[center][img]http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o620/Vicier/Vicier%20-%20OUAT%20RP%20-%20Characters/Viciers%20Character%20Gifs/Colab-Post%20Gifs/Scar%20Lionhart%20-%20Gif_zpsj8lhk62g.gif[/img][img]http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o620/Vicier/Vicier%20-%20OUAT%20RP%20-%20Characters/Viciers%20Character%20Gifs/Colab-Post%20Gifs/Odette%20Swan%20-%20Gif_zpsgql3elgd.gif[/img]
[h1][color=DarkOrange]Scar Lionhart[/color] and [color=MistyRose]Odette Swan[/color][/h1]
[h2]Present Day - The Pride Lands[/h2][/center]

Finally, the evening had come to a plesant end. The witch was gone, vanished from Scar's castle entirely after the lull of the feasts' entertainment had come to an end, though not without a final gift given to The Swan Princess before they even had a chance to enter the Dining Hall. Having not even taken into consideration Odette's apparel, as his thoughts were more on the relief that she was no longer a swan, The Dark Queen changed the damp, torn rag of a dress she wore, bestowing Odette a beautiful [url=http://i00.i.aliimg.com/wsphoto/v0/740711566_1/woman-dresses-sexy-light-blue-prom-dress-evening-gowns-lace-diamond-brooch-one-shoulder-empire-chiffon.jpg]blue dress[/url] that had [i]just[/i] enough Pride Landish roots to be towards Scar's liking and approval.

During the feast, Maleficent sat to his right, and Odette to his left. The selection of food that evening perhaps the finest arrangement The Pride Lands had to offer in order to please their magical-horned guest. The entertainment fell far from short, as once more his dancers were brought back out, led by the Gypsy and this time, Scar was able to give his attention to them fully, having missed the duration of their last display since his mind was far from easy - having to converse with a swan...

But now the evening was over and just as soon as Scar was ready to make his way to the chambers in which he kept his dancers to fulfill his promise given to the Gypsy earlier about a more fruitful reward, he quickly realized his own lustful desires would have to be quelled a day longer, as now he had Odette to look after. He didn't want to keep her too far from the enchanted water at a time... just in case. It only felt right to convert his grotto into some sort of living space for her, because no matter how he looked at it, the area that used to be his quiet little haven away from the stresses of being King, his grotto now belonged to her. Though he couldn't help but to feel that he was condemning her to some sort of dungeon, the way the grotto was placed. It was far from a dungeon, he knew that, but the feelings remained.

Pushing open the door that led out into the halls, holding it open for Odette, he waited until she passed him by before following behind, letting the door's heavy weight close it on it's own, his longer strides allowing him to catch up to her quickly and then adjusted his pace to hers.

Tightening her grip ever so slightly over the material that made up the beautiful gown that she had been given by the Dark Queen, she smiled excitedly up at her father as she passed him by, her long and wavy blonde locks bouncing lightly upon her back as she gave him a gentle nod, thanking him for holding the door open for her, though just as quick as she had given him her attention, she had taken it away again; allowing her eyes to flicker excitedly back and forth between everything that she could see , unable to keep her attention upon anything in particular for too long a time. Everything was just so new to her… everything from the decorations that were hanging and standing tall about the castle around her, to the people that surrounded and moved about around them as they walked… even the Guards that were posted around were unlike anything else that she had ever seen before, and for the life of her, she just couldn't seem to get enough of the sights being offered to her.

Unable to help herself from stumbling over her own two feet ever so slightly due to her own excitement about not only once again being with her father, but also about being able to explore a whole new part of the world, she quickly came to a stop within the middle of the entrance hall, her sudden and slightly abrupt halt causing some of those that were in the room to slow down and watch her as she lifted the bottom of her dress higher, her face seeming to scrunch up as worked to kick off the beautiful blue heels that she had been given along with the dress. Shoes… she had never really had any need for them before, always having spent most of her life bare foot and wandering around the gardens of Swan Lake, but here it was different… she was expected to dress, carry herself and to act in a certain way; but anyone who saw her knew that it was going to take some time for her to learn the ways of those who already called the Pride Land’s their home.

Catching sight of something over the other side of the room, the young Princess all but forgot about her heels as she once more began to move, her now bare feet barely making any sound against the floor as she made her way over to one of the Guards who seemed to be carrying a [url=http://orig11.deviantart.net/5f13/f/2014/188/1/7/kukri_of_the_foregoer_by_9thknight-d7po5bo.jpg]weapon[/url] that was different to the ones she had seen the others carrying; the young girl hesitating for a few moments as she just looked up at him before she reached out towards it, her finger tips lightly brushing over the metal and her eyes lingering on the slight reflection of herself that she could see within it.

Watching quietly as Odette made herself comfortable within his castle, letting her curiosity lead her feet over towards one of his guards, he simply stood by, leaning his large figure against one of the stone pillars that extended all the way up to the high ceiling and crossed his arms over his chest. It was a natural thing for a child to be curious, but Scar knew that Odette would be even more-so, given her upbringing. Having been practically raised by Rothbart, there had to have been very little opportunities for Odette to step foot inside of her father's castle after The Great Animal took it over, and even less opportunity to examine what splendors were held within - that including soldiers, and well... people. He learned that just as soon as he learned that the Princess of Swan Lake still resided there, but had been shut off from the world around her to appease the greedy, trapping claws of the dark sorcerer.

The guard that Odette had been inspecting the weapon of, did not move, instead taking on a more statuesque pose as though he were nothing more than mere decoration than human. His eyes bared forward, unrelenting to look down at the small child who was all but a stranger to him. He had been trained well, however, just as all the others under Scar's rule had been - to know better than when their King was present, the situation was well under control unless specified otherwise. He was, after all, their war general before he was their King.

"Kukri." Scar said from his station at the pillar, giving a name to the weapon Odette was keenly interested in. Tilting his head to the side a bit, as though in thought, Scar then pushed himself from the pillar, letting his thick arms fall back to his sides as he crossed the small space between himself and his adopted daughter to stand behind her, putting a hand on her small shoulder. "Go ahead. Take it." It was not even of mind within Scar to believe that letting a young girl handle a weapon was to be considered dangerous. In fact, it was quite common within The Pride Lands for noble sons to pick up their first, real weapon at the age of seven straight before being thrown into training for the kingdom's army. But even before that age, exposure to weapons of all kinds was strongly encouraged - to better acclimate the children into becoming well-versed in the art of combat and war.

“..kukri…” Being sure to repeat the name of the weapon after she had heard her father speak it, she leant herself in just that little bit closer towards it, her bright blue eyes sparkling slightly and her lips turning further up in her smile as she manages to catch sight of her own reflection staring back at her from within the blade- it was just so… different. There were so many things surrounding her that she had never seen before; things that she wanted to look at, to touch, to learn about… but where it was that she wanted to begin she wasn't quite sure. Turning her head slightly so that she could look up at her father as he approached her, she just couldn't seem to hide the curiosity that flickered across her young features before she once more turned her attention back down to the sword; her finger tips running further down the length of the blade until the next words to leave his lips caused her to take a step back and pull both her hands tightly into her body as though she had just injured herself upon the weapon in question.

“Father, I-I could not… I only wish to gaze upon the beautiful craftsmanship of blade; I do not intend to wield such a weapon of any kind…” Pressing her hands only slightly harder as she shook her head lightly from side to side, as though trying to push the point that she didn't ever want to have to take up arms against another living being, she shifted her body nervously over the ground before taking yet another single step backwards; her head dropping down ever so slightly to stare at the ground that was between them as she spoke, her voice softer than it had been moments before, “..fighting… violence… such things are never the answer; I do not understand why such methods are to be put to into practice when there are other ways to deal with the issues that those who are in higher power seek to throw your way…”

Scar was silent for a moment. Of course he had to come to expect that just like anyone outside of The Pride Lands, Odette would not understand warfare and even... maybe even had learned to hate it. The very thought perturbed him, but Odette was young, and her loyalty to him (shown by her actions of leaving Swan Lake to come and see him) made her quite impressionable. That was something Scar could work with. With his quick wit, silver tongue and ability to manipulate, he managed to get an entire army to turn on their own King. A teenage girl who looked up to him as 'father' would be an easy task in comparison.

"Because there are those who fail to see reason, Malaika. You of all should know this. Does not the very man who killed King William - the man you once called father, and held you captive in your own birth home - not hold true to this? The Great Animal sees no reason, and must be dealt with by other means than negotiation and rationale of which I have promised you. Surely you have enough intelligence in that space between your ears to know I speak truth."

At the very mention of the man who had been her captor for as far back as she could remember, her stomach quickly began to twist and tighten nervously within her, causing her to hunch her shoulders over ever so slightly and to press the palms of her hands against it- Rothbart was nothing more than a monster… and Scar was right; there was no amount of negotiation or reason that would be able to get through to a man who was like him. There were cases, it seemed, where violence and bloodshed were the only answer… the only option that you could turn to, “I… understand father…”

Seemingly unwilling to allow herself to relax as she willingly took in the valuable life lesson that he was providing her with, she slowly lifted a single hand up from where it had been resting with the other one against her stomach, her fingers lightly brushing over her untouched flesh as she pulled some of her long wavy blonde locks back off of her face before neatly tucking them back behind her ear, the young girl still showing reluctance in once again allowing their gazes to meet as she kept both of her eyes focused upon the ground, “Your words ring with nothing more than truth and honesty- please father, forgive me my questioning of such things in which I do not understand… I only inquire that I not be made to handle such instruments of death and destruction.”

That was good enough for him. For now. There was plenty of time to mold her into the woman he knew she was capable of becoming under his care - just like his Vitani would have become, had he not given in to the temptations of magic to solve his problems. Had he not killed her in cold blood in his blind rage as a cursed beast...

Moving his hand down from her shoulder, he pressed his palm to the middle of her small back and with a gentle nudge, pushed her body closer to his. Bending his head down at the neck, he pressed his lips to the crown of her head in a firm, though not without love, kiss.

"He can't harm you here. I won't allow it." he told her, dropping his voice down into a soft, soothing tone before withdrawing his head to stand back up at his full height, his hand never leaving her back but instead gently guiding her to turn and face front with him so that they could walk down the hall together - side by side, closely.

The gentle feeling of his lips pressing lightly against the top of her head caused a warmth to spread throughout her body, and her heart to soar within her chest at the sweet bit of affection he was now giving to her. All the things that she had been warned about… Dominic had been sorely misguided in his words about her father. How anyone could of ever dream to think ill of him was far beyond her comprehension- he had shown her nothing but kindness and love within the time that she had known him, and even more so since she had come to be within his care… she could ask not, nor feel want for anything more. Relaxing once again within his company as she felt the ever gentle nudge against the small of her back as he encouraged her to continue their stroll through the palace, she lowered both of her hands so that she could once more take up the bottom of her dress, holding it only just inches above the ground as she walked by his side, allowing him to take control and to lead her wherever it was that they were headed to.

“..father..? Are all the men that reside within the Pride Lands as brave as you are..?” Falling into what she felt was a comfortable silence for a few moments, she turned her head so that she could gaze up into his face, her eyes filled with nothing more than her own curiosity, mixed with the adoration that she felt for the man who had taken her in out of the goodness of his own heart, “..I mean, I have met very few within my life, with courage enough to face the Great Animal; those few whom I have had the pleasure of making acquaintance with, they all seem to linger for but a single night before they leave once again with empty promises of returning, or before they are forced into suffering a fate far worse than our own... nevertheless, you chose to face him alone- would such a task of ridding the evil that is Rothbart from this world not be swifter if there were more men whom shared in your strength and bravery..?”

Her words had Scar thinking. Right away, Scar's immediate response would have been 'no' followed by a slightly arrogant laugh, but the men she mentioned, the men who had faced The Great Animal before him, and perhaps even after, they had all failed, just as he had. But none of those men were driven by the same means as he was. No one wanted his curse broken more than he did. Of that, he was certain. So his want was stronger, not necessarily his strength, nor his bravery. It was his will. But of course, he couldn't go into such things with Odette, she would find out in due time what made the King of The Pride Lands tick, but tonight was not the night, and perhaps not even tomorrow night or a weeks time from now. But someday, yes, he planned to tell her everything. So he kept his answer simple.

"There is only but one me, Malaika. The fight I bring to The Great Animal is of personal nature for what he has done to m- us. I will find a way to reverse the curses, or kill him trying. Perhaps both. But what I do will be by my own hand." Scar wasn't sure how much Odette knew about war tactics, but he knew it had to be very little. He had an entire army at his disposal to throw at Rothbart if he so chose to, but even with his army, as strong and numerous as they were, they were no match for The Great Animal. No, Scar knew this Dark Sorcerer required a different approach. It was the main reason he returned to The Pride Lands to begin with - to surmise a plan as to how to get the ante up on Rothbart, to catch him off guard at his own game. But that was the problem with the bastard - he always saw it coming. "One day you will understand. I will teach you." Pausing on that thought as they both began to descend down into the grotto so that they could retire for the night, he let his mind wander, realizing only then that he rather liked the sound of that. "Yes, I will teach you all that there is to know here in The Pride Lands, as though you were born here. As though... you truly were my own..." Vitany was not dead. No longer. No, she lived. She lived through Odette. He would make it so.