Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own any one from the show Avatar: The Last Airbender. Prince Zuko, Lord Iroh and the Fire Lord are not my characters. I do, most unfortunately, own the annoying nobles and Ren. I also own Aya who will not, I repeat, will not be a Mary-Sue! Sorry to disappoint.
"Please, Aya. You have to go anyway and it's always better if you get there early. The Fire Lord wishes it. And he will be there!" Ren said excitedly as she pinned my long, silky black hair into an intricate bun. I sighed as loudly as I dared and went back to reading my book. Ren shook her head and rolled her eyes at me.
"Reading is not a suitable pastime for a young bride-to-be." She said, putting the last pin in place. At that remark, I closed my book with a snap and turned to face her. She jumped back, almost falling on an overgrown tree root.
"I am ninth, Ren. There are several girls before me all with more desirable backgrounds and much prettier faces." I said hotly. My palms began to heat up with contained fire. Ren, who knew me well, merely chuckled and sat next to me on the garden bench. Her slick black hair was cut short and she was often twirling it around her fingers, just as she was dong now. It was the only thing about her that bugged me, for no particular reason. Her eyes were dark brown, and shown with excitement. I couldn't understand why. So the Prince was coming home, so what? He was a prince; spoiled, bratty, high-minded, not to mention banished.
I calmed myself and opened my book once again. Ren sighed and looked around the garden, empty at this time of day. Everyone was having lunch in the palace's Grand Room. Soon, I knew, they would be moving to the Entrance Hall where the Prince would enter, being welcomed back after searching for the Avatar for so long. Rumor was that his sister, Zula, was being sent to search for him next if the prince didn't succeed. She was deemed a more worthy opponent.
A bell sounded, bringing me back into the garden scene. Ren stood up quickly, pulling at my arm.
I followed, although reluctantly. I really had no desire to go to the Hall. We, the girls who had been chosen as possible brides, would be shown off like some prize animal and it made me slightly uncomfortable. Ren chatted, almost nonstop, with the other young women as we made our way to the Entrance Hall.
I had learned a long time ago how to block out the noise of the gossiping nobles and let myself be led by Ren.
As we entered the hall, we were to bow to the Fire Lord, seated so grandly on his throne of fire. We both kneeled on the floor with the other women of the palace, pressing our foreheads lightly against the ground. Lowering our eyes as we stood, Ren and I both sat together, surrounded by the eighteen other brides who were talking quietly. Luckily enough, she was tenth in line, so I was able to sit next to her. The table where we were seated was fairly short, only containing twenty seats and place settings. The number one choice bride for the Prince sat closest to the Fire Lord and the rest of us continued down the line from there. The girl on my left, number eight, was quiet, something that I valued highly at the moment.
On the other side of the hall, a long table extended from the main doorway to the Lord Ozai's throne. There were seated the most important nobles of the palace. Among them, I could see my father and step-mother, chatting aimlessly to the persons around them.
I paid no attention to the other girls and carefully slid my book from underneath my dress, beginning to read once again. This kind of thing only bored me and I couldn't stand listening to the mindless drabbles of the other girls. It wasn't like I was smarter then them, I just felt like I could be. I knew I could be something. But….according to the Fire Nation customs that my father followed so strictly, he would not let me be anything more than some marriageable prize. I sighed and redirected my attention to the book in my lap. After a few minutes, the chatter died down and I snapped the book shut, hiding it under my dress. The room was now completely silent as the Fire Lord stood.
"Today, I welcome my…son, Prince Zuko, back into the Fire Nation from his two-year banishment." He said loudly, his arms outstretched. Whispers and muttering filled the hall as the name of the banished prince was mentioned.
The smile on his face was twisted, almost cynical.
"He has, after this long period of time, managed to capture the Avatar!" There was a very audible outburst at this simple statement. The entire room was filled with talk and several extremely loud arguments. Even I was surprised by this proclamation. I turned to Ren who was nearly jumping with excitement.
"Oh, Aya, can you believe it? The Avatar! Imagine!" She exclaimed, clutching my arm. I smiled at her and gently removed her hand from my arm, nodding my head.
"That is an amazing accomplishment." I said, still watching the Fire Lord. I knew that this must have been a hard thing to keep secret from so many prying nobles. But a certain silence returned as the Fire Lord raised his hands.
"So, here I present Prince Zuko." He said. On the right side of the hall, two guards opened the huge entrance doors. Everyone craned their necks to see the young prince walk into the hall. I also tried to catch a glimpse of the banished hero. Ren's head was, unfortunately, in the way. I sat back, waiting until he got closer to the middle of the room. As he came nearer, I really got a good look at him.
He was dressed in an exceptionally smart and decorative suit of Fire Nation armor. There were some collective gasps as some of the nobles noticed the prince's scarred face. Even I was shocked at how badly deformed the prince's face was. The whole left side of his face was a dark red color, the skin burned. His left eye was squinted and his ear had folded onto itself, giving him a warped, unbalanced look. I could tell that he had once been handsome, but now all of us in the hall knew the face of the new prince. Ren clutched my arm again. Her nails were digging into my skin as she stared in surprise at Prince Zuko. We had heard rumors….but we never thought that it would have been something like this.
"L-look at his face!" Ren exclaimed. She leaned towards me and whispered in my ear. "Did…his father….the Fire Lord did that?" She said in a strange voice. I was surprised to hear she was even a little thrilled.
"Ren, please calm down." She looked at me ridiculously.
"Is that all you can say? Calm down? This is the Fire Prince we're talking about. And just look at his face! Who…what girl is going to want to marry him?" I just shook my head.
The prince had, by now, reached the Fire Lord's throne. I had observed, while also talking to Ren, that the prince seemed a little unnerved by the presence of all the nobles. He bowed in respect to his father. Not forgotten, but slightly unnoticed, was the Fire Lord's brother, retired General Iroh. He had followed the prince's progress through the hall. As Prince Zuko stood, Iroh bowed slightly at the waist, his face grim.
The Fire Lord smiled his mouth a grotesque line on his face.
"Welcome, my son." He said quietly. Turning to the rest of the hall, he smiled genuinely at the crowd.
"Prince Zuko has accomplished a great feat. He has succeeded in capturing the Avatar!" The prince and his uncle, by this time, had taken a seat by Fire Lord Ozai. The prince beamed at this announcement and sat up straighter in his chair. I felt sick. The prince actually thought that his father was proud of him? For two years I had listened to the rantings of my father about how the Fire Lord had effectively gotten his son out of the way, making sure that the throne would not be taken by a disrespectful, shameful, and weak heir. I felt so sorry for the young prince.
"As many of you know," he continued, starring pointedly at the whispering group of girls at the table on the right. "My son will soon be seventeen. Old enough to get married. By the day he is seventeen, he will have to choose a bride, in order to rule the Fire Nation and produce a successor." I noticed Prince Zuko's face and laughed quietly. It must have been a surprise to him; his face was a mask of horror and astonishment. He turned to Lord Iroh and began to whisper to him violently.
Ren and the other girls were still talking about the prince.
"…his face, that horrible scar..."
"….I think he looks attractive…"
"…but he is the prince…"
"…his father, maybe…"
"...seventeen so soon…"
"…oh, who will it be...?"
I rolled my eyes and sighed quietly to myself. In my opinion, it didn't matter to me who the prince chose as his bride. As long as it wasn't me, I would even be able to live if it were Natsumi, bride number one. She was possibly the most self-centered, prissy, and vain girl I had ever met. I mean, she would fulfill all the requirements; beauty and not being too smart.
Attention returned to the Fire Lord as he, for the third time, quieted the nobles. The fire behind him flickered, casting off a devilish light.
"You are dismissed." He said simply and strode out of the hall, without looking back once. The prince and Lord Iroh both looked forlorn at this abrupt departure. There was a flurry of activity as a dozen families exited the room. I decided to stay until most of them had gone. It was a hassle to leave with such a large crowd of people around. Ren and most of the other girls stood up to leave. She turned back and saw me still sitting on the silk cushion. I pulled out my worn book and had continued to read the same page I had been on all day. It was most frustrating.
"Aya, are you going to leave soon?" She asked, practically jumping to leave the hall.
"Go, Ren. I'm trying to avoid my parents." I said, eyes never leaving the page. Ren clucked her tongue as she was hustled out of the hall to gossip about the returned prince. No doubt they would try to shadow him for the rest of the day. I kept reading, and soon only a small group of nobles, the prince, and Lord Iroh were left. The tables were being lowered into the floor, an ingenious contraption concocted by the Fire Lord himself. The cushions were still out though, so I continued reading, drawn into my own little world of paper and ink. I didn't even know I wasn't alone until a dark shadow was cast onto my lap. Quickly looking up, I saw to my utter dismay, that it was Lord Iroh. He smiled pleasantly at me and I bowed to him in respect.
"Reading? An interesting pastime for such a young woman of the Fire Nation court." He said, still smiling. I averted my eyes and nodded. The prince walked up behind him, glaring at me and at his uncle.
"Let's go uncle." He said grumpily. I pressed my forehead to the floor and heard a noise of surprise above my head. The prince had obviously not noticed my almost invisible form. Why would he, I was only a woman after all.
"Yes, of course Prince Zuko. You must be eager to get back to your old room." Lord Iroh said gently to the prince. He turned back to me. "It was nice meeting you…?" He trailed off expectantly.
"Aya, Lord." I said quietly, bowing my head and slipping the small book back under my dress. He nodded amiably and I could feel the prince grow more annoyed.
"Uncle Iroh." He said warningly. Lord Iroh sighed.
"Yes, Prince Zuko." He and I both bowed and they exited. I smiled to myself. Ren would literally kill me if she found out that I had only been a few feet away from the prince. I decided to go read in the garden. My parents might be looking for me.
