Part 2: Subversive
"Welcome home, Admiral."
"It is a pleasure to be back, Fire Lord."
"I'm sure. You can give a full account of Conquest of the North during the Military Council later, but for now I want to know one thing. Where is the Incarnate Moon Spirit?"
"It should be at my new mansion now, my lord. I inspected the holding chambers myself after the parade in my honor, and watched as the Koi form was locked in the tank. The only place more secure in all the world is this throne room."
"As it should be, Admiral. You will have ample opportunity to spend time here, yourself. I am elevating you to the Military Council, as an expert consultant for Special Operations. You will advise on the threat of the Avatar and other supernatural military concerns, but of course your Naval experience will be highly valued during general planning sessions. As well, your obvious competence will not go unrecognized by Myself. Do you understand?"
"Oh, I understand, Fire Lord."
"Excellent, Zhao. And this is your barbarian bride?"
"It is. The name is Yue, daughter of their chief, but I am considering a new one."
"She looks young enough to have gone to school with Azula. But that is your business. The wedding is this afternoon?"
"Yes, my lord. I would be honored if-"
"I will be occupied with other obligations."
"…as you say, my lord."
Yue wanted nothing more than to be locked away again so that she could sleep in peace, but that wouldn't do with her wedding about to take place. A team of young women, servants newly employed by Zhao, were currently dolling her up in a 'proper' Fire Nation wedding outfit. It began with a full body wrapping of dark red silk that wound up covered by a robe of shining gold. Yue expected it to be heavy and metallic to the touch, but it turned out to be as soft as groomed yak hair. When the sunlight struck her, Yue's white hair disappeared in the shimmering.
Her old clothes, including her beautiful purple parka, had been sent away to be burned. For some reason, the sight of a servant bundling the coat up and walking away with it was Yue's most wearying moment of the day. She had wanted to cry ever since she had arrived in this bright and hot land, and her self-control was fading quickly.
Then the servants dropped to their knees with expressions of terror on their faces, and pressed foreheads to the floor. Yue turned towards the sounds of footsteps at the room's only entrance, and beheld a teenage girl a few years younger than herself whose face had an unmistakable resemblance to the Fire Lord.
Ah, this would be Princess Azula, then. Named for Azulon the Scourge, the Fire Lord most well known to the Water Tribes. "Do I bow?"
Azula slipped gracefully into the room and waved a hand nonchalantly. "Technically, you should, as Zhao and his family have no claim to Royal blood. Yet you, too, are a Princess; I want you to remain standing. Though your life in the Fire Nation will reflect only your status as Zhao's wife, your Station is not something that can or should be taken from you." The younger girl's golden eyes met Yue's deep blue. "Being from the Water Tribe, you're still lower than myself, of course. Don't even try to pass yourself off as my equal. There's no such thing."
Yue nodded obediently, and her visitor smiled. "To what do I owe the honor of your presence, Princess Azula?"
"Oh, you can just call me Azula. And I came to gawk at the Water Tribe wench, naturally. The North Pole is oh so far away, after all, that most people here could hardly credit its existence without Zhao's little souvenir as proof." An easy smile graced Auzula's perfect lips in a hideous manner. "He's the talk of the city, and many see him as having potential for further greatness."
"I am, of course," Yue intoned quietly, "proud of the man I'm soon to marry."
"Of course." Azula rolled her eyes and wandered over to the vanity. She gazed down at the makeup containers spread across the surface. "These are junk. I'll have a servant bring over some proper cosmetics for you." Then Fire Nation Princess looked back to Yue. "You'll have to be a lot more convincing if you hope to keep from angering Zhao. He's a brute with no personal discipline, and probably isn't above hurting his own wife."
Yue considered that, along with the warning's deeper meaning. "You don't seem fond of Zhao, but I heard your father promote him to his war council."
Azula stepped right up close to Yue, so that they could feel each other's breathe on their faces. "Exactly. Zhao thinks he's finally achieved his goals, but as usual, he's been clumsy. How many others in the Fire Nation do you suppose have conquered both an entire nation and a living Spirit?"
"None," Yue whispered.
"Hm. Not even the Fire Lord. A weak ruler, of course, would either let Zhao conquer his own homeland next, or else immediately eliminate such an obvious rival. Either path could end up benefiting Zhao, and both would definitely doom the weak ruler himself. My father, however, has decided to reward Zhao appropriately, and give him every opportunity to… be himself, and reap the rewards of his own actions."
"While the Fire Lord's loyal and cunning daughter looks out for him?
"Oh no, none of this concerns me." Azula smiled tightly and stepped away again. "We received word that my older brother was assassinated just before Zhao began his campaign against your homeland, and my father has tasked me with investigating the matter. Unless I uncover evidence of his involvement, what happens to Zhao is up to him." The Fire Nation Princess turned as if to leave, but she stopped just before passing through the doorway. "And you, too, I suppose."
"And you trust me, with this wisdom?"
Azula chuckled before replying. "I don't trust anyone, except the Fire Lord, but I'm an excellent judge of character. Especially of princesses."
After that, Yue was so deep in thought, she hardly noticed as the servants finished dressing her. New makeup, personally selected by the Fire Princess and delivered by a servant from the Palace itself, arrived just in time.
The ceremony was long and strange, and the only element that Yue recognized was the ceremonial sipping of an alcoholic beverage, even if the so-called 'lily wine' was weak enough to give to babies.
All too soon, the night arrived.
The 'party' after the wedding ceremony had reminded Yue of her most recent birthday celebration, after a fashion. Not because they shared many characteristics, really, but more for the contrasts. On her birthday, the Tribe had welcomed the Avatar and his Companions as guests, and thrown a feast in their honor. Master Waterbenders had theatrically demonstrated their skills for the assembly, and music was played. Purely by chance, Yue had found a seat next to Sokka, and he…
The wedding reception tried its best to ignore Yue's status as an outsider. The only color present was red, and no one had talked to the foreigner in whose honor they were gathering. They all congratulated Zhao, of course, but everyone had quickly retreated before a real conversation could develop. Yue would have expected these nobles to be trying to curry favor with the new national hero, but even if the Water Tribe bride had read too deeply into Azula's hints, Zhao's attitude was more than off-putting enough to account for the awkwardness.
The admiral had been in a bad mood the whole time, and when left to his own thoughts, would begin muttering to himself. Yue hadn't listened too closely to it all, but she caught the name, 'Ozai," several times.
True to his word, the Fire Lord did not attend.
So the guests ate, and drank, and talked, while the bride and groom sulked at their wedding table. As soon as the sun had set, Zhao called over the chief servant, and ordered her to start having the staff nudge the guests to leave. It hadn't been hard, as the eerie red light filled the air; even in the Fire Nation, people were visibly skittish about it. Afterward, while the servants cleaned and cleared, Zhao and Yue had gone back into their new home.
Yue wanted to cry again.
Zhao made a buzzard-beeline for one room in particular- the vault, where the Ocean Spirit was being kept. He locked himself in, leaving Yue to her own devices. She idly considered picking a room on the opposite side of the mansion to take as her own fortress, but when it came down to it, Zhao had already proven himself quite capable of laying siege to the Water Tribe royalty.
So she settled for returning to the dressing room, and letting the servants free her from her wedding robes. The whole while, Yue couldn't stop thinking of Hahn's knife. She wished she still had it.
Late into the scarlet night, Yue waited in the bedroom for Zhao to come, but he never did before she fell asleep.
Yue.
Yue.
Two swirls of energy exchanged names, the same name. The swirl that pretended to be a human girl understood both names as being her own, but as the unsound faded into memory, the names changed into an infinity of meaning- Tui, Yang, Moon, Push, Tsuki, Canda, Yue…
Who are you.
I am you.
Why.
Life.
Yes, you gave it to me.
I am you, you are me, we are.
You saved me, but I could not save you.
You saved me. You saved me, and you will save me again, and we will be saved.
There is no understanding here for me.
So is the way of mortality. Better to be than to understand.
How can I be.
You will be. When you awake, you will be.
Yue opened her eyes to find herself still alone in the strange bedroom. She still felt fatigued, and could hardly bring herself to move, but she managed to lift her head to see out of the open doorway to the balcony. Dawn already colored the edges of the night, but the moon was still visible in the sky, high and far away. It glowed with the pale white reflection of the sun. The only red was in the dyed fabrics that covered the bed and much of the room around it
She smiled, and surrendered once again to sleep.
Zhao was at breakfast, once again calm and collected. He had summoned Yue to the dining room, by way of a servant, and was waiting for her in full dress uniform. Yue had never seen him wearing anything else. "The Fire Lord has a called a meeting that will last most of the day. I will deliver my full report about the Conquest of the North, and then new decisions will be made for the course of the rest of the war. The Fire Lord had his own plans, of course, but with my glowing success in the mission he gave me, we will be much better able to press the war against the Earth Kingdom, and I'm sure the Red Moon at night has been effecting their morale."
So he hadn't seen the moon restored with its natural light, nor been informed by any who might have. Or perhaps Yue had merely dreamed it all. Confused, she blinked and stared down at the food on her plate.
Zhao sipped his tea, and continued. "If you are to properly fulfill your function as my wife, you'll need to participate in the community here in the Capital. I have arranged for you to attend a lunch today with several wives of other high-ranking military figures. I've had Servant Tai write a list for you of their names and jobs, which I expect you to memorize before the gathering. Here in the Fire Nation, we aren't as restrictive with our women, but everyone must serve in some capacity, and yours is to support me and help further my career, since you have no useful skills of your own."
Yue sighed. "You might be surprised."
"Oh?" he teased. "Enlighten me."
"I am a Princess. I was taught to talk with people and listen to them, to lead by ability and station. I know how to be a good wife, to find love in any alliance, and turn that love outward for the benefit of my family and my tribe. I will go to this luncheon meeting today, and I will do what you can't."
Zhao stared at her, his expression hard.
"I met Princess Azula before our wedding," Yue continued. "I see why she and father have led the Fire Nation so far along. I've been thinking about her, how she talks and works, and I think I understand now how things are here. I can do what you're asking of me."
At Azula's name, Zhao's eyebrows rose. He looked at Yue with visible confusion, staring into her vivid blue eyes. At least, he leaned back, and smirked his usual. "Well, if you learned something from Azula's scrutiny, that would be useful indeed. Perhaps you're a bit stronger than I originally thought. You aren't weak, you've just been taught to act that way by your people."
Yue fingered her white hair, and turned her attention back to her breakfast. It was strange to eat a meal completely devoid of meat.
The luncheon of the military wives was surprisingly similar to a gossip circle back at the North Pole. The only difference is that everyone moved and held themselves like royalty. Yue kept quiet for the most part, responding lightly and politely while listening to everything. No one seemed interested in her life in the Water Tribe, which was all she could really talk about at this point.
The only time she drew attention to herself was when talk turned to the war. Each of the wives made a point of mentioning her husband's role in the Great March of Civilization. At a lull in the conversation, Yue proudly stated, "My husband controls the Moon."
No one responded.
"HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?"
Yue managed not to flinch at the screaming. Zhao had returned home in the late afternoon, once again pleased with life, and she could believe that he planned to join her in the bedroom that night. Then the sun had set, and the moon had unveiled itself with its purified color.
Within minutes, a servant arrived from the palace with message from the Fire Lord demanding Zhao's presence.
That's about when Zhao lost it.
He stamped back and forth across the sitting room, as if looking for an answer on the floor, and then caught sight of Yue sitting beside the far wall. "You. What do you know of this?"
Yue's breath faded.
Her husband stomped towards her. "Your tribe had the fish for all this time. You must understand what this is about!"
Suddenly, Yue could breathe again. She shook her head as she spoke. "We didn't toy or experiment with the Spirits. We protected the Oasis, provided sanctuary. When we invoked the guidance of the Spirits, they didn't directly answer us. I'm as lost as you are when it comes to the mechanics of the Moon. I don't even know why it changed color, really. Just guesses. My people know far more about how to gut the fish we caught than the power of the ones we hid away."
Zhao stopped where he was, considered her words silently like a sane man, then turned and smashed the nearest chair with a fiery kick. "I can hardly tell the Fire Lord that the only thing we know is a good fillet recipe. We don't even know if the Waterbenders can fight again! For all we know, the whole North…" He abruptly stopped talking.
It didn't matter. Yue had already been hoping for what he refused to mention.
"So if you have no truth to offer him, tell him a lie."
Zhao turned back to her, eyes wide. "You're insane."
Yue shrugged. "Do you have much of a choice? If you can't explain this, he'll doubt you anyway, or else just think you completely incompetent. Lie. Tell him you're still in control and that he doesn't have to worry about this. If there's anything I can do to help, tell me. I'm in as much danger as you."
He was thinking about it. His hands absently stroked his sideburns while his gaze drifted afar. When he finally talked again, his words were slow in coming. "I don't have to claim complete control. I could say that the Fire Nation's influence waned enough that the Moon regained its power. Or else the fish is becoming used to captivity. Regardless, I can offer a solution, move the military campaign's schedule up, push for quicker victories." A chuckle broke out of him. "It's what I argued for, anyway. And if Fire Lord Ozai thinks I'm angling for more power…" His demeanor chilled again.
Yue, in turn smiled. "If he thinks you're making a play, he can't do anything about it."
Zhao turned to her in surprise.
"Azula told me herself. Ozai cannot oppose your rising power, even to maintain his reputation, without showing weakness. You have the Moon, after all. If he takes it from you, and can't restore the Fire Nation's spiritual dominance, he'll be showing the same weakness, and hastiness besides. He has to leave it to you, to take the fall. And if you don't make your grab for power overt, he can't come down on you without coming across like he was looking for an excuse to remove a rival.
"Azula practically admitted it, but I saw the same thing back home, with the Tribal leaders and their family's holdings. Both the Northern Water Tribe and the Fire Nation are both civilized; as long as someone is polite and peaceful, their enemies can't break the city's rules without making themselves criminals. The Fire Lord's word may be the law, but he needs the people's support. It's the same for any Chief."
Zhao didn't reply, for many long moments.
He came back from his meeting with the Fire Lord nervous, but unhurt and without an escort, so Yue took it that things went well enough. Zhao spent the night in the Moon Spirit's vault, again.
Yue dreamed of the Moon and the Sun, and in her mind, she glowed white in the darkness.
Things continued stressfully, but consistently.
The moon did not become red again, and people could sense that Zhao was in a precarious place with the Fire Lord. However, Zhao himself was putting on a show of confidence, which kept the enemies at bay, so long as the Fire Lord wasn't making any overt actions.
It helped that he was busy with other matters.
The Northern Water Tribe remained under Fire Nation control. The Waterbenders claimed they still couldn't bend, and while the Fire Nation was well aware that lack of evidence was not evidence of lack, there wasn't much they could do about it as long as the Tribe remained peaceful. Zhao was of the opinion that the overwhelming forces he stationed up there were deterrent enough for now to prevent an uprising.
The war with the Earth Kingdom had been more troublesome. The Avatar had fled there, and had been a symbol of hope shoring up the country's flagging confidence after the brief Staining of the Moon. He had tried to lead the various Generals back towards the direct leadership of Ba Sing Se, but the capitol had remained as closed off as ever, so the last reports were than the Avatar was heading there. Then Princess Azula sent a note that her mission required that she infiltrate Ba Sing Se as well, and that she would be taking charge of the efforts to break into the city.
The Fire Lord had been completely distracted from the Moon after that.
Yue continued to play her part, pretending to be a good Fire Nation wife with the typical eccentricities that come from being a foreigner. She also, subtly, continued to draw attention to her husband's unique status and potential for trouble. She made sure that her efforts to defend him were hollow and unconvincing, but that was easy enough when everyone else in the capital wanted it to be that way.
By the time Yue was done, Zhao would have no friends left in the caldera of the volcano.
She also continued to dream of the Moon Spirit. It gave her strength, and a vigor that helped her thrive in the pressure of the situation (along with the growing heat as Spring turned into Summer). Yue had no doubt that the Moon shone again because of her newly forged link to the Spirit. Just as she drew power from Tui above, so did it draw from her in the heart of the enemy's homeland.
There was a time, near the end of spring, when the Koi fish grew weaker under Zhao's regular scrutiny. He had an apartment made up within the vault, and how many hours he spent sleeping versus watching the Moon Spirit Incarnate was anyone's guess. One night of dreams, Tui pleaded for a respite.
Yue decided that it was time to make a decision that had been haunting her.
After dinner, she spoke with her husband, and sought his company. He became hers, and she became his, and the Moon was able to shine brighter that night than it had in a season.
To Be Continued...