A Dragon's Spirit [Mako]

Chapter 13: Zanni Invesigation

The rare rain poured down over the Island. My Grandparents stood behind me as Mako and Wu climbed onto the ship. I watched him, tears rolling down my cheeks. I wipe them away quickly, covering them with a smile. "I love you..." I whisper.

"Come, visit Princess Rina soon!" Wu yells down to the dock. Mako blows me a kiss, I blush and return it. Wu steps away, scrunching his nose up in disgust. Grandma places her hand on my shoulder as the ship disappears behind the rocks. I turn to her and wrap my arms around her.

"Young Rina, you will see him soon." She coos into my hair, I nod and release her. "Let us get you and your mother ready for your journey home." My Grandparents and I make our way to the house, before arriving at the doors we could hear my mother stressing over the arrangements. She passes a window with stressed servants follows behind her. "She has lost it again."

"I remember you being like that before my coronation and our wedding." Grandpa states, she flips around to glare at him. I watch as he mutters something under his breath, he slowly backs away, pressing a finger to his lips. Grandma rolls her eyes and walks towards the doors.

"He is such a man." She mutters I laugh, and the door opens aggressively. I step back startled, Mother looks between us both. The lines on her forehead were incredibly defined today. "Izumi, lighten up. The currents are in your favour today."

"Mother, I do not care about the currents of the ocean. I need to get back to the current issues affecting our nation." She states. My Grandma's jaw tightens, and she pushes past Mother. I follow behind her, glancing at Mother shyly. "Rina, hurry up and prepare for departure."

We wander towards my room, and she takes out a pile of my clothes. She begins folding them and then placing them in my bags. "Rina, if you were to marry Mako. I would be proud and happy to accept him into our family. He is a wonderful man that brings you great happiness." I look up at her, but she continues to fold my clothes. I smile and pick up a piece.

As we land at the docks, the public gathers in large crowds to welcome us home. I step off, and my name is muttered throughout the group, a small girl runs up to me with a fire lily. I take it from her thanking her with a smile. She bashfully runs back to her mother. The guards create a path, and we are ushered into the palace car, a recent gift from Future industries. Asami was very kind to offer it to us, stating it wasn't a gift from her but the city for our help in the war against Kuvira.

The drive was quick and silent. Mother had closed her eyes and laid her head against the rest. I watched her, her face was still youthful, but her hair was becoming more gray and coarse with the years of Firelord beginning to weight on her. Iroh stated that she wouldn't abdicate anytime soon, but I have started to question his wisdom. "Mother, are you feeling well?"

"Yes, just a bit weary from travelling." The car stops, and she throws open the doors ignoring the protocols of exiting the vehicle in a lady-like manner. I chuckle and allow the pager to open the door for me, I step out into the fresh air and take a deep breath smelling the steaming rock that surrounds the palace. Mother rushes towards the palace with her previously stressed servants following after her. I stretch out my arms and yawn.

"I hope I don't turn out to be a stressed Fire lord," I mutter, I freeze when I see a shadow shift near the gates. I see one of the guards walk from behind the corner, I grunt as I'm hit with a force. I feel arms wrap around me, I look to see my handmaid, "Zanni, oh how I missed you!"

"I'm so glad you are safe," She says, she quickly lets go of me and looks around. Some of the guards were staring at us with their weapons tense in hand. "Everything is still tense in the castle, they believe that there is a Sozin Fire sympathiser in the royal household."

"That was not in the report, I must see my mother," I say trying to walk past her, she takes my shoulders and shakes her head. I stare down at her confused, "It is her right to know."

"She will be told but you are the target, you must stay vigilant and not allow the betrayer to know the Sozin Fires have gotten to you," Zanni says, I nod and she leads me into the residential wing. "Let us get you ready for your first meeting as Crowned Princess."

After swapping my causal clothes for my formal, I enter the War room and the lord's turn to me. My mother glances at me, "Stay silent and watch."

Lord Frotzi, a respected man from an old family arises, "The Sozin Fires have returned and there is no denying it. They almost murdered the Princess while the majority of the city watched."

"We need to have a formal investigation of the royal staff, it could be anyone. A cleaner to a handmaid, we need to make an example of the guilty so the Sozin's are aware of who is in charge." His brother says standing next to him, they the other lords glance at each other mumbling. "We have a suspect and we are aware that the princess will protect her but she has strong family links to past Sozin Fires."

"Zanni Opious, she is the granddaughter of Arlou Opious. The former leader of the Sozin Fires, he was exiled to the South Water Tribe where he died of old age." Lord Frotzi states, My mother glances at me but I stay quiet. I know Zanni has relations to past Sozin Fires but she has served me loyally for four years.

"Put Zanni under investigation aswell as all staff, they will be interrogated separately." The Lord's bow and exit the room for the mid-session break. My mother turns to me, "You can't take any chances as Firelord, you will think you need to respect your friendships but this is a formality. Your friends should understand that everyone needs to be treated equally and trust that you hold no ill will to them."

"Yes, Mother," I say glancing up at her. I know she is right to take no chances but it feels like I am betraying Zanni's trust by allowing this investigation to focus on her. "But I know Zanni is loyal to me and I have no doubts."

"Let's hope so my dear."

The meeting finished and I walked through the garden with my mother. We were both silent but it was peaceful. It allowed us to reflect over the meeting, mother would do this after everyone one of them no matter how dire the situation. She told me it allowed her to calm and respect the choices she had made during the meeting and that she needed to trust herself.
Whenever I was in the gardens my mind would drift back to my childhood, my brother was already in the navy when I was born so we weren't close until I was a teenager. My friends were the children of the lords and servants. We would run around the trees and swim in the shallow ponds.

The gardens were always favoured by the children of the palace. My grandfather told me stories of his mother, my great-aunt, Azula and her friends playing in the garden. I always found it Romantic that these trees and ponds have watched over the royal family for generations.
"Princess Rina, please excuse the interruption but a letter has arrived for you from Republic City." A pager interrupts, I nod and leave my mother to her thoughts. He hands me the letter and goes to my grandmother's favourite bench. It was positioned in front of a pond where the only red water-lilies in the garden grew. They were a gift from a friend from the Earth Kingdom that kept her safe while exiled.

I rip open the letter,

To Crowned Princess Rina if the Fire Nation,
Congratulations on your coronation, I'm sad that was not invited but I'll get over it and so will Pabu. We are sorry to hear you got attacked and it is all Republic City is talking about. There is a rumour that they have arrested one here but I'm sure, Mako would have told you all about it. They are also talking about your relationship to him, I'm glad to see my brother so happy.
Please come and visit soon so I can brag about you more. Hope to see you sooner than later and stay safe, if anyone can take care of themselves it's you.
From Sir Bolin of Republic City and Sir Pabu of the Fire Ferret nation.

I smile down at the letter and fold it placing into my pocket. Though I believe he didn't like me, Bolin had become a good friend while in Republic City. I haven't heard about the arrest, I wonder is Mako knew. I sigh and stare at the pond in front of me. "I wish he was here with me."