The Blue Spirit Chapter nine: The Masked Ball, an avatar: last airbender fanfic

The Phantom of the Opera is by Gaston Letoux and the property of (I've been checking for the copyright info and I have come up with none so I am gonna assume that it belongs to the Estate of Gaston Letoux)

Needless to say I don't anything with this.

Chapter Nine The Masked Ball

The outer shell of the scroll was covered in a mud and was improperly sealed. It bore the words 'To be handed to the Head Tea Server of the Jasmine Dragon: Li,' followed by the tea house's address, in shaky, hurried brush strokes. It must have been thrown out of the palanquin's window in the hope that some kind citizen would find the parchment and deliver it, which was exactly what happened.

Prince Zuko read the letter over and over again with fevered vision. His patience with the water bender was starting to grow thin. 'Just who does that peasant think she is?' he clenched his teeth. "The nerve of her.' He mumbled to himself as he shoved the white bundle of clothing into the merchant's arms. The poor clothing merchant could not help but to stutter as he quoted the price to the angered teenager before him. The banished prince grumbled as he paid the merchant and stomped his way back to the home he shared with his uncle. He went up to his room and slammed the door behind him completely ignoring the bewildered look his uncle gave him.

The scared prince spent the remainder of the day locked in his room, pacing back and forth, cursing random objects, occasionally throwing dirty glances at the offensive costume, and sorting out his mixed thoughts about the mysterious girl who had captured his heart.

For a moment he had imagined the water maiden forgetting her duty to the Avatar to protect him and his uncle from being discovered. This transformed into a conception of an unfortunate, innocent girl, the victim of the lunacy of the hidden world of the politics of the child Avatar and the war, But to what extent was she truly a victim? Who's prisoner are she? What was the secret she went through great lengths into hiding? His asked himself these questions with a cruel anguish; but whatever pain he felt did not compare to the unadulterated anger which he felt as he thought of the lies and deceit that surrounded the water bender. What had happened since her and her comrades entered this city? What influence of the Dai-Li has she undergone? What monster had carried her off and by what means?

By what means indeed, but what of their music? He knew some what of Princess Katara's story. After her mother's death, she secretly acquired a distrust for life. She only showed nothing but optimism to the world around her. She traveled the world with her brother and the Avatar like a smiling soulless doll. He noticed the pain in her eyes when he first lowered the gain plank on the feeble outpost her tribe was reduced to. He could not help but stare at her as she clinged to the old woman besides her. Those sad pools of icy spring water that were her eyes. And then suddenly a few weeks after he appeared upon her as the Blue Spirit she started to show life again. She sang to her heart's content. He had sang Oma in Oma and Shu and triumphed!

The Blue Spirit, for weeks, the Blue Sprit had been giving Princess Katara lessons. After all Prince Zuko was an excellent singing master. But now some one else had been taking her him away from him, and his was taking her for rides in the lower rings.

Prince Zuko's fingers clutched at his flesh, drawing small drops of blood on his chest, right above his jealous heart. In his inexperience, he now asked himself with anger, what game was the water maiden playing? Up to what point could a simple Water Tribe Princess make a fool out of the banished Fire Prince, who was quite new to love in everyway.

Thus did Prince Zuko's thoughts fly from one extreme to the other. He no longer whether to pity Princess Katara or curse her; and he pitied and cursed her turn and turn about. At all events he put on the robes of the White Chou.

The hour of the appointment had came at last. With his face in a hideous grinning mask, painted with gaudy stripes, looking very much like a snowball that got clawed in the face by a hostile cat. The prince thought him self most ridiculous, Men of the world do not go to a festival in a flamboyant costume. It was laughable. One thought, however, consoled the banished prince: he would certainly not be recognized.

This masked ball, being held in honor of the King's birthday was an exceptional affair. Numbers of noblemen had arranged to go, accompanied by a whole cohort of various types of artists and pupils of the University, who by midnight, began to create a tremendous din. Prince Zuko had arrived at five minutes to midnight. He did not linger to look at the motley dress robes displayed all the way up the marble stair case to the palace. It was one of the riches settings of the world. Prince Zuko allowed no facetious make to draw him into a conquest of wits, replied to no jests and shook off the familiarity if a number of couple who had already become a trifle too intoxicated. Crossing thrown room and escaping from the mad whirl of drunken ladies of the court in hand which he was momentary caught by a Miss Star, someone Prince Zuko would rather not be near, she was a tad too touchy for his tastes. He at last entered the room mentioned in the water maiden's letter. He found it a tad crammed; for this small space was the point where all the young nobles used to hide from their over conservative parents. The fun, here, was fast and furious.

The tea serving prince leant against the far door and waited. He however, did not wait too long. A black Chou passed and gave a quick squeeze to the tips of is fingers. He understood the meaning and followed the black Chou. "Katara, is that you?" he whispered, between his clenched teeth.

The black Chou turned around quickly and raised her fingers to the lips of her pouting mask, no doubt to warn him not to mention her name again while near the palace. Prince Zuko continued to follow her in silence.

He was afraid of losing her, after meeting her again in such odd circumstances. The grudge he was nursing for her was gone. He was sure, even now that she has nothing to reproach herself white, however particular and inexplicable her conduct may seem. He was ready to make any display of clemency, forgiveness, or even grovel. He was in fact in love, and there was no doubt that he would soon receive an explanation of her curious absence. The black Chou would turn around from time to time to see if the white Chou was still following her.

As Prince Zuko once more passed through the great thrown room, this time in wake of his guide, he could not help but notice a group of nobles gathering around a person whose disguise, eccentric air and frightening appearance was causing a sensation. It was a man no older then the banished prince dressed in rich shades scarlets. From his shoulders and over his head hung an immense blue velvet cloak, which trailed along the floor like he was some sort of king. Upon his face he wore a skull like mask covering up all ways to recognize who the person was.

One of the boulder nobleman's daughters placed her hand on the mysterious scarlet clad man, but a quick had shot out of a crimson sleeve and violently seized the poor girls hand; and she feeling the bone breaking grip on her wrist let out a furious grasp of dread and uttered a cry of pain before being let go. She quickly ran away being pursued by the jeers of some of the bystanders.

It was at this precise moment that Prince Zuko passed in front of the cloaked figure, who has just happened to turn in his direction. He narrowed his eyes, he did not know why but he did not like this man. It could be because of the way that the black Chou chose that moment to quicken her pace. Prince Zuko was sure of it, that man was the one in the A palanquin two nights before.

The banished prince wanted to through caution to the wing and charge forward, forgetting the princess; but the black Chou, caught him by the arm and dragged him from the throne room far from the drunken crowds, far away from the Long Fend and the false Kyoshii warriors, and far away from the hooded masquerader.

The maiden in the black Chou costume kept on turning back and, apparently, on two occasions, saw something that had startled her, for she speed up her pace and Prince Zuko's as though they were being pursued like common criminals. They went up two floors of the palace. Here, the stairs and corridors were almost completely deserted. The black Chou opened a hidden door and beckoned to the white Chou to follow her into the unknown room. Then the water princess, he know knew her by the sweet sound of her voice, closed the door behind them and warned him, in a low whisper, to remain at the back of the room and on no account to show himself. Prince Zuko took off his clown-like mask, however Princess Katara left hers on, and when the prince was about to demand she remove it, he was surprised to she her put her ear to the door and listen eagerly for a sound from the out side. Then she cracked the door open slightly, looked out into the hallway, and in a low voice said "They must have gone higher." Then suddenly she exclaimed, "No wait, they are coming down again!" She tried to close the done, however the prince prevented her so he could see what had frighten her. A blue cape of the man from the throne room and the stone boots from the Dai-Li were at the top steps of the stair case above him. He quickly shut the door and looked it.

"Why are they following you?" the banished stared into the sockets of the black Chou's mask. He went to grab her but she pushed him to the side.

"What do you mean? Why are who following me?" She said in a coy voice, angering the prince greatly. Prince Zuko clenched his fists so he would not erupt at the young maiden.

"Who is that man?" the scared prince demanded, his body temperature rising greatly. "He was the man I saw you with two nights ago, is he not?" the princess could do nothing but back up against the wall, unable to utter a single word. "If you will not tell me, I shall find out for myself." He turned his back to the maiden and unlocked the door and began to open it before the water bender, with uncanny speed and strength one would not think she would have, pushed the banished prince away from the door and barricaded herself in front between the door and the prince.

"You mustn't go out there, the Dai-Li they will see you." She breathed.

"Why do you care?" he shot back with venom dripping from his voice as he pushed past her and started to open the door once more.

"Please." She begged, "In the name of our love, please don't go out there."

In accents of childish hatred, he said "You lie, peasant, you do not love me and you have never loved me! How stupid do you think I am? Pretty stupid, if you expect me to fall for that. Why did you give me every reason to hope at the lake? For honest hope, peasant, for I do lack my honor, that does not mean I do not follow a code of honor and I foolishly believed that you were an honorable woman, when your only intention was to bewitch me into a false hope. You have bewitched everyone near you. You have taken a shameful advantage of your precious Avatar, who believes that you are some sort of angel, while you go about the city with mysterious men. I despise you!" with that the banished prince slammed his hand into the wall leaving a black scorched fist print. She allowed him to insult her. She only thought about one thing, to prevent him from leaving the safety of the room.

"One day, you will beg my forgiveness for those hateful words, Zuko, and I will forgive you."

He scoffed at her, "No you will drive me mad, that is what you will do. When I think that I had the hope to give my title to you, a simple Water Tribe wench!"

She slapped him "Zuko, you go to far."

"You are going to mad with all of your mind games, wench."

"You mustn't say that, I've come to tell you good bye, Zuko." She said in a grave and braking voice.

The prince steeped closer to her, staggering as he went. He would risk one more sarcastic remark "Oh, but I'll see you from time to time as I chase the Avatar."

"I'm not rejoining the others, Zuko."

"Really?" he replied with more sarcasm. "So your mystery man, is to take you away and marry you. I congratulate you. Hopefully I will wee you from time to time in the upper rings?"

"No, not in the upper rings, or anywhere else. Zuko, you will never see me again."

"Might one ask to what infernal darkness are you returning? For what hell are you leaving, or dear maiden, or for what paradise?"

"I came to tell you Zuko, but I can't tell you now, you will not believe me. You do not have any faith in me, Zuko; it is finished." She spoke in such a despairing voice that the prince had began to feel regret for any cruelty he had put her through.

"Can you just tell me what this is all about?" he placed his calloused hand on her shoulder. "You are free to speak with me; there is no one to stop you. You go about the palace dressed as a chou to come to this Agni forsaken ball. Why don't you go home? What have you been doing this past week? You seem to be more sensible, unlike your companions, Katara. Do you know what you are doing?"

The Water Tribe Princess simply took off her mask and said gravely "You would never believe me." Prince Zuko now saw her face and could not restrain an exclamation of shock. The caramel complexion of her former days was gone. Her face was pale, and a mortal pallor covered her graceful features, which the prince had known as so warm and gentile, and sorrow had furrowed them with pitiless lines and traced dark and unspeakably sad shadows under her dull, lifeless blue eyes.

"What has happened to you?" he demanded as he went to hold her, but she dodged his attempt.

"One day, I will be able to tell you. But not now." She said as she resumed her mask ; and she went away, forbidding him, with a simple gesture, to follow her.

He tried to disobey her; but she turned around and repeated her gesture of farewell with such an authority that he dared not follow. He watched her till she was out of site. Then he also went down among the crowd, hardly knowing what he was doing before he returned to his home and resumed his blue oni mask and black clothing. At two o'clock in the morning he creped down to her home , in the shadows. He slipped through the window, there was no one home. The house was completely empty. One of the lanterns was burning, turned down low. He saw some blank parchment on a little desk. He thought briefly of writing a note to her, but her heard soft footsteps walking up to the front door. He only had time to hide behind a curtain in the main room. Princess Katara entered, took off her mask with a weary movement and flung it half heartedly onto a nearby table. She signed and let her pretty head fall into her two small hands. What was she thinking of? Of the Avatar? Of her family? No for the masked prince heard her murmur "Poor Zuko." At first, he thought he must have been mistaken, To begin with, why would she pity him? He trembled as she repeated "Poor Zuko."

Katara began to write, deliberately, calmly and so placidly that the Spirit, who was trembling from the effects of her words. She wrote on, filling two, three, four sheets. Suddenly she raised her head and hid the sheets in her robes. She seemed to be listening to something. A voice, soft and honeyed seem to resonate through the walls of the small house. The voice came nearer and nearer, it came through the wall, it approached, and now the voice appeared to be in the room, in front of the Water Tribe Princess. Princess Katara rose and addressed the voice, as though some one was beside her, " I am here." She paused "I am ready. But you are late." The Masked Price, peeping from behind the curtain, could not believe his eyes, which showed him nothing. The princess's face lit up. A smile of happiness appeared on her bloodless lips, a smile like that a sick person would give when they receive the first hope of recovery.

The voice echoed through the house. "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai." The princess's pupils dilated and she looked as if she was a living doll.

"I am honored to accept his invitation." Prince Zuko saw the princess stretch out her arms to the voice. Strains went through the banished price's heart. Struggling against the charming voice that seemed to deprive him of all of his will and all of his energy and almost all of his lucidity, at the moment when he needed them the most, he succeeded in drawing back the curtain that hid him and he walked to where the Princess stood. She herself was moving to the back of the house, the whole was of which was occupied by a row of mirrors that reflected her image, but not his, for he was just behind and entirely covered by her. Princess Katara walked towards her image in the center mirror and the image came towards her. The two princesses, the real one and the reflection ended by touching; and Prince Zuko put out his arms to clasp the two in one sweet embrace. But he was suddenly a sharp rock rose from the floor, knocking him back. He was barely conscious when he saw not two, but four, eight, twenty Princesses spinning around him, laughing at him and fleeing so swiftly that he could not touch a single one of them. At last, everything stood still again; and he saw himself in the glass. But the maiden had disappeared. He struggled as he rose and went to the glass. He struck at the walls with his fist. Nobody, and while the room still echoed with the distant voice saying, "Lake Laogai."

Which way could she had gone? By which way would she return? Would she return? Had she not declared to the prince that everything was finished? And what did the voice mean about the Earth King and Lake Laogai? The masked prince sunk to his knees. "What the hell is going on?!"

Author's notes: Well that was a pain in the but to write. This will prolly be the longest chapter in the story, but we will see. I am still getting a giggle about Zuko in a Chinese Clown costume –snicker snicker-

Anywho I've been a bad Maron and have been working on my art work this week instead of writing. I'll admit it. If you are curious of my art please go to http heavenlymaron dot deviantart dot com you will see it there.