Chapter 3: Royalty

"Is this the one, your Highness?" Meixiang said, holding a long soft bundle of fabric. Her head was bowed subtly as the Crown Prince turned to her. Heat pulsing into her being, stripping her of the cold demeanour she had come to master within herself. Her great-grandmother's words rang so true to her in that moment;

"Yes. The artisan has received my gratitude?"

:"Meixiang...the Royal family...they are beautiful..", She had not at the time understood what her great-grandmother meant, but now...

"Yes, Highness. Akio gave Lord Nobutang your words. He was most pleased that your Highness is satisfied". She spoke with a soft smile, thinking to herself; The Prince was so kind, to give a personal message to Lord Nobutang for his designs. A giggle left her mouth unwillingly, remembering the shock that dawned his face when Akio presented his Highness's words. "

Akio gently folded the long white tunic at the Prince's waist, moving aside so that Meixiang could complete her task. The bundle of cloth that was held in her arms was a soft light pink shenyi with leaves at the cuff and base of the cloth. She placed it upon his shoulder, holding out the sleeves so that the Prince could move his arms into them with ease; kneeling, Meixiang wrapped the draping cloth around Prince Zuko's middle, making it so that the fabric conformed to the figure of his Highness in a roughly lose manner. She stood and stepped away as Xianma tied a white sash with gold embroidery around his Highness's stomach, Xianma's hands were nervously shaking. She was new to the Royal staff.

"Its beautiful, your Highness", Meixiang said keeping her voice low. Normally she or any other staff member for a fact, would never engage with the Royal family unless they were engaged with first. It was custom. But, the Crown Prince had made it clear since his return that their voluntary engagement with him was something he looked towards. Meixiang thought it was what made him so beautiful; his desire to dialogue with his people...it feels like we matter to him.

The Prince released a small smile in her direction before he sat down for Xianma; she put a small round tub on the ground before him. Taking his feet, Xianma placed them into the liquid: a concoction of pure water and lemon perfumes, a few bright blotches of red layed upon and within the water; rose petals. As Xianma saturated his Highness's feet, her fingers gracefully rubbing and messaging, Meixiang proceeded to sit behind the Crown Prince. To her left, still upon a purple lace square cushion, a expertly crafted Phoenix Crown of pure gold layed; it had nine dragons, four phoenixes, twelve large flowers and six small ones, the eyes of the dragons and phoenixes ad well as the petals of the flowers were filled with small diamonds , reflecting white radiant rays of light when the sun's photons touched it. It had been a gift to the Prince...from the Fire Lord.

Before Meixiang could fix the headdress however, she had to style the Prince's hair. After two weeks of constantly using Shèanku oil, his Highness's hair now reached his knees and although lovely in its black sleekness, it was a hassle to maintain. Meixiang smoothly drew Crown Prince Zuko's hair to the back-top of his head , with her hands; her fingers slid through it pleasurably. One hand holding the hair stiffly, the other wrapping a sliver bang around it to keep it in place, she was now done with the phoenix tail and proceeded to take the Phoenix Crown and fix it onto the scalp of Prince Zuko. Meanwhile the prince himself sat relaxed with his eyes closed. He was thinking. Sozin's comet was drawing closer and he reasoned that the Avatar's companions would attack before then. They'd have to if they sought to stand a change at victory. Once the comet appeared though, not even Aang in his Avatar state would have been able to win against his farther or even himself. But that was not his main concern. He was trying to predict where and when they would attack. It was suicide to barge in head on. The Royal Castle was within the centre of the capital and surrounding that was the militant cities. So, in order to reach their target they had to enter the Fire Nation inconspicuously to avoid being noticed and yet still have the freedom to move around to reach the Capital. It...could be done...if they had the right contacts. Zuko scoffed, startling Xianma who looked like she about to receive a beat down. The plan he had concocted sounded far too complex for them to have come up with if ever such a thing was possible. Zuko stopped...and realized his error.

Never underestimate your opponent.

He was doing it. But still, there was doubt that they were capable of it. They would need those contacts and he doubted very much there was any within the Fire Nation who would be willing to help their Nation's enemies.

And that thought hurt him...

Because there was.

Zuko opened his eyes. Moving them to look about. "Ah, his Highness has returned to the realm of the mortal", Meixiang's jolly voice drew his attention to her. All his maidens stood in front of him, hands clasped below their navels in the pose deemed quintessential for the Royal staff. I must have lost myself in thought. Standing, Crown Prince Zuko walked to the mirror.

He was really beautiful. Having inherited much of his mothers physical traits, it only took a few touches here and there to turn him into a spitting image of her youthful beauty. It was still visible that he was the Crown Prince: the scar for one, the persistently boy-like nuances in his features for another. Still much of his mother remained in him.

The six meter gold trimmed mirror reflected nothing but the aristocracy of his being in flesh. That Phoenix Crown that sat so horizontally fixed on the middle of his scalp revealed his status as Crown Prince of the Fire Nation. His hair was pulled straight up to the back of his head in the iconic phoenix tail, only one bang framing the right of his face and ending at his thigh. The gold and diamond rings for earnings hung in elegance. The pink Shenyi, so delicate in its silk, seemed to reveal the shape of his lithe contorted body without being form-fitting. The white and gold sash covered his entire belly in a squeezing hug. His feet was bare except for gold dragon rings on his second and fourth toes. A blood red glossed his lips, fingernails and toenails. She would be very happy...Iam.

"Where is Katsunieshixang?", the questioned seemed anticipated as Xianma brought to him his Great Spear. She held it firmly within her hands, horizontally, kneeling as she extended it to him. Silver eastern dragons slithered across its length, tactile scales composing its texture. The staff itself was an alloy of gold and antinium, a very light but durable metal found in the Islands earth. Silver in colour was the blade that was attached at the staff's end, half a meter long. A straight, white batch of hair hung before the beginning of the blade. All in all it was two meters long. The alloy made it lighter than a single longsword. He took it from her hands, notably exhaling as his fingers glided over its length.

Turning to the servants, he thanked them and left the room. Outside four guards were waiting, all in full black armour and red capes. He called them the Guard. They were the most advanced benders in his father's army. Smiling to himself, it had not been easy to acquire them for nothing more than guards. Ozai had not been pleased but he was very convincing.

"Highness", one of them greeted, Master Wudang. His voice estimating his age at thirty four. "Master Wudang", the Crown Prince said, "All has been prepared?". "Yes, Highness". "Good. Lets go. There is no point in wasting time".

They walked down the halls, into the Grand Hall and through that entrance exiting the Royal Castle. Outside a Gold Coach carriage moved by six horses awaited the Prince's presence. The Coach was a item of exquisite prestige: its frame solid gold and embroidered with a multiple of dragons, three symmetrical windows and another smaller three below those were in the sides of the Gold Coach, allowing whoever inside a view. A man in formal clothing sat in the fore of the Coach, holding in his gloved hands the reigns of the six horses.

Entering alone, Zuko sat on the fine red leather, thinking of the conversation to come. If truth were told he did not really what to feel about it. He saw through the windows his Guard surrounding his Gold Coach; doing their duties. The carriage moved, six horses hurtling their hooves upon the ground as they ran towards their guided destination. His Guard's black horses moving in sync to keep up.

"Xinké! Wait!", the shout was shrill and vengeful; he knew when he got home his ass was done for. Like I care! He mind shot back. His coming into age, being thirteen made certain of that. Xinké ran away from his home, dodging and almost bumping into people as he did do. Today was the day; the day Rutaro Ming learned he was no kid you just bullied and got away with. Yeah! Today I honour my name! The hype in his thoughts were like fuel to his confidence. Weeks and weeks he had practiced his fire bending. He didn't like bending, he didn't...but...he was soooo tired of being bullied by Rutaro and his stupid gang of bullies. He ran, the anger like adrenalin, to the place he said they should meet.

Arriving at a empty section of Tokaru town, it was late at night, Xinké walked to the round dais in the center; usually reserved for shows or announcements. Today, it would be the stage setting for an Agni Kai. He walked to the middle and waited anxiously. Wanting and somehow not wanting this to happen. Please, Agni, please Agni, please Agn- a shuffle of footsteps paused his pleas. His head shot right and his throat for some reason was dry. Rutaro had arrived. A smug grin plastered on his adolescent face. At least he came alone...

"Hah! You actually came, shitface ", the younger bully goaded, walking unto the dais. Xinké's face hardened, resolve convicting him. "I said I would", he whispered, squeezing his first. There was silence for a few moments, thickening the tension. "Well. You gonna stare at me or you gonna fight me...or are you too coward".

"Ahaaaarrr!", Xinké screamed with a punch of fire from his left first. Formal preparations for an Agni Kai be damned! Rutaro strafed left, the fire bolt missing him. He shot two low front kicks, the flames speeding across the floor. Xinké cried in alarm and jumped out of the way, the flames licking his shoes as it sped by. Already, Rutaro sent two fire bolts his way. The first he swat aside with a arch of flame, the second shot into his chest; sizzling into cloth and burning skin.

"Aha!" the cry pierced the air as Xinké curled on the floor, whimpering and trying to hold tears at bay. He heard steps. A rubber heel tramped harshly on his head, forcing out further moans of pain. "You've been training, huh, shitface?", the question stabbed into him. He'd only lasted five seconds more. Five!...Iam useless, I'll never get better. Rutaro will always win...

The tears were unleashed without restraint. There was no point any longer...in anything really. So when Rutaro laughed at him, it didn't matter, when Rutaro called him a wuss, it didn't matter...when Rutaro stripped him naked, it didn't matter, when Rutaro did things to him, wrong wrong things that made him feel beautiful, it didn't matter, it didn't matter that he was seventeen and Rutaro was fourteen. Nothing mattered at that point. So when Rutaro heard the noise of horses and abandoned him there like nothing, he questioned the hurt he felt. When a man in cold metal held him and placed him somewhere warm and comfortable , he questioned the relief that came...at least someone cares...

...but as he dosed off, he knew it wasn't fair. His parents cared...

A/N

Right! Chapter three, as promised, its longer. There is probably some mistakes...I do apologize for that and shall be fixing such troublesome happenings.

You have surely realized now that it takes time for things to happen here, for anything to happen really; its going to be a slow burn; just to set up things nicely. Also. It fits my writing style which iam In the process of improving.

I plan on continuing this story for some time. If you like it, drop a few suggestions you and if its line with what I have planned, you might just get what you wish.

Ill see if i can create an account on deviant art where you will be able to view the art ill be making for this story( if ever you would like that)..

If ya got any questions, please, ask away.

And with that the Next chapter:

Crown Prince of the Fire Nation