Love or Law

Banish my Heart

Shang woke up to the low murmur of men and a white expanse over his head extending into nothing. After a moment of trying to get his bearing, he turned his head and saw that he was laying in a tent with three other, minorly injured, men. Another man was circling through them offering water. Groaning softly, Shang hesitantly sat up, his hand automatically coming up to touch the stiff bandages wrapped around his torso and shoulder. That's right he had been shot. Then there had been an avalanche. An avalanche that Ping had caused with a cannon. Ping. Why was he filled with anxiety when he thought that name?

Suddenly, it all came rushing back. The cliff, being pulled back up, scolding Ping, then Ping falling, clutching her side, the blood! Ping was injured! Ignoring his own pain, Shang stood and found that someone had laid out his tunic and armor on the floor next to him. After a lot of tugging, wincing and throbbing pain, Shang was dressed and marching out of the tent.

"Captain! You're not supposed to be up!" Ling yelled at seeing him, "The doctor told us you needed to rest!"

"I'm fine." Shang growled out, leaving no room for argument, "Where's Ping?"

All the men in his vicinity pointed in the direction of a smaller tent set up a slight distance away.

"The doctor's been with him for the past three hours. No one's been allowed in to help." Po murmured while Yao scowled and crossed his arms defensively over his barrel of a chest.

Shang nodded his understanding then marched over to take up his post outside the tent. He was worried sick about Ping. Would she be alright? Would she survive? Shang sent a prayer up to any and all Gods and Ancestors he could think of. Surely they wouldn't let her die. She had saved his life, after all. Saved the family lineage through him...

More importantly, if she did survive, where did that leave him? At this point, his choices were limited. It would be a miracle if the doctor didn't realize his patient was female. Shang could try and convince the doctor to keep this information to himself but the man was employed by the Emperor. He was not under Shang's influence, and if Shang attempted to bribe him he could take it as an insult and report Shang's behavior to the Emperor himself.

Shang jumped to his feet and started to pace in front of the tent. He could feel all his men's eyes on him but he ignored them for now. He had a much bigger problem on his hands. He could claim that he had known about her all along, but what would that get them besides two executions? He could swear all the men to secrecy but that still left the doctor and Chi-fu. Oh, God. 

Chi-fu. The man was a stickler when it came to rules, regulations or laws of any kind, even the unspoken ones. He would not stand for any lying or deceiving. And to be honest, the thought of lying to the Emporer he had pledged his life to made Shang's stomach churn as well. It went against his nature and was completely dishonorable. It would bring shame upon his whole family! Maybe he could somehow place Ping under his protection...but short of forcing her to marry him how could he do that? Marriage to him. The idea did have merit...The idea of sharing a life with this amazing woman; spending every moment by her side, raising their children together; was attractive...

But marriage would require Chi fu's cooperation and her father's approval, neither of which was realistic right now. Not to mention Ping's own cooperation to an extent... Ugh! What was he going to do? Time was running short. He was sure that any minute now the doctor would come storming out of that tent, demanding answers. Answers that he didn't have, couldn't have. What would his father do in this situation? Well, that was easy to answer, his father would never have put himself in this situation! He would have dealt with the problem before it arose. He would have punished the girl when he caught her during training! Or he would have at least banished her from the ranks...