[Fic]: Fires Burn at Midnight
Title: Fires Burn at Midnight
Author Name: dark_puck
Characters: Yue, Zhao
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 2161.
Summary: When the captured Northern Princess is placed in his care, Zhao has to deal with his growing feelings for her alongside his growing hatred for Firelord Iroh.
Notes: Massively AU. Written for Round 2 of atla_crackfic.
The second thing Firelord Iroh did during his invasion of the North Pole was spirit away Chief Arnook's daughter and only child. Between that and his capture of the Moon Spirit, the chief's full cooperation was ensured. While the Moon Spirit was eventually returned to her home, the young princess was taken to -Capital Island -- for safekeeping, Iroh assured her stricken father.
Commander Zhao, whose plan for the invasion had been appropriated by royal interests, was less than amused when the girl was placed in his care. Her moon-white hair, even more than his forced retirement, was the most thorough taunt he'd received since his schoolyard days.
He almost hated her.
Certainly he hated what she represented: the loss of his career, the loss of glory that should have been his, the sudden responsibility of having an exotic teenage girl in his household.
Worse, the Firelord had issued veiled threats about what might happen were the spirit-touched girl not in perfect condition come her promised marriage to Prince Zuko.
Several times, Zhao considered introducing her to some of his handsome young cousins out of spite.
And then, one night when the moon was full, he heard her singing by the ornamental koi pond.
It wasn't singing as Zhao was used to it: entirely in Old Ice, lilting like the sea, and accompanied only by a drum. He was too enchanted to wonder where she'd gotten the drum.
He'd never dreamed the Northern savages could produce such music.
"That was lovely," he murmurred when the last echoes of the drum had faded into the night sky.
The princess gasped and turned to him, clutching the drum close with suddenly-white knuckles. The water in the pond surged with her surprise and swamped a few fire-lily pads.
A smile curved the corner of his mouth, and he remained where he was. So jumpy still, though he couldn't quite blame her. "You sing well," he offered.
She dropped her gaze to the drum in her lap. "Thank you, Commander," she said.
The torches lining the path from pond to house flared. Princess Yue flinched, and Zhao hastily implemented a calming technique Grandmother Marizu had taught him as a boy. The flames returned to their normal levels, and she relaxed.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I dislike being reminded of my retirement."
The princess tipped her head slightly to one side, and Zhao felt uncomfortably as though he was being judged. "The plan to invade my home was yours."
"Some of it," he admitted grudgingly. "The Firelord added some improvements when he stole it from me."
"And your punishment as well."
Zhao glanced sharply at her, and froze. Something was suddenly... off. Princess Yue was smiling now, but it wasn't her smile, it was somehow older. "What do you mean?" he asked her carefully.
"There are consequences for meddling with the spirits, Commander Li Zhao," she replied. "The Firelord's time will come."
Just like that, the presence disappeared, and the princess raised a hand to her head.
Zhao was silent for a long moment, then offered her a hand. "Come," he said, covering his disquiet with a gruff tone. "A storm is on the way."
To his suprise, she accepted his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. She kept a tight hold on her drum. He escorted her to her room and held the door open for her to enter.
The words "Sleep well, princess," came to his lips, but he did not let them escape. Instead, he bowed and closed the door.
And locked it.
Princess Yue slept poorly that night.
Between the former commander catching her honouring the moon and the odd sensation of being spoken through, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions.
Her dominant thought was how much she wanted to go home, but a new one was twining its way through her mind: she almost felt sorry for Zhao.
She rejected that thought with every fibre of her being. It was his fault all this had happened. She didn't know how she knew the invasion plan had been his, but he had admitted as such.
She should hate him.
No, not should. Did.
The man was a former officer of the Fire Nation Naval Forces, and an enemy. He had planned to capture a spirit in order to facilitate the invasion of her home. He had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
(She let her drumming fade away into the night sky, and jumped when she heard him compliment her.)
Yue huffed in irritation. Who did he think he was, sneaking up on her like that?
Why had he been smiling like he'd actually enjoyed her singing? He was Fire Nation; everyone knew they cared only for sex and conquest.
Well, she admitted grudgingly to herself, he knew his responsibility in caring for a high-ranking prisoner of war. Even without the presence of a female chaperone, Zhao behaved himself like a perfect, if frustrated, gentleman. He never entered her room even when he locked her in, and he was never alone behind closed doors with her.
Even his frustration didn't worry her -- she'd seen men come in from long trips away from their lovers, and his tension was different in a way she couldn't quite explain.
Perhaps she could, after tonight's admission of his plan being stolen.
Yue let out another vexed sound and pulled the sheets over her head. She did not feel sorry for him. He was ruthless and cruel, she reminded herself.
And had lost everything that mattered to him.
She curled up tight in bed and closed her eyes and her heart against him.
Her dreams were full of moonlight, combat, and Zhao kneeling before her in an admiral's garb.
The rise of the sun called Zhao from restless sleep and treasonous dreams. He dressed quickly and made his way to the princess' quarters, unlocking her door before he heading to the kitchen. He could have had his own cook and personal servants to do such for him -- had had them before his retirement.
Zhao did not trust Firelord Iroh to content himself with simply removing him from his preferred career.
He cooked some breakfast for himself, then went outside to check on his pair of hedgedogs. They were too young yet to breed, but he did enjoy their company. Taiyou and Mizuki seemed happy to see him as well; Taiyou practically bowled him over, so effusive was his greeting.
Zhao laughed and took a moment to roughhouse with the hedgedogs. They had been worth every koban he had paid for them, right before the Firelord had robbed him of everything. They were still worth it.
Taiyou was the more exuberant of the pair, friendly and ready for anyone to play with him. Mizuki was more cautious than him, much like her namesake from Empire of the Eclipse.
Zhao paused, considering. Empire of the Eclipse wasn't his favourite opera by far, but it was playing in the capital this season. Perhaps the princess would enjoy it. After all, without Mizuki's clever mind and cautious demeanour, Taiyou would have forever been trapped below the mountain.
Certainly the Firelord supplied him with more than enough money to handle Princess Yue's upkeep.
His decision made, Zhao went back to wrestling with the hedgedogs. Experience had taught him the princess would not rise for some hours yet.
Laughter drifting in through the open window roused Princess Yue from a poor slumber. The sound was so unusual, she peered into the manor's back yard to see if some teens had trespassed.
To her surprise, the former commander was the source of the laugh. He lay flat on his back, tugging on one end of something. The other end was being gripped by a large animal of some kind. A second animal watched them, its head tipped to one side.
She hadn't realied Zhao was capable of joy.
She wasn't sure how long she watched him playing with his two animals, but roughly when he stomach began growling for want of food, Zhao rose, brushed the grass off his tunic, and headed inside the manor.
He would check on her soon, she realised, and hurried to dress.
She had just finished when he knocked on her door. "Princess?" he called softly.
He did take her privacy seriously, at least. She smoothed down the front of her dress and considered not saying anything.
Her stomach growled, and made the decision for her. "Yes?" she replied.
Her door opened, but Zhao did not enter. He bowed a greeting and said, "Would you care for some breakfast?"
"Yes," she replied.
He escorted her to the kitchen and made breakfast for her. Yue considered commenting on his earlier frolicking with the animals, but held her peace.
It didn't take the former commander long to heat up the rice he had made before. He laid a bowl of it before her, along with strips of seaweed and dried, pickled ume.
Yue still wasn't sure if she liked ume, but it worked well with the rice and the seaweed.
She ate heartily, packing the ume in the middle of a sphere of rice and wrapping the seaweed around the finished product, as she had seen Zhao do. When her appetite was sated, the bowl of rice was empty and the ume were gone.
As politely and distantly as she could, she thanked him for the food.
He inclined his head to acknowledge her, then after a moment asked, "Does the Water Tribe have opera?"
Yue shook her head. She knew of opera, thanks to Master Pakku's arguments with Madame Yugoda, but she had never seen one.
"Flame's Edge is showing Empire of the Eclipse this season," he said. "Would you like to go?"
Yue blinked. "I take it that's an opera?" she said carefully.
"It is," he said. "I think you'd enjoy it, princess."
She glanced at him, and saw nothing but honesty in his face. "It would be different," she said after a moment. And maybe she'd have a chance to get away from him.
His smile was... different from those she'd seen before. Less frightening. "All right," he said. "I'll buy some tickets." He considered. "And perhaps a new dress for you, princess."
Her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with my dress?" she demanded.
"Nothing," he said. "I just thought you might want a new one to wear."
He did have a point. Yue flatly refused to wear anything Firelord Iroh had selected for her, and she was pretty tired of wearing the same dress.
But she would not wear Fire colours. "Maybe," she hedged.
Unaccountably, Zhao smiled. "We'll see what the markets have," he said.
Much to Yue's surprise, the market he took her to had purples in almost the shade she preferred. She couldn't resist getting a kimono in the available lavender, and Zhao almost encouraged her to get anything she desired.
When she overheard him talking to the clothier about getting blues, Yue decided that the commander was trying to show up the Firelord.
Still... she couldn't exactly hate him for it.
After the trip to the clothiers', Zhao treated her to a bathhouse, and then to lunch. She couldn't help but wonder why he was being so solicitous today.
Last night's dream came to her mind, and she flushed, sinking beneath the water of the bath.
She couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed the day. She even enjoyed the opera, though she wasn't exactly thrilled with the character of Mizuki. She could at least appreciate the thought Zhao had put into this.
Apart from Mizuki, the opera was enjoyable -- despite it being entirely in Old Fire, Zhao whispered translations to her. And she did enjoy that Mizuki was allowed to save Taiyou more than once, without needing to be saved herself.
She could also appreciate the politics of the piece.
However, having Zhao murmuring into her ear was far more... distracting than she'd anticipated. Especially when Taiyou declared his devotion to Mizuki.
That was... intoxicating, with Zhao saying those words to her, even if he didn't mean them.
When the opera was over, Zhao took her out to dinner, finding a restaurant that did seafood in ways Yue had never tasted. After that, he took her back to his manor. "Thank you," she said quietly when they were outside her room. "I… enjoyed myself"
She was startled to realise that she had.
He smiled. "I'm glad," he murmured.
Yue surprised herself by rising to the tips of her toes and kissing him softly.
She was even more surprised when he kissed her back, one hand cupping her cheek ever so softly.
After a startled moment, she pulled away eyes wide.
He looked a startled as she.
Silence reigned for a moment, then Zhao said very quietly, "Good night, princess," and closed the door between them.
She didn't hear the lock click this time.
Author Name: dark_puck
Characters: Yue, Zhao
Rating: PG/K+
Word Count: 2161.
Summary: When the captured Northern Princess is placed in his care, Zhao has to deal with his growing feelings for her alongside his growing hatred for Firelord Iroh.
Notes: Massively AU. Written for Round 2 of atla_crackfic.
The second thing Firelord Iroh did during his invasion of the North Pole was spirit away Chief Arnook's daughter and only child. Between that and his capture of the Moon Spirit, the chief's full cooperation was ensured. While the Moon Spirit was eventually returned to her home, the young princess was taken to -Capital Island -- for safekeeping, Iroh assured her stricken father.
Commander Zhao, whose plan for the invasion had been appropriated by royal interests, was less than amused when the girl was placed in his care. Her moon-white hair, even more than his forced retirement, was the most thorough taunt he'd received since his schoolyard days.
He almost hated her.
Certainly he hated what she represented: the loss of his career, the loss of glory that should have been his, the sudden responsibility of having an exotic teenage girl in his household.
Worse, the Firelord had issued veiled threats about what might happen were the spirit-touched girl not in perfect condition come her promised marriage to Prince Zuko.
Several times, Zhao considered introducing her to some of his handsome young cousins out of spite.
And then, one night when the moon was full, he heard her singing by the ornamental koi pond.
It wasn't singing as Zhao was used to it: entirely in Old Ice, lilting like the sea, and accompanied only by a drum. He was too enchanted to wonder where she'd gotten the drum.
He'd never dreamed the Northern savages could produce such music.
"That was lovely," he murmurred when the last echoes of the drum had faded into the night sky.
The princess gasped and turned to him, clutching the drum close with suddenly-white knuckles. The water in the pond surged with her surprise and swamped a few fire-lily pads.
A smile curved the corner of his mouth, and he remained where he was. So jumpy still, though he couldn't quite blame her. "You sing well," he offered.
She dropped her gaze to the drum in her lap. "Thank you, Commander," she said.
The torches lining the path from pond to house flared. Princess Yue flinched, and Zhao hastily implemented a calming technique Grandmother Marizu had taught him as a boy. The flames returned to their normal levels, and she relaxed.
"Sorry," he muttered. "I dislike being reminded of my retirement."
The princess tipped her head slightly to one side, and Zhao felt uncomfortably as though he was being judged. "The plan to invade my home was yours."
"Some of it," he admitted grudgingly. "The Firelord added some improvements when he stole it from me."
"And your punishment as well."
Zhao glanced sharply at her, and froze. Something was suddenly... off. Princess Yue was smiling now, but it wasn't her smile, it was somehow older. "What do you mean?" he asked her carefully.
"There are consequences for meddling with the spirits, Commander Li Zhao," she replied. "The Firelord's time will come."
Just like that, the presence disappeared, and the princess raised a hand to her head.
Zhao was silent for a long moment, then offered her a hand. "Come," he said, covering his disquiet with a gruff tone. "A storm is on the way."
To his suprise, she accepted his hand and allowed him to help her to her feet. She kept a tight hold on her drum. He escorted her to her room and held the door open for her to enter.
The words "Sleep well, princess," came to his lips, but he did not let them escape. Instead, he bowed and closed the door.
And locked it.
Princess Yue slept poorly that night.
Between the former commander catching her honouring the moon and the odd sensation of being spoken through, her mind was a jumble of thoughts and emotions.
Her dominant thought was how much she wanted to go home, but a new one was twining its way through her mind: she almost felt sorry for Zhao.
She rejected that thought with every fibre of her being. It was his fault all this had happened. She didn't know how she knew the invasion plan had been his, but he had admitted as such.
She should hate him.
No, not should. Did.
The man was a former officer of the Fire Nation Naval Forces, and an enemy. He had planned to capture a spirit in order to facilitate the invasion of her home. He had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.
(She let her drumming fade away into the night sky, and jumped when she heard him compliment her.)
Yue huffed in irritation. Who did he think he was, sneaking up on her like that?
Why had he been smiling like he'd actually enjoyed her singing? He was Fire Nation; everyone knew they cared only for sex and conquest.
Well, she admitted grudgingly to herself, he knew his responsibility in caring for a high-ranking prisoner of war. Even without the presence of a female chaperone, Zhao behaved himself like a perfect, if frustrated, gentleman. He never entered her room even when he locked her in, and he was never alone behind closed doors with her.
Even his frustration didn't worry her -- she'd seen men come in from long trips away from their lovers, and his tension was different in a way she couldn't quite explain.
Perhaps she could, after tonight's admission of his plan being stolen.
Yue let out another vexed sound and pulled the sheets over her head. She did not feel sorry for him. He was ruthless and cruel, she reminded herself.
And had lost everything that mattered to him.
She curled up tight in bed and closed her eyes and her heart against him.
Her dreams were full of moonlight, combat, and Zhao kneeling before her in an admiral's garb.
The rise of the sun called Zhao from restless sleep and treasonous dreams. He dressed quickly and made his way to the princess' quarters, unlocking her door before he heading to the kitchen. He could have had his own cook and personal servants to do such for him -- had had them before his retirement.
Zhao did not trust Firelord Iroh to content himself with simply removing him from his preferred career.
He cooked some breakfast for himself, then went outside to check on his pair of hedgedogs. They were too young yet to breed, but he did enjoy their company. Taiyou and Mizuki seemed happy to see him as well; Taiyou practically bowled him over, so effusive was his greeting.
Zhao laughed and took a moment to roughhouse with the hedgedogs. They had been worth every koban he had paid for them, right before the Firelord had robbed him of everything. They were still worth it.
Taiyou was the more exuberant of the pair, friendly and ready for anyone to play with him. Mizuki was more cautious than him, much like her namesake from Empire of the Eclipse.
Zhao paused, considering. Empire of the Eclipse wasn't his favourite opera by far, but it was playing in the capital this season. Perhaps the princess would enjoy it. After all, without Mizuki's clever mind and cautious demeanour, Taiyou would have forever been trapped below the mountain.
Certainly the Firelord supplied him with more than enough money to handle Princess Yue's upkeep.
His decision made, Zhao went back to wrestling with the hedgedogs. Experience had taught him the princess would not rise for some hours yet.
Laughter drifting in through the open window roused Princess Yue from a poor slumber. The sound was so unusual, she peered into the manor's back yard to see if some teens had trespassed.
To her surprise, the former commander was the source of the laugh. He lay flat on his back, tugging on one end of something. The other end was being gripped by a large animal of some kind. A second animal watched them, its head tipped to one side.
She hadn't realied Zhao was capable of joy.
She wasn't sure how long she watched him playing with his two animals, but roughly when he stomach began growling for want of food, Zhao rose, brushed the grass off his tunic, and headed inside the manor.
He would check on her soon, she realised, and hurried to dress.
She had just finished when he knocked on her door. "Princess?" he called softly.
He did take her privacy seriously, at least. She smoothed down the front of her dress and considered not saying anything.
Her stomach growled, and made the decision for her. "Yes?" she replied.
Her door opened, but Zhao did not enter. He bowed a greeting and said, "Would you care for some breakfast?"
"Yes," she replied.
He escorted her to the kitchen and made breakfast for her. Yue considered commenting on his earlier frolicking with the animals, but held her peace.
It didn't take the former commander long to heat up the rice he had made before. He laid a bowl of it before her, along with strips of seaweed and dried, pickled ume.
Yue still wasn't sure if she liked ume, but it worked well with the rice and the seaweed.
She ate heartily, packing the ume in the middle of a sphere of rice and wrapping the seaweed around the finished product, as she had seen Zhao do. When her appetite was sated, the bowl of rice was empty and the ume were gone.
As politely and distantly as she could, she thanked him for the food.
He inclined his head to acknowledge her, then after a moment asked, "Does the Water Tribe have opera?"
Yue shook her head. She knew of opera, thanks to Master Pakku's arguments with Madame Yugoda, but she had never seen one.
"Flame's Edge is showing Empire of the Eclipse this season," he said. "Would you like to go?"
Yue blinked. "I take it that's an opera?" she said carefully.
"It is," he said. "I think you'd enjoy it, princess."
She glanced at him, and saw nothing but honesty in his face. "It would be different," she said after a moment. And maybe she'd have a chance to get away from him.
His smile was... different from those she'd seen before. Less frightening. "All right," he said. "I'll buy some tickets." He considered. "And perhaps a new dress for you, princess."
Her eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with my dress?" she demanded.
"Nothing," he said. "I just thought you might want a new one to wear."
He did have a point. Yue flatly refused to wear anything Firelord Iroh had selected for her, and she was pretty tired of wearing the same dress.
But she would not wear Fire colours. "Maybe," she hedged.
Unaccountably, Zhao smiled. "We'll see what the markets have," he said.
Much to Yue's surprise, the market he took her to had purples in almost the shade she preferred. She couldn't resist getting a kimono in the available lavender, and Zhao almost encouraged her to get anything she desired.
When she overheard him talking to the clothier about getting blues, Yue decided that the commander was trying to show up the Firelord.
Still... she couldn't exactly hate him for it.
After the trip to the clothiers', Zhao treated her to a bathhouse, and then to lunch. She couldn't help but wonder why he was being so solicitous today.
Last night's dream came to her mind, and she flushed, sinking beneath the water of the bath.
She couldn't deny that she'd enjoyed the day. She even enjoyed the opera, though she wasn't exactly thrilled with the character of Mizuki. She could at least appreciate the thought Zhao had put into this.
Apart from Mizuki, the opera was enjoyable -- despite it being entirely in Old Fire, Zhao whispered translations to her. And she did enjoy that Mizuki was allowed to save Taiyou more than once, without needing to be saved herself.
She could also appreciate the politics of the piece.
However, having Zhao murmuring into her ear was far more... distracting than she'd anticipated. Especially when Taiyou declared his devotion to Mizuki.
That was... intoxicating, with Zhao saying those words to her, even if he didn't mean them.
When the opera was over, Zhao took her out to dinner, finding a restaurant that did seafood in ways Yue had never tasted. After that, he took her back to his manor. "Thank you," she said quietly when they were outside her room. "I… enjoyed myself"
She was startled to realise that she had.
He smiled. "I'm glad," he murmured.
Yue surprised herself by rising to the tips of her toes and kissing him softly.
She was even more surprised when he kissed her back, one hand cupping her cheek ever so softly.
After a startled moment, she pulled away eyes wide.
He looked a startled as she.
Silence reigned for a moment, then Zhao said very quietly, "Good night, princess," and closed the door between them.
She didn't hear the lock click this time.