Trial by Fire
Chapter 3: Residual
The young girl stretched and yawned then reached for the extra pillow and pulled it down over her head, trying in vain to block out the cacophony of noise that seemed to be everywhere at once. It was good noise, though, familiar and comforting. She felt happy and cozy and for a moment everything was all right. Her stomach rumbled with hunger and the thought of the big breakfast that awaited her almost got her out of bed.
Removing the pillow, (it was useless anyway), she watched lazily as one of her older sisters, Sonomi, brushed out her hair then pulled on her school uniform. "You don't have to get up, Ty Lee. Mom said that you could miss school today." With a sympathetic smile, she left the bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
"Not go to school," Ty Lee mused. "What's going on? Mom never lets me miss school." Then she remembered; the trauma and the emotions of the day before hit her full force, sending her reeling. Her lip trembled and she began to cry, wiping angrily at eyes already red and sore. "How did I forget that?" she asked herself. "I'm a bad friend." The truth was, Ty Lee had come home from the palace shaking with anger and more upset than her family had ever seen her. Her mother had led her upstairs and drawn a soothing bath, allowing the girl to tell the story in her own time and in her own way.
"I didn't see her do it, Mom" Ty Lee finally blurted out in a strangled voice. "But it was her. Zuko wouldn't. He's not like that. But Azula is scary sometimes and she gets really mad."
"What did the princess do?" her mother asked softly. She hadn't realized that the Fire Lord's daughter was a danger to her own. Perhaps it was time to sever the connection. Or maybe it was too late for that.
"She burned Mai's face really bad all because she was with Zuko." The ten year old shuddered and closed her eyes. But the image of that burn was right there waiting for her, and Zuko's face too, the terror and the sorrow. What was most frightening of all, though, was the memory of Azula, her utter disregard for Mai and the pride she obviously took in her actions.
Ty Lee's mother smothered her own gasp with a hand slapped over her mouth. She stroked Ty Lee's wet hair, trying her best to ease the girl's suffering. "Poor Mai," she whispered. "I'm sorry you had to see that, sweetie. I'm so sorry."
Ty Lee was tucked into bed then, much as she had been when she was two and three. But the girl didn't object and drank without question the tea her mother served her. She fell into a deep sleep soon afterwards, a deep, restful, dreamless sleep.
An overwhelming desire to see her mother overcame the acrobat. She crawled out of her warm bed, opened the door and padded through the hallways and down to the kitchen.
"Honey, what are you doing out of bed? Wouldn't you like to sleep some more?" Ty Lee's mother, her name was Kaori, rushed to the ten year old, putting an arm around her shoulder. "You had a terrible day yesterday and it's perfectly fine if you don't want to do anything."
Ty Lee's sisters, all six of them, sat at the table gobbling down their breakfasts. It was remarkable how similar they all looked, despite their difference in ages. The same large grey eyes peered out of every pretty, round face and the same brown hair was braided or pulled back neatly from every head. She loved them, each and every one, but sometimes it seemed as though all seven girls, ranging in age from four to sixteen, blended into one large entity, with no individual qualities.
The family was well off, her father was a nobleman, after all, and her mother had plenty of help, but still the burden of nurturing seven girls fell squarely on her shoulders. It was an enormous task, one that tired Kaori out. And it was difficult to always find the time needed to make each and every daughter feel unique. She did her best and she did it with love, so Ty Lee couldn't fault her. That didn't stop the wish sometimes that she was an only child like Mai. But Mai was no happier. Her parents had wanted a boy to continue the line, so to speak. Mai was a bit of a disappointment, especially since no second child had ever arrived.
"I, I wanna see Mai today. I wanna make sure she's okay. I don't care what her mom says or what her dad says. I hate them anyway. They don't care about her. Only me and Zuko do." She began to cry again.
Kaori pulled her close and patted her back, whispering words of solace that only a mother knew. Six sets of eyes watched and listened carefully to everything while never missing a bite. "Come on now, Ty Lee, eat some breakfast. You probably don't feel like it, but I want you to try. And then we'll walk over to Mai's house together. The young ones can stay with Emiko for awhile."
"Th, thanks, Mom." Ty Lee bravely wiped at her eyes and took her place at the table.
The oldest of the girls, Kotone, who was sixteen, betrothed, with a wedding day soon approaching, looked her sister up and down. "There's no sense in crying, Ty Lee. What's done is done." She was a practical girl, calm and clear headed, Ty Lee's antithesis. "And your friend had better prepare herself for a life alone. Maybe she can join one of the temples, or something."
"That's enough, Kotone! Your sister is upset; show some compassion." Kaori was soft, like Ty Lee, but she had a core of steel and when angered, one did not mess with her.
Kotone bit down on her tongue, swallowing her next cruel remark. She flipped perfectly done brown hair over her shoulder and sighed. "Fine; I'm sorry, Ty. I just want you to be sensible, that's all. And don't worry, Mom, I'll be out of the house soon."
"Oh, for Agni's sake, Kotone, that's not what I meant. You've got your own dramatic streak, don't you? Finish up, Ty Lee, then go and get dressed. I'm ready." The mother watched as all her girls headed off in different directions, some out the door to school, some outside to play and some back upstairs to muse about their futures.
Ty Lee picked at her food, taking only a few bites before going back upstairs to wash and dress. She was ready to leave half an hour later and took her mother's offered hand willingly. "I'm scared, Mom."
"Imagine how Mai must feel dear," Kaori said and gave her daughter's small hand an encouraging squeeze.
If Kaori didn't know any better, she would think that Mai had died. The house was a house in mourning, dark and shuttered, nothing inside but silence broken only by the occasional footstep on the stairs or the sound of a door closing softly. She and Ty Lee had run into the Royal Physician on the way there, a fine, kind man he was, and he had assured them both that Mai would be physically fine.
"Mai will be glad to see you, Ty Lee." He beamed at the girl and patted her head. "She needs her friends now; seems her parents are not giving her the support that they should." The last words were spoken with an angry bitterness and he shook his head back and forth. He was muttering to himself as he walked across the street and back to the palace.
"I told you they were mean," Ty Lee declared. She waited for her mother to knock on the door, standing back a bit in case one of Mai's parents should open it. It was a servant, though, and she ushered them in rather hesitantly.
"You may wait in here," the old woman said and opened the door to a small sitting room. "I'll go speak to the mistress of the house."
Mai's mother appeared, remarkably composed and perfectly made up, a few minutes later. "Hello, Kaori, hello, Ty Lee; I suppose you're here to see Mai."
"Yes, Akira. Ty Lee is very concerned about her friend. Would it be all right for her to spend some time with Mai? And perhaps you could use someone to talk to."
"I'll have some tea made," Akira replied. "Ty Lee, you may go up to Mai's room. She's a bit groggy from the pain medicine, so don't expect a lot."
"That's okay." Ty Lee jumped up from her chair and ran up the stairs, heedless of the frowns that both Akira and her mother made.
Mai's room was darkened like the rest of the house. The injured girl laid on her back, stretched out straight, hands folded neatly on her lap. A sheet was pulled up to her chest and fresh white bandages covered the left half of her face. But for the gentle rise and fall of her chest, Mai looked like a corpse. Ty Lee sucked in her breath, suddenly afraid and uncomfortable. She wasn't sure what to do or say.
"It's all right, Ty Lee. I'm not dead." Mai's voice was a little weaker than usual, but the raspy dryness was wonderfully familiar.
The acrobat moved from her spot near the door and ran to Mai, plopping herself down on the edge of the bed. "Oh, Mai; I'm so sorry. I didn't know she would do that. I should have stopped Azula. How does it feel? What did the doctor say?"
Mai's feeble smile was more like a grimace. Despite the pain killing herbs she was full of, moving her face at all was torture. "Hurts," Mai ground out. "Not your fault…Azula." She could feel the tears prick at her narrow gold eyes but fought them back. She lifted a hand and gingerly touched the bandages. She was terrified of what lay beneath. The Royal Physician's compassionate eyes had told her everything she needed to know. Sure, he had tried to be positive, but Mai could see the deep concern and when he dressed the burn, she saw him flinch. It was ugly. It was horrible. And it would never, ever go away. "And yeah, I'll have a scar. That's a real shock."
Ty Lee simply couldn't help it. She began to cry again, fat tears spilling down her round cheeks. They fell onto the sheet, leaving a damp spot. "I'm getting you wet," she joked and vainly tried to smile. She reached for Mai's hand and held on tight.
"Maybe my parents will finally shut up about marrying me off. See, Ty, it's not all bad." Mai grimaced again.
"What about Zuko?" the grey eyed girl sniffled. "Maybe you'll marry him."
Mai snorted and then cried out in pain. "Imagine me as princess….ha….."
"Are you all right?" Mai nodded. "Want me to call your mom?" Mai shook her head very carefully. Ty Lee looked relieved. "Zuko doesn't care about any of that and you know it, Mai."
The ebony haired girl shrugged. Maybe Zuko didn't care, but would the Prince of the Fire Nation be allowed to marry a disfigured girl? She doubted it. The thought saddened her and those tears pricked at her eyes again. "Maybe," she managed to whisper.
Akira poured the tea. Her hands shook and some of the amber liquid spilled on to the table.
"Here, let me help," Kaori offered. She put a hand over Akira's and gently pried the tea pot away from her. "There you go." She handed Mai's mother the cup and watched as she sipped gratefully at the strong brew. "How are you handling things?" she asked hesitantly. "You must be angry at Princess Azula. I'm livid and my daughter isn't the one who's been burned."
"I'm not angry. Mai must have done something to upset the princess. Why else would she burn Mai?" She took another sip of her tea and looked down at her robes, wiping at an imaginary stain.
Kaori looked aghast at the woman. What was wrong with her? What kind of mother was she? "From what Ty Lee says, the princess is a scary girl. What could Mai have done to warrant that punishment? What Azula did is wrong."
"Well, it doesn't really matter anyway. Her life has been destroyed. None of the young eligible men will even look at her now, let alone marry her. Hoshi and I need to find someone who will disregard the scar…maybe an older man, someone who's given up on finding a wife."
"I think you need to concentrate on Mai getting better, don't you? Your daughter's well being is more important than finding a husband for her. She's only eleven." Kaori was angry now and it was all she could do not to throttle Akira.
"That's easy for you to say, isn't it?" Akira spat out haughtily. "Your daughter is betrothed to the perfect man. She'll have a wonderful life and it will all reflect back on you and your husband. What do Hoshi and I have now? We have a daughter with a disfigurement. No one will look at her twice. So we'll do what's needed."
"I'm going to leave now. I'd like to go up and get my daughter, if that's all right, and say hello to Mai." Kaori didn't wait for Akira's answer. She put down her tea cup and left without another word.
"It's time to go home, Ty Lee." Kaori pushed Mai's door open and peeked inside. "Hello, Mai, dear; I'm so sorry for what's happened. I'll do whatever I can to help you, okay?"
"Okay," Mai croaked.
"Why do I have to go?" the acrobat whined. "We just got here."
Kaori stepped inside the room and stroked her daughter's hair. "Mai needs her rest to heal. You can come back tomorrow, isn't that right, Mai?" She touched the girl then, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, tomorrow, that would be nice. Bye, Ty Lee." Mai closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. At least there was no pain there.
Zuko snuck off to Mai's house later that day. Azula was busy training, completely unconcerned by what she had done the day before. And Ozai, he was in the war room, strategizing with his generals. Neither of them cared at all that a girl was suffering and would suffer the residual effects of Azula's actions for years to come, probably for the rest of her life.
The prince wanted to hurt his sister, make her feel a tiny bit of the pain Mai must be enduring. But she was stronger and better and had Father on her side. He had no one.
What could he do? He'd been helpless to stop Azula the day before. He had let it happen. He had let someone he cared about, one of the very few people who meant anything to him, get hurt. The guilt he carried now was enormous and the pain he felt might just rival Mai's.
He stood on her white stone steps and waited for someone to let him in. It was Mai's mother, someone he had seen only a few times, who finally came to the door. She gazed sourly at him and blocked the way.
"Are you here to get Mai's hopes up?" She narrowed her eyes then, and examined him closely.
Zuko was confused. "Wha, what do you mean? I just want to see her."
"What's the point? She's ruined. Do you have any idea what her face will look like? Are you telling me that you're interested in her?"
"I, she's my friend and I don't care what she looks like. I'm worried about her, that's all. Will you let me in now?" He pushed himself forward and was more than willing to use his station as prince to force the issue.
"I suppose that I don't have a choice, do I." Akira pulled the door open wider. "Her room is upstairs, the second on the right. Don't be long."
"Thanks," the prince muttered not very politely. He hesitated at the bottom of the winding staircase, breathed in deeply, then found his courage and took the first step.
A/N: Thanks to Ix for helping out.