The Start of a New Life
By LadyPing
An Unhappy Morning
Disclaimer: I do not Kung Fu Panda or their characters, excluding my OCs.
FYI: I be explaining things like my OCs names and their meaning, Chinese tradition, history and…well, you get the idea. Plus, I'm new here, so some "constructive" criticism would be appreciated. (Just don't make it TOO brutal.)
The mid-August day started out extremely hot, which came as no surprise to anyone who had lived in Beijing their entire life. Despite that, and the fact that it was five in the morning, the Forbidden City was buzzing with activity. Servants hurried through the halls and across the garden to the main dining hall. Gardeners picked red roses and hand them off to be arranged in crystal vases. A large group of servants covered a grand hardwood table with a white tablecloth and set out elegant dining ware. The head chef and his dining staff were preparing a large feast for the day's upcoming event.
It was Emperor Huang and Empress Mei's daughter's birthday. The two rulers had spent an entire month planning for it. They ordered that invitations be sent out to the highest officials in all of China. A request for gifts was issued and many had risen to the occasion magnificently. Whenever either leader was questioned on whether or not they were taking things too far, they simply said, "Nothing is too good for our princess." Everyone was anticipating the extravagant celebration.
Everyone except the princess herself.
Princess Mei-Xing sat alone in her chamber, watching the gardeners from her balcony. Sighing heavily, she rested her elbows against the stone railing, her white silk nightgown fluttering in the breeze. She didn't want to be up that early in the morning, but all the activity had roused her from her sleep and kept her awake.
Many thought Mei-Xing was the luckiest girl in China. But in her eyes, while it was her life, it was also her worst nightmare.
That didn't necessarily say that Mei-Xing hated every part of her life. She enjoyed living in a palace with gardens to frolic through and servants to wait on her. She had fine silk and satin clothing and gorgeous silver and gold jewelry. Her parents feared that she might have to grow up without them as most people died young, so they made sure that she was well educated and knew how to care for herself. She was tutored daily by Mr. Shi Xue in all school subjects and different languages. Ever since her fifth birthday, she had taken lessons in music, dancing, painting, and Chinese swordsmanship. When she turned ten, her father hired a doctor, Shao Kang, to train her in healing, medicine, and acupuncture. Her maternal grandmother, Lady Ruan Chun Yin, took it upon herself to teach Mei-Xing how to cook, sew, embroider, and knit. Now, eight years after she started her training, she had more education than any other twelve year old girl.
However, like anyone else's life, it had its cons. For one thing, everyone treated her like a delicate flower. Guards followed her everywhere she went and were posted at her door. If she had so much as a tiny cut, multiple doctors were ordered to treat her. Another was the fact that since she was a girl, hardly anyone considered her as important as her "smarter", "stronger", and elder brother, Ju-Long. To top it all off, the vast majority of people she met either hated her or feared her because Mei-Xing was a human.
Outside of the Imperial family, very few humans live in China. They all were considered strange and intimidating. Mei-Xing was no stranger to their history. Over a thousand years ago, humans invaded China with the intent of taking over. War surged for an entire decade until the emperor and general of the human army struck a deal. General Heng Bang said that the emperor must surrender the throne to his family and their descendants or they would continue fighting until China was destroyed, to which he reluctantly agreed.
Most of what others thought of her was very wrong. Mei-Xing was far stronger than many gave her credit. She had a high threshold for pain. Also her brother was more important than her, but not as powerful. Mei-Xing was a master swords woman and carried her jian with her wherever she went. She was also highly intelligent and quick-witted, unlike the prince. Ju-Long was lanky and lacking in intellect.
Unable to take the ruckus any longer, Mei-Xing hurried into her room and collapsed onto her bed. She looked up into the mirror on the wall opposite of her. If she wasn't wearing her expensive clothing and crown, no one would be able to tell that she was the princess. Unlike her parents and brother, who were dark haired and blue eyed, she had wavy dark red hair that reached her waist and almond shaped eyes the color of amethysts. All that and her porcelain white skin made her more bizarre, even for a human.
The young human was startled out of her thought by someone rapping on the door and a feminine voice shouting, "Time to wake up, Princess Mei-Xing. We have a big day ahead of us." Before Mei-Xing could respond, the owner of the voice burst into the room. Her personal assistant, Shi Lian, practically flew to her bed and set down a tray covered with hot cakes, eggs and rice, and fresh fruit with an elegant glass of tea. Not sparing the princess so much as a second glances, the clouded leopardess ran to her closet and started pulling out different dresses and shoes. "We need to get you dressed and ready for the ball tonight. Your parents want to see you immediately, so eat your breakfast so we can get down there," Lian stated as she laid each dress over a chair near the vanity.
Staring at Lian as she set out the pairs of shoes, she sighed and turned back to her tray. Mei-Xing hated events like this. She would have to wear heavy, elaborate dresses and uncomfortable shoes. She was also expected to be quiet and obedient throughout the whole thing. Mei-Xing preferred tight shirts and shorts or simple light cheongsams. She enjoyed being able to speak and do as she pleased. However, at a young age her parents told her not to act as she normally would during these events. "You don't want to embarrass your family, do you?" her mother had asked. The truth was she didn't want to give the Hengs a bad name. It was hard enough with all of China thinking of them as monsters, but the thought of their only daughter not adhering to the traditions was too horrible to imagine. So Mei-Xing respected her parent's wishes and complied without complaint.
She slowly sipped the jasmine tea while silently praying to the gods, "Please let this day go by quickly."
FYI: I promised explanations and here they are.
Huang - emperor; rich
Mei - beautiful
Mei-Xing - beautiful star
Xue - studious
Kang - health
Yin - voice; music
Ju-Long - powerful, gigantic dragon
Bang - nation
Lian - link; join; connect
*Heng was the royal family's last name.
*Shi - rock
*Ruan - A Musical Instrument
*Chun - Spring
**The Forbidden City is a section of Beijing that was built in the 15th century. Only the Imperial Family and their servants were allowed to gain entrance.
**A jian is a double-edged straight sword. It was created in about 7th century BC. It is also considered one of the four major weapons and is known as "The Gentleman of Weapons".