Author's Notes

Just to be safe, let me put the first (of many) warnings on this chapter. As I am not fully sure and aware on all of the subjects that I should look out for, I figured that I would broaden my scope and include this. Furthermore, I promise that I would educate myself on this matter so as to better deliver the story, and not cause any unintentional discomfort to the readers.

This chapter will possibly include manipulation, coercion, threats, implied desire, hints at abuse, hints at prostitution, cursing.

-TheGreatestConWoman-

The crisis regarding the Kemurikage, as well as the restlessness of the people, finally died down after a week of silence and rehabilitation. The city gates were reopened and the ban on travel was lifted. The houses and establishments ruined during the protests and riots of the Safe Nation Society were restored, affected people were reimbursed. All was well, except for one.

The Fire Lord has not left the palace ever since he addressed his people and made his promise.

Most folks were worried, thinking that Fire Lord Zuko had fallen ill after the crisis. Others were still doubtful, still hung up on his perceived inexperience in leading the Fire Nation.

But all talk of the Fire Lord's inactivity was put aside when a much-anticipated event was finally revealed to the public, the coming-of-age ceremony of an apprentice entertainer.

Not just any apprentice, but the late Royal Noble Concubine's student, Chiyo.

A well-known artist was commissioned to make the publication materials of the event. The portrait he drew perfectly captured the girl's delicate, flawless features; giving emphasis to her eyes and lips, promoting her most enticing attributes.

Posters of her were put up around the Capital, in the plaza, on message boards and inns. The Salinja Troupe spared no expense, going as far as sending envoys to the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes about the ceremony.

The day after that marks the first step of the ceremony, the invitation to patrons.

Chiyo stared at her reflection in the mirror as the two aides dressed her for this supposed joyous occasion. Today would be the first time she would be stepping out of the troupe quarters in weeks.

She felt like she had been there for an eternity.

"I-I brought you s-some tea..." A weak voice spoke from outside her private room. An aide opened the door and the child walked in. The young girl was thin and shaking terribly as she held the wooden tray and set it on a table.

Chiyo sent the aides away. Once they were gone, Chiyo knelt on the floor so that she could see the child eye-to-eye. "You're shaking... Have you eaten?"

The young girl nodded her head. "One of the ladies gave me bread..."

"That's good." She smiled, but it never reached her eyes. "You should always take care of yourself."

Suddenly, the child burst into tears and threw herself into Chiyo's arms. "I-I'm so sorry! I-if it weren't for us, y-you wouldn't... you wouldn't—"

"Chiyo," The familiar chilling voice of Lady Vira came from behind them. "The servants said you were ready. It's time to go. The sooner we start, the sooner we finish."

Her smile fell and faded into the façade she was used to wearing nowadays, one of indifference. She clenched her fists and stood up, following the older woman obediently through the walkways of the quarters.

Their first destination was the richest merchant in the Capital, a wealthy middle-aged man who owns more than half of the blacksmith shops in the entire Fire Nation. His business soared to greater heights after the war, now that he had contributed greatly to the engineering of new machines for the refineries.

A businessman like him is busy from day to night, but he took his very first day-off in years just to receive the invitation of the Salinja Troupe.

Chiyo played the guqin as Lady Vira and the merchant talked over tea. As instructed, she was to be silent unless spoken to, eyes downcast and focused on the strings rather than the conversation that would determine her fate.

"My fate..." Chiyo scoffed internally, never showing her true emotions. "My fate is—"

"So... you are the famous apprentice of Lady Suiren..." The businessman had gotten up from his seat and now stood in front of her, an almost shy smile on him as he reached out for her face. "Why do you play such a sad song on a wonderful morning?"

Chiyo didn't dare flinch, instead she met the eyes of the man. "I just felt like it."

She had already expected his reaction; the silence, the small intake of breath, and his eyes widening. He chuckled and nodded. "Of course! Of course! A talented artist such as yourself expresses your feelings through your art!"

The man reached within his coat and pulled out a rectangular box, opening it with slightly shaking hands. "I have a present for you, dear. I hope you'll like it."

Inside the box was a metal hairpin fashioned into a dragon's long body. The head of the dragon was crafted with the help of metalbending, its eyes bore two precious garnets.

A very precious and expensive gift no doubt.

Lady Vira gave her a small signal by raising a defined brow. Chiyo set aside the instrument on her lap and turned sideways so the man could place the pin on her hair.

He happily did so, taking the pin out of the box, slowly and gently sliding it in place among her dark locks.

Chiyo swallowed the urge to lash out when she felt the tips of his fingers graze the exposed skin of her neck. "Magnificent..." The man murmured lowly, only for her to hear. "Truly wonderful..."

Whether the touch was by accident or on purpose, she wanted to throw up.

But instead, she smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you for this gift. I will cherish it forever."

The man laughed loudly, almost unbearable to her ears. "This is merely a small token! I can give you more if you'd like!"

"For now, please accept this invitation to my coming-of-age ceremony." Chiyo handed him a small item wrapped in silk.

The man chuckled as he saw a single bite-sized rice cake on her palm when he opened it. "I humbly accept this invitation, my dear Chiyo."

He made no move to take it. Instead, he opened his mouth and waited for her to feed it to him.

Once again, she suppressed the bile rising to her throat as she picked up the rice cake and fed it to him, carefully avoiding any contact as much as possible.

He licked his lips and stared straight into her eyes. "Delicious."

The day went on in the same fashion. Lady Vira and Chiyo went to thirteen people in the Capital alone. Most of the men they visited were merchants, nobles, and government officials.

Chiyo was very certain of what all these men had in common, and the reason why Lady Vira sought them out for the special invitation.

These men were loaded with fortune.

The sun was about to set when Chiyo noticed the carriage taking a familiar path, away from the road back to the troupe quarters. "Where are we going?"

The older woman only smiled and answered vaguely. "To the last patron."

Soon, they found themselves entering the palace gates.

"Fire Lord Zuko—"

"Get lost."

"B-but Fire Lord Zuko, there is—"

Zuko threw a fistful of fire towards Eunuch Kim and shouted. "I thought I told you to get lost?!"

The eunuch prayed to the spirits and it seemed they were answered as Iroh stepped in caught the fire in his hand before it landed on its intended target. He let out a squeak of relief before running away at breakneck speed.

Iroh had meant to only visit for a few days after the incident with Azula. But with his nephew's current state, he had to assume the position of interim Fire Lord once more. "Nephew, you have a visitor waiting at the throne room."

"Tell them to get lost!" His golden, bloodshot eyes stared lifelessly at his uncle.

Unaffected by his temper, Iroh grabbed the robes on the floor and gently tossed it towards him. "It's a visitor that you have been waiting for in a long while."

Zuko snapped back into reality. "Could it be..." He hurriedly righted himself from the bed and put on his clothes.

Not a minute after, he was walking briskly, half-running, for the throne room.

The guards opened the doors for him once they saw him approaching and announced him to the visitors. Zuko didn't care for greetings nor formalities at this point.

He headed straight for silent girl on the floor playing the guqin on her lap.

Zuko strode past Lady Vira, ignoring her completely, and reached out for Chiyo's wrist, grasping it tight and pulling her up harshly. The instrument fell to the floor, the chaotic notes echoing through the chamber.

"Leave us." He directed the order to the elder woman, his eyes never leaving Chiyo's face.

"I'm afraid I can't, Fire Lord Zuko." The woman smiled innocently. "We are on official business and as her current guardian, I—"

Before she could even finish talking, Zuko had thrown a small sack of coins at her feet. "That should be enough to shut your mouth for a while, right?" He didn't wait for her reply as he pulled Chiyo out of the throne room, away from everyone else.

All the while, Chiyo struggled against him, trying to peel his hand away from her wrist. "F-fire Lord Zuko, this is inappropriate. Please, let me go!"

He had enough of her struggles and stopped in a deserted hallway, pinned her against the wall with trembling hands grasping her shoulders. Their faces were inches away, their sharp breaths mingling as he towered over her. "Is it your life's mission to drive me to insanity?!"

Chiyo didn't dare meet his eyes, keeping them down, staring at the floor.

"You don't have the right to tell me you love me, then one day send me a letter telling me that you are sorry, Chiyo." He fumed as he poured out his anger for the last few days. "Why are you doing this?!"

She took a deep breath, gathering her courage as she finally looked up at him. "I made a promise to Lady Suiren. And I intend to keep that promise—"

"Bullshit!" He slammed his fist against the wall, inches away from her face. He was more alarmed by the fact that she didn't flinch, rather than the display of anger he had shown.

"I see you're still the same before when we were younger." She spoke after a long while. "I never forgot the look in your eyes when you tried to hit me with fire back then, the night of your birthday, before you were banished."

The tension grew as the silence stretched on. It was too quiet that the sound of their heartbeats almost pounded through their ears. "If they are forcing you to do this, I can protect—"

"The choice was mine, and mine alone. You said so yourself. And I chose to do this."

Her every word pierced through him harsher than Azula's lightning. Unknown to him, his tears had started to fall. "You are so ruthless and selfish, Chiyo."

Zuko failed to see her hand hesitate before being firmly clenched at her side. "I always have been, Fire Lord Zuko."

"I love you, Chiyo..." The strength he initially had was slowly leaving him as he leaned forward and rested his head on her shoulder, hiding his tears and whispering. "Isn't that enough? Am I not enough?"

She finally found the will to push him away, steadying him on his feet, and thrusting a small package wrapped in silk into his hand. "Just accept the damn invitation. You don't have to go."

Without so much as a glance back at him, she left with heavy steps and a heavier heart.

Author's Notes Part 2

As a writer, I feel so happy and flattered whenever someone says that my work is very engaging, emotion and thought-provoking, and in any essence, almost life-like. In the earlier stages of writing this, I actually had no plans to put any warnings at all (except for the Mature rating of course), for the simple excuse that I want to surprise and shock the readers (idk, I was an ambitious self-absorbed bi—).

But a few days ago, I received a message that broached the subject of trigger warnings as a result. I asked around, consulting the few friends that I have (huhuhu) and found out that what I initially wrote (the chapters without Chiyo) to create a suspenseful atmosphere, was actually "harrowing" and "traumatic" to some people, to the point that it caused a small degree of anxiety and stress. This made me rethink everything that I had planned so far.

I wish not be insensitive, but I also wish to flesh out this story as I had intended to. I could only hope that you guys could help me manage and point out where I lack and what I miss.

-TheGreatestConWoman-

Also, credit goes to 自得琴社 Zi De Guqin Studio for this wonderful rendition of Bu Ran.

On a lighter note, I have joined Twitter! (YEARS late hahaha) Drop your Twitter handles and let me follow you huhuhu I'm lonely. TGCWnim