First Year
Reign of Fire Lord Zuko
Imperial Palace
Capital City
Fire Nation
Mid afternoon
I imagine that I cut a rather strange figure here. My clothing -robes of orange and grey- fit the local formal dress code… Well, more or less. Even my bright orange irises don't warrant more than a curious frown from the courtiers and officials my escort and I walk past. I haven't seen anyone else with that particular distinction, but I have seen gold and amber coloured irises so presumably mine don't stand out quite as much as they would in.. other climes. I'm tall, but not shockingly tall. My face on the other hand appears to be giving them a little difficulty. The skin of most of the local nobility isn't much different in tone to mine, but their facial features are far more Asian than my own Caucasian visage. And from what I've seen no other nation on this world shares my combination of features. The people of the Water Tribes have a similar structure but far darker skin. Being the most populous nation, the people of the Earth Kingdom vary in appearance, but those I saw during my brief visit favoured oriental features as well.
Hm. Perhaps they think I'm a colonial? That would be amusing.
"Hey." One of my escorts, a young woman who was also part of the group which took me into custody, frowns thoughtfully at me. "How did you do that?"
I bow slightly as I walk. "Do what, ladyship?"
"Keep moving like that."
Ah. I was wondering if she'd ask. "I've walked from a very young age, ladyship. At this point it's second nature. In fact, my mother told me that I never learned to crawl."
"No, I mean-." She looks astonished for a moment. "Wait, really?"
"So she said, ladyship. I don't remember much about the period myself. But I'm not about to call my mother a liar."
She blinks a couple of times, then shakes her head. "I hit your pressure points. You shouldn't have been able to stand up at all."
"Ah, that." I nod. "Yes, I see how that might have been a surprise."
She looks at me expectantly, then pouts slightly when I don't answer. "Are you a wizard?"
"Oh, no, ladyship."
"Pleeeeease tell me!"
I regard her for a moment, then make a show of looking left and right before returning my attention to her, apparently failing to detect the six other guards in my escort. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"
She nods enthusiastically. "Uh-huh."
I reach up to my coat and turn up the edge slightly. Revealing the fine mithril chain mail beneath. She looks at it with fascination for about a second, then sags, looking at me like I spoiled her fun. She wouldn't recognise the metal, but the implication is clear.
I shrug apologetically. "These are dangerous times, ladyship. I spend a lot of time travelling. I'm afraid that you didn't hit me anything like hard enough to paralyse me through my.. robes, though I will have a nasty bruise later."
"That's boring. I thought you did it with monk-wizard magic."
Another bow. "I apologise, ladyship."
"You're probably going to tell me you didn't get into Azula's prison with magic, either." She holds the pout, but doesn't hide the eagerness in her eyes for an answer.
The guards at the front of my escort step aside as we reach an ornate door, and the leader of the group steps forward and knocks quietly on the door. A moment later it opens a crack and he has a whispered discussion with the person on the far side. "I wasn't planning on telling you that, ladyship."
She nods, her smile restored. Then she hesitates, pointing at me with her right forefinger. "Heey. That isn't the same as saying 'no'."
The doors ahead of us are opened and one of the guards behind me gives me a shove to get me moving. "You're right, ladyship. It isn't. Excuse me."
The room which I'm being led into appears to be an office of some sort. From what I've gathered of local politics, Fire Lord Zuko took part in overthrowing his father and sister and then rather had to hit the ground running after his uncle -his closest advisor and confidant- moved to the Earth Kingdom capital. At this point things have calmed down somewhat, but from the look of… Huh. His bodyguard appear to be some kind of warrior-geisha. Curious.
The Fire Lord himself is a serious, athletic looking youth. The stress of office doesn't appear to have quite gotten to him yet, other than providing a small measure of momentary frustration. This is after all a time of peace and disarmament, the other nations of the world more than content to give him the time and space to get things under control. His robes are not quite so ostentatious as those I've seen in some of the portraits but I have no doubt that they cost more than most peasants would earn in a year. His attention remains fixed on the scroll before him as I'm led into the centre of the space in the centre of the room. A basic intimidation technique, used to reinforce the idea in the petitioner's mind that they are unimportant, insignificant and generally unworthy of the time of the person they have been led before.
I clasp my hands at my chest and perform the medium bow which my knowledge of local courtly manners suggests is correct for a sage before the Fire Lord. And then I wait, in silence, for him to deign to notice me.
I think that one of the bodyguards has noticed that I'm not behaving quite right. There's a little extra tension in her frame, a slight lean forwards suggesting that she's prepared to interpose herself at a moment's notice should I behave even slightly out of order. From the depths of my memory I drag up Mister Kent's distant lessons on how to appear harmless and do my best to put them into practice, using the loose shape of my robes to hide my stature, relaxing every muscle and generally doing my best to appear harmless. Gosh, that takes me back.
There's a sound of parchment rubbing against parchment as the Fire Lord rolls his scroll and binds it together, finally deciding to notice me.
"Since my sister entered confinement eleven people have tried to break into her prison. Nine were traitors seeking to release her. Two were people she's hurt who wanted to take revenge. All eleven are now dead." None of that was news to me, though the fact that he started with it is a little interesting. "Explain why you were there."
I make a point of not fully raising my head. "I sought to help her, majesty."
"Help." The muscles of his jaw tighten slightly. "My sister is being helped by the best doctors in the Fire Nation. What's so special about you?"
"The spirit I serve bade me visit her, majesty."
That makes him hesitate slightly. "Azula doesn't care about the spirits. I don't think she's prayed once in her whole life."
"But she has lived in accordance with the ideals of the spirit I serve, majesty. And.. that has.. not served her well. As such, her current state is the cause of some distress to my mistress. I was.. instructed.. to come here and render what assistance I could."
He remains still for a moment, considering my answer. The local religion appears to be animist, though the spirits who dwell on this world seldom directly intervene in people's lives. For the last century the Fire Sages have been reduced in status from enlightened spiritualists to symbolic court officials. But Fire Lord Zuko counts the Avatar as one of his close friends. My claim most likely carries a little more weight with him. "What spirit?"
"The Spirit of Avarice, majesty."
His eyes narrow, trying to work out whether or not I'm mocking him. "Avarice."
"She strove ruthlessly to realise her desires, subordinating all distractions in pursuit of the goal of becoming… Fire Lord. And yet… In the end-."
"She went crazy and lost everything."
"In essence, majesty. Though.. I.. wasn't able to spend enough time with her to.. fully diagnose-."
"Prove it."
"Prove..? "
"Prove that a spirit sent you. I've had a lot of charlatans and conmen try and convince me that they can help Azula. If you were really sent by a spirit, then I'll consider letting you try. Otherwise you can join them in the dungeons."
"Ah." I nod. What exactly would he consider adequate..? Hm, it's a little old, but… I manifest the Ophidian's Eyes and look directly at him for a moment. I'll credit him with having excellent self control. He barely recoils at all, though his expression shifts a little from irritated towards blankness. "Is that adequate, majesty?" He gives me a curt nod and I squeeze my eyes closed and give my head a small shake. Stage dressing as I remove the Eyes.
"Avarice, huh." He leans forwards slightly, elbows resting on his desk. "Let me guess: there's some sort of rare tea that she needs, or some oil extracted from a fruit whose location is only known to a handful of merchants..?"
"In all honesty, majesty, I don't think that putting hot liquids in her hands is really a good idea. There might well be some tea or some oil that would temporarily calm her, but I doubt that it would assist her in the long term."
"What sort of payment do you expect?"
I shrug and shake my head. "Bed and board, majesty. I've never been much of a tea drinker."
He doesn't quite squint. "And you don't.. want anything… For yourself."
"A healthy Fire Princess is far more valuable than trivial amounts of precious metal, majesty. Members of my order are taught to understand and achieve oneness with our desires. I want to help. All other concerns are…" I smile, waving my right hand dismissively. "Distractions."
He nods. "Very well. I will instruct her physicians that you should be granted access, under observation."
I bow again. "Thank you, majesty."
"Do you honestly think you can help her?"
"I am obliged to try, majesty." I rather doubt this civilisation -for all its surprising technological prowess- has quite discovered cognitive behavioural therapy yet. "But… If I may ask? I have.. some awareness, of the way your father raised her. Any more information you can give me would be extremely helpful."
