Pet of the Peacock Prince
By Princess Thil Galel
I DO NOT OWN
Thank you
R&R
Please enjoy!
Warm greetings my lovely readers! Before I begin thanking all the wonderful reviewers, I'd like to address something that several people have asked me about. As you all know, Shen's mother is 'Hera' but I'd like to point out that in chinese the 'R' in her name makes the 'L' sound. Like this-"Hee-lah', which means 'whimsical'. But theres a double meaning as to why I named her such. In greek myths Hera is the 'queen' of the gods and is the goddess of 'families', 'peaches', and 'peacocks'! See what I did there now?
Now on with the 'thank you's: angellic dragon, jozs001, and the critic. As a surprise to jozs001, I'd like to give you a very special thank you for your encouragement and support. This chapter in dedicated to you!
The coming of Oogway
Amalthea held out her arms as the rabbit seamstress slid a string along their length. The human felt rather uncomfortable, she'd never had a seamstress to make her clothes. Only her mother or herself had sewn anything she'd ever worn. But things could have been much worse, and she'd be greatful to have some of her own clothes to wear instead of borrowing Lang's.
"...And, done." said the rabbit, she stepped back and wrote down the measurements. She tucked the quill behind her ear and opened the trunk she'd brought along with her. Rolls and squares of fabic lay within, the rabbit took out several pieces and held them up for inspection. "Now, I've got these lovely hemp fabrics from the Wuhan region. Or perhaps some cotton from Shandong?"
A wing reached over the seamstress's shoulder and took the fabric. Shen scrutinized the cloth and shook his head as he tossed it back into the trunk. "No, these won't do." he stated and tucked his wings into his sleeves "I'll only settle for silks-no commoner materials." He glanced over the line of threads set in the top of the trunk. They were used for color selection, and Shen's eyes were immediately drawn to the reds and jade-greens.
The rabbit tapped her chin in thought. Shifting through her fabrics, she pulled out a square of ivory silk. "This is my best fabric-the finest silk in the Guizhou Province." she said. The white peacock took it between his primary feathers, giving it an extremely close inspection. The seamstress held a thread of blue-violet out to the peacock "This color would look just divine on her, your Majesty. Perhaps even with a pink sash and a maroon waist skirt?"
Shen nodded "Yes, I think that'll do nicely." he said as he threw the square back into the trunk "Have several hanfus made, along with gis and kus. Feel free to choose any number of colors, as long as Miss Amalthea finds them to her liking, of course." He smiled at Amalthea, trying to offer her some reassurance. The prince had overheard the human expressing her unease to the Soothsayer earlier that morning, and he had noticed how stiff she'd been since the seamstress walked into the room.
Amalthea chewed her lip nervously, but she managed to return the prince's smile. When the rabbit asked what colors she wanted, she quickly pointed out several earthy shades of brown and green. This didn't go unnoticed by the peacock, and when the seamstress began packing up her supplies, he quietly whispered into her ear. He made sure Amalthea wasn't watching, and stealthily passed the seamstress a slip of paper. They both thanked the rabbit as they departed, and then headed for the palace library.
The white peacock wanted to show off his magnificent home as much as possible, and the vast collection of books and scrolls would certainly impress anyone. Shen pushed open the grand doors, with a dramatic sweep of his wings he gestured to the countless books lining the shelves. "Welcome to the Tower of Sacred Flame library, Miss Amalthea." he said and waved her inside "Feel free to look around and find anything that catches your eye. We have scrolls on everything you could wish to know-from brewing the finest teas, to preparing a meal fit for a king."
The human's eyes were wide with awe as she stepped into the room. Jade vines grew over every shelf, sporting blossoms of gold and gemstones. But what those shelves held were the true treasures, sources of knowledge and wisdom. Shen took a book down from a nearby shelf, he opened it to reveal the bamboo pages within. "This happens to be one of my favorite pieces of folklore, the tale of the phoenix. The book itself is nearly as old as the palace-the bamboo instead of paper being evidence of it's age." he said and offered her the book "Care to take a look? Its a worthwhile fable."
She looked over the words and felt her stomach twist into a painful knot. The peacock frowned in confusion when he noticed her face. "Pri-er, Shen, I..." her voice faultered and she swallowed hard "I...I can't read this."
Shen flinched in surprise "Wha-what?" he asked, completely stunned "I don't understand. Its a great story. How can you not want to read it?"
Amalthea bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the floor. She pulled the wide collar of Lang's shirt up from where it had slid off her shoulder. "Shen, you know where I'm from, don't you?" she asked.
He nodded "Yes, of course. You're from Japan." he answered "But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Well, in Japan we speak-and read-japanese." she said.
Now Shen felt truly confused "But you speak chinese fluently-you're doing so right now!" he stated. Then, he understood. "How can you speak a language and not know how to read it? How did you even learn to speak chinese?"
Her fingers traced one of the nearby jade vines with melancholy in her strangely colored eyes. When she reached a gold flower she sighed softly "My Grandpa, well thats what I call him even though we're not related, he's from China and he travels a lot." she said "I've known him all my life, he's like family. He taught me and my brother chinese when I was little. He would even pretended to let me teach him japanese. But I never learned to read it, and I haven't seen him in a long time. Although, we still send letters to each other through his messanger bird."
"I see." murmured the white peacock. He was even more confused than before. "Pardon me for intruding, but I have to ask. If your 'Grandpa' is from China, and you're village avoids the outside world like a plague, how did he find it?" She stiffened visibly. Averting her gaze, Amalthea quickly turned her attention to the stack of scrolls on a nearby shelf. Shen's crest lowered in annoyance "Amalthea," he said sternly "Don't pretent that you didn't hear me."
Her mouth opened, then closed. She let out a frustrated sigh "Its...complicated," she finally answered "And hard to explain. All I can really say is that he's helped quite a few people in my village after he stumbled onto it. Everyone sort of just welcomed him to return whenever he wish...as long as he kept us a secrect."
Shen wasn't certain how he should respond. He'd never met anyone quite like this human. She was complex at the best of times, it seemed, and a locked chest at the worst. But everyone had their secrects, including himself. He couldn't begrudge her that, even if it made conversing with her all the more difficult. But it made him even more determend to help her open up to him.
The peacock snapped the book shut and set it back on the shelf. There was no point in reading it at the moment, not with the touchy subject of Amalthea's reading skills hanging fresh in the air between them. It would only serve to agitate her further, and that was not something Shen wanted. After everything she'd been through she deserved a little mercy, and if he didn't take pity on her, who would?
But what to do now? The grand library plan was a bust-turned from an enjoyably afternoon with good books and company, to an awkward situation in ten minutes flat. Suddenly, a brilliant idea came to mind. He knew exactly where to take her.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
"Where are we going?"
"Can't say."
"Can't say? You live here, do you not know where we are?"
"Oh, I know where we are. I just can't say it."
"Can't, or won't?"
"Uh, I'm going to go with 'won't' if its all the same to you."
Amalthea sighed as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I think you're the type of person who loves surprises." she said. She followed a few steps behind the peacock's train as he lead her across the court yard at the rear of the palace. He had refused to tell her what he had in store. She didn't like being kept in the dark, and the ever widening grin on the prince's face only made her even more suspicious of his intentions.
He chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at her "You'd be surprised by how much I don't like surprises." he said in a low voice, "I can only appreciate them in certain situations, and even then they must be few and far between...if you catch my meaning." She didn't dignify it with a response, instead she looked away and toyed with her braid. Shen's crest fell slightly, disheartened a bit by her refusal to speak further. But he kept his head high and mantained an air of regality. Contrary to popular belief, the white prince was rather tender-hearted and could easily take offense from certain people-especially those he knew personally.
That was part of the reason he and his father hadn't exactly been on casual speaking terms for quite some time. Shen refused to discuss the subject with the king and would immediately find an excuse to leave the room. If there wasn't one to be had, the prince would try-and fail-to mantain his temper, and when enough was enough he'd snap. Lashing out verbally, using every word he could to make the older peacock hurt just as much as the prince himself had been.
But Shen tried not to think about it, or such things like it. He wasn't about to let what had transpired between him and the king take up any of his time. The old peacock simply wasn't worth the effort as far as Shen was concerned.
As they approarched a small building, Shen fished a key out of his sleeve and unlocked the door. There was only one room beyond. It was filled from one end to the other with shelves, and the shelves were filled with clay and glass jars. Amalthea followed the prince inside, her eyes wandering up to the ceiling. It was painted like the night sky, the constellations were outlined in the shapes they represented with gold paint. But stars weren't the only thing hanging over their heads. Amalthea didn't recognize them. "Shen?" she asked "What are those flower things?"
The peacock looked up "Oh, those? They're firework explosions." he said offhandedly. He ran a primary feather over the rows of jars, murmuring quietly as he read the lables. His eyes suddenly lit up "Ah, here it is!" he exclaimed and took down one of the jars. The prince went to a metal desk in the middle of the room, it was covered with dozens of open and half-empty jars, heaps of scribbled on papers, and small clay plates coated with black dust. Glancing down at the floor, Amalthea realized the dust was everywhere. On the floor, the shelves, in the jars, and now even on the bottom of her feet.
Shen opened the jar and poured a small pile of it's silvery-gray contents into an empty stone mortar. Setting one jar aside, he took another and added a black powder, then began mixing them together with a pestle. He pinched some of the mixture between his primary feathers and seemed to test the texture. With a smile, he set the mortar down and picked up a flint rock and a piece of metal that had been hidden amongst the clutter. He pulled a coal-filled brazier closer and struck the stone against the metal until the sparks produced a flame.
"Ever see fireworks, Miss Amalthea?" asked the prince as he opened a bottle of ink and started scribbling on one of the papers.
"A few times, from far off." she replied.
"Have you ever wondered where they come from?" he asked "Or what gives them their colors?"
"From time to time, yes." she confirmed "Is that what you're doing? Trying to make fireworks?"
The white peacock chuckled "Miss Amalthea," he said, a twinkle in his eyes "My parents invented fireworks, and they taught me how to make them. What I'm trying to do is make my own signature fireworks display-thats what all this is!" He swept his wing around in a grand gesture to the room. "Fireworks get their color from the different substances you add, and lately I've been trying to get a very specific shade of green. So, lets see what happens with a little barium..." Shen poured a little of the mixed powder into his palm and tossed it into the flames. It exploded with a crackle into a shower of green sparks.
The prince's eyes lit up, excitement sparkling in their depths as he wrote down the reaction. Amalthea, on the other hand, was anything but excited. Images of leaping flames flashed before her eyes, screams that had long since died rang fresh in her ears. If the black dust exploded when it touched fire, and everything in the room was coated with it...
Shen skimmed over his notes, then nodded in satisfaction "That looked like exactly what I've been working to get. I think I should try for..." he trailed off as he turned and found that he was alone. "Amalthea?"
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
The snow numbed Amalthea's bare feet as she ran, the dust left gray footprints behind her, marring the white beauty. She couldn't feel her toes when she finally stopped to catch her breath. Leaning against a wall she wiped the sweat from her brow, and slid to the ground. Thankfully the snow there had been swept away. She shivered in the chill of the icy breeze, and wished that she could be sitting in front of the fire with her brother back home.
"Hey!"
Amalthea jumped, looking up she saw a wolf standing over her. By the look of his armour, she knew he was a palace guard, and the black stripes over his red coat told her he was also half dog. She quickly came to her feet, stumbling slightly, and bowed respectfully. This made him pause briefly, but he quickly shook it off. "What are you doing here?" he demanded "Who are you?"
"Greetings, Pack Brother." she said "I'm Amalthea...Lord Shen's...pet." Pet, that one word had become so embarrassing to utter. But that was what she was brought here for, to be the prince's pet, one of his belongings.
The guard quirked his head in surprise, apparently addressing the wolves in Gongmen City by one of their terms confused them. His brow furrowed as he studied her for a moment, then a spark of recognition flashed in his red eyes. "Wait, I know about you. The Boss Wolf told us that flea-bitten fox brought a human for Lord Shen." he said "He called you...Thea, right? I'm Aka, and its good to meet you, Pack Sister." She smiled warmly as he shook her hand. The wolf gestured to the building behind her "Its pretty cold out here for someone without a winter fur coat." he commented "The Boss is inside, you want to come in and see him?"
She smiled through chattering teeth as she rubbed her arms. "That would be lovely, Brother." He snickered as he wrapped an arm around her and lead her inside. Amalthea already felt warmer. The wolves back home had always been friendly, they treated her like family simply because they could. To find that the wolves of China were just as caring lessened the loneliness in her heart.
When they entered the building, every wolf they passed offered them a smile. A few stared, but not openly. Aka lead her to a room on the top floor, he softly knocked on the door and called "Hey, Boss, you've got a visitor."
"Enter." came the wolf's voice. Aka opened the door and gestured her inside. With a greatful smile Amalthea stepped into the room, and the door slid shut behind her. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the low light, but once they did the sight that greeted her was heartbreaking. Lang lay in bed with the blankets up to his chin, his fur messy, his eyes bleary, and his ears pinned back in discomfort. His mouth curled into a slight smile, the tips of his fangs gleamed white against his black lips. "Hey Thea," he said, his voice rough and somewhat wheezy "Come to see the bedridden puppy?"
She couldn't help a smirk "Something like that." she said. Kneeling beside the bed, Amalthea pressed the back of her hand to his forehead "Looks like you don't have a fever, a good sign that no infection has set in." she commented, and gently smoothed his ruffled fur.
Lang sighed softly at the comforting touch "That feels good," he murmured "If only it was that easy to make my side stop hurting." He carefully rubbed at the wound, whimpering as his clawtips caught the stitches. Amalthea pulled his hand away with a disapproving frown, the wolf frowned "Don't give me that look-I can't help it!" he complained "It hurts, burns, itches, and the dry blood in my fur is driving me crazy!"
"Has no one cleaned your side yet?" asked the human, when the wolf shook his head she stood "Well then, I'll need to find some water and a washcloth, now won't I?" Lang directed her to speak with a she-wolf named Kisa downstairs. It didn't take long for her to locate the honey-colored female, who was more than happy to lend her a basen of warm water and a rag.
When Amalthea returned to Lang's room, she found the wolf forcing himself into a sitting position. She placed a hand on her hip with a stern glare. "That is the absolute last thing you should be doing." she scolded, setting the basen down she knelt down by his injured side. She carefully tugged up his gi to reveal the stab wound, the blue-black fur surrounding it was crusted and matted with dried blood and herbal salve. Shaking her head, Amalthea soaked the rag in the hot water "This'll sting..." she warned. Lang's mouth opened to respond, but all that came out was a pained yelp. "I warned you."
The wolf bit down hard on his lip, his claws digging into the bed. "Would have liked one with a little more of a heads up." he hissed through gritted teeth. Amalthea held the cloth in place, letting the warm water soak into the dirty fur. Her hand was steady and applied only the pressure that was absolutely needed. After a short while, Lang began to relax slightly "You know, somehow I get the feeling that you've done this kind of thing before."
Amalthea giggled as she gently cleaned around the injury "Once or twice." she replied "Teshin is as wild as the woods he runs through, he's always getting himself into trouble. He almost got caught by a farmer at the base of the moutain when he was exploring, the goat shot him in the back with a stone arrowhead as he ran. That furball knew we're not allowed to be seen, but he's always been so curious as to how the others live." She dunked the rag back into the water to clean it, then wrung it out and watched as the clear liquid turned pink. "He managed to drag himself home afterwards, but not before infection settled in. Mother had to cut the wound open to get the arrow out, then she had me sew it shut and keep it clean."
"So then your mother taught you medicine?" he asked.
She let his gi fall when she was satisfied that his fur was clean. "No, just the basic stuff-cleaning injuries, tending to fevers, and such. Nothing else, though."
A knock came at the door "Lang, its Nanna, dear." said the goat "May I come in?"
"Sure, Nanna."
The door slid open to reveal the Soothsayer, the old goat's smile faultered a bit when she saw Amalthea, but a quick glance at the wolf and the basen brought it back. She rested her hooves on top of her cane "Feeling better, dear?" she asked. The wolf nodded, Ah-Mah chuckled softly "Good to hear." she turned to the woman wringing out the rag "Amalthea, Shen has been looking for. He said he turned his back one minute and you were gone the next."
Amalthea smiled sheepishly "I apologize, something just...caught my eye." It wasn't an entire lie, more like a half-truth.
With an amused smirk, the goat beckoned for her to follow "Well, if you're done sightseeing, sweetie, Shen sent me to find you." she said "Apparently he's been summoned by Master Rhino to demonstrate his skills for the Grand Master of the Jade Palace-he's here to meet with King Azure, but he's always been one to take a keen interest in the next generation." They bid the Wolf Boss good-bye, and headed off.
O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O
The leucistic prince twirled a throwing knife between his primary feathers, watching the silvery steel glimmer in the sunlight. The two masters had arrived with a student in tow. Something he hadn't expected. One of them had gone to speak with his father, the other had come to visit with Master Rhino, along with his student. Master Thundering Rhino asked the young peacock to show them his impressive blade wielding skills.
The masters bowed to each other in mutual respect. When Rhino turned to him, he tucked the blade into his sleeve. "Are you ready, my Prince?" asked the rhinoceros. Shen glanced at the red panda and the snow leopard, who was eyeing him, and nodded. As quickly as he'd sheathed it, the prince whipped out a second blade and sent it flying.
Rhino stood off to the side of the target range beside the red panda, watching his young student's techniques become more complicated, elaborate, and unorthodox. He glanced down at the smaller master "What do you think, Master Shifu?" he asked.
"Lord Shen's skill with a blade is rather impressive for one so young." said Shifu. The red panda's blue eyes followed the flashing blades, the peacock might be young but he would clearly rise to the rank of master with ease. He glanced at the snow leopard standing stiffly beside him "Perhaps you should spend a little time sparring with his Majesty, Tai Lung. Its always good to practice with different opponents, and Lord Shen's unique battling style would certainly test your adaptability."
The muscular snow leopard grunted, his eyes darting over the peacock's form as he closely studied the prince. "He's a bit on the scrawny side for a Kung Fu master." he murmured. The comment didn't go unheard by the white prince, he ground his beak together to hold back a sharp remark. He did, however, get some satisfaction when the red panda smacked the cat's knee with a bamboo flute, and quietly scolded the feline.
When the last blade left the peacock's grasp, he turned and bowed to the masters. Master Rhino lightly chuckled as he clapped his large hands "Well done, my Prince, very well done." he said and clasped the young peacock's shoulder. Shen smiled proudly, he'd not only shown his own skills to be top notch, but Master Rhino's teachings as well.
"Shen."
The prince turned to find the Soothsayer entering the target range. He smirked when he spotted Amalthea trailing behind her "Ah, there you are." he said "I was wondering where you'd gotten to."
Amalthea offered him a tiny smile, but not a reply. Her aquamarine eyes swept over the gigantic rhinoceros, and the small red panda without much thought. She'd seen a few of their kind during her imprisonment, so she clasped her hands together and bowed at the waist. But as she straightened, her gaze met a pair of golden orbs. The feline standing before her was unlike any other she'd ever encountered.
His bare white-furred chest was broad, heavily muscled and sinewy, and his arms were as thick as tree branches. The black kus he wore clung tightly to his massive thighs and well developed calves. His gold rosette spotted, stone-gray pelt shown with a glossy sheen in the light of the midday sun, making it appear healthy and downy soft. The look on his face told her that he was quite dumbstruck and in awe by her presence, something she tended to get often.
Seeing the silent staring contest between the cat and the human ruffled Shen's feathers. He cleared his throat to bring their attention to him "I believe you gentlemen came here to talk with my father, yes?" he inquired "If you'll follow me, I shall take you to him."
Shifu pressed a fist to his palm as he dipped his head "Thank you Lord Shen, that is most kind of you." he said. With a soft growl from the red panda, the feline copied his master's example and bowed to the prince. The peacock bid his master farwell, he beckoned Amalthea to his side, and gestured for the others to follow.
Meanwhile, in the palace throne room, King Azure decided to asked the one question he'd been meaning to speak of. "Now, Grand Master, I understand your young student is still in training." he said "But I'd like to offer him a chance to train here under Master Thundering Rhino, as a bodyguard for my son." The king waited patiently for the Grand Master to answer.
The old tortoise smacked his lips together and opened his mouth as if to speak...only to raise his tea for a lengthy sip. The king's crest fell in awkward uncertainty. This tortoise truly was an interesting character, to say the least. He briefly licked his lips as he set the cup aside "I think its a wonderful idea." he said at last "Tai Lung needs to get out more, see people, enjoy the world beyond the Jade Palace walls. And I am certain your son shall benefit greatly from the experience as well."
The king clasped his wings together "Excellent, I'm so glad you feel that way, Grand Master." he said "Shen'll be overjoyed to here the news-speaking of my son, here he is!"
Shen paused briefly at the top of the stairs before fully coming into the throne room. As the others filed in behind, he bowed respectfully to the tortoise. The Grand Master stood and dipped his head. The white peacock straightened himself to address the tortoise "Greetings, Grand Master, it is an honor to meet you at last." said the prince.
Amalthea, who had somehow managed to drop to the back of the group, finally entered the room. Her eyes roamed over the beautiful pillars and elaborate designs decorating the walls and ceiling, until they fell on the Grand Master. Her sudden gasp caused everyone to turn. She stumbled forward a few steps, her gaze locked on the tortoise. "Grandpa?" she asked tentatively.
The tortoise chuckled playfully "Isn't this a surprise," he said "The universe seems to have brought us back together, Yue Liang."
Tears flooded her eyes at the nickname. She rushed past the others and threw her arms around the tortoise neck "Grandpa Oogie!" she exclaimed.
A set of talons grabbed the back of her shirt and tossed her to the floor. King Azure stood over her, glaring daggers hot enough to melt steel. He turned his enraged gaze on his son "Shen, either learn to control your pet, or put it on a leash!" he snapped, and turned to Oogway "I'm so sorry, Grand Master-a thousand apologies from my son and myself. His new pet has yet to be properly broken in, so it's still a little wild."
Amalthea stared pleadingly up at the tortoise as Shen helped her to her feet. With a sympathetic smile, Oogway gently moved the king peacock aside with his staff, utterly confusing the royal bird. "Oh, there is no need to be so hostile, your Majesty." he said gently and placed his long claws on Amalthea's shoulder with a broad smile "After all, your son's pet just so happens to be my granddaughter from Japan."
Dun dun du! Big surprise, huh? I'd like to announce that I'll be opening a poll for you to vote on who you want to see Amalthea end up with. Happy voting! Ps if any one can guess Amalthea's biggest secret I'll proudly add in an OC for the winner.