They dragged him by a collar, tightly placed around his proud neck. Ah, the humiliation. The people's jeer, the yelling and pointing at him. How less irate did they seem when viewed from his ships, how less dangerous; one of them threw a thick brown substance at him. Fatally injured as he was, it landed on his torn sleeve. The stench was horrible but he managed to ignored it, mostly because the pain from his wounded leg was too much to take. Luckily for him, the rest of his ravaged robe could hide more sensitive spots.

He felt a leash on his tight collar, when one of the wolves nastily pulled the chain.

"Watch that," he managed to say in a raspy voice.

"Shut up, freak," came the not-so-friendly answer which a few days ago would have cost him his head.

But Shen was patient by nature -he had waited thirty years in exile, and was willing to wait more if necessary- for he knew sooner or later he'd get what he wanted. To start with, this treacherous wolf's head on a silver plate.

Seedy and crushed, Lord- or, to be more precise Ex-Lord- Shen was thrown by the shoulders into an icky cell where he would wait until his trial begun. But there was no need for a trial. He already knew his crime, or at least what people believed to be a crime, as well as the judge's decision. In his cold, dark and stinky prison he could almost hear him call out loud "Guilty as charged!"

"Perfect!" the peahen exclaimed and clapped her wings enthusiastically. The firework kiosk was finished, now only the Palace's decoration remaining. Princess Fei had crafted some of the ribbons and lamps herself, but most of them were brought in by citizens who were kind enough to help. From a distance, Gogmem was already starting to look healthy and glorious again. Still, there were some annoying details. Such as this fool the ox. But I'll show him. Lost in her thoughts, she merely noticed Counselor who had once again sneaked behind her. The peafowl Princess gasped in shock when a hoof landed on her shoulder.

"Work of art, Princess. Congratulations." he smiled proudly.

"It's not me you should thank, but all those wolves building it." She eyed the working canines delightfully. "I could watch them all day," she sighed, placing her delicate head between her open wings.

"Unfortunately, though, you can't. I'm afraid you have a trial to attend to."

The smile immediately faded from her beak.

"Ah, yes," she said in a voice that suggested she was not at all excited. Right after her expression changed into thoughtful, as if something had just occurred to her. "Tell me, Counselor, isn't it a law that all stewards must be present during a trial?"

The goat nodded. "It is, Princess."

"And has Master Ox returned to Gogmem?"

He shook his head. "No, Princess."

"Then how on earth are they going to adjudicate him?"

"I have no idea, Princess." he spoke the truth. Fei nodded and walked away silently, throwing one last glance over her shoulder at the working wolves. On her way to the rectangular courthouse, however, she stumbled upon Soothsayer, knocking over her bowl. Black and gray ash scattered on the ground.

"I'm terribly sorry," the Princess softly spoke, "here, let me help you." She bent close to Soothsayer who was already collecting the fallen ashes. When the two were close enough to share a secret whisper, Soothsayer spoke:

"The answer you seek shall be given, Princess, but only if you prove you're worth knowing it."

Fei was taken aback when the goat spoke, yet she kept her calm and whispered back:

"What do I have to do?"

"Defend Lord Shen. Bail him out and you shall find the answer you seek."

"What does..." she begun. But before she could finish, Soothsayer had already got up and was sweeping the remaining ashes with her long dress. Then with a conspiratorial smile she was off, leaving Fei stunned with the news she had received.

An hour later she was in the courtroom with Master Croc, a jury of witnesses and victims, as well as a dozen citizens who possessed high governmental places. Princess Fei had taken her position next to Master Croc and a little too close to the judge's stand. Behind her stood the loyal Counselor of hers. Fei had not trusted him with Soothsayer's inquiry, for she already felt guilty for what she was about to do. Soon after, Judge Snail was brought in, resting on the palm of a sheep that softly placed him on his stand. Judge Snail was a reliable member of Gogmem's stewardship for almost fifty years now and his antennas had, admittedly, sensed many things, which was why he was so high up. He was just and subjective by nature, and therefore appreciated as a judge. Even though his small size and slow rhythms were a subject of mockery, his compelling attitude and deep voice hushed the laughing mouths and flinched the pointing fingers. He was also a passionate worker and seeker of the truth. Today was, however, a different occasion. Being a citizen of Gogmem for half a century and a patriot, Judge Snail could not remain spotless when it came to sentencing Shen, a peacock whose greed had cost the Judge his only child. Being a hermaphrodite, Judge Snail loved it both as a mother and father at the same time and the loss was so heavy he still had not recovered from it. So when he entered the court he had already made up his mind on Shen's case; guilty as charged.

"Bring in the culprit," he said and it sounded kind of lazily -partly because he was a snail and partly because he was just saying it pro forma. The door swung open and a gorilla pushed Shen inside. The heavy chains and his wounded leg made it extremelly hard to walk, yet Shen was so proud a peacock he struggled to keep his head as high as he could along the way. With eyes made of ruby fire and the court's inadequate lighting he seemed like the demon he was, a shadow with two fiery eyes standing out.

"Impossible," all that could come out of Master Croc's teeth.

"He creeps me out..." Princess Fei whispered, so soft only Counselor heard her.

"Are you the former Lord Shen of Gogmem city?" the Judge asked, a new spark inside his antennas.

The peacock merely nodded.

"Read the charges," judge snail ordered, a command that bared no questioning.

One of the juries, a crane, stepped forward, unwrapped a seemingly infinite script and begun to read out loud.

"Lord Shen of Gogmem city, also known as Master Shen, is accused for;

the massacre of a panda village, in a most hideous way

his trespassing in the city while he was exiled for life

his infringement of citizen rights in the means of thievery of personal belongings

his questioning of the master council's power

the introduction of lethal and illegal weapons within Gogmem and the use of them

the murder of Master Rhino

the abuse of authority, under the threat of death

the dissolution of Gogmem tower and its ultimate destruction

the breaching of the main harbor bridge and the pollution of the port by leaving ship remnants."

When the crane was done, he wrapped the script around a metal stick and stepped behind to sit with the rest of the jury. Judge Snail rolled the tiny eyes inside his antennas wearily, a movement almost no one but him understood. Princess Fei could merely blink in shock. And you want me to speak up in his favor? No way.

"Defendant...I'm all ears."

The Judge turned his micro-glare to the defendant's counter behind culprit Shen, but it was empty.

"He's gone to the toilette," a voice was heard. The Judge smiled, excited that this moment he had so longed for had finally come.

"Under these circumstances, culprit, I ratify you GUILTY AS..."

"I object."

Judge Snail was taken aback and scanned the courtroom for whoever treacherous traitor had spoken.

"Your honor," Princess Fei spoke again, her voice trembling and weak -she was shocked by her own bravery. Judge Snail's eyes were so wide now, the Princess could almost make them out on his tiny antennas.

"WHAT!"

"...I...object, your honor."

Working very hard to keep a stiff upper lip, Judge Snail gave her the speech and Princess Fei moved from his side to his front, where all presents could see her. She felt her crest slide back on her neck, here she was out of her element.

"I...uhum," she cleared her throat to earn a little time, "Any sentence must be verified by all stewards of Gogmem at a current time. Right now, however, Master Ox is missing, which leaves us with only two out of the three stewards. Therefore your sentencing the culprit must wait until Master Ox is here, with us."

"Master Ox hates this deadbeat as much as I do. I vote for him and say take his head!" Master Croc yelled. Princess Fei turned her stare to Counselor for help, but his face was bewildered and puzzled like never before. Finally, her eyes met with Shen's, who was as surprised as the rest of the court to hear her words. She hurried to look away; Princess Fei had never seen a white peacock before. To her it was as sick and scary as seeing a six legged wolf or a mutated goat.

"But...I...you haven't even asked the jury! The jury must reach a verdict!"

"Alright," Judge Snail smiled devilishly, "Jury, consider your verdict!" One sheep shot up.

"Kill him!"

"Hang him by the crest!"

"Pluck his tail!"

"Cut his throat!"

"Take his head!"

"Burn him alive!"

The attendants soon joined the yelling jury and soon it was a total chaos. Princess Fei threw another curious glare at Shen, who was staring at the floor as if he'd never seen something more beautiful.

"SILENCE IN COURT!" Everyone jumped up at the Judge's sudden outburst. "You see, Princess Fei, or should I call you defendant of the devil, the jury have reached a verdict. The culprit is..."

"...under the protection of Gogmem's Palace and there's nothing you can do about it until Master Ox is here."

"And who are you to decide..."

"I preserve this city and ought to think the best for each and every one of its citizens, regardless of their past."

Judge Snail felt ready to go off, but for some indefinite reason remained silent. Maybe it was the threat implied, for Fei was new to the government, yet powerful enough to have him silenced forever. However, the Princess herself knew that she wasn't free to do whatever she wanted, and therefore remained silent while Judge Snail announced the restrictions imposed on Shen while he would be hospitalized in Gogmem's palace, of course in the dungeon rather than inside the building itself. When Snail was over, the same sheep took him in its palm and carried him out of the room.

Princess Fei left a loud sigh, too embarrased to face the storming face of Master Croc.

"Are you out of your mind? What are you doing with him?" The Master jumped next to her.

"I have my reasons, Master. And they're of great importance."

"Your reasons? What.."

"Trust me."

Master Croc didn't react, he simply turned around and walked away. Princess Fei watched him go but something else caught her eye. She felt the feathers on the back of her neck shoot up. Shen's ruby red eyes were stuck on her, in an expression that was rather thoughtful. She could tell he was processing her every detail with extreme care, scanning her face for any signs of emotion. Holding her breath and squeezing her wings together below her robe, Princess Fei walked out of the room quickly, yet not too quick for that would seem panicked. When she was out, she waited for Counselor, who followed her shortly. Some of the people exiting the court were pointing at her, or talking for her behind her back, but little did she care. Right now it was most important to find Soothsayer.

And the peahen did find her knelt in the tower's courtyard, toying with her bowl.

"I did as you asked. Your Lord will be held prisoner in the palace but he's escaped death for now."

Soothsayer smiled tenderly.

"I knew you were a brave girl."

"Yes," Fei said dismissively. "Now answers." She stretched her forehead, widening her eyes as she did.

"Oh yes, answers. But there's still one more thing to do before you have them."

"WHAT!"

"Do not worry, young one. It's as simple as sending a message. A special message, to someone even more special."

A couple of days after these incidents, in the Valley of Peace, a dozen bunnies were gathered in Jade Palace courtyard, sitting in a large circle and listening carefully to the Dragon Warrior narrate how he managed to defeat Lord Shen the peacock.

"And then he threw some daggers at me and with a double spin on the air I cut a piece of wood from the ship and BANG!"

The bunnies all jumped up in shock.

"I hit him on the head with it! So then I grab him by the leg, this dude had AWFUL LEGS, and twist him around three times and then slam him against the ship remnants and BANG!"

Another wave of gasping bunnies.

"The broken cannon falls to his head." Po ended and was expecting a loud applause, but got silence instead.

"That's it? You didn't, you know, make a triple air-kick and bang! Chop his head into pieces?" One bunny said.

"Or a sparrow kick, then a punch right on the beak!"

"Super Mega punch!"

"Or the Hungry Fist!"

"Or sit on him?"

Po shrugged. "Um nope. Just a cannon."

"Aw..." came the disappointed sigh. Once the bunnies were off, Po sighed himself and sat on a stair, kind of disappointed.

"Everything ok?"

He gasped and turned around with a Kung Fu yell. It was Tigress.

"Ah...it's you. I thought...pff never mind." She smiled reassuringly.

"Shi Fu says he has received a message from you. It's from Gogmem."

"Oh, not another thank you card again!" Po said, rolling his eyes. Tigress raised a brow.

"You had better come," she softly placed a paw on his shoulder, then headed inside the palace herself. Po left another sigh, then followed her.