hello again! this is a tad overdue, but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless!

thanks for all of the support so far! i do hope i'm not boring you. :)

-TSA

Chapter 18:

"I'd rather betray the world than let the world betray me."Cao Cao

It was a rather astounding teashop. Emerald walls adorned by golden dragons, pillars of marble holding up a jade tiled roof, a hundred tables scattered about the smooth floors (each one full of lively people). The smell of freshly brewed tea was an aroma that could warm any heart. As she sat down in a seat beside Iroh, she found her eyes on Zuko as he made his rounds about the room. He was smiling, which seemed a tad odd since his eyes were trying to fight back a saddened gleam.

She had refrained from asking him about his encounter with Briar in the palace, assuming that he had managed to speak with her. Whatever their drama was, she didn't want to get involved. The most important matter was seizing the opportunity to get into the palace. So much of her wanted to just strangle Briar for all this bullshit, but she figured a stern talking to might make her break. If there was one thing she knew her niece hated, it was someone being disappointed with her.

"You're thinking about it again, Hikaru."

She glanced over at Iroh, smiling while he slid his hand over hers, "How can you tell?"

"It's fair to say I know you well enough." Iroh chuckled, "I don't want you to worry so much. I hear The Avatar is inside the palace walls."

"It still doesn't sit well in my stomach. I just wish I knew something of her plan."

"I'm not sure anyone knows her real plan…" Iroh sighed when he saw Hikaru shake her head sorrowfully. He tapped her on the nose, which made her blush like a silly school girl. Facing him, she welcomed his gentle kiss, wishing with all her might that she was years younger, "Let The Avatar take care of this."

"Iroh, should The Avatar succeed…" She blushed while twirling her finger in her hair, "What will become of us?"

He seemed pleased to hear that she had been thinking of the same thing, "What would you like to become of us?"

"Don't pin this on me!" She laughed, though the tiny ache in her chest made her gaze darken. What means would it take to spend the rest of her life beside him, "There was a gloom over me when you left. I'd like to think you're going to be my light in whatever comes of my niece's mess."

"I would hope that you intend on being my light as well." He gave her another kiss, and she found herself forgetful of the people in the teashop, "For I've spent many years unable to let go of the darkness in my past." He affectionately set his hand against her cheek, "But your smile makes things all the brighter."

Of course she'd smile at that! But their tiny romance was thwarted as someone came walking up to them. It was a young boy, adorned in emerald robes with rich, gold embroidery. He gave them both a bow before handing Iroh a sealed scroll. As the messenger left, Iroh opened it to find an invitation to the palace.

Hikaru's eyes were wide, the cogs of her brain turning, "Guess I'll be paying a visit to Briar..."

Iroh glanced over at her, laughing at her features that contorted with the thirst for vengeance, "Be careful, Hikaru. You wouldn't want to cause a stir!"

"Oh, I won't!" She playfully punched his shoulder, "I just plan on straightening her out."

. . . .

She back to wearing a cheongsam instead of her heavy, layered robes. It was crimson, dark enough to be the color of blood, with a gold tiger stretched out across the back with its claws tearing apart a blazing sun. There was a high collar that hid her tanned skin as she powdered her face white. Drawing a brush along her lips, she painted them the same crimson of her dress before sweeping rouge across her cheekbones. She slid on a pair of gloves that climbed up to her shoulders almost to connect with the cap sleeves of her dress

The face staring back at her wasn't one she recognized. It was ugly, the face of a young ruler that accepted her arranged marriage. Prim, pristine, and obedient, all the things that she prided herself on not becoming…They were etched into her stone cold features that donned her mask of expressionless beauty. That glare of her eyes was glistening with defiance, a look that Zuko hated (as he had insisted on telling her that).

If only he were with her again to rave about the things he hated about her. She truly liked him better that way.

Striding from her room, bare feet silent against the marble floors, she made her way to the audience chamber, where she had been told to meet for the arrival of "the finest tea makers in Ba Sing Se". Her braided hair bounced against her hips while she quickened her pace until she was standing at the door. She listened to the sounds inside until there was utter silence. A fitting entrance for her- 'It's because my presence provokes silence to ensue.'

Met by the solemn stares of the Dai Li officers, she found that the metal encasing of her heart was slowly rusting enough to break. Seeing Zuko's misunderstanding eyes, she tried to keep her composure. Her most faltering gesture was running her tongue along her top lip. Inclining her head to the men surrounding them, they each took a less defensive stance while she stood in front of Zuko, who had risen to his feet.

"What's going on, Briar?" he asked.

There were tears in the back of her eyes that wanted to smear the green that lined her eyelids, "The Earth King should be with us momentarily." She sat down, resting back on her legs while trying her hardest to keep her façade intact, "I see you two look well."

She feigned a smile, but Zuko wasn't sold by it.

"Why are you acting like this?" he snapped.

She lifted a brow, giving him that same quizzical look she had given Jet as he was being dragged away by the Dai Li, "I am resuming my duties as Queen Amaterasu. I would hate to think that you're upset with me over my formality."

Zuko was staring down at her, but his temper was thwarted as the doors opened and The Earth King entered. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the trace of fear in his taut movements while he sat down beside Briar. He refused to sit, finding that he was bothered by the twelve Dai Li officers that surrounded them.

"Is something wrong, Sir?" Briar whispered.

Their gaze met and he watched a runaway tear flee down her cheek, wiping a thin line of powder off her face before rolling into the material of her high collared cheongsam. He slowly walked over to her, but when he went to touch her cheek, he was seized from behind by a Dai Li officer. Struggling with all his might, he saw the glint of a dagger that sat in Briar's lap.

The doors to the chamber opened with a crash, and Zuko was wide eyed upon the sight of the last person he wanted to see in his entire lifetime.

"Miss me, Zuzu?"

He cursed loudly, still struggling against the soldier that had him restrained, "Azula! You're behind all this?"

"Even I'm not vain enough to admit that this was all my doing." She circled around the room, smirking as her eyes fell upon Briar, who was staring blankly at the knife in her hands, "I believe you're acquainted with Queen Amaterasu?" Briar shivered as Azula's fingertips brushed along her rouged cheekbone, "She has singlehandedly conquered Ba Sing Se-"

"It's still my city," The Earth King hissed.

Azula narrowed her eyes on him, "Not for long." She glanced back over at Zuko, who looked to have accepted defeat when he realized that Briar wouldn't look at him, "Shall I explain her part in all this?" The silence was enough to make goose bumps crawl over Briar's skin, "Or should I have her tell it?"

Briar suddenly rose to her feet, fingers curled around the hilt of her dagger, "Enough, Azula. You easily forget that the last piece you've asked me to play is still in my hands."

"I've not forgotten." Azula yawned, "Why don't you just get it over with?"

Briar turned her eyes to The Earth King, who was staring at her in disbelief. The Spirits would surely haunt her for this. Two Dai Li officers took hold of him, forcing him to his feet while Briar held the blade up to his throat. It would be quick, Azula had told her. Just draw the line across his throat. He wouldn't sputter a word, he'd simply fall. Gazing into his misunderstanding eyes, she found herself wondering what look those orbs would carry as his soul left his body.

Then she began to wonder what would have happened if she accepted his marriage proposal. A true queen and ruler, the most powerful in the Earth Kingdom…But what was the price?

"What are you waiting for? I gave you an order!" Azula bellowed.

Briar reached a hand out to The Earth King's cheek, but he shuddered away from her touch. Hand shaking to hold the dagger, she finally turned away, the blade clattering to the floor. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she turned to Zuko, who was fighting to comprehend the entire situation.

Azula sighed impatiently, picking the dagger off the ground. She gesture for her guards to surround her uncle while twirling the knife in her hands, "Weak. I would have thought you were able enough to conquer the entire city. Obviously, you're not as worthy a queen as I thought." Azula shrugged, clutching the blade tightly until her knuckles turned white, "I'll consider our proposal of helping your kingdom. I don't think you deserve our full agreement since you can't follow a command."

Briar stood taller, wiping her eyes dry, "I may have committed treason, but the Earth Kingdom's blood, the blood of its people, still flows in my veins-!"

"Spare me your speech." Azula turned her gaze to The Earth King, "It's not that difficult, Queen Amaterasu. All you do is-!"

Briar wasn't sure what words had left her lips; for all that she could hear was her scream mixed with the cry of The Earth King as the dagger was plunged into the side of his neck. He crumbled to the floor, blood pooling around his head, left to the mercy of the eyes that had watched him die. It was her fault. It was her fault. Kuei? The Earth King? That meant Chronos was in danger. She was praying that Nalren had received her message about Azula's order and that he was with The Avatar-

"That was simple." Azula stepped over his body, waltzing up to Zuko, who was pale faced, "Would you like to know the story of your Beautiful Betrayer?" She inclined her head to Briar as she fell to her knees, hugging herself, "When my men lost track of you inside the Southern Earth Kingdom, Father enlisted Briar's aid in capturing you. She took a rather personified approach, a true credit to the Art of Seduction that she has prided herself in mastering." She laughed at the sight of Zuko's trembling lip, "She was leading you around in circles, keeping you occupied with fake affections."

"Azula, stop it!" Briar begged.

"The next step was to secure Ba Sing Se, and with you following after her like a lost puppy, it was all too simple!" Azula strutted around the room, "Under my guidance, she lured The Earth King into her web, earning his trust without argument. Arresting Long Feng allowed us access to the Dai Li, who were more than willing to listen to a real commander." She lifted a brow in mock concern as she caught onto the stares of Zuko and Briar as they found each other's eyes, "Our disguises and her insistence allowed us entrance to the palace. Now, there are a few more pieces-"

"Leave it alone, Azula!" Briar had risen to her feet, though however wavering. She walked over to Zuko, wanting to hold him securely in her arms for one last time, "I already told you what I am. I am The Thorn." She saw his eyes watering, fighting to not shed a tear, "You told me you loved me-" Holding his face in her hands, she gently kissed him, "Don't let this get in the way."

Azula yawned, snapping her fingers so that Briar was dragged away from Zuko, "I wasn't done with my story." She smirked while Briar glared at her, "With The Earth King dead, the next in line for the throne is Lord Chronos, Briar's betrothed, who sits in a cell below us. When I have him executed, Ba Sing Se will have no other option than to bow to me."

"Ba Sing Se is too proud to bow to you, Azula!" Zuko yelled.

She waved him off, "Ba Sing Se can only be conquered by the strong." She turned her gaze to Iroh, who seemed to patiently waiting for his moment to speak, "That's why you failed, Uncle."

Iroh bowed his head while rising to his feet, no alarm to the Dai Li officers around him, "Did I ever tell you the story of how I came to be known as the Dragon of the West?"

"Now isn't the time to be reminiscing on 'old memories'."

"Well, then I will just have to show you."

Zuko closed his eyes as a stream of fire spewed from his uncle's mouth, scorching the offices around him and the blinding the others. Slamming an elbow into the stomachs of the men holding him, he made to go after Azula, but was thrown through an opening in the wall blasted by his uncle. He raced down the hallway, ever so often glancing over his shoulder to see how many had followed them. Of the twelve from the room, there looked to only be seven.

Despite his need to escape, he couldn't help his thoughts about Briar.

. . . .

Briar knelt down beside Kuei, having removed the dagger from his neck. It was to be done by her own hand, though she was grateful that it had not been, that didn't excuse the fact that it would have been her. She'd help keep him hostage, and he had known very well the danger of Azula's coup d'état of Ba Sing Se. She ran her fingertips along his pallid cheek while staring into his glossed over eyes that had accepted death before it came.

"You weren't supposed to get hurt." She sighed heavily, "But how could it be avoided? It was Azula's plan from the beginning. Though it was her who drove the blade, it was I who asked you to trust me. Ba Sing Se will fall if I don't protect Chronos." She held his hand, sliding the ring off his finger with the insignia of Ba Sing Se, "If there is anything I manage to do right, please let it be this."

"The dead stop listening after ten minutes." Briar glanced over her shoulder, skin going cold as Hikaru strode into the chamber, adorned by a blue-black cheongsam, "Most people believe them to be truly dead within the second the wound is dealt, but I've come to find that they continue to hear the sounds around them much longer than they actually see it."

Briar's eyes were fixated on the silver serpent that wove its way around the bosom of the long sleeved gown, "What do you know of the dead?"

Hikaru laughed at the naivety of her niece's response, "I was at your mother's deathbed, Brat." She drew in a tight breath, mulling over how the delicate features of her sister's face were reflected in Briar's, though the latter had turned them sharper, "I'll never forget the sight of her jade eyes glossing over until they were a dismal grey. She ordered me to raise you, scolding me for wanting to runaway. She never believed your father was kind enough to care for you-"

"You don't know what you're talking about." Briar rose to her feet, hands clenched into fists to hide Kuei's ring, "My father loved me-!"

"If he loved you, then why was his time spent training you to become this?" Hikaru shook her head, "You should have never learned to spy and deceive, let alone how to seduce. Why would he have wanted you to hurt people?"

"I was taught to be observant and put myself before anyone else. Disagree with it all you want, but it made him a shrewd ruler and powerful king. I won't disappoint him with being soft!"

"You softened when you met Zuko."

She didn't need to yell that to get her attention.

Briar's lips pursed, tears rushing freely down her flushed cheeks as she tried to convince herself that she had a heart of stone. But who was she kidding? There was a pulsing organ inside her, despite its metal encasing. She was strong, though in appearance alone. Truth of the matter, no matter her refusal to accept it, was that she was a sixteen year old girl whose only amount of affection from her father came from his brutal teachings.

There hadn't been much kindness, not until she met Zuko.

"You're wrong, Hikaru." She studied her aunt's offense in being so directly addressed, "There is still metal that surrounds my heart. I'm not free to seek true affection because I can never assure that I will return such beautiful emotions."

"Then you're farther gone that I thought." Hikaru knelt down; picking up a box that Briar hadn't even noticed was at her feet. Opening it, she revealed a crown of emeralds that were embedded into silver, "Maybe this will one day lead you home?"

She set it on the table before turning on her heel. Where she went from there was beyond Briar, and she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Her eyes were fixed on the crown that would normally be sitting on a pillow of velvet. That table did its splendor no justice. Taking it up into her hands, she set it atop her head, closing her eyes to remember the first day she wore it, the day of her coronation, the day her father passed on. Blasphemous it was, but a statement to her people.

She would rule and protect them without a husband.

But what ruler was she?

Her silence was disturbed when footsteps echoed behind her. She spun around, hiding the crown behind her back as she saw Azula make her way inside the chamber, Dai Li officers behind her. Briar tried to compose herself as she saw Zuko weakly fighting against the cuffs that bound his wrists together, but it was a futile effort. She ran past Azula, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head into his chest, though her eyes were purged of all tears.

She stared up at him, disbelieving the cold gleam in his eyes. There were no words that could be spoken as he gave up all hope of escaping, his energy wasted in the burn of his glare. She retreated away from him while drawing in her composure as she took a stance beside Azula, the side she had chosen. When the Dai Li led him off, she turned on Azula, who was smirking over her many victories of the past hour.

"You promised me you wouldn't hurt him," Briar hissed.

Azula rolled her eyes, "I have no intention of hurting him if he intends on helping me."

Briar seized Azula by her collar, pulling their faces close enough to each other that they could perfectly read the surge of emotions that flooded inside them, "If you hurt him, I'll unleash tenfold that on you."

"Your threats mean nothing to me." Azula shoved her backward, "If I were you, I'd be less concerned about Zuko and more concerned about your crumbling kingdom."

Briar allowed the conversation to be left at that. She stomped out of the chamber, despite her guilt of leaving Kuei alone in a pool of his blood. Retreating to her chambers, crown clutched in her hand, she found a letter sitting atop her bed sheets. She seized it quickly and unfolded it, scanning Nalren's words in hopes of comfort. A smile wiggled its way onto her lips as she read of his retrieving of her letter and his search to find Lord Chronos. She was just praying that he had left in enough time to beat the Dai Li to his lord's cell.

wat did you all think? Do you think Hikaru got through to Briar? Or is there just something we're missing completely in her plotting?

I hope you aren't expecting this story to end too soon! there's plenty more to be had and this is only a "modified" version of the second book of the cartoon. there is one more book... :)

well then, look for an update within a couple days! chapter 19 is in the process of being written. It's off to save Lord Chronos!

-TSA