nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
|
Duty
Dec 5, 2008 18:18:54 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Dec 5, 2008 18:18:54 GMT -5
My sig needs updating I'll go do that now...
|
|
Zenjamin
Ba Sing Se Zuko
Toko supporter
Posts: 2,617
|
Duty
Dec 5, 2008 22:49:20 GMT -5
Post by Zenjamin on Dec 5, 2008 22:49:20 GMT -5
Or you could keep the sig, and work to make it true.
*hint hint*
|
|
nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
|
Duty
Feb 21, 2009 18:44:31 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Feb 21, 2009 18:44:31 GMT -5
I wonder how long it'll take anyone to notice... _________________________________
Chapter Seven
"The Avatar...?" Zuko whispered, his voice a mixture of shock and awe. "Are you sure?"
"The Fire Sages are very insistent." Iroh sighed. "They claim to have seen him. That he visited Roku's temple...and that he destroyed it."
"Why would he destroy his own temple?" Zuko wondered.
"This Avatar is not Roku." Iroh said. "He is the next in the cycle..."
"I know that." Zuko responded. "But still...they're connected...they are the same person...reborn in a different form..."
"In some ways, yes, they are the same person." Iroh agreed. "But in other ways they are vastly different. This Avatar is an airbender...and given what happened after the death of the last Avatar..." He sighed.
Zuko was quiet for a moment. He knew enough about history to know the Avatar's return did not bode well for his people. His great-grandfather Sozin had waited until the death of Avatar Roku before expanding his empire. His tutors had taught him that Sozin's intentions where good, that he only wanted to share the Fire Nation's superior technology and achievements with the rest of the world, that the other nations' resistance to change was what had brought about the war.
Their lessons hadn't made sense to him so Zuko had questioned them. If it had all been for the greater good, surely the Avatar would have supported him, so why had Sozin waited for Roku to pass? Why had he then focused all of his efforts on destroying the Air Nomads, into whose culture the next Avatar would be born? And why did his father and grandfather grow so nervous at any mention of the Avatar's possible return? Why had they spent so much time and effort to ensure that the Avatar had been destroyed?
He had been chastised severely for his questions and as a result had lost interest in history, focusing instead on his warrior skills.
He knew, though his father may dread the Avatar's return, the rest of the world would welcome it. The Avatar would give the people hope, and that hope would strengthen their resolve and they would fight even harder.
And he knew his father would do everything in his power to ensure that hope was extinguished.
Zuko had returned to the capital as soon as the light had faded from the sky, summoned by his father who hadn't even been aware that he'd gone. He hadn't been very happy when he'd learned of Zuko's little excursion and had more or less confined him to the palace grounds as soon as he'd arrived. Azula too had been summoned back from school and was due before sunset. Zuko had to wonder if his father was afraid for his line and wanted to keep his children close in order to protect them. If so, things may be more troubling than he imagined.
"So what does this mean for us?" Zuko asked quietly.
"I have been charged with tracking the Avatar down." Iroh said. "Based on the various reports we have received your father considers him a credible threat."
"But I am the Crown Prince!" Zuko protested. "I should be the one to seek him out!"
"I know the hunt for the Avatar is something of a rite of passage in our family." Iroh smiled as he placed a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. "But you have other duties to attend to."
Zuko frowned, confused.
"Yue..."
"Please..." Zuko grumbled, eyes on the floor, cursing the colour he could feel rising in his cheeks. "Let's not start that again..." He regretted telling his uncle that they'd returned too quickly from the winter palace for nature to take its course.
"That is not what I meant." Iroh said. "You will need to protect her now. There are those who will now see her as a threat."
"A threat?" Zuko boggled. "How could she possibly be a threat? She's not a warrior. She's not even a bender!"
"But she IS Water Tribe." Iroh said. "And she has access to the Royal Family..."
"She's had that for months!" Zuko countered. "And we have an arrangement with the Water Tribe."
"It will not make a difference." Iroh said softly. "Many people do not judge others on the strength of words on paper...or on vows exchanged..."
"Then they have no honour." Zuko growled.
"True enough." Iroh agreed. "But that does not change the fact. Keep her close. You may be the only one who can keep her from harm."
~~~~~~
Iroh's send-off was Yue's first appearance in public since the Avatar's return. It was also her first outside the palace city. Though, given how separated they were from the public she wasn't so sure it counted.
They stood, in a highly regimented order, on an ornate balcony overlooking a grand promenade that led to the sea where Iroh's massive steel ship awaited. Ozai, in full Fire Lord regalia, stood at the railing, looking down on his people, his hands hidden in his voluminous sleeves. Zuko stood on his right, the newly returned Azula on his left, both a step behind their father. Both were dressed more for the battlefield than for a public ceremony. They wore identical suits of what could only be called armour, in black and red, edged with gold. Identical golden flames adorned their identical topknots, though she felt Zuko's was slightly larger, to indicate his position as Crown Prince, no doubt. And though he looked very handsome, she didn't think it suited him at all. She stood a step behind Zuko, nearly invisible to the crowd, and that suited her just fine.
She'd never felt all that comfortable amongst the populace, even with Zuko at her side, but now, things were even worse. The people had never truly accepted her as their princess, all they'd ever done was tolerate her. Now that tolerance was wearing thin.
The people looked on her with disdain, but only when they knew Zuko wasn’t looking. The palace servants tended to her requested begrudgingly, only showing her any respect when Zuko was present. She desperately wanted to return to the winter palace, the staff there had been genuinely kind to her, but with Zuko's royal commitments she knew it was impossible.
She glanced down as a cheer erupted from the gathered throng below. Iroh and his crew were now making their trek to the distant ship, the people enthusiastically farewelling their elder prince.
Two identical women, who looked older than time itself, were addressing the crowd in perfect synchronisation, as if they shared the same voice along with the same face. They spoke of Iroh's great achievements, of the battles he had fought and won for the Fire Nation's glory. They spoke of the Earth Kingdom's treachery that had led to the loss of his beloved son and his temporary abandonment of the siege of Ba Sing Se. They assured the people that he would find and capture the Avatar and remove the only threat to the Fire Nation's victory over the world.
The huge cheer that followed this announced made had gasp and shrink back. She felt something brush her hand and looked down to see Zuko's fingers brushing hers. She looked up to see his concerned golden eyes looking back at her as inconspicuously as possible. She took his hand in an iron grip, clinging to it as if it were a lifeline.
She didn't know how long they stood there as Iroh and his crew filed onto the ship, as it pulled away and headed across the harbour towards the gate in the wall that kept it safe. Ozai turned and left as soon as the ship passed through the gate. Azula shot her brother the most wicked smirk she'd ever seen, and she wasn't sure, but she thought she heard her sneer, "One down...one to go..." as she turned and left as well as the gate closed, its heavy rumble audible despite the distance. Zuko, however, didn't move. He just stood there, one arm behind his back, the other thrust back to her.
She knew what he was feeling. He wasn't close to his father or his sister, he'd lost his mother...Iroh was the only family he really had. It was Iroh that he turned to for guidance, comfort, even just for company.
Now that the balcony was otherwise empty and she no longer had to stand on decorum, she stepped up behind him and wrapped her free arm around him as she rested her chin on his armoured shoulder. Rather than just holding his hand, she twined her fingers through his.
He shifted slightly, taking her other hand in his and pulling them more tightly around him. He drew them upwards until she could feel his breath on her fingers. Part of her thought...hoped...he would kiss them, but he just held them against his chest, against his heart, but she could feel it through the armour...
And so they stood there in the silence, watching as Iroh's ship disappeared over the horizon, and she made a vow to herself...if Iroh could not be there for him, she'd have to be.
~~~~~~
Yue's days had become rather quiet. Zuko was always busy, off somewhere doing whatever his father ordered him to do. The servants rarely came anywhere near her if he wasn't there, they were loath to do anything for her and only did so under duress. She'd never felt very comfortable alone in the palace or its grounds, now she didn’t even feel safe, so she kept to their rooms.
She had brought many things with her from the North Pole, items that were dear to her and others that were more functional, like her table loom. She would often sit at it during her many quiet hours, fashioning coarse yak-elk wool into fabric as the women of her tribe had for generations. The familiar task was monotonous, but very comforting.
"You make your own cloth?" A snide voice enquired. She spun to see Azula leaning against the doorframe. She slinked into the room without invitation and peered at Yue's handiwork. "How...quaint..." She smiled, testing the fabric between taloned fingers.
"It's rather coarse." She said with a frown. "But I suppose that's what you're used to."
Yue tried not to bristle at the thinly veiled insult.
"Do you make your own clothes, too?" She asked with an arced brow.
"Yes." She confirmed.
"How wonderfully productive of you." She smiled. "And the colour..." She went on. "Have you ever considered anything that isn't blue?"
"What's wrong with blue?" Yue demanded, a little defensively. She was very proud of her heritage.
"Nothing." Azula admitted. "But it does kind of make you stand out."
"Stand out?" Yue echoed.
"Well...ever since the Avatar returned...there are those who are rather suspicious of anything that isn't Fire Nation." She smirked that smirk of hers. "I know you'd never hurt us...but the people...they're very protective of the royal family..." She leaned in close. "You never know what's on their overly patriotic little minds..."
Yue's eyes widened. The heavy silence left in the wake of Azula's words became almost palatable.
"What are you doing in here?"
The pair turned to see Zuko, his eyes narrowed, all but stalking into the room. There had been a hard edge to his voice that Yue had never heard before.
There was something in the way the two circled each other that reminded her of polar leopards. They were sizing each other up, manoeuvring into position. Zuko, she noticed, had put himself between her and his sister, his honey-gold eyes never leaving his sister's deeper amber ones. His intentions were clear...he was protecting her from what he saw as a threat. Yue knew the siblings didn't get along, but she hadn't realised that their animosity ran so deep.
Azula was the one to break the tension in the room. Her stance relaxed as she paused in front of the open door.
"I'm just getting to know my sister-in-law." She said sweetly. "Don't you think I should? We're family now after all."
Zuko didn't say anything, he just glared at her smirking face.
"Well...anyway..." She turned, flouncing through the door. "I'll leave you two to..." She paused in thought for a moment, circling her hand as she did so. "...to whatever it is that you two do..."
Zuko followed, closing the door, quietly but firmly, behind her. He stood there for a moment, his hand resting where the door and jam met, taking a few deep breaths as if struggling to regain his composure. But when he turned she could still see the tension in him, in his eyes, his face, in his entire body.
"Are you alright?" He asked, his voice carefully controlled.
She nodded, but her eyes were still wide. She was still unsettled, both by Azula's presence, and Zuko's reaction to it. It took all her force of will not to back away as he approached her. But he must have sensed her apprehension. He stopped, closed his eyes and took another deep breath. There was fear and pain in his eyes when he opened them.
"Did she...hurt...?" He began, his voice barely audible. He had seen the fear in her eyes as he'd entered. He had heard what Azula had said to her just before he got there.
Yue shook her head. "She scared me a little..." She admitted with a tiny smile, mostly for his benefit. "She's quite intimidating..."
"Yeah..." Zuko looked away for a moment, allowing himself a little chuckle. "She's that all right..." He looked back at her, a slight smile on his lips, which faded quickly at the look on her face. Her wide blue eyes still held that haunted look as she gazed up at him, her skin was still paler than usual. Her fingers twisted nervously in the threads of her loom.
"I scared you too..." He realised. He lowered his head and she knew that he was ashamed of that.
"You surprised me..." She began. "I didn't think you could be so...like that..."
"Azula brings out the worst in me." He said softly. He went down on bended knee before her where she sat at her forgotten work so he could look her straight in the eye.
"She takes great delight in tormenting me." He said. "In destroying anything and everything I care about. So when I saw her here..." He lowered his head.
"You feared the worst." Yue surmised.
"It's pretty much an automatic response." He sighed. He looked up to meet her gaze.
"I guess a healthy ferociousness is part of being a firebender." She said.
"It does help to be aggressive..." He admitted. "Though there is more to it than that." He took her hands in his. "But I want you to know...I would never turn that aggression...that ferociousness...on you."
She reached out and gently traced the curve of his face. Even when she'd been frightened she knew he'd never deliberately turn his anger on her, so she had no reason not to believe his words. She knew she would only ever see that side of him when he was protecting her.
She just hoped she wouldn't have to see it too often.
~~~~~
Though she didn't say anything, Zuko knew Yue had been quite shaken by Azula’s little stunt. Though she hadn't actually made a move against her, her subtle threat weighed heavily on both their minds. It had echoed Iroh's warning, a warning that Zuko had not shared with his wife, but it had strengthen the possibility that someone might make a move against her.
He also knew that he had to do something so as not to see a repeat of the incident with Azula. The only way to keep Yue safe from his sister was to keep one or the other in sight. If he could not be with Yue he made sure he could see exactly what his sister was up to. He made certain that Azula had no free access to Yue.
Of course that didn’t mean Azula didn't have free access to him...
The meeting had run overtime and he was running late. The light was already fading from the sky and he knew Yue was waiting for him so he was walking a little more briskly than usual.
"Rushing home to the little woman?" Azula teased as she fell into step beside him. His narrowed eyes slid briefly towards her smug face, but otherwise he did his best to ignore her, no easy task with her apparent inability to leave him alone. He wondered briefly if her two friends back at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls had breathed a sigh of relief when she’d been called home. At least if offered them some peace.
"But I suppose you have to for as long as you can." She continued, checking her fingernails in a nonchalant way. "After Zhao amasses his armada and destroys the Northern Water Tribe she'll have to be dealt with. I know you'll miss your little pet, but don't worry, father will find you another wife...a proper Fire Nation wife. I was going to suggest Mai...she still likes you for some reason, though I can’t for the life of me imagine why...but given what a weak firebender you are you'll have to marry another firebender. We have to make certain that your offspring are firebenders after all..."
She continued to prattle on, but Zuko was no longer paying much attention to what she was saying...it would only be hurtful, designed to get a rise out of him. His eyes had widened when she'd mentioned the armada, and he was suddenly glad that it was dark and she'd been too preoccupied with some invisible flaw she'd found in one of her fingernails to notice his reaction. It had taken all his strength of will not to stop dead in his tracks...he knew that was the reaction she was hoping for. And when she hadn't gotten it she'd launched straight into an attack on Yue.
He remembered his childhood mantra...Azula always lies. This had to be a lie...they had a treaty with the Northern Water Tribe...his marriage to Yue had sealed it. To break it by invading them would be completely dishonourable. But Iroh had warned him to keep a close eye on his wife, that there was likely those who would wish to do her harm. There could be some truth behind Azula's words. Could he risk Yue's life...and her peoples'...by brushing Azula's taunt off as a lie?
"Anyway..." Azula's change in tone caught his attention...he could almost hear her roll her eyes. Either she was finished or she realised he was no longer listening. "I have to go have a word with the royal manicurist...and you have to go spend some time with your little snowflake...we can't have her getting all suspicious on us now can we?"
~~~~~~
Zuko stood in mesmerised silence as he watched his wife sleep in the bed they still didn't share. There was a slight crease to her brow which gave her face a troubled look. Seeing it he knew he'd made the right decision. He had to get her out of the Fire Nation.
Their evening had passed like any other. They had eaten in their rooms, Yue was not comfortable in the presence of his family now that his uncle was gone so they rarely ate with them. They had talked about their days, she'd done a little weaving, working some purple into the fabric he noticed. Then they had gotten ready for bed.
He had waited for some time before soundlessly entering the sleeping chamber to make sure that she was asleep...and she had captivated him. He shook his head to clear it then left as quietly as he'd entered, using the skills he'd developed in order to avoid his sister during her frequent visits from school. He almost chuckled when he realised he was pretty much doing the same thing now.
He glanced at the golden couch that served as his bed. He'd arranged pillows beneath the blankets to give the illusion that there was a body there, as he'd done several times in his youth when he'd snuck out to visit some of his uncle's favourite haunts in the city.
He headed for one of them now.
He sighed as he looked up at the faded shingle that hung above the door. He wasn't sure what Uncle's Pai Sho buddies could do, but the old man had been adamant that if he ever needed help that they were the ones to turn to. He took a deep breath and entered the seedy looking establishment.
He had made certain not to wear anything that would give away his royal status but it was obvious that he didn't belong. He pulled his hood a little tighter around his face as every single person in the place looked up from what they were doing to study him. He reached into his pocket, his fingers tightening on the item his uncle had told him to bring with him.
A harmless looking old man excused himself with a nod to his competitor and rose from their Pai Sho board.
"Can I help you, young man?" He asked as he approached.
"My uncle sent me." Zuko explained as he withdrew his hand from his pocket, opening it to reveal the single Pai Sho tile on his palm. It was emblazed with a stylised flower. "He said you could help me."
|
|
Zenjamin
Ba Sing Se Zuko
Toko supporter
Posts: 2,617
|
Duty
Feb 21, 2009 20:20:10 GMT -5
Post by Zenjamin on Feb 21, 2009 20:20:10 GMT -5
Hellz Ya!
To think we wouldnt notice.
PAAAA!
|
|
aquavi
Casual Zuko
Yay for old skool!
Posts: 981
|
Duty
Feb 22, 2009 5:13:30 GMT -5
Post by aquavi on Feb 22, 2009 5:13:30 GMT -5
Not very long at all.
|
|
nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
|
Duty
Feb 23, 2009 2:05:08 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Feb 23, 2009 2:05:08 GMT -5
ASN was quicker...I hadn't even updated it in all the places I have it when I got a response over there...people must really be in the need for fanfic...
|
|
aquavi
Casual Zuko
Yay for old skool!
Posts: 981
|
Duty
Feb 23, 2009 7:55:22 GMT -5
Post by aquavi on Feb 23, 2009 7:55:22 GMT -5
ASN was quicker...I hadn't even updated it in all the places I have it when I got a response over there...people must really be in the need for fanfic... Good fanfic. I haven't kept in touch with fandom on the whole (like with LJ) but I'm guessing everything has slowed down some including fic making. :/
|
|
Zenjamin
Ba Sing Se Zuko
Toko supporter
Posts: 2,617
|
Duty
Feb 23, 2009 14:16:34 GMT -5
Post by Zenjamin on Feb 23, 2009 14:16:34 GMT -5
It was quite excellent.
I suspect Zuko will have a crisis of priority. Does he tell Yue her people are in danger, respecting her right to know. Or does he try to deal with this burden himself, in an effort to keep Yue out of harms way.
PS: I love your writing style. However, I do hope you dont drag out the sex forever. Im not saying I want a chapter full of smut, you could cut to black or watever.
I but if you drag it on forever when they both love eachother, politics diticates it to be pratical, love dictates it to be pratical, and everything else seems to tell them to get it on, and they still dont... Well, it would eventually feel abit too much like that one mormon author who wrote those damnedable currsed Twilight books.
... But I wont go into that now.
But you get my point. If you wanna save the consummation for the finale or something, they better be on a constant chase and never alone or something. Because if they just keep on becoming "distracted" or something, then that would be distracting.
|
|
aquavi
Casual Zuko
Yay for old skool!
Posts: 981
|
Duty
Feb 23, 2009 17:38:20 GMT -5
Post by aquavi on Feb 23, 2009 17:38:20 GMT -5
^Clearly you have not read Hana Yori Dango which stretches out the not having sex thing so far that when the couple is finally completely isolated from any and all distraction and in a situation where they may not see each other for a good 12 months, they still don't do it. It's possibly one of the most aggravating moments in any sort of fiction that I've ever had.
In Twilight it's the old school values that are bore into the skull because marriage = love = sex....
At least Zuko and Yue are getting over their general awkwardness, even if they hardly ever seem to be very... physical about it.
Then again, I didn't like how S3 thrusts the entire cast into very physical relationships (at least that's allowed for a kid's program) without much warning or buildup or seg way.
I don't want realism! I want believability! Which is why I have no issue with Duty to say the least and I wanna draw fanart for it... again....
|
|
nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
|
Duty
Feb 24, 2009 2:12:06 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Feb 24, 2009 2:12:06 GMT -5
It was quite excellent. I suspect Zuko will have a crisis of priority. Does he tell Yue her people are in danger, respecting her right to know. Or does he try to deal with this burden himself, in an effort to keep Yue out of harms way. Yes...it is very much a Zuko situation...he's also got the added angst from the 'do I remain loyal to my nation or to the girl I spoke all those vows of protection and devotion to?' Well...it won't drag on forever...but you're not getting a chapter full of smut...one...I don't think it's allowed on any of the sites I'm posting this...and two...well...I just can't write that stuff...*blushes like a school girl* And you have to remember...these two are pretty much giggly school girls when it comes to that stuff too... In Twilight it's the old school values that are bore into the skull because marriage = love = sex.... I think it also had something to do with the author's strong religious faith... He's waiting for a sign from her...she's waiting from a sign from him...you'd think they'd have seen them by now... Tell me about it! I STILL can't watch half of season three because of it. Yah! Fan art!
|
|
Zenjamin
Ba Sing Se Zuko
Toko supporter
Posts: 2,617
|
Duty
Feb 24, 2009 8:11:05 GMT -5
Post by Zenjamin on Feb 24, 2009 8:11:05 GMT -5
And you have to remember...these two are pretty much giggly school girls when it comes to that stuff too... Oh pleas. Pretty please? I would pay to see Zuko blush and giggle like a school girl. Could you make him go "Te-he-he!" for us?
|
|
aquavi
Casual Zuko
Yay for old skool!
Posts: 981
|
Duty
Feb 24, 2009 11:35:29 GMT -5
Post by aquavi on Feb 24, 2009 11:35:29 GMT -5
... The only Zuko I can see giggling is the creepy one from the S2 finale. MIRITE? Well they're still getting to know each other... mostly. And Zuko isn't as suave as Sokka.
|
|
nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
|
Duty
Feb 25, 2009 1:42:51 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Feb 25, 2009 1:42:51 GMT -5
... The only Zuko I can see giggling is the creepy one from the S2 finale. MIRITE? Zuko's more a chuckler than a giggler...and even chuckling's a bit of a stretch... He's also not as...well...um... hormonal...as Sokka...
|
|
nandireya
Zuko's Path to Redemption Mod
...tickled pink...
Posts: 6,822
|
Duty
Mar 7, 2009 23:48:44 GMT -5
Post by nandireya on Mar 7, 2009 23:48:44 GMT -5
Oh dear...a double post...the mods will be ever so upset...
Okay...there's a little bit of an 'adult situation' at the start here...nothing major...but I thought a warning was in order... ____________________________
Chapter Eight
Yue lay on the grass watching the fish circling each other. It was her favourite place in the whole world, surprisingly warm for the dead of winter. She wanted to trail her fingers in the pool’s inviting waters but she didn't dare. It had mystical, magical properties, or so she'd been told, and there was no telling what it might do to her. So she just focused on the fish, endlessly chasing each other, desperately reaching for each other, but somehow never able to touch...
"Yue..."
The voice was soft, barely a whisper, but she heard it perfectly. Its suddenness startled her so much that she sat up reflexively, as if ready to flee, as she looked towards its source.
Zuko stood framed in the wooden entrance, his flowing black robes a dark contrast to the pale blue. His hair was down, she hadn't realised it was so long, blending almost perfectly with the ebony cloth he wore. His eyes locked with hers as he moved silently towards one of the bridges that arched over to the island. His intense golden gaze didn't release her even as he stalked across the perfect lawn. She half expected him to leave smoking footprints in his wake, his expression was so scorching, his eyes so smouldering, she could almost feel the heat radiating off him.
She should be afraid, she thought, there was something predatory in his movements, in his eyes, but she wasn't. She was perfectly happy to be his prey.
He dropped to his knees as he reached her, one arm flashing out so quickly to encircle her waist she hadn't even seen it move. She gasped as that arm retracted, crushing her against his chest. She could definitely feel the heat of him now, so intense that it was making her feel light-headed. Or maybe it was the sultry look in his half-lidded eyes that was causing that.
They seemed to be lit by some internal fire of their own as he searched her face. She let out a shuddering sigh as those beautiful fiery orbs focused on her lips, causing him to lick his own in response. He leaned in, the hand on her back sliding deliciously up her spine as the other found her shoulder. Nimble fingers teased at the neck of her snow-white gown, slipping beneath it and drawing it away to expose the skin of her collarbone while the hand itself began to travel downwards to trace the top of the curve below.
Her own hands found the overlap at the front of his robe, slipping inside to quickly push the heavy fabric over his shoulders and down his arms, stopping only when it caught at his elbows. His body, at least what she could see of it, was smooth and firm, almost as pale as marble, and even more luminous. She ran her fingers over the silky perfection of his skin and it was his turn to let out a shuddering sigh. His head arced back, his eyes closed, and she was sure she saw steam escape his nostrils. She could feel the hand at her back fist in the fabric of her gown, tugging it ever so slightly down, exposing just a little bit more of her shoulder.
His head came back up and she could see an inferno blazing in his eyes now. She could feel the heat in her own body rising to meet his. The fingers of the hand that kept her trapped against him splayed against her back as he began to slowly lower her down to the grass. The other hand returned to her shoulder, pushing the fabric aside as his lips, so hot she didn't know how he couldn’t have left a mark, closed on her throat.
"Yue..." He whispered against her skin.
"Mmmm...Zuko..." She responded, a smile slowly spreading across her face.
~~~~~
Zuko sat back with wide eyes and released Yue's shoulder. Her reaction to his gentle shake to rouse her from her sleep had surprised him. It was so...so...well he didn't really want to think about how it was. It was already having an effect on him that was highly inappropriate given the current situation, and it was only thanks to years of meditation that he managed to stifle it.
He reached out with a tentative finger and poked her lightly in the shoulder this time, instead of leaning in close to whisper in her ear.
Her eyes opened slowly, the smile returning as she looked up into the golden eyes that hovered over her. But these eyes were not smouldering and intense, they were confused, worried, and even a little frightened.
"Zuko!" She gasped, sitting up and pulling her already well tied sleepwear tighter about her throat. "What are you doing in here? Is something wrong?"
"No...no..." He shook his head. "We just have to go...now!"
She glanced at the windows, the image of her confident and amorous dream Zuko being quickly replaced by the awkward and flustered actual Zuko as reality reasserted itself.
"It's still dark." She commented. "What time is it?"
"It's late." He confirmed. "Well...early...actually..."
"And we have to go NOW?" She questioned.
"Yes." He nodded.
"And nothing's wrong?"
"No..." He shook his head again, his eyes wide. "There's nothing wrong...it's just...well...it's a surprise...and you wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise would you?"
"Alright." She looked at him a little sceptically. A good liar Zuko was not. Something was obviously worrying him. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready..."
~~~~~~
Zuko was quite anxious by the time Yue had dressed and fixed her hair. He wondered why she had to wear it in such an elaborate style...it took her ages to braid and pin it. At least she did it herself and didn't need the assistance of any servants, the fewer of the household staff that knew what was going on, the better. He didn't want to put any of them at risk when his father discovered them gone.
The whole situation was making him sick. He wasn't sure what he should really do. He didn't want to betray his country or his people, but he couldn't just stand by and let Yue's people die. It would mean breaking the treaty, and even if his father was willing to justify this outrage in some way, there was no way Zuko would taint his own honour by going along with it. Besides, hadn't they both agreed that they were now part of each other’s culture? Her tribe was his tribe as much as his people were hers.
And then there was Yue.
Even if she did somehow miraculously survive the wholesale slaughter of her people...what would that do to her? Even now he still felt the loss of his mother, and that had been the loss of a single person, an extremely important person in his young life, but a single person nonetheless. And he wasn't even certain that she was gone forever.
So he'd turned his thoughts to his cousin. Lu Ten was truly gone, gone forever. It had been a different feeling then, one he couldn't really comprehend. Lu Ten would no longer be a part of his life, he would never hear his laughter again, or his stories, or his encouragement when he practiced a new firebending move for him. It had been a hard concept to grasp for his, at the time, ten year old mind, but he'd had his mother to comfort him, to tell him of the Spirit World and the special place in the Afterlife for those who had died an honourable death. He'd felt much better after that.
And his grandfather, Azulon...he was gone too, but that hadn't affected him much at all. He felt a little guilty about that now, like he should have experienced some sense of loss, but he hadn't been all that close to his grandfather, in truth he wasn't all that close to many people at all. A certain level of detachment had always permeated his life. He didn't know if that was a family trait or a cultural one. With the exception of his mother, and more recently his uncle, he'd never spent too much time in the company of any member of his family. Maybe he didn't feel loss so much because he was never really close to people to begin with.
But he knew that wasn't the case with Yue. She would speak so fondly of her father, of her family and friends, even of the stern-faced Waterbending Master who had been one of the witnesses at their wedding. She loved her people...truly LOVED them. His dedication to his own people was born out of his ingrained sense of honour...an over-developed sense his sister would always laughingly tease him...and of his duty as their Crown Prince. He wanted to keep them from needless harm, he'd spoken out about that in the past, but they were little more than a faceless mass to him. But Yue knew her people...at least a good many of them...she would feel their loss...grieve it...and there may be far too much grief for her to bear.
He wouldn't let her suffer...he wouldn't let her people suffer...even if it meant damning himself in the eyes of his own nation. He had admitted to himself how much she meant to him, even if he wasn't able to confess it to her. He would willingly sacrifice himself for her.
His hand tightened a little on hers as he led her through the shadowy hallways of the palace, hallways that he'd only ever explored as a child, to one of the many servants' entrances.
"Why are we going this way?" Yue asked quietly as she glanced at the simply decorated walls and simple wooden doors set into them. It was cold in this part of the palace and she pulled the deep crimson travelling cloak he'd presented her with a little tighter about herself.
"It's late." Zuko said matter-of-factly. "We don't want to wake anyone up."
The man he had spoken to had given him specific instructions. To be at the northern entrance at precisely two bells. His hand touched the door's bolt just as the first chime sounded. He frowned as he slid the simple locking mechanism aside to open the door. It couldn't be closed from the outside, someone would find it open and know someone had exited here and not come back...there would be evidence...
The second chime rang out. He pulled the door open. The harmless looking old man smiled at him, an elderly woman in servants' robes at his side. He was almost certain he'd seen her face before. Did she work in the kitchens?
She bowed reverently to him, then slipped past him and through the door, closing it softly behind her. He barely heard the well-oiled bolt slide home.
The harmless looking old man repeated the bow.
"Good morning, Your Highnesses." He smiled. "Everything is ready." His eyes met Zuko's for a moment, conveying far more than his simple words.
Zuko placed his fist against his palm, bowing from the neck to show his thanks.
~~~~~~
"A cruise?" Yue arced a perfect snowy brow. "That's your surprise?"
"In part." Zuko smiled. There was still an air of anxiousness to him, but it had decreased significantly as soon as they'd left the main island behind them.
"And the reason we had to leave so early?” She questioned.
“Well..." He glanced upwards at the pale blush of the early morning sky. "We didn't HAVE to leave early..." He placed his hands gently on her shoulders, delighting in her slight shiver as he slid them down her upper arms. Taking her by the elbows he turned her around so that she was facing east. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "But we'd have missed the sun rise. And to see the sun rising over the ocean is quite breathtaking."
They stood in contented silence as they watched the bright golden sliver of the sun crest the horizon, setting the deep blue water ablaze. The fiery orb emerged so slowly it almost seemed reluctant to be parted from the ocean, the water holding on so tightly as if it didn't want to let it go.
Zuko hadn't released her arms. She leaned back against his chest, feeling the heat rising in him in parallel to the embodiment of his element. She assumed it was a firebender thing...but then why could she feel her own body begin to warm in response?
"I've always been told that fire and water are opposites...that they can only destroy each other..." Zuko was saying. "But when you see them like this..."
"...they're so perfect together..." She sighed.
Silence descended upon them again, neither feeling the need to fill it with pointless small talk. They just stood and watched the beautiful blending of their native elements. She snuggled a bit closer to his warmth, his fingers absently caressing her arms as nature slowly tore fire and water apart before their eyes.
~~~~~~
"We'll be stopping at Ember Island for breakfast." He told her, pointing out the isle in the seemingly endless chain. "The whole island is pretty much one big holiday resort. It's all restaurants and spas and the like. We have a house there, with a private beach and everything...we used to go there every summer...but we haven't used it for a long time..."
"Maybe we could stay there for a while?" She suggested at the play of emotions on his face. He obviously had fond memories of the place.
He shook his head. "It's not so good for the dead of winter. It's pretty open and airy...it was designed with summer in mind. The whole island is, really. It'll probably be pretty quiet."
"Maybe when the weather gets warmer then?" She suggested.
"Maybe..."
Zuko was actually counting on the resort island being fairly uninhabited. There were a few families who actually lived there all year round, and the people who actually ran the businesses there, but most only came for the summer, or, like them, stopped briefly on their way somewhere else. It would be best if his presence were to go unnoticed.
Their vessel pulled in at one of the public docks without incident, and he offered Yue his hand to help her disembark, excusing himself for a moment to talk to the captain...or at least what passed for the captain...of the rather non-descript little boat.
Yue occupied herself by browsing the market stalls that lined the pier. It was still very early, and as Zuko had already pointed out, it was the off season, so not many were operating. Most displayed various food-stuffs...freshly baked breads and pastries...the day's catch...but it was the one with hand-crafted jewellery that caught her eye. Her hand went to the carved stone at her throat. She wore a piece that Zuko had given her, she always found comfort in its touch when he wasn’t around. Perhaps she could find something for him.
He didn't really wear jewellery so she passed by the necklaces and rings. She thought about the hair ornaments, but she doubted he'd ever wear anything but his princely crown. But then, she smiled to herself as she recalled her dream of that morning, she thought he looked quite fetching with his hair down.
Maybe the armbands or wrist guards then. The men of her tribe wore those too, though they generally didn't wear matched sets, and they were more often made of leather than beaten metal. There was some beautiful craftsmanship in the designs etched into both metal and leather, but nothing really spoke to her, maybe because she couldn't find anything that combined their elements like the pendant he'd carved for her.
"Can I help you with something there, dear?" The woman who addressed her did a small double-take when Yue raised her head. Her hooded robe hid her snow white hair, but could do nothing for her tan skin and sky blue eyes. But the stall-keeper took it all in stride. "This would go lovely with your colouring." She said, picking up a necklace of delicate silver filigree.
"I wasn't looking for something for myself..." She said, a little shyly. She'd had very little interaction with the people of the Fire Nation, and even though the woman didn't seem at all perturbed by her obvious differences, she was still nervous. She glanced behind her to where Zuko was still in deep conversation with the boat captain. He noticed her look, she had little doubt he was keeping a watchful eye on her, and smiled.
"Something for your young man, then." The woman surmised with a knowing smile of her own.
~~~~~~
They strolled along the beach, side by side, as Zuko lead her to wherever it was he had in mind for breakfast. The morning was bright and clear, though quite cool, and the sound of the soothing surf seemed to be having a calming effect on him.
Such a stroll with such scenery would be considered quite romantic for most, but Zuko didn't speak to her, his hands remained resolutely within his sleeves. But then he'd never been one for displays of public affection...she'd often wondered if they were even allowed...and they weren't exactly alone on the sands now.
Well if he wouldn't...
She reached out and fumbled with his voluminous sleeve. He looked down at her with a confused frown until her searching fingers found his hidden hand and twined their way into his.
"You take me for a romantic walk on the beach and you don't hold my hand?" She teased.
"Sorry..." He mumbled. "I guess my mind was somewhere else..."
"Oh?" Her eyebrows rose. "We're taking a romantic walk and you weren't thinking about me? That's going to cost you." She smiled.
Zuko's eyes widened for a moment until he noticed the playful look on her face.
"And just what is it going to cost me?"
"I'll think of something."
He cleared his throat awkwardly and pointed with their joined hands to a low building with a broad veranda. "The Golden Crane." He said as he began to lead her towards it. "One of Ember Island's finest dinning establishments."
He dropped her hand as they stepped onto the veranda. "I'll get us a table."
She smiled as he wove agilely between the little wooden islands of the mostly empty tables, then turned to admire the ocean. She had missed the sea. Even though she wasn't a bender she still felt a connection to it. She sighed happily as the scent of salt on the air reached her.
She hadn't noticed the two teenaged boys as they approached her, but they had noticed her. As soon as they'd stepped onto the vast platform from one of its many entrances they'd been whispering to each other. Despite the deep red cloak she wore, her slim, very feminine figure, was obvious. And though the hood hid her hair, her face was still visible.
She jumped as one of them spoke.
"Hey there." He said with an almost sleazy smile. "We're Chan..."
"...and Ruon Jian..." The other added from her other side, casually flicking his long hair from his eyes.
"We haven't seen you around here before..." The first one, whom she assumed was Chan, said.
"I'm just visiting..." She managed, looking from one to the other.
"Is that right?" Chan smirked. "Well that's perfect. We're like the island's unofficial welcome wagon..."
"We can show you all the sights." Ruon Jian nodded.
They were both extremely attractive, but unlike Zuko, they were both highly aware of that fact, and appeared to feel that gave them some sort superiority, or some natural irresistibility. A part of her wished Zuko shared some of their confidence, just not too much of it. There was also something predatory about them...something they had in common with just about every Fire Nation native she'd met. But if Zuko was a polar leopard, then these two were artic wolf-bats, their coordinated efforts designed to take down their prey.
"Excuse me."
Speaking of her polar leopard.
Zuko twisted the pair away with little more than a firm hand on their shoulders, shoving them aside as he placed himself next to her in one fluid movement.
Chan eyed him for a moment. He was a little shorter, but it was hard to determine his build under his travelling cloak. Of course he had Ruon Jian to back him up...
Still...given the pale golden colour and intensity of his eyes...he could be a bender...and Chan knew better than to mess with a bender...
"Who's this?" He asked Yue. "You're brother?"
"Her husband." Zuko replied dangerously.
"Husband?" Chan took a step back. "Aren't you two kinda young to be...married...?"
"We're old enough." Zuko told him in that same low tone.
"Hey!" Ruon Jian spread his hand in an open gesture. "We don’t want any trouble..."
"We were just trying to be good hosts." Chan added.
"Hosts?" Zuko echoed.
"They're the island's unofficial welcome wagon." Yue informed him.
"I'll bet." Zuko snorted.
"So...yeah..." The pair backed away. "We hope you have a nice time here on our lovely island."
"They certainly gave up easily." Yue noted as they headed out onto the beach.
"So you were enjoying their attention?" Zuko looked at her with an odd expression.
"No..." She shook her head. "But...there were two of them...if they'd wanted to press the point..."
"It's an honour thing." Zuko said. "There's very few in the Fire Nation who'll interfere with the sanctity of marriage..."
"And if we hadn't been married?"
"Then we might have had a problem..." He admitted, absently stroking the still rather sparse beard on his chin. "I'd have hated to damage this lovely establishment."
The young waitress, who Yue hadn't even noticed before, looked nervous at Zuko's words.
"Um...your table...?" She stammered.
~~~~~~
Zuko seemed to be more or less back to his old self as they made small talk over breakfast, but he still seemed to be rather anxious. He kept glancing at the restaurant's entrances, at the height of the sun in the sky.
"Those boys..." She said, bringing his attention back to her. "They didn't seem to know who you are..."
"Most teenagers don't have a lot of interest in politics." He admitted. "And I'm not exactly dressed in a way to bring attention to the fact that I am...who I am..."
"And why is that?" She asked as she sipped the warm spicy drink he’d suggested for her.
"To be honest, it can be a bit of a bore to have people fawning over you all the time." He smiled. "It can be useful too I guess...and some of the perks are pretty good..."
"Speaking of perks..." She said. "I got you something..."
"You did?" He frowned. "When?"
"At the pier..." She smiled. "...while you were talking to the boat captain."
"I gave you that money to get something nice for yourself."
"And I wanted to get something for you." She told him. "I have your necklace..." She touched her throat, feeling its shape even beneath the multiple layers of fabric. "I wanted you to be able to wear something from me."
"Fair enough." He chuckled. "So let's see it...what did you get me?"
She giggled at his sudden enthusiasm...he was like a little boy at the Winter Solstice...and drew a small, cloth-wrapped parcel from inside her cloak, pushing it across the table to him. He untied the cloth to reveal a pair of dark leather wrist guards. Each bore an identical, engraved design, inlaid with silver, of a dragon, curled around in a circle, a pale disc held gently in its fore-claw within the coil of its body.
"It was hard to find something that combined our cultures...the designs were mostly just flames and suns...but then I saw these. I know I'm probably misinterpreting it, but it looks like the dragon is protecting the moon..."
"So I'm the dragon and you're the moon?" He asked as he pushed up his sleeves and began to lace them on to his wrists.
"Something like that." She smiled.
He covered her hands with his, partly so she could admire her gift to him, but mostly just so he could touch her.
"I can live with that." He said softly.
Neither of them were looking at his wrists.
|
|
aquavi
Casual Zuko
Yay for old skool!
Posts: 981
|
Duty
Mar 8, 2009 20:19:57 GMT -5
Post by aquavi on Mar 8, 2009 20:19:57 GMT -5
Yay! Is this about as 'adult' as you'll ever get?
|
|