nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 10:35:28 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Oct 14, 2006 10:35:28 GMT -5
I’ve always said I’m not a shipper…so it makes sense for me to write a fic with a pairing that’s not widely shipped…if it even is…I’m also kind of a sucker for ‘What if’s’…and this is something that came to me from who knows where…and it kind of stuck with me. For now I’m just testing the waters, seeing if it’s worth continuing… _________________________
It was unusual to see Fire Lord Ozai off his throne while there was a meeting in the War Chamber, but his pent up aggression had forced him to his feet to pace the length of the room in order to dispel some of it.
“Ever since the boy won that Agni Kai he has become more and more…difficult…” He growled to no one in particular. “I knew I should have challenged him myself…”
“The Prince is popular with the troops.” One of the council members, Ozai never bothered to learn their names, said softly.
“Because he sees them as individuals…” Another general said coldly. “Not as a tool to be used for our continued glory.”
“And that is what makes him dangerous.” Commander Zhao, one of the few commanding officers the Fire Lord knew by name, one of the few he actually respected, said. “He could rally them if he chose…attempt a coup…make a play for the throne.”
“The Prince is loyal to the Fire Lord…” The first shook his head. “He would never seek to usurp him.”
“Perhaps…the boy DOES have an overdeveloped sense of honour…” Zhao agreed with narrowed eyes. “But his…views…are growing popular within the lower ranks…though I am at a loss as to how they have found out about them. He is a thorn in the Fire Lord’s side…a thorn that needs to be removed…”
“What exactly are you suggesting, Commander?” The second general demanded. “A threat against a member of the royal family is treason.”
“I was not making a threat.” Zhao snorted. “I am merely suggesting that we find a way to focus the boy’s energy elsewhere…”
“But to what…to where?” The first general frowned. “He shows little interest in anything beyond his training and the war…”
“And the wellbeing of the troops.” Another snorted.
“Tell me…” The Fire Lord said softly, almost menacingly. “Thinking of him not as WHO he is, but rather WHAT he is…a teenager. What is it that will most easily distract a teenaged boy?”
The assembled council members exchanged a series of puzzled glances.
“A teenaged girl…?” One finally suggested.
“Precisely.” Ozai smiled. He stalked off to the base of his throne and retrieved a scrap of parchment, a broken seal of blue wax still clinging to its outer curl.
“I had not even considered this worthy of my time…” His lip curled as he scanned the lines written on the rough paper. “An offer of a peaceful resolution from the Northern Water Tribe…”
He threw the parchment on to the map the council was seated around. Zhao retrieved it, reading quickly. “They honestly think this…virgin sacrifice…will do them any good?” He snorted as he let it drop from his fingers. “Do they really believe you would taint your bloodline with the ridiculous suggestion? The very idea is ludicrous!”
The cold general frowned as he read the parchment. “Prince Zuko is a fiercely independent young man…” He noted. “Even if you did except this offer, my Lord, that does not mean the Prince will…”
“Oh…he’ll agree.” Ozai smiled. “As you said…” He glanced at Zhao. “…he has an overdeveloped sense of honour…”
He retrieved the parchment, scanning its lines again.
“He will do his duty.”
~~~~~~
“You summoned me, Father?” Prince Zuko bowed reverently to the Fire Lord as he entered the War Chamber.
“Yes.” The Fire Lord beamed, an act that immediately put the young prince on edge. His father rarely smiled, and when he did, Zuko knew from experience, it was never a good thing.
“What would you say if I told you we could conquer the Northern Water Tribe without doing them any harm or risking any of our loyal men?”
“Is such a thing possible?” Zuko frowned.
“Easily.” His father assured him.
“Well…of course…” Zuko said, still not sure what his father angle was. “If there is a way for us to conquer without bloodshed then we should take it…our efforts can be concentrated elsewhere…in fact…”
“I’m very glad you feel that way, my son…” His father slapped him on the shoulder with rarely experienced camaraderie, effectively silencing the boy. He turned to one of the generals. “Send word to the Northern Water Tribe’s chief…” He paused as he tried to remember the man’s name.
“Arnook…” The general supplied, reading it from the now much handled parchment.
“Yes…of course…” Ozai waved it off. “Your bride should be here by week’s end.” He glanced back over his shoulder to catch his son’s reaction as he continued towards his throne. He wasn’t disappointed as the boy’s eyes widened and the colour drained from his already pale face.
“My WHAT?” He boggled…surely he hadn’t heard that right…
The Fire Lord arranged himself with great fastidiousness, smoothing out his robes before replying to his son.
“How else did you think we were going to manage such a thing without loss of life?” He questioned. “It is an ages old tactic…a tradition almost…unite two lands…by uniting the royal offspring…” He held up his index fingers as he spoke, bringing them together, then lacing them with his other fingers to illustrate his point. “And as this…” He clicked his fingers for the name.
“Arnook…”
“…has a sixteen-year-old daughter…the honour…the duty…falls to you…”
Zuko lowered his head as he absorbed the implication of what his father was telling him, what he was expecting of him. He was barely sixteen himself, he didn’t know if he was ready for this, didn’t know if he even wanted this. But he was the prince, and though that afforded him certain privileges, it also burdened him with certain obligations.
He sighed deeply.
“As you wish, Father…”
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 10:42:57 GMT -5
Post by catalyst283 on Oct 14, 2006 10:42:57 GMT -5
Oh wow, this was clearly well done. I really liked it! ;D (And I'd give you karma, but my hour isn't up yet)
*claps* Very good job indeed! ;D
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nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 10:48:44 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Oct 14, 2006 10:48:44 GMT -5
Thanks ;D
Obviously there will be more...and I have pics too!
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 10:54:33 GMT -5
Post by catalyst283 on Oct 14, 2006 10:54:33 GMT -5
There will be more? ooooooh, I'm excited! ;D And pictures too?? ;D ;D
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 10:56:00 GMT -5
Post by avatarspirit on Oct 14, 2006 10:56:00 GMT -5
If you don't mind me asking, who was the Water Tribe girl, Yue?
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 12:14:59 GMT -5
Post by kyoshilover on Oct 14, 2006 12:14:59 GMT -5
Great job! If it keeps up like this, it'll turn out to be a most wonderful story.
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nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 17:19:12 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Oct 14, 2006 17:19:12 GMT -5
If you don't mind me asking, who was the Water Tribe girl, Yue? How many sixteen-year-old daughters does Arnook have? Yeah...it's Yue...and she's about as thrilled with the situation as Zuko is.
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Duty
Oct 14, 2006 18:07:53 GMT -5
Post by avatarspirit on Oct 14, 2006 18:07:53 GMT -5
If you don't mind me asking, who was the Water Tribe girl, Yue? How many sixteen-year-old daughters does Arnook have? Yeah...it's Yue...and she's about as thrilled with the situation as Zuko is. LOL, i'm just slow. This is a great story, keep it up!
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nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Duty
Oct 15, 2006 5:25:02 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Oct 15, 2006 5:25:02 GMT -5
“Do you think this wise, Arnook?” Pakku voiced his concerns as their small fleet approached the Fire Nation capital. “This bay is a trap waiting to be sprung.” He noted gesturing to the peninsulas on either side of them. “And their navy is the most advanced in the world…if they were to launch an offensive…”
“We have the Fire Lord’s word that we will come to no harm.” Arnook interrupted him.
“And what is that worth!” Pakku snorted.
“Quite a bit, actually.” The Northern Water Tribe’s chief told him. “No matter what else these people may be, honour is of utmost importance to them…their word is their bond…”
“So why is it you are accompanied by your best warriors and waterbenders?” Pakku arced a brow.
“In order to know peace you must be prepared for war.” Arnook smiled. “It never hurts to have a little back up, my friend.”
“And how is the princess?” He asked.
Arnook sighed deeply. “She is not speaking to me.” He admitted.
“Which in itself speaks volumes.”
Pakku glanced at Arnook’s troubled face. He knew what his chief was going through. He had already lost his wife to these devils, now he was about to lose his daughter as well, a sacrifice to some hormonal young prince. Even though it had been his suggestion, even though he knew it was for the greater good, for the survival of his people, it still weighed heavily on his heart.
“She knows I did not come to this decision lightly. She will do her duty…” He sighed again. “I only hope he treats her well…”
“I’m sure he will.” Pakku said.
“And what makes you so sure of that?” Arnook turned to him.
“You said they prize honour…that their word is their bond…the ceremony will no doubt involve vows of love and fidelity…vows which he will be honour bound to obey.”
Arnook smiled and slapped a hand on the old waterbender’s shoulder. Then he turned his attention back to the rapidly growing city spread out before them. Cast in the colours of fire…red, black and gold…it was as terrifying as it was awe-inspiring.
“Now…can you come up with a theory to stop me missing her?”
~~~~~~
Zuko turned the scarlet ribbon over and over in his hands. The simple band had held his hair for as long as he could remember…hair that was now being brushed to within an inch of its life. He winced as the brush found another snarl, he’d rarely brushed it in the pass, usually opting just to run his fingers through it, and the part that had been hidden within the binding hadn’t seen the light of day in years.
He almost cheered when the hairdresser, a middle-aged woman with surprisingly ropey muscles, set the brush aside, until she picked up a bottle of some kind of oily liquid. She poured some on her hands and began to work it through his unruly locks.
Well…at least it smelled nice…
He looked at himself in the highly polished bronze mirror noting that for a man about to get married he didn’t look very happy. But then it wasn’t like he wanted to get married...commoners married out of love, royalty were rarely afforded that luxury.
“Ah…you look good in formal robes.” A familiar voice spoke. He wanted to smile at the reflection of his uncle in the mirror but couldn’t make his mouth respond. The older man moved to take a seat beside him, the hairdresser inclined her head respectful but didn’t pause in her torturing and teasing. Iroh was dressed in a similar set of robes, though his weren’t quite as ornate, but then he was only a guest, a highly honoured guest, but a guest non-the-less.
“You are looking quite calm…” He said, watching as the boy absently wound the red binding around his hand, only to unwind it and start all over again. “You are not nervous at all?”
“What have I got to be nervous about?” The young prince asked blandly, staring at his feet.
“Well…you are about to marry a total stranger…” Iroh pointed out. “And of course there is tonight…”
“Tonight?” Zuko’s head snapped up, partly out of shock, and partly because the hairdresser was pulling his hair into the traditional formal bun.
“Yes…” Iroh nodded. “There are certain…well…traditions…expectations…and I know that you must have questions…concerns…”
“UNCLE!” He cut him off. “That is not something I want to discuss right now!” His eyes focused on the reflection of the hairdresser as she threaded the needle through the metal band that held the hair in place. Having completed her work, the woman bowed and took her leave.
Zuko rose and walked over to the window suddenly overcome with a need for fresh air, but the sight of the palace gardens where the ceremony was about to take place did nothing to sooth his thoughts.
“I just want this day to be over…” He said quietly as he leaned against the window frame, his golden eyes following the path of several leaves that were dancing on the autumn breeze.
“I am sure your bride is feeling the same way.” Iroh sighed, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. “It is your fathers that have agreed to this arrangement…but it is you and she who will have to live with it. Remember that, eh? In your dealings with her…be kind…gentle…”
Zuko mutely nodded his agreement.
“My, my, my…” A taunting voice broke the relative calm. “Don’t you look pretty?”
“Shut up, Azula!” Zuko growled.
“I try to pay you a compliment and you insult me?” She said with mock indignation. “No wonder Father had to find you a wife…with your charm…you’re incapable of finding one on your own.” She flounced out, not waiting for a response.
“Just wait a few years…” Zuko sneered as he strode after her as swiftly as his stiff, formal robes would allow. “And Father will have found a nice Earth Kingdom prince for you!”
The siblings froze as they almost barrelled straight into that self-same father, small entourage in tow. He was stroking his beard thoughtfully.
“That idea is not without its merit.” He said.
“FATHER!” Azula protested.
“Go…” He looked at her and Iroh, who had followed the pair into the hallway lest he have to break up the latest altercation between them. “I have things to discuss with your brother…”
He breezed past entering his son’s chambers. Zuko watched after Iroh as he led his sister away, then followed his father.
“Sit.” He indicated the chair in front of the mirror that he’d only recently vacated. “You need one more thing…”
He snapped his fingers and one of his underlings stepped forward, presenting a pillow draped with a silken cloth. The Fire Lord flicked off the cloth to reveal a stylised golden flame, much like the one that adorned his own head. It was triple pronged, a perfect, shining replica of the Fire Nation’s emblem. Zuko watched in the mirror as his father affixed the flame to the metal band already in his hair, effectively turning it into a lesser crown.
“Now you’re ready.” He smiled.
Zuko rose stiffly to his feet, moving towards the door as if on some kind of automatic pilot.
“Oh…one more thing…”
Zuko paused as his father’s entourage filed out.
“Tonight…when you’re alone with this girl…”
Zuko groaned inwardly…it was the same topic he hadn’t wanted to discuss with his uncle.
“Show her who’s in charge…” The smile turned decidedly nasty. “Take whatever you want…dominate her…”
Zuko’s eyes widened as his father swept by him, and he had to wonder…was that how he’d acted with his own wife? Was that how his father had treated his mother?
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zukoxme
Agni Kai Aang
Rabid Zuko Fangirl
Posts: 7,769
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Duty
Oct 18, 2006 18:44:34 GMT -5
Post by zukoxme on Oct 18, 2006 18:44:34 GMT -5
I absolutely love it! Please continue!!!
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nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Duty
Oct 25, 2006 4:38:57 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Oct 25, 2006 4:38:57 GMT -5
Arnook liked to think he was an excellent judge of character. He studied the trio of Fire Nation royals seated across from him with a critical eye while maintaining a passive façade. They were a dangerous group, he knew that each and every one of them was an accomplished bender, the gift was strong in the royal family, but there was far more to their potential threat than that.
If confidence and arrogance had a scent, the Fire Lord would have reeked with them both, but then he was quite possibly the most powerful man on the planet. On his left, his younger child, his daughter, showed all the signs of maturing into a woman who would be just like her father. However, on his right, his brother, the infamous Dragon of the West, had a completely different air about him. There was a serenity about him, a gentle humour in his golden eyes that could not be seen in the others. In a different time and place Arnook wondered if they could have been friends. He felt a little more comfortable with leaving his beloved Yue with these monsters if he would be there to watch over her.
But only a little…
The ceremony had been explained to him, it actually seemed to be a rather simple affair given the ornate surroundings of the royal palace. He had been a little surprised at first, he hadn’t thought it possible that these people could do anything that wasn’t on a grand scale. Only family were permitted to attend, hence the trio that sat opposite him. He had been given some leeway, the high priest allowing him to select two from his entourage seeing as the bride was the only family member to accompany him. He had selected Pakku, for rather obvious reasons, and Hahn, partly because the boy was a highly competent warrior, but mostly because he refused to leave his side.
Though it was their custom for the families to look at each other, he cast his eyes to the shrine’s altar at the rustle of heavy silk, and caught his first glimpse of his soon-to-be son-in-law. And immediately saw a pattern…
He had expected a miniature replica of the Fire Lord, and though in a way that was exactly what he saw, there were also numerous, glaring differences. The boy looked like he wanted to be somewhere else…ANYWHERE else. He lacked his father’s confidence, his arrogance, which were so abundantly displayed in his sister. The formal robes, though perfectly tailor made, were somehow an ill fit. His honey coloured eyes were focused on the shrine’s tiled floor, his shoes, the shiny gold edging on his robes, anywhere but at his bride-to-be. He glanced at his father, an unspoken plea in those uncertain golden eyes. He had seen that same look in his daughter’s…
‘Please, Father…’ Those eyes said to him. ‘Please tell me it’s over…that this was all just a game…a ploy to test my loyalty…’
The Fire Lord’s only response was an arc of a devilish eyebrow.
He saw the boy’s shoulders rise and fall as he exhaled a deep, shuddering breath and he took his place before the high priest at his beloved daughter’s side, though he still hadn’t raised his head to actually look at her. Somehow Arnook knew Yue would be safe with this boy, like her, he was doing this for the good of his people, as was his duty. He had a strong sense of honour, he would not mistreat her.
He may have been Ozai’s son…but somehow, he was more akin to his uncle…
~~~~~~
Zuko stared at a point behind the altar as the priest began the purification ritual. He didn’t really know why, but he felt a part of him was dying, a sacrifice to the gods of war unleashed by his ancestors. He heard a sharp intake of breath, a barely audible sob that reflected his feeling perfectly. His eyes slid to the girl beside him, the source of the tiny sound…and his breath caught in his throat.
He had no preconception of what this barbarian princess his father had found for him would look like, he didn’t really care. But now that he saw her…she was quite literally breath taking. Her skin, though darker than his own, was pale in comparison to her peoples’. Her eyes were an icy blue, but there was no coldness to them. And her hair…he’d never seen anything like her hair. It was a pure, dazzling white. She was beautiful…as fragile and delicate as a snowflake…or at least as how he imagined a snowflake to be, he’d never actually seen one after all.
He looked away quickly as he saw her eyes move towards him.
She was sure he’d been looking at her, he was no doubt as curious about her as she was about him, but as she looked at him she saw his golden eyes staring at some point on the back wall. She hated to admit it, but he was quite handsome, though his pale skin looked like it hadn’t seen the sun in years…odd for a people who were kin to the sun as hers were to the moon…but they were all like that. It was commonly believed their paleness was due to the fact that no blood ran in their veins. Blood was a thing of life, and all they did was take life. But he didn’t look like the monster the stories of her childhood had said he would be, he looked as uncomfortable as she felt, and that one little strand of hair that refused to sit neatly with its brothers, that he apparently hadn’t even attempted to tame, she found it somehow endearing…perhaps there was more to him than fiery perfection…
~~~~~~
Azula smirked as her brother stumbled through his wedding vows, as awkward and clumsy with them as he was with every other aspect of his life. The first-borns were like that, though, she thought as her eyes slid towards her uncle. Though Iroh was neither clumsy nor inept he was decidedly odd, he always had been, even before he’d lost his son. Lu Ten’s death had only brought into sharp relief just how unfit for the throne he was. It was easy to see how it was that her father had been named Fire Lord in his stead.
She looked at him only to find his gaze locked with the Water Tribe peasant who called himself king…or was it chief? Whatever, they clearly weren’t equals. The man was wearing dead animal skins for Agni’s sake!
She heard a snort and turned her attention to the young man beside him. Now he could almost have a place in the Fire Nation. Handsome, proud…he glared at the back of her brother’s head not even bothering to hide his hatred. That was certainly a point in his favour.
He was a little taken aback to find her staring at him. His eyes narrowed, his lips tightened as he glared back at her, his contempt only making her smirk deepen.
When her father defeated these heathens she wondered if he’d let her keep this one as a play thing.
~~~~~~
She would have smiled at the face he pulled as he sipped from the tiny red and black cup if she hadn’t been gagging on the stuff herself. She was glad they only had to take three sips of the horrible liquor, it was like liquid fire, burning down her throat and into her belly. She didn’t notice the frown on the priest’s face as she placed her cup on the highly lacquered table a split second after he did, even if she had she wouldn’t have understood it, she wasn’t aware of the significance of her actions.
The priest gestured for them to stand, pushing them together and hissing at them to take the others hand. As she felt his warm fingers curl around hers, as she saw his family rise to their feet, the older man happily lifting a bottle of that horrible fire water, filling more tiny cups with it and passing them around, she realised what it meant.
The ceremony was over. She was bound to the quiet, golden-eyed prince at her side, as he was to her.
~~~~~~
Yue twisted the deep crimson bedding fearfully in her hands, curling up on the very edge of the ornate golden sleeping platform as she waited for her new husband to join her.
She didn’t know what to make of him. He hadn’t spoken a word to her at the feast that had followed the ceremony…he hadn’t even looked at her. He had merely stared at his plate, pushing the food about with golden chopsticks, she was sure he hadn’t eaten anything. He hadn’t even reacted to his sister’s thinly veiled insults and innuendoes...she was already convinced that she was not going to like the arrogant girl. But she had taken some comfort in his lack of response…he wasn’t any happier about their situation than she was. Like her, he had gone through with the arranged marriage because it pleased his father.
She had promised her father that she would be a good wife to him, and she knew he would have certain…expectations. She squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the rustle of fabric, felt the mattress shift under his added weight.
“I…” He began in a halting voice. “…are you comfortable?”
“Yes…” She replied softly.
“I know you come from a land that is much cooler than ours…” He continued. “You’re not too warm…?”
“I’m fine…” She assured him.
“Good…” She could almost feel him nod. “Then I will see you in the morning…”
She frowned as she felt his weight lift from the mattress. She barely heard his footsteps as he crossed their bridal chamber to close the doors behind him. She rolled over to gaze at the highly carved golden doors. THAT she had not expected. If things had gone as originally planned, if she had married Hahn as originally intended, he wouldn’t have hesitated to claim her as his.
She slipped out of the bed and followed him into the outer chamber. She found him hugging the fire…the autumn nights of the Fire Nation may not have been as cold as the North Pole’s, but they still had an icy sting to them. He had made their rooms colder than he was accustomed to…he had made them comfortable for her, despite the discomfort it brought him. There was far more to this Fire Nation prince than was apparent to the eye…
“Lord Husband?” She questioned him. He looked up at her with eyes as warm and gold as the fire he sat by. “Do you plan to sleep on the floor?”
“There is a couch…” He gestured to the piece of furniture just outside the fire’s glow.
“Isn’t that a little unorthodox?” She asked. “This IS our wedding night…”
“We married out of obligation, Princess…” He said, lowering his eyes. “Forced into something we weren’t ready for…” He sighed, his gaze turning to watch his element dance. “Before we spoke our vows…I didn’t even know your name…” He finally turned his warm, golden eyes on her. “I just feel that we should get to know each other before we…KNOW… each other…”
“I agree completely.” She smiled gratefully.
They were quite for a few moments, just looking at each other, familiarising themselves with the other’s not unpleasant features.
“So…” He said finally. “Tell me about your home…”
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Duty
Oct 26, 2006 12:29:23 GMT -5
Post by Ryth76 on Oct 26, 2006 12:29:23 GMT -5
Wow... they are actually really well matched. I never really thought about it, but Yue and Zuko are similar in some ways. Something like this sounds like it would've been plausible in an alternative Avatar plotline.
I love this story! Everyone is incredibly 'in character'! Aw, Zuko's so nice to Yue. And Ozai... evil, evil Ozai! Especially what he said to Zuko about his wedding night, the sicko...
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zukoxme
Agni Kai Aang
Rabid Zuko Fangirl
Posts: 7,769
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Duty
Oct 31, 2006 21:11:19 GMT -5
Post by zukoxme on Oct 31, 2006 21:11:19 GMT -5
Keep writing!!! Please!!!
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nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
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Duty
Nov 4, 2006 10:50:48 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Nov 4, 2006 10:50:48 GMT -5
“Good morning, ladies.” Azula said brightly as she entered the dormitory room of Mai and Ty Lee, the only people on campus that she deemed worthy to call her friends. She had her own room of course, but she spent most of her time with the miss-matched pair, partly because she liked their company, but mostly because she liked to torment them.
And she had something really big to torment at least one of them with this morning…
“Good morning, Princess.” Ty Lee beamed. Mai merely nodded in response to her presence, not even looking up from the incredibly thick tome she was reading. “We missed you this weekend.”
“I got called home on short notice.” She sighed as she flopped down, very un-princess-like on the beaming girl’s bed. “When the Fire Lord beckons and all that.”
“Was it for something important?” Ty Lee asked, clearly interested in learning all about the palace gossip.
“Not really…” Azula sighed, examining her fingernails in her ennui. “But I guess Father thought it was…and I suppose I DID have to be there…”
“For what?” Ty Lee asked, obviously dying to know. But it was to Mai Azula looked to for a reaction when she answered.
“Oh…” A wicked grin spread across her face as she looked at the sullen and disinterested girl. “Zuzu got married…”
Mai didn’t respond, didn’t look up, but her sharp fingernails curled tightly around her book, slicing into its cover.
“What?” Ty Lee sat back, a little stunned. “I didn’t know he was seeing anyone…”
“He wasn’t.” Azula said, her eyes never leaving Mai’s lowered head.
“So who did he marry?” Ty Lee frowned.
“Some Water Tribe princess Father found for him.” She laughed out loud. “You should have seen them! They both looked so wonderfully miserable!” She frowned at the hint of a smile this brought to Mai’s face. “I guess she’s as big into duty as my brother is…”
“What do you mean?” Ty Lee questioned.
“They only did it because it’s what our respective fathers wanted.” Azula explained. “For the good of the people…” She sneered.
“Oh…” Ty Lee commented as she absorbed the information Azula had imparted. “Is she pretty?”
“How should I know?” Azula snorted. “She’s Water Tribe…they all look the same to me…what difference does it make?”
“I don’t know…” Ty Lee frowned. “I just thought, it might be nice if your brother could be a bit happy with it all, you know?” She glanced at Mai who had returned to her usual stoic self.
“It’s not about being happy!” Azula said. “It’s about duty…it’s about the only thing my brother understands!” She smirked. “Of course…there is at least one other duty the two of them will be expected to perform…”
“What’s that?” Ty Lee asked.
“They have to produce an heir.” She said in a tone like she was talking to an idiot, which was often how she thought of the bubbly girl anyway. She turned her fiery eyes on Mai again. “I bet they’re at it like rabbiroos…”
That appeared to be the final straw for the sullen girl. She slammed her book shut, threw it on her bed, rose to her feet and stormed out of the room in one surprisingly graceful movement. Azula just smirked at her retreating back.
“Why did you say that?” Ty Lee said. “You know she’s always liked him. Why do you have to be so…so…mean?”
“Oh, please.” Azula scoffed. “It’s about time she got over it. I never understood what she saw in him anyway…” She trailed off when she realised she was talking to herself, Ty Lee having gone after their recently departed friend.
She found her out in the practice yard, hurling knives at a straw dummy, each one finding a highly sensitive or deadly spot.
“Are you alright?” She asked.
“Of course I am.” Mai huffed, not even breaking stride. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Ty Lee gently took her arm, causing the other girl to pause in her attack, leaving the dummy’s head to loll forward as if in relief. Mai sighed deeply, closing her eyes. Her voice was quiet when she finally spoke.
“It’s not like there was anything between us…” She admitted. “I don’t even think he knows I exist…”
Ty Lee lay her head on her friend’s shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her in a comforting embrace.
“You know I was kidding, right?” The pair looked up to find Azula watching them from the shadow of the trees. “I mean, this is Zuzu I’m talking about…” She chuckled as she sat down beside them. “He didn’t say a word to her at the feast…” She looked at Mai with as much sympathy as she could muster.
“I bet he hasn’t even touched her…”
~~~~~~
“What is wrong with that boy…?” Ozai wondered aloud as he watched his son and his new bride stroll along the edge of the miniature lake in the palace gardens. He frowned as they sat primly by the water’s edge, a flock of small yellowish-green creatures gliding across its surface to eagerly gather the crumbs they offered them. Even though he frowned upon public displays of affection, he would have liked to have seen some small indication that the pair were indeed a newly wedded husband and wife. The awkwardness of both teenagers, whose attention was focused more on the tiny ravenous animals than on each other, told him there was nothing physical going on between then.
“He gets handed every teenage boy’s dream…a beautiful girl with whom he can basically do anything he wants without fear of repercussions…and what does he do?” He snorted. “He feeds turtleducks!”
“With all due respect, my Lord…” Commander Zhao said softly, reverently, from behind him. “The reason for this union was for the girl to distract the prince, a task that she seems to be accomplishing quite admirably. If he should choose to engage in such innocent interactions rather than more, shall we say, earthy pursuits, is it really need for concern?”
“I suppose not…” Ozai admitted with a smile. “It’s not like I look forward to a half-breed grandchild anyway…”
“That was not something I considered…” Zhao said with an air of disgust.
“Do not concern yourself, Commander.” Ozai said. “When we are victorous I will have this farce of a marriage annulled and find him a proper wife.”
“And any resulting children…?” Zhao questioned.
“Will be…dealt with...” Ozai assured him. “…along with their mother…”
~~~~~~
Yue smiled, completely unaware of the two less than charitable men discussing her future, or possible lack thereof, as Zuko held out a handful of breadcrumbs for a fairly ancient looking turtleduck which was daintily nibbling straight off his out-stretched palm.
“It is remarkably tame.” She noted as he ran his index finger over the creature’s glossy head, his expression strangely melancholic despite the soft smile that curled his lips.
“He’s an old friend…” Zuko said softly. “I’ve fed him just about every day for the past eight years…I don’t think he’s much longer for this world…” His face seem to grow even sadder as he said this, she wondered how such a simple creature could warrant such a reaction.
“I used to come and feed them with my mother…” He said as if somehow sensing her curiosity. He looked up at her and smiled. “It’s kind of nice to have company again…”
She smiled, placing a comforting hand on his arm and leaned a little closer to him. She hadn’t even considered they could have something like that in common, and she was surprised that she hadn’t noticed it before. His father, his sister and his uncle had been at the ceremony and the feast that had followed, but there had been no sign of his mother. But then she hadn’t been paying much attention to anything at the time.
Now she began to wonder what had happened to her. Had she died in childbirth giving life to his awful sister or had illness taken her life? Or was she like her own mother, a casualty of this senseless war? She didn’t want to press him. In the short time she’d known him she had come to realise that he was an immensely private person. So she just sat with him in comfortable silence watching the turtleducks scoop soggy bread from the water, listening to the gentle music of the wind chimes dotted about the gardens.
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zukoxme
Agni Kai Aang
Rabid Zuko Fangirl
Posts: 7,769
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Duty
Nov 6, 2006 18:37:03 GMT -5
Post by zukoxme on Nov 6, 2006 18:37:03 GMT -5
Keep writing!!! I love it!!!!
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