"Punch. Punch. Punch. I'm punching you in the abdomen."
Soooo I took a break from my extended NaNoWriMo to finish up chapter four of this. Been a while, hasn't it?
Title: Lord of Fire, Lord of Night (4/?)
Summary: A land torn by rebellion. A fearless general and his ambitious wife. A prophecy that will change everything. Sound familiar? Well... not quite. IN THIS CHAPTER: The unnatural eclipse continues. Meanwhile, Zulei gets her coronation, Chen Yu plays detective, Goro makes it his job to worry about everyone, and Masa goes to the beach.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender / Shakespeare (well sort of)
Warnings: Paranoia, insomnia, conspiracies, occult shenanigans- it's Macbeth what do you expect.
Disclaimer: Completely unaffiliated with Avatar or anybody involved. Shakespeare's totally public domain though so HA.
(Previous chapters: One, Two, Three)
Four - Fire in the Darkness
“It is unthinkable, Princess. We cannot hold a coronation ceremony while such an ill omen prevails. The spirits-”
“The spirits want our nation in chaos, do they? Did you see that display at the gates this morning?”
“That was nothing to the disorder you will see if you offend the spirits now. You know nothing of chaos.”
“You’re stalling, Great Sage,” Princess Zulei snaps. “Perhaps it is not the spirits you speak for, but yourself. Perhaps you would like another rebellion.”
The sage draws himself up, his eyes blazing. “You approach treason, Princess.”
Zulei returns glare for glare. “One of us does.”
“Enough of this,” says Masa, wearily holding up a hand between them. “My wife is right, Great Sage. This is a time of crisis. Without a leader, the nation could easily fall to rebellion again, and this time we will not be able to stop it. Put off the ceremony if you like, but we hold the coronation today.”
The Great Sage frowns. “General-“
“That is an order, Great Sage.”
“Just as you say. Firelord.” He gives a perfunctory bow and retreats.
As soon as he’s out of earshot, Masa pulls Zulei close, in an attitude that a casual observer could mistake for a lovers’ embrace. “You’re so irritable since we returned,” he whispers. “I can guess why, but someone’s bound to get suspicious. Try to calm down?”
“When you’re crowned,” she whispers back. She leans against him, but she doesn’t relax. “When we’re secure.”
The door to the great hall opens. “General, the palace is- oh, I’m sorry-”
“It’s all right, Colonel,” says Masa, releasing Zulei and turning around. “What did you want?”
Chen Yu bows, nervously. “My guards have finished securing the palace grounds. There’s still some unrest in the city, but nothing will get at us here. And there’s a committee of citizens who want to see you.”
“All right, send them in. With a guard, Colonel. And will you find High General Bai? I want to speak to him.”
“Of course, General- er- Firelord.” She bows again and retreats, passing a runner on the way out.
The runner doesn’t advance as far into the room. He bows from nearly in the doorway. “Firelord, the sages wish to speak to you about the plans for the coronation.”
“I’ll handle it,” Zulei says quickly. “You’re so busy, my love,” she adds, turning to Masa with a smile. “You can’t be everywhere at once.”
Masa gives her a meaningful look in response. “All right,” he says. “I’ll still be here when you’re done, I’m sure.”
“Of course,” says Zulei, still smiling, glancing at the dais.
---
The palace gardens are empty and strange in the unnatural darkness. It’s a few seconds before Chen Yu can make out anyone else, but she eventually recognizes the thin figure sitting under a tree by the pond.
“High General,” she says quietly. She doesn’t bother bowing. It’s too dark for it to matter.
Bai’s head turns toward the voice. Something smaller detaches itself from the shadows next to him and moves toward Chen Yu- she immediately takes a firebending stance, albeit ineffectual, before she realizes that it’s one of the guards’ spider-dogs. It braces its four front paws against her leg, snuffling happily, before bounding back toward Bai.
“They’re not supposed to be pets, you know, High General,” she says, following it. “They’re supposed to guard the palace.”
“The training doesn’t seem to have taken, with this one,” says Bai. He scratches it behind an ear. As her eyes adjust, Chen Yu can see that its other ear is missing. “She’s a bit of a runt, aren’t you, Hachi?” The spider-dog whuffles, putting her head in Bai’s lap.
He looks back up at Chen Yu. “You may as well sit down, Colonel,” he says. “Order is clearly on a holiday.”
“If you say so, High General.” Chen Yu shrugs and sits next to him on the grass. For several moments, they’re both silent.
“A lot of people are looking for you,” she says finally.
Bai leans against the tree with what looks, in the dark, like an unconcerned air. “Let them look. Anyone who really needs me knows where to find me. I didn’t stay here to serve anyone’s pomp, I stayed to find the mur- whoever-”
“I understand, High General.”
“I wonder if you do,” Bai says. It’s quiet enough that she almost doesn’t hear it. Almost. Another silence descends.
This time it’s Bai who breaks it. “Have you found anything?”
“Nothing,” says Chen Yu, shaking her head. “No clues, no evidence, no suspicious talk. I’ve got no leads,” she says, thumping the tree behind her, “I have nothing to go on! I’m groping around in the dark- pardon the expression, sir.”
“I feared as much,” Bai sighs. “Let’s approach it from another direction. Who stands to gain if the Firelord is killed?”
“Rebels,” Chen Yu says immediately.
“Good. And obvious. Who else?”
“The sages? Some of them still resent the Firelord’s rule. His heirs? No, but that’s silly, they wouldn’t- neither of them were even there, anyway. And it wouldn’t make sense to kill him for his throne and then run away instead of claiming it- are you all right, High General?”
“It can’t be that simple,” he breathes, now sitting bolt upright.
“What can’t be?” says Chen Yu. “You’ve lost me, sir.”
“Who’s next in line,” Bai says slowly, “after Prince Aizon and Prince Yuji?”
Chen Yu frowns. “No one. Neither of them have sons, and Lao Zin is dead. If he had had a son-” She breaks off, staring at Bai, her eyes wide in the darkness.
“You have it,” he says quietly.
“He never had a son,” Chen Yu says. “But he has a grandson.”
“A grandson with ambitious parents,” adds Bai. “A dangerous situation, Colonel.”
“But you can’t be implying that-”
“I never imply, Colonel.” He leans back against the tree, scratching the spider-dog’s head. “I’m sure you have a lot to do, with the coronation so soon.”
Chen Yu picks herself up, brushing grass off her uniform. “Yes, sir. Er- I suppose you aren’t coming-?” There’s no response. She sighs. “No, I didn’t think so.”
---
The coronation is short and stripped of ceremony. The Great Sage speaks the necessary words as quickly as he can get away with, as if anxious to get it finished.
But the audience, surprisingly, is large. Everyone wants to see the new Firelord, if only to reassure themselves that there is one. There is no applause when the golden crest is lowered onto his head, only silent scrutiny.
Afterward, as the crowd disperses, Masa catches Goro’s arm. “How soon can you have a ship ready?” he says, into the other man’s ear.
“A few hours,” Goro replies. “Why?”
Masa looks between him and Zulei on his other side. Something in his eyes is unsettling. He smiles. “We’re going to the beach.”
---
And now it’s the middle of what would be the night, and Masa is pacing back and forth in the royal chambers. In the next room, Zulei is asleep in the enormous bed, with their son in a crib nearby. He envies them. He can’t sleep.
There’s a quiet knock on the door. Masa opens his mouth to call, then changes his mind and goes over to the door himself.
“Gen- Firelord,” says Chen Yu, bowing. “Admiral Goro wants to see you.”
“Good,” Masa says. “I want to see him. Send him to- no, on second thought, take me to him.” He slips out, closing the door carefully behind him, and follows Chen Yu down the torch-lit corridor.
It seems like a long walk through the dark hallways. Even though it’s properly night now, the shadows seem deeper. Sinuous shapes uncoil inside them, watching. Masa turns, sharply, trying to catch one with his stare, and they’re gone again. He presses a hand over his eyes. He needs sleep.
“Is there a reason you’re playing royal messenger, Colonel?”
“Sorry?” Chen Yu sounds as distracted as he is. Maybe he isn’t imagining the shadows.
“We have runners,” Masa says pointedly.
“Oh- yes,” she replies, then appears to think about her next words. “But it’s still a time of national crisis, Firelord, and as the head of your personal guard I prefer to know as much as I can. That includes who wants access to you. Sir.”
“Good answer,” says Masa. “Just don’t run yourself ragged.”
“I try not to, sir.”
It’s not too much longer before they reach one of the larger audience chambers. Inside, Admiral Goro is pacing back and forth, his steps ringing in the empty room. Masa nearly laughs. “You look like I feel, Admiral.”
Near the door, Chen Yu coughs. “Should I-”
“What?” Masa frowns, then shakes his head as if to clear it. “Yes, Colonel, you may go. Dismissed.”
Both men wait for the door to close before either of them speaks. Then, after a few seconds, they both try to speak at once.
Goro wins. “The ship is ready,” he says. “We can leave as soon as you like.”
“Good,” says Masa. It sounds like a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Goro moves toward the door, but Masa catches his arm. “Wait.”
“I had the impression that this was urgent,” Goro says, frowning.
“It is. But I need to ask you a favor. Not as the Firelord- as a friend.”
“What is it?”
Masa is silent for a few moments, considering his words. “Our time in exile… it changes people, Goro. You start to look into yourself, and the trial is confronting what you see.” He spreads his hands, indicating the coronation robes he’s been too busy and exhausted to take off. “Apparently the spirits think I have passed my trial.”
“But?” says Goro.
Masa rubs his eyes. The constant darkness is becoming oppressive. “But I’m worried about Zulei. Whatever she saw, I fear she is still confronting it. I don’t know if-” He breaks off, putting both hands on Goro’s shoulders instead. “You’ve always been close to both of us. Please, my friend, help me look after her.”
Goro holds his friend’s stare, trying to read his expression. “You’re both going to need a friend,” he says, finally. “I’ll be here. I promise.”
“Thank you,” says Masa, closing his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Come on,” Goro says. He claps his friend on the back, injecting cheerfulness into his voice. “Let’s get to the ship.”
The door closes behind them. A few seconds pass, and then a bit of shadow next to the doorframe detaches itself and exhales, and Chen Yu steps into the torchlight. She frowns at the door, lost in thought, for a moment. Then she lets herself out quietly and hurries toward the docks.
---
And the hours wear on, without sun or stars to mark their passage. They’re wearing toward what should be the next dawn, although no one dares to hope for it, when the Firelord’s ship drops anchor near a familiar beach.
Even before the landing boat reaches the shore, Masa is scouring the sand with his eyes. The ring of embers is still there, a perfect circle glowing faintly in the darkness, even though wind and tides by now should have covered it over. He goes to it immediately, steps carefully into the center, and kneels. It looks like a position of silent reverence, except for his eyes, searching desperately in the darkness for the uncoiling of a sinuous shape.
Then he takes out the ember he carries, holds it glowing in his open hands, and breathes out. The rest of the assembled party- Goro, Chen Yu, a collection of sages, nobles, and one clerk- watches silently and from a prudent distance.
Slowly, as if following the rules of a ritual only he knows, Masa stands up. He turns on the spot, sweeping an arm and a leg around in a firebending form, and blue flames roar up from the glowing ring around him. Standing in their center, illuminated in their strange blue light, he holds up one hand with the ember still in it.
“In reverence to the great dragons,” he says, his voice quiet but somehow still audible over the crackling of the flames, “and in memory of the prophecy they made in this place and the power they have granted me, I dedicate my first act as Firelord.” Among the watchers, the clerk takes busy notes. Everyone else is still.
“I name this island,” Masa says, “Ember Island.”
The blue flames die down, leaving spots of light dancing in everyone’s eyes and a ring of glass melted into the sand. Masa sways, suddenly unsteady on his feet- Goro quickly crosses the still-cooling circle to support him.
On the horizon, a thin line of light appears. It grows steadily, shining reflected off the sea- and the sun rises.
Title: Lord of Fire, Lord of Night (4/?)
Summary: A land torn by rebellion. A fearless general and his ambitious wife. A prophecy that will change everything. Sound familiar? Well... not quite. IN THIS CHAPTER: The unnatural eclipse continues. Meanwhile, Zulei gets her coronation, Chen Yu plays detective, Goro makes it his job to worry about everyone, and Masa goes to the beach.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender / Shakespeare (well sort of)
Warnings: Paranoia, insomnia, conspiracies, occult shenanigans- it's Macbeth what do you expect.
Disclaimer: Completely unaffiliated with Avatar or anybody involved. Shakespeare's totally public domain though so HA.
(Previous chapters: One, Two, Three)
Four - Fire in the Darkness
“It is unthinkable, Princess. We cannot hold a coronation ceremony while such an ill omen prevails. The spirits-”
“The spirits want our nation in chaos, do they? Did you see that display at the gates this morning?”
“That was nothing to the disorder you will see if you offend the spirits now. You know nothing of chaos.”
“You’re stalling, Great Sage,” Princess Zulei snaps. “Perhaps it is not the spirits you speak for, but yourself. Perhaps you would like another rebellion.”
The sage draws himself up, his eyes blazing. “You approach treason, Princess.”
Zulei returns glare for glare. “One of us does.”
“Enough of this,” says Masa, wearily holding up a hand between them. “My wife is right, Great Sage. This is a time of crisis. Without a leader, the nation could easily fall to rebellion again, and this time we will not be able to stop it. Put off the ceremony if you like, but we hold the coronation today.”
The Great Sage frowns. “General-“
“That is an order, Great Sage.”
“Just as you say. Firelord.” He gives a perfunctory bow and retreats.
As soon as he’s out of earshot, Masa pulls Zulei close, in an attitude that a casual observer could mistake for a lovers’ embrace. “You’re so irritable since we returned,” he whispers. “I can guess why, but someone’s bound to get suspicious. Try to calm down?”
“When you’re crowned,” she whispers back. She leans against him, but she doesn’t relax. “When we’re secure.”
The door to the great hall opens. “General, the palace is- oh, I’m sorry-”
“It’s all right, Colonel,” says Masa, releasing Zulei and turning around. “What did you want?”
Chen Yu bows, nervously. “My guards have finished securing the palace grounds. There’s still some unrest in the city, but nothing will get at us here. And there’s a committee of citizens who want to see you.”
“All right, send them in. With a guard, Colonel. And will you find High General Bai? I want to speak to him.”
“Of course, General- er- Firelord.” She bows again and retreats, passing a runner on the way out.
The runner doesn’t advance as far into the room. He bows from nearly in the doorway. “Firelord, the sages wish to speak to you about the plans for the coronation.”
“I’ll handle it,” Zulei says quickly. “You’re so busy, my love,” she adds, turning to Masa with a smile. “You can’t be everywhere at once.”
Masa gives her a meaningful look in response. “All right,” he says. “I’ll still be here when you’re done, I’m sure.”
“Of course,” says Zulei, still smiling, glancing at the dais.
---
The palace gardens are empty and strange in the unnatural darkness. It’s a few seconds before Chen Yu can make out anyone else, but she eventually recognizes the thin figure sitting under a tree by the pond.
“High General,” she says quietly. She doesn’t bother bowing. It’s too dark for it to matter.
Bai’s head turns toward the voice. Something smaller detaches itself from the shadows next to him and moves toward Chen Yu- she immediately takes a firebending stance, albeit ineffectual, before she realizes that it’s one of the guards’ spider-dogs. It braces its four front paws against her leg, snuffling happily, before bounding back toward Bai.
“They’re not supposed to be pets, you know, High General,” she says, following it. “They’re supposed to guard the palace.”
“The training doesn’t seem to have taken, with this one,” says Bai. He scratches it behind an ear. As her eyes adjust, Chen Yu can see that its other ear is missing. “She’s a bit of a runt, aren’t you, Hachi?” The spider-dog whuffles, putting her head in Bai’s lap.
He looks back up at Chen Yu. “You may as well sit down, Colonel,” he says. “Order is clearly on a holiday.”
“If you say so, High General.” Chen Yu shrugs and sits next to him on the grass. For several moments, they’re both silent.
“A lot of people are looking for you,” she says finally.
Bai leans against the tree with what looks, in the dark, like an unconcerned air. “Let them look. Anyone who really needs me knows where to find me. I didn’t stay here to serve anyone’s pomp, I stayed to find the mur- whoever-”
“I understand, High General.”
“I wonder if you do,” Bai says. It’s quiet enough that she almost doesn’t hear it. Almost. Another silence descends.
This time it’s Bai who breaks it. “Have you found anything?”
“Nothing,” says Chen Yu, shaking her head. “No clues, no evidence, no suspicious talk. I’ve got no leads,” she says, thumping the tree behind her, “I have nothing to go on! I’m groping around in the dark- pardon the expression, sir.”
“I feared as much,” Bai sighs. “Let’s approach it from another direction. Who stands to gain if the Firelord is killed?”
“Rebels,” Chen Yu says immediately.
“Good. And obvious. Who else?”
“The sages? Some of them still resent the Firelord’s rule. His heirs? No, but that’s silly, they wouldn’t- neither of them were even there, anyway. And it wouldn’t make sense to kill him for his throne and then run away instead of claiming it- are you all right, High General?”
“It can’t be that simple,” he breathes, now sitting bolt upright.
“What can’t be?” says Chen Yu. “You’ve lost me, sir.”
“Who’s next in line,” Bai says slowly, “after Prince Aizon and Prince Yuji?”
Chen Yu frowns. “No one. Neither of them have sons, and Lao Zin is dead. If he had had a son-” She breaks off, staring at Bai, her eyes wide in the darkness.
“You have it,” he says quietly.
“He never had a son,” Chen Yu says. “But he has a grandson.”
“A grandson with ambitious parents,” adds Bai. “A dangerous situation, Colonel.”
“But you can’t be implying that-”
“I never imply, Colonel.” He leans back against the tree, scratching the spider-dog’s head. “I’m sure you have a lot to do, with the coronation so soon.”
Chen Yu picks herself up, brushing grass off her uniform. “Yes, sir. Er- I suppose you aren’t coming-?” There’s no response. She sighs. “No, I didn’t think so.”
---
The coronation is short and stripped of ceremony. The Great Sage speaks the necessary words as quickly as he can get away with, as if anxious to get it finished.
But the audience, surprisingly, is large. Everyone wants to see the new Firelord, if only to reassure themselves that there is one. There is no applause when the golden crest is lowered onto his head, only silent scrutiny.
Afterward, as the crowd disperses, Masa catches Goro’s arm. “How soon can you have a ship ready?” he says, into the other man’s ear.
“A few hours,” Goro replies. “Why?”
Masa looks between him and Zulei on his other side. Something in his eyes is unsettling. He smiles. “We’re going to the beach.”
---
And now it’s the middle of what would be the night, and Masa is pacing back and forth in the royal chambers. In the next room, Zulei is asleep in the enormous bed, with their son in a crib nearby. He envies them. He can’t sleep.
There’s a quiet knock on the door. Masa opens his mouth to call, then changes his mind and goes over to the door himself.
“Gen- Firelord,” says Chen Yu, bowing. “Admiral Goro wants to see you.”
“Good,” Masa says. “I want to see him. Send him to- no, on second thought, take me to him.” He slips out, closing the door carefully behind him, and follows Chen Yu down the torch-lit corridor.
It seems like a long walk through the dark hallways. Even though it’s properly night now, the shadows seem deeper. Sinuous shapes uncoil inside them, watching. Masa turns, sharply, trying to catch one with his stare, and they’re gone again. He presses a hand over his eyes. He needs sleep.
“Is there a reason you’re playing royal messenger, Colonel?”
“Sorry?” Chen Yu sounds as distracted as he is. Maybe he isn’t imagining the shadows.
“We have runners,” Masa says pointedly.
“Oh- yes,” she replies, then appears to think about her next words. “But it’s still a time of national crisis, Firelord, and as the head of your personal guard I prefer to know as much as I can. That includes who wants access to you. Sir.”
“Good answer,” says Masa. “Just don’t run yourself ragged.”
“I try not to, sir.”
It’s not too much longer before they reach one of the larger audience chambers. Inside, Admiral Goro is pacing back and forth, his steps ringing in the empty room. Masa nearly laughs. “You look like I feel, Admiral.”
Near the door, Chen Yu coughs. “Should I-”
“What?” Masa frowns, then shakes his head as if to clear it. “Yes, Colonel, you may go. Dismissed.”
Both men wait for the door to close before either of them speaks. Then, after a few seconds, they both try to speak at once.
Goro wins. “The ship is ready,” he says. “We can leave as soon as you like.”
“Good,” says Masa. It sounds like a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”
Goro moves toward the door, but Masa catches his arm. “Wait.”
“I had the impression that this was urgent,” Goro says, frowning.
“It is. But I need to ask you a favor. Not as the Firelord- as a friend.”
“What is it?”
Masa is silent for a few moments, considering his words. “Our time in exile… it changes people, Goro. You start to look into yourself, and the trial is confronting what you see.” He spreads his hands, indicating the coronation robes he’s been too busy and exhausted to take off. “Apparently the spirits think I have passed my trial.”
“But?” says Goro.
Masa rubs his eyes. The constant darkness is becoming oppressive. “But I’m worried about Zulei. Whatever she saw, I fear she is still confronting it. I don’t know if-” He breaks off, putting both hands on Goro’s shoulders instead. “You’ve always been close to both of us. Please, my friend, help me look after her.”
Goro holds his friend’s stare, trying to read his expression. “You’re both going to need a friend,” he says, finally. “I’ll be here. I promise.”
“Thank you,” says Masa, closing his eyes. “Thank you.”
“Come on,” Goro says. He claps his friend on the back, injecting cheerfulness into his voice. “Let’s get to the ship.”
The door closes behind them. A few seconds pass, and then a bit of shadow next to the doorframe detaches itself and exhales, and Chen Yu steps into the torchlight. She frowns at the door, lost in thought, for a moment. Then she lets herself out quietly and hurries toward the docks.
---
And the hours wear on, without sun or stars to mark their passage. They’re wearing toward what should be the next dawn, although no one dares to hope for it, when the Firelord’s ship drops anchor near a familiar beach.
Even before the landing boat reaches the shore, Masa is scouring the sand with his eyes. The ring of embers is still there, a perfect circle glowing faintly in the darkness, even though wind and tides by now should have covered it over. He goes to it immediately, steps carefully into the center, and kneels. It looks like a position of silent reverence, except for his eyes, searching desperately in the darkness for the uncoiling of a sinuous shape.
Then he takes out the ember he carries, holds it glowing in his open hands, and breathes out. The rest of the assembled party- Goro, Chen Yu, a collection of sages, nobles, and one clerk- watches silently and from a prudent distance.
Slowly, as if following the rules of a ritual only he knows, Masa stands up. He turns on the spot, sweeping an arm and a leg around in a firebending form, and blue flames roar up from the glowing ring around him. Standing in their center, illuminated in their strange blue light, he holds up one hand with the ember still in it.
“In reverence to the great dragons,” he says, his voice quiet but somehow still audible over the crackling of the flames, “and in memory of the prophecy they made in this place and the power they have granted me, I dedicate my first act as Firelord.” Among the watchers, the clerk takes busy notes. Everyone else is still.
“I name this island,” Masa says, “Ember Island.”
The blue flames die down, leaving spots of light dancing in everyone’s eyes and a ring of glass melted into the sand. Masa sways, suddenly unsteady on his feet- Goro quickly crosses the still-cooling circle to support him.
On the horizon, a thin line of light appears. It grows steadily, shining reflected off the sea- and the sun rises.