Trial by Fire
Chapter 7: Family Alternatives
Zuko took his supper with Iroh that night. The two sat in the retired general's rooms, the older man much quieter than usual.
"What happened with my father, Uncle? What did he say?" The prince scooped up the remainder of his rice and waited for a reply.
Iroh sighed and looked about the sitting room. It was strange to be back in the palace, the home he had been away from for over four years. And it was strange to see Ozai as Fire Lord. He was welcome to the position, though he certainly did not deserve it and was only continuing the tradition of violence and warfare set by their father and their grandfather. There was no compassion in Ozai, no love, only cold, calculated ambition. It frightened Iroh and he feared for the safety of the boy who sat with him now. There was no future for Zuko at the palace, not as long as things remained as they were. And Azula, she was a terrifying child; ten years old and already so cruel. It was one thing to be stupid and cruel, but the thought of that heartlessness combined with the girl's obviously keen intellect, sent a chill surging through the man's body. He actually shivered. The beginnings of a plan began to form in his mind.
Zuko, meanwhile, was growing impatient. "UNCLE, are you even listening?"
"Hmmm, yes, nephew; your father said what I expected him to say. He shows no regret for Azula's actions and he has no plans to punish her in any way. There's not much I can do. But I will go to see your friend and offer my sympathy and my regret for what your sister did. And I will help Mai in any way that I can." Iroh blinked hard, and gave his head a shake. He could feel a sort of despondency setting in and that would not do. He had Zuko to think about now, not just himself. He had spent two years grieving and searching and thinking. It was time, and Zuko provided a good incentive, to really live again.
"That's all? That's all Father said?" The prince was obviously disappointed, though deep down he expected exactly nothing from Ozai. It was what he had always gotten after all. Why did he continue to hope that things would change? Why didn't he just give up and move on? He had his uncle who actually cared about what happened to him. Why wasn't that enough?
"That's all," Iroh replied sadly. "And Azula dismisses her actions as nothing; Mai doesn't seem to count at all. I take it that everything here took a much worse turn after your mother disappeared?"
Zuko was taken aback for a moment. Memories of that terrible day and the terrible days that followed flooded his memory. He sifted through them one by one, looking as though he were in a trance. Iroh got up from his chair and moved to his nephew, pulling the twelve year old into a warm bear hug. Zuko accepted the gesture, pressing his head into Iroh's broad, comforting chest. "Mom tried with Azula and Dad, but they didn't listen. And then she said goodbye that night and she vanished." A choked sort of sob escaped his lips. "And it's been horrible here, Uncle. I hate it. Mai's, she's the only good thing here."
"Oh, Zuko, I'm so sorry. I wish that I could bring your mother back. I wish that things were different here for you." He rubbed the weeping boy's back. 'Probably wasn't allowed to grieve properly' he thought angrily. 'You bastard, Ozai; you don't deserve a son like Zuko. You don't deserve him at all.' "You cry all that you want. It's good to cry. It's a normal part of grieving and you're still grieving her loss. I can see that."
Zuko did. He cried until he could cry no more and when he was finished felt almost cleansed. "Father got mad at me if I, if I did that. So I tried not to. Once, with Mai, I did. She didn't laugh or anything."
"Sounds like a sensible girl, a good friend. You hang on to people like that, Zuko, and let go of the others, the ones who would hold you down." He clapped his nephew soundly on the back. "Now, I'm going to sneak into the kitchen and make a fresh pot of tea. Come along; I should begin your education about the wonders of that simple leaf."
Ty Lee waited outside the palace gates for a few moments before stepping by the guards and onto the grounds. It was the last place she wanted to spend her afternoon, but when it came to the royal family, choice was not an option, not if you wanted to keep your family whole and safe from threats. Since the incident with Mai, Ty Lee knew better than ever that Azula could and would hurt those she called friends.
Trying to inject herself with some sort of joy, Ty Lee did a series of flips and cart wheels, making her way almost to the gardens. By the time she stopped, the girl felt considerably better. Acrobatics rarely failed to cheer her up. She straightened her pink tunic, the colour she preferred when outside of school, and ran her fingers through the tangled end of her braid. Her face was flushed now from the exertion and she smiled prettily as she gazed at the trees and flower beds.
"You're here," Azula declared from a few feet away.
Ty Lee hadn't heard the princess approach and jumped a bit, nervous already. "You asked me to come." No friendly greeting, no praise, no sucking up. She simply couldn't do it, no matter the anger she saw bubbling beneath the calm surface of Azula's perfect features. All she gave was a shrug, much like one Mai would give Azula.
"Still upset about Mai? Geez, why can't everyone just get over it? My stupid Uncle Iroh's here now and he's all mad too. Come on, Ty Lee." The princess grabbed hold of the girl's sleeve and pulled, hard. "I want to play hide and seek."
The acrobat was surprised. It was such a childish game compared to the ones Azula usually wanted to play. Pretending to lead a troop of soldiers against the enemy, using generous helpings of her firebending was more Azula's style. "Um, okay," she finally agreed, albeit with a bit of trepidation. "I guess you want me to hide?"
"Of course, dummy. I'll count to twenty five, starting now." Azula gave her a little shove and Ty Lee ran.
Every instinct told her to run home, back to the safety of her room and her family. She fought the urge with everything she had and instead found a hiding spot between a wildly overgrown bush and the stone wall that surrounded the grounds. It was a tight squeeze and the branches scratched her face, leaving tiny red lines on her pale skin. "Ouch," she whispered and wiped at the scratches, her fingertips coming away red with blood. Slouching down so that she sat on the dry earth, Ty Lee prepared to wait.
She could hear the princess's footsteps nearby and the sound of her breathing. Sucking in her own breath, Ty Lee held it, not letting it go until the footsteps faded into the distance. It was almost cozy in her spot and the acrobat felt her eyes slide shut. Sleeping had been difficult and her dreams filled with horrifying images ever since Azula had burned Mai. She was in a perpetual state of near fatigue. "Just for a minute," she murmured and fell asleep.
The smell of something burning roused her from her slumber. Then she felt a hand hauling her out from behind the bush. It was still smoking and was considerably smaller than it had been earlier in the day. "You're supposed to hide where I can find you," Azula snarled.
"You did find me," Ty Lee replied innocently. "It just took you awhile. Do you want to hide now?"
"No," the princess pouted. "I want you to go home. This wasn't any fun. Everything's different now."
Much as she hadn't been able to muster any enthusiasm when greeting Azula, Ty Lee couldn't manage to look disappointed either. "All right; my mother has things for me to do anyway."
She gave the princess a feeble wave and ran as if her life depended on it. She hoped with everything she had that Azula never asked her over again.
Zuko slipped the Earth Kingdom knife into his belt and walked to his uncle's rooms. He paced the hallway, anxious to get going. He was a little bit apprehensive about giving Mai his prized possession. Missing it wasn't a worry. He just hoped that Mai would understand the gesture for what it was, not interpret it as pity or some sort of way to buy forgiveness. With a bit of a growl, he knocked on Iroh's door.
"I'm coming, nephew. Agni, you're impatient. We'll need to work on that." He pulled open the door and gave the boy a smile. "I want to look my best for this visit." He turned about, giving Zuko the full view. "Well?"
"You look fine, Uncle. Can we go now? Ty Lee's probably waiting for us already." He was slightly embarrassed by Iroh sometimes. The man's candor and peculiarities sometimes made him blush. He was certainly strange compared to Ozai and Azula. It was a good strange, though, the boy decided, and he could live with it.
They strolled through the palace grounds, then through the gates and out into the street. People looked up as they entered the flow of pedestrian traffic and a sort of murmur traveled through the crowds, but everyone gave the royals their space.
"Dad would never leave the palace on foot," Zuko remarked. "Neither would Azula. They always take the palanquin and a bunch of guards."
"I believe that a leader should be able to mingle with his people. He is not better than them or above them. In fact, he should consider leading them a privilege. Remember that, Zuko, for when you are Fire Lord."
Zuko stared down at his feet. "I, I don't think Father wants me to succeed him. Azula's the perfect one. I do everything wrong."
"We'll see about that," Iroh said confidently as they approached the steps to Mai's house. "Don't worry, my boy. Your day is coming. You just wait."
Ty Lee was already sitting atop the staircase, head propped up in her hands and elbows resting on her knees. She grinned when she spotted Iroh and Zuko. "Hi," she called cheerfully. "It's nice to see you, General."
"Please, dear, just call me Iroh. And I can't believe it's little Ty Lee there in front of me. My, you're a pretty young lady now. And you're a good friend too." He took her hand in his and gave it a friendly squeeze.
Ty Lee flushed from the praise, jumped up and went to the door. "Thanks, and hi, Zuko."
"Hi," the prince replied. He fidgeted with the knife at his belt, pulling it in and out of its sheath.
"Well, Ty Lee, give the door a knock, will you." Iroh winked at her and she complied with one of her brightest smiles.
Katashi opened the door and ushered everyone inside. He stared at Iroh appraisingly. The prison warden had heard his fair share of rumors about the older prince, the one who should have been Fire Lord; a fierce general, unparalleled in his skill had now gone to seed, and become a blubbering, grieving mess, incapable of taking care of himself, much less an entire nation. But the man before him was vital and alive, humor and intelligence obvious in his amber eyes. There was grief there too. Katashi could see it clearly enough. But it was in the background, under control. Mai's uncle had a feeling that Iroh was still very much a force to be reckoned with.
Iroh gave the man a deep bow. "You must be Mai's Uncle Katashi. Zuko mentioned that you were here, tending to your niece. We have that in common then. I love my nephew as if he were my own. And I will always protect him with everything that I have."
The warden bowed back. "Yes, I can see that. Mai's waiting for everyone. She's had a bit of a difficult day. It's as though what has happened to her finally sunk in completely. She's down, very down." He frowned then. "I'm very angry myself and would love to have a talk with your niece. In fact, a good part of me would like to throttle her. She's done something unforgiveable and she's getting away with it."
The retired general looked stricken. "I spoke with her yesterday. She shows no remorse at all and her father has no intention of punishing her. In fact, if anything, he approves. Things are very, very wrong at the palace and I am so very sorry that Mai had to pay the price." He gazed imploringly at the taller man. "I realize that nothing can change what has happened to Mai and that she will bear a mark for the remainder of her life. But, I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to help her in any way that I can."
Katashi nodded. "I appreciate that. You can follow me up the stairs."
Mai sat quiet and still in a padded chair. She stared blankly out the window at the gardens.
"Your visitors are here," Katashi announced. "Come on, Mai." He turned back to the guests. "I'm going to have some tea brought up." The imposing man rang for a servant, gave his instructions and then turned back to see Mai facing the trio of visitors. She gave them a feeble smile but said nothing.
"Hey," Ty Lee chirped. "I brought you something, Mai." The girl pulled a book from inside her tunic and handed it over. "It's Sonomi's, but she said it was okay to give it to you."
Mai reached out and took the book, nodding her thanks mutely. She'd already finished her complete collection of stories and was grateful for something different to read. Staring from underneath her thick, dark lashes, Mai took in Zuko. He looked handsome like he always did, but more nervous than usual. She almost smiled, but not quite. Iroh stood beside the young man she thought she might love. He was as kind looking as she recalled from a few years earlier, the silly, tea loving man who could also be as tough as her own uncle. Why was he here?
As if Iroh could read her thoughts, he approached the chair and spoke. "Mai, I am here to humbly offer my apologies for what has happened and to offer you my services. Anything I can do for you I will."
Part of Mai wanted to lash out, ask Iroh why he couldn't do something with that niece of his or make the burn go away. But she bit her tongue, hard enough to hurt and hard enough to draw blood. "Thanks," she mumbled.
"I also want to thank you for being a friend to Zuko. He's told me about the two of you."
Zuko and Mai both blushed instantly. Ty Lee giggled and Katashi whipped his head around to stare at the young prince. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"Relax, Katashi. He simply told me what a good friend Mai has been over the past few years. It's sweet and it's innocent. Goodness, you really do need some soothing tea."
"As long as he keeps his hands to himself," the warden growled. "And I don't need any soothing."
Iroh couldn't help but chuckle. "You sound a bit like Zuko. We could all use some soothing sometimes. Perhaps we should leave the young people alone for awhile and enjoy our tea downstairs. Would that be acceptable?"
The warden threw a searing glance Zuko's way and the young prince twitched under its power. "That is acceptable. You've got an hour, children."
The three young people enjoyed their tea quietly, no one saying much of anything. Even Ty Lee kept the conversation to a minimum. Finally, Mai could take the strange silence no longer.
"Sorry," she shrugged. "I feel," she reached up and touched the bandages, "I feel sort of scared. They come off in less than a week." Her lower lip trembled slightly and Zuko wanted very badly to go to her, offer whatever comfort he could. He held back, though, and touched his knife once again.
"It'll be okay, Mai. We'll be here, if you want, I mean. And it won't change anything for us." The acrobat smiled as cheerfully as she could given the topic of conversation. Sensing that Zuko wanted some time alone with Mai, she got up from her spot on the bed and went to the door. "Um, I need to use the bathroom. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay," Mai said.
Zuko looked relieved and pulled up a chair, placing it close to Mai's. He gulped and the girl looked at him curiously. "What is it, Zuko? You look kinda weird."
"Um, you know my knife, the one that my uncle gave me?" He was blushing again and rubbing the back of his neck.
'Yeah, I sort of remember it," the girl replied, voice heavy with sarcasm.
"Well, I want to give it to you. Here." He thrust the blade at her, handle first and Mai jerked a bit.
"Why?" The uncovered part of her face was a warm pink now and she took the proffered gift gingerly.
Zuko pointed to the characters on the blade. "Do you remember the inscription?"
"Never give up without a fight," Mai quoted, her eyes drifting across the elegant characters. She was moved to tears then, and let them fall freely. "Thank you, Zuko." Reaching out, she put her hand on his. "Thank you."