A Crown for a Tail

The East Sea

Pulling back the curtain, Zhe Yan looked down at the sleeping figure below him.  "Xiao Wu." Zhe Yans voice blared into her throbbing head as the light of the mid morning sun hit her face.  "You're going to be late if don't get up now." he told her gently, but grabbing at the blanket, he roughly pulled it off her, forcing her to fly up off the bed in shock.

"Zhe Yan!" she cried out angrily.  "That wine of yours is too strong, let me sleep a little longer please." she begged, dragging the blanket back up.  

"No." he said more firmly, before removing it from her completely.  "Up now Xiao Wu.   Unless you want your father here to escort you personally." He suddenly threatened her.

That got her up. "No need for that Zhe Yan." she sighed rising up grudgingly, though, no sooner had her feet hit the cold hard wood beneath her, than Zhe Yans rude awakening had her roused in an instant.  Stretching her arms out and yawning widely, Zhe Yan watched on in amusement.

"Xiao Wu, I do hope your conduct is a little more elegant, I would hate to think what gossip will end up at my stone table by the end of this day." he said dryly as she poked her eyes with a finger to prod the sleep out of the corners. 

 "And please tidy yourself up, you may have been raised in a cave, but the floors are furnished with plush furs not hay." Then noticing the confused look, he impatiently waved his hand about her unkempt gown that was splattered with grass, leaves and crumpled blossoms.

 "Might I remind you Xiao Wu,  you're The newly appointed Queen of Qing Qiu not some stable hands daughter." he added sarcastically as he left her to dress herself appropriately.

With her fingers still rubbing at her eyes, she pulled them down hard against her cheeks to enlarge them before poking her tongue out at him.  

Flicking her forehead hard with a finger he gave her a glare before moving towards the door without another word, but the light chuckle that followed had her scowling as she rubbed the sudden sting on her brow. "That's no way to treat a Queen Zhe Yan!" she snapped as he walked out the door.

Sniffing her nose up at him as he left, she quickly cleaned herself up before dressing herself in her finest dress.  A figure hugging Peach Blossom Pink gown that covered her gracefully lithe body giving the impression of a woman of virtue, but at the same time subtly displaying every curve and dip before donning a thin flowing lilac open lace gown that flowed and billowed out around her when she moved.  And with her beautiful long black wavy hair that fell below her waist and brought up lightly at the sides, she looked ravishingly beautiful.  

Bai Qian was one of the few women in their world who did not need make up to enhance her soft honey colored eyes or even a tinted lip gloss to create a perfect pout.  Her features were in perfect proportion to the finely sculptured cheekbones and slight narrowing of her perfect jawline, and once she had the Luminous Pearl from Qing Qiu firmly in her grasp, she was ready to go.

Deciding it would be most impolite to leave without at least thanking her host, not that she needed to, she found him sitting at the stone table with his fishing rod already in the water and a bottle of wine opened at his side.

Turning to look at her, he gave her an appreciative glance.  "Much better." he said as her hands came up in a perfect bow. 

Lowering her head she mockingly thanked him. "Oh benevolent and kind Lord of the Peach Tree Woods.  Please accept my grateful and humblest of gratitude oh supreme High God Zhe ....."

"That's enough Xiao Wu.  Anymore insolence from you, and you'll be put on a months ban from my cellar." he warned, though the twinkle in his eye had her snorting loudly at him.