Li and Zhou Tai had decided to get out of the stuffy meeting room and walk through the gardens of the capital. Neither said anything as they walked down the many paths, occasionally stopping to greet another person who walked by. After about fifteen minutes, they came to a small pond in the middle of the gardens and decided to sit on the bench in front of it. Li wanted desperately to ask Zhou Tai about what had happened the night they were separated. But she wasn't sure if it was proper to ask the first question. She was, after all, still a servant. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long.

"So," Zhou Tai began, "how did you become a servant here?" He kept his gaze on the water. Clearly, he didn't speak much or interact with others in general. Li wondered why that was.

"Well, I guess it was the night we were separated," Li said, keeping her eyes down out of respect. Zhou Tai was still of higher rank than she was. "All I remember was that figure coming for me. When I woke up afterwards, I was in a tent with several other women who had apparently been taken as well. A man told us that we were now under the command of Lord Sun Jian, and that we were being taken to the capital. Ever since then, I've been a servant here." Zhou Tai nodded in reply but said nothing. Li took a deep breath and turned towards him. It couldn't hurt to ask just one question. "If you don't mind me asking, my lord, what happened to you that night? The night we were separated."

He looked at her, and Li quickly diverted her eyes back to her lap. Zhou Tai gently reached out and tilted her chin up so she was forced to look into his eyes. His face had softened slightly. "Li, you are now my sister. You don't need to be so formal with me." Li nodded, not sure what to say. Zhou Tai turned his gaze back towards the pond. "It took me a moment to realize that you had just been taken. When I went to look for you, both you and the figure were gone. I felt alone, but I stayed at the house for a few more years. When you didn't come back, I decided to look for you." He stopped, choosing his words carefully. "I met a pirate on my journey, and he told me that if I served him that he would help me find you."

Li's eyes went wide. "You used to be a pirate?"

Zhou nodded. "I'm not proud of it, because my captain neither helped nor tried to. I decided to come and serve Wu, and have been serving Lords Sun Ce and Sun Quan ever since." Li nodded as she stared at him. She could not imagine him ever being a pirate or ever acting like one. But she guessed that it didn't matter. He had apparently changed his ways and become a more respectable man. She reached out and gently put a hand over his own.

"I don't know what you used to be like. But since we've met, you have done nothing that would suggest that you were a pirate. Don't let your past hold you back." Zhou Tai looked at her with a mixture of surprise and awe. She diverted her eyes again, afraid that she had said something wrong. Again, he reached out and tilted her chin upwards. But this time, he kept his hand on her chin, staring into her eyes. She gave him a confused look.

"No one has ever said anything like that to me before. Many still just see me as a pirate, as someone who will never change." He let go but continued to look into her eyes. "Thank you," he said in barely a whisper.

Li tried to look back into his eyes, but he still wore his helmet. Curious, Li moved her had closer to try and see what he was hiding underneath. He quickly turned his head away, as if afraid to let her see his face. Li gently put a hand on his shoulder.

"Zhou Tai, why do you hide your face under your helmet? It can't be that bad." She felt his shoulders slump under her touch.

"My face is disfigured," he said softly, as if saying it out loud would make it true. "In saving my lord Sun Quan's life, I paid the price. It's left me with a hideous looking face."

Li was sad to see her brother be so down on himself. True, she hadn't known him for very long, but it pained her to see him upset over this. She leaned in far enough that he had to look her in the eyes. "Zhou Tai, you are my brother. I could never turn you away, no matter how ugly you believe you are. Please, let me see your face."

Zhou Tai lowered his gaze, as if afraid to meet her own. "I've already scared you," he said. "I don't wish to do it again."

Li offered him a smile. "I promise you won't scare me. Please."

He let out a long breath before reaching up towards his helmet. Slowly, he pulled it off, letting the mass of dark hair fall around his face. Li looked into his eyes, the same eyes that she had herself. He had her sharp features and dark skin. The only difference was his scar. He had a long one that ran from under his left eye all the way down his cheek, ending at his jawbone. She smiled in spite of herself. This hardly qualified for disfigurement. Gently, she ran her finger down the full length of the scar before laying her hand on his cheek.

"See? You're still my brother, and I'm still your sister. I haven't gone anywhere." She could sense his relief and gave him a smile." You still look handsome to me. Scars and all."

For the first time, Zhou Tai's expression softened. "Really? Scars and all?"

Li's smile grew. "Really."

Zhou Tai gave her a smile of his own, and before she could react, wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace. Li hugged him back, resting her head on his big shoulder. For once, she felt contented with her life. She felt like she had been waiting for this moment for a long time without expecting it. And as the brother and sister embraced, that time was now.

There was a great banquet in Zhou and Li Tai's honor the next evening. Sun Jian had been delighted to know that one of his best officers had family in his capital, and had officially made Li a lady of the court. She had quickly been welcomed into Zhou Tai's circle of friends and fellow officers. Sun Jian's daughter, Sun Shang Xiang, in particular enjoyed having another woman that she could talk to other than the Qiao sisters, who were also excited to have Li join them as a lady of the court. Her brother introduced her to many of his fellow officers, each giving her a slight bow. It was something Li had never experienced before. She had to keep reminding herself that she was no longer a servant, and that she didn't need to bow to everyone anymore. It would take adjusting, but she was confident that she could do it.

It was after the banquet that Lady Sun took Li to her new apartments. Being one of the few single women in the palace, Li and Sun Shang had their own corridor. Li loved the fact that it was open, so she could walk from her room and be right outside. Her own room was spacious, filled with the most beautiful furniture and linens that Li had ever seen. Sun Shang laughed as she tried to take in everything at once, enjoying the antics of a servant woman who was now, in a sense, royalty. After showing her where everything was, Li invited her to stay for a while, as everyone else had long since retired for the night. They stayed up for several hours, talking about different things (you know how girl talk is) and swapping stories. They discovered that they were very similar to each other, except on one topic.

"Eww. Why would you want to get married?" Sun Shang asked, making a disgusted face at Li.

"Why wouldn't you?" Li asked back. "I can't wait to get married, especially now that my selection has increased." Lady Sun pretended to gag and lightly pushed Li, sending both of them into a fit of giggles.

"I just can't see anyone here as my husband," Lady Sun said honestly. "I've grown up with all of these guys. They're more like my extended family, not my future husbands or anything."

Li shrugged. "I understand that. And I'm not saying that I'm looking for anyone right here, right now. I just know that I want to get married."

"Hmmm. You can't say you aren't looking," Sun Shang said, looking smug. "I know for a fact that I saw both Lu Meng and Taishi Ci attempting to flirt with you at the banquet. You weren't exactly pushing them away either." Li blushed and fake punched her friend.

"Oh, stop," she said. "I can't help myself." The two began giggling again when there was a knock on the door. It opened, and Lu Meng stuck his head in.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I believe I heard giggling in here. Is everything alright?" He looked around, pretending to be confused. Sun Shang grinned.

"Lord Lu Meng, ladies don't giggle. I thought you knew that." He grinned back.

"My apologies. I will take my leave then." he turned to Li. "By the way, welcome to the court, Lady Li Tai." He shut the door, and they waited until they could no long here his footsteps before breaking into a fit of laughter.

"You can't tell me he doesn't like you," Lady Sun said, trying not to cry from laughter. Li fell back on the bed, laughing too hard to respond. She was finally beginning to feel at home here. Not as a servant, but as a lady. And she couldn't wait to see what tomorrow would bring.