Work Text:
HUA
Hua always worked at the market.
When she was a child, not old enough to count money, she used to help rearrange the fruits on the stand. She liked to display the mangoes by colors - green first, then the yellow ones, and lastly, the pinks. She always said it was her “personal fruit rainbow”. And she was very proud of it.
At first, she always got irritated when someone picked a mango and put it on the wrong place. Her childish mind could not comprehend the fact that, apparently, the adults didn’t notice the color pattern of mangoes, and how beautiful they were. Putting a mango not where it was supposed to be was so irritating that even at a young age, Hua had trouble controlling it.
She even snapped at a few men for messing with the pattern of fruits.
(And her parents, worried about losing a customer, would later pinch her ears for being so disrespectful and pettish towards the customers.)
Now, adult Hua would laugh at this. She always had, in fact, a short temperament.
One time, she even scolded ( and huffed at) some members of the royal family.
This was a cool story she enjoyed telling others during gatherings.
-
It was early Saturday, but the market was already full.
People were doing their things as usual - stand owners selling, and customers, well, buying.
Until a hush started on the marked and everybody began to frantically fix everything. People suddenly were getting rid of dirt aprons and changing into new ones, fixing their hair, putting on some make up and pressing old fabrics into their forehead to clean their sweaty faces.
“What is happening?” Hua asked, feeling like she should be, like everybody else, doing something, but didn’t know what. “What is going on?”
“Our Fire Lady is here” Her father said, checking his face on the small hand mirror he had.
“She’s visiting us and some said the Prince is here too” Completed her mom, now grabbing Hua by the arm. “C’mere let me fix your hair”.
Hua was trying to loosen up - at least a little bit - her painfully tight ponytail when a tall lady stopped in front of their little fruit stand.
Their parents bowed deep. (Hua bowed too, but she felt her mom’s hand on her back making her bow deeper. Hua scowled.)
“Rise.” Said the woman, in a gentle tone. They rose.
Is that the Fire Lady? It must be.
“Fire Lady-” Aha! “-It is an honor to serve you.” Said her father.
“Please, take what you must.” Finished her mother with a brief bow.
The Fire Lady smiled, and pushed a little boy forward.
The prince! That must be the Prince!
“Zuko, you love mangoes.” She said, with her hand now on his shoulder. “Pick one.”
The Prince looked at his mother, and then at the fruits. Suddenly, Hua was tense. He is a Prince, she thought, he knows that there is an order.
He picked up a mango - a yellow one - and showed it to the Fire Lady. “The pink ones taste better.” She said, pointing at said mango. He nodded, and put the yellow mango on top of a green one.
Hua saw red .
“No! There is an order, can’t you see?” Said Hua. Agni, she was mad. He was a Prince! “You are a Prince!” Said her, putting the fruit where it should be. “You should know there is an order!” She pointed at the fruits displayed in front of her. “Look! Here’s the order! Can’t you follow that?”
The Prince was looking at her as if she had grown another head.
“It’s not that difficult: green, yellow and pink! I spent all morning making it look beautiful, I don’t want anyone to mess with the colors.”
And then she huffed.
When no one said anything, Hua looked at her parents and noticed that they looked a little gray. And everybody else on the other stands were looking at her. Merchants, customers, everybody.
“I am so sorry, Fire Lady Ursa, for my child’s misbehavior” Said her mom, bowing deep, eyes closed. “She is just a stupid child”
And her father looked faint “Please take everything you want”. He was bowing too when they all heard a snort.
It was the Fire Lady, she had a hand in front of her mouth to hide the smile.
“It’s fine, I understand.” And then she curved herself to stage-whisper to Hua “I don’t like it when Zuko messes with my theater scrolls either.”
“Hey!” Said the Prince, his face as pink as the mangoes, “I don’t read those stupid scrolls!”
The Fire Lady winked at Hua. Then she grabbed two pink mangoes and said she was sorry for putting the fruit in the wrong place. The Fire Lady paid her parents four entire golden coins -two for each mango-, and left.
Her parents bowed – and she did it too - again, as the Lady and the Prince walked away. She could hear Prince Zuko telling his mom one fruit is for him and the other one for the Princess.
Hua felt happy. The Fire Lady was so beautiful and so nice!
The same couldn’t be said about her parents. Even before turning around, she felt their livid looks burning on her neck. They didn’t wait for the Fire Lady to be out of sight to start pinching Hua’s ear.
That night, she earned the beating of her life. It was fair enough, after all, had the Fire Lady been a little less merciful than she was, she would be an orphan by the age of seven. The only reason why Hua’s parents didn’t fully spank her was because her misbehaving earned them four golden coins.
CHUN
Just like every other fire nation child, Chun knew everything there was to know about the Royal Family.
She knew their favorite foods (dumplings), favorite colors (red), favorite type of songs (none). She knew a lot of other trivial things too. But, the most important thing she knew was their birthday dates.
Fire Lord Ozai and Azula’s birthdays were during summer. Fire Lady Ursa’s was during spring and the Prince… Well, Chun shared the same birthday as Prince Zuko. Mid Winter. That information to her tiny, childish, still-under-development brain couldn’t help but mean one thing.
They were Destined to be together.
When she shared this bit of oh so precious information with her older sister, Fen, she got laughed at.
“Stop being stupid, Chun. It’s just a coincidence.”
“What is a ‘coincidence’?” Asked Chun, only six years old.
“It’s when two things happen at the same time. Like you being born on the same day as the Prince.”
Well, Chun was determined to show her sister that it was not a ‘coincidence’, but a Destiny. Their Destiny.
She was gonna meet him one day and they were gonna fall madly in love and marry and have four children.
(Of course it didn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen, but it not happening didn’t mean she would stop being obsessed with the Prince at any point of her life. And she didn’t know any of that.)
By 13, She knew almost everything she could have known about him. She knew that he enjoyed going to the theater, that he knew how to fight using swords, that he always put extra fire flakes on his food and even what his favorite fire bending movement was.
She had a painting of him hidden under her mattress, alongside with a love letter that she hoped to deliver him one day.
It was not a totally impossible thing to happen - delivering the letter. After all, she had seen him in person a few times. Working at the local theater, it was bound to happen. But every single time the encounter happened, she would get nervous and sweat her courage away.
One day, he showed up with a girl, and that was on the top two worst days of Chun’s life.
(Despite feeling miserable, Chun noticed that the girl had bangs. Meaning that, maybe, just maybe, if Chun cut her bangs too, she would have some chance?)
She hates to admit it but even when her father died, she didn’t cry as hard as she did the day Prince Zuko betrayed her with the Girl With Bangs.
So you can imagine how she felt when he was banished.
That was the worst day of her life.
Chun fell ill for a week - she had a fever nobody could explain. It was purely emotional, so, yes, it passed with time. But she thought she was gonna die. Fen thought too but she wouldn’t ever admit that to Chun.
When she confessed to her mother her feelings for the Prince, her mom told her to get off the bed and go to work so she would occupy her mind instead of thinking nonsense. Chun said she couldn’t go to work at the theater because it would remind her of Zuko, and her mother promptly offered the solution: “Well, find another job, then.”
And so she did. She started working at a jewelry store, where she met Bo, the guy that actually was her destiny.
And the funny thing about that is that he didn’t look like the Prince at all.
Chun and Bo were engaged by the time Zuko was back and crowned Fire Lord.
In fact, they watched the ceremony together, side by side, hand in hand.
(Chun’s heart couldn’t help but skip a bit when she saw the Prince again after so many years. He was still so handsome.)
Chun and Bo, now married, also held hands while they watched the Fire Lord introduce to the citizens his newest wife: her name was Katara, she was a master waterbender, and also the ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe.
I never stood a chance, thought Chun, bitterly.
The Fire Lord and Moon Lady looked like the perfect couple together. The type of couple that makes young teenagers look up to. He was fire, she was water, they completed each other and helped each other, in ways that Chun would never be able to. And she hated herself for not being able to never get over her stupid childish feelings towards a guy - a man now - that was royalty and unreachable.
She was happy for the Fire Lord and the Moon Lady, of course she was.
But…
“What is it, Chun?” Asked Bo, concerned. She snapped back into reality and looked at her loving husband.
The worst part of all of this situation is that she couldn’t never, wouldn’t ever, tell her husband, her caring husband, about her feelings towards the Fire Lord. About how sometimes she would fantasize that it was Zuko between her legs, looking down at her with golden eyes, instead of the dark brown ones of Bo.
“Nothing.” She waved her hand, dismissing him. “It’s nothing.”
And she couldn’t help but to feel envy of the Moon Lady. Because Katara knew what it was like to make love to Zuko.
(Her Zuko)
She, deep down, hoped that still, one day, they would break up. It was, however, her hope that broke into million pieces when nearly a year later the Lady appeared in public with a baby bump under her robes. That was a day Chun would never forget.
-
On that day, Chun was feeling bored, and strange. Something wasn’ quite right, but she couldn’t put a finger on it.
It was a humid, cloudy day, and she couldn’t wait to go home and sleep. All the boredom she has been feeling all day left her body when The Fire Lord’s Wife herself entered the jewelry shop and greeted her.
“Hello” Said the Lady, and Chun bowed. “Ah, no, no need to bow.”
“Sorry,” Said Chun a little nervous, hands clammy. This woman is married to Zuko. “How may I help you, your Highness?”
“Just Katara is fine” Said the Lady, already smiling. Chun noticed for the first time how blue the Lady’s eyes were. “I need a little bracelet”
“Do you know what size, Lady Katara?”
“Ah, the tiniest, I suppose.”
“Baby size?” Asked Chun, feeling a rock sit on her stomach.
“Yes,” And she watched the Lady caress her belly. It was round. “Baby size.”
If she was being honest with herself, Chun didn’t remember very clearly what happened next. She helped the Lady to choose a bracelet - it was one with a pattern of topaz and ruby dots on it. Lady Katara thanked her, and asked to hold her hand as a sign of gratitude. At that, the Lady looked into her eyes.
“Oh, you are expecting too?”
Uh-
“Expecting what?”
“A child!” The Lady had a beautiful smile. She explained “I think I felt another heartbeat when I held your hand.” And shrugged “Waterbending tricks, I guess.”
Chun’s world was distant.
“Oh. Oh no, you didn’t know about it” And then Lady Katara looked uncomfortable. “I’m so sorry…But, well, I’m not sure about it so you should probably go and check with your doctor.” Chun noticed that she was trying to, somehow, fix the situation. She didn’t know what to think about the fact that a Royal Member was trying to make her, a peasant, feel better.
“I’m sorry, but, what is your name again?”
Chun felt as if she was watching herself from outside her body when she said “It’s Chun”
Lady Katara beamed, with gentleness in her eyes.
“It’s a beautiful name, Chun.” She seemed to ponder her next words for a minute. But then she said “Anyways, thank you again for your promptitude. Now I’m afraid I must go.”
And then she left as if Chun’s life hadn’t just been turned around completely. The Moon Lady was not only gorgeous, but she was also gentle and caring.
Later she checked and yes, she was expecting.
She knew Chun was pregnant just by holding her hand! And my child will be born around the same time as hers.
And then a thought occurred.
Maybe, it was for her child to meet Lady Katara and Fire Lord Zuko’s. Maybe someday they would be friends, best friends. Even a couple.
Maybe it was their destiny.
LI
Meeting the Fire Lord the way Li met was definitely not on her plans.
Li was a gentle, almost seventy years old lady that worked at the Fire Nation’s daycare school.
She had been working there for decades and she knew the royal family was very closed off. They had always been, and they would always be. They wouldn’t ever, ever use the public daycare system. They had their own ways to take care of their offspring.
Or so Li thought.
“This is Kya-” Said the Fire Lord, carrying a teary eyed toddler. “Say ‘hi’ to the lady, Kya.”
The toddler - Kya - waved one tiny hand while the other was clutching a strand of Fire Lord’s long hair.
When Li waved back, Kya hid her head again on the Fire Lord’s neck. He laughed. “She is shy, isn’t she?” He cooed and kissed her tiny temple. “And she knows that dad needs to go.”
At that, Kya hid closer to her father, almost as if she was trying to be hidden inside his body. And then both Li and Fire Lord Zuko heard tiny whimpers.
The Fire Lord’s face fell. “I know, I know. But it won’t be long, I’ll be back soon.”
Kya didn’t seem convinced. He looked at her, thinking.
“I’ll bring pink mangoes, what do you think?”
That seemed to do it. She stopped whimpering and looked at him.
“Mommy?” Asked Kya, with tears running down her face. The Fire Lord wiped aways the tears, cleaning her cheeks for her, and smiled sadly.
“I’ll bring mommy too.”
Kya nodded.”Okee.”
“Okay?”
“Okee.”
“It’s a deal then,” He kissed her forehead. “Mango and Mommy. Kya’s two favorite things.”
“And daddy!”
At that, he hugged her tight. Li could tell that his heart was tiny, he didn’t want to let his kid go.
Ah, Li thought, new parents…
“And daddy.” He put her on the floor, and knelt on her side. “Kya, people here are nice, you will have a lot of fun. I heard there is a pool inside.”
Li watched the kid’s golden eyes shine with wonder and said “Yes, there is a pool, and you can use it!” At that, Kya looked at her and smiled.
Of course she could use it, she was The Princess of the Fire Nation. But still, the kid didn’t know her power yet.
Kya held hands with another daycare employee that was there to welcome her, and entered the building, talking about the pool, without looking back.
Her father, The Fire Lord, seemed kinda sad at this.
“She will forget about me in about ten minutes.”
And he was right. She not only forgot about him, but also cried when he came back - mommy, and mangoes in tow - to pick her up because she didn’t want to leave the pool. That is, until the Lady picked her up and the Fire Lord offered the fruit. Then, Princess Kya had completely forgotten about the pool she spent almost the entire time on.
Li realized then that she couldn't even phantom the previous Fire Lord dropping their kids at a public school, and picking them up himself later. Let alone displaying love and affection so openly like the new Fire Lord was doing.
It was nice being ruled by a loving family, for a change.