Zuko

Father was angry. Zuko could see it in the way he moved, the way the fire dancing around him was tinged white, whipping furiously like lightning. Could see it in the way his jaw clenched and shook ever so slightly. Zuko mentally made a list of all the things he had done wrong in the last few days, for his father's fury was an ugly, unpredictable thing.

He'd made no transgressions, at least not recently. And their training session was going remarkably well- he could keep up with his father for once, matching him flame for flame, blow for blow.

Zuko wondered if he should ask and then decided better of it. Azula would ask, but Zuko was not Azula and for that he was grateful.

An instinctive roar ripped from his throat as he split the wave of fire coming at him, firing back with his own barrage. His father stepped sideways, his loose hair fluttering with him. His father's arms churned in swift methodical circles, the air around him stirring to life. Electricity began to spark around his fingertips, bright and deadly, beautiful and fatal.

For a moment Zuko paused, rapt, as the particles of energy separated, trembling in the air. Ozai brought his hands together and aimed them at the Crown Prince. The lightning crashed together, arcing viciously in the air between them.

Zuko closed his eyes and allowed his instincts to take command. He extended one arm, feeling the hair on his arms rise as the lightning coursed through him, raw energy that set his blood alight. He guided the energy into him, into his core, and pushed it out through his other arm. The lightning surged into the sky with a thunderous crack before it was gone, dissipating back into the air.

He realized he was sweating as his feet slid back into place, giving a bow of deference to his father. Surreptitiously wiping his brow, Zuko awaited for his father's dismissal.

Instead, Ozai gestured for his son to follow him. Zuko did as he was bid, lingering just a pace behind as respect dictated him too. Disrespect had gotten men maimed and killed, exiled and "disappeared".

They ambled through the palace complex, where statesmen in silk red greeted his father and then addressed him, almost as an afterthought. They all feared his father, as most people did. Zuko didn't blame them- a man who had overthrown his brother was meant to be feared.

They walked and Zuko waited, certain that his father was not merely enjoying his company. They walked under the arch that connected the main palace to the administration buildings, with a courtyard on one side and a long mall on the other. The open space was historically a place where battles of Agni Kai- fights of honor between firebenders- took place.

"Your mother wishes to see you betrothed in the next year," Ozai said without preamble. He kept his gaze sidelong, seeming to look at everywhere else but at his son. "She has given you three options. The friends of your sister, or the Water Tribe girl."

Zuko sputtered. The Water Tribe princess was their /hostage/ and he was fairly certain that the Northern Water Tribe would not take kindly to their lost princess being betrothed to her captor. He wondered why his mother had become so set on seeing him married and he realized that like everyone else in the palace, he was a game piece to be manipulated and played. Except he was the most important, he was the Crown Prince and the heir. He and Azula, and Yue, were the king's Pai Sho tiles. "And I have to make up my mind now?"

The Phoenix King did not reply, which Zuko took to be a negative answer. Zuko imagined the idea of marriages made his hard-faced, authoritarian father just as uncomfortable as it made him. Of their family, it seemed that only the Phoenix Queen had the predilection to the softer ideas of love and happiness in marriage- even Azula shunned it.

Then again, Azula shunned anything she couldn't dominate.

Ozai looked at his son, at the space between his eyebrows, and Zuko could feel the heat rolling off of him in palpable waves. "The Avatar has returned," he said shortly.

Zuko wondered if that was supposed to mean anything to him. He knew of the Avatar in the way that all children knew of the Avatar: he was the only mortal who could traverse the world of the gods and spirits and the world of men. The only one who could bend all four elements. He had disappeared generations ago and had fallen into myth. Zuko hoped his confusion did not show on his face.

"...is this a bad thing?" He asked, mostly to himself.

His father had every opportunity to strike him or reprimand him, but he seemed too caught up in his own vision. "The temples reported a resurgence of activity that could only be explained by his rebirth. The cycle had been traced to two points of possibility."

Zuko had not been foolish enough to think that his father's sudden interest in the Water Tribes had been for anything other than power. He had not realized, however, /what/ kind of power. The Avatar was alive amongst the waterbenders, possibly already discovered and under their protection.

Possibly being fostered as a weapon against the Fire Nation.

It was very clever of his father, Zuko thought. He had tried to be diplomatic, but the incorrigible Southern chief had refused to agree. It was a shame, truly, but all things had to be done for the good of their dynasty. It would not be the first savage thing his father had done (Zuko's mind drifted to the story of his uncle and the boy who would've been his cousin).

All empires, Zuko thought, were made of blood and fire.

The ships, the blasting jelly. Of course, Zuko realized and could not stop his stomach from churning. Destroying the North to find the Avatar was like burning down the palace to kill a fly. Killing the chief had been like slaughtering a merchant in order to find the one who had cheated him.

His family had a history of overkill.

He begged his father for dismissal and it was granted to him. Zuko made his way into the palace proper, surprised that he had not encountered Azula. She was probably abusing poor Yue, who had been unfortunate enough to become the current source of his sister's entertainment. She took great delight in using the both of them and Zuko shuddered inwardly at the memory of yesterday's experience with Ty Lee's chi - blocking.

The corridors were busy, as the palace was preparing to host a gala for some distant cousin who had fallen into money and nobility. It was Mother's idea and the rest of them simply fell in line. Lanterns of prosperity were hung from the roofs and the dark tiled falls were in the process of being waxed.

Claws clicked on the floor and a mass of white lunged towards him, appearing from around a corner in a flash of glinting teeth. Zuko raised his arms and let the snarling beast fly over his shoulders, landing onto all fours on the other side of him.

Yue came running after her polar dog, hands covering her mouth. She slid, both of her legs in either direction, arms working in frenzied circles. Zuko reached out as she slammed half into him and half into the wall.

What timing, he mused. Zuko held her steady, hands on her shoulders, and looked down into her face. Despite himself, his discussion with his father came to mind and a hot blush came upon his cheeks.

The princess of the Northern Water Tribe pushed away from him, spewing out an apology for both her clumsiness and the behavior of her pet. She threw a glare at the hall she had left. "Sorry," she said, adjusting herself. "I was chasing after Tui and didn't realize how slippery the floor was."

Zuko noticed at she was not looking at him, hard blue eyes instead focused over his shoulder. Her voice had changed as well- it seemed harsher and clipped, impatient, even. Zuko, not fluent in the language of women, wondered what he did wrong. Azula was the only woman who vocalized her displeasure in a way that he could understand.

The Prince was tempted to ask what was wrong, but he remembered that Yue had every right to hate every single one of them. She was their hostage, a valuable playing piece yet still a disposable one. She was surrounded and vulnerable. Her hatred did not have to be explained.

But still, it hurt. Just a bit.

Yue whistled and her dog trotted back to her, crouching at the princess's feet. "If you will excuse me, I am going to the library."

Zuko stepped aside to grant her passage and he could not stop the image of the North crumbling and burning from taking over his vision. He imagined Yue kneeling before his father's dais, burned and bloodied, sobbing. "I'm sorry," he blurted out.

The white-haired young woman froze in her tracks, tilting her head to look back at him. "For what?"

For what's going to happen to your home. For having to murder a man. Zuko clenched his jaw, sweltering under her frigid stare. He shook his head. "I...just wanted to apologize?"

She gave him a terse smile, one that failed to reach her eyes, and turned away from him. Her pet waggled its haunches, as if preparing to make a second charge. Zuko decided not the take the chance.

The princess left just as quickly as she had appeared, though noticeably more graceful. Zuko watched her go, tasting ashes in his mouth and he knew that all empires were cut from blood and fire, but still. But still.

.

The night of the gala it rained, gently and quietly, sliding languidly down the windows of the palace. The guests of the Phoenix King were safe inside, however, drifting through the halls. Soft music wound its way from the entertainment wing and servants ghosted through the crowd of nobility bearing small appetizers.

Zuko adjusted the high collar of his tunic once more and an old woman continued to describe her daughter to him, young Lady Such-and-such who danced wonderfully and had a head full of the prettiest, blackest hair. He nodded absently, searching for any path of escape.

He found one in Azula, savagely berating a servant for serving her the wrong wine, golden eyes ablaze. The poor girl cowered before the princess, whimpering apologies. Zuko crossed over to his sister, whose gaze snapped up to him.

"Is it so hard to find decent employees?" His sister complained. "This is what happens when you let Mother do the hiring." She rolled her eyes and stepped back into the shadows, pulling Zuko along with her. Raking a finger down the side of his neck, Azula pointed out two figures in the crowd. "You see that woman, Zuzu? She wanted me to introduce her daughter to you. Her daughter is twelve. And the man," she gestured to a man who appeared to be in his thirties, "that's Takuma's new replacement."

It had taken months to find one and train him the art of the old man's position. Zuko thought of the mysterious circumstances of Takuma's death and he hoped - for the sake of this new man- that the same fate would not befall him.

"Where is she?" Azula asked suddenly.

It didn't take long for Zuko to figure out just what "she" Azula was talking about. He searched the long hall, locking in on the young woman conferring with a group of older men and women. Princess Yue was adorned in audacious blue, white hair screaming against the dark colors of the hall. Her neck was thrown high, comb glinting. She stood in the proximity of the Phoenix King, who looked just as agitated as his children. Zuko saw that the girl's eyes were ablaze with a hot deep set emotion that he could only define as disgust.

As hatred.

"How dare that peasant," Azula seethed, fire leaping into her eyes. "Standing next to Father as if she belongs there!"

The Phoenix King didn't seem to mind the Water Tribe princess and Zuko didn't see an issue either, but Azula seemed to boil with rage. Zuko wondered what made female emotions run so high. He opened his mouth to speak and then thought better of it.

"Go find Mother," Azula ordered. "She must be the most beautiful one here, not her."

Ah, thought Zuko. Petty jealousy was the culprit at work here. He obliged, preferring not to face the wrath of his sister or to remain any longer in the swamp of pettiness and anger. He left the gala hall, leaving the crowd behind.

He checked the party rooms first and did not find his mother. Zuko frowned as he meandered through the halls, finding himself in the private wing of the palace. These, too, were empty.

He found only a servant, entertaining the Northern princess's polar dog with a knot of rope. The canine turned its eyes onto him, baring her teeth. Upon recognizing him, the dog let out a deep moaning growl, white tail raised high in a threatening flag. Zuko threw up his hands in surrender and took a wary step back. He turned heel and moved back the way he had came, back into the main halls.

He passed the queen's gardens, pausing to drink in their beauty. The pond shimmered and there amongst the lilies cast in starlight, Zuko Prince of the Fire Nation found his mother.

The Phoenix Queen had her back pressed against the wall of the palace, skirts lifted to her thighs like a common courtesan, pale hands grasping hair that was not his father's. For a moment- an eternal heartbeat - Zuko did not understand what he was seeing. He took a step forward, preparing to bring fire to his palms. His mother was being dishonored and he could not would not stand for it.

A sharp intake of breath stole his attention. Zuko looked to the left of him, to the other side of the garden where the other hall met the garden entrance. Swathed in darkness, white hair aglow in the damp night, the princess Yue met his gaze. They held each other there for an eternity, neither speaking nor daring to look away. The lady Ursa and the man paused and she turned her lovely white neck to Zuko's direction.

Her eyes widened and Zuko, his heart beginning to race, turned tail and fled.

He returned to the celebration, finding that everyone had migrated to the dining hall. A place at been set for him on the left of his father and beside that was Azula. Zuko sat down heavily, focusing on the mat underneath the empty bowl in front of him.

Yue came and sat on the other side of Azula, throwing them both a radiant smile. She lingered on Zuko, blue eyes turned up at the corners.

The Phoenix Queen arrived moments later, falling into place on the right side of the King. She laid her hand on her husband's sleeve and held the gaze of her son, slow and cool.

The guests continued to filter in, taking their respective places. At the same time the courses began to flow. To begin, the servants brought out steamed fire flakes dressed and served with a cool dip made from cucumbers. A boy carrying milk served those with weaker mouths.

At the behest of his mother, a cup-bearer poured Zuko's cup full of wine. He drank deeply, noting that Yue did the same, blue eyes peering over the rim of her cup. Azula followed gracefully, her red lipstick leaving a wicked kiss on the glass. She smiled and played the game accordingly, ramming her foot into Zuko's shin when he drank too quickly.

"You're a prince," hissed his sister, her talons digging into him. "Don't embarrass Mother. And especially not Father."

Mother has already embarrassed herself, Zuko wanted to say, but he could not give the words sound.

A conversation rolled up, concerning a province in the Earth Kingdoms that Zuko had heard of, but whose name and significance escaped him. He joined in when he could, letting the wine loosen his tongue until he was laughing freely at Lord So-and-so's jokes. Commander Zhao had joined them at the head table, adorned in his red sash, and Zuko wondered when he'd arrived.

They poured the wine to him, more and more, until the words fell heavy and unintelligible from his lips and his father's stare pierced him with disgust. Azula kicked him once and then twice again. Even Yue had paused, hands folded primly in her lap.

"Zuko." That was Mother, her white face hovering, blurred, above the table. She was facing him. "You've begun to look ill, perhaps you should retire."

I am not ill, he wanted to announce, but my mother has no more honor than a woman of the red lights. My mother is a who-

Azula clutched his arm and rose abruptly. He swayed and another woman might have swayed with him, but not Azula. They marched together from the hall and his sister cursed him under her breath as she half led half dragged him down the corridor.

"You are an embarrassment." She snarled when they were alone in his room. She viciously tore off his shoes and belt, which contained a ceremonial dagger cut from bronze and quartz. Zuko flopped onto his bed while his sister tucked everything away. "I should've been born first. The Crown Prince doesn't make a fool of himself, you idiot."

"Don't...call me that," he slurred and Azula scoffed.

She went to the door and lingered just long enough for him to see her face in the full, her features rippled in that graceful abhorrence. She left, closing the door behind her.

A moment later- or was it an hour?- the door opened once more. In strode the princess of the North and she came to his bedside, laying a cool hand upon his forehead. Yue dragged a finger down his flushed cheek, eyes glittering with the ocean and the stars, lips red as blood, as wine, parted just so. "Don't worry," she whispered for his ears alone, "I won't forget."

Zuko's mind swam, crashing against his skull in violent waves, lapping at his thoughts and pulling him under. "My mother," he murmured.

Yue shushed him sweetly. "I know," she replied. "I know. It's safe with me." She sang those words, the same way that Azula used to sing when she knew his secrets. Zuko wondered if he should feel afraid.

The Avatar was alive, he remembered suddenly. He wondered if she knew.

Yue sat upon the edge of his bed for a moment more, and then she slid away, a ghost in the night, white hair a spectre in the dark. And when morning came- too soon, too brightly- Zuko's mouth was dry. His head throbbed and at some point he felt as though he were forgetting something, as though a precious secret hung at the back of his throat, nameless and nondescript, waiting anxiously to fall out.