Eighteen Years Ago, A Young Fire Nation Soldier Took Pity On A Water Tribe Woman. He Spared Her Life And That Of Her Unborn Child, Taking Them Both Back To The Fire Nation, Taking Them In As His Own Wife And Daughter. Now, That Daughter Is Choosing To Fight For The White Lotus Rebellion In The Most Dangerous Place In The World: The Royal Harem of Dragon Emperor Ozai.
"Imperial brides, greet their Highnesses the Imperial consorts!" The herald shouted, filling a huge, mostly empty marble room with the echoes of his voice. In unison, ten women all bowed down and said, "Good morning, your Highnesses."
"You may rise," said a tall, extraordinarily beautiful, yet cruel looking, woman at the front of the room. She, and two women with her, were breathtakingly beautiful in their own way. All of them were older than the young girls before them, in their early thirties, and wore heavy, beautiful silk dresses and kimonos. Their hair was piled high on top of their heads and loaded with silver, gold, and jewels.
"Quite an interesting bunch this year, don't you think?" A woman next to her said, with softer features, adorned in a dusky pink kimono.
"Lady Ming, I have a headache today. Please don't make it worse by speaking," said the third woman, Lady Jihyun. She was painfully thin and angular, as if she hadn't eaten for the last year.
"You all know why you are here," The first woman, Lady Kaze said, ignoring her counterparts. "You are here for us to see if you are worthy to become a member of the Imperial Harem. If you are accepted, consider yourself very lucky; rarely more than two girls are accepted per year." Uneasy glances were passed between many of the girls.
"We look for beauty in new Imperial Wives, of course. Family names and connections, skill sets, and uniqueness of character are also a part of the process. You will undergo measurements, to see if you are physically up to par, and then we will observe you for the day. Our decision will be announced at dinner time. Any number of girls may be accepted, from twenty to zero." She coldly looked at the young girls before her, assessing them with a terrible gleam in her eye.
"Begin the measuring."
Women in simple dresses hurried out of the shadows, using sticks and ribbons to measure the young girls' skulls, legs, torsos, and just about every single body part imaginable. The girls were all beautiful and young, none of them older than twenty. Most of them bore the traditional Fire Nation straight, black hair, pale skin, and fiery eyes. They were thin and tall, and everything that had been considered classically beautiful.
One of the girls was different from the others.
Her skin was dark, her eyes blue, and her hair a waving deep brown. Although she was not short, she was curvier, and did not have the billowy slimness of the other girls. Most different of all, though, was the reason why she was in the Imperial Harem.
This odd-looking girl was going to assassinate the Emperor.
"What is your name, girl?" Lady Jihyun said. The three Imperial Consorts had moved to sit on silk cushions on a dais at the front of the receiving room. It was not nearly as grand as the one in the Imperial Throne Room, and did not spew fire, but was somewhat reminiscent of that. Lady Kaze sat in the center, slightly higher than her counterparts, with Lady Jihyun on her right and Lady Ming on her left.
"I am Katara, daughter of Master Piandao." The eunuch off to the right of the Consorts began furiously shuffling through scrolls, searching for the one with Katara's name on it.
"You look like you are Water Tribe." Lady Kaze said, phrased more as a statement than as a question.
"I'm half. My mother is from the Water Tribe. I was born here though, and I have never even left the Fire Nation," Katara said coolly.
The eunuch handed a scroll to Lady Ming. She unrolled it and began to scan its contents.
"You were born in the spring, eighteen years ago. Your mother was not Master Piandao's First Wife, and died a few years ago. You studied swordsmanship under your father-"
"Only the basics. I am not very good, but he insisted I at least try, because I am his only child." Lady Jihyun fixed her with a terrible glare. Katara felt her face flush as she realized that she had interrupted. "Sorry."
"You are well-educated in all history, mathematics, politics, reading, and writing, but are severely lacking any music, dancing, or art." Lady Ming continued as if the disturbance had never happened.
"I'm really terrible at those sorts of things," Katara said. Titters burst from the group of girls behind Katara, who turned to glare at them. A few of them returned her gaze, but most of them whipped their eyes elsewhere.
"And," Lady Ming paused, as if not quite sure what to think of the words she was reading, "You are a waterbender."
A chorus of gasps rose from up behind me, and whispers began to adorn the empty room, draping themselves on the walls, hanging from the chandeliers.
Katara knew that being a waterbender in the heart of the Fire Nation was going to be… interesting, to say the least. It was not going to be easy in any respect
If she could've, Katara would've hidden her bending. It only made Katara more conspicuous and suspicious to these people. However, her bending was unreliable. Sometimes Katara went months without moving a single drop. Other times, she couldn't even walk past the fish pond in the gardens for fear of getting soaked. Hiding her bending would be impossible. It was better to not even have to worry about it.
"Yes, I am." she said boldly, looking the Consorts straight in the eye.
"Demonstrate your skills," Lady Jihyun demanded. She motioned to the jug of water on the table of refreshments for the Consorts.
"I'm afraid I've never been trained. If I tried, I'm not sure what would happen. However, it probably wouldn't end well." Katara hated admitting this to them. Out of the twenty girls who had been interviewed so far, 13 of them had been firebenders, all of them very skilled. Katara did not have the right or the luxury to learn how to control her gift; she would never be able to reach the ability of those around her, no matter how hard she worked. It frustrated her to have to admit that.
"No? Hmm," Lady Jihyun sniffed, as if she had suddenly smelled something foul. "Very well. You may sit down."
Katara returned to her spot among the other girls. Most of them leaned away from her as she walked past them, they too acting like there was something foul about her. One of the girls, however, a sweet looking girl with bangs, smiled shyly at her. Katara returned the smile, then sat down.
The interviewing process was long and dull. They scrutinized every aspect of a girl's background, talents, and connections, and all the other young candidates had to sit and watch. Although they did not mention it as part of the selection process, Katara suspected that they were carefully scrutinizing not only the girl currently being interviewed, but also those who were waiting. Some girls gave in and began to slouch after an hour, others shifted their legs out from underneath them when they fell asleep, and still others whispered among themselves, or diverted their attention elsewhere.
Katara ensured that she sat very still, straight, and silent, her focus on the Imperial consorts sitting before them.
They were given some free time after the interviews were finished, and Katara was relieved to be able to stand and let her legs regain their feeling. The girls were all herded to a nearby parlor, with access to a powder room and a small courtyard. Katara checked quickly on her appearance in one of the many mirrors, then slipped out into the grassy area.
"You're Katara, right?" Katara turned at the question. The girl who had smiled at her before was sitting on a low chair under a tree. "I'm Onji. It's nice to meet you."
"You too," Katara said genuinely. No matter what she thought of the other girls here, Onji seemed like a really nice girl, someone who she would actually enjoy being around.
"So, why have you chosen to join the harem," Onji asked casually, as if asking what she thought of the weather. It was surprisingly straightforward, but better than just surmising, Katara supposed.
"I didn't really have anything better to do, really. I thought at least I'd have lots of opportunities here." Katara lied smoothly as she joined Onji under the tree, sitting on a chair across from her. "What about you?"
"My mother's idea. She doesn't want me to join the military, and has always held a fascination with the idea of me becoming Empress. I have no plans on becoming Empress, but at least I won't have to become a soldier."
"I thought all firebenders wanted to fight for the glory of the Fire Nation?" Katara clearly remembered Onji being one of the best firebenders who had demonstrated her talents today.
"Maybe many of them do. Just not me. I'm not cut out for that."
Katara and Onji spent the next few minutes in pleasant conversation, something Katara rarely had the opportunity to participate in, before they were summoned to the grand hall again. The girls all hurried back to the room and took their places.
The next hour was spent listening to Lady Jihyun drone on and on about the proper qualities that were required of a lady and, more importantly, for an Imperial wife. She talked of mannerisms, behaviors, and fashions. She instructed all the girls on how they were to behave towards Emperor Ozai, Empress Ursa, other royal family members, Imperial consorts, fellow Imperial wives, and other members of the court.
It really was quite useful information, but only for those who were actually to become members of the Imperial harem.
They had to wait until after dinner for the announcement.
Some of the girls felt as if dinner was never going to come. Every time it seemed like Lady Jihyun had come to the conclusion of her speech, she found something else to talk about.
But then, as if time had just decided to skip forward, the girls were all ushered into dinner, seated at tables covered in silk and laden down with rich, spicy meals of steaks and soups and roasted vegetables. The girls, most of whom had not eaten all day in an effort to have their waists be as small as possible, devoured the food quickly. After plates had been scraped clean and cleared away, they sat in silence, waiting for the announcement to be made. There was a restless anxiety in the air, making everyone want to fidget or move about, but nobody dared.
Lady Kaze finally set aside her meal, looking out at the eager young faces before her.
"I can tell all of you this, honestly: there are many of you here today. Only a scarce few of you would be able to survive a day in the harem. Among those few, there were just three girls who were deemed talented, beautiful, well-connected, and interesting enough to be admitted into the harem." Lady Kaze nodded to the secretarial eunuch at the edge of the room, who unrolled a scroll.
"Lady Onji. Lady Rin. Lady Katara."
Katara froze for a moment. Even though this was exactly what she had wanted, to be admitted to the harem, it was only now that the reality of what she was doing was setting in. Before this, there was always some door she could slip out through, some form of escape. Now, there was no turning back, no control over what happened to her next.
She, Onji, and Rin, who was short, with very long hair, all stood up and bowed in unison. "Thank you, your highnesses."
"The rest of you may gather your things and return to your homes. You may not consider applying to the harem again."
The other girls silently stood, bowed, and left the room. The large dining hall surrounded them with silence.
"All three of you have shown exactly what we look for in new Imperial wives. You are all smart, brave, talented, resilient, and full of potential. If you make effective use of your time here, then you could have many great things ahead of you.
"You will all be shown to your rooms, now. Because of the ranking order, you will all be sharing a room with two other Imperial wives. If you are given a higher-ranking title, then you will be allotted your own rooms and servants. Until then, you must share.
"I feel like I must warn you of this, as well. It is not at all unlikely that you will never meet the Emperor in a private setting. There are 300 women in the harem; the Emperor regularly spends time with around 60 of them. Do not feel disappointed that he does not summon you anytime soon. You must first earn his attention. Do something of note, and perhaps the Emperor will give you notice."
Lady Kaze stood and swept out of the room in a swirl of crimson silk. Lady Jihyun and Lady Ming followed a step behind her, the soles of their shoes clacking against the stone floor. A moment passed, only the three girls and the eunuch still standing in the too-silent room.
"Oh, Katara, I just knew they were going to pick you! Isn't it wonderful! Now we can truly become friends!" Onji hurried to Katara's side, grabbing her arm and giggling. Katara joined in, both girls pleased that the other was still there.
"Ladies, if you would follow me, we will head to your chambers," The eunuch said. The girls hurried to follow him. For a shorter man, he walked surprisingly fast.
"My name is Wong. If you ladies need anything, you may ask me and I will make the arrangements," He said all of this briskly, and his tone made it clear that if we wanted to wake up the next morning, we'd better not ask him for anything unless it was very important.
"These are your rooms. There are five of you in here. Your meals will be served in your parlor." He sighed. "I suppose you should all get settled in now."
We watched as he hurried around the corner. "Well, he wasn't very friendly," Onji said, and I silently agreed.
The room behind the door was large, with a sectioned off area for each girl. Every section had a bed, a bookshelf, a wardrobe, and a vanity, all in matching dark wood. The beds were covered in dark burgundy sheets, the walls a slightly lighter shade of red patterned wallpaper, and the floors a dark slate tile. It gave the room a dark feeling, but it wasn't unfriendly.
After claiming an unoccupied section in the corner of the room, I explored the rest of our suites. There was a parlor off to one side, with large cushioned chairs, low tables, and a few scattered instruments. The room had a lighter, airier feel to it, with a wall of sliding paper doors that could be moved aside to let the breeze come in off a small garden.
Off the opposite side of the room stood our bathroom. It was all done in beautiful creamy stone, with a huge bath in the center of the floor. Sinks and mirrors lined some of the walls, and the whole room felt soft and warm and smelled of poppies.
As soon as possible, Katara asked one of the three maids we girls were to share to start the bath. The huge tub was filled to the brim, and scented oils and salts were poured in, making the whole room smell like cinnamon and fire lilies. Katara scrubbed her hair and body off to the side, loving the scents and the warmth that filled the room. Then, after pouring a bucket of water over her head to remove the bubbles, she climbed into the tub and sank down, the water coming to her chin.
She stayed like that for at least twenty minutes, pondering the situation she had gotten herself into. She had always known that there were women who joined the harem but never met the Emperor. That was part of the reason her father had been willing to send her. But if she was never able to be near the Emperor, how would she be able to complete her mission? The only times she was likely to encounter him were at banquets and feasts and celebrations.
She had hoped that she would be able to attract as little attention as possible, but it was looking like Katara would have to become close to someone higher ranked. She would do everything she could to stay away from the Emperor, for she didn't want to actually become an Imperial wife, nor participate in the duties associated with such a title.
She pondered her options. Katara and her father had come up with a plan: Katara was to assess the situation and decide when would be the best opportunity for her to act. Then, she would kill Emperor Ozai subtly, so that nobody would notice for a while. She would then let the rebels into the palace, and they would secure the government. After that, her job would be done, this never-ending war would be over, and the world would be on its way to freedom and peace.
But things were a lot more complicated than she had realized. It would take longer for her to be able to complete the plan than they had thought before Everything would have to be played by ear now.
"How's the water?" A voice asked. Katara opened her eyes and saw Rin walking in. She had changed from the elaborate clothes they had been wearing before and now wore a simple skirt and top.
"It was warmer ten minutes ago, but it's still wonderful," Katara sighed. "Baths have always been my favorite thing."
"It makes sense, since you're a waterbender. Being surrounded by all that water," Rin said dryly, stripping out of her clothes and starting to wet her hair.
"I'll let you have the bath, now," Katara said, standing up and grabbing a towel from a pile near the bath. "I've been in there long enough."
"Don't leave on my behalf," Rin said, then poured a cup full of water all over her head.
"No, I've been turning into a sea prune, I've been in there for so long." Katara flashed a smile at Rin. "Have a good bath. I'm going to get ready for bed.
She quickly dried off, then slipped into the nightgown she had brought with her.
Sliding between the sheets on her bed, she closed her eyes and pondered her plan. It would be better for her to assess the situation tomorrow, then contact her father when she'd come up with a plan.
Her father.
Katara would miss Piandao so much. No matter if she had lied to the Imperial consorts about being half Fire Nation: Piandao was the man who had raised her, the only father she had ever known.
Years earlier, before Katara had even been born, Katara's mother Kya had been living in the Water Tribe. She'd had a husband and a son there, and had been blissfully happy. But the war that had been affecting them for years suddenly affected Kya personally.
There had been raids and battles fought near the Southern Water Tribe for years, but that one had been the worst. There were more Fire Nation soldiers than normal, and the Water Tribe was still recovering from the most recent raid on their village.
Katara clearly remembered her mother telling her this story: the haunted look that entered her eyes, the stillness that Katara so rarely saw in her mother. Every time she remembered the story, Katara felt chills run through her body, especially at how easily things could have gone differently.
The Fire Nation soldiers were very cruel, far more than they usually were. They completely destroyed the whole village, and no mercy was given. Water Tribe warriors, women, and children were all killed hesitation.
Kya was alone in her family's hut when the attack came. She went to barricade the door, but before she could, a Fire Nation captain came in and began shoving her around.
Kya had always been very vague about what had happened with the soldier. Katara had her suspicions, but she chose not to think about them.
"Then, when I thought all hope had been lost," Katara remembered her mother's voice, "He came in."
"Dad?" A young Katara had asked, bouncing with the excitement of how her father had saved her mother.
"Yes, Katara," Kya had said, a sad smile on her face. "It was Piandao.
"He strode in, shoved the man away from me, and pointed his sword at his chest. 'Why,' he'd said 'are you doing this to this innocent women?'
"'No survivors,' the man had spat, 'Otherwise they'll never surrender.'"
Katara's mother had gone silent there, as if pondering her next words. "I don't know exactly why Piandao did what he did, then. He must have thought that I had a family, but hadn't cared, or hadn't seen another way to save me without ruining his own career. But he turned around, scooped me into his arms, and hauled me onto the Fire Navy warship.
"I didn't understand why this was happening to me. I screamed and fought him, crying for my husband to save me, and when he locked me in his cabin I tried for hours to escape. When he came back, I attacked him with a candlestick," She laughed dryly at this.
"But he told me calmly that they had been told to leave no survivors in the village, and as much as he would have loved to have stopped the slaughter, he had settled for saving who he could. He had given the other villagers a way out, and many of them had been able to escape. He had told every man he came across that Hakoda- my husband- needed to meet us at the port of Whale Tale Island in five weeks.
"Piandao told me that, because that man had witnessed him saving me, he couldn't let me escape with the others, or he would be killed for treason and disobeying orders. But he was earnest and kind, convinced me that he would never hurt me, and would get me to my husband on time. I agreed, albiet reluctantly.
"But then, two weeks later, I realized that I was pregnant."
"With me?" Katara's eyes widened at the idea.
"Yes, my most precious pearl. I was going to have you." Katara's mother had stroked the side of her daughter's face tenderly.
"I tried to hide it, but we didn't stop at a port for another three weeks, and by that time the whole ship knew that I was pregnant. But all of them thought that it was not my husband's child, but Piandao's.
"I didn't care what they thought, and wanted to get back to my husband and son right away. But when we pulled into port, no matter where we looked, we couldn't find my husband. We asked every person on the island if they'd even heard of any Water Tribesmen in the area, or even any ships.
"Three days later, Piandao came to me with news. Two weeks earlier, three of the Water Tribe ships that had been able to escape had washed up on the Southern Beach of the Island. I went to see them. They were completely destroyed, but I was able to identify Hakoda's ship. He had perished at sea."
Katara gasped at this, and grabbed her mother's hand.
"I was distraught, for of course our son had been with him. I had nowhere to go, no way to get there, and no idea where the rest of my village had gone. I could not search for them in my condition, and I could not take a baby out into the icy wilderness of the South Pole without a place to go, once you were born."
"But everything turned out alright, didn't it, Mom?"
"Yes," Kya said, smiling. "Piandao offered to take me to his home and disguise me as his wife. He had already been married, and very happily, but he had written his wife and gotten her permission to take us in. All the soldiers already thought that my child was his, so it would not be too unlikely that he would make me officially his wife.
"He promised me a home and a family. And he told me that he one day hoped to help avenge my family and bring peace to the world." Kya stroked Katara's hair. "So, I went with him. I had you, and you've been protected by Piandao claiming you as his own. You have been given far more than I ever could have provided you with. We have much to be thankful for."
Katara remembered little of her mother. This memory of her telling Katara of their true history was rare and precious to her.
Kya had become sick when Katara was seven years old, and died within months. She had always been a very active woman, and Katara remembered most how her mother stopped running around doing anything and everything she could to help people and stayed in her bed, too tired to even sit up on her own. It had been chilling. Katara hadn't quite understood what was happening then, but now, looking at the memories of their time together, she clearly saw her mother trying to make the most of their time together.
Kya had told Katara everything about her life, about their culture, and about their family. Even though she had never met him, Katara could almost see her birth father's face when she closed her eyes.
She touched the necklace around her neck- her mother's necklace.
"I swear, Mom, I'll avenge our family. I'll save the world. Just for you."
That night, when she should have been plagued with dreams of fire, red silk, and endless bloodshed, Katara slept peacefully. And, even though she was a waterbender, a spark had ignited within her that night. The fire of determination warmed her, comforted her, and drove away her fears until the sun rose the next day.
A.N.
I got this weird idea for a Zutara story revolving around an Imperial Harem, revolutions, murders, and love that could burn down nations when I saw a picture of Fan Bingbing in her red and white ceremonial dress from when she was in The Empress of China. She was stunningly beautiful, and she and her man had matching outfits, and I thought that would make amazing Zutara wedding clothes. I then started watching the show (which, if you're into Asian dramas, is amazing and beautiful. I still haven't finished it though.) and came up with this plot.
I've rated it T because of dark-ish themes, angst, and mentioned sex. There will be absolutely no smut contained within this story, but because Katara has joined a harem, her having sex will be mentioned as necessary to the story. Most of said sex will most likely be either reluctant or rape and will be portrayed in an unhealthy way. Katara and other characters will be in unhealthy relationships, as well.
I know that sounds dark and intense, but honestly I'm not planning for it to be as bad as it seems now.
Please let me know what you guys think! I'd love to hear from all of you!
Also, I'm thinking about getting a beta for this. If anyone is willing, or knows anyone willing, message me!
Thank you guys for reading this! It means a lot to me.
xoxoxo