Ahhhh...This chapter was rough to write. But the beginning is nice and fluffy if that's any consolation.
Mei Lin woke up the next morning feeling drowsy and content. Carefully she detached herself from Mushi, who showed no signs of waking up, and tiptoed over to where she had a robe hanging. Once it was in hand she slide over her body and tied a loose knot in the center with the sash. Mei turned around, running her hands through her hair hoping that Mushi would stay sleeping long enough for her to get her wild locks under control. She took one step and froze, a blush covering her cheeks as she saw that Mushi had woken up and was watching her.
"It is a shame that you had to cover such beauty." Mushi's voice was sleep roughened and Mei Lin had to clamp down the urge to rejoin him in bed.
Instead Mei smiled and shook her head. "Has anyone told you that you're a foolish old man?" she scolded him gently as she walked past into the bathing area.
Mushi called out, "You have said the words often enough but I am not sure I believe you at this point."
Rolling her eyes Mei Lin returned, hair pulled back into a neat bun. "I'll be sure to mention it more often then." Walking over to where the cooking area was she began to pull out pans and the ingredients to make Jook. As Mei measured out rice into a bowl she felt Mushi come up behind her. The older woman sighed contentedly as his hands touched her waist. The sigh turned into a gasp when his hands went around and deftly undid her knot. As the robe fell open Mei Lin cried out, "Mushi! What on earth are you doing?"
The only response Mei received was a soft kiss on the neck and her robe being pushed from her shoulders. Unable to contain her smile, she let go of the rice and bowl and turned around to face Mushi. Touching his face softly, Mei Lin pushed herself up and touched her mouth to his. After a moment she pulled back and murmured, "Let's go back to bed."
Zuko was dressed and eating breakfast when his Uncle finally walked through the door. Raising an eyebrow the young man teased, "Aren't you a little old to be sneaking into the house?" he paused to nod at the window where the sun was shining brightly. "And weren't you supposed to sneak in late last night…not early in the morning?"
Clearing his throat, and acting as though his face were not bright red, Iroh declared archly, "You must learn Prince Zuko that you must never leave for tomorrow what you can do today."
"Yeah, I'll remember that the next time I want to stay out with a girl," Zuko replied lightly. Immediately he regretted the statement when his uncle whirled on him.
Looking hopeful Iroh asked, "Does this mean that you have repaired things with that lovely young woman?"
Zuko shook his head and turned back to his plate of food. "Ah…no…it didn't work out."
"Perhaps it is for the best my nephew." Rubbing his beard Iroh continued wisely, "As the poets say a first love can be a fever and a burden."
Feeling embarrassed Zuko turned back to his food. Around a mouthful of the porridge he had made the teen grumbled, "Just get ready Uncle. We need to leave soon if we're going to make it to the palace on time."
Once Mushi was gone, Mei Lin put her apartment to rights and spent a leisurely hour bathing herself and washing her hair. She would have enjoyed going with him and Lee to the palace but Mei had decided she would meet them afterwards. This was an important event for the two men and she wanted them to be able to spend some time together enjoying it. As she dragged a comb through her damp hair, Mei Lin glanced over at her now made bed.
A dreamy smile covered Mei's face. She hadn't given Mushi the gift with the intention of luring him into her bed but she wouldn't complain. The fact that they had reached a new level of intimacy pleased her greatly. Before Mei Lin could continue with her thoughts there was a knock on the door. Frowning, Mei Lin set the comb down and, making sure her robe was secure, went to the door. Opening it she discovered three Dai Li agents on the other side.
"Can I help you?" Mei Lin asked the question hesitantly, unsure of why the Dai Li were at her home.
The Dai Li on the right stepped forward and replied sternly, "Your presence has been requested in the palace. You are to come with us now."
Surprised Mei Lin said, "They want me? Surely you've made a mistake."
The Dai Li agent frowned. "Are you not Mei Lin?"
"Well…yes," Mei Lin replied hesitantly. "But I fail to see why they'd need me in the palace."
"That's none of your concern," snapped the Dai Li in the middle. "You are to come with us now, no questions asked."
Feeling a strange mixture of anger and anxiousness Mei Lin protested, "But I'm not dressed. Surely you won't make an old woman such as myself walk through the streets in her underclothes."
The agents exchanged looks before the one on the left said reluctantly, "Very well. You have five minutes."
Mei Lin shut the door and felt dismay. Something had happened to Mushi and Lee. There could be no other explanation for this mysterious summon to the palace. The only question was whether or not it would be prudent to go with the agents. It took her less than a minute to make up her mind. Dressing in a pair of loose fitting pants and a long sleeved tunic that reached her knees, Mei Lin braided her hair and exited her house. "Thank you for waiting gentlemen; shall we be on our way?"
To Mei Lin's surprise the Dai Li led her to the Palace using back streets. Reaching the Palace the older woman's anxiety increased. She tried several times to get ask what the summons was for but each time she was met with silence. Finally, they entered the palace and Mei Lin was ushered into a small room. left alone, Mei studied her surroundings. There were no photos on the wall and only one chair. For a moment Mei Lin considered sitting but she opted against it. A few more minutes passed and the door open.
Silently Mei Lin watched as a girl walked in followed by several Dai Li agents. The girl in the middle was clearly the leader, a sardonic smile twisted her lips upwards and she was dressed similarly to the Dai Li. There was something familiar about her face but the older woman couldn't quite place where she had seen her before. The girl was slightly shorter than Mei Lin and for a moment she looked annoyed not to find the older woman seated in the chair. The look of annoyance was smoothed away and the girl said snidely, "So, your Uncle's new plaything." Without a pause she moved around Mei Lin and continued, "I must say, if he were interested in such a thing he could have done so much better than a lowly Earth Kingdom peasant." The girl came to a stop before Mei Lin. "Especially as the former Crown Prince of the Fire Nation."
The words the girl was speaking were swirling through Mei Lin's mind and she found it a struggle not to react. With as much calm as she could muster she replied softly, "Perhaps you can tell me who you are and what this is about?"
"Don't tell me Uncle hasn't shared the family portraits!" The girl exclaimed in mock surprise. "He's usually so into that family thing." Turning on her foot she said sharply to the Dai Li agents, "Bring her along. It's time for a little family reunion."
The sun was high in the sky as Iroh, carrying the box of tea supplies, and Zuko made their way to the Palace. As the tall walls came into view Iroh said "Many times I have imagined myself here, at the threshold of the palace." He paused to glance at his nephew. "But I always thought that it would be as a conqueror; instead we are personal guests of the Earth King, here to serve him tea. Destiny is a funny thing."
Zuko nodded with a slight smile on his face. "It sure is Uncle." By this time the two of them had reached the palace. A guard, standing in the shade of a pillar, spotted them and came forward.
Walking towards them he asked, "Are you Mushi and Lee from the Jasmine Dragon?"
Iroh smiled and held up the container. "Yes; we are here to serve the Earth King."
The guard nodded and motioned for them to follow him. "Right this way." He led them into the palace and into a long corridor. As they walked through Iroh couldn't help but compare it to his former home in the Fire Nation. Here, while clearly the home of royalty, the furnishing was nowhere near as opulent and gaudy as in the Fire Nation palace.
After a short walk they came to a room decorated in shades of gold and green. On one wall a small, but ornately decorated, stage jutted out; the throne was on it. Just before the throne a low table had been situated. The guard nodded towards it. "Go ahead and set up there."
Quickly Iroh and Zuko removed the tea set and the other items they needed from the container. Within ten minutes they were ready and settled. The minutes slowly passed by and finally, after what felt like thirty minutes Zuko sighed. Impatiently he said, "What's taking so long?"
Pouring himself a cup of tea, Iroh shrugged. "Perhaps he overslept." The words had no sooner slipped out of his mouth than the door opened and several Dai Li entered the room. Both men tensed as the group of warriors surrounded them completely. A quick head count showed fifteen of them.
Under his breath Zuko murmured, "Something's not right."
"It's tea time." The familiar and unwelcome dry tones of Azula filled the room and Zuko immediately leapt to his feet.
Clenching his fists he exclaimed, "Azula!" He watched with barely controlled rage as his sister, sauntered into the room dressed in earth kingdom colors.
The young girl smiled. "Have you met the Dai Li? They're earth benders but," she paused and the smile became tinted with malice. "They have a killer instinct that's so fire bender. I just love it." Before either Iroh or Zuko could speak she waved her hand and two other Dai Li entered the room, each holding onto one of Mei Lin's arm.
At the stunned looks on the men's faces Azula continued gleefully, "You know what else I love? Finding out all your dirty little secrets." Turning to her uncle she said, "Did you really think you could settle down with a pauper here in Ba Sing Se? You're more of a fool than Father and I gave you credit for."
The words of his niece flowed over Iroh, all he could do was stare at Mei Lin. She stared back at him, the expression on her face unfathomable. With calm he did not feel, Iroh reached for his cup of tea and stood up. Looking at Azula he asked, "Did I ever tell you how I got the nickname the dragon of the west?"
Azula immediately looked bored. Glancing at her nails she replied, "I'm not interested in a lengthy anecdote Uncle."
"It's more of a demonstration really." Iroh glanced once more at Mei Lin before smiling and bring the cup of tea to his lips. He took a long sip of tea and then with no hesitation dropped the cup, opened his mouth, and blew fire out.
Mei Lin felt the guards drop her arms as fire was expelled from Mushi's mouth. A sensation akin to terror filled her at the sight of the flames but she forced herself to push it aside and she took advantage of her sudden freedom to run. Blindly she dodged Dai Li agents and found herself exiting the room between Lee and Mushi, who was somehow still breathing fire. Two Dai Li agents followed them and Mei Lin glanced back in time to see them throw stone hands at them. Without hesitating she stamped her foot down and raised an arm up causing a wall of rock to rise up from the floor and block the hands. Mei Lin turned around just in time see Mushi and Lee use their fire bending to break a hole into the wall before them. A shiver went down her spine at the sight of the flames but Mei forced herself to move forward. Mushi leapt out from the hole and Lee paused before it.
Lee turned towards her and for a moment hesitated before holding out his hand towards her. "Come on, you have to get out of here."
Staring into the face of the young man she had come to care for deeply, Mei Lin could only feel tears prick her eyes. Was anything she knew about this young man and his uncle even true? Or had their entire time together been a lie? Unable to bring herself to touch Lee's hand Mei moved past him and used her earth bending to lower herself to the ground in a more civilized fashion than Mushi who had apparently broken his landing with a bush.
Mushi looked up towards the opening in the wall and waved for his nephew. "Come on! You'll be fine!"
There was a moment of silence before Lee shook his head. "No! I'm tired of running….It's time I faced Azula."
As he ran away Mushi smacked his forehead in an uncharacteristic show of aggravation. Looking at Mei Lin he said, "Come, we must leave this area before the Dai Li agents return." He turned and ran. Feeling as though she had little choice, Mei Lin followed.
Iroh came to a stop several blocks away. How could he have been so foolish to believe that everything was working out? In this Zuko had been correct; he had lowered his guard too much and now…He turned and faced Mei Lin, a ball of anxiety welling up inside of him. Her face was pink from running and the expression on her face cut through him. "Mei Lin…I…."
Making a strangled noise Mei Lin cut him off with a harsh movement of her arm and demanded, "Who are you?" When he didn't reply Mei Lin took a step forward, her eyes filled with tears. "Am I not worth the truth?"
"I…" Iroh forced himself to keep eye contact with Mei Lin as the truth spilled forward. By the time he finished speaking it felt as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
For several long moments the only sound to be heard was Mei Lin's harsh breathing as she covered her mouth with her hands. Her hands lowered and she said hoarsely, "Were you ever planning on telling me any of this Iroh?" she spat his name. "Or were you going to keep the truth from me for the rest of our lives?" When Iroh reached for her, Mei Lin stepped backwards and yelled, "My son is dead because of your people! I will never hold him or tell him that I love him again…how dare you think you have the right to touch me now?"
"Because I…" The words came out sharply and it took Iroh a moment to calm his voice. "Because we…lo…care for each other; we can't allow ourselves to be trapped by these prejudices!"
Unable to hold back the tears any longer Mei Lin sobbed out, "Any feelings I had for you were gone the moment you revealed yourself for what you truly were. I…" her voice trailed off into a cry when the ground beneath her feet gave out and she sank down into a sudden pool of mud. The ground hardened around her and she twisted her body to see Dai Li agents running towards them.
Iroh moved beside her and took up a fighting stance but Mei Lin snapped, "Don't be a fool." she hit her hands against the ground and the earth expelled her upwards. Landing on her feet, the ground before Mei waved outwards and sent the Dai Li flying into the nearby buildings. "I can take care of myself." She said flatly.
"Mei Lin please…I need you. And so does Zuko."
At the mention of "Lee" Mei Lin flinched. He was the prince of the Fire Nation. His family was directly responsible for all the horror and suffering that she had gone through with in her life. But…an image of the smile Zuko had given her a few days before came to her mind. The love she had for him battled with the hatred she had for the Fire Nation. Could she really leave without knowing he was alright? The tears came back and Mei whispered, "I will help you save your nephew Iroh. But don't be mistaken; once I'm sure Zuko is fine…I never want to see you again."
The last person Zuko expected to see after his failure to defeat Azula was Katara. After getting dragged off by the Dai Li, the young man had been dumped down a hole and had landed, surprisingly, before the water bender in what appeared to be a cavern of crystals. The look on her face would have been amusing had the situation not been so dire.
"Zuko!" Almost instantly the stunned expression turned into one of anger. "Why'd they throw you in here? Wait, let me guess. It's a trap!" the words were a shout that echoed throughout the cave. "So that when Aang shows up to help me you can finally have him your little Fire Nation clutches."
The words cut through Zuko hard. if the circumstances had been different that is exactly what he would have been up to. He looked up at Katara and immediately looked away, unable to bear the hateful look on her face. He thought of Mei Lin and wondered if the next time they saw each other she would look at him that way. Even if he hated to admit it, Zuko had grown to care for the older woman and knowing that she probably hated him now was painful.
When Zuko didn't reply Katara continued on, each word like a knife in his skin. "You're a terrible person you know that? Always following us around and hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace." She paused before continuing bitterly, "But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son. Spreading war, violence and hatred is in your blood!"
"You don't know what you're talking about!" The words left Zuko in a woosh. He was many things but he was nothing like the bastard who called himself his father.
Katara sneered at him. "I don't? How dare you! You have no idea what this has put me through!" Her eyes filled with tears and she slumped to the ground, her hand clutching the necklace she cherished. The tears spilled over and ran down her face. Huskily Katara said, "The Fire Nation took my mother away from me."
The ache in Zuko's heart intensified as he thought about his own mother who had been driven away. "I'm sorry," he said hesitantly. "That's something we have in common."
Mei Lin walked beside Iroh as they neared a house close to the palace. "Where are we going?"
"There's someone here who can help us," Iroh replied as he walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened a moment later showing a small girl in earth kingdom colors.
The small girl smiled wildly. "I'm glad to see you're okay!" behind her stood two young men, one who looked like he was from the water tribes and the other who wore unfamiliar colors and had strange markings on his head and hands. Their reactions were the opposite of the girls. They both appeared terrified and confused.
The smallest boy pointed his finger at Iroh and exclaimed, "You guys know each other?!"
The girl nodded. "We met in the woods once and I knocked him down…then he gave me some tea and some really good advice."
The boys looked unconvinced but didn't say anything as Iroh asked, "May we come in?"
As the two of them walked into the house the oldest boy crossed his arms and asked Mei Lin suspiciously, "So who're you? Another evil fire nation soldier set out to destroy us all?"
Anger flashed through the older woman's eyes. "I could ask you the same question," Mei Lin replied coolly. "But I believe that would be giving you too much credit."
The small boy giggled and said, "She got you there Sokka." Turning to Mei Lin he held out his hand. "I'm Aang. The Avatar."
Mei Lin hid her surprise at his declaration behind a smile. Taking his hand she said, "I'm Mei Lin. A potter."
The small girl spat on the floor. "Well I'm Toph; don't worry about trying to shake my hand or anything. I'm blind so it's kinda pointless."
With the introductions out of the way Iroh said, "Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se."
Aang folded crossed his arms. "Then she probably has Katara."
"She has captured my nephew as well."
"Then we'll work together to fight Azula and save Katara and Zuko."
Before anything else could be said Sokka threw his hands up in the air and stormed over to Aang. "Hold on a minute. You lost me at Zuko." He poked his finger into the Avatar's chest. "Have you forgotten everything that he's done to us? To you?"
At this Mei Lin stepped forward. "I don't know what Le…Zuko has done to you but…" she hesitated before continuing, "I've known him for quite some time and I can tell you there is good inside of him." She felt Iroh's eyes on her but she stayed focused on the young man before her.
Sokka pouted at these words and shook his head stubbornly. "Good inside him isn't enough! Why don't you guys come back when it's outside him too!"
"Katara's in trouble," Aang said as he touched Sokka's arm. "All of Ba Sing Se is in trouble. Working together is our best chance."
With a dramatic sigh Sokka nodded. "Alright then, we'll work together. But only because Katara needs us to."
Walking towards the door Iroh replied, "We've brought someone along who might help us." All of them headed outside. One of the Dai Li agents who had come after Iroh and Mei Lin sat on the ground tied up.
Toph moved forward and used her earth bending to create columns that lifted the man up into a standing position. Mei Lin walked up to him and removed the gag that was around the man's mouth. She smiled slightly at the dirt that covered him; she had used her earth bending to drag him along behind her and Iroh.
The moment the gag left his lips the man blurted out, "Azula and Long Feng are planning a coup! They're planning to overthrow the Earth King!"
"Where's my sister?" Sokka asked threateningly, slamming his weapon against his hand. "Where are they keeping Katara?"
The captured agent licked his lips and replied nervously, "I…In the crystal catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se; deep beneath the palace."
The small group immediately made their way to the palace. Upon reaching it Toph knelt and touched the ground. "Well what do you know? There is an ancient city down there, but it's deep."
"You can sense all that just from touching the ground?" Mei Lin asked in amazement.
Toph nodded. "Sure can. It's easy if you learn to how to use your earth bending to do more than move dirt around."
The young girl stood and easily made a tunnel that led downwards into the ground. Before anyone could move Sokka held up his hand. "Hold on; I think we should split up; we can cover more ground that way. Aang, you go with Iroh and Mei Lin to look for Katara and the angry jerk." Immediately he blushed. "Ahh…no offense."
Iroh shrugged. "None taken."
Sokka nodded. "Right. Toph and I will go with warn the Earth King about the coup." He started to run off with Toph but stopped short when Mei Lin yelled for them to stop.
"I'm going with you two." Mei Lin said firmly. She turned towards Iroh as he made a protesting noise but she shook her head. "I can't go with you Iroh. I…I said I would help your nephew but I can't bear to walk beside you any longer." The look on Iroh's face broke Mei Lin's heart further but she couldn't bring herself to be near him anymore. It was too painful. Moving towards Sokka and Toph she said, "If I see Zuko I will let him know where you went." She turned her back on him and joined Sokka and Toph.
If Sokka noticed the tears on her face he made no mention of them. Instead he awkwardly said, "Ah…no offense but wouldn't it be safer for you to stay with your friend?"
If that question had been asked this morning Mei Lin would have laughed and given "Mushi" a kiss before agreeing completely with the statement. Moving past Sokka and Toph she said sadly, "I don't think there's anywhere safe anymore."
Well there you have it, the beginning of all the drama. What do you guys think will happen next? Will Iroh and Mei Lin's love survive their trials?