Inspiration and Fear

Po woke up the next day to find everyone in his room again. He sighed loudly. "There's no dream," Po announced.

"Nothing at all," Lillia said coming from the back to the front. "Anything about this prince lion and how to get rid of him?"

"No," Po said, right to her face. Lillia grimaced and walked away. Po got up and went to the kitchen to eat. Then Master Crane came in.

"Hey Crane," Po said nonchalantly.

"Hey Po, say I need a favor from you," Crane grinned widely. Po rolled his eyes.

"What do you need?" He asked.

"I need you to cook your father's soup," Crane asked. Po was surprised and suspicious.

"Why?"

"Let's just say I'm going to use it to start up a conversation," Crane said. Then Po realized what Crane was doing.

"This person wouldn't happen to be Lillia would it?" Po asked.

"What! No, of course not," Crane brushed off, "And by of course not I mean absolutely." Po sighed.

"Crane, just ask her what you need to ask her. Wait, you're not asking her on a date, are you?"

"What? No," Crane immediately said without any hesitation. "I just want to get to know more about her. I'm a big fan of hers."

"Why?" Po asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you a fan of hers? That and why is it that I've never heard you mention anything about her before?" Po asked.

"I'm not a crazed fan like some people," Crane clarified.

"Hey, there's a difference between a crazed fan and an enthusiastic person," Po said defensively.

"Sure," Crane shrugged.

"But that doesn't explain why you are a fan of hers," Po said. Crane became quiet.

"Like many people, she's an inspiration for people who seem weak. That and I am intrigued by her fighting style. She was seen as fragile and weak but now she's strong." Po simply nodded in agreement. "Why do you ask?"

"I mean I would understand if she had rescued you from a fight or something, but your fascination with her is just something I would expect of myself, not you."

"Oh," Crane said.

"So I'm an inspiration to you?" Lillia said leaning on the doorway. Crane became silent. He didn't hear her come in.

"How long have you been there?" Po asked.

"Long enough to hear why he's a fan of me," Lillia smirked. Crane felt majorly embarrassed. "Hey, don't feel so bad about it. You're just as 'amazing' as you see me. To be honest, when I realized that you were the Master Crane, I felt a little... embarrassed for my... direct approach when we met. You are a great inspiration to many, including me."

"See, you're an inspiration to both her and you, Crane," Po smiled. "By the way, Lillia, where is Prince Maz?" Lillia glared at the panda.

"I hate you," She muttered as she went away. Po chuckled as he sipped his juice.

"Why did you get her to be with Prince Maz?" Crane asked.

"Because she needs to learn that not all lions are the same. I know that Maz has a good heart. She needs to get over her stereotype of lions," Po said.

"Just like you need to get over your stereotype of tall birds?" Crane smirked.

"Hey! It's not a stereotype. It's an honest observation," Po defensively remarked. Crane rolled his eyes.

"Saying that all tall birds make you sneeze when they molt, is not a good observation," Crane said.

"It is. Think about it, they're the only kind of birds that can reach my nose. It was only when I met you did I start sneezing when you shed your feathers," Po reasoned. Crane huffed. He couldn't argue with that logic.

Maz was learning from Tigress about proper stances. "Make sure that your stance is open and wide. That way, you'll be able to stand very steady." Maz clumsily did so. Tigress seemed a little surprised. "Why are you so awkward with this?" Maz's eyes darted to the lamb watching from behind. Tigress shook her head with a smile. She rested her hand on Maz's shoulder. "Don't worry about her. She's just rough around the edges."

"It's not the edges I'm worried about. It's the launching daggers aimed at me," Maz whimpered. Tigress shook her head again.

"Focus on your training and you won't have to worry about her," Tigress said. Maz nodded. "Okay, next step. The punch. It's a fluid movement. Try it." Maz did. "Again." They did this repeatedly until Tigress felt Maz had it. "Good." She looked at the time. "That's it for now. You go to Master Shifu for your political training." Maz hurriedly nodded and ran to meet Master Shifu. Tigress passed Lillia who said,

"He should fear me. Don't give him a reason not to. Otherwise, I'll have to find a place to bury him," She smirked. Tigress sighed.

"Don't be harsh on him. He's new and he seems keen to make an impression," Tigress replied.

"That's what they do until they trap you in their claws," Lillia said sinisterly. Tigress rolled her eyes.

"Just don't harm him," Tigress said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lillia smiled. Tigress didn't trust that smile, but she went on her way. Maz was actually learning his political stuff alone because Master Shifu had to step out for a moment. Then Lillia came. She heard Maz gulp and then speed reading through the whole thing. Lillia couldn't help but smile at the absolute terror on his face. "Finding everything alright?" She asked in a tone that made Maz shake even more.

"Um...y y y yes," He stuttered. Her mischievous and fear giving smile made Maz worry for his life. Who knew a lamb could be this terrifying. He tried desperately to focus on the work. It was easy when he read a report. When he looked at it, he sagged his uptight shoulders and looked at the floor rather than the paper. Lillia noticed this.

"What's the matter?" She asked. The lion instantly remembered who he was with and quickly tore up the old report and began another document.

"It's nothing. Just an old report," Maz said. Lillia shrugged. If she needed to learn more about it, she could always just threaten him. Finally, Master Shifu came and Maz could relax.

It went on into the early night. Lillia, after dealing with a band of bandits with Tigress, decided to retire early. Maz sighed in relief as he plopped down in his chair. "Busy day," Po asked as he poured out a drink for the young lion. Maz just puffed out an exhausted breath of air. "Don't worry, training will come a bit easier after a while."

"It's not the training I have a problem with." Maz said, looking at the doorway to make sure that no one else was hearing them, "It's the Gong-Go Warrior. She really terrifies me." Po sighed.

"Well, you have to understand that that's just the way she is. Imagine being in her place. She doesn't like lions, first of all, so having to protect a lion is a major step out of her comfort zone," Po replied.

"I understand. I have no problem with her hating me," Maz clarified. Po was confused.

"You don't."

"No, I heard that the lions of Bei-Lang did something bad to the Gong-Go Warrior and she vowed vengeance on the people who wronged her. I understand she doesn't like us."

"But-"

"But I don't understand why she has to scare me so much that she makes me pee my pants," Maz grimaced. Po struggled not to laugh. Then Master Shifu came in.

"Prince Maz, do you know what happened to the-"

"Bei-Lang report of 983? I tore it up. It was an old report," Maz quickly said. His eyes darted around nervously.

"Okay, I was just wondering," Shifu said leaving the two again.

"What was in the report," Po asked, noticing Maz's change in character. Maz sighed.

"It's nothing. Just...something in the past," Maz said. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay, and hey," Po said stopping him, "Don't worry about Lillia. She really does mean well."

"That's hard when I'm worried about waking up with a knife in my chest," Maz exclaimed.

"But she considers where she's going to bury you and that shows she's thoughtful," Po weakly smiled. "Just be patient with her."

"Being patient with her isn't my problem. It's making sure she doesn't kill me," Maz replied. Then he left to go to bed.

Continued...