Author's Note: the response to this story has been so wonderful to hear - I'm really glad that people are enjoying it! I'm so happy to have all you wonderful people with me for this story.

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Chapter 3

The next day, Odette was rather excited. After weeks of being alone in this desolate place, she had a visitor. Well, not that she'd been completely alone, she'd had Jon-bob and Speed and they had been immeasurably good friends. Odette had felt more companionship from a tortoise and a frog, then she had her whole life from all the gossiping, back-stabbing, uppity ladies of court.

But now there was someone new, and how strange he was indeed. It brought a little novelty to her life. Shen was something that puzzled her. He acted with an air of superiority, there was a natural regal air, a gracefulness that she recognised as one of higher birth. Unlike Jon-bob, who's claim to royalty could be smelled as phony from a mile away, Shen seemed to embody the very nobility he claimed. Yet he was a peacock – and stranger still, he wore clothes. Odette would admit that his comment yesterday about how he thought her to be naked had almost mortified her with embarrassment. But when she transformed, her clothes were always with her, she took it to mean her feathers were her clothes in an animal context.

So, when Shen came strutting into the gardens of Swan Lake (as Rothbart had so hilariously called it) she was very happy to see him. She'd been paddling in the shallows, relaxing her mind after another emotionally exhausting night arguing with Rothbart and her subsequent continually upsetting transformation. Climbing out of the water she stepped onto the grass as the peacock walked towards her, a polite smile on his beak. Odette noticed that he didn't have that long spear-like weapon on him this time, to which she was thankful. That thing scared her slightly.

He was quite possibly the oddest bird she had ever seen. Apart from the fact that he wore clothes, she'd never seen a peacock quite like him before. Many exotic birds were kept in many palace gardens, a symbol of status. And from what she knew, peacocks were always so vibrantly coloured. Yet Shen's feathers were as white as her own, the spots on his long train and on his crest were red and black, and the skin around his eyes were the same iron grey as his beak. The eyes themselves were red, which might have unsettled her if she didn't know that this was a friend and not a foe. Along with large black feathers that acted like eyebrows, Shen also had two long sleek feathers that sprouted from the corners of his beak and acted like a form of moustache. In all, he looked very sophisticated.

"Good morning, Shen," she greeted him brightly.

He nodded to her. "Good morning, Odette. I hope you are doing well after yesterday's tumultuous events."

"I'm fine, thank you. It's nothing out of the ordinary for me."

One of his brow-feathers quirked at that. "You jump into the line of danger for your friends often?"

"Not often. Not many things come near here. But if I'm not willing to protect those I care about, then what kind of friend would that make me?"

"I am surprised to find that you have such courage. Most noble ladies would've fainted at the sight of a savage wolf."

Odette shot him a slight smirk. "Most noble ladies are also idiots."

Shen surprised her when he chuckled, as if he totally agreed with that statement but was surprised to hear her say it. It wasn't a loud sound, and she wondered if it was by accident. It a rumble in the back of his throat that broke out of his beak clearly without him allowing it. It was only a slight laugh, but it was still enough for Odette to decide that she liked to see his beak curved slightly in a smile.

Their feet made them walk almost without them noticing. The pair took a stroll through the gardens. The overgrown bushes and roses hedges penned them in, and the thick undergrowth from the encroaching forest was thick under their feet. But as they walked, Odette began to notice a certain noise. It was a soft scrap-chime sound that constantly followed them.

"Wait, what is that noise?" she asked with a frown as she looked about. She realised that the sound was coming from Shen. But how could that be? It sounded metallic.

"Oh, that is nothing. Just how I walk."

Odette's eyes widened. "How you walk? Are you an amputee?"

"What?" Shen stopped and shot her a look as if she had gone mad. "Heavens no!"

It was then that Odette noticed that one of his feet was poking out of the slit in his robes. The swan suppressed a short gasp as she stared. Shen's feet were strapped into what looked like metal gauntlets that more suited a bird-like foot. The talons were what made the noise, as the long metal claws scraped and sparked against whatever they came into contact with. They looked lethal and a twitch away from shredding everything they could reach.

"They're… metal claws…" she said faintly, suddenly pale.

Shen quickly hid his foot. When he spoke, his voice was tight. "Worry not, princess. It is a gauntlet. I know how to use it, so you are not in danger."

"You use those as weapons?"

"Of course." He reached into his large sleeve and pulled out something metallic that glinted in the light. Odette was surprised to see that it was a metal feather – a knife with an intricate shape. It was beautiful, but even the look of it told Odette that it was just as sharp as the metal-talons on Shen's feet. The peacock twirled the knife expertly through his feathers. "I've learned to always keep myself protected by having my weapons close at hand."

"Oh my…" was all Odette could say.

"Fear not. I am no imbecile. I've practiced for years to master every form of weapon imaginable."

"That's impressive." She nodded, for indeed it was. And just looking at how Shen reverently and expertly handled each weapon, as well as remembering how he had found with a blade the day before. When he put the knife back in its concealed place, she looked away. "I don't have anything like that. Princesses are meant to wield the finer arts instead."

Shen snorted. "If you listen to that, then you're almost as idiotic as those other ladies of court you so despise."

Odette shot him a look. That remark was a little too close to an insult for her liking. But she let it slide. Shen was a charming man, surely he didn't mean it like it had sounded. And besides, he was already looking about the gardens around them, inspecting each part of it.

"So," he murmured slowly, "these gardens are something."

She nodded. "They are indeed. I never thought wild nature could be so beautiful."

"You would be surprised at the power nature can invoke." There was a long pause, and finally Shen nodded if only to fill the silence. "It suits this place. And the weather is… acceptable."

"You're not very good at small talk, are you?"

"No." he replied honestly. Odette smiled and his small smile returned. He cocked his head at her, as if she were suddenly something of interest. "You are rather perceptive."

"I've had to be. The heir to the throne cannot be a stupid dolt who doesn't know the difference from diplomacy to a coup."

"You were rather hands on in your duties, then?"

"My father wanted me to waste my time on pretty dresses whilst I wanted to learn about trade agreements and foreign treaties."

Shen's smile became a little bigger and he gave that small chuckle again. "Oh, she has a brain as well."

"Of course." Odette fluttered her eyelashes in a teasing way. "Would you be able to stand me otherwise? I know I wouldn't."

"Indeed. When I was at court, I couldn't stand the fools that grovelled for every ounce of power they could get. They never earned a single drop of it."

Now that the conversation had turned this way, Odette jumped on the chance to learn more about this interesting stranger. "You've mentioned you were a nobleman – a Lord. I've never heard of a peacock lord before."

"You do not mean to tell me that you have never heard of my parents?" Shen sharply looked over at her as if she's announced she had a second head. "They were famous for inventing the great fireworks!"

"We have those here."

"Then you must know of them. They shipped them all over the known world."

"I doubt that," Odette chuckled. When appeared slightly offended, she was quick to explain herself. "We had our own firework maker amongst the castle staff."

"Oh." He muttered, as if disappointed. Then he straightened his neck and stood tall, his head tilted with pride and a smirk crossed his beak. "None could match the grandeur of my family. Our power reached almost across the Empire. We were second only to the Emperor himself. As heir to this prestigious line, I was its future."

Odette didn't want to admit it, but Shen sounded exactly like the spoiled child that Derek used to be. She was even certain that they might've been friends if given the chance. But despite this rather gloating side of him that she decidedly wasn't fond of, Shen had been good to her, and seemed to be a good man. So she let it slide.

"You make it all sound as if it is very far away," she said.

Shen nodded and gazed into the distance. "It is. Somewhere far out to sea. The great Empire of China."

"Somewhere?"

"I…" he paused and glanced over at her. His red eyes seemed to assess her, and Odette met his stare openly. Whatever he was looking for, he must've found it, because he continued. "I was shipwrecked here. A few weeks ago, in fact. My ship had been sailing out of the empire when we were hit by a vicious storm. I awoke on these strange shores."

"Oh, you poor thing." Odette instantly reached out and place her wing onto Shen's shoulder as the other wrapped around his arm.

Shen looked down sharply at her. "What are you doing?"

Realising that he seemed to find contact uncomfortable, Odette wished there was something she could do to comfort him, and settled for stepping away. She stroked his arm before completely relinquishing hold of him. "I know what it's like to be so far away from home."

His eyes narrowed at that. "Oh really?"

"Yes. I'm being held here against my will, and I don't even know where in the world I am."

"I don't see any shackles on you."

"It's more of a threat of what will happen if I leave…" her voice trailed off. Should she tell Shen? She always believed in being truthful; but what if he didn't believe her?

"Then who is this phantom that is keeping you here?"

"He leaves me here during the day."

"Could you not send word to your kingdom? Surely I would guess a Princess of great power would have a substantial army…" Shen's voice trailed off in a suggestive tone.

"It's not like I could actually be able to tell them anything. And even if I did, they wouldn't believe me,"

"And why not?"

"Well, let's just say that they have a potent disbelief in fairy-tales."

The peacock's eyes narrowed further. He seemed to scrutinise Odette. It made the swan feel very uncomfortable, as if she were under inspection from him. Had she said something wrong? Had he noticed something inconsistent in what she'd told him? But she'd told him the truth – sort of, without telling him her real reasons for staying here.

When Shen finally spoke, his voice was slowly, prodding. "What if someone were to take care of your jailor for you? Would your family offer much in reward?"

"Oh yes, I suspect they would."

"So your family is well connected, your kingdom rather high in status?"

"Yes, all the neighbourhood kingdoms would attest to that–" she stopped when she realised where this line of questioning was headed. She spun to face Shen, her eyes wide as panic speared through her heart. "Shen! You can't!"

"Why not? I am not afraid of this man you seem to fear. I could have him dragged back to your father in chains."

"No! You cannot do this! He has great power - he was the one who made me what I am!"

Shen frowned. "What you are? What do you mean?"

"I…" Odette clamped her beak shut. Her cheeks burned bright red beneath her feathers. She quickly looked away from him. "It's nothing."

"No. You will explain yourself this instant." He demanded in a now not-so-friendly tone.

Odette looked up at him, all of a sudden angry at his breach of manners. "Excuse me? I do not need to explain anything to you."

"Did you not hear me?" his voice was cold as he took a dangerous step towards her. "I told you to explain yourself."

But Odette matched him as she raised herself to her full height and glared right back into his eyes. "Is that how you speak to people? Demand everything you want and they all come running to do your bidding?"

"No. I only speak this way to immature little girls."

"Little gir?!" she shrieked indignantly. "Well, shall I tell you what I think of you, Lord Shen?"

"No," he snapped curtly, "But I expect you're going to."

"You're a spoiled child!"

"Take that back, you insufferable wench!" he shouted.

"I refuse to bow to unmannered toads!"

"Insolent harpy!"

"Fop!"

"Idiot!"

"Gormless… know-it-all… loon," Odette couldn't keep it up a moment longer. The absurdity made a smirk begin to creep across her face, then a giggle broke out, which then made her laugh.

"You –!" Shen broke off his angry tirade to look at her peculiarly. "Why are you laughing?"

Odette attempted to smother her amusment, though unsuccessfully. "Sorry. I've just never insulted someone like this before."

"So glad you find this so amusing."

"Sorry, I'll be serious now."

She tried to put a scowl onto her features. But it didn't seem to work. Shen slowly grinned, and then Odette was struggling to keep her face together. Eventually her ridiculous expression seemed to break them both, as Odette burst into laughter and then Shen was laughing right along with her. And now it was a full laugh. The swan loved the sound. But just as quickly as it came, he stopped and frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Shen seemed greatly perplexed. "Nothing, I've just… not laughed like this in a long time."

Odette smiled and touched his wing with hers. "Well, maybe you can laugh more often. It's nice when you laugh."

"Are you sure that's what you saw?" Derek asked and leaned forward in the throne.

"Aye, your highness," bowed the trapper. His poor clothes and dirty gaunt face stood in great contrast to the extravagant throne room. "Wolves! Loads of 'em! All movin' through the forest. They got my friend, Jovan…"

Derek nodded at the obvious grief on the man's face and spoke softly. "My condolences for your loss. We'll be sure to look into this matter as soon as–"

"Your highness, these ain't like no wolves I've ever seen before…"

The prince paused, and looked at the man for a long time. Why did those words echo oddly in his mind? "Thank you, you may go."

The peasant bowed deeply and quickly shuffled his way out of the palace, escorted by a butler. Once the great doors had closed behind him, Derek slumped in the throne and rubbed his temple. He'd had another sleepless night. Again. His old friend and tutor Rogers stood beside him.

"That the fifth wolf report, Derek," he said quietly.

Derek tapped a finger against his chin in thought. "I know, Rogers. It's too much to be a coincidence…"

"Meaning?"

"What if this had something to do with the Great Animal? King William said it's not what it seems, and the hunter said these wolves aren't like anything he's seen before. I mean, doesn't that say something to you?"

"What's the point in my answer?" Rogers asked dryly. "You'll come to this conclusion either way."

The prince sat there in thought for a while longer. Was he crazy? Or did these strange wolf sightings have something to do with the Great Animal? What if he was one step closer to finding Odette if he could only figure this out? It seemed there were too many questions to contemplate…

Shen spent the day with Odette. He was a little blindsided at how what had started as a small mission to charm and guile the princess into trusting him had turned into a rather… pleasant experience. That was unexpected. Usually he couldn't stand highborn ladies, and they couldn't stand him. But Odette was unlike anyone he'd ever met before. Her overly kind personality did frustrate him, but he also liked the way she seemed to honestly enjoy his company. There was no threat of an ulterior motive with her, as she wore her true intentions plainly on her face. This might have made her unbearably predictable and easy to manipulate, but Shen was again surprised by her intelligence and wit.

It felt… nice to be around her.

Odette had shown him around the gardens through the morning. Now they were in the late evening and the sun was starting to set. She'd shown Shen to a veranda where a basket filled with bread and seeds and small berries they could eat had been left out. Odette explained that it was provisions left by her jailor so she wouldn't starve. Shen found it a little odd.

Once they'd finished the rather dull meal, they simply sat and looked out over the landscape. Shen noticed that where the castle was on such a high rise, they were surrounded by the tall peaks of the mountains around them. The forest was as far as the eye could see, and gave the place a feeling of isolation, of being a secret corner that remained hidden from the world.

"How long have you been here?" Shen asked.

"A few weeks," she answered. "I've begun to lose count."

"Surely you have a good knowledge of the land then, if it has been that long?"

Odette shrugged her wings. "Well, yes, a little. I might not know where in the world I am right now, but I know a little about the forest around the castle. All from my early attempts at escape, before I accepted that it was pointless."

"Do you know of any place that I could stay?" Shen asked. He tried to play the sympathy trick and tried to make himself sound as pitiful as his pride would possibly allow. "Since the shipwreck, I've been wandering aimlessly for any kind of civilisation, or a place to stay. Sadly, I have not found it."

"You could stay here?" she offered quickly. "I wouldn't mind, and I know Jon-bob and Speed wouldn't."

"No. I will not encroach on your hospitality further. Besides, I need a place where I can perhaps rebuild and find a way home… you wouldn't happen to know of any caves or mines or abandoned places in these woods, perhaps?"

Maybe he'd laid that on a bit thick, but it was too late to take the words back now. So he merely kept up his sincere expression and hoped she swallowed it.

"Hmmm," she hummed thoughtfully. "Now you mentioned it, I know that there's an old abandoned mine close by. Just at the bottom of that gully, there."

She leaned across him and pointed her wing out to the north to a spot that didn't look to be any more than a mile away. Shen kept his smile to himself and squashed down his sense of victory. By the night's end he could now inform the Boss Wolf and his pack to make their way towards the mine, then their preparations could begin.

"You really want to get home?" Odette's question brought him back to the present.

"Well, wouldn't you?"

She looked down, her eyes turning sad for a moment. "More than you can imagine…"

Did she trust him enough now? Could he now slightly push for that royal support he wanted? Perhaps if he attempted to play the role of the concerned friend, she could open up. He needed her full devotion if he was to blind her into following his intentions.

"Tell me about you, Odette." He said softly.

"There's not much to know. Just your typical princess story."

"Well, what about your family?"

"I don't have a one… really," her voice became distant, slightly pained. "My mother died when I was born. My father was already growing old – he gave me everything I could ask for. I loved him dearly…"

Her grief was so apparent that Shen knew her father to be dead. So, he asked, "What happened?"

"We were visiting a neighbouring Kingdom. On our journey back, we were attacked… by a monster." She shivered at the word. "My father's men were killed, and I watched my father lie in the mud… oh Shen!" she struggled to hold back the tears that threatened at her eyes. "I don't know what happened to him! It carried me off before I could get to him. For all I know, he could be… he could be…"

"Don't think on it now." Shen murmured. In his head he carefully weighed what this revelation granted him. If Odette was indeed the only living member of her family, then she would be the one granting the decisions. There would be no one else to oppose her support of him.

He wondered if this monster was the same as her jailor? Was it a boar? A crocodile? It had to be something considerate to take out a host of guards, unless those guards had been antelope like his parents had foolishly employed. Shen had to know the specifics if he was going to attempt an attack to rescue a princess in order to win her favour.

"I'm sorry," she muttered as she tried to get her breathing back under control. "I shouldn't be putting this on you."

"No need to apologise."

She gave him a smile. It made her eyes sparkle marvellously. "You're a good friend Shen, thank you."

He returned her smile.

"So, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

Shen blinked. This was unexpected. "What?"

"I've told you about me. But I feel like I hardly know anything about the real you."

"There isn't much more to say."

"Well, why were you travelling so far from home?"

"I had no choice," Shen said carefully. His gaze melted into the distance, his voice bitter as memories came to mind.

"What happened?"

It seemed that she was insistent. Shen could've made up any form of past that would satisfy her, but then that might not correlate later with his later reasons to take her kingdom's resources to conquer China. Yet he needed her sympathy. So maybe an edited version of the truth would help?

"I was on the run," he said vaguely at first, testing the waters to see how far he could tread.

"What? Why? What's wrong?" she asked quickly, eyes alight with worry for him.

"I had nowhere else to go. I… am an exile."

His gaze grew faraway again. Anger and resentment slowly crept into his voice. The memories were not pleasant ones, and usually he never wanted to think on them. They only helped to put him in a dark mood. But now they came without his permission, and before long he was swimming in the flood of betrayal and heartache that came with them.

"Years ago, I was attempting to invent something that would revolutionise my country. Ever since I was born, I was called freakish and sickly because I was different. So I wanted to be something special, to make my mark on the world.

"But then a Soothsayer came," Shen spat. Ah-Ma had been his nanny, his confidant and he had thought her to be someone who loved him. Only to find that she had turned on him just as everyone else had. "She foretold my downfall, that I would be defeated. I tried to stop it, but when the old goat had turned everyone against me. The royal court, the authorities… even my parents."

A lump grew in his throat, and he angrily tried to beat it down. His wings were trembling slightly. He reached into his sleeves and fiddled with the knives hidden amongst his feathers as a form of comfort. He almost didn't notice that he had Odette still as stone and staring at him with wide and grieving eyes.

"My parents… hated me. They wronged me. Threw me out, banished me from my home, no matter how I tried to explain it to them. They forced me to live a life in the cold and be an outcast from the world. And I've been alone ever since."

A heavy silence fell over the pair. The sun had fled and darkness had swept the sky and the bottom of Shen's heart. He felt empty and weak, and he hated it. The emotions refused to die, even after all this time. But why? Why couldn't he be left in peace with his hate and anger? Why did the hurt have to follow, that grief from knowing that one's own flesh and blood wanted nothing to do with your existence? Parents bring you into the world, they were meant to love you unconditionally. So why not his?

He startled when he felt something wrap around his shoulders. He jerked and looked down and was gobsmacked when he found Odette… embracing him! Her wings were folded around his shoulders, her chest pressed against his side, her neck entwined with his. Her head was tucked just underneath his chin as she nuzzled herself closer. Shen heard her soft breathes that signalled she was upset. He recognised that this was supposed to be some form of comfort towards him. In his society, a woman acting in such a way to a man she was not married to would be scandalous. And Shen himself did not like to be touched, and might have shoved her away. But he couldn't seem to wrap his brain around what was happening and respond. He was in too much shock. His beak was hanging open in what he was sure was an unflattering manner. Why wasn't he doing anything? Why was he just letting her do this?

Because no woman had ever touched him before, at least not voluntarily. He'd always longed for that companionship he'd seen in other couples, like his parents. But women always treated him with scorn and spite. He'd bitterly accepted that it was not for him. Yet here was a woman, a gorgeously beautiful woman, standing right beside him. She touched him frequently, almost without noticing, she didn't seem to even notice his pale complexion. She never said one hurtful thing about him, and here she was holding him in her arms and embracing him to give him comfort. Her hold was gentle and soft, and the way she felt was… nice.

For just a moment, he allowed himself to enjoy this feeling, to relax and let this woman be gentle with him. When was the last time he had been given kindness? Sympathy?

"I'm so sorry, Shen…" she whispered into his feathers. "I never imagined…"

He didn't say anything, just slowly leaned his own head against hers. By heaven, she was soft. And she let him touch her. Cautiously, he tentatively reached up with his wings, as if he might hold her as she held him. Allow himself to imagine this was real, that a woman might –

"Odette!" called a voice.

Swan and peacock jumped apart as fast as they could. Shen felt unbridled anger swell within him when he saw the tortoise hobble onto the veranda, the frog sat poised and ever prideful with his turned up nose.

"Odette," Speed huffed. "Look at the sky!"

She looked up, panicked. Shen looked too, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. The sky was clear and the crescent moon was rising into the sky. But for some reason Odette seemed to pale, her eyes grew wide.

"Oh no!" she gasped to herself. "I'm late!"

"Late for what?" Shen asked. But no one answered him, Odette just hurried away. "Odette!"

"There's no time to explain, Shen!" she called back.

Shen ran after her, his brows set, his eyes narrowed. This was the last suspicious and 'odd' thing he was going to put up with from Odette. He'd been patient, but now he would demand answers from her. When the swan didn't appear to be going fast enough for her liking, she flapped her powerful wings and took to the air. Shen didn't have that luxury, and so sped up his fast pace.

His talons scraped and tore up the ground as he came to a halt by the shore of the lake. He stopped just short of the lapping waters. Odette came into land, and landed perfectly on the water. She sat on the surface and looked up at the moon as it rose above the trees. Its silvery light glistened on the waves, and slowly came to encompass her. Odette closed her eyes and sighed as her the moonlight touched her wings.

Shen was about to shout out a demand for an explanation, when the words suddenly died in his throat.

The reflection of the moon that sat so perfectly beneath Odette, began to glow and grow into a perfect circle. First white, then yellow like the sun. Shen looked up, but the moon had stayed exactly the same. His eyes twitched as he turned back to the lake. The water around the glowing reflection began to twist like a whirlpool… but it rose into the air! It circled around Odette, twisting about her and changing colour from blue to purple to yellow as the light continued to grow. Odette reared back, and flapped her wings, her head lifted to the sky as her beak opened as if to cry out with joy. And that was the last Shen saw of her as the water encompassed her and shielded her from view.

It grew and straightened, and Shen thought it would lift entirely from the lake. But then, the water began to trickle away and fall back towards the lake it had spawned from. Shen's eyes went impossibly wide and his breathing became slightly erratic. His heart was hammering in his chest.

Odette was gone. In her place stood a tall human woman!