Living a Pawn
By: Seshetta
Chapter I: the fire palace
The marriage litter sent by the fire nation was beautiful. It clashed magnificently with the ice, water, and hues of blue surrounding it, but I couldn't deny its beauty.
The littered bearers wore nothing but traditional fire nation Frog tunics embroidered in lace and gold. Their over muscular arms were oiled so they shone. I imagined they were very cold, but they didn't show it. Their heads were shaved and just as shiny as their muscles; I blushed a bit at their half nakedness as I walked past them.
The poles of the litter were carved into twisting patterns, painted alternately in red and gold. There was a red velvet cover on the exterior, which I saw could be held back in a drape like manner by gold hooks fastened to the outside of the litter poles. On the interior, there was a thin, gauzy red mosquito veil that offered no privacy, but I imagined would keep the non existent arctic bugs away from me.
My father had already departed for the treaty conference the night before. He would be waiting for me at the fire lord's country palace to be present at the wedding reception. My mother would have to stay at home and, you know, rule the country and stuff.
I sat in the litter, my legs folded under me. People of the water tribes lined up around the streets, watching me leave with resigned expressions on their faces. I felt angry at them—they should be happy that I was sacrificing myself to keep them from death and war!
I smiled and waved, they all waved back, but I could see wives crying for the fate of their princess. No water tribe maiden had been married off to the fire nation before.
"Thank you, Princess Katara," one small child shouted out from the multitude of gatherers. I gave the girl a brilliant smile, but all the adults around her gave disapproving frowns.
We wound down the cold streets until the crowd dispersed and the city ceased to be. I pulled the velvet curtain around me again, and lay my head down. The litter bearers were so steady I could hardly tell we were moving.
The thought came upon me that the litter bearers may want a rest.
I poked my head out between the curtains, steadying myself on the wooden pole running up the side. The arctic winds blew into my face, momentarily obscuring my vision by making my eyes water. I couldn't imagine how the litter bearers must feel.
"Excuse me," I said timidly to the one in the front right. He didn't turn around. "Listen to me," I said, with a bit more authority.
"Yes, most esteemed fiancé of the prince," he said without turning or even looking in my direction. I blew an irritated sigh out of my nose.
"Do you want to take a break? I mean, I can walk to the ship. We're out of the city."
"No," was his curt but not disrespectful answer.
I sighed. In my very infinitesimal knowledge of Fire nation culture, I'd learned that the culture was dripping with nostalgic tradition. Every tradition, including the bridal litter, was held near and near to fire nation hearts, even when they weren't in the Fire nation.
After about an hour of sitting back and thinking of absolutely nothing, I realized that Sokka would be getting the letter my father sent him right about now. He was spending the summer in the earth kingdom with his fiancé, Sukki.
After that realization, I couldn't go back to mind-numbingly staring at the silk draped across the roof and wondering what would happen if it started to snow. I couldn't help but wonder what his reaction would be, and if he would be able to attend my wedding or the treaty conference on the short notice we'd been given by the fire nation.
I fell asleep; I have no idea for how long, but when I woke up from my dreamless sleep, the litter had stopped. I poked my head in between the curtains and I realized that I was no longer five feet off the ground. I was sitting right in the snow, and the moisture was beginning to creep up the valuable silk curtains. I pulled them off to the side and hooked them around the hooks, but it didn't do much good as the better half was still trailing in the snow.
When I looked around, I realized that the litter bearers were now acting as guards; standing straight and tall with their muscular arms crossed forebodingly and their eyes narrowed in a constant glare.
I looked to my left, and realized what was going on. I was about to board a royal fire nation ship to take me to the outer rings of the fire nation, where my travel by litter would probably be resumed.
A kindred looking old man waddled right through my line of vision, taking almost no notice of me.
"Excuse me!" I shouted. The men standing around me shot glances at me, and then glanced at the subject of my summons.
"Yes, most esteemed fiancé of Prince Zuko," the man said. He looked like he might burst out laughing at the title I'd just learned earlier that I now bore.
"Just call me Katara, please." I thought about adding how silly the title was but thought better about saying it in the presence of these fire nation men.
"As you wish, Katara." He still seemed to find all these niceties laughable. I waited for him to tell me his name, but he simply looked me over curiously. "What is your name?" I asked.
"Oh! Forgive me, I'm Iroh; the fire lord sent me to inquire upon the health of my nephew's fiancé."
"You're Prince Zuko's uncle?" I asked excitedly. I wanted to know as much as possible about my soon to be husband, although I had already decided to not like him.
"Yes, yes I am." The man didn't really seem to get the point; as he didn't elaborate any more.
"What's he like?" I asked, sitting on the floor of my litter and staring intently at Iroh.
"Well, he's a magnificent fire bender. He has a lot of power and pride. He… never really got on well with his father or his sister. He's about your age, I suppose. How old are you?"
"16"
"Well, you see now, he's 17! I must say, the fire lord has more smarts than many give him credit for. He seems to have arranged the perfect marriage for you and for Zuko!"
Even as he said it, I knew he didn't believe it. I didn't either. What was the use of me marrying a man who "didn't get on well with his father"? Clearly his father had thrown aside his least favorite to marry the troublesome water tribe girl. I seethed with anger at the new development.
Iroh could see that I'd drawn some conclusion in my mind from his words. Regret at telling me anything instantly flashed across his face, and then kindness took over.
"Katara, I think that everything will work out in the end; Zuko is strong-willed, but he will be tamed by you, I can see that already."
Iroh stood up to walk towards the ship.
I nearly toppled out of the litter when it was lifted again several moments later. I gave a small shriek, which everyone ignored, and pulled myself back in. I looked through the gauzy netting hanging about me to see that we were headed towards the large, steel, pointed animal the fire nation called a "Royal transport ship".
--
My journey was long and boring. The things I had brought, which had been stowed in a compartment underneath the litter, never got unpacked. I wore the same dress for all of the exhausting traveling days.
In retrospect, the days shouldn't have been all that exhausting. I spent nearly all my time in my warm, perfumed room. The room was comfortable and they provided a tub of water for me to bend with.
In the royal palace, I'd been taught a special kind of bending, named Tui-la for the push and pull that kept the world balanced: Tui-la, fire and water, earth and air.
I practiced that bending everyday. My instructors would be proud, but truthfully I wasn't practicing the disciplined forms they'd taught me. I'd been doing it since I was 3; my body was trained and disciplined in being dainty and light. I could do magnificent leaps and turns, taking the water behind me and twining it through the dance.
I'd had a none-bender teach me the moves, and my grandfather, Master Pakku, taught me the bending to go along with it. It had taken many, many years to become disciplined in it. I'd been called the best in the land, but I wasn't sure if that was because I was a princess, or if it was because it was true.
Iroh stopped by everyday like clockwork with tea and "Fire flakes". I drank the tea gratefully, and gathered the fire flakes in my dress when he wasn't looking, to be thrown out my porthole window when he left.
On my armoire, reflected in the mirror, lay a necklace with a small blue stone. My mother had given it to me an hour after I'd gotten my letter. Back then it hadn't meant much, just a beautiful gift from my caring mother, but now I clung to it with desperation. After I was married it would be my last reminder of home and family.
--
When we arrived at the fire nation, I had no sense of time. However, I assumed it was mid-day because the sun burned down, making my litter hot and making me sweat. The sun seemed brighter here, maybe it was because I was no longer among icy whites and blues, but among healthy rows of crops, neat white fences, and brightly dressed people.
Luckily, the fire lord's country palace was only about three miles away from the port where we landed.
This time, while I was carried down the streets, my litter had a procession following it, including Iroh and all the fire nation employees from the boat.
People gathered along the route we were taking, applauding and cheering. I smiled and waved. I was sure these people had no idea what they were cheering about, they probably had no idea the war that their fire lord was about to start.
I had permanently drawn the velvet curtains away, so I was subject to stares from everybody. On all sides, people were hungrily staring at me, probably looking for deformities they could gossip about, or looking for things I did wrong.
In the distance, I could see homes perched atop the crest of a large hill, all overlooking the healthy farm land. These homes were all large and stately, not at all like the homes in the water tribes, nor like any peasant homes I'd ever seen. The Fire Nation's people were most definitely prosperous ones.
The tall spires of the palace broke over the horizon after about two hours of heat, sweating, and waving. I never though I'd be praising the gods in the sight of the fire nation palace, but I was. Both of my wrists were sore and stiff from waving.
The palace stood tall and proud; it was made of white marble and was surrounded by trees. There was a small, man made pond nestled in the expanse of garden that reached to the right of the palace. I made out a wedding arch being set aflame, in the custom of the fire nation.
In only about two hour's time I'd be married to Prince Zuko, a man I'd never met.
A/N: updates will be slow, because my laptop is in for repairs and I have to share my parents' computer with them. This chapter was edited really quickly, and it's only about 5 pages long. Sorry about that.
Thank you to my reviewers, you guys rock my socks off!