Hello, and again, I'm ashamed of the long break what I have made. I'm so sorry for this. Forgive me. I'll make it up to you with this chapter. Hope you like it.

12. Silent Encounter

"Around the river bending, we can land," Xia said. "The village is not far away."

"And where is your hometown?" Po asked looking around.

The young peahen pointed more farther afield over the mountains. "A few high hills more away. But it has no sense to travel there. It's badly damaged and we aren't safe there. Spies of the Huns are around."

After a while, they stopped the ship. Xia jumped out first and waved her wing.

"Follow me!"

When nobody moved, she turned around. "What are you thinking about? Let's go!"

Po left the ship first, followed by the others. Just Shen came as the last one. Without the transportations, they had to go by feet. The group went after the peahen and walked between high hills. The snow wasn't very high, but the path was difficult to see.

After over one-half hour, they stopped.

"Footprints!" Po said and pointed in the deep snow. "Not very big, but not too small."

Xia came closer. "It must be from the mountain sheep who are living in the mountains in the little village."

"That's right."

Po winced and screamed with shock when he heard that little voice next to him which came like from nothing. A sheep with woods on his back eyed them.

"Welcome strangers," it greeted the group, ignoring the panda's scream. "We are glad about every visitor."

"We are looking for your village," Xia said.

The sheep raised its eyebrows. "Do we know each other? You look familiar to me."

"That's true," Xia agreed. "I had been in your village many days ago. But now I'm back."

The sheep rubbed its chin. "Indeed, I remember. You've gone long time ago. In this case, follow me. I know a cutoff."

With that the little group moved into gear through the hilly landscape. After a while, they met more and more sheep which transported woods on their backs. Finally, the way guided them up a hill where little houses appeared, inhabited with a lot of other sheep.

When the group passed the first houses, some sheep stopped and eyed the little group. It wasn't a secret for them that the peacock must be a lord who wore a magnificent expensive robe. Shen looked from one site to the other. It was a very little village, not very comfortable. Little wooden huts without much decoration.

His glance wandered ahead again. Xia heard for a special house, which lay on the top of the hill, in the middle of the village. A sheep saw her and walked into the house, but came back shortly after and another sheep followed.

Xia went faster. Before she reached them, she put together her wings, and they bowed at each other respectfully.

"Peace be with you," the older sheep said.

Xia nodded.

"How is he?" she asked. She was afraid to ask that question.

Po came close behind her and saw the sheep didn't look happy. With lowered face it answered: "All the time when you were gone, he didn't wake up. We managed to give him something to drink, but that's all. We don't know what we can do more for him. But he is still alive."

"Can I go to him?"

"You can," the sheep said and waved at the house door. But before Xia could enter, the sheep added: "But be warned, he shows no reaction."

Xia nodded sadly. Her eyes went to Po and Shen. Po looked at Shen, who didn't seem to know whether he should follow her into the house or not. Xia said nothing. She averted her glance and walked in the house.

Shen sighed, with a wave of anger, because the panda watched him pleadingly. And so, it came that the peacock entered a strange house, without knowing what he had to expect.

Po ranked his neck, but the inside of the house was in darkness. He looked around, then he walked on tiptoes slowly and carefully through the house door frame.

In the dim light, he saw how the two birds reached another part of the house which was separated by a curtain. Xia put it aside and they entered another little room. There stood a little table and a bed. The window had covered with a towel. Just a light of a lamp lighted the chamber. The girl went next to the bed where a young adult peacock lay inside. Shen didn't come closer and kept his distance. But he watched all. The young peacock's head was blue, maybe also some colors of green. The rest of his body seemed to be mixed green and blue. Slowly, the lord came a little closer. At the end of the peacock's neck, he could see some white silver, stains, but not so many and not so clear like on his mother.

Xia watched him. What was the lord thinking? But he said nothing. After a phase of silence, Xia bent down to her sleeping brother and touched his face gently.

"Sheng?" she whispered. "Your father is here."

A hissing let her wince.

Sheng meanwhile moved his beak lips a little, but he didn't wake up.

Shen came closer, but on his face was no motion. Finally, the warlord wrinkled his nose.

"He doesn't look similar to me."

"But…," Xia started, but she reined her anger. "He comes more to our grandparents. But there is something more…"

She walked more forward and put the blanket aside and showed a part of her brother's left underwing. She took a towel and rubbed about a body part near the wing. After a while, the body part became lighter until it was white. Now the lord was a little surprised. Xia put the towel away.

"Since his birth, some parts of his body are white. Mother was afraid it could give a hint that we, or more he, isn't Xiang's son, and since that, she colors his white feathers. Xiang should never know about that."

Shen winced, but became angry again after he saw Po's face through the curtains. The panda smiled shyly and disappeared immediately. Then Shen put his attention back to his "children".

Xia looked at him pleadingly like she wanted that he should accept the truth. But the lord was more than skeptically and let his eyes rest on the bird in the bed.

Was that individual really his son?

His eyes moved back to her. But then he turned around without a word.

"And?" Po asked unsurely.

"And what?" Shen asked back angrily after he had left the house.

"Uhm, well, I…" The panda searched for another question instead whether he believes that Xia and Sheng are his children or not. "I only wanted to know, what we do next."

"Why do you always say, we?"

"Okay, in this case, what are you going to do next?"

The lord kept silent; his face stony. To Po's relief another person continued the dialog.

"If you want to talk with her, you have to come into the castle," Soothsayer said.

"A castle?" Po asked.

She nodded. "I talked with the villagers. Both were captured in the castle of the king of the Huns named Wang."

Po rubbed his head. "In this case, we have to break in. Yeah! This will be…"

"Impossible."

"Uhm?"

Two sheep, the one with that Xia talked, and another one in dark green old cloths, appeared.

"It's impossible to burgle," the first sheep said. "But after all what princess Xia told me, I had guessed that you would have such plans. For this reason, I brought you him."

He pointed at the second sheep. This one bent down. "My name is Hangfan. I know the castle like my pockets. I could smuggle you into the castle."

"Really?" Po got big eyes.

"We do business with the Huns since our origin," the older sheep explained. "Hangfan could wrangle you in without that the Huns could see you."

"How do you want to transport us?" Po asked.

"In barrels."

"Like spies?" Po clapped with his paws. "Wow, sounds very exciting! Alright. Let's rescue…!"

But Shen cut his word. "Don't you dare speak it out! That's not a rescue!"

Po let hang his shoulders. "Okay, in this case, an adventure no-rescue tour."

"Our next delivery is this evening," Hangfan said. "Means, if you want to take the chance soon, we have to make ready in one hour."

"In one hour?" Po twisted around. "Great! Time enough to warm up my fists."

"Did you make a decision?" Hangfan inquired.

"Yes! Uh, that means…" The panda looked at the silent lord. "It means, yes, doesn't it?"

The lord sighed. "The quicker the better," was his only answer until he turned around and walked down the snowed hill.

"Translation, that was a "yes"," Po said and walked behind the lord. "Hey, everything okay?"

Shen rolled his eyes and looked back at him. "What's your desire again?"

"Well, a little bit more enthusiasm."

"For what?"

"Aren't you excited to see her again?"

"No!"

This made the panda perplex. "This came very fast."

"Why should I?"

"Well, you said, you wanted to make some things clear again."

"I didn't say that I want to clear it so fast."

"But don't you want to know everything before it could be too late for your…" He swallowed down the word "son". "… for her brother?"

Shen avoided the panda's glance. "I don't care. Maybe it's the best for all that he dies."

Po couldn't believe what he heard. "What?

"And I don't care about her! Fine with me, she should die the same."

Po stood there like brainless. He wanted to open his mouth, but he had no idea to speak a word over his lips.

Meanwhile, Shen had turned away his glance and stared at the snow.

"I really wished she would be dead."

Po took a breath…

"Let me alone."

"Uh…"

"Let me alone!"

The panda's feet scrunched in the cold snow slowly. "Okay…"

The steps went away and let the lord alone.

Why didn't you die?

17 years ago…

The lord stopped in his movement of writing. She was waking up. He heard her moving in the bed, but he didn't turn his head in her direction. He listened, he made believe he would concentrate about his paperwork. She sighed. He smiled gently what she couldn't see.

What was she doing? He fought with himself to look at her, but she shouldn't see his curiosity.

"Mm…"

Her sounds gave him a sign to break his ignoring.

"Oh, you woke up."

He lay the pencil aside and stood up. She looked better than yesterday. Carefully, she petted over her neck.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Thanks."

"Fine." He folded his wings together under his robe. "In this case, if you think you feeling strong enough, you could company me to your new home."

She looked at him in surprise. "New home?"

With a loud momentum, the gate opened. It was still cold in the big halls, but snowless.

"Welcome to my new work residence," the lord declared proudly. "How does it grab you?"

He turned around, looking at her and waited for an answer. She wrapped her robe closer around her body and was still looking around.

"Excuse me my question, my lord," she began shyly.

"My lord. How nice it sounds," Shen thought, but he carried it off well.

"But what's the point of all this?"

Didn't he explain it to her? Oh, of course not.

He smiled and stretched his wings. "This will bring me to the top point of the world." He showed to the sky. "The conquest of China!"

The lord waited for a reaction. The peahen watched him with big eyes.

"A conquest?"

"That's correct."

For a moment she didn't know what to say. "Why?"

"To demonstrate my power to the world. Everyone will see my might, and everyone will bow to me."

Her face showed more than confusion. Did she think he was crazy? He grinned with arrogance. Should she think what she wants. He knew his future. More than others did.

"How should that be possible?" she asked perplexedly.

"Ha, you think that's impossible, don't you?"

He circled around her. She followed him with her eyes, anxiously like an afraid animal.

"No," she gainsaid. "But how… I can't imagine how."

The lord stopped; his posture showed more than superiority.

"If you want to know," he gave her a warning look. "You have to pay a price."

She ducked her head. "What price?"

He came closer, his eyes were serious and emphatic. "You will never leave this place until I fulfilled my destiny."

Her eyes dilated while he continued: "Nobody is allowed to carry it outside. It stays behind the walls of hiddenness until it will reveal to the creatures in the world."

His glance waved around before he directed his eyes back to her.

"What's your answer?"

She looked behind where the open door showed outside. After a while, she looked back at him and nodded. "I agree."

He came closer, she felt his wing feathers under her chin which held her tight and kept her in an ahead-looking position to look in his eyes.

"Swear it."

His dark voice gave her an anxious shiver.

"I-I swear."

He loosened his grab, removed his wing, walked a few steps backwards, then he turned around.

"Follow me. I will show you something."

They walked over wooden bridges until they reached a big chamber. Lamps hang on the walls and lightened the room with a gruesome light. First, she got the wish to run away, but she wanted to keep her word and went behind him until they reached the middle of the room.

The lord stopped, turned around and stretched his white wings. "My solution and my fate to make it possible."

He waved over a long table where a lot of chemical instruments stood.

"I could imagine, you don't know what it is, do you?"

She shook her head slowly.

"I will show you."

He took some vessels which contained a powder. He strewed a small heap on the table and held a smoldering incense stick over it.

"Keep distance!" he warned.

She did. The stick touched the powder and it inflamed in a blinding little explosion. The woman winced and stumbled back.

"Had a scare?" He laughed and put the stick away.

Then he went to her. She looked a little afraid. What went through her head?

"Feel honored," he said with a dark grin. "Usually, I allow no one to see my inner rooms."

She pressed herself on the wall. He came closer.

"Do you believe it now, that I will rule China one day?"

She trembled, but she nodded.

He reached out his wing. Their body almost touched. She winced. His finger feather stroked over her beak.

"Never one word outside," he whispered. He stopped his movement with his finger, kept it on her beak lips. "Never."

He added his pressure.

"Breaking your word, I will end your life like my gun powder in fire."

Now she managed to open her lips.

"Never."

Shen narrowed his eyes. That had been the first time in his life that he trusted someone beyond doubt. But that was for nothing.

I wish you are dead.

Next chapter follows…

Some info: Xia has more resemblance to her mother and another part of her family. But Sheng is a piebald peacock. If you want to see some beautiful pictures, look at google and write "piebald peacock".