Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar or the song "My Lord and Master" from The King and I, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.

Author's Note: This is another short song from Rodgers & Hammerstein. I always liked it because of the bitter irony, and it seemed to perfectly fit Ursa's likely situation when she was married to Ozai. It's unfortunate that the song has been cut from nearly all the film versions distributed after the original theatrical release, along with the wonderful soliloquy Anna sings to relieve her feelings about the way the king lives.

My Lord and Master

Ursa sat down on the bed in the room she'd been led to and looked around. As she understood it, this was to be hers now, at least until the wedding. It was comfortable enough, she supposed, and the furnishings were inarguably the best available, but she longed for her parents' simple home farther north.

This had been a confusing and flurried couple of days. First, an emissary of Fire Lord Azulon had come to summon Ursa to his presence. There was no refusing such a request, so she had bundled up a few of her belongings and set off within the hour. Looking across the room now, Ursa could see that her plain, lizard-skin bag had been brought here ahead of her. It made her feel a little better to have something familiar around.

He is pleased with me.
My lord and master
Declares he's pleased with me.
What does he mean?

This morning, Ursa had arrived at the Fire Nation capital, and her escort had ushered her into the palace. At this point, a group of women had descended upon her, changing her clothing and painting her face in preparation for her presentation in the throne room.

Once in the Fire Lord's presence, she had naturally assumed the expected position of submission, head and hands pressed to the floor with her legs folded beneath her. At some level, it made her wonder why the ladies had made so much effort, when the dress was just going to be wrinkled and her enhanced face pointed toward the ground. The fires had burned hotly all around, and Ursa had patiently waited for recognition or whatever else was going to happen.

Footsteps had approached her from the side, making a determined circle around her. A hand had suddenly gripped her shoulder, pulling her up. Ursa had lifted her chin then, allowing her countenance to be observed. In front of her, there had been a young man with very sharp features, studying her intently. The coldness in his golden eyes made her want to shrink back, but she had held her ground. The young man had then turned to the silhouetted figure on the platform above and nodded curtly before withdrawing again into the shadows.

"Prince Ozai accepts the lady Ursa as his bride," Fire Lord Azulon intoned, sounding almost bored. "Take her to her room, and begin the preparations." Ursa did her best to betray no reaction at the final revelation of the purpose of her visit. After all, she had already suspected something like this.

What does he know of me,
This lord and master?
When he has looked at me,
What has he seen?

So that was it. The entire transaction had been conducted with hardly any words spoken, and Ursa was brought to this room. She was now the property of the Fire Lord's second son, and her childhood was officially over.

Ursa was a great-granddaughter of Avatar Roku, and it was probably this bloodline to which the royal family was seeking to link itself. She could think of no other reason, since she was only of minor provincial nobility, a rank only granted her because of the Avatar's place in her father's family tree. Young as Ursa was, she was yet cynical enough to see the irony in the fact that the royal family who'd so deliberately gone against everything the Avatar stood for should now want to join with his descendant. Perhaps they thought this would somehow make up for the slaughtering of the Air Nomads and the ongoing search for the new Avatar.

This only answered part of her question, though. Why had Prince Ozai decided to take her as his wife? After all, unlike her, he actually had some choice in the matter, so he must have had a reason. What had he seen in her? She crossed the bedroom and seated herself in front of the mirror that hung over a vanity table.

Something young, soft and slim,
Painted cheek, tapering limb,
Smiling lips all for him,
Eyes that shine just for him,
So he thinks…just for him!

Studying her reflection, Ursa decided that she was attractive enough. She had pretty, regular features framed by thick, dark hair and an hourglass figure accentuated by the snug dress she wore. Slowly, she washed off the makeup, looking at what the prince hadn't seen. Her natural features gazed back at her, much more familiar than the painted woman who'd faced her a minute earlier. Still, even this girl looked sadder and much older than she had just a few days before.

At last, deciding that this exercise only depressed her, Ursa rose and took off the fine gown, hanging it carefully in a wardrobe. She opened her valise and pulled out a comfortable nightdress. Although it was only mid-afternoon, Ursa was tired and wanted to sleep. Maybe a part of her hoped that she would wake in her old room, finding that this had all been a dream.

Regardless, she guessed that the next few weeks would be very busy, and she might as well take her rest while it was allowed. She lay down on the bed, pulling up more covers than were really necessary and staring at the ceiling for a few minutes.

Though the man may be
My lord and master,
Though he may study me
As hard as he can,

Of course, there were many things besides her unadorned face that Prince Ozai had not seen. He did not know what kind of person she was under the superficial beauty, and Ursa wondered whether he ever would. He probably wouldn't care, one way or another. She was little more than a body to him, someone to ally with and produce children for him. Lying there, she tried to reconcile herself to the formality of a royal wedding, followed by sharing her bed with this complete stranger, at least until he tired of her. She thought her parents and younger sisters would be invited to attend, but Ursa couldn't decide whether that would make her situation better or worse.

As she carefully considered her circumstances, an image formed in Ursa's mind. It was the face of a boy from her own village, the one who had brought her flowers and had given Ursa her first kiss when she was 15. He had joined the Fire Navy a few months later, going on one of the many expeditions to find the Avatar who had succeeded Roku. Another piece of irony, perhaps.

Ursa had never quite decided whether she'd loved that boy turned soldier. In her current situation, it didn't really matter. She would truly find love when her babies were born, but that was still years in the future. In the meantime, thoughts of the brave young man from home would sustain her and allow her to feel loved, whatever else happened. At the present moment, that was exactly what the frightened girl needed as she drifted into a restless sleep.

The smile beneath my smile
He'll never see.
He'll never know I love another man.
He'll never know I love another man!

--

Author's Note: The bit about Ursa being descended from Avatar Roku was an idea my husband actually came up with while I was writing Destiny's Call. I couldn't quite work it in there, though, so I decided to put it here. It certainly would explain why Ursa didn't seem to fit in very well with Fire Nation royalty and why Zuko and Aang's lives seem to be so closely intertwined.

Review responses:

Justcallmewolfy: Thank you. I think writing Destiny's Call really helped me explore the sexual sides of the characters, so I'm now able to transfer that into the oneshots.

intricate designs: Thanks!

joehalo15: I'm glad you could see that. Of course, in the Fire Nation, there would be a lot of danger of Katara revealing who she was, so it's unlikely she'd be drinking in such a public place, though that could be an idea for another story entirely.

Kimba616: I guess that's why it sells.:)

Aangs fangirl1214: Yes, that's basically what I was trying to show with Something Wonderful, the different ways of loving someone and the characteristics you notice. I was thinking of trying to do a Kataang with "If I Loved You" from Carousel. I just have to not make it too similar to what I've already done.

Wishing Only Wounds the Heart: Well, I thought the alcohol provided a good excuse for Katara to be a little OOC. Besides, I believe every girl has an "inner slut," just waiting for the right conditions to show herself.

redskin122004: That's okay. I actually read chapter 8 of your story but hadn't got to the point of reviewing yet.