A/N: Since I sometimes find it difficult to come up with good chapter titles, I've decided to try the 'Gurren Lagann' approach and use a line said by a character for the title.
Expansion
Chapter One: If it Makes the People Happy
Six Weeks Later
Jee tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for Fire Lord Zuko, his liege, his friend, and the man he was sworn to protect, to leave the nursery. Mai already stood in the hallway with him and rolled her eyes at Zuko's syrupy words of goodbye to their children, Miyako and Ryuhito.
"Yes, he's always like this," Mai said before Jee could ask. "He's overcompensating."
Jee understood. Angi knew, Zuko had a difficult childhood and a terrible father. The young man wanted his small children to know love. There was certainly nothing wrong with that. But did he have to take so long?
Mai stuck her head in the doorway. "Zuko, finish!" she ordered. "We're going to be late. I thought you wanted good relations with the people of the Fire Nation."
"Just a minute," he delayed as he gave each child another hug. "Grandma is here to look after you and so is Midori. Your mom and I will only be gone for three days but we'll miss you a lot."
Zuko knew that the twins didn't understand every word he said, but he also knew that they picked up on moods and feelings pretty accurately. He looked over to his mother, Ursa, who stood watching, an indulgent smile on her face.
"Zuko, it's fine. Your children will be fine. Now go, before Mai and Jee leave without you."
"I'm going, I'm going. Goodbye, Mom."
He gave his mother a tight hug which she returned in kind.
"Be safe," Ursa warned. "These little beauties need both you and Mai."
"We will," Zuko asserted as he walked out the door.
He turned and waved to the children and they both waved back, shouting "Bye bye," with all their might.
Zuko was doing a goodwill tour of sorts. It was over five years into his reign and he had learned a lot about leadership and his country. But there were still many things to learn and he wanted to get a feel for what the people of smaller communities were thinking, what they desired and how their towns and villages were faring post war.
He had come up with the idea rather spontaneously in a council meeting a few weeks previous. Most of the members, as Zuko figured they would, disagreed with the plan. The Fire Lord belonged in his palace not among the commoners of his nation. What could those people possibly tell him? Stubbornly, Zuko held onto the concept and ran the idea by Mai. She agreed that it had possibilities and advised her husband to ignore the older, hard line, traditionalist members and do what he felt best.
So, here they were, on a large airship, flying to a rather remote coastal fishing village. Zuko and Mai stood together, watching the deep blue of the sea pass swiftly beneath them. It was cooler up in the air and Mai was grateful for that. She tucked her ebony hair behind her ears and leaned into her husband. Jee stood nearby, ever watchful.
"Relax, Jee," Mai said with a smirk. "I don't think anyone's going to get Zuko way up here."
"Force of habit, ma'am," he replied as he stroked his grey sideburns.
"I suppose that's a good thing," Mai remarked.
On board the airship were two other guards (Jee had to sleep some time), and two crew members. Since none of the towns they planned on visiting had accommodations, Zuko and Mai had brought their own; a large tent, like the ones used by the Fire Nation during the war, a large cot and portable storage closets for clothes and what not. There was also a second tent for Jee and the other guards.
A strong gust of wind made the airship waver a bit from its smooth ride and Mai's stomach did an unusual flip. She blanched a bit and felt suddenly clammy. Zuko noticed the change and gripped Mai's hand tightly, concern etched on his aristocratic features.
"Hey, are you okay? You got very pale there for a minute."
"I feel a little queasy and I never get queasy," she answered. "But I'm fine."
"Why don't you go sit down inside; you look kind of tired too."
"Yeah, I think I will," Mai acquiesced.
Zuko walked with her to the small enclosed control area for the airship and helped her to a bench inside.
"Is there some water around?" Mai asked.
Zuko's eyes darted around the room and saw nothing.
"I've got a water skin," the captain offered. "I get thirsty sometimes."
"Please," Mai said, not caring who had drunk from the skin.
The captain passed it over and Mai took a long draught. She ran her pale, slender fingers across her damp forehead and sighed.
"Good," she uttered and closed her narrow golden eyes.
She slept for the rest of the trip and only awoke once the airship made a rather bumpy landing in a field close to the sea and just outside the fishing village of Okawa.
An overpowering odor of fish greeted Mai when she woke up and her stomach lurched again. That was it; she had to be pregnant. Fatigue, sensitive stomach and two weeks late for her monthly cycle all added up to that one conclusion. Her pregnancy with the twins was a breeze. She felt good the entire time. Apparently, this pregnancy would be different.
"What are you thinking about?" Zuko asked as he gave Mai's arm a gentle tug.
The knife thrower shrugged. "Just daydreaming," she answered nonchalantly.
"How do you feel?"
"Uh, okay, but the smell is pretty strong."
Zuko sniffed the air. "Yeah, it's bad," he agreed.
Mai had a quick internal debate about telling Zuko the news she was almost positive about. She decided against it; he would forget why he was on the trip in the first place and fuss over her and that male protective instinct would kick in. No, this idea was Zuko's and she wasn't going to endanger the tour because she couldn't wait a few days. All she wanted to do now was lie down with a cold cloth on her forehead and a cup of chamomile tea beside her. Perhaps that could be arranged.
The town's leader, a short unassuming man with a ridiculously long beard (maybe he uses it as a fishing line, Mai thought to herself and giggled ) approached the Fire Lord and Fire Lady tentatively, dropping to his knees and putting his head on the ground in the traditional sign of deference.
"Our humble town welcomes you, my lord," he said in a squeaky, trembling voice.
"Thank you," Zuko replied with quiet dignity. "You are Sukoto, this town's leader?"
"Yes, my lord," the man replied, face still buried in the stiff, long grass of the field.
"You can stand up now," the Fire Lord stated. "I think this is a good place to set up our tents, don't you, Mai?"
"All our amenities are available to you. Good men are ready to assist you in every way. We would be honored if you would attend a feast we have planned for tonight. We have a wonderful assortment of seafood."
Mai's mouth began to salivate and not from anticipation for the feast. Rather, the thought of all that fish made her want to vomit. She grabbed hold of Zuko's elbow and held on fast. He glanced over at her, worry in his golden eyes.
"Certainly we will attend."
"Thank you, my lord. We are honored."
Villagers moved to assist the airship crew. The tents were removed from the ship and set up in the field. Zuko's and Mai's belongings were put inside their roomy tent. She oversaw the activity, making sure the cot was placed where she wanted it along with the small closets. Once the bed was set up and the tent empty of everyone but herself, Mai lay down on her side and drew her legs up close to her stomach. She nodded of quickly.
Zuko made excuses for Mai and walked through the town with just Jee, who followed close behind. The other guards stayed behind to watch over Mai. The entire village population, poor looking people with small houses and shabby clothing, lined the street to get a glimpse of their leader. Such an event had never occurred there or anywhere else in the Fire Nation. For the most part the villagers looked happy to see Zuko and inclined their heads respectfully as he passed.
"Your wife, is she ill?" Sukoto asked with genuine concern.
"She's a little tired," Zuko replied. "I'm sure she'll be fine for the feast."
"Will she be attending the meeting with the village council? I've heard that she often attends meetings at the palace."
"Where did you hear that?" Zuko asked curiously.
"Many bits of information drift down and outwards from the capitol, my lord. We were all excited to hear about the birth of your children two years ago."
"Yes, well, I hope she will attend. Her mind is keen and I appreciate her viewpoint on all matters."
"Whatever you wish; this is the end of our village. It must seem very small in comparison to some of the great cities you have seen."
"Yes, but I've also seen my share of tiny villages on my travels."
"Of course, my lord," Sukoto replied. "The meeting will be held here, after lunch, which we are most pleased to have ready for you."
"Thank you," Zuko said with a nod. "I want to check on the Fire Lady first. Then I'll come back for lunch."
"Yes, my lord."
Zuko and Jee headed back down the dusty dirt road. The Fire Lord swatted at flies that seemed to buzz around everywhere.
"Fish, Zuko," Jee remarked with a smirk. "The flies love them."
Mai was just waking up when Zuko entered the large red roofed tent with an impressive yellow flame emblazoned on its opening. She gave her husband a weak smile and got up slowly from the cot.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"I'm feeling better, actually. I think that sleep did me good."
"I'm afraid we're due for lunch at the meeting hall. Can you endure it?"
"I'll manage," Mai replied. "Just give me a few minutes."
A basin of water sat on a table and Mai dabbed some on her face, then adjusted her hair in the small mirror that was propped up precariously on the table, leaning against the thick stiff cloth of the tent wall.
"You look beautiful," Zuko offered.
"Thanks, but you're not exactly unbiased," Mai answered dryly.
"No, but I'm not blind either."
Mai made a very unladylike snort and looked at Zuko affectionately.
"I'm ready," she declared.
Lunch consisted of seafood stew along with fresh bread. Despite her misgivings, Mai dug in and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was spiced mildly for the Fire Nation and contained hearty chunks of vegetables. The bread was delicious also. She downed a second helping without even thinking about it.
"I see that the Fire Lady approves of our food," Sukoto remarked proudly. "You won't find a finer fish stew in the entire country."
Mai looked up from her bowl and was instantly captivated by Sukoto's beard which threatened to droop down into the man's own dish. She was suddenly very glad that Zuko chose to remain clean shaven.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" the knife thrower drawled.
"Why, your second bowlful, of course, my lady."
She couldn't be bothered to explain the concept of a rhetorical question and so just nodded in reply.
When everyone was finished, tea was served, a mediocre blend compared to the Iroh made concoctions they were used to. Still, Mai was thirsty and sipped away eagerly, looking around the small room while she did so. The village council, consisting of Sukoto and three other men, looked a little awed by the Fire Lord's presence, but they were holding their own despite that. They made polite conversation, careful to keep the topics neutral.
Finally, when the dishes were cleared away, the group got down to the business at hand. A little flustered, Sukoto brought out rough looking scrolls that documented the income of the village in the years following the war. With the advent of trade with other nations, Okawa was actually doing better than they had before. They weren't rich, but everyone had enough to eat and a decent place to live.
"What about your children?" Zuko asked. "Are they taught how to read and write, basic math, the history and geography of our nation?"
A council member named Wong looked blankly at the Fire Lord.
"Only a few people here know how to read and write," he replied. "Everyone knows fishing and how to make nets and how to dry the fish we catch."
"What about when you sell the fish? How do you make sure that the buyers aren't taking advantage of you?"
"Well, that end of the business falls to the few of us who can add and subtract and handle money."
Mai could see where Zuko was headed with this line of thought and hoped he wouldn't offend the villagers. She looked him very deliberately in the eye and she could see a little fire kindling there.
"Perhaps it would be a good thing to teach all your children the basics."
"We don't have the money for a school like those big towns do and we don't have money to hire a teacher either."
"I think the Fire Lord and his council can come up with a way to make it happen," Mai interjected. "Perhaps you could supply the capitol with some of your fine seafood and make some extra money that way. Or perhaps we can recruit young volunteers who would be willing to begin the teaching of your children. I'm sure there are many options. It's a different world, Sukoto."
Zuko looked at his wife admiringly. He said nothing, just held his hands out, palms up and pointed toward Mai, in a gesture that said, 'My wife is brilliant and knows exactly what she's talking about. Sometimes I wonder what I would do without her.'
Sukoto nodded. "I suppose teaching our youngsters is a good idea," he agreed. "I appreciate any help you can give us."
The rest of the meeting was spent discussing minor complaints and went smoothly. Afterwards, Mai, Zuko and Jee returned to their camp and tried to fill in time before the evening's big feast. Bored, Mai spied a spindly looking tree at the edge of the field and decided to use it for target practice. Zuko went along to watch while Jee followed behind, looking around for any potential problems.
The tree was pockmarked at the end of an hour and Mai was tired again. Zuko was practicing some firebending moves while Mai dropped onto the long grass and lay back. She squinted her eyes in the bright sun. Finished, Zuko plunked himself down beside her and reached for her hand. He applied gentle, reassuring pressure.
"Tired again?" he asked.
"Mmm, a bit," she replied. "It's hot out."
"Do you want to lie down in the tent for a bit? At least it's shady."
"I guess," Mai said and got up from the ground, brushing her robe off as she stood.
Zuko read some scrolls while Mai napped again.
"I hope she's not getting really sick," he said to himself.
The feast was a crazy mix of food, dancing and storytelling that somehow worked. Even Mai enjoyed it despite flashes of nausea. The couple was the center of attraction. Stories were told about the war heroes who stopped Ozai and Azula from destroying the world. A few villagers dragged out old and decrepit looking instruments and played some classic Fire Nation songs. The rest of the people danced, something they were once again free to do without fear of recrimination. The cultural repression of the old regime had reached even the towns far distant from the capitol. Mai and Zuko watched with amusement, Jee hovering close by.
"I suppose we can call today a success," Mai said dryly, leaning in close to her husband's ear so he could hear. "They love you."
"Uh, they love you too," Zuko shot back with a grin. "Fire Lady Mai, conqueror of the fisherman's heart."
Mai gave him a swat on the arm. His grin just got bigger.
"My lord, my lady, aren't you going to dance?" Sukoto asked breathlessly.
Mai shrugged. "If it makes the people happy…."
She spent a restless night, alternately clinging to Zuko and pushing him away. The air was warm but at least a brisk sea breeze blew through the tent's small openings for ventilation.
"Two more days," Mai thought ruefully. "I really miss our bed."
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing.