Richard grew quieter as they approached the valley where Castle Wayne stood. His sense of misgiving had been steadily growing, and good as he was at lying to himself when it suited him, he couldn't put aside the source of his feelings so easily this time. His entire world view had been shaken during this journey; Paula von Gunther's assertions were the last and possibly the least of his concerns. There was more at stake here than the well-being of one noble family, or one lone centaur and his harpy companion.

And all of it seemed to rest squarely on Richard Wayne's shoulders.

By late afternoon, they rode up to the gates at the main entrance of Castle Wayne. Richard's stomach had been knotted for hours, but he showed his inner tension to no one. If everyone else kept calm, he had a decent chance of pulling the whole thing off.

Servants and stablehands appeared to greet them, hesitating imperceptibly at the sight of an unrestrained centaur accompanying their master. Horses were led to the stables, torn travel clothes quickly exchanged for more suitable wear, and somewhere in the rush, Roy and Donna had vanished, presumably to her room in celebration of her return.

As usual, Castle Wayne's master butler was on hand to greet Richard personally. He inclined his head toward his lord's companions. "New additions to the collection, Master Richard?"

Richard flushed, embarrassed that Jericho and Raven had overheard that remark. Why they should have expected his family to be unique among nobility and not keep exotics, he didn't know; most likely they *hadn't* expected him to be any different, but it still hurt to live down to low expectations. "Uh, no, Alfred; they're guests. Show them to the outer courtyard, please, and provide them with some fruit. I'll be back shortly." He fled to the castle, unable to meet their gaze.

His destination was not his own room, but his mother's. She was taller and broader than Donna, and he would need as large a woman's tunic as he could find. Her loose green lounging robe would have to do; he snatched it from its hanger and dashed back out of the castle.

But not to the outer courtyard.

The menagerie was kept in the inner courtyard, as well protected as any costly investment might be. The gilded cages were reinforced magically, preventing even the smallest of the creatures from slipping through the bars to freedom. Those magicks were generated in the wards housed on a central pedestal -- three glowing blue cubes, each no larger than a hen's egg. Murmuring the spell under his breath, he watched as the wards were engulfed in flames and slowly crumbled into ash, their magic dying along with them.

"You're free," he said, loud enough that they all could hear him. "As of this moment, you're all free to leave." He would still have to unlock the cages for the larger occupants, but the smaller ones were already making good their escape. An ordinary-looking buck vanished in a flash of light and slithered through the bars as a snake, heading straight for Richard. Instead of attacking, though, the changeling altered form once again, and stood before Richard as a young man, his skin and hair as green as new grass. He smiled in wordless thanks and transformed himself into a sparrow, darting up into the sky and away to freedom.

Richard ran to each of the remaining cages, pressing his palm against the sensor plate that would trigger the lock release. Most of the exotics had some form of flight capability; the few who didn't wandered aimlessly in the courtyard, waiting for directions out of the compound. They would have to wait a little longer; Richard had saved the hardest for last.

'I'm sorry about all of this, I really am,' he signed, unlocking the last cage. 'It's because you can't speak our language, you know -- that makes it so easy for us to view you as animals. Too easy. But I know better now; I'm just sorry it took this long.'

The chestnut centaur mare stared warily at him. She had seen him destroy the wards and free the others, but after two long years, it still felt unreal to be able to set hoof outside the cage without half a dozen humans lading her down with tethers and restraints. Now here was a human not just offering her freedom, but telling her so in her own language. Hesitantly, she got to her feet and walked slowly out of the door.

He held out the tunic to her, keeping his eyes averted. She had given up trying to cover her nakedness several months into her captivity, and no longer kept her arms crossed over her chest at all times. It never used to bother him to see her unclothed, but that was when she was still just an animal to him. Now that she was a woman -- albeit a woman with four legs and hooves -- it was improper for him to see her without a tunic.

She took it from him gratefully and pulled it over her head, revelling in the feel of the soft fabric against her skin. It was a good color for her, the emerald silk casting green highlights in her blue eyes while setting off her flaming red hair and coppery coat.

"This way," Richard said, gesturing for the others to follow him. He lead them through the maze of open corridors, ignoring the stunned looks on the faces of the servants and the hushed whispers all around. As they neared the exit of Castle Wayne's walled estate, many of the former captives bolted for freedom, running through the exit and toward the woods as fast as their feet could carry them. The chestnut mare, too, picked up her pace, a giddy neigh bursting forth as she increased speed.

Surprisingly, her call was answered from the outer courtyard, and she stopped so suddenly that her hooves slid on the paving stones. Even as she turned to the sound, Jericho shot into view, his long golden legs flying at full gallop. With a squeal of excitement, the mare launched herself at the stallion, the two of them colliding in an embrace that would have knocked any other creature off its feet.

Raven soared over Richard's head and landed on the wall next to him. "Kole!" she gasped, staring at the mare. "She is Jericho's mate," she told him quietly; he had already guessed as much. "I dare say your life-debt to him is now repaid."

Richard snorted. "How did I give him anything that I wasn't responsible for taking away in the first place?"

"Did you, personally, capture Kole?" she asked.

He glanced up at her, annoyed. "Of course not. Thia did; we just bought her."

"There you have it," Raven smiled. "If you had not bought her, someone else would have -- someone who would not now be freeing her. Mares are highly prized in centaur society; the loss of one is tragic. For Jericho to return with Kole would be enough to overturn his sire's banishment decree."

"So... you'll all be returning to the forest?" Richard sounded unhappy, even though he of all people understood it to be for the best.

Raven stretched out one wing and wrapped it around his shoulders. "We have no place in your society, young human. You know that."

"Yes," he agreed, "currently you don't. But if you stay, and work with me, we can change all that. We can show everyone how wrong they've been. We can convince other lords and ladies not to build menageries, we can protect your forest homes from farmland expansion -- we might even be able to convince Prince Clark to give you a say in the Council meetings!"

"Aren't you the idealist," she laughed. "That's quite a large vision you have, Richard; a titanic one, even."

Richard smiled. "Titanic, indeed."

The End