ＣＨＡＰＴＥＲ ＴＨＲＥＥ
ＴＨＥ ＳＴＯＷＡＷＡＹＳ
•
"Ｇｕｙｓ，Ｉ think this is a really bad idea. Korra would have told us to come with her if she wanted us to." Asami crosses her arms in front of her chest and shakes her head at the two brothers in front of her. They all push among the mass of people that walks down the metal plank of the ship, eager to set foot on land. Her words distracted Mako and Bolin as they scan the crowd for the familiar airbenders and Korra.
Mako shakes his head fervently. "Believe me, Asami. I know Korra and she is a bad liar. Something is up, I'm certain." They walk passed one of the ship's crew members, who bows before them with the traditional balled fist against flat hand. "Welcome to the Fire Nation."
They respond by making the same gesture and go along with the other passengers. Bolin was eyeing the magnificent capital of the Fire Nation with wide eyes and an opened mouth. "Wow.. wow," he exclaims giddily. He rushes forward to experience all that beauty from closeby, but his brother grabs his collar and pulls him back. "First we need to find a place to stay. Then we seek out Korra and figure out what she is hiding." "You make that sound rather simple, but how do you suggest we find her in this massive city," Asami questions with a roll of her eyes.
Mako scrapes his throat. In reality he didn't know how to find her, but there was no way he would tell Bolin or Asami that. "Well, we- we will find her once we've found somewhere to stay, alright?" He attempt to hide his blush by approaching the city, leaving behind the docks of the harbor. Asami sighs. This was a really bad idea, but she was already too far in to go back now. "Come on, Bolin," she tells the earthbender and she follows after Mako. Bolin shrugs his shoulders and joins Asami.
Once they reached inside the city the crowd of passengers that came from their ship divided, heading their own way in the city they must be somehow familiar with. They notice others that look lost as well and approach vendors on the giant market in front of them. Them pointing to their maps while in conversation brings Mako to an idea. He approaches a random person on the market, followed closely by Asami and Bolin. He taps the elderly man that was holding his crooked cane gently on his shoulder. When the man turns around, he gives them a look of grump and distaste. "What do you want," he asks in a not so friendly way.
Mako was taken back by the hostile approach but quickly reforms himself. "I'm sorry to bother you, but do you know of a decent hotel around here that has space available? We're tourists, you see." The old man eyes the three of them and raises his hands to the sky. "Ah, more of those tourists for the coronation. Great, just what this Nation needs! Well, I wish you good luck finding a place. Essentially everything is booked. Most outsiders stay with family or booked in advance. Idiots." He slaps Mako across his shoulder and shuffles away.
The firebender rubs his arm. "That's going to bruise." "Is everyone here so rude? You'd say the Fire Nation would be more.. warm. Ah, you get it? You get it," Bolin asks, poking Asami with his elbow as he attempts to get his pun through to them. "Yes, we get it Bolin. Now, where do we go if everywhere is full?" Asami looks at Mako with a raised eyebrow. She smiles at him sweetly, but the firebender knows what she means. He was the so-called leader who wanted to follow Korra, now he had to come with a solution.
Mako sighs. With his thumb and forefinger he rubs the skin between his eyebrows. "Why don't we first walk around town and try every inn and hotel. There must be one with an available spot." The trio crosses the market place. Even though they were not excited about not having a place to sleep, they could still admire all the beauty of the Fire Nation Capital. Bolin stops by a beautiful hotel building that was all gold outside, but the small placate on the window says that they had no available rooms left. The earthbender retreats with a sad pout and follows his brother and the dark haired girl.
•
"Ａｈ，ｔｈｅｒｅ you are."
Daiyin opens her amber eyes. She glances up at the greying figure dressed in red that was watching her from a distance. He had his hands folded behind his back. His lips were stretched in the warm smile he reserved usually for family and friends. "I was looking for you," Zuko elaborates. The princess drops her hands to her sides and unfolds her legs, placing her feet on the stairs below her. "Is there something wrong?"
Zuko strides around the pond with turtleducks and signs towards the empty space on the stairs besides her. "May I sit?" Daiyin looks at the place besides her and furrows her eyebrows in worry at her grandfather. "Isn't that bad for your back?" Her grandfather chuckles loudly, the laughter rumbling through his chest like thunder. "I'm not that old, I hope."
The princess scoots over with a smile playing on her lips. "If you say so," she responds cheekily. Zuko gives her a warning look, but quickly falls back into a chuckle. "Your guests are slowly trickling into the city. Everyone is rather excited for your ascension on the throne." Daiyin picks at her fingernails and casts down her gaze at the field of grass in front of the stairs of the training temple. "I guess they are the only ones."
The Fire Lord glances at his granddaughter. His wrinkling hand moves over and tucks a strand of her black hair behind her ear. "The people love you-""-But the aristocracy doesn't," she responds in a snapping tone. Daiyin realises how disrespectful her tone is and scrambles for words to apologize, but Zuko raises his hand to silence her. "You mustn't apologize for expressing how you feel. I understand that this is frustrating to you, but what they think is not what matters most."
Zuko looks away from his granddaughter and let his gaze settle on the pond where a mother turtleduck was swimming around, followed by her youngs. He smiles warmly as an old memory returns of him teaching the young woman besides him how to feed them like his mother once taught him. "I heard you headed into town today." Daiyin scoffs softly. She looks sideways at her grandfather. "Are you going to scold me now?"
"No, I leave that up to your aunt. She's very well capable of it," he responds calmly. Izumi never shied away from telling someone exactly what she thinks, a character trait that Zuko loves in his daughter. "But I wish to express my concerns. When you are out in the open like that, you are susceptible to many dangers. Daiyin, I can not bear it to lose you like I lost your parents or your grandmother."
Daiyin lowers her gaze. A sense of guilt fills her being. "I never wanted to hurt you, grandfather. But I also can not sit around here and do nothing while waiting for the threat to break through our defences every once in a while. I want to fight and defend myself," she explains. Zuko caresses her cheek gently. "I know. You were always very much like your father. Not ever willing to let someone else defend that what is yours. Always thinking you must do everything on your own." He smiles warmly at her and let his hand drop on his lap. "But I do hope you realize that you don't have to. I will always be by your side to guide and advice you."
The girl raises her head. She throws her arms around his waist and tightens her grip. Her head full of black hair buries into his chest. "If there is one person I trust in this world, it is you, grandfather." Zuko feels a warm flame of pride and love bloom in his being. His fingers run through her sleek black hair soothingly. "I am very glad to hear that. I love you and you will make a great and powerful Fire Lord." Daiyin nuzzles into his chest a little closer and closes her eyes. "I love you too."
Zuko and Daiyin part from their embrace and the Fire Lord sighs deeply. "The invites to the Royal Banquet are being written. Once every guest arrives in the Capital we will sent them out." Granddaughter and grandfather share a glance of displeasure. Having an official event meant that they were obligated to invite Lady Azina too. If they did not it would be a schandal and neither one of them wanted to draw attention from outside the Fire Nation to their internal struggles. Lady Azina always acted oblivious in front of the public, but if they were alone she would often make snark comments that assured them she knew.
"We all dislike her, Daiyin, but officially she is a part of our family." The princess rolls her eyes but eventually gives in by lowering her head. "If that is what is asked of me I will, but I refuse to spend a second with her outside of an official event." The corner of Zuko's lip tugs upwards at her reluctant response. "Nobody would ask of you to. Besides, do you think your aunt or I would entertain her any longer than necessary?"
Daiyin huffs. "I can not wait for the day that that poisonous viper disappears out of our lives," she growls lowly. Her hatefilled thoughts of earlier in the day return and are eating her up from inside. The Fire Lord nods calmly without saying a word. He slowly stands up from the stairs, the joints of his elderly body protesting furiously. Zuko folds his hands together, causing his robe to cover his wrinkling hands. "I will see you during dinner tonight." He bows over his granddaughter and places a loving kiss between her sleek, black hair.
The princess watches her grandfather glide over the grass back towards the palace. She releases a deep sigh and attempts to ease the ever present tension in her body by rubbing her neck. Daiyin let her head rest in her neck and closes her eyes. Her thoughts travel towards a subject she found herself thinking more and more about these days. The past.
She tries to visualize her mother. There were not a lot of photograph, paintings or other things that picture Sakura. Her mother had always been humble and shy, politely refusing to be pictured when asked of her. There were only three paintings of her in the palace and a sparse amount of photographs: one of her wedding day to her father, one on the day of her birth and one when Daiyin had celebrated her fifth birthday. Often Daiyin would search them out and stare at them for hours. Always wondering.
Would her mother have been proud of the woman she was nowadays?
She'd like to believe she would be, but Daiyin knew better than that. Surely, Daiyin knew she was a powerful bender, most probably in the top three of the most powerful firebenders of this age, but she also knew she was an extremely flawed person. Brutal, sarcastic, snarky, hateful, vindictive.. and the list continues to go on.
It triggered a thought in her that leads her down a destructive path every time. Would her mother be disappointed if she saw what she turned out to be? She always tries to put herself back on track, but as of lately it was becoming increasingly harder. Especially with the increasing pressure of the threats, the assassination attempts and the upcoming coronation that would introduce her to the Fire Nation as their new Fire Lord.
Man, her life is a mess, she thinks to herself with a deep sigh.