50 A new possibility
[3rd POV]
"How are the prisoners? Do they like the food?" Lord Shen asked as he sat upon the throne of the peacocks in the Tower of Sacred Flames.
"I think so, my lord. They finished half of what they were served." Boss Wolf said while bowing respectfully towards Shen.
"Half? Do you think half is enough? Do they not like the food?" Shen said with a thoughtful look, "Find another chef, it is possible that they do not like the current one."
"Yes, Lord Shen."
"And what of their accommodation?"
"The prisoners are currently staying in one of the best inns of the City, reserved for the wealthy and located at the heart of the City so any attempt at escape would be met with failure."
"Good, good." Shen nodded in satisfaction, "And what of the Panda? Is he still alive?"
"The Panda lives my lord." Boss Wolf said and Shen released a breath that he did not even know he was holding. He felt like a mountain had been lifted off his shoulder.
"And?"
"Soothsayer found him with her foresight and she is taking care of him. He fell into the river after being shot by the cannon and it carried him outside of the City. They are currently in the old village of the Pandas." Boss Wolf said.
The fact that the Panda was in the place where he was born caused a bit of concern for Shen. But he calmed down by telling himself that there was nothing much the Panda could do alone and the injuries he got would take at least a few days to heal.
"You may leave now. Keep an eye on the prisoners and make sure they are not harmed, especially the Tiger." Shen said with a wave of his wing.
"As you command Lord Shen." Saying so, the Boss Wolf left the throne room.
Lord Shen, the rightful ruler of Gongmen City reclined back on his throne. There were four strong Gorillas who stayed around to protect him at all times but they stood still and silent like a statue. So there was silence in which Shen could gather his thoughts.
A person without context would find the previous conversation extremely weird. They were talking about prisoners but Shen was treating them like his royal guests, asking if they ate well and if they had the best accommodation.
It was not always like this. When they first came into the City, Shen saw the Dragon Warrior who also happened to be a Panda and his first thought was 'They are enemy'.
The warrior destined to defeat him also happened to be the Dragon Warrior. You couldn't fault Shen for trying to complete his work 20 years ago.
He ordered his soldiers to seize and capture them. They claimed they came in peace but there could never be peace, Shen was sure of that.
A great conflict ensued. The Furious Five and Po proved to be a stronger adversary than he could have ever imagine. They took out many of his men and went into hiding for a few days.
They even tried to free the prisoners, Master Ox and Croc to help them defeat Shen but in the end, it was all for naught. With his cunning and by manipulating Po, Shen was able to capture them and he even sent the Dragon Warrior away with a cannon shot.
He took in the Furious Five as prisoners and as is in the Code Of War, Shen did not kill or torture them but in return, the Furious Five also answered any of his questions.
Lord Shen had learned many things from the prisoners. Most of which he wished he had known beforehand.
They really did come in peace and even brought a letter from the Jade Palace which Shen discarded with a wave as the Jade Palace did not hold much influence or power after Oogway's death.
But the most important pieces of information he learned, which he wished he knew before hand was the fact that they were students of not just the legendary Master Shifu, but a student of Tai Lung as well.
This would explain why they could take out so many of his soldiers easily and why they were stronger than expected.
But that was not the worst part, the next thing he learned that made him pale was the fact that the Panda was supposedly Tai Lung's favourite student and Tigress was Tai Lung's younger sister.
Lord Shen could only curse at the universe and try his best to mend his mistakes. He made sure the prisoners were treated well and he sent out his men to search for the Panda immediately.
If it was not obvious already, Shen was doing all this because he did not want to get on the bad side of Tai Lung.
As he said before, Tai Lung was a walking calamity. Something that could either end him or become a force of destruction he could aim at his enemies.
Lord Shen was smart and confident enough to declare war against the whole of China but he was also smart enough to not mess with Tai Lung.
Tai Lung was the only person that could stop him. He was Lord Shen's kryptonite as the weapons he was so proud of did not work on the snow leopard.
Lord Shen also picked up the letter from the Jade Palace he discarded at first and read it carefully before sending a reply letter to accept the kind gesture.
It was because Tai Lung had a close relationship with the Jade Palace and considered it his home apparently. Shen should have deduced that already, the rumours about the Dragon Warrior and Shifu keeping him there were absolute lies.
No one could hold or suppress Tai Lung like that, he stayed in the Jade Palace for 10 months because he liked it there and considered it his home.
"Such a trouble." Shen said to himself. He was both annoyed and awed at the fact that one person could put a complete stop in his plans.
It was like having Oogway himself all over again. He waited so many years for that tortoise to pass and now Tai Lung had appeared.
He needs to think of something quick.
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(A few days later)
"You are afraid." Soothsayer commented as she watched Shen pace back and forth in the throne room.
Po had already learned about his past and attained inner peace. But unlike the movie, he did not have to go and save the Furious Five, instead he was just put in the same inn as them and held as a prisoner there.
Now Soothsayer stayed with Shen in the Thone room as his trusted advisor. Soothsayer had a duty to always serve under the royal Peacock family, it was a promise made long ago and one she was determined to keep.
No matter how she felt about the current Lord she was serving, he was the last descendant of the Peacock and she had to serve him dutifully.
And she also felt responsible and guilty as the one who raised Lord Shen. It was also her prophecy that drove the prince to commit such atrocities in the first place.
He was her creation.
So she stayed with him in hopes of fixing things. Or even if she can't, she would complete her duty as an advisor.
"Me? Afraid?" Shen paused and asked with wide eyes. "What a great observation you have, truly worthy of being called Soothsayer."
"I didn't realize I was afraid. It's not like I was feeling it from the pit of my stomach and it made me unable to even sit still." He hissed towards Soothsayer sarcastically.
"I don't see why you are so afraid of Tai Lung when the warrior destined to defeat you is right in your city."
"The Panda is not a threat." Lord Shen declared, "At least not yet."
"And even if he were to defeat me, that would be it. He is gullible and soft-hearted." He said and locked eyes with Soothsayer.
"Tai Lung would tear me apart." He whispered, "And he has the power to do so."
Individual power. That was Shen's weakness, unlike Tai Lung whose weakness was huge armies that would eventually tire him out.
Lord Shen tore his eyes away and continued pacing back and forth with a solemn expression on his face.
Soothsayer released a sigh. She did not like seeing the one she served be in such a distress. She felt the need to help Shen in some way, no matter how little.
A memory clicked in her mind, "I've actually had an encounter with young Tai Lung when he came to the city."
"You did?" Shen stopped and looked at her with focused eyes. He sensed something important coming.
"Yes. And I-" She hesitated for a moment before the sense of duty won out, "I looked into his future and gave him a prophecy."
With a flutter of his wings, the wind in the room turned into a small hurricane as Shen appeared in front of Soothsayer. His eyes were red and they held seeds of insanity.
"Tell me." He demanded. He thought that if she looked into his future, she might know the outcome of the confrontation that was about to take place.
He did not even question why she broke her promise and used her gift on people outside of the royal family. He had more pressing matters occupying his mind.
"I was not able to look into his future properly, I only saw brittle glimpses of it. But the prophecy goes something like this." Soothsayer said calmly.
"A warrior unlike anything the world had ever seen."
"With a heart that could not decide black or white. Not a villain yet far from a hero, draped in the shades of grey."
"The path he walks shall not lead to glory as he wishes. His quest for validation, a failure."
"For Destiny is not kind to those who defy her. The Universe worked to right the accident."
"History remembers a villain he never wished to be. His legacy and ambition died at the hands of someone whose's was forgotten."
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There was a long silence as Shen took his time to process her words and analysed each and every sentence she had uttered.
He slowly moved out of her face and turned around before heading towards the balcony of the Tower with slow steps.
Although they did not give any direct information, he could break apart the different layers of meaning behind the sentences of the prophecy.
Something clicked in his mind and he felt like he knew Tai Lung more than he ever did before. A sense of weird comraderie bubbled in his heart.
Shen had constantly been thinking of ways he could put Tai Lung down or how he could use him but he had not come up with an answer so far.
But right now, a new possibility came into his mind.
.
.
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What about an ally?
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[IMAGE!! ]
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