I apologize for my slow updates. I've been busy brainstorming new chapters for three other incomplete fanfictions. I appreciate all of the reviews. I'm thinking of changing the rating to Teen 'cause it might get pretty nasty later on – and I mean nasty as in violent. Anyway, the story continues…This chapter is pretty long.
Chapter 3: The Hoshi Festival
Everyone had been sailing for two days straight. Maeli got accustomed to hanging out with the crew whenever she got bored. She became quiet popular with everyone. They enjoyed having her sunny spirit around. Most of the time, Zuko didn't know that Maeli was spending time with the crew, or if he did, he didn't mind unless the cook wasn't making his meals. The prince wasn't sure why, but the girl who came to stay on his ship started to grow on him. He pondered the confusing emotions twirling inside of him.
One day, they finally came to a stop at an Earth Kingdom village. Zuko knew that the Avatar was in the next village over; about another day or two of sailing. He stopped the ship to stock up on items for the Avatar's capture. Maeli was asleep that morning when Zuko went to the marketplace. If she was up earlier, she would've went with him. Noon was approaching, and Maeli had just finished eating. She didn't know they made a pit stop until she walked out on the deck and saw that the ship was stationary. She went to see the Lieutenant to find out where they were; it was Komoi. Maeli's eyes glittered when she heard that name. She's always heard of the Hoshi Festival that was held in Gangu, which was the neighboring village of Komoi; and she has been dying to attend.
"Uncle Iroh, I'm going to the marketplace for a bit, okay? I won't be long!" Maeli called from behind Iroh's bedroom door.
"Alright, be careful!" he called back.
"'Kay!" She slipped on her shoes and bolted outside. She was anxious to find out when the festival would be held. It was always advertised in Komoi because the festival would have a huge parade that would stretch from Gangu to Komoi. If possible, she would stay in town until it was time; after all, Iroh did say that she could leave the ship whenever she wanted. But would she really do it? Once Maeli made it into town, she saw Hoshi Fest flyers posted all over the place. "Yes!" she cheered to herself. While she was in the middle of reading one, a man came up to her.
"Hey, Fire Nation girl, what're you doing here?"
Maeli looked at him puzzled, "Hm? Me? I'm not from the Fire Nation."
"Then what're those clothes you're wearing?" Maeli looked at her outfit and felt stupid. The man continued, "Looks like Fire Nation to me."
"Oh, well, this is just a coincidence, honest! I'm really from the Earth Nation. I had to wear this because- "
"Liar! You're probably a spy! I bet you've come to ruin our festival!" The man's loud voice attracted attention. Many villagers began to turn on Maeli.
"Fire Nation! Get out!" a woman shouted.
"We don't need anymore trouble from you! We've lost enough of our people in the war!" an old man remarked.
A little boy threw a rock at Maeli's waist saying, "Take that!"
"What the-! Stop that!" Maeli hollered.
"Get lost, wench!" another man called.
The villagers all began to chuck rocks at her. "Hey, wait a minute!" Maeli tried to reason with them, but they didn't listen and began to get more violent; cursing and throwing other items at her. Running away seemed like the best thing to do, but then the whole crowed chased after her.
Zuko just came out of the bath. He had been training all morning and needed a refreshing bath. When he passed by Maeli's room to tell her about "Not Using Zuko's Soap", he was surprised that she wasn't there.
Zuko knocked on Iroh's door, "Uncle, where's Maeli?"
"Oh, she went to the marketplace. Come to think of it, she's been gone for quite some time. I hope she isn't lost."
"What was she wearing when she left?"
"I don't know, I didn't see. Why?"
Zuko dashed back to the girl's room and found her Earth Kingdom dress lying on the small table with her cloak. "That stupid girl!" Zuko shouted as he ran out. "All of you, come with me!" he called to the six guards in the hall.
Iroh came out of his room when he heard his nephew's shout, "Where are you going?" Zuko didn't answer, for he was already gone.
Maeli was still running from the angry mob. "Leave me alone! I'm not from the Fire Nation, I'm from Nyu-Jong!"
"She lies! Kill her before her people destroy our land!" a man shouted. "YEAH!" The crowd cheered. An earth bender shifted the ground underneath Maeli's feet and she fell on her stomach. "Crush her, crush her!" the crowd encouraged. Three earth benders flung baseball sized rocks at her. Maeli managed to dodge a few but still got hit hard with the ones she couldn't dodge.
"The stupid girl can't even fight back."
"Why don't you use your fire bending?"
The crowd's jeers angered Maeli. At that moment, she wished she were a fire bender.
As Zuko made his way into the town, he could hear the commotion of the crowd up ahead. "Don't tell me they've already gotten to her!" He and the guards ran in the direction of the riot.
One earth bender stomped on the ground and summoned a giant boulder, throwing it at the defenseless girl. She screamed and narrowly evaded it; it crashed into the ground. The other two bender followed suit and threw boulders at her as well. Maeli was getting exhausted from running around in the hot sun. She knew that she couldn't keep this up forever. Two more boulders came flying at her, one on her left and the other on her right.
When Zuko finally made it, he saw all of the deranged people gathered in a circle around Maeli. He saw the boulders hurtling towards her. Luckily, they missed; however, when the boulders collided, rocks flew everywhere. A big chunk of rock struck Maeli in the side of her head, her eyes rolled back, and she was knocked to the ground. Zuko stood in shock for a second, but then his adrenaline flared up and the veins in his hands popped up when he balled them into fists. He ran towards the crowd, yelling, and savagely shooting fire at everyone in sight. The villagers scattered in fright. "SEIZE THOSE EARTH BENDERS!" Zuko shouted at the top of his lungs. While the guards ran the crowd away, Zuko rushed to Maeli's side. He knelt next to her and stared at her bruised body. There were marks all on her arms and face. One cut on her arm was bleeding. The spot where the rock had hit her head was red - the spot was just above her left temple. At first, Zuko was afraid to touch the girl because she looked dead. He gently lifted her head.
"Maeli…Maeli!" he tapped her cheek. "Maeli, wake up!…I said wake up!" he said, shaking her. "Open your eyes!"
He pressed two fingers on her neck; she still had a pulse.
One of the guards came up to him, "Sir, is she alright?"
Zuko didn't answer. He scooped Maeli into his arms and stared at her. He turned to the rest of the guards and said, "Teach these wretched earth benders a lesson they will never forget. Return to the ship when you're done." He turned to leave with two guards escorting him. The horrifying screams of the earth benders rang out as they were being tortured.
"They must burn in Hell for hurting you."
Bit by bit, light made its way through Maeli's tunnel of darkness. A soft glow of candlelight lit the room. The girl's vision was blurry and her head ached terribly. She slowly sat up to find out where she was. Pain struck her body when she moved, she felt sore all over. She stared blankly at the candles across the room. Everything seemed like a dream. Maeli's body began to move on its own. Once she got out of bed and took a step forward, she tripped over something. It was Zuko. He was sleeping on the floor. He suddenly sprung up and found Maeli lying across his torso. "Maeli!" He turned her over on her back and saw that she was crying. "Are you alright?" She didn't reply. "Say something!"
"…Head….hurts," was all she could manage to say.
Zuko lifted her back into bed, "You still need to rest. You've been unconscious all day. Do you remember what happened?" Maeli shook her head 'no'. Zuko continued, "Some earth benders attacked you because you were wearing Fire Nation clothes." Maeli whimpered in pain and turned her face away from Zuko so he wouldn't see her cry. Zuko frowned upon the girl and said, "Stop crying. It'll only make your head hurt more." He gently wiped the tears away. He then grabbed a wet face towel from a bowl of warm water and placed it on the girl's forehead.
"What…time is it?"
"It's the middle of the night. And tomorrow, we'll be arriving at Gangu."
Gangu. That name sounded familiar to Maeli, but she couldn't remember why… "I'm sorry, Zuko…" she whispered.
"For what?"
"I've…caused trouble…"
Zuko sighed, "Forget it. You're too modest…it annoys me." There was silence. "Maeli?" He bended over her; Maeli's eyes were barely open and staring at the ceiling. "Uh, Maeli?"
A little grin stretched across her face, "Oh, a firefly" she said dreamily. She reached up and pressed her hands against Zuko's cheeks. She puckered her lips and Zuko freaked out. He broke away from her saying, "Wha- what's gotten into you?"
Just then, Iroh walked in, rubbing his eyes. "What's going on? I thought I heard a loud thud."
"Maeli is awake."
"Oh, good, good! How is she?" he walked over.
"Dazed. She tried to…kiss me."
Iroh chuckled, "Maybe she thought you were her Prince Charming." Zuko didn't find that amusing.
The next day, Maeli seemed to have made a full recovery, although she barely remembered what happened at the marketplace. She decided to wear her Earth Kingdom dress for a while just in case she might go somewhere. She didn't interact much that day, but still had that sunny atmosphere around her. That evening, Maeli sat in her room drawing on a piece of parchment that she found in her room. She had no one to talk to at the moment, so drawing was her only solution. Just as she was beginning to indulge herself in a world of art, there came a knock at her door. "Come in", she called, not averting her eyes away from her work. The steel door creaked open and an old man's voice said, "Good evening! I brought you some Jasmine Tea". Maeli looked up and smiled, "Thanks!" Iroh pulled up a small table from the corner of the room and placed the contents on top of it.
"What are you up to?" Iroh asked.
"Drawing," Maeli shrugged. She sat up and sipped the tea. "Mmm! This is good!" Iroh smiled and took a seat on the bed. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay."
"So, you think you might be able to go out tonight?"
"Umm, I guess." Maeli blinked confused. Iroh smiled widely, "I'm going to set you and Zuko up on a date." Maeli chocked on her tea, "D-date! But why? We're not…a couple!"
"It doesn't have to be a couple date, just a friendly date…Or is it?" Iroh stroked his beard in wonderment.
Maeli stared dumbstruck for a moment, "Uncle, you're scaring me."
"Well, a festival is to be held tonight, here in Gangu. Lucky we stopped here, eh?"
"But, how are you going to get Prince Zuko to take me, and what am I going to wear?"
A devious grin stretched across Iroh's face, "Just watch, I'll be right back." Just as Iroh rose to his feet, Zuko was passing by the door. "Ah- perfect timing. Zuko!" Iroh called.
"Yes?" answered the young prince.
"Maeli would like to go to the Earth Kingdom festival tonight. You should take her."
"Uh, but why?"
"Because it'll be nice for the two of you to spend some quality time together, and I'm feeling a bit under the weather. But if you refuse, you're going to play the tsungi horn tonight for music night." Zuko groaned. "Oh, and she wants to get a kimono," Iroh added.
"What? Now I have to buy something for her too!"
"Do it, or you're going to sing a song too."
Zuko's face turned pale, "Fine," he growled. "Go, Uncle!" Maeli cheered in her mind. Once Zuko walked off, Iroh turned to the girl and smiled, "Now put on your sandals, and hurry; you don't want to miss anything!" "Thank you!" Maeli embraced him and ran for the door. Iroh smiled as he watched the girl leave his sight, but then he frowned, "Ugh, I hope Zuko won't do anything foolish."
Before Zuko left, he changed into regular Earth Kingdom-looking clothes so he wouldn't have any problems like Maeli did. She met him at the door, "Ready?"
"Yeah."
The bridge opened and the two walked down, into the night.
It was a cool, calm night, and the air was sweet with the scent of fresh, wet grass. As Zuko and Maeli came closer to the marketplace, they could hear the commotion of the festival. There were star shaped lanterns hanging up on strings down the streets. Some people had star themed face paintings, there were star sparklers, and little kids dressed in star suits. "Looks like a festival celebrating the stars," said Maeli. Zuko didn't reply, he was too busy trying to not look so conspicuous. "Oh, here's a clothing place!" Maeli grabbed Zuko by his hand and dashed into the store. She gaped at the lovely kimonos and yukatas that covered the walls of the shop.
"Wow! I don't know where to start!"
"Just don't get anything expensive," Zuko informed. "Yes sir!" Maeli
saluted, mockingly.
An old woman greeted the two, "Ahh, good evening, and Happy Hoshi Day!"
"'Hoshi Day'? Are you celebrating the stars or something?" asked Maeli.
"Yes, legend has it, that about 600 years ago, a child from the Heavens came to Gangu when a plague of illness struck our village. The boy had extraordinary healing abilities, and immediately cured all who were sick. The child then returned to the sky in the form of a shooting star. Ever
since that day, we've held a festival in honor of our savior."
"That amazing! I wish I could see this star child!"
"Could you just pick something out!" Zuko growled.
The shopkeeper's eyes widened, "Oh my, seems like your boyfriend is anxious
to get to the festival!"
Maeli blushed, "Oh, he's-" "I'm not her boyfriend!" Zuko interrupted. Maeli sighed. She shook it off and began looking around. Then, her eyes fell upon a dark purple kimono, decorated with light purple, lily silhouettes and had a matching sash around the waist. "Oooo I really like this one!" Maeli picked out one her size and measured it to her body. "Hmm, this should fit. Can I change in here?"
The shopkeeper nodded.
The kimono fit perfectly and Maeli immediately checked it out. She didn't realize how much it cost until Zuko shouted, "I thought I told you nothing expensive!" But he ended up paying for it anyway after Maeli muttered 'tsungi horn'. She stuffed her Earth Kingdom dress into a bag and strolled out the store, swinging it on her wrist. Maeli left the shop in a cheerful mood, while Zuko was in a huff.
"Hey, you want to grab something to eat?" she asked the boy next to her.
"Fine," Zuko replied. For some reason, his eyes kept staring at Maeli's kimono. It made her look kind of…cute. Maeli caught Zuko staring and said, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing…"
"You were looking at me kind of hard, there," Maeli elbowed his arm gently.
"It just…that kimono…"
Maeli shrugged it off and went to the first vender. Star shaped sandwiches caught her eye and she dashed over. She asked for two while Zuko only had one. Then they came to a vender that had bowls of little pink fruit on display. They were shaped like balls about the size of cherries. "What're these?" Maeli asked the merchant.
"Would you like to try a sample?" he offered.
"Sure!"
"I don't want any," Zuko muttered.
"Aw, come on," Maeli held it up to him. Zuko rolled his eyes and stuffed it in his mouth.
The delicious fruit overjoyed Maeli, "Hey, this is good! It's really sweet! What do call these?"
The merchant smiled, "Lovers Fruit". Both Maeli's and Zuko's eyes popped. They were dumbstruck. The man explained, "If you share this bowl of fruit with someone you love, you'll be together forever and the passion you have for each other will grow deeper each day you spend together." Maeli's eyes glittered.
"That's dumb," Zuko criticized.
"No its not, it romantic! I'll take a bowl please!"
"What? You don't need that! Besides, you just ate two sandwiches!" Zuko exclaimed.
"So? I'm hungry," Maeli shrugged. Zuko slapped his face in his hand and once
again, ended up spending money. Maeli took the peeved prince by the hand and led him up a hill. "This is a nice view; we can see everything from here!" said the girl as she sat on the grass.
Maeli took a bite out of the fruit and let out a big Mmm!
"This is sooo good! You want some more?"
"No thanks. I've had enough of that stuff."
"But they're really yummy!"
"No."
"C'mon, please! Please, my Prince," Maeli held up the bitten fruit to Zuko's mouth and pleaded with big puppy dog eyes.
"You recover fast, don't you?" Zuko commented on the fact that she had that head injury the day before.
"Yup!"
Zuko groaned and ate the remaining half of fruit, "There, you happy?" Maeli only smiled.
During their time together, Maeli noticed that Zuko would reach his hand into the bowl and eat a fruit. She was glad that he had come to like it. Just as Maeli reached for the last one, she felt Zuko's hand bump into hers. "Oh, you can have it," she offered. "No, you eat it," Zuko sighed. Maeli split it in half, "There." While Zuko ate his half and stared out at the open, the wheels in Maeli's head were turning. The Hoshi Festival and Gangu seemed familiar to her… "Oh! That's right! I remember the Hoshi Festival now! Heh, I forgot all about it when I got hit in the head."
"Hmph, good. Hopefully nothing like that will happen ever again," Zuko replied.
"Were you worried about me?"
Zuko only shrugged. There was silence between them as they stared up at the starry sky.
"Ya' know, this is fun; we don't have many festivals in my village. I attended two festivals, though; once when I was little, and I went to the second one with my ex-boyfriend for my 14th birthday. I wish we had more…How about you?"
"We have a some."
"Hm. I'd like to go to them. Maybe you could take me someday."
"Why would I do that?"
"Because Uncle Iroh will make you," Maeli giggled. Zuko sucked his teeth. "Okay, I'm just kidding. But still, even though you may think this is boring, I'm glad I'm getting to hang out with you. I've never been to a festival with my friends, we never had a chance to go."
Zuko faced her with an unfeeling expression in his eyes, "Who ever said we were friends?"
Maeli's heart ached at his comment, "Oh, well, I just thought that...never mind." She sighed and stared down at her feet, "I thought, you didn't think of me as a worthless, peasant girl anymore."
"No, it's not like that. You just, don't understand."
"Then tell me what's troubling you." Maeli was able to make eye contact with him, but he slowly looked away. Maeli frowned and looked out at the field.
Zuko spoke again, "Why would you even want to be friends with someone like me?" The girl faced him, surprised, "What do you mean?"
"…I'm not friend material…"
"Zuko…why degrade yourself like that? You're a good person. There's nothing wrong with you."
"Nothing wrong? Look at me! People look away in fright when they see my face!" He turned away, "I'm not meant to get close to anyone."
Maeli scooted closer to him and placed her arm around his shoulder, "It must be that scar, right? Is that why you think people won't like you?" The prince didn't respond. "Look, some people are just ignorant. Beauty is only skin-deep. The real beauty is the heart and soul of that person, not their appearance…Sure, I may look for a handsome guy, but I also look at what kind of personality they have. If its not to my liking, then I leave them alone, no matter how attractive they may be."
Zuko raised his head, "Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I don't want you to think that I am befriending you because I pity you. I want to be your friend because I know you're a wonderful person inside, and I know that if I can bring the good out of you, then we'll both be happy…I need you just as much as you need me."
Zuko gazed at her in amazement and a bit of puzzlement, "You're…strange."
Maeli smiled, "Is that so? Hmm. Or maybe I just have a heart of gold." She chuckled at the thought. She sat back at continued staring at the sky. Zuko wrapped his hand around Maeli's waist, "Maybe this is a good omen after all."
"What is?"
"Meeting you."
Maeli smiled widely, "It's the same for me." And for once, in a somewhat happy mood, Zuko smiled back.
For the rest of the evening, Maeli and Zuko enjoyed their time at the festival playing games, watching people perform acts on stage, and even dancing! The prince had to admit; he had a great time, even though his date almost cleaned out the money he brought with him. They stayed for a short while to watch the parade to Komoi, then called it a night. They quietly walked down the hallway, the guards greeted them as they past. They stood outside Maeli's bedroom.
"Well, thanks for taking me out. I had lots of fun!"
"Yeah, I did too," he shrugged. "It was well put together."
She hugged him tight and then kissed him on the cheek, "Sweet dreams!"
Zuko lied in his bed reminiscing on his day. Maeli really was becoming someone important to him.
End of chapter 3!
Awwww…mushy mushy. 3