Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything pertaining to it.
Ethereal
Chapter 4: The Hidden Passages
"'The Son of a Siren is not a Siren; he is simply one of the Planet's Children. But the Daughter of a Siren may be a Siren, or a Daughter of the Planet. Both are important; Sirens protect the Fountain of Life, and Children of the Planet continue the bloodline of the Father Heaven and the Mother Earth,' the Moon told her children of the Great Northern Glacier. 'You must protect each other.'" The Creation, Chapter 18:3-4.
The storm seemed to last much longer than Katara originally thought; over half the night, lightning lit up everything and thunder sounded like it was ripping the entire sky into pieces. It felt like it lasted forever, and when she finally awoke, Katara had forgotten when she fell asleep - or even where. As she sat upwards, she became conscious of the burden land put on her body. While legs seemed so useful before, they seemed more like an annoyance than anything at this point.
It wasn't long before she found herself across from a grumpy prince who seemed to be anything but interested in her forced tutelage of the ancient language.
"It is not kans, but kens. Kens," she explained, going to take a sip of water as her lips began to feel dry. "However, our use of the word 'to see' is much broader than yours. We indicate it as a word of understanding, of comprehension." Katara described, placing her index finger against the center of her forehead. "If I see something, I can both physically see it with my eyes, or I can understand it."
"We use 'to see' like that. You tell me something, and I may say, 'Yes, I see,' to mean I understand" he countered, leaning back against the tree for shade.
The siren frowned a bit. "No, no. It goes beyond that. Take the water here, I see the water. But I also understand it, I know where it comes from and its purpose. It provides me with life, and in turn, I treasure it by using the life it gives to carry out the will of the gods. Everything in nature comes from the gods; and in turn, we are able to carry out their will. That is what the ancient language attaches to our word 'to see.' Everything about my language serves the gods."
"Whatever you say," he grumbled and flicked a small pebble along the ground.
"Well, well, looks like your studying is going rather dimly, Zuzu," a female voice from a palanquin stated. "It doesn't even matter you have a native speaker teaching you, you're still beyond educating. Typical." The hooded woman snapped and the men bearing her on the palanquin carried her off towards a dome-shaped building.
Katara's eyes followed the figure until she stepped out at the entrance and walked into the building. "Who is she?"
"Don't worry about it," he shrugged and looked back down at the book. "Keep going."
Something about that woman sent chills down the siren's spine, but didn't fail to draw her attention to the fact Zuko was more astute towards her teachings about her native language. Either way, there was something terribly wrong with this place, and though she went along for the sake of humoring the gods and trying to understand their will, she wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being there.
"Siren, it's time to go see the healer," a guard interrupted, giving a rather sloppy and unmotivated bow towards Zuko. Almost all guards seemed to be rather nonchalant towards him where as they revered the other members of the royal family quite highly. It made her curious as to why. Maybe he's not so strict, she thought at first before quickly dismissing the ludicrous thought.
"Go on then, my father wants to make sure you're in good health. I am capable of self-study," he said a bit hotly, as if he was insulted by her hesitation.
"A-a-alright," Katara stammered and stood up slowly, starting to stumble forwards. He grabbed her arm quickly to offer a bit of support then looked away and let go of her even faster than he had reached out.
"Go," he snapped, getting up and walking away quickly towards a pond.
Ever since she had arrived at the palace days ago (Katara couldn't remember exactly how long it was, the days seemed to blur together), she had been visiting a man. They called him a healer, but Katara wasn't very sure what kind of healing he did. All he seemed to do was occasionally cut her hand and drain a bit of blood into a glass container, then bandage her hand and send her away. She would have normally protested to such a thing, but it seemed the only offered her the option of giving her blood voluntarily or involuntarily - and she would have hated to see the involuntary method.
If the palace was a maze that would take years for someone to learn to navigate, the hidden passages were a labyrinth that would take a lifetime to understand. Though she was considered a 'revered' guest, Katara was soon informed it was merely a ploy the Dragon King had devised to keep the court from worrying about any troubles from the Glacierlands. However, the siren was more concerned with how he seemed to be trying to avoid war; a man like him seemed bloodthirsty and eager for war.
"Come 'long, m'lady," the servant pleaded as she moved a tapestry aside. "General Iroh wants me to 'xplain the passage system to you so you can better serve the king."
The blue eyed girl began to follow the black haired girl as she started explaining, "See, my family's been servin' the royal family for generations. Since 'fore the palace was built. We knew the architect o' the palace 'n suggested a system o' passages n'order to help us get 'round the palace faster. Passages are noted by different kinds o' tapestries. There're black, gold, rose, 'n dark red. Black're passages that lead directly to the servants quarters 'n to where we do the laundry. Gold leads to the kitchen 'n dinin' halls, rose're the passages that lead towards banquet halls, baths, 'n generally any other kind of area that we may need to have access to. Lastly, we got the dark red tapestries. Those take us to the areas where chambers are 'n the king's war room."
The siren must have looked overwhelmed because the servant looked at her and gave a reassuring laugh. "Now, now, m'lady, don't you fret. Even I get turned 'round sometimes, so we have signs planted 'round to help us know what area of the palace we're in. See," the girl motioned to a papyrus parchment flattened against a wall and written in crisp, common language. "This'n says we're in a rose tunnel. To the left're the private baths of the Royal Chamber 23, which is the Princess Azula's chamber, 'n to the right'll take us towards an intersection o' a black tunnel. All passages intersect at some point, 'n be mindful no passage'll let you out directly into a room. You'll be near it only; this is to maintain privacy of those residin' there."
"Wei Lin," Katara interrupted quietly. "I cannot read your language, I regret to inform you."
"Oh, beg your pardon, m'lady, I wasn't aware. Well, that's not much o' an issue. Most o' the folk here can't read neither. My parents worked extra hard to get me tutored in readin' 'n writin' when I was young. Anywho, if you look beside the writin' you'll see some pictures. See, a water drop? Water drop means baths. Bed means chambers, fire means kitchens, bowl means dinin' hall, so on 'n so forth. Only thing you'll need to learn're the numbers, but that won't be too bad. I hear you're tutorin' Prince Zuko in ancient language studies, maybe he'll teach you how to read numbers."
The dark skinned girl watched the light from torches along the passageway dance along the small sign and replied absently, "Perhaps he will."
"Well, if you'll excuse me, I got some things to do for Princess Azula after she finishes combat trainin', but I'll be back in your chambers this evenin' to help you get ready for dinner, ma'am," Wei Lin bowed before turning to go down a hall and disappearing into the maze of stone and dim light.
Suddenly, the siren felt a pang of frustration. This was unacceptable. They were treating her like some sort of slave, some sort of servant. And she was letting them, telling herself it was 'adapting to survive.' Disgraceful. She was a daughter of the Moon and the Ocean; men feared her, women longed to be her. So why was she acting like a small, helpless child? She was one of the most lethal creatures in the world. It was time she acted like it. There was plenty of water in the palace, if she could just climb into one of the canals and regain her strength she could show the Descendants of the Dragon the ruthless nature of a siren.
And you will probably die trying, her conscience seemed to nag at her. The Moon did not defeat the shadows who tried to hide her by brute force, but by cunning and wisdom. You must use what you have to win, Katara reminded herself. Yes, there was water, but the canals were too shallow and she could easily be overwhelmed and traced. But where was a source of water deep enough aside from the ocean? For now, she had been handed an advantage, as she had been introduced to a passage system the royal family was not acquainted with. And if Katara placed wagers, she would bet her life that there was a way to outside the palace from the passages.
The siren began to walk down the corridor, taking in the way the stone looked and wishing she had a piece of paper to map it out. She would have to remember to bring parchment and a writing device in order to do so the next time she came down there. Several servants passed her, some in small groups or couples and some alone, trying to avoid eye contact to the best of their ability. As she walked along the path, she suddenly became aware of voices.
"Nobleman Kong, I am fully aware of the state of the nation's finances," a heated voice spat.
The girl froze and stepped back as the voices grew briefly muffled in order to get a bit more clarity.
"Of course, Your Grace, forgive me. I was just wondering if there was anything we could do to encourage the Volcanic Islands to return to its former glory. We used to be one of the richest nations, and now we are struggling to pay-"
"I think what Nobleman Kong means to say, Your Grace, is that there must be some way you have planned to encourage prosperity among the islands again," another voice interrupted. She wished she could see what was going on, but then she would also run the risk of being spotted. It is better to be neither seen nor heard, Katara reminded herself.
She then heard someone step closer towards the wall and she held her breath. "Lord Sim, I don't recall asking for your interpretation of Nobleman Kong's lack of tact or respect for his king. Now, to answer your question, yes, I do have a plan. It involves-"
A hand suddenly clapped over Katara's mouth and dragged her away from her position until she could no longer hear what was being said. "Lady Katara, what in the name o' the dragon're you doin'?" a familiar voice asked. Wei Lin. A wave of relief crashed into the siren. "If someone else saw you doin' that you could get in a heap o' trouble. Come 'long now, let's get you washed up for dinner."
Dinner was actually a banquet of some sort. Contrary to what Katara initially believed, it seemed festivals and banquets were not that common under the Dragon King's rule. It was some kind of special occasion, and he wanted his greatest treasure - the kidnapped siren - to be there to show off to all the guests.
Though she was bathed, it was a very non-traditional bath, as she would be no use to the Dragon King if her legs were returned to her "natural" state. Instead, Wei Lin and another girl called Fan used strips of cloth to wash her body with as little water as possible, then put her head over a bucket to wash her hair. They ran a comb through it after removing the majority of the moisture with towels and rubbed different oils into her skin and hair. She slipped into a loose, thin piece of dark red clothing that tied at the waist with a gold sash.
A knock came at the door, and Wei Lin answered it before bowing lowly and stepping aside. "Prince Zuko is here to 'scort you to the banquet, m'lady."
Katara turned around to see him, dressed in a dark red almost identical to her clothing and covered by black plated armor. He seemed to be anxious about something, but she was unable to place her finger on what it was exactly.
"May I inquire as to the occasion?" The siren asked, stepping closer towards the doorway in which he stood.
"We're late, so let's just go," he mumbled, not really looking at her and going to walk down the hallway.
She began to follow him down the long corridors in silence, wondering if she would have been able to find the banquet using the passages, then decided it was best not to suggest it. You can't let your enemy know about the passages, Katara reminded herself, it's to your advantage if he's ignorant.
As they got closer and closer to the banquet, or so Katara assumed, she heard the faint sound of music growing louder and louder. Finally, she noted someone - a woman - standing outside the banquet hall, arms crossed and a bored look on her face. Clearly, this girl was disinterested in whatever was going on inside the room. However, a flicker of interest danced across her pale eyes as Zuko came into view, and Katara bitterly wondered how or why this prince would interest anyone to begin with.
Zuko approached her quickly and lowered his eyes to the floor a bit. "Sorry I'm late, Mai. Had to escort Father's treasure here," he explained. The girl nodded. Her hair was shiny and black and simply combed back, unlike the ornate style Katara had that was woven with small white flowers. Her clothes were black and gold and rather plain, but the quality of them seemed to be quite high. Her eyes flickered over to the siren briefly before back to the prince when she extended her hand.
"Shall we?" Mai suggested as he placed his hand under hers, then looked at Katara again. "Well, aren't you going? You're to be presented next."
"I?" Katara asked, a bit confused.
"Do you see anyone else here?" the tall noblewoman muttered under her breath.
The siren stepped towards the door, when the room grew silent and the entire crowd of people focused its attention on the daughter of the moon. She moved her hand to shield her eyes from the orange glow of the setting sun when someone finally pulled her away and whispered in her ear, "You're to sit at the small stone near the water ledge. The Dragon King demands you go there immediately so you may be admired by guests." Before Katara could process what happened, the faint sound of instruments began to dance in the background.
"May I present to the court Crown Prince Zuko and the soon-to-be Crown Princess Mai."
As guests began to retire for the evening, Katara was able to convince Iroh, who was coined her supervisor for the evening, to let her leave as well. She felt rather drained from all the attention, and she was hoping it would rain so she could soak up a bit of the moisture. She was still overwhelmed by the frustration that she was the king's human ornament to celebrate his son's engagement. Only dragons would have this sick of a sense of humor.
"Well, well, well, look who snuck out of the party. It's Father's little rock decoration," a cool voice stated flatly. "It's a miracle what those meager maids did with you. You look almost presentable, for a fish bride anyway."
Katara bit her tongue and tried to avoid eye contact with the princess. Her eyes flickered upwards for a moment to catch a glimpse of familiar seductive amber eyes. Instead of formalwear, the princess wore armor like her brother and had her hair up in a topknot as well with a crown placed in it as well. She was beautiful, but the siren knew better than most that beauty was a weapon in itself.
"Do tell me, how are my brother's studies going for your language? Is he as hopeless as he is at fighting? Zuzu is rather pathetic and most things; for the life of me, I can't see what has Mai so in knots about marrying him. He's rather dull company, right, Ty Lee?" Azula looked over her shoulder to her companion, a round-faced girl with large brown eyes and a pink kimono. Ty Lee giggled a bit at Azula's statement and nodded her head a bit. "You can run along now, I'm rather bored of you. But make no mistake, one day, when he has what he needs, Father will grow bored of you, too, and not even my fat uncle or stupid brother could save you. And I highly doubt they'd want to anyway."
The siren quickly walked off, searching to see a tapestry so she could avoid seeing the princess again. For every single bit of her that was cool, calm, collected, and sinister, Zuko was restless, anxious, and disturbed. The way she spoke of him was horrid; they were brother and sister. They should love each other and try to protect each other. She also came to the conclusion that it was Azula who was harassing him earlier that day during tutoring. The encounter left Katara with a terrible taste in her mouth, and she made herself a mental note to avoid Azula at all costs.
Finally, she came across a rose tapestry and pulled it aside, remembering that it was the rose tapestries that lead to the chambers. Or was it the black? A wave of anger crashed into the siren and her eyes grew a bit dark as she realized she couldn't remember and was ultimately lost. Perhaps if she just walked through the passages she would come across someone who could direct her to where she was staying.
But she didn't see anyone. All she saw were tunnels and tunnels and more tunnels and the back of tapestries and signs in some language she could read, and all she wanted to do was go home and be in the water and never see another man again - except for her father and brother.
The siren decided to give up on the passage and pulled aside the nearest tapestry, and smiled when she saw a steady rainfall to greet her. She stepped towards the open breezeway balcony and extended her hand out to let the water touch her. The rain was warm, but it was welcomed relief against the heat. As she began to close her cerulean eyes, she became aware of a dark shadowed figure near a pond - the same pond she saw him at the first night she was here.
Katara stepped out into the rain and walked towards the pond, quickly feeling her clothes grow a bit heavier as it absorbed the precipitation. "Does one come here every night to feed the duck-tortoises?"
"Turtle ducks," he corrected, barely above a whisper. "They're turtle ducks. And it's none of your concern."
"You need not be so defensive," she frowned. "I suppose I should also congratulate you on your engagement. Though it is interesting, in the Glacierlands, festivals for engagements and marriages last for days at a time. It is truly a wonderful sight."
Zuko snorted a bit, "Stop pretending to be nice to me, it's starting to annoy. I kidnapped you, doesn't that bother you? Don't you hate me for it? Instead you're congratulating me on getting engaged to some girl you don't know and talking to me about where you're from like you chose to be here. It's ridiculous."
Katara blinked, caught off guard by his statement. He actually had a valid point, and deep down, the siren did hate him for it. She did resent him, and his people, and everything. But she also felt somewhere, somehow he was a victim in his own way. "I am built to adapt."
"Adapt? Adapt to what? Imprisonment? I hate to break it to you, but you're going to die here. Alone." He stood and began to walk away, his fist shaking a bit with frustration.
For the first time since she had arrived, the siren stood, her eyes dark and her face bearing her curse. She reached out and grabbed the prince by his arm, whirling him around and planting him against a tree. Her hand reached out and grabbed him by the throat, pining him to the trunk. "You will listen, and you will not speak a word, Son of the Dragon. You are weak; the only reason you are alive is by the mercy of the gods. You underestimate me, your father underestimates me, your sister underestimates me - your entire race underestimates me. But I assure you, the one who will die alone is not me, but you -"
"Zuko!" a female voice called. Katara turned to see Mai sprinting towards Zuko. "It's - it's," she panted a bit, trying to capture her breath. The siren immediately let go of the prince and he ran to Mai, touching her shoulder and looking in her eyes.
"What is it, Mai? What's wrong?"
"Your father. He's - he's dead."
Posted: 06/04/2012
A/N: I do apologize for the delay in the releasing of this chapter. I was overwhelmed with final exams, then I was in Europe for a week and a half. It's been a crazy month, ha. I'm definitely not as far as I wanted to be with this story, but I promise to work on the updates and make them a little more consistent so I can get other projects released when I want them to.