Chapter 14
So I took what you guys said into consideration, and I have good news. There is a:
**SERIOUSLY EXTREMELY LONG CHAPTER AHEAD**
Tiang
She stood by the window, a vision of beauty even in the early morning, while one of her maids brushed her long hair that flowed to her waist. She knew that she was attractive, even in her late 30s she was still attractive, with not any sign of gray in her jet-black hair. She wore a light pink robe with golden trim, made of nearly transparent fabric. Despite what everyone thought about her, she wasn't as brainless as everyone made her out to be.
"My Lady?" The girl she was looking for came up behind her. "You sent for me?"
"Yes." She said, turning around. When she saw Diyi, or whatever her name was, standing there as though she had called her on good terms, she grew instantly enraged. Her hand flew, striking Diyi and the girl fell to the ground. Diyi held the cheek that Tiang hand slapped, blood appearing behind her fingertips as her nails had actually scratched the girl. She stood over Diyi, yelling at her, "You idiot!"
"What did I do?" Diyi asked her, eyes wide.
"What did you do?" Tiang asked her, irate. "You poisoned the wrong plate, foolish girl."
Diyi's head was bowed, as she cried, trickles of blood running down her face. "I-I know that."
"What do you mean you know that?" Tiang hissed at her.
"I was about to poison Song's food but then I thought about how much the Fire Lady praised Jin today and I got jealous."
"You got jealous?!" Tiang yelled at her, "You want to be married to Lu Ten, don't you? Do you know how many people have been killed for jealousy?" The girl nodded. "Then you have to be smarter than this! This isn't some little school game of pretend that we're playing here! Our lives are at stake you idiot!"
The girl looked up, the flow of blood ebbing away now. "B-But the Fire Lady has called a meeting of everyone today…I think she wants to change some of the palace rules…"
"Do you honestly think I care?" She said, lounging in a dark red chair by the windowsill. "We'll have to fix this…somehow, after you decided to let yourself be jealous." She spat the word. "I inspire jealousy. I do not succumb to it."
Diyi stood, the blood from the small cuts on her face staining the green dress she wore. Ugh green was such an ugly color. That too would have to change. She added it to the list of seemingly never-ending things she had to do. It seemed as if her responsibilities never ended. But such was the price of being the future Fire Lady. Somehow, she would get the crown she desired. She clapped her hands, and a maid clad in pink appeared before her.
"Prepare my palanquin." She ordered.
"Yes milady," the girl said, and the maid backed away.
Tiang stood, ignoring the whimpering Diyi. Hm…maybe she wasn't so useful after all. She had no use for stupid. She didn't get here with stupidity, she got here with her brain…and a few other things. All of this time in the palace and she wasn't even a Royal Consort, no better than a prostitute, albeit a very wealthy one, Ozai still hadn't given her a title, and a title was what she wanted most of all. Once she had her title, then she would have some proof that she was the perfect Fire Lady. Better than Ursa, that sniveling weakling, and all the power would be hers. But that would have to wait. She glared at the girl who was cowering from her.
"Did you at least get something to incriminate that girl whose food you poisoned?"
"Y-Yes My Lady." Diyi said to her, proudly, energetically, sitting up, trying to get back into her good graces. "I put it where it could be easily spotted."
"Idiot!" Tiang spat. "Don't you know that placing evidence in an obvious location will lead someone to believe that it's been planted or faked?"
"B-But I-I didn't want to really hurt Jin—," the girl stammered out, her makeup running down her face. "I didn't think it would kill anyone, I—,"
"Well too bad," Tiang said, mockingly. "Now get out." She didn't look to see if Diyi had gone.
She would have to fix this girl's mistakes.
Azula
"Princess Azula, I gave Lady Mai your message." One of her new maids said loudly, coming through her chambers. Azula scowled, hating this girl immediately.
Unlike the others, this girl didn't know Azula's rules. How could she, she was only hired yesterday. Azula's chambers were on the top floor of the concubine's quarters, and she had the largest chamber, with the exception of her mother. She didn't like being so close to her mother, as it showed that she was still only a concubine's daughter. She longed for the day when she could move into the main living quarters…where her father's legitimate wife and legitimate child lived. It wasn't fair. She was her father's favorite child. But for what it was, it was still lavish. It consisted of an entry way, a sitting room, a short hallway leading to her bedroom and private bath.
Her newest maid walked quickly through the chamber, coming into Azula's bedroom very quickly. She came through the doorway and as she was turning into the room, her elbow hit a multicolored vase, causing it to fall on the floor and break into tiny pieces. The girl stopped in her tracks, gauging Azula's reaction. Azula looked up as soon as she heard the glass break.
Her eyes met the girl's, and she smiled a sweet smile that lulled the maid into a false sense of security. She almost seemed to let out a breath. Azula's eyes tightened. The vase was gifted to her by the finest glassblowers in all of the Fire Nation, but that wasn't important. The vase wasn't all that special to her. She could get another one by tomorrow. What was important, was that her things should never be broken. Shattered pieces of the vase lay on the floor next to her, casting a kaleidoscope of color on the adjacent wall from the light coming in through the window. Azula relaxed on the divan, legs crossed in the perfect picture of ease, with a glass of fire whiskey next to her.
"Princess Azula, please forgive me. I deserve to die for upsetting you." The girl immediately fell to her knees, head bowed. She recited the common phrase used by the Palace servants when they made a mistake, but unlike her other relatives, Azula took it seriously.
"Do you?" She asked calmly, leaning forward. "Do you really feel that you deserve to die for breaking a priceless vase?"
"Yes, Princess." The girl said, her voice breaking, unsure if Azula was being serious or not.
Good. Let her worry.
"Well, since you volunteered…I'd be happy to oblige." Azula said offhandedly, raising a glass to her lips. The sharp aroma of fire whiskey burned her nose. Perfect. Her father didn't know that she drank alcohol, she wasn't 17 yet and was still not old enough to drink it, but she loved it as a secret, and she preferred to keep it that way. Azula's high tolerance for alcohol was enough to give her a light buzz which would make this so much more enjoyable. "However, be glad that it is too early in the morning for an execution and I've just woken up. You're fired." She said coldly, ignoring the whimpering girl kneeling on the floor, turning to stare.
"N-No, please Princess..."the girl sobbed, head down. "I need this job. I have a sick mother and—,"
"I spare your life, and you tell me that you need to keep this job? To feed your family? Please, give me a break. Or at least come up with a better story." She spat. "I could easily burn you to a crisp right now, and you have the audacity to tell me that you need this job?" she mocked the girl, who couldn't be much older than her. "Well, let's just see how we can remedy this situation. Stand up."
Even if she was causing others pain, at least she was doing something, and she felt alive. The girl stood, her tears falling onto the dark red maid's dress that she wore, leaving marks. Azula scowled. Couldn't this girl keep her emotions to herself? It wasn't that hard. She did it every damn day of her life, with matters much more important than anything this maid had to be concerned with.
"I-I will p-pay for this out of my salary P-Prin—," the girl cried.
Azula raised a hand, shushing her. "You couldn't afford to pay for that, not even if you worked in this palace for 40 years
The girl started to cry harder, her shoulders shaking, and she looked like she was going to be sick or fall over. The tears were flowing freely now, leaving streaks that Azula wanted to scratch off her face. She rolled her eyes. Azula stood quickly, lifting a hand, and slapping the girl across the face, knocking her to the ground. She leaned over her, grabbing the collar of the maid's dress in her sharp manicured nails, bringing the girl close to her face.
Azula could feel the girl's nervous breath on her skin, and the look of fear in her eyes was intoxicating, more than the alcohol. From this close, Azula was pleased to see the red imprint of a hand on the girl's pale skin, becoming inflamed and probably starting to sting.
"Stop crying." She hissed. The maid's brown eyes went wide. She sniffed, her eyes red and puffy with tears, skin blotchy. Azula scowled deeper. "You're pathetic. I can't afford to have a maid like you in my service. Do you know what that would do to my reputation?"
"P-Please—," The girl was no longer crying, but she was still pleading for her job.
"Are you torturing your maids again Azula?" A monotone voice said from the doorway. "I thought you got over that when you were seven."
Azula straightened, relaxing. She dropped the girl who hit the marble with a thud. Azula smiled at her longtime friend standing in the doorway. "I only stopped because Father told me to." She glared down at the girl on the floor who looked like she wanted to be anywhere but in that room. "That doesn't mean it isn't still fun."
"You wanted to see me?" Mai asked, leaning on the doorframe, arms folded across her chest.
"Yes," Azula said, returning to her seat, and once she was seated, she drank the entire contents of the goblet at her side. Tossing the empty goblet on the ground where it rolled to the hands of the maid on the floor. The girl looked at it curiously, and then at Azula. The Princess rolled her eyes, giving the girl a pointed look.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Go bring me some more! Be quick about it."
The girl started to scramble to her feet, picking up the goblet with shaking hands as she did so. She backed away from Azula, practically tripping over herself to get out of the room as quickly as possible.
Azula and Mai watched her go, and after she had gone, Mai walked over to Azula and sat down in the chair on the other side of the mahogany table. Mai sked, "Do you think she'll come back?"
Azula scoffed. "If she's smart, she'll run and never look back."
She reached down and picked up one of the glass shards, fingering its multifaceted features, eyeing the orange and purple that made up this particular fragment. She sighed. "Unfortunately, intelligence is so hard to find these days…Speaking of which," She said, placing the piece of glass on the table and turning to face her friend properly. She leaned forward. "What's going on between you and my brother?"
"Tylee didn't tell you?" Mai asked. Azula shook her head, giving Mai a wary look. "Yesterday, after you ran her off, Tylee saw Zuko and that Water Tribe girl sitting under the tree in the garden. "
"What?" Azula said in a raised tone. The maid from before came in with a tray with the bottle of fire whiskey. Azula waited until the maid placed the tray on the table and scurried out of the room before looking at Mai in mild bewilderment. "What are you talking about? Why was he in the garden?"
"I don't know, ask him." Mai shrugged, giving off mild concern.
"You should ask him, Mai." Azula said pointedly. "Your relationship with my brother is going nowhere, fast. I thought you liked him."
"I do…it's just that…she keeps being better than me in the competition, what am I supposed to do?" Mai asked. "She—the cuts on her face—they were gone. How?"
Azula poured herself a glass. "About her cuts, I assume she's a healer. I saw her fight her grandfather in the Southern Water Tribe…she wasn't that spectacular, but I suppose she could have picked up enough to heal minor wounds." She sipped it lightly, glaring at the wall.
Mai looked almost offended by Azula's words. "You didn't tell me that she was a waterbender Azula. I thought she was going to kill me for what I did to her."
"But she didn't."
"No. She didn't." Mai sat back in the seat, irritation beginning to show in her eyes. " I just wanted to scare her, that's all. But...but she was so strong I thought she was going to overpower me and pull me under—and then—" Mai broke off. "I've never been knocked down like that before."
"You haven't been training lately." Plus I told you that a direct approach would be a bad idea. You, just didn't listen." Azula quipped. Annoyed, Mai looked like she wanted to say something, a cross look in her eyes and a protest on her lips, but she didn't.
"And don't you put all the blame on me." Mai said pointedly, causing Azula to scowl. "Your part of the plan didn't work out either."
"It would have…if not for some trick she pulled." She sneered. "The girl was supposed to—,"
"She was supposed to try and sneak back in, and then I was supposed to poison her food, so that she would get arrested, I know." Mai cut Azula off. The Princess scowled. She didn't like to be interrupted, at all.
"But you, you just put the poison in the other girl's food to get rid of her instead?" Azula raised an eyebrow.
Mai nodded, examining her nails. The dark paint was chipped, likely from her struggle with Katara. "I got irritated. The Fire Lady said she would be perfect for Zuko, and I got jealous."
"Mai," Azula said calmly, trying to keep the frustration out of her voice. "What have I told you about not letting your emotions get the better of you?"
"Emotions are a weakness, I know." Mai chuckled darkly, but Azula had to listen carefully otherwise she'd miss it.
Nodding, the pair were silent for a moment. Azula frowned, scratching her chin, thinking. "I'mconfused about something, though. The poison that we got isn't supposed to be fatal in small amounts. Why did that servant die?"
"I don't know. " Mai frowned, shaking her head. "I didn't have time to put more than a few drops in. Jin never left her food alone. I was able to sneak it in when she left with Song. That girl…the annoying one… Yah Di or something like that was like her shadow, following her around all of the time."
Azula rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe these girls think they can be part of the royal family. It's ridiculous. Maybe, that Song girl. But the others? Ha."
"Do you think that I have what it takes, Azula?" Mai suddenly asked quite seriously, "I mean, you aren't just using me as a means to an end, right?"
Azula smiled, reached across the table, and patted her friend on the shoulder. But inside she frowned. Mai was one of her best friends, she was no fool. Azula would have to be more careful around her. "Of course, I believe that you can do it, Mai. You're my personal bid, after all, and I don't take on lost causes." Azula internally rolled her eyes. Mai should be happy that Azula even considered her a friend, much less a sister-in-law. Mai didn't look the least bit satisfied with this answer, but Azula chose to ignore it. "Do you have the rest of it?"
Mai pulled out a small purple vial from the pocket of her overcoat. "Here," she said, placing it on the table. "I don't want it."
Azula took the bottle and put inside her own pocket. "Oh, stop being such a baby," she chided. "Now all that's left is to put this back in my mother's room."
"You think she knows we took it?"
"Impossible. Stop worrying."
"Well forgive me if I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a Capital City prison. Or worse, in the Boiling Rock."
Azula ignored her again, tapping a long nail on her chin. "You know, this does raise the question…who really did poison that servant…if not us?"
"Technically, we did poison the servant." Mai pointed out. "Well…we kind of helped."
Azula glared at her, leaning forward, she said in a harsh whisper. "We weren't going to. It was just supposed to be enough to make him sick and get Katara sent home. But then you screwed it up."
Mai looked at Azula heatedly. "I screwed it up? You're the one who convinced her not to come back into the kitchen. You're the one who practically chased her into Zuko's waiting arms!"
"I didn't." She hissed in reply. "It's not my fault she was too stupid to fall into my trap. You're supposed to be seducing Zuko, Mai, as disgusting a thought as that is. If that girl ever goes near him, he's supposed to be too preoccupied by you."
"She got to him first!"
Azula wasn't going to let Mai assign the blame to her. "You were too slow. You waited all this time while he was gone from the Fire Nation. You should have had a plan ready. You're messing everything up!"
"It's not my fault, Azula!" Mai protested, then lowering her voice.
Azula exhaled a long breath, trying to regain her composure. "Look. What's happened has happened. We can't go back and change the past, so we just have to deal with it."
"Fine." Mai muttered grumpily
Azula said calmly, sitting back in her seat. She reached for her glass of whiskey and Mai did the same, although Azula knew that she didn't like drinking. She assured her friend, "We'll fix this. I'll just have to take care of it myself then. Just trust me."
She took a long swig barely feeling the burn and Mai followed soon after, screwing up her face as the alcohol scorched her throat.
"I trust you Azula," Mai said softly, her throat still burning. "I don't know why, but I do."
Katara (2 weeks later)
The days after the assassination attempt had been hectic for the Fire Nation royal family. Word had spread like wildfire in the palace that someone, apparently Jin, had tried to kill Fire Lord Iroh. Rumors were circulating that she was an impostor, and that she taken the place of the real Jin and had come to kill the Fire Lord and Prince Lu Ten right under the Fire Lord's own nose. Katara didn't believe any of it, people claimed that they heard new 'information' or details, but no one could specify where they got them from. She could hear the servants when the lights were all out, and they whispered when she was asleep or when they thought she wasn't listening. But she was always listening.
She couldn't afford not to.
Every time she heard a new rumor, Katara was quick to dismiss it, but as an increasing number of stories were created about Jin, and the wilder they got, and Katara found it difficult to keep a level head.
But until the would-be assassin was caught or Jin was found guilty of attempted murder, extra precautions were being taken. All of the candidates had their rooms searched and any suspicious bottles, perfume or otherwise were taken into custody to be examined. No girl was alone, no girl had privacy. She always had to be accompanied by servants loyal to the Fire Nation Royal family. Katara scarcely left her room over the past few days, only leaving to speak to Song, Suki and Toph. She couldn't speak to any members of the royal family.
She looked in the full-length mirror, gleaming silver in her reflection, at the golden sash wrapped around her waist. She frowned, examining it closely. There was nothing truly special about it. It was just an ordinary golden belt, made from normal silk and tied in an ordinary fashion. She didn't understand why everyone was making a big deal out of it. She examined her neck, seeing that her skin had healed fine from her second day here.
But her eyes were red and bloodshot, she hadn't been getting much sleep since the lunch weeks ago. There were bags under her eyes deeper than a well and she yawned every few minutes.
"Princess Katara, you must eat something," Gu Zhi said behind her. An untouched tray of breakfast lay on the table. Gu Zhi had already tasted it for poison. Everyone was on edge. If not Jin, then who? "Wasting away like this is not going to help you, or Lady Jin."
"I will eat when Jin is freed." Katara said, noting her own sickly complexion.
"You must understand," the old woman pleaded, "that this is the way of life in the Palace. Women live—,"
"In fear?" Katara cut her off, "I don't want to watch for assassins every time I draw a breath, Gu Zhi. It is a false accusation."
"No one has falsely accused Lady Jin. it is simply a—,"
There was a knock on her door, and Gu Zhi paused, having been interrupted, and went to go open it. In walked Song, Diyi, Suki and Toph. Like Katara, they too, looked like they hadn't gotten much sleep. The girls found seats on Katara's bed. The weary 15-year-old smiled a little at the sight of her friends, but it did nothing to alleviate the ache in her chest.
"Your room really is nice Katara." Song said quietly. After the lunch, the Earth Kingdom princess had been moved up to Katara's floor following Lu Ten's declaration. Now she shared the room next to Katara.
"Thank you," She said quietly, turning to them as they entered. "Any news?" She asked.
Song shook her head. " They have been trying trace the poison, and the evidence they've found only points to Jin."
"What evidence?"
"They found the empty vial of poison, and one of Jin's hair ties next to it." Song said, sounding close to tears. "She brought extra to keep her hair pinned up, and in case any girl needed it."
"Plus," Suki said, "They found an identical vial in the jewelry box in her room. It was the same kind of poison."
Katara's eyes narrowed. "And they think that it's enough to incriminate Jin?"
Suki nodded. "Her trial is set to begin tomorrow, at sunrise."
"What are the other girls doing? Are any of them trying to work out who did this?" Katara wanted to know, looking around the room, she asked.
Toph shrugged. "No, they're still trying to impress the Princes, but no one's seen them! But if there really is someone going around killing people…all the perfume in the world won't do them any good if the princes are dead."
"We were going to try and see her again today," Song said, looking at Katara's untouched plate of food on the dresser, "but if you were going to eat, we can wait until later."
"No—," Katara rose, "we haven't got to see her all week and I want to know if she's okay."
"We'll go right now."
They began to walk out of the room, but Katara was stopped by Gu Zhi's voice. "Please, princess." Gu Zhi held in her wrinkly hands a piece of bread that she had been trying to get Katara to eat all morning. "Please eat this. I'm begging you. You need to save your strength if you wish to be of any help to Lady Jin."
Katara's heart warmed at the old woman's sincerity. Maybe it was time to stop being stubborn towards Gu Zhi in this one respect. Reaching out her hand—she was shocked by how bony her wrist had gotten—she took the bread out of the old maidservants and nibbled on it a little. Gu Zhi's wrinkles seemed to fade the more she ate. Finally, the old woman's face relaxed into an expression of contentment once Katara had finished.
Satisfied that she had appeased Gu Zhi, she turned to the other girls. "Let's go."
They made their way out of the Concubines Quarters with determination, exiting that section of the palace and crossing the length of the gardens to the Training Grounds, hopefully before anyone noticed they were there. They didn't want to run into guards questioning why they had no escorts. It was early in the morning; the sun wasn't even out yet.
There were torches placed throughout the garden, dimly lighting their way. They made a right once they got to the Training Grounds, which was a big open room made of stone and marble, but behind there was the Guards' tower, which held the barracks for all the palace guards, and next was the prison for those who worked and lived in the palace. They went down the narrow hallway in single file until they were led to steps that went down to the prison.
This is not the first time that they had made this trek. They'd come here many times before in the past week to try and see Jin, but to no avail. The guards wouldn't let them see her, talk to her, or even let them bring her some edible food. Katara walked forward, trying not to let the fear of rejection overwhelm her. The hallway was dark, there were no torches illuminating the path before them, so they had to be very careful where they stepped.
The winding steps leading to the dungeon smelled horrible, like standing inside of a dung and filth heap and at times a rat would squeak from somewhere in the distance causing Diyi to jump at every turn. A rat ran across her feet, and Diyi let out a screech before everyone shushed her. Song walked in front, with Katara right behind her.
Suki held Toph's hand, leading the blind girl down the steps, and Diyi brought up the rear. She was the hardest to get to come to visit Jin, it was almost as if she didn't want to see her face, but Katara attributed that to the fact that Jin and Diyi were roommates on the ship, so it wouldn't make sense that she wouldn't want to see her friend in such a state.
They've reached the prison block, where rows of cells held each prisoner. All the way the end of the block, was Jin, her cell the furthest from the sunlight, what light there was barely reached that far underground except through a pitiful window at the very top of the structure. A guard greeted them when they arrived. He was a big man, fully covered from head to toe in Fire Nation armor. A mask covered his face, and he had a sword strapped to his side. Katara had no doubt that he could fire bend as well. This was the same guard they had been talking to all week, the one that refused to let them inside.
"I'm sorry ladies, but you know the rules." The guard said, sounding almost apologetic. "No one can visit the prisoner until the start of the trial tomorrow."
"We just want to see if our friend is okay," Katara said, "we won't tell anyone, we promise."
"But if I let you come and see her, that means I have to let everyone else come and see her." the guard said cautiously, keeping an even tone.
"Other people have come to see my cousin?" Toph asked, her pale grey eyes narrowed in suspicion
He nodded, taking off his helmet. He was young, barely older than Lu Ten, and he looked nervous. "Yesterday, Princess Azula came to visit her, and I had to tell her the same thing I told you this past week. No one can see the prisoner. No exceptions." The guard shivered visibly, "That didn't make her very happy."
"But why?" Katara asked. "That doesn't make any sense."
Although Katara meant that it didn't make sense why Azula was visiting Jin, the guard thought she meant why no one can visit prisoners. "We can't have anyone slipping her poison just in case she decides to try and commit suicide before the trial." The guard said, "These prisoners aren't ordinary criminals, they work for the lowest of the low, waiting to be sent to the Boiling Rock, and have to be treated that way. With no connection to the outside world, there are less escapes, and less resistance."
"But she's not a criminal, she's our friend!" Katara protested "She's only 17, how can you do this with 17-year-old girl?"
"In the Fire Nation, once you turn 17, you're legally an adult." The guard explained. "She is also in the Hana Matsuri, and as such, you're subject to everything involving the law."
The guard was growing frustrated, Katara could see that it was written all over his face. For a small second, she couldn't blame him. The girls had spent every day trying to talk to Jin, and every day he had to explain the same thing to them over and over. But Katara was very stubborn, and she also knew that she wouldn't stop trying to see Jin until it worked. Until she was able to see if her friend was ok. Because it was more than friendship that she was concerned with, it was the fact that Jin was wrongfully imprisoned. The other girls agreed with her, and they planned to come every day until they were able to see her.
"Listen Your Highnesses, Ladies," the garden pleaded with them. "I could get into serious trouble with my supervisor if I let you pass. I just got this job, I can't afford to lose it."
Katara was about to relent, she was about to give in to what the guard was saying, because it wasn't fair for him to lose his job, just because Jin was being treated unfairly. After all, he wasn't the one who put Jin in there, so he really shouldn't be blamed. He was just doing his job. Besides, she was feeling lightheaded, probably due to lack of food, and really wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone. So, she decided that they would try again tomorrow, the day of the trial.
"Come on guys, let's just go." Katara said, backing up. Toph and Song looked at her with surprise on their faces.
"What?" Toph asked. "How can you just leave my cousin down there? What happened to putting up a fight?"
"I'm too tired to fight," Katara said wearily, she looked back at the guard "Besides, we aren't going to get anywhere with him. And if he gets in trouble because of us."
Katara turned, and who should be standing there, but Zuko and Lu Ten? They moved from the shadows of the prison stairs, and into the dim torch light of the entrance. Zuko looked as somber as she felt, there were bags under his eyes too, and he was slightly disheveled, like he couldn't have slept at all. Lu Ten's eyes were shifting from the guard to Song, back and forth. Even though Song probably felt like Katara did, or maybe worse since Jin was the first friend she had here, she didn't show it. She looked immaculate, even her hair was perfect and in place, and her clothes were perfect, pink as usual, and the only sign that she was tired, were the dark circles under her eyes.
Lu Ten moved closer to Song, placing a hand on the small of her back, whispering in her ear, "Are you okay?" She shook her head, looking up at the guard, and Lu Ten looked up at the guard with narrowed eyes. "What's going on here?"
"Prince Lu Ten!" the guard stammered. "I was explaining to these girls that I can't let them see the prisoner due to the orders given by my superiors."
"Just let them go," Zuko said, looking at Katara. Katara didn't look at him, instead staring down the guard, but she could feel his gaze on her face, sending her skin crawling with feelings unknown to her.
"What am I to say to Prince Ozai, then?" the guard babbled looking to Prince Zuko. Katara looked at him, unsure of what he was going to say. "I could lose my job for this. Your father is this head of prison security."
Lu Ten sighed. "Whatever problems he has with this decision can be taken up with me." Zuko was looking straight at Katara, and for some reason she felt a strange sensation of butterflies in her stomach, and even though they were faint and barely-there, she still felt them.
I don't understand him.
"Besides," Lu Ten, said coming closer to Song's side, the older girl blushed as he came closer. "As Crown Prince, it is my responsibility to find this would be assassin and protect the innocent. That includes you."
The guard nodded, satisfied that he had kept his job, he moved to the side, allowing the girls to pass. The rest of the cells in the prisons were empty, because the cells are only reserved for members of the palace that had committed crimes.
They were about 10 of them, they were small, maybe 5 feet in width and length, with metal frames, stone walls and dirt floors, with sparse amounts of straw covering the dirt. Zuko and Lu Ten followed along, but Katara didn't really pay attention to them. The last cell came into view at the end of the long hallway and Katara reached first. She stopped short at what she saw, and an audible gasp left her lips. The girls followed behind her, and each girl's breath except for Toph's hitched as Jin came into view.
No…This is wrong.
The only words to describe her, was ragged. She was in the corner farthest from where Katara stood, hunched over, bent on her hands and knees, hair covering her face from view. She wasn't wearing the extravagant gown that she wore the last time Katara saw her, but instead a plain white gown covered in filth and blood. The part of her face that Katara could see was bloody and bruised, her hair was out of its trademark ponytail, matted with blood against her head, pieces of clumped hair falling into her face, but either she didn't notice, or had long stopped caring to push it out of her face.
Jin wrung her hands, rocking back on forth on the floor, straw at her feet, her fingers pale and bony, the nails bitten and dirty. She was barefoot, her feet in the same state as her hands. She looked like she hadn't had a good bath in days, which was true. Her hands had burn marks on them as did her feet, they were red and covered with blisters and scars.
"Oh, Jin…" Katara was on the verge of tears.
Jin looked up towards Song, her eyes not focusing in the dim light. Her face was gaunt, the skin stretched over her cheekbones. Her eyes had lost all brightness, there was only hollow fear inhabiting her body. "Please," she said quietly, her voice broken and barely audible. "No more...I'll tell you anything you want..."
"Jin!" Song cried, but then she turned to the guard that walked with them to the cell, "Open the cell."
"What?" the guard staggered back, surprised.
"Didn't you hear what she said?" Lu Ten gave the guard a steely look. "Open the cell."
Katara noticed Zuko's raised eyebrow and found that her own surprise mirrored his. Exactly how deep was Lu Ten's relationship with Song? To her knowledge, they hadn't even spoken. Were they really attracted to one another? Exactly what happened in the weeks that she had not left her room? But that didn't matter now. Turning her attention back to Jin, she saw Song going into the cell, reaching out with her hand towards her friend.
"Jin…?" She asked, holding an outstretched hand to brush some of Jin's hear out of her face, but before she had a chance, Jin jumped and recoiled away from her.
Scooting away so that her back was to the wall, Jin stared at Song, her eyes full of fear. "Please, no more…I can't take it…" She brought her knees close to her chest, wrapping her arms around herself, rocking back and forth, tears rolling down her cheeks, but she didn't bother to wipe them away.
"What happened to her?" Suki said, looking at the guard, more anger in her eyes than Katara ever thought possible. "What did you do to her?"
The girls all glared at the guard, and the young man was buckling under everyone's stare. He staggered back, as though he were afraid of a few teenage girls, and looked to the princes for help. "I didn't do anything," he stammered, "Prince Ozai oversees punishment and torture."
"Why was she tortured?!" Toph asked. "You do realize that she is a member of the Bei Fong family? Never mind the granddaughter of King Bumi? If he, or my parents hear about this—,"
"I-I don't know," he said, stammering. Even in the Fire Nation, Yezi Bei Fong's ruthlessness was legendary. "Prince Ozai used all of the latest forms of torture, to try and get an answer out of her but she didn't speak. She kept denying that she had any involvement in the assassination attempt on Fire Lord Iroh's life."
"So, wouldn't that mean that she was innocent?!" Katara pointed out, "even if under torture, she didn't say anything, wouldn't that mean that she didn't do it?"
The guard shrugged, "I'm sorry, Princess. That's how prisoners are treated in the Fire Nation. No matter your status."
"Look—," she asked, "Would it be possible just to get her a bath, or some better food? I mean look at her back, you can see her spine—she's so thin."
"I could ask Prince Ozai, but I don't think that he would allow something like that."
"I don't care what he says," Toph spat back, angrier than Katara had ever seen her. "And I don't care what he thinks. If I have to bring her food myself, I will. But no one treats the Bei Fong family like that."
The guard shook his head, his long black hair falling in his face, "I'm sorry, I really wish I could help."
"Yeah, well so do I." Toph pulled on Suki's hand, starting to walk down the hallway of the prison, the shoes her maid forced her to wear hitting the concrete stones with a hard thud. "Let's go you guys, obviously he's not going to help us any. We'll have to figure this out on our own."
They exited the prison the way they came, in solemn silence. As they walked up the stairs, Katara could hear the guard closing and locking Jin's cell. The sound echoed in her brain, metal hitting metal as the key turned in the lock, shutting her in, far from daylight. Leaving the prison was a lot harder than coming in, as Katara's feet got further and further away from the prison, each step got heavier and harder to take. They walked up the winding staircase and out into the bright morning sunlight, knowing that Jin would likely not see it for a very long time.
They stood there in silence. It only took a few seconds for Song to break down. She turned to Lu Ten and threw her arms around him much to everyone's shock and started to cry into his shirt, clutching the fabric in tightly fisted hands. Her sobs wracked her entire body, knees buckling. Her face became red and splotchy with tears and it was the only time Katara had ever seen her lose her composure. Lu Ten wrapped his arms around Song, holding her up as she continued to cry into his chest. His was bewildered, unsure of what to do with the crying woman in his arms
"D-Did y-you see h-how they k-kept h-her?!" Song got out through broken sobs. "S-She's g-going t-to d-die. H-How c-can they j-just t-t-torture her like t-that?" The other girls looked broken, especially Toph, who's face crumpled with each word that Song spoke.
Lu Ten rubbed her back, his face a mixture of confusion and concern, as he attempted to console her. "She's not going to die, love. Not as long as I can do something about it."
Love? I'm sorry what just happened here?
Diyi rolled her eyes at the exchange and Katara glared at her. How can she be upset that Lu Ten was comforting Song when she obviously needed to be comforted? Zuko walked up to her. "Are you okay?"
She didn't say anything, but shook her head no, and continued to watch the exchange between Song and Lu Ten. He untangled her arms from around his neck, but she was still crying. Lu Ten cleared his throat and started whispering things into her ear that no one could make out.
"She needs to rest." Suki said. "We all do. We can meet up later to figure out how to free Jin."
All of the girls nodded, and started to walk towards the Concubine's quarters, Lu Ten's arm was wrapped around Song's shoulder, supporting her. But as they left the Training grounds, passing the building they used for their lessons with Lo and Li, Katara went in the other direction, to the Main Palace. "Katara? Aren't you coming?" Suki asked her.
She shook her head, "I have to meet with Princess Ursa. I'll talk to you guys later."
"I'll go with you." Zuko said unexpectedly, causing everyone to look at him strangely. Katara didn't miss that Diyi narrowed her eyes when Zuko said that. Zuko looked at Katara who was returned his puzzled stare. He shrugged at her. "I was headed to my mother's room anyway." He explained.
So they split up, and they started walking towards Princess Ursa's chambers in the main palace. They walked down the hallways in silence, neither one saying anything. Katara refused to look at him or talk to him, and he seemed unsure of what to say Katara walked a little bit ahead of Zuko. She walked quickly, not wanting to be close to him for too long. But he was so much taller than her and his long strides caught up to her eventually. "Why are you trying to get away from me?" he asked.
Katara didn't look at him. "I didn't. I just can't be around you right now."
"Did I say something? Or do something that made you upset?" Zuko said. "I haven't seen you all week, and now you start to go cold on me?"
"One friendly conversation between us doesn't make us friends." She asked, growing irritated. She really didn't want to get into this. A pair of maids rounded the corner and walked past them in silence. Katara waited until they passed to say, "Obviously you aren't what's on my mind right now."
"N-No, I get that you're concerned about Jin, it's just that—," Zuko sighed. "Katara, I want to be your friend, as much as you might think otherwise."
Why was he so intent on befriending her anyway? "And what were you doing down there in the Prison anyway? How did you know that we were down there?"
"To be perfectly honest," he said looking at her with almost kind eyes. "We didn't know that you were down there that time. But word travel's fast behind these walls. You didn't make it a secret that you were trying to see Jin and each time had been rejected."
"Then what were you going down there for?"
"We were going to question her, see if we had better luck than my father. We thought a different approach might work." Zuko sighed "My aunt wants answers about who tried to poison my uncle. She's losing patience."
"And she thinks that Jin has the answers?" Katara asked incredulously.
"It's all we have to go on, Katara." He pleaded with her, trying to get her to understand but Katara wouldn't have it.
She started walking quickly away, continuing down the red-toned hallway, Prince Zuko's long legs catching up to her again. They walked in silence, her in mildly fuming frustration, and as she walked, Katara looked out the windows at the sunrise, watching the reddish light of daybreak sweep gradually across the floor.
She frowned. If light can get through even the tiniest crack, then why does it seem like there is no hope for Jin?
She got to Princess Ursa's room, but before she knocked, she turned to Zuko, meeting his gaze. Blue eyes met gold, the blue with determination and anger and the gold with caution and wariness. "Tell me Zuko." She asked, her voice accusing. "Do you honestly believe that Jin is capable of murder?"
"No." Zuko said almost instantly.
"Good." She said, turning to knock on Princess Ursa's door. "That's all I needed to hear."
But before she knocked, he spoke to her again. "Why?"
Katara bit her lip, unsure of what the reason was herself. "I'm trying to figure you out."
A maid opened it, bowing to her and Zuko and led them inside. Princess Ursa was sitting in the same seat that she always did, watching the sun rise over the harbor while drinking tea out on her balcony. Only this time, she wasn't alone. The maid led them over to where she was sitting, her two guest's backs were to Katara, but she knew who they were instantly. Princess Azula and…Mai. Whatever they were discussing with Princess Ursa caused the older woman's face to grow very serious the longer they talked. Katara inwardly groaned. She didn't want to deal with the two of them at the current moment, she was too agitated, to upset to remind herself not to let Azula get to her. And if Mai said anything to her—that might just snap the fragile grip that remained over her control.
Ursa looked up when she heard the balcony door slide open.
Zuko and Katara stepped into the morning light. "Katara!" Princess Ursa said in surprise, setting down her teacup. "And Z-Zuko!"
When Princess Ursa said Zuko's name, Mai and Azula turned around. Azula smiled wickedly, and Mai gave her an unimpressed look, her face expressionless as usual. Katara hoped that once she greeted the two of them, Ursa would tell them to go and Katara could speak with Zuko's mother alone. "Princess Ursa," Katara greeted the older woman. And in making an effort to be polite, Katara greeted the other two as well. "Princess Azula, Mai." Azula just kept on smiling while Mai's emotionless face turned into a scowl.
Ursa clapped her hands. "Ying," she called. A young girl in pink, the same one who opened the door for them appeared in the threshold between the balcony and the bedroom. "Bring chairs from my indoor sitting room for Princess Katara and Prince Zuko."
"Yes ma'am." Ying said, leaving. A minute later she came back holding a mahogany chair with carvings of dragons on the handles, and someone else was holding the second chair. Princess Ursa directed Katara's chair to be put next to her, opposite from Azula, and Zuko's chair was put on the other side, across from Mai. When Katara and Zuko were seated, the maid asked, "Is there anything else?"
Ursa sipped at her tea. "No, that will be all, thank you." The maids disappeared behind the closed balcony door. Turning to her son, she asked. "So Zuko, why did you escort Katara this morning?"
Well that was awkward, Katara thought. She noticed Mai's face grow darker.
"We were coming from the same place and thought it would be better to walk together."
"And where did you both come from, dear brother?" Azula asked as if Zuko walking with Katara was a natural occurrence.
"The Prison." Katara said boldly, looking dead at Azula. It wasn't that she didn't like Azula, it was—no, actually…it was that.
Princess Ursa's polite expression faltered. She looked to Azula with unsure eyes, and the girl returned a confident smirk in Katara's direction. She had to look away. It made her uneasy. "We were just discussing that," Azula said with a mocking sort of concern. "we think it's just awful what's happened to the poor girl. In fact, we were thinking of some theories as to how the poison got into her food."
That surprised Katara. "You don't think she did it?"
"Oh, I didn't say that..." Azula told her, sipping from the teacup, her red nails contrasted with the porcelain, like drops of blood on fresh snow. "I just had an idea of how she did it. "
Katara exhaled sharply, arms folding over her chest skeptically. "And what, may I ask, is this idea of yours?"
"Well," Azula set the teacup down. Her smile never faltered, never lost its uncomfortable politeness. "I wondered how she got the poison into the palace, and it occurred to me that she could have had help from outside."
"Jin didn't—." Katara protested in the young girl's defense, but Princess Ursa held up a finger, stopping her.
"Outside the palace walls?" Princess Ursa asked, intrigued. "Are you saying she had an accomplice? Someone to sneak the poison to her when she was in the kitchen?"
Azula nodded. "That is exactly what I'm saying. But the accomplice didn't come from outside the palace walls, perhaps a little bit closer to home." She looked out at the sea, frowning at it, but then turned back to Katara, an accusing look in her eyes. "Mai says she doesn't remember seeing Princess Katara in the kitchens…"
"I-I…" Katara stammered, taken off guard. Really? You're trying to blame me? Her eyes narrowed in on Azula and Mai, just looking to stir the pot. "You know perfectly well why I wasn't in the kitchens Azula. Or did you forget?"
Azula, concealing a wicked smile, tapped the cup, her nails making an awful click. "Did you go in after everyone left?"
Azula just ignored the question. Why am I on trial here?
"So what if I did?" Katara fired back.
"Then that's against the rules and you should be disqualified." The other replied simply, turning back to Ursa with a grin.
"Enough, Azula." Princess Ursa said. She held Katara's hand, and looked at her with calm and inquisitive eyes, but the Water tribe girl could see that buried underneath was suspicion as well. Is Princess Ursa turning against me now too? Ursa continued, "I'm sure that Katara has nothing to hide."
Getting help from Fire Lord Iroh would definitely be against the rules.
Katara's gulped, knowing that she was telling half-truths. Hoping it didn't show on her face. "That's right," she said, clearing her throat. "I don't have anything to hide. There was still time left after everyone was gone."
"20 minutes?" Azula scoffed. "That's enough time to poison Jin's food, isn't it?"
"If I was going to poison Jin's food, do you think I would be so obvious about it?" Katara snapped, and she could see Mai's eyes widen slightly. She felt Zuko's gaze on her face. The thought frustrated her. Did he believe Azula's lies too?
She could feel her volume rising as the words came sharper and faster from her mouth.
"If I was the culprit, wouldn't I just let Jin take the fall for me? Why would I be spending time trying to get her freed?"
"Guilt, obviously." Azula replied, annoyingly keeping that calm expression on her face. "Besides, wouldn't the perfect plan be to draw attention away from yourself?"
"You seem convinced I did it, but you have no proof." Katara leaned back, folding her arms over her chest. "And you won't find any proof either. I. Didn't. Do. It."
The two teens stared at each other in a tense standoff, Katara enraged, but Azula's calm expression was cracking as Katara argued back against her. It seems she isn't used to being challenged. Katara thought.
"Well…" Princess Ursa said, leaning back in her chair. She gave Katara a look that was still suspicious. Katara knew that Azula saw the suspicion as well, and as Ursa stared at her harder, Azula's smile got larger. But Katara hoped that the woman's previously fond opinion of her would overshadow any other doubt that she might have. "Although you should have had an escort in the kitchen, I see no reason to believe that you would intentionally poison the Fire Lord."
"I would never." Katara said, meeting Ursa's eyes. "He is – He seems like a kind man. My parents had nothing but wonderful things to say at him."
Katara felt Zuko's suspicious gaze, but she didn't turn to look at him. Instead, she turned to Azula, who was watching her in kind. Azula was staring for some reason, searching for a weakness perhaps, but she knew that Zuko was still looking. Maybe he believed Azula's words instead of hers, falling into that web of suspicion that had plagued him since they first met each other.
"If you say so," Azula said breaking the silence, finishing her tea. Her red lipstick left a mark on the white of the teacup. She rose from the table. "Well, I must be off, I have many things to do. I trust that I don't need an escort?" She said, looking at Princess Ursa pointedly.
The older woman shook her head. "No. You don't." Ursa looked between Mai and Zuko. "Perhaps Zuko…you should walk Mai back to her chambers. I wish to speak with Princess Katara alone."
Zuko nodded, not arguing with his mother. Katara couldn't help but feel a little sting in her stomach as she saw him leave with Mai, not looking back at her. So he didn't trust her. Why did Zuko have to be so thick-headed?
Once the other three had gone, Princess Ursa turned to Katara. "Please tell me that you had nothing to do with this entire matter."
Katara shook her head. "I didn't! I don't! I just want Jin freed."
Ursa shook her head, sighing. "It is unlikely that Jin will ever be freed." She looked at Katara with kind eyes. "The evidence found against her is too strong."
"That evidence is entirely circumstantial." Katara pointed out. "We were out of our rooms all day. Anyone could have broken into her room and stolen one of her hair bands and placed the vial of poison in there."
Ursa listened to what she had to say, but she didn't look entirely convinced. "Katara, you must understand," she said calmly, "You're correct that the evidence could have been put there, but the Palace won't launch a full-scale investigation."
"Why not?" Katara asked, eyes narrowing at the older woman.
"Because my sister in law is pressing the judges to get the trial over and done with."
"The trial hasn't even started yet!" Katara protested, "How can she want it to be done with?!"
A pitying sort of look came over Ursa's face just then. "You must understand, Katara." She said calmly, "That my sister is upset, and she isn't looking for justice, she is looking for a place to assign blame. If word gets out that she didn't meet such an issue swiftly…that could cause problems for the Fire Lord's reign."
"I'm going to make sure that the truth gets uncovered." Katara's own stubborn nature might be what Jin needed. "Jin needs help. Now more than ever."
"You can't do anything to save her, Katara!" Ursa tried to convince her, almost pleading with her. She reached across the table for Katara's hands, clasping them gently in her own. Her eyes were begging her to not get involved. But she had to. "Jin can't be saved. Why are you so invested in a girl that you barely know?"
"Jin needs help, and I won't turn my back on her." Katara said, determinedly. "Am I just supposed to leave Jin to die then?"
"She won't die here. She'll be returned to Omashu as a political prisoner…and our emissaries will ensure that justice would be done."
"It's not justice!" Katara exclaimed, blue eyes widening in blatant disbelief. "Not in the least!"
Lu Ten
He relaxed with her, Princess Song, as she lay on her bed in the airy room that she was given in the palace. The Hummingbird Room. It made sense, because she was as sweet as a hummingbird and as gentle as a butterfly. He sat in the chair next to her, watching her as she traced out patterns on the white pillow that her head rested on. She was wearing a light green bathrobe, it covered her up to the neck, and for once…he didn't mind. Her hair was loose from its braid and was sprawled over the white sheets, partially falling in her face.
"Why are you still here?" Song asked, her voice weak. She had just cried a long while, and her eyes were still swollen. "You aren't supposed to see me like this. All puffy and blotchy from crying. I look hideous."
"Not to me…" Lu Ten said, pushing the lock of hair that had fallen in her face out of the way. "You look beautiful. You always do."
Song blushed, the tears that had once fallen long dried even though the pain of Jin wasn't erased. "Stop saying that," she said, swatting his hand away. "You always know how to make me embarrass myself."
Lu Ten chuckled. "I aim to please." But then he said, sobering, "Are you really okay? I know that must have been hard for you to see."
"Hard is an understatement," Song said sarcastically, sitting up. "Jin was the first friend I had here. Who would try and blame her for poison? Katara said she was going to find out about the poisoner or try to get the Fire Lady to open up a full investigation but—,"
"But she probably won't get very far." Lu Ten admitted.
Song nodded. "The Earth Kingdom's system of justice is very similar to the Fire Nation's own. The Fire Lady wants revenge. To send a strong message to whomever did this. King Bumi hasn't seen his granddaughter in many years so Jin is the perfect target. Katara won't have a chance until after Jin's trial is over and Jin is exiled back to Omashu…or worse..." She sounded close to tears.
Broken sobs began to come out of her mouth, but Lu Ten pulled her close to him, from her bed and onto his lap. She buried his face into his neck, crying hot tears onto his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her. "Shh…don't start this again…shh…" he said, trying to comfort her.
Lu Ten didn't care much for Jin. He barely even knew Jin. But Song was Jin's friend, and Song was important to Lu Ten. He too wanted justice for who tried to poison his father, but he wasn't pointing fingers blindly like his mother. He wanted to find the real culprit.
The truth was, that he had no idea what to say to a girl like Song. She wasn't a prostitute, merely there for his enjoyment, nor was she a maid that he could discard easily. She was more than that. She was kind, she was intelligent, and she was caring. She was everything that a guy could ever ask for from a girl and she would make his parents happy. Furthermore, she was right here, in front of his own eyes. All those useless flings that he had in the brothels of Ba Sing Se meant nothing. All those prostitutes he hired once he came back into the Fire Nation meant nothing…even Yue…No. Yue meant nothing to him as well. She was gone, and he would never see her again, but Song was here, and Song was real.
Lu Ten thought for a moment. "There must be some way to distract her, to make her pause, and see reason. And see that the 'evidence' could have been placed there by anyone."
"What could distract her so much that she would forget about someone almost poisoning her husband?" Song asked incredulously.
"What about the wedding of her son?" Lu Ten said in all seriousness.
Song stared at him curiously, but then when she looked at him, she said… "H-Her son…!" But still she said, "Lu Ten, I don't want to be your concubine and I don't think it's fair to your wife to-be."
Song started to get off his lap, but Lu Ten pulled her back down. Lu Ten could smell the perfume that she was wearing, jasmine and peppermint. She stared into his eyes severely, and Lu Ten could detect a little bit of jealousy in those beautiful brown eyes. Lu Ten chuckled. "Silly girl. It's you." Her mouth dropped open in surprise, a shaky gasp fell from her lips as her hands covered her mouth. "I-I know this is sudden, and we've practically just met, but I think you're pretty much everything a future Fire Lady should be. So…what I'm trying to say… is that…I would like for you to marry me…and be the Crown Princess of the Fire Nation."
"C-Crown P-Princess?" she asked.
"Yes…One day…hopefully one day very far away… you will be Fire Lady."
After a long moment, with the silence lingering between them for perhaps a moment too long, Song moved away from him and sat on the bed. She didn't look at him, and he wondered if he did the right thing by asking her to marry him.
"I don't know…" she said, eyes lifting demurely. "With all that's going on, I don't know if I want to be here anymore."
No, no you can't leave. Please. Lu Ten thought quickly, appealing to Song's gentle nature. "Just think of it," He began, leaning forward, almost insistent. "It's the perfect way to distract my mother. She can't resist a wedding, much less her own son's.
"I will marry you." She said.
She looked at him with her large doe-brown eyes, and for the first time in his life, Lu Ten kissed a girl slow and sweet, his lips meeting hers tenderly, rather than being the precursor to something else. For once, he didn't take off Song's clothes, although he wanted to…very desperately. He wanted to treat Song right, to make her feel like the way a Crown Princess should feel, and he wouldn't rush things with her. Jin would be saved, his mother wouldn't be so accusing of others, and maybe, perhaps, he'd get the happily ever after he'd always deserved.
Zuko
Walking with Mai was…quiet and uncomfortable. He didn't want it to be, not by far. But what could he say to her? Should he have apologized for the very idea of the Hana Matsuri? Say that it wasn't his fault, he was just following orders. He almost scoffed. Yeah, sure that would go over well. Zuko could hear the birds chirping as they passed open windows, and he wished that he could fill the empty space between them with conversation. They had not walked far from his mother's when Zuko spoke.
"Do you really believe that Katara had a hand in my Uncle's assassination attempt?"
"Of course, Zuko…who else could it be?" Mai said, moving closer to him. She seemed tense, restless for some reason. It was in the way she walked, the way her hands kept clenching into fists and then unclenching just as quickly. It was in the way she wouldn't meet his eyes. Zuko recoiled a bit, but remembered that this was Mai, the same girl that he'd always known, always cared for. "The evidence speaks for itself. She was in there after everyone else. By herself."
He didn't believe that. Katara didn't seem like a person so cruel as to commit murder. She never even attacked Hahn, even though he'd wanted to use her. had been nothing but honest with him, and he wasn't going to let that go to waste. If she said that she had nothing to do with Jin being in prison, then he would believe her.
"She wasn't near any poison, Mai." Zuko pointed out, "She was with me. And I let her into the kitchen after everyone had gone." He lied to Mai…but even he could admit that she was wrong on this.
"What do you mean you let her in?" Mai's face didn't change, but if he looked closely enough, he could detect a hint of pain in her eyes. She stopped walking, turning to him. She placed a hand on his cheek, fingers slightly cupping his chin. As she touched him, Zuko couldn't help but think of the bruising on Katara's cheek, in the same places she touched him now. "What happened to us? We were—,"
"We were together years ago, Mai." He said. "We started dating, but then you called it off. Your parents pressured you into turning me away. Now, apparently that's changed."
She leaned forward, closer. He could feel her breath on his neck, close to his own height as she was. "Of course, it's changed." She said with a hard edge to her voice. She looked away from him, inhaling deeply before meeting his eyes again. Was she schooling her expression? Was she trying not to cry? He didn't know. "You were my first kiss… my first love…and I can't lose you."
That's not how it felt at all. He snapped at her, "Was I supposed to just wait around for you? For years?"
Zuko had forgotten how quickly her anger rose, and how temperamental she got. She released him, backing away from him, agitation flooding her eyes as her hands went to her hips. She nearly yelled at him when she spoke next.
"Zuko, do you want me to win this competition or not?" Suddenly he was reminded of when Mai and he were kids, and she was denied something that she wanted. Her lip would pout, and her arms would be crossed in the exact same expression of defiance. "Why did that change all of a sudden?" As she crossed her arms, the long sleeve of her gown fell to reveal the porcelain skin of her arms, but they were marred, by long red scratches, the blood having dried long ago.
"Tell me something, Mai." Zuko started, walking towards her, but not before glancing around to make sure that they were alone in the corridor. He ran his hand lightly over her chin, and down her neck, to where the pale skin disappeared beneath her black robes. "What happened to Katara's neck two weeks ago?"
"What are you talking about?" She asked, the perfect image of confusion, but her gaze faltered, she looked away from his face. He tightened his grip a little, forcing her to look at him. And she did. "I don't know what happened to her face."
"I do." Zuko said quietly. The more he spoke, the harder it was to keep the frustration from his voice. Damn it. "I know what you did, because I saw her. I saw the bruising, I saw the cuts. And do you know how I also know?" She shook her head mildly. "Because it's what Azula would do." He nodded his head at her arms. She quickly pulled down the sleeves, covering up the red, angry scratches from view. "And I'd wager that she gave you those in the struggle. Am I right?"
"It was Azula's idea…" She grumbled under her breath, looking down. But then her chin lifted haughtily, mouth turned down, though her eyes were still not meeting his. "And so what if I did?" She brushed his hands away from her face. "She thought she could come here and—,"
Sighing heavily, he took her hands in his own and placing a light kiss on them. "I do want us to be together. But Katara is my friend. She's just my friend." He let out a little chuckle. "I don't even think you can call us that. We barely get along half of the time. We don't have the same relationship that you and I do." At her insulted look he placed another peck on her forehead, hands sliding up her arms to hold her shoulders. She smiled at him, returning to the old Mai that he knew. He assured her, "Believe me…If it came down to the two of you, I would pick you in a heartbeat."
She smirked proudly, satisfied with his answer. "Well that's good to know."
But he looked down at her, sternly, his grip on her shoulders tightening just a bit. She faltered, and the worry came back into her eyes then. He waited until she'd fully focused on him. "No tricks. No fights. Understand?"
Without answering, Mai pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. After a second, he responded, pushing all thoughts of Katara out of his mind.