Sun Ce closed his eyes as Da Qiao pulled the blanket over his tired body. It had been a long, arduous day for the Little Conqueror. He had done battle with bandits pillaging Jiang Dong with Zhou Yu and was completely exhausted. Being a dutiful wife, Da Qiao saw to it that Sun Ce had comfortable bed to sleep in. She began to approach the candle to snuff its flame, but Bofu's voice stopped her.
"Leave it on," he said softly. "Please."
Da Qiao nodded and turned to leave the room. Again, his voice stopped her.
"Hey... where ya goin'?"
She turned and saw his handsome smile gleaming at her, made all the more mesmerizing by the candlelight.
"You need your rest my lord," she said.
"And it'd be a lot better if you were here too," he said hopefully. She was taken aback. Sure, the two adored each other very much, but she didn't expect for him to delight so much in her company, especially in his drained state.
"If it's what you would like, my lord," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat.
"Your lord?" Sun Ce said as she approached him. "Another word would work much better there." With that, he reached his hand for hers, holding it.
"Da... I love you," Sun Ce said softly to her. She blushed slightly, not sure what to say, but she gave it her best.
"I... I love you too, Ce," she replied, her cheek resting on her own shoulders, her eyes dreamily gazing at their intertwined hands.
As his fingers softly stroked her hand, Bofu gazed up at her eyes. Da wasn't used to this sort of intimacy from Sun Ce - usually because the two never had a moment alone. Zhou Yu, or Xiao, or somebody always happened to show up. Sun Ce sat up in his bed, still holding onto her hand.
"Is... is there something you wanted to talk about...?" she asked, unsure of herself. He didn't reply, instead taking her other hand in hers and gently pulling. She found herself being drawn closer, her gaze moving slowly from his hands to his eyes. She lowered herself so that she was seated upon the bed, her eyes affixed to his. Almost as if it were a nervous reaction, she pressed her lips to his softly. He was very receptive to the kiss and returned it in kind. Slowly, she pulled away from him.
"I... I'd better go now," she stammered. "Good night."
Sun Ce sighed as Da left the room. She probably wasn't comfortable with the attention. Bofu looked at the candle by his bed side, and with his own fingers, pinched it out.
===============================================
Taishi Ci led his men on patrol around the castle ramparts. All was clear, as was usually the case. Still, Taishi Ci refused to let his guard down, despite his men's complaints.
He could hear the wind whistling through the trees in the distance. He could also hear something else... but he couldn't tell what it was. It sounded almost like a flute playing in the forest...
===============================================
Zhen Ji didn't care that her playing was audible. Playing was the only thing that could calm her. She played a song that her mother had taught her when she was younger. She closed her eyes, skillfully blowing through the notes as if they were sung from her throat. Suddenly, a hushed voice stopped her.
"You fool! Don't you know they can hear you?" Xiahou Dun demanded.
"So?" Zhen Ji responded. "It's not as if they would accost a mere flautist."
"We're on a mission to eliminate Sun Ce, not serenade him," came the gruff reply from Yuanrang.
Zhen Ji looked at her flute meaningfully. "There are other ways to eliminate one than to murder," she replied, stroking the flute as if it were a pet.
"Hmmmph," was all Xiahou Dun said to reply. Those had been Cao Cao's exact words - "Eliminate Sun Ce." Surely, though, the intention to kill was clearly implied.
Zhen Ji continued her playing as Xiahou Dun stormed back to camp.
================================================
Da Qiao knocked softly on the door to Sun Shang Xiang's chambers. The girl rarely went to sleep, but she didn't want to distract her in case she was.
The door opened shortly afterward. Sun Shang Xiang looked puzzled.
"Da Qiao? Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, puzzled.
"I'd just like to talk," Da said. "I hope I'm not bothering you."
Sun Shang Xiang nodded. "It's not a problem. Come on in." With that, she opened the door wider for Da Qiao to enter. "Go ahead and have a seat."
"Thank you," Da replied, sitting on a cushion with her legs crossed.
"What's on your mind?" Sun Shang Xiang asked as she sat across from Da on another cushion. Da, momentarily distracted by the weapons hanging on the walls, was startled by her question.
"Oh... well... it's about Ce," she said.
"What about him?" came the reply.
"I... I just feel like I'm not worthy for such a husband," Da said, gazing off into nowhere in particular. "He's... he's just..."
"Attractive," Sun Shang Xiang finished for her. "And gallant."
"Yes," Da Qiao said quietly.
Sun Shang Xiang laughed gently. "I felt the same way about him when I was a little girl," she said. "I know it sounds weird... and it was. But it was just a little innocent crush on my half-brother. That's all."
Da Qiao was puzzled. "Half-brother?"
Sun Shang Xiang nodded. "Yeah. I came from... a concubine."
"I see. That's nothing to be ashamed of, though," Da Qiao said reassuringly.
"I'm not ashamed. Dad takes good care of me, and I'm just like one of the boys," the princess replied. "A little too much."
"What do you mean?" Da asked.
"I was raised to be a fighter," Sun Shang Xiang answered. "Show no weakness. So I rough-housed with my brothers... but none of them were any fun except Ce. He was the only one who fought back."
"Of course," Da Qiao nodded, understanding that much, at least.
"So... one day, I decided, I was going to stop being one of the boys. I wanted to be a girl... just so I could hear Ce say I was pretty," she said, a happy, yet at the same time, sad expression on her face. "So... I dressed myself up as best I could. But Ce didn't even notice. He asked me why I was all dressed up. From that day forward, I never wanted to be a girl again..."
Da Qiao nodded, understanding. Sun Shang Xiang laughed, a hint of tears in her eyes.
"It's funny... you came here to talk, and I'm the one doing all the talking... I'm sorry," she told Da.
Da Qiao put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's okay. You helped," she said truthfully.
Suddenly, they could hear commotion out in the hallway. A guard rushed in in a panic.
"Lady Sun! Lady Qiao! Lord Taishi Ci has been injured!"
TO BE CONTINUED...
"Leave it on," he said softly. "Please."
Da Qiao nodded and turned to leave the room. Again, his voice stopped her.
"Hey... where ya goin'?"
She turned and saw his handsome smile gleaming at her, made all the more mesmerizing by the candlelight.
"You need your rest my lord," she said.
"And it'd be a lot better if you were here too," he said hopefully. She was taken aback. Sure, the two adored each other very much, but she didn't expect for him to delight so much in her company, especially in his drained state.
"If it's what you would like, my lord," she said, swallowing a lump in her throat.
"Your lord?" Sun Ce said as she approached him. "Another word would work much better there." With that, he reached his hand for hers, holding it.
"Da... I love you," Sun Ce said softly to her. She blushed slightly, not sure what to say, but she gave it her best.
"I... I love you too, Ce," she replied, her cheek resting on her own shoulders, her eyes dreamily gazing at their intertwined hands.
As his fingers softly stroked her hand, Bofu gazed up at her eyes. Da wasn't used to this sort of intimacy from Sun Ce - usually because the two never had a moment alone. Zhou Yu, or Xiao, or somebody always happened to show up. Sun Ce sat up in his bed, still holding onto her hand.
"Is... is there something you wanted to talk about...?" she asked, unsure of herself. He didn't reply, instead taking her other hand in hers and gently pulling. She found herself being drawn closer, her gaze moving slowly from his hands to his eyes. She lowered herself so that she was seated upon the bed, her eyes affixed to his. Almost as if it were a nervous reaction, she pressed her lips to his softly. He was very receptive to the kiss and returned it in kind. Slowly, she pulled away from him.
"I... I'd better go now," she stammered. "Good night."
Sun Ce sighed as Da left the room. She probably wasn't comfortable with the attention. Bofu looked at the candle by his bed side, and with his own fingers, pinched it out.
===============================================
Taishi Ci led his men on patrol around the castle ramparts. All was clear, as was usually the case. Still, Taishi Ci refused to let his guard down, despite his men's complaints.
He could hear the wind whistling through the trees in the distance. He could also hear something else... but he couldn't tell what it was. It sounded almost like a flute playing in the forest...
===============================================
Zhen Ji didn't care that her playing was audible. Playing was the only thing that could calm her. She played a song that her mother had taught her when she was younger. She closed her eyes, skillfully blowing through the notes as if they were sung from her throat. Suddenly, a hushed voice stopped her.
"You fool! Don't you know they can hear you?" Xiahou Dun demanded.
"So?" Zhen Ji responded. "It's not as if they would accost a mere flautist."
"We're on a mission to eliminate Sun Ce, not serenade him," came the gruff reply from Yuanrang.
Zhen Ji looked at her flute meaningfully. "There are other ways to eliminate one than to murder," she replied, stroking the flute as if it were a pet.
"Hmmmph," was all Xiahou Dun said to reply. Those had been Cao Cao's exact words - "Eliminate Sun Ce." Surely, though, the intention to kill was clearly implied.
Zhen Ji continued her playing as Xiahou Dun stormed back to camp.
================================================
Da Qiao knocked softly on the door to Sun Shang Xiang's chambers. The girl rarely went to sleep, but she didn't want to distract her in case she was.
The door opened shortly afterward. Sun Shang Xiang looked puzzled.
"Da Qiao? Is there something I can help you with?" she asked, puzzled.
"I'd just like to talk," Da said. "I hope I'm not bothering you."
Sun Shang Xiang nodded. "It's not a problem. Come on in." With that, she opened the door wider for Da Qiao to enter. "Go ahead and have a seat."
"Thank you," Da replied, sitting on a cushion with her legs crossed.
"What's on your mind?" Sun Shang Xiang asked as she sat across from Da on another cushion. Da, momentarily distracted by the weapons hanging on the walls, was startled by her question.
"Oh... well... it's about Ce," she said.
"What about him?" came the reply.
"I... I just feel like I'm not worthy for such a husband," Da said, gazing off into nowhere in particular. "He's... he's just..."
"Attractive," Sun Shang Xiang finished for her. "And gallant."
"Yes," Da Qiao said quietly.
Sun Shang Xiang laughed gently. "I felt the same way about him when I was a little girl," she said. "I know it sounds weird... and it was. But it was just a little innocent crush on my half-brother. That's all."
Da Qiao was puzzled. "Half-brother?"
Sun Shang Xiang nodded. "Yeah. I came from... a concubine."
"I see. That's nothing to be ashamed of, though," Da Qiao said reassuringly.
"I'm not ashamed. Dad takes good care of me, and I'm just like one of the boys," the princess replied. "A little too much."
"What do you mean?" Da asked.
"I was raised to be a fighter," Sun Shang Xiang answered. "Show no weakness. So I rough-housed with my brothers... but none of them were any fun except Ce. He was the only one who fought back."
"Of course," Da Qiao nodded, understanding that much, at least.
"So... one day, I decided, I was going to stop being one of the boys. I wanted to be a girl... just so I could hear Ce say I was pretty," she said, a happy, yet at the same time, sad expression on her face. "So... I dressed myself up as best I could. But Ce didn't even notice. He asked me why I was all dressed up. From that day forward, I never wanted to be a girl again..."
Da Qiao nodded, understanding. Sun Shang Xiang laughed, a hint of tears in her eyes.
"It's funny... you came here to talk, and I'm the one doing all the talking... I'm sorry," she told Da.
Da Qiao put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "It's okay. You helped," she said truthfully.
Suddenly, they could hear commotion out in the hallway. A guard rushed in in a panic.
"Lady Sun! Lady Qiao! Lord Taishi Ci has been injured!"
TO BE CONTINUED...