A shamisen is a Japanese guitar to those who do not know. It makes a cool sound amd plays pretty music!
Everyone looked over at Zuko. He looked down, suddenly shy. He didn't like performing. He wasn't very good at it.
"What's your story about?" Katara asked warmly.
"Um two sisters," he said in his low voice.
"I'd like to hear it," She said with a reassuring grin.
"Don't be so shy. We've all told a story and now it's your turn."
Zuko looked up at her smiling countenance and then at Iroh's approving nod. He could do it now.
"As you know my sister isn't so easily frightened or discouraged. When we were kids I found one story that really scared her. It scared her so much that the next morning after I told it to her, that my parents found her snuggled between them in their bed." Zuko began.
Sokka chuckled imagining the raven-haired princess with the cold gaze as a scaredy cat.
"My story is about two Fire Nation sisters. Both were classic Fire Nation beauties with the hair black as raven wings and hazel eyes. However the younger sister's hair always seemed to have more luster, her eyes were like liquid gold. She was slender, graceful and delicate. Everyone who met her loved her. Naturally the older sister was jealous of the younger, though the younger didn't even know it. The Older Sister's face always seemed clouded with dark thoughts and she was always plotting for though she was not as pretty as the younger sister she was just as clever.
One day a nephew of the Fire Lord came to their Estate, to seeking to court one of the daughters. By tradition and out of courtesy he paid some attention to the Elder Sister but his heart lay with the Younger Sister. This made The Older Sister murderously jealous. She shot dark looks and muttered curses at her sister, but her little sister was naïve and didn't notice.
One day, The Elder Sister finally devised a plan to rid herself of her sister and win the young nobleman.
She invited her sister to a walk along the river, just the two of them. As they walked The Younger Sister chatted on and on about The Young Nobleman, not noticing her sister's evil gaze, blissfully unaware of her own doom. She wandered close along the edge, chattering, eyes to the sky. She wasn't even looking at her sister. The Elder Sister took her chance. With a mighty shove she knocked her sister into the river where the current held her under. The Younger Sister bobbed about helplessly pleading to be saved by her sister only stood arms crossed, her face dark. Finally the current pulled her under one last time, pinning her. Then all went black.
The Elder sister returned to the estate in a false distress, wailing that her sister had drowned and there was nothing that she could do. Everyone mourned and the Nobleman in his grief went to seek solace in the arms of the Older Sister who accepted it gladly."
"So does the older sister get away with it?" Aang interrupted.
"Of course she doesn't" Toph retorted.
"No one does,"
'If you let me finish," Zuko began, growling
"Maybe you'll find out"
"Sorry," Said Aang sheepishly.
"The Younger Sister's Body floated down the river. One day a miller and a young bard who was staying with him saw the body on the river, still lovely. The body washed up along the bank among the reeds and the fished her out.
'She is beautiful even in death' The Bard remarked admiring her raven black hair.
'Look at that skin, it shines like the moon and it's just as pale!"
' We must bury her properly' The Miller said.
'We shall but not before I take some of this hair'
Before they buried her the Bard cut some of her hair and wound it into the strings of his Shamisen. Then he left to travel the Fire Nation and play his music.
As fate would have it he came to the same Estate as the sisters. He was welcomed warmly and begged to play a song.
As he reached for his shamisen, the strings began to vibrate. The shamisen began to play on it's own and a familiar voice filled the hall.
"Woe to my noble father" It sang
The Elder Sister's eyes widened in terror.
'Woe to my lady mother" It warbled
And finally in a grave and dark tone:
"And woe to my sister who murdered me.""
Zuko sighed. That was his favorite ghost story. Sibling rivalry always had a special place in his heart. Everyone looked around, obviously disturbed.
"After that," Iroh said breaking the silence.
"Azula could never go near another Shamisen again"
