Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 18: Quiet Times
The young couple related the tale of their adventures to the four men. They all listened raptly and didn't ask any questions until the end. Iroh's was the most succinct.
"Was it worth it?" he asked and looked at first Mai, then Zuko.
"Maybe we were in over our heads a bit, but we did some real damage. I'm just sorry that Mai got hurt," Zuko replied.
"So your answer is 'yes'?" Iroh asked.
Zuko and Mai exchanged a glance. She nodded.
"Yes," Zuko stated.
The former general stroked his beard and turned to Jee and Jeong-Jeong. Both men sipped on their afternoon tea, a ritual begun by Iroh.
"What do you think the chances are of the Fire Nation taking out their frustrations on any local Earth Kingdom people?"
They thought for a long, hard minute and then Jee spoke.
"It's possible; I'd say there's a fifty-fifty chance."
Zuko looked horrified. Mai put her hand on his arm and rubbed up and down.
"I, I never thought of that," he said sorrowfully. "Do you really think they will? I mean, we could have been anybody."
"I don't know, Zuko. But it's possible. Every action has a consequence, sometimes many. I want you think about what they might be before you do anything like this again. Then you'll have to decide whether your actions have merit or not."
The prince looked crestfallen. He dropped his head and looked at the autumn green grass beneath his feet. His fingers, which had been linked loosely together, tightened on each other with bruising force. Iroh reached over and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"Zuko," he said. "I'm not saying that you were wrong to go to Pohuai. I just want you to be more aware. Choices we make almost always affect others and not always for the good. That being said, I think that inaction is worse than anything. I'm proud that both you and Mai want to help end the war. I'm not sure that either of you realize just how proud I am."
"Really?" Zuko asked and looked up into his uncle's wise and kind eyes.
"Really," Iroh replied. "Now, while you were gone, Jee and I along with Jeong-Jeong were making some plans. Do you want to hear them?"
"Sure," Zuko sniffled.
"Good. We also have the issue of Mai's weapons. She needs more."
"All I have left is the dagger you gave me for my birthday," Mai agreed.
"You may have to make do with a few shuriken that Chey can pick up in town. Once we get where we're going, you'll have a full arsenal again."
"And where is that?" Mai asked.
"Let me fix the two of you some tea and a late lunch. Then we'll discuss things. Perhaps you should have a bath, both of you. It looks like you could use one."
"Subtle," Mai replied with a roll of her eyes.
Over the course of the summer, Jee, Iroh and Chey had built a sort of privacy area that surrounded a small section of the river. Whenever anyone wanted a bath, they could do so in peace, without the worry of anyone catching a glimpse. Mai especially appreciated it.
She groaned softly as she sunk into the cool water and began to wash her hair, then her body. The gently moving swell of the river felt good against her injured arm. She touched the stitched area gingerly and grimaced with pain. Even if she had knives now, throwing them would be an exercise in masochism. Perhaps it was just as well. She hoped that after another week, it would be healed enough to withstand vigorous activity.
"Are you okay?" Zuko asked from behind the slatted wood.
"I'm a big girl," she replied irritably. "I know how to take a bath."
"I know, I know; I just worry, Mai."
He could sense her intake of breath and knew she was going to sigh.
"I worry because I care," Zuko continued.
"Yeah; I'm glad that you care, really I am. But you don't need to worry quite so much."
"Okay, I'm going," Zuko stated, sounding defeated.
"Wait," Mai said sternly.
She stood up, her head above the top of the barrier, her body covered. Zuko looked at her expectantly.
"Kiss me," she ordered.
"Uh, okay," Zuko stammered.
He moved closer to the fence and placed his lips against hers, running a hand through her wet hair. He let his mouth linger for a moment before pulling away.
"That was nice," Mai stated. "I won't be long."
Zuko wasn't really listening anymore. He walked back to the camp in a sort of daze. Kissing Mai tended to do that to him.
"Lying low for a few months is probably a good idea," Jee said as they all sat together on the grass eating their pigchicken stew. "Undoubtedly, the Blue Spirit and the White Spirit will be high up on the Fire Nation's list of enemies. I realize that no one knows what you look like but sometimes the way someone walks or holds himself or some other small detail might be recalled by someone at Pohuai. We don't want to risk our lives for the sake of a bit of time. Besides, Jeong-Jeong here has a lot more to teach you, both of you."
"I will teach you all I know of martial arts and defending yourself without bending or weapons. Mai, you could benefit from this most. Without your knives you are helpless, are you not?" the deserter asked.
"Gee, I never thought of it that way, but I suppose you're right. Doesn't having a good mind count for something?"
"Indeed it does," Jeong-Jeong replied. "But it never hurts to learn more. Are you willing?"
"Well, I'll have to let all my friends know that I won't be able to attend this season's parties and dances. Once I do that, I'm all yours."
The old deserter shook his head and gave Mai a strange look.
"A 'yes' or 'no' would have been sufficient to answer the question."
"But my way is more fun," Mai quipped.
"So where do we go from here?" Zuko asked. "I mean when we're done, sometime in the spring?"
"Since Jeong-Jeong has graciously allowed us to stay until the end of winter, yes, we'll be moving on in the spring, to Gaoling."
"Gaoling?" Zuko repeated.
"Yes, it's a fair sized city in the south, sort of in the middle of the mountains. I hear that it's a lovely old town that the Fire Nation never bothers with. And one of our younger Order of the White Lotus members lives there. He's not a bender, in fact he's not a fighter at all. But he is a history expert and a very knowledgeable man. And he's wealthy, has a big house that all of us could disappear in. You and Mai can pick up a lot from him. And besides that, he's very good friends with Piandao."
"You mean the sword master?" Mai asked with the barest hint of excitement.
"I do," Iroh said. His eyes twinkled. "I thought you might like to meet him, Mai, and you too, Zuko. The man is a genius with the sword."
"Yeah, I've heard the stories," Zuko said. "Is he a member of the group too?"
"For a good ten years now," Iroh replied. "We're making arrangements for Piandao to join us there for awhile. He's going to bring a lot of weapons too. Mai, you'll be able to have your pick of the best. And if they don't suit, I'm sure Gaoling will supply the rest."
"Real baths again," Mai sighed. "And weapons; what else could I ask for?"
"You're not whining about the conditions here, are you?" Jeong-Jeong growled. "You can leave earlier of it suits you."
"No, no, the river's great," Mai appeased. "Girls just like baths. We can't help it."
"Hurumph," Jeong-Jeong snarled. "I wouldn't know about girls."
"Maybe that's why he's so damn grumpy all the time," Mai whispered to Zuko and then repressed a laugh.
Autumn came full force a few weeks later; leaves changed from uniform green to a fiery blaze of reds, oranges and yellows, and thick frost clung to the grass until the heat of the sun was strong enough to burn it off. Training took up most of the day, but Mai and Zuko managed to fit in quite a few private walks in the woods. Sometimes they just wanted to be alone.
"He's a real task master," Mai grimaced as she rubbed her aching calf muscle.
She and Zuko sat underneath the canopy of a wide tree, golden coloured leaves drifting down around them and adding to the already thick blanket that coated the ground. The smell of earth and leaves and life slowing down was everywhere.
"He is," Zuko agreed and pressed his lips against her loose black hair.
"I'm weirdly attached to him, though."
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
"Could you rub my shoulders?" Mai wheedled. "Please."
"Sure," Zuko replied and began a gentle circular motion with his fingers, trying to work out the knots in her muscles.
"Over to the left more; that's it," the young woman encouraged.
She moaned softly as he hit the sore spots and tilted her head to the side, exposing a patch of pale, smooth neck. The sight of that bit of skin combined with the sounds that Mai made began to arouse Zuko. He could feel himself hardening and desire swam through his veins, like liquid fire. He moved around on the leaves, trying to ease the pressure he felt building.
"What's wrong?" Mai asked innocently.
"Nothing's wrong," Zuko snapped. "It's just, well, you look really gorgeous, your neck I mean. Not that the rest of you isn't gorgeous too."
"What are you babbling about?"
"This," Zuko said emphatically and bent down to kiss her long, elegant neck, letting his lips linger on the soft, alabaster skin.
"Oh," Mai replied. "You can keep doing that."
Mai turned to face him. He pushed back her hair and kissed her neck again, then moved to her lips. They stayed like that for a while, kissing gently, enjoying the taste and feel of the other. When they pulled apart and looked at looked at each other, they knew that the time was right. Awkwardly, Zuko began to remove his tunic. Mai followed his actions and disrobed, shivering in the cool autumn air. The prince laid his cloak on the ground as a sort of blanket and rolled up his tunic for a pillow. Gently he pressed Mai downward.
Winter passed in a haze of training and secret lovemaking. Once they had a taste of each other, there was no turning back. From the time she was old enough to grasp even a bit of the concept, Mai was taught that sex was for producing heirs, something done in the dark, shameful and dirty, a duty, not a pleasure shared between two people who thought the world of each other. How wrong her mother had been, Mai thought constantly throughout those long months. It wasn't shameful, it was glorious and it got better and better. When she dreamed that she was back home and had never left with Zuko, and that wasn't very often, a smothering panic finally woke her up, breathing heavily, tears streaking her cheeks. She looked over at her betrothed, sleeping restlessly, like he almost always did, and the sweetest sensation of relief filled her. She cherished her time with Zuko and thanked Agni that she'd had the courage to leave with him.
As spring approached, everyone talked more and more of Gaoling. The komodo-rhinos were traded for ostrich horses, an animal native to the Earth Kingdom and sure to attract less attention. Jeong-Jeong gave them their final lesson about a week before they left and after that withdrew again as if to protect himself from the upcoming loss he would undoubtedly feel. He was gruff, moody, had high expectations and was sometimes just plain rude, but there was kindness and wisdom in his heart too and a desire to better the world. Zuko, Mai, Iroh and Jee, but especially the young people had become like a family to him and whether or not he would ever admit the fact, he would miss them terribly.
"Zuko," Mai said on the day before the next leg of their journey. "I think you need a change."
"What are talking about?" the prince replied.
Mai brandished a pair of sharp scissors and indicated his hair, which had grown to unmanly lengths.
"Hair cut," she said emphatically. "Sit!"
"I don't have a say in this, do I?" he asked.
"No, you don't."
He sat and Mai cut and cut until Zuko's long hair was short, just covering the back of his neck and falling in jagged bangs over his forehead.
"I imagined this once, months ago," she said. "It looks very attractive and much less Fire Nation."
Zuko ran his hands through his hair. It would be easier to take care of certainly and he liked the way if felt so light on his head.
"I'll have to take your word that it looks good but it does feel great."
"There, I was right. Do you think that you could trim mine?"
"What, your bangs?"
"Yes, and the ends," Mai replied. "Here's the comb and the scissors."
Zuko huffed and then combed out her hair carefully, instructing her to sit still. Slowly and carefully he trimmed a good bit off the ends of her thick black tresses and then tackled the bangs, cutting enough so that her eyes were uncovered again.
"There," he said and sighed with relief. "Not bad."
He looked at Mai, really looked at her, and marveled at how much she had changed in the two years since they had left the Fire Nation. She was taller, more angular, and her breasts were fuller. Her lovely face had lost any baby fat she might have carried and was a study in beautiful planes and angles. She was strong for her fine build, almost pure muscle covering her delicate bone structure. She was the most beautiful person or thing that Zuko had ever seen or ever would see; he was certain of that.
"You're looking at me with a weird expression," Mai complained. "Are you sure my bangs are straight."
"They're straight," he replied.
Iroh and Jee, finished their packing, joined the young couple.
"Ah, nephew, what a change; you did well, Mai. How about taking some of my hair off as well? A little trim will do me just fine. Maybe Jee would like one too."
"If you don't mind?" the lieutenant asked Mai politely.
"Why not?" she shrugged and spent the next hour cutting grey hair.
"Two years," Iroh remarked, shaking his head. "How the two of you have grown."
The former general was in a contemplative mood as they took a last look around the valley and said goodbye to Jeong-Jeong and Chey. He stood between Mai and Zuko, a hand on each of their shoulders. The deserter stood across from them looking strangely calm and a bit sad.
"Two years away from the Fire Nation does not completely erase the lessons we learned as children," Jeong-Jeong replied thoughtfully. "But these two are well on their way. Both are fine warriors with good hearts and minds. You should be proud, Iroh."
Zuko's jaw dropped and Mai's eyes widened. Praise of any kind was rare from the old firebender but words like those were unheard of.
"I am proud indeed. They'll make fine children one day too," he said with a wink.
Zuko was almost used to random embarrassing remarks from his uncle, but not quite. Pink tinged his pale cheeks and he hung his head to hide the blush. Mai just chuckled, her voice raspy and slightly deeper than it used to be. She reached for Zuko's hand and held on loosely. The thought of one day having children with him made her feel good and whole and warm.
"Well then, goodbye," Jeong-Jeong stated.
He took Mai's free hand and held it between his own for a moment, looking into her eyes, trying to convey what he couldn't put into words.
"I know," Mai replied. "Thank you."
Jeong-Jeong nodded and then patted Zuko awkwardly on the shoulder, giving him the same searching look.
"Thank you, Master Jeong-Jeong ," Zuko said respectfully and then bowed deeply to the man. "You taught me much and I appreciate all of it."
The deserter had a few words with Iroh and Jee and then retreated to his hut instead of staying to watch their departure. Chey, on the other hand, watched until they were out of sight, up the hill and in the forest, on their way to Gaoling.
"So another journey begins," Iroh said philosophically. "I hear that Gaoling has many pretty women. Perhaps I can have as much fun as Mai and Zuko. What do you think, Jee?"
Groaning, the young couple pulled ahead, and waited at the notice board near the Fire Nation town. They looked at the wanted posters. Jeong-Jeong figured prominently as usual. Deserters were frowned upon as much as traitors were. The Blue and White Spirits were still there too, but the warnings were much stronger now and the reward for their capture or 'death' much greater.
"Hmmm, at this rate we'll be famous," Mai remarked.
Iroh and Jee caught up and took their own look at the board before they all moved on. The air was fresh smelling and bits of bright new green were everywhere. Warm sunlight hit their shoulders and by afternoon everyone had shrugged off their cloaks.
Later that evening they set up camp by the river. As Zuko and Mai sat beside the fire they wondered what lay in store for them in Gaoling, what they would do and who they would meet.
A/N: Bye Jeong-Jeong, hello other cool people. Sort of a quiet chapter with a lot of time passing, but like I've said, there can't be constant action.
So, I wasn't entirely certain about Mai and Zuko having sex, but they've been building toward it and the time seemed right despite the tenderness of their ages. They're shouldering a lot of responsibility and working hard. I suppose if they can manage all that, they can manage the next step in the obviously loving relationship that they have. I felt that less was more when writing the scene. And it's not a lemon anyway.
As per usual, thanks for reading and reviewing. I love them reviews!
Alabaster