Author's Note followed by Epilogue Description:
*Deep breath*…
Hi.
Well, what can I say. It's been such a long time, I've gotten rusty at Author's Notes. How do I even begin one again, especially after it's been so long?
I want to start off by saying, as I have many times in the past (haha), that I'm not dead. Although I wouldn't blame anyone for assuming it. It's been ages since I've written or updated any of my stories on here. I believe the last update was to Life's Little Wonders, over 5 years ago. Meanwhile, this story, Finally Found You, hasn't been touched in (and I promise this is just a coincidence, I didn't plan it at all) almost EXACTLY 8 years— December 31st, 2012, was the last update.
The next thing I want to say is that I'm so profusely sorry. I'm sorry to all the readers who stuck around for years, waiting for an update, that I let down. I'm sure most if not all of you have moved on by now. I'm sure (or at least I hope), that none of you think it's that deep, or harbor any ill-will towards me. Still, I'm so sorry I let this story drop off the deep end. I want you all to know that I never forgot it, or any of you. I can honestly say that hardly any time went by without me thinking of this story or my years writing on here.
I started Finally Found You well over 14 years ago (it'll be 15 years by March). I began it for no other reason than to fulfill a desire to tell stories, and, more specifically, to tell a story about my favorite video game. I began it due to being inspired by so many wonderful fanfics that I'd been reading and following for months, if not years, prior. I was writing it for no one but myself, and didn't expect more than a few people to even click on the story.
What followed that very first chapter in 2006, and each chapter in the years since, overwhelmed me. I was flooded with so much love, so much praise, so much support and appreciation from all around the world. I don't know if I ever had or will experience a feeling akin to that—the validation and kindness that is so important for a budding writer to receive. I was blindsided, but so, so beyond grateful. Before long, I was no longer just writing for myself, but for you, for each and every one of the readers that clicked on a chapter, even if you had never left a review or sent me a private message. All my fellow fanfic writers reading this will know exactly what I mean.
At one point, this story even became the most-reviewed and most-favorited story in the Dynasty Warriors category, which blows my mind to this day. I don't know if that's the case any longer, and to be honest, I'd be glad if it wasn't, because of just how long I've let it fester. Records are always meant to be broken, and I hope this story's was by another whose author has stayed more engaged than I. It does nothing to diminish what writing this story, and experiencing your reception to it has meant to me.
My readers and my time writing on this site are what helped me find my calling. Your encouragement and interest in this story kept me going with it, and taught me how much I love doing what I did: making people happy (among other things!) with my stories. I had, and still have, so much to learn. And I learned much of it while writing it.
I can't even begin to express how much Finally Found You means to me. The 6+ years of writing it brought me so much joy. I never stopped wanting to finish it (or the other stories that I still have ongoing). I always wanted to revisit this story and continue on. It will always be the first story I ever shared with the world. But unfortunately, as I'm sure you know very well, life just happens to you. Many things don't work out as you'd planned, and as I continued to move forward in life, this story just stayed on the back burner.
There were so many times that I considered just writing an author's note summarizing what I intended to happen. But the prospect hurt too much—I felt like it wouldn't do the story justice. So, the longer I put it off, the more time went by and the more my readers believed I was never coming back. I wasn't ready to let go.
I don't even know how many of you are still out there. I don't know who, if any, of my original readers clicked on the alert link and is now reading this. But if you are, if you did, just know that I thank you so much for not forgetting this story. I'm sure that over the years, you've grown and changed too. I'm sure that other things in life took priority for you too. So, it means so much to me that you've come back here to read this insanely long author's note, lol.
I missed all my readers more than I can say. I missed being able to brighten some hours of your day with a new chapter. I miss being able to reply to EVERY SINGLE signed review that I ever received. I found a community here. I was able to connect with so many of you. The PMs, the reviews back and forth, the favorites and follows. I met people on here that I've never forgotten. This site, and writing for it, witnessed some complicated times in my life and saw me through them. And it's given me nothing but joy and warmth. I feel so blessed at having known any of you who had a kind word for me. As we all know, the internet isn't always the kindest place for a kid, which is what I was when I first began contributing. But thanks in large part to the members I met on here, I never would find that out the hard way.
I feel blessed for not only the support I received on my stories, but also for how wonderful you all were while putting up with my long absences, not to mention with how much I craved reviews back in the day! I have to admit—I cringe looking back at some of my old chapters, not because of the quality of writing (though don't worry, there's plenty of cringe over that too lol), but also because of how discouraged I'd get if a chapter didn't receive the same level of reviews or comments as others. I wanted each chapter to be as popular as the last, and there were (very few!) instances where I'd even pouted upon not receiving feedback and refused to update. For putting up with that, thank you so much. Rather than call me out on how childish I was being, you were so kind and immediately humored and placated me by sending me all your appreciation, and I want to say, every bit of that mattered.
I should cut in now to bring you the epilogue (of sorts) that you most likely clicked for (sorry for all my rambling up to this point XP). Before beginning, I want to make clear that I'm not ruling out ever revisiting this story. This is just my plan for what I wanted to happen, and maybe someday soon, I'll write a proper epilogue or a bonus chapter for this story, showing you the vision I wanted for this fanfic. You've waited long enough!
Epilogue Description:
Following the night Sun Ce and Da Qiao spent together, Da manages to avoid being caught while leaving Ce's room in the morning. She and Zhou Yu meet and discuss the night's events, with him once again affirming his commitment to protect her and Xiao, and to help them all be together. Yu visits Xiao again, this time secretly bringing Da with him. The two sisters have a tearful, loving reunion and Da fills Xiao in on what happened. She promises to set things right, though Xiao pleads with her to realize she doesn't have to it all alone.
Cao Cao catches wind of Da's departure a few days after they return. He summons her to his chambers and threatens her once again. Cao Cao is revealed to have once been in love with The Qiaos' mother. Their mother had instead loved their father, his close friend, who loved her in return. Since he was the nobler and wealthier of the two back in the day, the elders had approved their union. They married, and while Cao Cao assured his friend Qiao Xuan that he bore him no resentment, he implied that as compensation, he would be entitled to wed one or both of his daughters. As Cao Cao amassed more power and influence, it became clear that if he did not have the Qiaos as brides, he would take his vengeance on the Qiao family.
Da had always known this on some level. For this reason, she desperately wanted to protect her sister, and begged for their father to let her be the one to marry him, at least at first. She was adamant that he not ever set eyes on Xiao, especially because of the two of them, Xiao was the one who resembled their mother more, having the same unusual hair color. Da feared that this would prompt Cao Cao to wed and impregnate her immediately upon seeing her, ruining any chance Xiao could have had to be with Yu. This was what Da always hoped for her sister: since she was the one who took them away from Wu, she wanted to do what she could to bring Yu and Xiao back together.
Ce continues to recover, but because of his injuries, he's powerless to take any action to protect Da. When she stops visiting him due to Cao Cao's threats, he worries that the worst has come to pass, and Cao Cao knows of their plans. In fact, Cao Cao announces to Da that if she does not summon Xiao to Xu Chang Palace immediately, he will have Ce, who is already injured and vulnerable, killed. Out of options, Da obliges and sends a letter to her father.
Xiao arrives, and Yu is furious at Da. She breaks down and tells him why she did it. Yu softens and forgives her. It is revealed that when he was ten years old, Yu's entire family was killed in a raid by Cao Cao's forces: he had had a mother, father, and a younger sister named Ying (yes, whom he names his future daughter after!). Yu had escaped death by ingeniously hiding during the raid. He had tried to hide his sister too, but she'd been discovered and killed. Sun Jian found Yu while riding through the ruins and took him in. It's shown that Yu sees Da in the little sister he failed to protect, and he is now determined to protect both Xiao and Da. He does to see Xiao in private and they comfort each other.
Xiao visits Ce and tells him of the history between Cao Cao and their parents. Ce is horrified, and wants nothing more than to see Da, but Xiao calms him, telling him that everything Da is doing is for them to all be safe. That night, Ce leaves his bed, through the pain of his still-healing wounds, and makes it to Da's room. She tearfully begs him to go back before they're discovered, but he's adamant to remind her he won't give her up without a fight. They share a deeply romantic moment.
The next week is Cao Cao's joint wedding to the Qiaos. The night before, Da urgently wakes Xiao out of bed. Xiao is confused, especially upon seeing Yu is with her. The two of them guide her down many staircases, and reveal a trapdoor in one of the lowest chambers. They had been sighted by a guard or two, but Yu silenced them with arrows. Upon opening the trapdoor, Da reveals a tunnel. To Xiao's shock, Shang Xiang and Gan Ning are there, having worked on it with some soldiers over the past week. Da had had Hui, their maid, send them a letter as well through coded wording in the letter she had sent Qiao Xuan, and they had hatched a plan to break them out of the palace, corresponding with Yu about the coordinates and floorplans through other coded letters that Lu Xun had deciphered. The tunnel leads far enough out of the bounds of the palace, where horses await them on the other side.
Xiao is distraught to learn that Da does not intend to run with them. She knows Cao Cao's fury would be too great and cannot risk him harming Ce. She persuades them to leave without her. They say their goodbyes and promise that they won't let her suffer for long. Yu and Xiao escape through the tunnel.
The wedding is upon them, and Da is dressed as the sole bride. Many of the castle attendants are searching for Xiao, but to no avail. Da, under the guise of being completely docile and taken by her future husband, persuades Cao Cao to marry her first, and search for Xiao later. They are just about to be wed, when Ce, healed much quicker than anyone had anticipated, comes on the scene, holding a guard in a headlock. It is the same soldier that shot him with the poison arrow: he's figured out his identity at last. Ce demands a stop to the wedding on the grounds that Cao Cao is a monster. He forces the soldier to confess what he did to him, and on whose orders. The wedding guests are stunned upon hearing how low their lord, Cao Cao, can sink.
Cao Cao calmly and smoothly informs them that the reason was because he strongly suspected that Ce harbored a desire for his wife to-be, and that judging by his actions, his suspicions proved correct. Would not any man wish to protect his betrothed from a lascivious potential predator? The audience seems to be won over.
Just then, Sun Quan bursts in with Lu Meng, Taishi Ci, and others. They bring proof that the Two Qiaos' abduction the year earlier by Dong Zhuo had been planned, and by none other than Cao Cao. It had been in order to defile them so that no other suitors would wish to marry them, and had not Sun Ce and Zhou Yu arrived to save them just in time, Cao Cao's evil purpose would have come to fruition. This was all to ensure that the Qiaos could either marry no one but him, or live the rest of their lives in dishonor. It's revealed that Sun Ce had been the one to request Quan to send out a covert call throughout the Wu kingdom for this information. The audience is in an uproar at Cao Cao's vileness and hypocrisy.
Ce seizes this chance to hurl the guard at Cao Cao, while Da breaks free of his grip. Ce lunges towards Da, snatching her up and hurtling through the crowd, who converges upon Cao Cao and any approaching guards to ensure that Ce and Da get away. Cao Cao wants to set his soldiers upon them, but knows that many officials and dignitaries are among the guests, along with scores of his subjects, and hurting them is sure to be seen as an act of war. Ce and Da reach the horses that Quan has waiting for them, and ride with all their might back to Wu. They are pursued by some soldiers, but Quan, Lu Meng, Taishi Ci and the unit of Wu soldiers they brought with them are armed, and they, along with Ce, fight them off. Ce does this while protecting Da, and they reminisce on how similar this is to the first time he saved her.
By nightfall, they reach Jian Ye Palace, and Xiao and Da tumble towards each other in tears, properly reunited at last. Yu tells Ce and Da that the moment they'd arrived, they'd informed the others of what was going on, and Quan was alerted to set his plan in motion. They all visit Sun Jian, who, after hearing that Ce was safe and recovering well, is in stable condition. He tells them that even if he recovers, he will not have long to live. He reveals the nature of his illness, how it's due to the injury he received years ago, and tells them how it was he who compelled Da to have them leave. He sincerely begs Da's forgiveness, and tells her he knows now that she would never have hurt Ce's reign as emperor, nor would Xiao Yu's duties as Wu's strategist. Rather, having them there would enrich the whole kingdom.
Ce apologizes to Da as well for ever believing her words about how he didn't mean anything to her, and for not coming for her long before. He thanks Yu for supporting her when he hadn't. Sun Jian accepts Da and Xiao as his daughters-in-law. He names Ce as his successor, declaring that he has proven his capabilities in all aspects, not just fighting prowess. He gives the couples their blessings and calls for wedding arrangements to be made. He vows that for as long as he is breathing, he will ensure that the kingdom defend them against anyone who threatens to take them away, be it Cao Cao or otherwise. Celebrations ring throughout the kingdom and our couples enjoy their newfound, hard-fought bliss.
***For any loose ends, please keep reading & stay tuned***
From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you to anyone who ever read a single word of Finally Found You. If any OG readers, or even a new reader who's just now stumbling upon this fic, is reading these words right now, I would love to hear from you. Not necessarily even via reviews—I'm thankfully long past pleading for those now (hehe)—but even dropping me a PM to let me know you're still here would mean the world to me. If you've ever been a reader, a follower, if you've ever favorited this story or left even a single review, you brightened my day. To everyone who's ever told me they loved receiving notifications that I'd updated, please know that this is how I've felt every time I heard from any of you. I know I definitely made sure to thank my readers and reviewers with every chapter I posted. But no amount of words can express how much I truly appreciated it. I won't name you, because I can't possibly name you all, and I'm afraid of forgetting to include even a single name. But please know I never forgot you.
As we all know, this year has been challenging to many of us. I hope that this update can in any small way make it better. I'm so grateful to any of you who has stuck around. This, combined with the fact that I received hits on this story as recently as this month, convinced me that I couldn't leave things as they were. Over the years, I've come back and browed through reviews and messages more than a few times, and it's never failed to lift my spirits.
Writing this update and epilogue has been bittersweet. It feels like closing a chapter in my life. Again, I can't promise that I'll never revisit and add a proper chapter to it. I don't want this to be the last addition yet. But I want us all to be prepared for that possibility.
I also wanted to announce something hopefully exciting. This isn't the end. I will be back fairly soon, perhaps in the new year, with a new story in a different category. I don't know how many of you will take interest in it. But I want to let you know it'll still mean the world to me to have even one of my readers follow me on my first foray into the new category—while it doesn't belong to the video game universe, I dare say many of you are aware of it. I'd planned on doing this for weeks now, but I knew I couldn't start something new this time without wrapping Finally Found You up somehow.
Believe it or not, I even had a few idea for other DW fanfics featuring my favorite couples you know and love: some of them being ideas for a large, robust story much like this one (but hopefully better-written :P ) Will that fanfic see light of day? I definitely can't say for sure, especially considering the two other stories I've written that are still incomplete. But if it ever does, I can say with certainty that you were a big part of why.
To continue a tradition, thank you for all your reviews ^.^ Since I signed off this way for the last chapter, to all of you, here's wishing you a very Happy New Year. May 2021 bring you immeasurable joy. I hope that you've been living a wonderful life!
-JeeJay.