A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys (for the most part) approve of the OCs (most of them are very minor characters). Yogota and Paku's parts in this story end in this chapter. And to add to that, I'm thinking this story will be between seven and ten chapters—we'll see. Also, sorry about the inconsistency concerning my explanation of the Geisha… I was stupid for a moment there, but I went back and fixed it. Thanks, guys.
Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is copyrighted under Nickelodeon, I think. I do know for certain that Michael DiMartino and Bryan Koneitzko created the series, though I doubt I spelt their names right…
The Engagement Necklace
Paku stared out at the sparkling sea, knowing that it had taken his love from him—it had swallowed her whole. She was no more, only a speck of sunshine on the distant horizon, a grain in the sands of time. But he would not let her disappearance ruin him. He still had his whole life ahead of him.
Standing, Paku streamed water from the snow around, closing his eyes to let him become the water, become who he was destined to be.
Kana had left him, but that would not deter him. He would study Waterbending as hard as he could, put all his passion into it. That way, he would forget all that had happened. And forgetting was the first step to continuing on with his life.
Yumi smiled at her new sister as she changed the bandages around the great would. The Healer had a vague idea of what had happened, but she would voice it to no one; it was neither her business nor her concern. She would heal Yogota and shape her into a great Healer, just like Iyaka, just like her—just like Yumi. Yumi knew that Yogota would never remember what had happened, for the damage to her head had affected her memory—but with Yumi's help, Yogota would never retain the past and would shape her future into something respectable.
"Yumi?" asked Yogota slowly.
"Yes, my sister?" she asked softly.
"You are really there…"
Placing her hand on Yogota's shoulder, Yumi broke into silent tears that went unnoticed by Yogota. "Yes, Yogota, and I will always be here for you."
The Prince raced through the palace to find the messenger hawk that had delivered Iroh's letter—it had flown off while he had sprinted to his father and mother. He tore through one hall, flew past the servants, who were too stunned to bow as he dashed by. Ozai had to find that darned bird, for it was the only hawk who had a general knowledge of wherever Iroh's fleet was.
"Hawk!" he called out as he continued his mad dash through the palace grounds. Tearing through the orchard, he saw Kanz and another man in a dark cloak nearby and hid behind a tall peach tree, curious as to what was going on.
"You heard me, he came running through here, fast as a dragon. I do not know what is going on, but it was something concerning the Fire Lord, the brat was looking for him," said Kanz venomously. The man standing next to Kanz nodded; his face was obscured by the overhanging hood of his cloak, keeping his features shrouded in shadow.
"So the Fire Lord will be quite busy for the next days to come, won't he?" hissed the cloaked man.
"Probably," muttered Kanz, rolling his eyes.
"You remember our terms of the agreement, am I correct?"
"Well, of course I do, although are you entirely sure that you want all of the Earth Kingdom—"
"Impudence! Impudence, I say! I get you a position of power and you try to hoodwink me into getting the fiery end of the torch? Impudence and disloyalty, I say!" hollered the cloaked man.
Kanz threw his head wildly about as thought trying to make sure no one was around. "Shut up! Shut up, someone will hear you. Do you want to be found out? Do you not want your land that I promised?" The cloaked man shook his head vigorously. "Then shut up!"
The cloaked man stood still, waiting for Kanz to continue.
"You know, I was under the impression that you were an experienced assassin," snarled Kanz. The cloaked man trembled violently, snaking his hand around the handle of a short dagger.
"Insult me and I may just take your life," whispered the cloaked man in a malicious undertone. The man approached Kanz slowly, pinning him against a peach tree, putting the dagger at his throat. "Something tells me that you plan to betray me, Lord Kanz. I wonder why that is?"
Kanz swallowed, sweat drenching his forehead. "I mean no treachery to you, Shadow. Please, I will hold up my end of the bargain."
"Good," sneered the cloaked man, the one called Shadow. Shadow whipped around and dashed off into the gardens before Kanz had regained his cool.
Ozai's eyes narrowed. Kanz was plotting something, by the looks of it, very treasonous. But he had to keep that for later.
Turning around, he spotted the red hawk perched on a roof of one of the servants' quarters some distance away. He dashed toward the hut, calling out to the bird of prey. "Hawk!" he bellowed, "Come here!" The hawk lazily descended from its perch and took a new one on Ozai's left arm. Ozai hastily tied the scroll he was carrying to the bird's foot and instructed it come back from where it came.
Knocking ever so lightly on the cold metal door, the servant waited for the Captain of the fleet to open it. The Captain did and, judging from the look on his face, was very stressed and concerned. "What? What is it?" asked the Captain in a frenzy.
"Sir! A message, just arrived from the Fire Nation—just now that it is nearing dusk."
"What, news from the Fire Nation! Hand it here, servant," the Captain hastily ordered. The servant handed the scroll over to the Captain, who snatched it from the servant's hand and, in a whirl of anticipation and anxiety, tore off the ribbon that held the scroll in place and slowly unrolled it.
The servant peered over the Captain's should, read what was written: a message from the Fire Lord himself!
Iroh,
Hasten home with the Waterbender you interrogated. This is a serious matter and action must be taken. If he were to return… You know what this means. You know how vital it is that we receive as much information as possible, that we defeat our enemies before they defeat us. Hurry, my son. Hurry.
-Fire Lord Kontun
The servant watched in great respect and awe as the Captain raised an eyebrow, shocked. "'My son,' he wrote? 'My son'? …Dear Agni, great Sun Spirit, it is worse than I feared…" The Captain glanced up and the servant backed away, but too late—the Captain had already noticed that the servant had been reading the scroll. "Servant! Do you understand the gravity of the situation?" The servant nodded meekly. "Then tell the helmsman to hasten home and do not stop for anything!"
Again, the servant nodded. "Yes, of course, sir—"
"Go!"
The small fleet of black ships had arrived in the harbor fifteen days after he had sent the letter, right at sunrise, right when the great Sun Spirit, Agni, had decided to open his shining eyes to the world once again. Kontun bowed ever so slightly to the sun, praising Agni for the safe return of Iroh—of his son, the one who knew the true workings of the world in ways that Ozai would never know; the son reflected the gift of understanding and compassion straight from the soul of the woman who had birthed him, who had been banished because of her great and terrible talent and beauty.
As the ships docked and the gangplank was let loose, Kontun smiled to himself. Iroh was the only thing left of the one he had loved; but Iroh could never rule the Fire Nation, for it would upset the balance of the nobles and the royal family. But still. Iroh was—secretly—his only beloved son. If only things had been different…
Some Firebenders walked down the gangplank of the nearest ship first, bearing with them a bit of cargo that needed to be unloaded, and then, there was—Iroh, a striking young man who had grown much since being sent off into the waters of the earth with naught but a few ships and supplies to last him a month.
"Iroh," called Kontun hoarsely. The young man turned to the sound of his father's voice, a severe look upon his face. Behind Iroh, four guards surrounded a young-looking, dark-skinned woman adorned in blue robes. "Come here," Kontun called.
Iroh veered off the gangplank and approached his father with a strong, unwavering face. He had changed; or was it just fake, just play-acting, knowing that he was not a true royal, just the disgraced bastard son of the Fire Lord and that he must treat the Fire Lord with the utmost respect or be executed for being born?
"Fire Lord," acknowledged Iroh, bowing lowly to his father. "I have brought the one who has told us about the return of the Avatar."
"That is good," murmured Kontun, bottling his emotions within him, willing himself to forget the affection for the young man standing in front of him. "That is good. Come this way."
And the small group journeyed the rest of the way in perfect silence back to the immense, gleaming gem of ruby that was the Fire Nation royal palace.
Kana stood in silence at the foot of the throne of the Fire Lord and Fire Lady, her head bowed, not wishing to even look at the world's worst enemies. But they were there, and they wanted information. Things had gone too far. Things had not gone as planned.
"Peasant!" screeched the Fire Lady, "Tell us where the Avatar is hiding!"
Kana flicked her eyes to the ceiling, observing the magnificent carvings of fire, of flame, of the element of hatred and death and destruction. It was all red and yellow and orange and beautiful—so beautiful—but so evil, so disturbingly evil. Fire is the enemy. Do not forget that.
"I will tell you nothing," responded Kana coldly. She brought her icy blue eyes to meet those of the Fire Lady's, and a mental struggle occurred between them; the tension was so great that one could have bended it.
"Insolent Water girl! You will tell me everything!" shouted the Fire Lady. "Guards, you know what to do." And the Fire Lady watched with an evil look on her face as two guards closed in on Kana; one smacked her across the face, and her nose began to bleed.
She cried out and collapsed to the ground, hearing the malicious laughter of the Fire Lady in the background, hearing not a word from the Fire Lord. "Now will you tell me, witch?" the Fire Lady hissed.
Kana stood defiantly; a guard slammed her back down to her knees with the blunt end of his spear. The Fire Lady grinned in sickening delight.
Things had gone too far. This lie was—this could not happen—they could not attack her city again, but she did not want to die…
"There is no Avatar! He is not alive again!" she hollered as shetried to rise again, but the guard slammed her in the back of the head with his blunt spear.
"Stop this! Father, stop this!" shouted a voice, almost pleadingly.
Kana could barely focus as the Fire Lady stood in anger, confronting the one who had begged for it to stop.
"You! Traitor! You keep out of this!" And then, there was a pause. A pause that indicated the Fire Lady was contemplating something. The Fire Lady stepped off the raised area that her throne was in, and she slowly approached the golden-eyed teen who had defied her.
"Iroh!" she hissed. "You planned this! You told your little water witch to pretend the Avatar had returned so you could come home and gain the throne for yourself! Traitor!" she screamed for the entire room to hear. Looking around at the guards, the Fire Lady ordered shrilly, "Kill them both."
A/N: And that is my sucky attempt to try and make an interesting plot... Oh well. Sorry it took so long to update.
