AN: This chapter is dedicated to Gummiworld, who has stuck with me since the beginning with brilliant reviews that are a perfect mix of critique and encouragement. Thank you very much for everything!
BTW: I originally estimated an update before the end of January… as it is now March, we can assess that did not happen. Sorry everyone! Unforeseen ...stuff. I'm still really not accustomed to my busy schedule yet to work in much fanfiction time... but at least I'm not as stress out anymore!
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
Pragmatic
An A:TLA Fic brought to you by:
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Arc II: Six
Scroll Five: A Most Urgent Letter
The palanquin stopped and Katara was, once again, forced to roll out of the craft. Zuko helped her to her feet. Though he tried to appear stoic in the public eye, she could see some lingering resentment in the way he looked at her. Was he so set against getting to know her? Was he so sure that she wouldn't like him?
Well, he certainly wasn't making much of an effort.
Once upright, the normally friendly girl couldn't bring herself to smile in thanks. She supposed that was a good thing, seeing as this was supposed to be a somber event. Which, now that she thought about it, seemed rather odd and backwards. Marriage was celebrated at her home. Of course, there weren't many arranged marriages, and though there were a great deal of rigidly adhered to rituals, they were a drop in the ocean compared to this. But then, Katara surmised, it was sort of like comparing apples to oranges… if the apples were at peek ripeness and the oranges were rotten on the inside.
They were let out in front of a grand, sprawling staircase in a high arched hallway. Sunlight flooded into the area, reflecting brilliantly off the cream-colored marble floors, walls, and columns. The Fire Nation emblem hung in even increments down the hall on large red and black tapestries; without them, Katara might have managed to forget where she was. The doors they'd entered through closed shortly after the young waterbender had exited the craft. They were beautifully carved enormous double doors, twenty-five feet tall and eight feet wide on each side. They made a thunderously loud sound as they came together in the center and were latched shut. It was as if one thing after another sealed behind her to hold her captive. She had to keep reminding herself that she embarked on this engagement of her own free will and was given ample opportunity to back out.
There was no one to blame but herself.
Prince Zuko offered her his arm. Katara took it, wishing to be anywhere else; even the frigid bath Lady Ai put her through seemed more pleasant. She was hungry and tired. Blisters had already formed on her feet and burned angrily with each step, forcing her to rely more and more on Prince Zuko's arm. The hardest part was keeping the grimace off her face, both from the pain and the helplessness.
The Fire Prince noticed, as he ought to have with all the weight she put on him. The slight limp in her step was another giveaway. Though they were back under the scrutiny of the public eye, he whispered, "Having some trouble, are we?"
Katara was in no mood to deal with the Prince's derogatory tone. "If you can't trouble yourself to say something nice, I'd rather you just be silent."
His shoulders sank for a moment. "So be it."
The girl could not believe her luck. How could this person be her fiancé? How could he be related to the kind, old Lord Iroh? 'Who honestly says 'So be it', anyway?' A glance to her left provided her answer. 'Conceited jerks, that's who.'
The at-odds couple walked at the head of a long procession. Behind them was the Fire Lord, and behind him was an army of attendants who seemed to have shown up from nowhere, spilling out of the shadows. No conversation took place here beyond those few whispered words between Prince Zuko and his fiancée. Lord Iroh, who walked some paces behind them and could not hear the exchange, took note of their closeness and regarded it as a wonderful sign.
After what seemed an indecently long while to the tired, achy Katara, they came upon the end of the hall at another set of gargantuan doors. These, however, were opened, reveling huge chamber and a table already mostly filled up with guests.
"Nobles," Zuko whispered under his breath.
Katara looked at him from the corner of her eye. He stared ahead as though he'd said nothing. She did feel his posture straighten as they neared the room and had a feeling that he somehow anticipated her confusion as to the identities of the countless guests that awaited them. It was a nice reprieve from his other behavior, but not nearly enough to win her over. She said nothing in return, in part because she was still not pleased with him, or her situation, and in part because they were about to enter the dining hall.
There were three tables total; a long one around which the guests stood, a second table, perhaps a quarter of the other's size, sat perpendicular to it on an elevated tier, the third table was smaller still, big enough to sit two people comfortably, but no more than that. It sat on the highest tier. Prince Zuko led Katara to the middle table, and Lord Iroh took the highest. They did not sit, much to Katara's annoyance, but stood facing the crowd. At least, she consoled herself, she could use the back of the chair to support herself rather than the Prince's arm.
The Fire Lord addressed the crowd. Katara figured it was because these people hadn't been present for the ceremony at sunrise, a sacrifice made so they would be able to dine in the company of the Royal Family. It was similar to what was done earlier, except, due to the tables, there was a lot less touching and bowing. A huge improvement, in her opinion.
"My noblemen, loyal friends of the Crown," Lord Iroh began in a regal baritone, "I present to you my nephew, the Crowned Prince and his bride to be, the Water Tribe Princess!" The crowd, in a much more subdued manner than the people from before, clapped and cheered in a controlled, polite manner. One girl, Katara noticed, didn't even trouble herself to look happy, but maintained a morose state, clapping only as a formality. It didn't bother her much, as she was sure there were plenty of people who were not too thrilled at the prospect of a waterbender as Fire Lady, and one girl, who couldn't be much older than her, was nothing to be concerned about.
The Fire Lord sat down. Two attendants suddenly appeared and pulled the chairs out for Prince Zuko and Katara. Once they were seated, the guests took theirs. The slew of attendants that trailed behind them on the walk to the dining hall sprang into action. They produced pitchers and goblets, plates and utensils in glittering gold and placed them all before the patrons. Shortly thereafter, the first course was produced; steamed spice bread and seasoned rice.
Katara's mouth salivated at the sight of the food, but she contained herself. There was no need to spread rumors that she was a heathen or something. She took her cue to start eating from the Prince who, very slowly, picked up his chopsticks and took a small, clean bite. Katara had never seen anyone eat like that before, or perhaps she'd just never paid attention. Regardless, it was so orderly and regal. She doubted he ever made a mess in his whole life.
Still, she would worry about his obsessively graceful eating later, when she wasn't about to keel over from emaciation. The first bite to her lips brought water to her eyes; it was so hot! Rice was supposed to be bland! Though she was in distress, she made sure to control her movements as she grabbed her goblet. She carefully tipped the blessedly cool liquid into her mouth. Sweet relief! The welling in her eyes went down and she chanced a small bite of the steamed bread, which, while spiced, was far more bearable.
Katara glanced over the table of guests to find more than one set of eyes glued to her. It sparked a crawling feeling in her stomach and she could find the will to take another bite. She resolved to try and ignore everyone, but couldn't help feeling like an animal on display.
Moments later, more attendants appeared to remove the dishes of the first course and produce the second. This dish was steamed vegetables in a thin, dark sauce. It had a sour flavor, but wasn't unpleasant. Katara managed, despite her discomfort, to eat a few bites. She cursed her luck, to feel so queasy when she was so hungry. A look to the side made her envious. Prince Zuko, not a care in the world, had no problems eating in his delicate way.
More courses came to pass and it seemed like eons to Katara. She nearly cried out in joy when Lord Iroh pronounced the meal at an end. The Fire Lord rose from his seat, and the usual order of things followed with Zuko and Katara getting to their feet, and last, the guests. Then, the Lord bid everyone a good morning, prompting Zuko to do a stiff, shallow version of his other bows, his arms out rigid, his left fist on his right palm. Katara followed suit, with a dip of her head, and then followed behind the Prince has he followed the Fire Lord out a door in the back of the room, different from the one they'd entered through.
Out of the public eye in what appeared to be a smaller, private dinning room, Katara saw the stern look melt off Lord Iroh's face. It was such a relief. She immediately smiled as the older man placed a comforting hand on her back. "You did quite well my dear," he said, "I must say, that was a nice touch, adding suspense like that before you curtsied." He chuckled. "Some people probably thought you were considering a refusal."
The young waterbender laughed nervously. Yes, suspense, that's exactly what she was going for.
"You find my people have an inclination for dramatics," he added with a wink.
Prince Zuko rolled his eyes. "Uncle, can I please have a word with you?"
"Not now nephew." Lord Iroh grinned, "Show Miss Katara to her room first; I am sure she is very tired and eager for some time alone."
"Sir," Katara began timidly. "I was wondering if it would be okay if I walked barefoot? These shoes are kind of tight, it's hard to walk in them."
The Lord chuckled again, "But of course! Make yourself at home! I'm sure no one here would raise an objection against your comfort."
Katara cried with delight and wasted no time prying the offending articles off of her poor feet.
"Come on Princess," Prince Zuko muttered begrudgingly, "I'll show you to your room now."
The best part about going barefoot was that she did not have to use her stupid fiancé as a crutch anymore. She was so glad she felt like skipping all the way to her room. She didn't though, the Prince thought she was strange enough as it was. …Not that she cared much for his opinion. It seemed to Katara that he needed her more than she needed him. After all, she already earned the support of the Fire Nation for her home and the Fire Nation still had a lot of image boosting to do –which would prove marginally more difficult without her.
Lord Iroh nodded after them. "Until later, my dear."
Once more, Katara found herself alone with the Prince. Out of view of the Fire Lord, his pace picked up. Holding her torturous shoes in one hand, and lifting up some of the bulk of her robes in the other, Katara managed, only barely, to keep up with him. Her damaged feet, though infinitely more comfortable, ached with each hasty slap they made on the cold marble floors. "Do you think you could maybe slow down a little?"
The Prince didn't break pace or even look at her. "No."
Katara was not a violently inclined person (except when it came to some of Sokka's ill-thought comments), however she had a very hard time denying the urge to tackle the prince to the ground and sock him in the face. Repeatedly. She opted instead for calling him out, for once, not bothering to contain the volume of her voice, "What is your problem!"
The Prince reeled, speeding up his pace for a few more steps as if trying to outrun her, before sharply turning heel to face her. He had that horrible scowl pasted on his face again; his anger was frightening. Katara did know how to take care of herself, but her body was stressed enough at this point and she wasn't aware of any readily available water sources with which to protect herself. Fire didn't have those kinds of restrictions. "You," he spat. "You are my problem. Do you have any idea how difficult you are making things for me? Do you have any idea the trouble you are causing me?"
Katara was stunned nearly speechless. "The trouble I'm causing you? The difficulties I'm causing you?" She parroted quietly, unable to wrap her mind around it… "You jerk! I can't even believe you! I… you don't even… Do you know what I've been through to get here? You selfish, conceited jerk! You think you're the only one with problems in this world?"
Prince Zuko's scowl deepened. His arm reached out behind him to latch on to a handle, he twisted the knob and pushed it open violently so that it slammed against the wall. "Your room my lady," he growled. He gave another curt traditional bow and stormed past her down the hall.
Katara stood for a moment to collect herself, then calmly entered her room and looked around. She saw a large, lavish canopy bed draped in shear red fabric, an armoire and vanity set similar to the one she had on the ship, an open archway to a lavish bathroom, and another arch covered by deep red curtains. First she walked into the bathroom and scrubbed the makeup off her face and pulled each and every pin from her hair (there were thirty-seven in all, they each pulled painfully at her scalp as she worked them out of the intricate twists). Then she pulled open the armoire and found, not her clothing, but red and gold Fire Nation garbs. She sighed, but pulled out an outfit nonetheless, conceding that, even though it would be foreign to her, anything would be more comfortable than her current dress. She disrobed (a long and arduous process) and pulled on the new clothes. The top was more of a wrap and a bit tricky to get on, but after a few moments of struggle she eventually figured out how it worked. Luckily the bottoms were a simpler fair; comfortable, loose-fitting pants. Then, she carefully hung up her ceremonial robes, sure she was doing something wrong with it, but, as she had no helpers around to tell her so, she couldn't bring herself to care.
Finally, she collapsed onto the bed, her face buried in a pillow, and started to sob.
- = -
Prince Zuko decided he was much too angry to speak with his uncle, and instead went to his own chambers. There, he would meditate. He hadn't done so in a while and it would be a good way for him to sort things out. He stomped further on down the hall, hoping to physically channel is aggression without being too destructive. He slammed the door shut behind him.
The Prince's bedroom was sparsely decorated for such a large space. He had a low desk and few non-utilitarian pieces, opting for a more streamline feel. He did have a couple portraits; one of his uncle and his mother. More were hidden away in the trunk at the end of his bed. As a rule he kept his room spotless, impersonal. Most everything present served a purpose and he did not tolerate clutter.
…Which made the scroll on his desk stand out.
The surprise of the discovery put a hiatus on his anger. The edges were lined in red, indicating extreme urgency. He sat down heavily on the crimson floor pillow situated before the desk, peeled away the wax emblem, and gingerly unraveled it. It was from his uncle, the date and time at the top indicated he had sent it off while still at sea, two days ago.
Dear Nephew,
I hope this letter finds you well. We are currently on our second day at sea, though I suppose when this reaches you we will be somewhat farther. The weather is fair, good for traveling, and as I informed you in my last letter, the people of the Southern Water Tribe remained as obliging and accommodating as ever. I did succeed in acquiring you a fiancée, and what a lovely, vivacious girl she is!
It occurs to me I should have written you sooner, perchance this doesn't reach you in time, but I simply over looked it in wake of some distressing developments. There are a few things I feel you must be aware of prior to meeting Princess Katara (for example, that she feels uncomfortable being addressed as "Princess Katara"). There was a great deal of unrest caused by my presence in the Water Tribe. As you know, The Northern Water Tribe still harbors a great deal of animosity towards us, and now, alas, it seems they have decided to carry that animosity over to their sister tribe. The night that I first formally met Chief Hakoda, the Northern Water Tribe followed through with an act of war; an attempt on the Chief's life.
Chief Hakoda is a fair and just man, a good and beloved father to his children. As his wife passed away some years ago, unfortunately due to a Fire Nation raid, he is their only remaining family aside from one elderly grandmother. The event hurt Miss Katara quite deeply as she feared for a time that he had, in fact lost his life (which, thank Agni, was not the case).
Because of these dire circumstances and the emotional trauma of the event, I permitted a loophole to further entice the young waterbender into agreeing to this engagement. Which is to say, I told her if she was truly unhappy at any given time before the wedding, she would be able to back out of it with no repercussions. I also promised her a long engagement in order to ensure the two of you get properly acquainted. I know this was not at all what you expected, but given the circumstances, I had no choice in the matter. Besides, she is, as I said, a lovely girl. I have no doubt that you will grow to like, or even love her.
Please do not fret about this Prince Zuko! Your charm and sympathetic ways are sure to win her over!
Best regards and warmest wishes,
Uncle
Zuko read over the letter once more to be sure he hadn't missed anything. Regret gathered heavily in the pit of his stomach. He let his head fall to his desk, his breath clouded the shiny finish of the surface in spurts. 'I am a screw up.' He knew what it was to lose a parent, or rather, nearly lose a parent. The pain and the gut-wrenching agony... He'd gone and trivialized the attempt on her father's life (albeit unknowingly, but what did that change?).
What's worse, she was the Fire Nation's last hope, especially as precarious as things were with the North. He needed a Water Tribe bride. No one else would do, simply because the Water Tribe had suffered the most damage at their hands. And, as Uncle enjoyed pointing out, it was a lovely bit of symbolism too.
The prince pulled himself to his feet, the scroll held loosely in his hand.
There was a knock on his door, a specific knock; a rapping of manicured fingernails followed by the clear sound of knuckles on wood. He turned around sharply as the handle twisted and the door pushed open.
He sighed. "Mai."
The pale young woman glared at him. "Such a warm welcoming, Zuko. What did I do to earn this honor?" She asked, shutting the door softly behind her.
"I'm sorry," Zuko replied, closing the distance between them. He placed his free hand on her cheek and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'm just a little preoccupied."
"Yes, yes," Mai smiled slightly. "We've all know about your little foreign hussy."
"Mai, we've talked about this." Zuko said warily, rubbing his temple. "Like it or not, we're all going to have to try and at the very least be civil to one another."
"Right, right," she waved it off and sat down on the prince's bed, fingers ghosting absently over the embroidered patters on the blanket. "As long as she doesn't interfere with us, I'll be good. Promise."
"Yeah…" He rubbed his neck and pointedly studied a bare patch of wall, mentally cringing. His girlfriend was intelligent and she knew when he lied or hid something… of course, that wasn't saying much. He was a notoriously bad liar.
Mai's eyes narrowed. "She isn't going to interfere with us, is she?"
"Uh…"
"Zu-ko!" Her temper flared, she slammed her fists down on the bed. "You said, you promised me, that no matter what, we'd be together." She stalked towards him, to glare up close. "You promised me that since you couldn't make me your wife, you would still keep me in your life. What happened to that whole speech about remaining loyal to me above all else? Or was that all really just talk?"
The prince wilted, having been yelled at by too many girls (both of them justified). All he needed now was for his sister to appear out of a burst of flames to ice the cake. He ran a hand down his face. "Things have become more complicated." He sighed and held out the scroll. "Read it."
Mai stood and crossed her arms, sizing up the situation. Finally though, she yanked the scroll from his hand and turned away to read it. Her eyes scanned the document quickly. She turned back and let the offending paper fall to the floor. "Who are we kidding, Zuko? This thing between us will never work. Not if you want to achieve posterity. Besides, the concept of being your little whore looks less and less appealing everyday. I am the daughter of the mayor of a major province, only steps below royalty myself! I shouldn't reduce myself to the level of some street rat slut!"
Zuko's good eye widened. "Mai! There is a huge difference between being a whore and being a mistress!"
The young woman rolled her eyes. "Please Zuko, enlighten me. Tell me the difference between a woman sleeping with a married man, and a woman sleeping with a married man?"
"The difference is," he said, grasping her wrist and pulling her close, "that you are no ordinary woman and I am no ordinary man."
She shook her head and pulled away. "I'm sorry Zuko, but if you want this to work, you're going to have to come up with a stronger argument than that."
"But Mai," he cried as she made to leave the room. "I love you, you can't just give up on us!"
"Sometimes love just isn't enough." Her usually stoic eyes filled quickly with tears. "I read that letter, Zuko. That girl's been through a lot and I highly doubt she'll be satisfied playing second fiddle to me in your loveless marriage. If you're going to make it work with her, there won't be any room for me."
"So you're just giving up! I thought you were better than that!"
She slapped him. "Zuko, I've known from the start that idealistic vision you had of us being together forever was nothing but a dream! The reality is, we can't always get what we want! I played along because I wanted to believe it could be true, and I stubbornly thought that maybe, maybe if the girl was some stuck up little princess looking for a comfortable set up, maybe we could make it work. But she's not. She's some waterbender from a war-torn country whose father just had an attempt on his life. Honestly, I couldn't do this to her and I'm surprised if you think you could."
Zuko growled in frustration, steam shooting from his nostrils. "Look at me Mai, just take a look! I am the veritable embodiment of everything that girl was brought up to hate. I am the son of Ozai the Disgraced, I bare a mark of shame for my ancestry on my face! Half the time I don't even think you like me! What makes you think that little girl is going to stick around any longer than she has to? She's already gotten from us everything she needs. The clause is right there in plain print; she can leave if we don't work. She's not going to stay, Mai. I just know it."
"Would you just listen to yourself?" Mai asked softly, her voice trembled with emotion. "When you are Fire Lord it will be your job to put your people and your country first. It will be your job to make sure we avoid war at all costs. This is your first test. You don't get a second chance with this Zuko, you don't have a choice. If that girl leaves, everything, and I mean everything that we've all worked so long and so hard for, will be for nothing."
The Fire Prince seethed. "Fine," he said in a clipped and regal tone, "if that's the way you feel about it, get out. Leave." When she hesitated he added, "That was an order. Leave, now."
Mai did leave, but paused a moment before she closed the door behind her. "Back to that, are we Zuko?"
Alone once more, Zuko picked up the scroll and setting it aflame in the palm of his hand. His mind was all but blank as he watched the edges curl to ash and let it fall in a smoldering pile on the stone floor. 'She has ruined everything.' All notions of apologizing to the girl were gone.
AN: A little bit of drama for you all... What will happen now? Hopefully since I'm going to be on Spring Break in two weeks, you won't have to wait that long to find out.
Till then, thanks for sticking with me!
Love,
-ER-
