Chapter VIII: The Ember Island Players

Intense blasts of fire erupted through the courtyard of the old royal vacation home as Raya, Zuko, and Aang ran sets of the techniques he had been learning. It was almost like watching a performance as they punched, dipped, and stepped in unison. Raya's green flame was the only thing that threw off the uniformity.

Katara and Toph sat against the stone steps that connected along the path that led back into the confines of the house. As their set came to a finish, the three released a final breath while they lowered their arms for completion. The three bowed to each other, and as they did, Katara said, "Isn't it weird to hide from the Fire Lord in his own house?"

"I told you, this place has been empty for years," Zuko said, taking a seat on the edge of a fountain that no longer worked. "We haven't come here since my family was actually happy; and that was a long time ago." Raya wiped slick sweat from her brow and made for the top portion of her outfit, which was lying next to Zuko's, draped over the fountain near where he sat. He was also grabbing for his in the same moment, and their hands collided briefly atop the material. Raya jerked her hand away reflexively and a crimson blush spread over her cheeks.

"Sorry," she muttered, pulling her top away from his then, and pulling it over her head. It slipped easily over her strong frame and once again covered the large scar that marred much of her torso. She remembered briefly the commotion that had been made over it before the three had started running drills.

0o0

"Time for drills. I need to see how far you're progressing," Zuko said, taking his shirt off over his head and tossing it over the edge of the fountain. Raya tried to avert her eyes so as not to stare at the Fire Prince's chiseled figure. Constantly moving, fighting, and teaching left his body fit and trim. Aang had pulled his shirt off as well, and they looked over at Raya expectantly as though she were nothing more than one of the guys.

With a brief moment of hesitation, she slipped her shirt off over her head, revealing her chest wrap, and a thick scar that spread like a star burst over her left side. Everyone present stared as though they had never seen skin before. Raya watched them staring and raised an eyebrow.

"What," she said, though she knew exactly what.

"What happened?" Aang asked finally, breaking the silence and tension. She looked up and saw that Zuko's hand was absently touching the edge of his own scar as he looked down at hers. She blushed lightly and pushed a hand through some of her white locks.

"A fire nation upbringing happened," she said solemnly. Seeing that they were after more than that, though, she guessed she may as well tell the whole story. "I got to choose my dragon when I was nine. Fire Lord Sozin, my firebending master Xai, and a few palace guardsmen along with myself went to the Ga-Wei cliffs; a home for many dragons when they were still around in great numbers. This came before the tradition of hunting them for sport, it would seem.

"To choose a dragon, you must find one that will submit to your will. Dragons, like firebenders, are immensely stubborn creatures, unless you find your perfect match. I had no idea what I was doing. I was little, and frightened. The Fire Lord watched as though he was part of an audience. A red dragon caught my eye first. Its scales were like crimson, and its eyes like rubies.

"As I approached it, it snarled, and I should have known then to back off, but I couldn't read the situation well. And it was so beautiful. Before I knew what was happening, fire had erupted from its jaws, and I was laying on the ground. Dragon fire is unlike any fire that a human can bend. It's hotter, thicker, and stronger. The burn seared into my flesh and burned long after the fire had stopped. I was sure the Fire Lord was going to let it kill me.

"But a young white dragon chased the red dragon away. I called out for help. Over and over. The pain was blinding, but no one moved. I felt a rough nose nuzzle my hand and an odd sensation on my side. Once the pain subsided enough to see, I realized the white dragon was licking my wounds. It seemed gross at the time, but it worked. I turned my head to see the Fire Lord had left already, and my master was looking down on me. It was like Sozin expected me to fail; why else would he have taken me to the cliffs so young."

Zuko looked as though he wanted to apologize, but held his tongue. He knew he couldn't keep blaming himself for his family's wrong doings. Looking at Raya, he held a new respect for her. Her life had been difficult, too, he realized. She could sympathize with him more than anyone how ruthless an upbringing within the Fire Nation palace could be.

"That's awful," Katara said, and she looked pained for the Demitar.

"It's in the past," Raya said, letting her hands fall and moving to begin their drills. "It took me years to accept it, but I did. It doesn't define me, it's just a part of my body."

0o0

The image of Zuko's face as he took in her scar was stuck in the forefront of Raya's mind. She could see so clearly the way he commiserated with her in that moment, even though no words were spoken. The way his hand lingered at the edge of his own scar, and the look of understanding in his eyes made Raya want to close the distance between the two and say, 'I know it was hard, I know it's still hard; but we're okay.'

"Hey, guys!" Sokka said as he and Suki came hurriedly into the courtyard. The benders and non-benders assembled themselves around Sokka as he unrolled a large scroll. The contents of the scroll were immediately recognizable. At the top were dramatically over done drawings of Sokka, Katara, and Aang. Underneath was a summary of the advertisement; a play that detailed the journey of the Avatar and his gang.

"Check it out!" Sokka said, holding it proudly for everyone to see. "There's a play about us!"

"We came across it while we were in town," Suki said.

"The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed play-write Pu Wan Tim. He's scoured the globe from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se to gather information on their journey. Brought to you by the Ember Island Players." Sokka said as he read the poster word for word. Raya looked over the posters drawings again and raised a discontent eye brow.

"Ugh, they butchered Love Amongst Dragons every year when my mother took us to see it," Zuko said, recalling his childhood.

"Come on, you don't really want to go see this, do you?" Katara asked her brother.

"Of course I do! This is the wacky kind of time wasting nonsense I've been missing," he confirmed, rolling the poster back up and tucking it under his arm.

"So I guess we're going to the theater,"Aang said.

X

The theater already had a large attendance, and the gang found an open section high above in the balconies. They faced directly toward the stage, and would be out of the way of the larger portions of the crowd during intermissions and while leaving the theater. A large red curtain hung across the stage and the ceiling was dotted with dim lanterns.

They all shuffled into the balcony and began to pick seats. Katara slid down the lower bench first, followed by Zuko, then Raya. Toph, Sokka, and Suki took the upper bench. As Aang entered the balcony, he glanced at the seating arrangement and looked towards Zuko.

"Um, I wanted to sit down there," Aang muttered, trying not to let the whole of the group over hear him. Zuko looked at him with a hint of confusion.

"Just sit by Raya, what's the difference," the Fire Prince said. Aang looked like he was about to protest, but figured there was no point and sat down next to the Demitar looking crestfallen.

"Why are we in the nosebleed section?" Toph protested. "My feet can't see a thing from up here."

"I'll let your feet know what's happening," Katara said with a grin.

"Shhh, it's starting," Sokka whispered excitedly. Raya watched as the curtain drew upward and revealed what was supposed to be the southern seas; filled with chilled water and ice. Upon a boat there was the representation of Sokka and Katara. Raya scrunched her face up at bit at the actors being used to portray the two. 'I guess it's called acting for a reason,' Raya thought absently to herself.

Behind her Sokka was having an excited fit at the site of his and his sister's characters on stage. He jostled Katara's shoulder gently and pointed. Katara smiled back and Raya could see that for the moment they were actually excited about the play. That came to a screeching halt as the first few lines tumbled out of each characters mouth.

Sokka was nothing but an endlessly hungry carnivore, while Katara's character spent most of her line time making hope speeches with tears streaming down her overly made up cheeks. Raya turned to see Katara scowling along with her brother while Aang, Suki, Toph, and Zuko giggled. Things only got worse as the play progressed. But that didn't stop those who weren't being made fun of from laughing at those who were.

It was pretty silly until the part of the play came about that detailed Raya's awakening, her struggle with the Fire Lord and Azula, and finally her imprisonment. She felt her face grow hot at the memory of Azula's blue fire in her face, and her stomach twisted a little. She didn't even concern herself with the fact that her actor had on a wiry white wig and was exaggeratedly thinner than Raya; even after her time in the palace prison. Even though it was over acted and poorly done, the memory still hit her like a hot blade.

"You alright?" She heard the Fire Prince whisper. She turned her head slightly and put on her most convincing smile. It was then that she realized how tense she was, and forced her muscles to decompress.

"Yeah, all good," she said. She wasn't sure if she had been convincing enough because although Zuko nodded and returned his gaze to the play, he looked discontent. She didn't think it could get much worse than that, and soon the plays focus returned to Aang, Sokka, and Katara. Raya even had a hearty laugh at Toph's appearance in the play, as her character was played by a large muscular male. Not surprisingly, though, Toph loved it.

Zuko cringed constantly as he was represented in the play, but never more than when scenes between him and his Uncle Iroh came up. By the time the intermission came along, everyone was dying to get out of their seats. There were a lot of grumbles and Raya could see that everyone was pretty unhappy with most of the things they'd seen so far.

Outside their balcony, they found themselves on a large outdoor balcony that displayed the grey horizon as the sun was already vastly gone from the sky. The dim lights that lit the outer balcony made everything look rather lovely, but the atmosphere was far from it.

"Can you believe that? They made me out to be nothing more than a meat loving idiot," Sokka steamed.

"Haha! I think they got you pegged, Sokka," Suki observed playfully.

"At least they didn't cast you as a woman! I'm nothing like that! And I'm not a woman!" he said in reference to the way the character acted on stage.

"Well, you are a little more in touch with your feminine side," Toph offered.

"Relax Aang. They're not accurate portrayals. I mean, it's not like I'm a cry baby that gives over emotional speeches about hope all the time," Katara said. She looked around to see no one offered her agreement. She glared. "Oh, whatever." The water bender crossed her arms and leaned back against the stairs.

When the play recommenced, Raya watched as Azula began to appear more and more. Her assault on Ba Sing Se was very much drawn out and boring. Raya found herself struggling to pay attention. That problem was solved quickly when a scene detailing Katara and Zuko in the Ba Sing Se catacombs began. Raya sat up straighter and watched closely.

The woman playing Katara was making a lame hope speech, and talking to the Zuko character, when suddenly she began confessing her love for him. Raya felt her stomach catch as she watched the two actors kiss. She wanted to get up suddenly, and leave. She really didn't want to hang around for this part of the play and suddenly her mind was entertaining the idea that Zuko and Katara had had something between them.

'It's just a play,' she reminded herself over and over until she felt Aang get up beside her and walk away. She took that as a good excuse to leave as well and left her seat. Zuko watched her go.

The cool night air was more than welcome after so many hours in the stuffy theater air. She let it wash over herself and took some deep breaths. It feel a lot better outside on the balcony, and she felt her head clearing with the fresh air. When she finally looked up and around herself to take in her surroundings she noticed Aang was headed to a lonesome spot at the very end of the outer balcony.

"Hey," she said gently as she came up to stand beside him. He was leaning against the balcony with the lower half of his face pressed into his folded arms, both of which rested across the railing. He glanced over at her and then back out into the night. "You alright?"

"No, I'm not," he said, his words muffled by his sleeves. "I hate this stupid play." He took his hat off and tossed it on the ground in irritation. She walked over and picked it up, brushing it off and holding it for him. He looked at her apologetically and sighed.

"They're just actors Aang," Raya reminded him. "It's just a play."

"Did it hurt your feelings though?"

"What?"

"Seeing Zuko and Katara kiss like that."

Raya blushed and cleared her throat. "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You like Zuko," Aang stated.

"Well, I – What makes you think that?"

"You think about him a lot during mediation in the morning," Aang said, looking a bit apologetic. "Sorry . . . I'm not sure how to shut the connection off."

"First we couldn't get it on, now we can't shut it off," Raya sighed, her face hot with the knowledge that Aang had been listening in on and feeling what she felt for the Fire Prince. She really wasn't sure what she felt herself, but Aang had confirmed it; she liked him. She felt for him.

"It's okay, I won't tell him. I'd never betray your trust like that," Aang said, and she could feel he meant it deeply. It was the way of the Avatar and Demitar.

"I know," Raya said, looking down over the balcony and continuing. "It did hurt, by the way." Aang looked over at the Demitar and noticed that she was very much lost in the depths of her own mind now. "But I know it's just a play. And besides, I don't think he does, or would, feel the same way about me. I'm just . . . I'm the Demitar; he's the Fire Prince."

"I'm not sure either of those things have anything to do with whether or not you can like someone, and be liked by them in return." She looked down at the wise young monk and a smile crept into the corners of her lips. He looked so young, but the truth was the monk's upbringing had made him very knowledgeable about life and spirituality. He returned her smile and she pulled him into a brief hug.

"Maybe you're right," she mumbled.

"Hey, I was just looking for you guys. Everything okay?" Katara was standing behind them and they turned to acknowledge the water bender. Raya smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. We just got caught up talking about that stupid play," Raya said, smiling reassuringly to the waterbender. Katara nodded in agreement and looked towards the Avatar. He looked hurt, but tried to mask it as he turned back to the balcony. "I'm gonna get back," the Demitar said, leaving the air nomad and waterbender alone. As she walked, she found herself in a frequently more familiar situation.

"Ooof," she huffed as she walked head long into the Fire Prince.

"Sorry! Sorry, ugh," Zuko said, steadying her on her feet as she looked up at him. She took a small step back to make the distance between them more socially acceptable and watched his face carefully. He seemed distraught for more than just walking into her.

"No, it's me. I really need to pay more attention. Some Demitar, huh?" Raya said, shaking her head. She really did need to keep her wits about her more often. What kind of Demitar didn't even watch were she was going under normal circumstances. What was she going to do whenever they fought the Fire Lord? He wouldn't be as kind and forgiving if she ploughed headlong into him.

"I think you're great," Zuko blurted, followed by a crimson blush. "A great Demitar; is what I meant to say. Not that it really matters what I think, I mean, you know how strong you are. But anyways . . ." He shifted his posture a little and tried to collect his thoughts.

"Thanks, haha, really Zuko," she chuckled at how painfully awkward he could be. It was becoming an ever more endearing trait in the otherwise stoic Fire Prince. He took life so seriously, anyone who didn't know him would assume he was devoid of any feeling but serious. The truth was he was a very feeling young man, and Raya could sense it from the first moment he came to visit her in prison. He had a much harder countenance back then, but even so, she sensed his struggle for good.

"I wanted to explain," he said suddenly, crimson blooming on his cheeks once more.

"Hm?" she asked after he offered nothing more.

"The last part of the play is about to start, so I was looking for you," Zuko finally said, and she could see that that was not at all what he had been intending to say. She deflated a little at his lack of confidence but smiled gently.

"Hey! Great Zuko costume! But your scars on the wrong side," a small boy dressed as Aang said as he zoomed past, pretending to airbend.

"The scar's not on the wrong side!" Zuko said heatedly and she watched as he threw is cloak hood over his head in agitation. She repressed the sudden urge to laugh.

"Shall we?" she asked as she fell into step beside him and the two made their way back to their seats. The play was starting up again, and it wasn't long before Zuko and Raya were followed by Katara and Aang, both of which looked mildly upset. Raya could feel the emotions swirling around in Aangs head and worked to block them out. Whatever had transpired between the two had left the Avatar feeling unhappy. She wanted to ask him about it, but refrained as the curtains rose for the final time. Zuko's character disowned his uncle and walked across the stage to join Azula. Raya glanced over to find Zuko with his hand over his face.

It was clear that this was one of the Fire Prince's greatest regrets and Raya wanted nothing more than to reach out and comfort him. Before she was aware of herself, she found her hand resting on the hand that wasn't pressed against Zuko's face. He lowered his hand quickly and looked down at her hand on top of his. He didn't pull away like she expected, and she watched him with understanding and concern. She could see the pain of his memories behind his eyes as he turned his head back toward the play. She did the same, her hand still resting on his, and he let it.

The play seemed to come to an end as the Fire Lord was depicted slaying Aang and Raya's characters. She could feel the discontent in her peers and she watched with horror as she realized that soon that could be her and Aang's fate. It was Zuko's turn to comfort her, and although he didn't look at her, she felt his hand squeeze hers gently in an attempt at comfort.

As the group exited the play house and began their walk back home, Raya tried to clear her mind of all that she had been reminded of thanks to the play and walked in step beside Zuko in the midst of their group. The thought of facing the Fire Lord in due time made her feelings for Zuko seem insignificant, and she didn't even try to bother herself with sorting out what their interaction during the end of the play meant.

"That wasn't a good play . . ." Zuko said, and the group agreed in its entirety. "You said it," and "No kidding," was heard from each individual.

"But the effects were decent," Sokka said with a shrug.

9