Author's Note: Roasted barley tea is a popular tisane in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisine. It's made by stewing roasted barley. It's often served hot in winter/cold in summer and is thought of as a cooling beverage in the summer. I first read about it in a manga, and since I am a shameless nerd for all things tea, I wanted to give it a shot. I had the good fortune of finally trying it this past Thursday (it's scrumptious!), and this little fic sort of spiraled out of that.

italics = flashbacks

In the cold mountains outside, a winter storm rages and heaps even more snow than usual upon grey stone.

.

"Nanny? Are you there?" A white peacock poked his head around the door. He was a bit small for his age, but otherwise he was an able-looking young adult.

From her desk, the Soothsayer Lan smiled at her visitor, and Shen felt relieved to see a friendly face. "Why hello, my prince. You're welcome to come in, but shouldn't you be with your parents...?"

The youth's crest flattened against his head, and his eyes were downcast as he answered, "Something came up, and they had to reschedule. Again. I thought I'd come here—" Suddenly he looked sheepish. "I'm not bothering you, am I?" He glanced around at papers piled on the goat's desk. Although her primary role was a seer, she was also a diplomat for the city. "I know you have work too."

"You're never a bother, Shen. Here, come sit with Nanny. I was just about to have some tea."

.

Inside, Shen balances a tray of tea in his wings as he ventures back up to the top floor of his foundry where his office is. He passes few people in the halls, and for those he does walk by, it is not a surprise for them to see the prince fetching his own afternoon tea. The foundry and its surrounding buildings are large enough that it would be little trouble to house any reasonable number of servants, but instead it is almost only the wolf soldiers and Shen.

Now that he finally has the means to do so again, Shen finds that he rarely employs servants from the few villages near his mountain factory. It is a bother and a needless expense—such money is better spent on metalworking supplies. Naturally, the wolves handle all the manufacturing grunt work, from building most of the parts to cleaning up the factory, but they also do general maintenance and tidying up in the other buildings. Soldiers aren't always the most capable choice for some domestic tasks, but they are the cheapest labor option, and if that means things are occasionally a little dusty, Shen isn't particularly bothered.

However, Shen has given in a little when it comes to the kitchens and has chosen to employ a few real cooks. And though their abilities are far below creating the delicacies Shen had grown up on in Gongmen City, these local cooks can at least concoct something tastier than the plain campaign food the wolves had resorted to in the early days of their exile.

For his own quarters, Shen does have one domestic servant—an old rabbit woman who takes care of various simple tasks such as cleaning, washing, and keeping a fire lit in the grate. She works slowly but thoroughly, and on the occasions that he happens to cross paths with her, Shen appreciates her quiet and unobtrusive presence.

Otherwise, Shen has learned to do many things for himself.

.

"Shen! Kindly pick up your toys before you go to your lessons." The young soothsayer had been moonlighting as a nanny for several years now and no longer felt self-conscious about scolding a prince. Shen had tried ordering her not to and had been annoyed to find it didn't work.

"Why should I have to do it?" the tiny chick whined in that high pitched way that only small children seemed capable of. "I have servants for that."

"Yes, but there's no need to leave behind unnecessary mess. Besides, it's good to be able to do things for yourself."

.

In the very earliest days of his exile when his little mercenary army had just been formed, Shen had had no means to pay his army save for his good word that money would be coming. The Wolf Boss Lin had suggested Shen might win more of the pack's approval by not acting like a pampered aristocrat. The prince had been greatly displeased by the notion—the wolves were his subjects after all—but with no money to his name, he'd been forced to admit that Lin's idea was sound. And so the prince was sometimes found pitching his own tent or washing his clothes at the river, just as all the other wolves handled their own. It had been degrading and irritating at first to be reduced to the level of a common servant, but after endless days of repetition Shen had eventually grown resigned to such lowly work.

Amusingly enough, he'd become a rather handy seamster as well. So many robes damaged during those nomadic years... Nowadays Shen once again has the luxury of fine robes that he can afford to send to the town tailor, but for the plain work clothes Shen wears in his laboratory, he generally tends to them without anyone else's help. The crisp linen garments get torn or soot-blackened so easily that it is just less of a hassle to clean and repair them himself.

With careful motions, Shen sets his tea tray down on a side table in his office as he closes the door behind him. On the tray is a cast iron teapot, a cast iron warmer, and a delicate little porcelain teacup looking very white and out of place beside the black metal. Shen fills the cup and then lights the candle in the warmer before setting his teapot on top of the warmer's lid. This will keep his tea nice and hot until he fancies a second or third or fourth cup. The peacock has chosen roasted barley tea today.

Shen doesn't feel particularly strongly about tea one way or another, but he considers it convenient. It is more interesting than plain water, and he can drink it in excess without suffering impairment to his senses as would be the case with alcohol. And on those nights—which happen frequently—when he will stay up till all odd hours, the peacock finds a certain sort of relaxation in pausing his work every so often to go about preparing a fresh cup.

He supposes he's learned the habit from her.

.

"Nanny, you drink a lot of tea..."

"I like tea, dear. 'It warms my heart and warms my bones', as my old mentor used to say. That and I sometimes like to read the tea leaves."

The little chick bounced excitedly; he was healthy for a change. "Oh! Will you read mine? Please?"

"Of course, Shen. Drink it down then hand me the cup."

.

The tea swirls in its cup like liquid amber, and every so often, Shen sets aside papers so that he can lift the cup to his beak for a sip. The barley tea is toasty and bitter and reminds the prince of wood smoke. Shen recalls how his Nanny had served it hot in the winter. When he had wrapped his little wingtips around the teacup, it would send a gentle rush of warmth through his frail frame.

In the summer, the Soothsayer drank her barley tea cold, saying it helped fight the heat. Ever susceptible to hot temperatures, Shen had drunk it too in the hopes that it would keep him cool. He remembers the first time he'd tried it...

.

"Here you are, my little prince. Some barley tea to ease you."

"Is it medicine?" The chick's suspicion was endearing in a way but sad too. Tentatively he took a drink, beak scrunching up at the taste. "Put honey in it!"

"No, Shen. Drink it as is."

.

As a chick, Shen would beg to have his tea sweetened, but his Nanny rarely complied. Now Shen always drinks it plain and prefers it that way. He thinks the old goat would laugh to hear him say that after the fuss he put up as a chick. She'd sounded so confident saying he'd grow to like the taste, and the peacock wonders if she acted the same as he did when she was little. He'll never have the chance to ask her...

Shen sighs grumpily at the thought, setting his teacup down on his desk with an unnecessarily loud clatter. He has meetings later, dammit. They're just some local mobsters, no one important, but the peacock still wouldn't want to show up to a meeting unprepared and distracted. Once he refills his cup he'll get back on task and not let his thoughts wander.

However, the prince can't resist the urge to pause once he's walked over to the side table and picked up the teapot. "I think I would like more tea," he says aloud. With his back to the rest of the room, Shen can almost pretend he's waiting for her to speak.

.

"I would like some more tea, Nanny. Would you too?" Shen stood and inched toward the kettle.

"That would be lovely, dear. I'll get it for us."

"No need, I'm already on my feet." He was eight and the kettle was heavy, but Shen managed. His Nanny did so much for him already, taking care of him all the times when he was sick. Shen wanted to at least be able to pour tea for her.

.

Shen holds the teapot in steady wings, his head bowed as he pours a fresh cup. The room is otherwise silent, and when Shen turns, teacup in his grasp, he is alone.

-fin-

Author's Note: Aw, that was sad. I like how this came out though, and you all should expect some more Soothsayer in my fics soon enough. I liked her since I first saw the movie, and lately I'm feeling that I'd like to explore her backstory more. I'm also working on a short Shen/Wolf Boss story where they actually get together (w00t!), and of course, I've got the next chapter of "And the Future Comes Undone".

Updates may be a little slow as I am focusing on some original writing at the moment, but rest assured I have lots of KFP ideas I'm wanting to write out! :D