Epiphany
Prompt: 11
Pairing: Zhuge Liang (Kongming)/Jiang Wei
Rating: K
Two months have passed since Zhuge Liang's death, but the image of his closed eyelids in his wise face was still fresh in Jiang Wei's mind. The pain of the loss was heavy, but he didn't have time to weep. Even though the position of Prime Minister or whatsoever wasn't Wei's, the burden was still the same, and replacing someone like Kongming in hard times like those wasn't easy. The war waging against Sima Yi, the State issues, the alliance with the Wu kingdom hanging in a thread and taking care of a indulgent king who was putting the kingdom's future in check... everything was now in the apprentice's shoulders. Days went by with the blink of the eye. Soon enough, the young strategist was being consumed by his own tiredness and for several times he neglected sleep.
Sure, Zhuge Liang was doing the same thing back when he was leading the campaigns.
But him?
Nah, he just wasn't used to it. It's not that he didn't work back when he was working under Wei kingdom's orders or when Kongming was still alive. He just wasn't used to THAT MUCH pressure. And he tried not to think that the future of the kingdom of Shu was now lying in his hands.
And there he was once again, awaken when the sun was about to rise in a few hours, the blanket hanging on the back of the chair (because he didn't even notice when the wind coming from the open windows blew it from his shoulders). For the tenth time in the night, he was about to collapse in the table from exhaustion. It took only one glance to that feathered fan that once belonged to his master (and was now always with him) to recover his strength, at least for a couple of minutes. Then, he would write a few more drafts of strategic plans, sketch some maps, study some more of Kongmings inventions, think on how he would ask the engineers to help him out and then collapse in his bed, completely drained out. That is, IF he ever got to his bed. Sometimes he would collapse on the table and wake up with his face black from sleeping on the writing brushes.
"You're working too hard, young master" is what his counselors and generals would say, but Jiang Wei just wouldn't listen. Hell, he had a kingdom to take care of and didn't accomplish not even half of what his master had.
It was night before Wei Yan would rebel against the Shu army that Jiang Wei would collapse in the table after a sleepless night that the sheets in which he was working on starting to fly in all directions, even though there was no wind that night. The fire in the candle vanished and he suddenly heard a noise of the door of his room opening. Startled, he turned around just to see the door as he left it.
"...I think I'll have to admit that I could get some sleep." he said to himself, with a long sigh.
"Perhaps you could save it for later, tomorrow will be the perfect opportunity to execute this plan."
Jiang Wei got up, half in astonishment, half in disbelief. Right before his very eyes, a man stood in black tunic, hair tight in a Taoist headress, holding a feather fan with crane plumes.
"...Your Excellency..?" whispered Jiang Wei "...is that really you?"
Zhuge Liang walked towards his apprentice, fanning himself.
"It appears that tomorrow, at the third watch, a huge storm will come. Use this opportunity to sneak through Bao and set an ambush there. Make sure you pay attention to the sign Wei Yan will give. At this time, Ma Dai will do his part."
"...Master, it's really you!!", the lad said, tears falling from in his eyes as he prostrated in utter happiness.
"Have you payed any attention to what I was saying, Jiang Wei?" Kongming asked with a light tone of reprimand in his voice.
"You have no idea of how happy I am to see you, Your Excellency!" cried the apprentice, nearly without voice.
The strategist smiled. "I know. I foresaw that you couldn't do it on your own, so I decided that I should lend you a hand one last time." is what he said before carrying on with endless strategy "hints".
Only two months went by, but it seemed like years. Yet, Zhuge Liang, in Jiang Wei's eyes, had in his face some sort of youth and vitality that he hadn't seen not even when they met. There was so much Wei wanted to say. The only thing that he was able to think at that time was "Why, Master? Why did you have to leave?", but he just couldn't voice his feelings and it hurt so much and his Master's voice only reminded him of what he was about to face and that he still had a long path to follow.
The strategist went on and on and on until the dawn break and Jiang Wei, exhausted, lied on the table. Kongming noticed that and smiled gently, carefully removing the writing brush near his apprentice's face, as he put his warm hand on the young man's face without saying a single word.
It was such a small, almost meaningless gesture, yet Wei's heart was filled with a kind of joy that he didn't feel since a long, long time ago.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." he whispered. "With this plan, we're sure to conquer the Northern lands."
Zhuge Liang pulled the blanket over Jiang Wei's shoulder once again when someone knocked at the door.
"Regent Jiang Wei, can I come in?"
Jiang Wei opened his eyes. He was alone in his room and a light wind blew the curtains hanging in the windows.
It was all just a dream.
He was all alone in his room and everything was silent, except for the maid knocking in his door. But the blanket was on his shoulders and he still could feel the warm touch of his master in his face.
Pairing: Zhuge Liang (Kongming)/Jiang Wei
Rating: K
Two months have passed since Zhuge Liang's death, but the image of his closed eyelids in his wise face was still fresh in Jiang Wei's mind. The pain of the loss was heavy, but he didn't have time to weep. Even though the position of Prime Minister or whatsoever wasn't Wei's, the burden was still the same, and replacing someone like Kongming in hard times like those wasn't easy. The war waging against Sima Yi, the State issues, the alliance with the Wu kingdom hanging in a thread and taking care of a indulgent king who was putting the kingdom's future in check... everything was now in the apprentice's shoulders. Days went by with the blink of the eye. Soon enough, the young strategist was being consumed by his own tiredness and for several times he neglected sleep.
Sure, Zhuge Liang was doing the same thing back when he was leading the campaigns.
But him?
Nah, he just wasn't used to it. It's not that he didn't work back when he was working under Wei kingdom's orders or when Kongming was still alive. He just wasn't used to THAT MUCH pressure. And he tried not to think that the future of the kingdom of Shu was now lying in his hands.
And there he was once again, awaken when the sun was about to rise in a few hours, the blanket hanging on the back of the chair (because he didn't even notice when the wind coming from the open windows blew it from his shoulders). For the tenth time in the night, he was about to collapse in the table from exhaustion. It took only one glance to that feathered fan that once belonged to his master (and was now always with him) to recover his strength, at least for a couple of minutes. Then, he would write a few more drafts of strategic plans, sketch some maps, study some more of Kongmings inventions, think on how he would ask the engineers to help him out and then collapse in his bed, completely drained out. That is, IF he ever got to his bed. Sometimes he would collapse on the table and wake up with his face black from sleeping on the writing brushes.
"You're working too hard, young master" is what his counselors and generals would say, but Jiang Wei just wouldn't listen. Hell, he had a kingdom to take care of and didn't accomplish not even half of what his master had.
It was night before Wei Yan would rebel against the Shu army that Jiang Wei would collapse in the table after a sleepless night that the sheets in which he was working on starting to fly in all directions, even though there was no wind that night. The fire in the candle vanished and he suddenly heard a noise of the door of his room opening. Startled, he turned around just to see the door as he left it.
"...I think I'll have to admit that I could get some sleep." he said to himself, with a long sigh.
"Perhaps you could save it for later, tomorrow will be the perfect opportunity to execute this plan."
Jiang Wei got up, half in astonishment, half in disbelief. Right before his very eyes, a man stood in black tunic, hair tight in a Taoist headress, holding a feather fan with crane plumes.
"...Your Excellency..?" whispered Jiang Wei "...is that really you?"
Zhuge Liang walked towards his apprentice, fanning himself.
"It appears that tomorrow, at the third watch, a huge storm will come. Use this opportunity to sneak through Bao and set an ambush there. Make sure you pay attention to the sign Wei Yan will give. At this time, Ma Dai will do his part."
"...Master, it's really you!!", the lad said, tears falling from in his eyes as he prostrated in utter happiness.
"Have you payed any attention to what I was saying, Jiang Wei?" Kongming asked with a light tone of reprimand in his voice.
"You have no idea of how happy I am to see you, Your Excellency!" cried the apprentice, nearly without voice.
The strategist smiled. "I know. I foresaw that you couldn't do it on your own, so I decided that I should lend you a hand one last time." is what he said before carrying on with endless strategy "hints".
Only two months went by, but it seemed like years. Yet, Zhuge Liang, in Jiang Wei's eyes, had in his face some sort of youth and vitality that he hadn't seen not even when they met. There was so much Wei wanted to say. The only thing that he was able to think at that time was "Why, Master? Why did you have to leave?", but he just couldn't voice his feelings and it hurt so much and his Master's voice only reminded him of what he was about to face and that he still had a long path to follow.
The strategist went on and on and on until the dawn break and Jiang Wei, exhausted, lied on the table. Kongming noticed that and smiled gently, carefully removing the writing brush near his apprentice's face, as he put his warm hand on the young man's face without saying a single word.
It was such a small, almost meaningless gesture, yet Wei's heart was filled with a kind of joy that he didn't feel since a long, long time ago.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." he whispered. "With this plan, we're sure to conquer the Northern lands."
Zhuge Liang pulled the blanket over Jiang Wei's shoulder once again when someone knocked at the door.
"Regent Jiang Wei, can I come in?"
Jiang Wei opened his eyes. He was alone in his room and a light wind blew the curtains hanging in the windows.
It was all just a dream.
He was all alone in his room and everything was silent, except for the maid knocking in his door. But the blanket was on his shoulders and he still could feel the warm touch of his master in his face.