For the Love of the Tiger

[Nohime]

Lady Wu had been married to the Tiger of Jiang Dong for many years now. She married him when she was very young and has never stopped loving him. Lately, she has been worried for his safety, though. After all, what with the Yellow Turban rebellion and now the Dong Zhuo issue, things just seemed to be going from bad to worse. It was rare that they ever got the chance to be alone, but Wu Mei had a plan to get him away from all of the hustle and bustle of the war life, even if it was only for an hour or two.

She left a not in his quarters, telling him to meet her outside the city, near the forest. She had traveled there just moments after leaving that note as well, making it about fifteen minutes ago. She had her sword with her, just in case any bandits should try and spoil their little evening together, but she was certain they would be fine. She waited for her beloved to join her for a casual walk through the forest to remember what they loved about each other and become reacquainted with each other. After all, this state of constant war had nearly driven a wedge between them, but her undying love and loyalty to her husband prevented her from going astray. Another five minutes passed. She knew he would arrive, she just knew he would.

[Sun Jian]

While spending time in the Palace to look at the state of the land and to decide what he should do, aswell as the threat of Dong Zhuo in the North, who if not stopped, could pose a danger to the lands of Jiangdong. Not only did the North trouble him, but was also concerned about the pirates. Even though they were no match for him at present, a close tab was needed, but how could he unite Jiangdong if they were taking the land that should be under his control.

He was about to send a message to his generals about what their thought are, when he saw the note left by Mei saying that she was waiting near the forest for him. Sun Jian sat onto his chair after realising that he had not been able to see her with the current state of the land, and now she was outside the forest where Bandits could be there, so he quickly left the palace and mounted his horse and raced out of the city with his sword at the ready.

When he drew nearer, he could see her at a distance with no Bandits in site which was a relief. Seems his work had paid off and they were now scared to return which was good. Once he reached her, he dismounted his horse and tied the reins round a tree, with some luxious grass for the horse to eat, as Sun Jian rushed over to her and took her hands into his own after removing his helmet, "Mei, why have you come all out here when you could have summoned me to your chamber? Even though I have safeguarded Wu, there is always bandits or assassins that may want to kill you, and I couldn't bear that", as his head bowed down and settled on their grasped hands.

[Nohime]

Mei watched as Sun Jian finally arrived. She smiled to herself happily as he dismounted and approached her. Then he had taken her hands into his and spoke of his worry for her. She couldn't help but smile, yet also feel slightly guilty. "In truth, my love, I feared that if I were to simply summon you to my chambers, we wouldn't truly receive the privacy that I wanted. After all, sometimes those guards to walk by rooms and such..." she explained. "But what I simply wanted was for you to spend a little time with me in the forest. I've always loved the trees and the wildflowers, and I just wanted to be with you before your next assignment."

She then walked closer to Sun Jian after she finished speaking and kissed him gently. She was the Tiger's wife, and she loved her place in his life. The only times it became lonely was in times like these when the land was shattered and opposing kingdoms wanted the land for themselves. Though she didn't have a problem with her husband taking the land, she wished there was a better way to solve these issues. Anyhow, after she kissed him, her eyes wandered to a small path in the forest that had obviously not been traveled often. She looked up at him and smiled. "Will you join me?"

[Sun Jian]

Sun Jian smiled. His hypothesis was correct, he had indeed spent alot of time into the country, rather than his wife, and here she was, putting herself in risk so he would come to her call, but luckily he had already dealt with the problems in the Wu area. All he now had to do, was to expand his protection to other areas in Jiangdong so the people would join with him. No, this wasn't the time or the place to think about military and poitical affairs, but rather keeping his attention for his wife, and having the privacy that she desired.

Once they had kissed, she decided to enter the forest, so he held her hand as they entered the forest. This path had not been used for awhile, but with the Tiger there, no-one would dare attack, as he turned to her and said, "I appreciate the thought you have given to this to get me here, while I have been concerned about the worries of the land. However, once the land is united, everyone can put their swords down and relax with their loved ones".

[Nohime]

Mei smiled slightly at his repsonse. "I just missed you dearly, surely you can understand that," she said, her smile still present. She smiled at the thought of peace and the land unifying, but looked sad when she realized just how impossible it seemed. She leaned up against a tree and looked up at her husband with sad eyes. "Jian, do you really think you can perform such a feat without everyone by your side on the battlefield..." she began. "And I do mean...everyone." She watched him closely to see if he understood what she meant.

"I want to be by your side, not only in the palace, but on the battlefield as well," she admitted softly, looking embarassed to be saying such a thing. "I know that you worry for my safety, and I know that this seems much different than what it seemed like I would say in such a situation, but I truly wanted you to know that I am willing to do anything for your kingdom and you."

Having finally spilled her guts to her husband, she stood up straight and kissed him again. "I'm sorry about that..." she said softly. "I've just been very lonely without you around...and I really think I can contribute to your forces. If you'd rather we talk about something else...just say so..." She couldn't believe that she had done that. She really hadn't planned to say anything about that, she was originally simply going to speak with him about other things...but nothing came to mind. She was trembling slightly as she awaited Sun Jian's response. After all, typically in this age, the wife of a lord wasn't meant to battle, but she wanted to with all her soul.

[Sun Jian]

Sun Jian listened to what she had to say, and then heard her proposal. Once she mentioned everyone, he got the message that she wanted to come too, which she later revealed that she too wanted to go into battle, but Sun Jian was hesitant.

There were many enemies around and uniting the land will be a big job and will take time, but he did not wish to put his wife in danger, so he stopped walking, then turned to her, "You've came here to spend some time with me, and even though I am aware, I've not spent as much time with you as I should, you are now asking to join me on the battlefield", he paused, "You know how hesitant I am about even coming into this forest, how would I bare you on the battlefield", he paused again, "I see that you want to be involved, but I also want you safe. When I go to gain more land, there is always the defence needed for here, if you are able to perform that task".

Inside, he felt as if he had let her down, but he couldn't help worrying about her and could see the reasons why she wanted to help, as he leaned forwards and kissed her gently back.

[Nohime]

Mei lowered her head again. She knew that Sun Jian wouldn't allow her to be on the battlefield to help him shape the land. She then felt his lips gently touch hers for a soft kiss. She embraced him weakly and felt a single tear travel down the side of her face. She wanted so badly to be with him more than she already was. Slowly she pulled away from him and wiped away the tear. She feigned a smile, but it was still obvious that she was sad.

"I suppose I can..." she replied, her voice sounding shaky and breathless. "...I may as well put my knowledge of swordplay to some use..." She then looked back up to Sun Jian. She slowly grabbed hold of his hand. "I'm sorry I brought it up...anyway, I would like to know some of the things that you have done in shaping the world...or anything that you would like to talk about...Right now I can't think of anything..."

[Sun Jian]

Sun Jian now felt that he had disappointed her, but he only said how he felt out of his love for her. When they pulled away, he noticed she had wiped away a tear, but he could still see it, as he raised his hand and wiped away her remaining tears as soft as he could, while looking into her bright eyes and saying, "As our ancestor, Sun Tzu says, a wise leader should know when they can and cannot fight. If I see a losing battle, then I do not want to put our people and my officers at any risk, but they are many dangers in battle and don't want to see you in trouble, but rather staying safe where I know where you are, so I can come to you and be with you when we are not in battle, so I can once again see your beautiful face", ending with a smile. He then answered her question, "Because of the chaos, there is nothing else people can talk about except when we are victorious and another city can live in peace, which is why we must end it. And anyways, we always have our wonderful children to think about".

[Nohime]

Mei smiled weakly. "How are our children? What have they been up to lately? I've seen them less than I've seen you, to be honesty," she said. She then realized how very 'pity me' that sounded and shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that...I just meant that I was curious as to what they've been doing."

She then began to think about something that Nohime had mentioned to her at one point while Sun Jian had been away. It was a particular request that she wanted to make to him, but she was afraid that he would be too busy. She smiled softly to herself. "Also, I had a request from one of your newest recruits, and I hope you can allow it to happen," she began. "Nohime wanted to know if you could give the pirate Gan Ning a chance to have some sort of position of military power, not as high as you of course, but something to do with the sea. I know it's kind of an inconvenience to you, but she just wanted to know what you would have to say about it."

[Sun Jian]

Sun Jian smiled, "Well Ce has been with me fighting and protecting our land of Wu, while Quan has been busy studying and Shang Xiang, she still continues her training. It seems she wants to follow my footsteps with all those swords in her room and her lady guards armed with swords so she can practice any time she wants", with a little laugh. His family were indeed strong and all of them wanted to help, even his wife, who he now felt sorry for after realising how the rest of his family were and that he had turned her down, but defence was an important position, as they wouldn't like to be attacked fromthe rear while they expand, and at the same time, defense was much more relaxed and less running about than being on the offensive.

She then passed on the message from Nohime about Gan Ning having a high position on the seas, "I don't see why not, but first, we need to obtain land with an access to the river first".

[Nohime]

Mei smiled again. "I'm glad that they are doing well," she said. "They will do well to follow your footsteps. Also, pay me no mind about my reaction. I'm not upset anymore. After all, I know that to defend is an important duty. It's better that at least one of us stays behind."

She then looked around a bit at their surroundings. "Do you want to keep going down the path? Maybe we'll find a nice clearing to have a nice chat in..." She then thought for a moment. "Also, I hope you don't mind me doing this, but I'm probably going to have to use one of your officers. Nohime, I mean. I'm probably going to try and get her to have a new weapon delivered to me. After all, my longsword is a bit too long."

She laughed slightly. It was true, though. The Huo Hu was longer than she was tall and required another person to remove it from its scabbard. She then shook her head. Why did that even matter right now? Another topic came into mind. "So, how is Quan doing with his studies? I can't help but find it important that he learns as much as he can, especially from his ancestors."

[Sun Jian]

Sun Jian smiled, happy that Mei had cheered up and that she was ready to defend the land from any trouble, "I am happy to see you smile again Mei. And concerning Nohime, she can be assigned to you but needs to be ready just incase I need an extra hand".

She then asked about Quan, "Well with Ce and Shang Xiang more into fighting, Quan is becoming a very capable scholar who will some day be able to look after the domestic affairs, but with his reading, he will also be acquainted with the art of war so he should be ready for anything which is good", he answered with a smile, before continuing down the path towards a possible clearing.

[Nohime]

Mei laughed softly. "I didn't mean to have her constantly in my charge. I merely was thinking on having her write a letter to her friend in Japan to have some of his blacksmiths craft me a knew weapon."

She then listened to the good news about Quan's studies. She was glad that Jian had such high hopes for their son, especially since he appeared to be learning more and more with each passing day. She smiled and looked up at Sun Jian once more before they came into the clearing. "Perhaps one day he will be as great a ruler as his father, would you agree?"

[Sun Jian]

Sun Jian smiled, then looked up into the sky, then looked forward into the distance, "Everything takes time, and my aim to unite the land will take much time, but I am glad I have two strong sons that can take my place when my time is over", he paused then turned to Mei, "But while I am here, I will do as much as I can to get closer to that dream and to make sure everyone is happy".

[Nohime]

Mei smiled to her husband and took his hand gently. "There is no one in this world that I could see being a better ruler than you, especially during these chaotic times. I merely suggested that Quan would most likely be able to continue your proud legacy." As soon as they came upon the small clearing, Mei spotted a large boulder and immediately went to have a seat on it to rest her feet. She then closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest. It always seemed to have a beautiful, natural melody every time she stopped to listen.

She imagined how this clearing must look bathed in moonlight. The image in her mind's eye was breathtaking. She would have to suggest coming here again, only at night next time. "So, Jian, is there anything else you would like to talk about?"