Chapter 3: Forgot About Me
" Zuko, you must get some rest. We will dock in a few hours, do you wish for the entire nation to see you in this state?" Iroh questioned.
The exhausted prince looked up. Dark circles surrounded his eyes and his ponytail was askew. He had spent the last 24 hours deep in thought, refusing food and sleep.
" A bride? Must I get married? Are you sure that is the only reason that father wishes me to return?" Zuko asked desperately. He knew how whiny he sounded, but it didn't matter. He had to get MARRIED for heaven's sake. The very idea of it sent jitters down his spine.
" Zuko, would I lie about such a matter?" His uncle said wearily. The prince remained silent and brooding. " If you're not going to sleep, then at least fix yourself up."
" I'm going to bed." Said Zuko with a half-dead stare. He stalked out of the room.
I do hope he finds someone; the boy doesn't deserve to live the rest of his life in this state. Iroh thought as he sipped his tea.
Zuko slammed the door closed after he entered his quarters. He snapped his fingers and a few candles lit up, flooding the room with light. The prince then fell back onto his bed and rubbed his temples, eyes closed. He couldn't believe that his father expected him to wed. He'd journeyed around the world for 3 years in order to gain Ozai's approval, and yet the only reason his father wants his son back is for him to be forcefully bonded with some woman. And who was to say that he might even at the least be able to stand her? A fleeting thought of getting rid of the woman after he was married crossed his mind but no, his father would banish him again if he were to commit something of that sort. Anything was better than the loss of his honor all over again.
Prince Zuko began to ease into sleep, only to be disturbed by remnants of his past again. The images were clearer now; he could make out a tall sandcastle he himself was building, with the nameless girl. The waves were gently sliding in over the sand. He felt a knot in his stomach. The girl was sitting in front of him; she slowly turned around and gave him an open smile-one of pure joy and innocence. Her features were more prominent now, and just his dream view was nearing her, he woke up.
" Damn it!" He cursed, throwing a bolt of fire at the ceiling, leaving an ashen scorch mark. Part of him was angry that he was even thinking of her again, it was like there was no escape from it. On the other hand, he was annoyed that his dream stopped before he could see her clearly.
" Prince Zuko!" Uncle's voice rang through the door, " We are docking in a matter of minutes."
Zuko sat upright as soon as he heard his uncle's footsteps fading into the distance. He pulled on a clean shirt so roughly he almost tore the seams. But it didn't matter. He would have worn it even it had been torn. What was the point anyways? Zuko thought as he fixed his ponytail. Those girls wouldn't care what he looked like, as long as they became royalty.
A few minutes later he was standing on the deck of the warship. The sun beat down on his neck as he waited for the front of the ship to be lowered into a ramp. Zuko shut his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to not let the prospect of marriage taint the joy of finally being able to come home. The front of the ship fell down, creating a small wave of dirt. As the formerly banished prince walked confidently down the ramp, cheers of ' Welcome back Prince Zuko!' rang in his ears. He smirked and led his group of fire benders down the pathway cleared for them.
Half an hour later:
"What do you mean I have to go meet girls?" Zuko said, bewildered. " Doesn't father want to come and speak with me? Don't we go up to the palace first?"
"You're father is away on business," Iroh explained as Zuko looked down, trying to hide his disappointment. " And we are unable to find a carriage for the journey to the palace. I'm afraid we will be sleeping around here tonight."
" But why do I have to see girls right now?"
" Zuko, you know why. Your father brought you home to find a bride. He expects you to be married soon." Uncle Iroh said matter-of-factly. " Now come young prince, the girls are waiting."
The prince was livid all the way to the site where the village girls were. They were standing in a huddled group beside a large gazebo. A wave of uncontrollable giggles passed through them as they spotted Zuko. Girls and their ridiculous feminine madness, Zuko thought. He looked pleadingly at his uncle, hoping that Iroh would take him somewhere, anywhere away from here. But Iroh just smiled brightly and gently pushed Zuko toward the mass of females.
" Don't be shy, ladies. He's not as mean or tough as he looks." Iroh cheerfully said. The girls giggled again. Zuko shot him a dirty look. " I'll be back later Prince Zuko. Play nice!"
Flames flared at his wrists as Zuko stared after the former general's back. Gasps emerged from behind him. He turned around to see the group of girls staring at his flaming wrists. Zuko rolled his eyes; he was becoming more and more annoyed at the thought of marrying by the second.
" Does that hurt?" A young girl with short black hair asked. She had her hands up to her face and was staring at the flames. Obviously fire bending was not a common sight for her.
"No. Of course not." Zuko said, confused by the girl's question. Fire benders roamed the village, how could she not have seen bending before? The girl laughed nervously. Pretty soon, they were crowding around him, asking questions about his journeys…and his scar. And then they moved onto the subject of royal treatment. They bombarded him with questions about everything from how the food tasted to the number of personal servants. Zuko forced himself to remain calm. It took all of his self-control to keep from burning all these hysterical women and leaving. Just then, a movement caught Zuko's eye.
A girl, completely detached from the lecherous mob that surrounded him, was walking toward a well a couple of yards away from him. She was wearing a knee-length black skirt with a red top. Her hair flowed all the way down to her hips. Zuko was about to dismiss her from his mind when she did something that sent a strange feeling through him. She had pushed her hair back from her face and hooked it behind her ear. He didn't know why that caught his interest; the girls around him had been doing that for the past hour. But the movements, they seemed, familiar in some strange way. She suddenly stiffened slightly.
Zuko's eyes were instantly locked in hers. The chocolate brown eyes bore into him, his stomach flipped, and worldly sounds were muted. The two stood yards apart, immobile. It seemed to Zuko that no one but the girl was there, the girl with those eyes that bored into him, with that strange hair flip that somehow was familiar. He took a step forward, and was rudely pulled from the trance by none other than his uncle Iroh.
" Come Zuko, there is a question about your items aboard the ship."
" Alright Uncle."
Zuko turned around one more time to look back at the girl as he allowed himself to be dragged off by Iroh. She was still staring at him, a slight frown on her face.
" So Prince Zuko, did you find any of those young ladies to your liking?" Iroh's voice once again cut off Zuko's reverie.
" What? Oh, um, no." said Zuko absently.
" Zuko, you must find a bride soon, or risk banishment yet again."
" I know that." The irritable prince snapped
" And of course, you can't deny that you need some woman's affection." Iroh added, looking sidelong at Zuko.
" I do NOT need any woman's affection!" Zuko replied hotly.
Three hours later:
Amaya sat at the end of the luxurious bed, staring out the window. She looked longingly at the night sky, wishing she could get out of the room. But she couldn't. The guards had told her specifically to stay, or else. She gulped, not wanting to think about what 'or else' was. Falling back onto the bed, she contemplated more about her situation. The only positive thing that came to her mind was the thought that her parents were away on business, so they wouldn't be finding out she was gone. Amaya closed her eyes and tried to sleep.
Meanwhile:
" That was a waste of time, Uncle."
" I thought you wanted a break from the girls." Replied Iroh with a raised eyebrow.
" I did, but making me label every single item of my belongings wasn't the type of break I had in mind." Said Zuko dryly.
" I sat there with you and helped"
" No Uncle, you sat there and drank tea."
Iroh shrugged. " Your room is upstairs, turn left and it's the first door."
" I know. You've told me a million times while I was labeling." Zuko said in an exasperated sigh as he ascended the stairs.
Sleep sounded extremely tempting to Zuko as he reached to top of the staircase. He turned left and opened the door.
" What the-" He broke off when he realized the girl was sleeping.
She was asleep on his bed. The one where he was supposed to be sleeping. She stirred, obviously from hearing Zuko outburst. She must have saw him as she blearily opened her eyes, because she gave a little yelp and sat bolt upright. As she looked up at his face, their eyes met.
" It's you." Zuko said as if he dared not to believe himself. He left his position at the door and started towards her. She sat at the edge, immobile. Zuko stopped a few inches away and stared down at her; she met his gaze with her own. They stayed like that for what seemed like forever. Zuko used the time to observe her face. She had large, chocolate brown eyes, full lips, and clear skin. He stopped there and voiced what had been nagging his mind.
" Who are you?" Zuko asked, thoroughly perplexed. She looked away from him at those words and stared out the window. The prince didn't bother to follow her gaze.
" Let's try that again. My name is Zuko, prince of the fire nation. And you are?" Said Zuko growing irritable. Her eyes snapped back to his.
" Amaya. What do you want Zuko?" She spat. The prince raised an eyebrow. None of the girls earlier talked to him like that. But never mind that, what was she doing here? Zuko racked his mind and came to an answer-Uncle Iroh. He gritted his teeth and cursed the former general in his mind.
" Listen you woman, I didn't bring you here, my interfering uncle did." Zuko started, his hotheadedness getting the best of him.
And right on cue, Uncle Iroh appeared in the doorway.
" Ah, Zuko I see you've found our charming guest. She will be staying in your room tonight and accompanying us on the trip to the palace tomorrow. Think of her as your new…. room-mate." Iroh finished thoughtfully.
" Excuse me?" Zuko and Amaya said simultaneously.
" Zuko, don't bother trying to get rid of her, she's staying. And young miss, don't bother trying to run away. Now if you'll excuse me, an old man needs his beauty sleep." Uncle Iroh stated, stamping out all the ideas in the two teenager's heads.
Amaya looked horrified and disgusted, emotions the prince was too exhausted to show on his face. If he had not been so tired, Zuko would have run after his uncle demanding further explanation. But sleep had been kept at bay for too long. Without even bothering to change he laid down on the bed, causing Amaya to scoot off even though there was more than enough room. Zuko lazily propped himself up on a pillow to see where she was going. The girl sat down next to a large window that started from the floor and ended at the ceiling. She wrapped her arms around her legs and made no more sound or movement.
He fell asleep to the image of her staring out at the night sky.
A/N: Does it sound too rushed? Fragmented? If it does I'm really really really really sorry. Again, I appreciate any comments you may have about it, and again, please do not flame me. I will explain Uncle Iroh's actions in the next chapter. I promise.