Poise and Indifference
The element of fire cannot be seen unless it is triggered. Earth is embedded into the crusts. Water is found all around in oceans, rivers and lakes. Air is in the atmosphere. But fire, fire must be summoned and sparked, a volcano waiting to erupt.
Just before dawn, Katara woke up feeling hotter. This had been a recurring occurrence ever since they had left the South Pole. The temperature would rise and rise as their journey would stretch longer and longer.
Shortly after breakfast the next day, Captain Zhen had announced their arrival.
She nodded to herself in acknowledgement.
Katara straightened her back and remembered her sister-in-law's words, regard and poise. She must become what they expect to be able to live through their nation. She must live through it or she'll be burned.
Gates had opened for them as the ship steered nearer to land. There were smaller docks on the side and merchants were meeting to greet them similarly to what they do in the South Pole. Many more ports, of course, as the population of the fire nation was much greater and they have fewer resources around to be able to support themselves.
They drifted nearer to the central dock, a more grandeur looking dock and easier access to the rest of the island.
"Why aren't any of the other ships just heading for the central one?" Katara asked. "I mean it would be easier since they would be going towards the city."
"It's reserved for royal ships and official visitors of the palace." Zhen said, carefully.
Enormous pristine walls stood perpendicular to the ground. The wall had lined most of the facade of the island and was divided in the middle where a long road going to somewhere she could not see. Above the walls she could see small layer of rocks and soil. A small gradient upwards similar to a mountain was found a little further away from the pile of land, however it ended there. There was a line which followed all the highest tip of the slope connecting all each one taking an almost circular form, the line of the crater. Only the horizon could be seen beyond.
Part of the wall was carved unto by an insignia, a flame surrounded by a thick ring. Katara thought of this as a sign that she was officially in the fire nation.
"Are we going to meet the prince on the harbour?" Katara was nervous. She was certainly not looking forward to this.
"I'm not sure." He looked uneasy. "I suppose it depends."
Katara wanted to ask, it depends on what, exactly? She kept quiet and continued to inspect her surroundings. They had stopped and some of the crew were rushing to prepare for disembarking.
There was a small crowd forming at the other end of the make shift bridge connecting them to land. Most of the crew were first to get off the barge and the people had greeted them with hugs. The crowd seemed to mostly be family of the soldier longing to be reunited with their family again after the long journey to and from the South Pole. The disadvantage of being in the navy is that it is unclear when they have to report to service and when they'll be back only rough estimates. They might be two days too early or two weeks too late. The soldiers are just certain they will have to return at some point.
She deemed them lucky. They might have no idea when they'll be called or they'll be back but she knew she would not be back at the South Pole for a long while. Katara had accepted her fate of marriage to the prince of the fire nation but it did not make it easier for her to leave her home not having any idea when she'll be back. Two years? Two decades? Maybe Katara wouldn't be able to return back to the South Pole at all. The fire nation had offered many exciting things that they could never have in the South, completely different and she thought of it as another adventure, like the Froggy Swamps or the North Pole; but permanently moving to another place in exchange for home? It had sparked some of her hesitance.
But she was here in the fire nation; there was no turning back now.
Katara watched as one by one the soldiers started slowly disappearing with their respective families. She had little resentment towards them. There were some who remained but their party had diminished quite greatly as some of the soldiers gone.
Katara saw the Captain walking towards her holding a small scroll.
"Miss Katara. The prince has been caught up in the palace." He informed her. "We shall escort you to the Royal Caldera."
The prince wasn't present to greet her. How rude, she thought angrily. He might have had a significant affair, but shouldn't meeting his betrothed come first, she questioned to herself. Was she not of importance? She refused to let her irritation show and replied, "Let us go, then."
The walk past the market place was quite extraordinary. Katara had refused to ride the palanquin and insisted she would walk. The guards seemed sceptical but said nothing. Walking would make their journey longer, she knew but, the water bender didn't mind. There were people staring at her and quietly whispering. Katara supposed that it was because she had looked very different from everyone. The fire nation had gold eyes and pale skin. Her blue eyes and dark complexion were viewed as quite exotic here, she thought. The fact that she was wearing a cerulean frost dress was enough to stand out from the crowd of people dressed in various shades of red and gold.
Katara's thoughts and the crowd's attention were distracted by a sudden shriek for help.
"My boy!" The lady cried. "My boy's been burned!"
She rushed alongside the crowd who hurried to the source of the yells.
"The hospital is in the other side of town."
"Excuse me, sir." She politely moved to the front and entered the household. She saw the woman kneeling before a small crying child. "May I help?"
The woman seemed surprised but nodded.
"I- can I have a bowl of water please?" Katara said. She was unsure how to proceed with this. She had some basic training with healing when she discovered her talent but had never had an attempt with burns.
A man offered a small bowl of water to her and she set it on the ground. She kneeled in front of the child similarly to his mother who had moved to give her way. The boy seemed about three years of age. He seemed afraid of her, perhaps because she looked different. Katara offered a small smile before she began took a deep breath. Just like demonstrated in the training sessions, Katara bended the water to wrap around her hands and applied it to the red burn.
Her patient was looking with fascination at the alluring glow of the water. Katara had focused on running her hands on and around the burn on his arm. When she was satisfied, she lifted her hands and surveyed her work. The skin was red but the swelling had reduced.
"Thank you, miss." The mother was overjoyed with relief. The boy gave her a shy smile but remained wary.
"What caused this?" She inquired.
"His brother was practicing fire bending but had lost control."
After Katara had left the area, a soldier informed her that the area was considered in to be part of the lower class and had a lack of medical attention available.
"Some of the people here only go to the hospitals when their conditions are dire." The soldiers admitted sadly. "They cannot afford the treatment."
Otherwise they try to heal themselves, she thought to herself. She was aware of the dangers of getting treatment from untrained healers, even the simplest mistakes can lead to death.
In the South Pole, they did not believe in the use of slaves. People were people and they have their own function in the world. She may have lived in the high chief's house but she did her chores like the rest of the girls her age. She cooked, cleaned and assisted in their tribes needs. She would heal and often travel to other smaller communities in the nation. She would help and play with some of the children.
But, Katara had other duties because of her father's position. She was an ambassador to the Northern Water Tribes. She had visited them because of responsibilities long before her brother had whom was now living there. She had helped drawn various trade proposals between the different nations within the Water Tribes. She was in and out of the military facilities because her work as a diplomat had conflicted with her military training. Sokka had not dealt with such intervention. He was able to complete his training aside from being a hunter and sharing some of their father's minor jobs. He had even enjoyed playing in the politics of the higher rankings in the military. She had no time for it.
Nevertheless, Katara was not naive to the practices of the other nations.
Most of his life, he had thought that he'd have Mai to marry and rule beside him as fire lady. Zuko had never given thought of the possibility that he wouldn't end up with Mai which had explained a lot of his current predicament.
He didn't know what to say to the girl. Hi, welcome to the fire nation. So, I'll be your husband in a year. By the way, what's your name? That surely would be a recipe for disaster on its own, not to mention embarrassing.
He straightened up as he saw a group of guards followed by a palanquin.
"Captain Zhen." He greeted the man. The last time he had seen him was in the fire lord's office being given orders to head to the South Pole.
"Your highness," the captain returned and bowed.
"Princess Katara of the Southern Water Tribe!", he announced.
Katara
The princess had stood out from the palanquin. The first thing Zuko had noticed about her was her eyes which were blue and recklessly calm like the sea. She wore a cerulean dress that highlighted her dips and the waves of her body. He thought it was quite cliché that he'd used the sea as an adjective about her. But these qualities had her different from the norms around the fire nation, the odd one out.
Zuko had to admit despite this, she was pretty. It was such a shame he really didn't have the patience for marriage right now.
"Welcome to the fire nation." He said, wanting to get this over with. "I'm Prince Zuko."
After walking most of the way, Zhen asked Katara to ride the palanquin. She was about to argue but stopped herself. They were near the palace now and there would be too many questions raised if she arrived on foot despite the availability of a palanquin. So, she went with it and rode in the small box. Katara had never been in one before. It was completely enclosed and there no large windows to be able to see the outside fully. There were small holes for ventilation, however. She could not see the palace but they must have already arrived as it stopped.
Katara needed to recall to herself not to flinch every time she's to be announced as 'Princess'. She walked forward from her position behind Captain Zhen. Like she was taught before, bowed before him but remembered to do so without the hand gesture; she was presenting herself as a person, not a bender.
His tone was a bit uncaring and sparked her simmering anger even more. But she didn't let it show. Indifference, she chanted to herself.
"Thank you." She said simply.
'Prince Zuko' was a tall man almost as tall as Sokka. He was wearing a more stylish version of a soldier's uniform. He had this expression on his face that showed pride. His face was marred with a scar resulting from a burn. From fire bending perhaps like the boy from the market?
After a pause, he had started talking once more."Escort her to her chambers."
"Excuse me, I'm right here." This man didn't meet her when she just arrived and now she's being sent away? Katara didn't think so. She felt the atmosphere around her change from a cold welcome to an alarmed one. She was irritated, "Please do not talk as if I am not here."
The prince seemed surprised at her protest but couldn't form a proper response.
Katara turned away from him and asked the lady the prince had ordered, "Could you please show me to my rooms?"
The girl nodded and led her into the palace. Though she just arrived, Katara didn't want to spend any more time with the prince at the moment and didn't really think there'd be anything for them to discuss. Katara ignored the scandalous look from the prince when she moved away. It seemed the prince was not used to being disobeyed and he would seriously have to work on that. It seems rather unfortunate for the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation to be engaged to a chief's daughter and not a princess whom would be prim and obedient without fuss.
After Katara stalked off, the silence on the front steps of the palace was quite unbearable and Zuko had a need to distract everyone.
"I wish to thank you and your crew for your great service, Captain Zhen." Zuko said, diplomatically.
"It is our pleasure to serve the royal family, my prince." The captain's reply came automatically.
"Please excuse me, Captain." Zuko said politely. "I'm afraid I must attend to some duties."
"Of course, sir." Zhen said, understanding. "We must depart for the earth kingdom anyway."
"It was a pleasure meeting you again." Zuko said in farewell. Zhen and the crew bowed yet again and Zuko hurried inside the palace. He had to tell the fire lord of the princess' arrival. Zuko knew he should probably check if she was alright but she is quite irritated judging from her hasty exit earlier. Zuko was confused as to what caused this. Was it something he said? He couldn't recall his exact words earlier and decided to ponder on it later today. He took a right turn and found himself standing in front of his uncle's office.
A guard had entered behind the door into the room and told the fire lord of his arrival no doubt. The other guard stepped aside to let him pass. Zuko went into his Uncle's familiar office. The guard left and closed the door behind him going back to his post.
The fire lord's workplace was indeed the fire lord's, lavish garlands and souvenirs. Iroh had a habit of collecting art pieces from other nations and the walls were playing host to its vastness. There were scrolls and papers littered all around the room and many more stored in the shelves hanging off the wall. He had a stack of papers in front of him, all waiting for his attention.
"Do you have something you which to tell me, my prince, or is it only your intention to stare at my office's decoration?" Iroh said from behind his desk.
"She's here." Zuko announced.
"Splendid." Iroh exclaimed. He pushed back his chair and stood up. "Where is she them? I simply can't wait to meet her."
"She's uhh… resting." Lame excuse, he thought to himself.
"Yes, of course." The fire lord said unsure. "We will meet at supper then."
Zuko was uncomfortable now as he had just lied to his uncle. He had to fix this before night time or else he'd be told off again.
"Excuse me, my lord." Zuko bowed, such formalities were expected not particularly desired.
"I will see you there as well, Zuko."
Zuko left his uncle's office and went to his own. Once the guards had let him in and shut the door behind him, the prince sat down on his chair and closed his eyes.
In the haste of planning, uncle Iroh had failed to inform him where the princess would be staying, unbelievable. Quickly, Zuko thought of all the possible rooms that she would be staying in. He narrowed it down to three guest suites, all of them near the royal bedrooms. He didn't think Uncle Iroh would assign her one of the visitor rooms in the farther part of the palace as she would be staying here permanently.
As a child, Zuko had enjoyed the intricate hallways of his home. It had allowed many hiding places when playing with his sister and her friends. A big downside, however, was that it was easy to lose track of your location. He once took a wrong turn and found himself in the kitchens when he was intending to go to the gardens. So Zuko had to think of the simplest way to get to all the rooms he suspected to hold the princess.
The prince eventually found the room. The room had been near the private library and opposite to his sister's room. It had been his second guess and he was thankful he did not have to go to the last room which was located in the other side of the wing.
He reckoned it to be the one as there were guards stationed outside the room. As they saw Prince Zuko walking towards the room, the straightened their backs and looked alert. Zuko relayed his wish to see the princess.
"I'm sorry my prince." The guard said sheepishly. "She wished not to be disturbed."
"Understandable." Zuko said nodding. "Please inform her that I will be coming to collect her before dinner, later."
"Yes, sir." The guard said obediently.
Zuko turned around and walked aimlessly around the halls. He had failed his mission of conciliation. The prince realised he had to tell his uncle about it before dinner.
Upsetting your future wife when you meet her? He thought to himself sarcastically. Wise move prince charming.
About half an hour before sun set, Zuko went off to his uncle's office again.
"My prince, it is dinner already?" Iroh asked. It seemed a bit too early and he was puzzled as to his nephew's presence in his office again.
Zuko shook his head. "I may have deliberately failed to inform you about something."
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
Zuko stuttered, "Sh- I… have done something to ang- annoy her."
Iroh pushed the letter he has previously reading and placed his head in his hands. This was not a good start. He gestured for him to go on.
"I don't know exactly what I did but she walked off on me." Zuko ranted, his nervousness obviously gone. "Is she mad because we're fire nation? Because of what happened in the South Pole a couple of years ago?" He was concerned earlier that this would be an issue. "What did I do; how dare she walk off? I didn't even say ten words to her."
"Are you daft, boy?" He exclaimed. "You can't burn down an ice fortress." Practically raising Zuko, the fire lord knew that he had a very bad temper when triggered.
"And this is relevant because," the prince asked. Very sarcastic retorts were surfacing in his mind but he settled for the one which would cause less damage. "Are you suggesting she's an ice queen?"
Even the wisest of men find it a challenge to make an anger-blind child see reason.
"The same rules apply to an angry heart." The old man said completely ignoring his retort. "You must melt it, child. It takes patience which no high man seems to possess."
He let out a loud sigh and left his uncle's office without bidding farewell as his uncle had stop paying him attention as soon as his lecture ended. He was tired and had desired to skip supper all together in exchange for sleep. Unfortunately, two mistakes don't cancel each other out. Zuko had to do the following: collect the princess from her chambers; manage to be civil and find out why she was cross with him; and satisfy the need to make peace. As if this day was long enough, Zuko still had to endure dinner.
A/N I know this chapter is a bit late, or more like a lot. I was confused as to how to write this. Zuko's little defence mechanism will be the death of him, I promise. Anyway, I'm excited about the next chapter because of a certain someone. Also, they finally have their first ever proper conversation in the next one. Reviews, please!