Dark Days

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone listed in this fic. If I did I would have enough money to buy a house ^_^

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Sun Ce was dead. Life was not worth living. Da Qiao felt more tears flowing down her cheeks, her eyes so swollen now that she could barely keep them open.

His head lay in the crook of her arm where she had kept it since it had been served up alongside her breakfast. Her Sun Ce was dead, and with him went her light, her sun, and her moonlight sky. She belonged to Dong Zhou now, not that she cared. Why should she care? Her beloved with his smile that could put anyone at ease was dead.

"Say something" she whispered the words to the head. It just continued watching her, frozen with an expression of fury and battle rage etched onto its features.

"I said say something! Anything! Tease me about my pigtails! Tell me what a great husband you are! Brag about being the best warrior in the world! Just open your mouth!"

"Da?"

She froze. Her sister's voice was low, but it carried clearly to her through the long empty hallway.

"Da? Are you there? Are you ok?"

Da stopped and considered, what should she tell her little sister? That she had her husband's head in her cell with her? Or that no one was coming to rescue them? Or how about she better get used to someone like Dong Zhou controlling every second of her life?

No, none of those things seemed like the right thing to say. Instead, Da Qiao opened her mouth and let out the scream of despair that had been building within her all day.

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Sun Shang Xiang taped her fingernails impatiently against the wall. Diao Chan was stark raving mad if she thought she was going to touch Dong Zhou. How the woman could tolerate touching the man was a mystery in itself. There was no way she was touching him, not even if her husband wasn't still out there and kicking. A smile spread across her lips. Yes, her husband would come and rescue her. He would apologize profusely for being late, that was just Liu Bei's way.

The woman in the pale pink dress sighed. "You haven't been listening to a word I've said."

"There's no need. My husband's coming for me."

Diao chan shook her head sadly. "Surely by now you know that he has no possible chance of rescuing you. For his sake I hope he stays far away. If Dong Zhou were to get his hands on him then he wouldn't live to see the dawn."

"My husband could beat Dong Zhou with one hand tied behind his back." Sun Shang Xiang snapped. "Lord Liu Bei fights for what's right. His cause is just and he will beat the tyrant before all of this is through."

Diao Chan sighed again, placing her hands in her face. "Dong Zhou won't fight Liu Bei."

A smug smile broke out on the warrior princess' face. He won't fight Liu Bei because he's a big fat useless piece of lard.

"He will send out Lu Bu to fight your husband instead."

Sun Shang Xiang felt herself grow pale at the memory of the battle where she had been taken prisoner. The might of Lu Bu wathinthing to take lightly.

"Lu Bu almost killed your husband last time, did he not? Just think, at the time your husband had the whole Shu army to hide behind. How will your lord defeat Lu Bu?"

Bitch. But she's mostly right. "Then I'll have to get out of here on my own." Sun Shang Xiang's voice was firm.

"You'll never escape. Trust me, I tried at first." Diao Chan laid a calming arm on her. "Besides, things aren't that bad here. The food is divine. We're usually left alone. The only thing is learning to please our lord." She smiled at the auburn haired woman. "Besides, maybe you'll get lucky and Dong Zhou will give you to Lu Bu as a present."

"What? Lu Bu? That beast? No thank you!" If being Lu Bu's whore was something to look forward to then she had to find a way out of here sooner than expected.

"Lu Bu is not a beast." Each of Diao Chan's words was edged with ice. "He is a gentleman that just happens to serve Dong Zhou."

Interesting. "I have heard of how he treats his men. He's just a muscle bound idiot. He would be nothing without Dong Zhou's strategists."

The slap was unexpected. Sun Shang Xiang got to her feet from where the slap had spent her sprawling. Who would have thought such a small figure could hold such strength?

"Never speak of Lord Lu Bu that way. You know nothing of men of honor." She stood up, her face red. Dia Chan turned from her, her hands knotted into fist. "Get some sleep. Dong Zhou will be calling for you within the next few days and you'll need your rest." With these words the woman glided from the room, locking the door behind her.

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Lu Xun waited, his finger circling the worry stone within his pant pocket. The smoothness of the stone beneath his fingertips was very soothing. The sound of horses' hooves further down the dirt road reached him. Getting to his feet, he turned towards the direction of the noise.

"Who goes there?" The sound of a sword pulled from its scabbard echoed loudly in the alley.

He looked up at the man astride the gray stallion. "I am Lu Xun, of Wu, and I am unarmed."

"Wu does not exist anymore, none of the three kingdoms do." The man had the hood on his cloak up, hiding his face from view.

"They still exist my lord, as long as men of brave hearts still survive." Lu Xun bowed.

The man snorted. "It would take more than brave hearts to dethrone Dong Zhou. It would take sheer numbers." The man's eyes blazed. "Wu was supposed to join Shu in an invasion attempt. Wu never showed up."

Lu Xun straightened up. It wasn't our fault. "Wu was attacked on their way to battle. Most of our men were killed. A few of us escaped, but by then Shu had gone ahead and attacked by themselves. We were too far away to give our aid to them." He sighed. "Please Lord Liu Bei, no more games. I ask that you follow me to my c the there I will explain everything." Lu Xun held out his arms to show they were empty of weapons.

"What would I want of a coward of Wu? The Sun family is dead. Our alliance died with Shang Xiang." The man nudged his horse and it began forward.

Taking a deep breath, the young general waited until Shu's lord had ridden passed before saying quietly, "then the alliance is not dead, since Lady Sun still lives."

Liu Bei jerked so hard on the reins that the horse spun around, dancing in a little circle. "Do not speak lies to me." His hood fell back, revealing tears shining on his face. "I have lost everything, and find all I wish for is my woman and friends riding beside me once more."

"I would never jest about the Lady Sun's welfare." The Sun family would kill me if I ever even considered that. "We have received news from within the palace. Lady Sun lives. All the lady generals from both our kingdoms have been taken captive and are to be added to Dong Zhou's harem."

Liu Bei's head bowed. "Better she had died cleanly in battle then to be one night with that man."

"Have you given up hope?" Lu Xun watched the man's face. If Liu Bei were too broken to fight, then stopping Dong Zhou would be made all the harder.

"Was there ever any hope to be had?" The young Shu lord looked off into the distance.

"Another Sun yet lives. Please, I beg you come to our camp. We are already gathering up warriors for one more assault against Dong Zhou. Perhaps we can make him suffer enough damages that this time we can push them back."

Liu Bei sighed, then nodded. "For my Sun, I would fight against the whole world. Take me to your camp. Let us see what damage we can do."

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Yue Ying lay staring up at the ceiling. Shd nod not want to consider looking at the walls again. The pictures that covered them were far too lewd for her taste, painted as they were with nude figures in the progress of a giant orgy.

There was a soft tap at her door. She snorted. Not like she could open the door considering she was locked in. There was another knock then something was pushed through the bars that covered the small opening at the bottom of her cell.

Curious. Making her way from the bed she took the package in her hands. Written in crude writing was a note.

Zhuge Liang wanted you to have this.

Opening the package her heart froze. It was her husband's white war fan. Her eyes filled with tears. I failed you husband. Please forgive me. Placing a gentle kiss on the fan, she hid it underneath the mattress of her bed. They will never take my last piece of you from
H
Hastily she wiped away her tears. Who could have known how important her husband's fan was as well as how much she needed it near tonight for reassurance?

At least she still had allies, even if they had not set her free. Yue Ying lay back down on the bed, putting her back against the wall. She would need rest if she were to formulate a plan of escape. _______________