AN: Hi Kjun this update is for you. You wanted to see more of this story so here it goes. Also to fellow Zutarians even tough legend of Korra may have seemed to sink our ship we still have fanfictions to keep our dreams alive. :)
Princess Zeta and Avatar Aang's son Otka arrived at the palace shortly. Airbender's could use air currents to speed themselves up. Zeta caught glimpse of her hair as they walked through the palace garden to enter into the main court. It was a puffy mess atop her head and she viciously tried to smooth it in place. She glared at her friend for messing up her do. "You know a princess is supposed to look presentable at all times." She explained with a very staunch tone to her voice.
"You look fine to me." Otka shrugged.
"That doesn"t say very much for your standards then," she said as she walked quickly pass him and turned the bend to enter the war council chamber. Four guards stood on either side of the door and the bowed when they saw princess Zeta making her way to them. They immediately went to block Otka from entering.
"Hey fellas how"s it going?" Otka asked nervously as he stared up at the armored firebenders. They merely grunted their reply and tried to push him back.
"Guards! He's with me!" Zeta said calling off the the soldiers and using her hand to signal for Otka to step lively to be by her side. He had no problem obeying her command. He scampered pass the huge firebenders. Once at the Princess' right arm he turned back around, pointed to himself and said. "I'm with the princess!"
Zeta giggled as she linked arms with him. "How kind of you to escort me in Lord Otka," she joked.
"The pleasure is all mine, milady," he said bringing her jeweled hand up to his lips and planting a kiss there.
Zeta hoped that she could have entered undetected. She hoped that maybe the delegates of her father's war council would have him so engrossed in conversation that he wouldn't notice her. Upon entering, she didn't know why she bothered to have such a foolish wish. She came under the Fire Lord's gaze immediately. His scarred eye glared down upon her condemningly. "You're Late Princess Zeta," he said coldly.
"Yes father. I know. Forgive me," she said quietly as she lowered her head and walked to her position. It was a seat on his side. Her father's throne was surrounded by flame. The flame engulfed him so that his features were not really clear. She took her seat and sat on her knees. She was determined not to speak out again. "You may proceed Master Chu," The Fire Lord spoke to one of the intelligence ministers.
"Very good, Sire," the man spoke up. He was skinny as a tooth pick. "There has been another murder; a most unfortunate one at that. A Fire Sage by the name of Nazroh, was killed two days ago and the entire temple was desecrated."
"What will stop these rebels?" an angered noble called out.
"Your majesty this is getting out of hand. No nobleman feels safe anymore!" another yelled.
" this is just a small rebel alliance. In time we will hunt down these criminals..." Began Avatar Aang. It was just a fact of nature that Firebenders were prone to acting rashly.
"This has gone far beyond a mere rebel alliance!" General Jee began. "Even the Yu yan were not able to stop their forces!" he pointed to Lady Bing Bing. "And more and more people are dying each month. Soon our nation will have no nobles left at all!"
"Whatever they are after is political. Perhaps they can be reasoned with?" Avatar Aang pleaded.
"The Fire Nation does not reason with terrorist!" Zuko stated boldly. "And that is exactly what these people are. They strike at random to put fear in our hearts. They terrorize innocent farmers and kill respected citizens of our land." He was grave and frank.
"We can't fight them Fire Lord Zuko we don't really know who they are," Aang tried to explain.
"I am placing the Fire Nation under a state of Urgency," The Fire Lord announced. All were shocked. A state of Urgency had not been used in the Fire Nation since before Fire Lord Sozin. "We will set up military units in each town and province. We will have to enact a curfew and keep whereabouts on all the citizens to find out who is behind this mischief."
"Fire Lord Zuko, the people already feel stressed because of the drought and the food rationing. I do not think it would be wise to press the people further by instating a curfew and having military occupation in our small towns. This could cause more people to rally to the cause of our enemies." General Iroh explained.
"We need to see who our enemies are. We can not fight this enemy blind any longer. Even if a military occupation does pressure the citizens perhaps it will force them enemy out of hiding. If they are willing to speak more openly rather than hiding in the shadows and murdering people in the dark of night in their beds then we will attack them at their root!"
"That has always been the way of the Firebender. Too cut their opponent off at the root!" one of the delegates chimed in immediately supporting the Fire Lord. The plan was set and everybody applauded the Fire Lord for his brilliant plan.
"Now we simply need to a lot which branches of the military will be used at which towns," stated Uncle Iroh as he scratched his beard. The generals and nobles then turned their attention to the table where they sat. The table had a map of the globe displayed in front of them. But the delegates focused on the Fire Nation. They pinpointed carefully the districts that had been most centralized in the murders and felt that it would be best to in state the highest military presence at those locations. Soon the meeting was adjourned.
Each of the nobles and esteemed generals exited in a quiet and comely fashion befitting the highest ranking members of The Fire Nation society. Zeta met them at the door and shook hands with them, to thank them for their presence and support. Most of them said they wished health to the princess.
"Zeta!" Aang stated happily once he came to her presence. He was wearing yellow and gold the colors of his nation. He was always so pleasant and honestly Zeta sometimes thought of him as her peer. He had never managed to take on an adult nature. "I'm so happy to see you are up and about!"
"It's good to be up and about Uncle Avatar! For a minute there I thought father was never going to let me out of bed," she joked
" I can imagine that," the bald monk snickered right along with the princess, "You look very beautiful," he expressed to her. "So much like Katara." Aang's eyes misted a little as he studied his niece. He had loved her mother in more ways than one. Really he had loved Katara in every way a man could love a woman. As an Air Nomad he had never known his biological parents. Though he never lacked a father figure he had often longed for a maternal influence. He did know female airbenders. The nuns who resided at the other temple. Monk Gyasto and a close friend who was a female named Hya and she had helped Aang pick out Appa, but still she was no mother. When he met Katara he felt for her as a mother. She defended him, cared for his physical needs and emotional as well. She was a teacher and a friend. She was quite a woman. He always looked a Zeta and thought of how much she was like her mother. Most people would not see it. By the accounts of the populace she was just like her Fire Lord father. She had taken on most of the feature of the people of the Fire Nation. She was lighter skinned, though her coloring still possessed a honey hue, but nothing that would automatically allow one to conclude that she was a child of mixed elements. She had the blazing gold eyes of the Fire Nation. Though hers weren't as slanted, but were large and full shaped like her mother's. She had dark hair. Most importantly she was a firbender! But Aang saw the subtle ways that made her like her mother. She had Katara's walk and sounded a bit like Katara. And sometimes it made him sad. Katara was lost to him in more ways than one.
Soon the Fire Lord was standing by his daughter's side, "Aang," The monarch said smiling, "Won't you and Otka join us for dinner?" The invitation was extended and neither the Avatar or his son had to be asked twice. They often dinned at the palace, but a royal invitation was always welcome. The Fire Lord had the palace cooks make a special meal being that the two airbenders were vegetarians. Soon dinner was over and the two young people retired to the garden. While Aang and Zuko disgust more about the political strategy that was taking place.
"This military occupation sounds a little intense," Otka puzzled.
Zeta gave a cockeyed look to her friend. "Excuse me!" she chimed. "I think we were dismissed so we would not have to be apart of political discussion."
"Well… I Mean… we can't just pretend we don't know about it." Otka added.
"Oh sure we can," said Zeta a smile tugging on the side of her lips. She punched Otka playfully in the shoulder, then declared. "Let's spar!" as she somersaulted backwards into a fighting stance. Otka was amazed at how limber she was. But he took the stare out of his eyes and attempted to look more serious and less mesmerized.
"I think this is serious Zeta," he insisted.
"Fine, fine," she said dropping her stance and flopping to the ground. "But we will spar," Zeta warned.
"Yeah, yeah yeah," he flagged her off. "I don't know the use of so much military just isn't the airbender way," Otka began nervously. He had grown up hearing many stories about the great battle that his father and family friends had fought. It all had sounded so exciting, but when Aang spoke of it it wasn't all guts and glory. It wasn't just bad guys who were made to suffer, innocent people had lost their lives too. Peaceful villagers had been forced into near slavery and an entire civilization had been wiped out. The airbenders, Aang's people and his people, a pacifist group had been utterly obliterated.
Oh the airbender way, Zeta thought. She had often heard her Uncle Aang, who sometimes instructed her in firebending speak on it. It was the way of the pacifist. The Air Nomads had never seen the need for force. "The Avatar seems to be ok with it," she shrugged. "Besides it's not as if any violence is taking place. It's to prevent more violence from occurring. Surely, even you, can agree with that," she smiled.
"Yeah I guess," Otka nodded. "Anyway the decision has already been made."
"That's the spirit! Now are you ready for me to whip your butt?" Zeta asked confidently.
"Ready when you are princess," Otka teased. Otka and Zeta had been sparring partners since they were both old enough to bend their respective elements. They knew each others fighting styles well and Otka was the only person with which Zeta could fane such confidence with. None of Zeta's girl friends were firebenders and the other students at the Fire Nation Academy for Girls who were better benders than Zeta. Zeta knew that. For a while some would end it in a tie out of respect to Zeta as a princess. Zeta always felt fustrated by this. Why wouldn't anyone give her a real fight. She knew she could handle it if she could get the opportunity. In the woods when she had been attacked by that Vigilante, he gave her a real fight and she failed miserably. Otka would give the Princess a real fight.
And so the fought. Air against Fire. Fire seemed to be the stronger element, but there were subtle tricks that the airbenders could use that would always make their sparring sessions interesting. Otka had just cocooned himself inside an air bubble. Usually such a form was hard to penetrate, but Zeta leapt into the air side ways and shot two powerful blasts in the direction that burst his bubble. Otka looked a little angry about how easily she had managed to work through his defenses and Zeta's arrogant smirk didn't help. She hit the ground running toward him. Her right hand was open twirling in a circle making a wheel of fire beside her. As she got close to her opponent, she added a second wheel that she began forming with her left hand then she combined the fire wheels into a super wheel and pushed both her hands forward and the flame was launched out at Otka. Otka's eyes widened. It was an impressive move that Zeta just did, but he countered it with a sonic air clap that immediately put out the fire and knocked the princess down and into the pond.
Princess Zeta shrieked as she felt her body moving swiftly off the ground and before she knew it she was all wet and shivering in the lake.
"Zeta!" Otka cried after he realized what had just happened. He immediately rushed to the side of the fallen princess. He extended his hand toward her and she managed to try and crawl out of the water. She was quite a sight. Her red robes were drenched. Her fancy hairstyle was now a limp. "Here Zeta," he said squatting down to offer assistance. "Give me your hand."
She replied by spitting pond water in his face. He twisted up his face and looked a bit repulsed by her gesture. Then once he had wiped the water from his face he found his hand was being tugged on. He was very hopeful to help his friend, But instead of rescuing a damsel in distress he found himself tumbling into the water next to here. He saw her Mouth go wide with a laugh that could have filled the halls of the Fire Nation Royal Palace. At first he was a little upset that Zeta had tricked him after all he was still in his uniform from school and even though the Avatar wasn't strict at all on his adopted son their maid servant would be complaining over the roof about how it was a shame that a boy of his age could not keep his clothes neat and clean. Yes, at first he was fuming, but when he saw Zeta's gorgeous smile his anger flew away. He would do anything to make her laugh, because he loved her laugh. Her laugh was big and loud, exuberant and full of personality. Now many people would say that a princess' laugh should be a dainty and demure snicker, a petite giggle, but he loved how she just blasted it out. Their wasn't much about Zeta that the young airbender didn't love.
Soon both young people attempted to get out of the pool. That were dripping wet, but still laughing. "What was that?" Zeta asked still amazed as she ran her creamy fingers through her jet-black hair.
"Huh? What?" asked Otka as he started to undress; to get himself out of the damp close. His broad chest was revealed and his body had recently gained definition.
"Huh? What?" Zeta mocked. "That move? You clapped your hands and I flew back like a mile!" she exclaimed.
"Oh yeah, that? Otka said shyly as he rubbed his hand behind his neck. "Dad and I have been working on some more dynamic airbending forms," he explained
"Yeah that was very dynamic," Zeta said sounding a little bitter and disheartened. She walked away from him and found a place under a tree to try and ring out her hair. Otka had been the one person who she thought was still on her level. The only other airbender she knew was the Avatar, the most powerful bender in the world and naturally Otka's abilities didn't compare with his in the least. Also many times she had bested Otka in their official sparring matches, but now even he was advancing beyond her.
"Is everything ok?" asked the young man noticing an immediate change in her demeanor.
"Yeah everything is fine!" she said while putting on a cheap looking grin. She rang her hair out once more than flipped it back and it smacked him across the creek. Otka's face turned upon impact and his cheek was red from the wet whip. "Oh Otka, I"m so sorry!" Zeta rushed by him and patted his cheek. She even placed a kiss on her hand and then rubbed it into his cheek. She always did things like that. She was an affectionate person. He imagined she inherited it from her mother. Water tribe people in general seemed to be more touchy-feely than fire Nation folk. "Anyway," she went on. "I think it's great your developing more in your bending!"
"Yeah, I'm pretty excited." the boy admitted.
"You should be! It's up to you to once again jump start the air nomad population." She joked. A joke was all good and well but Otka, truly did feel a tremendous amount of pressure about being an airbender. When he and Aang talked about his origins, his adopted father confessed that he hand no idea where the boy came from. He felt Otka was a gift, a gift from the spirits to help restore balance to the world. Even with the war being over and the nations finding peace and brotherhood the world could never truly be balanced while one of the bending nations remained absent. It was up to him to procreate a race of Airbenders.
"Yeah, well you won"t be seeing me for a few weeks." Otka said a lump in his throat. He was happy to change the subject.
"What? Why?" Zeta demanded grabbing him by the wrist.
"Calm down it's nothing alarming." He tried to explain. "It's just... it's just that well dad think I'm ready to earn my airbender tattoos!" He boasted.
"Your gonna be a master?" Zeta asked as her gold eyes lit up. Otka nodded pride resonating through him. "Oh my goodness that"s wonderful! I='m so happy for you!" the princess exclaimed and threw her arms around him hugging him tight. She finally released him and asked. "So when do you leave?"
"At the end of the month," the young airbender confessed.
"And how long will you be away?" asked Princess Zeta.
"I don't know. It may take awhile. I Know I have a long way to go before I become a master.
"Obviously not that long. The Avatar thinks you're ready." She winked.
"The training is going to be tough and extensive," Otka said worriedly.
"I think you're ready too, you know," said Zeta as she took a step closer to her old friend and touched him on his forearm. Otka's eyes that were a greenish gray color shone with pride.
"Thank's Zeta… that means a lot," he said trying to hold his voice steady, but it cracked.
Zeta laugh hard as she rested her head on his shoulder " Well maybe when you get back your voice will have changed completely," she teased.
"Shut up!" he barked in a defensive grumble as he marched away from her. She made a sad whimpering sound as she followed behind him.
"Hey I just realized something!" Zeta chimed in once the young airbender had come to a stop.
"Yeah what's that?" he turned around and asked a pout still properly formed on his lips.
"When you get back... you'll be bald!"