The Pirate Princess

Chapter 8

Ai Rong sat as still as she could as she could while Shang Xiang and Xiao Qiao dragged combs through her hair, trying to style it into the three loops held with a gold clip that was popular in the capital. The blind girl winced every time she heard Zhou Yu's intended laugh. She thought the fact that she hadn't jumped up and strangled the girl was quite an accomplishment, and intended to celebrate it later by buying herself a new silk sash next time she was in the market.

"Your hair sure is stubborn, Ai! Have you ever even styled it before?" The irritating girl said as she tugged at a particularly stubborn knot. Shang Xiang rolled her eyes and continued to twist her section of smooth oiled hair into a loop, tying it with a length of silk. Her friend seemed to always be forgetting that not everybody had the money to have their hair done. She grit her teeth and waited for Ai Rong's comeback.

"I lived on the streets and the sea, Xiao. My mother used to tell me stories about the palace… She used to be a concubine, but she never told me whose concubine she was. I always asked her, but she died before she could tell me."

Shang Xiang dropped the comb in her hand, eyes wide. She had heard stories about one of her father's old concubines that had been removed from court after she gave birth… Could Ai Rong's mother have been that woman's daughter?

Xiao sighed as she quickly oiled and tied her section, then picked up the comb the princess dropped and pushed it into her hand.

"You do the last section. I have to go do Da's hair, then she's going to do mine. The dress we bought Ai is in the chest."

As soon as the irritating girl was gone, Ai Rong let out a sigh and smiled, shifting to a more comfortable position with a soft jingling of bells. Shang Jiao began to slowly brush the middle section of hair, deep in thought.

Feeling her friend's movements become stiff and uncoordinated. She grabbed her wrist gently and turned to face her friend, her blank eyes fixed on her face.

"What's wrong? Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

Shang Xiang shook herself out of her thoughts and smiled, turning her friend so she was facing the mirror again and continued combing her hair.

"No. I was just thinking about how to find out if I'm right about Lu Xun."

This was an outright lie, but as soon as she said it, Ai Rong turned red and sputtered her usual denials of anything but friendship with the young man. Shang Xiang relaxed and laughed when her friend lapsed into embarrassed silence. Finally she twisted all three loops of hair together at their bases and fastened them together with a gold butterfly shaped clasp.

"There, now I'll do your makeup and have some of the servants come in and dress us, then we'll be ready for the banquet."

"I don't see why I have to go to this stupid banquet. Isn't it for the generals of Wu and Shu only?"

"You are a general of Wu, Ai. You are required to be there."

Ai Rong sighed and let her friend dust her face with white powder, then paint her lips cherry red, and her eyes and cheeks were dusted faintly pink. Shang Xiang was pleased by her work and called her servants in to dress them.

Ai Rong asked continuously about the color of the items she was wearing, earning her exasperated faces from the women dressing her, but a laugh from her friend. The princess called out the colors to her friend as she was dressed.

"The tunic is copper with a phoenix embroidered on it, while the underdress is dark red. The skirt is paler red, and the sash is orange. Your shoes are black."

When the women were dressed, Gan Ning rapped on the door, shouting for Ai Rong to get out there. He complained about how long it took for women to get ready for anything.

They laughed and walked out to find that Gan Ning had already left. They rolled their eyes and walked to the chamber that would be hosting the banquet.

When they walked in and greeted the two kings, Sun Jian paled. His eyes stayed on Ai Rong as she walked over to talk to Lu Xun, Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang. She didn't notice that the king of Wu was still watching her. She Smiled at Lu Xun as they all talked of the war ahead with Cao Cao.

It can't be, thought Sun Jian as she watched Ai Rong flirt and talk Feng Qi died 19 years ago… But she looks just like…