The Last Hope

22. Sibling Hatred

"Uh, uh, how did he do that?" Po whined and rubbed his head while Dr. Wu tried to put a bandage on him there. "Did Master Thundering Rhino just take each of the Peacock family aside and showed them how to beat someone up... ouch!"
"Don't worry," the lizard goanna reassured him and tightened the bandages. "You have a thick skull, so there won't be any permanent damage." He rubbed his chin and examined the panda from the side, which made Po a little uncomfortable.
"Uh, what is it?" Po asked uncertainly.
"This could also be a nice project for my research," Dr. Wu said Wu thoughtfully. "Don't you want to think again about what you want to do with your body after death? Your skull bone could be very interesting."
"Okay, that's enough for now!" Po refused. "I feel very honored by your offer, but no, thanks." He looked over at the soothsayer and her grandnephew who were standing next to him.
He and them were in one of the many rooms in the palace. After Dao accidentally hit Po's head so hard, they suggested to go to the palace, where Dr. Wu was able to patch up the Dragon Warrior. Now the panda lay on many cushions in a kind of parlor and endured everything with lamentations.
Ling frowned at the Dragon Warrior. "Why didn't you use your kung fu..." He wagged his hooves wildly and made a few awkward quick movements with his arms. "You could have fended off the stone easily."
Po was silent for a moment. "I... I don't know. Maybe because..." He thought about it. "Maybe because I was afraid, I would only make it worse." Po felt his fur ruffle at the thought of standing between the two fighting peacocks. Why hadn't he intervened steadfastly? Did he remember memories from back then? The resolution never to attack a peacock again? But it hadn't been difficult for him to hit Dao on the head, but then again, that had been an emergency situation.
The goat looked at the confused Dragon Warrior with pity. "Never mind," she reassured him. "Even champions and masters make mistakes. They don't always know what to do in every situation either." She gave him a gentle smile. "At least it didn't turn out worse."
Po smiled back wryly. "So, how are they?"
"I gave everyone a room," the goat told him. "Dao sends you his apologies again. He would be very sorry."
"Oh, no problem," Po waved it off. "Maybe it will even give me some enlightenment."
"Nevertheless, you should rest a little before you get up again," Dr. Wu advised.
"Alright." Submissively, Po laid down on the pillows.
The doctor rubbed his reptilian hands and turned to the goat. "Are they both keeping quiet, or do I need to give someone a sedative?"
The old lady shook her head. "I made it clear enough to both of them that there would be consequences in any next argument."
Dr. Wu raised his eyebrows skeptically. "And the white lord accepted that? Or at least, did he eat it up from you?"
The goat sighed. "I hope so, at least." She turned away. "I wanted to bring something to Dao anyway." She looked at the Dragon Warrior again. "Do you want to eat something?"
Po looked at her in surprise. "Oh, well, maybe a little midnight snack would be nice, but of course I don't want to cause any trouble..."
"Ling?" the old goat asked her grandnephew. "Could you get him something from the kitchen?"
Ling nodded. "Okay, I'll do."

Still a bit lost in thought, the old goat went into one of the rooms, where there was a large closet against the wall with some robes hanging in it. They were Lord Liang's clothes. Luckily, after the collapse of the palace, they were able to salvage them intact from the rubble. It amazed the goat that anything had survived after the destruction. She pulled out a blue robe, laid it carefully over her arm and closed the closet again.
"Did I kill them?"
She was startled when Shen's voice reached her from a little further away. She hadn't even noticed the white peacock because he was in the shadow of the window frame. Now the white peacock stepped into the lamplight and looked at the old lady with a serious expression.
"Well, what do you think? Did I kill them?" he repeated his question.
"How are you?" she answered with a question in return. Her breath caught when Shen raised his wing admonishingly. "Don't try to distract again. So did I kill them?"
The goat struggled to herself for an answer. "Shen, it was all just accidents and unforeseen events. It wasn't due to..."
"But if I wasn't born, would they still be alive?"
"Shen, no one can say this", she insisted. "No one can it!"
"You're probably right," Shen admitted indulgingly. "Maybe it would never have come to this if you hadn't predicted my future to my parents."
The goat's lips began to tremble. Then she turned away from him in a flash, ran through the door and slammed it behind her. Outside in the hallway, she walked a little further before she leaned against a pillar in the stairwell and gasped shakily for air. She had tried hard to suppress this thought, but the lord knew how to pass his pain on to others. Whether he felt better at this moment, no one could say.