Merry Christmas one and all! Here's my little gift for you! A nice long chapter for all you lovely readers! Have a happy one!
Disclaimer: Don't own the panda, Dreamworks does. I own the OCs and the plot.
Memoirs of a Master
Chapter 13
They took a short break to scrounge something together for dinner—although in Po's case, "scrounging" took a different meaning. They settled themselves in the warmth of the kitchen, by the stove to stave off the chill outside.
While the winds howled and snow blew in blinding droves, the six kung fu masters were nice and cozy, and waiting on Mantis to continue reading the rest of the scroll.
His appetite satiated, he took a drink of water and began on the rest of the scroll, careful not to read ahead and face Viper's wrath.
Convincing Yeying's father that she and I were an item wouldn't be much of a problem…from my end, at least. The real trick was making it look like we were actually getting married. I had no reason to impress the man; as far as I was concerned, I took to heart that he would be "glad for a boyfriend at this point". He clearly didn't care who his daughter married, as long as it wasn't the one she had been arranged to marry. The fact the Chancellor had thought Xue Shan was his son-in-law was purely because Shan was similarly feline, and could give him grandchildren to spoil.
Now, I like children as much as the next person, but the concept of having some of my own, and running the risk of not knowing what the hell I was doing…that terrified me. I could teach, certainly, but raise a tiny creature with a blank slate into a fully functioning adult? It amazes me that some people want that responsibility!
Yet Yeying had never specified if starting a family was on her to-do list. I wagered it wasn't, because, as she had put it, she had a career, a purpose in life, and she was happy the way it was. We were all happy with where we were. There were some things—minor things—we desired, but nothing major.
Ochir wanted to open his own school one day. Dong Li wanted to be with Ren, unequivocally, unconditionally, and irrevocably, a sentiment similarly shared by his lover; they were in love, and nothing would ever change that. Much to my surprise, Shan was content with simply being a master. He didn't teach—he spent most of his time meditating, spending time in the village temple, reading texts of philosophy, and developing his senses further. I can only pretend to guess what Yeying wanted at this point, aside from keeping the status quo. But I knew what I wanted…and that was her.
"Why do I have to do this?!"
"You're the one marrying her!" Li said. "Its tradition!"
"This tradition sucks," I muttered.
Ochir just patted me on the back, "Come on, it can't be that bad. I mean, you heard how desperate he is to avoid whats-his-face becoming his son-in-law…all in all, he could do worse than you."
"He'll still want Shan to marry her…which reminds me, where is he?"
The two of them smirked. "He's hiding," Ochir said. "Apparently Oogway took pity on him and sent him on a 'special mission'."
Li translated: "He's hiding in the Sacred Hall of Warriors, organizing the Thousand Scrolls. He'll be busy for months, by the sound of it."
"Lucky bastard," I muttered. I would have given anything to be doing that instead of what I was about to do.
The three of us walked around, finding a garden at the back of the palace. It was one of many places we used to meditate, and for good reason. There was a natural gurgling brook that cascaded down a low waterfall, into a pond full of water lilies, lotus blossoms and cattails. Dragonflies, frogs and water beetles were a common sight here, as was the gentle scent of the magnolia blossoms in late spring.
Chancellor Miao was standing under one of the trees—a cherry tree, whose fruit was just beginning to form—looking upon a statuary of a beloved kung fu master who had passed away a long time before my arrival at the Jade Palace.
With one last encouraging nod from Li and Ochir, I stepped forward into the garden, completely on my own, and at the mercy of a powerful man.
"I see you found the resting place of Master Dog," I said.
Miao looked up, spotted me, and nodded, offering a slight smile, "It would seem so. Did you know him?"
"It was long before my time—he died ten years before I was even born," I explained. "But we use his story as an example."
"He was a good warrior, I take it? I suppose his being a master says enough."
I shook my head, "Being a master doesn't necessarily make you a better person, much like being a politician doesn't make you a better leader. No offense, but I've met plenty of politicians who are not good people at all."
He smirked, shaking his head, "No offense taken—I know many of them. If the pay and benefits weren't so good, I'd still be a merchant."
"Oh, you were a merchant? What was your trade?" I was grasping for anything; something we had to have in common, perhaps, anything that would make this go easier…
"Silks," he said proudly. "I did a lot of business near the Zhou Tong region."
"Did you? I was born there."
He turned to me. "Really, which village?"
"Southern Zhou Tong. My family were rice farmers. The next village over, I think, was the silk production…"
His brows rose in recognition. "Are you any relation to Tzu?"
No way. No, it wasn't possible…
"I thought you looked familiar…" he smiled a little. "You look like him."
"I, ah, I get that a lot. How did you know him?"
"Ah, only met him once or twice—before he was even married. I haven't spoken to him in years. He's well, I take it?"
I smiled proudly, "He was made the village's headman, about two years ago, after the Battle at Red Claw Ridge."
That was the title it was given, after the slain tiger. Hardly anyone spoke the name with reverence anymore. In any case, Miao looked impressed…even genuinely happy. "Good. A good man like him deserves good fortune."
"Good fortune is not the result of being a good person," I said. "Whatever success comes to you is because of the work you put into it."
He regarded me, suspiciously, I thought, before asking, "How old are you?"
"I have twenty-one years, sir."
"You're very well-spoken for one so young, and for being a rice farmer's son."
I smiled, blushing a little from the compliment, "I owe that to Master Oogway. He took me in when I was four, raised me here, he taught me how to read, write, and taught me philosophy, as well as kung fu. He has taught Yeying a lot too. Do you have any idea how brilliant she is?" Now I was getting to the subject I wanted to discuss with him.
The Chancellor paused, then walked over to a bench, sitting down with a sigh. Looking out over the pond and waterfall, he shook his head and removed his hat, again sighing dejectedly, "She does love it here, doesn't she?"
"Needless to say, sir, she enjoys more freedom than most women," I pointed out, standing next to him.
"That was her mother's wish," he confessed. "It was her mother's wish to see her happily married…the one condition, Li told me, that should we have a daughter, she would marry for love."
"You arranged a marriage anyway," I said, not bothering to hide the accusation.
"I had no choice in that matter!" he hissed. "When my little Song was born, we were hit on hard times. Bandits were ruining my trade, and drought had destroyed the silk production. I was desperate to keep my family afloat…and one of my creditors demanded compensation. Once he heard I had a daughter…well, he demanded her in exchange for the money I had to borrow from him."
"So you were going to sell him your own daughter?" I said angrily. "I don't get you—you come here, acting like Yeying is the world to you, and here you are telling me that she is worthless enough to sell like—"
"Don't you DARE call her worthless!" he snapped, standing and hissing at me. He jabbed his finger into chest, making me step back at the force of his tirade. "She is not worthless! She has never been worthless. I did everything I could within my power to keep her from that marriage…" he took a deep breath, let it out, and smiled thinly, "And, fortunately, your master played right into my plan."
"Plan? What plan?"
"My ordering my daughter to return home to begin footbinding—did you really think, that my wife, being who she is, that I would do such a thing to my own daughter? The idea was tempting, I admit, because we were still struggling…but Oogway sealed it. That was the creditor's only condition; that she have lily feet—once that was struck down, I thought they would leave it alone. By luck brought only from the ancestors, I became a chancellor in the Emperor's court, paid back all my debts, and then some…but they still wanted her. What would you have me do, Master Shifu?"
"You owe that man nothing," I said sternly. "And if he has any problem with it, tell him to take it up with me—I'd be happy to show him the light."
Show him the light, punch his lights out…same thing.
Chancellor Miao stared at me a moment, then said quietly, "You care about her."
"More than you know, sir," I said truthfully. "Yeying's actually the reason I came looking for you…"
"Has she agreed to marry that snow leopard?"
"Ah, no…he seems to have run off the mountain. Don't ask me where he is—if Master Xue Shan does not want to be found, he won't be found."
"Brilliant," he said, rolling his eyes. "So much for having grandchildren to spoil! Are there any others?"
"First, let me ask you this: do you care whom she marries, as long as it's not the creditor's son?" my heart began pounding so hard, the coursing blood through my veins sounded like a thousand gongs in my ears. I was so nervous, when I didn't think I should have been. I was more nervous than I had been before facing the Huns. However I expected this exchange to go, I could never have foretold what the Chancellor would say next:
"First of all, Master Shifu, it is not the son who wants her."
My mind ground to a halt…and yes, my left eye began to twitch again. It was the creditor, not his son, who wanted to marry Yeying? "Wait…isn't he…"
"Old? Yes," he grumbled. "At this point, all he wants my daughter for is as a concubine."
"Oh, the hell with that!" I snapped, and finally blurted out, "Chancellor, I came here to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."
I didn't think that garden could ever get so quiet. Even the frogs, crickets, and other noises ceased after my pronouncement. Chancellor Miao was staring at me in shock, mouth agape.
"Uh…I mean," I bowed, "I humbly beg for your blessing to marry your daughter, Yeying."
Hadn't I said that right? I didn't think I could screw that up.
When he finally found his voice, he was staring at me in shock, yet with a thoughtful look on his face. "You…want to marry my daughter?"
"Yes, sir, I do." I looked him in the eye. "I don't know how to say this—I'm not the best with words—but I love your daughter. I've loved her since she first punched me in the face…"
He burst out laughing when I said this, "Oh no, you too? Poor man…I do feel sorry…"
"Don't be—those baby teeth would have fallen out anyway." I was still serious, despite wanting to laugh to ease the tension I felt. I needed to demonstrate how serious I was; he needed to know how serious I was. "I love her, and I've loved her for a long time. To think of anything happening to her…it hurts. The others are protective of her, too, but I…Chancellor," I sighed, "I would kill for her, and I would gladly die for her. I can't think of…of what my life would be like without her here. It's not a life I would want to live."
"She can't give you children, nor you give the same to her," he pointed out.
"I don't care," I said. "The children don't matter—she matters. I love her, can't you see? I love how she isn't a morning person, how she's more violent than usual before her morning tea…" and here I went down a long list of all the things I loved about her. Some were sweet, others mildly humorous. But all of it was from the heart, and I was desperately hoping her father could see that.
"Sir, I love her smile, her laugh, I love how she's allergic to strawberries, that her favorite color is lavender, her favorite food shrimp lo mein, and that her favorite flowers are peonies; I love that, though she's small, she invokes fear in her enemies. I love her intelligence, her sense of humor, the sarcastic jokes she tells. I mean, of course I love the way she looks: she has the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen, a face like a porcelain doll…she's so beautiful, so good and pure…you're lucky she's your daughter, and even if she never knew I loved her as I do, I'm still lucky to have known her all these years."
He watched me, visibly pondering this. Then he asked, "Does she know?"
I wanted to lie…I should have lied. "No."
"I see…so you ask for her hand, when you have no idea how she feels about you? How can I grant your request when I have promised her to marry whom she loves, when it is not clear if she loves you?"
It should have been obvious by then, but again, I'm not the most observant person. Hindsight is the clearest sight of all, and if I had known that then, I would have known how she'd felt when I was fourteen…
"I don't want anything to happen to her," I said. "If this is the only way I can protect her, then I will. If that guy wants her so badly, he can fight me for her. I was serious when I said I'd die for her."
"I can see that," he said; he glanced over my shoulder, and I presumed then that Li and Ochir were still standing there. How wrong I was… "What do you say to that, daughter?"
I froze, and I swore my heart stopped for a moment. Whirling around, my eyes locked with Yeying's.
She had seen and heard everything.
"Oh snap," Mantis coughed, briefly interrupting his narrative.
Viper glared at him, hissing menacingly; when he cowed and quieted down, she sighed wistfully, "How romantic!"
"Um, Viper, Yeying hasn't said how she feels yet…" Tigress said.
"Doesn't matter—I wish someone would say something like that about me," the serpent said dreamily.
Tigress and Po shared a look across the room, then both rolled their eyes. For her part, Tigress didn't want to admit that she shared Viper's feelings…after all, what woman wouldn't want to hear sweet things like that?
While Tigress was confusedly figuring out where she stood on romance in general, Po's only thought was: Wow, Shifu really knows how to charm the ladies. I wonder if he'll give lessons…
Monkey took the scroll away from Mantis, who was making numerous unprintably crude insinuations, and continued.
Chancellor Miao looked between the two of us and sighed wearily. "As happy as I am that someone has come forward…I believe there is much for you to discuss. I will leave you be…"
I wanted to stop him from leaving. As nervous as I had been about asking his permission to marry his daughter, facing Yeying now was an even scarier thought. But the old cat just walked out of the garden, pausing only long enough to squeeze his daughter's shoulder, then he was gone.
We were alone.
And I felt like fainting.
"Shifu?" she asked softly; it was like the gentle coo of a dove.
I couldn't raise my eyes to look at her. This was not how I wanted it to go. I had planned in my head how I would do it, how I would finally tell her I loved her…and this wasn't it.
"Shifu, talk to me," she said, a little sternly.
"What do you want me to say?" I asked.
She paused, thinking it over, then I heard her sigh. "Look, I really appreciate what you're doing, but this is something I need to handle myself."
"Yeying, you can't fight this guy—don't you think there's a reason your father wanted this to happen?"
"He doesn't want me to get married, Shifu—he just wants me to not be married to that creditor. If I can fight him off, then he'll leave."
"No he won't," I said, finally looking up at her. "The only way he will give up is if you kill him."
"Fine, then I will."
"You idiot!" I snapped. "You know the law—if a woman kills a man, the punishment is much worse for her than it would be for any man!"
"And what, you're going to fight my battle for me?"
"Of course I am!"
"Why?!"
"Because I love you, that's why!"
She paused, probably taken aback by my outburst. She recovered herself quickly, "I don't need you fighting my battles for me!"
"You can't do this alone, you need help!"
"I don't need your help!"
"Why are you refusing any help?" I finally asked in exasperation. "Is it because you're a woman, and you think that asking any of us men for help somehow makes you weak?"
Her temper flared and she finally exploded, "YES, ALL RIGHT?! If I ask you for help, that makes me a poor, weak, stupid woman! Is that what you wanted to hear?!"
"Ying, you're not stupid, nor are you weak—we all know that," I said, hoping my softer tone would calm her down.
"Then let me do this, Shifu," she pleaded.
"You know I can't stand by and watch you get hurt."
"You don't even know who this man is!" she shook her head. "You don't know what he's capable of!"
"Well clearly he's capable of ruining your family, otherwise your dad wouldn't have had to kiss up to him all these years—and don't you dare defend him!" I shouted, pointing at her. "He would have hurt you, he would have ruined your life to save his own, and I can never forgive him for that."
"Then why did you ask him for my hand first?"
"Because it's the honorable thing to do," I said. "Because it's…"
Tradition. Hadn't my entire argument been against tradition, and breaking those old rules? And now that I was about to admit I was guilty of conforming to an ancient ritual…well, it tore down my whole argument, and Yeying's rebuttal was anything but kind.
"I thought so. You really aren't any different than the way you were as a child—you still think girls have no place in kung fu."
I interrupted her, "If I believed that, why would I bother teaching them at all?!"
"You think women are inferior, admit it!"
"I know they're too damn stubborn for their own good, if you are any indication of your sex!"
"How dare you, you overstuffed, pompous—"
"GOOD NEWS!" Shan came out of nowhere, grabbing us both in a tight hug. Well, that was one way to end an argument; crushing the air out of one's lungs generally changes the direction in which your mind was going.
When he finally released us, gasping for air, he, just as excitedly as before, detailed his plan:
"I found Li and Ochir, and they agreed that this idea: solid! Get married, like, tonight, and then…"
"We're not getting married," Yeying said coldly. Shan's hand fell on her face—to make sure it was her he was speaking to—and he said, "'Ying, love you like a sister, but you kinda need to do something about…"
"Shifu's made it pretty clear how he feels about me," she glared at me.
"Ah. So have you told him yet?"
What? I stared at her.
Yeying's face paled, and avoided my gaze; I caught myself wondering…did she…love me?
Shan took the ensuing silence as a chance to continue laying out his plan. "Swell. Okay, like I was saying, I was going through the Scrolls, and Li and Ochir were helping me, and we came across a copy of the law book of the Valley of Peace—the one Oogway penned five hundred years ago—and in there were marriage laws, right? Well, unfortunately we can't fake the marriage—the ceremony has to be legally binding. BUT, there is a loophole!"
"What is it with you and loopholes?" I asked.
He continued as if he hadn't heard me, handing me the massive scroll in question. "Turn to block 387, and read about halfway down the page…"
He handed the scroll over to us, and we read it aloud, "Merchants are required to inventory their wares on the first and third Fridays of every month…"
"Oops, sorry, try 367."
"In the event of a marriage that exhibits high levels of stress for either party, or for any of the following reasons: fraud, irreconcilable differences, domestic abuse, substance abuse, and/or adultery, the marriage may therefore be dissolved with the summation of either spouse reciting "I divorce thee" three times in a public forum."
Yeying and I shared a look. Then we smiled.
"So…" I began slowly. "We can still get married, let the lout see the marital status…"
"And then we can always get divorced!" she finished with a grin.
"EXACTLY!" Shan said. "Damn I'm good."
"But wait, if we get divorced," I wondered, "Doesn't that give the lout a free pass to you?" I asked her.
"He wants a virgin," she explained.
Oh, well that wasn't a prob—
Wait.
Virgin?
That meant…oh boy.
"That's not exactly…necessary, is it?" I asked.
"Ah, not exactly," Shan said slowly, thinking about it. "I think that a marriage dissolved within a month's time is considered…what's the word…?"
"Annulled?" Yeying offered.
"That's it! Anything after that—and after consummation—needs to be a divorce."
Of course. The lout wanted a virgin bride, and if the marriage were simply annulled, and if Yeying were still a virgin, she was still at risk of marrying him anyway.
"So, consummation is necessary in a divorce?"
I swore Shan was enjoying how uncomfortable I was getting. "If I didn't know any better…"
"Shan, I'm straight," I said curtly, giving him a glare I knew he couldn't see.
"Oh I know you are," he grinned wickedly. "I've caught you peeping on Yeying too many times to think you're gay."
"That was YOU?!" she roared at me.
"CHANGE OF SUBJECT!" I screamed. "How soon do we need to do this?!"
"When's your birthday, 'Ying?"
"The end of next week…"
"So we have six days. Like it or not, it looks like you two are going to have to get down and dirty with each other in five days."
One would think the opportunity for fornication in a legal setting would make any young man happy. Instead, I was petrified. At the time, yes, I was still a virgin, as most—well, a good half—of men were before getting married. Most people, I thought, were virgins before marriage, though in some cases, even in the valley, the bride had a bun in the oven by the time they made it to the family temple's altar.
There was plenty I didn't know, and that worried me. Yeying's welfare was foremost on my mind, but the idea of a wedding was starting to appeal less and less, and it wasn't because of cold feet.
I wouldn't get good advice from Ochir on this; he wasn't exactly the ladies' man. Shan was out of the question, considering how he enjoyed making me uncomfortable. I suppose I could have asked Li, but that was one uncomfortable conversation too many for one day; and besides that, his type of experience was not likely to be of much use to me. Therefore, I went to the only person who I thought could help with my plight.
"Master?"
He was meditating under the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom, but paused at my approach. "Ah, Shifu, good, good…would you like to join me? It is a lovely evening for self-reflection…"
"Maybe another time…we have a problem."
"Not the way I see it—you and Yeying are getting married!" He sounded so excited, so happy for us…I hated to disappoint him.
"I know, that's the problem," I sighed.
"Is it?" he asked rhetorically.
"Master please, not now. Please give me a straight answer! I need to know what to do!" I begged.
"What would anyone do?"
"Okay, that's a good start, but I need a straight answer."
"I'm giving you one."
"No you're not!" I snapped, my tail frizzing up from stress.
"Shifu, calm yourself."
"I don't need to…"
He laid his palm on top of my head and pressed down until my knees buckled and I was kneeling by his side. The affair was so strange; it shocked me into silence, which he took advantage of, "Much better. Now, sit, and tell me what is on your mind."
I slumped down next to him and unloaded everything—and I mean everything--in quick succession:
"Okay, so Yeying was promised to marry this guy who lent money to her father a long time ago and in order to pay him back he arranged the marriage, and we thought the marriage was between Yeying and the son of the creditor but it turns out it's the old guy she's supposed to marry which is gross on so many levels, and now we figure that if we can fake a wedding and make it look like she's married to someone—namely me—then her dad will leave to tell everyone his little girl is married and Creepy Old Gross Guy can take a hike, but we can't fake a marriage in this valley so it needs to be legally binding and if we get it annulled that means she's in danger of marrying Creepy Old Gross Guy, but if we get divorced that means she and I—or, uh, whoever she marries—need to consummate after the wedding, and oh, by the way, we have five days in order to do this!"
By the time I was finished, my fur stood on end, and my eye was twitching so much from the stress I thought it would just give up and close forever.
Master Oogway just stared a me for a moment, his face unreadable, then nodded. "Anything else?"
"I'm still a virgin," I muttered.
"There is nothing wrong with that, Shifu. In fact, it is rather admirable. But let me guess…you are less worried about the marriage, and more worried about what happens after, hmm?"
I felt my face grow hot, and I can only imagine how red I was. "Um, yeah…"
He chuckled, "I thought so. I have also been thinking long and hard about Yeying's precarious situation. I have had a vision…by the sunset of the fifth day, her betrothed will have come to claim her…"
I felt my blood turn to ice in my veins.
"…and something you have always had will be lost forever."
"Shit."
"Shit."
"Oh shit."
That was the only thing we four males could think to say. Yeying was still mad at me from earlier, so for the time being I was with Shan, Ochir and Li…all three now knew the vision Oogway had predicted.
"We're going to lose her," Shan said with a disembodied voice.
"No we're not," Ochir snorted. "That sonuvabitch can take her over my dead body, right Shifu?"
I was feeling defeated, completely, and utterly defeated. Yeying would not tolerate us fighting her battles for her, but if we didn't fight for her right to stay in the Valley of Peace, we would lose her forever. As much as I loved her, I could tolerate her not loving me back, and going off to marry someone else. To be someone's wife; this animal who was coming for her wanted her as a concubine.
Of course, the four of us loved her, how could we not? Without her, we were nothing, and we knew it. She pulled us together, was the one who kept us focused, the one who reminded us that despite our differences we were still comrades.
We each had our own reasons for wanting to stop this from happening, and what those reasons were for the others, I may never know. But we needed a plan.
"We need a plan," I said. "One that doesn't require marriage for anyone involved."
"I can't see of any other alternative," Li said sadly. "I suppose Shan could go ahead and…"
"NO," the snow leopard snapped. "No way in hell."
"Why is marrying Yeying such a problem?" I asked, insulted that he was so quick to cast her aside.
He turned his sightless eyes in my direction, "Because you've had a claim to her long before I ever arrived. She is water, I am fire; she keeps me in control, but too much and my fire dies. We would be horrible together. I love her, just like any of you…but not enough to be her baby daddy."
"Same," Li said.
"Not that you have much of a choice," Ochir snorted.
Li shrugged, "I like men more than I like kids, so what?"
Shan pointed at me, "But Shifu, the reason I chose you out of the four of us…"
"Aside from avoiding having the Chancellor as a father-in-law?" I asked.
"Yes, aside from that," he concurred, "I suggested you because…well, I didn't want to be the one to tell you this, because it's not really my secret to tell…"
"Then don't tell him," Ochir said quickly. "If she told you something in confidence, then it's between the two of you. She trusted you with it…"
"Some secrets are meant to be told, and this is one of them!"
"Guys!" I shouted, grabbing their attention. "Please, if this is something that can save her, then it needs to be said!"
I saw a look pass over their faces, one I didn't know how to interpret. Ochir nudged the snow cat, who took the non-verbal cue. "You need to talk to her. Confront her. There's something huge she needs to tell you, and if she agrees to it…" he sighed.
Li continued for him, "We can probably convince Master Oogway to preside over the ceremony—it won't be romantic or anything, just something that needs to be…"
I held up my hands to stop him, "At this point, I don't care anymore. I don't know if its actually going to happen."
"Don't you want it to happen?" Li asked. "I mean, you've loved her for most of your lives; this is just the next big step."
"But she doesn't want it," I shook my head. I almost missed the look that Li and Ochir shared. "…what?"
Ochir snorted through his nostrils and gripped me by the scruff of my neck, yanking me off the floor. "Alright, I'm done—we're takin' your sorry ass over to her room."
"Ochir, her room's the other way…"
"No it's not. Her daddy moved her to the guest house—doesn't want her anywhere near men, least while he's here."
Ochir ended up dragging me by my scruff all the way to the guesthouse. When he finally let go of me, he shoved me in the general direction of the front door. "Ask to speak to her—the Chancellor should honor it."
"Absolutely not," the Chancellor glared.
To say I was disappointed would be a lie. I was utterly destroyed. "Sir, please, this could save your daughter from marriage completely!"
"A moot point," he said. "As I have changed my mind."
"W-what?" I was devastated. If his refusal to see his daughter had destroyed me, this was like being cremated a hundred times until there was not even dust left behind. I was so entrenched in my personal desolation that I was barely listening to everything else he said.
"I have changed my mind; the marriage is to go through," he responded curtly. "I have correspondence from the groom's family, here in my hand," he held up a rough-looking scroll. "They have agreed to the terms. The promised dowry is going to be much less significant than I had hoped, but it is better than I expected."
"How…" I finally found the words, "How can you do this to her?! You promised her she could marry whomever she loves!"
"I am doing my daughter a favor, Master Shifu," he said with a smug grin on his face. I wanted to do an unforgivably violent act to wipe that grin right off. I'm sure my rage in that moment was likely unmatched for a good thirty years or so. I could not think of a more appropriate reason for my righteous fury.
"I need to speak with her."
"I cannot allow that," he said, barring my way. "My daughter is to see no men but her own relatives until the day of her wedding."
"Don't you want to save her from this fate?! I thought you hated the creditor!"
"I do; and what I am doing is saving her from a worse fate. You don't understand now, and I don't expect you to. But a father must do what he must to protect his children, no matter the cost."
"Chancellor, I love your daughter!" I told him again, pleading.
"I know," he answered, meeting my gaze. To my bewilderment, he didn't look away. "I know you love her…and that is why I am doing this. Be sure to inform the other three…males that they are invited to the nuptials. Now, if there is nothing further, I bid you a good evening, Master Shifu."
With that, the door slammed closed, and I heard the unmistakable clink of the lock being drawn, and the heavy thunk of the wooden beam to further bar the door. The symbolism was not lost on me. I had been completely locked out of Yeying's life.
Ochir had stood by and seen the whole thing. Even he didn't know what to say to help me. He must have decided the best response was silence. I was grateful, because I did not want to speak of it anyway; I lacked faith in my own voice. Instead, I walked past him, past the dormitories, past the training hall, up the well-trodden path to the Sacred Peach Tree of Heavenly Wisdom.
Night had fallen, and it was much later than I realized. I slumped down against the ancient trunk, and slid down until I was sitting. I stared, not focused on anything in particular, my mind too preoccupied to take in any of the valley's beauty.
Yeying was getting married to the creditor. There was no way she could love him—she had never even met him. How could her father—her own family—betray her like this? And how could we—her friends—let her down?
I quickly blamed myself. Had I not been so hung up on going through with it, she would be out of danger by now, and we would have been married. Whether or not she loved me didn't bear thinking about because there was no point to wondering any longer. She had probably given her father permission, or at the very least said nothing to stop him. That action, or lack thereof, told me all I needed to know: she did not love me as I loved her.
I finally gave in to my despair and wept. I got no sleep that night, with only the moon and stars and peach tree for company. By morning I could cry no more tears, as much as I wanted to.
Oogway had been right, his vision come true. The wedding would take place…and I was going to lose her forever.
The news had spread around the entire palace by morning. I ignored my friends, who had gone to train to take their minds off of the devastating news. I retreated to my room, alone in my grief. I remember crying myself to sleep by midday, and repeating the cycle the next day.
It was three days to her wedding by that time, two not including the second day I wasted. I didn't consider it a waste; I couldn't see her anyway, and had I known that before, my last conversation with her would have gone much differently. I would have been a man, confessed everything, told her I loved her, held her in my arms, kissed her…hell, I would have made love with her in that garden if given the opportunity.
But I had faltered. I had wasted my time, and done nothing when I should have been doing something, just like she had waited much too long to avoid this marriage.
Li finally dragged me out of my room and got me to spar with him. Xue Shan and Ochir were sparring together, but there was no impressive energy on either of their parts. She wasn't even married yet and we were already falling apart.
We spent the next two days this way, trying and failing to take our minds off the impending ceremony. On the eve of the wedding, I finally gave in and confronted my master. I needed something, more than pearls of wisdom. Wisdom would do no good. I needed someone to talk to, and he was the only one who would listen.
I found him in his favorite spot under the peach tree, and he took one look at me before the sagely smile abruptly turned into a frown.
"You look as if you have lost someone."
It took no effort on my part for tears to rush back to my eyes. I didn't bother to wipe them away, and my voice refused to work, held hostage by my grief. My master did something he had never done before: he opened his arms to me, welcomed me, and gave me a firm hug.
"It looks bad now, my friend, but you must remember that the night is darkest just before the dawn."
"Dawn will never break," I said. My voice sounded strange to my ears, like it did not belong to me at all. I was used to hearing just a tinge of hope and idealism; this voice sounded dead. "She was my dawn."
"Yeying is not your only reason for living," he said sternly, and I knew what he feared. He saw the looks I was giving to the edge of the precipice.
"No…but she was a big reason."
"I must repeat myself, then," he made me look up at him, and he was more serious than I had ever seen him. "Yeying has gone into this of her own free will; but there is more to this than you can guess."
"What more is there to know? I held a torch for her for so long, held hope that maybe we could have something together…but its my own fault. I waited to long."
He smiled, albeit thinly. If I had not been looking for it, I would have missed it. "No, my friend," he corrected. "You have not waited long enough."
"I'm not going to her wedding," I said with finality. "I don't trust myself to keep it together."
"I do not blame you—but you will regret it forever if you do not at least show up to see her," he suggested.
"What am I supposed to do?!" I finally snapped. I was angry at myself, I was angry at her father, and I was angry at Yeying herself. But most of all, my master was incurring my wrath because while I felt dead inside, he was smiling. "There is no honor in murdering her betrothed just so I can marry her myself! She clearly wants this—so I wouldn't do that to her. I just…" I bit back on a sob. "I just wish I knew what to do…I've never felt so helpless in my entire life."
"One must not give into despair in times like these. My visions only tell me so much; we have all been gifted with free will and the ability to act. Nothing is set in stone. The wedding will go through as planned, as I foretold. And you will lose something you have always had, one way or another."
More tears stared pouring from my eyes, drenching the fur on my cheeks. He stopped smiling just long enough to hug me again. "Go to the bathhouse and clean up—you'll want to look your best tomorrow."
My heart still heavy, I obeyed him. I rolled into bed still damp, but I believe it was my pillow that suffered worse that night.
At daybreak, it was bright, sunny, and clear; perfect weather for a wedding. I cursed the gods for mocking my pain. I dressed slowly, dragging my feet as I dressed in my red celebration robes, but I felt like doing nothing but confining myself to my room for the rest of my life. I had heard the stories of star-crossed lovers who were separated, of lovers of fair maidens who went mad after their loves were married to other men. Madness seemed like a sweet release, and death was preferable to what I expected to experience.
Further mocking me, the entire palace—and the village—came out to celebrate the occasion. But for Li, Ochir, Xue Shan, and I, it was anything but festive. Right after breakfast, Shan had filched a bottle of wine from a vendor and handed it out amongst the four of us. We sat in the water lily garden, glum, silent, and depressed. None of us felt we could stomach the alcohol, doing little more than swirling it around our cups, watching how the wine left residue on the sides.
After a moment, Ochir cleared his throat and lifted his cup. His voice sounded as disembodied as mine had the night before: "To the bride, may she have a happy marriage and many years to live."
"Cheers," Shan sighed as we clanked our cups together and took a long swig. I had willed myself that morning to keep it together long enough in the day, at least until Yeying and her new husband had retreated to the bridal chamber. That thought alone sickened me. She would have her innocence violated in such a sacrilegious manner, and I would have given anything to help her.
The sound of instruments in the distance, and the loud sounding of a gong told us the groom and his family had arrived. We only looked at each other; I wasn't the only one who wanted to cry.
Ochir heaved with his sigh and stood. "Might as well get this over with."
My legs refused to move, my feet plodded against the ground. I could barely raise my head. I knew this was supposed to be a happy occasion, but I couldn't bring myself to force a smile. We made it to the Arena, where the groom's family would first enter.
Here's how I saw it coming: the groom's sedan chair would arrive first, and his family would mill around it, singing songs of joy and wishes for many sons. Then the groom would emerge and give offerings to Oogway, who was to preside over the ceremony. Then the groom would ascend the platform, and the bride would be carried out in her own chair, decorated in red and festooned with flowers. A red carpet would be laid before her, as her feet were not to touch bare earth until she was safely seated on the marriage bed.
She and the groom would have a red ribbon tied around their wrists, then bow and pray to the groom's ancestors. Then they would be escorted via sedan chair to the bridal chamber—which to my knowledge, had been set up in the guesthouse. When that happened, the couple would sign the marriage license, and the ceremony was over.
The band down below got louder and louder, and a hush fell over the crowd as the groom and his family approached. Oogway caught my eye; he was standing on the platform already, and he sent me a smile and a wink.
Even my own master was mocking me!
I cast my eyes to the ground and clenched them shut as the crowd cheered. The groom had arrived.
But then the crowd started murmuring. I looked up at Li, who looked just as confused as I was. Shan whispered to us, "What's going on? Is the groom that ugly?"
"No," Ochir said, utterly breathless. "…it's Shifu's family."
My head snapped up.
My family was standing in the doorway of the arena.
"What…" I breathed, my eye twitched once, "What are they doing here? Where's the groom? Where's the creepy old guy?"
My friends had pieced it together, and in the hush of the crowd, Li said breathlessly to me, "Shifu…you are the groom."
I was too young to be having a heart attack, but that's what the shock felt like. The crowd had heard Li's bewildered proclamation, and all eyes turned to look at me. I stared into space, then snapped up to stare at Oogway.
He smiled again, and winked.
He knew. He had known…but how?
My parents were already greeting Yeying's, my mother, and Miao Li utterly ecstatic. They made room for me as I approached my father, as he came closer to greet me. I approached Chancellor Miao, in a daze…and he had that same smug smile from five days before.
"I…I don't understand," I said. "I thought you said the marriage was going to go through?"
"I did. And it is," he smirked. "I just never specified who the groom was."
"But…I thought…"
"Thought what, that I would allow my daughter to marry that fat old cat?" Miao Li sniffed, making no secret her disdain for the other man.
"Absolutely not," her husband agreed "…not when I had a young man who loved her enough to die for her, who loved her enough to brave all odds to keep her safe, who was willing to risk anything for her happiness. You made an impression on me that day, young man. Such an impression, I was motivated to contact your family. Apparently there was this palace goose—Shing, I believe—who had very little work around here…"
"But it takes two weeks to travel from my natal village to the Valley," I breathed, staring at my family in shock. "How did you get here so fast?"
"We were already on our way," my father explained. "Didn't we tell you that I had been summoned to the Imperial City? We were on our way home and thought it would be a nice surprise…this was a bit out of our way, but what father is going to miss his own son's wedding?"
"But Yeying doesn't love me," I said. "I thought she didn't love me?"
"She's right," the Chancellor said, rolling his eyes, "You are rather dense. She told me right after you two argued in the garden. She had been afraid to tell you; and she was fearful I would not give my blessing."
"So," I paused. "So that means…"
He simply smiled at me, shared a look with his wife, then both of them bowed low, asking, "Take good care of our daughter, Master Shifu."
I was still confused, overwhelmed, my head buzzing like an angry hornet's nest. But looking around, at my family, at my soon-to-be parents-in-law…it became clear. Everything became clear.
The promised dowry is going to be much less significant than I had hoped, but it is better than I expected
I am doing my daughter a favor.
I know you love her; and what I am doing is saving her from a worse fate. You don't understand now, and I don't expect you to.
Then there was what Oogway had said…
You have not waited long enough.
You will regret it forever if you do not at least show up to see her.
Nothing is set in stone. The wedding will go through as planned, as I foretold. And you will lose something you have always had, one way or another.
They had planned the whole thing without my knowledge. Judging by the looks on my friend's faces, they had no idea either.
But the simple fact remained: I was getting married, and I was getting married to the woman I loved, and who loved me in return.
"You know, we may not have a sedan chair," my mother reminded me, "But I think this is the point where you wait for your bride at the platform. We took care of everything else."
I took the cue and walked as slowly as I could—for I needed to be reverent at a time like this—to the platform, but I felt, for the first time in days, that I was walking on air. I shared another look with Oogway, whose close-lipped smile expressed more joy than I had ever seen.
The band struck up a tune again, and down the palace steps came the flower-sitting chair, which bore the bride to the makeshift family altar my parents had brought with them. When the heavily-curtained chair was laid on the ground and the red cloth laid on the ground for the bride's use, she emerged from the palanquin.
She was clothed head to toe in red, and I could see the tip of her tail beneath her hem—that and her hands were the only clues that she was Yeying. The thin red veil covering her head obscured everything else. We weren't even allowed to talk during the ceremony, except for the "I do's" and for praying to my ancestors.
I took her hands in mine and led her forward, for she was blinded by the red veil. She gripped my hands; I knew that she knew it was me. I couldn't hold in the grin.
Oogway quietly commanded our attention, and the ceremony began.
An hour later, we were brought into the bridal chamber, which was profoundly decorated in red and gold. I was in awe of it, but I had more important things to worry about. Our sedan chairs were laid on the ground at the door, and I went to carry my bride—my Yeying—across the threshold. Guests lined the hallways to the bridal chamber, showing the way.
When I had safely let her down on the bed, I sat next to her, and at a nod from Oogway, I lifted the veil.
She blinked rapidly as the light invaded her eyes, but as she got used to the room's brightness, her gaze settled on me. I noted confusion in her beautiful eyes at first, but then she pieced it together, and much quicker than I had. Yeying looked up at me, and smiled, her entire countenance, face, body, and most expressively her eyes, all appeared to take on an aura all their own. I had never seen her look so blissfully happy.
My parents, the Chancellor, and Miao Li stood in the doorway, and Miao Li ceremoniously brought in a scroll, laying it on our laps. The marriage license. Once we had signed it, it would be official. I faltered, if only for a moment, waiting to see what Yeying would do. She looked back at me, smiling shyly, and handed me a brush. We couldn't exchange any words yet, but we didn't need to. My fingers brushed against hers as I took the brush from her; I mirrored her action by handing over her own brush.
Together, as we would be until parted only by death, we dipped our brushes in the red ink provided by her mother, and signed our names.
The crowd cheered outside, and our parents could no longer hide their elation. Miao Li beamed at the two of us, especially her daughter; there were tears in her mother's eyes. "I am so proud of you," the older feline said, bending down to kiss Yeying's forehead. "I told you to always follow your heart," she looked at me approvingly, then stage whispered with a wink, "and your father's right—you got my good taste."
Yeying grinned, nodding encouragingly, while I blushed from the compliment.
Miao Li bowed once more to me, asking me to care for her daughter, and stepped out of the way to allow us our first chance to speak…as husband and wife.
I turned to Yeying—my wife!—and caressed her cheek, still overwhelmed by all that had happened. "I thought…I thought you didn't love me."
She frowned a little, her hands on my shoulders. "How could you think that? I mean, I was pretty subtle, I admit."
"That's an understatement."
"But I've loved you for years. My father…"
"He told me," I smiled. "Can you believe it? I thought you were marrying the old guy…"
She beamed, but the look on her face told me she was just as surprised as I was. "I know, I thought I was too—I didn't know who my groom was until you took my hands in yours."
"So…you're happy with this?" I asked hopefully.
She leaned forward into my arms, purring softly, "This is better than even my wildest dreams…" I wrapped my arms firmly around her, holding her close, not daring to let go lest it all be a blissful dream. As I looked into her sky blue eyes, I knew there was only one way to be sure I wasn't dreaming.
I kissed her.
I didn't care that the entire valley was there, that we had an audience, and I gave no thought to what she and I would eventually do in that very chamber later that night. All that mattered was her.
She hugged me closer, needing this kiss just as much as I did, perhaps more. Something that we had denied ourselves, and each other, for almost two decades, had finally been bestowed upon us, and neither of us was willing to give it away, for anything.
Someone cleared their throat, shocking us out of our kiss. Master Oogway stood in front of us, smiling beatifically, and leaned in to whisper, "What did I tell you?"
"The night is darkest just before the dawn," I smiled at him. "And you were right—the wedding happened after all."
"Correct. I just never specified who was getting married," he winked. Yeying grinned and laughed, hugging her master.
"Thank you," she whispered, "You saved me again."
"I did no such thing—Shifu saved you both times, Yeying. He has always been there, and shall always be there."
"As I promise to always be there for him," she gripped my hand. Turning to me, she directed her next comment at me, "As a comrade, as a friend, as his wife…Shifu, I love you."
There is not a poet living, that has ever, or will ever live, who can aptly describe how those three little words can make a soul feel truly alive, lighter than air…all those terms don't do the feeling justice. The closest analogy I can think of is like a wrongly-imprisoned man stepping forth from prison, leaving the darkness of solitude and chains, and entering the light and freedom and fresh air and the beauty of nature and all her wonders.
"I love you too, Yeying," I said, leaning in for a kiss…
…that was interrupted by Oogway yet again.
I tried to hide my impatience and irritation; rather difficult, as my bride looked just as annoyed.
"There is something you are forgetting, isn't there?" our master asked.
"Um…no, no I think we're good," I said, holding her closer.
She flashed an "Okay" sign at him, "Never better!"
"Ah, but recall, Shifu, the second part of my vision…"
I didn't think my face could heat up that fast, and I was sure from the laughs coming from Li and Ochir that they had figured it out (poor Shan was still in the dark).
Something I had always had would be lost forever…that night. Something that both Yeying and I had always had would be lost…and her cheeks turned bright red when she caught the meaning.
Oogway just nodded to acknowledge that, yes, we were correct in our assumption, and stepped out of the way to allow my mother the chance to hand us a book. Then everyone filed out of the room, our friends waving and making crude jokes about what we were about to do (I am not writing them down not because of my own embarrassment, but because most of what they said would never be said in even the most impolite company. Li was taken care of, but Ochir and Shan desperately needed girlfriends).
The last one to leave was our master, who stopped in the doorway, smiling back at us, and lifted his hand to give us one last blessing:
"Many years may you be together, nurturing each other, protecting each other. For just as water gives life essence to wood, and it is wood that calms water; it is the balance of the world, the way of things, that you shall do the same for each other. May your love be a story for the ages, a reminder that good things happen, even when they look bleak. Honor each other, love each other, and always remember the vows you have taken."
He turned to go, then stopped, "Oh! Almost forgot! Shifu…"
"Yes, Master?"
"No pressure."
"No pressure?"
"You know what I mean," he winked, and walked out, closing the door behind him.
As soon as he was gone, Yeying started cracking up, "Your ears are so red right now!"
I clamped my hands down on my ears, as if by doing so would will away the obvious blush. She giggled and kissed my nose. "Come on, it's okay. There's no real reason for us to be so shy with each other now."
I smiled, briefly catching her lips with mine, "You're right…now, what's this book?"
She shrugged, opening the front cover and flipping a couple pages. "I dunno, but your mother looked pretty intent on us—wow."
My jaw dropped.
Oh, it was that kind of book.
Yeying didn't say anything for a moment, but when she looked at me, she was blushing, yet smiling. "So…we're alone."
"Yes…"
"Nervous?"
"A little," I admitted.
"Me too," she replied.
We shared another kiss, one that seemed far more intimate to me than what was to come.
I need not go into detail about what transpired that night, between the two of us. All I can assure is that we followed the correct traditions. Neither one of us truly had a clue what we were doing, even with the book as a guide. In the end, it little mattered, as we fell asleep in each other's arms. Before I drifted off, I watched as Yeying slept, her side gently rising and falling with her breathing.
She was my wife.
How many times had I dreamt, nay, yearned for this? And now here we were, together forever, husband and wife, wife and husband…
Yeying was my wife.
And I, Shifu, was her husband.
Tears came unbidden to my eyes, but I didn't bother wiping them away. I watched her face as she slept, my hand caressing her cheek until I too drifted off.
Dreams did not come to me that night.
Now that I was living a dream, I didn't need them anymore.
When the scroll was rolled up and placed back into the basket, the four males were alerted to a very foreign sound: the sound of two females sighing wistfully.
"Oh my goodness," Viper said softly, then again, more exuberantly with a overjoyed squeal, "Oh my goodness! Shifu and Yeying got married!"
Tigress was grinning, genuinely happy for…well, for the first time since many of them could remember.
Po couldn't take his eyes off of her. Tigress was already a beautiful woman, but when she smiled…there wasn't an adjective strong enough to describe the effect.
"So…" Po started slowly, "Feeling better?"
Tigress wrapped her blanket around her shoulders, a small, sweet smile on her lips as she thought about her master's past happiness. "Yeah," she croaked out.
"Okay, sounds like its time for some more…" Po began.
"NO!" would have been what Tigress would have roared, but for the strangled mewl that came out. She grimaced; laryngitis sucked.
"Relax. Just lemon tea with honey…I swear!" he said, handing her a cup. He gave her what the panda hoped was his most sincere expression. He let out an internal sigh of relief when she wordlessly took the cup and began drinking.
Monkey just smiled at her, giving the feline a wink; she blinked in surprise, giving him a questioning glance: 'what?'
The simian just rolled his eyes. He may have been the most playful of the five, but that didn't make him unfocused. Like Mantis, he wasn't stupid.
What amazed him—and it probably amazed everyone else who noticed—was that the panda and the tiger seemed to have no idea.
Thought I should leave off on a happy note for a happy occasion. Happy Hanuchristmakwanzakaa! Or whatever it is you celebrate!
Please leave a review, and I'll see you in the new year!