I think the response I got for the first chapter of this spontaneous fanfic was enough for me to keep writing! The first review itself was encouraging enough to make me want to keep going with it... so, because I cannot reply to them personally, a big thank you to my anonymous reviewers! And thank you to all the others too :). It means alot that you all support me through writing this story... as I've said, I plan on keeping this short, and simple enough! lol. So, if you have read but have not reviewed yet, please do, since you won't be expected to for that long... not anywhere near half as long as reviewing for Finally Found You would be, anyway. :P

So, to everyone who's eager to keep reading this fanfic, here's Chapter 2!

Enjoy.

The second lily was found lying in her plate, just before lunch. It had been precisely a month since she'd received the first one from him, and it can be said here and now that she received all the others afterward according to a similar time pattern.

As she was wont to do for a while now, Da Qiao had hurried down to the Dining Hall several minutes before serving time. She did this just to make sure everything was laid out just so; all the arrangements, all the utensils and dishes, and so on, so that the people she'd grown to love in Jian Ye Palace could at the very least enjoy their meals if not their nights. She didn't know why or when or how she'd gotten into the habit of doing so. She was pretty sure it started happening when it was growing closer and closer to the time when he had to leave. She began doing it just to keep her mind occupied from the imminent despair she would feel at his departure. The first thing she'd spotted on arriving before even noticing the enormous chandelier, however, was the precious flower laid onto her plate, looking for all the world as though it belonged there. She froze in her place, gazing at it at first. Then a fierce blush, surprising her in its intensity, took over her face and a thrill ran through her form. It had been too long since she'd felt the pangs of excitement that young love brought her heart.

Once again, though certainly purposeful in her approach, Da avoided running towards the dinner table. Her heart beating wildly, she took up the lily, immaculate in its whiteness, as tenderly as she had the first one, and kissed its petals. She then began unwrapping it, making a mental note to stow away the priceless satin in the same place as before. This time she was prepared for the overly-anticipated letter that was securely tucked into the casing's folds, tenderly drew it out. Cradling the flower in the crook of one arm, she gracefully took her seat. Then she opened up this second, wonderful letter of love with a smile that would have eclipsed the moon, and began to read.

My Sweet, Darling Da Qiao,

It's the time of the month for another letter! I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this one, sweetie. Please understand that if I could, I would have sent you lilies, letters, and loves just like these ones every day of the week. But since war sucks, and isn't the perfect time for doing stuff like that, once a month's the best I can manage. So keep smiling, love! Because regardless of whether I'm back next month, you're still going to get something for waiting for me so patiently, no matter what. I really wish tomorrow was the day I could come back home, but the way it's looking right now, I don't think it's possible, Da. I'm so sorry. I hope you can still find it in your heart not to give up on us... on everything we share, for the next few months if not more. It hurts me so much to ask you, the most wonderful, beautiful, pure perfect woman I will ever know, to do something like this for me. But I still have faith that you will, yet.

I got your letter a while back. Nothing could have touched my heart more, my love. I read it every night before bed now- every time I have the luxury of getting a shut eye, anyway. We know from reliable sources that Wei's the most formidable opponent anyone could face. We need to give it our all if we want to stand a chance, Da. I'm not going to lie, sometimes I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew here, whenever Yu explains how massive and powerful Wei is rumored to be. But screw that for now. I loved that you wrote me such an amazing letter, Da. If anything could give me hope, it's all the sweet, heartfelt things you said to me. Darling, stop thanking me, it was no trouble at all to send you these presents... I only wish I could give you more, tell you more promise you more! I won't let you down. I'm going to do my best to win this war, and come right back home to you. And trust me, I know only too well what it's like to miss someone so much, it hurts. It hurts to be away from you too, my love. Being with you is when I'm at my happiest, at my best. You bring out the best in me.

Okay... I probably shouldn't tell you this, because I know how you're going to react... but you did make me promise I wouldn't hide anything from you, so here goes... We had our first battle with Cao Cao's forces a few weeks ago. Now, don't worry, don't worry! We're all okay! Every one of us, I swear! I'm only telling you this 'cause I promised to! It wasn't that big of a battle, Da, honest. Actually... Yu's theory is that it was more of an attempt of Cao Cao's to see just how big of a threat we really posed to him. And all the signs even point to this- he sent a small squadron of men who had average combat skills, hardly even a match for us. None of the royal family was present. In fact, the closest we came to seeing one of Cao Cao's kin in action was General Xiahou Yuan, a cousin of his cousin's... plus he wasn't even in the fray, just standing atop a mountain firing arrows at our men. He's a damn good marksman, though. Taishi Ci says he duelled him once. Taishi Ci also says he's not a half bad swordsman, either.

Still, Da. It really ticks me off to think of Cao Cao belittling us this way. Who does that swine think I am? Some fly he's just swatting with one hand while expanding his empire with the other? I swear, I'll make him pay for wasting my time, energy, ammunition, and both of our troops this way. Using human lives just to test out an opponent is something that just sickens me, even if it's the enemy's lives that are on the line. I'll teach him to treat me like a kid. It's obvious that we surprised the enemy with our strength and numbers, though. Because, when we had the upper hand for sure, Yuan shot a bunch of flaming arrows into the air into some kind of pattern, and all the enemy troops retreated right after that. Looks like Cao Cao's got his stats on our power now, huh, honey?

Anyways, you don't have to worry about that, Da. Heh, it looks like I told you more than I intended to... but oh, well. It doesn't matter for now. Are you wondering why this second lily was in your plate? And just before lunch, too? Well, obviously, there's a reason why I chose this time and place, Da. I'll bet you already know why it's here. Want me to tell you? Alright, I will! This is when and where we had our first, real conversation sweetheart, the day after you got here! Remember? Well, it was actually a while after lunch had been served, eaten, and the dishes had been put away. I hadn't eaten, because I had alot of matters of state to attend to. Let me tell ya, I couldn't get you out of my mind, darling. You seemed so sweet, so innocent, so charming. I also felt guilty for not having paid attention to either of you ever since giving you the palace tour, especially you. I mean, I felt like a pretty useless host, to tell the truth.

I was also told, on my way to lunch, that you hadn't eaten anything. Not dinner the night before, not breakfast the next morning, nor an hour previously. You'd been offered, even implored to have a few bites at least, but you'd politely declined each time, saying you weren't hungry and stayed in your room. Xiao had skipped out on dinner with you too, but Yu was able to coax her into eating both meals the next day. She'd even taken some food up to you each time, but she was sent back with a sorrowful face, saying she was 'all out of ideas'. Surprised that I know all this darling? Yeah. People tell me things, heheh. But I didn't want to tell you that I knew exactly what happened since you'd been there the first few days. So, I sat there at the dinner table, not touching my late lunch, and imagined all the possible reasons why you weren't eating, and all the things I could try to get you to eat anything. I kept telling myself that as your guardian, it was my job to feed you, but I knew that even if I wasn't, I'd want to help you no less.

After about an hour, I'd given up all my plans. None of them would work. You barely even knew me. You were so shy after the initial moment that we met too, and barely said a word while I was giving you the tour. And then I thought I was being stupid, starving myself this whole time, just thinking about you. I realized I'd lost my appetite, thinking about how hungry you might have been, and how I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. But I still pulled my plate towards me, picked up a dumpling and would have popped it into my mouth, if I hadn't heard footsteps. Footsteps lightly making their way down the staircase, towards the Dining Hall, towards me. Now, I knew the footsteps of everyone who lived in that house. There's just some things you get used to after living with the same people for nearly twenty years. But these footsteps were unfamiliar. There was also something about them that made me hold my breath as I put down the dumpling and waited.

And then, like an angel of radiance again, you showed up before me from out of nowhere. I was blown away for the second time by your loveliness, by the very... essence of your being. The look on your face when you saw me sitting there was just adorable. Your beautiful green eyes grew wide, and you gave a shot gasp of surprise. You stared at me for a few seconds, and then, in that heavenly voice of yours, you spoke. "Lord Sun Ce," you said, almost breathed. And suddenly, strangely, my heart leapt for joy. ' She said my name,' I thought. 'She remembered my name!' I don't know how I did it, but I invited you to have a seat with me. And you, being as sweet and refined as you were, accepted and took your place- the place you're sitting in right now. And after that, well, you know exactly what we talked about... And how we wondered how fast time flew by when we were in each other's company...

Flashback:-

Try as she might, Da couldn't stop the floorboards from creaking ever so sightly as she tiptoed her way down the steps, one by one. Her hand shook on the banister as she struggled to make her way down the staircase quietly. Even though lunchtime was over, and everyone was occupied with their own errands until dinner time, the sun was still up and wouldn't set for a few more hours. She could easily be seen by someone close by while descending the steps and didn't want to look too obvious as she made her way towards the Dining Hall. It was still fairly dark around the staircase, though, so Da felt that as long as she was quiet, she needn't worry too much.

Her plan was to go into the kitchens she'd been taken to the day before during her tour, find Hui, her own maid that her father had sent with her to ensure his daughters' personal welfare, and ask her if there was possibly anything left over from lunch that maybe she could have. She knew that Xiao Qiao had been eating, and was relieved to know it. It had broken her heart when her sister had adamantly refused dinner with her the night before, when Da had been too distraught to want to eat anything after parting with their father, after seeing the tears flow from his eyes.

Da was ashamed at having been such trouble in the Wu Palace for so long. Everyone she'd met, from Sun Shang Xiang to Gan Ning had tried to get her to relent and eat a meal, but she wouldn't. Even patient, gentle Zhou Yu had kindly requested her to bear a few mouthfuls of food, at least for her 'lovely sister', which had won Xiao's heart at once, much to Da's pleasure. But after remaining hungry for well over a day, and having cried herself to sleep the night before, Da was famished. She had to eat something if she intended to stay alive, she realized.

Finally, the last step. Exhaling in relief at reaching the bottom of the staircase successfully, she turned to enter the Dining Hall- and gasped in shock.

Lord Sun Ce was sitting at the table, and gazing directly at her. His gaze was as steady as could be, as though he'd been expecting her. His mirror-like eyes were wide open and friendly, and there was a half-smile on his face- his trademark smile, she'd heard people call it. A plateful of untouched food lay before him.

Da's breath caught in her thoat, and once again, her heart started beating wildly. She felt her face get hot. Why was he having this effect on her? It made no sense. He was watching as she blinked, trying to find something to say. Oh, she must look like such a fool to him, just standing there, staring! Swallowing hard, she tried to say something, hoping it wouldn't come out choked.

"Lord Sun Ce," she acknowledged faintly.

His smile grew slightly wider, his face kinder.

"Lady Da Qiao," he volunteered, in that wonderful voice of his which she had yet to forget.

Da's eyes widened. Her heart started beating, if possible, faster.

My name. He remembered my name!

Why did it matter so much to her? It shouldn't, really. It was only natural that he remember her name. She was his ward, after all. But it did matter. She was gladder beyond glad that he addressed her like that, without hesitation.

She managed a small smile at him in return. He simply sat there, waiting for her to say more.

"I... I wanted... I was going to..."

Her voice faltered. Why did he have to look so breathtaking? Literally? She couldn't make sense of it. He robbed her of her ability to speak, without even meaning to.

"I hear you haven't eaten anything since you got here," he said, coming to her rescue. "Why's that? Everything alright?"

"Oh! Of- course. Nothing's the matter my lord, I assure you."

He laughed. His laugh left a greater impact on her than his smile, and she had no idea how it managed that.

"Well then, I guess ya wouldn't mind sitting by me while I had lunch myself, huh? I feel bad I've been away all this time. It'll be nice to get to know each other, don't you think?"

Da smiled graciously, completely warming to his casual, friendly manner of speaking. Did this mean that she could be herself around him, and not have to put on airs the way her father had instructed her to do around Lord Cao Cao? She hoped so.

"Thank you," she said gratefully. "That would be really nice."

And she took a seat by him.

He looked at her pleasantly, as though expecting her to talk. But shyness had overtaken Da at this point, and she was unable to say anything. She hoped he would do something to break the silence. Then-

"How d'you like it here?"

"Very much," Da replied at once. "Everyone's so wonderful here, everything's just... so wonderful."

He laughed again.

"And the food, too?"

Da went scarlet again.

"I... I'm sure..."

She trailed off in embarrassment. He was looking at her most unfamiliarly, with a teasing sort of mischief in his eyes, his crooked smile beginning to overtake his face.

"Xiao likes it," she finished lamely. She gave him a sheepish smile. It was the best she could do.

"Well," he snickered, surprising her again, "how's about we see how you like it, then? Su! Ting Ting!" he continued, now raising his voice and turning his head towards the kitchens.

Before Da knew what was happening, two pretty maids dressed in matching crimson outfits were hurrying from the kitchens and, smiling, stood before him in seconds.

"You called, Lord Sun Ce?" they chirped merrily.

"Yep. Why don't you two see if you can whip up Lady Da here a little something? You did tell me she hadn't eaten at all, isn't that right, Su?"

The maid beamed at having been addressed specifically.

"Oh, yes, indeed I did, Our Lord Emperor! We'll be right back with the best we can cook!"

And they were off as soon as they had arrived. Sun Ce turned to look at Da, grinning, and saw that she was staring at him, blinking in surprise in how quickly his order was executed.

He raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.

"What's up?"

"Oh... nothing! Just... Thank you so much for that."

She smiled at him.

"Hey, it's no problem! It's my job after all, isn't it? I mean, what kind of guardian would I be if I left you hungry?"

He folded his arms in mock reprimand, still grinning at her.

Da laughed shyly.

"Actually, I was on my way to the kitchens just now. I wanted to ask my personal handmaid, Hui, if she could spare me some leftovers from lunch.

He scoffed, disapproval etched on his face.

"Pssht. No way is anyone I'm protecting gonna eat leftovers! Tell you what. Anytime you're hungry, and no one happens to be around, you can send the order for one of the cooks to make you something- anything for your exclusive consumption. It doesn't even have to be mealtime- whenever you feel like it, I personally give you leave to use the kitchens' potential as much as possible. How does that sound?"

Da clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh, Lord Sun Ce! Does this apply to Xiao, as well?"

He hesitated, as though puzzled at this sudden request. Then he smiled understandingly.

"Sure! You can pass it on to her, if you want."

Da's smile couldn't get wider.

"Oh, thank you, Lord Sun Ce! You're so kind! Nothing could make me happier."

He laughed, shaking his head slightly. Why was he doing that? It did make him look as attractive as ever, but she didn't understand... Still, what did it matter! Xiao was to have all the food she wanted! How generous and warm-hearted this young Emperor of Wu turned out to be!

"Ce."

"I'm- I'm sorry?"

His voice had distracted her from her slight reverie.

"If you wanna stay protected by me, you're gonna have to call me what just about everyone in this house does. My name's Ce, and that's how I'd like you to address me. No more of that 'Lord Sun Ce' title, alright?"

Da was stunned. Could he really be alright with her addressing him so casually? This man was much more unlike Lord Cao Cao than she'd imagined. Truth be told, she would feel more comfortable with calling him by just his name... it seemed more natural, because no title could befit him better. But wasn't it more ladylike, more right and proper, to give him more reverence?

Sun Ce had been watching her all throughout her thought process, and had misinterpreted her silence for offense.

"I mean, that's only if you're okay with it, of course," he corrected himself quickly. "You don't actually have to call me that, you understand. Not if it offends you."

Da blinked, and smiled again at his reaction.

"I will, under one condition," she replied.

"Yeah? What might that be, Lady Da?"

"You have to call me Da in return."

She would love for everyone to call her that. It seemed so much more homey, so much more like she was living with the people of Wu, and not just being guarded by them.

Ce raised his eyebrows in surprise. Then his old smile was back. He liked this condition.

"You're on," he said, his smirk not leaving his face. "Da."

No one could have said her name better.

An hour later, the two of them were finishing off their meals, and laughing together as Ce narrated a story to Da which had occurred a little while ago.

"So I tackle him," Ce continued, nearly bursting with humor at his memory, amid Da's incessant giggles, "I tackle him to the ground, ram a tonfa blindly into Tong's face behind me to keep him away while still trying to pin Ning down with the other, and say, 'Listen, you brazen pirate. I don't care how powerful you are. Any more verbal attacks on Ling Tong's mother, and I will personally throw you out on your worthless ass.'."

Da clapped both hands over her mouth to muffle her laughter, her eyes squeezed shut and her shoulders quivering with mirth.

Breathless, she said,

"I can't believe it! You literally took down both Gan Ning and Ling Tong when they were both trying to kill each other!"

"Yeah, well," he said, snickering, "I couldn't really guarantee any of their lives at that point. Those guys were seriously starting to tick me off, with their constant bickering. It took all of Shang Xiang's squeals to make me want to get my tonfa away from Ning's neck, and I coulda sworn that his face was turning blue by then..."

Da stifled a snort. One thing was for certain: Ce told a priceless story. He made her so at ease with him, so comfortable in his presence.

"So what about you?"

She smiled at him, suddenly shy again to be asked about herself.

"What about me?"

"You know... where exactly do you come from? You have any stories for me?"

"Oh... well. There isn't much to tell, really. Xiao and I have been together through everything ever since she was born. And my father's protected us from anything that might threaten us. One of the reasons he wanted you to protect us was so that we would be safe from Lord Cao Cao, who was an old friend of his. He's afraid Cao Cao might want us as his... his brides... in return for some help he gave my father earlier."

Ce looked troubled by this.

"Is that right... I guess there's more reason to fear Cao Cao than we thought, then."

Da didn't like the serious change his voice or face had taken on.

"Um... I was born into the lands of Wu just father his ancestors from generations past were! But not in the same place as my father. I was born where my mother was. My mother was from Fuchun."

To her surprise, Ce looked up, and raised an eyebrow at this with interest. He even had a slight smile on.

"Were you?"

"Yes!" said Da at once, thrilled that this was working. She didn't know he'd be this interested in her and her mother's birthplace... She'd better keep talking. It would distract him from Cao Cao... plus she did love talking about the place she'd practically half-lived in as a child!

"I used to visit there almost every season when mother was still alive. Fuchun's a lovely place. It rains heavily at the end of every summer, and the sometimes the sun shines even in winter, when it's cold."

"I know."

"The people there have a way of preparing their chicken dumplings unlike anyone else. The way they're steamed are just perfect, and you can even see the difference in how the dough's twisted."

"Yeah, I know."

"Every spring, almost all the children fly kites at the exact same place and time. They've been doing it for decades, maybe centuries. And when the breezes pick up, they let go of their kites and follow them as far as they can."

"I know."

"And- wait. Wait a minute."

She paused for breath, feeling rather like Xiao as she did on rare occasions. Perhaps her sister had received more traits from her than she knew...

"What do you mean, 'you know'?" She asked curiously. "Have you ever been to Fuchun?"

"Plenty of times. Since I was a kid."

Da was taken aback.

"Then... then... that must mean... Where are you..."

"I was born there. I'm from Fuchun, too."

Now Da's mouth fell open. He was?

"No way! You were... what? You never told me that! You never said you were born in Fuchun! I would think you would have mentioned that in the tour you gave us, Ce!"

She pouted, and puffed up her face, indignant. Oh, Xiao definitely got more traits from her than she knew.

Ce was laughing, enjoying this reaction she was giving him.

"Well, it never came up! Plus I thought you already knew. Most everyone does. Besides, I did keep saying 'I know', didn't I?"

"Yes, but that doesn't have to mean you were born there! Oh, my! We have so much in common! I don't think I know anyone here who was born in Fuchun, even Xiao wasn't! This is so amazing!"

Ce laughed even harder.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way... Da."

Da had been about to say something else, but then stopped herself. She was beginning to feel embarrassed at herself again. A trait Xiao had not picked up from her.

"I... I'm sorry I just kept talking like that, Ce. I didn't even let you get a word in edgewise. It was very unlike me," she almost mumbled shamefacedly.

"Hey, don't sweat it. You can keep talking, I don't care. I actually like it when you do."

He smiled at her warmly. Da managed a smile back. He was so nice! So much fun! And also, such a gentleman, in his own charming way. It seemed as though he actually understood her. She never thought she'd be lucky enough to be protected by one such as him. She'd known him only a day, and already, she found as though she could never like a man better.

"Ce, I'm-"

Da was silenced by a loud gong that reverberated through the entire palace. For a second, she had no idea what that meant.

And then-

"Hey, it's dinnertime!" Ce exclaimed. He ran a hand through his hair, laughing slightly. His head was bent, and he was looking at her... almost... nervously? Shyly? "Wow. Where'd time go, huh?"

His hand rubbed the back of his neck. It was very endearing.

Da laughed too.

"I guess we were here for longer than we'd planned."

"Yep."

Da was going to thank him politely and conventionally for the meal before bidding him farewell. She had eaten enough, after all. Maybe she would go back to her room and read a good book before going to bed- this time happily.

But on impulse, she decided against it. Instead, she said something she'd never dreamed she would say.

"But you know what, Ce? I wouldn't mind spending every night with you like this. There's no one I'd rather waste time with."

At that, Ce removed his hand from his head abruptly. He stared at her, looking almost incredulous.

Then, his smile was back.

"You know what? How about you and I go for a little walk together in the gardens? You still haven't told me that much about yourself, and I don't think I need to go through another meal after this."

He gestured down at their empty plates.

His offer thrilled her. Da felt her blush returning fiercely.

"I would love to."

Ce's smile couldn't have been wider.

With that, the two of the got to their feet. Ce offered Da his arm, she took it, and the two of them had left the palace before the rest of the household could sit enter the Hall for dinner and, after seeing their plates, Xiao could announce loudly that she thought she knew where Da was, after all.

Flash Forward:-

I love you, Da. Everything about you that night filled me with wonder. I couldn't believe you sweet you were, how kind, and how self-sacrificing. I'd never met anyone like you. You seemed like the epitome of a perfect girl. All the concern you showed for Xiao, for your father, even for me. How understanding you seemed. I'm so glad I impulsively invited you to take a walk with me that night. All that served to do was make me like you even more. Everything you said... it seemed so interesting, I just felt like I had to listen. I didn't really have a choice either, not when you spoke in that heavenly voice of yours. Plus you were so smart. I loved how I could tell you about something funny, or witty, and not get a blank stare in return! You would say something in return, something that would keep the conversation fun and flowing. You always laughed in the right places, at the right times. And what I loved the most was that I could tell you were having a good time with me. It made me feel so accomplished, so successful at being your guardian. I felt like there was no way I would regret agreeing to protect you. And you know what? I was right.

Yours and yours alone,

-Sun Ce.

Da didn't know for how long she'd sat there holding the letter and the lily to her heart this time.

All she knew was that the bell for lunch had just been rung, and that everyone left behind would soon show up to eat their afternoon meal. But not Da.

Smiling faintly, she stood up. She had another letter to write to the only man she would ever love.

I hope you all liked that chapter. As always, please remember to review.

Thanks.