Twin Dragons
Summer Palace
"We are here at the imperial capital of Luoyang," Duke Zhihui announced.
"Whoa, this place is bustling!" Po looked around excitedly.
Finally, the carriage stopped at the gates of the imperial palace.
"This is where we will get off," Zhihui told the group.
As everybody got out, they were stunned by the size and magnificence of the palace. It was a large white and red building with a solid brick foundation underneath. To the side of the palace was a yellow tower which also exuded beauty, the likes of which Po and Tai Lung were both unfamiliar with.
"This place is awesome!" Po declared.
"So this will be my new home," Xiao looked around uncertainly.
"Princess Xiao, I will not lie to you," Zhihui told her. "One of the very reasons you were chosen is because you are species-compatible with Emperor Qianlong, meaning that you are capable of bearing him a child, unlike the other ladies in his court."
"Other ladies in his court?" Xiao frowned.
"I do not necessarily endorse what the Emperor does on his leisure time but… he does keep a harem of woman," Zhihui admitted. "It has been historical precedent that Chinese Emperors maintain a harem of woman."
Xiao and Bao looked at each other, with Xiao frowning.
"Bao, I don't know if I like the sound of that," Xiao grimaced, realizing that she would be giving her hand in marriage to someone whose eyes was constantly on other woman.
"C'mon Xiao, you don't have to do this if you don't want to, right?" Bao told her.
"I don't know if I have a choice," Xiao told him reluctantly.
"So when will we see the Emperor?" asked Tai Lung. "We do want to go back home to the Valley of Peace as soon as possible."
"Yes, your audience with the Emperor will begin very soon," Zhihui told them. "If you would, please follow me."
As the rooster walked off, Tai Lung and Po looked at each other before following him.
oooo
Before long, Po and the rest of the White Lotus Society were standing before an ornate throne room surrounded by imperial guards.
"His majesty will see you now," an imperial pig court member announced.
"This is it," Po looked at Tai Lung.
Soon, a male lynx in red imperial robes appeared. He wore a crown on the top of his head and at once, everybody could tell he was the monarch.
"Emperor Qianlong," Duke Zhihui bowed.
Xiao and the rest of the White Lotus Society also formally bowed.
"You may rise," Qianlong told them in a silky voice.
"Greetings your majesty," Xiao said to him, bowing again. "I will be your bride. I look forward to an illustrious life with you."
"Excellent," Qianlong gazed at her body. "Our wedding will be at the end of the week. I can't wait to know you."
Soon, Qianlong looked at all the others.
"I was informed that all of you are the ones who defeated Pai Mei," Qianlong stated.
"Correct your majesty," Zhihui spoke up. "Dragon Master Po, Tai Lung, and the rest of the White Lotus Society defeated Pai Mei and brought an end to his evil rebellion."
"I see, that is an impressive accomplishment," Qianlong admitted. "You've done this country a great service, Po. I humbly thank you for what you have done. Tell me, because you have saved this dynasty, I am willing to grant you anything to ask. You just have to say it."
Po looked at Tai Lung, Bao, and his two dads. He looked back at Qianlong, deciding carefully what words to use before a royal monarch.
"Well your majesty," Po told him. "I believe I speak for my entire group when I humbly ask that you remove the criminal status of both myself and Tai Lung and allow us to go back to the Valley of Peace as free men once more."
Qianlong looked at both Po and Tai Lung with interest. Pang Bing, in the meantime, had an unreadable expression on her face that Xiao was having a hard time discerning.
"I believe I am open to such a suggestion," Qianlong finally spoke. "But in return, I ask only something of you and the White Lotus Society, Po."
"And what would that be, your highness?" Po asked.
"My original offer was for Tai Lung to serve in my capital," Qianlong told them. "Because of the great service you've done for the country, I am willing to waive that original demand. However, what I ask in return is for you and the White Lotus to stay in Luoyang for one week, at least until the wedding between Xiao and I. If you decide you want to stay here and serve under the royal capital, then it would be a wondrous occasion. If, however, you wish to return to the Valley of Peace as free men, then at the end of this week, you will return there as free men with no more obligations towards me."
"Well," Po looked at Tai Lung. "Sounds reasonable, right?"
Tai Lung sighed, realizing there were a few strings attached to this deal of freedom.
"Go ahead and accept, Po," Tai Lung grunted. "One week isn't all that long. Besides, I've already made up my mind. We'll just go back to the Valley when the week is over."
"We accept, your majesty," Po told the lynx emperor.
"Splendid," Qianlong smiled graciously. "Then in the meantime, I hope you will enjoy everything Luoyang has to offer."
oooo
"Master Tai Lung, you don't look happy," Bao told him.
"I'd rather head back to the Valley of Peace," Tai Lung told him. "This imperial capital is not my style. I don't want to engage in royal intrigues. That's just not who I am."
Soon, a knock was heard at the door of the room Tai Lung and Bao were staying in.
"Come in," Bao called out.
Po, Mr. Ping, and Li Shan all walked into the room.
"Hey, so who's in the mood for some dumplings?" Po asked. "The royal palace food here is great!"
"I'll try some!" Bao said excitedly.
"What's with the glum face?" Li Shan asked the snow leopard.
"If it wasn't already obvious, I don't want to be here," Tai Lung stated plainly. "That lynx emperor is only stalling us for time. He wants to make us stay here longer."
"Who could blame him?" Mr. Ping pointed out. "I mean, we're the group who defeated the most powerful and evil kung fu master in China! Who wouldn't want to hire us?"
"I still don't trust him," Tai Lung pointed out. "There's something about this monarch I can't quite put my paws on…but he's bad news. He just gives off a different kind of dark aura than Fenghuang and Pai Mei."
"Well, if you want to blow off some steam, we can go out on patrol tonight and go fight some crime," Po told Tai Lung. "I talked to Duke Zhihui and he gave us the thumbs up to go out and take down criminals!"
"Yeah, that would be perfect!" Bao agreed.
"I suppose it beats going on a rampage in the palace," Tai Lung conceded. "And yes, I'm frustrated enough that I'm entertaining the thought of taking down hundreds of rhinos and forcing Qianlong to release me from his current agreement."
"That might just make things worse," Po pointed out.
"Well, I'm capable of it, aren't I?" Tai Lung shrugged.
"Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should," Po shook his head. "Now c'mon, let's head out on patrol tonight and burn off some of those calories and frustrations."
oooo
"Hello Pang Bing," Zhihui said as he entered the room that Pang Bing was staying in. "You requested my presence regarding Xiao."
"Indeed I did," Pang Bing nodded.
From what Zhihui could see, only Pang Bing and her adoptive son Yun were in the room. The female lynx was nowhere to be see.
"Say, where is Xiao?" asked Zhihui.
"You'll get to see her soon enough," Pang Bing promised. "In the meantime, have a look at this."
Pang Bing held something in her hand and beckoned Zhihui to take a look. Zhihui then came in for a closer examination.
At once, Pang Bing unleashed a cloud of magical dust, blowing it into Zhihui's face.
"What?!"
The dust hit Zhihui's face, causing him to cough a few times. However, once Zhihui raised his head again, his eyes flashed a shade of green briefly. Pang Bing smiled, knowing that the rooster was now under her control.
"On your knees," Pang Bing ordered.
Zhihui did as he was told.
"Who do you serve now?" she asked.
"I serve only you, Mistress Pang Bing," Zhihui said in his magically altered state.
"Now you have the Duke under your control, mother," Yun crossed his arms and smiled.
"He will serve us well," Pang Bing declared. "And soon, I will have my vengeance on Qianlong and his cursed dynasty!"
oooo
"So, this looks like a real happening place," Po looked around the tavern in the outskirts of town.
It was a den of robbers, criminals, and killers. At first glance, everyone there looked like they had a shady past and none of them looked too welcoming to Po, Tai Lung, and Bao as they walked into the establishment wearing their hoods.
"We just need to play it cool," Po glanced at the area as he and his crew took a seat at an empty table.
"I think I recognize someone over there," Tai Lung pointed out.
"Who is that?" asked Po.
"See that group of rhinos over there?" Tai Lung pointed out.
At the front seat of the bar was a rhino dressed in green. He had a hammer for a weapon which sat close by to his seat.
"I can't believe Vachir survived after all these years," Tai Lung noted.
"Who's Vachir?" asked Bao.
"He was my warden," Tai Lung growled. "And an abusive one at that… not that I didn't deserve my punishment in Chorh-Gom…"
"So, uh, wanna go back?" asked Po. "I imagine it would be a pretty awkward reunion if you and Vachir met again."
"No, I need to hit something hard," Tai Lung hissed. "Even if it's not Vachir, there's got to be some criminal in these parts who needs to go down."
"Just remember not to hurt 'em too badly," Po reminded him.
From out of the corner of his eye, Bao thought he saw a familiar face on another hooded bar patron.
"Hang on, I gotta check this out," Bao told them.
The young panda got out of his seat and walked towards the figure to see if his eyes were fooling him.
"Ow!"
"What?!" Bao looked down.
"You stepped on me!"
It was a brown mantis who glared at him angrily. Bao quickly removed his foot.
"I'm sorry, it won't happen again!" Bao told him.
"Sorry won't cut it," the brown mantis told him. "You don't know who I am, do you?"
"No, but uh, I'm sorry for accidentally stepping on you," Bao told him sincerely. "It's just that you were really small and I didn't see you and…"
"Small, huh?" the mantis glared at Bao, clearly resenting being reminded of his size despite Bao's attempted apology. "The name is Dosu and since you're just digging yourself a hole with the things you say, I just want you to know that I'm a big believer in an eye-for-an-eye."
"A what now?" Bao looked confused.
At once, Dosu kicked Bao, sending the panda cub flying across the air. The panda cub's body struck Vachir from behind just as he tried to take a drink of beer.
"Agh!" Vachir cried as his face was soon drenched in beer from Bao landing on him.
"Oh no," Bao realized what happened. "I'm sorry!"
Vachir got up as did all the other rhinos.
"You assault me and assume you can talk your way out of this?" Vachir wiped away the beer from his face and picked up his hammer. "I don't think so."
Bao tried to back up but Dosu stopped him.
"It was this kid right here!" Dosu pointed out. "He tried to assault me too!"
"You've got some nerve, assaulting civilians and then an officer of the law," Vachir told Bao.
Suddenly, two hooded figures somersaulted through the air, landing in front of Bao. They both took off their hoods to reveal Po and Tai Lung.
"Alright," Po told the room. "Nobody hurts Bao!"
"Could it be?!" Vachir cried. "Tai Lung?!"
"I see you have a new career now," Tai Lung looked at Vachir.
"I've always had connections to people in higher stations," Vachir told him. "After your escape, it took me a while but I eventually got a transfer to Luoyang where I became the Police Chief."
"Then as an officer of the law, you should realize that sometimes, accidents can occur," Tai Lung finally told him, deciding to take a page out of Po's book and try to resolve the situation peacefully. "Bao, apologize to Vachir."
"I… okay, I'm sorry," Bao said, bowing to the rhino.
"Now, will you please pardon us and allow us to go back to our drinks?" asked Tai Lung.
Vachir at that moment began laughing.
"Hahaha!" Vachir guffawed. "You really think an apology is going to set things right after you humiliated me? No, I think I'm going to place you all under arrest and interrogate you personally, Tai Lung. Revenge is a dish best served cold and I aim to serve some of it tonight!"
"Guess we're doing this the old fashioned way," Po looked at Tai Lung.
"I took out a thousand of your rhinos," Tai Lung told Vachir. "What makes you think this time is going to be any different?"
Deep down, Vachir knew on some level that Tai Lung was right but at the same time, his mind was so eager for revenge that any rational thought quickly left his head because his desire for vengeance was even greater.
"Men, take these three!" Vachir shouted.
At once, the rhinos attacked. Po and Tai Lung leaped into action, fighting and beating back dozens of rhinos who attacked them.
"Guess you get to take out some frustrations after all," Po told Tai Lung as he grabbed a rhino and hurled him against the wall.
Tai Lung said nothing as he ran around the room, taking out multiple rhinos before they could land a hit on him with their weapons.
Suddenly, he stopped as he realized his ribs were hurting once again. During that moment, a rhino snuck up on him from behind with a chair. Fortunately for Tai Lung, Po slammed into the rhino, knocking him away.
"Are you alright?" asked Po.
"Don't worry about me," Tai Lung told him. "Concentrate on the fight!"
In the meantime, Bao fought Dosu as the young panda punched and kicked at the smaller opponent to no avail.
"You're going to pay for getting me with this mess!" Bao shouted.
"Not likely, kid!" Dosu grabbed Bao by the wrist with a freakish strength comparable to Mantis and began slamming Bao into the floor repeatedly.
"Ow!" Bao screamed.
Dosu spun him around and hurled him into a wall. Bao got up rubbing his neck.
"That's it," Bao declared. "No more Mister Nice Guy!"
Dosu leaped towards Bao with a kick but Bao powered up with the chi of the Black Tortoise.
"What?!" Dosu looked shocked at such a display of power.
At once, Bao created a fly swatter construct made of pure purple energy and use it to smack Dosu, sending him flying across the room.
"That's what you get!" Bao declared.
Before long, all of the rhinos were on the floor unconscious. Vachir looked at the situation angrily but then realized he could still turn the situation around in his favor.
"You've just assaulted the police of Luoyang," Vachir said to him cockily. "I could still have all of you arrested for what you've done!"
Tai Lung and Po looked at each other, realizing that maybe they should have just stayed at the palace rather than go out to look for kung fu fights.
"Not so fast!" a familiar voice rang out.
"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Vachir.
"I'm officially issuing a pardon for Po and his friends."
"Xiao?" Bao looked on in surprise.
The other hooded figure in the bar took off her disguise to reveal Xiao.
"By what authority do you have?" demanded Vachir.
"By this," Xiao revealed the royal seal she had in her possession, letting Vachir know that she was not only a royal princess but also that she was to be wedded to Qianlong.
"I…" Vachir examined the documents thoroughly, realizing they were legitimate. "Ugh, very well. You are all free to go."
"Thank you very much," Xiao smiled.
"I will, however, be keeping a careful eye on you," Vachir told Tai Lung.
"Your careful eye couldn't keep me down when I escaped," Tai Lung returned fire. "What makes you think it will do anything now that I'm a free man?"
"Hmph!" Vachir shorted as he walked off.
"Thanks Xiao," Bao told her. "But… just what are you doing out here?"
"I decided to tour the town," Xiao told them. "Besides, my wedding with the Emperor isn't official until a few days later and he decided he wanted to do other things on this night rather than go on an official date with me."
"What kind of other things?" asked Po out of curiosity.
"You know, he was really tight-lipped about it," Xiao admitted. "I'm not even sure what he's doing."
"Probably going on escapades with paramours," Tai Lung snorted. "Didn't Zhihui say the Emperor has a harem?"
Xiao looked down in disappointment.
"You know, you don't have to marry him if you don't want to," Bao told her again.
Xiao thought deeply about what Bao had said to her.
"I know I have a duty to perform and this marriage is political," Xiao said, trying to find a middle ground. "But maybe before the wedding, I can enjoy the few days of freedom I have left."
"What do you say to exploring the rest of the city tonight then?" asked Bao. "Master Tai Lung and Po took me out just so we could do that."
"I'd love to join you guys if you'll let me," Xiao told them.
"I don't see why not," Tai Lung shrugged.
"You took out a villain the Furious Five struggled with in their early day," Po told her. "By my estimate, that makes you AWESOME! Of course you can join us."
"Then let's do this then," Xiao offered her hand to Bao.
Bao smiled, hardly believing his luck and took her hand.
To be continued.