Love will conquer all, if patient.

Sable06

Chapter 8

The Ball:

"I candothis I candothis I candothis. Oh, I can't I can't. What am I going to do?"

"Kalina get a hold of your self. You'll do great!" said her sister Yoko trying to calm her down. "Come on breath in breath out (Kalina obeying) breath in breath out. Good!"

"Why aren't you nervous?" asked Kalina a little angry.

"Because the love of my life isn't out there, that's why." said Yoko giggling.

"This isn't funny. And stop saying that he is out of the question now." Kalina was back in her thoughts, "He doesn't care about me anymore"

"Okay girls I know you all will do great. Just remember your steps, and Utiana please remember to come in on your queue." "Yes Headmistress Suki." "That goes for everybody!"

Kalina could already here the music starting. Her heart was going 100 beats per second. "Well here goes nothing" She was the first to step out into the open hall. The rest followed.

The other girls stopped at the distance that they were supposed to but Kalina's destination was not yet met. She had to stop 5 feet away from the royal family and bow. This quest was easier said then done.

She finally got to her spot. She took a moment to acknowledge each family member starting with Princess Zula. She was sitting straight in her chair with an arrogant look on her face. But then she noticed the man beside Lord Ozai. He was sitting in the spot were Prince Zuko should be sitting in. She didn't recognize this man but she acknowledged him anyway. He in return gave her an evil smirk that men always gave her when she had to walk by herself to the market place.

Then she looked towards the right. And sure enough there he was. When she saw him she could swear that he had a hint of sadness in his face. She didn't blame him, with a family like that who wouldn't be miserable.

Then as she planned, she bowed to the Fire Lord last. A very low bow, it had to be more exaggerated than all the others. With such grace she managed to almost touch the floor with her finger tips. But of course the only person that really noticed this grace was Prince Zuko.

"Wow she's good." he thought. "

Kalina was wearing a two piece red and orange dress. The top was tight and showed her stomach and her shoulders. The bottom was tight till where her lower bottom ended than loose to give her legs room to do her dance. Her hair was in a half pony tail with a few delicate strands of hair coming to her face.

Then the drums suddenly burst into music. And with that the dancers began. Everybody was in queue.

With the colors that the girls were wearing it was like a wave of fire. They made movements with their hands of fire that almost looked impossible to master. They lifted their legs high up in the air and brought there whole bodies to the ground to do the splits. They did the most wondrous things with their fire. Rings of fire, the illusion of a snake made out of fire. All these slow movements were met with accuracy and strategy.

Then all of a sudden as fast as the drums came they were gone. The whole crowd was a silence. The girls disappeared, all but one. It was Kalina. The fire was dim but it was just enough to see her.

She began to do a slow snake like dance. Looking straight at the Lord Ozai, then she began to go down. The drums started playing very slowly, with correlation of her dancing. She tried to focus on just Lord Ozai, but was failing miserably. She began her new attention to Prince Zuko. She was dancing for him! The drums started going faster, and her dance more flamboyant.

She began to twist and turn faster and faster. Her hair was going everywhere; following her every move like as if it was possessed. She fell backwards landing on her hands then bending her back at an angle that looked impossible. She then flung her head upward giving her a more dramatic look. She did moves that she didn't even know she could do. And through out the whole time she was making the most exuberant expressions on her face, she loved dancing so much.

The moves she made were doing their biding. All the men wanted her especially Admiral Zhao. He couldn't take his eyes away from her. Prince Zuko, on the other hand, wanted her to stop. He knew what her moves were capable of; he could see it on all the faces of the men.

Finally the grand finale came when the drums came to a halt and she was in a crouched position with both eyes closed and both hands together as if praying.

Zuko noticed the slight mist of sweat that could be seen on her neck, face, and shoulders. "She looks so beautiful, so different. What in the hell was I thinking?"

His thoughts were interrupted by his father, who signaled her to come closer. "What is he doing?" he thought.

Kalina obeyed, she was only 2 feet away. She was looking down out of respect, when suddenly she felt a hand left her cheek. "You are beautiful" said Lord Ozai. She bowed at the complement. "And look very young. How old are you and what is your name?"

"My name is Kalina, and I am 16 my lord" she bowed again.

"What does he want with her?" Zuko thought angrily. He could tell that his father was up to something.

"Now tell me, who were you dancing for out there because it most certainly was not for me?"

Kalina shuddered at this. She failed Headmistress Suki. And now they were probably going to kill her for not being obedient.

Meanwhile behind them the dancing had already started again. No one knew what was going on up there, except for the royal family of course.

Princess Zula was ginning at her father's statement "Oh, this is going to be good" she thought to herself. And as for Admiral Zhao, he was just confused as ever. "What is he getting at?" he thought. But Prince Zuko knew exactly what he was going on.

Kalina was speechless she didn't know what to say. "Should I say the truth? No, of course not." she thought.

"Your look says it all. You were dancing for my good for nothing son. Weren't you?"

Princess Zula and Zhao looked up. They couldn't believe it. "A Firdancer and Prince Zuko" they both thought. "You're kidding, right?" began Zula. "My bother and that, that girl" Zula said in disgust.

Kalina was getting light headed. All this chaos that was about to happen made her stomach churn, she wanted to throw up.

"Did you think I didn't know, Zuko?" said Lord Ozai looking at his son.

Zuko kept his attention to the floor. He didn't like his father talking to him, especially if it was going to be over this matter.

Kalina just stood there like a misplaced decoration. She just wanted to curl up and die. "Now they are going to fight and it's all because of me." thought Kalina.

Lord Ozai directed his attention back to Kalina. "You may be very beautiful" he said caressing her neck line moving down to her cleavage. Kalina couldn't do anything but let him, what choice did she have. Zuko looked up and was furious. He wanted to kill his father at this point but Iroh was there to calm him down. He grabbed his nephew by the shoulders so he wouldn't cause a scene, better yet so no body would get killed.

"But" continued Lord Ozai. "You have an association with my worthless, good for nothing son. So I will have no business with you. He has stained you with his impudence. He has touched you hasn't he? And because of that you are his filth, his trash."

Kalina's lips were twitching at these remarks. She just wanted to burst out into to tears. But she had to keep her composure she wouldn't let her self be struck down. "No, not this time." She said to herself. Kalina stood her ground with her chin up and her shoulders back. She looked like she could take on anybody.

"Go now you have no more business here." said Lord Ozai.

Kalina bowed with a smile, as if nothing happened. And walked past the guest and disappeared into the crowd.

A this, Prince Zuko stood up to follow her but was stopped by his father's voice.

"You wait here; I need to have a word with you, Prince Zuko" his father said sternly.

Zuko rolled his eyes at this. He had a very annoyed look in his face. He didn't want to disobey but what other choice did he have. He was already exiled for the same reason. But he wanted to speak to Kalina, tell her what he felt, hold her and take her away from here. But at the end his obedience won and he stayed to hear what his ruthless father had to say.

When Kalina looked back and saw that she was out of sight she ran out the palace and headed to the Veranda.

She ran with tears in her eyes straight to her room. The room was dark and gloomy. The only light it had was the moon, it was also very hot and humid for it was summer, and the steaminess from her room was just making her more impatient with life. She got out a big purse with very fine hand made embroidery that was orange and red. She started stuffing all her clothes inside it. She also put inside jewelry, brushes, and all her make-up.

"I'm sick of this, I'm sick of all of this. I am leaving here tonight. I don't know where I'll go but it's sure as hell going to be far far away from here. I am a Firedancer no more!"

She was just getting the last of her clothes in the bag when she heard a noise from behind her.

"It must be Yoko. Oh, poor Yoko she's going to have the choice of either going with me or staying. I hate putting her in this position but I have to get out of here." she thought to herself. So she didn't look back. "Or maybe it's Prince Zuko!" she turned at this thought and looked to the door it wasn't prince Zuko, but somebody else.

"Who are you?" Kalina asked. She remembered him he was the one setting in Zuko's place. He was the one that gave her that funny look. It was Admiral Zhao.

THE END IS NEAR. But I am thinking of giving this story a sequal and a prequal but I am still not sure about that but I'll keep ya'll posted. Now Review Review!