Disclaimer: This plot is mine, steal it and I'll sue your butt off. Oh, and ATLA is not mine.
Thanks to my reviewers! You won't believe just how much your reviews helped me to smile even when nothing in my life seems to be right. This one is dedicated to you guys. And this is also for my friends and fans, Aileen, Bianca, Charmaine, and Princess (Don't you guys dare laugh at me if I sing on our program today, okay?). Teehee. And now, on with our story.
Chapter 12: Betrayal and Payment
The sun that hung against the azure sky swirled with clouds was bright and full, enveloping the Fire Nation capital Shenhoun with an infectious cheeriness, something that the city hadn't experienced for over a hundred years since the war began. Locals and tourists flocked the marketplace, which sold everything from the finest royal silk to frog brains. A bountiful harvest was reaped during the day and the farmers made their way to the great god Agni's temple to offer their sacrifices as thanks for the bountiful gathering. Little children were just on their way from school, laughing while eating sticky candied fruits and meat jerkies.
On the East Side of Shenhoun lay the Fire Palace, a dazzling array of twenty buildings and over a hundred gardens. Five feet thick walls surrounded the perimeter, with guards stationed at every entrance and exit, nothing but the best in security for their Fire Lord. A huge glass dome sat in a corner of the complex, housing the world's largest indoor forest complete with all of the animals of the world and almost all of the plants in the world. There was even a spot there for the penguins, though it's giving the caretakers hell; the temperatures in the indoor forest could melt the thirty blocks of ice in a matter of hours, after which they have to replace all the ice so that the penguins wouldn't die of heatstroke. The main building was appropriately called 'Shen Long Palace' or 'Dragon God Palace' with all its statues and other carvings of the famed creature, which by the way, was the animal guardian of Avatar Roku.
The only things disrupting this tranquil scene were the massive gray clouds that have befallen over the palace—dark, angry clouds that threatened rain in an instant. The servants, guards, officials, and nobles living in the palace complex were on a state of complete confusion as they bemusedly stare at the dark clouds and to the bright sky over the rest of the city.
And they all have to thank a particular Waterbender for that, whose anger and impatience were the sources of this meteorological anomaly.
Katara paced around her room in a state of complete fury. She had the servants unpack for her again as she had no choice but to stay longer in the Fire Nation. The royal doctor who was in charge of taking care of Jing said that he would need complete bed rest for a couple of weeks. It was a type of disease that comes with old age and after he recuperates, he will have some difficulties in walking, but a short few days of physical therapy would get him back in shape. And after that, he and Katara could leave this infuriating place at once.
"Why can't two weeks come earlier?" Katara roared, all that pacing not working to soothe her frayed nerves. She couldn't stand being in the same place with the Fire Lord any longer and would rather jump off a cliff and into the ocean than stay with him for dinner and endure his presence in complete insanity-inducing silence. In truth, they haven't shared more than two sentences since she woke up from her fainting spell. When she awoke, he asked her if she was okay, to which she answered with a huffy, yes. They only nodded with each other as a sign of greeting or acknowledgement or ignored each other completely.
"I can't stand this!" Katara threw her robe over her tunic and kicked open her oak-and-metal double doors. She ran to the stables, selected a pure white mare, and made her way to the beach, alarming some people when she galloped through the city at top speed.
At the beach, she unleashed her anger and had already broken her fifteenth column of ice in less than thirty minutes. After the releasing exercise, she sat down on the sand, letting her bloodied hands feel the grainy texture.
I seriously want to go home, she thought sulkily. But I can't be selfish and let Jing die.
She stared at the ocean once more and saw the sun setting over the horizon, painting the sky in gold and orange. She sighed. The extensive use of the fire colors red, gold, and orange was already annoying her so much that she preferred to stay in the greenery of the gardens than let herself be suffocated by the uncomfortable fire in the palace buildings.
Katara got up and went for the mare she tied to a coconut tree, wondering absently what new alibi she would use to explain off her going out and her injured knuckles and also the pile of ruined cotton shoes in her room. The servants did not dare to speak, but it was Iroh who always asked her during dinner and Jing when she went to visit him in the royal infirmaries.
After she had the horse back in the stables and had helped in getting its mane and tail brushed to perfection and giving it a carrot as gratitude, she made her way back to her room. To her dismay, she had gotten lost within the labyrinthine halls and found herself in the Imperial Suites, which translates to Zuko's room. There were no guards for Zuko demanded complete privacy.
At first, Katara turned on her heel to go the opposite direction, but her curiosity got the better of her and she turned around again. She grasped the huge brass doorknob and turned it. The door creaked open and she went inside.
The suite had got to be five times bigger than her room and was bedecked with the finest silk draperies and golden ornaments. The flooring, parts of which she can see from under the crimson rug, unlike most of the palace, was of marble. Art collections littered around, from framed jade and gold jewelry to ancient Fire Nation armor. The huge four-poster bed—which could easily fit ten people and backed on the middle of the east wall—was made of intricately carved wood and scarlet bedding; heavy velvet curtains of red covered the ceiling-to-wall window.
Just then, a door on her left opened, revealing Zuko who was wearing nothing but a towel draped around his waist. His hair was slick and wet while rivulets of water dripped from his body.
"Everytime I want you to stay, you always tell me to go away. Can't you feel my love, oh my angel from up above?" he was singing tunelessly. He went for his dresser, and used his brush as a microphone as he continued on his singing frenzy.
"Why won't you even smile at me? Oh could my love be possibly be…. Unaccepted?"
Katara, even in the absurdity of the situation, couldn't suppress a giggle. Zuko's eyes widened in shock as he spun around and saw the water wench, with her clothes all wet and her hands all bloody, clutching her stomach and laughing hard.
"What in the name of Agni--?" he yelled loud enough for her to look up. At first, she seemed to regain her composure, but she took another look at him and she kneeled to the floor, doubling up in her laughter.
Zuko, in shame and rage, walked to her and pulled her to her feet by her collar.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded, hoping that the death glare he gave her would silence her.
"I—I took a wrong turn and ended up here," Katara managed to say amidst the giggles.
"It's a serious offense to just break in at somebody else's room!" he thundered. "And in the Fire Lord's room, nonetheless! I'll have you hanged!"
"Yeah, whatever." Katara pried off his fist from her collar and took a step back. "I just wonder what your subjects would say when they hear that their Fire Lord, the ever serious and dignified king, was singing like that?" She imitated his singing. "Oh could my love possibly be…. Unaccepted?"
Zuko tried hard to keep his face from flaming, and he hoped that if it had, it registered anger, not embarrassment.
"And so? It's my right as a human to sing like a deranged fool if I want, and I am in the privacy of my quarters." But many of his officials were too stern and the news of their king fooling around was frowned upon. Sure, he could order the execution of whoever went against him, but he hated wasting blood.
"Could you please leave now? I'm wearing nothing but a towel here and it's getting cold!"
"Then wear a robe or something." Katara made herself comfortable in an armchair and crossed her legs in front of him. "I would like to stay here and listen to you sing."
"I'll have you incinerated at the public square!" Zuko threatened, bending down, his face way too close to hers for comfort.
Katara didn't even flinch, but she said calmly, "And incur the wrath of the Water Nations and Earth Kingdom? I thought you had more sense than that, Fire Lord Zuko. My death at the hands of the Fire Lord would simply be a basis for another hundred-year war between our nations. Surely you wouldn't want to destroy this much needed peace between our peoples?"
Zuko stared at her unbelievingly. She had come a long way from that simple water peasant to a diplomatic, level-headed leader of the Water Tribes.
Then he saw her wounded hands, wondering what the hell she did that her hands became all blotched.
"What did you do to your hands?" he asked, eager to change the topic.
"This?" Katara raised her arms. "Let's just say training cuts."
"Training cuts, my ass," Zuko mumbled. "Wait here."
He went inside a room on the right and came out seconds later with his body all dry and wearing silk pants and shirt. He headed for the bathroom and when he emerged, he was balancing a basin of hot water, towels, and a small white box.
"What's all that for?" Katara asked curiously as he put everything he carried in a table and pulled it beside her along with a chair.
"I'm going to clean up your wounds, idiot," Zuko answered as he sat down and took her hands, eyeing the cuts in distaste. "I cannot, for the life of me, imagine what training you did to have this kind of mess on your hands—literally."
Katara stared at him as he picked up a towel, dipped it in the water and proceeded to wipe off most of the grime and blood from the lacerations. He was very gentle and made an effort not to put too much pressure on the injuries. At that moment, Katara wanted to snatch her hands back and heal the wounds herself—she could do it in seconds—but she let him continue, loving the warmth and tenderness of his hands.
"This may sting a bit," he warned as he opened up a jar of clear paste. He smoothed some of the cooling ointment on the wounds, making Katara flinch.
"That hurt," Katara said through gritted teeth.
"Yes, and I expect that getting them in the first place was just as hurtful as an ant's bite." He rolled his eyes and raised her hands to his lips, blowing gently. The smarting receded somewhat, but Katara was more concerned about his proximity and his overwhelming…kindness and concern towards her.
Zuko grabbed a roll of white silk bandages, wrapped her hands with them and gently tying the knot.
"There, that should help it heal," he said, satisfied at his work.
Katara observed her bandages and she had to admit, they were made carefully and correctly.
"Where did you learn this kind of stuff?" she asked as he got up, taking the used supplies.
"In a battle, knowledge of first aid is the thread that determines between life and death for a fellow injured soldier. I had helped save many of my men just by my simple efforts of bandaging up their injuries before they could be taken to a doctor." Zuko shrugged nonchalantly, as if that was normal. "You traveled a lot with Aang and your brother, so you also understand how important that is."
"Yeah, I couldn't count how many times I healed their injuries after, well…." She trailed off delicately, the discontinuing of the sentence speaking volumes.
"You mean after the time I've tried to capture Aang or when you fought with other Firebenders," Zuko finished, giving her a lopsided smile.
Katara returned the smile. "And don't forget the times when Sokka injured himself. He was always so bumbling, but I love him dearly. That's part of his charm, you know."
Zuko nodded and had put away the materials he used where the servants could later get them. He sat back at her side.
"I have an idea," he said, another smile forming at his lips. "Since we're already here, having a nice talk without trying to rip each other's heads off, can we start over? I mean after the…events of the ball, we didn't talk much, and let's face it; you need someone to talk to other than Jing and Uncle Iroh. Besides, sometimes a conversation is the best stress reliever out there on the market and you don't know what kind of hell I go through everyday."
Katara gave a soft, tinkling laugh. "It seems that you need a wife, not just someone to talk to."
Zuko stared at her thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right, and I am eighteen and already at marrying age. Some of my subjects are also asking me when the time will come that they will see an heir."
"There should be many of your subjects vying to be your wife. Why not just choose one and get it over with?"
"Unfortunately, none of them is my type. They're just so…loud and brainless. I need someone who could help me not bother me."
"If you keep your standards too high, you may not get a wife. Me, I'm happy with anyone just as long as I love him and he loves me back. I couldn't care if he had a bad history or whatever, just as long as we're together."
"That's what Uncle Iroh said, about my standards being too high, I mean. And you're a romantic, you know?"
"It's find it's better to be a romantic than a cynic."
"But the world is not like that, you do realize that. Somewhere in between you'll still feel pain even if you're with that someone you love."
"I know and I'm prepared for that. Love is not perfect, but it can be as long as it never fades on both sides."
Zuko stared at those oceanic depths of her eyes, seeing more than what others could see. Many would see a graceful, beautiful, and intelligent young lady, but they fail to see what Zuko saw at that moment: A passionate and fiery woman and a head-strong chieftess. Fearing that he might get lost just by staring at her eyes and do something he might regret, he wrenched himself away and focused at the clock.
"Katara, they're serving dinner in an hour, so might I suggest that you go and change to some clothes that are not tattered and wet. I'm enjoying this conversation and would like to continue it."
Katara smiled and stood up.
"Yeah, and who would thought that we could just sit around and have a nice discussion. After all, we did have some bad history together. I'm surprised that Sokka has even accepted that we're not enemies anymore."
"It just means he's maturing and becoming a man."
"I'll go now then. See you in an hour."
"Sure."
Katara went out the door and disappeared from his sight.
Zuko sighed and stretched. Who knew that a chat with the water wench could be so calming? Come to think of it, during their short episode at the garden, he admitted to her that just by staying with her, he felt very calm indeed.
That was just the Amore root! Snap out of it! It was all chemically induced! It wasn't even real!
He shook his head and took off his silk shirt. He needed another bath. All those evil thoughts of that night were driving him mad.
But as he was about to take off his pants, the door opened and revealed a Katara who was smiling hugely and then her face contorted into terror as she saw with her very own eyes Zuko about to strip off his pants, therefore exposing his ass.
"ZUKO YOU PERVERT!"
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He was covered in shadows, the darkness his only source of comfort; solitude, the only friend he trusts. He was an outcast, shunned by an uncaring society. As an orphan, he never knew of a mother's gentle caress or a father's warm hugs. He looked at the world in a cynical way, disposing love and friendship as mere signs of weakness—emotional people tend to make mistakes, mistakes that cost them their lives, something that he was too far familiar with. He never knew what love and a simple act of kindness meant and how much it could do. All he knew was to kill or be killed.
And that made him the perfect assassin. A man who had nothing to lose and everything to gain could never be afraid to take lives even at the process of losing his own. He had the stealth of a ninja, the brains of an analyst, and the heart of a killer. His skills were incomparable but he was more known for one act that had taken so many lives it became legendary:
The assassin had killed over a hundred soldiers in one night and got out of the Fire Nation fort with only broken arms, ribs, and a bloody nose. Not a bad accomplishment for someone as young as he.
The door of his quarters opened, letting a small amount of light pour in the darkened area. The assassin reached for his katana instinctively as a man, also covered in shadows, walked in and threw a parcel at his feet.
"That is all you need for this assignment," the man said. "They want it done quickly. Make no mistakes. Ba Sing Se is heavily guarded but I think you can take on a few measly soldiers. Your associates will attack at the same time you do. I don't want to look bad in front of the council. Bring back glory or don't come back at all."
The killer nodded sharply and began to strap his weapons to his body.
"Good."
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Dinner at the royal dinner suites was a quiet if not tense affair. Zuko and Katara were glaring at each other silently from their ends of the table and simply refusing to even make a sound. Iroh stared at one teenager to the next, wondering what had gone wrong.
What he didn't know was the Fire Lord was now suffering from a nasty welt on his backside, thanks to a water whip courtesy of the Water Chieftess. When Katara had walked in on Zuko with his butt exposed, she had screamed, bended the water out of a nearby flower pot and water whipped the king in his ass. Now Zuko was having a hard time shifting in his seat; the whip had hit him painfully and no amount of ice could numb the pain.
Zuko gritted his teeth as the pain seared again on his ass. Water wench. She dared to hurt him and cause him discomfort! She'll be hanged!
Katara finished her dinner quickly and stood up to be excused.
"If you'll excuse me, I'll just go to the infirmary and visit Jing for a while."
"Do what you wish, child," answered Iroh when Zuko did not speak but instead focused on his miso soup. Katara bowed and went off.
"Now would you tell me what happened between you and Miss Katara, Zuko?" asked Iroh calmly, sipping his ginseng tea.
"I do not wish to talk about it, uncle," answered Zuko sharply. The pain came again and he winced. Stupid girl, she'll pay!
Iroh knew that something has happened and it wasn't helping with his plan with Jing. This must be altered, but he needed an opportunity to get his plan in motion.
And such an opportunity walked inside the dinner suite in the form of an agitated General Jee.
"Fire Lord Zuko and Fire Lord Advisor Iroh," said Jee, bowing respectfully to the two men. "I deeply regret having to come in while you are having your meal, but this is most urgent. I need to speak with you immediately."
Zuko wiped his mouth with a napkin and stood up.
"Let's go to my study. We'll discuss there. You coming, Uncle?"
"Yes, of course." Iroh also shot to his feet and followed the two men to Zuko's study.
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"And he had the audacity to scream at me after I did that to him when he was the one who was being a pervert!" Katara finished her narration to Jing with smoke coming out of her nostrils—well, at least not literally.
Jing managed a weak chuckle from his bed.
"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself."
"Enjoying myself? I'm dying here! Get better soon, okay, Jing? We need to get out of this place!"
"I'll do the best I can, child."
Katara sighed. "I didn't mean it like that, Jing. I'm just so stressed about things. Please forgive me."
Jing gave an understanding nod.
Katara rose from her seat. "If you don't mind, Jing, I'm going to bed. I'm so tired."
Jing smiled. "Just visit me again tomorrow, okay?"
"I'll stay with you all day if you wish."
"Don't bother, child. Iroh comes and we play Pai Sho."
"You're getting addicted to that game, I see."
"Blame Iroh and his obsession with Pai Sho, proverbs, and tea."
Katara walked out of the room in considerably higher spirits than when she came in. Jing always knew how to make her smile or uplift her spirits and she loved him for that.
As she walked down the corridor to her room, she passed by Zuko who was leaning on a pillar with his arms crossed and staring at the moon darkly.
"What's gotten into you?" she asked.
"None of your business," he snapped and Katara looked affronted.
"Fine, if you don't want to tell me. I'm going to bed. Good night, Fire Lord—"
"The rebels attacked," he said sharply. "They killed a good number of my men in the Earth Kingdom and Water Nations."
"Zuko…I don't know what to say. I guess, I'm sorry, that must have been quite a loss."
Zuko rubbed his forehead in frustration. "They took out the youngest of my soldiers, and even killed some innocent women and children! They demanded that I step down from being king and put another one they chose in my place! They're maniacs! When peace is finally achieved, all they want is the destruction back! I've lived my entire life fighting against that!"
Katara wanted to place a hand on his shoulder and comfort him in any way she could, but decided against it.
"Zuko, you know that whatever happens that the council and I will always be behind you. We'll help in any way we can. I feel slightly responsible for this. They attacked your soldiers at my own tribe, and I feel that if only I strengthened security at our gates, the killers wouldn't come."
"I know how you feel, Katara. But it isn't as simple as that. We can't just charge blindly at our opponent. We don't know who in hell they are, where their headquarters are, or who leads them. Some of my spies are killed ruthlessly and I can't lose any more men than I have. But what's worse in the attack on the Water Nations was that the killers were dressed as members of the Water Army."
"Zuko, that's awful. It's betrayal! I really wish that I could help right now, but I don't know how." Katara's voice trailed sorrowfully. "I wish I could repay you. I feel that I had made a mistake and caused all of this. I might have hired some traitors and didn't know it. It cost the lives of some people."
Zuko snapped up his head and looked at her seriously.
"Do you honestly want to help me and repay me?" he asked.
Katara nodded bravely. "I'll do whatever I can."
"Then marry me," he said and strode past her, leaving her with her mouth hanging open.
Hmmm….this is definitely the best I've done, but it's what I could come up with. Another product of crapiness brought to you by an insane writer whose writer's blocks have been a big bitch. I know I said that I'll update by Wednesday, but I didn't realize how busy I was. I had to cancel a whole mess of meetings and appointments this afternoon to get this done. Somebody asked me if I could make this one full of Zutara-y goodness, but I only put in some. Oh yeah, as for the winners…maybe later. The impartial judge is having a heard time deciding as well. I won't be able to update in a while, maybe two weeks, as it's Finals and I need to study. But don't worry, we have a three-week break after this and that means a lot of updations! I'll try to squeeze in an updation or two during these two weeks if I can, but I'm not making any promises. REVIEW, please.
Rienne ;p
