Title: Eyes (1/1)
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None, really.
Word Count: 1,313
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Summary: Zuko and Katara's last encounter as seen through the eyes of a curious bystander.
A/N: This is my experiment in a different POV. The narrator is an OC, but give it a chance anyway because you may be a bit surprised.
Eyes
"There's no use in weeping,
Though we are condemned to part:
There's such a thing as keeping
A remembrance in one's heart."
- Charlotte Bronte
I know, hidden in the shadows, that what I am about to witness will be most intriguing.
My brothers and sisters have never understood my fascination with humans, insisting that I should not let these cumbersome creatures' petty problems occupy so much of my attention, for they are always so conceited and selfish, always demanding us to end their frivolous troubles as if we are common servants.
Perhaps my brothers and sisters are right, but it is precisely these petty problems that have enthralled me for so long. They are entertaining because these amusing mortals have fooled themselves into believing that they are all that matter in the world. After all, I am a true procrastinator at heart, often eschewing my duties to watch their antics. Of course I must never interfere, but really, humans never notice me, so absorbed are they in their own world. Therefore, I find it hardly necessary to flit from shadow to shadow, but I know my brethren are watching me closely in case I try something reckless. Most of the time, however, I am just contented with watching.
With a smooth flap of my wings, I am reclining on a tree branch, prepared for the story that is bound to unravel.
Today, there is a girl with a long braid and a blue overcoat pacing restlessly by the river, and I have the distinct impression that she is angry as she clutches a small scroll tightly in her fist. She is probably waiting for someone, and so I wait with her.
It does not take long for the other to appear, emerging from the forest on an ostrich-horse, and I see her pivoting on her heel, facing the newcomer with the same furious glare on her face.
The young man who appears has every mark of wealth and status in his dignified composure, but this is understated. He wears an ordinary hat, shading and hiding most of his face from the scorching summer sun, and he is dressed in a simple red silk tunic, embroidered lightly with gold. His matching red pants are tucked into worn traveling boots, but this is mostly unremarkable. What is unusual is the red scar around his eye, a disfigurement on an otherwise handsome, aristocratic face. I can only guess that he is someone from the Fire Nation; a nobleman, perhaps.
He wears a tired expression and does not meet the young woman's angry blue eyes.
I suspect a long history between them, a complex and difficult history. My interest is decidedly piqued. However, with a twinge of sadness, I sense a certain ominous quality in the air, filled with guilt and… betrayal? I am not quite sure.
"What is this supposed to mean?" she asks, livid, thrusting the scroll in his line of vision.
"Exactly what it says," he mutters darkly.
This does nothing to improve her temper.
"Yes, thank you, I can read," she snaps. "Why, Zuko? You couldn't even be bothered to write to me yourself!"
Zuko? Isn't he the current Fire Lord?
"I—I…" he splutters in vain but cannot complete his sentence.
"You're a coward," she spits, venom dripping from her words.
"You don't understand!" he says, impatient.
"I understand perfectly," she retorts bitterly. "You've used me, and now you're discarding me like a broken toy. You're a vile, disgusting excuse for a human being! Why did you lead me along? Why did you make me believe, make me hope?"
"That was your choice," he says simply, but I can see that he is seething quietly.
She screams in anger and frustration as her arms fling into the air. The water in the river behind her rises to precarious heights, towering in the air, and when her arms fall back to her sides, the water return to the river with a loud, thundering splash. He stumbles back a couple of paces in alarm.
"How dare you?" she asks. "You said—you said that you lo—"
"I lied," he quickly interrupts, but he turns away from her. "I never loved you."
His voice is soft and sounds strained. However, with his back turned, he does not see the tears that brim in her eyes, the hurt and betrayal etched in her features, and she does not see the bitterness that crosses his face.
When she speaks again, she sounds defeated, and her words shake.
"So… who's the girl?"
He keeps his back to her and closes his eyes briefly.
"She's from the Lian family," he says calmly and impassively. "Her family's very wealthy and influential, and the people love her. It's supposed to improve relations and provide stability within the nation."
She nods once, almost imperceptibly, but he does not see her. She seems to be struggling with something within herself.
"Do you… love her?" she asks in a small voice.
He spins around to face her, surprised at her audacity, and for a brief moment their gazes meet. There appears to be a clandestine, intimate exchange between them, and I almost want to leave, afraid of intruding upon their private moment. All too soon, however, they divert their eyes. For a long moment, he does not speak.
"I don't know her very well," he answers finally.
"O—oh," she says hesitantly and awkwardly. "I'm sure you'll learn to—to love her… soon enough, anyway…"
He scowls lightly, and I realize that is precisely what he does not want, but he does not respond.
She sighs.
"I'll… I'll see you around then," she says, turning around, walking toward the small boat anchored on the riverbanks.
He knows she does not mean it.
So this is goodbye…
She steps carefully, painstakingly slowly, into her boat, and he does not stop her.
I want to scream in frustration. I want to scream at him to stop her, to beg her to stay with him, but he does not say a word. I tell myself that I must not interfere, and it is not my business, not my place. I must not interfere.
But I've had enough.
I jump down from my tree and swiftly make my way toward the small boat. I submerge myself under the water and with an enormous heave, I tip the small boat over, and I hear a small scream as she loses her balance and falls forward.
Before she falls to the ground, however, I watch with satisfaction, a pair of arms clad in red pulls her up by the waist. She clutches at him in fear, and I see that her nails dig into his skin through the thin fabric of his tunic.
"What was that?" she asks.
He is just as bewildered as she is, but neither sees me smiling ruefully now on the other side of the river. Ah, humans…
Suddenly, his lips capture hers in a kiss, and she reciprocates, clutching at him desperately. She pulls his head down, and the kiss is deepened.
Just for this, I'm willing to take any punishment my brothers and sisters will undoubtedly suffer me through for my reckless behavior. And temporarily, I forget that this is their last kiss.
Then, the young woman wrenches herself away from his embrace, and I see tears shining in her bright blue eyes. I feel painful, empathetic needles in my own heart, and I can only imagine the agony she must be feeling.
Tentatively, she returns to her boat, stepping in cautiously. When she finally rows away, tears glisten on her cheeks in the sinking sun as she watches him, standing stoically on the same spot that she left him.
For what seems to be an eternity, he does not move, and an unspeakable sadness fills his golden eyes. At last, he climbs onto his ostrich-horse and disappears into the thick forest as the first stars of the evening begin to emerge. And I am left alone.
End.
A/N: Please review!