Mini-Meme: Ozai Edition!
Because I love writing Ozai way too much.
Any Ozai requests. Pick a pairing, an AU, a random crack-induced scenario, whatever, and I'll write it. One request per person, unless you're a) dark_puck, or b) one of my chatpost buddies, in which case you get three.
Any Ozai requests. Pick a pairing, an AU, a random crack-induced scenario, whatever, and I'll write it. One request per person, unless you're a) dark_puck, or b) one of my chatpost buddies, in which case you get three.
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"He's a gift," the Fire Nation envoy repeated. "From the Firelord himself as thanks to the aid the Northern Water Tribe has given us in the past and hopefully will continue to give us in the future."
Arnook looked at the young man draped in glittering silver and crystal chains, at the hard line of his mouth and the fire in his golden eyes. 'Willingly brought', the envoy had assured him, and he knew there was more than one kind of willing.
"The Fire Nation is generous in its gifts, but it is not the Water Tribe's customs to take people in exchange for anything," Arnook said, picking his words carefully. Turning down this gift lightly would be taken as an insult.
Though, knowing the Fire Nation, he thought dourly, turning down the gift at all would be taken as an insult.
The envoy's guards predictably bristled, and the envoy himself suddenly seemed on-edge of boiling over. Only the one they presented as a gift seemed not to care.
"I do not think you understand," the man who was a gift said softly, voice raspy as so many of the Firefolk's were. "I am Prince Ozai. To refuse such a gift as me is to invite the fire and sword. Honor," he twisted the word into mockery, "Would demand no less."
The men of the Water Tribe on the quay paled, and Arnook himself could only spare a flash of absolute horror. The Firelord's own son?
"I see," he said, because he was chief of the Tribe, and he must. "An interesting gift they give me."
Ozai shrugged, the chains rustling over the surely too-thin clothes he wore. "The Firelord is generous. But he does not send merely me." He raised one bechained hand. "He sends you silver and diamonds to do with as you will."
"The Firelord is very generous," Arnook said quietly, seeing the trap laid out before him. Deny this gift and face war, or accept it and be in debt to Azulon.
He was almost tempted to risk the war.
But what kind of man would do this to his own son?
Arnook didn't know the answer to that, and until he did, he could not risk his people against the Fire Nation. Not given what he knew of their capabilities.
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