The Last War

4. A Question of Trust

"No, Po!"
"But, master..."
"No, you have to stay here!"
"But it's an emergency. It's a matter of life and death! Isn't it?"
Xia nodded. She stood with Po and Master Shifu in the palace hall. Shifu walked up and down, and gave her a skeptical look. It wasn't to Shifu's liking that she was a peahen.
"Your place is here!" he tried again.
"But the Furious Five are here," Po objected. "They are strong enough to protect the valley without me, like they did in the past."
Shifu stopped, his hands on his back crossed and glared at the panda grimly.
"Po, come here."
The Dragon Warrior sighed. He gave Xia an apologizing sign and followed Shifu into a corner of the hall.
"What makes you so sure that you can trust her?" Master Shifu hissed so that she couldn't hear them.
"I don't know. I know it somehow."
"That's not an explanation."
"But I'm the only one who could bring her into the new city."
"And what makes you sure that Shen let you go again?"
"But Master Shifu, we gave the promise each other that we would let rest the weapons."
Shifu narrowed his eyes. "It's easy for him to break a promise. Think about it. He is still an outlaw."
"Master!" Po gave his teacher a pleading look. "Please, let me go with her. I will keep on and on until she is in her aim."
"Do you know what she wants there?"
"No, she doesn't want to say."
"Why do want to run a risk?"
"Because I trust them. I can't believe that she has bad intentions, and I don't believe that Shen will threaten me. I will prove that he can trust me."
Master Shifu kept his eyes on the panda. "Po, trusting can change to naivety quickly. This can be dangerous."
"Even if so, let me go to find it out."
Shifu sighed and looked at the floor with sorrow. "I see, my influence is not strong enough. But be warned, you will be on your own. Completely on your own."
"I know. Don't worry. I was together with him alone before. It can only get better."

"Po, make sure that you eat enough." Mr. Ping pulled a big backpack. "I packed in a lot of it."
"Dad! You shouldn't pull heavy things with your leg," Po said and took the backpack. "And by the way, we come over to a lot of hostels."
"So what? You can become hungry every moment on your way."
"Okay, dad."
With that, Po strapped the rucksack on his shoulders. He stood in front of Mr. Ping's house and was ready for the journey.
Master Shifu still disagreed his decision. "Even though I disapprove your plans of your journey, so I wish you good luck. And that you come back safely."
"All clear, master. See you."
"And we shouldn't accompany you?" Monkey was a little disappointed that their best friend was going to make a journey without them.
But Po shook his head and looked thankfully at his five friends. "No, thanks, but no. Shen said, he doesn't allow other people in his town. Especially no kung fu fighter, beside me. You have the task to take care for the valley. But..." He bent forward at them. "Do me the favor and help my father a little with his housework."
"What did you say, Po?"
"Nothing, dad! Alright. See you!"
"Oh, Po!" Mr. Ping gave him a last embracement. "Take good care for you and come back safely."
"I will do, dad. And promise me that you favor your leg. Okay. Let's go."
Xia had waited at the gate of the restaurant. She gave him a thankful nod.
"You don't have to do that, you know."
"I know," Po said and smiled. "But it's a pleasure for me to bring you to the city. Well then, bye! Goodbye, friends! Goodbye, Master Shifu! Goodbye, dad!"
Mr. Ping and his friends waved at him. Just Master Shifu stared at him and muttered just one sentence. "Good luck, Dragon Warrior."

They were travelling several days through snow and ice. They make pauses in many hostels. On the second from the last day, they reached the last hostel next to the Mianyang Mountains.
"Thank you very much, that you give us a room," Po said and entered a little room what the warden of the restaurant, an old gander, had given them.
"We have seldom visitors," he said and presented them their beds. "For one night, you can stay here. Good night."
"Good night."
The warden left them and closed the door.
Po looked out of the window where the first mountains were visible. "Well, we are on the edge of the Mianyang Mountains. And tomorrow we will be at the city."
With that, he laid down on the bed and stretched his cold legs. "Oh, oh. What a walk. What about your legs? Are they frozen too?"
When he heard no answer, he looked up. The peahen stood at the window and looked out. It became dark outside.
"Po?"
"Yes?"
"What kind of person is he?"
"Mmh?"
"I mean," she loosened herself from the window and walked to him. "You told me that you and him, you were enemies from the first day on, weren't you?"
"Mm, yes."
"And now?"
Po lowered his face. He didn't know whether it was smart to tell her the whole truth about him. And he had to admit he didn't know the whole life of the lord, who murdered his family and much more people. Who was she? What should she know and what not?
The peahen kneaded her wings. "You don't have to answer if you don't want."
"Yes, yes, but, well, that's a long, story. Very long story."
"I have time."
The panda was a little impressed. She wanted to know something, but she didn't dare to force him. Po sighed and decided to tell just the main events what he knew.
"Okay."
He sat up in his bed while Xia took place in her own bed and watched him carefully.
Po cleaned his throat. "Well, everything stared far away in a city named Gongmen City, but my real life began in the Valley of Peace..."
With that, Po started to tell what had happened in the past. First how he became the Dragon Warrior, and how he knew about that he learned, his father wasn't his father, the way to Gongmen City, and what Shen was going to do. But he didn't tell details about the massacre in the panda village. Then about how he found his inner peace, how he defeated Shen's army, how he met Shen again and what had happened in the Valley of Peace until the Festival of Peace Day.
Xia didn't interrupt him, she listened to his words like in a deep dream.
"And this was the last day, when I saw him," Po closed his story. "Until he sent me a letter. But he added that it wasn't his own idea, just because of his soothsayer who had advised him to inform me." He looked at her. Still caught in his report. "And that was all."
Like it was a keyword, the peahen moved like after waking up from a trance.
Then she lowered her glance and whispered a soft: "Thanks."
Po watched how she laid herself on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"Do you want to talk or to know anything else?" He asked carefully.
She shook her head. "No, but thanks that you told me."
"No problem," Po answered unsurely. Was that good or bad?
He looked outside. The night had filled the landscape.
"Well, we should sleep. And tomorrow we will see."
"Mm, yes, we will see."
Her voice sounded a little weak, but Po didn't want to ask her more.
"Okay, good night.
"Good night."
And these were the last bandy words in this night.

"Okay, this sign is new."
Po eyed the wooden sign and rubbed his chin. They stood in the snowed mountains on a big path, which guided them through the mountains.
"Changkong," he read. "Well, either it is the name of the city or just the area. Whatever, let's continue. It must be over the top of this hill."
Po walked first. Xia followed him. A little slower now than before.
"Are you cold?" Po asked.
"Not really."
She wrapped the robe closer around her body.
"We're almost there," Po said cheery. "I'm sure we will get a warm place there..."
He became silent. Xia looked at him in surprise. "Is anything wrong?"
"Eh, no, just some..."
He pointed ahead.
At the end of the path, where the way ascended steeply, stood two big figures in thick sheepskins.
"I think we are closer than I thought," Po muttered and walked over to them and waved at them.
"Hey! Hello! Are we right for the city of Lord Shen? He should live here."
The two he-goats stared down grimly at the strange travelers.
"Who wants to know that?" one of them asked with deep annoyed voice.
"Well," Po tried again. "We were in near and... oh."
Now he saw the wooden sign behind the two guards with a big red peacock, with wide wings and long tail feathers.
"Wow, he changed his logo. Very nice."
The two he-goats snorted angrily and Po came back to the reason of their arrival.
"We want to talk to Lord Shen. Is he at home?"
The big goats snorted loudly that their wind blew over the panda's and peahen's head.
"No strangers," the first one snorted. "Order."
"Well, we, or I'm not a stranger. I'm the Dragon Warrior."
The guards were unimpressed. "No strangers. No almost-strangers. No one."
"But it's very important!" Po urged. "Announce us."
"The lord doesn't allow visit."
"Hey, don't you have something better to do than making small talk?"
A very little sheep, with little horns on his head and red-yellow coat, appeared between the two giants, but he had the voice of an adult man. Now he saw the journey people, too.
"Who's that?" he asked with narrowed eyes.
"Troublemakers," one of the guards answered. "They want to see the lord."
"Sorry, the lord is very busy," the little sheep said.
Now Po became impatient. "We too. It's an emergency!"
But the little sheep had no interest. "Sorry, take them away."
"EY! That's an impertinence to treat the Dragon Warrior like that!"
Suddenly, the little sheep stopped in his steps. "You are the Dragon Warrior?"
"Well, it doesn't look like maybe. But it's me."
"Oh, in this case, that's another matter. Let him through."
Po was confused. Was this sheep serious or should that be a joke to throw them out again?
"For real? No kidding?"
The little sheep waved his hoof. "Just come."
"And what about her? She is with me." Po pointed at Xia, who still stood in front of the guarded "door" and looked unsurely between the guards.
The little sheep stroked over his chin. "Well. The lord will see."
Po sighed in relief. "You heard it, come in."
First Xia hesitated, but then she gave herself a jerk and walked up the way which the little sheep went and together they climbed up the hill.
"How do you know about me?" Po asked.
"Every one of us know you," the little sheep answered.
Po looked back at the guards. "But not these two."
"They have their orders," the little sheep explained. "And they take their job seriously. Everyone could say, he would be the Dragon Warrior."
"And why do you believe that I'm the Dragon Warrior?"
"My grand aunt described you exactly to me."
"Your grand aunt?" Po hesitated a moment. "Could it be..."
Suddenly, he stopped. They had reached the top of the hill. They looked down with open mouths.