I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender…
So… Here is the new chapter… it took a really long time to get this one up… Not that it's longer than the others (it's shorter really) but it's just so sad.
(FYI) In case my extra spacings between two paragraphs haven't been showing up (grr) they are now represented by (-) which means a time change were as (---) means a scene change...
Chapter 3) Heartbreak
The fire nation had always been known for its hot summers. This one though, especially to Katara, made all the previous ones feel like pleasant days in the spring. The ponds in the courtyard had all but dried up. The lawns were yellow and almost dead. The weather had yet to turn; no clouds loomed in the western horizon promising to bring rain. Katara wiped the gathering beads of sweat from her face and pushed on. The capital city, though midday, was deserted. Shops stood empty in the open markets. Katara would have thought them abandoned if she did not know better.
The heat which had plagued the city for almost a month had brought with it more than just sweltering sunlight. Wells had dried up along with the few crops that were actually grown in the city and not shipped in from other parts of the nation; the fields had been reduced to places filled with withered stalks, yellow and dying. Zuko had thought to remedy the situation by importing the needed food from the Earth Kingdom. When the first shipment arrived at the ports weeks later, most of the food was in worse condition then the crops of the city and surrounding areas. Those weeks at sea, unprotected in the sunlight, since no method of preservation was known, had the same effect as in the fields. The city had been hit so hard by the drought and heat that even the palace was affected by the food shortage, though only Zuko and Azula noticed the food was thinner and less flavorful then before. Katara gave the cooks credit, she never knew the difference. Zuko had not said a word about it, Katara knew he did not mind, but Azula had made her opinion brutally clear. Katara sighed as she wondered how much more she could handle seeing the princess around; she had seen so much of her in the past three years, more then she thought she could live with.
Katara stepped inside a shaded building and had to let her eyes readjust to the darkness. She was caught up in a fury of activity once her blue eyes registered the scene before her. It looked the same as yesterday had. Mentally preparing herself, Katara stepped into the action.
The city had been recently hit by an epidemic of grandiose proportions along with the heat. Many citizens blamed the rising temperatures, but no one could prove the correlation. At first only the farmers and peasants were hit with the disease, but in a few days the nobles were suffering as well. The illness was unknown to the physicians in town and the palace, nonetheless, they set up a makeshift hospital in the market and took in the sick to try and cure them. Katara had joined in eagerly. Her freedom from the palace overshadowed the fact that almost everyone who walked into the makeshift hospital died. The physicians had welcomed Katara's assistance; she did not care if they only let her in because she was royalty; it felt good to be able to help out again. The illness brought mostly incurable side effects such as labored breathing and cold-like symptoms. Katara could only use her powers to heal on the patients who suffered from the illness' head splitting headaches and itchy rashes which appeared on the neck and arms.
Her supply of fresh water, limited to start with, had dwindled to nothing after a course of only three days. For a nation surrounded by oceans, water was a precious resource. The waterbender wished Toph, or any earthbender had been with her when the hospital staff turned to the ocean water to fill their supply. Alone, Katara could do nothing to separate the salt from the water, and since no one could help her, the physicians resorted to boiling the water and catching the steam to let it drop back into a separate bucket. Sokka would have been proud of their makeshift water purification system; Katara smiled at the thought of her brother.
Pulling herself to the present, Katara focused on the man complaining of a severe headache in front of her. She dipped her hands in the bucket of water and lifted them once the water glowed around her fingers. She placed them on the man's temples, applying slight pressure. Katara released the water after a moment and returned it to the supply. Some splashed up onto her red dress, leaving a dark mark at her hip. Katara was always cognoscente to wear her red outfits whenever she left the palace. She might be able to wear her tribe's colors in the sanctity of the palace without notice, but in the city, someone would make a fuss about it. For a world trying to come together as one, the people still cared a lot about where they came from and their elemental colors. Someone had to give in to accomplish anything.
Katara turned to the next patient after laying a cool, damp cloth over the man's head. The woman next to him suffered from labored breathing as well as headaches. Her breathing was more ragged every day, but at least her fever had had fallen slightly; her forehead no longer burned under Katara's cool hands. Freezing a handful of water, the waterbender placed the ice, wrapped in a piece of cloth, on the woman's forehead. There was no cure for her labored breathing that Katara could offer, that much she had to leave to the doctors.
Many of the patients had already died, mostly the older ones. Infants, usually the hardest hit in epidemics, had not been affected. Other than that small percentage, the illness spared no one type of person. Several of the palace servants had fallen ill, along with Kasumi's teacher. He had been the first of the palace staff to fall ill.
A shout pulled her from her work. A hand appeared on her arm, motioning for her to follow. Katara dropped the wet cloth back into the bucket of cool water and hurried after the young woman leading her. They entered the main room and a young child threw himself into Katara's arms.
"Tsun," Katara said startled, "what are you doing here?" The boy was dressed as a prince should be, his red and gold clothing embroidered with the nation's symbol. Katara did not recall ever telling him where she went during the day. His older sisters, now eight and twelve, usually watched over him when he was not with his firebending teacher or Zuko. Katara frowned. Zuko always knew where she was, he had probably told him where to go.
"One of Kasumi's classmates got sick, he's at the palace," Tsun answered, "Dad wants you back." Katara nodded and followed him outside. She had done all she could for the day anyway; there were no more patients she could assist with her healing powers. Tsun led her down the empty streets through the blinding sunshine, the heat having no effect on him. When they reached the palace, Katara wiped the sweat from her forehead and paused to catch her breath.
"Come on Mom," Tsun stated, pulling on her hand. They moved through the open corridor and into the room where the palace physician looked after anyone who was sick. Zuko stood at the door, leaning against the wall. He looked far from the Fire Lord he was supposed to be; Katara felt the corners of her mouth tug into a smile. It vanished when he lifted his golden eyes to meet her blue ones. Before he could say a word, she silenced him with a question of her own.
"Did you tell them the palace physician is in town with the others?" she asked condescendingly.
"Yes," he replied, "they refused to go there." Zuko saw Katara roll her eyes before she stepped into the room. Tsun peered inside but saw nothing of interest; he left to find his sisters.
The child's parents sat at their son's side. The boy's mother did her best to keep her tears in check before Zuko and Katara, but she did not seem to manage. Looking at her tear stained face, Katara almost forgot that this woman hated her. The boy's chest rose and fell quickly; his breath came in short gasps. Katara stood over him, placing her hand on his head. She drew it back in an instant; his forehead was as hot as fire. Katara meet his mother's eyes for a moment, then turned away to speak with Zuko, but he moved first. She watched his own hand repeat the action her smaller one had just preformed.
"He has a high fever," Katara announced, more to Zuko then to the boy's parents. The boy appeared to be sleeping, but he could have been unconscious; Katara was unsure.
"No, it's only a mild fever," Zuko explained. He turned to the boy's father, "you said he could bend, right?" The man nodded, his face set in a solemn expression.
"Children who can firebend often have higher fevers then those without the ability," Zuko explained to Katara, "they still need to work on controlling their body's fire, so their temperature rises and falls in an effort to control it when they are sick and can't focus on it. His fever isn't very bad." He turned back to the boy's father again, "when did he get sick?"
"He was fine until he ate breakfast," the man said, "he went out to practice with his teacher and fainted. He's been like this since." Katara dropped her hands into the pot of water, the liquid binding to her hands and glowing softly. She laid her hands on the boy's chest. Slowly, she moved down his body, searching for injured, healable tissue. Tears came to her cerulean eyes as she remembered Jet. She knew he had been dying, but she had not found anything wrong with him either.
"There's nothing I can do," Katara sighed, "all we can do is wait." The mother of the boy sobbed into her husband's shoulder. Zuko watched the couple silently; he placed a hand on Katara's shoulder. Her teary blue eyes reflected the candlelight from the burning flame. Katara let Zuko guide her from the room, closing the door behind her.
"Katara," he mumbled.
"I couldn't do anything," she stated blankly, she tried to keep her emotion in check; "it was just like with Jet. I know that woman hates me and I can't stand her, but it's not fair for her son to die. I wish I could have done something."
"You tried your best," came Zuko's reply. Katara paused; his tone had softened to the point where she wondered if he had reverted back to the Zuko in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se. She had been crying there too. Now, her tears had simply welled up in her eyes, where before they had streamed down her face.
"Mom!" called Tala. She skidded to a halt as she rounded the corner and spotted her parents. Zuko lifted his hand from Katara's shoulder, and the moment was broken.
"Tsun wants to show you something!" she smiled. The girl grabbed her mother's hand and pulled her off towards the gardens. Zuko watched them leave; he turned and headed towards the library.
Tala pulled her outside to where Tsun stood. A smile bloomed on his face even while his breath came in short gasps. When Tala and Katara appeared Kasumi turned to them, a frown marring her features.
"He did it again!" she stated clearly, taking a step towards her mother while trying to hide a piece of her dress.
"But I got it right," came Tsun's happy reply, "I did it!"
"You should have seen him mom, Tala exclaimed. Katara blinked, confused. She wiped her tears from her eyes and set a smile on her face. She had to be strong for them; she had to be happy to keep them happy; she could not let them be worried for things that were not their problems.
"What did you do Tsun? Are you ok?" she asked. She grabbed him up in a hug.
"I can do a new set of stances," Tsun explained, "watch." Katara let her son go and watched him take up his bending stance. He raised his hands in front of his chest and took a few deep breaths. He began moving slowly, his steps calculated. A flame burst from his left fist into the air. A lesser flame shot from his right foot as he followed his flaming punch with a short kick. Katara watched the child move through his stances. She had seen a lot of fire bending throughout her life, now she was watching her own son perform it. Katara felt a small amount of relief that he would not need to use his ability to fight for real, it would mostly be for show and for whatever use firebending had in a peaceful world. He would not be a part of a war that involved the world like Zuko and she had been. Tsun stood and gave a short bow towards Katara and his sisters.
"See?" he smiled. His breathing was heavier than before. Katara smiled.
"That was beautiful," Katara complimented, "you're getting so good." Kasumi nodded, flashing a weak smile her brother's way; her attitude was a complete reversal to before. Tala rolled her golden eyes at her mother's words.
"I can do that too," she scowled, "but without fire." Katara wrapped her arms around Tala, catching the eight-year-old in a tight embrace and laughing.
---
The bed shifted slightly as Katara rolled over onto her side. The bedroom was dark, not even moonbeams drifted through the closed curtains. Zuko lay on his back on the other side of the bed. It was past midnight; everyone should have been asleep. Zuko and Katara slept soundly as the door to their room was pushed open. The visitor did not tiptoe in, as she had done years before when scary dreams had woken her, but she did not storm across the room making excess noise either. She moved with purpose across the room, silent as a shadow, and stood over her mother's sleeping form.
"Mom," she whispered, her panic held in check. The girl reached out and laid a hand on Katara's shoulder to shake it gently. She raised her voice slightly, "Mom." The sheet rustled on the other side of the bed. Zuko sat up and turned to the shadow. The girl had expected this; Zuko always woke when she tried to rouse Katara.
"Kasumi, what's wrong," he asked. His voice carried across the room, waking Katara from her dreams.
"It's Tsun," Kasumi said, panic slipping into her voice, "something's wrong. He passed out in my room; I didn't know what to do." Katara and Zuko stood and hurried from the room, Kasumi following them to her room. They reached the darkened bedroom, careful not to wake Tala who slept peacefully in her bed across the hall. Zuko lit the candles upon entering, filling the corners with light. Katara rushed to Tsun's limp body on the ground. He had fallen onto the rug next to Kasumi's bed; his breathing came in short gasps. The image of the boy from Kasumi's class filled Katara's mind as she pulled her son into her arms.
"He woke me up to tell me he thought he had a fever and just fell down," Kasumi explained quickly, "I didn't know what to do so-"
"It's ok Kasumi," Zuko interrupted, "you did the right thing." Kasumi nodded and bit her lip to keep from crying. Zuko knelt besides Katara on the rug and put a hand to Tsun's head.
"He has a high fever," he told Katara. The waterbender nodded and pulled him closer in a tight hug. Zuko reached around her embrace and lifted Tsun into his arms. Katara stood as Zuko shifted Tsun's small body so he would not fall.
"Let's take him to his room," Katara directed, "Kasumi, you need to get me some water." The twelve-year-old nodded and hurried off to get what her mother had requested as Zuko and Katara walked to Tsun's room. Zuko set Tsun in his bed. Katara fluffed the pillows under his head and moved his hair from his closed eyes. Kasumi appeared with a bowl of water and set it on the night table within Katara's reach.
"Thank you Kasumi," Katara said. She reached over and took the bowl, setting it on the bed beside her. Zuko stood over her, watching the waterbender as she lifted her glowing hands and pressed them against their son's temples. Slowly over the next ten minutes, the water diminished his fever. His head no longer burned like the fire he controlled, yet sweat still beaded from his face.
"Tsun," Katara whispered. The water on her hands had been used to the last drop; she laid them on her son's chest. She listened to his breathing as it calmed slightly. Zuko watched Katara as she closed her eyes, tears slowly sliding down her face. He was surprised to see them. She had not cried in front of him since- he could not even remember when he had last seen her really cry, it must have been before the war had even ended.
"Why?" she asked the empty space of the room. Her voice cracked with emotion.
"What did he do today?" Zuko asked. Katara quieted her already silent sobbing and looked up.
"He did what he normally does," Katara explained, "he ate breakfast, practiced bending, ate lunch, showed me what he learned, went to bed," Katara paused, "he looked more tired than usual after his practice, but I thought that his teacher was just pushing him harder. You know she expects a lot from him." Katara finished; turning to Zuko, her tears returned.
"It sounds similar to the other boy," Zuko sighed, "they both did the same things and after they trained they fell ill. Tsun seemed to have held the sickness off longer."
"But so many people are sick without any ability to bend, what about them?" Katara asked, "and besides, he always drinks a lot of water during his practices, he should be fine, the heat doesn't bother him." Silence filled the air between them; only Tsun's breathing made a sound.
"Unless it's the water that's causing it," Zuko mused. Katara pretended not to be offended. Water was her life, literally.
"But we've used the same water since the start of the illness and nothing's happened beside this," Katara argued. She kept her voice to a harsh whisper.
"No," Zuko stated, "the spring that supplied the water to the palace ran dry two days ago. The water we have now is from the river near town." Katara was silent, absorbing the information.
"What do we do?" she asked. She pulled Tsun into her lap and embraced her son gently. His breathing stilled slightly, his temperature had finally returned to completely normal. "I can't lose him." Zuko barely heard her words. He watched through golden eyes as three teardrops fell from her face. They dotted Tsun's clothing. He had not thought that she would feel so strongly about any of their children. Tsun was almost a miniature him, aside from the scar. Zuko had heard Katara loved children from her brother, but he did not think her emotions would have this much sway over her being.
Katara sat on the bed with Tsun resting in her lap. His body looked so small and fragile next to her. The open window blew a gentle nighttime breeze into the room. Zuko brushed his hair from his eyes and took a seat on the edge of the bed instead of hovering over it like he had been doing.
He watched Katara take Tsun's hand in hers, her other hand moving to push his black hair from his face. Her brown hair hung free, she never bothered to tie it up at night before she slept. Zuko took a calming breath and placed his hand over hers. Katara looked up, tears glistening in her blue eyes.
"He'll get better," Zuko promised. Katara felt the warmth of his hand on hers. Firebender and waterbender remained silent for a moment; gold and blue locked in a familiar gaze. Seconds later it was broken and both of them turned to watch Tsun like the moment had never been shared. Zuko's hand remained wrapped around Katara's as they watched the sleeping prince.
-
The door to Tsun's room opened without a sound as Azula pushed it open. The sun had yet to rise, but it would at any second. The princess noticed movement on the bed. She stepped closer and held back a surprised laugh at what she saw. Katara lay on the right side of the bed; she faced Tsun who rested next to her on his back, her expression peaceful. The waterbender's left hand rested on the boy's stomach, almost as if she wanted to pull him closer. Azula saw his small fingers curled under hers. She smiled as her golden brown eyes saw what rested atop Katara's hand. Her brother's hand covered the waterbender's as they slept. Zuko mirrored Katara's position, only on the left side. Tsun lay between them, his small body the median that separated them. Azula left her previously suppressed laughter fill the room as she leaned against Tsun's bedpost at the foot of his bed for support. She would have hated to be caught dying of laughter on the floor. A pair of golden eyes flickered open and spotted her.
"Good morning Zuzu," Azula smiled, her voice carried a slight teasing tone to it, "did you two have a pleasant night?" Zuko followed his sister's eyes, his own widening when he realized what she meant. He slowly removed his hand from Katara's, trying to make it natural, and slid off the bed.
"What do you want Azula?" asked Zuko; the words escaped his mouth as a sigh.
"To collect my student," Azula shrugged, "he wanted to start learning the second set of stances today since he mastered the first ones. He'll be better then you in no time." She grinned.
"Tsun's sick Azula," Zuko stated, "I think-"
"Then get her to heal him," Azula ordered. Her voice rose in volume. Zuko did not miss the acidic tone Azula used to address Katara.
"She tried," Zuko replied, "she's done everything she can."
"Some healer," Azula scuffed. She rolled her eyes to accentuate her point then added, "she seemed to have no problems healing you." Zuko's eye's narrowed. A noise turned the Fire Nation siblings' attention to the bed. Katara opened her eyes and lifted her arms to stretch. She stopped with her hands in the air when she noticed Azula. No greeting was passed between them. Katara let go of her son's hand and stood, her arms crossed over her chest as she neared them.
"Tell me when he gets better," Azula shrugged, "he'll have lots of training to make up." She walked from the room, closing the door quietly.
---
Katara flipped the page of the book she was reading. Tsun sat next to her. The scroll in his lap outlined simple firebending forms. The boy looked up when he heard his sisters both laughing outside in the courtyard. Katara watched him with sad eyes; she knew what he wanted to do.
"Can't I-?" he started to ask.
"No," came Katara's blunt reply.
"But mom," Tsun begged.
"You can't practice today," Katara said, "your father's busy."
"But what about-" Tsun began to ask.
"No," Katara said, her voice carried a sharp edge to it, "you still haven't recovered enough to practice with her."
"I'm fine!" Tsun yelled, he threw the scroll at the wall. He jumped to his feet and took a step towards Katara. "Why wouldn't you let me practice?! I'll never be as good as Dad!" Katara mentally strangled Azula for implanting the idea of being better then Zuko in her son's head. As the boy stormed around the room, books and papers flying in his wake, Katara was just happy to have him standing once more. He had remained ill, slipping in and out of consciousness for just over a week. The boy from Kasumi's class had recovered in half that time.
Katara closed her eyes to the destruction around her and tried to keep her emotions in check. She had hated the boy's mother for her luck. Not only did her son recover, but he was able to resume his firebending training. A year had passed since then; Tsun had yet to rediscover his original proficiency. He could still bend, but he grew tired quickly. His body simply could not keep up with his mind. The illness had passed after another month with the coming of the fall and winter rains. Everything had flooded, and the rivers and wells returned to feed the town. Katara watched Tsun collapse on the floor after throwing one final scroll at the wall. She set her book down and knelt beside him on the floor.
"Tsun," Katara patronized, "you shouldn't over exert yourself."
"I wasn't," he breathed, his breath was slightly labored, "I- just- wanted-"
"I know," Katara sighed. She wrapped her arms around the six-year-old. He returned her hug after a second's hesitation, his violent energy spent.
---
Kasumi and Tala ran around the courtyard circling the pond in a game of tag. The other children in Kasumi's class had left with their parents, so the game was not as fun as it had been before. The two boys were no longer in the same class as her; their parents had selected private tutors who doubled as bending teachers for them after the epidemic had passed. Only Kasumi and two of the girls remained as the original class. Other children their age had been added to the group from families of some of the lesser nobles; the class now consisted of seven students, three new boys and one new girl added to the original group. Construction had finally been started on the Academy building; the school would soon stand again to teach the children of the Fire Nation after almost fifteen years of being abandoned. Until then, the students would remain in the palace where the lessons had always been. After class ended, they had gathered in the courtyard to play. Even though they were all around the age of fourteen, like Kasumi, the group still enjoyed playing simple games like tag and hide-and-seek in the beautiful gardens.
Tala dodged her sister's outstretched hand, took a step to the left, and felt her foot step into the air. Her body plunged into the koi pond; the water erupted skyward in a fountain as she slipped under. Kasumi dropped to her knees at the water's edge and peered in. Tala surfaced a moment later and spit out a stream of water.
"Are you ok Tala?" asked Kasumi. She reached out her hand to her sister and pulled her from the water.
"I'm wet," Tala whined as she wiped the liquid from her face. Kasumi giggled and helped the nine-year-old wring out her hair. The sopping black mess had slipped from its bun while they played earlier and was plastered to the sides of her face.
"I hate getting wet," she frowned. Kasumi rolled her golden eyes and helped her sister to her feet.
"Let's go to your room and get some dry clothes," offered Kasumi. Tala nodded and wrapped her arms around her drenched body. The two girls walked from the courtyard and towards the wing where their bedrooms were. The sun began to cast shadows over the palace as they walked; day started to ebb away into night.
Kasumi looked to the sky, waiting. Her teacher had explained that tonight would mark the ending of a special astrological event. The past two nights had been filled with shooting stars; each night contained more stars then before. The star calendars predicted that tonight would be the final night with the most shooting stars in the sky. She had told her sister about it; Tala's excitement for the excuse to stay up had not surprised her.
"When are you gonna ask Mom?" Tala asked. Kasumi looked down at her feet as they walked. They entered the hallway where Tala's room was and she pushed open the door. Kasumi unfolded a new dress and helped Tala out of her wet one.
"Soon," she replied. Kasumi hid her fears that Katara would say no well enough so that Tala did not notice. Tala was used to Kasumi's silence; she talked enough for both of them. While Kasumi cared about what others thought of her and acted the way she was supposed to, Tala begged to be different. Kasumi adjusted Tala's dress and put the wet one on the window.
"Ok," Tala smiled, "then let's go find Tsun, maybe he wants to play!" Kasumi and Tala hurried from the room and down the hall to find their brother.
---
Tala pushed open the door to Kasumi's room. Her older sister never left the door open like Tsun and herself. Tala jumped onto the bed and bounced a few times, searching the room with her golden eyes for Kasumi. Tala landed on her stomach and lay still, propping her head up with her a pillow. She waited for only a minute until her sister appeared from her small closet.
"Ready?" asked Tala. Kasumi looked to her feet for a moment before returning her gaze to her sister's face and nodding. Tala rolled her eyes as she studied her sister's expression. The young girl stood and glided over to where Kasumi stood.
"You didn't ask, did you?" she frowned, disappointment in her voice.
"No," Kasumi replied.
"We're going anyway," Tala demanded, "I want to see the stars."
"We can watch them from the courtyard," offered Kasumi. She had no intention of breaking the rules when other options existed. Katara had made it clear only recently that none of them were allowed outside the palace walls unless Zuko or she was with them. Kasumi wondered why her mother had set such strict rules even during the day, not that she had ever wanted to break them. Everything she knew and loved was within her boundaries.
"No," Tala whinnied, "I want to go." Kasumi was silent for a moment. Tala always got her way; Kasumi hated to argue.
"Ok," Kasumi nodded, "but we can't tell anyone." Tala jumped up in excitement and pulled her sister out of the room.
The two girls sneaked outside to the outermost courtyard. The space was dark; most everyone had gone to sleep for the night. Footsteps alerted them to the guard's presence as the nightly rounds were made. The young princesses hid in a dying bush as a guard walked past, moving towards the open corridor to the next section of the palace. Kasumi breathed a sigh of relief that they were not discovered. Tala pulled on her hand and they headed for the gate.
"Tala," Kasumi whispered, "we can't go out the main gate, someone will see us."
"I know," I younger girl hissed. Kasumi wondered where her sister was taking her and let her lead the way. They walked through the northern wing of the palace, the oldest part of the building, their footsteps ringing against the stone floors. Tala led Kasumi to an old tapestry of some ancient Fire Lord long past and pulled the bottom left corner aside. A small wooden door was unveiled.
"Where does this lead?" asked Kasumi, "how do you know?"
"It goes to the stables," Tala grinned, "I have a lot of free time after my classes to explore." Kasumi sighed. Tala was not the type of girl to sit still and read a book or draw in the library. The fact that Tala's classes were shorter then Kasumi's and that Tsun was usually off doing other things did not ease her restless mind. Kasumi had half expected her answer from the beginning. Tala had explored every corner of the palace by the time she could walk and get away from her babysitters when Katara was busy. Now at eight, she knew most of the hidden passages that the building was riddled with. Tala enjoyed walking the palace alone, her adventures usually led her to secret, unused rooms filled with dust, but sometimes she uncovered a prime location for overhearing gossip. Once Kasumi showed an interest in those spots, Tala was more than happy to take her sister on her explorations. The middle child had no attention for sitting and listening to the other women gossip in the gardens. Kasumi wondered if her sister even knew that their parents and them were the subject of the talk. Either way, Tala never sat and listened to what was said; she simply brought Kasumi to the spot and disappeared down another one of her discovered secret passages.
Tala pushed a bale of hay to the side and stepped into the aisle of the barn. Built up against the northern wall of the palace for an easy escape route if the palace should have ever been attacked to the point where the Fire Lord would need to flee, the stable seemed the only answer to getting outside without being seen. Tala petted an ostrich-horse on the nose and steered clear of the kimono-rhino pens. One of the ostrich-horses opened its black eyes and watched the two girls pass the stalls.
"It smells in here," Kasumi said, wrinkling her nose as the smells assaulted her. Tala laughed and pushed open the door that led to the outside. One of the rhinos grunted as it started to wake up from its slumber.
"Shhh…" Tala panicked as she put a finger to her lips to silence Kasumi. Tala hated the kimono-rhinos with a true fear unlike one Kasumi had ever seen. There was no reason for it. Kasumi had ridden one of the creatures before with Zuko when she was still very little and found they were quite easy to ride. She could not imagine why Tala would fear the bulky animals; they were quite placid. Tala's fear passed as she shut the door between her and the sleeping animals and pulled Kasumi into the night to meet the other members in her class.
-
The sight had not disappointed any of the students as they watched. Shooting stars fell by the dozen from the black sky. The absence of Katara or Zuko had been the first question that many of the noblewomen asked the two girls when they had arrived without their parents or even a servant or guard as an escort. Kasumi politely explained that their parents trusted them and they had stayed home. The discussion was dropped and everyone's attention turned skyward.
Tala and Kasumi walked through the barn to return to bed. It was past midnight. Kasumi pulled open the hidden door in the wall behind the piled bales of hay, waiting for Tala. Her younger sister had stopped to pet the horse that before had wanted her attention.
"Come on Tala," Kasumi called. Her whispered voice carried across the aisle without making too much noise. Tala sighed and jumped down to the ground. Her feet landed on the ground without so much as a sound. Kasumi stepped through the door and held it open for her sister.
Suddenly an explosion shook the room. Tala's golden eyes went wide as the fence that made up the rhino pen gave way and the frightened animals galloped towards her. Tongues of flame licked the wall where the sound had come from. Tala raced towards the door her sister held open. Kasumi turned and sprinted up the hallway, her hand just missing her sister's wrist as she turned to pull her with her. The momentum of her lunge did not allow her to stop and wait when she missed her hand and she moved forward. Ancient suits of armor made for Fire Lords long past stood silently as she sprinted along the corridor. Someone had to have heard the noise. Kasumi watched the shiny armor glint in the torch light as she ran by. Another noise shook the walls. Kasumi heard tumbling stones and wood on the floor. The tapestry fluttered to the ground as the wall supporting it gave way. She saw her sister's reflection amidst the chaos.
Tala practically flew down the hallway, a pair of frightened rhinos at her heels. The wall between the barn and the palace had been decimated by their brute strength. The animals feared what they did not understand, and they had no idea what had woken them up in the middle of the night. What they did know, was that fire was bad, and there was fire in the barn. Kasumi ducked around the first corner and curled up, her back to the wall, her knees to her chest, her head on her knees, her fingers interlaced between each other to keep her body in a safe little ball. Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she sat shaking.
A scream filled the hallway where before only the grunts of the kimono-rhinos could be heard. One of the rhinos galloped past Kasumi's hiding spot, running straight down the hallway. After a moment, Kasumi watched the second one follow it from the corner of her eye. She looked up. She had not seen her sister run past. The red reflection in the armor across from where she sat made her breath catch in her throat.
"Tala," breathed Kasumi. She peeked around the corner and saw her sister on the ground. On shaky feet, Kasumi rose and stumbled to where her sister lay broken. A pool of crimson blood had just begun to form under her chest. Kasumi fought back the urge to throw up and reached out to smooth away Tala's hair from her partly visible face.
"Tala," Kasumi sobbed, her voice cracking as tears formed behind her golden eyes. She heard voices from the wall where the barn used to be behind. Something inside her mind drove her to scurry behind one of the suits of armor. Two women appeared from the hole in the wall. Kasumi recognized them. She began to reveal her hiding spot until the first woman's words stopped her.
"Where's the other one?" she demanded. Her tone frightened Kasumi.
"She probably got away," replied the second woman. She stooped, gathered her dress in her left hand to keep it clean from Tala's blood, and reached out to grab the girl's shoulder. Kasumi watched her roll her sister onto her back. Blood smeared the princess' clothing from a deep gash in her chest. Kasumi pulled her eyes from the injury and took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. The woman laid a hand to Tala's neck, "She's dead. One of the rhino's must have rammed its horn through her chest."
Dead. The word rang in Kasumi's ears; Tala was dead; her sister was gone. Kasumi felt her breathing increase and her heart rate skyrocket. Those two women had to have heard it; the pounding hurt her chest as she closed her golden eyes.
"The brats gave us the perfect chance tonight," the first woman said, "they had no escort to watch them. Your idea was perfect; grain is highly explosive and one of the stalls near the rhino pen was stacked with old sacks of it. All the air needed was a small flame and the stall exploded. The rhinos did the rest."
"But we only succeeded halfway," the woman who confirmed Tala's death stated. Kasumi's breathing stopped. The woman had admitted to trying to kill her and her sister Tala. "The older girl-"
"If I have any reason to believe she told anyone about who did it," the first woman said, "I'll kill her too, along with her brother if I need to." Kasumi's heart stopped. The women had to have known she could hear them. They wanted to have a reason to kill her. Kasumi's mind was in too much of a fuzz to think clearly. She sat in her hiding spot for what felt like hours until the two women were long gone and a guard appeared. He paused at the sight of Tala's bloody body and turned the way he came, calling out for help. Kasumi curled up into a ball and cried.
-
"She's down this hallway," stuttered a voice. Footsteps rang along the corridor as metal chinked in the background. Kasumi heard a gasp and knew who had entered the hallway. She lifted her head, her eyes red from her silent crying. Two guards had stopped halfway down the hall. Katara and Zuko, both roused from their sleep, stood behind them horror struck. Katara's hand covered her open mouth as she realized what the scene before her meant.
"Tala!" cried Katara. She rushed to her daughter's side and knelt beside her. The young princess' ivory skin was already cold to the touch. The blood, still wet around the child's body, seeped into Katara's clothing. Zuko appeared at Katara's side and bent to smooth the child's hair from her still face.
"When did this happen?" asked Zuko. He watched Katara lift Tala's body onto her lap while tears streamed from her blue eyes down her face.
"How did this happen?" Zuko demanded again. His golden eyes held more ferocity then Kasumi had thought possible as she glanced towards him. The guards shuddered under his gaze and looked to their feet.
"It was a Kimono-rhino attack," he explained, "the two rhinos were found in one of the courtyards. We still have not found princess Kasumi, but prince Tsun is asleep in his bed and safe from harm." Zuko and Katara were silent, letting the news sink in. Kasumi crawled out from behind the suit of armor and stumbled to her parents.
"Mom, Dad," she half whispered, half cried. Katara and Zuko turned at the sound of her voice.
"Kasumi," Katara smiled weakly. A new wave of tears flowed fresh down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms around her eldest daughter, "I'm so glad you're safe." Only Kasumi heard her mother's words. She cried into Katara's shoulder and felt a warm hand on her arm. She knew it was Zuko's.
"I'm so sorry," sobbed Kasumi.
"What happened?" asked Zuko slowly. Kasumi refused to answer as the two women's threats echoed in her mind. She simply buried her face in her mother's clothing with her sobbing. Zuko let the question go, he would find out soon enough.
Katara let Kasumi go and rose to her feet as the two guards collected Tala's body and gently carried her down the hallway. Zuko watched Katara as she took Kasumi's hand. He followed behind the guards, Katara and Kasumi behind him. They walked from the hallway until the guards carrying Tala turned left. Katara and Kasumi hesitated at the turn. Zuko paused and put a hand on Kasumi's shoulder. He met Katara's eyes with his own.
"Why don't you go check on Tsun," he suggested. Katara nodded and slowly moved down the hallway in the direction of the bedrooms. She moved like a ghost. The complete shock had yet to set in, but the initial feelings of loss were making their feelings known. Zuko watched her disappear down the hallway and turned to follow the guards. He'd give Katara a while with Kasumi. He needed time on his own anyway.
Katara and Kasumi moved slowly down the hallway. Kasumi leaned against the wall and slid to the floor as she wiped her tears away. Katara pushed open the door to Tsun's room and peered inside. She watched him turn over as he slept in his bed and closed the door. Katara was silent.
"Mom," mumbled Kasumi. She glanced up and down the hallway like she used to do when she was little. Only now, instead of monsters, she was searching for anyone who was watching her. Katara was silent. She wiped the tears from her blue eyes and knelt beside Kasumi; she would be strong for her. The girl watched her mother.
"What happened Kasumi?" asked Katara. Kasumi buried her face in her knees and shook her head.
"Why where you two there?" asked Katara. Kasumi shook her head again and refused to answer, she did not want to end up like Tala. The sight of her younger sister lying motionless covered in a pool of blood would remain frozen her mind forever. It was not fair; Tala had not deserved this.
"Why won't you tell me?" begged Katara, "I don't blame you." Katara took her daughter's shoulders gently in her hands and lifted them so their eyes met.
"I can't," whispered Kasumi. She let her tears blur her vision as she shook her head and her sobbing brew louder.
"What?" asked Katara, "you can tell me Kasumi. What happened?"
"No," Kasumi stuttered, "I'll… they'll… like T-Tala…"
"Who will?" whispered Katara. Her voice took on a deadly tone and fell to the same volume as her daughter's. Kasumi's eyes darted down the hall, even though her tears obscured her sight. Katara followed the child's vision and tried to understand her broken words through her sobbing.
"It's just you and me Kasumi," Katara tried to reassure her, "no one else is here." After a second's thought she added, "no one can hear you except for me." Kasumi searched the hallway with her eyes once more, and then looked up to Katara. Her mother's expression held more worry then it had before.
"You can tell me," she promised, "no one else will know." Kasumi sniffled and threw herself into Katara's arms. She put her lips to her mother's ear and stuttered through the night's events. Anyone who passed by would think the child had latched onto her mother for comfort and was simply crying. Only Katara's expression gave it away that something more was occurring. When the story had been retold, Katara gripped Kasumi tighter in her embrace. She promised her, her blurry eyes fresh with hot tears in a whisper, "I won't let anything happen to you Kasumi, I promise."
"And Tsun?" asked Kasumi, "him too?"
"Tsun too," Katara amended. Kasumi smiled through her tears then closed her eyes as a new thought crossed her mind.
"You can't tell anyone," she cried in a whisper, "I don't want t-to…" she cut off her words and sobbed uncontrollably into Katara's shoulder. Katara tried their best to comfort her, but her crying continued into the night. By dawn, the two of them were silent, leaning against the wall by Tsun's door, asleep…
-
A week passed since Tala's death before Katara could leave Kasumi's side for at least a moment. Her daughter had not spoken to anyone in that time, her wants conveyed through her gentle tugging at Katara's sleeves. The girl seemed to have reverted back to her childlike attitude, silent and shy. She no longer wanted to be alone and her smiles came less frequently than before. Katara kept her promise and told no one about what Kasumi had relayed to her, hoping to gently coax the young princess back to life.
The realization of her daughter's death finally hit her hard. After Tala's funeral Katara locked herself in the master bedroom. She only opened the door to let Kasumi in. Zuko had tried and failed to coax her out the first two days, but she had spent them in tears on the bed. Kasumi was silent as an owl as she watched her mother, her own tears and emotions already spent. Katara finally allowed Zuko to cajole her back into the normal routine by the fourth day.
Now she walked alone through one of the courtyards in the completed south wing of the palace. The open space burst with flowers of almost every color while sweet fragrances hung into the air. The garden only grew flowers for beauty, none of them held any medicinal value, much to Katara's displeasure. She was searching for something to help a rough cough; Tsun had developed one this morning. The physicians suggested tea and it calmed his coughing for a short time. Now, in late afternoon, his coughing was rougher then it had been before. Katara hoped he did not fall ill again, she was not sure if his body could handle being ill again; she knew she could not handle him dying. She brushed the thoughts from her mind and knelt to pick a purple flower with red rimed petals.
She felt someone else enter the garden and turned her head to see who it was. She expected Zuko to be standing where the man had positioned himself. She was wrong. She instantly recognized him as the shorter of the two men who represented the Fire Nation at the court meetings, but his name escaped her. He gave a short bow and took a step closer to where Katara knelt. She rose; the flower twirled in her fingers as she rolled the stem back and forth.
"Your highness," he greeted. Katara only nodded. She wondered what he wanted. There were no meetings today that she had neglected to attend, and he had already offered his condolences at Tala's funeral. He inclined his head again and began to walk past her. She relaxed in realizing he had only gone for a walk and run into her. The moment he was parallel to her he spoke.
"I know she told you," were his words. Katara hesitated; her grip on the flower tightened.
"What?" Katara mumbled. She turned to face the man. He turned only his head and glanced in her direction.
"I know Princess Kasumi told you who killed her sister," he clarified. Katara's heart stopped. The man watched her reaction and smiled.
"According to some, she has forfeited her life and the prince's as well with her decision," he said as he glared at Katara.
"No," breathed Katara, "you-" She took a step forward and reached for her water skin at her hip. Her hands fumbled when they did not find the intended object. It took her a moment to remember that she had not needed her water skin in over fourteen years, since the war ended. It was buried somewhere with her old clothing in a set of drawers in her room. The threat of danger pulled the reflex to the forefront of her mind. She had to remind herself to find it again.
"I would never do anything harm them, but if I know without being there when she told you, others might learn the same information just as easy," he explained, "and they might not be so caring." He turned and faced Katara.
"Oh, but before I bring up another subject at the meeting tomorrow, I thought I would warn you."
"What?" asked Katara. The speed and ease at which he changed the subject had surprised her.
"The prince has fallen ill again," the man stated blankly, "his health is on the entire nation's mind. As much as my partner and I want the prince to recover his strength from his sickness-"
"It's just a cough," Katara interjected.
"From his cough," clarified the man. His face wrinkled at the interruption, "we feel it might be better if there was a stronger heir to take the throne."
"I won't give up on Tsun," Katara stated, her blue eyes narrowed dangerously, "if you don't see him fit, Kasumi is.
"But the law," the man gently reminded her.
"You made the law," Katara snapped, "you can change it back!" She closed the gap between them with three steps and glared down at him.
"Remember also, I could relay what I know to someone who would fulfill the threat, and then you'd need another heir. Either way, you'd-" he spoke, an evil grin came to his face.
"But then I'd know you were responsible for their deaths," Katara pointed out.
"But you'd have no proof. The crime could never be traced to me. Even if you could somehow manage to get me under trial, I would walk away without much damage," the man shrugged, "while you may be Fire Lord Zuko's wife, I doubt he would choose defending your opinion of me over world peace." The man paused to let his insult sink in. "As I said, either way the nation needs a strong heir to take the throne." He turned and walked away, leaving Katara to her thoughts.
---
Zuko looked up as the door to the library opened. Katara stepped through the threshold and met Zuko's eyes. With one look he knew she had been searching for him.
"He threatened their lives," growled Katara. The door threatened to come loose as she slammed it shut. Zuko rose and put the scroll he had been reading aside. He needed to be prepared for the meeting tomorrow, but Katara seemed more riled then possible.
"Who threatened whose life?" Zuko asked. In his mind he had already eliminated several possibilities. It could not be any of the nobles; Katara was never interested in any of their gossip.
"Your representative at the court meetings," Katara stated, "I can't remember his name, but he threatened Kasumi and Tsun's lives." Her blue eyes held the sparks of fiery anger. Zuko let his confusion show through on his face as he watched Katara. He never let anyone else see through his mask like he did for her.
"How?" asked Zuko.
"He threatened to let some of the nobles know that Kasumi told me what happened… during… T-Tala's d-d-death," Katara found herself stuttering, "if-if…" Zuko paused. He waited a moment for Katara to finish as he tried to piece together what she had just said.
"If what?" Zuko finally asked. He took a step closer.
"If we don't have a 'stronger heir'," Katara whispered. She met Zuko's eyes. He noticed her cerulean orbs were duller then before. It was almost like her life was being stripped away from her piece by piece.
"He went to you first without bringing it up tomorrow?" Zuko mused slowly.
"He said he wanted to warn me," Katara hissed, "like I really could do anything to change this. Why is this man so adamant at giving the country a strong heir to take control? Your mother didn't have to go through this; there's only you and Azula!" Katara's anger softened as she spoke, tears filling her eyes. Her emotion had so great a grip on her she forgot to use her angry tone she reserved for talking about Zuko's sister. Zuko noticed, but said nothing.
"Why me?" asked Katara.
"It's not just you," Zuko offered. He had a sudden inclination to reach out and comfort her. He refrained, unsure whether she would act grateful or irate at the contact. Katara brushed the gathered tears in her eyes away before they could fall.
"But what do we do?" asked Katara, "I won't let anyone hurt Kasumi or Tsun."
"Tsun is an acceptable heir, the court can't say anything otherwise," Zuko stated.
"And his threat?" asked Katara. Some of Zuko's assuredness had rubbed off onto her.
"What did he say exactly?" asked Zuko. He listened while Katara explained again that he had threatened to tell the nobles who would take Tsun and Kasumi's lives because the princess told her who killed Tala if they did not have another child.
"Either way that we choose, the court would get their wish," Zuko sighed. At Katara's confused gaze, he clarified, "I doubt he hasn't already shared this with the rest of the members."
"So, how do we respond?" asked Katara. Zuko was silent. They both knew that either way, their actions would be dictated, one path just involved less heartbreak. Blue met gold as they both came to the same conclusion. Zuko knew Katara could not handle the loss of either of her children, let alone both. Katara looked to the floor, her tears had vanished, she was going to protect Kasumi and Tsun no matter what it put her though.
The door was shoved open and a ruffled servant poked her head into the room. Katara and Zuko turned to watch her fumble through a nervous curtsy before she began speaking in a quick, nervous voice.
"You highnesses, the prince's fever had gotten worse, we've confined him to his bed and need you there now!" she panicked.
"Tsun!" Katara cried as she rushed from the room; Zuko followed in her wake leaving the servant even more jumbled then before.
Dun dun dun… I'm so evil… :( The next chapter is where the real action begins! I can't wait! Tell me what you think so far…
Reviews make me really happy! Not that I'm getting any aside from one great reader… Really people, come on, don't you want to tell me what you like and dislike about the story? Aside from the heartbreak that I'm putting Katara through, I hope you like it!