Author's Note: I didn't think, this would be reviewed so quickly, but here we are. I'm glad this story picked your interest. For this chapter, we'll deal more with Zuko, but in future chapters his sister will appear too. Also, in case you're wondering, I don't want to reveal the true name of 'Qinglu' for a little while so we can learn it in sync with Zuko. I think, you'll see why. Also, I've made a rather important typo in the last chapter which I think I need to correct, the city is called Zhi-Jing. Depending on the characters used Zhi can mean purpose/ ambition but also wisdom, while Jing can mean a wide variety of things including, quiet/ gentle, essence/ spirit, clear/ crystal or capital city. For this story, I'd use the last one of course.
Zhi-Jing, 100 AC
What looked like a young couple walked through the sometimes-thick bamboo forest that separated the old Fire Nation capital from the former palace, where then and now the head of the Xuan clan resided.
The man kept his black hair in a topknot. He was clothed in all but black, from what could be seen from his silk robe under the black cloak. In one hand he held a cane, the fingers of the other were intertwined firmly with that of the young woman next to him.
Her dark brown hair was kept in a long braid, her dress was light in color, ranging from an off white to a light yellow depending on how the sun colored it. A light red vest ended around her small waist and a crimson cloak completed her outfit. The breeze was not cold, but she still cuddled into his arm and shoulder, pretending it would chill her.
"You really didn't need to do that.", she said out of the blue, blushing a little, her eyes wandering to the bag she carried. It held some small pieces of jewelry, mainly hair accessories.
"But I wanted to. One should spend his money on the people he loves the most, and this I did.", Taisan smiled in her direction.
"And it has nothing to do with whatever you did in the capital?", the young woman inquired.
"Hm, yes and no. Not because what you make it sound like though.", his smile grew into a mischievous grin for a moment, before he stopped, turned and took both of her hands in his. He raised them a bit and put a gentle kiss on them, his smile returning to one of happiness again, "After all, what do other women matter if I know that you're waiting for me?"
"So, no other women…", she said mockingly as they continued their way towards the estate, "then, what else could be the matter?"
The blind prince chuckled, "It's been some time since I took you out into the city. And you know that I like you to have beautiful things."
"But I already told you a million times that I don't need them. You can't see them on me anyway. If it's just about spending time with me, you wouldn't have had to put money into it. As a matter of fact, we live in the same house, if you want to be with me, just come to my chambers.", she reasoned.
In mockingly exaggerated gestures, Taisan raised a hand to his chin and one of his eyebrows shot up, "Actually, I might've ordered something. Seems to elude me… was not about your chambers though."
At which point his companion threatened to shove him into the bamboo. Taisan laughed at her behavior and quickly let her hand go, just to lay his arm around her waist and pull her closer, putting a light kiss on the side of her head, he whispered against her temple, "Conversations with my father are never pleasant. So, I need a day like today to calm down, relax and regain good spirits. And what is better suited for that than spending the day with my Qinglu… you know that these little things,", he touched the bag for a moment, "are my way of saying sorry."
"Yes, but sorry for what exactly?", she crossed her arms.
The blind prince sighed, "Actually a few things, first, for leaving you alone. Leaving your bed cold is intolerable.", which made the young woman laugh, "Second, the recent reports are a little disturbing. We might need to keep a closer eye on everything. Changes might be necessary. And third,", he sighed again, "when I went to the capital, I wanted to do something I haven't been able to."
"Something for me? What business do I have with the capital?", she looked at him with wide, black eyes.
"Well, I wanted it to be a surprise, so I'm not going to tell.", Taisan said in a serious tone.
"Are you sure I can't make you?", she cooed in a deep voice, her fingers travelling up his arm.
He chuckled, "You know, I've been poisoned and survived before… besides, I still want to do it, I just have to think of a different approach, so you'll only spoil your own surprise."
"Fine.", she turned away from him, arms crossed, sulking.
Taisan pulled her closer, "And to be clear, I fully intend to spend tonight with you as well, I've already ordered some of the servants to prepare my chambers with candles, rose petals, the bath..."
"So, everyone knows what you're up to but me, yes?", she laughed.
He smiled at her, "Not everyone. Just a few of the servants. Not everyone needs to know what I'm up to in my bedchamber."
Suddenly, the young woman gasped, hugging Taisan tightly in fear as about a dozen men in black clothes stepped out of the bamboo, forming a half-circle around them. They looked everything but not friendly even though the one in the middle sported a grin. "Greetings, Prince Taisan.", he spoke in a mocking tone.
Taisan held his arms loosely around the young woman's waist and shoulders, his face showing a stern look, but no fear. He put a kiss on her forehead, "Qinglu, don't be afraid. Tell me, do they wear masks?", he whispered onto her skin.
"Huh? No, no they don't.", she answered in a similarly shushed tone. For a moment, his face turned into a frown before returning to the stern look from before. Nobody said something for a little while, but the young woman watched her lovers face, and it seemed he had reached a decision.
Slowly, he moved her to stand behind him. "Whatever brings you here has nothing to do with her. Let her go first."
"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. Our mission includes not to leave any witnesses. Sorry, Darling, I would've really liked not to burn your face.", the leader of the group answered, which made the young woman shiver and try to hide behind Taisan.
Slowly and carefully the blind prince turned towards her. He removed his cloak, still totally calm, folded it and handed it to her, along with his cane. He took her elbows in his hands, holding her in place and stopping her from shivering for a moment, "I'll make them focus on me first. You hurry home and tell Hailancha, then go to my chambers and wait there, yes? Don't worry. I'll be fine."
She shook her head, "No, I'm not going to leave you. I can't, not like this.", a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Taisan smiled at her reassuringly, "I told you, don't worry.", he cupped her face with both hands and put another kiss on her forehead, and as the tear fell onto his hand, he kissed its successor away, "Please, Qinglu. Do as I said. I'll let you check on every inch of my skin when I get home."
She let out a deep, tear-stricken sigh, "Fine, I'll go. But you better keep your word, Xuan Taisan."
"Are you finished now? We should be off this island by sunset.", the leader of the group asked impatiently.
Slowly, Taisan turned back to them, "I'm sorry, I have my doubts you will ever leave my island again."
"Oh, really? Bold words for a blind man.", another man of the group mocked.
A grin spread across Taisan's face, "I'm Xuan Taisan, the Lord of Zhi-Jing. Why should I be afraid?"
"Because we're the Black Hawks. Maybe you've heard of us?", the leader of the group answered.
Taisan nodded, "Indeed, I have. Thanks for the information. I already suspected it, but still, it's nice to have confirmation."
The young woman still hid behind Taisan, wondering when her chance to run would come. As if on an invisible cue, all of the men got into a fighting stance and in an act of pure instinct, the young woman quickly got down into a hunched over position, as much as possible down to the earth, as they unleashed all their fire upon them. Memories and traumas of the past haunted her for a long moment, before she realized that she didn't feel any pain.
Still clinging to Taisan's cloak, she looked up to see him, waving his arms in bending gestures, a sphere of white flames surrounding them. He gave her another reassuring smile, "You should get up. Run as soon as I end this sphere."
She nodded and quickly scrambled back to her feet. She turned her back to him and when the flames gave away the path in front of her, she took off without looking back.
It was still some way back to the estate, but she made it quicker than she ever had in the past months since she moved in. When she finally reached the wayside gate the two guards looked at her in disbelief, but she didn't have much time to explain. "Hideki, Tatsuno, where's Hailancha?", she asked out of breath.
"I'm here.", a normally emotionless voice asked. Its owner seemed really worried as he hurried from the second gate down towards her, "What happened?"
The young woman needed a short pause to collect herself and not burst into tears, "There were men, a dozen or so. Firebenders, all of them, they wanted to kill us in the forest, I don't know why. Taisan said, I should run and get you, and, and…"
Hailancha nodded, "It's going to be alright.", then he quickly hurried in the direction she came from. For a long moment, the young woman looked after him, thinking that he wasn't exactly rushing, before she hurried to Taisan's quarters, as he had told her.
The servant's gait was firm and fast, but he did not run. Whatever happened was most likely already over. He had no trouble finding the small battlefield. A smoke column would've told him if he had needed that. After he turned a corner, he saw that parts of the forest on both sides of the way were burned to ashes, but no active fire was still going, just a few embers still smoldering. Apparently, his lord had already taken care that the fire wouldn't spread.
Said lord sat on a large rock at the wayside, smoking his pipe calmly, the dragon insignia that was stitched on the back of his robe glittering in the afternoon sun. On second glance, the rims of his sleeves seemed a little singed. Hailancha made a mental note to himself to have that fixed later.
Around him laid about a dozen bodies, smoking bodies, most of them. "Hello my friend.", it didn't surprised the servant that Taisan had noticed him. If anyone knew every single thing about the blind prince, it would be him, and possibly that woman.
"Anyone still alive?", he had always been a man of few words.
Taisan weighted his head to one side, then to the other, "I think that one, but no other. Black Hawks? Pft, what a disgrace.", Hailancha sighed deeply, which told his master a lot. A slight smile appeared on his face, "Don't worry. I've suspected something like this would happen. I didn't think he would send the Black Hawks, or that these so-called legendary assassins would prove so small a challenge for that matter.", he shrugged his shoulders, "Nevertheless, we will need to make a few changes. For now, can you clean up this mess for yourself, or do you need help?"
"I alone shall be sufficient.", the servant bowed briefly.
"Good. It would be great if you could take care that the forest will be replanted where necessary, we don't want any angry spirits here. I'll escort our guest to his new room.", slowly he stood up and walked over to one of the bodies on the floor. Unceremoniously, he grabbed the unconscious man's tunic and was on his way back to his home.
Tatsuno and Hideki still stood by the gate to the old palace. Both looked quickly over the street as a lone figure approached. They exchanged a quick glance but that was all the expression of something like surprise. After all, they served the blind prince for a few years now.
Taisan stopped between the two, then he turned towards them, "You are aware what happened?"
"Yes, my lord.", both replied in unisono.
"Tatsuno, I want you to immediately notify all our people. We need to strengthen our securities. Call all the captains, I want them here by noon tomorrow, to discuss the details. And please, remind them to be discrete. Hideki,", he turned to the other guard, "Go to the harbor, at once. There should be a ship that was prepared to take our unwelcomed guests back to the capital. Enclose it in the military port. Detain the crew, I want to know who's also in on this. Also, notify Master Kang, he should apply extra scrutiny to all incoming ships. And raise the chain. Afterwards I'll may have another mission for you.", they heard a muffled groan, "Oh, I almost forgot, Tatsuno, take this one to the cells. We'll have a talk with him later."
He left the surviving assassin with the guards and continued on his way through two gates and over the main yard, heading straight to his chambers. They were at the other end of the estate, so he still had some way before him.
A servant opened the crimson front door of the palace for him, but Taisan stopped for a quick moment, he could sense her inside, but no flame ever so small. Apparently, she hadn't even lit a candle, which made him think that the incident had disturbed her a great deal. She had told him about what happened in her childhood, maybe, what had happened earlier had brought back some of the trauma.
Carefully he entered the building, trying not to make too much of a sound, so he wouldn't startle her. He could feel the soft light of the moon on his back as he opened the door to his bedchamber. A short gasp was heard and seconds later, Taisan found himself in a tight hug.
He smiled as the woman he loved pressed herself against him. She didn't even say a word, just took in his scent and tried not to cry. He thought, she must've already done so, since her face on his shoulder was wet. Slowly he began to run his hand up and down her back, while whispering her name ever and ever again in her ear. "I'm here. I'm here. I'm not hurt.", he tried to soothe her.
Caldera, 100 AC
Zuko was frustrated, that was not necessarily news. He had visited his uncle in prison, to ask him why the old man had betrayed him, had sided with the Avatar in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se. The dead Avatar, he reminded himself. He didn't know why he had that nauseous feeling that that wasn't true.
Anyway, the outcome of that visit had been even more frustrating. The old man had refused to even look at him, let alone talk. It had riled him up to say the least. And that Azula just guessed that he made such a visit didn't lighten his mood. It was dangerous, he knew that.
Nevertheless, he had visited the old man again. He had brought him food, as a gesture of good will, an apology, maybe. Zuko had told him everything, had laid his soul and thoughts bare in front of the Dragon of the West, but the outcome had been the same, no answer, not even a reaction.
Because he had no clue what to do, just this wretched feeling in his gut that told him that the Avatar wasn't as dead as everybody thought, he had contacted an assassin. The fearsome man had been in his family's services from time to time over the last decade and had two things that were most important to him, a perfect record, and a mouth so tightly shut he had questions if it ever opened to begin with.
Yet still, he couldn't figure out why he was feeling this frustration. He should be happy, he told himself. He was back home, in his father's good graces, his honor restored, that was all he had ever desired. He sighed deeply and looked out the window. Zuko thought of his brother, maybe he would have some advice for him. Maybe he really needed a venue change. After all, Nakuyo wasn't far.
The port of Zhi-Jing, a few days later
Zuko lifted the hood of his cloak and marveled at the sight, which was something he usually wouldn't do, but this seemed different. As the boat glided over the azure-blue waves and towards the port, he could make out two giant dragon statues, one on each side. Made out of the same light volcanic stone, they framed the entrance to the bay, both too far out to make out details.
In front of him, the port itself came closer, slowly and steadily. It was a clear, sunny day, and the closer he came, the more he could see and hear the rustling of various people, fishermen, sailors, merchants, everyone seemed to have something to do.
Zuko let his gaze wander over the different ships and docks. Most boats were made from wood, with light red sails, only a few, small metal ships could be seen. Amongst the docks was an area blocked from his sight. A part of the harbor it seems was surrounded by walls and only a narrow way would let the ships in. And today, for whatever reason, that gate was closed. But before he could wonder too much about it, their ship was docked, and he grabbed the small backpack he had with him and hurried off the ferry.
The young prince took a few steps, so he wouldn't stand in everyone's way and looked around. Though the people seemed overall friendly, and the sun shone, he suddenly felt lost. He didn't know the streets, the island, anyone but his brother. Maybe, he thought, he should've sent a message instead of just showing up. But he hadn't been in the mood for a prolonged letter exchange to plan his visit, so he had just taken a public ferry over to Nakuyo in the hopes that Taisan would somehow know he came and make good on his promise.
He sighed deeply; he had imagined this city smaller. Nonetheless, an estate that in all likelihood had been the former palace shouldn't be that hard to find. So, he just followed his instincts into the narrow streets.
A few hours later, Zuko was hungry and quite lost if he was honest. The sun was already setting in the west, and he hadn't found a clue of an estate at all. He sighed again and fought down the frustration boiling up inside him. Suddenly a voice behind him made him jump, "Excuse me, Darling, are you new here? I can't seem to remember your face. Then again, I'm old and my eyes are getting worse these days…"
He turned around to the most wrinkled old lady he had ever seen. She was small, standing with the help of a cane, but with a friendly smile on her face. Hastily he bowed, forming a flame with his hands, "I-I'm sorry, I'm from… the capital, and I just came to visit somebody, but I can't seem to find his place. My brother owns an estate, and I thought, I would find it more easily…"
The old lady laughed at him, but it was all friendly, not like Azula. She came closer and tugged on his sleeve, "I think I have an idea who your brother is, Darling. I don't know why you came like this, but let this old woman help you. If you go left here, you'll get to the main street, you'll know it when you see it. Don't let a cart run you over. Follow it west, towards the small bamboo forest, and through it, then you can hardly miss it. Ah, see that boy with the basket? He lives at the estate."
Zuko's gaze followed the old lady's pointing finger and saw a maybe ten years old boy carrying a sizeable basket with vegetables. Hastily he thanked the old woman and hurried after the boy. "Hey!", he called out to him.
The boy stopped and raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"
"Are you living at the estate outside the city?", Zuko asked straight to the point.
The boy looked at him suspiciously, "Well, yes. But why do you want to know? You're not from here, are you?"
"Ahm, no, that's right. My brother lives there and…", he trailed off.
A mischievous grin appeared on the boy's face, "And you came here without telling and now you're lost, huh? Well, I can take you there, but I don't know if the guards will let you in. Depends on your brother, I guess. By the way, my name's Cho."
"Uhm, I'm Lee.", Zuko answered, he didn't want to say, 'I'm Prince Zuko.'.
The grin on the boy's face became even wider, "No, you're not. It's okay if you don't want to say your name, but I think, I have a good idea who you are. For now, just follow me."
Taken aback, Zuko nodded and followed the boy through the streets, onto the main road and into the bamboo forest. They walked silently until they came by a burned area. Amongst both sides of the way, the bamboo was burned to ashes in a radius of at least fifty meters. On its edges, small plants were seemingly newly set, replanting efforts, Zuko thought. "What happened here?", he asked Cho.
The boy shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know the details. But it seemed that the Lord was on his way home with his adored one, when they were suddenly attacked by assassins. Father told me, that he sent her home to tell the men and stayed back to fight them. I wish I could've seen it. I mean, it must've been amazing to see. Father said when Hailancha came to pick the Lord up, he just sat on this stone over there, smoking his pipe. He had left only one of the attackers alive for interrogation.", Cho seemed quite infatuated with the prospect, although it made Zuko shiver. Taisan, firebending? His brother was blind, wouldn't that be enormously dangerous for everybody around?
"I thought, he's blind. How is he firebending?", Zuko tried to sound not too appalled, seeing how Cho was smiling.
The younger boy blinked for a moment, raised an eyebrow, "Actually, I dunno. I never asked for any specifics on this matter. It's just, as long as I can think, I see him train, and obviously, if you're looking around, he seems pretty able to me."
"Are you sure, your Dad told you the truth?", Zuko asked again.
"I think so. He's the head of the mansion's guards, he's not making a lot of jokes.", the boy shrugged his shoulders.
"About this woman that lives in the mansion…", the prince thought maybe he could get some more information out of Cho.
"Which one? There are quite a few. Most of the servants live there with their families, some of the guards too, it's like a small village. So, you're going to need to be more specific.", the boy grinned at him, "For example, my mom is the main chef, she moved in back when she was a young girl cleaning the kitchen floors."
"You called her his 'adored one'…", Zuko specified slightly annoyed.
"Oh, her. I'm sorry, the lord has forbidden to talk about her a lot, not that I know too much about her anyway. He's very concerned about her safety, especially since the incident with the assassins. If you want to know about her, go and ask the lord yourself.", Cho shrugged his shoulders.
They continued their way in silence until the forest cleared and soon, the way got a little steeper and merged with a wider cobblestone-street. "This street is actually really old. It was made when Zhi-Jing was still the capital. It led visitors from all the four nations straight to the palace, without having to go through the town.", Cho explained.
Not long thereafter, the estate came in sight, that was the outer wall and some architecture further away in the background that Zuko couldn't clearly see. The wall was smooth without crevices and of light, volcanic stone, and a good deal taller than him. Soon, he could make out two guards in front of an ornamented, crimson gate. They were clad in black robes with a broad, crimson collar and seam, both wore the upper part of their hair in a ponytail, the rest falling openly on their shoulders, and each carried a sword on his back.
Friendly, Cho greeted them, "Hi Tatsuno, hi Osako!"
"Finally back, Cho? Your mom already asked about where you're at. And who did you bring with you?", the older one, Tatsuno, asked, smiling at the boy.
"I've met him in town, he's from the capital and couldn't find the way here, so I helped out.", the boy replied nonchalantly, "I'll better hurry to mom now."
Whilst they were bantering, Zuko stood astonished, staring at the gate, or more specifically at the crimson letters that were set into the light-colored stone around it. It read 'I am the Lord of Zhi-Jing. All water of the sea cannot put out my flame.', he wondered about it. Obviously, it was some kind of quote, but he didn't know where it belonged.
The voice of the older guard snapped him back to reality, "I see, I'm going to get Hailancha."
He stayed back with the younger one as Cho and Tatsuno disappeared through the gate, leaving one half open, through which he could make out another gate further back, round and also framed by an inscription. In an awkward silence he waited, sometimes looking at the black-uniformed guard, who seemed amused about something.
After a little while they could hear steps coming towards them and the voices of the servant and the guard, "Guest, you say? Are you sure?", Hailancha asked with that unemotional tone that had made Zuko uncomfortable back in Caldera.
"Cho said so.", the guard replied.
Seconds later, Hailancha appeared in the half-opened gate. He seemed to fill the doorframe as he eyed Zuko suspiciously. Dryly he said, "Prince Zuko.", Zuko nodded, the servant bowed, "Please follow me."
The servant turned around, ignoring the other three people staring at him. Then the guards' stare shifted to Zuko, and he hurried behind Hailancha through the gate. As he struggled to keep up the pace, he read the inscription on the second gate, 'Govern the island with merit.', but he had no time to think about it as the servant was moving fast.
Only when they entered a large yard did Hailancha turn towards him, "We have not known of your visit today."
"Ah, yes, I… uhm, sorry.", Zuko began to ramble.
But he was cut off by the servant, "I will have someone prepare a room. Do you plan for a longer stay?"
"I thought, a few days maybe.", Zuko said in an asking tone.
Hailancha nodded, "Please hand me your luggage, I'll bring it to your room. While you wait, would you care for some tea and snacks? You must be tired from your travel."
"I-I'm fine, thank you. Where's my brother?", he asked skeptically.
The briefest hint of a smile flashed over the servant's face, "He's training with some of the guards. So, I'll show you to the training grounds instead?", to which Zuko nodded. Without any further word, Hailancha led him through a side building, and through a long gallery to the dusty training grounds.
As soon as Zuko saw the small group of man, he could hear wooden swords crack together. Three men in guard uniforms surrounded Taisan, who wore a crimson tunic with black designs stitched onto it over a dark shirt. No-one of the group seemed to notice him, and he stopped a little more than ten meters away and leaned against a column. As he wanted to turn to Hailancha, the silent servant was gone and so was his backpack.
For a moment he raised his eyebrows, but then turned back to the sparring match in front of him. Hadn't he known that Taisan was blind, he wouldn't have guessed it. Standing in the middle of the other three, he parried each of their attacks with ease. Then all of sudden one tried a kick to bring him out of balance, but instead, Taisan evaded and in a swift motion grabbed his opponent's wooden sword by the hilt and yanked it out of his grip. Then he kicked the man to the floor. The other two saw their chance to attack in that moment, but now having two swords, the blind prince blocked the strike from the front as well as that from the back.
Zuko was no stranger to sword fighting himself, having been trained by none other than the great master Piandao. But he never had thought of blocking a strike this way. Sure, one could turn to block, but his brother did not. He had just turned the sword in his hand, without turning in that direction at all.
Taisan now seemed to concentrate on one opponent, parrying the hits from the other almost absentmindedly. Just as the first laid on the ground, his sword sliding away from him, and Taisan's at his throat did he began to fight the last guard. Seemingly without much effort he overpowered his opponent when the swords clashed, and the last sword flew away.
For a moment the tension still hung in the air, before the blind prince lowered both of his swords, grinned and helped the man on the floor up. They hugged each other briefly and everyone laughed, "That was good, Taro, you almost got to me.", Zuko's brother said handing the training weapons to the guard that had first attacked.
"Someday I will, boss.", the guard, who seemed to be of the same age, if not a little younger than Taisan replied with a mischievous grin.
"I'm sure you will, but today is not that day. I've got to end here for now, I shouldn't keep Zuko waiting for too long.", he waved his hand goodbye and strolled casually over to where Zuko was standing, briefly pausing to take his cane that had leaned on some stairs.
Moments later he stood in front of his younger brother, smiling happily from ear to ear, "Brother, welcome to Nakuyo!", and before Zuko could protest he was engulfed in a brief but tight hug. Afterwards the older prince laid an arm around his brother's shoulder and began to lead him away from the training grounds, "You must be hungry after your travel, come and have dinner with me.", it wasn't a question, just a statement.
Bewildered, Zuko only nodded, before reminding himself that his brother was blind and couldn't see it. Taisan however seemed to take no opposition as agreement. Apparently in a good mood he guided Zuko through the estate. Suddenly the younger prince stopped shortly as they came across the edge of a vast garden. Zuko had never been interested in gardening, but he had stopped involuntarily now to marvel at the beauty of what laid before him. It seemed to hold a balance between order and chaos so perfectly that flowers that seemingly grew wild, looked like an ornament to the grass around them. Fire Lilies grazed the borders of the ways in orderly kept flowerbeds, while Water Lilies seemed to dance on the surface of the lake that brought an air of tranquility to the landscape.
A bridge led towards an island on which a small pavilion offered some shadow, a small table and cushions seemingly waiting for afternoon tea. Taisan's hand around his own shook the younger prince from the view, "This way, Zuko.", he sure knows every centimeter of the estate, he doesn't even use his cane, the scarred teen thought.
He was led away from the gardens and into a magnificent, two-story tall building. An elaborate plaque over the gate told him its name, "Xuan Chen Palace", a dragon motive was engraved into the crimson lacquered wood. A broad, paved path led from the building to the other side of the garden, where a round gate led to the yard Zuko had crossed earlier. So, this was the private residence, the word 'chambers' seemed too small.
A servant stood at the entrance and opened the gate for them, earning a quick nod and a smile from his master. With a quick step and without many words, Taisan pulled Zuko through the building, passing by a sizeable courtyard and quite a few paintings, but they passed them too quickly for him to take a look, before they finally stopped in a room containing a crimson-lacquered table and matching, ornate chairs. "Please have a seat. The dinner is not ready yet, so I'll wash up and join you in a minute.", and before he could react, his brother had left him.
Unsure of himself, Zuko sat down on one of the chairs, wondering what was about to happen. He had experienced a lot of new things in just a day and just as his mind began wandering, the door opened quietly and Hailancha stepped in. The black-clothed servant bowed quickly and walked over to the other side of the room. Without a word, he shoved the walls to the sides, revealing a breathtaking view of the setting sun and the glistening waves beneath it.
"Prince Zuko,", said prince jumped as the usually quiet servant addressed him, "Magnolia Hall is now ready. I've already brought your luggage there. Someone will wait outside the residence to guide you there, once you want to retreat."
"Hailancha, uhm, I have a question.", Zuko began, unsure how to address the servant.
Hailancha smiled briefly, "Yes?"
"Those pictures … my brother is blind, why does he have pictures in his residence?"
The servant's tone became a little softer than usual as he answered, "Most of them were indeed hung by the former lord, Xuan Sargon, the current lord's grandfather. Lord Taisan only hung one, and the young miss added one as well. Almost all display family members."
Zuko realized that he knew nothing about the Xuan Clan and asked, "Is it a large family?"
"It once was, but…", the servant trailed off. Without Zuko realizing, Hailancha's eyes wandered to the door.
"And today? How many family members are there?", Zuko asked curiously.
"Only one.", Taisan's voice from the door made him jump. He wore a long, simple shirt and loose trousers. The light atmosphere though had just become grave, and the younger prince felt as if he had said something wrong. His brother's tone was almost scary.
The older prince sighed heavily before he stepped into the room and sat down at the other side of the table and a small smile reappeared on his face, "But that is nothing that should be discussed on a joyful day such as this. What brings you here, little brother?"
Zuko was honestly unsure of what he should answer, so he stayed silent for a little while, thinking about it. Patiently, Taisan sat in front of him, smiling expectantly at him. "I, uhm,", he started, then stopped and started again, "You said I should visit you if I have time, so, here I am."
"Uh-huh.", Taisan said in response, only to continue after a brief pause, "You disappoint me, little brother. I may be blind, but I'm not easily fooled. Now again, the reason.", he emphasized on the last words, waving for Zuko to talk.
The younger prince gulped, unsure of himself he ran a hand through his hair, then he stumbled, "I'm not sure, okay? Back home I felt frustrated and angry, even though I shouldn't. I have everything I've always wanted, I should be happy! But I'm not, and I can't even tell why! Uncle isn't speaking to me, no matter what I do or say, and I can't… I can't…", unconsciously, Zuko had raised his voice and now his voice faltered, as did his posture, and he hid his face in his hands.
Taisan stayed silent for a long moment, then he slowly stood up and walked over to the younger prince. All of sudden, Zuko felt himself engulfed in strong, warm arms. "I understand,", his older brother said in a soothing voice while running a hand through his hair in a calming manner, "You feel lost, without anyone to trust. Whatever it is that is weighing down on you, you can tell me. This island is safe, and I won't tell anyone about your problems, I promise."
Hesitantly, Zuko returned the hug. He was not used to being hugged lately. Almost silently the doors opened, and three maids brought an array of food. With a nod and a smile, Taisan thanked them and finally let go of his brother. All the while, Zuko stayed silent. That their hug was seen by somebody else embarrassed the younger prince.
A chuckle from the other side of the table got him out of his thoughts, without him saying anything, Taisan seemed to have gotten at least an idea of his embarrassment. "It's okay if you don't want to talk now, Zuko. For all those years, uncle has been your guardian and your master, now that his support is gone, it must be difficult for you. I understand that. You must feel what I felt after my grandfather left us. Say, do you have a new master now? Has anybody taken care of your firebending?"
The younger prince was surprised, by the analysis as well as by the question, "No, nothing's been arranged, and I haven't trained that much anyway…"
"Then it's settled. Eat now, then have a good rest tonight and meet me tomorrow at sunrise in the courtyard.", Taisan said in a quick and firm voice that didn't allow any discussion whatsoever.
Zuko blinked a few times, then his eyes wandered to the dishes on the table, and he hesitantly picked up his chopsticks. "I was told you didn't have lunch today, you must be starving at this rate. Over your journey, you've become malnourished, as I've heard. You should aim to correct that, at your age, eating enough is important, so you don't miss a growth spurt."
Stunned, Zuko stared at his brother, until Taisan sighed, "Hailancha."
"I'm here.", the servant seemingly emerged from the shadows.
"Fill his plate. Don't escort him to his room until he emptied it.", the older prince commanded, and the servant quickly followed his orders. In a moment, Zuko's plate was filled with steaming seafood, vegetables of various sorts and deliciously looking, white rice.
Before he began eating, Zuko looked at his brother questioningly, "How much do you know?"
Nonchalantly, Taisan shrugged his shoulders, "I know a lot."
"You had people following me?", the younger prince asked.
"Ah, yes, but not as close as you might think. I just wanted to know, if you should need my help. Fortunately, you did not. So, I kept to holding up your honor.", which prompted the eyes of the younger prince to dart up, staring at his brother.
"What do you mean by that?", he asked almost accusingly. He thought, throughout his journey a little help from his brother here and there would have been nice.
"Well,", Taisan continued in his nonchalant tone, "you always had uncle by your side, so I was sure, your survival would've been taken care of. Also, like I said, my people weren't that close. So, I just, sort of, cleaned up after you. Especially when you took things that weren't yours. I've made those people whole again and apologized in your name. I'd like to think that I forgot nobody."
Zuko now outright stared at his older brother, his mouth dry and his thoughts racing. He felt like the whole time he spent in the Earth Kingdom came crushing down back to him, a flood of pictures danced in front of his inner eye. "You know that I'm…"
"The Blue Spirit? Yes, I had that suspicion right when I heard about the wanted poster. I knew, mother, uh, your mother, had a collection of masks, amongst them, that of the Blue Spirit. Thus, it was easy to compare the stops of your ships with the appearances of that particular criminal. Don't worry though, I haven't told anybody about it.", Taisan shot him his friendliest smile.
"But… why?", was the only thing, Zuko could choke out.
"Ah, first, I didn't tell anybody because I don't want my little brother to be exposed as a criminal. I have my doubts about father being merciful about it. Second, making those people whole and apologizing was the right, the honorable thing to do. As your older brother it is only natural for me to take responsibility for your actions, as far as I can, that is.", Taisan answered, shrugging.
"You make me sound like a disobedient child.", the younger prince averted his brother's blind gaze.
This made Taisan laugh wholeheartedly. He shook his head as he answered, "Not necessarily, although three years back, I did see a child. A few weeks before your banishment, my grandfather passed away. Although I've been largely cut out of the royal family, I thought about a way to get in contact, but then I got word of your unlucky Agni Kai and everything that followed. I thought it would be my duty to keep an eye on you, and fix some of your, uh, leftovers, wherever I could."