Here is another one I've been working on for a few days. I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out, though the dialogue and ending are a little iffy. Please tell me what you think through a review. :D
Fire Lord Zuko stood on the platform with his head held high. The crowd that looked on was divided between those who would cry for him and those who would watch with satisfaction as his body burned.
He saw her in the middle of the crowd, staring up at him with a blank expression on her face. His other friends looked upon him with teary faces, disbelieving and angry expressions.
Zuko half expected Toph to go against his word and drag him out of there with a magnificent display of earthbending. Her or Aang, although he knew she wouldn't because she gave her word and Aang couldn't because of his duty as the Avatar. Sokka was biting back tears as he bravely stared at Zuko, saluting him when Zuko caught his eye. Suki had buried her face in Sokka's arm, sobbing. Toph stood by them with her head bowed, silent tears dripping down chin, Aang standing on the platform near Zuko, open tears streaming down his face. Katara stared up at him in the middle of the crowd with a blank expression and no tears on her cheeks.
The Fire Sage walked onto the platform in front of Zuko. When he made eye contact, a sad expression crossed the old man's face, but it was gone when he turned to the crowd. The Sage read from a scroll.
"Fire Lord Zuko. You have been charged with the murder of Princess Aimi of the Earth Kingdom. If you have any last words in your defense, speak now."
Aang looked over to him.
"Zuko, you can still defend yourself! You just need an alibi! You don't have to die for something you didn't do!"
Zuko remained silent. His only action was to raise his head higher and clench his hands harder.
"Very well then," said the Sage. "Executioner!"
The man turned back to his ruler, sentenced to death. "Goodbye, Fire Lord Zuko," the Sage whispered. "May you rest well in the Spirit Realm." He bowed his head in reverence, and left the platform.
Aang looked away as the executioner lit the tinder aflame. Fire licked at Zuko's clothing, and began to sear his flesh. Even as he died, Fire Lord Zuko was a sight to behold, awe-inspiring and charismatic despite his scar. The flames were hot, Zuko could feel the heat against his face, similar to the heat he had felt years ago when his father had marked him. Although the pain was almost unbearable, it was a familiar kind of pain, pain he had suffered time and time again, and a lesser man would have screamed it out for all to feel and understand. Zuko remained silent. Silent, he gazed at the face he had fallen in love with, the last thing Zuko saw in the world before died.
*oOo*
"Uncle, it's good to see you again."
Fire Lord Zuko walked into the Jasmine Dragon, a very popular and famous tea shop in the Upper Ring of Ba Sing Sei, due to both Iroh's tea-making skill and his position as a member of the Fire Nation's royal family. Zuko was there visiting the Earth King and his daughter, Princess Aimi. They were there to cement an alliance between the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom via marriage to the Princess. Zuko assumed that a high ranking Fire Nation noble would be chosen, though which he wasn't quite certain yet. Iroh greeted his nephew with gusto.
"Zuko! It is wonderful to see you here! My business here has been doing well, especially when the Earth King is a regular customer! Ha ha ha!"
Zuko laughed along with him, and smiled as he hugged his uncle.
"I've missed you, Uncle."
"I've missed you too, Zuko. Now let's go inside and have some tea."
Later Zuko sat in a chair with the Earth King Kuei and his daughter in the audience chamber. Bosco was there too, along with his small brood.
"Hello, Earth King Kuei. It is an honor to be here, and I thank you for your hospitality. I understand we are here to talk about the alliance between our countries and the possible betrothal of the Princess."
Kuei nodded and scratched a mini-Bosco behind the ear. "Yes. In order to regain balance and trust between our nations, I believe such an alliance is necessary. Marrying my daughter to a Fire Nation noble would be the best way to do this. However, I believe my daughter must be betrothed to a noble worthy of her birth. She is the daughter of the Earth King, and as such cannot be wed to just any Fire Nation noble."
Zuko listened to the Earth King's words with growing suspicion, and furrowed his eyebrow. "What is it that you are suggesting?"
"Fire Lord Zuko, you have been Fire Lord for quite some time now, eighteen years if I am correct. However, you have yet to be married and to do so would reassure your people of your intentions for an heir."
Zuko did not like where this was going.
"Should you marry my daughter, not only would this reassure your people, it would ensure an alliance between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation that would last for some time."
Yep. He didn't like where this had gone at all.
"I...I will have to think on this offer, Earth King. There are other Fire Nation nobles to be considered as candidates for your daughter's hand. I would like to continue this discussion some time later, though, and retire for the night. Excuse me."
Zuko left the chamber and entered his rooms. The moment he was alone, Zuko slumped on the bed, removing his decorative wear for a more comfortable outfit. With his head in his hands, Zuko considered his options.
It was true that, at thirty-four, Zuko remained unmarried. If he were to marry and produce an heir, his people would feel more comfortable with him as their ruler, a ruler who had to be strong during their time of recovery.
But he still didn't want to marry the Earth Princess. She had looked to be about seventeen, half his age, and that was kind of creepy. He also didn't want to marry her because of his relationship with Katara: he had been seeing the Avatar's wife in secret for some time now, although he suspected Toph knew.
After the war, Aang and Katara were married and moved to the Western Air Temple. Mai and Zuko had been together for a while, but their relationship dwindled until Mai broke it off, leaving with Tai Lee to the Island of Kyoshi. A few years before, Aang and Katara had returned to the Fire Nations and things went downhill from there.
With a sigh, Zuko rose and went through several firebending forms to clear his mind. After completing the Dancing Dragon, Zuko knew he had to do as the Earth King suggested, and marry the Earth Princess. None of the other candidates in the Princesses age range were high up enough, and the nobles who had the slightest chance of being considered 'worthy' were all older than him, and Zuko would not wish that on the girl. He sighed again and lay back in bed.
Several hours of uneasy sleep later, Zuko woke to the sound of someone slipping into his room, intending stealth. Remaining silent, Zuko slowly slid his hand to grasp the dagger he always carried with him, in case such an attempt was made on his life. The figure approached his bed, and as they reached out with a gloved hand, Zuko sprang back and delivered a kick to their stomach, and landed on the ground with the dagger brandished.
"Oof! Zuko! It's me!"
Zuko stood up out of his stance in surprise, and walked over to the visitor, sheathing his dagger as he helped them up.
"Katara? What're you doing here in Ba Sing Sei? Are you alright? You know you shouldn't sneak up on me when I'm sleeping."
Katara winced as she stood, wrapping her arms around his neck as he slid arms around her waist.
"I'll be fine. Dang, you haven't gotten any weaker over the years. And did you seriously just ask that question? The Avatar oversees important matters that take place between countries, especially alliances. Of course he'd be here to oversee the alliance between the Fire Nation and the Earth King. And what is the matter with you? What you were doing is not what I would call 'sleeping'. Has something come up?"
Zuko held onto Katara for a while, breathing in the scent of her hair, not talking.
Then, "We have to stop seeing each other."
Katara pulled back, hurt. "What? What do you mean? Is it something I did?"
Zuko shook his head quickly. "No, no. You did nothing. It's not your fault at all, it's mine. I have to marry the Earth Princess."
"What? Why?"
"The Fire Nation needs this alliance, and the Earth King is demanding that his daughter be wed to a noble 'worthy of her birth'. She's only about seventeen, Katara. The only 'worthy' candidates are older than me, and I'm already twice her age. I can't...I won't condemn her to that. And as the Fire Lord I need to be married anyway to reassure my people of my strength. Believe me, Katara, when I say that I love you, and would marry you if I could. But I can't―you are Aang's wife. And I have to marry the Earth King's daughter to ensure this alliance. I'm sorry."
Katara buried her head into Zuko's chest and got his shirt all wet.
"One more night, love," she whispered. "Just one more night."
*oOo*
Zuko awoke to the sound of boots tramping down the hall, and he shook Katara awake.
"Get under the bed," he hissed in her ear. "Hurry! They'll be here any minute!"
Katara quickly sat up and hurriedly put on her underwear as she swung under the low bed in Zuko's quarters, making sure the sheets covered her body from view.
There was aloud pounding on the door before it was nearly thrown off of its hinges, and the Dai Lee raced in, cuffing Zuko's hands.
"What is the meaning of this?"
Zuko thanked Agni as they pulled him roughly from the bed into standing position that he had remembered to put on pants the night before.
"Fire Lord Zuko, you have the right to remain silent. You are arrested for the murder of Earth Princess Aimi."
Zuko walked with the Dai Lee agents, stunned at the accusation. The Earth Princess was dead? And they thought that Zuko had killed her?
Back in Zuko's quarters, Katara rolled out from under the bed, horrified. Zuko would go on trial. They would present evidence, possibly witnesses, and demand Zuko's alibi. Oh no. His alibi. What had she done?
"Fire Lord Zuko, do you have an alibi?"
Zuko sat in the uncomfortable court room chair, still shocked that the young woman who had almost been promised to him as his wife, who had been sitting in the audience chamber with him and the King only the day before, was dead. The evidence against him was surprising in its extent.
The murder weapon was one of his broadswords; somehow someone had procured them, killed the Princess with them, then stupidly put them back without cleaning them. He never would have left them in that state had he actually killed her. As a master of the dual blades, he would know that leaving them dirty with blood would harm the blades and their sheath. And although lawyers reasoned he would not have murdered the Princess since he needed her marriage to build an alliance with the Earth Kingdom, the few witnesses of either the murder itself or the murderer's exit swore it was Zuko who had committed the crime. The Dai Lee and the Earth king were angry enough to disregard the reasoning to sentence him to death, and it was all Aang could do to convince them to allow Zuko to provide his alibi first. Right now, that was what would decide his fate.
"Fire Lord Zuko, answer the question. Do you have an alibi?"
Zuko shut his eyes. He couldn't tell them his alibi. He had been with Katara. Katara was the Avatar's wife. To tell the court, the world that he had been with another man's wife would disgrace him―and on top of that, it would disgrace Katara. If it had only been him to lose face, he would have told him. He had lost face before―literally, some thought―and it would be nothing new to him. But his honor was not the only honor at stake.
"Fire Lord Zuko. This is the last chance you will be given. If you were somewhere else you won't have to die."
Zuko opened his eyes and looked at the judge, who was, ironically, Aang. His eyes were practically pleading with Zuko to say something, so he didn't have to sentence his best friend to death.
Zuko remained silent.
"Very well then. Fire Lord Zuko, you are hereby pronounced guilty of the murder of Earth Princess Aimi and are sentenced to death as according to the laws of your country. Your execution will take place in the Fire Nation three weeks from this date. Court dismissed." Aang's voice cracked at 'sentenced to death'.
Zuko was led away in chains.
3 weeks later...
"I'm here to visit the Fire Lord, and don't try to stop me."
Zuko's head rose at the sound of her voice.
"Katara?"
The waterbender rushed into the cell the guard opened and knelt, grasping his face in her hands, her face wet with tears.
"Oh, Zuko! I am so sorry! This is all my fault! I-if I h-hadn't been there..."
Zuko stroked her hair, holding her to his chest.
"Shh...no. Katara, don't blame yourself. You couldn't have foreseen this. It is not your fault."
"B-but―"
"No. Katara you have to be strong. You have to live for me, alright? I can't be there for the rest of them. Toph and Aang will take this the hardest, and you must be there to pull them through. You've always been our group's strength, and now you have to be strong for them again."
"But what about me?" She whispered. "Don't you think that I'll take this, your―your death the hardest? What if I can't go on? What if I―?"
"No! Katara, please. If you die because of me...even if I were already dead...I could never forgive myself. Don't let me die thinking I've condemned you too."
Katara shook her head. "No, I won't. I promise, Zuko, I-I'll try. I'll b-be strong. I will live. F-for you."
They sat there in the cell and quietly cried until the Dai Lee guard told Katara that visiting hours were over. The Dai Lee guarded Zuko now because Zuko's Fire Nation guards had tried to allow him to escape. The Dai Lee had discovered the guards failing in their attempt to coax Zuko out of the cell, pleading with him to leave. Zuko had refused to budge.
In the morning, two Dai Lee agents opened the cell and led Zuko out.
"C'mon Fire Lord. It's time to face justice. Not even royalty can avoid it, so don't get any funny ideas, murderer."
Zuko allowed them to cuff his hands. As they walked out of the prison, he lifted his head to stare straight ahead.
"I know. I've faced justice before."
Fire Lord Zuko stood on the platform with his head held high.
*oOo*
Katara slipped out of the Fire Nation Palace and threw the long black veil over her face. Running past guards and rushing through the city, she reached the hills outside of the capital. It wasn't customary for the Fire Lords of years past to be buried outside of the capital―rather, most had their ashes kept in the catacombs under the palace. But Fire Lord Zuko was the exception. Ten years ago, he was burned and buried for a crime he didn't commit. Only Katara knew this, as during the murder of the woman he was to marry, she had held him in her arms.
Now she walks the hills outside of the capital, and visits the grave of Zuko as the night winds wail. Nobody knows, and nobody sees her cry over his ashes. Nobody knows but me, the Fire Lord who died to protect her honor and waits for her.
Song: Long Black Veil by Wilken/Dill, version listened to sung by Joan Baez
Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or Long Black Veil, also made popular by Johnny Cash.
Sniffers. Yeah, this one is kinda sad, but I like it. Though I would like your opinion on how the ending is, or how you think it could be improved. Same goes for the dialogue. Please Review. (Reviewers get virtual cookies-just a little incentive, yeah?)