Title: Rubies and Pearls
Author: ishala8
Genre: General/Romance
Rating: T (content suitable for teens, 13 years and older)
Word Count: 1,195
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to its respective copyright owners whom most definitely exclude me.
Summary: Six months after the war and the Fire Nation is in turmoil. There is a solution to the problem that will please everyone. That is, except a feisty waterbender and the nation's young Fire Lord.
Chapter Last Revised On: 3/12/09
Chapter Two
Sitting on his vast bed with his head in his hands, Zuko thought back to the Council meeting. He didn't know if he wanted to congratulate his uncle for coming up with a way for them to overcome their problem or curse him to the ends of the Earth for throwing him in this predicament.
Yes, you guessed it, the Great Fire Lord Zuko, former Banished Prince of the Fire Nation, son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai was sulking. It was perfectly justified for him no matter how you saw it. After all, he was still a teenager at heart even if he had been forced to become acquainted with the adult world all that much sooner in life.
He was pulled out of his self pitying state by a soft knock on his door and his uncle coming in after hearing his brief order to 'enter'. Iroh looked at his nephew sadly.
"Zuko, I know this is hard," he said as he walked to place a comforting hand on the Fire Lord's back, "but it's the right thing to do."
Zuko refused to look up at him. "What about Mai?"
His voice was so soft his uncle had to strain to hear it. When he did, he sighed.
"I'm sure she'll understand, Zuko," he comforted the boy he had come to love as his son. "There are some things that a ruler has to sacrifice for his country; love is often one of them."
"It's not like I ever asked for anyof this," replied Zuko bitterly.
To that, the Great Dragon of the West had nothing to say. When he had made his decision to turn down the position offered to him as the new Fire Lord he hadn't found his reasons selfish. Now he was beginning to have second thoughts.
He was an old man with no heir and no chance of ever producing one. That would have only served to ignite chaos within the nation as power hungry nobles saw his old age and childless state as a weakness on his part. They would all see it as a chance to grab power.
He believed in Zuko's abilities as a ruler and had entrusted him with the position knowing that he would never succumb to the Council's wishes to become a mere tool and figurehead to be molded to their will. He was strong and could handle the pressure. Now, however, he wondered if being strong enough to hold his own meant that he was strong enough to abandon everything he ever loved and cherished for a nation that had done nothing more than abandon him in the past.
Both men startled when their brooding silence was interrupted by a brisk knock on the door. Briefly composing himself, Zuko admitted in his visitor. It was one of the Council members, standing tall and proud of himself.
Seeing the smug expression plastered across his face, the young Fire Lord wanted to start hitting his head on a wall. Whenever the Fire Nation Council accomplished something they thought to be praiseworthy it usually meant trouble for others, namely himself.
"My Lord, the summons have been sent out," he announced bowing low, the contentment at carrying out this task never leaving his face.
Zuko stood up to face him rubbing his face tiredly in the process. Anyone who cared to comment on his undignified behaviour didn't dare to do so and his defeated expression was left to pass unchallenged.
"What summons?"
His Lord's inquiry seemed to catch him unaware and the Council noble stared at him for a long while before managing to school his expression.
"But the summons to bring the Water Tribe Princess and her family here for the wedding, of course," the man replied assuredly before taking a look at his Lord's face and deciding that maybe it wasn't safe for him to linger around for much longer.
The noble just had time to close the door behind him before a fire ball collided with it and Zuko's outraged roar was heard throughout the palace. When did he ever agree to this? How could the low ranked fools of the Council assume that it was okay for them to decide his life for him?
When Iroh went to say something, he received a look that spoke of murder and like the Council noble, decided that it was safer to scurry out of the room.
Alone once again, Zuko felt his anger drain and become replaced by dread. The Fire Nation Council still believed themselves to be at the top of the world. What had they written in Katara's summons? If his assumptions were correct, he would be facing an outraged Waterbender before the week's end.
With a sigh, he collapsed on his bed and tried to think of a way to break the news to Mai. His relationship with his sister's childhood friend had begun to plummet downhill during the past month. It had all started when Mai began to feel threatened by the countless of noblewomen that surrounded Zuko where ever he went.
It wasn't as if he liked any of them or could help the fact that their fathers unleashed the girls on him by the hundreds. Mai, however, did not seem to grasp the fact that he was devoted to her. She demanded for action to be taken, that, preferably, being marriage.
Zuko wasn't ready for the commitment and didn't have time for it anyway. With the war's shadow not yet defeated he found himself unable to breathe from the strain placed on him. A wedding had definitely been at the bottom of the list up till now.
Now, he couldn't help but wonder what course of action his uncle and the Council would have suggested if he had already been a married man. Would they have resorted to asking for the Avatar's help? What would the thirteen year old have done? What would he do now? It was his girlfriend that they were talking of marrying off to him.
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Zuko stood up and went to grab his training clothes with the intension of blowing off some steam in a match with his uncle. The Dragon of the West was the only one who still offered a challenge to the young Fire Lord as his skills had vastly surpassed that of many others in the six months since the war's end. At the moment, he would do just fine as an opponent.
It was as he was tying the sash of his shirt that the door to his room burst open and a seething Mai walked in.
"Zuko."
That one word she uttered was his name. Spoken so quietly and in a voice that dripped with venom it signified that this was one of the rare times the impassive girl chose to show emotion.
Schooling his panicked expression, the person to which all of her anger was directed turned to face her. The burning flames in her usually expressionless eyes sent shivers down his spine but he showed her none of his discomfort. He was the Fire Lord after all.
Answers To Frequently Asked Questions:
These first two chapters are only there so as to set the pace for this fic. The rest of the story will, hopefully, hold a lot more interest.
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Please let me know what you think so that I can improve in order to create a fic that you'll all enjoy.
ishala8
