MONOCHROME | A Cinderella Story
The Beifongs had a wonderful life, filled with love, peace of mind, and safety from Sozin's War. But that changed when the War reached Gaoling. Lao Beifong died in the skirmish, leaving behind his wife, Poppy, and their young daughter, Toph. As the girl grew, Poppy felt more and more that she was more boyish and needed a good male rolemodel in her life. And so, Poppy remarried. But, Longfeng already had a darling daughter of his own, and didn't care for the girl. When Poppy passed away some years later from an illness, Longfeng sold the girl into servitude, never to think of her again...
LIXIA
They used to call her the girl that wouldn't break. She had a strong sense of self, and a snappy wit that wasn't afraid of anything, neither extra cleaning duty, nor whips. Some made the mistake of feeling sorry for her. Others made the mistake of thinking they were above her. No one was above Toph: no, she had her own mental chain of command. It took her trust to get her to answer to you, and none managed it.
Not until she turned twelve, at least. They weren't concerned with her. Not so much as everyone else was. She was just another face, another servant to boss around. Long as she did her job, they didn't bother her any, so, she did it relatively quietly, and did it well, and blended back into the crowd, so to speak. The first one was a man. He lived alone and was an artist, and she, being blind, tended to mess up his paints and whatnot without intending to. He sent her off somewhere else.
The second one was a woman. She was unmarried, but had a child that liked to undermine and bully her. Apparently, the woman didn't think slapping the kid was a good response to his torment. The third was another woman. She lived alone, and was unmarried, and spent too much time asking stupid questions. It was especially frustrating when the lady couldn't even remember her servant girl happened to be blind and unable to tell her whether the dress made her look fat or not. Then, a final man. That one could have been a father figure, if he didn't like feeling her up so much. He got knocked through a wall, and Toph ended up back on the market, so to say.
And then there was this family. Just a man, his wife, and their two children. Their daughter, Mai, she was a bit older than Toph herself, but they got along, for all the other girl's whining about how boring everything is. The little boy was precocious and, quite honestly, rather cute. Toph could tolerate him. The other servants in the household never bothered her too much, nor did the family, except when they had orders to give her. And, quite honestly, it was... rather peaceful.
Once in a great while, Mai would invite her childhood friend over. Ty Lee was a bouncy thing, always cheerful about... some odd thing or another. One of many siblings that looked just like her, she had a thing about sticking out. Yep, if there was anything Ty Lee did, it was stick out. Ty was never really mean to Toph either. Actually, she was probably one of the very few friends the blind Earthbender had. That was probably some flavor of sad. On occasion, the Fire Princess, Azula, would invite both Mai and Ty Lee to the palace for a visit. Get a load of that, right, serving the family of a girl that's friends with the Fire Princess.
But it wasn't like it mattered. Princess Azula had no reason to pay her any attention, so, probably stuck as a servant all her life. She'd die alone and unmarried, and that was just fine by her. Besides, Tom-Tom was cute, but kids, they were so not her style. Rather the opposite. If we could avoid that one, we'd just... do that.
Yeah, Toph was lonely. But lonely was safe. Lonely didn't get your hopes up. Lonely didn't turn its back on you. Lonely was a comforting constant, a factor that would always be one, especially when no one else would be a constant.
Well, there was another constant, too. Breakfast did not make itself.
"Can you believe it?" A slight pause in Toph's motions, attempting to snag that shirt that just fell out of the pile in her hands. Mai was on about some... thing or another. "I mean, me, dating the Fire Lord's son. What could be greater than that?"
"Don't know, Miss Mai," Toph answered, rather monotone. The Fire Lord had a son? ... okay then. Apparently he did, considering Mai was squealing about dating him. Since when did Mai have an interest in anything, anyway? Whatever.
"You're coming to the festival aren't you? I'll need help with my costume. Jet wants all the dancers looking their best."
Now, there was some sort of irony in asking her of all people to come along, considering... well, couldn't tell a rock from the ocean. "I don't think I'm the best option for that, Miss Mai. Maybe Kaede -"
"You just don't like festivals. You never go." ... well, there wasn't much to do for a servant aside from trail their employer... person around. Besides, it was a good chance to laze around the estate and pretend she was rich.
"Nothing against them, but they're not really my thing." Not really, no.
"You're coming. No arguing. Besides, Kaede is aged and doesn't hear well," Mai stated, flat as always. A mental sigh; it would figure Mai would make her go. Something about if I have to suffer through this, you do too.
"Would you like me to follow you around?"
"No," Mai answered. "You should try the apple cider. Chat a little, mingle. Make friends besides Ty Lee. She's headache inducing sometimes, anyway."
... this... woman... not getting annoyed, not getting annoyed. "Sure." A very short pause. "I wouldn't call Ty Lee my friend, though."
"Oh? I thought you two were close."
"Not really. She just decided I looked lonely one day and hasn't stopped talking to me."
"Sounds like her alright."
Yeah. It probably did. "I should get these washed. Anything else you needed?"
"Just a glass of warm milk sent up," Mai answered. "And get someone to help you this time. The last time you did the laundry you must have washed them all together, the white things were tinted a bit pink from the red ones."
... not going to get annoyed, not going to get annoyed... "Sure."
So she wandered down the hall, passing Ling on the way. "Hey, are you busy?"
"Not really," Ling answered. "Why?"
"Mai's irritated because the last time I did the laundry, the reds tinted the whites pink. So, separate these or something," Toph asked, holding the bunch out.
"Sure. Set them down and I'll do that." With that, Toph just dropped them onto the floor. Ling seemed amused by this, however, and went to sorting through them, making a pile of lights, darks, and reds. ... most of them were red. Go figure.
"Sorry to ask."
"Nah, it's fine," Ling assured. "I kind of like having you around."
That was news to her. "Really."
"Yeah, you're kind of anti-social, and a little over-forceful, but, you're pretty nice when you want to be. And you've never really been outright mean."
Not pointing out that, actually, when she'd first gotten here, she'd shoved Ling into a wall and called her a fat cow. "Thanks."
"So, are you going to Lixia?"
"Unfortunately."
"Aww. It's not that bad. Actually, it's rather fun."
"I'd rather laze around the estate and pretend I'm rich for a night."
Ling giggled a bit. "Yeah, wouldn't we all." And she stood, then. "Alright, the one closest to you is white, the one in the middle is red, and the last one is dark. See you in the morning."
"Thanks Ling. See you." It took a few moments, but, she got the piles of laundry up off the floor, without mixing them together again, and toddled off for the washroom. May as well do it now. The festival was, after all, tomorrow, and Mai did actually freak out occasionally.
"Alright, ladies, ladies, hi, attention please," Jet, the festival organizer as always, was saying. That one grated Toph's nerves, but, he was fun to tease. The girls' chatter dimmed, and they gave him their attention after a moment. "Now, as we all know, this is a very important festival, after all, the Sacred Fire is lit at Lixia. You all look lovely, I'm sure your performances at the festival opener will be spectacular, special thanks to your assistants this day. ... except her." He was looking at Toph, of course. "Because she's a neg."
"I can kick your sissy butt any day. Bring it," was Toph's rather immediate response.
"Ooo, I like 'em spicy."
"You wish."
"Anyway, good luck to all of you, and let's have a lovely evening!"
It was the official start of summer. As summer was the Fire Nation's strongest season, they tended to go all out. Toph could already tell, at least a third of them were all in a ball of nerves. Never mind the procession would be performing alongside the caravan that escorted the Fire Nation royal family to the event. It was a very, very big deal.
"JET!" That would be Ty Lee, panicking. Right on cue. "Jet, we've got a serious problem!"
"What problem? Ty, honestly, your butt looks -"
"That's not the problem! Keiya fell out of a tree yesterday and broke her leg."
Jet frowned. "Keiya's supposed to lead."
"I know! But what are you going to do, her leg's broken. She can't dance like that," Ty Lee shrugged. "Do you have any replacements?"
"You should know we don't."
"Well, I don't think anyone would mind the lack of someone at the front. They probably won't even notice."
"No, there has to be someone at the front, the front lady's got the turn cues." A pause, as Jet thought and paced. "Alright, places, we'll go through it and see if anyone else is good enough to replace her. Go."
Toph promptly took Mai's seat as the girl stood up to go dance. It was a really big deal. The dancers were kind of a big thing at the festivals, so Toph heard. She'd never gone to one before, and, frankly, didn't much care either. Whatever floated their boat or... whatever the saying was these days. From following their vibrations through the ground, most of them were actually struggling to follow along without a lead. No wonder Jet was adamant about replacing this... Keiya.
"Alright, enough," Jet interrupted, a few minutes in. "Ty Lee, you should lead."
"Me?"
"Did I not just say that?"
"I have a spot right next to the carriage, if there's a blank spot right beside the carriage -"
"Then... you, hey, little blind snot," Jet started, turning to Toph, "can you dance?"
"... um. No." Actually, she could probably follow along if she bothered to pay attention to the vibrations of the other dancers.
"Get up."
"I just said no," Toph retorted. "Ya want a rock tossed at your head? Jeez, I'm blind, hello," waving hand in front of face here.
"Don't play that with me, I hear the stories. Besides, you get around like a person that can see, there's gotta be something that lets you."
"She sees with Earthbending," Mai filled in. "She could probably follow along easy enough." ... not killing boss' daughter, not killing boss' daughter...
"Yeah yeah," Ty Lee added. "She sees with Earthbending, actually, it's pretty cool!"
"Shut UP Ty."
"What? You do! And it is!"
"Really... intrigued..." After a moment, Jet reached over and pulled her up, moving Ty Lee to the front and placing Toph in her spot. "Let's see then."
"Um, this is performed with burning sticks," Toph deadpanned.
"And?"
"And I can't see fire. Duh."
"You'll be fine. There are specific motions to follow, you can sense the motions right?"
"Um... I think?" Yes, but she really wasn't thrilled with this idea.
"Try. We'll give it a go, and if it really bombs, we'll change plans," Jet decided. He wandered off, giving them the space to do this, and clapped. "Okay, three, two, one..."
And all at once, the rows began to move. Toph, for her part, was a bit jerky and unsure at first, but, as the dance went along, her movements became more fluid, and, as she thought she would, she kept up just fine, given the time. Ty Lee, fortunately, was apparently a very good dancer, and a very good lead, and Toph found herself mostly focusing on Ty Lee's vibrations, singling her out and following her lead. It turned out she could, in fact, keep up just fine, and she could, in fact, sense the arm movements that would be controlling the torches.
"Okay," Jet interrupted again. "See, absolutely wonderful. Who taught you to dance?"
"Actually, no one," Toph shrugged. "Well, I did learn the basic waltz from my father, but that was a long time ago."
"You're bloody brilliant and I want you."
"Just this once," Toph replied, her tone firm. "And only because the one lady broke her leg. Next festival, you're on your own."
"Heh, challenge accepted." Jet smirked slightly. "Once a dancer, always a dancer."
Mental snort. He thought anyway.
Festivals were probably the stupidest things ever invented. That was Zuko's story, and he was sticking to it. Azula insisted he should go, for whatever reason. The last few years, he'd skipped out on them, mostly by virtue of just happening to be out doing something away from the palace around the time the festival in question rolled around. This year, Azula insisted. And by insisted, we mean threatened.
Well, it wasn't so bad. He didn't really think Azula would dangle him from the balcony with a sheet, but, not testing her. She had a slight sadistic streak to her personality. Quite honestly, it was a little terrifying. It wasn't so bad, anymore. It'd been worse when they were children, and their grandfather, Azulon, was still a heavy influence on her. On the both of them, actually. And then one day he'd died, and their father ended Sozin's War, released the colonies, and, despite the initial resistance, the Fire Nation was doing rather well, now. But it'd been... what, ten years?
Anything worth anything is worth working for, or so.
"Please tell me," Azula's voice came from the doorway, "you're not wearing that."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Everything. It was made. It's a thing." Azula marched for his closet, digging through his clothing. "I'm sure you've got something classier to wear, brother. Come on, it's Lixia. The start of summer, when the Fire Nation is at its strongest."
"Isn't the Fire Nation strongest during a comet?"
"Oh brother brother, forget the comets. Comets are evil. Here, try this," she answered, and tossed him a maroon and silver shirt. He just barely caught it. Unfortunately, she happened to be facing his bad side.
"Maroon and silver?"
"I always thought silver looked better on you than gold. Makes your eyes pop a little more due to the contrast."
"Sure Azula." Whatever she said... girls...
"So, you know why you're going, right?" Azula asked, flopping onto his bed as he changed his shirt. "Why dad practically ordered you to go."
"He did?" Zuko was unaware of that little detail.
"Yep. Apparently," and a pause, as she cleared her throat and did her best Ozai imitation, "it is time my son become a man."
Zuko arched an eyebrow. "One becomes a man by attending Lixia?"
"No, silly. He's hoping you'll find a girlfriend."
Blink. For the record, that neat flush of pink across his cheeks? It was a lie. It was not happening. "And... he expects this amidst a festival at which it is generally assumed I will be making rounds and mingling?"
"Well, yeah," Azula shrugged. "Good chance to meet all the pretty ladies or something. Maybe you'll hit it off with one."
"I doubt it," Zuko replied, kind of mild. "Considering I'm 19 years old now and I haven't even bothered thinking about a girl that way. Girls are crazy, Azula."
"You seemed to like Mai."
"No," Zuko snorted. "Mai likes me. She wouldn't be so bad, if... she wasn't... so..."
"Boring?"
"Yeah, boring. I mean, nothing interests her!"
"You interest her."
"Obviously. But she has no hobbies, no actual interests, I'd like someone I can do things with, you know? Someone I can talk to that will actually listen to what I'm saying." A pause, as he looked over the shirt in the mirror. "... does this shirt make me look fat?"
"No, Zuko, it makes you look manly."
"Manly?" A head shake. "Anyway, it's not like I'm on my death bed or anything, I don't need to get married right this second."
Azula just laughed at him. "Oh silly, for the older one here, you're awkwardly naive. You need heirs, silly, you're next in line for the throne!"
"... anyone ever think I don't want it? I don't have your way with words."
"No, certainly don't," not that this statement was a little egotistical, but... "But, you've got plenty of other lovely leader-like traits. You're smart, you know, when you bother to think, you're a fairly nice guy when you reign in the temper, you're a good enough bender, you're funny, usually... even if the funny is merely a byproduct of being easy to irritate..."
"Okay, okay," Zuko interrupted. "Enough gushing over my many virtues."
Azula giggled. "Come on, I'm your sister, I'm supposed to make your life hell."
"Yeah yeah."
"And anyway, you never really know. Maybe you'll find a girl out there one of these festivals that likes you for you." A shrug, and Azula slid off the bed, heading for the door. "I have to go get ready too. Just give it a try. No risk, no gain."
Zuko let out a sigh, eying his reflection. "Yeah. By this time next year, dad will probably have to just arrange one. What a conversation, 'So sorry my father had to force you to marry me.' This bites."
For the most important Fire Festival of them all, the procession certainly began rather quietly. Mai had seemed kind of upset that morning, keeping her words shorter than usual, and a bit blunter. Toph wasn't really worried about it. She was probably just butthurt about not being the special one anymore. Her parents seemed a bit unsure about letting their servant girl perform at such an important function, but, Jet had his ways, apparently, and had managed to talk them into it.
So, here she was, wearing something that was far too flowy and loose for her liking, carrying a torch, in Ty Lee's former place. The other girl was practically dancing already, as she led the procession forward. The royal family was silent, but one of them kept thunking what sounded like their head against the door. Apparently, whichever one that was didn't want to be there any more than she did.
They'd said the top of this hill was when they'd start. So, she tried to focus on that, and ignore the slight grumbling beside her. Once they reached the peak, Ty Lee stopped, the others stopping with her, and then all at once, the dance began. It was... a little more exhilarating than it had been the many, many times they'd practiced in the new formation. Mai was oddly stiff, Toph noted, and, once again, found herself singling Ty Lee out and following her vibration lead. Flowing with the rhythmic beat, following Ty Lee's steps, copying the arm motions to make the pretty multi-colored swirls of flame around the caravan. Why this had to be so showy, Toph would never really understand.
Strangely, the thunking stopped sometime after the dance started. Probably too busy watching the performance right outside the window to be so depressed.
Actually, he couldn't bring himself to look away. Azula, sitting beside him, noted him watching the girl just outside his door. Her eyes never focused on anything, and, oddly, the serene focus was... entrancing. There was no determination, no upset, just a calm, even expression, following along, fluid and effortless. Dancing, for a long while, had been banned in the Fire Nation. Not long after Sozin's War ended, Fire Lord Ozai had revoked the ban, revitalizing the fire festivals that had been tradition before Sozin's rule. And now they had dancing and music at all the celebrations. The people seemed to enjoy it.
Why was this so interesting? She wasn't really all that beautiful, Zuko wouldn't say. She had a rougher edge to her, the way she held herself, the way she moved, it was a very rough, unpolished grace, but he found it awfully breathtaking, mesmerizing, even. Her eyes were green, a very pale green. Blind? It seemed so. Perhaps from the old colonies, someone displaced, that no longer felt at home in the Earth Kingdom and joined the main bulk of the Fire Nation after the war. She knew manual labor, obvious in the roughness of her hands, the firmness with which she gripped her torch. Weren't Jet's girls usually nobility?
"Azula," he started, but she cut him off.
"Never seen her before."
"I see." At the very least, she'd apparently never attended the Royal Fire Academy. Not that he'd figured she would have. After a bit of watching, one hand raised, flicking his fingers. The flame of her torch swirled around, more so than it already was, almost like a snake. It took some manipulating, but, it eventually formed a dragon.
"Show off," Azula muttered under her breath. "She's clearly blind, put that back to normal before you hurt her."
"I won't hurt her." No. He wouldn't hurt her.
Soon, the procession came to a stop. The dancers fanned out, as the royal family exited the carriage. Zuko hesitated a moment, outside it, eyeing the girl that danced beside his door. He almost said something, but her ferocious whispering stopped him.
"Next time you decide to play with fire, pick one not attached to my torch, or it goes up your ass, still lit."
The words stunned him: no one had ever spoken to him in such a way. Especially if they knew he was the Fire Lord's son. Was she always that suicidal?
"Come on Zuzu, you'll miss the fun!" Azula exclaimed, reaching over and taking his hand, dragging him away before he could recover.
She'd already decided, by that point, she wasn't fond of the son. Showy jerk could have gotten her hurt. Not that she expected royals to give an elephant-rat's ass about a servant girl, but, that was probably neither here nor there. And yes, she'd meant that threat, even if it would get her imprisoned, or worse. Toph didn't think the Fire Lord would take very well to her acting on that particular threat. And she did realize, if he wanted to, he already had the power to get her in serious trouble.
Well, a jail cell might be better than dealing with serving ungrateful jerks all her life. No thank yous, no good job. No recognition whatsoever. That was the life of a servant. And for a long time, she'd been okay with that.
She wasn't sure what had changed. Maybe she'd just gotten older and realized exactly what she was doing, exactly what her step-father, Longfeng, had sold her to without a second thought. She'd been six at the time. It'd taken several more years for her to understand exactly what it was he'd done, exactly what he'd taken away from her. Once, she was a minor noble, like Mai and her family were. And he'd taken her father's estate, all his money, everything. Simply because her mother had died. That estate was rightfully hers, not his. Her father had passed it to her.
Alas, she was quite truly stuck here. And maybe it was alright that way.
She found herself a seat at a table, having plucked a cider from the table a bit away. Now that the dance was done, there was little else to do, and she'd lost track of Mai. Probably over there, cooing over that annoying git wearing the prince crown. Ha, she could probably roll that stupid thing into a ball. That was neither here nor there. Only a moment or two later, and someone sat next to her.
"Uh..." Oh. Him. "Hi."
"Not really interested in talking."
"I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry," Zuko replied, his tone rather sincere. "I didn't mean to upset you."
Toph arched an eyebrow, blank gaze seemingly staring across the table. "Not that big of a deal," she answered, with a slight shrug.
"Uh..." There was a pause. "So, I'm Zuko."
Yes, idiot, she thought, like I and everyone else here don't know that. To be fair, he was probably just trying to be friendly. "Poppy." Her mother had been dead for over ten years, probably no harm in giving him that name.
"Oh. Poppy. Uh."
"Yeah, kinda pretty for someone like me huh."
"Yeah," he answered, a slight laugh in his tone. And then he realized what he said and made a slight strangled noise. "I - I mean no, it's... it is pretty yeah but..."
"Give up Sparky. Caught candid," Toph sing-songed.
"Sparky?"
"You don't think it fits? I do. Everyone gets a nickname with me." Which was the truth. She just didn't always use them. Not to their face, at least. It depended on who it was.
"Right. I can live with that." Well, good, because it wasn't changing for him... be nice, Toph. Why? ... because. Reasons. And jail probably wasn't as awesome as it sounded.
"Shouldn't you be over there with your fanclub?" Toph asked, jerking a thumb behind them. Zuko turned, eyeing the group of girls that direction, who giggled and waved at him. He made an odd noise, somewhere near exasperated.
"Um... probably. I... kind of wanted to talk to you though."
A derisive snort. "I'm not all that interesting, promise." No, she wasn't that interesting. In some ways, probably, but, well, he was a prince, and she was... nobody. There had to be laws against this or something.
"Maybe I want to decide that for myself." Maybe he did. Besides, she was probably a bit biased, having to live with herself and all that. One tended to think they were rather boring when they spent all their time with themselves.
"Sure."
"So uh. Do you always perform for -?"
"No," she answered, another snort in her tone. "I got conned into it. One of the regular dancers broke her leg."
"Oh." Zuko went quiet for a moment, presumably thinking. "Well, you're really good. Jet should keep you on permanently."
"If he did that," Toph smirked, "I might kill him. Dancing, it's not my thing. I just felt bad for them, accidents happen." Yeah, a little too conveniently. Actually, Toph was wondering if this... Keiya girl was nervous and broke her leg on purpose.
"We can't always choose what we're good at Poppy," Zuko replied, a bit mild. "Sometimes it chooses us."
Toph snorted, raising an eyebrow. "Who said we were on a first name basis?"
"I... well I -" Heh, he was cute when he was caught off-guard.
... probably not a healthy thing to be thinking. "You gotta earn that one Sparky."
"Er... well what do I call you til then?"
Thinking. Poppy, of course, was her mother's name anyway. She could give him her real name under the guise of a nickname, but, Toph out of Poppy? Yeah, no. Besides, she didn't want him finding her. It was safer this way. "Figure something out."
"I was kind of thinking Saucy."
A very hearty laugh answered. "I can think of worse."
Strangely, Zuko found himself smiling. He'd decided, somewhere in there, that he actually quite liked her laugh. It wasn't overdone, nor was it forced, it came out in its own time in its own pitch, whether anyone liked it or not. Even more strangely, his parents would probably consider her to be being rude, but, it didn't feel that way. No, it felt like... she was treating them like they were old friends. Like they'd always known one another, and neither was above or below the other. Even more strange, he found that a bit charming, for lack of better word. Perhaps charming wasn't the right one... well, no one said Zuko was a rhetorical genius.
"There you are," came a feminine voice, from the side.
"Azula, what -"
"We're supposed to be lighting the Sacred Flame, didn't dad tell you we're doing it this year?"
"Obviously not if I'm staring at you like you lost your mind."
"Well, we're doing it this year. Come along, Zuzu, you can find your friend after, hi," Azula stated, taking Zuko's arm and practically dragging him off. Toph just gave a little wave.
"Stay, right there," Zuko asked, and then he let his sister drag him off.
Hmph. Stay, right here, huh? She should probably go. The last thing she needed was to get all caught up in the Fire Nation monarchy. Technically, she wasn't even really a citizen here, just... on an extended visit. That was what she told herself. She missed the Earth Kingdom, that wasn't any surprise, probably. She should go. Before she got caught up in something she wasn't sure how to handle.
That in mind, once their steps had faded away, Toph downed the last of her cider, and disappeared into the crowd.
Azula had an iron grip when she chose to have one. That was a fact Zuko had already known, but it was nice to know that some things changed all the time... other things stubbornly remained the same. Kind of neat in a strange sort of way. That might make him a bit odd. Never mind. Brain, shut up.
"So," Azula started, "who was that?"
"Poppy." A pause. "We just met, don't get any ideas."
"Hey, mom and dad were strangers once too."
A little snort. "And you're crazy."
Azula shrugged. "Just saying. Certainly pretty. Bit of a rougher prettiness, what do you think?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because you're the one that was talking to her. Does she live around here?"
A shrug. "Don't know."
"Oh Zuzu, you're like a teenager. What if you can't find her again? How are you intending to make friends with someone you can't find?"
"I asked her to stay."
"Naive, too." Azula frowned, turning him around to face the table they just left. Sure enough, she was gone.
In a way, though, he hadn't expected her to stay. No, in a short few minutes, he'd realized a few things. One, he wanted someone that liked him for he was, not the office he held. Two, nothing and no one held Poppy down. She might be a hard one to keep a hold of, in any way.
And, for some reason, he was perfectly okay with that.
"You're smiling stupidly," Azula told him.
"Am I?"
"I'd figure you'd have been upset."
"Nah." He sounded a little amused. "Actually, I'm surprised she stayed as long as she did."
"You confuse me, brother."
"Hey, sometimes, I confuse myself."
The two climbed the stairs on the side of the platform the Sacred Flame's bowl was kept. The Sacred Flame symbolized the fires of Agni, the fire god, and the supposed overseer of the Fire Nation. It was a big deal when the flame was lit. So long as the Flame burned, it was said, the Fire Nation would prosper. It'd be a big problem if the fire went out just after being lit or so. Only the most powerful Firebenders were allowed to light it, as such.
This would be the first year someone besides the Fire Lord lit it. Azula was a prodigy, in many ways, it wasn't surprising she was chosen, but him? Zuko found himself wondering what the hell his dad had been drinking the night before. It wasn't tea.
"Good evening, everyone, might I have a moment of your time?" ... a bit odd, how pleasant their father was, and Fire Lord Azulon had been... well kind of a jerk. Kind of. Not entirely but kind of. He took his place beside Azula, at least attempting to look like he belonged up there. "Tonight, as always since the end of the Hundred Year War, the Sacred Flame will be lit. Tonight marks the first time it is lit by one other than myself. My children, Prince Zuko and Princess Azula, will be doing the honors this year. And hopefully, within a few decades, we'll be announcing their children lighting it." A few in the crowd laughed. Yeah, it was well known, they didn't tend to get along with love and whatnot.
"Well, without further hold-up, may this summer be fruitful for us all." Azula made a nodding gesture, for Zuko to follow her, and he did. One on one side of the brazier, one on the other.
"How's this supposed to work?"
"Just copy me. I'll move slowly," Azula answered. A nod, and she did as she said she would, moving slow enough for him to follow her movements. Her blue flame mixed with his orange, and the brazier fwooshed to life, immediately crackling strong and bright. Azula gave him a lopsided smile. "Not bad."
"Heh, it lit because you lit it."
"Eh, you're not as bad as you think, Zuzu," Azula snickered, one arm draping itself around his shoulders.
"So, what's this I heard Ty Lee going on about? Some kid named Chan?"
"Ugh," Azula deflated, "he's an idiot, never speak his name again."
Zuko resisted the urge to snicker. "Sure."
She trudged behind Ty Lee, following her to the prayer tree. It was apparently a big deal, this prayer tree thing, though Toph didn't quite get it. Then, she was a realist, and believed in paving her own destiny. Not very spiritual, Toph. But, well, if it made Ty Lee happy, whatever. Ty Lee was probably her first friend, ever. Before that, she'd sort of been friends with the neighbor children, and might have become friends with Longfeng's daughter, Jo Dee, but Jo was a bit... shallow. Like her father.
No, Toph didn't think much of them. The new Beifong family could go suck their own -
"Do you want to put one up?" Ty Lee interrupted her thoughts.
"Oh. Um. I'm not really into that stuff."
Ty Lee didn't press it, scribbling something onto her prayer ribbon. "I saw you talking to Prince Zuko earlier. What do you think of him?"
Toph snorted, shrugging a bit. "He's alright. Needs to get out more and he isn't really the hottest fire in the fireplace. But he's not bad I guess."
"Hehe. You're the most honest person I've ever met. It's kind of charming." Ty Lee stood, tying her ribbon to the tree. "Are you sure you don't want to put one up?"
"What's the point of them?"
"I think it's just a fun thing to do, really. They say, if your ribbon is still mostly in tact by Lichun, your prayer will be or has already been answered." A pause. "Well, they say anyway."
Toph really didn't believe in that sort of thing. "Okay, why not."
"Really?"
"Sure, nothing to lose."
"Yay!" Ty Lee shuffled off to find another prayer ribbon, and sat down beside Toph. And then, apparently, it occurred to her that Toph was blind and couldn't write on her own ribbon. "Er..."
"Eh you write it." Why not.
"Well, what should I write then?"
"Whatever sounds good?"
"Toph," Ty Lee rebuked. "This is your ribbon, not mine." Yeah yeah... hmm. Well, there were very few things Toph hoped for. But one always stuck out.
"For somewhere I belong."
There was a bit of silence, and, Toph thought she'd say something about it. But, instead, she wrote it down, and then handed her the ribbon. "Tie it up there."
Right. So, Toph stood, patting the branches to find a spot for it, and then tied it to the tree. When she was done, she sat back down. Ty Lee was quiet for a while, and Toph was kind of concerned she'd upset her friend. Ty was her only friend, after all.
"Sometimes, that's what I wish for, too."
That was a bit surprising. "Oh?"
"Yeah," Ty Lee replied, the usual smile in her tone. "I think everyone wants that, at some point. Someday, you'll find it."
"Think so?"
"I found where I belong. Heh, if I can find it, you can too."
"Maybe."
"I think Mai might have seen you talking to Prince Zuko, too."
That was a bit random. But not surprising that she'd felt it necessary to tell her, either. After all, everyone knew Mai was after him. She had dreams of being Zuko's wife or whatever. Toph didn't much care. "Not like I was flirting with him."
"Yeah, I guess you weren't. Just be careful, okay? Mai can be pretty vindictive when she wants to be, and you do serve her family and all."
"Eh, nothing to worry about. That's probably the first and last time I'll ever see him," Toph said, shrugging. And, it probably was. It wasn't like they ever had to speak again, and, probably, she wouldn't come to another festival again. Besides, she was just a servant. What interest would Prince Zuko have in her? Yeah, exactly.
"Anyway, I told Jet I'd help him out after the dance. Cleaning up or whatever. So I'll go that way."
"Sure Toph."
"See ya Ty." And she stood and shuffled that way. Before Ty Lee got in on the awkward questions or something. There wasn't anything to know, anyway.
"And make sure you get the cider stain someone left in the sleeve out," Mai was saying, tossing her clothes practically everywhere. But, like a good servant, Toph followed and picked them up. That was her job and all. So what if it was nice to have a normal life, whatever that is, for a few hours earlier today. It wouldn't happen again, most likely. She should really get her head out of the clouds and back down here. On the blessed, awesome earth that the spirits or whatever gave them.
There wasn't anything going on between her and Zuko. There was no hope of it, either. She wasn't even sure what she was thinking about it for, considering how stupid a thought it really was. Ty Lee was just letting her imagination run away with her, and, if Mai thought the same thing, she was too. Toph was Toph. Zuko was Zuko. And he was so out of her league, it wasn't even – actually, it was rather amusing, but, that was probably neither here nor -
"Toph."
"Huh?"
"Were you listening?" Mai seemed annoyed. ... did she say something important?
"... not really." Honesty was the best policy. She thought, anyway.
"Of course not. I said, I saw you talking to Zuko earlier."
Oh. Naturally. That was what she was annoyed about. "Oh?"
"What do you mean, 'oh'? Don't pretend there wasn't anything going on there."
Toph just shrugged, reaching down to pick up another shirt. "There wasn't."
"Look, you're a fairly nice girl and all, so I don't want to be hostile, but he's mine."
"Funny, because he wasn't acting like an already-claimed guy. And deciding he's yours, kind of takes two of you."
"What would you know? I bet you've never had a boyfriend in your life."
"That doesn't make me an idiot," Toph stated, flat. "But it's not like I want him."
"Good. Make sure it stays that way."
"Yeah, right on that, hey, heart," Toph tapped her chest a bit, "make sure you don't fall for the dunderhead. It says it'll try. I'm a servant, Mai, you've got nothing to worry about from me." Definitely not. Princely types, they weren't her thing. Seriously. They tended to be slightly self-absorbed and do stupid things. A lot.
And that? That was annoying.
"Whatever. Just don't be making any moves on him."
"Whatever you say, Sugar." Yeah, that was Mai's nickname. Kind of strange, wasn't it. She was anything but sugary. Rather the opposite, oftentimes. Toph called her that mostly within the hope that doing so would make her a bit sweeter in temperament. She'd get back to you if it ever started working.
For now, she had laundry that needed to be done. Shuffling down the hallway, of course. Toph had no idea where Ling was at the moment, so, she'd... have to find someone else to help her separate the colors. Pff. Fire Nation nobility: they were always such pains in the rear. Honestly, what the hell made Mai think she'd want to tie herself to one in holy matrimony or whatever the word was? Actually, Toph wanted to go back to Gaoling, kick her step-father's ass, and reclaim her father's estate and... Earthbend. Earthbending was fun.
These days, she got so little time to practice Earthbending, she probably tanked at it. Go figure. Maybe she should do something about that. After all, she was born an Earthbender and would die an Earthbender. May as well be a good one. "Kaede," as she sensed one of the other servants nearby, "are you terribly busy?"
"Not really," the elderly woman answered. "What's got you frowning?"
"I need to do the laundry again, and the last time I washed them without separating out the colors, Mai got upset."
"Ahh. Come on, I'll follow you and we'll separate them as we wash them."
"Thank you." It was ridiculous, wasn't it? Blind girls weren't made to do laundry.
He'd given Azula something about being tired. Fortunately, his younger sister had let him be. Actually, he'd just forgotten something. Between Poppy and the Sacred Flame, he'd completely forgotten about his own prayer ribbon. If he was guessing right, it wasn't too late just yet. It was still Lixia, though it wouldn't be in a few more hours.
And that had led to him having a minor war with the remaining prayer ribbons. He didn't care what he wrote down, but, Azula kept insisting it was a very important part of Lixia, so he had to think about it first. Zuko... well, he wasn't much concerned about that destiny thing. He was more of a realistic, preferring to think that his destiny was something he could shape with his own choices and actions. But, on the off chance Azula was right and there was some cosmic goo or something guiding everything, maybe he'd take this one seriously.
Still, his mind kept wandering off to Poppy. She wasn't much like anyone else he'd ever met. Nobles, of course, were all stiff, and most of those around him tended to give him respect reserved for one of his station. Never had anyone ever been so straightforward and blunt with him. It was... probably a little odd, how he found he liked that. Azula was probably right. They were probably never going to cross paths again.
But, well... there wasn't anything against hoping they would, anyway.
Finally, he found something worth writing down. With quick penmanship, he scribbled the wish onto the ribbon, and then stood and headed down the hall, down the stairs and outside. The Prayer Tree was quite a sight after Lixia: covered in little pieces of white swaying in the wind, it looked, from a distance, that the tree had grown white leaves. Oddly, Zuko found that a bit calming, peaceful, watching the white dance among the green.
Lixia used to be his favorite celebration, mostly because watching his father light the Sacred Flame had been a highlight of his year. He wasn't sure what changed. Maybe, in the end, nothing did, nothing but his heart. The part of him that was still desperately searching for meaning, for a reason to wake up every morning, for a reason to keep trying and moving on.
Such depressing things to think of. He shook his head slightly, making his way through the courtyard to the tree. It took a few moments of searching, but, eventually, he found a place for his ribbon, and tied it there. A moment, watching it dance alongside its new friends, eying the many wishes of the Fire Nation, before he turned and went back in.
Yeah. Now more than ever, he could use to find where he belonged.
Notes: Okay, well. Aha. Back after... almost an entire two years... I got a full-time job somewhere in there and my life sort of slid out of my control, and then drama happened and blah blah no one cares, okay.
Glad to finally be re-releasing Monochrome. I've lost all my notes on it, so I'm rebuilding it from the beginning.
A few short notes:
One; this time-line has changed the canon so that Ozai was the one that ended the Hundred Year War. Thus, Zuko and Azula had a relatively normal upbringing. ... I have no idea if Aang is even out of the iceberg at this point. Probably, because Toph's like 16.
Two; I highly doubt Aang, Katara and Sokka will ever be seen. It may happen, but I'm not making promises. There are, however, plenty of others and many minors that most people don't touch in these in here that may sorta shock you - just remember this is so completely AU it's not even funny and ta da, it makes sense again. HAHA.
Three; Zuko's scar was an accident this time. He forgot to duck.
Four; Ursa and Ozai have a relatively loving relationship. It also completely ignores certain tidbits about Ursa and Zuko that were revealed in The Search and of course ignores anything new added. They'll probably release The Search Part 3 before I finish Monochrome.
Five; This is a Cinderella-inspired story. It may end up relatively similar to Ever After, as Danielle reminds me of Toph a good deal.
Six; This story will span an entire year, each chapter covering one of the holidays on the Wheel of the Year. It makes sense to me, as they are mostly Celtic fire festivals, and it just stands to reason that the Fire Nation would celebrate Fire Festivals. They follow the path of the sun. They are named here in their Chinese equivalent, or as close as I could get.
Seven; this is a Toko. Fair warning. It is neither Maiko nor Zutara. Also, keep that in mind as you read it if you're a Toko fan like I am cause it may seem like it's not for a while: I promise it works out in the end. ... Zuko's just a densey-dense-dense. If you're a heavy shipper of either, you may not find Monochrome much enjoyable. Just saying.
Lixia is otherwise known as Beltane, or May Day. It is often considered the official start of summer, hence the lighting of the Sacred Flame. In the real world, Agni's fire is relit every day, whereas here it's allowed to burn until the end of Qiufen in a very big, metal bowl.
Think that's it. Enjoy!
