HUNTRESS
"It's funny, most people think that revenge is a passionate affair, driven by rage and pain. But it can't be. Feelings such as those make you weak."
- Carrie Ryan –
Chapter One: Playful Treason
Prince Ozai knew that she was the girl he would sleep with that night, because she met his gaze without a trace of fear.
He was in a smoky room that smelled of overpowering incense and echoed with clashing voices, and he liked it. These places were far more entertaining than pretty political affairs. Not to mention the fact that he owned it.
The girl was on the younger side but her eyes were hardened, as if they had seen more of the world than he ever did. He watched her from afar as people groveled and bent over backwards for an ounce of his attention. She met his eyes five times before he had enough of it.
"Invite her upstairs," he ordered. The guard playing with one of his broadswords flinched, then hastened to find his prince's plaything.
He left the back of the room and walked up to a seating area of drunk politicians and military officials who thought they were any better than the drunk servants and soldiers below. The only important man in this pathetic establishment was himself.
Before any of them could lick his boots, he was facing the ice cold young woman.
"You seemed bored," he said, smirking at her.
"I was," she coolly replied. "I think that this bar is much too safe and cozy for my liking. Not a single brawl all night, and not even a dartboard."
He decided that he liked her, and offered, "Well, I could acquire those."
"I'm flattered." She did not sound like it, but he did not really care.
Ozai ran his finger along the arm of the empty chair beside him, leaving a streak without dust. Her eyes followed. "You've been watching me."
She cocked an eyebrow for half a second. "Has anyone here failed to notice the son of an emperor sitting in the back leering at me?"
If she were not so pretty, he would have killed her.
"Possibly," he replied, stepping back and sitting down. "Do you have a name?"
"Will you remember it tomorrow?" she so cutely asked.
"Maybe," he said, "if you stay up here for a while and continue to commit light treason."
She faintly smiled. "Why does your tone make me think that your offer is mandatory, your majesty?"
"Because it is."
She sat down and picked up a drink that did not belong to her.
Half an hour after a quite entertaining conversation, alone in locked room, Ozai had her pinned against the wall and was halfway through undressing her when her lack of fear for him flared up again. She set her hand on his shoulder and he did not release her arm, despite stepping back slightly.
"I actually came here for a reason," she whispered, trying to catch her breath. "I came to talk to you, and, well, I had to get you alone."
"What?" That was… new, to say the least, but he could not call this one unoriginal.
"I have a business proposition that you don't want to pass up. We can finish this when I'm done," she dryly announced.
"We can finish this when I say we can," he growled.
"Or I can stab you and leave." She did have a knife. That was grounds to burn her to death, but he wondered what could make a girl hold a weapon to him. His curiosity spared her life.
He grabbed her by the wrist, twisted with heat, and the blade hit the ground.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" he demanded, enunciating every syllable.
"We've actually met more times than I can count. I grew up in your house," said Mai and he released her arm.
"Are you my child?" It would not be surprising.
"No, but it has been about a decade, so I don't blame you for not recognizing me. I have filled out slightly in that time period. I was engaged to your son," she explained.
"I disowned him. He's not my son." Ozai was half-offended that she called him that.
"Which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you. You are the only person who can give me what I want," she said, and in an eerily calm deadpan explained, "I want Zuko dead. But I don't just want him dead; that's not nearly satisfying enough. I want all of his little friends dead first, I want everything he ever cared about destroyed, and after that I want him to know his death is coming but not know how to prevent it."
That was unlike anything he had ever heard before.
"Well, that's an understandable goal, but I don't know why you need me…"
"Mai, your majesty."
"I don't know why you need me, Mai."
"I didn't dedicate my life to the death of the disgraced Prince Zuko on a whim because I was bored. I have thought everything through, and I can't do it alone. I don't know where he has. I don't have the means to accomplish it. I need a very particular set of skills that you happen to have. My list was very narrow and I thought he would probably fear you the most out of everyone on it."
"You haven't told me what I get out of this," he said.
"The warm fuzzy feeling that comes with helping others." She did not laugh; neither did he. "Name your price. I have never wanted anything in my life until a year ago, and I will do anything to get it."
He… was interested. There was something about what she said and how she said it that made him crave more answers. Maybe she had a good enough reason and a good enough plan that he could have an amusing excursion for the first time in years.
"I think I have to consider that price. I'm not going to ask for just anything," he earnestly answered.
"I think that's wise," she honestly replied.
Ozai wanted to ask what his former son did to deserve the wrath of this girl, but he decided against it. He would have her under his control until she knew he would help her. It was obvious that he was her last hope; she had a cold expression but the look in her eye of someone begging not to be murdered.
"Why don't we finish what we've started and discuss your grand revenge later?" he offered, and she faltered. Her composure briefly vanished, but it returned as swiftly as it left.
"We can," she whispered, and he could tell she did not mean it.
His first instinct was to ignore that, and pretend to believe her, and take what he wanted, but the whole vengeance on Zuko speech made him think twice.
"Go home. Or wherever you're spending the night. I'll arrange for a meeting with you tomorrow," he said, and she did not hesitate to leave.
He found another girl in minutes, because there is a plethora of pretty girls, but only one who had dedicated her life to murdering Zuko.
Mai looked different in the daylight.
The dark circles under her amber eyes were apparent, her sallow skin, her glistening hair. She was not any less beautiful, but she was far less healthy. He wondered if his son was truly capable of doing that to a person. Maybe it was proof of the sad, sad fact that Zuko was likely his child.
Ozai was outside in an area with as few eavesdroppers as possible. He knew at least a servant or two would overhear, but this neglected part of the courtyard was not popular. So, he was seated in front of a worn stone table as he waited for her.
She shrugged off the guard and sat down across from him.
They waited in silence as a servant poured her a cup of tea. She looked at it with distaste, but began to sip it nonetheless. Her eyes flashed from burning her mouth, and she put it down while covering up the pain.
Ozai spoke first, as it should be.
"Are you going to tell me what Zuko did to deserve your elaborate wrath?" he asked, noticing the sad state of her nails.
"If you ordered me to, of course I would, but you can't be certain if I'll lie to you or not. You can be certain that I'm desperate," Mai replied.
He liked the forwardness. Ozai never expected to enjoy the company of someone so defiant, but it was intriguing, so he would entertain it so long as she did not go too far.
"We'll move on from that," he said. "My father has no idea where that boy ran off to, and neither do I. He left his guard in the middle of the night and everyone assumed he died in the Earth Kingdom."
"He didn't. Not yet, at least," she said. Careless, but confident, he noted.
"Did you have a relationship with him?" he inquired.
"Yes." She seemed sickened by the fact and he could not hold back a smirk.
"Did he cheat on you?" It seemed logical.
"I don't know, but that's a really petty reason to utterly destroy him, don't you think?" Mai said, touching her finger into her tea and deeming it too hot again.
"I don't know you." The silence made her visibly nervous at last. "Are you going to thank me for last night?"
"Maybe. What am I thanking you for?" she calmly asked, as if it were not obvious.
"For just letting you leave like that." He nearly laughed; she was clueless. Fearsome, but clueless.
She looked at him like he was insane. That expression disappeared, as expected.
"Thank you," she said, and her even tone made it impossible to tell if she was being genuine or not. "I know how I—how we—can find him."
"How?" He leaned forward slightly.
"I told you about my desire to crush his loved ones," Mai said. "My idea is to interrogate a chain of people, starting with someone easy to find, and going from there. Someone has to know."
"Do you not know? I thought you were involved with him?"
"I haven't been involved with him for over a year." She did not sound very happy, at least more so than before.
"I see," he said. "This doesn't require my personal attention. I can lend you someone competent to help you out."
"What does require your personal attention?" She gripped the table tightly. "Pushing stone soldiers around on tables and fucking girls your daughter's age? This sounds much more exciting to me than any of the other things in your wasted life."
They swiftly stood at the same time, and he moved for her first.
TBC. . .