LOYY - Chapter 15

The silence that followed was only interrupted by Crane's beak hanging open and Po clearing his throat before he spoke.

"Um...That's...great you guys," he said and faked a clumsy smile. Shen eyed him nastily, while Fei tried to stop her face from going red with embarrassment.

"When?" Master Croc asked, in a way that indicated he could care less. But his expression did not lack astonishment as well as annoyance. He was, after all, the most lenient and understanding member of the master's council and his mind was poring over a reason that would justify Princess Fei, whom he had grown fond of.

"Well..." Fei hesitantly quavered.

"In three days," Shen intervened, taking the lead. The Princess could not hold out not to give him a warning look.

"Ah," Croc mumbled.

"I believe this concludes our meal," Master Rhino stood up, followed by the three others. They performed a slight bow with their one hand into another, directed away from the place where Shen was siting, and left in silence. Princess Fei swallowed hard and the sound of her gulp alarmed the peacock, who gave her a soft -in his mind soft was something like sharp and piercing only little softer- kick beneath the table. The Princess held back her tears but did not bother to fake happiness. Everyone but Po was gone now and she still had to take in the disapproval in their eyes. The panda was the last to leave and his eyes remained on the melancholic Fei until he turned around to hurry inside the palace.

"I hope you're satisfied," she said, hoping the bitterness she felt would not show. Her pride would not allow her to seem vulnerable and weak -not that Shen was paying attention.

"Well, no," he kept staring at the crimson stone caught between his wingtips, "Not yet."

She sighed in exasperation, then distanced herself before she spoke again.

"I can't have a wedding planned in three days. These things take time." was all she had to say, more to argue than anything else. Little did the Princess care about the planning, when she wasn't looking forward to it at all. Marriage itself had always seemed an unlikely path for her to follow, since she had grown in a house where the appearing institution was undergoing grossly malfunction. Let alone the fact Shen was as unattractive as it could get and in her mind was no pair for her class. A leucistic former Lord and a vibrant Princess? Had she been told some months ago, Fei would have laughed her heart out.

"That is backwards and forwards a matter of indifference to me," Shen stood up and held the stone by its edge, letting it hang on his long neck. "Do you thing I should make it a necklace? I can come in handy and I would like to have it on me constantly."

The Princess blinked and let her beak hang open at his insensitivity.

"You look sickly either way," she nastily talked back, then turned around and made a nervous exit. Her leaving triggered many unpleasant memories to Shen, for whom rejection by females was common still unpleasant. In addition, the characterization "sickly" had scarred him since childhood and brought a taste of bitterness in his mouth. That facetious imbecile will pay.

The next morning was uneasy for Gongmen. The news of the upcoming marriage had spread when a group of marching wolves halted in front of Judge Snail's house and banged the door, yelling as they did. Their ruckus bestirred all of the neighborhood, and soon housewives and not were hanging on their balconies or windows and watching as Judge Snail was informed about his duty to wed Master Shen and Princess Fei in three days from the current. The Judge was vexed but not at all surprised, for he had wed stranger couples -once even different species.

Princess Fei was too melancholic and unenthusiastic to have the marriage planned herself, so Shen took the liberty of hiring a wedding planner by the name Gimmick Gig. Gig was probably the most big-headed and boastful goose that had ever walked this earth and felt intimidated when he heard of Gongmen's glory. Wearing a simple kimono with huge pockets, he was born a perfectionist but the kind that can wear down your tolerance within minutes. Had it not been for Shen's threats, even the patient Fei would have indulged her impulse to choke him while he went on and on about how this lamp goes next to the other, or why short cut robes made her look taller.

During the next two days, while Gig was busy messing up the palace and making whatever sort of arrangement came in his twisted mind, Shen had begun recording his current supplies and plotting the way in which he would return to his prime glory. Building cannons was too expensive and the wolves mercenaries Gongmen could barely afford not enough. He had to find an alternative funding and the answer came while he was walking on the docks. There he noticed a ship whose passengers were disembarking. Most of them carried heavy luggage and would ask about accommodation or food spots. It didn't take him long to understand these tourists had come to attend to the upcoming events and were a source of financial supply for the city. However, attracting them was something he had never tried before. On his way back to the tower, Shen was toying the idea in his mind and finally decided his solution was to have someone who knew the tourist ways by his side. This was the reason he chose to keep Princess Fei alive, even after their marriage.

The latter, however, was having a pretty hard time putting up with Gig's extreme taste when it came to dresses and especially wedding gowns. While Fei had asked for "the most simple in store" Gig produced a festival of colorful designs and fine silk with a tail that measured up to three meters long. Once he proudly presented it to her, the Princess' spontaneous reaction was to smack her forehead with a wing. Another problem was that, while being very soft and comfortable to the touch, the gown was extremely tight and was cut short, revealing almost all of her long legs -the only thing she probably hated. At first Fei refused to wear it, but when Gig threatened to tell Shen, her frown turned upside down.

At the same afternoon, the Princess was lingering on her balcony, when Master Ox sneaked up behind her. Under other circumstances, she would have sensed the enormous animal coming, but Fei was so lost in thought she merely noticed him even as he breathed heavily onto her neck.

"You don't look happy as a bride should be," the Master mocked then took his place next to her on the balcony. "It makes me wonder..."

"Does it?" came the bitter answer. The Princess left a sigh then turned to look at him with a hurtful look. "I have neither the time nor strength to be mocked. Please leave." The Master raised a brow, his horns leaning to the side.

"Princess tell me, are you doing this because your heart tells you?" It's little to say Fei was surprised by this display of interest, maybe even affection. "Or is it blackmail? Because we can help you..."

For the first time during those days she smiled, yet it was as bitter a smile as it could get. "You can't."

And with that they didn't speak again until the night before the wedding , when Po and the Furious Five departed in secret -actually in secret from Shen- for the Valley of Peace to come back reinforced when Gongmen would need them. Princess Fei had, of course, let them on Shen's plan to dominate the city as well as China itself, and warned them that they would be his first target. All gathered in the courtyard, Po gave his respect to each Master, then patted the Princess on the shoulder and wished her courage. Finally they left, promising to return and redeem them when the time came.




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When the Dragon Warrior had safely walked out of the palace gates, Princess Fei retired to her quarters and the Masters had a moment alone.

"What should we do?" Master Croc was the first to break the silence.

"Wait, I suppose," Master Ox replied thoughtfully.

"I never expected this from Fei," young Master Rhino crossed his hooves around his fit torso and shook his head in disappointment.

"It's not her fault. She's as desperate as we are." Master Ox defended, much to the others' surprise.

"The point is, when Shen gets his power back, we must all be very careful to keep our places in the government. Shen might be ignorant, but he has a keen mind and knowing that we should act subtly," Master Croc advised and they all agreed.

"The times are hard. May the gods protect us."