Chapter Thirteen:
Da scrambled about the carriage, frantically going through clothes while Li watched patiently, braiding her hair.
"Li!" Da exclaimed. "Don't just sit there, help me!"
"Da, calm down. You're getting all worked up over nothing!"
"Nothing? Oh, right, nothing. I'm only going to meet my future father-in-law–who also happens to be the ruler of Wu–for the first time, and I have nothing suitable!"
Li finished braiding her hair, tied it off, and stood up and went to Da, placing her hands on her shoulders. "Da, Sun Ce told you that it was going to be an informal meeting of the family. Sun Jian himself will not be in formal wear. I believe I also heard him say that you could show up with only your fans to cover your nakedness and they would still adore you." Da blushed at that, a smile tugging at her lips, and Li smiled back, continuing: "I know you want to make a good first impression, so wear the red dress. You look very nice in red, and it's their color, so that will doubtlessly impress them."
Da took a deep breath. "You're right...you're right...I have nothing to worry about. Thank you, Li, I don't know what I'd do without you."
Li smiled, thinking how chaotic it would have been were Xiao here in her place. The carriage would have been considerably more strewn with random articles of clothing and there would have been a pair of sisters in the middle of a breakdown amidst it all.
"What about you?" Da asked, interrupting the amusing images playing in Li's mind.
"What about me?" she asked in turn, looking blankly at her friend who was now dressed and calmly re-packing her clothes.
"Are you going to wear that to meet the Sun family?"
"Ah...I had rather planned on it, yes..." Li looked down at her clothes, plain black leggings and a just as undecorated–if good quality–black tunic. Da sighed in exasperation.
"Ready to move out, ladies?" came Ce's voice from outside the carriage. Li had to grin at the soft smile that suffused Da's face at the sound of her fiance's voice. Da opened the curtain to look at him.
"We're ready my lord," she said demurely, and Ce smiled dazzlingly at her before heading up to the front of the line, shouting for the column to get moving. Li and Da sat down and braced themselves for the bumpy ride.
Ce rode at the front of the column alongside Zhou, a smile on his face. "I presume that Qiao Da is looking lovely today?" Zhou asked rhetorically.
Ce, oblivious, replied, "She's beautiful." Then, slyly, he added, "Mai Li's not looking bad, either, I'm surprised you didn't go and talk to her this morning." Zhou sighed heavily, and Ce looked at his friend seriously. "You know, you're going to have competition for her heart once we reach the city. Ning and Lu are going to fall in love with her the moment they set eyes on her, you have to know this. It's lucky they were out at sea on a long voyage when we left, but who knows how long you have until they return? You're going to have to tell her how you feel soon or risk losing her."
"I know that, Ce," Zhou said. "I'm going to speak to your father as soon as I can get a private word with him. If he allows it, I'll start courting her officially."
That was plainly all that Zhou was going to say about the matter, so Ce wisely dropped the subject. He still had his concerns, but a plan was beginning to form in his mind to speed the process up a bit.
The morning passed in discomfort for the women in the carriage, but both forgot the ache of all the jouncing around when they heard permission granted for them to enter the city. They rushed to the window, peeking around the sides of the curtain. There were people everywhere, mostly minding their own business, though there were a few gawkers at the column. Everyone they saw seemed to be smiling–it was obvious that life was good in the city and that the people loved their ruler. This eased some of the unnamed fear in both the girls' minds, and they grinned at each other in excitement.
The noisy hustle and bustle gradually eased off as they neared the palace, and houses got progressively larger.
Unfortunately, they couldn't see the walls of the palace unless they were to put their heads outside the window–and that was unseemly, so neither of them did it, though Li was tempted. The moment they entered the palace grounds, Li slipped her knives in the hidden boot-sheaths, and two daggers into her belt while Da looked on with some amusement.
"Going armed to meet the ruler of Wu?" she asked.
"Of course!"
They sat in tense silence after that for about fifteen minutes, when the carriage finally stopped.
When they finally reached the courtyard, Ce and Zhou handed their horses to the stableboys and walked to the carriage. All of the troops except those driving the carriage had departed just inside the palace walls, heading for the barracks.
Ce opened the carriage door, then, and gently lifted Da down to stand next to him. Zhou, instead of lifting Li bodily down, offered his hand, which she accepted with a smile and hopped down. He drank in the sight of Li in her all black form-fitting outfit, ornamented only by the gleam of the daggers at her waist. He wholeheartedly approved of her choice in clothing, and knew that the Sun family would as well–she was stating by way of her dress exactly what she was rather than trying to be someone she was not. Yes, the Sun family would appreciate the honesty.
When he heard the excited shout of Shang Xiang from the entrance of the palace, he realized that he was staring at Mai Li and offered his arm to try and cover his lapse. She took it, smiling nervously at him, and they walked towards the entrance behind Ce and Da as the rest of the Sun family came out.
Sun Jian emerged just before they reached Shang Xiang and Quan, and immediately went up to Ce and wrapped him in a hug while Da dropped to her knees in a bow. Li did the same just behind Da.
"Stand, both of you," Sun Jian ordered, and the women immediately obeyed. He then wrapped Da in an embrace and said, "Welcome to your new home, daughter." When he stepped up to of Mai Li, she tried her best not to drop to her knees once more in the presence of this intimidating man. "I had thought from reports that the Qiao sisters looked alike," he said questioningly.
"The Qiao sisters do indeed look alike, my lord," Mai Li replied.
"I had also heard that both of the Qiao sisters were very womanly in their manner of dress, and decorous enough not to bear weapons in the presence of their lord."
"Indeed they are, my lord," Li said, a hint of annoyance apparent in her tone, "and as you may have surmised, my lord, I am not one of the Qiao sisters to look like one of them, dress like one of them, or be well-mannered like one of them."
Li and Sun Jian stared at one another for a moment, neither backing down, then he laughed. "Well said, young lady! What's your name?" When she answered, he hugged her and turned to Zhou. "Good choice, I'm glad you've finally decided to settle down. I couldn't have done better myself. Shang Xiang! Show the ladies to their rooms, please, then bring them to the family garden."
When the three women left, Sun Jian asked, "So, does she know how to use the weapons she so proudly bears?"
"She does, and very well," Zhou said wryly.
"You should ask him how he got the bruise on his jaw, Dad," Ce said with a sly grin. Sun Jian's brows rose and he looked questioningly at Zhou.
"She did it when I tested her," he said, his cheeks burning as he quickly told that story. "I've decided to teach her swordplay as soon as her side heals," he finished.
"Her side...?"
"Li Du and four of his companions came across her in her first lesson while I had stepped out," Zhou said, fury plain in his voice as he remembered the look on her face as she ran into him and then fainted. "Du poked her with the tip of his sword repeatedly, then slashed her side pretty deeply when she didn't respond to him. After doing that, she knocked him out with the flat of the sword she was holding, and then the other four advanced on her. She was trying to escape, but they cornered her. She broke loose and ran for the door, and when Ce and I entered the training hall, she ran right into me and promptly fainted." He fell silent as he fought to control the rage that consumed him at the memory.
"The five men are in custody, Dad, I had them taken to separate prison cells upon our arrival," Ce said when it became obvious that his friend wasn't going to say any more.
Sun Jian's face and voice were grave. "They will be severely punished for their actions and discharged from my army once I've spoken with Mai Li and heard her tell the story." When Zhou started to protest, he raised a hand and said, "I have to hear it firsthand, you know that, and you also know that I have to speak with the perpetrators of the crime."
Then he smiled. "But that can wait until tomorrow–now, we toast to both of your successes on the battlefield of love!"
"Um..." Zhou fumbled.
"What Zhou is trying to say," Ce stepped in, "is that Mai Li doesn't know that he's in love with her–she came along as Da's companion and it was by chance that Zhou came to fall in love with her. Oof!" he exclaimed as Zhou backhanded him across the gut again.
"Is this true?" Sun Jian asked, looking closely at Zhou.
"Yes, my lord," he replied, unable to look his best friend's father in the eye.
"Well, then, I suppose we'll only toast Ce's success. In the meantime, you have my blessing in your pursuit of Mai Li. You're lucky that Lu Xun and Gan Ning aren't expected to return for another three weeks at the least."
Zhou bowed to hide the relief he knew had to be plain on his face. "Thank you," he said, and the four–Sun Jian, Sun Ce, Sun Quan, and Zhou Yu–headed for the family garden.
Alright, I forgot to put this in the last chapter--but before anyone chews me out, yes, I know that Sun Ce uses tonfas in the game, but if you've ever watched the ending credits of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires in a game in which you've got Zhou Yu and Sun Ce, you'll see them sparring and Ce will be using a sword. Besides, what nobleman ISN'T trained to use a sword?
Winds: Hey there again, thanks for the review! I really liked your story, and I forget if I mentioned this or not, but I was sad that it was kinda rushed at the end. I'd like to see a Ma Chao ending, and a Liu Bei ending, not to mention Lu Xun...and I want to know what, if anything, happens between Cao Mi Yi and Li Dian!