Of Rumors and Pregnancy
Summary: There were always the rumors. No matter that they had married, and Mai was well on her way to bearing him their first child. People still whispered.
Pairings: Maiko, mentioned Kataang.
Warnings: None.
A/N: So, this started out as a kind of gentle "that that" to Zutara, but it started to focus more on the political aspect of Zuko's rule and the dynamics between Mai and Zuko. At first, this was just intended to be a 2-3 page distraction from another one-shot that has been giving me trouble. Personally, I think that it's better this way. Also, I feel I should mention that I don't really mind Zutara, I just like Maiko a whole lot more. This story is all in good fun.
Within the Fire Nation palace, in the Fire Lord's personal chambers, Mai lay in bed. Deep red, silk sheets rested around her, framing a stomach swollen with pregnancy. She lay in the dark, thoughts of cruel whispers filling her mind.
There were always the rumors. No matter that they had married, and Mai was well on her way to bearing him their first child. People still whispered. True, it was only a small faction, but they had a loud voice.
Disgruntled with the ending of the war, they had started to mutter. At first, it had been anything to damage Zuko's reputation, anything to spread discord.
For a while, there had been rumors about the way that he had seized power over the Fire Nation, his mother's marital faithfulness, and a rather shocking one involving various farm animals. And when it had been thought that their Fire Lady was infertile, the speculation had run rampant.
But then they had found the perfect thing to latch onto.
That Water Tribe girl, she was very pretty, wasn't she?
Yes, and she and the Fire Lord were close.
Quite close.
Maybe…too close?
Isn't she married to the Avatar though?
And when has marriage stopped anyone before? Besides, the Avatar is gone a lot, keeping balance in the world. That's a long time for a woman to be separated from her husband. She might get lonely.
And Mai had tried to ignore the whisperers, because that was what she did. She breezed past them, head held high. She couldn't pretend not to hear the murmurs, for they were spoken with just enough volume to be audible to her and everyone else. This was deliberate, she was sure. However, she could pretend not to care. She had a near flawless mask, perfected by many years of life in the Fire Nation court.
It appeared that being calm and composed meant that she was a frigid, boring gold-digger. Oh yes, she had heard those rumors too. She had only been born into nobility. Being the daughter of a governor wasn't good enough for greedy Mai. She wanted more. So she set her sights for the very top. She wanted nothing less than a prince.
Of course, no one would dare say any of this to her face. She was too influential now, too powerful. Back when she was only the Royal Consort, when the Council had desperately tried to stop their marriage with all sorts of political nonsense, people had been a little more brazen.
In those years, they had appraised her with mocking eyes and knowing smiles. It was as if she had been evaluated by some hidden standard and fallen short.
Now, they bowed and murmured pleasantries to their Fire Lady when she passed through the halls. All the while their eyes shone with thinly-veiled contempt.
But she didn't care about what they thought. Perhaps before, when she was still so young, she had been hurt by the cruel words and sharp looks that came with being the Fire Lord's love, but by now she had learned to shrug it off.
Really, who were they to judge her? They didn't know what she felt for Zuko. They couldn't see into her heart and read her feelings. For that, she was eternally grateful, because she didn't think that she would be able to look anyone in the eye if they knew about the sickeningly sappy rush of happiness that filled her when she saw him.
The sound of a door opening brought Mai out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Zuko walk into the room with his arms full of scrolls. He must have been holding an audience with the lower-ranking nobility, or even a few of the more successful merchants, for his robes were not as ornate as they could have been.
She took a moment to observe his profile. He looked tired. There were new lines that hadn't been there a few years ago. But the fatigue that showed on her face didn't make him look any less attractive. If anything, he looked more approachable, not like the aloof ruler that he acted like during the day.
Apparently, he was everything a young Fire Nation girl was looking for in a man. He was wealthy, healthy and handsome. It was no surprise that there were plenty of girls who wished to become more than just his admirers.
He extended two fingers and shot a few controlled bursts of fire at the candles that were strategically placed around the room. Flickering lights threw the scar on his face into stark contrast with the rest of his face.
The burn made him look so dashing, star struck girls breathed. And it did, in a way, but those harpies didn't understand the trauma that it was born of. Certainly, they had heard the sad tale of the Fire Lord's own father burning his face, but they didn't truly know what the burn meant to Zuko.
It must have hurt so much, they cooed.
Well, duh.
You must be so brave to go though that! And then they would dare to rest their delicate, smooth hands on his arm. He politely stated that he wasn't interested, but that didn't stop Mai from wanting to stab them. Repeatedly.
That said something about her mental state.
But the truth was that Zuko really was one of the bravest people she knew. And considering the people that she was friends with, that was saying a lot.
The bed creaked. Zuko settled himself down beside her with little care for his expensive clothing. "What are you thinking about?"
"You."
"Nothing bad I hope."
"No, nothing bad."
When she didn't elaborate, he turned toward her. "Alright, I'll bite. What about me?"
"That you're the bravest person I know. That I'm lucky to be married to you." Gentle hands cupped his face. Softly, she brushed the pads of her fingers against his burn scar. He couldn't feel her touch there, but they both knew that it was the gesture that counted.
"That's funny. I was just thinking the same thing."
She raised her eyebrows. "Were you?"
His face took on a sheepish expression. "No," he admitted. "But I have thought that about you many times in the past."
"Then what were you thinking of?"
"I think you don't really want to know."
"I think I do."
He grinned. Mai knew that there were many people who would pay a large amount of money to see such an expression on his face. She was one of the few people that had been privileged enough to see it. When he smiled like that, his eyes lit up, and the harsher angles of his face seemed to disappear.
Mai also knew that expression would usually be followed by a tactless comment, which was why so few people had seen him like that. The Fire Lord was not supposed to make blunt observations regarding weight or height. One diplomatic blunder on his part, and the Fire Nation could be well on its way to another war.
"I was thinking that you look like you're about to pop."
She snorted. "Thank you for that lovely metal image. I love you, but sometimes you are the most unromantic jerk ever."
His expression softened. "I love you too."
She shivered at the thrill that shot through her at his reply. They had progressed from 'I don't hate you' to openly sharing that they loved each other. She gave him a small smile, and was rewarded with one in turn.
They lapsed into a comfortable silence. Zuko picked up the pile of scrolls by his bed and started reading them. After a few minutes, he let out a quiet groan. At her glance, he muttered one word. "Politics."
"Ah."
He sighed. I should probably go deal with this. I know that if I don't go talk to Senator Chang right now, I'm going to forget and then he's going to be offended."
"You don't care about his opinions," she pointed out.
"You're right, but I need his support. I need to get the new bridges ideas approved, and if he doesn't vote for them, there's a good chance that three other councilors won't. That could tip the balance, especially since they all have contacts specializing in bridges."
He got up, linking his fingers above his head and stretched. "If I had known how much trouble this job was going to be, I wouldn't have taken it."
"Liar," she said. Zuko had grown up right in the middle of the nest of vipers that was the Fire Nation court. He had known how bad it would be, especially since he would take over right after the largest war the world had seen.
He smiled, knowing exactly what was going through her head. "Who else would rule if I didn't step up? Uncle? I couldn't ask him to do that."
That was exactly her point.
"Anyway, enough of all this political talk; I hear enough of it during the Council meetings." He grimaced. "Speaking of which, I really should go deal with Senator Chang."
"Help me up before you go. I'm sick of lying around."
She knew that he wanted to protest, to tell her that the baby was due any day now, and she shouldn't be walking around. He was endearingly protective of her, in an anxious, smothering sort of way.
He swallowed his objections and clasped her hands, pulling her to her feet. Smart man. She was, after all, a pregnant, hormonal woman who was very good at throwing knives.
Suddenly, she felt a rush of wetness and a damp feeling in her underwear. What –? Oh.
"Zuko." Her voice stopped him in his tracks and he turned to her.
"My water just broke."
The Fire Lord – who, during the course of his reign, had dealt with food-shortages, assassination attempts, revolts, diplomats and paperwork without batting an eye – panicked. It was amusing to watch him run around like a headless pig-chicken.
A/N: Fun Fact: Originally, this story wasn't going to include a pregnant Mai, but I got an idea of Zuko panicking and Mai being all calm, and I liked it. Did you like it? Leave a review and let me know.