Wild Disguise

[Yan Xiu]

She knew not where she was, she figured it was somewhere on the outskirts of Xiang Yang. She couldn't have travelled so far by foot; this had to be Xiang Yang. Xin Ye (which conveniently isn't on the Map) was only a small hundred li north of the center of Xiang Yang. It's only been days...I'm still on the outskirts of Xiang Yang. I know this land though.Thoughts ran through her head as her legs continued to push over the rugged terrain. Thankfully, she had yet to encounter any forms of mountain environment, though she knew to the west it certainly got much more treacherous. The only humour she could manage to hold onto was the fact that she vaguely knew where she was. Yet, she had no understanding of the amount of time that she had been travelling.

It had been twenty eight days since she left the village on the outskirts of Xin Ye. She had become a survival machine since that day; hunting for food and searching for cover to rest under. Her clothes, merely silk brown robes from the elderly keepers of the village, were showing visible signs of wear and tear. Holes, made from the claws of animals or by the painful branches she raced through. This cloak became her disguise, her entire identity. Ever since the fall of Wu and Shu, she had become absolutely nothing. None, not a single living being knew of her existance. All presumed the Sun family was completely wiped out, and it mightve been so. She disappeared and abandoned her people. She threw away everything, all for the promise of her deceased brother. She had nothing to lose, but she had something to live for. I've lost everything. I have nothing to lose now, but I have something to live for. Justice and retribution. Cao Pi will fall. But first, I have to find someone, anyone of the Shu or Wu armies. There has to be survivors!

She had begun to grow hungry, she had not encountered wildlife in a long time and her body demanded the usual substance of water and meat. Yet, not too far ahead, she could catch the glimpse of smoke. Her aching heels demanded that she rest, but she could not. For her heart made her continue on towards the presence of life. Ahead, her weary eyes made out the image of a living and breathing person. Her heart began to race, but her legs failed her as she stumbled upon her knees. The traveller ahead realised that she needed some form of food or water. The traveller rand towards the failing body of Sun Shang Xiang, her cloak covering her bruised and battered body. Quickly, the man cupped her head with his left hand and brought water to her mouth from his flask.
"Easy. Drink and be settled. You are almost at the gates of Jiang Ling."
"...Jiang Ling? Cao Pi's Jiang Ling?"
"No. Heavens no. That city belongs to three men, I know not their names however."
Shang Xiang steadily moved to her feet, feeling re-energised from the much needed water. "Here." The traveller removed from his bag a leg of chicken meat. "It is fresh, you look like you need it." Eagerly she took the meat with her hardened hands and brought it to her mouth...but she dropped it as her eyes began to close and shut. She fell forward, weariness taking its toll as the traveller caught her. She lost conciousness from then on.

Inside the City[/u][/size]

Her eyes opened slowly, quickly registering the early morning sunlight breaking through the window. She brought her hands to her face and rubbed it slowly. She was on a bed, her eyes began to register where she was. She was in a house, a empty one at that. The traveller whom had brought her here had disappeared, but left something. In the center of the room, on a table were her weapons and a note. Standing up tenderly, she walked over to the table and read the note eagerly.

Stranger,
I hope your sleep is undisturbed. This house belongs to me, but I never use it. You may rest here for however long you wish, though I suggest you stay here for the next couple of hours as I have sent word to the authority that you are a traveller and that they may wish to question you on what you have seen.
Good-Day.

She looked towards the open doorway before looking back down on herself. She was still wearing her tattered cloak. She ran her hands through her hair. It was thick and bushy, it held no formation whatsoever. She wondered if anyone would recognise her in this wild disguise...

[Liu Bei]

Though the girl was inside the city, her arrival had been a secret to many. She was a direct heir of the Sun family line, one of the few still left living.

Hell, probably the only still left living.

When Meng was alerted, finally, thanks to that homeowner, he immediately rushed out, a cadre of guards with him. If this was a pretender, he would have the girl executed for slandering the good name of Sun Shang Xiang.

He arrived at the house not long after the girl was woken. He stood in the doorway, armor gleaming; it was the traditional armor he had always worn while serving under Wu on the frontlines. It had not been worn for some time, as apparent by its lack of luster, his favored clothing some heavy robes with under armor. However, he thought it would be fruitful to display himself as the girl would remember him.

He walked into the room, and saw her. She was dirty and tattered, her hair a mess, her skin having lost its luster from so much hard times. He nearly fell to his knees to see her; the last living blood of the Sun family. It was held, secretly, deep within his heart to restore that kingdom from which he came; Jiang Ling a stepping stone to a reunified Wu in the South East. This girl, son of Sun Jian, might just be the last piece of the puzzle that was needed for reunification.

He was speechless, only able to let loose a gentle statement;

"My lady..."

[Yan Xiu]

And so it was; Lu Meng of Old. One of Wu's most cherished weapons, his tactical ability and decisiveness gave Wei a much harder time than they would have preferred when conquering the South East. His appearance had not changed a single bit, bar his facial features that appeared worn from his time spent in captivity. His entire battle garment remained exactly the same as it had used to be. He was a dormant warrior and his look professed it.

Shang Xiang's first action was to quickly reach for the door and shut it. This was to be private, she did not need any knowing of her existance. Turning back to the proud servant of Wu, she nodded once. Instantly, this change would be able to be recognised by Lu Meng. She would normally either bow or even give a friendly embrace, but she was torn and cold inside now. With a quiet but sharp voice, she replied. "Are you alone? Does anyone else know I am here? Hell, does anyone know I'm alive?" She fired the questions at the fateful servant of the fallen Wu Empire. She had no time for trading emotional greetings and re-union speeches. She needed to be aware of her surroundings, like her training taught. It was obvious her time away had made effects on her personality, she was decisive and almost empty in her speech.

Edit: Coloring the speech.

[Liu Bei]

Meng felt the chill as the door was closed, and the questions were asked. This girl was not the same Sun Shang that had gone into hiding on her brother's request during the final days. This was not the same Sun Shang that was forced to leave by her brother, forced into hiding directly under the nose of Wei.

She was stronger now, at least mentally. She wasn't as carefree as she used to be, now deadly focused on survival. It worried Lu Meng, who was not prepared for this. He merely nodded at first, to show his unnacceptance of the way she was acting.

"My lady, this city is the safest place for any member of the Wu kingdom, or even the Shu kingdom. We have thousands of warriors stationed throughout the city, and many of the peasants can be rallied for fighting at a moments notice.

I understand you've been hiding, but m'lady... You can relax now. You are in a safe berth. This city is the jewel of China, it has the strongest defenses outside of Luo Yang, and its master is the most famous man in China." Meng let the facts settle in a minute before speaking again.

"Now tell me why you are here."

[Yan Xiu]

Shang Xiang let the scarily intelligent general finish his speech. It did little to effect her insecurity of being in a public place with her identity being spoken in verbal conversation. She did not expect, nor even plan to meet anyone who would recognise her. She imagined that her appearance would have changed so much that none could recognise her, let alone even make the resembelence. "Soldiers or not, if my name gets out before the time is right, Cao Pi will send his entire army to find me." It wasn't that she was afraid, no, if anything, she would happily die fighting against that scoundrel. But no, her plan required her to be a secret and be kept alive.

Lu Meng raised a statement that made Shang Xiang suddenly grow silent. She had no idea why she was here; she came out of free will. She tried to think back to the time in the village, what ran through her head and what plans of vengeance she cooked up. Nothing returned to her and she was left feeling without a purpose. "I..." Her mind couldn't present any form of reasoning or validation as to why she was here. She slowly brought herself to a seated position on the bed; deep in thought. "I was looking for survivors; anyone who could help me build some form of resistance against the Wei Empire." It began to slowly come back to her from this moment. Her head raised to meet the eyes of Lu Meng as her voice became more and more confident in its speech. "If I took a different name, a different background; a different identity, maybe I could somehow raise a army that would challenge the devil atop that throne." Her face grew sharper as her sentence finished. "No one knows I exist Lu Meng; it must be kept that way. Believe me, I want nothing more than to personally advertise to Cao Pi that he failed to eradicate the Sun Family; however, I now know of the importance of patience. Tell me, are there any other Wu survivors? Anyone who can help us?"

[allieddolphin]

Zhao Yun was patrolling the city, a daily duty he took upon himself to attend to. Unofficially it could be said that Zhao Yun was the head of security within the city, each day he would make sure the guards were working, not slacking off, and that the walls and streets always had a healthy guard around, with no stone left unturned.

On one of these very walks he noticed something very interesting as he checked the northern gate. What he was greeted with was the first glimpse of a very tired and unconscious Sun Shang Xiang, the widow of Zilong’s late lord Liu Bei. She was carried by a man of the city, someone Zhao Yun could immediately tell was a good man, and would not do anything dishonourable. What alerted Zhao Yun more was the glimpse of someone in the corner of his eye, darting into the alleyways, it was not in a normal fashion, and the former Shu bodyguard found himself walking into those very alleyways, to stalk whoever it was and make sure his lady was safe.

Secretly, within the shadows of the houses and walls, Zilong remained hidden, watching the man keep a close eye on the house that Xiang now slept within. Yun would have took care of business then and there if it were not for the sounds of his lord’s guard moving in to secure the area. Zilong pushed back further out of sight, as expectantly the man also withdrew partially.

Time past as Zhao Yun kept his eye on the man, he was an assassin that was for sure, as with ease and skill he slipped past some of Lu Meng’s finest guards and into his quarters. Yun needed no invitation to enter as he alerted the guards of the danger, and slipped inside, assuring he could deal with the man himself.

"No one knows I exist Lu Meng; it must be kept that way. Believe me, I want nothing more than to personally advertise to Cao Pi that he failed to eradicate the Sun Family; however, I now know of the importance of patience. Tell me, are there any other Wu survivors? Anyone who can help us?"

The words were quiet but loud enough for Yun and the man to hear, as the rebel warrior took a few silent steps towards his target, who listened intently at the conversation, making him positive it was the target he was after, a grin rising on his face. It was not to be as easy as walking in and killing the two people however, as Zhao Yun made him realise with a sudden charge, aiming his spear towards the man’s chest.

Zilong was to meet his match in the hallway though, as with speed and awareness the man sidestepped, allowing the spear to pass harmless under his arm. Knowing just how close his attacker would be, his head slammed back, into the nose of Yun who grunted in pain, his nose already beginning to bleed. If that was not enough, the man expertly grabbed the pole of the spear, turned and laid a timely kick to the right knee Zhao Yun, just enough for the warrior to release his spear, causing him to be unarmed from that point on.

Falling to one knee, Yun looked on at his opponent, determination forming on his face, he was not going to be bullied in this battle, he would take it to him, and make sure his lord and former lady were safe from this vermin. As the man threw the spear behind him, and drew his dagger, Zilong was already on the attack, tackling the man clean over onto the ground. Yet again the assassin proved his worth in such a battle, as with the momentum and the way he was falling, raised his legs, and forced the body of Zhao Yun into a flip over his now laying form, sending him also onto his back.

Both leapt to their respective feet, and it was then time for the assassin to once again launch the attack, flying forward with a series of swipes and stabs, that Zilong managed to back away or tilt his body from. A block with his arm to the other’s arm, gave Yun the chance he needed, as once more he speared the man, but ended up smashing straight through the door that was so far up until now, keeping Lu Meng and SSX out of view of the fight.

The Assassin saw his target, and with a slightly stunned Zhao Yun, after a hard fall, leapt onto his feet, running for the woman, but again Zhao Yun was not about to give up, as he leapt towards the legs which were just starting their movements. He managed to trip the attacker over, and lunged forward to make sure again nothing happened to the widow of Liu Bei. The man felt Yun on top of his back, before being rolled onto his back, Yun sent a quick and vicious punch to the man’s nose, imitating his own bloody nose now, before he looked up to see the face of Xiang.

The smile he gave seeing the lady he once guarded with his life was soon changed into a deep scream of pain as the Assassin sent his blade into the thigh of Zilong. Most people that would be the end as pain would be all they could concentrate on, but for Zhao Yun it was now life or death and he sent several more punches to the man’s face before finally he had his knock out, and the man could be interrogated for information.

With Lu Meng and SSX safe, and a man only made to go unconscious, it was a good, if not painful and bloody fight for Zhao Yun. He pulled the blade from his thigh before standing up as best he could, bloody leaking in quite high volumes down his leg, and to a far lesser extent his nose.

”My lady.”

[Liu Bei]

Meng heard the commotion and then witnessed some of its aftermath, having been jolted to its occurrence due to the noise and the announcement of Zhao Yun's presence. He had heard everything that his Lady had to say, but it was not what he wanted to hear.

He moved, sitting at the table that stood to one side. Guards outside shifted nervously; they wondered if they'd still be alive in a few days due to the slip up in duty. But punishment for the guards was far from Meng's mind.

The last necessary symbol for the Tuo Tuan to become legitimate was standing in this very room. She asked the question of survivors, and almost roboticaly, he motioned to Zhao Yun.

"We have Zilong here. We have Wei Yan. They are it as far as Shu goes. We have Lu Bu, who's strangely enough thrown in with our motley lot. We have Zhou Tai as well, who haunted the docks after Quan's execution.

And we have myself. I have heard that the Pirate of the Bells is in the north somewhere on the coast, somewhere in Hei Bei as far as I've heard. Otherwise.... I haven't heard much from anyone in our kingdom. I found Guan Shao and Pang He in the prison with myself. I don't know if you knew of him. Ce proscribed to his teachings, and Quan honored him as a great battle tactician like myself, posting him in the north. He was a rebel from Shu. He killed Flea, apparently.

Either way, I agree; you will not be known as Sun Shang Xiang while we are here. You will adopt a new name, at least until we ride into Jian Ye. Xiang, I intend to recreate Wu... and I want you as the head for when it finalizes. It is sometime off, but you will of course agree."

Less of a question, more of a statement; if she refused, Meng had dark plans that would only rally more support from those former Wu states. He didn't want to think that way, but he was focused on fighting Wei; no matter the cost.

[Yan Xiu]

The entry of the assassin was unexpected but nonetheless not very frighteneing to the new persona of Sun Shang Xiang. As soon as they had barged into the house, Shang Xiang had her arms raised in a signature poise to ready for her newly adopted ability in hand-to-hand contact. However, Zhao Yun of the former Shu made sure she had no turn to fight as he slammed his fist into the face of the assailant. Xiang's face made no change as she watched Zilong suffer a blade through his thigh. She had seen enough blood and suffering to harden her to the point of lacking sympathy for a victim. Seeing the man now unconcious on the floor, Xiang smiled and nodded in appreciation to Zilong's dedication to protection.

Zhao Yun's two words to Xiang reminded her harshly of how he devoted his life to the protection of her deceased husband. She shut away her emotions however, and replied rather blankly. "You never cease to amaze, Zilong." Yet, she was not done here. She walked towards the fallen and unconcious body of the would-be killer. Her face held pure signs of cruel intentions as he reached into her lower leg, drawing a seemingly invisible knife. Looking towards Lu Meng and Zhao Yun for a moment, she brought the blade to the man's neck. With a second-long gap, she viciously drove the blade through his neck and into the critical arteries. Taking the blade back, she placed the dripping blade back into its socket beneath her lower leg garment.

A easily unphased voice broke the silence after her shocking act. "I told you, I can't take any risks. Lu Meng, your guards know who I am. I suggest two courses of actions that you will understand. Either cut out their tongues, or have them killed quickly by poison." She knew most likely they would hear the words of the changed Princess of Wu; she cared not. "This world is cruel, I learnt that the hard way. If you won't take any action on these men, then I will. Yes, they are under your command, but when they are at the mercy of torture, all that they have seen or heard will be released for eager ears to hear. I will not allow that to happen." She stood up, undoing the torn and rugged cloak that she had worn for so long, revealing a faded and bloodied dark red outfit that spoke of the old Wu legacy. It was almost all she had left.

"Wu will be reborn, more powerful than any patron of Wei, or any other kingdom, can possibly imagine." Her words had slight direction sent towards Zhao Yun of Shu, she wondered how he would feel with the talk of the kingdom of Wu being restored. "This task is laiden to you, I will not stand in the way of your ultimate plans. I will stand by you as a dog would its master; not only that, I will serve you as a ranked general in your amy. All I ask in return is simply that when the fateful day arrives, that you allow me to reveal myself to the world and take vengeance for Sun Quan, Liu Bei and all those whom suffered because of the Wei Empire." With a lowering to one knee, Xiang brought herself into a submissive position. "I, Kyou Ri, serve Lu Meng of the Tuo Tuan"

[allieddolphin]

"You never cease to amaze, Zilong."

Zilong, limped as could be expected as he put pressure on his wounded leg, he grimaced, but through all the pain, remained able minded enough to listen to the words of the two other allies. A look down confirmed the man to be unconscious, not that it was needed, but more to keep a peace of mind. Lady Xiang’s words though, brought his attention back to the important business – what was going to happen now.

Keeping his focus on the words, Zilong bent forward whilst ripping a chunk of his shirt off his body, he knew without it, he’d likely bleed to death, and what good would a dead officer be to the rebellion. Pulling the cloth tight together, and tying it off, Yun could only see one image as his head raised, the sight of Sun Shang Xiang, cutting the neck of what Yun had planned to be a prisoner. As the arteries were severed, the life and blood of the man seeped onto the floor. It brought back memories, and Zhao Yun was clearly in his own world from that point on.

[/i]

Zilong wiped away the blood from his face, he had to wonder why this once honest Shu soldier would do something like it, but then it all seemed to come together after he tried to fend Yun away. Hitting an officer was an execution offence, and if he was willing to do that, who knows what other rules he would break, and sins he would commit.

”Shut up! I know you did it!!!”

A fist flew towards the once soldier, and his head distorted from the sheer aggression and brutality in the attack. It seemed not enough the man was near death already, mutilated and bleeding far worse than Zhao Yun, it was as if death was all on Zhao Yun’s mind. He was screaming at himself to stop that day, but he was too far gone, he had done too many wrongs, this was his submission to darkness, there seemed no way to turn back.

“Wow, you actually believed us?”

The two Wei guards laughed at the bars of the cell door, looking in, waiting for Zhao Yun to retaliate somehow, and then to find no means to find revenge. Zilong turned and looked on, disbelief at how he was so easily manipulated. He did not react how they expected, the Shu man began to laugh, it was very much haunting as it echoed through the dungeon. He only watched and stared, laughing, as if perversely admiring their devious ways.[/ul]
Within Zhao Yun’s head it echoed on and on, until with a quiet and sharp gasp, he returned back to the real world and looked to Sun Shang Xiang and Lu Meng, trying to hide the increased breathing rate he had no acquired. Somehow he knew what was to come out of her mouth, and it pained him to realise that even not quite to his extent, the finale of that bloody war had broken her old self as well.

“My lady is right. If we leave them with their current knowledge, who is to say come a month, a week, a few days maybe, that Wei will not be stood out at walls. We are not at full strength quite yet, regardless of what the men may think or say.” He took a deep breath, before taking on the task himself, knowing if anyone should attend to the gruesome task, it should be someone more than used to it. ”I will attend to... heaven’s work right away if you wish?”

His head was spinning, and though he remained as calm as he usually appeared, inside he needed to get out of the room, it was as if the air itself was slowly pushing all oxygen out of his lungs. The man was in a dark, dark place.[/blockquote]

[Yan Xiu]

(Justin you gorgeous man, are you going to reply?)

[Liu Bei]

Yes, but probs tomorrow at some point. toooooo high for this.

[Liu Bei]

Meng did not like the fact that he was not given the right to parade this lady around the city. However, he could not argue with the fact that this would probably end in her death.

She asked to join, her entire demeanor completely serious. She gave a fake name, everything. His eyebrows piqued with approval, he nodded.

"On one condition."

The bomb he had been reserving would be let loose now. He was going to use it, whether she agreed to display herself or not as a member of the Sun family. This course, however, would solidify her to his position, in case any other remnant of Wu tried to claim themselves to the resurrection of Wu.

"You become my wife."

[Yan Xiu]

Sun Shang Xiang, now known as Kyou Ri, was more than pleased at the agreement that Zhao Yun made towards the issue of the guards knowing her true identity. It was something that could not be overlooked, as all cracks in the ice floor that they stood on must be held in place; lest they fall into the abyss of ice water. "It is your decision, Zilong. Just...make it quick and painless for them. They were only earning their pay." A slight sign that the softer and compassionate side of Sun Shang Xiang had not entirely disappeared. It was a relief for those around her.

"What?!" This was the only reply to the proposition laid out by Lu Meng. "How dare you?! Have you lost your honour? Your dignity?!" Her voice began to raise, all forms of her being serious and secretive were out the window. She couldn't believe that Lu Meng, one of the most trusted of all Wu warriors, would suggest something that would blatantly disrespect the fallen spirits of Liu Bei and Sun Quan. But then, she remembered, Lu Meng always had a reasoning with his plans and the fact that he remained equally calm and cold made Xiang slow down slightly. "I suppose you have some grand scheme behind this act of...disrespect."

[Liu Bei]

Meng's fist slammed onto the table, causing a dish to fly into the air and come clattering to the ground in front of him. His face was solid, an unwavering bulwark of calm and collected rationale. He stood, the chair flying back a few feet, and he stared at the woman, now Kyou Ri, a false name that didn't beffit her at all.

He wanted to spit; how could she not see it? It was almost too blatantly obvious; she would legitimize an empire, and she would legitimize the resurrection of Wu.

"Are you... Are you that blind? Has your time in the wliderness dulled your wit? Your intelligence? It is so obvious that its almost painful that you haven't figurd it out yet.

If we want to fight the empire of Wei, we must have an empire to fight them. A king can not rule an empire alone; he must have a queen. You are the only lady in my force with the charisma and the power to share the reins with me.

On top of that, it unites the households of old Wu and old Shu. Our force is a mixed bag of both; our top general here is Zhao Yun, yes, the one standing in front of you. I am a man of Wu, yet I lead a force of Shu and Wu and the outsiders mixed; we need a glue, and you would be that glue. Your previous marriage to Lord Zhāoliè will bring those who were most loyal to him to our banner, and unite them to the Wu cause.

And, finally, when your true identity is revealed, Wu will be legitimate from the get-go; an heiress to Wu to take the throne... with her husband, of course. No woman could rule the throne alone, though if one could, I would not doubt it would be you, Lady Xiang."

An almost bittersweet compliment tacked on to the end; meant to sweeten a shifty deal. What he spoke was that he need a woman, not necessarily Xiang. As far as anyone outside of this room was concerned, she was dead.

However, having her would legitimize a lot of Meng's plans; he held no blood relation to the Sun line, and in fact held a name that was almost as common as any other. However, his family and the family of Lu Xun were trusted highly amongst Wu officials, and that gave him the clout to resurrect the kingdom...

He hoped.

[Yan Xiu]

The fist making connection with the table was unexpected by Xiang. She did not expect Lu Meng, the cool and calculating tactician of Wu to lose his cool over something...then again, this was of great importance. She flinched backwards slightly, feeling somewhat weak in the face of the man's anger. This didn't happen very often either, she would normally stand up to men. But this was different, Lu Meng's anger was passionate. She had to submit to it.

"If I did accept..." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts together. She tried to come up with excuses, but nothing seemed to form in her head. As she swallowed the build up of moisture in her throat, she continued talking. "I want nothing public. Our marriage will be public, that is all. I refuse to have to display a false affection in and around the city. This is a ruse, nothing else. My love remains for a man taken from me, it is for none else. Is that clear?" Her face was serious as she moved her eyes towards Zhao Yun for a moment, seeing his reaction to everything. She then moved back to Lu Meng. "If that is accepted, then...fine."