Chapter 10
Zuko stood stock still. The slightest movement could mean that he would receive the bad news he had been waiting for. He took a steadying breath as he looked into his commanding officer's eyes.
He'd worked hard for this position, yet Zuko knew something was bound to go wrong. Again. Something always did. But Zuko watched silently as the once solemn man in-front of him burst out laughing.
"Sir?"
"Yes, yes. Your position in the Royal house hold has been accepted. You will start your duties tomorrow."
Zuko felt relief wash over him, he'd got in. He felt a small smile form on his lips at the news.
As Zuko gazed into the man's laughing blue eyes, he remembered that it was only part of the mission. Stage two would being tomorrow.
Zuko's world stopped spinning in relief and started to stand still. He would have to…he would. No matter what, he hadn't spent the last 4 years training to stop now.
Noises from Zuko's commanding officer was what brought Zuko back to the present.
"… and of course the princess will be there. Although -"
"Sorry sir?"
The blue eyes that had been laughing a moment before started to freeze like ice, a deep furrow in his brows could be made out as the man's discontent started to show.
"The celebration tonight. The King himself will be there and if you stay close to me no doubt you may see the Prince and Princess. There is one minor detail…"
Zuko studied the older man's face turn slightly pink with what seem embarrassment.
"We have to dress as spirts…."
B.O.T.P
Katara watched the red paint dry on her dark brown skin. She didn't know why she'd chosen an old Spirit, she didn't even know who the spirit was apart from one main attraction. The Blue Spirit.
When she was younger her mother always told her of the great Blue Spirit saving the world-nobody ever finding out what lay behind the mask, no-one really cared. Apart from her.
One of her favourite stories was written back when the last Avatar was still alive. The book talked about a beautiful firebender who dressed as the Painted Lady and a brave waterbender who dressed all in black apart from a blue mask and Dao swords strapped to his back.
Katara traced the beautifully painted front cover of the scroll. It showed water and fire clashing; two graceful benders bending the elements- dressed as described one in red and the other in black. Her eyes searched the beautiful woman with long brown wavy hair a big hat and big sapphire eyes still visible through the faded paint.
Katara opened the scroll and read the first words delicately carved into the papyrus scroll.
The Painted Mask
For my nephew, sometimes I think what could have been, can still happen
Katara pulled the veil over her face and took her big old parka that thankfully hid her mother's red dress; she didn't want questions asked about the crimson silk. But soon; soon, when it got dark so no-one who was not close to the fire could see what colour she wore and which spirit she was. She would take off her old parka and glide around the snow as her mother used to when no-one could watch.
B.O.T.P
In the main hall waited two to very similar men. One wore a beard, but had weathered well considering his age and the other, the younger, was in the midst of being very annoyed.
"Where's Katara? She should be here."
Sokka's annoyance was evident, not least by the frown covering his face, but also in the way he stamped his foot and snorted ever second he waited for his unsighted sister.
Hadoka watched his son as he chuckled to himself; so much like him. Or at least that's what Kara used to say. Hadoka smile slipped from his face as he remembered a happier time.
"Dad?" Sokka gazed had flickered to his father's eyes, before then walking over and embracing him tightly. Sokka always knew that look of pain his father wore when alone in thought. He wore it too.
"I miss mum too, dad."
Hadoka left the embrace "I know Sokka."He then walked over to the doors where two guard immediately jumped to action by opening the doors
Hadoka breathed a slow smile before turning to his son "Are you coming?"
"But Kata-"
"I said Katara should not be seen, since certain escapades have been more…frequent."
Sokka just shook his head and turned away from the stairs. "Very well." He said as they went to greet the celebrations.
B.O.T.P
Zuko decided to leave his commanding officer and use his last night to explore the city a bit more.
As Zuko fixed the stony-blue mask to his face, he was reminded of the strange girl. A nameless figure. He'd felt a connection with her. Zuko shook his head as a soft smile graced his face at the memory.
As Zuko quickly hurried away from the large festival-that was being held in the city centre. Zuko was almost revolted how everyone was so happy. Already there were people drinking to excess and people picking up partners for the next dance. Laughter echoed from wall to wall.
The only thing Zuko did like was how the fire's danced, but even then Zuko was reminded of how cruel fire can be. So he turned away. Only to be picked up by a young girl already starting to dance with his unmoving body.
He looked down at her brown eyes and dark hair. She reminded him of home. Where everyone one had brown eyes and dark hair, not at all like the hostile blue that was seen everywhere he went.
So Zuko twirled her around before leaving her disappointed face. Better to leave than stay in pretence of even wanting to dance.
So after another hour of being free, it was then how Zuko came to find a small entry-that he entered- into a long twisty tunnel, that conveniently-if not so convenient for the lone person there- Zuko found himself in a large, warm and grassy oasis.
Zuko looked around the big area with new interest as to how warm it could be a few metres below ground.
Zuko swiftly found one problem in this new founded heaven. A girl. Not ten feet away from him was kneeling next to an oval pond -crying softly. As he crept closer he saw that she was not crying but laughing as two large fish-black and white- swirled around in a wide circle.
As Zuko came up behind her, he saw she was wearing a red dress. Such a red dress he had not ever seen. If fact he'd never seen a dress that was in red. Since the Firenation had been burned down, it had been forbidden to make anything that evolved red. Let alone wear it.
So it came as no surprise that Zuko liked the way it hung on the young woman's tanned skin and thought that the long –chocolate coloured hair made the outfit even more splendid.
As Zuko came slowly up behind the young woman -who was seemingly besotted with the fish – he noticed the surrounding a bit more where a discarded hat and veil lay and the small white and blue flowers lay.
Zuko just reached out to touch this red-garbed woman; to find in a flash that the young lady niftily swung her feet round knock Zuko off his feet, before promptly bringing a wave of water to circle around him.
Zuko stunned looked through the mask to the woman who-for the present- had singly outwitted him, to find it was the blue-eyed girl from the temple.
AN: Okay, bit of a boring chapter, but it's getting there.:) Sorry it's taken me so long to update, I've been busy. Also, I hope to update more frequently, but I won't be updating till possibly July as I have exams and am on holiday. So I guess you are just going to just have to wait. :)xx
Here are my replies to you lovely people. :)
AshMinx: Thank you so, so much for reviewing! Yes, I do indeed know how topsy turvy life is. :) Thank you for the advice. In some cases I do like to tell the date as otherwise it's a bit hard to tell when is where-if that makes sense- as I hop about quite a lot in the story. However, I'm going to mainly do full chapters of the past as there is quite a big part in the story Toph has, but I just needed to get the story going. No, I don't plan to change the names of all apart from the main characters, although I will with most. Don't worry I'm changing that ending to how it should have ended! I think in this chapter I've mainly stuck to third person. Anyway thank you again, it did help and I would love it if you could review again. :) xx
Zutara1267: Thank you so much for reviewing. I'm sorry. I hope you review again. :) xxx
Guest: Thanks for the advice, I'm trying to do better. Hope you review again. xx
ZutaraKataang: Okay, although when people don't ask questions, there isn't much to say. I'm so glad you like it so much. No sadly I don't have a day when I will upload on, but it may be every two weeks or less in the summer-I hope. Thanks so much, hope you review again. :) xx
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