Suki checked her makeup in the mirror again. "I'm worried," she confessed to Sokka, who sat behind her.
"Why worried?" asked Sokka. Through the mirror reflection, Suki saw him look up from the sheaf of papers that had absorbed him for the past hour.
"I'm not sure what the Earth King wants from me," said Suki. "I mean, I didn't ask anyone's permission before I brought the Kyoshi Warriors here to guard Zuko. I just did it."
"Without you, Zuko would have been killed two years ago," said Sokka passionately. "You did what was right."
"But technically, I'm an Earth Kingdom citizen, even if Kyoshi Island has always been relatively autonomous. I could be called a traitor," Suki explained, turning to face her boyfriend. "What if he orders me to go home to Kyoshi Island?"
"Let's not worry about that until it happens," said Sokka somberly. Then he cracked a smile. "Besides, you could always threaten Bosco and he'll give you whatever you want."
Suki threw a nearby pillow at Sokka, but he dodged it. Instead, it hit Sokka's papers.
"Aw man!" he sighed. "That was a highly organized report on how many soldiers were expected to return to each province in the Fire Nations!"
"Does Zuko have you working on the Soldier Relocation Project as well as the Southern Water Tribe railroad?" asked Suki. "I hope he's paying well."
"Are you even paid?" asked Sokka idly, crawling around the floor and collecting the pieces of parchment.
Suki had never really thought about it. "We should form a union," she said.
"Akira should join too," said Sokka from under a table. "We've been working together on Soldier Relocations, and he's scheduled nonstop meetings with Generals and Admirals to coordinate, starting after the wedding."
"Do you trust him?" asked Suki bluntly, putting her hands on her hips. "Because I don't."
Sokka poked his head up over the rim of the table. "I don't know," he said heavily. "He's had a lot of opportunities to betray Zuko and hasn't taken them. On the other hand, it's a little worrying that he's only been here two weeks and he's already one of Zuko's top advisors, based solely on a blood tie."
"And raw charisma," added Suki. Sokka raised an eyebrow.
"Raw charisma?" he repeated. "Suki, don't tell me you have a crush."
"Of course I don't! He's just objectively charming!" Suki protested.
"Hmm…" said Sokka. "And yet I don't hear Mai talk about how 'objectively charming' Akira is." Suki rolled her eyes.
"You're being ridiculous," she said. "And I'm going to be late for the Earth King."
"Wait!" Sokka bounded up and kissed her hand, so as not to smudge her makeup. "Good luck." She smiled.
The Earth King had been given the largest rooms in the palace, aside from the Firelord and Firelady's compartments. Unfortunately, this meant he was staying in Azula's old bedroom—not that he knew that. Ironically, until a week ago the Earth Kingdom Throne had sat in these very rooms. Maybe they should have just left it there. When Suki approached, she saw two Dai Li agents standing outside the door.
"I'm here to see the Earth King," said Suki. Wordlessly, they stepped aside, and she entered.
The Earth King sat on a throne-like green sofa, head inclined towards General Xia as she spoke.
"So remember, at the meeting it's absolutely crucial that you-" Xia stopped talking as Suki entered the room. Her lips pursed, but she slid smoothly into an armchair to the Earth King's right.
"Suki!" said Earth King Kueh warmly without getting up. He still wore his characteristic round spectacles and rounded cap. "How good to see you again, and under better circumstances than at Yu Dao." Anything is better than facing off across a battlefield, thought Suki. But she'd take it.
"It's good to see you too, Your Grace," said Suki, bowing deeply. She turned to Xia. "General, I don't believe we've met."
"No," said Xia coldly. She tapped the hilt of her sword with her thumb. "But I've read the reports." General Xia was dressed in elaborate leather armor with plate mail embellishments, the metal resembling dragon scales. Her hair twisted up severely into an androgynous military bun, and her sparse eyebrows gave her an odd, fishlike appearance. For all her severity, Xia only looked a few years older than Suki. The eyes of the two military women met as they measured each other up.
Kueh shifted awkwardly on his sofa. "Sit, sit!" he said to Suki, gesturing to a cushy armchair on his left, opposite Xia. Suki sunk uncomfortably far into the plush material, and had to squirm to adjust. Something crunched under the cushion, and she pulled out a squashed Dragon Queen mask. Odd. She placed it beside the chair.
"Would you like a drink?" Kueh asked. "I've recently discovered a delicious beverage from the equatorial provinces called 'kafei.' It's very bitter, but keeps me up for hours!" He proffered a clay cup of the dark liquid, and Suki took it, even though she noticed Xia wasn't drinking. Suki took a reluctant sip, and nearly spat it out. It was bitter.
"I'm convinced this is the drink of the future!" said Kueh. "Soon, no one will be drinking tea!"
"Firelord Zuko loves tea," smiled Suki without thinking. "I don't think it will die out anytime soon." An awkward silence fell as Suki realized she had sided with Zuko over Kueh.
"Well. In any case," said Kueh. "I was delighted when I heard you had moved to the Fire Nation Capital to guard the Firelord! Such initiative, and in such a difficult time. I hear he was suffering assassination attempts once a month!"
"Yes, he was," said Suki. "Frankly, sir, I thought you would be upset that you weren't consulted first."
"You should have consulted him first," said Xia firmly. Suki found it almost impossible to look Xia in the face, the General's eyebrowless face defying sustained eye contact. Xia crossed her arms, and her plate armor clinked menacing. "But now you're here, and the Firelord trusts you, which is a huge opportunity for the Earth Kingdom!" Kueh offered her some kafei and the General dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"What do you mean, 'opportunity'?" asked Suki warily, this time addressing Xia directly.
"Rumor has it you attend nearly every outing and meeting with Firelord Zuko," said Xia. "You're by his side constantly. Think of the good you could do for Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation relations if you let us know what he's working on, illuminate his thought process for us." She smiled coldly.
She wanted her to spy on Zuko. Suki had known something like this was coming. But what could she do?
"Do you agree with General Xia, Earth King?" Suki asked Kueh pointedly.
Kueh blushed. "Of course!" he said hastily. "She's my key advisor. Everything she says comes directly from me." Color crept from his ears to his jawline as he spoke, as if even he didn't believe what he was saying. Suki shot a glance at Xia, who looked cool and smug. How did the Earth Kingdom fall so low?
"I doubt the Firelord would appreciate it if I told you about his daily activities," Suki said cautiously.
"But he's not your Firelord, is he?" asked Xia, a cunning glint in his eye. "You owe your allegiance to the Earth Kingdom. To the King."
Suki bit back an angry retort. How dare this upstart general presume to command her? She wasn't doing anything wrong.
"The Kyoshi Warriors have served where they see fit for centuries," she said hotly. "And protecting this Firelord is a job that benefits everyone. Without Zuko, the war would still be ongoing." And Kueh would still be on the run, she could have added.
"Ah yes, the sainted Firelord Zuko," interrupted Kueh bitterly. "Venerated because he killed his father and sister to take the throne. What a peacemaker."
"He didn't kill them!" said Suki indignantly.
"Then where are they?" asked Xia incisively. Suki remained silent.
"I suggest you take some time to think about where your loyalties lie," said General Xia, rising from her armchair. She towered over both Suki and the Earth King.
"And take some kafei. Our gift to the Firelord," added Kueh, standing up belatedly to join his general.
Suki rose and took the kafei, numb with anger. She wasn't a traitor, and she wouldn't be a spy. She bowed deeply, then stormed out.
The wedding was tomorrow, and she had important things to think about without the Earth King distracting her. She headed for General Mak's office, checking one of the hour candles mounted on the sides of the palace wall. She would be early; the meeting with the Earth King had been shorter than she anticipated. And more infuriating.
Mak had charts of the royal courtyard out on his table, complete with tiny soldiers placed exactly where the security would be. But in addition to all that, there would be Kyoshi Warriors and Guards in plain clothes hidden throughout the crowd in the palace and in the commoner's party in the streets.
"Suki!" greeted Mak. "I'm glad you're early. Want to go over the Firelord's route one final time before tomorrow?"
"Sure," said Suki, grateful to get back to work instead of worrying about politics and allegiances. "He'll arrive at the courtyard at 11am, and come from inside the palace. So there's not much to worry about there."
"I've interviewed all my Imperial Guards, and I'm certain none of them are New Ozai Society sympathizers," said Mak. "We don't need to worry about internal threats." Suki thought that was a bit optimistic, but she couldn't exactly tell Mak to fire all of his soldiers, so she just nodded.
"Traditionally, Lady Mai should arrive in a carriage and be escorted into the palace courtyard by guards. But since she already lives here—"
"The carriage will be empty," finished Suki. "We'll do the switch right outside the courtyard, and then she'll walk down the center."
"Right," said Mak. "The ceremony will take place, we'll have a new Firelady…and then comes the part I'm worried about," he sighed. "The Firelord insisted that he and Lady Mai go out onto the front steps of the palace to greet the people. They'll be totally exposed for a few minutes."
"Well, Zuko's popularity has increased in the past few days," said Suki optimistically. "I doubt that there will be a riot."
"It's too easy to shoot from that crowd," said Mak. "An arrow or a fire blast could take them out before either could react. And with the Firelord essentially crippled, I'm more worried than ever."
"He's done a pretty good job of hiding it!" said Suki. "Hopefully, his enemies don't know how vulnerable he really is."
"That's true," mused Mak.
"And we can keep the Firelord high up on the steps, close enough that you can still see him but far enough that he's out of range," said Suki, gesturing to another chart of the vast front steps. "Not even a Yuyen Archer could make that shot." General Mak nodded. After a few more minutes of discussion, Suki left. It was getting late.
Even with all the preparations, Suki couldn't help but feel she was missing something. She wandered the halls of the palace, first visiting the large courtyard where the ceremony would take place, then standing on the front steps of the palace. Neither gave any sign of there being something amiss, but there was still a worming feeling in the back of her mind…
It was dark, and the palace was still, everyone turning in early to prepare for tomorrow. Suki flung open the doors to the large ballroom where the post-wedding reception and dinner would be. The tables and silverware were all set out, but the atmosphere was eerie, ghostly. All she could see were the white tablecloths, which seemed to float in midair, legless. She fingered an embroidered napkin idly. The craftsmanship was truly superb; golden dragons chased each other across the red fabric.
Golden dragons. Dragons. The Dragon Queen mask in Azula's old room.
Suddenly, Suki remembered Zuko babbling about missing the 'Dragon Queen' when he was high on cactus juice after his Agni Kai. Was what he said connected to the mask Suki had found? Was the Dragon Queen Azula? Could he have seen Azula somewhere, and then forgotten it due to the shock and drugs? Suki knew Azula was out there; just over a month ago she had appeared in Zuko's bedroom without warning, bearing news about new heirs of Ozai. Zuko thought she was on his side now, but Suki had fought Azula too many times to count her out of anything evil. And if the mask was in Azula's old room, that meant Azula could have been here recently…Suki realized with a shock that the Kyoshi Warriors had left a wide berth around Azula's room, assuming the Imperial Guards would search it instead.
Azula was out there, and she was close. And Suki had no idea how to stop her.