The celebrations had begun. Music filled the air and chatter among nobles from all over the Fire Nation and even from the Fire Colonies were in the ballroom. Everyone was dressed to the nines with some women bickering of who more the most expensive material or who wore what better. Even the men argued about who was well put together and who was not. It seemed as if everyone was in a competition with one another but Ruyi and her father remained nonplussed about such trivial things. She hadn't left his side, choosing to glue herself to him in the throng of strangers. She knew no one except for him and the Fire Lord's grandson, Zuko. And even so, she couldn't spot the boy anywhere. Not like she was looking for him per se, of course.
"This is the most you've stood next to me." There was something playful in her father's voice. "I can barely get you out of your room at home."
Her eyes slowly looked up at him, a sneer on her face. "Tch, you're always busy." She went on to say, "When I do leave my room, you'd rather write a bunch of words all day."
"Calligraphy is important, and I will teach it to you too." There were many things Ruyi wanted her father to teach her. She too wanted to be able to wield a sword or maybe learn the way of archery. The only weapon she ever used in her life was a spear and she certainly couldn't consider herself proficient at it, but her skills protected her and little Katara when need be.
Just remembering the young girl had pained her. Her heart would sting as the girls blue, bright eyes appeared in her mind. The guilt of feeling joy within the nation and the people—the firebenders—that had took her young life washed over once more. It was wrong for her to feel joy, it had to be.
"And now, we'll be showing the dance of Prince of Shu Jing in battle!" One man announced, ushering everyone to prepare themselves as a short platform was in the center of the ballroom.
Curiously, Ruyi tugged her father's sleeve to gain his attention. "Who is the Prince of Shu Jing? I thought there was only the Fire Lord and his heirs that were royalty."
Piqued by his daughter's sudden interest, he closed his eyes as he recounted the tale. "The Prince was named Zhinu and was said to be the son of Agni. The reason why they called him the Prince of Shu Jing was because the Fire Nation was divided islands. Zhinu would become the first Fire Lord."
"So Agni was not the first Fire Lord?" Her brows furrowed, a frown on her face as she felt more lost now than she had before.
"Agni, while being our God, had left the physical world after the death of his first wife. Zhinu was the son of Agni and Yuhuan, that he had to leave behind. The Fire Nation was merely separated islands, and we often fought with the Earth Kingdom that tried to claim them. Agni abandoned his son, too stuck in his grief at the death of his first wife and that is why nobody knew at first who Zhinu truly was. He was half God and half human. A man who ruled the smaller Islands of the Fire Nation adopted the boy, becoming his fourth son, and the land he found him was known as Shu Jing. Thus why he was given the title of Prince of Shu Jing."
Now coming to understand and putting pieces together, Ruyi slowly nodded her head. "He became a general by his uncle because of his battle prowess as well as his kindness and bravery. He was widely loved and admired; legend also has it that Zhinu was so beautiful that he looked like a woman. He wore a mask in battle to appear more fearsome to his enemies."
Ruyi couldn't help but let out a snort, "What's wrong if he looked like a woman? His enemies wouldn't have taken him seriously?"
"As you know, back then, women weren't allowed on the battlefields but that's why Qiang changed the livelihood of women, but it wasn't an easy and quick change, Ruyi. You see now that women have come a very long way since those times."
She could surmise what he said as the truth. Many women of the Fire Nation were educated, had ranks in the military, and own their own businesses. Back in the South Pole, some women had fought but only if they were waterbenders and if it was the last resort.
"But why is this dance important?" She couldn't help but ask, "What is the significance of this battle?"
"Nobody knows, I'm afraid. It is all a matter of opinion of what this dance is about." She couldn't help but be curious about this, and decided that later on that she would read more about Fire Lord Zhinu and his life as Prince of Shu Jing.
Fourteen women had came into the room. The rest of the ballroom was dimly lit aside from the platform and the areas around it. They had split in three groups, four on each side and four in the middle of the platform. The Fire Lord sat on the larger platform of the room in a golden throne with his son on each side. On his left was Iroh with Lu Ten beside him. On Azulon's right was Prince Ozai, Prince Zuko, and a young girl as she remembered Zuko saying he had a sister.
The dancers, which she learned to be concubine, had went into poses with their arms in prayer forms towards the ceiling. Their hanfus were beautiful and made of thin material, the sleeves of the dresses were green, the bottom of them were pink, and gold armor was plated on their chest and stomach.
Only one stood out amongst the sea of green and pink, and it was the woman in red who wore a golden mask that wasn't like any of what the other concubines had worn. Her hanfu was red, traces of green were in the material of her golden armor as there was gold-plated shoulderguards on her small shoulders with red feathers poking out from under the armor.
Her movement was more fluid, gentle yet forlorn than the rest. Since she played Prince of Shu Jing it was to be expected that she would stand out, but Ruyi didn't think she would stand out this much.
In her awe of the woman, it seemed as if she was really in battle. Her hair was done up in the style of a topknot to make her resemble a man instead of the half top knots that women usually wore wore. Her hands would flick along with the heavy pound of the drum, but her hips would move sinuously along with the soft er-hu. She was every bit of graceful, which reminded her of the true art of waterbending.
"Who is that women dancing?" The child whispered to her father without taking her eyes off the dancers.
"I believe that is Prince Ozai's wife, Princess Ursa." Princess Ursa? Zuko's mother? She hadn't seen the woman but heard her earlier. The mask had surely hid her face from above her nose and the left half of her face. All she could see was the woman's pink, full pouty lips and her right eye, which was a alluring honey-gold.
It seemed as if everyone only had their ways on her. Watching her barefeet slide across the platform with ease as her arms controlled the sleeves to move in a calming sway. There was something about the dance that seemed quite sad. It was as if the Prince of Shu Jing wasn't present in the battle. In fact, it was as if his mind was entirely elsewhere.
After being so entranced with the performance, the blue-eyed girl didn't even realize the music had slowly died down and the dancers posed in their final stance; the dance of Prince Shu Jing in Battle had already ended. There was an explosion of applause and cheers, everyone screaming praises to the harem and to the princess.
Ruyi, while clapping, had shifted her gaze towards the Fire Lord, who held a ghost of a smile. Maybe it wasn't in him to perform such an joyful act. He seemed quite serious and stern, plus his presence made her feel threatened and scared. Her eyes then fell to Zuko, whose eyes were beaming with pride at his mother and his hands clapping the hardest out of him and his sister. It was a cute sight.
"Princess Ursa," The room immediately quieted when the Fire Lord called out the name of his daughter-in-law, "your dancing reminded me greatly of Ilah. For that, I am grateful to you."
She had given her in law a rather deep bow and a serene smile. It glowed with warmth from his praise. "Thank you, father-in-law. I did my best to honor my mother-in-law, who I loved as if she were my own. I hope that you stay jovial for the other performances tonight."
How humble of her, Ruyi thought. The whole roomed to be charmed by the Fire Princess in that moment of humility. There would be an intermission before the next dance, and so everyone went back to chatter and eat, but Ruyi only decided to eat light snacks since she wasn't too hungry.
A servant had opened a tray before her and her father, revealing perfectly round yellow-brown balls of food. Her azure eyes stared intensely at them, trying to decipher what the food was made of. Her father took a toothpick and picked one of them up, taking a small bite of it and found himself nodding as to say he enjoyed the food. Out of curiosity, Ruyi had done the same and winced slightly. Her eye did a little twitch as the explosive spices completely took over her mouth.
It was tangy but soft, the meat, was tender and wasn't the slightest bit of rough or chewy so it was perfectly cooked. "What is this?"
"Tangy meatballs." answered the servant, and she found herself still confused about what was in this small round food. "Do you like it?" He then asked and with hesitation but certainly, she had given him a nod. Satisfied with her answered, the man then presented the food to others.
"Hey." The voice had startled her and she almost bit her tongue out of the surprise. She looked to see Zuko, standing there with his mother at his side.
The woman was still dressed in her dance clothes but the golden mask was completely off. And for a while, Ruyi felt intimidated by the woman's outstanding beauty. "So, you're Ruyi, am I correct?"
Ruyi appeared puzzled, wondering if Zuko had spoken to her about the garden or their first encounter in fact. Maybe her father told the Princess who she was? Either way, she wasn't sure how the woman knew her exactly. "Uh yes!" Quickly, she bowed in the presence of royalty as her father had.
A smile made its way on the woman's lips, "This is the first time I've ever seen blue eyes. You are of Water Tribe, no doubt." Under the woman's observation, the young girl couldn't help but feel quite meek. Her head lowered, a warm shade of red flaring up on her cheeks. "I know it is hard to be raised by a single parent, especially a father. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you."
Surprised by the true motive of the woman's greeting, Ruyi looked at her in shock. This woman was offering to be a maternal guidance in her life, which seemed too kind beyond Ruyi's beliefs. There is no way this woman was this nice, right?
"T-Thank you, Princess Ursa!" The words quickly came out of her mouth, the stutter surprised Piandao but made Ursa chuckle.
Looking towards her son, Ursa bent her knees to level with her child. "You should be preparing for your performance. Go change and get ready, Zuko." With a reluctant nod, the boy turned and left without another world. Ruyi's eyes followed him as he left the ballroom and into the halls.
"Zuko is performing?" She asked, "What is he performing?"
"Yuhuan's Goodbye." answered the princess, "It is about the battle between Agni and Yuhuan, and how she fights Agni. She ends her life to spare him for him doing it for her and dies in his arms."
"But why did they fight? Why did she have to die?" The questions instantly spewed out.
Ursa chuckled at her curiosity, "Yuhuan was said to be so luminously lovely that the moon itself would shy away in embarrassment when compared to her face. A human that captivated the heart of the Sun God, Agni. For her, he roamed the physical world and upset the balance of the world. The Spirit world would miss Agni, he was their ruler and only the sun to us. So for many days, he let the world be in darkness to be with her. She knew that the imbalance of the world would be to blamed on her if she did not persuade Agni to go back, and so she devised a plan."
Listening intently, Ruyi had watched Ursa with full concentration. "In order for Agni to return to the spirit world, she falsely claimed to betray him. She told him that she had fell in love with another and this child, Zhinu, was not his. He was enraged and wanted to harm her false lover but Yuhuan fought him. Agni struggled between his love and his anger and because he would not let this matter go, she ended her life in the midst of their fight. Her dying words were an apology as well as a request for him to return to the Spirit World. He knew then that she had lied in order to return the world to its natural order and he mourned her forever."
"But didn't he marry again?" She asked, "The woman named Qiang."
The woman nodded, "You are right, but Qiang was considered to be a pitiful woman despite all her greatness. Agni did not love her with the intensity that he had loved Yuhuan."
'Well, that's depressing...' She thought. 'So Zuko is going to play Agni and who will play Yuhuan?' She wondered.
"Princess Ursa!" One of the women of the harem that danced along with her, still dressed in their pink and green hanfus, had quickly made their way towards her. While panic was on their face, they were quite out of breath due to the run.
Concerned, Ursa turned to them with a worried gaze. "What is the matter?"
"Nobleman Shuuzou's daughter is ill and cannot play Yuhuan. We don't have anyone to fill in." They quickly spilled, wondering what they were going to do now that it was a pressing matter.
Ruyi watched the woman sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose out of stress. Her eyes then glanced around but soon fell on the young girl beside her. Bending her knees to level with her, she placed her hands on the girl's shoulders. "I know this asking for a lot, but could you please fill in?"
"W-What? I don't even know the dance or… how to dance!" Her eyes looked up at her father, pleading for him to help. He merely shrugged his shoulders, leaving the matter completely up to her. Ruyi looked back at the woman's pleading eyes and found herself feeling quite cornered. "I… I guess I can try."
Relieved, Ursa pulled the girl in a hug to show her gratefulness. "Thank you, Ruyi. I promise to make it up to you." Turning to the concubines, she then spewed out orders. "Please hurry and dress Ruyi, quickly. The show will start soon."
Ruyi's P.O.V
I gave out a pitiful yelp as the women pushed me along, hurrying me out of the ballroom and down the long halls of the palace. I wasn't sure what I agreed too, but my heart was hammering against my chest that I thought it was going to eventually give out. I was taken to the chamber for the concubines, marveling the expansive room despite its current messy state. My clothes were immediately being stripped off me, just as I came into the room, and I tried my best to cover my flat chest. I had nothing to show, but I was still reluctant to be completely nude in the room full of women.
They were trying to be quick, not for my sake but because time wasn't exactly on our side at the moment. Three of them were trying to put my outfit together, two others applying make-up, and the other three were doing my hair. There were so many people hovering over me that I couldn't find enough air to even breathe.
The material of the white gown they were putting on me was inviting. It had a long train with sleeves that went far past my hands. They were feathered and black at the ends of them, which reminded me of a crane. I wasn't sure how someone was supposed to exactly fight in this, but I guess I would have to make-do. Atop of the gown came the royal blue very with a dark blue borderline and white sash tied around my waist. I had to gasp for breath with how tight they first tied it around me but loosened when they notice my obvious discomfort.
What seemed to be more difficult was the black okobo on my feet since I could barely stand in them, so how could I walk or even fight in them? I was unsure how anyone could fight or let alone dance in such an attire. I bet this was just an exaggeration of what Yuhuan really wore, if she even existed.
A black line was painted on my neck and my lips painted completely black. My hair was combed back, neat, and they even offered to trim my hair since it appeared to be uneven. I obliged since I knew I would forget about it so it was best to have it done now then to worry about it later. The last edition to my ensemble would be the mask., which completely looked like a crane. It was black from the eyes down with a grey beak, the forehead part was white save for the red oval that reminded me of the bird's feathered head.
I struggled to walk to the mirror to see myself and for once, I was actually in awe. I did look like a spirit even though Yuhuan was human, but she was symbolized as a crane in this play. I tried to spin around but my ankles weakened from the odd shoes and the concubine had to immediately catch me and lift me back up on my feet.
Then I was handed a spear, which I knew was from the Water Tribe. The deep blue of the painted body was enough to give it away. It was also old and I wasn't exactly sure how old it was but our spears were much different than this one.
They escorted me out of the room and back to the ballroom, where the loud conversation felt normal among the crowd. They kept me surrounded as if anyone wasn't supposed to notice me yet. I was grateful for it upon the fact that these shoes were so difficult to walk in. The man who announced the Prince of Shu Jing in Battle had walked on top of the platform again, I guess to announce the dance I would be partaking with Zuko.
"The last performance of the night will be 'Yuhuan's Goodbye' starring our Fire Lord's grandson, Zuko, as Agni." The cheers had rung in the air as he walked up onto the platform. I was completely in awe at his costume.
A spiked pauldron covered his left shoulder since it was attached to the upper section of his cuirass as there was flame designs on the faulds. His outfit was a deep blood red with black and gold cherry blossom flower crest at the collar and sleeves. His pants were sashinuki hakamas, which gathered at the ankles but ballooned at the calves. His boots were ankle-high and black, but pointed at the toes.
A red dragon mask was over half his face with a big detachable black fur piece at the back of it, covering Zuko's own hair. The dragon had golden horns protruding at the sides, which made it quite menacing than it did beautiful. I could see that everyone was in awe of him like I was.
"And playing the beautiful Yuhuan is being played by Swordmaster Piandao's child, Ruyi." I felt embarrassed by that, being called out that is. Not only that, many people were surprised and confused at the announcement. The man quickly climbed down the platform so that Zuko and I could take the stage. I saw the lights dim so that the only lit up place in the room was the stage as it had been earlier.
I wondered how Zuko felt knowing that I would be dancing with him. If I were him, I would be angry. The amount of time and practice he put into this just to dance with a person who didn't know what they were doing had to definitely be frustrating.
In his hands were his broadswords and in mine was the spear.
I prayed to the moon that I would do this role justice.
The eerie sound of the dragon flute played as Zuko took one step forward. With my spear in my right hand, I took a step forward. I had no idea what I was doing but I tried to think back on the story that Princess Ursa told me. Yuhuan had told Agni a lie in order to protect the world, which meant to sacrifice her love and happiness. He was at this anger stage, wasn't he? And Zuko was stalking me, which meant this was Agni being swallowed by his rage.
My gaze stayed on him, following after him as we walked in a circle. He had thrust his sword out, but I met it with an upturn of my spear. The sound of the blade of the spear meeting the broadsword was the only sound in the ballroom. He was about to bring his other sword forward but with a push, but I spun on the flat bottom of the oboko and twirled away to evade it. The flapping of the gown sung along with the sound of his sword piercing through the air.
Now things were going to get serious. He came at me, spinning with his swords and I did my best to use the body of the spear to meet each swing that came.
Clack. Click. Clang.
My heart was racing as if it were a real fight. Despite it not being real, these were real weapon that we were holding. That was the authenticity of this dance and I had to set my fear aside in order to help Zuko and Princess Ursa.
We pulled ourselves at a stalemate, both his swords were pressing down on the rod of the spear and I tried my best to keep him from pushing me back. He was stronger than I was, without a doubt, and so my arms began to burn with soreness as I tried to keep it up. Out of fear, I pushed him back and watched him expel fire from his mouth.
The sudden heat made me jump and I wondered if this was actually part of the dance. He swung the sword in his right hand and I quickly evaded it by ducking low. I flicked the back of my spear towards his head, but the dull side of the sword had smacked it away. Each strike next came quick, and hard, but I managed to hold my own. I twirled the spear in front of me to back him away, but when he pressed the swords together and swung, I had no choice but to jump and ended up landing one foot on the tip of the swords.
Everyone gasped at my quick actions while I was cursing myself and freaking out. One foot was balancing on the flat side of the blade while the other foot was pointed back. I guess Zuko seemed surprised too, but he pushed the sword up and sent me flying in the air. I nearly screamed as he met me halfway and caught me with one arm and landing in a kneel. My eyes were wide, searching for his in the holes of his mask and I could see those amber pupils in that shroud of darkness.
I took no minute to spare to move away and pointed the blade of my spear at him. He went into another stance to fight me once more. The pounding of the drums sped up my adrenaline as I moved the weapon in a stabbing motion to aim for his chest, but he moved it upwards and pulled me close. I spun until my back was pressed against him and his other sword was at my neck. I had to remember that at some point Yuhuan killed herself, but how had she done it? Did she let Agni strike her or did she use her own spear? A spear was an awkward weapon to kill one's self, so I surmised that she let Agni strike her.
Dropping my weapon, I had grabbed the wrist that held the sword and leveled it down and moved so that the blade was facing me. Both hands were now gripping tightly at his arm and plunged inches away from my side so that the sleeves would make the effect as if I had been stabbed into my stomach.
A collective sound of gasps came again as Zuko dropped the sword once my hands had loosened and I pretended to struggle to walk. I crashed into his chest and his arm supported my neck as he weakly descended down to his knees. Stroking the side of his mask, I let my arm limply fall to my side and made my body seem loose and lost of life.
A stream of fire had exited Zuko's mouth again to signal Agni's agony before he pressed his masked face to my shoulder and cradled my form until the lights completely went out.
There was silence for a while until I heard the room erupt into whistles, applause, and yells of praises. A sigh of relief escaped me as I grabbed onto the sleeves of Zuko's costume. He pressed his face to my ear so I could hear him amongst the loud room. "You actually did good."
He seemed genuinely surprised that I completely faked my way through this dance. "Good because my stomach was doing flips and I thought I was gonna piss myself when I jumped on those swords."
A laugh had burst out of his mouth and I felt his body rock from it. It amazed me how my life completely changed from me being kidnapped by my own father to dancing with the Fire Lord's grandson.
As we were being bathed in our rain of applause, we had bowed at the audience. When then stood and faced the Fire Lord, but out of fear I had grabbed the sleeve of Zuko's costume. His expression was unseen but I knew he looked in my direction. I hope he didn't mind I was seeking for a sense of comfort from him since usually I would hide behind my father, but the only one I had sort of liked was Zuko who was right beside me. Soon enough the appraisals of the dance had lessened until there was nothing but quietness. Now it was time to see how the Fire Lord like our performance.
"That was quite interesting." He mused as his arms rested on the arms of the chair. "Remove your mask, child."
I knew he was speaking to me. He knew his grandson's name ( and obviously knew his face ) but I guess he forgotten mine. My free hand went up to reach the crane mask to reveal my trademark eyes in the heart of the palace of firebenders.
Azulon's expression had not changed upon the sight of them. In fact, there was a curious glint into those cold and serious yellow eyes of his. "Are you a waterbender?" He asked.
"Yes, I am, My Liege." I answered as how I remembered the books had taught me.
He remained quiet for a few minutes as to assess this information. I automatically assumed that he was already disgusted with me and thought ill things of me as most people of the Fire Nation had. "It has been a long time since I have met one."
I hate being the center of attention and I had hoped he would center it to his grandson. Zuko deserved praise for his performance; he dealt with me with professionalism, something I could've never done in his position.
"But I am curious of something." He went on to say, which made me freeze like an iceberg in the middle of the ocean. "You have heard of Fire Lady Ilah, haven't you?"
"Of course." I answered, "I've read about her and her accomplishments as well as legacy as Fire Lady."
"Then out of your honesty, what do you think of Fire Lady Ilah?" I wasn't sure why he seemed to be testing me. I had looked over to my father who seemed more than puzzled by the situation himself. His grey eyes looked to me to answer, quickly. "I've heard enough of her beauty, wisdom, and virtues. So enlighten of something new from an outsider's point of view."
If I hadn't already felt like an outcast, I certainly would've felt like one when he, the Fire Lord, called me an outsider. I stood there, my palms became sweaty and my throat dry. I had gripped tightly to Zuko's sleeve while trying to calm my heart that might burst.
I tried to think of something, anything, but nothing exactly positive had came to mind. Everyone was watching me, waiting for me to say something but I kept coming up with my harbored hatred for this nation that I tried to bury. "My Lord," I paused and then sighed, "I can't do it."
"I was told you were a witty, unruly girl but it seems you do not live up to your name." He sounded disappointed but at the same time, smug. I thought he didn't know but he had heard of me.
Who told him I was those things? Had my father praised ( and insulted ) me to him? Normally, I would've thought the world of it but had I known it would put me in this position, I would've been harsher to him than I had been before. "I am those things." My pride was bubbling, my stubbornness taking full form. "But enlightening someone is about expressing one's feelings."
I subtlety shifted my weight onto my right foot, "Fire Lady Ilah was pretty, wise, and virtuous, but in my mind, she's a rather pitiful woman."
It seemed as if the entire world had stopped. Everyone's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets and the Fire Lord's eyes narrowed nearly into slits as he tightly gripped the arms of his chair. "Pitiful?! You dare call her pitiful?!" The flames of the room heightened with his anger, nearly reaching the high ceiling to confirm how enraged he had been.
I wish I had kept my mouth shut.
End Ruyi's P.O.V
Zuko's P.O.V
Out of everyone in this room other than Master Piandao, I knew Ruyi had a habit of speaking whatever came to her mind. I eyed her, hoping she wasn't going to make the same mistake again as she had with me. She was gripping tightly onto my sleeve, which alerted me that she was nervous. Her? Nervous? I guess since I was a kid and not even a prince, she thought she could mouth off at me but since it was my grandfather, she seemed to feel small under his gaze.
I wasn't sure why Grandfather was curious of how Ruyi felt about Grandmother. After all, she was dead and we were celebrating her life, so why did it matter how some waterbender from the South Pole felt about her? She acknowledged her greatness, so why was he seeking more? I couldn't for a second guess what was going on his mind. I never did before, so it shouldn't have been any different now.
When she had called my Grandmother pitiful, I gasped. The way she said it, so casually too, I knew she meant it. I wasn't sure why I felt scared for her when I shoud've been angry that she thought my Grandmother was pitiful. She insulted her but for some reason I knew that this could be chalked up to the girl's ignorance of our culture.
How could she speak her mind without repercussion? What made her so fearless? I couldn't help but envy her, her lack of subtlety and control. She lived her life freely where I had to watch every single step and even every breath I took.
Guards came running, I didn't even hear my Grandfather shout the orders of taking her to custody. They had pinned her down to her knees, both her hands being held behind her to make sure they had the better advantage.
"She has smeared our mother's name." said my father and I immediately felt scared. My feet were glued in place and I had looked at the sleeve that Ruyi had once held that was now free from her because I had been too afraid to look at my father's infuriated face. "That is unforgivable. By law, she should be fire-whipped to death!"
I saw her shaking her head but her teeth were biting down on her bottom lip as if she fought not to speak seeing where it had gotten her. Master Piandao was blocked, he had tried to rush to her but I knew they weren't going to let him through. He knew not to fight in this circumstance because if he had, they would've killed her.
"Please pardon, Ruyi, My Lord." said Master Piandao, giving a deep bow.
The low tone of my Grandfather sent a chill to my bone, "It's obvious why she should be punished. "What is the reason for sparing her?"
Before he could given an answer, my mother had walked and stood beside us. Her hands were tucked in her sleeves and she wore a calm yet pleading look on her face. "Please pardon her, Father-in-Law." I was glad my mother stepped in, she was a voice of reason and Grandfather very much liked her. If anyone could get through to him, it was her. "Sire, allow me to ask you… What is your interpretation of the anniversary of someone's death?"
There was a concentrated look on his face as he gave his answer, "To me, Ilah is dead. But as long as I remember this day, it would feel like she had never left."
"That's right, Your Majesty." Mother's smile immediately warmed me, I always wondered how it had that kind of affect. "When people remember the dead, it adds the sanctity and immortality of the deceased. In my opinion, if Fire Lady Ilah should know of this, she wouldn't want you to cherish her memory with any bloodshed."
His face looked to be in deep thought and I had wondered what my Grandfather was thinking. His eyes then traveled towards my Uncle, "Iroh, what do you think of this?" It seemed like everyone was be giving a test today. My Grandfather never sought the advice of others in normal circumstances but maybe he was pondering who would be a better Fire Lord even though my Uncle was the Crown Prince.
"I am against killing children, and those who make petty mistakes." He said, "But she has committed a crime and should be punished."
My Uncle couldn't outright declare her freedom and for her to go unpunished. I understood that he thought she would get a lesser punishment, one that wouldn't maim her.
"I'll pend her sentence. Take her to the cells." He dismissed them and Ruyi was forcefully brought to her feet and dragged away. She looked at him and I saw a rather hint of regret yet relief as she had been escorted out.
A/N: Thank you for the review Powerpuff, and writing more is what I did. Thank you everyone else for the faves and follows, I hope I'm keeping your interest. Since I took to long for chapters, I threw these two out here. Now it'll be a while as I work on the next.