more than anything else," Yuwen Yue said softly, startling He Xiao. "So many of her actions have stemmed from the knowledge that she was trapped, caged, and at the mercy of others. While I know full well the havoc that her impulsiveness and self-confidence can cause, I also know that she cannot be at peace unless she has a sense of true freedom. So I turn a blind eye, let her think she's sneaking away from the tyranny of overprotective house guards and the expectations of how the pregnant Da Fu Ren of the house of Yuwen should behave. I let her come here to spend time with her people in safety, to stay connected to an important part of her identity, and to keep her skills sharp. If I were to try to cage her..."
Yuwen Yue suddenly lapsed into silence as if he'd never spoken, his typically tranquil features marred by obviously bad memories. He Xiao was still shocked that the master had spoken so frankly and so much about such a personal subject, so he took time to collect his wits and gather his courage before speaking.
"In all of Wei, Chu Da Ren was the first person outside of my men to treat me like a human being. She didn't absolve me—or any of us, really—of guilt, but she didn't condemn me, either. She told me to find a purpose, and I did—although I never could've imagined at that time the shape that that purpose would take. At first, we thought she just wanted to use us to help Yan Xun escape from Chang'an, but when she came back for us...After that, we realized that Chu Da Ren hadn't returned for us because of what we could give her but simply because she saw us as hers. That meant-"
A rousing chorus of haos rang out in the courtyard as Chu Da Ren used her small crossbow to shoot six bolts quickly into the center of her target. She grinned at her men, effortlessly binding them to her as easily as she'd done that first time she'd stood up for them—for him—what seemed like a lifetime ago.
"Even when Yan Xun executed my brothers because of the lies of Cheng Yuan and his own hatred of us, the last thing they saw before they died was Chu Da Ren kneeling in the mud with them and pleading on their behalf, because they were hers." He Xiao grated out.
He took his eyes off of his general and lifted them instead to face his master.
"At that icy lake on Xiuli Mountain, she claimed us—all of us—as hers. And once she's claimed you as hers, only the worst sort of betrayal can change that. For the first time in her life, she's exactly where she wants to be. We all are."
For an instant, He Xiao saw a flash of...something appear in Yuwen Yue's eyes. But he became distracted by the sight of Chu Da Ren saying her goodbyes and heading back to the barracks to change, and by the time he turned back around, Young Master Yue's mask was firmly back in place.
"Thank you, He Xiao. I'd better get back to Green Hills before Xing'er does so that I'll be right where she expects me to be when she brings me my afternoon tea and greets me with what will surely be the most innocent of smiles."
"Young Master Yue," He Xiao said, clasping his hands in front of himself and inclining his head.
Yuwen Yue disappeared as soundlessly as he'd arrived, missing the amusing sight of Chu Da Ren hopping the Red Hills wall at the place that would give her the best cover under the late morning sun. The clash of swords rang out in the courtyard as his men actually got back into the business of training now that their beloved general was gone.
Not that there was any urgent reason to train now, but they knew full well that life in chaotic times could change faster than the speed of an arrow and require them to put their lives on the line at a moment's notice.
Which we would—for her. He Xiao thought, smiling fiercely into the sunlight. Because she would do no less for us.