A/N: Technically speaking, this is Chapter 70. I made Chapter 69 into its own story, if anyone wasn't aware yet.
This chapter was inspired by The Shadow of Kyoshi. As soon as I read about garden parties in there, I knew I had to write a Short Story about them! I elaborated a bit on the lore from the book, as well as adding a bit of my own.
On a hot late summer day, Fire Lord Ozai held the first garden party of his reign. Azula knew that he'd been putting this off as long as he possibly could; had heard him complaining about past garden parties while in the privacy of their villa. However, they were deeply-rooted in centuries of tradition, so Father had eventually been obligated to hold at least one this season.
Azula had always been fascinated by how alliances could be forged or broken in these parties with merely a few words. It had been at one of these very events, more than four hundred years ago, that the Keohso clan had trotted out a beautiful and dainty fourteen-year-old girl by the name of Sulan. Crown Prince Chaeryu had fallen violently in lust at first sight. Sulan's family had been adamant that Chaeryu keep no concubines, so he had unwisely abandoned his pregnant mistress and alienated her family. Twenty-two years later, Avatar Kyoshi had opened old wounds at another party when she had mistaken the late Fire Lord Chaeryu's bastard son for his legitimate successor, Zoryu…among other gaffes. This had nearly led to an all-out war. Nor were these kerfuffles confined to the distant past. Not even two decades ago, one noblewoman had challenged another to an Agni Kai because she thought that the thread used to embroider the second woman's sleeves was of a quality not permitted to that woman by her station. After all was said and done, and both women had sustained serious injuries, it transpired that the accuser had been incorrect all along! Father had witnessed the whole thing, and he had assured Azula that it had been exactly as absurd as it sounded.
Even so, as Mother had never allowed her and Zuko to go before, Azula had been looking forward to attending her first grown-up event. She had no intention of making such blunders. Although she wasn't yet ten, she was confident that she could intrigue with the best of them. However, she was to be sorely disappointed…this particular party had proven to be a huge bore. Father did not believe in mingling as many previous Fire Lords had, so Zuko and Azula were stuck sitting on this fancy dais at his side. At least they had some protection from the heat this way, with the canopy shading them, servants waving enormous feather fans, and plenty of cold drinks and ices whenever they wanted them.
One thing was for sure…there would be no mistaking anyone else for this Fire Lord. He sat there in his outsized chair, arms crossed over his chest and the canopy shrouding his face in shadow. Power radiated from him without him having to say a single word, and a slight toe tap was the sole sign of his impatience with this event. In stark contrast, Father's favorite bedmate Shiza, who was seated on a cushion by his feet, looked almost incomprehensibly tiny and ethereal. She was obviously also quite uncomfortable from being outside in this stifling weather while pregnant. But all she really had to do was sit there and look pretty in her pale pink gown; Father's own little Lady Sulan.
Zuko did not stay long. He got himself into deep doo-doo when he spotted Mai in the crowd and got up from his seat, waving at her and calling out. People at garden parties couldn't do that; if they spotted someone with whom they wanted to walk, they'd have to slowly make their way to each other through the crowd. What was more, he had not gotten permission from Father to speak in the first place. An irate Father had had ordered him back to the palace. Zuzu didn't seem to understand what he'd done wrong…but while Azula smirked at his punishment as expected, she thought that maybe he was the fortunate one after all for getting to go back inside.
Only the highest-ranking nobles had the right to walk up to the dais and address the Fire Lord directly, but not many among even them seemed to be able to work up the courage to do so. Soon after Zuko left, Lord and Lady Keohso had proven to be among the brave few who did approach them. They were of the same family that had had such success with Lady Sulan (yes, both of them…they were second cousins), and Azula knew they had a daughter of their own. If they weren't plotting something, she would be shocked.
"Shoren. Mudan," Father acknowledged after the pair rose from bowing. "May I introduce you to my daughter, the Princess Azula, and Lady Shiza of the Sei'naka clan?" He grasped Azula's hand with one of his, and gestured for Shiza to sit in his lap, rubbing her belly with his other hand in case anyone was somehow unaware of Shiza's condition yet. (She wasn't quite properly showing yet; more just looked a little chunky from certain angles.)
Azula smiled politely, pretending that she didn't notice Lady Mudan's excessive amount of strong perfume. Shiza blushed deeply and seemed to be at a loss for words, shrinking away from Lord Shoren's coolly appraising gaze. It was only after Father gave her a gentle prod in the ribs that she squeaked out a "Hi. It's nice to meet you."
"That is a beautiful hairpiece, Lady Mudan," Azula lied. It was, naturally, in the shape of a peony, and so big that it looked ridiculous. Their family put peonies on everything, just like they were still in the days before Zoryu's crackdown on the clans, when they had ruled Shuhon more or less autonomously. Lady Mudan's name even meant "peony." "And Lord Shoren…I believe you have a daughter. Is she not in attendance today?" She might as well give them their opening now, to spare her and Father from having to listen to several minutes' worth of them making small talk to lead up to it.
"We do, Princess," Lord Shoren confirmed. "But Naoko just started her final year at the Royal Fire Academy, and was unable to attend today. Perhaps next year."
"We believe that her education is of the utmost importance," Lady Mudan added. Possibly with the connotation that Azula's own schooling was lacking? Really, how much "education" did that girl need to know how to spread her legs and lie on her back? Because that was all she was going to do if her parents were successful in their ambitions. (Her dear mother would certainly have been shocked were she aware that Azula knew of such things!) Father said that Azula herself wasn't quite ready for that yet, although there were some signs that she would be sooner rather than later. In the meantime, her mind was more than sharp enough for her to help Father in other ways. From her own limited interactions with Naoko at the Academy, she did not think that this would be the case for the older girl.
Naturally, she said none of this. Keeping her face and voice perfectly bland, she simply stated, "We will look forward to seeing her, then." Just then, someone waved a fan in just such a way that it gave Shiza a faceful of Lady Mudan's perfume. All of the color drained from the poor girl's face in record time, and she barely had enough time to get to her feet before she threw up into the nearest flower arrangement.
For a solid minute, everyone in the area was shocked into silence, even the people chatting on the grass nearby. When Shiza was finally done heaving, Father sighed. Suprisingly, he didn't get angry. Instead, he gestured to one of the servant girls fanning him and ordered, "Give her some ginger water and get her back to her rooms. And then see if we can't end this party soon. It is not healthy to be in this heat for so long."
As a humiliated Shiza was tended to, she looked longingly at Father, but he made no eye contact with her. What, was she expecting hugs and words of sympathy? Was it not enough that Father hadn't given her a public scolding like he had for Zuko? As it was, Azula found it somewhat odd that her lady-in-waiting had gotten off so lightly; it appeared that her "delicate condition" had bailed her out. She even felt a little relieved, although had no idea why. Shiza was discreetly escorted out of the back of the pavilion with drink in hand, and the Keohsos began prattling again as if nothing had happened. Azula signaled an attendant to mop her sweaty forehead, and thought once again that some people had all the luck.