(Dragonstone: 10/8/298 AC) Margaery IV
She felt like she was flying as she flipped down along the grassy field, the wind coursing through her bushy bundled hair. And Kai, ever overprotective, spared a glance or two in her direction as a brother would. Two of the heir of Dragonstone's closest friends drilled side by side, near the flowered hill. The Tyrell girl's acrobatic forms, and the young firebender's stances complimented one another and made them appear to be locked in a rhythmic dance. Both of their young bodies glistened with sweat, and training vests damp from exertion. The expectation of hard work breeding quality had been drilled into them by the Academy. The harsh requirements of Margaery's schooling had long since become so comforting, so necessary, that she felt lost without it. Her taut sculpted body was proof of her reliance on the rigorous athletic routine.
"Be careful, Margaery," Kai warned, taking a stance and thrusting his fist forward. A ball of flame shot forth and sped towards a mannish looking straw and cloth target Kai had arranged earlier.
"I've done this set more than a hundred times, Kai," she grunted, as she positioned her feet once more, and squatted down. She felt the power in her legs yearning for release before she let loose a series of eight backflips, ending in a split position with her hands between her legs, which kept her body just inches off the ground. "See?" she smiled, shifting her body forward. Margaery curled her legs over her back and rotated her arms to accommodate her weight before she planted her feet on the ground and rose up like a snake.
"Don't sweat it, Margie, you'll get the hang of it soon," Ty Lee's soft voice comforted her as she dusted herself off following a tumble into the dirt pit when she had attempted a handstand.
"It's too hard. You make it look so easy," she huffed, reviewing the soft, lightly muscled frame of her instructor.
"Me being this good did not happen overnight, Margie. Took years of practice," Ty Lee replied in her happy tone, leaping high into the air and rebounding off of the padded training pillars lining the modestly sized dojo.
Her eyes stared in wonder, hoping one day she would be as good. Before she knew it, Ty Lee landed atop a Wing Chun, hand straight, body balanced. There, her teacher remained, held upright by a single outstretched hand, no swaying, no sweating, no signs of discomfort at all. "Wow," was all she could muster.
"One day, Margie, you'll be able to do this, no sweat." Ty Lee smiled her bright smile, and leaped off the Wing Chun, landing perfectly before her. "But until that time, let's get this handstand straightened out. Shift your weight a bit," she urged, performing a handstand of her own. "Like this."
She inhaled, raising her arms to her chest, and puffed up her cheeks in determination. She shifted her weight forward, and swung her arms in a headlong arch…
"No matter how many times I've seen you do that," he started after stealing a quick look. "It never stops looking extremely painful." Kai returned to pumping his fists forwards, ducking and dodging against an invisible opponent.
"It's not so bad once you get used to it," she assured him, as she twisted her torso to smooth out a bit of soreness. "Ouch!" she felt her back muscles catch a bit. "More or less…" she grinned, stepping forward and reaching down into her black leather, rucksack to withdraw a plump water skin nestled near her small brass telescope. She smiled at the small stargazing instrument, before relishing a cool refreshing drink from the academy issued water container.
"Keep them safe," she remembered being confused when Steffon had spoken to her on the pier the night he had left for King's Landing. When she had returned to her quarters from the docks, two recently polished brass devices had been awaiting her, with a letter that read;
"I remember your stories about the nights you, and the lady Ty Lee would stare at the stars with only your naked eyes. I, Steffon Baratheon, do hereby apologize on behalf of my mother for the restrictions she had placed on telescopes in your youth. I am sure she would have regretted her decision if she knew how much her friend had enjoyed her times watching the night sky with you.
Only the finest materials went into the crafting of these two. Please enjoy them with my blessing.
Ser Steffon Baratheon, Heir of Dragonstone."
One was large and mounted on three legs, while another was small enough for her to carry. Both were made from polished brass and embossed with a rose and vine pattern. The lenses had been made by the Fire Nation glass smiths on Dragonstone, who used their bending to make glass clearer and far more quickly, and efficiently, than even their glassmaker counterparts on Myr. Whatever dealings the Fire Lord and Nong had with Myr to prevent animosity, Margaery knew not.
"Care for a spar?" her innocent voice uttered, eyes batting playfully.
"That's not going to work again," he answered, still focused on his own series of kicks and jabs, with bits of firebending sprinkled in between every other normal strike.
"Oh come on, Kai," she pressed. "You're fun to spar with, and you always keep me guessing. It makes every fight with you a learning experience."
The young firebender stopped, and looked at her before he relented and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine, but you know the rules, no Chi-blocking. I don't need to be added to the list of people you have made shit themselves…"
"That was an accident, and only one time!" she drew back, her face growing red. "Greyjoy, he…I didn't know hitting him there would cause that!" Sweat began to trickle down along the arch of her back, causing a slight shiver against the cool wind sweeping up from the sea.
"Haha," Kai snorted in between parched lips. His knees gave way to a sudden fit of laughter and he collapsed, his bottom cushioning his fall.
She blinked and couldn't help but giggle, knowing the firebender and the Ironborn ward had a taste for mocking each other. "Hehe, maybe he deserved it. He was being a bit of an ass," she rested her hands on her face, in an attempt to hide her mirthful tears. They both stood beneath the midday sun, enjoying each other's laughter. After a moment, Margaery lowered her hands, crossed her arms, and frowned, watching as Kai's final bouts of merriment subsided.
"Margaery?" he raised a brow, and rose, brushing off the back of his light red leggings, which were smeared with spots of dark green from the crushed grass. Kai's face hid a ghost of a grin that desperately sought to escape.
"Stop mocking me…peasant," she replied, attempting to present the sternest expression she could. Her voice, though slightly off, still held the type of harshness the Fire Lord had been known to use when displeased. "It's impolite to laugh at high born ladies, Ser," she stated.
"Apologies," he nodded, a grimace descending upon his fair Yi-Tish features. "There is no need for beating a dead horse, my lady."
She quickly realized her error and sought to fix it. "Forgive me," she lowered her eyes then looked back to her friend. "There is no shame in having a mother who cares about you, Kai. I think it's sweet that she didn't let you sneak away to the Stepstones with Steffon and Theon," her firm look melted away, and she smiled, patting him on the shoulder.
"Hmph, you don't know her. I love my mother," a soft look came over him. "But that woman still treats me like a child," he continued, crossing his muscled arms along his training vest. A smoldering look graced his golden eyes as he spoke, "It doesn't help that people keep mistaking me for a knight. By all rights, I should have been there with them, side by side, as we cut down those pirate scum." He let loose a deep sigh before a soft grin emerged from the deep scowl. "A reminder of an overprotective mother is better than the glory of knighthood, I suppose."
"You'll always be a knight to me," she assured him. "Besides, I'm sure there'll be other chances." Catching the beginnings of the smile, she tiptoed to him and began speaking in a motherly tone. "Where is my little Fire Nation officer? There he is!" she pinched his cheeks, grabbing what little baby fat had remained on his chiseled face.
"This does not amuse me, Margaery," he stood straight-faced, cheeks stretched between her pinched fingers, waiting for her to break. Soon enough he gave in and joined her in amusement once more.
"Say what you will of her, but she's brilliant," she stretched her arms into the sky, before arching them back and bending backward as much as she could. Her body formed an arch, while her hands touched the ground behind her head. 'I don't know how she made it look so easy…'
"So everyone tells me," he shrugged, lunging forward and lowering his hips until his knees had both been fully bent. "What would she say?" Kai wondered, before he cleared his throat, and began mimicking his mother's voice. "You repair one tank train, and suddenly everyone expects you to be able to build all kinds of tanks." The normally husky-voiced of her childhood friend cracked between every other word.
"She's not the only one tasked with the impossible," she muttered. "This island is littered with individuals given challenging commands. Some succeed…"
"And others fail," he finished.
"Not Fire Nation," she consoled him, a small spark of envy flaring within her. "The Fire Lord has shown far more leniency towards her own people than she does others." A brief pause overcame her before she remembered the stories of the Fire Lord when Steffon's mother had first arrived in Westeros. "That incident in her youth notwithstanding."
"I was just about to say," Kai replied. "Still, I suppose even with such limited knowledge…very limited knowledge of tank design and manufacture, my mother is still too valuable an asset to be shipped off to the Stannis Fort. Though spirits know Administrator Han does try sniffing around every now and then for anything incriminating enough to get her booted."
"Afraid of getting upstaged, is he?" she questioned.
"Most likely," he replied. "And given what Steffon has said of the Fire Lord's annoyance with our dear Industrial Administrator and the constant setbacks…" the insinuation hung in the air. "Well, let's just say all my mother would need to do to get a promotion is put forth even the most basic of working tank designs. Han, on the other hand, would find a new purpose in life as Custodial Administrator. A position he would find himself thinking on till the end of his days as he scrubs the floors of my mother's new office. But, that's for later," he added, waving the notion off. "We will see what happens at the end of the year when 'the Azula' either sets off or lingers in port because of design flaws."
"Speaking of which," Margaery rejoined, stretching her leg back, before bending it and catching it in her left hand to pull it up further still.
"Any ideas on who the new captain would be?"
"None," he responded, lifting his arm over his head and curving it over the back of his neck. Kai's free hand cupped his bent arm's elbow and pulled. "Although, I imagine the list of the people entrusted to captain the new Battleship will be small indeed. The Fire Lord would be my first guess, then Lord Stannis, followed by the Commanders, and so on."
"Chains of command matter," she recited Chi-Ha's mantra mid-stretch.
"When it comes to achieving victory, or suffering defeat," Kai added.
"And getting new postings too, it seems," she noted, relaxing her arms and legs, and shaking off whatever was left of their soreness.
"Evidently so," Kai snorted.
"You know, as unforgiving as she is, a part of me hopes the Instructor gets the promotion," she stated, sitting on the soft grass. For a lingering moment, she thought on her words, before finally laying down and looking up towards the cloudy sky.
"I take it no sparring?" Kai questioned, looking at her prone form.
"Meh, not anymore," she shrugged.
"She's an excellent instructor," Kai continued, relaxing his arms and sitting down beside her. "But I think she'd be better off striking fear into the students. Help build up the dread and respect all should hold for their superiors. Rather than dealing with privileged graduates who didn't face her in the Academy."
"A fair point," she replied, the grass crunching beneath her nodding head. "Although I'm curious, don't you think it would've been far more prudent to make three more cruisers instead of the one battleship?"
"As if that was my decision to make."
"Oh come now," she snorted. "From what Steffon and Theon tell me when manned properly, with benders mind you, the cruisers are more than capable of bringing down at least a hundred war galleys. They're faster and far more heavily armored."
He regarded to her with a curious expression. "It's more than just a single ship, Margaery. Just as the Fire Lord represents the Fire Nation, so too does the battleship represent our command of the seas. Her command of the seas. The name was not chosen because of mere vanity. It was meant to be a symbol of her reign. She has no comets prophesized to bring her great victories. She has quelled no great schisms."
"But surely the Greyjoy rebellion…." she voiced.
"Was not her victory," he rumbled. "It was the King's victory. It was during his reign that the Greyjoy's were defeated. The Fire Lord was merely just another Lord who assisted in bringing about that victory. All the history books will remember is how King Robert, first of his name, and however many titles that follow, saw to the utter defeat of the Greyjoy upstarts. A small side note will speak of that moment being the first true test of the true Iron fleet, and perhaps a mention of the young foreign-born woman who saw it through for her King."
"You are being dramatic," she noted, sniffing at the fresh sea breeze that blew by. "She and her people's arrival will be spoken of for ages to come."
Kai looked at her, yet remained silent. A flock of seagulls called in the distance, as if in agreement with her words.
"The Fire Lord is young, yet," she continued. "She still has time to leave her mark on Westeros."
"Perhaps, though the point still stands. 'The Azula,' is her legacy. Uncontested, and undefeatable," his words held the weight of cast iron.
"Like its namesake," she whispered, her voice lost in the wind.
"Once that ship hits the water, her name will never be forgotten. That will be the first stone in which the foundation of a Westerosi Fire Nation will be made," he looked to her and dug his finger into the dirt. "When the history looks back they will see that the first Fire Lord did not remain idle. That she did not give in to the excesses of rulership as many rulers do."
'Had he meant King Robert?' she wondered.
"Fire Lord Azula set in motion a revolution of industry and technology," he shot a quick look to her. "At the moment. That, her people, and our potential is all she has. All she will need to make Westeros, to make the world remember her." His proclamation had seemed to drain him, but he continued. "And should my mother encounter a breakthrough with the tanks, then they too will serve as a symbol of the Fire Nation's power. Of the first Fire Lord's power." Kai turned away, his golden eyes staring westward.
"Even so, King Robert still commands the fleet," she pointed out. "There are many ways such a promising future. Such a lasting legacy can be ruined."
She heard a sigh and saw Kai turn back to her. A burning look crossed his eyes before he once again stared out into the horizon. "I respect. I honor the position and titles of his grace, King Robert, just as the Fire Lord herself does. However, he is just King of Westeros. Not King of the Fire Nation. There is no such title. The Fire Nation and all technological accomplishments therein are and always will be the Fire Lord's to command."
"I understand," she replied, knowing full well what meaning the look in his eyes conveyed.
"Do you, Margaery?"
"I do," she sniffled slightly, the pain still fresh even after nine years. "I understand loyalty to the Fire Nation, to the Fire Lord. My closest friend died holding on to that same devotion. That same sense of promise. She was the kindest, gentlest, warmest person I had ever known, and she was willing to die for it for it all the same. If she had been given a second chance, I have come to accept that she would have chosen to die again. She never wavered. Disagreed? Yes. But she never let doubt overcome her loyalty. I would not be honoring her memory if I did not truly understand what she had felt all those years ago. What you feel, right now."
Kai pursed his lips and gave a stiff nod. "Apologies."
"No. I should be apologizing to you," she looked up to him and squinted her eyes, the light of the sun peaked out from behind the clouds and made him appear as a black shadow to her sight. For a moment he remained a shadow before the clouds enveloped the sun once more and he came back into focus.
"Nonsense! I was wrong to assume that…" a look of shame washed over his face, as the final words caught in his throat.
Sensing Kai's hesitation, she finished his words for him. "…that an outsider would understand loyalty to the Fire Nation?"
"No! I did not mean that!"
"It is alright," she cast a gentle smile, looking up to him, and resting her hands on her stomach. "I was wrong, to assume that I was one of you. I know I am not. I will never be like Ursa, or Chi-Ha, or…" she hesitated, "Ty Lee, as much as I wish to be. However, we both know, wishes are not reality. Otherwise, they wouldn't be called 'wishes.'"
"I beg your pardon, my lady, but as you said earlier on me always being a knight to you. You will always be Fire Nation, to me." He presented her with the Fire Nation salute, which she reciprocated from her lying position.
"Thank you." Margaery could not help the beaming smile growing on her face, nor the contented nausea that accompanied it.
"Between the two of us?" Kai leaned in. "If you want an example of someone more Westrosi than Fire Nation, you needn't look further than a certain woman footed man-child."
She threw her head back, somehow forgetting she had been lying on the ground, and slammed it into the puffy grass. "Ouch!" she let lose an unladylike snort, and laughed, before she regained her composure.
"By the way," he cleared his throat. "Have you heard the stories about her? The lieutenant, I mean."
"Which ones?" she closed her eyes and relaxed. The breeze had done much to cool her heated body. "The one where she is with Clegane? Or the one where she is with Theon?"
"Oh please. Theon has been infatuated with her for quite some time," he scoffed, glancing skyward to the sight of a small flock of gulls heading west, in the direction of the capital.
"Greyjoy seems to enjoy pain, so it'd be fitting," her eyes remained shut, taking in the smells and feel of the cool wind against her skin.
"If he didn't start the rumor, I'd be surprised. But no," his tone turned grim. "Not those. The ones about the instructor's years as a military officer. From before being stationed on 'the Ozai.'"
Margaery opened her eyes slowly, glancing towards her friend. "Oh, those, with the Earth Kingdom prisoners and…."
Before she could continue, something struck her face, something black and crumbly. Kai had seen it too, and both of them stared up into the sky. Coal flakes began to flutter down around them, which only meant one thing. 'Iron ships!' she thought, and mentally corrected herself. Stories of when King Robert had first seen 'the Ozai,' reverberated in her mind. The moment he started calling it an 'Iron ship,' the named appeared to stick, despite the Fire Lord having tried to correct him several times.
"Hmmm? I wonder who it is." Kai rose from the ground and dusted his reddish training pants off.
"Ship from Lyanna's bay maybe?" she offered, rising up alongside him.
"Could be," he replied then let loose a mischievous grin. "Want to go and see? Race you there."
"I don't know, we really should be heading back soon," she remembered. "They should be starting to set up the stage for the play, can't be late." She shook off some of the black flecks that had come to rest on her shoulder. "Instructor Tima has finally organized a play regarding the rebel Roku, and Fire Lord Sozin's Air Nomad conquest…"
"Yes," he grunted. "I am told she went to great lengths to have it presented as accurate as possible. That the Fire Lord oversaw its production in its beginning stages before departing for King's Landing. Though I think you are just giving me excuses because you are afraid you'll lose…" he smirked, then bolted in the direction of the southern sea cliff.
"Wait! Kai! Kaiii!" she yelled, chasing after him, nearly forgetting her small rucksack.
The wind rushed through her hair as she trailed behind Kai's muscular form. "Can't keep up, Margaery? Let me slow down a bit to help you out!" Despite his promise, he moved as if he had been part air, but she eventually managed to gain ground.
"I don't need your charity, Kai!" she shouted, the distance between them closing up as they crossed the flowered field. "I can keep up on my own," Margaery saw him growing closer, and closer, only an arm's reach away. The soft crunch of the grass beneath her feet gave way to the hard grinding of pebbles, until she eventually overcame him. She let loose a tongue and sped past, the dust kicking up behind her heels.
Kai coughed and wafted the dust away. "Just giving you a sporting chance, milady!" They continued their contest, shifting between winner and loser until they neared the southern cliff edge. "Almost there," he sprained, nearing her.
She surged forward, her legs screaming in protest. "You will not win this time!" she pressed, regaining her lead before finally coming to a stop at the cliff edge. "You…." her exhaustion crept into her voice, as she spoke. "Lose…" she rested her hands on her knees and stood hunched, her lungs desperate for fresh rejuvenating air, a smile playing on her lips.
The crunch of dirt and grass came up beside her, as she stared out onto the bay. "Just trying to be chivalrous. I didn't want to embarrass you milady," he struggled, his breath short and quick.
There, in the distance, they saw a cruiser, but it did not appear as they had been accustomed to. "Look!" she remarked, watching the expertly constructed mass of floating steel coasting closer towards the docks near the shipyard where 'the Azula' was approaching its final stages of construction.
"What in the spirit world is on the deck?" Kai added. His surprise was as great as her own. Atop the floor of the ship, they spied a glimmer in the light.
"The sun is reflecting off of something. Several somethings," she observed. Her hand hovered above her eyes, shielding them from the bright light above.
Suddenly he looked at her, then the small pack strapped to her side. "Your telescope! Brandish the thing and let us have a closer look!"
Margaery blinked in surprise, before she knelt down, laying the small pack on the ground. Its contents jingled, as she unfurled the dusty leather covering that protected her meager belongings from the elements. The brass felt cool in her hands as she popped open the ornately constructed spyglass, and set it upon her eye. She closed one eye and stared into the glass, magnifying the image of the cruiser. A dark feeling arose from the pit of her stomach when she realized that the gulls had gone.
"Well?"
"Hold on," she replied. "Patience is a virtue," a light scoff was all that she heard in reply. "Judging from the markings on the banner, I think it's the 'Firestorm.' There is a squad of five Fire Nation, three red priests, and twenty Flameguard, on its deck. They look to be preparing for the unlatching." The men guarding the box were deathly still. Their faceplates hid their faces, but their body language screamed in anticipation. The red priests seemed to have a haunted look in their eyes, their mouths uttering something she could not hear. Even from this distance, the metallic groan of the 'Firestorm' lowering its prow hatch onto the concrete pier was loud enough to be heard along the cliff edge. Movement drew her eyes to the other end of the dock, where she saw the Lady Mai, flanked by Instructors Chi-Ha, Zha-Meng, Chang, a dozen Fire Nation troopers, and four very large Flameguard. "It's the Overseer!"
"What?! Let me see!" he reached out, grasping at her telescope.
"No!" she slapped at his hands, before chi-blocking his arm. "Mine." She looked at him, before staring back down to the harbor.
"What are they doing?"
"Shut up!" Out of the black maw of the lower prow, a metallic box, escorted by no less than ten Flameguard. "It looks like a metal coffin with a window. It looks important," she continued peering into the blackness of the window, her eyes were drawn to it, but she did not know why, until she saw them. Blue stars stared out from the void, and a fell, inhuman shriek accompanied them…
