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Legacy of the Lunar Spear	By : CPascal42 Category: +A through F > Dynasty Warriors Views: 9722 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Dynasty Warriors, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 20
- 21
- 22
Chapter 20
Prelude to Disaster

Warm tears
began to trickle down her cheeks as Ling trotted down to the rundown stables
towards the rear of the camp. Two months
and she held back her tears, save a few mishaps, but now it was too much. She wanted him to tell her what to do, she
wanted him to say it would be alright and most importantly she wanted to hug
him one last time. In some ways she was
happy he wasn�t here, he would genuinely hate Dun. Lu Bu would never see past Dun�s callous
exterior and would immediately dismiss him as a complete asshole who belittled
his daughter. Being two stubborn
individuals they would argue and fight until a duel was demanded and she knew
she�d never be able to split that fight up, even with Liao�s help. It was a stupid thing to think about, it was
something that would never happen. The
other reason she was happy not to be under her father�s watch was that she was
genuinely a bad commander. She knew it,
Hua Xi knew it and she figured Dun did as well.
No matter how many times he tried to teach her, she couldn�t figure out
when to use these formations. How
ashamed the mighty Lu Bu would be of a daughter who would never make it past
Captain. She wiped away some of her
tears so she could focus a bit better and find her horse. He never minded when she cried into his neck
and he didn�t insist things were going to get better. Liao was always trying to make her feel good,
but sometimes it was best just to cry.
She scratched her horse�s ears before putting her head against him and sobbing.
He eyes closed and memories flooded back of a happier time; a time when she was
unaware of her father�s mortality or her own failings.
�Ling�wake
up.�
Ling shuffled herself further into the
blankets and threw the tigerskin over her head.
By god, if he wanted her out of bed he could drag her out. It was too damned cold!
�Ling Qi�do you want to miss your
foal�s birth? A bad way to start off
with your horse if you ask me.�
Immediately her eyes shot open and
she sat up in bed, fully awake. Lu Bu
stood wrapped in his silk robe with his unbound hair flowing over his
shoulders, holding a candle in his hand and smiling knowingly. �It�s time? Really?�
�Yes, now get dressed. It�s cold outside.� Lu Bu turned and left leaving her to scurry around
looking for her clothes.
She was no more than eleven at the
time and it was a freezing cold night in the middle of March. It was eleven months after her father had one
of the Emperor�s prize broodmares bred to Red Hare and the foal that was coming
was going to be hers. It seemed all her
life she had waited for this, her own warhorse!
It only meant that she was coming of age and would finally be allowed to
fight with her father. Sure it was a few
years down the road, but this was the start of it! This foal was going to be her partner, and
together they were going to make her father proud. One day the world would fear the names of Lu
Bu and Lu Ling Qi. As she fell over
trying to get her foot into her boot she couldn�t help but say a prayer that her
horse would be grey�or pure white! Every
girl�s dream.
�It�s about time; I was about ready
to go back to bed.� Lu Bu�s wry smile made her pull his hair. Instead of showing his discomfort he wrapped
his arm around her and pulled her close.
Still seated and sipping his tea he chuckled at her frustration. �Drink something warm before you go out into
the cold. We may be out there a while.�
�Daddy, I don�t want to miss it!�
Ling tried pulling away but her meager attempt at resistance to his hold achieved
nothing.
�You will miss it if you don�t drink
your tea like I told you.�
Ling slumped down into her chair and
began to blow on the searing hot liquid.
How her father managed to tolerate drinking the stuff when it was so hot
was either a testament to his high pain tolerance or sheer insanity. She tried to drink it but only ended up
burning her tongue then looked up to see her mother emerge from the hallway. With
a disappointed grunt she greeted her, �Morning
mother.�
�Is it?� Chen Mei looked around and
squinted at the faith hint of light from the candle. �Is something wrong?�
�Ling�s foal is about to arrive.� Lu
Bu explained.
�Oh.� Mei frowned. �You�re not going to let her touch it while
it�s still slimy are you?�
�If there are complications, I fully
intend on sending Ling in there to pull it out.�
�Oh�no! Fengxian, that�s not right
for a girl!�
�Mei, she�s got smaller arms than
anyone out there in the foaling barn. If
it comes down to it, she�ll be able to readjust the foal better than anyone��
He looked up and saw her clutch at her stomach.
�Don�t worry dear, I�ll take care of it.
Go back to bed.� He said dryly.
�Yes, I do need my rest.� Mother
quickly retreated back to her chambers.
After finishing the tea, Ling looked
up at her father expectantly and he gave her the approving smile. Throwing her cloak on she raced out the door
into the snow and down to the barn.
Beating her father to the stall by two minutes, Ling was engrossed by
the scene in front of her. The mare was
lying down in the straw looking back at her rump and was breathing
heavily. A few times she stretched out
flat and grunted, but returned to the same laying position. Ling looked over at
the worries faces of the stable boys�something was wrong.
�General, the foal�s not coming out
right.�
�Ling, roll up your sleeves you�re
going to have to help him out.� Lu Bu helped her take her cloak off and pulled
the mares tail out of the way. �Now put your hands in there and feel for
hooves.�
Ling obeyed and put her hand in the mare. It was a bizarre sensation, but she didn�t
think on it too long; her baby needed help. �I found it! But they�re only one��
�Push
him back in and try to grab the other one.
Then wrap your hands around his fetlocks and get ready to pull.�
She
nodded and readjusted the baby so his feet were properly positioned. The mare began to push again and Lu Bu helped
her pull. Once the mare quit her
pushing, they stopped for fear of hurting her uterus. Each time she started to push, they tried to
get the baby out. �What�s wrong?�
�He�s stuck. Happens with the bigger ones, the shoulders
are too big to get through her hips. I
hope he doesn�t crack his ribs on the way out.
Here let me take over.� Ling gratefully let her father do the rest of
the work while she stood back and watched.
Once he got the baby�s shoulders out, the little horse just shot out of
the birth canal and landed in the straw covered in birth juices and
placenta. Lu Bu pulled the birth sack
away from the baby�s face and ran his fingers down his nose to dislodge the
nasal plug. Ling began to worry, he
wasn�t moving that much but once her father began to rub the little one he gave
a squeal of protests and jerked his head around. Her foal was going to be just fine.
Firestorm
could offer little consolation as his lady began to bawl and soak his coat with
tears. He took a step back and relocated
himself so she could cry into his face instead.
Nothing was nicer than having her hold his head and pet his cheekbones
and in this position he could easily nudge her without causing problems. He noticed Red Hare across the way staring at
him jealously. Good.
�Are you
alright?�
Ling looked
up and was slightly startled to see a young and handsome, yet completely
unfamiliar, face looking at her. His
captivating eyes were wracked with genuine concern and he moved closer to give
her a reassuring touch on the arm. She
looked him over and wondered who the hell he could be. Obviously a young man of stature, his ornate
armor proved that. �I�m ....fine.
Thanks.�
�My
mistake.� He reached out and scratched Storm�s head. �He�s a good looking
stud...is he yours?�
�Yes.� She
continued to stare at him. �Who the hell are you?�
�My name is
Ma Chao, I�m here with Pang De. My
father Ma Teng of Xiliang sent us to assist.�
�Oh.� Ling
began to wrack her brain. Ma Teng, why is
that name familiar? Must have been mentioned recently.
�Can I have
the privilege of knowing your name?� Chao asked as he watched her think
something over. It was so rare to find a
girl, especially that well endowed, hanging around the stables. She obviously was the daughter of someone
influential with a horse like that.
�She�s my
wife and that is all you need to know.�
Ling looked
up to see Dun glaring at them both. Now he decided to get concerned? She looked away from both of them, feeling
guilty for getting the handsome man in trouble and embarrassed by her puffy red
eyes. �He was just being nice, Dun.�
�Which is
why he�s alone with you in the barn a foot away from your cleavage.� Dun strode
up to the stall and place himself between the two young warriors. His angry stare never left the stupid kid�s
eyes and he watched him back up a few steps.
�I was
simply concerned when I heard her crying.� Chao explained.
�You were
crying again?� Dun asked and watched her wipe her eyes. What was wrong now?
�I�m fine,
it�s nothing.�
�I can see
how much you care.� Chao said bitterly.
No wonder she was crying, this guy was an ass.
�Why don�t
you mind your own business boy?�
�Dun...� Ling
said nervously. How the hell was she
going to break this up?
�Forgive
him General,� Pang De entered the barn and pushed Chao back giving him a
warning glare, �He�s the youngest and most inexperienced of the Ma Clan. We only just arrived, he doesn�t know anyone
here. An honest mistake.�
�Then you
might want to keep him on a short leash or he might end up castrated. Ling, come.� Dun turned and walked out of the
stable. He finally unclenched his fists
and began to wonder if her interest was that easily swayed. Was she simply humoring him because there
were no available men? Why the hell was
he so upset by it?
Ling let
herself out of the stall and gave the two men an apologetic smile. �Thank you for your concern and I�m sorry
about him...he�s always bitchy.� She
looked out of the barn and saw him waiting for her and thought better of saying
anything else. As irritated as she was
with his primitive show of jealous, she had to admit she was surprised by his
vehement defense of her. Yes, he was treating
her like his property....but she knew better.
If he actually felt that way he would have shown this unseemly side of
his personality already, instead he only did it when he felt threatened by
someone. She looked up at him as she
approached and he turned to continue his journey back to their tent. Suddenly it struck her. Ma Teng was the man her grandfather referred
to when he was trying to arrange her a marriage....and it was his youngest son
that was the subject of that conversation.
She looked back over her shoulder as the two men walked away from the
facility to their camp. Was he the one
she could have married?
�You
idiot.� Pang De growled. �Do you have any idea who that was?�
�The pissy
guy or the girl.� Chao looked up the hill as she gave them another look. �God,
I�ve never seen a woman that big before.�
Pang De
smacked him on the head. �And if you�re smart you won�t see her again. That is Xiahou Dun, Cao Cao�s cousin and his
right hand.�
�He�s an
asshole is what he is.�
�This isn�t
your father�s army, you remember that.
Cao Cao will see to his cousin�s interests well before any respect due
to your father or Han Sui so don�t start any of your shit.�
�I was just
talking to her! She had big breasts and a nice horse...�
�That�s Lu
Bu�s daughter. General Xiahou got her as a reward after her father was
eliminated. They took him down and no
one thought that was possible. So stay
away, I�m not dragging your corpse back to your mother and explained how I
failed to keep her stupid baby alive.�
�I didn�t
know he had a daughter.� Chao suddenly felt bad for trying to use her grief to
his advantage. She was more than likely
crying for her dad and he could understand that. If he ever lost his family to something so
savage he�d have a hard time accepting it too.

Xxxxx

�Why are we
abandoning our strongest defensive position�.if you don�t mind me asking?� Chen
Hong spat as he surveyed the troops alongside Zhang He. �Perhaps you have a passage from Sun Tzu you
can reference for this�.decision? I
obviously missed it the first two thousand times I read it.�
�Tell me
Lord Chen�� Zhang He stood upon the terrace level of the small palace at the
center of Guan Du. He struck a handsome
pose holding his elbow with his free hand and inspecting the ornate claws that
were his signature weapons. He didn�t
bother to look at the elder advisor; instead he chose to view the troops
leaving the city between the blades of his weapon. �Is this resentment of competence the reason
you despised your son-in-law?�
�Competence?
Lu Bu? You must have read some
interesting fairy tales.�
�I have
read court reports, observer statements and letters written by men that were
actually there. No one it seems, save
that pauper Liu Bei, slandered the man as much as you. It intrigues me�especially knowing that you
so readily abandoned him to his fate.
Makes me wonder�.�
�Questioning
my loyalty again?�
�Questioning
your values.� Zhang He sighed as if he was on the terrace alone and an enraged
man was not fuming three feet from him. �But that is in the past�as Confucius
said, �Study the past if you would divine
the future�. Who do you serve, Lord
Chen? Lord Yuan Shao or yourself?�
�It is I
who should be questioning you! How dare
you��
�� The essence of knowledge is, having it, to
apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance�.�
�Considering
Confucius was a man of peace�where does that leave his follower on a
battlefield?�
�In command
here.� Zhang He lets the words roll off
his tongue like honey. �Yuan Shao has
entrusted me with my post because I am a very open-minded. I don�t just quote one dead man.�
�Then
enlighten me as a champion of knowledge.� Chen Gong ground his teeth.
Zhang He
finally turned to look at the man, and his move was as graceful as ever. �Why would we trap our excessive numbers in
this stronghold? I understand that your
have worked hard to ensure it is secure, but is it more solid than a
mountain? I am moving our troops to
hidden fortresses in the hills, along with our Lord. When Cao Cao arrives he will set himself up
to lay siege to Guan Du and we will have him flanked. With his back to the mountains he will set up
his supplies behind his lines, and we will destroy them first. He is cocky, thanks to the false rumors
regarding his numerical advantage and he has not enlisted the assistance of an
advisor. He will have himself stretched
very thin and will make mistakes�.one of them will be keeping his back to the
enemy. If you require a Sun Tzu quote to
approve of my orders�then fine. I am a
rational man; you may have one to chew on while you wait for the enemy to
invite your attack.�
�Don�t
belittle me��
With a
beautiful smile and a graceful walk, the dramatic general practically sang his
quotation, �A military operation involves
deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though
effective, appear to be ineffective.�
With a smug smile and a wink, Zhang He floated off the terrace in
graceful steps. Why the foolish man
cannot accept his place was beyond him.
As one final jibe at the arrogant old man he chose to end their
discussion on a sour note�with a Confucius quote. �Do not worry about holding high position; worry rather about playing
your proper role.� Yes�that will eat
at him.

xxxxx

Dun waited
until they were within the tent to turn and snap at her. �What the fuck was
that?�
Ling looked
away from him he�d only get angrier when he saw her red eyes. �I was just trying to�be alone.� She said
quietly.
�I�m sorry
I didn�t catch that.� He growled and watched her fidget
�I wanted
to be ALONE!� Ling screamed and began to cry once more.
�Why are
you crying again?�
She looked
away and wiped her tears. �I�..I miss my dad.�
He took a
deep breath and watched her tears stream down her face. Calmly he asked, �Why all of a sudden? You haven�t had any problems since it
happened.�
�I just
never said anything.�
�He�s not
coming back.� He said it without thinking then wanted to kick himself. He
couldn�t fault her for being upset; he himself had days when he wished he could
see his mother one last time.
Uncomfortable with her crying he handed her a handkerchief and cleared
his throat. He had already proven
himself to be the wrong person for this situation and he wanted to help her
somehow. �Perhaps you should go see
Liao.�
�Okay...�
She bit her lip and darted out of the tent.
Dun hung
his head after she left, he felt horrible and useless. Finally he was beginning
to stir up some sympathy for her because of her pitiful �I miss my dad�. Before he was agitated because it was all
focused on revenge and anger, however she was finally admitting to him her true
feelings. He clutched his hands and
cracked his knuckles, why did he suddenly care so much? He knew the answer. He was defensive about her, possessive even,
and he wanted a way to make her feel better.
Cursing himself he absentmindedly toyed with his eye patch. Two months.
Shaking his head he left the tent to see how things were progressing at the
main tent. Cao Cao was determined to
exact revenge for his son�s irritating demands and was doing his best to
prevent the youngster from running off to screw his not-so-new wife. Hopefully
it would keep his mind off his own spouse.

Xxxxx

�My
lord�you are leaving as well?� Chen Hong
queried as he watched Yuan Shao usher away one last servant with his things.
�Yes, Zhang
He believes it is best for me to be relocated.
I agree�.you don�t need me hampering your escape.�
�We will be
able to hold out in Guan Du for months.�
Chen Hong said proudly and watched his lord slam some scrolls together
nervously.
�Not
quite�.we moved the grain stores into the hills. The supply depot needed to be closer to the
troops�..I left you with very few supplies here.� Yuan Shao looked up and saw
the rage. Why Zhang He insisted on
keeping so much from him�.
�Excellent. Anything else my lord?�
�Hong�.this
is nothing against you.�
�Mmm�� The
elder Chen turned to the window and watched the city bustling with panic. The army was leaving and they feared the
reputation of Cao Cao. The man had,
after all, taken the life of the mighty Lu Bu.
�We will
win and after Wei is defeated I hope that we may renew our discussions from
earlier.�
�Regarding
my granddaughter?� Hong said
hopefully. Upon his arrival in Yuan
Shao�s court he had tried to work out another marriage arrangement for Ling
Qi. She shot down the chance at that Ma
boy, however he saw a chance with one of the young Yuans. They were ambitious and would happily accept
an easy alliance with Lu Bu. Once
Fengxian found himself in a bind he would undoubtedly come looking for allies
and Hong would serve them up on a silver platter. Sadly his granddaughter was the only
marketable asset he had�.and he had been distraught when he discovered she was
now property of Xiahou Dun. What good
with that do? The man would never make
it back to fighting form and it was doubtful that he could do anything but
fight. A wasted opportunity, or so he
thought.
�If we
eliminate Cao Cao�s army�his family will never bow to another lord. I believe Yuan Tan is more than capable of
taking on a second wife.�
Hong smiled
and bowed, �My lord is too kind.� Yes,
that would work fine. He was lucky he
could secure her a post as a second wife�but Shao was obviously doing him a
huge favor.
�That and
Yuan Shang would like to claim Zhen Ji as his own. Always was jealous of Yuan Xi�.they�ll make a
beautiful couple�

xxxxxxxxxx

Cao Cao leisurely sipped at his wine while keeping a watchful
eye upon his son. Cao Pi was trying to
sneak away once more and he let the newlyweds get to the tent flap before he
raised his voice. �Son, I was hoping you
might stay a bit longer�.I believe your brother has composed some poetry in
honor of this event.�
Cao Zhi
felt the jibe of his Uncle Yuan�s elbow and let the realization dawn on him
that the last comment involved him. He
had been absorbed in his thoughts since the last boring story his father told
was about his wife-stealing days with young Yuan Shao. How his father managed to live this long with
half the shit he pulled��I have?�
�Yes.� Cao
Cao stated and gave him the eye.
�I have!�
Zhi sat up quickly and grinned to his elder brother who looked like he was
going to cry.
�I�m sure,
with a battle tomorrow, that the officers would like some rest?� Cao Pi tried
and saw the twinkle in his father�s eyes.
Oh gods, how long was he going to pay for this? He let Zhen Ji�s hand slip from his and
fought the urge to rub the bulge in his pants.
Zhen Ji
quickly took her hand back and wrapped it around her flute, she was thankful
for the amusing spectacle even if she suspected Pi would be rougher later
because of it. She honestly liked Cao
Cao, he seemed to be an extraordinarily intelligent man and he was kind to
her. She hid a smile when her
father-in-law answered her distraught husband, with the sharp hiss of mockery
in his voice.
�Son, you
said yourself this is a victory for Wei!
By bringing Lady Zhen into our ranks the enemy will froth at the mouth
with envy and lay down their arms well in advance of our arrival. It should be fitting that you allow your brother
to read his historic poem to you before we utilize it as a propaganda weapon
and utterly demoralize Yuan Shao�s force.� The Wei lord sipped his wine and
smirked. Tormenting his children was defiantly
something that needed to be seen to more often.
A pang of regret hit him as he realized how much more enjoyable this
would be with Cao Ang here, the eldest boy always was phenomenal at mocking
people.
�I wouldn�t
go that far�� Cao Zhi stuttered and started rapidly jotting down verse. Why was this always his punishment for
winning that damned contest way back?
Sure he felt good at the time, showing up all the brothers did that, but
now it seemed his father always wanted prose on the spot. Training his mind, the old man would
say. Driving
me insane is more like it.
�Nonsense! I am ready to have it carved into a stele, I
was that inspired by it.� Cao Cao watched Xiahou Yuan shake his head and laugh
as Zhi frantically tried to compose said poem.
Xiahou Dun
ducked into the tent and brushed past his nephew, �Leaving so soon Pi? This is your party after all, that�s sort of
rude.� He saw the smile on Yuan�s face, they were defiantly enjoying themselves
at Pi�s expense. Good.
�No�we were
just getting ready to sit down.� Cao Pi shuffled back to his seat and plopped
back down into his chair.

Xxxxx

�Are those
wine jars?�
�Yes sir.�
�Bring me
two�or three.� Chun Yugiong�s mouth
began to water as he watched the little subordinate trot along and fetch the
tankards of sweet nectar. Yes, it would
be an easy victory and it would be wise to start celebrating early. Who was going to stumble upon the
storehouses? Hell, he was even stuck
here and he never heard of Wuchao before.
�General�.shouldn�t
you be posting guards?� Ju Shou looked
around and toyed with the reins in his hands.
The entire army�s food and it was just sitting here without so much as a
sentry!
�Nope.�
Chun Yugiong shook his head emphatically.
�I was assigned enough men to guard the place�not patrol the mountains.�
�And Lord
Yuan Shao is aware of this oversight?� Shou stood in the saddle and looked
around, it was practically deserted.
�He was the
one who gave me the order.�

xxxxxx

�Join us,
General Xiahou!� Guan Yu waved to the one-eyed man and pointed to a seat.
Dun looked
around the campfire at the small gathering. He had left the tent after Cao Zhi�s little poem and opted to look for his wife. He hated to admit it, but he was worried. He took a mental tally of the members of the
gathering Guan Yu and his son Ping, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao and Ling and Mao were
all there. He smirked, there was a theme
going here. �Mmm�looks like there�s an
odd man out.�
Guan Yu
busted out laughing, aided by the full bottle of wine he had ingested. �See Gongming! You need to just adopt
someone! Give into peer pressure!�
Ling smiled
as Huang finally let his playful side shine through and tackled the giant. Initially amazed at how well Liao had fit in
with the two friends, and how willing they were to accept him into their circle,
she knew he had seemed as out of place as she was and it was good to know that
he had found some friends. She had been
leaning on his shoulder, but when Dun sat down next to her she felt obligated
to sit up. Looking to Mao who was
hogging the wine, she queried �Are you going to share that wine?�
Ping
began to giggle, �Better do what your mom tells you or you�ll get a whoopin!�
�Oh don�t
start that shit.� Mao snorted, more than a little tipsy. �If you do�you gotta go sit with my
cousins! They think she talks out of her
cleavage!�
�You do too
you little pervert.� Ling leaned forward and grabbed the wine jug from him.
�Damn!
Where�s Uncle Fei when you need a whip!� Ping laughed
and began choking on his wine.
�Not my
fault you come bouncing up everywhere! I�m looking out for my safety�I could lose
an eye.� Mao fell over cackling as Ping started with
renewed fits of laughter.
�What a
good influence you are on them.� Dun grinned as she sat down and poured him
some wine.
�Those two
are the ones at fault.� Ling pointed to Guan Yu and Xu Huang still wrestling on
the ground.
�I just
beat the living shit out of Yuan�didn�t see my spin attack coming.� Dun grinned
and drank to the personal victory.
Ling rubbed
his leg. �I�m glad.� She genuinely was happy for him; it had been a long
arduous journey to get him back into fighting form. He was being warm and friendly now and it made
a smile work it�s way across her own face. Maybe there was a chance that they wouldn�t
end up like her parents: married, but only in title. No�she wanted more and she wanted him.
�Dun�.do you want to go to bed?�
Dun�s
eyebrows raised. After the day�s events he figured she�d be turned off to
him�instead she found it arousing.
Women. �It depends on whether or
not you�re tired.� A seductive grin accompanied his reply and her hands wrapped
around his.
�Not tired
in the least, I�m ready to learn something new.�
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Legacy of the Lunar Spear