Porcelain - Epilogue.
At the end of things… There is the beginning…
Haru picked up the oni mask from the ground where he had tossed it after fleeing the city, the fearsome visage smiling mockingly at him. Getting back into the city was not difficult as the poor guard was still out like a light. Before he knew it he was back in the barracks, stuffing his ruined clothes in a trash bin and easing into bed, the purloined mask and swords carefully put back in their places. His shoulder hurt like hell and he wished he had something better to bandage it, but for now, the ripped undergarments and extra headband he had rigged up would have to do. Should anyone see the wound, he might be able to pass it off as a token of a foiled escape attempt by the princess. From what he could tell so far, no one had noticed anything was amiss. She would be able to make a clean getaway.
He took an unsteady breath. When they were alone he had convinced himself that she was just a dutiful daughter following orders; that she didn’t really want to capture the Avatar. It was only when he saw her with the two girls, clearly her subordinates from before; that he knew just how much he had been fooling himself. He had glimpsed the fanatical gleam in her eyes as she looked up at the bison overhead, heard the cold command in her voice. The way she so calmly threatened to kill the other girl had chilled him. He had no doubt that had the girl not moved away; the princess would not have hesitated to carry out her threat. It made him wonder just who this girl he had fallen in love with was. Haru also knew then that she would not give up her quest, even for him. That hurt more than his injury. It scared him that even after seeing her true face he still loved her, still wanted her. Why could he not control his feelings for her? The knowledge that the chances of them ever seeing each other again were slim hurt as well. In his fantasies he imagined a happy reunion not long after the war was over, in a place where they could be together forever. He would grab her and never let her go. And she would call him a stupid peasant and kiss him until he couldn’t think straight. There would be no quest, no fighting, just the two of them in love.
Gods, I wish…
But wishes seldom come true, no matter how badly you want them to.
He painfully rolled on his stomach and hugged his pillow with one arm. It was a poor replacement.
The day dawned bright and beautiful. Haru cursed the birds that heralded the morning. He had not been able to sleep well; the bed was too soft, the blanket not warm enough. His head hurt and he was shaky, uncomfortable, skin hot and tight. He felt sick to his stomach with pain and his arms were heartbreakingly empty.
He sat up carefully, cringing at the sound of the door slamming open; it bounced off the wall with the force of Shen’s entrance. “Captain Haru! Did you hear the news?”
Act casual. “What news?”
“The Blue Spirit was here last night!! He broke the princess out of jail!” The young man was practically jumping up and down.
He stood up slowly. “Really? Wow, that’s amazing.” He must have sounded convincing enough because Shen continued.
“You’re telling me! Private Kueng said that he fought with him but he was too skilled to beat.” He sat on a bunk and shook his head in wonder. “Imagine, the Blue Spirit, here. I wonder why he saved her? I thought he was on our side.”
“Who knows? She was beautiful.” So beautiful.
“Yeah, maybe… maybe they were in love.” His eyes widened. “Like Oma and Shu! That’s so cool. I told you he gets all the girls!”
“Yeah, all the girls.” He looked up as the Commander entered the bunk. He and Shen both stood at attention.
“Sir!”
“At ease. So Captain Haru, by now you must have heard of the daring escape of our royal guest. Aided, no less, by that outlaw the Blue Spirit.”
“Yes, sir.” The less he said the better. He just wished the room would stop spinning.
“You didn’t happen to leave your quarters last night, did you?
“No, sir.” Maybe, if he passed out now, the commander would stop talking…
The commander's green eyes narrowed. He pointed at Shen. “You there! Did you see the captain here last night?”
“Yes, sir. As far as I know, he was here all night.” Haru could feel cold sweat trickling down his back. He prayed that the oni mask was far enough under the other boy’s bunk to escape notice.
“Very well, the guards say the same thing. But I’m watching you, Captain Haru. Something about this doesn’t sit well with me.” He gave him a long hard look. “You know, you don’t look too good, boy. You sick?” It took everything Haru had to remain calm under that penetrating stare.
His vision was going fuzzy around the edges as he foggily tried to remember how he had planned to explain his injury.
“I… uh… the princess, she tried to escape right before we arrived. She burned me.” It was the truth, mostly. He was too ill by now to care, a burning fire roasting him from the inside out.
The older man didn’t look like he bought it. But thankfully, he only narrowed his eyes again. “Hmmm. Get to the infirmary.”
The commander abruptly turned on his heel and left. Haru let out the breath he had been holding and sat down heavily. Shen looked at him. “Man, you do look sick. Hey uh, was he trying to say that you had something to do with this?”
Haru just looked at him before weakly raising his hands. “Wha? How could I? What do I know about swords?” His tongue felt thick and he was slurring his words.
“Yeah, right.” He laughed. “You as the Blue Spirit… Gods help us! It’s still cool though… Captain? Captain!”
Shen's voice sounded very far away as Haru found out that the floor didn’t feel much better than the bed.
OoooooooooO
A tavern somewhere in the middle of the EarthKingdom…
“Hey, did you hear the news? The Blue Spirit rescued the Fire Princess from Ba Sing Se! They were gonna execute her but he broke in and fought like twenty guys to save her. I hear they’re in love.”
A young man in a straw hat suddenly spit his drink all over the counter. “WHAT?”
The older man beside him began hitting his back roughly. “Junior, are you ok?”
The younger man shrugged him off. “I’m fine, Uncle.” He slammed his hand down on the wood. “What is this about the Blue Spirit?”
The bartender stared at him. “The Blue Spirit rescued the Fire princess.”
“That can’t be true.” He shook his head, the nasty scar over his eye in stark relief.
“Oh, it’s true all right. My cousin Xin is the commander there and he’s put a bounty on him.”
“What? How much?”
“Five hundred gold, same as the Fire Nation. Shame really. I thought he was one of the good guys. But you know what they say about the love of a good woman or a bad one. Heh heh.” He winked at the grey-bearded man next to the boy.
The older man just shook his head, grabbed the stunned boy’s arm and left.
OoooooooooO
Zuko could not believe it. Someone was impersonating him. Well not him, but his alter ego. And to save Azula of all people! And rumor was that they were in love?! Ugh! He swallowed the bile that rose in his throat. What twisted individual would ever think he could be in love with his sister?! In the back of his mind he realized that no one knew the princess was the Blue Spirit’s sister, but still. He swallowed again.
“And just who the HELL is impersonating me?!”
TBC….
Well, I hope you all enjoyed the story! Its sequel, Celadon will be coming soon!