Chapter Thirteen
I'm uploading this ten minutes before leaving for school, so there's no editing or spell check what so ever. Bare with meeee.
An abrupt sense of furosity awoke in Yue, her brow furrowing against Zuko's chest. She had to save him. No matter what. Zuko would not die tonight, not like this, not while she sat beside him and did nothing.
Yue sat upright once more and mimicked the waterbenders she'd seen at the performences and parties, again and again she moved her hands over the Oasis, slowly dragging the water from the pool. Little by little, a steady stream of water flowed into her open palms, the simple task taking a lot of concentration for the ill-experienced waterbender. She didn't know what to do exactly, but Yue knew she'd save him.
Yue directed the manipulated water onto his wound, heaving out a relieved sigh. She had come this far... Yue hovered the water over the gashed burn, biting her lip, forcing the water to circulate, not knowing what was taking over her. She watched in amazement as the water began to glow, triumph surging through her core. She held the healing waters there, pressing it down, forcing it to seep into the marred skin, praying that she was doing this correctly. She was being driven by instinct, not knowledge.
She searched his face, his beautiful yet lifeless face. She was expecting him to jump up any second, take her into his arms, hold her close to him. But true to all of Yue's fears, Zuko did not stir. The princess began to cry again. "No," she whispered, the word ghosting across her lips. "Please, no…" She felt her eyes prickle with searing hot tears, and she felt her grip on the water loosen, and she watched with vapid panic as the healing glow began to fade.
"NO!" Yue screamed, her grip on the water breaking all together, and she watched with blurred sight as the fluid dampened his clothes and began to roll onto the grass. Yue bit onto her knuckle, suspressing a blood-curdling scream, never had she ever felt this desperate, this frustrated. What on Earth could she possibly do?
Yue could feel his heart still beating, beating shakily and abnormally, but beating all the less. She had some time. Not a lot, but some.
Yue could hear the screams of people fleeing the palace, the sound of fire exploding down in the city. Time was not in favor of the young lovers. All Yue wanted at this moment was to see Zuko open his eyes. All she could have ever asked for was in his beautiful golden eyes.
She stared up at the sky, the pale sun hidden by the black smoke of his people. The princess felt as if she would never stop crying, not until Zuko came back to her. As she let her head fall onto his chest, her tears ran down into his wound, her sobs muffled by his scorched clothing. She didn't know how long she stayed like this, but it felt like hours. She fell asleep, the exhaustion of the morning's events creeping up on her and dragging her down.
In her dreams, everything was perfect. She and Zuko would move back to the Fire Nation, and he would Firelord, and they would start a family. Two children. A waterbender and a firebender, like she had promised. He reached out to her in the haze of her revere, and she felt his warmth envelope her, wrapping her body with his strong arms, pressing his lips against her neck, holding her close to him and gripping her, keeping her there. It seemed real.
Her eyes fluttered at the feeling. As she opened them, she found herself staring into those beloved eyes. Yue began to sob all over again, as his eyes weakly glowed up at her.
"Thank you, Yue." Zuko whispered.
Yue felt her throat lock, and she felt his hands move from her waist and to her hands, covering them. "Zuko… How…"
Zuko glanced down at his chest, where he expected to see pools of red and gashes in his skin, but saw only sealed flesh and dried blood. Yue broke her gaze from his eyes and gasped, touching the healed skin. The area where the lightning had struck was wet. Wet with her tears.
She raised her eyes, glistening with question, to meet his once again. The princess placed her palm flat against his torso and felt the steady beating of his heart. She smiled, and ducked her head down, pressing her forehead against his.
"Yue… thank you. You saved me," Zuko whispered, running his hands through her white hair that hung like curtains on either side of her face.
"But how?" Yue asked, her eyes shining.
Zuko opened his mouth to answer her, but was cut off by a raging flury of orange flames. The small, circular door to the spirit oasis flew clear across the landscape. Zuko jumped to his feet, pulling Yue up with him. The smoke that hung in the air was thick and white, completely opaque.
Yue's heart raced, clinging to Zuko moreso than ever. Zuko squinted through the smoke as he saw the figure of the intruder begin to make way. He almost let out a shout of joy when he saw Uncle Iroh, stepping through the milky smog. He gave them both a grave smile, nodding, before walking closer.
"Uncle!" Zuko said, smiling, but letting the happy expression drop. Iroh gave his nephew a wary look. "Where is my father? And Azula?"
Iroh shook his head, glancing down at his feet. "The warriors closed in on them… they weren't prepared to take on so many skilled waterbenders, and I'm afraid that… you're father and sister are dead, Zuko."
Zuko, though carrying a deep hatred for them both, felt his heart twinge a little bit. Having such constant shadows in his life cleared away… he didn't know how to feel. "Oh," He managed. "… I see."
Yue stared up at him, "Zuko… Are you okay?"
He nodded, "Yes," He glanced down at his wife and gave her a wary smile, "Thanks to you,"
Iroh cleared his throat, "I think it is best if we leave for home soon… I would hate for anything like this to happen again. I've been off of the throne for too long, and I feel like we've done enough in this tribe…"
Yue nodded at the elder, "Of course, we'll leave at once, Fire Lord."
Iroh smiled, "Thank you for all of your understanding, Princess Yue. I know that my nephew loves you enough that you'll feel comfortable living in our nation."
Yue blushed, and felt Zuko's arm tighten around her. She'd live in the bottom of the ocean if he went with her, and she knew he felt the same way. "I'll be more than comfortable, your grace."
Iroh chuckled heartily, "Enough with the formalities, Yue. We're family now."
Iroh turned his back and began to walk out of the Oasis. "We'll be leaving shortly."
The couple watched him retreat, and Zuko turned to her. "Thank you," He whispered against her lips before kissing her deeply.
SORRY THIS TOOK ME FOREVER TO UPDATE
I LOVE YOU ALL FOR STICKING WITH THIS STORY AND SHIPPING ZUE WITH ME
LOVE YOU ALL