transitioning // li dian x reader

chapter three

My eyes widen in surprise. I wasn't expecting it to be that easy. Was there a catch? A punishment of some sort? Perhaps a secret test? Before I can ask him if he was positive, he whistles for his horse and a majestic mahogany steed with a violet saddle appears. As he begins to mount it, two more men also dressed in blue armor sprint into the base. One I immediately recognize as Master Xiahou Dun, Lord Cao Cao's cousin and right-hand man. He was about as intimidating as Cao Cao, if not more. The other man must be another new recruit, with muscular arms and tanned skin, not to mention the prominent scar in the shape of an 'X' on his right cheek.

"Ah, Xiahou Dun, Yue Jin."
Yue Jin...so that's his name.
Cao Cao turns towards me, Li Dian, and also Yuan Shu who I forgot was present at the time.
"Xiahou Dun and I will ride to Sishui Gate. I will leave you two and Yue Jin to get acquainted and meet us there."
Cao Cao kicks the ribs of his horse and the steed rears its head.
"Master Yuan Shu, Sun Jian is still waiting on those supplies." And with those words, Cao Cao leaves. Xiahou Dun gives me a once over before calling his own horse and following after his lord.
"Well I guess it's time for me to introduce myself properly, huh?" Li Dian asks himself more than anyone else. He turns to me, eyes sparkling with jovial curiosity.
"Li Dian's the name!" he says enthusiastically. "Contrary to what you may have heard about me, I can actually prove to be quite useful, my intuition especially." His smile fades as he scrutinizes my face. I instantly panic.
"Is something the m-matter, my l-lord?" I stutter nervously. Li Dian frowns and looks at the ground morosely.
"You haven't had time to grieve properly yet, have you?" He asks me.
Eyes widening, I move my face closer.

"Incredible, how did you know what I was thinking? Are you some sort of mystic, my lord?" Li Dian shakes his head and chuckles, leaving me to acknowledge how close I am to him. I can feel warms puffs of his breath on my face.
"Told you, intuition," is his reply, although his laughing soon ceases, replaced with the pitiful grimace from before.
"But seriously..."
I break my eyes away from his gaze and gnaw on the corner of my bottom lip.
"It's not what Father would have wanted," I tell him, voice hushed. "I can't spare any time to mourn." The moment I realize what I have said, my heart breaks a little. I sound so heartless, so cruel, like fathers come a dime a dozen. If one dies, I can simply buy another. Li Dian frowns deeper and opens his mouth to say something.

"Pardon the interruption, Master Li Dian, my lady." The man called Yue Jin appears before us, a timid smile on his face. "I thought I would assist Lord Yuan Shu with the supplies briefly before coming to introduce myself." He bows before me.
"You may call me Yue Jin. I live to be first on the battlefield, to bring glory to our forces is my only desire."
I return the greeting, thrown off by his unusual friendliness. I'm still baffled by how hospitable Lord Cao Cao's officers are. No hurtful glares? No venomous words? It was as if I was never an officer of Dong Zhuo's.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Yue Jin. My name is (Y/N), and my only purpose is to aid in Lord Cao Cao's unification of China."
"These warrior introductions are very nice and all," Yuan Shu's voice cuts through as he claps dust off his hands. "But I did my job, why don't you go and complete yours, hmm?"

Oh right, I almost forgot.