Fan Fiction ❯ Guard My Heart ❯ Meeting With Destiny ( Chapter 1 )

        “I can’t possibly take all this Mei Mei!” Jing protested to her friend’s enthusiastic gift. She had been living with her new friend for nearly a month now, waiting for Shu soldiers to arrive so that she could offer herself in service to the noble Lord Liu Bei. The young girl had arrived at the inn that morning with some fresh clothes of her brother’s and an extra dress, with news of the army’s impending arrival in the area. That Jing would probably never have reason to wear the dress she hadn’t the heart to tell her younger friend, but she appreciated the intentions behind the gift.

        “Of course you can, silly!”

        “I’m not taking it!”

        “Don’t argue. It’s unbecoming in a lady and unhealthy for a soldier. Now! What else will you need on your journey? You have clothes, and money still. And you came in on your horse. I know!” she clapped, “I’m going to raid the kitchen for some food so you can have some with you on your trip. Please hurry up and change while I’m gone ok?”

        “But…!”

        “No buts! This is the day that you join Shu! I refuse to send you off with nothing more than what you came in with.”

        Lian Jing felt her throat close, and tears prickle the corner of her eyes at the young girl’s generous words. She gave a watery smile to the other girl, hastily wiping her eyes before she could shame herself by crying.

        “Thank you,” the older girl whispered, picking up the offered clothing.

        “It is nothing compared to what you have done for me.”

        “What I did that night does not do justice to what you have offered since I have come to live you with you and what you give me this day. I promise that one day I will repay your kindness.” A dismissive hand waved as the girl started for the door.

        “Oh, here! I almost forgot. There’s also a shirt that you can wear under the top for whenever it starts getting cold. It was my brother’s too. Now get changed! I’m dying to see how it looks on you.” The young girl happily skipped out, intent on snagging a few choice bits of food to pack away for her friend. Oh and maybe a few for her own breakfast as well, Mei Mei admitted ruefully to herself as her stomach rumbled slightly.

        When the dark haired girl returned to the room she kicked lightly at the door with her foot. Her stash of extra food carefully wrapped in a piece of cloth that she held underneath the tray she hoped no one would pass by and question what it was. She thumped the door with her foot again, impatiently ordering Jing to hurry and open it up. The door finally swung open after an eternity and Mei Mei scurried back inside before she could get busted with the food she had scavenged from the kitchen while no one else was there. She nudged the door closed with the edge of the tray before turning to look at her new friend.

        “Whew! Oh wow! Look at you!” she stopped to stare at her handy work. Jing traced a hand nervously over the clothes she had been proudly presented by a smiling Mei Mei.

        Mei Mei had given her friend her brother’s nicest pair of clothes, altered to fit her body. Jing now wore simple gray tunic that hung past her knees. Both sides of the shirt were slit all the way up to her ribs on either side, and held together with white ribbons. Her trousers were white, and were pulled tight above by the matching gray strips of cloth that were wrapped around her ankles. Mei Mei had personally stitched intertwined golden dragons and protective characters in a complex design that rode along the right hip of her top and down the left leg of her pants. Intense red-brown hair was pulled up and tucked under the white hat on her head. For a finishing touch she wore soft black shoes, that were slightly scuffed from previous wear but still in good condition.

        Mei Mei grinned to herself in satisfaction. The boys at Shu would have no idea what hit them!

        “I got food for both of us. Come on we have to eat quickly before anyone notices I’m missing from work. I even got extra for you, for your trip.”

        Lian Jing quickly forgot her self-consciousness, hurrying to grab the cloth bundle from the serving girl before she dropped everything. The two settled down and quickly began to eat, discussing which path she should take to intercept the Shu army the quickest, and how she should go about gaining a position in their army.

        Finally though they were finished and it was time for Jing to take her leave. They were standing in the stables, the older girl soothingly stroking her horse’s muzzle. The cloth wrapped food had joined the other small bundles that were secured to the horse’s back. They turned to face each other.

        “I thank you for everything. I will repay this one day.”

        “Just make sure you come back soon okay Jing?”

        “I will. Farewell Mei Mei.”

        “Farewell.”

        And with that the warrior swung herself into the saddle and with a final nod to her younger friend rode off. The serving girl waved after her long after she was gone from sight. Finally she turned and walked back towards the inn, her life once again, dull and ordinary. But it would be a long time before she would forget the girl who stood up for her when no one else would.

        Dark eyes traced the path of the white fan swaying languidly through the air, before moving on to stare at the man who held the fan. Long dark hair tumbled from beneath a snowy cap and over the green and white robes customarily worn by his strategist.

        “Is there something my liege requires?” Zhuge Liang spoke in an aside to Lord Liu Bei, the Emperor of Shu. He made sure his mouth shielded from the others in the room by his weapon while he asked the question.

        The older man leaned forward slightly, hoping this wouldn’t be taken as a sign of interest by the current speaker. He raised his arms onto the table and steepled his fingers in front of his mouth to hide his equally low response.

        “Your liege would like to retreat before he is defeated by boredom.”

        “It would take a miracle to distract Zhang Fei from giving his report, and I am but a lowly strategist , my Lord.” Equally dark eyes met his over the edges of the feathers, the corners crinkling in amusement.

        “I’m going to remember you said that, the next time we charge to battle,” the older man muttered, half to himself.

        Zhang Fei treated his reports as if they were drinking stories and went into as much detail as possible. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, however he had been gone from the main camp for over two weeks, and was giving graphic detail on two major battles and… Well he really wasn’t sure at this point how many skirmishes there had been, but it was too many for him to care about right now.

        The Imperial Uncle sighed, realizing he’d find no quarter from his heartless advisor and turned his eyes back to the center of the room. Liu Bei sat up straighter, suddenly noticing a private that hovered nervously in the doorway; saving himself from whatever response Zhuge had doubtless been about to make. He wondered how long the young man had been standing there debating whether or not to interrupt his rather long winded general.

        “Zhang Fei, much as I hate to interrupt your report this poor boy seems to have something to say to us.” The ‘boy’ turned relieved eyes toward his lord, giving a small grateful smile.

        “Forgive the intrusion, my lords,” the slender young man murmured, casting his gaze down nervously when he felt the weight of his commanders’ eyes. They all quickly realized that he had to be a new recruit, very young and still insecure. “I thought someone should inform you that a young woman came into the camp today asking to speak with Lord Liu Bei about joining the Shu army.”

        “A young-?” the Shu emperor blinked in surprise.

        “A girl?! You interrupted my report to tell us that? Preposterous!” Zhang Fei blustered, waving his arms as though to emphasize the stupidity of the suggestion.

        “Enough brother,” a more reasonable voice cut in. “Did she explain why she felt she was capable of becoming a soldier?” Guan Yu was stroking his beard with interest.

        “U-uh- um, no Sir, she didn’t. All she would say beyond that was that she would speak with Lord Liu Bei on the matter.”

        “Well then, perhaps you should bring this girl here so that we can all discuss the matter, hm?” Zhuge Liang interjected smoothly. The poor soldier swallowed and turned pale at the suggestion.

        “What?! There’s no need for discussion! No more girls, and that’s final!” Zhang Fei thundered, his red face growing even more ruddy with his agitation.. The other generals didn’t even seem to notice the bellowing man standing in their midst.

        “I- I would love to Master Zhuge Liang, but I-I don’t think I should interrupt her right now,” he squeaked out nervously. He winced, fearing the punishment for defying the strategist’s orders.

        “Oh really? And why is that?” Zhuge asked mildly.

        “Because after she demanded to see Lord Liu she started hunting for him, General Wei Yan tried to get in her way. I’m afraid they are still fighting at the moment.”

        A chorus of surprised voices filled the air after this announcement.

        “She’s fighting Wei Yan?! Lead us there at once!” Liu Bei demanded in alarm.

        “This I have got to see!” one of the sub commanders murmured, following the generals as they rushed for the opening of the tent. They all hurried to reach the crowd of onlookers eagerly awaiting the outcome of the fight. After much jostling, and “excuse me’s” they all finally reached the center of the ring.

        Liu Bei’s eyes widened at the sight that greeted his eyes.

        Facing off against Wei Yan, Jing circled her opponent cautiously. Certainly he was nothing like she would have expected in a camp belonging to what was reputedly one of the kindest most honorable men of the times. In fact he reminded her of one of those barbarous Nanman fighters.

        The general’s dark skin stretched over chiseled muscles, exposed by the skins he wore. His face was covered by a rather sinister war mask, and his hair fanned around the edges of said mask in a tangled mane. He seemed very… primitive was the word that sprang to the tip of her tongue; but she didn’t want to prejudge. The last thing she wanted to was get herself set in a mindset that would be dangerous to herself later. Especially if she were accepted to Shu and had to work with the man.

        The small woman couldn’t see his eyes very well behind the wall of his mask so instead she focused her attention on his solar plexus, counting on the shift of his body to warn of any movements he would make. She noticed his chest shift back the slightest bit to the right side and she tensed. He was about to draw back his right arm to try to punch her. She ducked under Wei Yan’s attack, diving between his legs and springing to her feet behind him.

        She launched herself at his back, using her momentum to drive her forearms into his shoulders to throw him off balance. He stumbled forward, catching himself before he hit the ground. She danced back, circling him again. She wondered how long they had been fighting and how much longer she could keep this up. She didn’t consider herself weak but they had been going at it for some time now. And the fact that she was limiting herself to subduing attacks rather than using her weapon wasn’t making this any easier. There had to be a way to just knock him out or something to put an end to the confrontation.

        Before she could figure out how to go about ending this stupid fight a strong male voice rang out.

        “Wei Yan, that’s enough! Stand down!”

        Jing didn’t take her eyes off her opponent until he completely dropped his aggressive stance, sinking to one knee on the ground into a surprisingly graceful bow. Finally the warrior girl turned to look for the source of the new voice.

        “Now, what exactly is all this about?”

        Her eyes trailed up the rich gray material wrapped around the man’s legs, sweeping along the gold plates protecting the man’s thighs and stomach, over the shimmering green breast plate engraved in a matching gold. Jing raised her gaze higher, taking in the small goatee and mustache that perfectly framed a surprisingly sensually shaped mouth with lips that looked as silky as any girl’s.

        Then she met his eyes.

        Open and generous eyes that held a bright inner light, piercing into the soul of anyone who looked directly into them. The warm brown orbs, stared searchingly into her own with a soft curiosity. The young woman felt her breath catch in her chest. Unable to deal with his gaze upon her she found the perfect excuse to break eye contact by going into a bow of her own.

        “Fight,” the barbaric man announced in a guttural voice.

        “Yes we can see that,” a different voice cut in dryly. Jing risked a quick glance up, taking in the white robed man whose face was obscured by a white feathered war fan. Long hair spilled down his shoulders from beneath a hat that resembled the one she herself wore to hide her hair. His manner of speech and his bearing were a great deal more cultured than the simple warrior that the small woman had been fighting. Her mind raced as she tried to place him from the battles she had seen before. Then it hit her; Shu’s strategist.

        So this must be the great Zhuge Liang. Fascinating.

        Lian Jing raised an eyebrow in speculation at him before she remembered her place and respectfully dropped her stare to the ground once more.

        “Wei Yan, please return to your duties. Young lady, I believe you wished to speak with me?” the voice of the first man asked with great kindness and no small amount of amusement. She gazed at him from beneath her lashes, knowing that it was disrespectful for an inferior to look directly at their master while speaking without specific permission to do so.

        “Lord Liu Bei?” she asked uncertainly. Surely this wasn’t the Lord of Shu.

        “I am he,” the other man smiled slightly. She felt her eyes widen slightly, and she raised her head to gape at him for a moment. This couldn’t be right! He didn’t look old at all. The girl closed her mouth with an audible snap. She shook herself firmly and straightened up. When she spoke she was once more in control of her expression, her voice firm and commanding even in supplication.

        “I am called Lian Jing and I wish to join the army of Shu.”

        “I see. Come with us please so that this matter can be discussed at greater length. And without the audience we have drawn,” he swept a look over the ring of onlookers, many of whom shuffled their feet as if they were children caught being bad. There were those however who grinned back, completely unrepentant and unafraid.

        “As you wish, sire,” she murmured, feeling a blush creep onto her cheeks in realization of the attention her actions had garnered.

        “You are all dismissed. Please attend to your duties.” The ring that had formed at the beginning of the fight quickly dispersed. After a pointed look that included all the sub commanders in that order, she found herself left alone with the driving forces of Shu. “If you would be so kind as to join us?”

        With another bow she quietly followed behind, taking the opportunity to study the officers that stood at this Liu Bei’s side. To his left strode the strategist. It was interesting to be near the man that she knew so many from Wei and Wu felt so embittered toward, but she would study him more later. Ahead of her, to the right of her soon to be liege was a very tall man wearing a loose fitted green outfit, and he had a long beautiful beard that flowed down the front of his shirt. This had to be the warlord Guan Yu, rider of the Red Hare. Which left the other man to be none other than Liu Bei’s remaining sworn brother Zhang Fei. He was slightly smaller than Guan Yu and was rougher in appearance. His stocky frame boasted a considerable amount of muscle that was displayed by the half shirt stretching across his left shoulder, and he too had a beard. Albeit his was smaller and quite a bit more shaggy than the well kempt one of his tallest ‘brother’.

        They reached a large white tent in the center of the camp, and Liu Bei motioned his brothers and strategist ahead of himself. He grabbed the tent flap and held it open for Jing, allowing his eyes to study her more carefully as she nervously slid past him into his headquarters. He raised an eyebrow at her edginess, wondering at the cause. She hadn’t seemed the least bit intimidated by Zhang Fei or Guan Yu; he had noticed the considering look she had cast toward his officers before he had turned to lead them away. There had been no fear in her when she had gazed upon his more intimidating brothers, and yet for some reason he realized that she was afraid of him.

        Liu Bei wasn’t quite sure how to respond to such a reaction; no one had ever been afraid of him before.

        “Would you like something to drink- ah, Lady Jing, was it?” he asked courteously, trying to find a way to put her at her ease. He glided past her: grabbing the tea pot, pouring some tea into a cup, and sitting all in one smooth motion. Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were already in position, standing at either elbow so as to be in the perfect place to watch the young woman while he spoke with her. Zhuge Liang took a chair that was off to the side where he could watch everyone interact, and he did so, with great interest in the unfolding scene.

        “No thank you, Lord.” She remained planted where she stood, staring at him with some unreadable emotion in her eyes.

        “Very well. I could ask you what you feel your qualifications for joining this army are but having seen you fight, I’ll not bother. The question that weighs most heavily on my mind now is exactly why have you chosen to join Shu?”

        ‘Because I’m a big fan of irony?’

        Somehow she didn’t think they’d accept that as an answer.

        “I thought through my options carefully, and felt that Shu would be a viable alternative to standing helplessly by while war effected my very path of life, sire. Surely you can understand my desire to fight rather than stand idly by watching events unfold?”

        “Well spoken, and that does explain your desire to fight. However it does not satisfy my curiosity as to why you choose to align yourself with us,” he pointed out with mild emphasis on ‘us’ before taking a sip from his cup.

        “A friend of mine has a brother in your army. She was the one who advised me to consider joining Shu.”

        “I see. And what is this brother’s name?” Guan Yu asked, once more stroking his glossy beard in thought.

        Zhuge Liang leaned forward slightly, curious to see if the girl was telling the truth. There was nothing in her words that seemed false and yet there was something she was hiding. He was sure of it. There was just something about her…

        “His name is Sima Yan.”

        “Sima Yan?” they all looked surprised at this.

        “Is there a problem my lords?” the girl asked, startled by their response.

        “No, there’s no problem. In fact I believe you have just presented us a solution to your unusual request.” The other three men looked at the strategist as if he had lost his mind.

        Perhaps he had.

        Zhuge Liang deigned to explain the answer that had been so readily apparent to himself. “We cannot simply put her in a position of authority as she did not come to us from battle. But we have seen that she is skilled as a fighter, so it would be foolish not accept her request to aide us. Seeing as Sima Yan is the brother of her friend perhaps it would be best if we put her under his care. This will allow her an opportunity to prove herself, while being around someone she can consider a friend.”

        “Brilliant as always,” the taller man murmured into his beard.

        “You are too kind General Guan Yu.”

        “It does seem to provide the answer as you said Kongming.” The Shu Emperor considered the idea, staring thoughtfully at the tiny form standing in the center of the tent. It would be a very good way for him to keep an eye on her and provide an opportunity to unravel the mystery she presented.

        “I say no. I don’t care that she held her own against Wei Yan, she’s still a girl,” this was grumbled by the slightly pouty General Zhang Fei. He didn’t quite speak as if he were convinced of his own words though. He sounded more like he was voicing his stance from pure habit than actual belief that she shouldn’t join. Everyone ignored the expected response.

        “No one’s listening, Fei,” the giant informed in a humorous tone. Liu Bei merely grinned at his best friends’ interruption.

        Jing stared at him, shocked by how attractively boyish the expression made his face.

        “Very well. You may join Shu. You will be tested by Commanders Zhao Yun and Jiang Wei to determine what you know and what you will need to be taught. When you are finished with your training you will be partnered with Sima Yan or one of my two commanders until you are comfortable with your new position. Does that sound fair, Lady Jing?”

        “It sounds fair,” she acknowledged after a second’s reflection, “but exactly what position, if I may be so bold as to ask, will my lord be having me train for?”

        “Simple. You will train to join my personal body guards,” Liu Bei answered with a pleased smile.

        His personal bodyguard? It was a bad idea. What if he found out where she really came from? She couldn’t allow that. She’d just have to refuse, say she changed her mind. Or ask for another position, one with slightly less responsibility. She just couldn’t risk it.

        “As you wish my lord.”

        The girl marveled at the words that came out of her mouth instead of the politely worded refusal that had sprung to her mind. She bowed again, trying to hide her consternation at this turn of events. Little did she realize that while her face was now hidden to the three lords in front of her, the Shu strategist had a clear view of her expression.

        “Very well, now that that’s settled you will need a place to stay while you are with us. Come,” the green clad leader stood up and moved to join her in the center of the large tent. Liu Bei began to guide her toward the exit. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to show you around myself as I have too many things to do, however I will find someone who can help you get your bearings.”

        “Jiang Wei will be pleased to assist her. He has nothing important to do today, so his time is free.”

        Jing jumped at the smooth voice that spoke up from behind her. She hadn’t noticed that the younger man had followed them, she had been too busy trying to ignore the feel of the Shu lord’s hand burning into the small of her back. There was just something about the man…

        “Very good. She can start her training right away with him,” he turned to look at the guard stationed outside the tent, “Please escort the Lady Lian Jing to Jiang Wei, and have him show her to a tent. Once she’s settled in he can start showing her around and filling her in on her training and duties.”

        The soldier saluted, and waited for Jing. She looked hesitantly up at Liu Bei who smiled reassuringly at her before nodding her toward the soldier.

        “Just let Wei know what’s going on, he’ll take care of everything you need okay?”

        She gave her own tiny nod of acknowledgement before stepping toward the waiting guard. With a flick of her wrist she indicated that he should lead the way. Soon she was walking away from the unnerving gazes of the leaders of Shu.

        The Protector of the People and his companion stood watching her retreating form until she was completely obscured by the throngs of soldiers before returning inside to finish their business for the day. The other two warriors were settled comfortably around the low table, waiting for them.

        “Well, she was thrilled at the thought of becoming your body guard,” Zhuge snickered into the thoughtful silence.

        “She did look rather upset at the suggestion didn’t she? I thought for sure that she’d refuse for a second there,” the Shu emperor laughed.

        “But Brother, do you think that was a good idea? We don’t know who she really is or why she’s really here. She could be a spy or worse.”

        “Not with that face she’s not. Way too expressive,” the stocky general muttered into his jug.

        Zhuge Liang nodded thoughtfully, unconsciously supporting Fei’s statement., “I have to agree, she does seem very open about her emotions. Although that too could be a very clever way of hiding her purposes.”

        “I know we don’t know what she really wants, but I do not believe that she means us harm.”

        “It’s odd that she didn’t question the honorific of ‘Lady’. She felt she deserved such respect. That or in fact she’s so used to the title that she doesn’t even realize that a lower classed woman would not be called such,” Zhuge added a fact that had bothered him when Liu Bei had made his offer of a drink.

        “Perhaps she is some nobleman’s daughter, trying to join the army for excitement, or to try to prove something,” Liu Bei seemed to think this the most logical explanation for the slip on her part.

        “But you can’t be certain of that,” Guan Yu added, backing up his earlier statement.

        Liu Bei smiled faintly, allowing his mind to fill with the possibilities of what secret would drive such a spirited woman to join his army. Yes, her being his body guard was a perfect idea- for it would give him the opportunity to find out.

        “There is nothing that I can be absolutely certain of. All I can do is trust my instincts and ask that you do the same.”

        “Are you attracted to the little snippet? She seems to have a bit of a temper to her,” observed Zhang Fei, raising his wine jug to reddened lips. “Although,” he continued after swallowing, “she may be just the thing to liven this place up a bit eh?”

        “Doubtless she will,” Liu Bei grinned back at his smirking brothers without answering the question.

   &nb sp;    Lian Jing sat quietly polishing her sword. Her back was braced against the wall in the great hall of the castle. The Shu army had arrived at the castle only the day before, and she was still trying to get used to the incredible structure. Up and down the cloth stroked the cool metal that rested against her palm, braced across her thighs. And she listened to the conversation swirling around her. Interesting to hear what the soldiers thought of their commanders, and what the people thought of their lord.

        “So how do you like it here so far Jing?” a voice brought her out of her quiet reflection. She looked up with a smile. Above her stood an armored soldier, holding on to a gleaming spear. Sima Yan was an attractive young man when you could catch him without his helmet on. Despite that she couldn’t think of him any differently than she would one of the guardsmen from back home; no matter how much she adored his sister. He seemed to share her feelings, having quickly become her honorary brother upon hearing of her connection to his sister. And they were both comfortable with things that way.

        “It is… not what I had expected, Yan.”

        “Oh? And what did the Lady expect?” he teased, propping his spear against the wall beside himself and sliding down until he sat in a crouch beside her. His eyes were on her, and yet somehow he managed to keep his attention on the Shu Lord as well. She couldn’t say what gave her that impression since he wasn’t even looking toward their liege, but it was a trick all of the more experienced body guards seemed to have mastered.

        The thought of their lord caused her eyes to fix on him where he sat at the great table in the center of the room. On either side of him sat advisors, and his loyal generals. She found it odd that the day after he had returned he would set up a meeting that would allow any of his people to come speak to him of their concerns.

        It was impressive on one hand that he cared so deeply about his people’s opinions and gave them an opportunity to express themselves to him. On the other hand she thought it stupid to open himself to danger in this way. Any one of these people could be a Wei spy, or some dissident intent on killing him.

        The thought made her frown, and she stared reproachfully at him. He seemed to feel the weight of her glare for her turned his head and caught her eyes with his own. His most trusted advisor followed the path of his gaze and also turned his head to stare at her. She flicked an irritated glance his way, including him in her annoyance over the danger Liu Bei could be in.

        He cocked an amused eyebrow at her disapproval and inclined his head in an acknowledging bow. When she realized that she was glaring at two of the most powerful men in the land Jing blushed and dropped her gaze to the sword in her lap. She focused all of her attention on polishing it once more.

        “I expected a higher intelligence level from the some of the most important men in the land, for one thing,” she grumbled under her breath.

        “You don’t approve of the Lord making himself so approachable?” Yan asked with interest, turning a thoughtful gaze on the table where their master sat surrounded by his generals.

        “I don’t approve of him making himself so killable,” she retorted in annoyance, finding Yan to be a safer outlet than her lords to focus her displeasure on.

        “Easy there! It’s not my fault!” he held up his hands in surrender with a slight laugh. Sima Yan decided it was a good idea to change the subject to a safer topic, before she could work herself up. “So how has your training been going lately?”

        Her shoulders relaxed, and she allowed herself to be distracted by the new train of conversation.

        “Well enough I suppose. Zhou Yun thinks I don’t guard my left side as effectively as I should, and Jiang Wei thinks I’m too impatient at times. They both agree that my spear skills could use some work. Other than that I have passed all of their tests.”

        “That’s good then. Have you met Lady Yue Ying yet? She was preparing some new weapon for some upcoming battles, so she hadn’t been traveling with us. Now that we’re here though, I’ve heard talk about how they’ll probably have her take over your training.”

        “Will I be moved to being her body guard instead?” Jing asked with a slight frown, wondering if she had in fact not done so well as she had thought at the tests set to her by the two generals.

        “No, you’ll still be guarding our lord with the rest of us. The only thing is, you’re a female, so you’ll be sleeping in the wing with her body guards. She should show up soon so you’ll get to see her for yourself. As a matter of fact- there she is right now.”

        Jing followed her friend’s gaze but her view was blocked by the crowd moving to clear a path for the lady in question. All she could see were occasional flashes of white through the now packed space. It was typical that her curiosity would be only small before should grow unbearable now that she was prevented from assuaging it, she mused wryly as she stood up straining to catch a glimpse over the crowd.

        She started when she felt a hand tap her shoulder and she whirled around, falling into a defensive stance instinctively. Yan began to laugh at them both, uncontained chuckles of amusement. She felt silly when she saw the man in messenger clothing stared at her in fear. Jing relaxed and gave a small smile to try and reassure the poor man. She glared Sima Yan when he kept laughing.

        “Was there something I can help you with?” she asked kindly, turning her attention back to the other man.

        “Lord Liu Bei wishes your presence before the throne, Lady Lian Jing. Will you please accompany me?”

        “Thank you. I will be right behind you,” she smiled again and gave a small bow to the messenger. As soon as he turned away she whirled around and kicked her friend in the shin.

        “Ow! What was that for?!” Yan gripped his abused leg and glared right back at her.

        “That’s for laughing at me!” she stuck out her tongue at him and, with a final toss of her head, stalked after the messenger.

        “Your bodyguard, Lady Lian Jing, awaits your command Lord Liu Bei,” the messenger intoned formally when they finally stood before the dais on which the throne and the great table was stationed. When Liu Bei nodded his acknowledgement the young man bowed low and straightened up. He moved away leaving Jing the center of attention of all the generals, all of the present lords and ladies, any lingering peasants- oh yes, and the Emperor of Shu.

        Jing sank into a deep bow, awaiting her lord’s pleasure. She tried to catch a look at the other woman, but she was standing too far behind her for her to stare without being noticed.

        “Rise.”

        She rose, but kept her head bowed.

        “Look at me please.” She raised her eyes and waited nervously. “You came to us a few weeks ago, asking to be a member of the Shu army. In return I offered you a position as my personal bodyguard should you complete the training offered by two of my commanders. You have done so. I welcome you officially as one of my bodyguards.” He smiled at her.

        “However,” she tensed again when Zhuge Liang spoke up, “there is something that all bodyguards of our Lord must know; proper court etiquette. Your behavior will reflect on our Lord, and you must be trained in how best to represent our Master.”

        “I will be traveling to the lands of Wu very soon for negotiations, and I need to know that all of my guards know how to properly address and behave around the Sun family, and the court of Wu.” Liu Bei seemed almost apologetic as he spoke to her, “You are officially my bodyguard, but in your free time you will receive further instruction on this matter.”

        Jing felt herself pale at the mention of learning court etiquette for the travel to Wu. As he finished speaking she now bowed her head, hoping that no one had noticed.

        “This will be your instructor in the court policies, allow me to introduce to you Master Zhuge Liang’s wife, Lady Yue Ying.”

        Jing once again raised her head and turned toward the woman she was being introduced to. Her eyes widened when she realized who she stood before. She swallowed hard and silently prayed to any of the gods that were listening that the armored woman wouldn’t recognize her in her new clothes. A prayer that she knew had been unanswered when she saw the shocked recognition register on the other woman’s face.

        “Is something the matter, my wife?” Zhuge Liang asked breaking through the silent tension that had wrapped around the two women.

        “It’s nothing, husband,” Yue Ying turned to smile reassuringly at the white robed man.

        “Humph, certainly don’t seem like nothing the way you guys staring at each other,” Zhang Fei muttered from his post at his brother’s back.

        “The Lady Jing and I have met before, but we have never formally been introduced. I was not expecting to find her serving here in Shu, is all,” Kongming’s wife answered with a serene voice, but she shot Jing a pointed look.

        “Indeed. Having heard so much of the famous Lady Yue Ying, imagine my shock at realizing that I have had the honor to meet her before this day,” Jing quickly added her support. “Although I’m not sure the rumors do your accomplishments justice, Lady.”

        “You’re too kind, Lady.” Yue Ying bowed her head in thanks before turning to face the men. “I have given you my report already. If that is all you have need of from me, I would like to see to it that Lady Jing has some appropriate attire befitting her new station as Royal Guard of Shu.”

        “Of course, Lady. You may both go,” Liu Bei agreed easily enough, but he was staring thoughtfully at the two women, obviously not believing their story.

        Zhuge Liang looked like he wanted to say something else, but Yue Ying shook her head slightly, and he subsided, raising his fan to cover his expression.

        The two women made their parting salutations, bowing to the assembled generals, and their master. Then Lian Jing followed Yue Ying, grateful to escape their probing gazes. She was still reeling with surprise at the fact that Yue had not revealed her to them all. She followed blindly through twisting corridors until Yue Ying finally stopped at one door, and ushered her inside the room.

        “Here. We’ll find you some clothes that show your new status in here,” Yue Ying said absently. They didn’t speak after that except as related to clothes. Jing felt herself grow more and more tense as the woman refused to bring up the subject of her true identity, but she refused to speak on the matter if the other woman didn’t. Thirty minutes later, the subject remained untouched and she was sporting the clothes of a proud vassal of Shu.

        Her top was green with gold piping along the edges. The cloth wasn’t silk as she was used to but a soft, serviceable material. Despite the commonness of the material the hand stitched dragon and phoenix twining throughout the length of the top revealed that this material had been lovingly prepared for special occasions. The white pants came with a green sash, trimmed with a thin golden coil of rope, with tassels that hung from her waist where she tied them off. The legs were also trimmed with green ribbons at the bottom, giving them a feminine appearance that she wouldn’t have thought possible. She kept the black shoes that Mei Mei had given her. Her hair was still covered by the white Taoist cap.

        The pants stretched across Jing’s hips, conforming to the curves of her body, somehow emphasizing a lot more than her old trousers had. The top came to an abrupt stop just below her ribs, revealing the smooth skin of her stomach. The sheath of her sword was attached to the sash , causing the tassels to hang low on one hip and giving the outfit a sassy attitude that was distinctly ‘Jing’.

        “Well look at that. You certainly pull off the Shu look don’t you? It certainly suits you better than red I must say,” Yue Ying spoke casually as she folded Jing’s old clothes.

        “Why did you do that?” Jing blurted out, unable to control her curiosity any longer, figuring that Yue’s acknowledgement of her situation was enough.

        “Do what?” Yue Ying turned to face her with an eyebrow raised in question.

        “Why did you not tell them what you knew?” she asked in bewilderment. One hand went to fiddle nervously with a tassel.

        “Would you rather that I had?” Yue smirked slightly as she asked her question.

        “No!” Jing shook her head violently, and had to grab her hat to keep it from flying off her head.

        “Well then, what are you complaining about?” the older woman demanded.

        “I’m not complaining, I just don’t understand why.”

        “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I’m sure you have your reasons. So long as my husband doesn’t ask me directly, or ask me in a way that I cannot avoid the subject of who you are, I will keep your secret. I will not, however lie to protect you from your own decision to leave your clan and join ours, whatever the consequences may be.”

        “I understand your position. I would not ask you to lie to your husband about me, or to our lord.” Jing took a deep breath, “But I would ask that you try to avoid conversations where my secret may come up.”

        “I will do my best, Lady.”

        “Thank you.”

        “I would ask something in return.”

        Jing tensed. “What is it that you would require of me Lady Yue Ying?”

        “You have got to tell me how you ended up in Shu and Master Liu Bei’s body guard, of all things?” she shook her head in amazement.

        “I’m not quite sure I understand how it all happened myself, but I’ll gladly share the tale with you if you really want to know. Although, I must warn you, it’s a long story,” Jing flopped down on a cushion nearby.

        Yue Ying’s voice was dry when she answered. “Trust me I’ve got the time…” she gave her an ironic glance, “Lady Sun Shang Xiang.”