Time for yet another chapter. We still have a lot of story to get through, so be prepared for some angst. Also some conflict. And a little bit of tension. This chapter has some Ty Lee! Yay.

badonyx – very good question about Yuki being a blonde. I will address this in later chapters, but fear not, there is a reason. A potentially interesting reason…

Update: Fair point on the cabinet officials, AlleluiaElizabeth. Easily remedied in the dialogue by getting rid of the 'what say,' which I agree was a bit too British. As for the location of Hertzer, really, it's just a small, independent island nation somewhere near the Northern Water Tribe. Thanks for the comment!

And InItToWinIT, yes, I meant plum. Thanks! :)

Chapter 11

Ty Lee was happy to see that Mai's post-Zuko funk was gone. Right after Zuko had dumped her, Mai had been an Untouchable for at least a week. Even Ty Lee's own extremely well-thought out suggestions ("Hey, Mai, what say we make an effigy of Zuko and cut it to pieces?" "Mai, let's go shopping!" "Ooh, I could offer him a backrub and then incapacitate him for a few days! That'd be fun, right?") had been answered with a cold look and a single word.

"NO!"

The Untouchable stage had faded into a Mai that looked the same and acted the same, but whom Ty Lee knew was still in pain. But as it always happens, the pain in her friend's eyes had slowly faded. However, instead of returning to her normal, bland self, Mai had settled into a sort of cool jadedness, which had to be shaken, but for which Ty Lee had no remedy. No remedy, that is, until she happened to remember something her mother had said once, gazing out the window at a sister staring forlornly at the moon –

"She can't dwell on Then. She needs to create a new Now. With a new Him."

Being a bit of a dull child, Ty Lee hadn't grasped her mother's meaning at the time. But now, observing her friend's malaise, she knew what she had to do. Mai needed a new relationship, and new memories to dwell on. MAN memories.

The full plan, which took Ty Lee months to implement, involved a couple cousins, some cleverly written missives, a personal visit to Hertzer, and a whole lot of bribery. It had come to fruition, oddly enough, on the very day Ty Lee had overheard Mai mumbling about wanting a boyfriend. The very day Ty Lee had shipped Georg in from afar.

Finding a man like Georg hadn't been an easy process. Nothing simple for Mai. Given Mai's personality, Ty Lee knew her mate had to be upbeat. One of the problems of her relationship with Zuko had been the multiplicative power of their general BLAHness. Zuko needed someone perky, Mai needed someone perky. Simple as that.

But beyond that, Mai was high-class. She didn't act like it, and she didn't really stay connected to her family, but Ty Lee knew Mai would probably prefer a mate with royal blood. That narrowed the playing field significantly.

And then Ty Lee had remembered Georg, the new ruler of Hertzer. One of Ty Lee's cousins, Wu Fei, had emigrated to the country years ago and sent her periodic (and quite entertaining) descriptions of the flamboyant king. Ty Lee had visited the king, and, seeing his situation, had decided that he needed to get away from it all for a while. Georg had seemed reticent to leave, but Ty Lee's descriptions of Mai had caught his interest, and he had come. Ty Lee expected to be maid of honor for her trouble…

"Alright, kiddies, the time has come for…dun dun DUNNN…handstands!" She shouted this upon bursting into her carpeted classroom where twelve young ladies were stretching their legs and arms. Their eyes lit up and they gathered around the nimble woman, chattering a bit as they did so. "Now remember, my little children, to focus on the FEEL of the body." She took up a stance reminiscent of a monkey, one arm raised slightly higher than the other, one leg lifted, perfectly balanced. "The monkey knows what limbs to move, and when to move them. The monkey does not think about the handstand. The monkey HANDSTANDS." She lightly flipped upside-down so she was resting on her hands and staring up at her class.

"I don't think monkeys do handstands," one of the younger girls, Michiru, piped.

"And 'handstand' isn't a verb," another quipped. Ty Lee frowned and rolled her feet over her head, lifting herself to a standing position again. She drew herself up and frowned viciously.

"Talking back gets you no respect from ME, novices. Actually do a handstand and maybe I'll CARE WHAT YOU THINK." All twelve students were wide-eyed. A couple mouths dropped open. Ty Lee giggled. "Haha! Azula said stuff like that all the time. I've always wanted to try it." She beamed at them. They all managed weak smiles, finally understanding that Ty Lee had not actually turned into a crazy malevolent dictator.

"But seriously, do your handstands."

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Zuko wanted to strangle them all. Each and every member of his cabinet. They were ridiculous. Reporting back about his voyage should have taken an hour, tops. He had been meeting with them now for three days. And the meeting itself hadn't started until the week-long celebration regarding his return had ended. He almost blew steam out his nostrils when he remembered where he was: walking in the hallway, surrounded by the very cabinet members he was annoyed with. A couple of the older men nodded at him when they caught his eye. He clenched his hands, but managed to nod back.

Once they turned their backs to him to enter the conference hall, he allowed himself a grimace. The last member in line, a woman in her forties named Maka, turned slightly, noticing his expression. He started, but she only rolled her eyes in sympathy. He smiled. Maybe he didn't want to strangle all of them. Maka was one of the few members of his cabinet he actually liked. But he trusted most of them, and that was all that really mattered.

His secretary, Lt. Ren, droned the summary of the previous sessions. Zuko tuned him out after the requisite "This twenty-third day of the third month, at the sun's midpoint, we, the Royal Cabinet of our Mighty Fire Lord, King Zuko, may his name forever be emblazoned…"

Ugh. He would never get used to all the pomp the Fire Nation asked him to withstand. It was ridiculous. It contributed about 20% of the length of this stupid meeting.

"Ahem. Fire Lord Zuko, I believe when you said that Hanoi was the last island you visited, you must have been mistaken. In my record, that island is listed as Hanai, so you see, I am a mite confused as to-"

"Uh, General Shinatori, that's a smudge of plum pudding on your notes. The town is named Hanoi," a plump, balding man, General Fa suggested, thumbing his chin and gesturing at the table in front of Shinatori. Shinatori sat back and frowned.

"What? Ah, yes! Pudding! Ah, well let me just get that-ah, I see. Quite right - Hanoi. Haha." The other generals managed some chuckles of sympathy. Conversations like this accounted for about 55% of the length.

"Gentlemen, shall we make this meeting as short as possible? I'm sure we would all love to finish this session in good time for dinner."

"Dinner! That reminds me! My wife says cook is making a delectable peacock stew! What do you say to that?"

"Ah, well my husband told me he had just gone to market to buy some of the freshest mangoes he had ever seen…"

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Two hours later, Zuko had finished his report. The cabinet members seemed, on the whole, pleased with the political progress Zuko had achieved during his journey. Zuko himself had to admit the Fire Nation was now quite secure. They had few enemies, they were financially sound…

"You're thinking it's time to get you a wife, correct, Fire Lord?" Zuko almost jumped out of his skin. He turned to his right, noticing his bodyguards had let her through to him again. They thought it great entertainment. He would have to...speak with them.

"I'm not marrying your daughter, Loki. I've made that clear at least five times before."

"Well, it is the Fire Lord's prerogative to change his mind. I just think I should keep presenting the option. Just in case." She smiled ingratiatingly. Zuko decided to toy with the old woman since she insisted on annoying him.

"As it happens, I do have plans towards marriage." Loki perked up.

"Really, Fire Lord? Well, my daughter is quite the catch, so if you ever-"

"But anyone I marry will have to be someone outside the Fire Nation. Political ties are important at the moment, you see." Loki's mouth dropped open.

"You mean…you aren't even considering anyone from the Fire Nation? You…you might marry someone from…the Earth Kingdom?" Zuko grinned.

"Or the Water Tribe." Loki looked as if she could faint.

"The…Water Tribe?" She dropped her hands and managed a bow. "Tha-Thank you for your time, Fire Lord." She backed away. Zuko almost laughed. Loki was one of the members of the older generation (a blessed few, thank the sun) who still clung to their ridiculous xenophobia. The Water Tribe had been anathema back then – the opposing element presenting one of the greatest threats to his father's rule, next to the Avatar. That prejudice was faded, now, but Zuko still attacked vestiges whenever he saw them. Especially when it got him out of awkward conversations.

When he returned to his study, he found a letter waiting for him. Allowing himself a small smile in the presence of his guard, he lifted the letter gingerly and examined it. It was from Katara. He dismissed his guard and sat down at his desk, prying open the letter's seal, blue wax impressed with a stylized wave, with a heated finger.

Zuko,

Of course I memorized the poem. What true scholar wouldn't be captivated by those words? I plan on reciting it verbatim the next time we meet. But of course you have your country to rule. And I have my duties at the school. Which is doing well, thank you for asking. No students to teach yet.

Yet again you have failed to tell me anything interesting of your life. I infer that this means your life at the moment is boring. So I will cheer you up with this anecdote:

Today Iroh visited the school and decided to teach a firebending class for one of our adjunct teachers, whose name escapes me at the moment because we have five of them on rotation (can you believe it?). One of the students said something about being thirsty and was treated to a twenty-minute dissertation. And what do you think it was about?

"Tea," Zuko said aloud.

You guessed it. And then he proceeded to take all fifteen students down the street to one of the local tea shops to sample the fine fare. They didn't get back until the end of the day! Mai was furious that they missed her class. I placated her by sicking Georg on her. He's so useful. He makes us all laugh. I think he's great for her. Have you met him? He's really great for her.

Why had she written that twice?

Well, that's all I have. Now remember, although I loved that poem desperately, I do want to know what goes on in the Fire Nation. Toodles.

P.S. Sorry about that farewell. Georg is rubbing off on me.

Zuko suppressed a sliver of jealousy that she had written to him about another man rubbing off on her (growl) and sat back in his chair. She hadn't responded to his question about Aang. Had she just forgotten to answer? Had she not seen it? And why the double statement that Georg was great for Mai? He already knew Mai was dating the strange ruler of Hertzer. He had seen them making out in a park the morning he left for the Fire Nation. She had never kissed him like that.

Again, Zuko felt a bit petulant; as petulant as a Fire Lord could be without losing his ineffable cool. His ex-girlfriend was perfectly happy without him. The woman he loved told him stories about his uncle and "forgot" to write about the man he suspected she was seeing. His ego wasn't doing too well.

But why did she seem to care that he knew Mai and Georg were dating? Did that mean anything? He threw his hands up in the air, shook his head and pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment, dipping his pen into some ink.

Katara,

I love you. I love you and I want to kiss you every time I see you – your nose, your forehead, your eyelids, your lips. Ah, your lips. They're so red you could be Fire Nation based on those alone. And your eyes – I could drown in them and smile as the world faded from view.

I want you to be mine. I love you so much more than Aang ever could. What does he have that I haven't? I mean, yes, he saved the world, but I'm rich. And I'm a king. And I can make fire. Out of thin air. Hah. Well, okay, Aang can do it, too. Not the point.

The point is, I need you. Every time I'm away from you it's like something inside me is just wrong, and then I see you and it's okay again, but only until you're gone again.

Zuko sat back, reread the letter and sighed. Of COURSE he wasn't going to send it. He wasn't a complete fool. But it had been cathartic to get his feelings into words, even though he couldn't say them. At least, not now. Not until he knew she wasn't with Aang, that he had a chance with her.

Coward. He heard it in his head. It almost sounded like his father's voice, and he suppressed it with a growl. He was not a coward. He was not just running away from Katara because of fear. If she was happy with Aang, he would not ruin it for her. He wouldn't.

COWARD. Zuko pounded his fist on his desk, then grabbed the letter he had written and crumpled it up. He considered throwing it in the trash, but instead slipped it into his desk drawer and locked it securely. No need to let those particular sentiments out into a castle of eavesdroppers. If anyone found it, it would probably find its way to Katara's ears somehow. Best to keep it under lock and key.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Hmm…I wonder if that letter is going to come back to bite him.

Next chapter: another plot point! And possibly a twist? Perhaps even another letter. We shall see…