Team: Earth Kingdom
Round 1: Betrayal
Story: Themed
Prompts: "She stopped to gaze at the water" / "At that moment, everything went wrong" / A wedding / Crying / Thunderstorm / Ty Lee
Word count (Not including this): 2,778
She stopped to gaze at the water, shimmering in the morning sunlight. Breathing in deeply, she thought about her friends and relatives back home. This would be the first time she would see them in months, but she could not let her excitement get the better of her. Being a Kiyoshi warrior meant total focus on the mission at hand at all times. But Ty Lee still couldn't help smiling as her fellow warriors called her over to the pier where their ferry boat was waiting.
"Come on, Ty Lee! You are the slowest person in the world!" called Kira as Ty Lee ascended the boarding ramp.
"Oh yeah, miss 'takes two hours to take a shower?'" Ty Lee replied, to which all of the girls started laughing. All, that is, except for Miyuki.
"How about a little less time chortling, and more time preparing?" she said solemnly. "The Fire Lord requested that we ward his romantic amalgamation ceremony. This event is not to be taken lightly, so I suggest we cease this aimless banter and proceed with our customary disciplinary practices."
"No other person in all the kingdoms talks slower than you do, Miyuki" Kira joked.
"You totally could have saved a good five minutes by just saying, 'Zuko wants us as security at his wedding, so stop and joking and get to training'!" said Ty Lee. All the girls laughed.
"Okay, Okay. All joking aside, Miyuki is right," their leader, Suki, said. "Let's all prepare for when we arrive." Whenever Suki said something, that was the final word. So all the girls headed up to the top deck to train.
That night Ty Lee and Kira were preparing for bed. The ship would pull into harbour in the morning, but for now they could rest.
"So who do you think is behind the anonymous threats that Firelord Zuko's been getting?" asked Kira.
"I think the point of them being anonymous is so that we don't know," Ty Lee answered. Both girls giggled as they slid into bed. "But honestly, it could be any number of people. I guess we won't know until we get there."
The light was blown out and Ty Lee closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would see her friends again.
When dawn came the next day, the Kiyoshi warriors woke early and prepared for arrival. The ship sailed into the docks and was met by a party of firebender soldiers who escorted them to the palace where they were brought before Firelord Zuko.
"Thank you for coming so quickly," said Zuko as he approached.
"It is our pleasure to serve the Firelord," answered Suki, as she and the other warriors bowed in respect. "Now, is there anything else you can tell us about the threats you've received?"
"Unfortunately, not much. Two of them were written letters, one was an act of vandalism on one of the palace's outer walls, and another was an attempt to harm my fiancé. But they all had one thing in common: they all said 'Death to the Firelord'. Written in the letters, on the wall, and on a stone that was thrown at my fiancé when she went into town." As Zuko went on, he began to lead the warriors into another room that housed the threats in question. "As you can see, it's not much to go on, but it's enough to warrant extra security."
"Don't worry. We'll make sure no one so much as lays a finger on you or your fiancé," Suki reassured him.
"Good," he replied. "Now, for the wedding, I want two of you positioned outside at the gate, and another two should be patrolling all the back entrances and service corridors. Suki, I want you to keep close to—"
"Zuko, do you know where my black silk sash went—" At that very moment, Mai entered the room, dark and gloomy as always. Her face froze the moment she saw the Kiyoshi warriors, but it quickly became a snarl. "Zuko, what is this?! I told you that I don't need protecting!"
"Mai, it's for our own good!" Zuko shot back.
"Oh, please! Like I need a babysitter?"
The two of them went back and forth for a while, but ultimately Mai was persuaded into accepting help from Suki and the others on the condition that she wouldn't be shadowed all the time.
The day was primarily spent familiarising with the castle grounds. Zuko had princess Kiyi show the warriors all the nooks and crannies the castle had to offer. Then they did a quick run through of the guest list and then it was time to retire for the night. Before Ty Lee made it back to her room, however, she was stopped by Mai.
"Long time, no see," she said in her gloomy way.
"Oh, it's so good to see you again!" said Ty Lee as she gave her friend a big hug. "Tell me everything! How did he propose? What's the dress like? What kind of cake will there be?"
Mai walked them back to her room and they talked together for a few hours about recent events and all about the wedding. Mai confided that she originally intended to ask Ty Lee to be one of her bridesmaids, but now that was out of the question. Not too long after, Ty Lee had to say goodnight and return to her room where Kira would already be asleep.
Ty Lee cracked the door open and slipped inside; tiptoeing over to her bed. Just before she changed into her nightdress, she heard something over by the window. Very carefully she approached the origin of the sound, but found nothing. Seeing no possible danger, she turned on her heel and was about to make her way back to her bed when she nearly walked into Kira.
"What are you still doing up?" Ty Lee asked.
"I was just getting a drink of water," said Kira as she breathed a sigh of relief. "You sure took your time getting back. I didn't realise that you and Mai were such close friends."
"Totally! We go way back." Ty Lee was making her way across the room, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about Kira's aura. Then she noticed that Kira was wearing shoes instead of slippers. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions so she didn't say anything, but she kept an eye open for anything else unusual.
The next few days were hectic. With so many servants putting up decorations, caterers preparing food, and other such ruckus, the Kiyoshi warriors had to work double time to make sure everyone was checked and that all of the goods and decorations were searched.
At around noon on a Tuesday, Ty Lee was with Kira overseeing all the wagons of supplies that were being delivered constantly.
"All right, it's about time for me to switch out," said Kira after a certain point. "I'll be over helping Jing Jing monitor the service entrances. Miyuki should be by any second to take my place."
Ty Lee waved goodbye and continued looking through incoming wagons and carts.
"Greetings, Ty Lee," said Miyuki when she came.
"Hi, Miyuki. Is Kira already with Jing Jing?" Ty Lee asked.
"Kira?" Miyuki looked up suddenly. "No, Taila is Jing Jing's appropriate partner at this time."
"What? But Kira said—" Ty Lee was cut short when the whole castle was shaken by the sound of screams and falling wooden crates. Ty Lee and Miyuki did not waste any time. In mere moments they found themselves standing in front of Mai and princess Kiyi who were laying on the ground next to a mangled pile of flaming crates.
"Are you all right, Mai?!" Ty Lee cried as she raced forward.
"I'm fine," answered Mai as she was helped up. "Some lunatic just tried to crush us with those boxes of supplies. I had to jump on Kiyi to push her out of the way. I didn't see who it was, but whoever it was is a firebender."
"Ty Lee! Mai! What happened?" Kira cried as she raced toward them, followed by a few other Kiyoshi warriors.
"Nothing that I can't handle," said Mai with a glare.
"Where were you?" Ty Lee asked Kira.
"I was going to help Jing Jing, like I said. But then I heard all the ruckus and came to investigate. That was when I spotted the culprit, so I followed him, but he vanished down one of the corridors," Kira said.
"Double check that corridor for secret passageways," Miyuki ordered. "And escort the princess and Miss Mai to their chambers."
"No way. I'm not gonna be babied like this!" Mai cried. Then she stormed out of the room.
After all the commotion died down and the mess was cleaned up, Ty Lee was called to a private meeting with Zuko, Mai, and Suki. It was just past sunset when she arrived.
"Good, we're all here," said Zuko when Ty Lee arrived. He looked over at Mai and she nodded. "In light of recent events, I believe, now more than ever, that Mai needs extra protection."
"But I'll be doing the choosing of my bodyguard, thank you very much," Mai said curtly. "Which is why you, Ty Lee, will by by my side during the ceremony as one of my bridesmaids."
"Oh! That's fantastic news! Now you both get what you want!" Ty Lee exclaimed happily.
"Yes, but I don't want you telling anyone else about your change of role," Suki warned. "We can't afford any information leaks."
"Got it!" said Ty Lee confidently.
"But for right now, I believe you have a bridesmaids dress to get fitted for." Suki smiled and then everyone was dismissed.
Over the next few days, everything was very quiet. There no more attempts on Mai's life, no threats, and no problems. Everyone was waiting patiently for the day of the wedding, and when that day came, everyone was on pins and needles.
From the moment the sun rose on that summer morning, everyone was working a mile a minute. Ty Lee and the other bridesmaids were getting ready with Mai, while the rest of the Kiyoshi warriors were put into position. The ceremony was to be held in the castle courtyard, as was tradition. There was music and food and plenty of lights and thousands of people, including Avatar Aang and his friends. But amidst all this joy and festivity, there was great tension. Perhaps from the gathering storm clouds in the east, but more than likely from the wedding.
When the ceremony began, everyone rose out of their seats as they watched the bride glide down the isle. The sun was at its peek when she reached the groom and all went silent. The justice of the peace began the ceremony and all eyes were fixated on the beautiful scene; except for Ty Lee. She was surveying the crowd and scanning the surrounding buildings. So far there was nothing.
"...are there any here who object to this union?" said the priest. There was no reply. "Well then—"
"As a matter of fact..." There was an audible gasp from the crowd and all eyes turned to the man who had spoken. "...I object." He stood up tall and proud and locked eyes with Zuko. At that moment, everything went wrong. "Death to the Firelord!" He whipped out two large bombs from his long robes and charged at the bride and groom.
Without a second thought, Ty Lee leaped forward and incapacitated the offender by hitting his nerve points. Then she launched the two bombs into the air with two mighty kicks, and their explosions lit up the sky with a colossal BOOM!
"Mai!" Ty Lee turned around just in time to see Mai disappear into the shadows of the palace; Zuko was running after her.
In a moment, there was chaos. The Kiyoshi warriors, Avatar Aang and his companions all dashed after whoever had kidnapped the Firelord's fiancé. It's was a mad marathon of adrenaline, but just as they were rounding a corridor, Kira broke off from the group down a different hallway. As she took one last glance at her friends, Ty Lee took off to follow her.
Kira lead her through an old secret passageway and out into one of the castle gardens. When she got there, she was speechless.
"Ty Lee? Ty Lee! Assist me!" cried Miyuki as she lied pinned to the ground, Kira standing over with a spear in hand. Storm clouds were rumbling overhead and a strong breeze came with it, jostling Ty Lee's braids.
"Stop!" she called as she put herself between her two friends. "What are you doing?!"
"Ty Lee, move! Miyuki is behind all of this!" said Kira.
"Is she?" Ty Lee questioned. "All of your 'late nights' getting 'water', missing a position switch right before an attempt on Mai's life? Seems pretty incriminating to me."
"What? No, I was spying on Miyuki! I knew she was up to something, I just didn't know what," said Kira.
"Well—" But Ty Lee was cut short when Miyuki jumped up and pushed Ty Lee into Kira, then grabbed Kira's spear and held it to them.
"Miyuki? It was you?" Ty Lee said with disbelief.
"Indubitably," she replied.
"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Kira shouted. "She's a fire bender and she's been leading us on for months now! I just didn't have any evidence to prove it."
"But she was with me when Mai and Kiyi got attacked," Ty Lee pointed out.
"She has a brother. He's the one who just party-crashed the wedding!"
"And Miyuki is the reason why he got into the palace with those bombs!"
"All of that so you could kidnap Mai and lead Zuko into a death trap," Kira finished. Miyuki was silent.
"All Zuko's ever done is ruin the lives of those who live in the colonies. It's about time we ruin his life," Miyuki said in an uncharacteristically emotional tone. "And anyone who stands in my way will not live to see the light of day!"
Miyuki pounced. Ty Lee and Kira had just enough time to leap out of the way. The battle that proceeded was long and tiring. In the last moments, when the garden was alight with blazing red fire, Miyuki had Ty Lee pinned.
"How could you do this to us?" Ty Lee asked. "I thought we were friends!"
"Not then and not now," Miyuki replied. She raised her hands, about to launch another round of fire at Ty Lee, when out of nowhere—
"Ty Lee!" When she opened her eyes, Kira was lying on the ground, half burned, and not moving.
"Kira!" Ty Lee shrieked. She raced to her friend's side and held her as rain began to fall and dim the fires of battle.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I've wasted enough time here," said Miyuki as she turned to leave. But before she could, three small daggers flew through the air and pinned her to a tree by the fabrics of her uniform.
"Mai! You're all right!" said Ty Lee with some relief.
"The little brat tied me up using my own wedding robes. Now we'll have to wait a week before they're mended," Mai stopped when she saw Kira. "Oh no. I'll go get Zuko and the others. That Katara girl can heal people. I'll be right be back." Then Ty Lee was alone.
The rain was cold and wet as it soaked Ty Lee's heavy uniform, and the cold wind was turning her nose red, but she stayed by her friend's side.
"Ty Lee?" Kira said weakly.
"Kira? Kira, I'm right here," she answered. "I am so, so, so sorry! I should have never doubted you!"
"Hey, calm down, it was an honest mistake." Kira coughed a few times.
FWOOOM! KRACK!
Lightning peeled overhead.
"Please, Ty Lee... promise me something?" she asked.
"Anything."
"Tell my family... I love them..."
Kira's body went limp. "No, no!" Ty Lee cried. "No! Come back, Kira! Don't go! Don't leave!" Ty Lee buried her face in her hands and wept. So great were her wails that they merged with the sound of the ghostly winds and the rumbling thunder overhead. In all her life, Ty Lee would never have thought that she would be here now, cradling the body of a friend, and crying in remorse. For had it not been for Miyuki's betrayal, or perhaps if Ty Lee had simply seen the signs before it was too late...
KRACK! FWOOOM!
Thunder and lightning peeled overhead.