A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to update, but life got in the way and the system crashed yesterday when I tried to bring this up, so yeah. (smashes computer) Damn, I hate you, my computer! Well, enough of that, READ!

Chapter XVIII: A Royal Proposal Has Been Made

Two weeks had passed since the day the Avatar had killed the Fire Lord. Zuko would be inducted as the new Fire Lord and he would take Shaiya's hand in marriage the same day. Sokka was still putting off asking Onya's hand in marriage, and Katara and Aang had finally realized they had feelings for each other.

It was the day of Zuko and Shaiya's wedding, as well as Zuko's induction, and all was going well. Shaiya was out in the royal gardens riding her sujio and talking to herself.

"Well, Kagouya, today's the day. Zuko becomes the new Fire Lord at noon, and I get married to the Fire Lord at sunset. Nothing could ruin this day. I wonder how big the reception hall is. I hope it's not as big as Shiroh Nagiyan. If I had to walk down an aisle that long, I'd pass out."

"Well, honey, be glad you won't have to." Zuko said, emerging from the enormous Fire Palace.

"Hello hot shot." Shaiya said, turning to look at her fiancé. Zuko walked up to her, jumped up behind her, took her in his arms and pulled her to his chest.

"You look wonderful, love. Of course, you'll look even better in your wedding gown." Zuko whispered in her ear. Shaiya giggled. Zuko pressed his lips to hers as he worked her hair from its bun.

"So, just how long is the reception hall?"

"Oh, pretty long. But don't worry, you'll be riding one of the more magnificent beasts of the Fire Nation. A Clydesdale."

"But I thought that Clydesdales were extinct." Shaiya said, surprised.

"They are, everywhere else in the world, but the Fire Palace has specific breeding rights to the last of the breed as ceremonial creatures. And when I end this war, I intend on using five. One for the Avatar, one for me, one for King Bumi of the Earth kingdom city of Omashu, one for the king of the Northern Water tribe, and… no, I'll only need four since the Avatar is the last of the Air Nomads. Oh, man, when am I gonna arrange the ceremony? I have so much work I have to do, repair buildings, relationships, alliances! How on earth am I gonna do all that!" Shaiya swung around to face Zuko as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Zuko, honey, you just need to chill, okay? Everything will be fine. And I'm here to help you. I love you, Zuko, and I'll always be here to help you. I promise." she said as she pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, Shaiya. I owe you so much."

"Just don't chicken out at our wedding. That'll be good enough for me."

"That might be good enough for you, but not for me. C'mon, we need to go get ready, my induction is to start in two hours. And I can't miss that."

"No, you can't."

"Before we go, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, what?"

"Do I have time for one last thing?"

"It depends on what that --" Shaiya was cut off as Zuko captured her lips in his in their last kiss before they were wed.

The induction ceremony was about to begin and Zuko was pacing in his room. He wasn't allowed to see his fiancé, his uncle, or anyone but the ceremony guards. Well, this is one major drawback in the ceremonial system. I need to fix that. Zuko thought to himself. There was a knock at his door.

"Enter." he called. Two guards clad in full Fire Nation armor came in. One began to speak.

"Sire, the ceremony is to begin, and we are here to escort you to the grounds."

"I don't need an escort. I'll be fine by myself."

"But sire, what if someone should try to assassinate you?"

"Well, they'll just have to put up onedamn good fight to beat me."

"Yes, sire." the guard answered. The guards sent to escort Zuko to the ceremony followed behind as Zuko made his way down the maze-like halls of the Fire Palace. He stopped just behind two enormous double doors with ornate handles depicting a man and woman bending fire. Zuko could hear the voice of his inductee beyond the doors.

"Welcome, brethren of the Fire Nation. We are gathered here this afternoon to celebrate our next Fire Lord, the former prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko!" Upon hearing his name, Zuko pushed open the double doors and made his way down in front of his inductee.

"We welcome Zuko, son of the once great Ozai, to rule our great nation. May he rule us well. All hail the great Fire Lord Zuko!" the announcer yelled as he placed the crown of the Fire Nation on Zuko's head. The entire crowd knelt.

"Please, rule us out of this war." the announcer whispered to Zuko.

"I plan on it." he returned. And now to go get ready for my wedding. Whoopee. Another ceremony. Well, at least I won't be walking. He thought as the entire crowd stood.

"Lord Zuko, do you pledge to rule without dictating?"

"Yes."

"Do you pledge to hear out the words of your future wife?"

"Yes."

"Do you pledge to use your power for the common good?"

"Yes."

"And finally, do you pledge to bring another heir to the throne?"

"Yes."

"You are dismissed to rule the Fire Nation. Be at peace."

"Thank you." Zuko said, bowing slightly.

He made his way back to his room, which was more like the lobby of a huge hotel, to change into his armor for the wedding. Little did he know, someone was waiting.

As Zuko pushed open the door to his room, he heard a vaguely familiar voice.

"So, now that you've stolen my daughter from me, you are going to steal my country, too?"

"Meiya." Zuko whispered.

"Yes, son-in-law, it's me. Did you miss me, dear?" she asked.

"No, not one bit. Matter of fact, the last two weeks have been quite enjoyable without your company."

"Now, now, sweetie, is that really the way to talk to your new mommy?"

"You'll never be my mother."

"And you'll never be my son." Meiya said as she threw a dagger at Zuko from a hidden corner. Still standing in the doorway of his room, Zuko lunged forward and out of the way of the dagger.

"Ooh, nice try, but you'll have to do better than that to beat us." Zhao sneered from atop Zuko's bed.

"Where'd you come from?" Zuko ordered.

"Why do you want to know? Oh, that's right, haven't you heard? Meiya is my wife, thus making me your father-in-law. Wonderful, for me." Zhao said, stepping off the bed. While Zuko and Zhao were talking, Meiya snuck behind Zuko and shut and locked the door.

"I know you're behind me, Meiya." Zuko growled.

"Yes, I wasn't quiet enough, I suppose. Oh well, these walls will make this room quiet enough." Meiya said, spinning on Zuko and tripping him from behind. He fell forward, only to land at Zhao's feet. Zhao slammed his foot into Zuko's head, thrusting his nose to the floor, breaking it. Zuko let out a cry of pain, only to have Zhao grab him by the back of his shirt and throw him hard into a bedpost. Zuko fell into a heap at the foot of his bed. Maybe bluffing will work Zuko thought, closing his eyes, steadying his breathing and holding as still as possible. Little did he know, he had a gash on the right side of his head that was bleeding somewhat heavily.

Zhao walked up to him and picked him up by his right arm, smirking.

"I would've thought that he would've needed more pummeling before being knocked out. Oh well, I guess a week in his father's custody and two weeks with my sap daughter has turned him soft. And weak." Meiya sneered. Zhao drug Zuko into the far corner and chained him up in the shadows under one of his ornate dressers.

"It'll take a miracle for someone to find him before he dies. And when he does, my new daughter will have no choice but to marry Nalif."

"Yes, Zhao. Have I told you I love you?" Meiya asked sweetly. Zhao shook his head as he tossed his wife onto Zuko's bed. He slunk on after her and kissed her swiftly.

"You told me 20 minutes ago. Now, we should get out of here before the guards come to summon the kid for his wedding." Zhao said, his lips still pressed to Meiya's.

They released, headed to and jumped out of the window, landing besides two ostrich horses, jumped on their mounts and rode off.

Zuko could feel the heavy metal chains clasped around his wrist. He was beginning to black out from the pain and blood loss from the gash on his head.

Oh, my head. he though. He licked his lips, tasting the fresh blood coating one side. He tried to stand up, only to find that he was chained tight to the wall. Even if he wanted to stand, he couldn't. He felt compelled to pray.

Dear Agni,

I beg you to spare my life. Please, I've endured so much. Don't I get a chance to live a happy life? Though, if you cannot spare me, at least keep my love, Shaiya, safe from harm. Let her find peace in all she does. Protect her. Keep her in your heart. Save her from ever having to endure the pain I have. Let her live a peaceful, adventurous life alongside her friends and sujio. And above all, never let her forget me.

And as he finished his prayer, he faded into unconsciousness.

Okay, folks, I am going to combine the next two chapters into one, simply because I feel that this chapter is not long enough. So, you won't have to wait forever to find out if Zuko lives or not. Although, he is my absolute fave character, and I'd never in my life wish him dead (just his daddy), so he won't die. I now, I know, spoiler, but you'd find out eventually.
Shaiya was standing in the stable aisle way untacking Kagouya when she heard what she thought was an ostrich horse whinny.

Okay, I know that's an ostrich horse, but only one person I know would have an ostrich horse, and he's just across the aisle, so it's not Suki.

Shaiya headed out to the barn doorway to check. She looked in the direction of Zuko's room to see two standing just at the base of the great castle. What the fuck? She watched a moment longer to see two people jump from what appeared to be Zuko's room, land beside the ostrich horses, jumped on and took off. One had brown hair, facial hair making him appear to look like a monkey, and Fire Nation armor while the other had reddened brunette hair, no facial hair, and a Fire Nation commoner's outfit on.

Oh. My. Fuck. MOM! ZHAO! Shaiya's mind was racing. What were they doing here? Why did they jump from Zuko's window? And how did they get in the palace to begin with? Shaiya couldn't take it. She threw a rope around Kagouya's neck, lurched on and took off after her mother and, as much as she hated saying it, stepfather. Little did she know, her fiancé was slowly bleeding to death behind a cabinet.

Shaiya silently chased her family through the flower-clad gardens of the Fire nation. She attempted to keep up, but she had never raced an ostrich horse on foot before, so she decided to take to the skies, a place she knew she was undefeated. At the moment of takeoff, her mom and stepfather heard and looked back to see none other than a red-clad figure atop a threatening looking sujio. Shaiya quickly drew her lariat from her waistband, untied it, and readied it. Swinging it twice above her head, she threw at the ostrich horses' feet, catching all four in one loop and knocking their riders to the dirt.

"Shaiya! Bloody heck, what was that for?" Meiya yelled to her daughter.

"What were you doing in my fiancé's room?" she growled menacingly.

"It's none of your business, girl." Zhao sneered.

"Oh, dad, but it is. You see, he is the FIRE LORD, and anyone who even jokes about making an attempt at his life is taken in for questioning, fired from their present job, sent to prison for two months and fed once a day. Just think of the punishment for actually making a physical attempt at his life, like the blood smears on your shirt suggest."

"Those are from chickens." Zhao lied.

"You're a bad liar. Very bad." Shaiya said as she dashed out at her stepfather with a rage no one could match. She knew they had attempted to kill Zuko, and she wanted them caught and back at the palace in time to save her fiancé.

The fight went quickly, especially when four palace guards came to Shaiya's aid. Zhao and Meiya were bound, gagged and thrown in jail until further notice while Shaiya raced to Zuko's room. She wove through corridor after corridor, thanking Agni that Zuko had forced her to memorize the way to his room.

She and Kagouya flew past guards as fast as she could, sweat dripping from her brow. Finally, she reached his door. Locked. DANGET! She thought. She kicked the door by its hinges and the door shuddered. She kicked it again and it fell to the ground with a loud thud. She whipped inside and found a thick, smeared trail of blood leading to the shadows behind one cabinet. She ran to the cabinet and found a thick, coagulated pool of blood around him. An equally coagulated stream of blood led from a large gash on the right side of his head down his face, along his chest, down the outside of his right leg and to the ground.

Panicking, Shaiya tried to melt his chains. DAMNIT! FIREPROOF! she cursed her so-called parents. She threw all her strength into pulling those chains from the wall. She didn't have much luck. Those chains were in there to stay. She kept pulling for a good ten minutes when the chains finally gave way, pulling wall out with them. Shaiya grabbed Zuko, threw him onto Kagouya and flew like a bat out ofhell to the hospital wing on the other side of the palace.

Shaiya, passed out from exhaustion, lay on a hospital bed ten feet from her dying fiancé. Little did she know, she too was dying. Meiya had coated the chains with venom from the ferret snake, the most poisonous snake in the world, a venom so powerful, if ingested, it would eat a person from the inside out. If touched, it would eat clean through the skin, through the muscle and to the bone. Not only did it do that, but when it was taken into the bloodstream, it followed the red blood cells back to the heart where it departed to eat away the heart itself. If untreated within twenty-four hours of contamination, the poison could kill a person in less than twelve.
The news spread fast in the palace, and the second he heard of it, Iroh ran faster than the lightning he controlled to the hospital wing, which he soon found out was contained to strictly inside that one room.

Zuko and Shaiya's lives hang on the line and I'm out here doing nothing! Iroh thought helplessly.

Having become friends with the banished prince, Aang, Katara and Sokka, along with Onya and Iroh, were all sitting out in the hallway waiting for any kind of news.

Soon, a surgeon dressed in all white came out of the room. Her face was grim and her voice deep and cracking, having been up all night with a palace guard.

"Sirs, madames, I am afraid I have some good news… and some bad news. The good news is, they will both survive this dreadful incident. Shaiya made it to the Fire Lord right on time. Should she have been any later, he would have died." The mood in the hallway lightened at the news that their comrades would survive the assassination attempt.

"But, the bad news is the future Fire Lady will not be able to bear a child for a good forty years, or more. If she even lives that long." All let out a gasp.

"I am sure that you all are tired, so know that your friends will live, and probably be awake midday tomorrow. Now, go get some rest. Doctor's orders." she finished with a faint, forced smile. She left to tend to her patients.

The group in the hall decided to head to bed, besides, the doc told them to. Onya, weeping for the near loss of her best friend, ran to her room, crying tears of both joy and sadness, for even though her greatest friend would live, they would never raise their children together, her greatest dream,and there would be no heir to the throne. All because of Meiya and Zhao. As Onya reached her room, she crashed through the door and flopped onto her bed, sobbing. She soon cried herself to sleep.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Iroh ambled to his room, deep in concentration.

Why would Zhao do that?

What were they thinking, attempting the life of the Fire Lord?

How the hell did they get in the palace anyway?

What can I do to destroy them?

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Back in the hospital wing, Shaiya began to stir. She mumbled incoherently for a near 10 minutes until she began to repeat one thing:

Kill Mom and Dad

OOH! What's Shaiya planning on doing? Will Onya come to terms with her greatest dream's destruction? Will Iroh get to Meiya and Zhao before Shaiya? Will Shaiya ever have children?

REVIEW OR FACE MY WRATH!

Luv frum Raaon Teisha, ur loyal fanfic writer.

I write, and the least you greedy readers can do is give me a few words of encouragement!