Looks to me like you guys enjoy my work! :) That makes me really excited! lol I got 37 hits in the first three hours! The only thing that would make that better is if I had 37 reviews to go with the hits... **hint hint**, **cough cough**, **stomp stomp**. XD Thanx for reading!


Chapter 2

The Lantern

"Race ya!" Lien-Hua called hovering for a moment. We were on the far outskirts of Gongmen City and only about four miles from Lein's famly rice farm.

"Oh you're on!" I crowed and passed the peahen with a rush of wind.

"Cheater!" She shrieked and pumped her wings after me. I could hear her pink and white robes flapping in the wind, and the whistle of the airstream through her feathers. Slowly but surely she worked her way up to me, and we were neck and neck for the last mile. I saw her little twin sister and brother scamper out of their little house. "MAMA!" They called into the house. "Lien is coming home!" A darker pink peahen stepped out of the house wearing a rough, woven robe and a scarf around her head.

For the last few feet I pulled back just a feather and let her win. It wasn't the princly thing to do, but it was what I did nonetheless. "Lien!" Her family covered her with hugs and kisses. "What a surprise!" Her mother said stepping back. I coughed weakly and Lien spun around and walked over to me.

"Mama, this is…" She started.

"Prince Shen!" The older peahen gasped and bowed low. "I'm sorry that the house is such a disgrace, we weren't expecting such a regal guest."

"Please, please. It's my fault entirely for intruding with out an invatation." I replied and offered her my wing. She took it and stood.

"Thank you, my prince. Please, let me get you some tea." Flustered she rushed inside.

"Shen," Lein turned me towards her younger siblings. "This is Bo-Chen (precious/commanding dawn)," She motiond to her little sister, who was tan-gold with orange, red, yellow and pink accents, "and Genji-Feng (gold phoenix)." Her little brother, who had gold feathers like his name stated and the same accents as his sister.

"What a pleasure to meet the family of such a wonderful bird." I bowed to the chicks and they gasped and giggled in awe. I gently took the little peahen's wing and pecked it sweetly, and ruffled the feathers on her brother's head.

"The pleasure's all ours Prince Shen." They squeaked in their young voices.

"Now hold on a minute," I paused and they looked terrified for a moment, "Considering that I'm your sister's best friend, and you're her siblings…" I tapped a pure white primary feather against my beak as though deep in thought. "Yep, I guess that means that you don't have to call me Prince Shen. Just Shen will do fine." The little ones cheered and hugged me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Lien smiling proudly at us.

"I thought we came here to get the lanterns, not woo my family." The pretty peahen teased.

"All part of the plan, my dear." I said in a matter-of-fact voice and she laughed, which made my stomach do a backflip.

"Come on. They're out in the studio." She took my wing and led me around to the back of the little house and to a shed that was painted with designs of epic battles, beatiful loves stories, and peaceful Kung Fu masters. Inside was almost as gorgeous. Mainly it was decorated to look like a cherry tree in full bloom. On some of the petals were paintings of creatures. I recognized one of Lien's mother, and all of the chidren. There were also some of the Kung Fu masters of the Valley of Peace; Shifu, the late master Ooguay, Mantis, Crane, Monkey, Tigress, and Viper.

Lien rummaged through unpainted lanterns on a large wooden table until she found hers. She had painted large light pink lotus blooms for the background and over this had painted and intricatly designed peahen that looked incredibly like her, and had started on another. They were flying in different directions, Lien on the bottom, and the peacock on the top, but they had their necks craned back looking at each other. Upon closer examination the peacock looked like me.

"You're and incredible artist." I told her reaching to touch the rice paper lantern. Her eyes got big when I said that, and she whirled around. Snatching the lantern off the table she hid it behind her back.

"Oh…that… It's just something that I've been working on…" She stammered, a blush heating her cheeks again.

"Sure." I replied sarcastically. "Let me see it." Again I reached for the lantern.

"No."

"No? You are in fact aware that I am the Prince?" I gasped teasingly.

"I'm sorry your majesty," Lien replied sarcastically "But I just can't let you look at the lantern."

"You say that like you've got something to hide." I narrow my eyes and put on a sly smile. She grabbed a fan from the counter behind her and covered her face so that all I coud see was her clear blue eyes. They were hooded, and seemed to glow as she stepped around me and rushed out the door. "Darn it. She does that every time!" I mumbled to myself. I grabbed an unpainted lantern and followed.

"Mama! We can't stay for tea, the queen expects us back in thirty minutes. I'll be home tomorrow though!" Lien called to her mother and hovered in the front yard. I walked around to the front and stepped up to her mother.

"Thank you for your hospitality, but I really must go. Here," I handed her a string of gold coins, "For your trouble."

"Oh your majesty, I couldn't" She tried to give them back.

"I insist. Go and get yourself a fine robe for the festival. There should be enough there to get you all spruced up." I replied kindly.

"Thank you majesty." She bowed her head and tears welled in her eyes.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the festivities. Good bye!" I called to the peacock family and took to the air.

"Bye Shen!" The chicks waved.

"You just made their day, you know." Lien told me when I caught up to her.

"I know. They deserve it." I waved back to her siblings.

"Come with me." Lien flapped her wings back towards the city but turned just before the walls and soared into a grove of cherry trees. We landed and she led me to a group of five trees that had grown close together and now their brances had woven into a roof.

"This is beautiful." I sighed as I settled next to her.

"My father used to bring me here when I was sad and tell me stories of the Kung Fu masters and their battles." She smiled sadly. "My father was a master in the Jade Palace, but when Tai Lung lost his mind my father was slaughtered." I saw tears in her eyes. "For a short while, before I was discovered by your mother, I practiced everything that he had taught me about peace, control, and the fire within my heart. I would go out on the rice patties to practice my moves and meditate." She explained. "I would come here too, and it felt like he was right beside me the whole time."

"He would be very proud of you. I know he would." I placed a wing on her shoulder. She looked down and a tear rolled down her cheek. Gently I wiped it away and looked her in the eye. "I'm very proud of you." I smiled, and she choked on a quiet laugh.

"Do you really want to see the lantern?" Lien murmured.

"If you want to show me, then yes. If not, then I will respect that." I said sitting back. She reached into her robe and pulled out the beautiful lantern.

She took a deep breath and began to tell me about it. "The lotuses are my seal, and I thought they would add the right touch of femininity to the lantern. Then this," She pointed to the intracate peahen, "Is me. Father taught me how to paint and this was one of the hardest things he taught me how to do before he passed." I ran my gaze over the perfection of each stroke of her brush. Her self portrait was flawless.

"It's beautiful." I breathed. "Now what about the rest of it?" My heart was pounding as I waited for her answer. She looked down, blushed, sighed, and spoke.

"This is you." She spoke so quietly that I almost couldn't hear her. She looked up and locked her gaze with mine. Lien's sweet eyes burned through my soul, and I knew she felt the same way I did. Before I could stop myself, as if I could have stopped myself, I leaned forward and kissed her. We wrapped our wings around each other and held the other close for as long as we could.

We pulled back and rested out foreheads against each other. I was smiling uncontrolably, and Lien had stated giggling. "Wow." I breathed

"Wow." Lien replied.

"Hey! Get out of my grove!" The forester came running and shaking his fists at us. He wasn't close enough to see who we were, thank goodness. We shared a terrified look and took off, flying as fast as we could through the trees and slipping over the palace wall and into the garden. We panted and tried to catch our breath hidden behind some tall bushes. When we looked at each other we just started laughing.

"Did you se the look on his face?" Lien sputtered.

"Yeah! He was furious!" I gasped. We were rolling on the grass, and clutching our stomachs.