"I'm so excited to spend the weekend on Ember Island!" Ty Lee leaned against the railings of the ship and felt the cool sea breeze in her face. "It'll be great to hang out on the beach and do nothing!"
"Doing nothing is a waste of time!" Zuko snapped at her. "We're being sent away on a forced vacation... I feel like a child!"
The Fire Lord had ordered Lo and Li to take the four teenagers to Ember Island, a popular resort area lush with palm trees, white sand, and extravagant vacation homes. None of them had a clue why they were sent away, but a vacation might just be what they need.
"Lighten up." Azula stood with Ty Lee out on the deck. "So Dad wants to meet with the sages and council alone without anyone else around. Don't take it personally." But secretly, she agreed with her brother. She would much rather attend the war meetings with the Fire Lord rather than spend the day on a beach.
"Doesn't your family have a house on Ember Island?"
Azula nodded. "We used to come every summer when we were kids."
"That must have been fun!"
Zuko looked away watching the waves form as their ship pushed forward. "That was a long time ago..."
An hour later, they reached one of the minor docks of Ember Island. Lo and Li led the way eagerly. They wore matching pink robes and wide brimmed straw hats. "Welcome to Ember Island, kids..." The folds and wrinkles of their faces deepened as they smiled.
The teens looked up at their temporary residence with disappointed looks. They imagined and expected something more... grand.
"It smells like old lady in here..." Zuko complained as they entered Lo and Li's personal guest house, gifted by the late Fire Lord Azulon.
"Gee... I wonder why." Mai replied dryly.
Ty Lee stood in front of a painting, mesmerized. "Who are these two beautiful women?"
Lo and Li stood next to the painting and recreated the poses. "Can't you tell?"
They tried their hardest to reign in their laughter as they continued looking around the guest house. "We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend..." Li consoled them with a motherly look.
"But Ember Island is a magical place."
"Keep an open mind."
"Give it a chance."
"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other."
Lo picked up an ornamental rock placed on the table and trailed her weathered fingers over it. "The beach has a special way of smoothing even the most ragged edges."
The twins smiled and clapped, pulling away their robes, revealing their new bathing suits. "Time to hit the beach!"
Azula smirked as she spotted a group playing kuai ball on the beach. Her competitive side rose to the surface and she called them over. "Hey beach bums, we're playing next. TY LEE, GET OVER HERE NOW!"
The girl, who was at the moment enjoying the shade and breeze provided by three men, stood on her hands and flipped before rushing to Azula's side.
Zuko stood up and took off his robe, showing off his lean, toned body. A group of girls spotted him and looked on with obvious interest, making Mai slightly twitch. She stood up as well and took Zuko's arm as they followed Azula.
After careful observation of the enemy team, Azula huddled her team and relayed the plan. "See the girl with the pigtails? When she runs towards the ball, there's just the slightest hesitation on her left foot. I bet a childhood injury has weakened her. Keep serving the ball to her left and we'll destroy her and the rest of her team. Dismissed."
Azula was the first to serve the ball. She tossed it high in the air and jumped after it. She struck the ball with her knee and pushed it towards the other team who didn't even have a chance to stop the fast projectile.
The other team countered by serving a slow ball that fell near the net. Zuko dove to the front and kicked up the ball, his sister followed him and sent the ball flying back towards the girl in pigtails.
The game went on that way. They completely annihilated the other team with fast serves and strong spikes. One last serve was particularly high. The siblings exchanged a brief look and a nod. Zuko hunched over and Azula ran, using her brother's back as a boost and jumping up in the air, spinning once and delivering the final blow to the ball.
It landed with a slight explosion on the sand, sending the players of the enemy team on their backs. The net caught fire from the explosion and Azula stood close as she taunted the other team. "Yes! We have defeated you for all time! You will never rise from the ashes of your shame and humiliation!" She turned back to her teammates with a smile. "Well, that was fun."
"I'm having a party tonight, you should come by." Two men approached Ty Lee, impressed after having watched them play.
"Sure!" Ty Lee gave them a wide smile. "I love parties!"
"Your friend can come, too." He nodded towards Mai and gave her a small wink.
"Uh, what about me and my brother? Aren't you gonna invite us?" Azula raised a brow, unused to being isolated like that. "You don't know who we are, do you?"
The first guy scoffed. "Don't you know who we are? We're Chan and Ruon-Jian!"
Insulted by their lack of respect, Zuko advanced, ready to give them a beating. Azula had other plans though, she held out an arm to stop her brother.
"But fine, you're invited." They conceded. "Just so you know, though, some of the most important teenagers of the Fire Nation are gonna be at this party, so... try and act normal."
Azula gave them her signature smirk. "We'll do our best."
They spent the afternoon lounging in the veranda of the guest house. The vast ocean can be seen from the veranda, as well as the horizon where the sky meets the sea. Lo and Li had prepared a spread of fruits and other delicacies. "Why didn't you tell those guys who we were?" Zuko finally asked Azula.
"I guess I was... intrigued. I'm so used to people worshipping us."
"They should!"
"Yes, I know, and I love it. But for once, I just wanted to see how people would treat us if they didn't know who we were.
It was probably the first time Zuko and Azula were not regarded as the Prince and Princess of the Fire Nation. All their lives they had servants and handmaidens, governors and nobles bowed to them and brought them gifts at their feet to curry favor.
"Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand,"
"Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate."
"Ember Island reveals the true you."
They were the first ones to arrive at the party and after an awkward exchange, Chan let them in nonetheless. An hour later, the party was finally in full swing.
"So how do you know Ty Lee?" One guy asked the other, looking him over and sizing up the competition.
"I met her at the beach today. She was pretty impressed by the sand pagoda I made her."
"Well I met her first!"
The hot-blooded teens all turned to Ty Lee who smiled and backed away slowly. "W-well... It doesn't matter who I met first 'cause I like you all!"
"But which one of us do you... like?"
"Yeah! Tell us!"
The pressure was too much for her. "I don't know! I don't know!" She closed her eyes and jabbed the men's pressure points, blocking their chi and paralyzing them. She skipped away as they fell down and found Azula leaning on a post, all alone. "I'm glad you're here! Those boys won't leave me alone! I guess they all like me too much!"
"Come on, Ty Lee. You can't be this ignorant!" Azula rolled her eyes.
"What are you talking about?"
"Those boys only like you because you make it easy for them! You're not a challenge, you're a tease! It's not like they actually care who you are."
Ty Lee flinched at what Azula had said. She hid her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking as she cried.
For what seemed like the second time in all her years, Azula actually felt guilty about her words. She took Ty Lee's hands away from her face and shushed her. "Okay, okay. Calm down! I didn't mean what I said. Look, maybe I just said it because I was a little... jealous." She said the last word barely above a whisper.
She couldn't believe what she had heard. "What? You were jealous of me?! But you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world!"
"You're right about all those things, but for some reason, when I meet boys, they act as if I'm going to do something horrible to them."
Ty Lee giggled. "But you probably would do something horrible to them! I'm sure they're just intimidated by you." If this was her worry, she better give her friend some tips. "Okay, if you want a boy to like you, just look at him, smile a lot, and laugh at everything he says, even if it's not funny."
"Well that sounds really shallow and stupid... Let's try it!"
Zuko piled an assortment of finger foods on a plate to take to Mai, but someone carelessly bumped into him and sent the plate from his hands and unto the floor. He growled in anger and turned to the guy. "Hey, watch it! That food was for my cranky girlfriend!"
The guy looked at him weirdly and they turned to see Mai casually talking to Ruon-Jian. He stifled a laugh as Zuko ran and grabbed the pest's arm, pulling him away. "What are you doing?!"
"Stop talking to my girlfriend!"
Ruon-Jian slowly approached him. "Relax. It's just a party."
He had it. He raised a hand and casually shoved him back. Unknown to onlookers, Zuko had used chi to deliver enough force to send Ruon-Jian flying across the room, hitting the old earthen vase that, no doubt, cost a fortune.
"Zuko, what is wrong with you?!" Mai approached the prince.
"What is wrong with me?!"
"Your temper's out of control! You blow up over every little thing! You're so impatient, and hot-headed, and angry!"
"Well, at least I feel something as opposed to you! You have no passion for anything! You're just a big... blah!"
Mai frowned, offended by his words.
"Who broke my Nana's vase?!" Chan returned from the balcony, panicking as he saw the priceless earthen vase shattered on the floor. Ruon-jian pointed at Zuko. "That's it! You're out of here!"
Zuko crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin high as he left. "I was just leaving!"
"Have fun by yourself, loser boy!"
After half an hour of searching, Azula found her brother on the porch of their old summer house up in the mountain. Much like them, the villa was isolated from the rest of the houses down by the beach. "I thought I'd find you here."
Zuko stared at the clay tablet that had his handprint. It held so much memories that they spent on Ember Island. "Those summers we spent here seem so long ago." He mused as he reminisced the simpler times when they would go here and have fun. "So much has changed."
Azula shared the sentiment as she looked up at the house. "Come down to the beach with me. Come on, this place is depressing."
It was a silent walk to the beach. All that could be heard was the sound of the waves softly crashing against the shore, and the occasional crickets. Mai and Ty Lee waited and sat on some logs and rocks, watching the ocean before them.
Zuko approached Mai. "Are you cold?" He tried to wrap an arm around her, but she softly slapped it away.
"I'm freezing!" Ty Lee complained, rubbing her arms for warmth.
"I'll make a fire." He looked up at the summer house up the mountain. "There's plenty of stuff to burn in there." He stood up ran back up to the house. Upon his return, he carried a few items with him, the largest one being a portrait of the royal family. The prince cleared the pit and set it ablaze, tossing everything in it, even the painting.
Ty Lee stood up, panicking as Zuko had carelessly tossed the painting into the fire. "What are you doing?!"
"What does it look like I'm doing?"
"But that's a painting of your family!" She watched as the flames crawled through the portrait and eventually turned it to ashes.
He crossed his arms once more. "You think I care?"
"I think you do—"
"You don't know me, so why don't you just mind your own business?"
Ty Lee scoffed at her childhood friend. "I know you..."
"No, you don't! You're stuck in your little 'Ty Lee world' where everything is great all the time—"
"Zuko, leave her alone!" Mai frowned, standing up for her friend.
The prince did a hand-stand effortlessly. "I'm so pretty, look at me! I can walk on my hands! Woooo!" He stopped and fell back into the soft sand. "Circus freak!"
Azula had laughed at the comment. Ty Lee clenched her fists, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes, I'm a circus freak. Go ahead and laugh all you want! You wanna know why I joined the circus? Do you have any idea what my home life was like? I grew up with six sisters who look exactly like me! It was like I didn't even have my own name!"
The tears fell endlessly as she knelt on the sand, staring at the fire. "I joined the circus because I was scared of spending the rest of my life as part of a matched set. At least, I'm different now! 'Circus freak' is a compliment!"
"Guess that explains why you need ten boyfriends, too." Mai drawled as she watched her with an unreadable expression.
"I'm sorry, what?!"
"Attention issues? You couldn't get attention when you were a kid so you're trying to make up for it now."
"Well, what's your excuse, Mai? You were an only child for 15 years! But even with all that attention, your aura is this dingy...pasty...gray—"
"I don't believe in auras." She dismissed her with a roll of her eyes.
"Yeah, you don't believe in anything."
She shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh well, I'm sorry I can't be as high-strung and crazy as the rest of you."
Zuko walked back towards the fire. "I'm sorry, too! I wish you would be high-strung and crazy for once instead of bottling up all your feelings! Ty Lee just called your aura dingy. Are you just gonna take that?!"
Mai laid back on the rock and gazed at the stars. "What do you want from me? You want a teary confession about how hard my childhood was? Well it wasn't." She laughed bitterly and continued. "I was a rich, only child who got anything I wanted...as long as I behaved...and sat still... and didn't speak unless spoken too... My mother said I had to keep out of trouble. We had my dad's political career to think about."
"Well, that's it then." Azula smirked. "You had a controlling mother who had certain expectations and if you strayed from them, you were shut down. That's why you're afraid to care about anything and can't express yourself."
"Oh, you want me to express myself?!" Mai stood up angrily and shouted. "Leave me alone!"
"Everybody calm down!" Ty Lee aimed to ease the forming tension in their group. "This much negative energy is bad for your skin! You'll totally break out!"
"Bad skin?!" Zuko growled. "Normal teenagers worry about bad skin! I don't have that luxury! My father decided to teach me a permanent lesson on my face!"
"S-sorry, Zuko...I—"
"For so long, I thought that if my dad accepted me, I'd be happy. I'm back home now, my dad talks to me..." He scoffed at his situation. "He even thinks I'm a hero! Everything should be perfect! I should be happy now, but I'm not! I'm angrier than ever and I don't know why!"
Azula looked up from the fire to her brother. "There's a simple question you need to answer then... Who are you angry at?"
"No one! I'm just angry!"
"Yeah... Who are you angry at, Zuko?"
"E-Everyone! I don't know!"
"Is it dad?"
"No... no!"
"Your uncle?"
"Me?"
"No!"
"Then, who? Who are you angry at, Zuko?"
"Answer the question, Zuko!" Azula pressed. If there's one thing her brother should learn, its transparency. He should know himself inside and out so that his vulnerabilities can't be used against him.
"Talk to us!"
"Come on, answer the question!"
He gritted his teeth and finally confessed. "I'M ANGRY AT MYSELF!" His rage caused the fire he had made to rise high into the sky before it was reduced to glowing embers.
"Why?"
"Because I'm confused... Because I'm not sure I know the difference between right and wrong anymore."
Azula sighed. "You're pathetic... Oh well, those were wonderful performances everyone!" She mocked them as she clapped slowly.
Zuko turned to his sister. "I guess you wouldn't understand, would you, Azula? Because you are just so perfect."
"Well yes, I guess you're right." She smiled as she tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "I don't have sob stories like all of you. I could sit here and complain about how our mom liked Zuko more than me, but I don't really care!" She stared at the glowing embers of the fire. "My own mother... thought I was a monster... She was right of course! But it still hurt."
Ty Lee realized something as she looked back on everyone's outburst. "What Lo and Li said came true! The beach helped us learn more about ourselves." She picked up a rock from the ground. "I fell all smoothed out! I'll always remember this..." She smiled fondly at her friends, understanding each and every one of them more now.
"You know what would make this trip really memorable?" Azula smirked. "Let's go wreck a party..."
They were about to head back to Chan's house when Azula remembered something. "Mai, Ty Lee, you guys go on ahead. I have something to talk about with my brother."
Zuko frowned, but waved Mai off to Ty Lee. As soon as they were out of earshot, he looked at her. "What is it?"
"We never talked about what happened to Chiyo..." The princess crossed her arms over her chest, mirroring her brother as they stared at the ocean. "No one in the palace is talking about it. It's like they don't even care! Even father's stupid concubine isn't making any move!"
He released a shaky breath and closed his eyes. "Uncle said that she's... dead. I guess they all just moved on..."
"Have you moved on?"
His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. "I have Mai."
"That doesn't answer the question, Zuzu."
He gave no further answer, choosing instead to look far out in the open sea.
"To be honest, I feel... guilty, somehow. Maybe if I didn't take her with me that day... Maybe if I accompanied her back to the Fire Nation... Maybe she'd still be here." Azula sighed and looked down at the sand between her toes, deep in thought. Chiyo had become her confidante and friend besides Mai and Ty Lee. Even when the apprentice became busy with scheduled performances and travels, she found time to visit the princess. "They didn't even give her a burial... or a memorial at least."
Zuko looked at his sister. Today was the most emotional, besides rage, that he had seen in her. It was weird, to say the least, but it was comforting to know that she cared deeply about Chiyo. "Then let's make one for her."
They looked around the beach and found the largest log. Zuko pushed it towards the sea and Azula set it on fire. They closed their eyes and said their silent messages, hoping it would reach Chiyo, wherever she may be. They watched the log drift away out into the open sea.
"I shouldn't have insisted on bringing you with me to capture my brother. Maybe if I hadn't, you would be here with us, enjoying Ember Island."
"I should have fought harder and dragged you with me as Uncle and I escaped. Maybe if I did, you and I would be standing here, and I would be holding your hand."
She shivered as she felt a slight chill despite the warm atmosphere of the dark throne room. The Fire Lord sat in his throne, looking down at her. She was dressed plainly for the night, a simple white yukata and wooden sandals. Her thick wavy hair was still too short to be tied up so it was pinned into place with the quartz pins that Reiko had given her.
The council and the Fire Sages sat in a circle around her, all of them murmuring in low voices, waiting for the eldest council member to start.
"The Fire Lord has declared that he shall take a new bride upon the arrival of Sozin's comet!" The elder stood and addressed his fellow councilmen and the sages. "And sure enough, Agni has delivered unto us, the beautiful and talented apprentice of the Royal Concubine! And much like how the mighty Phoenix rises from the ashes, the apprentice has risen from the depths of the high seas and has returned to our nation!"
The whispers grew louder, but Chiyo sat still in the middle of all this. She said she will do anything for Lady Suiren. She owed her life to her. She was ready to give it her all.
"Do you, apprentice, accept this mandate of the spirits? To be betrothed to the Fire Lord, and be his queen as Sozin's comet crosses the sky and marks his reign as the Phoenix King?"
She let the words sink in. "Mandate of the spirits? Betrothed to the Fire Lord?" She clenched her fists on her lap as a sickening feeling crept from her gut to her chest.
But it was too late to back out now. She had to see this through. For Lady Suiren. For their freedom. She closed her eyes, shutting off all emotion as she did so.
"I do."