IVORY TOWERS


CHAPTER THREE: The First Day

Beware the man who doesn't ask you any questions about yourself on your first date.
- Merrill Markoe


Jinora had been less than pleased to learn that her first day of courtship - or at least the morning and evening, with the afternoon to herself - would be spent in Sudhir's company. Now that she was actually on the "date", walking alongside him in one of their many gardens, she knew she had been right in her initial feelings. In comparison to before, Sudhir's arrogance had been minimum; now it was in its full blown force.

It only been half an hour and Jinora was already counting down the minutes until their morning date was over. Sudhir only talked about himself, and when he did stop talking to breathe and Jinora got a quick word in, he'd talk over her. It was infuriating, and frankly, extremely insulting.

"How many children do you want?" Sudhir asked, taking Jinora by surprise. She had zoned out, only nodding along or saying "Yes," once in a while when she felt it was needed.

Jinora glowered at him. "I've never really considered it before. Motherhood isn't on the forefront of my mind."

Sudhir winked at her, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. "That'll change when we're married darling."

Jinora dug her nails into his palm and he quickly let go of her hand. "I highly doubt that."

Sudhir rolled his eyes and frowned at her. "Women," he muttered under his breath.

Jinora didn't say another word for the next hour. Sudhir seemed more than happy to let his voice fill all the space, and she had nothing to say to someone so disgusting.


Kai didn't expect to run into Jinora's bodyguard, Mako, hovering at the entrance to the gardens. Kai was waiting for Sudhir to return, as the King had requested, and he assumed Mako was waiting for Jinora.

The knight was taller than him, with neatly combed black hair and amber eyes. Maybe from the Fire Nation? Mako looked at him and Kai quickly looked away. An awkward silence settled, and then Mako said, "Hi."

"Hi," Kai said simply. "So you work for the Gyatsoes right?" Of course Kai already knew that, but it was the only way to start a conversation he could think of.

"For fifteen years," Mako answered. "You work for King Sudhir?"

"Unfortunately." Kai thought Mako might have smiled a little. "He's not exactly the ideal master. I'm sure Princess Jinora is though?"

Mako snorted. "More often than not she's letting me off my duties. She likes her privacy. I can see why. It is not easy being in a position of power. Nowadays King Tenzin and Queen Pema consider my bodyguard duties as a formality. They've made sure Princess Jinora is more than capable of protecting herself."

Mako stiffened when they spotted Jinora and Sudhir walking towards them. Kai assumed a similar position, needing to look professional. Both royals looked to be in an extremely bad mood.

"Kai," Sudhir snapped, shoving past Mako, a signal for Kai to follow him. Kai gave the knight a quick apologetic look, but was more worried about what had happened on the date to get Sudhir and Jinora (especially Jinora) in such an ill state. Kai knew better than to ask; he didn't want his head bitten off, or, worse, a punishment.

Sudhir didn't say anything. He simply stomped to his quarters, whirled around and glowered at Kai. "Do not interrupt me for any circumstance," he ordered. For once, Kai was happy to obey.

Besides, now with both his and Jinora's afternoon, perhaps he could take the princess up on her offer of seeing him again.


After stopping by for a quick snack in the kitchens, Kai headed to the library, hoping that Jinora would be there too. There was nowhere else in the castle that was as quiet, or having the least chance of getting caught. Kai knew what he was doing wasn't exactly smart, neither for him nor Jinora, but there was something about her that just drew him to her. Something he needed to explore.

Besides, it wasn't anything wrong anyway.

When he saw Jinora, her back was to him, her hair pulled into a neat bun, examining the books on one of the shelves. "Princess Jinora," he said quietly, bowing respectfully when Jinora turned to face him. It was a formality. The way his heart skipped a beat when her face broke into a smile was definitely not a formality.

"Kai," she said cheerfully. "How was your morning?"

"Not bad because Master Sudhir wasn't there," Kai answered, and Jinora frowned slightly. The invitation for her to talk about the date hung in the air, and Kai wondered if she would accept it.

She did. "Mine was a disaster," she sighed. "I don't know how you can stand working for Sudhir."

Kai shrugged. "I talked to Mako, Princess. I can easily see why he doesn't mind working for you for so long."

Was it his imagination or did Jinora flush? "Thank you Kai," she said, her composure as perfect as ever. Kai nodded his head. "I don't suppose you have any book recommendations? I need something to take my mind off things."

Kai paused, thinking. "I think I might have one, Princess." Kai strolled through the rows, Jinora following close behind (so close it made breathing rather hard to do) as he scanned the shelves for the book he was looking for. He was thankful the library was so organized. He pulled a thick volume off the shelf, brushing off dust. "I've always liked this one."

He handed it over to her, her fingers skimming his. He tried to ignore the way it made his skin burn. Jinora held the book evenly in her hands, examining it thoughtfully. "The Heart Thief," she read the title aloud, glancing up at him in wonder.

"It's about a thief who falls in love with a girl he steals from," Kai explained. "Before my parents died, they used to always read it to me... Princess Jinora," he added, tacking it on sloppily.

Jinora smiled softly at him, her eyes wide. "I'm sure I'll love it. Thank you for sharing it with me Kai."

"Anytime, Princess... Although, I wouldn't mind some books to read myself, if I could borrow from this library?" he asked. Jinora nodded eagerly. "I'm sure you have many favourites, I'd love to hear about them."

Jinora's face light up, beaming at him. "It depends on how much time you have."

Kai gestured to the library around him. "All afternoon," he said happily.

If possible, her smile grew. "Alright then," she agreed.