Taming the Unicorn

By Samura Lung Ch'u

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This is a semi sequel to 'song of the red Swallow.' It's a stand-alone story so you don't have to read Swallow first but it does help a little! Rated for blood and violence.

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Sun Quan watched as Zhou Yu made his obeisance before him and stood silently, Lu Xun at his side.

"So," Sun Quan sighed. "What plan have you for us?"

Zhou Yu grinned. "Well, the main threat to our cause is Zhuge Liang, we should try to obliterate Shu."

Lu Xun cried, "But Wei is strengthening their forces at our north borders and Shu is the only thing stopping their assault on us! If we take out Shu, Wei will…" But his words were cut short by an angry gaze by Zhou Yu. He snarled and Xun was soon silent. Ever since Sun Quan had passed Zhou Yu over for promotion for Lu Xun, Zhou Yu had been increasingly cold towards the boy.

"Attack Shu? What plans do we have?" Sun Quan asked.

"Well," Zhou Yu said, averting his gaze from his young apprentice and back to Sun Quan. "It would first be best to demoralise their troops, we shouldn't have a hard time of it, Zhuge Liang is ill and not too much longer for this world."

"And?" Sun Quan was getting impatient. He had risked everything to keep these lands for the memory of his brother and father, but attack on both sides was soon immanent.

Zhou's lip curled slightly. Lu Xun knew it well to be a mark of inner frustration. Attacking Shu was a bad idea. Zhou Yu just wanted to remove Zhuge Liang so he would be the smartest in the land.

"Well, there is one thing more dear to Zhuge Liang than his kingdom, and that is the legacy he will leave behind after he dies." Zhou Yu smirked.

"Go on…" Sun Quan growled. He was tired and just wanted the fighting to end.

"If we can remove that one thing, he will be broken, he will assuredly die!" Zhou Yu grinned.

"And that one thing?" Sun Quan asked.

---

"Jiang Wei!" A voice yelled.

His soldiers suddenly calling him snapped Jiang back into reality. He averted his gaze from the beautiful forests below and behind him to a fully armoured guard waiting for him.

"Sir, you shouldn't go wandering off like that! Zhuge Liang is looking for you!" The Guard said.

Jiang Wei sighed and followed. 'Jiang Wei, watch this, Jiang Wei, write this down, Jiang Wei, pay attention this is important!' Zhuge Liang never let him see any action. He was always just watching, 'learning' it was boring! He was starting to think he had more fun in Wei!

The soldier took him into the main corridor of their castle and Zhuge Liang stood, trying to hide a worried gaze behind his white feather fan. Jiang knew him too well to be fooled. Something was wrong.

"Jiang Wei, bandits are raiding the castle town at Tian Shui." Zhuge Liang sighed gently.

Jiang snapped to attention. Tian Shui castle town was his birth town, where his mother lived… his mother!

"Let me go prime minister! I'll take out those bandits!" Jiang pleaded.

"No, you're to important to go, we'll have Zhao Yun or Ma Chao…"

"Its always someone else! Why can't I go into battle for a change! Please prime minister, this is important to me!" Jiang called, his voice almost rising to a shout.

Zhuge Liang smirked under his fan. "Then go, I won't stop you." He smiled.

Jiang's face lit up, he headed down straight away to get ready. Leaving Zhuge sighing in the hall.

"Why did you let him go?" Zhao Yun said, cradling his spear against his shoulder.

"I think he's ready, I hope… I hope I haven't made a mistake." Zhuge sighed.

---

Zhou Yu paced angrily up and down the trodden earth path. The camp was not as 'plush' as he was used to and the anticipation was making him angry. Lu Xun approached warily, when Zhou Yu was in one of his 'moods' anything could set him off yelling.

"Sir, you know if this doesn't work, Shu will obliterate us." Lu Xun said boldly.

Zhou Yu turned, and Lu Xun squeezed his eyes tightly shut, expecting a tongue lashing, but when all was silent, he eased them open again to see a look of confidence on Zhou Yu's face.

"For the smartest child in Wu you're pretty dense! Of course this will work!" Zhou Yu laughed.

At least he wasn't angry. Last time Xun had questioned one of Zhou Yu's plans, he was almost struck, and would have been were Zhou Tai not to walk in at that moment. Xun should have known better than to question Zhou again but the plan, he still didn't know, this was a huge risk they were taking. Would it pay off?

The thoughts were soon dissipated when Ling Tong rode up on a brown steed.

"Everything is in place lord Zhou Yu." Ling Tong said, dismounting and bowing.

"Perfect!" Zhou Laughed. This moment was Zhou's grail, if this worked then Zhuge Liang would be out of his hair for good.

---

Jiang Wei's trident cut deep into the chest of it's victim, splitting the ribs and sending spurts of scarlet blood shooting out of all three wounds. The bandit spluttered, blood pouring from his mouth and nose and the coughed, rather messily then died, still adhered to the trident blade by strips of shredded, matted flesh.

He withdrew his pole arm and drew one hand across his damp brow. Blood and sweat, a grim combination.

"Is that all of them?" He said turning to a young village girl he had just saved from the bandit's strike.

The girl nodded, looking at him with wide fascinated eyes. "I think so but a few fled into the woods, if you leave them they'll just come back and…"

"Say no more, I'll get them for you, just keep safe ok?" Jiang smiled. It was nice to be the hero. Ladies loved the hero. He remembered how many times he had seen women gaze at Zhao Yun that way and laughed. It felt good. He whipped his horse and headed out of the west gate towards the forest. Just a couple more bandits, he could stop off to give his mother a hug, and then back to Zhuge Liang in time for tea and told you so!

The forest was dark, not like the castle town. The canopy eclipsed the sun and sent soft shadows dancing along the trunks of the trees.

He was starting to wonder where that bandits had gone when a great figure rose in front of him, spooking his horse. He tried to hold on but was sent careering to the ground, trident flung about a foot from reach. Ambushed, so stupid! He should have been paying attention.

He rolled over and tried to grab his trident but a heavy foot crashed down, crushing his fingers into the dirt. Jiang looked up to see his assailant, and suddenly panicked when he saw Gan Ning. This was all planned!

"Hey there, what are you doing all alone in the woods little boy?" Gan Ning growled.

Frightened, Jiang pulled his legs up to his chest and kicked out full force at Gan's leg, striking his knee. Gan stumbled back and Jiang reached for his Trident but was grabbed from behind, both hands forced up and bound quickly with thick rope.

Jiang spun around and Saw Lu Meng holding him. Curse Wu and their underhanded trickery! Jiang didn't know how he was going to get out of this one, so he kicked Gan Ning again in frustration.

"Ning! Stop idling and help me out here!" Lu Meng growled.

"I'm not getting close, he'll kick me again!" Gan Ning spat, rubbing his knee.

"Then bind his feet!" Meng shouted.

Jiang Wei knew he was going to die there, Lu Meng's vice like grip holding him down as Gan Ning bound his feet. He was going to die, but he was going to make his captors suffer.

He watched Gan and saw his chance, those bare arms. As Gan Ning pulled the ropes tighter, Jiang Wei suddenly flailed violently, writhing out of Lu Meng's grip and catching Gan's elbow between his knees. Gan Ning was shocked as Jiang bent forward and bit deeply into his arm.

The pain on his face was obvious even before he screamed. Gan Ning shook his arm but between Jiang's knees and clamped jaws, his arm was stuck fast.

"Let go you little cur!" Gan growled, turning to Lu Meng, his face contorting in pain. "Do something!" Jiang bit as hard as he could; as yet he had not drawn blood. He could taste sweat and dirt.

Lu Meng grabbed a handful of the boy's hair and shook him, trying to make him let go, but this only made him bite harder. And with a sudden hard wet crack like a whip on water, Gan's flesh burst open, splitting wide and filling Jiang's mouth with blood. With a cry of pain and anger, Gan swung around his free arm and struck Jiang Wei roughly on the side of the head. He let go and sat back. As Gan Ning gave an angry growl, Jiang spat the mouthful of blood in his face, giving a defiant smirk of victory, blood still dripping down his chin. Some of it was his from the blow, but most of it was Gan Ning's.

Lu Meng quickly rushed to Gan Ning's side, tore a strip of cloth from his fighting robe and dressed Gan's wound with it. "What were you thinking? Don't hit the boy like that! We need him alive, you'll kill him with another hit like that!" Lu Meng hissed.

Jiang Wei grinned wide, the metallic taste of blood fresh in his mouth. They needed him alive, for what purpose? It didn't really matter, as long as they needed him alive, he could make it hell for them.

The two stood a good distance from their prisoner, his dark eyes glaring up at them with machinations in his gaze. Gan Ning breathed heavily, angry and fatigued. The kid wasn't going to make it easy, but he knew better than to think he would, he was to be Zhuge Liang's successor after all, and Zhuge Liang would not just pick anyone.

"Help me get him on the horse," Lu Meng Said, leading a black stallion out of the cover of the woods.

"I'm not getting close! He'll bite me again!" Gan Ning whined rubbing his arm.

"Stop being such a woman!" Lu Meng spat.

"Yeah, its all fine for you, he hasn't even hit you, but me, I get close, you saw what he did to my arm, he could take my fingers clean off!" Gan cried pathetically.

"And I will." Jiang growled low. This wasn't the kind of excitement he had been hoping for, but giving the Wu troops a run for their money was a plus.

"See! He even admits it! I'm not going over there." Gan Ning said with the angry vehemence of a stropping child.

Lu Meng rolled his eyes. He was imagining the journey home, between a homicidal Shu child at his back and Gan Ning complaining, this was going to be one hell of a journey. He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a short length of rope. He strode confidently over to Jiang. "Don't move kid." Meng said.

"You wish!" Jiang said trying to take another kick with his bound feet but Lu Meng was too quick for him, and soon the rope was in his mouth and tied roughly behind his head.

"There, now he can't bite you, so stop complaining!" Meng snorted.

Gan Ning sneered and went to help. They lifted the boy onto the back of the horse and draped him over like a rug.

Abducted by Wu officers. Not the perfect climax to Jiang Wei's first mission on his own.