um... wow! thanks everyone so much for the reviews, favorites, and alerts! it makes me soooo happy! :)
so i decided to update, even though i planned to wait a little longer. but hey, i want to keep everyone interested still!
Hope you like this little installment. there's certainly more to come!
Disclaimer: don't own ATLA...
Read and review!
-TSA
Chapter 3:
"Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves - regret for the past and fear of the future." –Fulton Oursler
The morning sun stung her eyes as she wearily rose from her bed that swallowed her with a sea of pillows and blankets. Stretching her arms to the ceiling, she wearily gazed across the room to find her clothes scattered about the carpet where she had discarded them to previous night. She clambered out of bed with as minimal grace as possible, nearly toppling over, but she retained a piece of her balance. Her eyes took a little longer to adjust to the sunlight that flooded through her room while she retrieved her yukata robe and strung it around her shoulders.
Her knees felt wobbly and tired from her dancing the previous night. It was a beautiful escape to her and she often wished she had more time to do it. Shuffling into the hallway while forgetting her shoes, she made her way to the dining chambers where so many aromas tingled her nose. She drowsily wandered in to find her aunt enjoying a cup of team that smelt of jasmine. When she sat down beside her, she noticed that it was already late into the morning.
"Where's Zuko?" Briar asked, but her voice wasn't concerned.
"Not in his chambers. He ran away, I suppose," Hikaru replied.
Briar's eyes were daggers, "He just left?"
"Walked out the front door." Hikaru set her empty cup down, "He'll be back."
"And why are you so confident about that?"
Hikaru hid her all-knowing smile, "I know what it's like to be a teenager. Believe it or not, I was that young once." She laughed, "He's looking for something, and when he finds it, he will return."
But that didn't satisfy Briar. She stomped out of the room and down the hallway to where two soldiers were station. Grabbing one by his collar, she dragged him down to her height and spoke with gritting articulation, "The fire bender has escaped. Find him or I'll bury you in the earth early."
The soldier nodded and rushed down the hallway, shouting for the rest of them to assemble.
Briar felt a cold pride embrace her at the power she held in just her words. If they found him, she assured herself that she would take better caution in keeping him inside the palace. He was trouble in her city, especially with his branded face. Normally, she would hunt him down, but subtly was needed to surround him.
"This is an awfully hostile way of dealing with things."
Briar didn't bother to look over at her aunt, "I can't afford him running around my kingdom."
Hikaru shrugged, "I think you're overreacting."
"Aunt Hikaru, I hate to resort to this." Briar brought herself up to her full height, her shoulders held back with tension and her eyes sharpened in an authoritative glare, "You are my advisor. I suggest you remember your place."
Her aunt nodded her head, curtsying before dismissing herself down the hallway.
Briar shook her head while scolding herself for her disrespect. Though she knew her aunt would brush it off, it still didn't sit well in her stomach that was grumbling from having not eaten breakfast. Deciding food would better serve her, she stumbled off into the dining chambers to see what was left over.
. . . .
Hours passed in slow minutes while she sat in her library staring at the text of an open book in front of her. She had stopped reading quite a while ago, and was now patiently waiting for news of Zuko's whereabouts. Head hitting the sturdy pages, she closed her eyes and thought about the chance of sleep taking over. But before she got comfortable, the doors to the library opened with a thundering creak and Hikaru strolled in flanked by two soldiers.
"He's in a deserted village." Hikaru's eyes softened, "He needs help."
Briar rose from her seat, "I will ride out there. Best to confront him myself."
"I ask that you take into consideration what you see."
Briar nodded and grabbed her cloak that was sitting on the back of her chair. Fastening it around her taunt shoulders, she beckoned for her two soldiers to accompany her while she shouted for a servant to bring her horse. Once outside, she saw that the sky was hazy with the colors of the evening sunset. It was calming, but only for a brief moment before she set out into the open desert.
The ride was smoother than she expected, the desert winds behaving and allowing her to cross with ease. When they arrived at the village, the sky was almost darkened to night and the faintest stars were twinkling. She dismounted hastily and rushed toward the one standing shack that had walls torn about from its battles with the terrain. Gesturing for her soldiers to wait outside, she collecting herself before strolling inside where she found Zuko sitting back on his legs while changing the bandages of a wounded elder man.
She stopped immediately, but her feet creaked on the wood. Zuko bolted to his feet, hands raised for the challenge, but she just held her palm out to him as a sign of peace.
"What are you doing here?" Zuko shouted.
The elder man wearily sat up with a grimace, "Is that any way to talk to a young lady?"
"She's nothing but trouble, Uncle!"
Briar hid her smile, "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Princess Briar of the Southern Earth Kingdom."
"Is Briar short for Briar-Rose?" the elder man inquired.
Zuko watched her face blanch then return to normal color, but those eyes were as sharp as he had first seen them.
"No, Sir." She drew in a deep breath, "It is simply Briar like the thorn." Zuko's brow furrowed while she turned those eyes to him, "I offered you my hospitality and this is how you thank me?"
He bowed his head while his uncle gave him a curious glance, "You don't understand anything-"
"Because you refuse to tell me-!" Briar caught herself, "All I ask is that you explain this."
Her hand panned out across the room.
"I had heard that my sister, Azula, was making her way through the desert. I managed to locate her, which resulted in a scrum." He wrinkled his nose, "My uncle interfered and saved me, but Azula wounded him."
Briar nodded her head, "He won't heal well here. If you agree to come back, I will have my healers tend to him-"
"I don't want your-!"
"It's the least you can do since you forgot to inform me that you were running off," she interrupted, her hands on her hips while a smirk crossed her lips.
Zuko gritted his teeth. He hated that smug gleam in her eyes. It reminded him so much of Azula. Why couldn't she just be the understanding princess instead of the powerful queen? He shook his head while glancing down at his uncle, who was shifting his weight while attempting to hide his grimaces.
"What does your hospitality entitle us to?" his uncle asked.
Briar actually smiled, that youth restored to her eyes, "A comfortable bed, my servants at your beck and call, and an assortment of plentiful meals."
Zuko smacked himself on the forehead while his uncle's eyes lit up, "Fine, we agree, Princess."
"I somehow knew you would."
She gestured for her soldiers to help his uncle while she beckoned him to follow her. They departed from the abandoned village, Briar riding at the back of her soldiers where Zuko was sulking. She wanted to see if she could make him tell her more. The sunset was gone and replaced by an endless night where the moon shone so bright that it lit their path back toward the palace. The sand was kicking up at her horse's hooves, the sweet serenity of a breeze enveloping them.
Glancing down at Zuko, she found herself in awe of the pallor of his skin and how it glowed like porcelain in the dark night. She blushed a little until he glanced up at her. Her eyes were so fixated by his lost gaze that she hardly noticed when her horse stepped into a divot, but she sure noticed when she went tumbling off into the dirt. Calling off her soldiers, she rose to her feet and dusted off her tight fitting dress that Zuko remember from their first encounter.
"Are you alright?" he asked, directing her horse back over to her with its reins in his hand.
Briar restrained herself from making a smart remark, "I'm fine." She remounted her horse and directed him back onto the trail that her soldiers were following at several steps ahead of them. Glancing at Zuko, she held her hand out to him, "Do you enjoy walking or would you like to get off your feet?"
He lifted a brow, "What is your reason for offering your hospitality?"
"I told you, it's in my best interest." She offered her hand again, "Now, do you want to walk or not?"
"I'll stick to walking."
Respecting his decision, she turned her eyes to the horizon where her palace of marble walls sat. They arrived several minutes after her soldiers and were met by Hikaru, who looked about ready to burst, though she kept herself in check better than any woman would.
"Your uncle has been brought to our healers. He should recover in no time." Hikaru turned her gaze to Briar, but it was Zuko who felt the knives of her stare, "I hope you took consideration to what you saw."
Briar bit at her bottom lip, "I did."
"Good." Hikaru gestured for both for both of them, "I suggest you clean up. Dinner will be late tonight."
Even though Briar knew she was the one next in line for the throne, her aunt held way more authority.
. . . .
Dinner was very silent, Briar not wishing to interrogate Zuko with her aunt in the room. The only sounds in the entire room were those of chopsticks clinking on the plates and the shouts of orders from the chefs in the kitchen. Briar kept nervously glancing over at Hikaru for some sort of assurance that she could say something, but her aunt was so focused on the tea in her hands. Wrinkling her nose, she propped her elbows up on the table and held her chin in the heels of her palms, gazing at Zuko.
Noticing the burn of her eyes, he looked up from his plate and nodded to her, though there was a growing discomfort from her staring at him. Setting his fork down, he challenged her glare until she began to smirk, "Do you need something?"
She shrugged, "I'm no friend to silence."
"But silence is a friend to you," her aunt replied, which only made Briar scowl. Her aunt set her cup of tea down, "Care for me to explain that one?"
"Let me guess, it's because my presence provokes silence to ensue," Briar scoffed.
"I'm glad you're learning." Hikaru turned her soft, jade green eyes to Iroh, who was pouring himself a fourth cup of tea, "I don't recall an introduction being exchanged between us."
Zuko's uncle smiled, "My name is Iroh."
"The Dragon of the West…" Hikaru winked as he nodded to her, "…famous as the only general to nearly breach Ba Sing Se's walls. An astounding accomplishment, I must say." She drummed her fingers on the table, "My name is Hikaru."
"Susanoo." Iroh mused on her title while Hikaru howled with laughter, "Though your title does not come from military conquest."
"But from political combat!" Hikaru was smiling so wide that her mouth almost swallowed her face, "I am glad to see my reputation carried across the seas!"
"Not only your reputation in the courts, but your infamous beauty." Zuko banged his head on the table as his uncle insisted on embarrassing him as he always did when a woman was near, "I have not seen many women in the Earth Kingdom with the jade green of your eyes."
Hikaru's proudly batted her eyelashes, "You certainly know how to flatter!"
Briar was trying so hard not to laugh that her face was turning red. She glanced over at Zuko, who was repeatedly banging his head against the table until a red mark appeared on his forehead. Clearing her throat, she chose to intervene, "It's a trait from my mother's side of the family, who were renowned for the gentle color."
Iroh glanced over at Briar, examining her eyes that, to Zuko, always reminded him of stones, "You have very strong eyes, Princess."
Briar smirked, "They are as my father's."
"Zuko's are as his mother's." Iroh patted him on the shoulder, "My sister-in-law was a beautiful woman."
"Can we not talk about that," Zuko muttered in annoyance.
Briar began musing over her food again, listening to partials of the conversations that Iroh and Hikaru carried. It was really only incessant babbling about the younger days. She was starting to grow nervous about the prospect that two fire benders were in her palace. She could handle one, but two? Mentally noting to station guards at their rooms during the night, she watched as her aunt rose from her seat and beckoned for Iroh to join her on a stroll around the palace walls.
Alone again.
"The least you could have done was thank me for my hospitality then ask for leave."
Zuko didn't look at her, "I never asked for your hospitality."
She slammed her hands on the table, "I don't think I'm asking much from you!"
"It's none of your business what I do!" He rose to his feet, "Stay out of my life."
Briar refused to say another word as he stormed out of the dining chamber, leaving her to her thoughts that were swarmed with regret. She kept silent for a few minutes before meandering out into the hallway where her aunt and Iroh were standing talking, having not even started their walk yet. She rushed past them, but her wrist was grabbed and she was dragged backward.
"What happened?" Hikaru asked.
"I don't want to talk about it," Briar snapped.
Hikaru went to fire a response, but Iroh laid a hand on her shoulder and nodded his head. Briar was released and she bolted down the hallway while trying to stifle a couple tiny sobs.
"She's more troubled than any teenager I have met," Hikaru scoffed.
Iroh motioned for her to follow him and they strolled around to the main chamber then outside to the chilly night. He watched her tug her outer robe further around herself, "She's just like my nephew. They let the small things eat at them until they burst."
"She's sixteen and she's already inherited a kingdom. It's only a matter of time before her coronation." Hikaru gave a thoughtful sigh, "And ever since The War, her people suffer from poverty."
"Then why does she live so lavishly?"
"Because she's ignorant and naïve." Hikaru shrugged, eyes turned to the night sky, "I can't make all her decisions for her, but it doesn't help when she won't listen."
Iroh chuckled, "My nephew is in an endless search for honor and redemption. Maybe one day he'll wake up?"
Hikaru's brow furrowed while she watched him smile, "Wake up from what?"
"From the idea that he has lost his honor." Iroh turned his smile to her, which made her blush, "He believes his father is the only one who can restore that in him."
Hikaru hesitated with her next question, but she knew she wanted to know, "How did he get his scar?"
Iroh stopped walking. His eyes were fixed on the starry sky while he accounted for the events that took place within the time of the Agni Kai. He shivered before answering her, "His father burned him."
Hikaru held back her gasp, "For what purpose?"
"Prince Zuko spoke out of turn in the War Chamber, insulting the general who had been speaking. He was challenged to an Agni Kai." Iroh shook his head, "But he hadn't realized that he had insulted his father, the Fire Lord. He begged for mercy, refusing the fight." Iroh turned his sullen eyes to her, "My brother is no merciful man."
Hikaru remained silent; not knowing what words could possibly be spoken. Nodding her head, she began walking toward the palace with Iroh at her side. They didn't bother to say a word to each other, for all that she had wanted to hear was already said. By the time they reached the grand doors of the palace, Hikaru had finally allowed for the truth to sink in.
"He seeks to regain his honor that he believes his father can only restore to him?" Hikaru shook her head with disbelief, "Does he listen to no counseling?"
"He's a stubborn young man. He must solve this inner turmoil by his own accord. I can only offer advice," Iroh replied.
"I won't press you any further about it." Hikaru gave him a curt nod as she came to her chambers, "Good night, Iroh. I do hope you stay for the morning."
Iroh took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to it, "I would hope to see your beautiful face a few more times before we part."
Hikaru nodded, trying to hide the rising blush in her cheeks. Fumbling to find the knob of her door, she slowly walked inside with several glances over her shoulder. She stumbled over to her bed and collapsed with exhaustion from the truth. Her face pressed to the pillows, she mulled over everything she had heard in hopes she could find a solution. But how could she solve something that was none of her business?
OK! quick thing... If you haven't noticed (as i'm sure you have), the titles that are held in the Southern Earth Kingdom are based off three Shinto gods. Amaterasu (goddess of the sun), Tsukuyomi (god of the moon) and Susanoo (god of the sea/storms), all of whom were created by the god Izanagi upon purifying himself. just a little mythology for ya!
thanks!
-TSA
