-Hey! Updates... I have now finished chapter 8! I wrote this out by hand and generally I find my writing style changes a little bit. If it is different, I apologize! Enjoy!-

"My lord, I would gladly congratulate her first, but Wei has already claimed that right. But If my lady would like an escort to tonight's feast, I would gladly volunteer. At least the Chao wouldn't tease me about not having an escort, this time." Yun began.

"Of course, you are the first one to ask, it's not like wei would ask me!" She laughed to herself, like it was an inside joke.

"It's settled then," Liu Bei said. "You shall accompany Lady Xao to the feast. It is due to start at Sunset tonight. Yun, I know how forgetful you can be, do not leave her waiting, that's not what a man does." Yun walked out the room nodding his head and waved his hand as he walked, once. Xao followed shortly bowing towards Liu Bei.

"My Lord!" A man ran in quickly. "Did I just hear that Yun is taking the new girl with him? Justice forbid, he couldn't find a date in a thousand years!"

"Now, now Ma Chao, he is only taking her to show that the generals of Shu can be as nice as him. Yun told me about the argument Wei and her had when they first met. Apparently he is still fuming over her. Go check on him, please and tell him about the feast. I reckon he will be in his tent, looking over a new tactic or something."

"Yes, my lord." He replied walking out of the tent, the same as Yun and Xao had done before him.

Xao had washed once again, she was going to be meeting a lot of new people tonight, so she needed to make a good impression, after all these were the people she was going to live her new life in Shu with. Looking into the small mirror, she tied her hair back, in a neat ponytail, that swung past her shoulders lightly. She needed something to wear and fast. Going in her new green and purple garbs wouldn't look very party-like. So she went into the hall and knocked on the next door along. A girl opened quickly. She was wearing a short-ish green dress and boots. A small smile spread across her cherry red lips.

"Hi. You must be... Cai Xao! Oh, my father told me all about you! It figures you would knock on my door first because it was the closest!" She continued on; not letting Xao get a word in edgeways. "My name is Xing Cai, daughter of Zhang Fei. Lord Zhao Yun told me that you would need something to wear! So I found you all sorts of dresses and robes that you could wear. Come on in!" She shouted behind her as she went gallivanting off, only to bring back a huge pile of dresses and tights and shoes, she had just finished sorting through. She placed the giant heap of clothes onto the bed. Xao gave it a quick look over. Many of the dresses she had brought out were a very dull green, except for one right at the bottom of the pile, which was a bright emerald green, with tones of slight and shiny gold. Xao started pulling at it, tipping the pile of clothes onto the floor. Cai frowned. When she flapped it out of its folded position, it revealed to be more exciting than some of the most elegant kimono's she had seen. But this wasn't even a kimono at all. She found that it was almost knee length, with straps going around the shoulders. Cai let her have it, of course she was very grateful. She also slipped into some of Cai's slightly see through tights and some Green flats which matched her dress with a swirly pattern of gold running all the way around them.

A silent tap on the door took Xao away from twisting and turning around, admiring her new outfit, again and again. Oh Gods, She thought, Lord Yun is already here! Xing ran for the door, and ran her hand over the door knob, and opened it swiftly. A boy, only just taller than her stood outside in the drafty corridor, holding a couple of brightly coloured hyacinth's which looked more dazzling than the boy. He looked over at Xao.

"My Lady," He bowed gently, and took Xing by the hand, and kissed it forcefully. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes." She replied. But Xao knew he was still looking at her, it was not a look of disgust, it was more a look of slight jealousy mixed with great admiration. "Shan" She giggled lightly, as he kissed her softly on the cheek. He left down the corridor and before she followed him, she told Xao to find a small hair clip or clasp on her table. She found plenty of clasps, a rainbow of colours; reds, blues, greens, pinks and even a bright shiny gold one. Xing wouldn't mind if she took the gold one, would she? So she gently picked it up, and placed it over the ponytail, making her hairstyle into a neat little bun.

Quickly exiting, Xing's room, she entered her own. Yun would be here soon, still she sat down on her cot and smoothed her dress down to bide time.

Yun arrived roughly ten minutes after the festivities were about to begin. His gentle 5-knock pattern broke the silence. His eyes glowed, just like; what looked to be his best armor; did.

"Xao... I'm sorry I'm late! I was trying to find..." He started before he was interrupted by a very annoyed Xao.

"Your here now, that's all that matters. Now let's get going. And don't you dare go commenting on my dress!" She yelled. She was already annoyed from the long wait, then again she was easily annoyed, but the wait had meant she would be seen as someone who is always late, which made her even more agitated.

"Has anyone seen Yun and Xao?" Liu Bei shouted to the large crowd of people. Chao scanned the room.

"I don't know my lord, it seems he is late. Again." Chao sighed heavily, he knew this would happen. Yun would be late, causing everyone to get fed up with waiting for him to escort his lady down to the feast, that she was meant to be on time for. He really was a slacker, but to be a slacker when it really mattered? To be a slacker when accompanied by a girl was a wrong decision, especially when that girl had just joined the army, you just didn't know what she was capable of.

"Either that or the new girl isn't ready yet, this is her first feast isn't it?"

"Well Chao, who knows? She could have feasted in her hometown before. My guess is we'll never know until we ask her." He said while Chao strided back to the table and fell back into his seat.

After another five minutes, Chao came back to his lord, who was tapping his foot gently, but forcefully.

"Come on! It's taking them forever! My lord is there anything we can do?"

"Yes Chao. It is that we must wait patiently. Or I could send someone to give them a nudge... Cai," He turned to Cai on his son's side. She nodded politely. "Would you please do me a favor?"

"Yes, my Lord! Gladly."

"Would you..." He was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Sorry we are late, my Lord Liu Bei!" Yun bowed down low, showing his forgiveness. Xao frowned at his side, but smiled nervously when the whole room turned to look at her. She stifled a look back and smiled an even larger, even more nervous grin.

"Yun, our Lord told you not to be late!" Chao shouted out from his place beside Bei. Fei stood up and smacked Chao round the head.

"Shut-up." Was all he said, before he sat down again.

"Anyway now that lady Cai Xao is here aren't you glad we can start with the festivities? Come sit down my lady, you look very tired."

"Yes my lord, Yun dragged me all around the castle... including the gardens. He showed me even were the hyacinth's grow in the summer. Might I say your castle is very beautiful." She said as she started to make a move towards the seat on Bei's table, the one that Zhang Fei was patting his large hand on.

Once she had sat down, Yun followed by taking his seat just next to her.

"So," Bei shouted. "Let the feast begin!"

"The food is probably cold, now." Chao muttered under his breath.

-Again, I apologize if my writing style is different, I tend to write more casually on paper than on my comp. Thanks for the reviews! Element Life thanks for all your kind reviews, and thanks for any reviews that have yet to be submitted! See you when I write the next chapter.-