THE DEATH OF THE BLOOD ROSE
"What?"
"No" Garza gasps, backing away from the box. He moves another step back, looking from the burnt now decrepit box to the infinitesimally more beautiful coffin the supposed-to-be-dead Fire Lord as to be moved to for viewing.
Yu Lee remains still, eyes cast wide over the two distinctly male corpses-staring as though any moment, the visage would blur and refocus; revealing what he expected, the assassination he had been promised.
The bodies are withered, dry and wear an expression of innocent disbelief-a mocking imitation of the expression Garza is wielding as he stares at the coffin he had personally designed for Fire Lord Zuko to finally be buried in. The ostentatious work of grim art twirling and billowing over the white oleander-oak wood matched the ceramic reflective art of the vase holding the Death Flowers in the reception beautifully-the vase he found in Iroh's now-to-be-tomb.
Garza's disbelief is exponential in comparison to the other five figures in the room; the shocked Yu Lee, two servants and the two unknown victims of a previously well thought plot.
They underestimated the scarred brat…
"I have to leave" Garza said softly, his voice even and calm, a stark contrast to Yu Lee's frantic sweating and bulging eyes.
"What?" Yu Lee rasps, his eyes painfully snapping away from the two dead bodies in wide terror.
It was Yu Lee's terror that Garza understood, Garza's deductive mind grasping onto a fleeting prediction-a prophesized drama that he would not allow to float into the air and cost him his life. Something was happening, something was coming and the velocity in which it was moving on this unknown force would destroy him irreparably.
"Yu Lee" he said, his voice textured and strong-a voice deceptive in his flimsy vermin character.
"Yu Lee" Garza repeated calmly "Remain here while I go to Fang; there is a grave injustice performed on the definitely dead Fire Lord's coffin… they must have somehow made a mistake with another…"
Yu Lee nodded once, twice and then breathed a long sigh of relief; collapsing in the chair and wiping his brow. He had never been good at crisis control, thank Agni for Garza…
And it was with that that Lord Garza disappeared from the eyes of the Fire Nation and Yu Lee was found by Iroh-the Dragon General and the Lady Grand Master Toph Bei Fong; calmly waiting in the rustic wingback chair for Garza's return in front of two coffins-one empty and the other full to the brim with conniving evidence of treachery.
Xx~xx~xX
"Zuko!"
She ran to him and he stood bewildered in the middle of his funeral. He watched as her black hair flayed in the air, her black robe ruffling with her movement and her face held a joy that fought with her natural indifferent expression. She flung her arms around him and locked them painfully around his neck. He felt hot tears on the bare skin there, he felt her sobs in his arms and he felt the tightening in his chest at having wondered about Mai for so long.
"Mai" he exhaled and settled into her.
"I love you so much Zuko" she whispered into his stolen guard uniform.
"I love you too Mai" he breathed into her hair and the lump was released from his throat. The words he murmured were true... he was released from wondering... he loved her and it was true. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to memorise her scent, tried to banish the smell of lotus and fire lily flower's burning perfume... the smell of spice and sweetness... peaches... the smell of Toph. This was his reality, he had awoken from the dream... but when he opened his eyes he met a pair of opaque ones standing in the distance of the chaos, watching nothing and everything and partially hidden behind a curtain of black hair. Before he could blink, she vanished.
"I love you" he whispered gulping hard.
"Zuko?" Mai murmured, releasing him and staring at him with narrow slanted red tinged eyes.
"Yes Mai?" he asked her.
"Will you marry me?" she asked him.
"I said I would" he murmured and she smiled slightly, tucking her hair behind an ear self consciously.
"It will have to be soon" Kuya murmured, walking over to them through the throng of frenzied people, calm and collected and with her husband by her elbow as normal. "We are with child"
"We?" asked Zuko looking at Mahazai with wide shocked eyes. "Uhm... Congratulations?"
"Fire Lord" Kuya said slowly-through clenched teeth. "Mai is carrying your child"
Xx~xx~xX
The events that had carried out left little to the imagination when it came to the honour the Fire Lord Zuko had brought to his Nation. In the houses of commoners; the parchments that had been sent out with news of the Fire Lord's return, with details of a royal wedding to come and with revelation of the planned coup within the Noble houses-these parchments lay at the centre of many a dinner table inside Fire Nation houses, centred and inspiring hours and days of frenzied discussion on exactly what the cost of honour was in their Nation.
It terrified some that an Honourable Leader was in essence a Dead Leader; the riches they had managed to store in the name of being the supreme Nation came into question, conscious's weighed heavy at the thought that Houses of Nobility slept on silken virgin beds made out of deceit and cowardice.
For some it was expected, to some this was knowledgeable results of the sacrifices that had to be made to be the supreme nation.
It was when Zuko-the Honourable Fire Lord Zuko-announced the ball to be held in place for the few individuals who braved the unannounced slogan of treachery of the Fire Nation, the few individuals who showed honour and deserving elevation to a nobility lost on many-did they understand that their King was worthy.
Xx~xx~xX
"We should send a search for Garza" Oishii murmured-a soft sound that was almost unheard, timidly wringing his hands over each other.
"You can speak up, Oishii" Zuko sighed, the man's-a man old enough to be his father-fear of him prickling his heart.
"We should send a search" he reiterated, slightly louder but now the sound was riddled in stammers.
"No" Mai said.
Zuko remained quiet, staring at his hand in hers and feeling the coolness of it-trying not to wonder how his own hand seemed cool too. Trying not to compare the insistent heat in his palms he felt, the sweatiness and clammy larva skin he always had when in the near vicinity of Toph.
He huffed, squeezing Mai's hand a little and garnering a soft smile from her and looked to his Uncle.
"Do you think we should search for Garza, Uncle?" he asked Iroh who inhaled deliberately, releasing his breath in weariness.
"I think… we should rest" Iroh muttered, stirring Ursa's tea carefully and pushing the delicate cup to her.
"I agree" Mai stated. "We need to concentrate on other things"
"Garza shall die" Azula whispered, her hands folded carefully in front of her, head bowed down as if in prayer-her aura strange and secretive. "They will all die"
"The names you have mentioned on the conspiracy list, Azula…"Mai said carefully-still unsure on Azula, wisely so.
"Have no proof held over them" Azula murmured dryly. "For now"
"Zuko…" Ursa whispered past Iroh, leaning over Iroh slightly. "Remember what I said"
"Azula… don't worry about that" Zuko said softly, looking around the large table at all of them-the only people Agni had delivered to him within the Fire Nation that he could trust. "Just… don't worry"
"Hmm" she scoffed not raising her head. "You know… there are a number of Nobilities missing…. Including Ozai"
"Ozai is dead" Mahazai stated.
"Has his body been found?" Azula asked. "Have you found his body, have you any proof…"
"Azula!" Ursa hissed, slapping her palm on the table and rising out of her seat-startling Oishii "You will stay out of this… you will concentrate on meditation… you will…"
"Under whose authority" Azula whispered, dangerously low-eyeing Ursa through narrowed calculative eyes.
"The Queen Mother" Ursa growled and Azula retreated from the discussion without another word.
Xx~xx~xX
"The things Azula said…" I sighed, walking slowly with Mai in the garden, watching the setting sun with restless patience.
"She is always looking for an enemy" Mai whispered, weaving her fingers into my own.
"There is an enemy this time" I groaned, snatching leaves from a bush violently. "There is something…"
"Zuko" Mai pleaded. "I haven't been this happy ever. Please… halt these entire inquests until after our wedding…?"
"Yes" I sighed. "But I have to give Oishii, Qie Chang and Mi their titles"
"Fine" she smiled. "As long as you will be mine by summers end"
Xx~xx~xX
"You are taking this in stride" Iroh murmured walking in slowly, his greyish robe sweeping the ground. "I have a letter from Aang"
"Hmm" I breathed, leaning back into the garden chair. "I missed this"
"The chair or…"
"I missed the peace" I whispered. "The calm… the lack of worrying about things I had no control over and I think… my chi is at rest"
"So will Toph be coming to the celebration?" he asked, the mention of her name sending my body into a rigid jerking upright position, knocking over my tall glass of orange-mango juice.
"She… is not… interested in it" I said hoarsely, trying to be nonchalant about drinking the remainder of my juice, shooing the handmaiden away as she tried to wipe my mess.
"No, I guess she wouldn't be…" he sighed. "Well, if she isn't around there will be a guarantee of your 'rested chi'"
"Hmm" I breathed over the glass ignoring his stern gaze.
"So Azula is alive" he sighed after I didn't entertain his obvious attempt at talking about things he didn't even know about.
"You sound disappointed Uncle" Azula droned, appearing from behind the encroaching trees, a dead bird in her hand.
"What…?" I spluttered.
"It fell" she said indifferently, placing it carefully on the table and fixing its too loose dangling head. "I see you survived yet another coup yourself, Iroh"
"Hopefully those will be the last" Uncle said dryly looking away from Azula. "You must be excited about going of to a convent"
"You must be excited to be that old and nearer to death" Azula said stoically sitting on the edge of my chair and pushing my feet aggressively over so she could fit.
"As loving as ever" Uncle murmured.
"As fat as ever" Azula countered, taking my glass of juice and trespassing on my carefully crafted moment of peace.
"Well, isn't this an oddity" she laughed, poking my leg with a hot finger. "Zuko doesn't look like he is about to burst a blood vessel…"
"Can't you give me a moment of peace!" I hissed.
"Speaking of moments…" she said thoughtfully, placing a finger on her chin "Toph left without so much as a goodbye kiss-to you or me"
"Argh" I hissed, taking my juice from her and walking away from them. "You are all insufferable!"
Xx~xx~xX
Aang…
There is so much I need to talk to you about, dear friend. So much that I have seen and felt… too much I think. I wait your arrival patiently and thank you once more for controlling the Earth Nation tragedies that Garza was attempting to play out. We will discuss how to strengthen the Fire Nation bond with the Earth Kingdom on your arrival…
He is in hiding… I think he may still be in my Kingdom but his deceit has come under spotlight and lost him his supporters. On the subject of Garza-I fear there may be someone behind his own schemes, someone who had been using him as a puppet. We have arrested three of his co-conspirators.
The men and women who assisted me-it would be most honourable and fitting if both the Fire Lord and Avatar gave them their new titles and ranking in the world of Nobility.
I found my mother-or maybe she found me. She is with us-the Queen Mother and I would truly be honoured for you to meet her Avatar. She is a formidable woman, My Ursa. She and Uncle spend hours drinking tea and bothering Azula… I have never known this kind of peace and cannot wait for you to share it with me.
Yours honourably
Fire Lord Zuko
P.S: I am getting married and having a child.
Xx~xx~xX
Will this ever be enough? It seemed as our world settled in around us and my exponentially matured mind grabbed hold of this peace or soon to be peace-it seemed as though I had no choice. This had to be enough, I could not-I should not-go searching for the greater happiness because it was not mine to take as long as I had to repair my Nation. It was not mine to take nor was it being given to me by Agni.
My heart felt strained under the pressure I put on it to accept this life, to accept this 'peace' and not to question every fleeting emotion that ran past it with hungry alternatives. I would accept… this is what was mine; acceptance was the true alternative to destruction…
"Zuko" Ursa whispered, walking into my chamber slow and deliberate. She squints in the dimness, looking around curiously before taking a seat on the little coffee table set up below the large window.
"Zuko" she says again, staring intently at my submerged form in the wingback chair. "Are you going to go with Mai to the doctor?"
"Yes"
"Good" she sighed. "A grandchild… wow"
"Yes, wow" I whisper. "Entirely wow…"
Entirely amazingly 'wow'. I don't want to think on the things Mai said she did out of her love for me, I don't want to think that I have been walking around with no knowledge that I have been changed physically and have no recollection of it and I don't want to think about Toph's opaque eyes staring straight at me, as though she had been given the gift of sight from this unfathomable pain caused by the necessities of being a Royal.
I don't want to think…
But I know sooner or later these thoughts will find me.
Xx~xx~xX
AUHTORS NOTE:
Yes, it was short and I took a while to update. It didn't sit well with me and I kept re-editing and so on until I realised that this chapter was really about concluding another change in Zuko's life-a level of maturity he has reached, the end of his fairytalesque adventure and a new adventure to come.
Wheew.
Xx tj.
