The boat lurched to a stop and the snake-like hiss of steam escaped. Bay waters lapped at its sides, white foam lingering on the iron panels. Above, the hot, mid-summer sun shone with golden heat unto the main deck, causing it to heat up alarmingly fast. Sea birds squawked with piercing, acid cries. The voices of merchants selling their goods called out enticingly. Distant taiko drumming rumbled in the distance. Giggles from the playful street urchins filled the air. Everything was it should have been on Aki Island. Just as she left it.
"How long until we can begin to unload, again, soldier?" Auska asked, leaning over the metallic hand rail with child-like anticipation. Although she had done her hair up again in an elaborate style, the wind tore at the intricate designs, sending strands of it whipping wildly in the sea breeze.
"You and your nephew will be escorted off this ship in 10 minutes. Hopefully, all of your things will arrive at the palace this evening, your Highness," a guard answered in a drawling voice. The man felt ridiculously hot in his armor and under armor, and he envied the woman in her light, summer robes. It was always much cooler on the mainland this time of day, seeing as it was a ways away from the equator, compared to this place that was practically resting on the imaginary line. How any sane human being could stand to stay on this wretched spit of land was beyond his comprehension.
"I think I'll go and awaken Zuko now," Auska announced, interrupting the man's pessimistic thoughts. The guard glanced at her, nodding his head. The black haired royal whirled around and walked over to the doorway that led to the main haul. She stopped short in front of the metallic entryway and turned her attention back to the guard, eyebrows raised expectantly. They stared at each other like that for what seemed like hours to the guard. Abruptly, though, his duty clicked in his head. He gasped and started to move towards the door, when Auska simply shook her head. The monarch clucked her tongue, shook her head once again, and turned her back to the inattentive man.
"Too late, too late," she chided, turning the iron bolt and opening the door herself. It squeaked and she daintily stepped in. Reaching behind her, she grabbed the bolt once again and slammed the door behind her.
Zuko had been wandering the halls aimlessly for awhile. They were quite bland, he discovered, after just a few short minutes of exploration. Servants ushered past him, hardly noticing Zuko, so intent were they on getting whatever they need to get done. The prince had eventually given up hope of finding anything worthwhile to see or do and padded down the hallways, watching his boots and listening to the click-click they made on the floor. Soon, a little melody began to assert itself in his head. It was somewhere between a waltz and a march, depending on how fast he walked. In no time, Zuko had a full marching band behind him and even some lyrics to accompany the little ditty. The prince swung his arms gaily. Things were suddenly looking up.
Out of the blue, hurried footsteps disrupted his merriment and he stopped in his tracks, listening intently. He blinked, surprised as he saw Aunt Auska round the corner and march right past him. So vigorous was her walk, however, that she bumped into him. The woman turned her head, intending on giving a brief apology to whichever servant she assumed she had collided with.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even see---huh?" she exclaimed, astounded to see no one there. She glanced to her right and behind her, growing more and more confused. Finally, she glanced down to see Zuko standing there, hands up hips, smirking up at her.
"Losing your marbles, Aunt Auska?" he teased, staring up at her from under his raven-colored bangs. With embarrassment, Auska gave two self-conscious looks over her shoulders and cleared her throat.
"Well, I just didn't see you…you are awfully small," she retorted, sending him a Cheshire cat grin.
"Not that small!"
"Small enough!" Auska teased, patting the boy on the head. He fumed and she laughed. "Oh, Zuko. I'm just trying to get your goat. Lighten up!" she chortled, grabbing one of his small hands. "Come on! I want to show you something!" Auska said. She took off running, her young nephew trailing behind her, trying his best to keep up. They raced through hallways, up a flight of stairs, and finally, bursting out the door, back on the main deck of the ship, and when they reached the outside, they panted in the doorway. Auska placed a hand to her heart before stretching out a runner's cramp from her side. Zuko merely clutched his arms to his sides and waited until the pain subsided long enough for him to stand up. When it did, Auska grabbed his hand once again and led him over to the edge of the deck.
"Look, Zuko," she commanded, gesturing to the port with an outstretched palm, "Just look at that! Isn't it magnificent?" poorly concealed pride apparent in her voice and eyes. Zuko said nothing. How could he? He'd never seen anything like it. Buildings stacked on top of one another, lines of fluttering laundry connecting them. All of the roofs slanted upwards, pagoda style, and they were all a mix of colors. The roads were made of cobblestone, with ruts indented in them. People scurried back and forth, shouting to one another. Some had bags slung over their shoulders. Women balanced baskets of food atop their heads. Children ran in the street chasing one another. The prince smiled to himself. The place looked promising.
"You're home," Auska said, placing a hand on her nephew's shoulder. Another ocean breeze blew from behind them and Auska's hair and dress blew gently in the wind.
"I'm home…"
"And here's my room!" Auska happily exclaimed, throwing the double doors open. The room was painted a brilliant shade of red with gold trimmings. Her gigantic bed stood at the center. A mahogany dresser was pushed against the western wall with a mirror hanging just a few inches above it. Zuko timidly walked in, glancing around cautiously.
"It's…so empty," he stated, looking back at his aunt. The prince walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. Nothing. He glanced along the top of it. Nothing. The dresser, and the entire room, was completely bare.
"Well, of course it's empty. I was expecting to be gone longer than just two days!" Auska replied, making her way over to her nephew. Zuko turned his back to her and watched her approach in the piece of tell-tale glass.
"How long were you going to be staying, Aunt Auska?" the boy asked turning his head to look his aunt in the eye. She sighed while shrugging her shoulders, and ran a finger over the dresser top. Seeing the no dust had collected, she wiped her finger over the top of the wood piece.
"Not sure. A few weeks, maybe a month. It depended on how long your father was going to mourn," the royal responded, giving Zuko a look that read, and we all know how long that was. Zuko glanced at his reflection in the mirror, uncomfortable. The conversation was depressing. And unsettling. Was it true? Did his father not really even care about his mother? About him?
Auska gazed down at her relative. She could be so insensitive and stupid sometimes! It bothered and irritated her to no end. She never was good with children. And this boy was particularly sensitive. For Agni's sake, he just lost his mother, and here she was expecting him to understand every thing that popped out of her mouth, let alone not be affected by it. Auska couldn't help it, though. Although she was one who disagreed with the idea that children were just little adults, this boy was different. Auska couldn't place her finger on it, but it seemed that the very way he carried himself was a sign of his maturity. Even though the prince was just a little boy, his eyes--his entire demeanor--was that of a man.
"Where's my room?" Zuko asked, breaking the melancholy spell that had come over them. Auska blinked and shot Zuko one of her mischievous grins. His aunt turned on her heel and sprinted towards the door and out, leaving a very baffled Zuko behind her in the red room. The prince gave two self-conscious looks over his right, and then left shoulder. What on earth was going on? Where had his wily Aunt run away to this time? Zuko walked guardedly over to the open doors, not daring to make a sound. Confusion wrapped around him like a blanket. Or a dumpling. Speaking of dumplings…
GROWL!
Zuko glared down at his rumbling stomach and attempted to silence it with his hands. How long hat it been since he'd eaten last? Last night? Two night's ago? How had time escaped him so easily? Had he really been that sick? Auska had taken good care of him, he realized. He would need to thank her later. In any case, he was lost, starving, and guideless.
"What am I suppose to do?" he moaned, still clutching his stomach as pangs of hunger shot through him. He looked up at the sky imploringly, secretly hoping that steamed dumplings would magically rain down on him. Or his aunt would hurry up and get back. Whichever came first.
"Why don't we go down to the dining hall? It's about lunch time, anyway," a familiar voice broke in. The prince glanced up and saw Auska, her elegant hand resting on the door frame. Her black hair was in total disarray, while her silk robes were wrinkled and not resting on her appropriately. She looked like she had just run around the world.
"Where…?" Zuko started, as Auska walked towards him. She placed a hand on his back and pushed his gently towards the door. He stutter-stepped, but then picked up his pace. Auska took her hand off and walked with a quickened pace towards the door. Zuko tried to keep up with her, but she was walking just too fast. Apparently, she was just as hungry as he was. "Wait!" he cried, and Auska stopped. She let him walk a few steps ahead of her and then rejoined him.
"I went down to see if your room was ready. It wasn't so I ran back," Auska explained as she ran a hand through her tangled hair. She bent forward and flipped her head, the soft locks falling back into place.
"How far away is my room?" Zuko asked, surprised that Auska was so ragged from running to his room and back. Was it far away from hers?
"Well, my room is at the East end, and yours is at the South. It's a little ways, not too bad. It shouldn't be too far," Auska explained, straightening her dress on her shoulders.
Zuko glanced around him, in hopes of finding the dining room somewhere near. The hallway had dark brown, wooden flooring that glowed red faintly with the low glow of the fire in a golden dish, suspended from the ceiling. The walls, which were just a shade lighter than those in Auska's room, had occasional golden etchings in them, dragons and phoenixes and the like. Unlike his father's palace, Zuko noticed that this palace had no high pillars to support the lofty ceilings. In fact, ceilings themselves weren't very high. Intermittent breaks in the walls would reveal the bustling port outside for just a moment before returning to another golden etching. Zuko began to realize a pattern in the engravings. It went from a phoenix, to a turtle, to a unicorn, then a dragon, tiger, hare, wolf, condor, bear, fish, moth, and some strange looking beast with an arrow down its forehead. And after every one of those, there was a window. Zuko wondered what it was every time they passed it. He had seen all of the other animals, even the elusive phoenix and air condor, but this strange, bovine mammal was completely alien to him.
"What is th-?"
"The Zodiac,"
"Huh?"
"It's the world Zodiac. 3 animals for each nation. The phoenix, dragon, and wolf are the Fire Nation's. The fish, tiger, and hare are the Water Tribe's. The turtle, bear, and moth are the Earth Kingdom's. And the other three are the Air Nomad's. Or were the Air Nomad's," Auska explained, staring straight ahead. A frown crossed her face, but again it was clear.
"So, what are they? The Air Nomad animals?"
"Well, the unicorn was believed to be good luck. They believed that grinding a unicorn horn into water would create some kind of magical elixir to heal all wounds. Ridiculous if you ask me. Uh…the air condor you've seen. In fact, you saw what is believed to be the last one slaughtered in front of your very eyes not too long ago," Auska continued, rounding a corner. Zuko nodded, dwelling on her words. His father had just recently brought Zuko to the outside courtyard to see the air condor. He remembered his father raising his hand and a bowman readying the weapon. When the Fire Lord dropped it, an arrow released by the man sped towards the chained creature and pieced it. Zuko could not forget the sound of its shriek. It had haunted him for weeks.
"The last one I've only read about. I'm not entirely sure what it is," Auska stated, looking thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "Something like…Soaring…no, that's not right. Uh…hm…Flying something-or-other. I really don't remember. They're all extinct, anyways."
"They are? Then what's the point of having it in the Zodiac?" Zuko asked indignantly, letting his guard down once more. Practicality had always been one of the more dominant traits in him. Also, curiosity and honesty. It was quite frustrating for him when things didn't make sense. Everything should have a purpose, in his young opinion, and things that didn't were just extraneous and should not be.
"Don't ask me; I didn't make it up," Auska replied, laughing a little, "It was made up a long time ago, like 2,000 years. I guess they were around then,"
"What sign am I?"
"Well, let's see…you're seven now. Seven years ago was the year of the…tiger. Yes, you're a tiger." Auska responded, checking her calculations on her fingers. She counted back from seven and then nodded. "A creature noted for its unusual beauty and reclusive behavior. Those who are born under this sign are compassionate, headstrong, and down-to-earth…I sound like some kind of street-side prophet don't I?" she chortled, shaking her head and rolling her eyes to the sky.
"Wait--why am I a Water Tribe sign?" Zuko demanded shrilly. "Shouldn't I be a Fire Nation sign?" the boy continued fretfully. He was the prince of the Fire Nation, how could he be a Water Tribe sign? How could this have happened?
"Oh, don't worry about it, Zuko. It's all just stupid superstition, anyways. For instance, I'm a moth. Apparently, I'm soft-spoken, timid, and evasive. Of course, I don't have any of those traits. The Zodiac is just something tired, old, unemployed men made up to amuse themselves. It doesn't have anything to do with anything," Auska said, trying to comfort him. She could see he was still disconcerted, but there was nothing she could do to further convince him. He'd probably forget about once they got to eating, she figured. They walked in silence for awhile, occasional clearing of throats and sniffles interrupting their silence. Auska could tell that Zuko was busy pondering the Zodiac in his mind and his discomposure over being a sign from the Water Tribe. Auska honestly didn't know why they had those ridiculous pictures in the walls. She didn't like them and if they were going to get in the way of her nephew enjoying his stay, then there was no point in keeping them. She made a mental note to talk to the castle decorator to see if something could be done about it.
"How much further until we get to the dining hall?" Zuko asked, doing his best to cover up his whine. It seemed like they had been walking miles and they still hadn't reached it. They rounded one more corner and a doorway covered with an embroidered red silk screen was parted by two guards. They walked in and the two armored men let the drape fall back. They strolled through a blackened hallway, the torches glowing dimly, hardly enough to have any decent lighting. They entered a large hall and Zuko was shocked to see that there was nothing but a simple, squared table in the center. Red cushions served as seats and a vase of peonies was placed in the direct center. Auska lead the way over to the table and sat down on one of the pillows, fanning her robes out behind her. Zuko picked a spot to her right and quietly sat down as well. Immediately, a servant brought them two steaming glasses of green-tea and moved the vase over to the other side of the table. After the menial left (Zuko hoped to bring out the first course), the prince grimaced at his reflection in the jade liquid. He hated tea of any sorts, but green tea was his least favorite. The drink was flavorless in his opinion, and its sickening color made it all the more undesirable. He decided that he would request to just have a glass of water instead.
The servant returned with two napkins of the deepest red, a set of black chopsticks, and a platter of steamed shrimp dumplings. Zuko tried his best not to salivate all over his aunt's table as his eyes grew wide with hunger. Two miniature plates were set before them, and a small dish with which the servant poured in some soy sauce. They left and neither one of the monarchs touched the food.
"Go ahead, Zuko. You take it; you look absolutely ravenous," Auska exhorted, pushing the plate towards him with her eating utensils. He glanced up at her uncertainly, only to find her nose buried in her cup of tea. He picked up one at a time and placed them in his mouth, mindful of his manners. Just because he felt as hungry as a pig did not mean that he had to eat like one, he reasoned. Soon, six dumplings became five, became four, then three, and so on and so forth. All the while, Auska quietly sipped her tea, never letting the cup leave her mouth. Another servant brought another dish, and Zuko polished off that one as well. His aunt never even seemed to mind. She simply sat and drank, silent as a lady should be at the table. She cleared her throat but once, and even then it was barely audible. Zuko wondered if he should get used to this formal silence, if it was expected. But they had talked animatedly two nights ago on her ship and in his room. Perhaps it had to do with there being no one else to hear them at the time? But, there was practically no one here, either. Zuko decided to give conversation a shot.
"I'd like to thank you for keeping me well while I was sick, Aunt Auska," he said, placing the chopsticks down on the table. Auska set the empty cup down on the table and grabbed the ebony teapot. Pouring herself another cup, she smiled to herself. Telling him that it was no big deal, she took another sip. A servant came and placed two mahogany-colored bowls in front of them, black spoons already bobbing slightly in the broth. They sipped the soup silently for a few minutes, when Auska venture to start up a conversation again. She asked Zuko how the soup was and if there needed to be anything done to it. Shaking his head, he replied that the soup was fine. Silence greeted them once again.
How do I get this child to talk?, Auska wondered, eyeing him carefully. He was glancing around the room, observing everything in immediate view.
The room itself was red, like the rest of the castle, but relatively small. Aside from the low table they were sitting at and a large vase of peonies tucked away neatly in a corner, Zuko noticed nothing else in the room. The door which they entered from stood in front of him. There was a screen door behind Auska that he assumed opened up to a balcony. To his left, there was absolutely nothing either except a portal similar to the one they had entered from. Zuko watched as servants came and left that door, and he surmised that that must be the kitchen. The ceilings here were low, too, and black. The floor was black, as well. When Zuko glanced down, he could see his reflection in it. The table was a deep brown, low to the ground, and had slanting legs. Much like the slants of the roofs Zuko had seen that morning.
"Did you see that picture?" Auska asked, pointing behind him with her chopstick. He whirled around and was shocked to see a large tapestry hanging from the ceiling. It had some kind of battle scene depicted on it, horses caught in a frozen rear. Firebenders shot immobile blasts of fire at the attacking Earthbenders. The whole thing had only a few colors in it, mostly red and gold. A large figure with fire swirling around him caught Zuko's glance instantaneously. The man had the armor of a Fire Nation soldier, one of a particularly high rank. With graying hair and a stout figure, Zuko could have sworn he had seen the man before. It was like when one confuses dreams and reality.
"Do you know what that is?" she inquired. Zuko shook his head, but continued to stare intently on the man. "That is the battle of Ba Tsing Tse. That man in the center, that's your Uncle Iroh, The Dragon of the West," she informed. Zuko turned back to her and gaped. "Yes, you have a warrior uncle. Oh, don't get me wrong, he's a wonderful man. But very, very impressive on the battle field," she continued, staring up at the tapestry.
"Where else has he, uh, done battle?" Zuko inquired, stirring his soup. He was shocked as Auska instantly launched into a whole flood of praise for this Iroh man. Apparently, he was quite the world traveler. He had even been to the North Pole! As Zuko became more and more interested, he began asking more questions of Auska. It seemed that she could go on forever about her older brother. Zuko smiled at her enthusiasm and zest. She was so animate when she actually got to talking. He realized why he liked her so much in that moment. She was really more an older sister, a playmate, than a "replacement mother". She still had her child-like passion and she talked to him like he was one of her closest friends, rather than her nephew. She didn't treat him like an ignorant child who understood nothing about the world. She was vibrant, throwing in the occasional joke, and wasn't embarrassed at all by her behavior. If anything, Auska was still just a girl, hardly the woman she was expected to be. Zuko guessed that she was going to be labeled as one of those adults who "never grew up".
Auska herself was happy that she had finally got Zuko talking, asking questions even. It showed that he had some interest in being with her. Zuko surprised his Aunt. She had expected him to be cocky, like his father, or unassuming to the point of not even having his own life, like his mother. Zuko was a friendly mix of both plus some of his own qualities. Actually, the more Auska watched him, she was amazed of how much of Iroh she saw in him. The same eyes and once the same hair color. Auska secretly hoped that Zuko wouldn't be one of those who grayed early, like her brother. But his personality was so much like Iroh's! The same inquisitiveness, long attention-span, and both were never, ever rude. As Zuko listened to her, Auska noticed that his eyes never left hers, just like Iroh. He gave her his full attention and seemed so enthusiastic about the conversation. As far as Auska was concerned, Zuko and Iroh could have been father-son.
"Excuse me, ma'am," a new voice broke in. Auska turned and recognized the same guard from that morning. He stood a few feet away from the door and his helmet was cupped under his arm.
"Well, if it isn't my forgetful friend! How are you? Are the rooms ready?" she asked, smiling up at him like an idiot. The man turned a brilliant shade of red and mumbled something, his gaze cast downwards. "Hmm? What was that?" she demanded, cupping her hand to her ear. The man cleared his throat and announced that the rooms were, indeed, ready. "Excellent!" Auska exclaimed, clapping her hands. She stood up and came around to pull Zuko up, much to the prince's surprise. She walked up to the guard and stood in front of him, hands on hips. "Well? Are you going to lead us?" she inquired, a hint of impatience in her voice. The man huffed and turned on his heel, marching out the door. As they walked out, Zuko cast one final look back at the tapestry of his uncle.
"Here we are! Here's your new room!" Auska announced stepping into the room. Zuko followed and stopped short, gawking at the beautiful golden walls and creamy ceilings. Open screen-like windows revealed a balcony that overlooked one of the most beautiful gardens in the entire Fire Nation, or so Auska had bragged over dinner. He walked over to them and realized that they were made of rice paper like the ones in the dining hall. They were kind of a cream color, but still allowed light through. He walked over to a door and opened it, amazed to find his own bath. In his father's palace, no except the Fire Lord had a private bath. They all had to use the communal tubs of manually heated water. Not the Fire Lord's, though. His was always hot. That was something Zuko had been looking forward to when he succeeded his father. But now it seemed that he didn't have to. Closing the door behind him, Zuko turned and inspected how the furniture had been placed. The bed, which was not his old familiar, had been pushed up against a wall that was opposite of the screen windows. His black dresser had been brought, however, and he was shocked to see all of his clothes neatly folded within its drawers. A full length mirror with golden dragons melded onto the sides hung on the wall next to the dresser. Tucked in the corner next to the dresser, his toys had been taken out and arranged out on the black, wood floors. It seemed that everything but his bed had been brought. It nearly overwhelmed Zuko.
"It's alright…right?" Auska asked, uncertain by his silence. Zuko took another look around and nodded in affirmation to his Aunt. She relaxed a little, and pointed out that his pajamas were folded on the bed. Zuko glanced over to see his silky, black sleep clothes lying atop the red comforter. He took them and padded over to the bathroom.
"Wait! So long as you're getting ready for bed, I think I'll just say my goodnights now and go to bed myself," Auska said as she walked over to Zuko. Bending down, she wrapped him up in a tight hug, much to his amazement. Squeezing him extra tight, she whispered, "I hope you like it," and released. Zuko blinked and smiled a bit before turning to go and change his clothes in the bath. Stepping inside the room, he turned and gave as small smile back to his aunt before closing the door. He listened to her robes glide across the floor as she made for the door and a small swoosh as she closed the screen behind her. Zuko looked over at the bath, hoping he could get one in before he went to bed. However, he was quickly dismayed when he saw a few logs lying underneath the tub. It seemed that he would need someone to start the fire for him if he ever wanted to take a bath. He sighed and carefully stripped off his traveling clothes. Folding them neatly on the wood base surrounding the tub, Zuko slipped on the cool silk and made for the bed. He was pleased to see that this bed was low, like his Aunt's, and he didn't need a step-stool to get into it. Back at his father's palace, all of the beds were high and Zuko was embarrassed to admit that he needed a little stool to get into it. He fell into the bed and gave a soft sigh as the mattress revealed its soft nature. Zuko squirmed as he reached for the sheets and tried to pull them over himself in the same movement. He was about to drift off when he noticed that the windows were still open and there was still a little fire blazing in a little dish. Groaning, he got up, closed the windows and, looking back so that he would remember where the bed was, blew out the light. Submerged in darkness, the prince made his way over to the bed and fell into it once again. However, he suddenly realized that he did not have his sleeping companion with him. Te, his stuffed wolf, had been his childhood companion since the day he was born. He never, ever slept without it. Getting up, he stumbled over to where his toys had been laid out and began to fervently search for the snow colored dog. Suddenly, he felt its familiar soft fur and made a quick grab for it, hugging it to his chest. Zuko padded back over to the bed, Tanto in hand, and collapsed into the bed, exhausted.
"It's been a strange, but very good day," he mumbled, clutching the stuffed animal to himself. Sleep finally won him over and he drifted off, the peaceful feeling of belonging cradling him like a mother cradles her child to sleep.