Book 4 Air
Chapter 92 Nothing Lasts Forever
As Katara left her bedroom after changing into her training outfit, she causally walked to the studio.
As she opened the door and stepped in she noticed the musicians weren't there. Yet the instruments were seen neatly placed beside the chairs on the far end of the corner. Curious, Katara walked over and plucked one of the strings. The vibrations echoed in the air creating a tune. Katara giggled before she heard the door close, the waterbender then smiled as she slowly turned around and spoke.
"Glad you can make it Z-
Katara blinked as she saw a tall lean young woman standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Happy to see me, waterbender?" the woman said with amusement.
"Mai…" Katara said amazed to see the noblewoman alive and well.
"Are you alright?! Everyone has been looking for you. We have all been so worr-
"Cut the bullshit!" Mai screamed out cutting the girl off. Mai tensed before recollecting herself, as her face returned to its usual dull appearance.
"It would see the rumors are true…You are to wed the Fire Lord. Tell me…Do you love him?" Mai brutally asked as Katara stepped back uneasy of the girl's glare.
"I…I do." Katara admitted, feeling shameful to confess to the Fire Lord's previous girlfriend.
"Hmm…Such a shame…Because he doesn't love you." Mai said coldly as Katara gasped.
"Mai, I understand this might be hard for you…But please, it couldn't be helped." Katara said trying to reason with the noblewoman.
"How can a lord? A man of royal blood, ever love a peasant?" Mai said as her gaze became darker.
Katara took a step forward feeling flustered that this girl was behaving so rudely. 'I understand she must be hurting…But…It isn't right to start name-calling.' Katara thought as she closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again.
"Listen…We can't break the marriage if that's what you wa-
"Silence!" Mai shouted as Katara was cut off again.
"You will never know what I want…" Mai said as she narrowed her eyes. Her cold expression then softened as she spoke in a kinder tone. "What is it that you want…?" Mai asked emphasizing the last word.
Katara blinked, 'What do I want…?' Katara thought softly as she then spoke from the heart.
"I want to play my part in helping restore this country, to be Zuko's side every step of the way! I want my loved ones to be happy." Katara said as she clenched her heart.
Mai was slightly taken back by the young woman's passionate words. The person she envisioned was a selfish peasant who wanted to take her prince away and have revenge by destroying the Fire Nation from the inside out.
But this girl in front of her…Was nothing like that at all. She was kind and compassionate.
That only made Mai more envious and made her feel like a terrible person. But she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want to believe what she was doing was bad… So she took it out on the waterbender.
"You have no right!" Mai screamed as her face expressed hurt and rage.
"You don't deserved him…You don't deserved any of this!" Mai cried out.
"Screw finding her weakness…I'll take her down myself!" Mai mumbled to herself as she then charged at the girl with her knifes.
Katara formed into a stance as she prepared for the attack. Mai swung her hand forward piercing the wall next to Katara's head.
The waterbender gasped as she let down her guard once she saw the noblewoman trembling in front of her.
Mai hovered over the waterbender as tears fell down her face.
"You took everything from me…" Mai cried out in a pitiful tone as she lowered her head.
"Mai…" Katara said softly as she slowly reached out to the girl.
"Kill her…Kill the waterbender…"
A voice echoed in the noblewoman's head as she shut her eyes.
"Katara…?" a voice called out as both girls gasped.
"Zuko!" Katara pleaded as Mai suddenly grabbed the girl, twisting her painful in front of her.
Before Zuko could blink he saw the knife pointing on Katara's neck and Mai staring at him.
"Not another step!" Mai shouted as Zuko hesitated.
Katara shut her eyes as she felt the sharpen knife caress her skin. Zuko then acted on instinct as he yelled out.
"No!" The young man said in a frantic tone as he kept his ground yet reached out desperately.
'Why…? Why must her life be threatened again? I won't allow it…' Zuko thought as he then spoke in a calmer tone to the noblewoman.
"Mai…Put the knife down. Please you don't want to do this…" Zuko said as he lowered his hands.
Mai glared at the young man. "Do you love her Zuko…?" Mai asked quietly as Zuko swallowed.
"Yes…I love her…I'm in love with her." Zuko said confessing his deepest feelings.
Mai looked at the young man's golden eyes. Fear and worry shined in those molten orbs. The beautiful prince she saw was no longer how she pictured him. What he expressed was raw and true. Zuko was a man…The Fire Lord. No longer the sweet prince she knew and loved.
He truly loves her…Mai thought as she lessened her hold on the girl yet still kept the knife dreadfully close to the waterbender's throat. Katara looked at Zuko as she lightly smiled by his words but feared for her life.
'Zuko…' Katara thought as tears formed at the corners of her eyes.
"Tell me, Zuko…What is it that you want most?" Mai said in a serious tone.
"I want you to release Katara; I want everyone to be happy. I want to end these damn problems in my life! I want to rebuild this world…To have love and peace to come back to this nation…For everyone!" Zuko said without hesitation as he nearly shouted while hitting his chest.
Mai blinked.
"Happy…?" Mai said to herself as she then thought deeply about both the waterbender and Fire Lord's words.
"Kill the girl…and you will have your prince back…You will be with him forever."
The voice said trying to encourage her to complete the duty and to hope for reality that would never come true.
'Forever…?' Mai thought as she narrowed her eyes.
Katara whimpered as she felt the blade press hard against her neck nearly cutting her throat. Then she felt the cold metal pull away and a force pushing her forward. Katara cried out as Zuko reacted.
"Katara!" Zuko shouted as he caught the girl into his arms. Katara buried her face into his chest crying out his name as Zuko held her protectively.
Zuko then lifted his head and gazed at Mai. "Thank you…" Zuko said as Mai scoffed.
"What's the point of being with someone when they could never truly love you…?" Mai said in a hopeless tone as she then took a step forward.
Zuko then tighten his held on Katara as she looked at Mai with uncertainty.
"Don't worry…I'm not going to attack you. In fact, I want to help you. I have some information regarding a spirit." Mai said honestly as Zuko and Katara looked at her then at each other.
"I will repeat myself once more…What are you after?!" Jee yelled as he tried to negotiate with the man as he was chained in his cell laughing at the frustrated general.
"I will never speak the devil's words to such lowly scum like you…" Sho said believing he was a God.
General Jee grinded his teeth together as he then heard a calm voice behind him. "That's enough Jee…He's not going to corporate with us…He's gone over the edge already." Ryuan said as he stepped into the prison room.
"Imperial Ryuan…" Jee said as he then lowered his head in a bow before the loud mocking laugher escaped the prisoner's mouth.
"Imperial Ryuan…How wonderful for you to be joining us." Sho said as he tilted his head to the side with a crazed look on his face.
"General Jee, come with me will you?" Ryuan said as the two men left the room.
Jee looked at the Imperial then sighed. Ryuan then spoke out in a stern yet clam tone.
"This same phenomenon happened to the warrant…Mumbling nonsense about becoming a higher title, ruling over the world…He soon lost all common sense and later killed himself due to the sheer madness. I wouldn't be surprised if the same thing happened to Sho." Ryuan said as he informed Jee as the general nodded his head.
"It does seem that way…But I think there's more to it that some disease, like the doctor's claim." Jee said as Ryuan nodded his head.
"You think so too?" Ryuan asked pleased that the general thinks otherwise.
"Yes…I've looked into it…Turns out all cases relate to a single source. But we haven't figured out what that one 'source' is yet…" Jee said as Ryuan narrowed his eyes.
"Something tells me we'll find out soon…" Ryuan said.
The scene of the two men then drifted outward to the sight of the prison tower.
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