The couple walked down the trail. The trees swayed gently, some golden leaves floating down to the hard earth. White clouds sat in the sky, blocking the sun and stealing the heat. The young lady pulled her coat closer around as discreetly as possible; not wanting to draw the young mans attention. Should he see her cold he might demand they return her to her father's home. Thankfully he seemed far too caught up in his thoughts, which piqued her interest.

She stared up at him with her doe brown eyes under her dark lashes, not only trying to figure out his thoughts, but also enjoying the view. Her dark brown hair was braided, lying over her shoulder for her to play with the end. Bangs framed her pretty, round face, contrasting with her pale skin. Her flowing red dress was held daintily in one hand, though some leaves still clung to the lace. Ignoring the troublesome, now dead plants, she stared at her current love interest.

He had asked her to walk with him when he had spotted her in the market just earlier. Zhou Yu, her sister's infatuation, quickly took Xiao away to walk another path. Thus, she was left with no reason to deny him, not that she had wanted any. The Lord, usually so cheerful and lively was unusually quiet, worrying the young lady.

He stood tall, so much taller than her, with strong broad shoulders and thick muscled arms. His own brown hair, a shade or so lighter than her own, was pulled into a ponytail. His eyes were chocolate colored and held so much depth. Just like him. He had fit her definition of handsome when she had first met him at her father's dinner table, if not for his goatee. Facial hair had always been unattractive; she had thought that kissing a man with facial hair was equivalent to kissing a rug. Not too mention most men with facial hair, from mustaches to beards, always seemed old.

But Lord Sun Ce, in her personal opinion, pulled the goatee off rather well. It gave a touch of matureness that was always fitting his fun loving personality. With the goatee, he could look serious, mature, like the general he really was, and have the respect of the soldiers long enough to earn their respect.

Da stopped herself from giggling, not wanting to explain her thoughts to the man next to her. Instead she smiled and turned her thoughts to the scenery. A much safer view, though not as pleasant. Autumn had quickly arrived, and now most leaves had already fallen. The gold and oranges of the leaves scattered across the yellow grass was a serene picture, if not slightly depressing.

"Da," Ce said, drawing her eyes back to him. "I'm going to have to leave soon."

Her smile faltered. "Of… of course my lord." She sincerely hoped she did not sound as upset as she truly felt.

"… And I can't come back right away. Pops has some plans, and he's stirring up trouble. I can't ask your father for your hand in marriage until most of it is settled. Or, its obvious things aren't going to be settled for some time. Either way, Pops, Yu, and I are going to come back and get you and Xiao. So, wait for me?" As much as the last sentence was supposed to be a statement, it had come out as a question. During his speech, he had alternated between her, and everything else. But now, his face tinted red, he stared straight at her.

Da gasped, bringing a hand up to her chest. Her Lord had never been an emotional speaker, she had learned that some days ago, but she heard the true meaning of the words. She knew of the emotion backing his statement, and a smile lit up her face. She put the hand that had been over her heart onto Ce's arm, blushing. "Of course my Lord. I shall wait for all the trouble to settle and for your return." Ce smiled down at her, raising a calloused hand to her cheek. She leaned into his hand, shyly keeping eye contact with him. Both jumped, though Da more than Ce, when a bell rang. Hand to her raising heart, she looked to Ce before quickly turning her gaze to the dirt in embarrassment.

"It's getting late. We better get you back to your father so that he does not worry."

"Of course, Lord Sun Ce," Da said. He gave her his arm, and the two started back towards to the town. At the edge of the tree's they met up with Xiao Qiao and Zhou Yu. The young girl had been holding his elbow, pulling him along with laughter. Her light brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, whipping around her face with her quick movements but her hazel eyes never left Yu's face. She held her dress, much to Da's relief, with her other hand, but waved her hand to much for her dress to be decent.

Zhou Yu looked from her face to the road ahead, making sure there was nobody for them to run into. His chocolate hair fell down his back, and his brown eyes softened with his features when he looked back to Xiao. His skin, far paler than Ce's, matched his calm features, and equaled out Xiao.

Xiao spotted Da and Ce. With a cheer of joy, she let go of Yu's arm and dashed to Da with more laughter. As the two girls held each other, laughing, Ce moved to stand next to his long time friend. "So, did you woo Xiao with your poetic words Yu?" Ce grinned.

"But of course Ce. As I am sure Lady Da had to accept your crude manner of speaking and read between the lines." Yu chuckled as Ce shut his mouth and looked back to Da and Xiao.

"You're lucky than me."

"Because I know how to speak poetically?"

"Not really. Its just that, Xiao must have taken a lot better than Da did."

"How so?" Yu looked at Ce with a quizzical look, albeit warily.

"… Obviously her reaction involved the floor." Ce grinned wolfishly at Yu. "You might want to take them leaves out of your hair and off your back before we get up to their Fathers home. Explaining it to him with Xiao latched to your arm, leaves all over the hem of her skirt, might be more than your poetic words can handle." Ce gave Yu a light, suggestive yet teasing shrug before strolling towards the two girls.

"Pervert," Yu mumbled, but ran his hand through his hair a couple of times while following. Xiao, catching the movement, rushed over to help, mumbling apologies. So excited, she had lunged at him with a hug in mind and the two had toppled over. Yu, ever the gentleman, had kept her from hitting the ground, thus gaining all the leaves. Da giggled lightly, taking Ce's extended arm, and the couples made their way through town.

That night, Da sat at her dresser in her nightgown brushing her hair. Humming a light tune, she swayed until the door opened with a quiet squeak. She glanced back, to see Xiao launching herself at the bed. With a shake of her head, she returned to the task of her hair. The younger Qiao rolled over and sat up, staring at Da. She set the brush down after a final stroke and turned to her sister.

Before Da could start, Xiao interjected. "Zhou Yu is going to marry me when he gets back!"

"That is wonderful Xiao," Da said again, like she had back at the edge of the trees.

"And Sun Ce promised to marry you Da! We're going be loved, marry, have lots of babies, and still be together!" Xiao squealed. Da giggled and moved to sit next to her sister. "What business do you think is keeping them though?"

"I do not know. But, if we continue to visit the market and keep our ears open, I bet one of the shop keepers will say. Rumors do spread fast in the market. Between that and our servants, it will not be hard to figure out." Da nodded her head to add emphasizes.

"But rumors aren't true."

"Some are. We just have to find that one."

"Yeah, and then we can wait for them to come back and sweep us off our feet!"

"Romantically and heroically," Da said. Xiao laughed and hugged Da.

"Can I sleep in here Da?" she asked, head in her shoulder.

"… I suppose Xiao." The younger sister cheered and crawled into the bed. Da blew out the candles in the room and crawled in after her.

Da and Xiao stood next to their mother as their father rode away with the soldiers. Having to visit a neighboring town, he left them in the care of one of his advisors. Like he always did, he asked them what they had wanted from his trip. Both girls, wishing their Father back soon, had asked for nothing but some flowers. Qiao Yuan had laughed, given each of his children a kiss on the head before bidding his wife good bye.

Sadly, on his return home a week later, a blizzard had hit swiftly. His supplies were destroyed, and Yuan had quickly lost the others. Stumbling blindly in the snow, he ran into the metallic fence to a castle. It had swung open, causing the man to fall face first into the snow. Pushing himself up, and covering his face with his sleeve, he found his way inside and out of the howling, freezing wind.

He called out, not wanting to invade any farther than he had. The dark hall remained silent. Yuan warily walked forward, calling out when the echoes died. The castle thought lovely, felt almost as cold as the outside. The noble had to rub his arms for warmth until he caught sight of a door slightly ajar, firelight dancing on the floor. Summing the courage to speak to the owner of the impressive castle, Yuan stepped in to see an elaborate table with some food set out.

The fire crackled next to the table, and when Yuan saw that nobody else was in the room he moved to stand in front of it before taking the room in. It was large, and well decorated. Large rugs decorated the floor, and the mantle was fancied up with different flowers. A large round mirror hung above it, far lovelier than any Yuan had ever seen. The side was decorated but flowers so well carved they seemed to be real, and at the top was the face of a woman. Her hair was tied up with ribbons and jewels, falling around her face to mix with the flower stems. Her expression was sad, yet so gentle. Her eyes were closed, her lips thinned, as she laid her hands on the mirror.

Shaking his head, thinking that some sleep would be good for him; Yuan glanced around the room one more time. The food on the large, impressive, table was only set on one side, meaning only one royal family member lived in the castle. Or, the food was set out for him? Brow creasing, Yuan moved over to the food. Everything was warm, and he couldn't think of a reason, other than maybe that it was for him, that it would be left here. Or maybe the royal family member was shy? Shaking his head, Yuan sat and ate his fill. Once eating his fill, he sat back and drew breath to call out again and to say thank you, when suddenly he felt so tired. All the days events must have caught up to him was his last thought before he laid his head on the table. Behind him, the mirror opened her eyes and turned to look at the sleeping noble.

The next morning, rays of the morning sun awoke Yuan. Blinking rapidly, he sat up and groaned. Eyes adjusting to the sun, he realized he was not in his room, nor in the room he had fallen asleep in. Instead, it was a simple room, with a bed and dresser only with a large window. Rubbing his eyes, Yuan swung his legs over the side and stretched. Thinking it was time to find his host, or to leave and find his way home, Yuan left the room.

He made his way down the stairs, picking whichever hallway felt right, Yuan made his way to the front door. He called out one last time to his host, giving a heart felt thank you, he pulled his coat closer and opened the door. Standing in the court yard was a beautiful horse, fully saddled, grazing on some grass. Yuan stared at the, what he assumed was a gift, stead. Swallowing, and saying another thank you to the host and any god listening, Yuan moved towards the horse cautiously.

It allowed him to pet its nose, and playfully nudged him. Yuan was about to pull himself on, when he spotted a lovely rose bush, just as vibrant as if it was spring, next to the horse. Looking from the horse to the bush, Yuan let go of the horse and reached for the roses. Plucking off just two, he neatly hid the red roses in his coat for his daughters. He had lost everything on the travel, but to see his daughters smile would bring back some joy.

Suddenly, the bright joy around him seemed to disappear. All the colors seemed to become duller, darker. The horse behind him whined a bit, but quickly silenced itself. Feeling danger, an impending doom, Yuan spun around with his hand on his sword. Behind him, somewhat shadowed, was what looked to be a man. Large and looking slightly round, the man had an evil glint in his glowing eyes. The fanned out beard made his face even more hidden, showing only the vicious white fangs and ember colored eyes.

"You arrogant dog! Stealing from my paradise! I'll have your hideous head for that!" the monster roared.

Yuan stumbled back, almost falling when the bush tripped him. "My lord! It is only two simple roses for my two daughters. Taking them without questioning you is beyond my place my lord! You are right. But, I am Qiao Yuan my lord! I shall repay you for your kindness and stealing from you!" Yuan stuttered the words as he righted himself.

"Qiao? You are the father of…Fine. You may keep your conceited head, you rotten scum. For my gracious decision, I want your two beautiful daughters at my doorstep by tomorrow. Put them on the mare, she shall bring them back to me." The beast stood as tall as he could, sticking his chin in the air and looking down at Yuan.

"My daughters? My lord, I can't-"

"I will hear none of it you insignificant rodent. Send me your daughters, for they will become apart of my paradise, or you and yours shall all die! Now, go!" The beast roared, causing the earth to tremble around them. Shaking in terror, Yuan could do nothing else but follow his orders and crawl onto the horse and ride as fast as he could away.

First Fanfic, not that that is an excuse for bad writing. Anywho, can you guess who the Beast is? It shouldn't be too hard. This fic was written because the idea appealed to me, and I had writers block. Some things are going to be cliche, and some just stupid. But I'm going to have fun with it, which is what matters to me right now. Since I've never used another persons characters before, I hope all of them are in character, or at least close. Hope to hear from some people. Toodles