last entry for the SMW2011 prompts...
this one's for Vacation to Another Nation...
"Really, Zuko, Omashu?" Mai cocked an eyebrow at Zuko who was walking beside her as they were being led to their chambers as guests of the King of Omashu. Zuko gave Mai a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his neck, already feeling stupid for not telling Mai where exactly in the Earth Kingdom he was bringing her for a vacation.
They have been talking about getting a vacation for months now and at the insistence of Mai, who thought that he's been working himself too hard since he assumed the throne of being the Fire Lord, Zuko had relented and agreed that they take a vacation. At first, Zuko advised a visit to their newly renovated house in Ember Island but Mai said that it wouldn't be called a vacation if they were still in the Fire Nation. Ba Sing Se was out of the list since they had just been there at King Kuei's party and he knew that Mai wouldn't be comfortable staying in either the South or North Pole. So, he decided that it would be a good idea to bring her to Omashu.
King Bumi, himself, had welcomed them as soon as they arrived and although Mai had never said anything, King Bumi couldn't contain his laughter at the obvious discomfort that she was feeling for visiting the newly restored Omashu Palace for the first time. Nevertheless, they were welcomed with utmost hospitality and they were both grateful for that.
"This will be your bedchamber, Lady Mai." The guard declared, stopping in front of an elaborately decorated stone door. The guard opened the door and bowed to let Mai pass. Mai threw a side glance at Zuko before walking past the guard and into the chamber. She noticed that all her things were already brought in but Zuko's were missing.
As soon as Mai was inside the chamber, Zuko began following her but just as he was about to step inside, the guard placed a hand on his shoulder, halting him. "I'm sorry, Fire Lord Zuko, but your bedchamber is on the other end of the hallway."
Zuko looked at the guard, flabbergasted. He looked back at Mai, eyes imploring her for some backup, but Mai merely grinned at him before letting the guard close the door. Zuko was left with nothing else to do but sigh, nod at the guard and allow him to lead him to his bedchamber
As soon as they got to the chamber that was assigned to him, Zuko went straight to his bed and with all his weight, dropped down with a loud plop. The soft green cotton beneath him felt a little cold to the touch and he rolled over to muffle his complaints on the pillows; complaints at how he forgot that Mai's father was once governor of Omashu - New Ozai, then - and how Mai had mentioned how dull her life there was.
Feeling more relaxed, he flipped over to his back again and with his arms beneath his head, he thoughtfully stared at the ceiling. He had never been to Omashu but Aang had told him a thousand ways of enjoying his stay there. King Bumi had suggested a few things that they could do but he was doubtful they could do everything during their brief stay at the city. He thought of the stories that Mai had told him and he's somewhat confused as what to really expect, seeing as this was his first time in Omashu.
He closed his eyes in frustration but gradually relaxed again when he felt the post winter breeze that was coming from the small window in the chamber. On their way to the city, they had seen some of the partially snow covered grassy hills surrounding Omashu. Some of the city houses still had some un-melted snow on their roof but aside from that, the city streets were clear of any sign of winter.
Zuko didn't even realize he fell asleep until he felt another weight press down on the bed with him. He opened his eyes only to see Mai sitting down on the edge of the bed, with her back on him. He propped himself with his elbow and waited for Mai to turn to look at him.
"Come, lay down with me." Zuko said, tapping on the empty space to his side.
Mai sighed and instead of lying down, she crossed her arms and looked away from him.
"Look, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, tomorrow." Zuko sounded exhausted and Mai started to feel sorry for him. They had flown to Omashu on one of the old war balloons and he insisted on not bringing anybody else with him through their journey. He proposed that they travel alone for their vacation and even planned the entire thing himself, thus, why Mai was surprised that he brought her to the very place that his father once governed before the war was over. "Can we just... sleep tonight? I'm really tired, Mai."
Zuko crawled to where Mai was sitting to embrace her. He slowly entangled Mai's arm from her chest and laced his hands on hers before placing kisses to the side of her neck. Unconsciously, Mai craned her neck to give him better access and before she lost any sense of what she was doing, she carefully pulled back from his embrace. She turned to face him and placed a caring hand on his cheek, leaned forward to give him a quick kiss on his lips.
"Okay, Fire Lord. Rest for tonight and we'll talk tomorrow." Mai whispered on his ear.
Though the way Mai used Zuko's title instead of his name would have caused Zuko to answer back, he could only lazily nod before spinelessly laying back on the bed. Mai knew that the distance they have travelled would have eventually taken a toll on him, especially since he was so adamant that they didn't need to stop for rest since leaving the Fire Nation. Mai watched Zuko settle in the large bed and once she was sure that he was close to going back to slumber land, she stood up.
Although he was so sleepy, Zuko's eyes snapped open when he heard the door click and immediately called out to Mai as she was about to exit. "Where are you going?"
"To my chambers." Mai answered. When she noticed that Zuko was about to get up from the bed, she immediately cut him off. "We're guests here and were given separate chambers. We'll see each other tomorrow."
Zuko groaned and thought better than to tell her that he cannot sleep without her by his side. Tired as he was, he would probably sleep even if he was left in the company of a badgermole that night.
"Don't I at least get a good night kiss?" he asked, sounding like a little kid asking for a bedtime story. Mai was about to tell him that he already got it and almost laughed at how immature that sounded but indulged him, nonetheless, by walking back to the bed, leaving the door slightly ajar. She leaned towards Zuko and what was supposedly just a chaste kiss turned into a full kiss when Zuko held unto her neck to bring her closer to him and deepen the kiss. Caught by surprise, she had to grab his shoulder for leverage before she can completely topple on top on him and fall on the bed.
When they broke the kiss, Zuko had a cheeky grin plastered on his face and Mai was a slightly deeper shade of red. "Something to remember me by. Hope your dreams are full of me tonight."
"Oh sure, because I can easily forget you when you're sleeping just a few chambers away from me." Mai replied sarcastically.
After giving him a smile, which he returned, she left the chamber once he was comfortably sleeping on his bed.
Zuko was awake as soon as the sun was peaking behind the many mountains surrounding Omashu. With renewed energy, he excitedly went to wash his face and after a few warm-ups, he went to see Mai in her chamber. He expected Mai to be still sleeping when he entered her chamber, only to be surprised to see her already in her Earth Kingdom robes, fixing her hair in front of the mirror.
After breakfast, a feast if one may be more accurate in describing it, Zuko excitedly told Mai of a place that they will be visiting that day. He delightfully narrated all the stories that were told by Aang about a cave that was illuminated by crystals and how the tunnels were made and who made it. As Zuko was talking about it, Mai would occasionally just look at him and although boredom was evident in her eyes, she managed to keep her mouth shut about how much she thought the idea of going there would have been not really interesting.
Moments later and after a long walk to the mountains on a cold post-winter climate, Zuko and Mai successfully found themselves at the cave entrance. Mai eyed the plaque with some writing on the wall of the cave entrance and raised an eyebrow at Zuko who was looking ahead at the dark tunnels leading to the cave.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Mai asked.
"Yes! Aang said that this is where the tomb of the first earthbenders was and it's located in the center of the labyrinth." Zuko recited, not sparing Mai a look.
"Great. You're taking me to a graveyard for our first vacation together. Aren't you the romantic?" Mai sardonically stated. She crossed her arms and before Zuko could even reply, she turned around and began walking back from where they came from. "I'm going back to the city."
Even though she accepted that Zuko was not the best when it comes to romantic ideas, Mai still couldn't believe that he would even think of bringing her to a cave where dead people were buried.
"Wait!" Zuko's hand shot up and grabbed Mai's shoulders. "This isn't just any cave, Mai. It's the cave of two lovers."
Mai let out an audible sigh and expressionlessly muttered, "That makes it better."
Despite Mai's apprehension to enter the cave, Zuko stubbornly pulled on her hands and with a light from the fire forming from his palm, he dragged her into the tunnel.
As they were walking, Zuko began telling her the story of how the cave was created and about the love between Oma and Shu, how they met in the mountains, and the legend that came with the cave.
"Love is brightest in the dark." Zuko mentioned to Mai as they were traversing the darkened pathways of the cave. Mai gave Zuko a sideways glance and snaked her hands to his arms, pulling him closer. Zuko glanced at her and smiled at the way the light flickers, casting little shadows playing on her face. He could tell she's uninterested with whatever he was telling her but the way her arms were wrapped around his, he felt happy that he was finally alone with her without any worries, no need to think of what time it was and what they need to do later.
They kept walking around the tunnel, managing to successfully scare off a huge pack of wolf-bat, but after a while, Mai began to feel a little bit weary that they were getting nowhere. Even though they brought a small amount of food and water with them on this little journey, Zuko could tell that Mai was just about to start get bored, if not already.
"We're lost, aren't we?" Mai questioned Zuko when they came across another dead-end.
"Not really." Zuko was too embarrassed to admit it. "Sokka said that the tunnels here are changing and keeping a map will not really be necessary. They kept telling me that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves, so this should not be a problem with us, right?"
As the realization dawned on her, Mai fought to contain her disappointment. This was Zuko's idea, but clearly, he didn't ask the most important question to his friends, who by now she deduced, had suggested this whole trip to him.
"You didn't ask them how you can get to the tomb, did you? Or how this whole labyrinth works?"
Zuko looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. Admittedly, in the letters that Aang and Sokka sent him, in reply to his questions about what they can do when they visit Omashu, there were no mentions of how they were able to find the lover's tomb or how they were able to leave the tunnels. Sokka had mentioned the badgermoles and Aang had mentioned the crystals but neither was clear about how it worked.
Mai started to walk near the wall of the tunnel and sat on a flat rock that was stationed there. She gestured to Zuko to sit next to her and Zuko obliged.
"I'm sorry, Mai. I just thought it was a good idea to bring you here. This is the cave of two lovers and I don't know, I just thought it would be a romantic idea. Now, we're going to be stuck here forever. I'm so stupid."
Mai breathed in a lungful of air before exhaling, and then leaned to rest her head on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko responded by moving his arm around Mai's shoulder, causing Zuko to nuzzle her head.
"Look at the bright side. At least I'm with you." Mai deadpanned. She felt the rumble of Zuko's chest and looked up to see him stifling a laugh. "What's funny?"
"Sorry. It's just... it's just strange for you to suddenly become so optimistic." Zuko honestly answered. Mai's lips curved into a smile and looked up to gaze on Zuko's eyes.
"I guess that's what being stuck in a cave will do to you." Mai replied. She tilted her head to look straight at him and brought her hands to cup his cheeks. Closing her eyes, she brought their lips together.
Losing his self-awareness, no thanks to the kiss, Zuko extinguished the fire in his palm and moved his hands to bring Mai closer to his body. His hand moved to press on her lower back and the other was still wrapped on her shoulder. Mai gradually moved her hands from Zuko's face to coil both her arms around Zuko's neck, deepening their kiss even further.
Before they knew it, they were both engaged with fervent kissing, losing track of their current predicament. Things would have progressed even further, until Mai opened her eyes to see a stream of crystals adorning the tunnel ceiling, glowing light blue. Breaking off the kiss, immediately causing a disgruntled groan from Zuko, Mai looked at the series of gems lighting up the ceiling, apparently lighting up the pathway of the tunnel.
"Do you think we'd find the way out by following that light, or will it lead us to that tomb that you wanted me to see?" Mai asked.
"Doesn't matter." Zuko answered, looking intently at Mai's lips and not even glancing at the lights that Mai was referring to. He decisively leaned to capture the current object of his attention but was stopped by a soft hand pushing him to the side.
"This is serious, Zuko." Mai stressed. She cupped Zuko's face with both her hands, snapping him back to look at her. "I didn't think I would say this, but can we do the kissing later and find a way to go back to Omashu now?"
Zuko heaved a sigh of defeat and turned to look at the lights that were definitely now more prominent on the tunnel than ever. He cast another look at Mai and although he would rather spend another hour alone in the cave with Mai, he knew that they would need to get back to Omashu before King Bumi start looking for them. Feeling a little bit forlorn, he stood up and offered a hand to Mai to help her get up before looking around to decide where they would be going.
They walked hand in hand in silence as they followed the glowing crystals lining the labyrinth of tunnels in the cave. Soon enough they saw a small light at the end of the tunnel and both looked at each other before walking briskly towards the exit.
It was already nightfall when they arrived at the palace. The guards had advised them that their dinner was ready and after deciding that they were both too hungry to walk any further, they went straight to get their dinner. As soon as they settled at the table filled with different types of food, they were greeted by an obviously amused King Bumi.
"So, did you two have fun in the cave?" The king asked, smiling widely, laughing and snorting at them. Zuko could only smile in embarrassment. King Bumi started feasting on the food before him and Zuko and Mai soon followed. They fell into a comfortable silence, peacefully enjoying the delicious food offered by their generous host.
The silence was however later broken by a suggestion of the King of what else the Fire Lord and his fianc should do while staying in Omashu. Even though Zuko immediately agreed to try it, the way Mai glared daggers at him, he knew that he would have to either try Omashu's Mail System chutes as 'super slide' - as how King Bumi had put it - alone, or not to try it at all.