Faith, Love, and Loyalty of a Primrose Chapter 14
After the fight at the now destroyed castle Shen was more determined than ever to mobilize his army and get every single canon built on time. He had all his men working double-time. He wasn't going to risk that stupid Panda and his entourage a chance to come in and ruin everything before they had everything suitably prepared for deployment.
Feeling it was time to return to her brother's side Primrose made her way back to the war room where she knew he would be.
When she got to him Shen was practicing his swordplay with the guan dao triumphantly in the air. The Soothsayer stood in close proximity glowering at him with scathing and reproachful eyes. The only other person was a Gorilla Soldier standing guard. This surprised Primrose, she'd never seen such a hateful expression on the Soothsayer's face before.
Shen say her first. Nodding to Primrose, Shen said "Sister."
Returning the gesture, Primrose said "Brother."
Spotting the look plastered onto the Soothsayer's face, Shen taunted "You were wrong, Soothsayer. We sail to victory tonight. Your magic panda is clearly a fool."
"Are you certain it is the panda who is a fool? You just destroyed your ancestral home, Shen," said the Soothsayer, lividly.
Heating the tip of his weapon in the hot flames of a fire Shen stabbed it into an intricate map tapestry of China hanging in front of him. The fabric instantly caught fire with the flames eating at the fabric inch by inch.
"A trivial sacrifice when all of China is my reward," said Shen, dismissively, wings spread wide as he imagined his armies conquering the continent just as fast as the fire was symbolically annihilating the tapestry.
Primrose felt a slight pang in her heart as Shen said this. Unlike him she did feel the loss with the castle now perished. She had a lot of good memories there along with the history of their family going back generations and generations. So much there they couldn't get back was now gone forever.
"Then will you finally be satisfied," demanded the Soothsayer, infuriated all the way to the core. "Will the subjugation of the whole world finally make you feel better?"
"It's a start. I might also convert the basement into a dungeon," sneered Shen, enfolding his wings into the sleeves of the kimono as he walked over to the railing of the terrace viewing Gongmen City.
Primrose joined him there silently lending him her backing and support in the face of the Soothsayer's accusations.
In desperation to somehow reach any remaining source of compassion lying within his soul, the Soothsayer beseeched "The cup you choose to fill has no bottom. It is time to stop this madness."
Shaking his head in amusement, Shen chuckled "Why on earth would I do that?"
"So your parents can rest in peace," implored the Soothsayer with a large amount of sincerity.
If using their parents to appeal to Shen's better nature was the Soothsayer's play it wouldn't work.
"My parents hated me," spat Shen, his body tensing at the very mention of them causing Primrose to flick him a worried glance and lay her head comfortingly on his shoulder. "On the day of my banishment the only tears they shed were for Primrose. They were crushed, heartbroken to see her leave. Not me. They couldn't wait for me to go. To never set eyes on me again. Do you understand? They wronged me…and I will make it right."
"They loved you," insisted the Soothsayer. "They loved you so much that having to send you away killed them."
Primrose could all too well imagine that to be true. Shen may deny it all he wants, but Primrose knew how much their mother and father loved them and that love was the catalyst for their deaths. Their faces came to her mind at the same time. A tear fell from her eyes in grief. Even Shen appeared to falter upon this revelation, but he was fast to correct and recompose himself.
"The dead exist in the past and I must tend to the future," he declared, solemnly.
The Soothsayer ducked her head mournfully at his refusal to let go and the inevitable death she can no longer prevent.
"Set the Soothsayer free," ordered Shen, speaking to the Gorilla Soldier in the background. "She's no use to me."
"Goodbye, Shen," said the Soothsayer, sadly, as the Gorilla came forward. "I wish you happiness."
Shen scoffed "Happiness must be taken and I will take mine."
As the Soothsayer was being led away she and Primrose locked eyes.
"Farewell, Princess," breathed the Soothsayer, tears glistening in her eyes.
Primrose knew what had gotten the Soothsayer so upset. If her vision held true then Primrose would die soon. Primrose really wasn't as concerned as she probably should've been. Death was only another part of life and if that became her fate then she would accept it. But that didn't mean she actually wanted it to change into reality. She was counting on Shen to prove it false.
Primrose extended a wing letting the two briefly touch hands as she passed. Then the Soothsayer disappeared leaving brother and sister alone together to gather themselves.
Following the Soothsayer's sudden departure Shen now buried himself in his work. There was so much security on hand Shen was confident that the Dragon Warrior wasn't going to penetrate the defenses of the factory, but Primrose strongly disagreed with the authenticity of that assessment. Primrose helped out wherever she could, but she basically stayed close to her brother's side scanning her eyes over every single part of the factory she could lay her eyes on.
Shen was presently occupied with overseeing the loading of the weapons onto the ships in a steady procession when Primrose noticed someone that shouldn't have been anywhere near the factory grounds. The Panda was trying and failing to sneak around as inconspicuous as possible through the shadows with stealth to avoid detection. For a couple of seconds she stood there with a blank deadpan expression monitoring his movements.
Honestly this Panda with all seriousness thought he was smart. No way, but she had to admit he probably would've gotten them if he hadn't frozen before. Which is precisely the reason why she was going to inform her brother of this invader right now.
"Move, you dogs," shouted Shen. "Faster, faster. Load them all."
Primrose walked over to Shen. Seeing her coming Shen leaned down a bit as she whispered into his ear of the new arrival.
A conniving smile overtaking his face, eagerly, Shen hissed "Time for the Panda to meet his maker."
Authors Note:
It only just hit me how close to the end we are and that the number of reviews is reaching 100. :O