Chapter Nine

After breakfast Zuko lead her along what appeared to be a more up-market pier. Here, instead of stalls, where grand shop fronts with displays of wares protected by thin sheets of what looked like ice, but she knew that wasn't what it was.

"It's glass." Zuko told here when he noticed her expression. "It's made out of sand, limestone and lead. I'm not really sure how it's made…but I know it's heated until it melts. When it's cooled it becomes this." He rapped his knuckle lightly on the pane. "It offers protection for the merchant's wares, so they can be displayed without the risk of…sticky fingers…" He smiled.

"It's quite reflective…" Yue said, touching the image of her own fingers on its surface.

"We use it for mirrors too." Zuko said. "It's treated differently for that, so that it's reflective but no longer transparent. It's a pretty costly process, so only the wealthiest people have glass mirrors."

"How wealthy do you have to be?" She questioned. "You're the Crown Prince and you don't have one."

"Well...I'm not that vain that I need one. I'm happy with polished bronze." He grinned. "Azula's got one, though. A big one. It's taller than she is." He chuckled. "I've caught her standing in front of it just admiring herself."

Yue could well imagine the spoiled princess preening in front of her shining mirror, searching for flaws in her perfect attire while numerous servants tended to her hair…she didn't think Azula fixed it herself…she'd seen how the staff fawned over Zuko, who continually waved them off. Azula seemed to revel in her royalty in a way she'd never seen Zuko partake. The fact that she would admire her own reflection did not surprise Yue at all. She'd probably fit in with those two Fire Nation boys perfectly.

"Here we are."

Zuko's voice broke her from her thoughts.

Before them was a sleek little yacht. It looked almost delicate in comparison to the other sea-going vessels that surrounded and dwarfed it.

"This is not the same boat…" She frowned.

"You noticed that?" Zuko smiled, vaulting over its railing to land silently on its deck. He turned, and she expected him to offer her his hand in assistance. Instead, both hands closed around her waist and he easily lifted her over the rail. She blushed slightly as he pulled her down into his arms, her feet feeling weightless as they touched down on the deck.

"Her name is Namikakeru." Zuko said as he released her.

"SHE has a name?" Yue asked incredulously.

"All ships are female." Zuko explained. "I don't know why…it's a nautical thing."

"She is quite beautiful." Yue admitted, running her hand along the highly polished wooden railing. "I thought Fire Nation craft were metal…"

"Not all of them." Zuko said softly, uncomfortably, looking to the huge Navy vessel off to port. "That's mostly kept for the military…"

"So she's a wooden craft then?" Yue liked the idea, it reminded her of the ships of the Water Tribe. Beautifully hand-crafted vessels that were cherished for generations.

"Not entirely." Zuko admitted. "She has an engine along with the sail." He gestured to the mast. "You can't always rely on wind power. But the best thing is that I can pilot her all by myself."

It had been one of the few stipulations he'd made to his uncle's friend…he didn't want anyone else to be involved. It would be enough for Yue's people to accept him in their midst, if they even did. He was hoping his marriage to their princess would grant him some kind of amnesty in their eyes. And he didn't want any of his countrymen to suffer because of his decision.

"You know how to pilot a boat?" She asked.

"We are a seafaring nation." Zuko smiled. "And there are certain expectations for the male members of the royal family."

A dusky-skinned man stepped out of the craft's cabin, bowing respectfully.

"Everything is in readiness, You Highness." He said.

"Thank you." Zuko said, returning the bow. The man then bowed to Yue and disembarked from the tiny ship.

"So…are you ready?" Zuko asked a little too brightly as soon as the man was gone.

"Where are we going exactly?" She asked.

"To see the Fire Nation." He smiled. "There are a dozen major islands, and countless minor ones…and you've only seen two…and I'm going to be Fire Lord one day…so that means you're going to be my queen and so it'll all belong to you…kind of…and I just thought you'd like to see it…you know…before things get too crazy…"

He was babbling, something he did when he was nervous, and by the way Yue was looking at him he knew she knew it too. He swallowed, worried that she was going to question him, and he'd have to tell her everything, he simply didn't have his sister's gift for lying.

But she just smiled at him in that knowing, indulgent way that only women seemed capable of. She moved from her spot by the rail and hooked her arm through his.

"Alright." She said. "Why don't you show me how you sail this thing?"

It had been a wonderful, though surprising day. Zuko had been true to his word, he knew how to pilot the swift little craft through a combination of sails and firebending that she couldn't begin to understand.

Yue had expected to see more islands, but their route had mostly taken them through empty ocean. There was one, a tiny grey thing, totally devoid of vegetation with what looked like steam rising from the centre, that he'd given a wide berth and spoken little about. A while later they anchored just off a foreboding island covered with lush jungles, a complete contrast to the last one she'd seen. Zuko was looking at it with a mixture of awe, fear and suspicion. She couldn't blame him…it gave her the chills.

"What is this place?" She asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"The cradle of life." Zuko said grimly. He turned to look at her. "At least for my people. Our race originated here."

"Really?" Yue looked back at the island. It seemed so cold, empty and primeval. It was hard to believe that the fiery and industrious Fire Nation had sprung from this spot.

"According to the legends." He shrugged. "It was here that the dragons taught us to firebend."

"There are dragons here!?" She gasped, looking upwards, half expecting to see a giant, scaly, fire-breathing monster bearing down on them.

"No…" Zuko said sadly. "There are no dragons now…"

She'd have been relieved if he hadn't seemed so downcast by the fact.

"They must have been amazing." He said with a slight smile.

"Terrifying is the word that comes to my mind." She said with a shudder.

"Don't let their appearance fool you." He said. "They were highly honourable and majestic creatures…and wise beyond belief. Of course, they could also reduce a city to cinders with little more than a sneeze…"

She looked at him with wide, startled eyes, relaxing only when she saw his smile.

"You're teasing me…"

"Maybe a little." He admitted. He looked to the horizon. She followed his gaze and was surprised to find the sun had already begun to sink back into the sea.

"It's getting late." He said. "I'll heat you some dinner…I hope you don't mind the fish stew again."

"Dinner?" She frowned. "Shouldn't we be heading for home?"

He froze in the cabin's doorway, laying a hand on its frame to support himself. He'd been dreading this moment, the moment when he would have to tell her just what he was doing, and what his father was planning. He'd gone over it a hundred times in his head in a hundred different ways. He still didn't know how to break it to her…

"We are heading home…" He said softly, turning to look at her. "YOUR home…"

"NO!" She protested, her eyes suddenly filled with fear. It was certainly not the reaction he'd expected.

She ran to him, gripping the front of his robes, searching his face imploringly before dropping to her knees before him, head bowed.

"Whatever it is I've done to displease you I can make amends." She pleaded. "Is it because we have not lain together? Then take me. Take me now!"

To say Zuko was stunned would be an understatement. He was completely confused, totally flabbergasted.

"Wha…wha…what are you talking about?" He managed.

She looked up at him, tearfully. "When a woman of my tribe marries, her husband's family, his home, becomes her own." She explained. "If she is taken back to her father's home it is because she has displeased her husband. It is the greatest dishonour…"

Zuko blinked. After all the time they'd spent together he had almost forgotten that they came from two totally different worlds, from two very different cultures. When he found his voice he took her by the shoulders and pulled her back up onto her feet. He lifted her head with a gentle finger under her chin, smiling at her reassuringly.

"You've done nothing to displease me, Yue." He said softly, cupping her face in his hands and brushing her tears away with his thumbs. "How could you even think that?" His smile faded and he turned away. "It is my father who displeases me…"

"Your father…?" She echoed.

Zuko sighed heavily. He didn't want to say it, but he knew he had to. She deserved to know.

"He plans to invade your people."

"What?" She stepped away from him instinctively. "But…the treaty…our union…"

"Obviously doesn't mean that much to him…"

"I thought you were an honourable people!" She snapped. "I thought you kept your word!"

"It's only my father who had broken his word." Zuko growled, his own anger rising at her questioning his honour. "It is not something I plan to do." He turned away from her, gazing out at the island that was his ancestral home.

"I'm taking you home so you'll be safe…and so we can warn your people…" He said quietly. "…our people…" He corrected himself.

She remembered the discussion that they had had, one morning over breakfast. She had told him his people were her people, and he had declared that hers were his.

"But…you have a duty to the Fire Nation…" She moved closer to him.

"I know!" He said, the pain evident in his voice. "But I have a duty to the Water Tribe as well. I couldn't just stand by and let them be destroyed! I couldn't let you be destroyed." He turned to her as she lay a hand on his arm. "You mean too much to me." He whispered as he lowered his head to rest his forehead against hers. "I can no longer imagine my life without you. It would be cold…empty…"

"I know exactly how you feel…" She whispered back as she stroked his cheek.

There was no arriving transport, no ill-timed servant or returning Avatar to disturb them this time as they leaned towards each other.

He had meant for it to be a chaste kiss, the merest whisper of his mouth on hers, but something happened as their lips met. All their un-acted upon attraction, all their denied desire, erupted in a passion so pure, so powerful, that it threatened to overwhelm them both.

His arms coiled around her, pulling her closer as his hands shamelessly caressed parts of her body that would normally have had him running from the room in rosy embarrassment at the mere thought of touching them. Meanwhile, her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him down within easier reach. He drank deeply of the refreshing coolness of her lips as she revelled in the spicy warmth of his.

They parted only due to lack of air, but even then they didn't move, didn't release each other. They scanned each other's flushed face with half-lidded eyes as the warmth of the other's panting breath washed over them. Then by some unspoken agreement they crashed together again, like the waves against the sun-baked beach.

His hands moved lower, following the curve of her body until they were positioned in such a way that he could lift her from the deck. She didn't resist him, she didn't even break the kiss, as he swept her up in his arms. She trusted him explicitly as he carried her into the craft's small but luxuriously appointed cabin.

Given the heat that was emanating from his body, she half expected him to simply toss her on the fur-strewn sleeping platform and ravage her then and there. She was actually a little disappointed when he set her gently on her feet and pulled away.

The sun had fully set now and the room was lit only by the glow of the fire from the boiler that both powered the ship and warmed the cabin. His native element was reflected in his eyes giving the illusion that they were lit from within. At the moment they were searching her face with an unspoken question. It took her a while to realise he was giving her the choice, waiting for a sign from her before he proceeded any further.

Things were moving rather fast now, maybe too fast. She was scared, but she also knew this was something she wanted, something she'd wanted for quite some time. She took a step forward, back into his inviting warmth. She placed her hands on his chest, feeling him tremble as she ran them up to his shoulders. His breath hitched in his throat as her fingers grazed the exposed skin of his neck. She smiled slightly as she realised he was just as scared as she was.

He gently brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and she wondered what he was doing until he pulled the large ornament at the top of her braid free from her hair before setting to work on the other. His fingers were surprisingly gentle as he nimbly removed all the ornamentation from her hair. The moon had risen now, its light streaming through the cabin's wide windows. It danced off her skin, sparkled in her hair, making it shine like silver. He was still holding the topmost piece, the mark of her office, when he bowed his head to grant her access to his.

It was a far easier task, she realised, to free him of his princely crown. She had only to pull the pin and lift the golden cuff and flame upwards. He shook out his hair as she removed it, several strands falling rakishly across his forehead. She gasped as she suddenly found herself looking at the Zuko from her dream of…had it only been that morning? Of course this Zuko still lacked the confidence of her dream lover. His face was slightly flushed, his eyes uncertain, and he still shuddered whenever she touched him. But then, she was feeling the exact same way…

He turned slightly, placing her hair ornament on a low table. She placed his beside it. Their eyes remained on the table for a moment as they took in the symbolism. With their regal ornamentation removed they were, in essence, no longer a prince and a princess. They were just a boy and a girl…a man and a woman.

A husband and a wife…

Whatever passed between them this night would not be the result of their duty to their people, of their royal responsibilities to their respective lineages. It would be born out of the love they were only now willing to admit that they shared.