Sun Child: Prelude to Siege

[weirdlet]

The AU: Princess Zura was pregnant when she was exiled- now she roams the world with a child in tow, seeking the Avatar as her chance at redemption- for herself and her daughter...

The Prompt: Where was Lan Min during the invasion of the Northern Water Tribe?

The Fic: Part 1.

The boy kneels in the darkness, head bowed before the flames that dance in time to their lord’s whim.

“Your uncle Iroh is a traitor, and your sister Zura is a failure.”

No surprise there.

“I have a task for you.”

The boy looks up into the shadowed face of his father, and smiles.

…

How did it come to this?

Ah yes.

…

It was a fine night, with a waning moon for light and a mellow song keeping the time; Iroh sang happily as Jee played, and the cook and scullion waltzed by. The princess had just gone below to tend her daughter, and it was looking like Music Night would be a rousing success once again.

As many people, including sages, civilians, and one particularly picked-on clerk knew, Commander Zhao had a talent for walking into such moments and sucking them dry.

…

“Zura?”

“What, Uncle?” the elder princess called, not looking up from where the battle to corral and change the younger was fast becoming a draw.

“It’s about our plans- there is a bit of a problem.” The sound of a heavy footstep onto her floor is what raised her head, turning just as much as keeping Lan Min pinned in place would allow.

“Get off my ship.”

“I’m taking your crew.” They harmonized on that last bit, and Zura gave him a sneer that a generous person might blame on the task she was trying to complete.

“I’ve recruited them for a little expedition to the North Pole.”

“You’re- you can’t do that! Uncle, can he do that?” she said as she turned to the old general, scandalized.

“He is the ranking officer in the area, Zura,” Iroh responded, thoughtful. “It is not like the old days, after all, when an Agni Kai brought the winner all that the defeated had, power and possessions both.”

Zhao’s face darkened, but he held it back and squared his shoulders. “Regardless- I have both the right and the duty to commandeer your men. We have- work to do,” he said, glancing studiously away from the changing table. “I’m sorry you won’t be there to watch me capture the Avatar- but the battlefield is no place for a child or its tender. You understand.”

The pin Zura held was very carefully laid aside with a small click. Lan Min made an annoyed sound and wriggled, wanting to be off the table and running about again.

“Uncle- please remove this man from my room. I’m busy.”

But whether Iroh would have been successful or not would remain a mystery- before he could address the commander, Zhao had stepped across to one of the wall displays, a crossed set of swords.

“I didn’t know you were skilled with broadswords, Princess.” He took one down, tested the heft and the slice it made through the air.

“I’m not- those are antiques. They belonged to my mother,” Zura said quietly, and wondered immediately if it was a mistake. No one spoke of her mother- and even if they did, the princess Ursa had been infamously skilled with them. She thought there was a hard glitter in Zhao’s eyes that hadn’t been there before.

“Have you heard of the Blue Spirit, Princess?”

“Oh, for the love of misshapen spirits! I’m in the middle of changing a damn diaper, Commander! I don’t know what school teaches officers their manners as they climb the ranks these days, but they are clearly remiss. Get out of my room, get off of my ship, go away and get back to whatever the hell you were doing! Invading a woman’s bedroom, rifling through her things, stealing her escort, waving a sword around in a room with a child- even a contracted whore can expect better manners from a gentleman!”

In the aftermath of the outburst, the princess turned her back on the two men, making soothing shushing noises to the toddler who had begun to whimper. Zhao glowered down from a height, turning towards the door as Iroh took the sword from him.

“I can see you have some- hysteria to work out. General Iroh, the offer to join my mission still stands- if you change your mind.”

“I am going to kill him,” Zura snarled at the shut door. Uncle moved to take over for her, but she very slowly, carefully took up the pin she’d dropped and finished the job, glaring down at the table like it had personally offended her.

Lan Min rode in her arms but fussed uneasily as she moved up on deck- her daughter knew the sort of shaking in the hands that held her and didn’t like it. Still, she witnessed the grudging, but efficient, exodus of her crew with a face like stone, nodding just a little with each ‘Goodbye, Princess,’.

Jee stopped by last, and she snapped out of her stony reverie long enough to really look at him, and acknowledge his salute. He rubbed his hand after, the fingers she’d broken when her daughter had been born, and she reached out to take them in hers, warming the joints in a small, final squeeze. He didn’t smile, just nodded grimly and turned on his heel, bag over his shoulder.

And just like that, the men who had been her most loyal crew for three years were gone.

She looked at her uncle, and firmly planted Lan Min into Iroh’s arms.

“Take her for a walk- I can’t be around anyone right now.” Her daughter saw enough temper tantrums- and this was the sort of black rage even she had rarely seen in her youth.

Iroh looked like he was about to say something, then just nodded. “I understand- some things we may not wish to share with our children until they can know it is not directed at them.”

He took his grand-niece in hand and walked down the gangplank, intent on keeping both his girls as happy as could be- and if that meant giving Zura some time alone to scream and destroy things, very well.

Half-way to town, he heard the explosion- not the one he was expecting. Horror tearing at him, he raced back, Lan Min clutched tight.

“Zura!”

…

The fleet set sail.

If anyone thought it was odd that Zhao had a grieving, retired general as guest, they kept mum. The child he ferried about, though, was a source of shaking heads and raised brows.

“Can’t you shut that thing up? Get it off my bridge!” This was not the first time Zhao had expressed disapproval in the presence of the crying girl, but it was the first time he had exploded so openly. The journey to the north was taking weeks, and the whelp’s whining grated.

“Commander- I have just lost my niece, and this child had just lost her mother. If you wish my assistance and my presence to enhance your endeavors, perhaps you could show a little more patience. Nevertheless-“ the old general said tiredly, stroking the little girl’s black pigtails as she turned her face against his breastplate, sniffling wetly. “The war-room is not the place to be now. I shall return after I have seen my grand-niece settled.”

Zhao watched with narrowed eyes as the old man shuffled off, and after the door was shut rubbed his throbbing temples.

…

In a deserted stretch of ship, two soldiers crossed paths and paused.

“Our plan is working. Zhao doesn’t suspect a thing.”

“Where’s Lan Min?” The faceplate rattled as she pulled it out of place, just enough to get a better look at her uncle as she asked.

“The cook got traded off to one of the other ships, but the scullion’s ours- he’ll be bringing broth to feed her, and no one wants to bother with him then. You’ll have about an hour after supper, if you don’t mind being stuck in a supply closet.”

“Are there enough of ours to keep watch?”

“Possibly,” Iroh hazarded. “The crew were mostly kept here in order to keep an eye on them- if someone’s off-duty, he could come to chat with old comrades so long as it isn’t about anything suspicious.”

That would have to do. She sighed, and nodded. “Thank you, Uncle.”

“No niece of mine is going to stowaway without some backup- we have to be careful, but if we don’t get sloppy, you can make it to the North Pole and the Avatar will be yours.”

“Someone’s coming.” The faceplate clicked back into place, and just another Imperial firebender strode down the hall.

Comments

[attackfish.livejournal.com]

Oh, Zhao, you shit. Good Zura, lose it at the incompetent jackass waving sharp things around near your kid. Pity you can't take said sharp thing from him and stick it in his belly.

Oh, and Zhao, even if you thinks no one knows it, if you're yelling at a kid for crying after you killed her mom, you're a reprehensible creature, but we knew that. Iroh, you awesome man you.

This is wonderful.

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

^_^

[permetaform]

ooo, as always lovely. And I love the title. ^_^

[floranna.livejournal.com]

Zhao truly has the gift in timing. And the crew and Zura just love it...

I always make small dance when I notice you have written more into this verse. My littlebrother thinks I am an idiot but that's nothing new.

[weirdlet.livejournal.com]

Small dances are a sacred nerd ritual and he can like it or lump it. Just tell him to be glad you didn't break out the woad and do it naked^^