A/N: Hi Everyone! I wavered between two chapter names before settling on this one. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the weekend and sliver of the moon out tonight. Our dear Princess Zuko showed the two sides of her coin in the last chapter though perhaps her personality is more like an onion with multiple layers. Some layers irritate and some make you cry. I am really trying to get some of this backstory out of way to prepare for the action and stuff that is coming in the later chapters. Thank you for sticking with me through this. The plot will get a little cray-cray once Zuko returns to the Fire Nation. For now, I want to set up how Madame Hachi and Lady Hayato is prepping Zuko for the real games which will be afoot in the Caldera. She is going to begin to think things through and see the moves on the great Pai Sho board of destiny... Of course, don't hesitate to let me know what you think. I love reviews and use them to improve my story/writing. Please let me know if you have any thoughts on this story. If you likey, feel free to follow or favorite. Later gators!
Disclaimer: Fanfiction is for the games we humans play...
Chapter 5—The Art of War
The next morning was sunny and clear as students rose early to attend a general assembly with the Madame Hachi and Lady Hayato. Zuko's mentor grinned as she saw the princess and her cohorts approach. Lady Hayato greeted each girl separately but enthusiastically. She gave Muta Osaka a warm smile and a wink as she passed by and waited until the others had gone to their seats to greet Zuko.
"Good morning dear Princess," Lady Hayato said to Zuko cheerfully. "How did you sleep?" Zuko tried to stifle a yawn with the back of her hand. "I slept better than I would have without that talk last night," Zuko admitted. Lady Hayato smiled. "Good." She sighed lightly.
"I want you to know that I see your mother in you." Zuko furrowed her brow in concern. "You know my mother?" Zuko asked with not a little surprise. Lady Hayato smiled widely. "Yes, I do. We fought one another the first day we attended Madame Hachi's school together." She said placing her hands together in front of her.
Zuko blinked rapidly and tried to keep her mouth from hanging open in shock. Lady Hayato continued all the while smirking at Zuko's reaction.
"I didn't like Ursa. She seemed so perfect and had her whole life together and she was trying to do the right thing all the time. I felt like… she was there to make a mockery of the rest of us. She was Avatar Roku's granddaughter. She was the epitome of perfection or so I thought." Lady Hayato said sighing in remembrance.
"So, what changed?" Zuko asked wide-eyed. This was important information if she ever heard any.
"Your mother and I got into a fight and she gave me a real shiner: a bluish-purple black eye that remained for weeks. I mean she decked me good! I had no idea she could fight like that." Zuko covered her mouth and trying not to laugh out loud.
"Oh, it's alright. I get it. Go ahead and laugh because you need to know this." Lady Hayato suspected that the princess was not given much liberty to laugh and be herself in the palace or perhaps in the presence of certain individuals. She leaned in close to whisper to Zuko as if what she had to say next was top-secret.
"Your mother was a fighter and a biter," she whispered. Zuko gasped "No," she said putting her hand on her chest.
"Oh yes!" Lady Hyoto exclaimed emphatically. "I didn't realize Hira'a was a small island and that your mother wasn't as "refined" as we first believed." Zuko giggled in disbelief "No way, no way!" Zuko softly squealed. Lady Hayato laughed at her protégée's enthusiasm. "Yes." Zuko calmed herself at her next thought.
"So, what changed?" she asked again softly. Lady Hayato smiled gently placing her hand on Zuko's hand.
"Your mother and I both realized that we were here to learn the same game that up until then was alluded to but never explained." Zuko looked at Lady Hyoto curiously. Lady Hyoto smiled.
"I learned that we are all human. We are all playing a game that we didn't create. A type of Pai Sho of systems and cultures that were in place before we arrived, and we all had to learn how to navigate it for the levels we were on until we could change those levels, or our work was done." Zuko's eyes met Lady Hayato's and the lady smiled.
"You understand this. You fought in the Great war to change things, a move on the Pai Sho board, and you did, but now you must learn to navigate this new world that was left after the battles. Sometimes with changes of this magnitude, there comes a return of things that were lost, and people must find their ways again." Zuko considered this thoughtfully.
"That's what my mother did, didn't she? She navigated the palace politics until she couldn't and now she's doing something different." Zuko said somberly. Lady Hyoto hummed pensively.
"I believe so dear Princess, but it's not about her and her work anymore, is it? It's about yours now. Are you ready to do the work, Princess Zuko?" She asked her eyes alight with something mysterious and hopeful.
Zuko looked at Lady Hayato carefully golden eyes meeting gray. "Yes, I think I am ready." She said seriously.
Lady Hayato smiled and put her hand on Zuko's shoulder briefly as she left to stand with Madame Hachi.
Zuko went to find a seat with her new classmates. Zuko smiled gratefully at Chrysanthemum who saved her a seat in the row they were on. Several girls in the surrounding chairs looked on with envy at the special attention the princess of the Fire Nation received from the headmistress of the school. There were curious glances at Zuko from all around the room. Many noticed Lady Hayato speaking candidly to the Princess and wondered what they were discussing.
The hall fell silent as Madame Hachi took the front of the room and stood behind a podium made of sturdy oak hand-carved and polished to a fine sheen.
Madame Hachi was matronly and her eyes kind. She wore her hair in a simple yet elegant bun her dark brown hair streaked with silver-gray. It was in the same style that the two girls wore the day before on the docks. In fact, many of the girls preparing for their debutante ball later that evening wore their hair quite simply.
Madame Hachi's dress was deep crimson silk with gold thread embroidery and a midnight black velvet sash. One could describe her as a classical beauty for she exuded charm and poise just like Lady Hayato but many times over. Her presence was commanding yet calm and almost friendly.
Although she was older, if the deep crow's feet in the corners of her eyes indicated anything, Madame Hachi held on to her beauty gracefully and did not look the age Zuko suspected she was.
Uncle Iroh told Zuko before she left that Madame Hachi was an old and dear friend of his and that she would be in good hands and learn much. Zuko could have sworn Madame Hachi looked at her directly just before she spoke.
"What noblewomen don't tell you about being noble is that it is a subtle and crafted art: A move of the Grand Pai Sho board of life; A skill that is not always easily possessed nor valued as it should be." Madame Hachi began.
The lecture hall was filled with students both old and new. Not a sound could be heard as Madame Hachi continued.
"Anyone can be noble. It is not about birth or pedigree it is a mindset. It is your character. It is who you are and choose to be," She said smiling and looking at students throughout the hall. She looked in the direction of the newer students.
"Is the honor that a young soldier of low rank possesses any less honorable than the honor a nobleman and general of high rank possess? We would all say no. Honor is universal. It's an understanding and a learned skill that comes with practice and potential."
The hall was silent enough that one could hear a pin drop. Zuko and Muta looked at one another briefly as they remembered their discussion from the previous night and realized what Madame Hachi said was the truth. Madame Hachi noticed the two girls and smirked to herself.
"Honor and nobility of spirit will be our ongoing theme throughout your time here, however, what we will be practicing today is how we can communicate without our words: A most powerful tool ladies. Do not underestimate the power of your eyes, your ears, and your silent mouth."
At that Madame Hachi whipped out an intricate black and gold lace fan and flipped it open in one movement that made no noise.
Girls gasped around the room at the elegant stroke and whispered among themselves. Zuko and Muta smiled. Zuko looked at Chrysanthemum raising her eyebrows in excitement. Chrysanthemum grinned from ear to ear and nodded. They were ready to learn.
Zuko and the other girls of the school learned that the fan was a way of communicating within societies and venues where speaking was strictly prohibited or restricted because of gender or protocols.
In some noble communities, the expectation was that women were to be seen and not heard so women developed a way to speak to one another and occasionally men with whom they needed to speak but could not approach in public. Zuko couldn't help but compare some of her military signals with the positions and uses of the fan.
She knew this would be a valuable tool she could use with others to provide more secrecy in her communications. The school practiced the various fan positions and meanings for an hour in the assembly.
Zuko made up in her mind that she would teach Katara and Toph if she didn't already know, how to use the fan so that they could communicate in a powerfully secret language that is all their own.
The remainder of the morning was spent in practicing proper court speech and protocols, posture and demeanor, and overall decorum. Each of these concepts was being taught as battle strategies and explained as to their purposes.
It amazed Zuko and Muta with how many subtleties existed and how often those things were used against them and went over their heads. They realized just how much the game was being played without them until now.
Later in the day after lunch, there was a short break where the girls were allowed to mingle and interact with one another. Little did the girls know this was also an opportunity for observation from the instructors as to the lessons the girls needed to learn.
Zuko and Muta were chatting happily as they walked around the assembly room meeting new people and introducing themselves. Chrysanthemum had gone with Mariko and Aiko to enjoy the sunshine and take in the fresh ocean air that blew gently through the trees surrounding the grand school building.
Muta and Zuko discussed the finer points of firebending when Muta suddenly tripped up on someone's slipper and stumbled. Zuko reached out and helped to steady her friend.
"My Gods, they just let anyone in these days, don't they?" A girl with light brown eyes and uncommonly light yellow hair whispered to her companions who tittered behind her at the insult.
"I bet she's not even of noble blood." the girl continued. "Her mother probably married well. It's a shame really. Why—" Zuko interrupted her.
"Why would anyone who considers themselves so noble deign to put down someone they don't even know? What gives you the right to make any assumptions or judgments about my friend without first getting to know her?" Zuko said her eyes sharp and evaluating. She looked at the girl carefully and remembered that she was one of the noble girls from Azula's class at the Royal Academy. The girl with the golden hair scoffed.
"Oh please, You're a member of the royal family in remedial etiquette training. Why do you think you have the right to say anything to us about our manners? We're here for the same reason." Zuko cocked her head to the side gently.
"Are we?" She asked rhetorically. The girl and her companions raised their heads in surprise. Muta's eyes widened at the shift in Zuko's demeanor and tone. This was the princess she was expecting the day before. Zuko spoke again the confidence and assurance in her voice commanding.
"Are we here for the same reason, Hilda is it?" The girl stood silently unsure of whether she could answer the Princess of the Fire Nation as flippantly as she did before. The Princess knew her name. Zuko stood erect and neutralized her facial expression. She channeled her father's cool aloofness as she watched.
Zuko's sudden shift in behavior unnerved the girls as she watched them her face impassive yet eyes intense as if reading their very souls. Hilda now fidgeted with her hands silently. Zuko smirked imperceptibly.
"Regardless of what you may believe, we are not here for the same purpose. When you leave here, you go to a home and to one day start a family. You will perhaps interact with friends and potential suitors. When I leave here, I will be going on to rule my country and by virtue, all your homes and I will deal with people who have the potential to change all our lives." Hilda's eyes widened.
She had not considered how much responsibility would be placed on the young princess's shoulders one day. She assumed the princess would just go and live frivolously in the lap of luxury when she returned until the time her father the Fire Lord abdicated or died. Zuko exhaled slowly, thoughtfully.
"Though not directly involved in your day to day lives, I will be responsible for your welfare. If I offend another monarch or ruler that could be the difference between peace and war." Zuko pulled down her collar to reveal a round scar the diameter of a gold coin with jagged points around the edges. It was a wound from a spear.
Hilda, Muta, and the other girls gasped at the offending blemish on otherwise flawless skin and Hilda blushed deeply. She remembered that the princess fought in the Great War and felt shame. Zuko pulled her collar back up over her shoulder and continued to drive her point home.
"It is of the utmost importance that I care about manners, yours and mine because manners could be the difference between life and death for some of your parents or future husbands or the difference between living in wealth or poverty." Hilda gasped concerned that Zuko was making a threat. Zuko picked up on this and shook her head.
"Understand me, Hilda. I don't say this to frighten or threaten you. I say this because I've lived the mistake of not guarding my words carefully." She said touching her scar over her dress. "We don't always get a pass or a second chance on how we treat one another or how we speak to one another. You don't know the effect one ripple in the pond may cause. Do you really want to take that risk?" Zuko said not moving her eyes off Hilda and her companions.
The girls shifted uncomfortably as Lady Hayato walked up to the group. "Well said Princess, well said." Lady Hayato placed her hand gently on Princess Zuko's shoulder and looked to Hilda who had tears in her eyes and spoke gently.
"Lady Hilda you of all people should know how words spoken in ill can affect a soul, a family, or a country. Our words are our weapons. How we use them is equally important as when we use them and why we use them. Let us wield our weapons strategically for good, not for ill." Hilda dabbed at her eyes and nodded. She turned towards Muta with remorse.
"I apologize Muta for my poor behavior in speech towards you. I pray you will not hold my words against me." She whispered. Muta sighed holding back the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course, Hilda, if you can be gracious enough to apologize, I can be gracious enough to forgive." She said giving a small smile to prove she was not holding a grudge. Hilda nodded while smiling and looked to Lady Hayato. Lady Hayato nodded at Muta and Hilda.
"Ladies thank you for resolving this situation in a peaceful and mature manner. If you don't mind, I would like to speak with our princess privately." The girls bowed respectfully to Lady Hayato and Princess Zuko then left the room.
Muta went to join Chrysanthemum, Aiko, and her sister Mariko out in the sunshine and to tell them about what happened between their princess and Hilda. Lady Hayato smiled.
"You truly are shaping up to be the leader of our people Princess Zuko. This is the warfare I spoke of previously. You battled without throwing a single blow. Your words, your mannerisms, your voice all carried weight and made a positive effect on your subjects." Zuko sighed heavily.
"I wish it didn't have to come to that at all. Hilda was unnecessarily cruel. Why do we choose to be mean when we could be kind?" she asked thinking about what started the conflict in the first place. Lady Hayato was thoughtful.
"Because all the manners in the world can't help you if your character is horrid. That's really what we're trying to teach: how to balance the negativity in the world by making more game-changers like you. People still have a choice of course." The lady remarked matter of factly. Zuko hummed.
"That makes sense. So really you can only enhance what people already possess or desire to possess." She said simply. Lady Hayato smiled. "Now you're getting it. You will find that you will encounter more Hildas than you probably desire but it's all in how you chose to react. Here at our school we still try to undo some of the improper training many of these young women have received already, but it is up to them to accept what we are trying to teach." Zuko looked at Lady Hayato and smiled.
"Then I'll do my best to be a good example," she said. Lady Hayato winked and patted Zuko's shoulder before heading out of the room to Madame Hachi's office to announce the next steps for the night's upcoming ball.