Pet of the Peacock Prince
By Princess Thil Galel
I DO NOT OWN
Thank you
R&R
Please enjoy!
A day in a minute
Shen lay in the snow, dazed and numb. Flakes of ash rained down all around him, marring the beautiful white of the snow. But so did his blood as it dripped from his brow.
How did I get here? He thought, How did everything escalate to this?
Above him, thick clouds of black smoke rose into the air. For miles around, everyone could see the palace burning. The flames that had been a blaze mere moments ago were strangely dying, as if they had lost the will to burn, leaving the wood blackened, but intact. Regaining a bit of control, Shen lifted his neck, glancing around, blinking the blood out of his eyes.
His parents lay not too far from him, unconscious in the snow, surrounded by debris. Lady Sya was near the peafowl, a plank of wood laying across her back. But Lord Gao was missing, as was Lang, Tai Lung, Ah-Mah, and….
Amalthea! Shen's thoughts immediately raced, flowing back to that morning.
Amalthea waking from a nightmare, refusing to meet his gaze. The morning tea with everyone. The smoke bombs exploding. A figure dressed in solid black holding a knife to Amalthea's neck.
Her terror-filled eyes meeting his, the tears falling, but of regret and not fear. He hadn't understood then. Nor did it make sense when the knife melted in the figure's hand, or the flames that appeared out of nowhere to swallow the human.
Then he saw her; the bird from his dream had stood before him, bathed in fire. Their eyes had met, locking for one brief moment. Then, nothing. All he knew was waking up in the courtyard, laying sprawled out in the snow.
A shadow fell over him. Turning his head, the world swaying in slowly motion before his eyes, he saw her. The red bird. She was bare, not a stitch of clothing to cover her. But with the tiny flames dancing over her plumage, they had most likely been burned away. The fire didn't consume her feathers, but instead seemed to burn only the air.
The bird knelt, relieving her wing of their burden-an unconscious Lang. Shen felt relief wash over him. His friend was safe. But his gaze swiftly went back to the red bird, his eyes drinking in the blended bits of orange, gold, and pink. The peacock's wandering stare fell to her tail, and his breath seemed to still in his chest.
Five long, broad golden feathers formed a train similar to his own-they even sported red circles trimmed in a purplish-blue.
Shen tore his eyes away, looking up to her face. Her lapis-lazuli gaze met the ruby of his. Something in those depths of blue called out to him, like silent cries of shame and regret. It was the same look Amalthea had given him….
The red bird turned, swaying on unsteady legs, her heavy pants reaching his ears. He wanted to call out, to draw her back to him. But his head slowly sank back down to the bloody, ash coated snow. Shen forced his eyes to stay open, but the call of darkness was simply too strong. His eyes closed, and the world disappeared.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
Amalthea collapsed in the snow, unable to move any further. She felt cold, but she didn't care. Her life was over, plain and simple. How could this have happened? she wondered, Maybe it would have been better to just let them kill me…..
She thought back, remembering what happened.
She hadn't slept well, so she had been half asleep at breakfast. Shen had placed a wing on her shoulder. "Amalthea, are you sure you're alright?" he asked softly, "Do you want to excuse yourself?"
The human shook her head. "No, I'm fine." The breakfast had gone by in a bit of a blur. Amalthea hadn't paid much attention to anything, and was glad Lord Azure had dominated the table with Lord Gao.
That was when it had happened. A snowy owl servant had come up beside her. Amalthea had frozen in place. The bird was a dead ringer for the ghost who had visited her, only it was a female, and slightly younger. But it was the eyes that sent terror through her.
Golden eyes, like the sun.
Before Amalthea could warn anybody, the owl tossed something onto the table-a black sphere. The smoke bomb exploded, plunging the room into chaos. Three figures in black leaped down from the rafters, while the owl disappeared out the window. One hit Lord Gao with a war hammer, another went after the guards with twin swords, and the third kicked Shen aside, then wrapped an arm around Amalthea's neck. She struggled, trying to break free…..until she saw the knife at her throat.
Shen got to his feet, pulling out a knife, while Xin Jing tangled with her father's attacker. "I wouldn't do that, demon." The figure hissed, jerking Amalthea's head back by her hair. "One move and your pet loses her neck."
The peacock froze, looking to the human. "What is it that you want?" he demanded.
"Your head."
Amalthea sucked in a breath, staring at Shen, trying to will him into rejecting the offer. There was no way they would let her go in exchange for him. But to horror, he slowly nodded. "Alright, just let her go." he said.
In the chaos, no one seemed to hear the bargaining. But it broke the human's heart. She couldn't let him do that, no matter what. He was important, heir to his kingdom. Shen needed to survive.
But she didn't.
Amalthea gave him one last look, knowing she'd never be able to look upon him again as her friend. The human closed her eyes, silently begging his forgiveness, but knowing she would never have it.
She retreated deep within herself, finding her center. The image of a flame in a sphere of glass appeared in her mind. The flame grew in its prison, becoming hotter, and hotter, until it melted the glass and broke free.
Amalthea's eyes opened, revealing solid lapis-lazuli irises. Flames leaped into existence on her skin, fire rapidly consuming her. The knife at her neck melted, burning the hand which held it, while the figure leaped away, batting at the flames clinging to their clothes.
Amalthea groaned, gritting her teeth against the pain. The energy was releasing itself all at once, she had no control over its escape, but she could direct it.
During the explosion, the change overtook her. She had become her true form, the one she was born in, and had gone through great lengths to hide. The transformation, and huge burst of energy had drained her, but she had forced herself to carry the others out of the burning, smoke-filled room through the hole she had accidentally created in the wall.
Now the events had caught up to her.
I can't believe I was so foolish. I've revealed myself. Now everyone will know what I am. A tear rolled down her cheek as her eyes closed. Shen, I'm sorry…
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
"Shen…..Shen…..Shen!"
The peacock jumped awake, looking around frantically. He was in his guest room in the palace, tucked into his bed. "Wha…what?" he stammered, "How did….?"
A hoof landed on his shoulder, Ah-Mah gently hushed him. "Its okay, Shen, you're safe." she assured him, "You were out cold all day and slept through the night."
Shen gently touched his brow, feeling the bandages wrapped around his head. "What happened?" he demanded, "Where are my parents?"
"Resting, both had only minor injuries.
"Lang? Xin Jing and her parents?"
"Lang has gone out with some of his pack to search for the three who attacked us, and Xin Jing is with her parents. Lord Gao's nose is broken, but it with heal."
"And Amalthea?" he asked, somewhat hesitantly. "I think I hit my head rather hard. I dreamed the craziest thing-Amalthea burst into flames and changed into a bird!"
Ah-Mah tapped her cane. "Well….."
Shen looked at the goat. "Nanna, you're not saying…I didn't dream that, are you?"
She simply smiled knowingly at him. "You should see for yourself." She replied, "Feel up a short trip down the hall?"
Shen could hardly get up fast enough. But the moment he was on his feet, he nearly went to the floor. His head was spinning, throbbing with a sudden headache. The prince held still for a moment, knowing full well he was going to be sick if he tried to move. Pressing a wing to his temples, and closing his eyes, Shen took several deep breaths. After a moment, the pain and dizziness calmed down enough that he trusted himself to move.
"Not a pleasant way to wake up," he murmured dryly, then looked to the soothsayer. "I'm ready-lead the way."
She nodded, and headed for the door, the prince trailing after her. "I should warn you," she began, "What you'll see may be a bit of a shock. But no matter what, you must remember."
Shen frowned at the back of her head. "Remember what?"
The goat sighed as she stopped at a door, and turned to him. "Sometimes, people tell lies, for good reasons. Whether its to protect themselves, or those around them. Lying is never a good thing, but there are lies that are wrong, then those that are acceptable and don't mean to cause harm." She replied, "Amalthea is your friend, Shen. She is the same person now, as she was when we first arrived here."
The prince sighed in frustration and impatience, he brushed past her, and swiftly entered the room. He didn't bother looking at the room, it was too dimly lit to see well anyway. It was as if the servants hadn't tended the fire, lit the lanterns or the candles, and there were no window to let the light of day inside. But a small fire burned in the hearth, and a single candle on the nightstand beside the bed was lit.
The bed was in the middle of the back wall, the head of it against the wall. The covers were twisted and looked well slept in. But again, that didn't interest him. What did was the beautiful creature sleeping beneath the blankets. The red bird lay there, sleeping seemingly peacefully on her side. Her long, graceful neck and head were cradled perfectly by the pillows, the contrast of the fiery colors against the white made the hues stand out even more. The blanket had slipped down, revealing a rather sensual view of her shoulder and the upper portion of her chest.
He shook his head, scolding himself. He was a prince-far above the common urges of the body, and he was certainly not one to ogle women. But still, never in his life had he seen something like her. She was in a class all her own, one above even his royal title.
Shen edged closer, and reached out. His wing paused an inch above her. He could feel the warmth radiating off of her, like a candle's flame-small and contained, but warmer like the fire in a hearth. He began to wonder if he could even touch her now. If he did, would he get burned?
If he would…he was half-tempted to do so just to see what it felt like.
Throwing caution to the wind, he placed his wing on her shoulder, giving it a shake. Warmth flowed into his feathers, like hot bathwater. He shivered at the sensation, enjoying the welcoming heat.
The red bird groaned softly, burying her head into the pillow, not wanting to awaken. But the shaking didn't stop, and she had no choice but to open her eyes. A soft gasp escaped her as her gaze landed on Shen. She quickly sat up, clutch the sheet to her breast, trying to maintain some modesty. Her gaze dropped to her lap, refusing to look upon him.
"Amalthea?" he asked, "Is…..is this really you?" She grimaced, lowering her head until her beak nearly touched her chest. The prince frowned. "Answer me," he demanded, "Please, just say something!"
"What would you have me say?" she murmured at last, refusing to look at him.
"Just about anything would do at this point," he replied, "But….what are you? I've never heard of humans transforming, or setting things on fire."
"You don't sound all that surprised," she said, and shook her head. "I should have been more careful."
"I think I got all the shock out of my system when you burst into flames." he stressed, "Amalthea. What. Happened?"
She sighed, pulling the blanket further up to cover her shoulders. "I'm…..not human, Shen. Not in the least."
"Obviously." he murmured, "Tell me the truth, Amalthea."
She swallowed hard, her throat feeling suddenly dry. "You already know that." she whispered.
"No, I don't." he said dryly, "Just say it."
The red avian squeezed her eyes shut, as if to block out the world. "I'm…..a phoenix."
