youfightgood:

savagedhubris:

_{⊰ ☠ ⊱ With the village only through the forest that he saw before him, his army all prepared to burn the entire area to the ground. They never left anything, and wouldn’t this time either.}

_{Shan-Yu led his men between the trees, guided his horse to weave around with ease. This was when he reached up and took hold of his sword that was stashed in the scabbard upon his back and lifted the blade forward.}

_{One would say that even his weapon brought fear upon any stranger, that its jagged appearance was one to never be forgotten. Its greatness could never be outmatched, and well— neither could he.}

_{They broke out of the trees in a fit of cheering, deep loud voices carrying over the land to illuminate their presence. His men parading out around him, riding into every possible direction with swords cutting through whatever they saw fit.}

_{Screams slowly started to erupt then, filling the sky with what was a lullaby to Shan-Yu but a nightmare to any other.}

Shang sat high and straight-backed in the saddle, his hands tight on the reins. The road before him was wide and empty, and behind him there was a procession of soldiers beating out a steady rhythm with their feet. Zhuī Yuè moved at a slow trot, his gait measured carefully to preserve energy.

Neatly tied to his waist was his sword, sharpened and readied, a gift from his father that he’d polished late at night when he was alone and contemplative. It was easily his most prized possession, as it was a reminder that he had pleased his father, for once, and with this sword he was given the opportunity to please him again, a hundred times more, for the rest of his lifetime. Whether or not that lifetime would be cut short by an unfortunate incident during battle didn’t matter - the Li family would be proud of his accomplishments.

A change in the atmosphere abruptly caught his attention, a distant cacophony of alarm piercing his ears. Smoke trailed across the sky, cut through it menacingly. Captain Li inhaled sharply, yanked on his horse’s reins, and turned his head urgently to his soldiers. The procession halted.

“You,” he snapped to the man behind him, “scout ahead and report back immediately.” His eyes were narrowed flints, devoid of any warmth or compassion. A cold, calculating gaze. The soldier ducked his head and muttered a swift yessir, before sprinting up the road and turning the bend. The captain and his troops lost sight of him, willing him back without realizing he’d bring news that would change every single one of their lives forever.

Sensing tension, his men fell into silence. 

Ping had told himself - more than once - that he couldn’t possibly be more uncomfortable surrounded by men than he already was; and more than once he had been proven wrong.  This time was no exception.  Now that they were on the move and towards the front lines, no less, the soldiers around Ping laughed and joked, shared rice wine and ribaldry.  Even Ling had pulled a painting of a beautiful woman from…somewhere in his armor…and his friends were swapping advice on what a wife ought to be like.  

Privately Ping felt a little better, then, about the matchmaker’s disapproval: the comrades he’d bathed with lived near enough to Juexizhen that had they been looking for wives…Well, it did make Ping feel slightly better - but not much.  Mostly, he was embarrassed.  "What about a girl who’s got a brain?  Who always speaks her mind?“ he challenged the three of them, only to meet with snorts and refusals.  Yes, it was good to know Ping would probably die in battle before any of them knew how comic the situation was for him.

He had promised himself that for some time but now it seemed, in fact, completely possible.  They had left Wu Zhong at the request of General Li, the leader of the Imperial Army (the soldiers no longer snickered that he was the captain’s father, because Li Shang, in proving them competent, had proved himself more than worthy of their command) - and rumor had it that they would meet the Huns in battle soon.  Ping knew how to use weapons or rocks, his fists and his teeth if necessary; he knew how to follow orders and line up in complicated battlefield positions.  What he didn’t know was how he had, very suddenly it felt, come to the end.  

He would die with honor, his family could be proud of him, oh but he hadn’t anticipated the homesickness.  He felt as if he was going to be sick.  He felt as if he might weep.  There hadn’t been a moment, before he left home, to speak to them.  Soon, it would be too late -

very soon.  In the sudden hush that fell, everyone could hear as Captain Li ordered one man to scout ahead.  Ping felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach.

They waited, barely even daring to move let alone speak.