Coronation Day
Author's note: This is set in the same timeline as "White For Mourning", only with a rather different tone as I indulge my love for (a) siblings and (b) children of fictional characters. About seven years later.
The throne room was dark and deserted. Zhuo stepped out onto the dais, his footsteps echoing in the empty room. Behind him were curtains, tapestries and the royal banners, concealing the antechamber and network of rooms the Fire Lord used for private meetings. In front of him stood the throne room. The future.
He took a few steps forward. At midnight he would come of age, and at dawn the Fire Sages would declare him Fire Lord in his own right. The Regency would end, and he would no longer be a child-king guided in everything by his mother.
He had been anticipating that moment for months, but suddenly he was acutely aware of just how big the throne room was, how awesome his responsibilities.
"I'm not ready," he said out loud, and he was surprised and relieved by the calm softness of his voice.
There was a quiet snort from the throne. Zhuo whirled around.
Seated - sprawled, actually - in the throne of the Fire Lord was his younger sister.
"Are you going to start rehearsing a speech?" she said. "Because that will be embarrassing for both of us."
Her wicked half-smile touched her lips, but her voice was oddly flat, and there was no gleam in her bright gold eyes.
For lack of a better response, Zhuo said, "That's my throne."
"I know. I hear your feet even touch the ground now." Izumi threw her leg over the throne's carved arm. "I'm just trying it out."
"What do you think?"
"I wouldn't go to war for it."
Zhuo sat on the ground at her feet, a breach of etiquette that, after tomorrow, would be impossible. But then, who was going to tell him no?
"Were you planning to?" he asked. "Go to war for it, I mean. Because I'd like some warning."
"Then Mother hasn't told you," said Izumi.
"She tells me everything," Zhuo snapped. "I spend more time in meetings than I do at firebending practice."
"Of course," said his sister, "so you already know about the plan to kill you and have me take your place."
Zhuo blinked.
"Really?"
"Lord Ishema thought I'd make a simply marvellous puppet Fire Lord. It's a shame his servants gossip. Awkward for me, though." Off his look, she added, "Come on, Zhuo, why did you think I was pulled out of school last month?"
Truth be told, he'd been too wrapped up in his own impending coronation to give it any thought beyond-
"I figured they finally expelled you."
"I wish. Mother is keeping me under her eye while she decides whether I'm a traitor or a pawn."
"But-"
"Don't look so shocked, Zhuo. The greatest threat to a Fire Lord is the next in line for the throne."
"Yes, but that's history. Not-" This was pointless. Instead he said, "I thought Lord Ishema's son was your friend."
"So did I."
"Do you want to be Fire Lord?"
"Are you offering?"
"Before he died," Zhuo said, "Father told me that the Fire Lord has the right to abdicate in favour of a child or sibling."
"Why is it that the ones who should abdicate never do? Aside from the political upheaval and loss of face."
"I'm being serious, Izumi. Father's only condition was that I had to wait until you and Zu-lin are both of age."
"Don't you want to be Fire Lord, Zhuo?"
He shrugged. "Technically I've been Fire Lord since Father died. And I was just a kid, I didn't even know you could be anything else. I mean, I guess I did, but-"
"What would you do? Given the chance?"
He looked away. "I want to be a Fire Sage," he said, and braced himself for Izumi's laughter.
Instead, she said, "I can see that. All those scrolls."
"All that history no one remembers," he agreed.
"I was going to join the army," Izumi said regretfully.
"Why can't you?"
"It has been explained to me," she said in the precise tones she used when referring to their mother, "that the potential implications of giving me any sort of authority over an armed force make such a move," her mouth curled in contempt, "inadvisable." In her normal tone she added, "I said, that's fine, I'll just enlist under a false name. I think Mother thought I was joking."
"I'm sorry," said Zhuo. "I didn't realise-"
"Don't," said Izumi. "Someone has to be Fire Lord."
"Really?"
"You sound like the Avatar."
Zhuo decided to take that as a compliment.
"Well," he said, "if I don't want to rule, and you don't want to rule-"
He broke off, thinking of their younger brother.
"Is he still setting his bed on fire?" Izumi asked.
"Every night."
Concentrating, Zhuo generated a tiny tongue of flame and twisted it so that it looked like the head of a dragon.
"That's clever," said Izumi. Little jets shot from her fingertips, surrounding and swallowing his dragon. "What I need," she said, "is to go away for a few years. Long enough that when I come back, people think of you as a strong and stable Fire Lord, not the little boy who needed two cushions and a toy bison when he sat in the throne."
"I was eleven. And it was a teaching instrument. For lessons about bisons."
"Right."
"It sounds like you've been thinking about this," said Zhuo.
"There's a lot of time to think when Mother's giving you the silent treatment." She dropped from the throne to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest. "I'm leaving after the coronation. I'm going to Kyoshi Island."
Lots of thoughts ran through Zhuo's head, like But that's so far away! and Take me with you! But what he said was, "Mother will murder you."
"I've thought of that."
"You'll be filleted."
"No," said Izumi, "because I'll be leaving with the knowledge and permission of the Fire Lord."
"I'll be filleted!"
"No, that will be treason. Anyway," she gave him a sharp smile, "I think she rather likes you. She's spent a lot of time keeping you alive."
"Not just me," he said.
"Yeah," said Izumi, rubbing absently at her left arm where, beneath her sleeve, Zhuo knew she still carried the scar left by their aunt's lightning. "Anyway, she knows I'll be safe there. You can't single out a Kyoshi Warrior."
"You know Ty Lee will tell her everything you get up to," Zhuo warned.
"And she'll try and tell me about my aura. The sacrifices I make for my country. Maybe she'll finally teach me chi-blocking."
"Right," said Zhuo. "You can be totally lethal with your bare hands. That's reassuring."
He stood up and pulled her to her feet.
"Everything changes tomorrow," he said.
Izumi sighed. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to be the one to tell you this," she said, "but aside from all the ways you're stupid and annoying-"
"Maybe I'll just have you banished."
"-You have the potential to be a really good Fire Lord."
"Oh." Zhuo rubbed the back of his neck. "That's not where I expected you to go with that."
"You're smart, except for all the ways you're an idiot; you're fair; you try to do the right thing; and when you don't know the answer to a problem, you go out and ask questions until you find it." Izumi shrugged. "In your shoes, I'd just get angry and set things on fire."
"At least tradition is on your side," said Zhuo.
"Give it a few years. You've spent your whole life learning how to do this." Izumi walked away, vanishing into the tapestries. In the doorway, she paused and looked back. "Good luck, brother," she said.
end