Title: The Life and Times of Lord Shen
Summary: The story of the albino peacock of Gongmen City, from cradle to corruption. Chapter 13. a boiling point: In which the calm breaks.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Kung Fu Panda or its sequel(s) and spin-offs, that's all DreamWorks' honor.
Spoilers: Both Kung Fu Panda movies.
A/N: Hope you enjoy the new chapter!
I need to replace Emperor with King in past chapters; Gongmen rulers' other titles still baffle me. Emperor seems too much like just the one title for the actual Emperor of KFP's fantasy ancient China. They surely have one, and the new KFP short where the Wu Sisters mention the Imperial army seems like the first indication that there is one. And the KFP wiki sometimes calls Shen's dad the peacock king.
After a lot of thought, the summary's been revised. At first, this was meant to be more like how chirpingfish's "Albinism" is turning out to be, my older Fullmetal Alchemist fic "Mr. Fuzzy Jacket" and Shiruba Neko's Fullmetal Alchemist fic "Behind Red Eyes"-a real collection of stories about the main character, Shen in this case. A collection in that it would be rather nonlinear, and Shen's past was sorta like only one of the topics addressed. But as this went on, I felt like all the parts were connecting chronologically/linearly even just a little bit, and now this will, well, officially continue to go in more of an order with all of the stories interconnecting a lot more as my interpretation of Shen's past is explored and his development from innocence to corruption is tracked and hopefully explained a bit more.
a boiling point
Shen kicked around the new ball An had given him while he lay in bed with a burnt and scarring foot, promising him a new toy to play with when he was better.
The boy paused in his kick when he noticed Nana and Qin glaring at each other as they followed his parents into the throne room.
Making a split strategic decision, the prince gently but quickly kicked his ball so that it wedged in between the softly closing door.
He dashed forward, peeking inside. When he found that no grown-up seemed to notice the cracked open door, Shen carefully removed the ball. The door remained ajar, and he stayed mostly behind it, neck craned so that he could partially see around it.
###
Lord Baojia's eyes darted back and forth between Qin and the Soothsayer as they argued.
"The line must be preserved—"
"It won't hurt to slow things down, he's still only a boy—"
"—a boy with white plumage that I'm now told by some is simply too drab and unattractive to peahens on a purely instinctive level, on top of what white means—"
"—a boy that is under too much pressure thanks to you and too many others—"
"For good reason! It is not mine, or my prince's or anyone else's fault for the way he is, but there is no changing it! We must do whatever is necessary to deal with it to secure this city and this province's future!"
"Completely ignoring what's happening now does not help that future."
The rabbit and the goat glared at each other. Qin's chest heaved, and he sighed. "My Lord and Lady cannot conceive again, no matter what new medicines are peddled to them or the research that's made; there is only one heir, it is critical that we ensure he continues the line, whether now or later."
"I understand, Qin," the Soothsayer said gently. "I only want what's best for the prince."
"But we need what's best for Gongmen City, the whole province," Lord Baojia said.
He and Lady Fen were staring at the Soothsayer very hard. The old goat stroked her beard, but regarded her superiors just as severely.
"Of course—and that hinges upon his well-being. Physically, mentally, emotionally..."
Qin's eyes darted back and forth between Gongmen's rulers and their seer advisor rapidly.
Soon Lord Baojia cut straight to the point. "Soothsayer, should there come a time when those weren't dependent on each other, what would you choose? Would you put Gongmen first?"
"It'll never come to that—"
"I'll take that as a 'no.'"
The Soothsayer's eyes narrowed as Lord Baojia rose from his throne, standing by his wife for a moment before stepping down, his train dragging behind.
Lady Fen's eyes were impassive, focused on her husband and the Soothsayer, just as Qin's eyes were, though his were steadily growing more anxious.
"I've found in our reign that we've often had to do something at the expense of our own personal wants and needs—"
"My Lord, that is different—"
"—and our son's."
The old goat briefly paused at the mention of Shen.
It was enough for Lord Baojia. "Is that different?"
The Soothsayer's reply was cool. "I would have to look back on a case-by-case basis, my Lord."
Remaining by the throne and atop the raised dais, Lady Fen bluntly said, "You've grown too attached to Shen."
The old goat's eyes narrowed further. "What else would you expect from his nanny?"
"You are coddling him," Fen clarified.
The Soothsayer simply replied, "I am not."
"Not with his experiments," Lord Baojia cut in.
Before the Soothsayer could even incline her head to him, Lady Fen snapped, her voice only slightly lower, "You encourage him."
"First I coddle Shen, now I'm being negligent—"
She spat out the last word, her eyes harsh on the King and Queen as she too silently accused them.
For their part, the rulers' impassive composure did not crack, not even when they began, "Those experiments—"
"—are not unlike your ancestors' when they first invented fireworks. More to the point, it is something Shen loves, that he needs."
"The scar on his foot? Is that what he needs?" Baojia's eyes narrowed.
"That will fade in time. And at the very least, it'll be a reminder of caution—a painful one, but a reminder nonetheless." The old goat stepped forward, bringing her cane down with more emphasis. "If Shen should decide he doesn't want to do it anymore, I would support him in that too."
"The boy is ten, he does not know what he wants," Fen said, her voice dismissive.
"In this case, he does—and to deny him would do more harm than good."
"Does he bear the same level of judgment in the matter of his future wife?"
"As you said yourself, the boy is ten—let him be ten. This is not something that has to be decided now, at his and some other child's expense. The matter requires patience, not expediency."
"If that were the only issue at hand, Soothsayer," Lady Fen said, her eyes softening a fraction, and then the old goat again wondered if she had detached herself enough to put up an effective argument.
Still the old goat said softly, her eyes distant. "So this is the final straw?"
Lord Baojia closed his eyes. "Something like that," he said, almost sounding regretful. But when he opened his eyes, his voice was unyielding. "For the moment, Shen will be removed from your care."
"And placed into yours?"
The Soothsayer had told herself that Shen's parents balancing his care with their duties to the province would always be for the best.
She'd begun insisting this to herself when her feelings for the white peacock as veritably her own son became too strong. The goat had to remind herself that she must step back should his parents ever truly resume care of their own child (it would all be in Shen's best interest, never mind her own needs).
But her rulers' silence was a dismaying enough answer.
The old goat continued, protesting, "My Lord and Lady, you cannot—"
"Do not forget your place, Soothsayer." Lord Baojia's voice was hard, and the old goat simply glared, the hoof around her cane tight. "Or ours. We are still Shen's parents, not you."
The implied threat weighed heavily on the Soothsayer, galled her. "At the moment," they said—if her Lord and Lady wanted, they could separate her from Shen forever, and it would be utterly lawful by their blood right as his parents, not to mention backed by their sovereignty in Gongmen province.
"Shen will be sent traveling around the province, as you had suggested before—"
Lady Fen told the Soothsayer, ignoring the way the goat's glare intensified and the grip on her cane tightened.
"—under supervised guard and care."
"Just not mine." The old goat didn't even bother to temper the bitterness in her voice.
"No, you'll be needed here at court."
The Soothsayer bit back the urge to bark out a harsh laugh in their faces. She kept her glare.
"Of course," she practically growled.
###
It was then that Shen, wide-eyed, broke away from the throne room door with his toy, quiet in his escape.
###
The Soothsayer continued before Lord Baojia and Lady Fen could dismiss her and Qin.
She said softly, "Safer abroad than at home, isn't he?"
"We wish to see if keeping him on the move will help," the king conceded. "You accompanying him probably would not interfere with that objective—but as we said, you have grown too attached to our heir, and he to you."
The Soothsayer closed her eyes as she and Qin were finally dismissed.
The rabbit hastily bowed; the old goat's was much more grudging. The two left, Qin shooting the Soothsayer a guilty and sympathetic look. The goat ignored him.
Lord Baojia and Lady Fen returned to the throne, summoning their next appointment.
###
"How could they—?"
"I know, it doesn't sound—"
"She cares, she cares a lot, and they want to take her away?"
"That's really—"
"And they can't talk to her like that, they can't—!"
"Ouch!" An flinched back as Shen's tail feathers angrily snapped open right in his face while the boy paced and had passed him at the wrong moment.
The white peacock turned away quickly—that only snapped the tail feathers around the other side of the wolf's head. Shen mumbled his apology as he tried to make his tail feathers lie flat.
An laughed weakly, trying to lighten the mood. "Wow, those are coming in nice, huh?"
Shen gave up on getting his tail feathers down, glaring at his scarred talon—only lightly scarred, even his parents had agreed, or he thought they agreed. They were practiced rulers, well versed in deception...
An began more seriously, "Look, Shen—"
"I'm gonna talk to my parents."
"O-okay, just—"
The prince dashed out, determined.
"—don't, uh, freak. Out."
The young wolf looked bleakly at the empty air.
###
"Mother—"
Shen cut himself off when he saw her speaking with a council member. He waited, trying not to shuffle his feet or twitch, to look calm and royal.
When they went to the throne room, Shen followed docilely behind. Father was there too, fortunately. The boy sat by the throne, trying to meditate.
He kept remembering how he'd play here while his father worked, even his mother would be there often enough; he couldn't remember doing that recently. He was at lessons more, trained with Master Thundering Rhino more, spent more time working at De's black smithy and experimenting in his lab and wandering around the city with An. That, and he'd been sorta sick again and on the mend after the fire.
While he sat, the prince practiced in his head what he'd say to his parents. Again, Shen realized he wasn't really meditating as Thundering Rhino had demonstrated.
Once his parents were left alone by the council, Shen stood up and approached them.
"Yes, son?"
The prince made sure to bow deeply before them.
"I—I overheard what you told Nan—the Soothsayer this morning."
Shen could actually feel the atmosphere grow colder.
"Son—"
"I promised I'd be more careful in the lab, and I will—and I'll meet with all the other peahens you want and pick someone or you pick someone and I'll do whatever you say, I—I'll train and study harder, I won't get sick so much—I haven't gotten sick as much—I mean, I did get burned and got sick after that 'cause of infection, but that was an accident and I'm all better and it won't happen again, I swear—and I'll be a strong prince, and a strong ruler someday, so you don't have to—I mean, can't Nana come with, please—?"
"Shen, it isn't just that," his mother cut him off, taking care to be gentle.
"Then what is it?" The boy's brow furrowed. He insisted, pragmatic, "If you tell me, I can—"
"No, you can't, dear."
The young prince felt something snap, something that was built up and already old in his time.
"I can to, you just never let me try, show you that I can—!"
"It's not that, Shen." Lord Baojia sighed. "It's something you'll understand when you're older."
The child shook his head. Shen knew he was losing ground. He grew desperate. "You can't take Nana away, you can't—please—"
"We are not taking her away—"
"You are too—!"
And Shen's tail feathers flared up, but he didn't bother trying to flatten them. He glared up at his parents.
"You're just jealous—no, you're not even jealous—you don't care, you never did, not really—you s-said so yourself, that G-Gongmen's more important, and—and you just care about me taking over and h-having babies so your stupid line can continue and—"
"Prince Shen."
Just as they instinctively went up, Shen's tail feathers lowered into a wilted train, his parents glaring at him from above.
In that moment the boy fervently hoped they would say he was wrong—that they did care, that he was mistaken, of course they cared...
"We know what is best for you," said his father.
"It won't be forever," said his mother.
Shen stared at them. He tried to formulate a response—but then another council member ran in with another matter that simply needed his parents' attention right away, and the boy just left. He did not want to wait and hear his parents' inevitable words, that they had to deal with this now, that they're sorry, that they'll talk later.
He had heard it all before, never once making a difference.
But Nana—Nana usually made him feel better, even just a little. She was there, practically always. It was like he was never an afterthought to her, like he actually came first, even before Gongmen, for once before Gongmen...
Shen couldn't imagine her gone. And no matter what his parents said, it felt like she would be. Forever.
The boy ran, again. This time from the tower.
###
The Soothsayer had composed herself, and made her way to Shen's room in their apartment. She had to tell him, and inform him of the bright side of things. The old goat was steadily convincing herself of the bright side too.
As her Lord and Lady said, it was only temporary, and she did trust that they wouldn't make it permanent. And if it kept him away from assassins, it was more than worth the separation.
And the boy was healthier, he fell ill less now; his parents must think him so, to consider separating him from the Soothsayer, as versed in medicine as she was. Though she'd shared enough information with the physician and his team, and they were experienced and well trained. Perhaps his parents thought them enough for their child's care, for surely they would send the physician and at least some of his people with the boy on his travels.
And the boy was growing. Perhaps the time was growing fast where she would be officially dismissed from his position as his nanny. Not that she would be gone, but…things would be awkward, she supposed. She may not be his caretaker always in official title, but she still would be there, to look after him like any parent—for all intents and purposes, she was that to Shen, and he was her child, plain and simple, even though she had never planned on being a mother to anyone.
Still, not for the first time the Soothsayer thought things may've been easier if she just adopted Shen. It was not lost on her how treacherous a thought it was to her superiors.
"My prince, we need to talk—"
The old goat stared at his empty room.
She shook her head. Should've gone to his lab first. His month was up after all, and he'd been eager to return to his work.
But she didn't find him there either.
The Soothsayer checked the wolves' barracks next. She asked An, who shrugged and said he hadn't seen Shen since he'd gone to speak with his parents.
Alarm bells ringing, the old goat questioned him more, and the adolescent wolf reluctantly admitted what Shen had told him, how he overheard—well, almost all of it.
The old goat noted how An made no mention of the danger of assassins. Even though he was a guardsman now, the boy was still young, and such information would be restricted to more senior guards.
It seemed likely to the Soothsayer that Shen had not heard of the more immediate danger, if he had not told his older friend.
An didn't even need to be told to start looking for the prince. He informed his kin and they went tracking, while the Soothsayer looked for Master Thundering Rhino. He hadn't seen Shen either; neither did Storming Ox or Master Croc. Sensing the old goat's rising alarm, the Kung Fu masters went looking with the wolves. The antelope guard soon joined them.
The Soothsayer then checked De's black smithy. Still nothing.
The old goat was about to send a messenger to inform Lord Baojia and Lady Fen of their son's absence. She needn't have even thought of it, they had heard the commotion.
The old goat stumbled upon council members anxiously watching Baojia leave them behind.
One, an elder sheep, spoke up in a disbelieving voice, "My Lord, where are you—?"
"To look for the prince."
"The guards and the Masters Council are already searching—"
Baojia continued to step past the shorter man.
"Sir, please, this may cause undue panic for the citizens—"
"He may have a point, my Lord," Fen said, stepping forward. Baojia froze at his wife's voice.
The council members' eyes darted between the rulers, their anxiety growing. The Soothsayer carefully watched her superiors.
"I will search for the prince while my Lord remains here," Fen continued, wings folded out of sight in her sleeves.
The tension in Baojia's shoulders marginally fled. "Very well," he said, his voice clipped.
The Soothsayer waited with her Lord as Lady Fen left with the rest of the search party.
Later, the old goat felt her stomach drop when she saw smoke in the city. News of the fire spreading from one of the harbor taverns reached the tower soon after.
Still, no one had seen the prince.
A/N: The core of this part has been considered, planned, and drafted/written for a while now, so I've just been rather waiting eagerly to get to this. And I'm super amused it ended up being unlucky chapter 13. Part of this was inspired by bat-snake's fanart-fic, where the Soothsayer was dismissed entirely as Shen's nanny when he was ten. So, back in a comment for chapter 5, international-wonderland wondered if Shen's parents would send him away after the first assassination attempt (that pun was totally unintended at first). At that time, I was planning something really similar to that, but for a later chapter, when he was ten-which is now. So congrats international-wonderland for that pretty accurate prediction (and for your fic getting recced on !).
I don't remember the source, but I read somewhere online that just genetically, normal blue peahens don't find the white plumage of a leucistic peacock attractive ('albino' used more popularly though it's not the same, and used in this fic since I don't think this ancient fantasy China knows there's a difference between leucistic and albino, or that there is such a thing as leucistic-but based on info seen in the film, it seems like Shen is more leucistic than albino).
Never mentioned this before, but I always imagined Shen's dad to be voiced by Hector Elizondo (VA of Wan Shi Tong in "Avatar: The Last Airbender") and Shen's mom to be voiced by Nicole Kidman (as seen in "The Others"). Jie's voice by E.G. Daily (VA of Buttercup in "Powerpuff Girls"), and Qin's voice by Hugh Laurie (VA of Dr. Cockroach in "Monsters Versus Aliens").