Heart's armour
Prompt: 019
Pairing: Zhuge Liang/Yue Ying
Rating: K
"Stubborn as always, this daughter of mine.", said Huang Chengyan, amidst laughter, guiding his guest to his house. "I must say that she is not exactly pretty. In this aspect, she is exactly like her father", he continued, with another burst of laughter. "Oh, but she's got a strong personality. Which is why I do not see the reason why someone as respectful as you would come to this humble house to see her...".
"Please", interrupted Kongming, with a small gesture of his hands and a shadow of a smile in his face. "I'm pretty sure that she can't be as bad as you're saying. Besides, there is more in a woman than meets the eye."
It wasn't hard to see why Chengyan was having such a hard time to get his daughter married: in spite of all rumors about her not being pretty running through that neighbor, she still refused vehemently to see any man that claimed to see her. To those who dared, she would either hide her face or play her pranks with some of her "ingenious inventions".
"She must be absolutely abhorring", Zhuge Liang heard from a couple of men from that village. At inquiring if anyone had seen her face, they would just giggle, saying that this wasn't necessary.
"Even her father says that", one of them said. "What kind of father would be ashamed of his own daughter?"
"It's not exactly shame", the strategist said to himself, as he was heading to the old scholar's house. In, fact, he didn't think it could be called shame. At all. Pride, perhaps? How many women at that age could claim themselves to be ugly and refuse any meeting with any men, no matter what were the circumstances? Didn't anyone ever think about that before? Were people at that age so blinded by the concept of beauty that...
Before proceeding to the main hall, Kongming discreetly jumped over a cord that was standing right at the door. The old Huang was used to his daughter's pranks, so he almost unconsciously avoided the small trap, forgetting to warn his visitor about it. Then, inviting the strategist to sit down and have some fresh tea, he kneeled before the tea tray.
As soon as Liang kneeled in front of the old man, he leaned a little bit to the right, avoiding a rotten plum that came flying right in his direction. Huang Chengyan raised his eyes from the teapot, at first startled. As they met his visitor's eyes, he laughed nervously, calling for his daughter. She showed up a couple of instants later, without paying Zhuge Liang anything more than a quick glance through the veil that covered her head almost completely.
"My sweet daughter, I know how you must be upset with the men that have been showing up here lately, but could you please show some consideration for them, at least enough not to throw any sort of rotten food on them with your 'inventions'?"
"I assure you that I will do my best, father" the girl responded, with a hint of amusement in the tone of her voice. Then, turning to the visitor. "I must say that I'm impressed with you seeing through my little... 'schemes', noble sir. I would love to hear your words about how you knew about them."
Huang Chengyan looked at his daughter, then to Kongming, then again to her and gave out a nervous glee, patting the girl lightly in her shoulders as she joined them for the tea.
"I apologize for my daughter behavior. This is Yue Ying. She is reckless and obstinate and her beauty is not the best of her features, but I dare say you may find her overall knowledge matching with your own."
Zhuge Liang moved his feathered fan, smiling lightly at both of them. "Quite a lively young lady, I must say. I'm rather curious to know what would happen to me if I had tripped on that wire by the door."
"Would you like to try it would, master Zhuge Kongming?" she responded with a mischievous tone in her voice. He just smiled.
"I'd rather not to. I assume, though, that I ain't the first person to avoid that."
"You're quite right. The other person who managed to escape that one trap was my father."
"After falling in the same trick once or twice? Not that I mean to disrespect his knowledge."
"Well, I needed to make sure it worked." she answered with a giggle.
Old Chengyan looked at both of them lost and disconcerted. He gave an excuse to take some more tea, refusing Yue Ying's offer to help, letting an upset "Ayaa..." skip from his rugged lips after he left the room. "I don't think I'll live enough to see my girl get married."
Zhuge Liang and Yue Ying talked through the whole afternoon. He showed a lot of interest for her engineering skills and geography knowledge, but they talked mostly about how favorable the weather conditions were for farming. As he neared the window, he mentioned how the moon was going to be bright that night.
"The wind will also be favorable."
"For what?", she asked.
"For a beautiful flower to blossom." he said with a smile.
As the night fell quietly, the wind blew through the open window, making the veil over the lady's hair fly to the other side of the room. The ones that covered her face remained, though, and the breeze made them cloth her face, revealing a thin chin and soft cheekbones, delicate traits that the bright full moon seemed willing to emphasize.
Zhuge Liang fanned himself, looking at her with bemused eyes.
"...as I predicted."
Although her veils were still covering half of her face, she couldn't help covering her smile with her hands.
"So I think you've seen through my plans for a while, haven't you?"
"Yes" he said, walking in her direction. "I must say that I also thought over the best day to come to you. And the best weather situation."
"You are very subtle."
"I just thought that I should prove my worth before asking your hand in marriage, my lady."
Yue Ying gasped and blushed. She looked deep into his eyes.
"Do you really wish to marry me? I'm just a strange girl who likes playing around with inventions. Am I really a worthy match for Zhuge Liang?"
Kongming left his feather fan in the tea tray and, before taking both of her hands in his, removed the remaining veils that covered her face without a shadow of hesitation, smiling at the sight of the beauty the red haired lady had hidden for so long.
"I should ask that question of you. I'm just a strange man who likes tinkering with inventions. Please marry me."
Yue Ying smiled, nodding at the proposal. She felt the fresh breeze in her face, like a general who drops his armor before a well-deserved night rest.
Pairing: Zhuge Liang/Yue Ying
Rating: K
"Stubborn as always, this daughter of mine.", said Huang Chengyan, amidst laughter, guiding his guest to his house. "I must say that she is not exactly pretty. In this aspect, she is exactly like her father", he continued, with another burst of laughter. "Oh, but she's got a strong personality. Which is why I do not see the reason why someone as respectful as you would come to this humble house to see her...".
"Please", interrupted Kongming, with a small gesture of his hands and a shadow of a smile in his face. "I'm pretty sure that she can't be as bad as you're saying. Besides, there is more in a woman than meets the eye."
It wasn't hard to see why Chengyan was having such a hard time to get his daughter married: in spite of all rumors about her not being pretty running through that neighbor, she still refused vehemently to see any man that claimed to see her. To those who dared, she would either hide her face or play her pranks with some of her "ingenious inventions".
"She must be absolutely abhorring", Zhuge Liang heard from a couple of men from that village. At inquiring if anyone had seen her face, they would just giggle, saying that this wasn't necessary.
"Even her father says that", one of them said. "What kind of father would be ashamed of his own daughter?"
"It's not exactly shame", the strategist said to himself, as he was heading to the old scholar's house. In, fact, he didn't think it could be called shame. At all. Pride, perhaps? How many women at that age could claim themselves to be ugly and refuse any meeting with any men, no matter what were the circumstances? Didn't anyone ever think about that before? Were people at that age so blinded by the concept of beauty that...
Before proceeding to the main hall, Kongming discreetly jumped over a cord that was standing right at the door. The old Huang was used to his daughter's pranks, so he almost unconsciously avoided the small trap, forgetting to warn his visitor about it. Then, inviting the strategist to sit down and have some fresh tea, he kneeled before the tea tray.
As soon as Liang kneeled in front of the old man, he leaned a little bit to the right, avoiding a rotten plum that came flying right in his direction. Huang Chengyan raised his eyes from the teapot, at first startled. As they met his visitor's eyes, he laughed nervously, calling for his daughter. She showed up a couple of instants later, without paying Zhuge Liang anything more than a quick glance through the veil that covered her head almost completely.
"My sweet daughter, I know how you must be upset with the men that have been showing up here lately, but could you please show some consideration for them, at least enough not to throw any sort of rotten food on them with your 'inventions'?"
"I assure you that I will do my best, father" the girl responded, with a hint of amusement in the tone of her voice. Then, turning to the visitor. "I must say that I'm impressed with you seeing through my little... 'schemes', noble sir. I would love to hear your words about how you knew about them."
Huang Chengyan looked at his daughter, then to Kongming, then again to her and gave out a nervous glee, patting the girl lightly in her shoulders as she joined them for the tea.
"I apologize for my daughter behavior. This is Yue Ying. She is reckless and obstinate and her beauty is not the best of her features, but I dare say you may find her overall knowledge matching with your own."
Zhuge Liang moved his feathered fan, smiling lightly at both of them. "Quite a lively young lady, I must say. I'm rather curious to know what would happen to me if I had tripped on that wire by the door."
"Would you like to try it would, master Zhuge Kongming?" she responded with a mischievous tone in her voice. He just smiled.
"I'd rather not to. I assume, though, that I ain't the first person to avoid that."
"You're quite right. The other person who managed to escape that one trap was my father."
"After falling in the same trick once or twice? Not that I mean to disrespect his knowledge."
"Well, I needed to make sure it worked." she answered with a giggle.
Old Chengyan looked at both of them lost and disconcerted. He gave an excuse to take some more tea, refusing Yue Ying's offer to help, letting an upset "Ayaa..." skip from his rugged lips after he left the room. "I don't think I'll live enough to see my girl get married."
Zhuge Liang and Yue Ying talked through the whole afternoon. He showed a lot of interest for her engineering skills and geography knowledge, but they talked mostly about how favorable the weather conditions were for farming. As he neared the window, he mentioned how the moon was going to be bright that night.
"The wind will also be favorable."
"For what?", she asked.
"For a beautiful flower to blossom." he said with a smile.
As the night fell quietly, the wind blew through the open window, making the veil over the lady's hair fly to the other side of the room. The ones that covered her face remained, though, and the breeze made them cloth her face, revealing a thin chin and soft cheekbones, delicate traits that the bright full moon seemed willing to emphasize.
Zhuge Liang fanned himself, looking at her with bemused eyes.
"...as I predicted."
Although her veils were still covering half of her face, she couldn't help covering her smile with her hands.
"So I think you've seen through my plans for a while, haven't you?"
"Yes" he said, walking in her direction. "I must say that I also thought over the best day to come to you. And the best weather situation."
"You are very subtle."
"I just thought that I should prove my worth before asking your hand in marriage, my lady."
Yue Ying gasped and blushed. She looked deep into his eyes.
"Do you really wish to marry me? I'm just a strange girl who likes playing around with inventions. Am I really a worthy match for Zhuge Liang?"
Kongming left his feather fan in the tea tray and, before taking both of her hands in his, removed the remaining veils that covered her face without a shadow of hesitation, smiling at the sight of the beauty the red haired lady had hidden for so long.
"I should ask that question of you. I'm just a strange man who likes tinkering with inventions. Please marry me."
Yue Ying smiled, nodding at the proposal. She felt the fresh breeze in her face, like a general who drops his armor before a well-deserved night rest.