Chapter 38
This chapter is dedicated to beachchick3, Inwen and Writingaddict169for picking up some clues into the relationships and personalities of our characters (especially Tiang)
Zuko
Everyone sat there in shock, his Aunt and Lu Ten perhaps the most stunned of all. No one knew what to say, or probably even how to react. Zuko looked towards his father, who only stared at Katara's cousin, lips pursed, eyes focused, analyzing her behavior like no one else could.
"W-What are you saying?" His Aunt asked, and Zuko had never seen the woman more flustered in his life, aside from when anyone discussed Uncle Iroh. She was always the calm, collected, Fire Lady. She had to be, after all—to survive this long.
"I'm saying," Yue bowed gracefully, "That this child—," Rising, her hand went to her stomach. She rubbed her belly gently, offering the Fire Lady a confident smile. "—Is the future heir to the Fire Nation throne."
"T-That's impossible—," The Fire Lady stammered quickly, her eyes cutting a sharp look at her twenty-three-year-old son. "Right, Lu Ten?"
Zuko knew her concern. Lu Ten could do whatever, fool around with whoever, and do as he please. The only restriction…was that there were to be no souvenirs, so to speak. When Fire Nation women got involved with him, they had to know and understand, that aside from the one night they spent together, Lu Ten wouldn't offer them anything in return.
If Zuko wanted to fool around with prostitutes and random women, he could have. He had wanted to, when he was younger, but…then things happened, and suddenly random and meaningless flings weren't so appealing to him.
But Lu Ten didn't answer her. If anything, he only looked more confused. His eyes darted back and forth between the three women that held considerable sway over his future. His mother, who ruled on behalf of his father; Song, his future wife, who looked as though she might cry at any moment, and Yue, who kept her eyes steady, and not showing the slightest apprehension.
But Zuko frowned. She should feel apprehensive, on some level. She should be unsure that Lu Ten would claim the child as his own, because if Zuko knew his cousin, and he did…
An added responsibility was the absolute last thing the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation needed.
And Yue would be just that she would be another source of trouble, she would bring conflict with Song over who would receive the title of First Wife, who would be Secondary Wife, or even simply a concubine. Lu Ten had promised Song that she would be First Wife, but…Yue…would give birth first, making her automatically eligible to have more power than Song. In a way, it was his mother versus Tiang all over again.
Only this time, it was worse.
Song was the younger sister of the Earth King of Ba Sing Se, an incredibly wealthy city with a very powerful military…and should King Kuei get offended if Yue, only distantly related through royalty, was placed a higher position than Song…
The results would be bad. Very bad.
Couldn't Lu Ten have chosen someone else? He said he was always careful. No woman would ever ask for something more…he would never get a woman pregnant. But as Zuko looked at Yue, smiling with just as much grace and poise as Song could possess…apparently, Lu Ten wasn't careful enough.
"Oh it is very possible, Fire Lady Yun Xi, or shall I call you mother-in-law?" Yue smiled wickedly and his Aunt scoffed in indignation. Yue shrugged, apparently not caring. "You can ask Katara if you don't believe me."
"Princess Katara," The Fire Lady sighed, pressing her hands to her temples as if to ward off a migraine. "Is there any validation to this—girl's testimony?"
But Katara didn't answer. Out of everyone in the room that looked like they had no clue what was going on, she was the only person in the room who looked absolutely furious. Zuko could practically feel the anger rolling off her.
She stood with a rustle of her skirt, and everyone turned to her, preparing to be even more confused by what was about to happen. The Water Tribe princess stared the ex-priestess down with a fire in her eyes that Zuko was a little bit proud to see. She fixed Yue with a hard scowl, and Yue didn't back down in the slightest. The older one scowled back, her eyes filled with hate just as much as Katara's eyes were filled with rage.
"How could you?" Katara bit out the words through clenched teeth, her hands balled into fists. Her anger focused in on her cousin.
Yue kept a calm demeanor, surprising Zuko. He'd been on the receiving end of Katara's rage before, though never to this scale. "How could you, Katara?"
Katara stepped around her table towards Yue. "I thought I told you—,"
"And I thought I told you—," Yue's voice was accusatory, angry and hateful. "That you couldn't keep me a secret any longer! That you couldn't keep his child a secret any longer!" She pointed a finger at the Crown Prince, all the while keeping her narrowed eyes on Katara. Lu Ten recoiled, almost as if she was mere inches in front of him, instead of being across the room.
"Even so Yue, you had no right to just-," Katara started to say before the Fire Lady cut her off.
"So it's true, then? This girl, your cousin—," His aunt asked skeptically, "—Is pregnant with my grandchild."
Yue nodded, eagerly, he might add, and Zuko wondered if the ex-priestess was able to sense the change in the room, how everything suddenly went from a relatively pleasant evening, to...borderline chaos.
The air was tense.
This must have blindsided her, as Zuko took in the Earth Kingdom Princess' steely look, as she eyed her competition. Song grew up in a similar palace life to the way things were done here in the Fire Nation. Both Nations had similar rules regarding palace life.
Song knew all too well the danger Yue's child and audacious behavior had just brought upon them all. Zuko turned to look at his father. Prince Ozai remained impassive, he always did, even in high stress situations. But beneath his blank stare, his father must be calculating, trying to remain 3 steps ahead of everyone else.
"Did you see that?" His mother whispered in his ear. Zuko jumped and tore his eyes away from his father to look at his mother, who was, in turn, looking at his father. Her lips were pursed in the way they usually were when she was trying to figure his father out.
"See what?" He replied, brow furrowed in confusion. Truthfully, he hadn't seen anything at all. He'd been too focused mentally on Katara to notice anything amiss.
"There," she pointed discretely at her husband. "He's frowning."
He's what? What frown? To Zuko, his father's face remained as impassive as it always did, especially now, when displays of emotion were so...negatively received.
"I know you might not be able to see it; that will come with time. But it's there. Your father, for once in his life, has no idea what to do about this situation." The volume of his mother's voice was barely above silent as she leaned closer to him.
Zuko looked at his father, trying to see what his mother could see so easily. Seconds passed, and then he saw it. He saw the slight twitch in his father's jaw; he saw his eyes narrow slightly.
Zuko nodded slightly. "I believe that Yue has taken us all by surprise, Father most of all." He whispered.
With Yue's pregnancy, Lu Ten now had a potential heir. And an heir meant one more obstacle to his father becoming Fire Lord.
No wonder Katara wanted to keep Yue hidden.
He was about to say something else to his mother, but the rising volumes of both Katara's voice and his Aunt's voice forced him your focus his attention onto the situation at hand.
"Yes, I knew that she was pregnant...but I wanted her to keep silent!" Katara was protesting. "We have rules in the Water Tribe as well." Her jaw clenched.
"Still," his Aunt was saying in a disparaging tone. "You have not denied that you knew your sister was coming here-,"
"Even if I used my authority, she wouldn't have listened to me—,"
Yue cut her off. "Cousins." Yue had to near shout to make her voice heard. She added a sharp glare in Katara's direction. "We are cousins. And Katara has no authority over me. I left the Water Tribe." She said this last sentence smugly.
Prince Ozai's brows raised slightly, and Zuko's breath hitched. Yue left the Water Tribe? She was correct in that she no longer had to submit to their authority…but she was no longer under their protection either.
"I don't care if you were twins!" The Fire Lady hissed, looking darkly at Yue. She turned to Katara. "The fact remains that a subject of the Water Tribe has managed to infiltrate the most secure building in the Fire Nation. A person that you, tried to hide from the Royal Family, Princess Katara. Was this all some plot of from the Water Tribe to oust us and rule the country for yourself?"
"What?" Katara gasped. "I wouldn't—I was only trying to—,"
Zuko's Aunt shook her head. "I don't care what you were trying to do. I don't care who this pretender is, or the stories she is telling to lure my son into her trap."
"I'm not lying!" Yue all but shouted. She was tense, showing the fear she should have shown long before this. Zuko shook his head, more out of pity than anything else. Yue didn't actually think his aunt would choose her over Song, did she?
In his Aunt's mind, Song was the perfect daughter-in-law. Kind, respectful, and had a connection to a very powerful family. Yue, on the other hand, was everything that she didn't want in the palace. Her brazen attitude in coming forward to force Lu Ten's hand in claiming her child was rude, audacious and entirely self-centered. Yue didn't care about the child…she cared about herself.
The Fire Lady stood and walked around her table until she was face to face with the two Water Tribe girls. Her sharp eyes turned to Yue. "Admit it. You and Katara planned this to gain a foothold here, didn't you?" She pointed a manicured nail at the 15-year-old. "It was all your plan to secure power in the Fire Nation court for your family, wasn't it? Wasn't it!?"
Up until now, Lu Ten hadn't said anything, and Zuko couldn't help but be a little but peeved at his cousin. Why was Katara taking all of the heat for Lu Ten's mistakes? Lu Ten was the one who promised Yue that he'd marry her. Lu Ten wasn't careful enough. Lu Ten was warned to curb his bad habits from day one.
By now, Song had started crying openly, although she was doing so with as much decorum as she could muster. Her eyes were not red, nor her skin blotchy, and she wasn't breathing heavily. The only sign of her upset was the visible shaking of her hands, the quivering of her lower lip, and the steady stream of tears that ran down her face.
Lu Ten met Zuko's eyes. Say something. Zuko mouthed to his cousin.
He continued the rest internally. Say something or this will never end. And Katara will take the blame.
Lu Ten nodded, albeit a bit warily. "Mother…" Lu Ten began, also standing. "I don't really think that this was Princess Katara's doing—,"
"You stay out of this!" The Fire Lady roared at her son, whirling around madly, turning her wild eyes on her son. Her chest rose and fell with each deep breath, and her volume only increased at each turn. "You think that your mother doesn't know how you were bewitched?"
Yue flinched. She turned to Katara, eyes wide. Katara kept her eyes straight ahead jaw set in fierce determination. This wasn't Katara's fault. This wasn't even Yue's fault, as much as Katara thought otherwise. This was entirely Lu Ten's fault, and now Lu Ten had to clean up his own mess.
"Mother," Lu Ten tried again, stepping forward. "I really do think that Princess Katara isn't to blame. The incident...things happened and…and I'll take responsibility for my actions."
Yue stiffened, her eyes widening at Lu Ten's referring to their intercourse as...an incident. Katara glanced at her cousin and shook her head out of pity or smugness, he didn't know which.
"No!" The Fire Lady walked towards her son, placing both hands on the Crown Prince's shoulders. "I won't let you become like the rest of them! I won't let you follow in the path of your ancestors!" She swallowed and cut a look at Zuko's mother. Princess Ursa's hands balled into fists on the table cutting into her skin. "I will protect you at all costs. I won't let this Water Tribe slut be another Tiang."
Everyone in the room had some visible reaction. Tiang was, as far as his Aunt knew, responsible for everything bad in the palace as of late. She didn't know about Zuko's father. And until he could prove something, could come up with something definitive…it would stay that way.
Azula visibly flinched. Her eyes flashed to their father, looking for a visible reaction, but she got none and then to Zuko. Zuko knew his face was easier to read. He would never forgive Tiang for what she'd done, but Azula couldn't help whose child she was. It was only by her actions that he would judge her.
But as far as he was concerned, maybe Jet was a good influence on her. He tried to convince her of this with his eyes, but she looked away without any visible response, so it was unclear if she understood him or not.
Do you really think so little of me?" Katara said quietly, her voice breaking mid-sentence. Even from where he sat, her could see her lips quiver, the unshed tears coming to her eyes. "After all that I've done, after saving your husband…you would think that I..." She shook her head, not finishing her sentence.
Zuko's Aunt scoffed. "What am I supposed think? That your cousin just so happened to get pregnant with my grandchild by pure coincidence? Is it not more likely that you and your cousin planned this to secure the throne for someone of the Water Tribe?
Yue's eyes narrowed at the Fire Lady, and Zuko wondered if he should intervene before someone else got hurt or said something they'd regret later. "How am I any different than her?" Yue pointed at Song, sitting demurely in her seat, trying to hide her expression as best as possible. "She's after the same thing I am. She's not as perfect as you think she is."
Song's eyes narrowed at Yue, taking Zuko by surprise the first time. It was a simple furrowing of her brow, but Song was never usually expressive, and always remained calm. Perhaps Yue got to her more than she was letting on.
Zuko had terrible feeling in his gut that it would eventually come down to Song versus Yue. Lu Ten would have to make a choice for his wife, and both girls had a lot to lose. Who would win in the fight for Lu Ten?
Katara met his eyes before turning back to the Fire Lady. She looked troubled. Should Zuko go to her?
"I don't want power. I never wanted it." Katara was saying. She fixed the Fire Lady with a defiant stare. After what she'd been through, Zuko realized that Katara wouldn't back down, not anymore. She continued, her eyes flickering over to him for a moment again. "I've only ever wanted Zuko. And in the beginning, I never even wanted him." She chuckled briefly. "But if that is what you believe, then who are we to disagree?"
"Mother," Lu Ten said quietly. Zuko shook his head. He would have to be stronger than that if he was to truly get his way. "Mother." Lu Ten said more forcefully.
His mother turned to him reluctantly, but not before sending another glare Yue's way. "Lu Ten, I'm only acting in your best interest."
Lu Ten swallowed heavily before trying to placate his mother. "I understand, Mother. But you have been through quite a lot today." He placed a hand on his mother's shoulder, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking at Katara. But if Lu Ten was looking to apologize…he would have a lot of work to do.
"Lu Ten?" Yue smiled at him, but Lu Ten didn't even look at her.
He was looking at Katara.
Yue's eyes widened as she looked between Katara and Lu Ten.
"Princess Katara…" Lu Ten began softly, and Yue frowned, casting harsh glances at her cousin. "I'm sorry that you seem to be irreversibly tangled in the affairs of this palace. You were right, when you said you didn't even want to be here in the first place." He smiled at her, but Katara's fiery expression didn't change.
Zuko didn't know what was going on in Katara's mind, he couldn't read her well enough for that. But it seemed she wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. " You're right." She said dryly, which still was full of emotion, after all. He didn't think that Katara had a sarcastic bone in her body. "I never asked for any of this to happen. But it happened, and I will do what I must." She looked from her cousin, to the Fire Lady. "And for now, that means, protecting my cousin."
Katara wasn't playing games anymore. He could see it from the set of her jaw. Why she would defend Yue, he didn't know. But if Yue went down, Zuko knew that the ex-priestess would probably find some way of taking Katara down with her.
The Fire Lady didn't like the look in Katara's eyes. That much was clear. She turned to her son and said harshly, "I expect you in my chambers in 5 minutes." before walking out of the door.
It was unlike his aunt, or a Fire Nation citizen for that matter, to run away from a problem without achieving a resolution. A Fire Bender would fight, even at the risk of losing, rather than to run away like a coward. But that is exactly what his Aunt did. She ran away from her problems, or deflected them somewhere else...
…just like Lu Ten.
The door to the Dining Hall slammed with a loud bang, startling Zuko nearly out of his skin. At first no one moved. No one made a sound. What could anyone say? Everyone gathered stared at the two Water Tribe women, Yue especially, with uncertainty. Zuko couldn't blame them.
But Katara's shoulders were shaking, and her hands were tightly balled into fists, nails pressing so hard into the skin they'd leave marks that would last for hours. She was affected, probably more than ever.
Again, her loyalty and ambition was called into question, and again, shed had to defend herself while Zuko's Aunt ranted and raved at her in front of the entire family. Public humiliation was always the worst, and who should know, better than he?
"Go to her Zuko." His mother spoke in a hushed tone. He turned to her, uncertainty in his eyes, and then back to Katara, who was apparently trying to restrain from punching her cousin in the face. Yue unsuccessfully whispered about the Fire Lady's "insanity", and who exactly was Tiang anyway?
So Zuko would go to her. If he could help, in any way, he would.
Zuko approached Katara and the others slowly. When he appeared next to Katara, she didn't turn, but she must have felt him there, because her arm reached behind her back, searching for his hand. Yue had calmed down significantly. Lu Ten wasn't looking at her, or Katara, he was looking at Song. The Earth Kingdom princess hadn't moved a muscle, still sitting on her cushion, resigned and quiet, head bowed, hands folded perfectly in her lap.
The only difference was that now, her porcelain skin was now red and splotchy, and tears were rolling down those red cheeks, falling onto her beautiful green dress and staining it with salt.
But Yue seemed to know where Lu Ten's attention truly lay.
"Oh, Lu Ten!" Yue cried, throwing herself into the Crown Prince's arms. He staggered back, startled. Zuko could see Azula's face pale from across the room. It was too soon, and the memories of her mother's antics with their father were still too fresh in everyone's minds. "I knew you'd help me!"
But Lu Ten hadn't spoken up for Yue's sake. He'd done it for Zuko, and by extension, for Katara.
Lu Ten carefully detached her limbs from around his neck. He spoke softly, so that only the four of them congregated in the center of the room could hear it. "A-Are you sure that the child is mine?"
At first Yue didn't move. she appeared to be in shock. This was probably not what she expected from Lu Ten.
"Of course, the child is yours...I haven't—I mean, you were my only—I would never lie about something like this." Her voice grew less and less steady with each word she spoke.
"Really?" Lu Ten said, almost coldly. His eyes were dark, and his voice was borderline monotone. "You didn't seem to have any trouble lying about Katara to Zuko and I."
"I...I" Yue fought for words to say. Never did she think that Lu Ten would actually reject her. "You can ask Katara if you don't believe me!" She said, almost frantically, turning and pulling Katara out of Zuko's grasp, and practically shoving her towards Lu Ten.
If Yue was lying...then everything might be wrapped up in a nice little incident and Yue could go home. If she was telling the truth...
Katara faced Lu Ten, and there was pity in her clear blue eyes. And Zuko too, felt sorry for his cousin as well. There was no telling what effect this would have. "I believe her." There was no wavering in Katara's voice, but her eyes were as full of emotion as ever.
Air flew through Lu Ten's lips and his shoulders sagged. "I-I guess you can stay..." He said, though he didn't look pleased about it at all. "I'll have to ask Gu Zhi to set up a room." Lu Ten looked around, unsure if Gu Zhi was actually in the room.
"I believe women and their placement in the palace are under my domain, yes?" Song's voice washed over them, as a deadly calm. Lu Ten flinched and turned to look into the apathetic eyes of Song.
"Song?" Lu Ten asked hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm perfectly fine, Your Highness." Song smiled pleasantly, but it didn't touch her eyes. It seemed that she too, wouldn't forgive Lu Ten for what he did. But she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at Yue.
There was a challenge in Song's dark brown eyes, and Yue responded just as equally with a confident glare of her own. And Lu Ten stood between them, unclear, and unsure.
"I don't think that's really necessary." Yue said, giving her rival in love a smile. "I'm sure wherever Lu Ten decides to place me is—,"
"Nonsense." Song cut the ex-priestess off. "As a part of my new responsibilities granted to me by the Fire Lady, I will make sure you will have everything you need." The Earth Kingdom Princess extended a pale hand.
Yue didn't take it. Instead she huffed and walked away, past Lu Ten, past Song, and away from Katara and Zuko and hopefully out of their hair for the time being. Though it wasn't likely.
"Song…is this really such a good idea?"
The coy smile that slid onto Song's face was nothing short of remarkable. Gone was the quiet Song, and in place was a woman who knew all too well what was at stake if she lost the battle for the Fire Nation Crown Prince.
'Do not worry, she will be in good hands."
Lu Ten
"So you're done with the slut?" His mother asked him, flipping absentmindedly through a few papers on his father's desk.
Lu Ten found his mother in the library, as he knew she'd be, rather than her chambers. It was where she loved to be, because it reminded her of his father.
Speaking of which, he…was about to become a father! There was no way the child could be his. He couldn't have been… he was always careful. But Katara had seemed so sure, even Zuko…and Yue…
Agni he couldn't describe how it felt to see her again. It was as if he'd seen someone that he once knew a long time ago, but couldn't remember their name, only their face. But the difference was that he'd never forgotten Yue's name. Or her face. Or anything about her really. And on top of all that, his life has just gotten a whole lot more complicated.
In the beginning, Zuko was right. He was using Song as a distraction…but that was before he got to know her, really know her…she wasn't better than Yue…she was different.
And now she was going to bear his child. He as supposed to feel something, but what that something was, he didn't know. All he felt was the weight of another burden on his shoulders.
A Proper Crown Prince. A Perfect Son. A Perfect Husband. A Perfect Father.
The pressure was almost too much to bear. Too much for a 23-year-olds head.
"Don't call Yue that, Mother." Lu Ten complained, but then nodded. "But if you mean her, then yes. Song's taken her to a room."
"Of course, Princess Song would be mature in this situation. You seem to lack such control." His mother said bitterly, flipping through more papers. Anything to keep her hands busy, so she didn't strangle him, he guessed.
Talking about Yue was going to go nowhere tonight, even he could see that. So he tried to switch to a safer topic. "Mother you were entirely too harsh with Katara." He said softly.
His mother gave him a stern look. "I had no choice to be, Lu Ten. Those girls threaten the strength of your succession to the throne."
Lu Ten shook his head, not understanding his mother's mindset. "Shouldn't Yue bearing my child strengthen my succession? I will have an heir before the year is over. I should think that you would be happy to be a grandmother so young."
The Fire Lady scoffed darkly, slamming her hand on the table with a loud bang, starling Lu Ten. "That child will be half Water Tribe." She stood. "I told you to be careful with whom you slept with."
Soon she was in front of him, she was shorter than he was, but her presence could fill up the entire room.
"I always am!" Lu Ten exclaimed. Or rather…he had been.
Thwack! Lu Ten heard the sound before he registered the sting. His mother…had just slapped him. His hand flew to his face, not because it hurt, but because he couldn't believe she'd just done it.
Her golden eyes were dark. "Apparently not careful enough."
"You're just mad that you didn't pick her, aren't you?" He asked contemptuously
His mother's eyes widened. "How dare you speak to me that way!"
Lu Ten shook his head, staring his mother down. "Answer me Mother." He let out a dark laugh. "You have no problem with Yue being pregnant, but your real issue is that she's not Song, and that you didn't get to pick her."
"As I've said before, that child will be half Water Tribe."
Lu Ten rolled his eyes. "Mother, don't tell me that you actually subscribe to that belief of the Water Tribe being less than us, do you?"
"Yue isn't even royalty! I could have tolerated Princess Katara because the Water Tribe is a beneficial trade partner, but with Song, we could have made an ally with Ba Sing Se. Ba Sing Se!"
"How is Ba Sing Se any different than the Fire Nation? In anything, they're too similar. The same court life, the same rules, laws, the same restrictions."
"I'm doing this for your sake!" The fire was back in her eyes again as she stared her son down. "You need to survive. King Kuei's army would have helped you." She turned from him, inconsolable.
"Mother..." Lu Ten said, but nothing came out after it. His mother was too unreasonable to talk right now.
His mother turned to him excitedly, clapping her hands as though she had just thought of a brilliant idea. And apparently, she had. "I have a suggestion. Convince Katara's cousin that she should give up all parental claim to the child. Let Song raise the infant once it is born."
"You can't be serious!" Lu Ten scoffed. He had no doubts that Song would be a good mother, but… "Yue would never go for that."
But his mother pretended not to hear him. "Tell her that we will give her compensation and she can live out the rest of her days anonymously in the hills of Kyoshi."
Lu Ten stepped away from his mother. "Mother do you even hear yourself? That wouldn't work, Yue would never give up her child…At least…not when..."
His mother froze as tough realizing something. "Not when…she has something to gain…" Her eyes widened. "Lu Ten You didn't promise to make her a legal wife, did you?"
He did. But he didn't know that this would happen when he made that promise. He never expected to see Yue again…ever…
"I may have done such a thing…" Lu Ten's cheeks reddened with his own embarrassment.
The Fire Lady stared at him in disbelief. "You said that to get her to have sex with you? Lu Ten!"
Well technically, it had come out during the sex, but…he had a feeling that saying as much wouldn't diffuse his mother's anger at all.
"I know, I know… I shouldn't have…" He tried to placate her.
But...I never thought.
"By Agni's Fire you shouldn't have." She glared at him. "How many times have I told you not to be like your ancestors?! Think with your head, not your—," She broke off, looking away in disgust.
"I'm sorry Mother." Lu Ten attempted an apology. "I've complicated things immensely."
His mother sighed. "It's alright, we've survived worse…Get Yue to agree…otherwise there are further ways of getting rid of unwanted women."
The meaning in the Fire Lady's eyes was clear.
"A miscarriage? This isn't Grandfather Azulon's time anymore, Mother!" Lu Ten exclaimed in disbelief. "That could kill her!"
"That's kind of the idea, my dear boy." His mother said jovially, as though she wasn't just plotting the murder of a woman. "In your grandfather's day, there were so many women that died...It's what's to be expected of us."
"People will assume that Song did it, that she acted out of jealousy."
His mother waved it off. "I will cover it up in some way or another…perhaps we'll make it look like an accident…maybe she tripped on the stairs…" Lu Ten honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. His mother glared at him fiercely. "But I won't have that girl ruin this, ruin your chances at a happy future."
"Mother…"
"I was drawing this up before you arrived." She said, stepping over to the desk and retrieving a slip of paper.
Lu Ten looked at the contact that he was supposed to get Yue to sign. The sum of leaving her baby behind was hefty, and Yue would live comfortably for the rest of her days.
Yue wasn't a horrible person. She didn't deserve to have this happen to her.
She would give birth, then go live a quiet life? Unlikely. But…if Yue stayed in the Fire Nation…he couldn't guarantee her safety either. Song wasn't safe either. Such was the way of the Palace.
What should he do? He had no answers. It was times like this that he wished his father was conscious.
His father, Fire Lord Iroh, may have had a proverb or two just for this situation.
Thank you for being such AWESOME readers.
LM.