O.K. So, this is where the story really starts. I hope you all lke it. Also, if you want to suggest a couple, by all means, still do. It's interesting to hear what you guys think! -
The Wish
Chapter 1: Something Strange in Wu Castle
It had come as quite a shock to Mei Lin when Sun Shang Xiang was not in her bed the next morning. Sun Ce had sent her to go and bring his sister down for breakfast, but if the Princess wasn't here either, where was she? Lin cursed her job for the millionth time as she turned to leave the room. 'I swear, this royal family is a royal pain in the--' She found herself stopping and staring at a lump of blankets on the window seat. 'What a strange woman,' she thought, sighing, and made her way toward the dozing Princess. She could already tell today was going to be a long day.
"Just Chose a road already, will ya'!" Sun Ce called out in aggravation. He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest impatiently.
"I hate to admit it, little sister, but Ce's right. You've been out here for hours," Sun Quan said calmly. Sun Ce glared at his brother for a moment then looked away, irritated. Sun Quan's face showed no emotion at all.
Sun Shang Xiang glanced solemnly from path to path. She wanted to choose so badly. Her brothers were right, this was taking forever. The sun shone on her and a slight breeze moved her short, auburn hair, but she hardly noticed. She gripped her chakrams tightly and turned to her father. "Which path should I take?"
Sun Jian smiled at her. "Whichever will make you happy, my dear."
Shang Xiang frowned in confusion. "How do I know which one that is?" Sun Jian opened his mouth to say something, but instead, grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently. Shang Xiang dropped her chakrams, green eyes wide with shock, and tried to push him off. At that moment, her eyes shot open and her dream was over.
"Lady Sun, wake up…" Mei Lin said softly. She got no response. Rolling her eyes, she tried again. "Come on, please." Once again she was rewarded a heaping pile of nothing. Feeling like her efforts were going absolutely nowhere, Lin grabbed Sun Shang Xiang's shoulders and shook her. "WAKE UP!"
The Princess sat up so quickly that Lin actually yelped and jumped back in surprise. Sun Shang Xiang's eyes darted around the room before finally landing on the frightened brown-haired girl in servant garb. With a sigh of annoyance she fell back onto a pile of pillows and covered her head with the silk sheets.
"Lady Sun, you're needed at breakfast," Mei Lin said cautiously, slowly recovering from shock. Shang Xiang burrowed deeper into the blankets.
"They can eat without me, and they know it."
"The cooks won't prepare the food until they receive word that you'll be attending," Lin pressed, slowly edging back toward the Wu Princess.
Shang Xiang uncovered only her eyes and glared at her young servant. "You only say that because you want me to come down." Mei Lin's eyes widened, then instantly narrowed into a glare as well. To anyone else in the room, this interaction would look like some bizarre staring contest.
"Why would I be dishonest toward a member of the Royal Family? The men boycotted the food, well, actually, they told the chiefs that if they didn't wait for you it would be their heads. Your brother became terribly impatient and sent me to 'go wake his stupid, lazy sister up.'" Mei Lin's rant ended with a voice that was almost shouting. Sun Shang Xiang felt surprised and confused, and her face wore an expression to match.
"But—that makes no sense…" she babbled quietly. " Exactly which men did this?"
Mei Lin's youthful face turned thoughtful as she began to list the names. "Let's see, there were the boys: Lu Xun and Ling Tong. Gan Ning wasn't down there…" he said, still trying to think.
"Typical," Shang Xiang interrupted, thinking of how many breakfasts that lazy oaf had missed.
"Taishi Ci and Lu Meng also went along with it. Your family, aside from Lord Sun Ce, that is, and Zhou Yu all agreed it was the proper thing to do," Lin finished, pulling at the ends of her ponytail to make it tighter.
Sun Shang Xiang stared at he servant skeptically. "No offense Mei Lin, but that story sounds completely made up. The men you named love breakfast, especially Meng and Tong. I know these things as fact." Lin opened her mouth to protest, but Shang Xiang cut her off. "I'm very tired, Mei Lin. Tell them to eat without me, like we always do to Ning, and that I won't mind." With that, she turned her head and closed her eyes. She heard Mei Lin sigh and leave the room, muttering something about how she should have taken the job in Shu instead. A grin crossed the young warriors face as she drifted back into sleep.
Ten minutes later, she awoke with a start to a loud crash of her door bursting open. Shang Xiang jumped a good foot into the air, pulling her knees to her chest. She focused her vision on the person in front of her, trying to identify a threat. What she saw was Mei Lin, body tense with rage, stomping toward her.
"Your brother sends this message," she growled, sounding angry and out of breath. "' DON'T MAKE ME COME UP THERE WITH MY TONFAS AND BEAT HER SORRY SELF INTO A PULP!' He says he's hungry…" she paused to catch her breath, "hates the morning, and wants you down there so he can just eat and go back to sleep for a while."
Sun Shang Xiang sighed, defeated. "Fine, fine. I'll be down soon…" Mei Lin smiled, then collapsed onto the floor.
"I hope you don't mind if I pass out on your floor for a moment before going back down to give them the word."
"Oh, by all means, Lin," Shang Xiang replied, tossing her a pillow as she walked sleepily to her vanity. She idly pulled a comb through her hair, giving herself a momentary look of disgust. 'I don't believe it's possible to find a less feminine woman…' she thought sadly. After she was satisfies with the way her short hair fell, she slipped out of her night clothes and into a red, silk, sleeveless top and her favorite pink and red skirt. She wore a pair of red shorts underneath out of habit. After yanking on her fighting boots, she stumbled out of her room, followed by Mei Lin.
"I'll let them know you're on your way," she said silently.
"Wait! Be sure to tell my brother that laziness is something we both share."
Mei Lin smiled slightly, "I'll be sure to give him the message." Her silver eyes gleamed as she turned and jogged toward the stairs, ponytail swinging with each step. 'She's really not so bad,' Sun Shang Xiang thought before heading toward the steps herself.
Just as she took the first step, she felt something strong snaking around her stomach and pulling her feet back up. She was about to scream until she felt a hand rubbing her head and heard laughing from behind her. There was another sound as well; the sound of bells…
"Ning, let go of me! NING! You tremendous idiot, let go of me now!" Shang Xiang cried, punching his arm furiously.
"As you say, Princess!" Gan Ning said. (A little too brightly for Shang Xiang to feel comfortable, might I add.) He let go of her abruptly, still chuckling as her feet hit the floor.
"Must you always be such a jerk?" she asked, fuming. The look I her emerald eyes said murder, but deep inside there was happiness. 'Finally, some normalcy today…'
Gan Ning pretended to be offended. "Come on Princess, there's no need to over-react. It was a simple gesture of friendship. I mean, it's not like you spent hours on your hair or anything. Imagine if you were Da or Xiao and I did that. Can you even picture the enormous tantrum either one of them would throw?"
Sun Shang Xiang couldn't help it. A smile slowly crept and grew on her face. It was true after all; once you messed with a Qiao's hair, you messed with their dignity. This behavior was always punishable by malicious girl-style sabotage. She knew herself, for she had seen it many times.
Ning smiled back at her for a moment before a slightly confused look crossed his face. "Hold on, why did you freak out anyways?"
Shang Xiang stared at the floor, ashamed. "I'm sorry… It's been a, um, peculiar morning."
"Fear not, for Ning will listen, and solve your every problem."
She glared at him, irritated by his stupidity. "You can't even solve your own problems…" He glared at her for a moment, then sat on the banister next to her.
"Well, I'll listen at least. If something strange enough happened to be called peculiar in this castle, it's gotta be good. If it isn't, I can't promise I won't laugh at you."
"Gee, that's comforting…" Shang Xiang said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Do you even want to hear the story, or would you rather be pushed of that banister?"
Gan Ning waved his hands defensively. "All right… I'll stop… Just get on with it then…"
She half smiled before telling her tale. "I knew you'd see it my way… So, this morning, Mei Lin storms into my room and tells me that I have to go down to breakfast-"
"Breakfast already started? Damn… when I saw you, I thought I was gonna make it…" Ning interrupted.
"Well, actually, breakfast hasn't started yet, Ning, so you'll be able to eat."
"I'm guessing that's when things got strange," he stated blankly.
"Yes, that would be it," Sun Shang Xiang murmured. "That and the fact that breakfast was postponed by my family and four hungry men."
Gan Ning looked noticeably more interested. "Which men did this? Like, Lu Meng or something?" The later question was asked sarcastically. He was shocked when she only nodded, staring at the floor.
"Along with Xun, Ci, and, your very best friend, Ling Tong." Shang Xiang poked Gan Ning's chest on the word best. He scowled momentarily, then hopped off the banister with an evil smile on his face.
"Better not keep them waiting, right, Princess?"
Shang Xiang felt a quiver of unease run up her spine. "Why are you staring at me like that?" He took one step closer to her. "Ning?" Without warning, he charged forward, grabbing her by the waist and slinging her over his shoulders. "NING!" she shouted, kicking and screaming as he began to descend the stairs. "NING, STOP!"
"You said she'd be down soon, so where is she?" Sun Ce asked for the twelfth time. Mei Lin shrugged from the kitchen doorway, restraining the very strong urge to punch him in the face. "I'm hungry"… he whined, pouting slightly.
Sun Quan rolled his eyes, also trying hard not to inflict some act of violence upon him. Da Qiao softly elbowed her husband in the gut. "Oh, come on darling. She'll be down soon, and until then, just shut up about it."
"How do you know?" he asked pointedly.
"Call it a woman's intuition…" she said, smiling. Sun Ce gave her a questioning look, but didn't push it.
At that moment a scream drifted though the entry door. Sun Jian chuckled. "Son, I don't think you'll have to wait much longer…"
"Are you certain that's Shang Xiang?" Zhou Yu asked, clearly troubled by the shouts.
"….LET GO…ME…IDIOT!" were the only words that could be understood. It was definitely a girl screaming, and apparently an angry one.
Xiao Qiao giggled. "Yup! That's her, all right."
Sun Jian chuckled to himself, Sun Ce looked relieved and pleased, and Sun Quan just rolled his eyes again, thinking, 'My siblings are total imbeciles.'
After what seemed like an eternity of pounding on Gan Ning's back, he finally set her down at the end of the staircase.
"My back's gonna have bruises, you know…" he complained, rubbing a sore spot.
"Good! I hope you get scars too!"
"Princess, people don't get scars from being punched…"
Fed up, Sun Shang Xiang stomped on the ex-pirates foot and walked huffily toward the dining hall.
"Hey, why is your nick-name Sunny if you're such a violent person? Sun shine is supposed to be nice, you know…"
"Ning, I mean it, shut your mouth!"
"Come now, that's no way to treat your friends…"
Shang Xiang whipped around, clenching fists at her side. "Who says you're my friend?" she asked, only half joking.
"Why, I do, of course! Besides, you know you like me…"
"No, Ning, I can't stand you…"
"But you still like me, admit it."
She sighed, closing her eyes and hating how right he was. "Yes, I like you… geez; I can never stay mad at you for more than ten minutes…"
Gan Ning beamed at her just as they reached the door. "That's because I'm Gan Ning of the Bells, and no one can resist my renegade charm."
She openly laughed at him. "Yeah…right." With that, Ning pushed open the door, and they stepped into a seemingly new world.
"FINALLY" Sun Ce shouted the second he saw his sister and Gan Ning in the doorway. Mei Lin had already slipped into the kitchen to tell the chiefs to begin cooking. Sun Shang Xiang began to make her way to her seat, feeling suddenly embarrassed. She was about to pass Lu Xun when he turned around and smiled at her.
"Good morning, Lady Sun," he said, beaming. The way his hat fell and the way he looked up at her made him almost seem childish. (And, also, quite adorable!)
"Erm… good morning to you to…" She smiled back at him, which made his grin wider. She began walking toward her seat again, filled with confusion. Da Qiao gave her a confused look, while Xiao Qiao raised her eyebrows and gave a thumbs-up. Shang Xiang felt bewildered. What on Earth were they implying?
When the food was brought out, Shang Xiang barely touched hers. She kept feeling people staring at her. The first time she checked, it as just Ning making some stupid face at her. The next few times she looked up she either saw Lu Meng staring, Taishi Chi trying not to stare, or Ling Tong with a goofy look on his face. Sometimes she swore she saw him drooling. The thing that happened most, though, was seeing Lu Xun, still smiling, and looking straight into her eyes.
'What's happening today?' she thought to herself, unaware that this new attention was far from temporary.
Hmm... so what else will happen in Princess Sun Shang Xiang's day? I know, not all the couples were in there. I'll get around to it! (Well, for the most part.)
Here are tha couple votes thus far: (or at least how I see them...)
Gan Ning:3... and 1/2
Lu Xun:1
Ling Tong:2
Taichi Ci:1
Lu Meng:1
Liu Bei:4...and 1/2
Cao Cao:1
Miao Cai: Thanx! Yeah, no one likes to be alone, right? Thus, my story... Pleaed to find you think it's sweet.
Crimson: I'm glad you see potential! I'm also glad that you're not picky, so if I didn't go with your choice, I wouldn't get shot or somethin...o.O
Wouldn't You Like to Know XD: Yes, I would like to know... j/k. Your comment made me smile! Yay multiple personalities! I'm thankful that you, too, are not picky.
french girl in England: Sure, I'll look for your story! You know, I wasn't really expecting anyone to suggest that, although, now that I think about it, that would be good story-like conflict... We'll see what happens...
sonicwind123: I have promise? YAY! You also had some pretty unique ideas, which make me think quite a bit. Like I said, we'll just have to see where this leads...
deadgirl: I'm glad you like it! except, you probably don't like this chapter so much, seeing as how Gan Ning is everywhere... (sorry -')
:p: ah, yes, a Liu Bei basher... I welcome you with open arms... Thanx for the review!
hurleysuki: I know, I feel it too... I think everyone has at least once. Anyway, I appreciate the suggestions!
Heanen Lee: Wow... Thanx for saying my story's great! I wasn't sure it was going too well...
Well, I'll try to get everyone's couple in somewhere, and I'll try to make you all proud!
Rayne-ShadowGoddess