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A Cursed Blessing	By : Yaoiandcoffeeaddict Category: Avatar - The Last Airbender > AU/AR - Alternate Universe/Alternate Reality Views: 6939 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar Last Airbender or profit from this story... damn.

Chapter List
- 5
- 6
- 7
EVERYONE PLAYS THEIR OWN PART

Toph sighed, hands folded behind her head in a makeshift cushion as she lay on her cushioned mat on the wooden floor of their 'cozy' house. With Aang's search for the Appa, Katara's constant concern for Aang's mental health and mothering of all of them, and Sokka's fascination with Earth Kingdom culture and shiny things in general, it seemed to Toph that the gang was almost purposely being distracted from their mission to inform the Earth King of the war's existence and to plan the attack of the Fire Nation during the eclipse.

Suddenly, Toph felt a vibration of the floor which was growing in intensity as the person approached. Somewhat awkward, frantic steps. There was only one person who would run like that to their house- Sokka.

The panels of the entry doors slid open with a crashing sound as Toph sat up. Probably just excited to show them the latest shiny think he'd bought. "KATARA!" came an unusually panicked screech.

"What'd ya do?" Toph asked as Katara's light steps glided toward her and Sokka.

"How much trouble are you in now, Sokka?" Katara asked, her voice holding tones of frustration and hints of the emotional drain the past weeks had taken on her.

"Why are you assuming that I did something?" Sokka asked, the vibrations indication he was frantically waving his arms in some round. "I didn't do anything! I was at this stall and I saw this really awesome sword. Its handle was decorated with swirls of green that reminded me of the…"

Katara smacked herself in the forehead behind Toph. "Not another sword. Really Sokka…"

"No, it's not about the sword! Anyway, as I was looking at this awesome sword, I heard these two female servants from the palace talking behind me about a Fire Nation prince! Zuko's here in Ba Sing Se!"

There was a short stretch of silence before Katara commented, "That doesn't make any sense. Why would two servants from the palace, no less, talk openly about Zuko when no one in the palace talks about the war?"

"They said he was engaged to the Earth King!"

Katara burst out laughing just as Aang came in. "What's so funny?" Twinkle-Toes asked, his feet leaving the ground and reappearing at Katara's side.

"Sokka just said Zuko… scary, scarred, obviously male Zuko, is engaged to the Earth King!" Katara said before her voice dissolved into laughter again. She was soon joined by Aang.

"What did you eat to dream this one up?" Aang asked, his vibrations indicating he was leaning against Katara for support.

"I'm not making this up!" Sokka stated with a stomp of his foot.

"Why is this funny?" Toph asked confused. If anything these people had told her about Zuko were true, they should be worried that the Fire Nation was not only inside of Ba Sing Se but on its way to the throne without the usual invasion.

"Come on, Toph. Don't you find it even a little ridiculous that Sokka would believe the Earth King would marry another male, let alone our enemy, and thus allow his line to end?" Katara asked.

"Why would it end?" Toph pressed.

The two stopped laughing. "Um… Toph… don't you know how babies are made?"Aang asked.

"Of course I do," she scoffed, "The parents have sex."

"That's right, but you need two people of the opposite gender to have a baby," Katara said, gently as if she was explaining to a child.

"Or a blessed one," Toph reminded them.

There was a brief moment of general confusion. "Huh?" Aang asked.

Toph laughed. "And you all think I don't know where babies come from."

"Toph, what are you talking about?" Katara asked.

"Blessed ones are people of both sexes. I heard my mother talking about them when she thought I wasn't listening. They have both the external male and inner female parts. Apparently, no doctor notices the small hole inside until they hit puberty and it widens and they bleed like a girl." Toph wrinkled her nose at the reminder of the bleeding she would eventually experience as a girl. Another reason she wished she was a boy.

The vibrations indicated to Toph that the two guys crossed their legs as Katara cried, "Ew! Toph, that's not funny."

Toph snorted. "Believe me, I find the talk disgusting too but it's true."

"Toph, it's not good to lie about such things…"

"I'M NOT LYING!" Toph shrieked, pissed for being called a liar. "You may think you know everything Katara, but you don't!" Not wanting to deal with them and their ignorance anymore, she left the room.

While the Gaang was having their spat, two miles away a familiar figure sat on the ground of the horse stall playing lazily with a piece of long grass he'd taken from a field that morning, not really caring that the hay litter on the ground was piercing the fabric of his uniform. The feel of thegrass in his fingers was calming after the week of pure hell he'd been through.

A week and he still couldn't remember most things about his life. When he asked his bitch of a landlady about it, she'd said he'd probably hit his head after his usual night of drinking and said it wasn't a real waste anyway. At least he had stopped disturbing his neighbors with drunken antics and that was all that was important to her.

As for his job, at least it distracted him from his troubles with its exhausting and endless tasks. The job was pretty much waiting on a middle-aged noble hand and foot. He hated it. Every day, the head servant would assign Jet the tasks of filling the lord's bath tub with hot water each morning. After the porcelain vessel was filled, he would then be told to awaken Lord Mori. Once he accompanied the lord to the bathroom, he would help the infantile man disrobe and ask which scent he wished to be used in his bath that day. He'd pour the chosen scent, then wait until the man finished and help dry his long hair and dress in his nicest robes. Then he'd be stuck standing in the corner of the noble's office as the noble sorted mail for the 'glorious' Earth King. Jet would then have to deliver the approved mail to the palace by horse with the head servant. After he returned, Jet would have to play the part of stable boy and clean out the fifteen stalls and groom the prized horses with the two other stable boys. At the end of the day, Jet was so exhausted, he would stumble home and just collapse on the bed where his dreams were haunted with people he did not know.

And, maybe he was being paranoid, but it always seemed as if someone was there to watch him.

However, when Jet had returned from his errand and led the horse to its stall, he found no one in the stable waiting to give him his usual task. He decided a small break was in order and retreated to the vacant stall in the back.

"Man! Did you see the size of that thing?" asked a voice.

"Yeah. I've never seen anything so hairy in my entire life. What'd you think it was?"

"A giant Beaver-Ox?"

"What do you think Lord Mori is going to do with that creature? It's too big for the warehouse."

"Maybe he's going to give it to the Earth King as a wedding present."

Jet perked up. A weird creature in the warehouse? That sounded interesting. Skulking around sounded better than hiding from his boss any day.

Zuko would be the first to admit he had a temper and it could be easily triggered. It was a fault he'd inherited from his father.

However, the past two days, he found himself snapping at everything. His uncle had asked him if he wanted a small snack of tea and biscuits covered in strawberry jam and he'd snapped so violently at his uncle, he surprised himself. Then for whatever reason, he found himself on the verge of crying at the sad look on his uncle's face and immediately retreated to his room.

While Zuko had apologized later for his behavior, he still couldn't figure out why he his temper was so thin. Of course, Long Feng's spies had apparently been listening during the incident and his tutor Joo Dee the next day had taken the next six hour lesson to focus on calming techniques. Zuko also found he was sensitive to temperature change as well and had very little energy.

Not wanting to worry his Uncle, Zuko had taken to napping in his room. It was in waking from his midday nap that he discovered a slight cramping in his lower abdomen and a… what he could only describe as warm dripping coming out of him. For several moments, he sat there and tried to place the sensation and then it clicked.

Lighting the wall lamp, Zuko noted the dark blotch of fluid on his clothes for what it meant. He'd just gotten his first period.

Shame colored his cheeks as he searched around the room for the washable pad Joo Dee had given him. Once he found it, he grabbed a random outfit from out of his closet and poked his head out of the door of his bedroom. Checking to make sure his Uncle was not around, he made a dash for the bathroom, where he took a quick shower, placed the pad, and got dressed.

Zuko then proceeded to wash the blood out of his clothes as best as he could before placing them on the bottom of the washing pile for the servants to retrieve later. Thankfully, he'd worn a dark outfit earlier today so the blood was easier to hide. He didn't want anyone to know he was going through… something so disgusting.

Suddenly, a knocking on the door of the bathroom startled him.

"Prince Zuko? Are you alright?" came his Uncle's voice through the panel.

"Yes! I'm fine, Uncle!"

"Prince Zuko, there was a stain on your bed when I went to check in on you." Zuko flinched. "There is no need to be ashamed, Nephew. It is a natural process…"

Zuko choked on air at his Uncle's words. "Uncle!" He had never seen his own face so violently red in the mirror than at that moment. He didn't need the lecture right now. He just wanted to forget what was happening to him.

A small sigh wafted on the other side of the door. "I'll ask the servants to change your sheets."

The dark rust on the elaborately decorated fabric was an answer to the kingdom's prayers. An unsettling smile fluttered over Long Feng's pale lips as his agent presented him with the stained bedspread from Prince Zuko's bedchamber. The future of Ba Sing Se's royalty would be secure as would Long Feng's power over them. "Where is the Earth King at the moment?" he asked his shadowed agents.

"In the throne room, sir," one responded. "His judicial duties have just ended."

"Good. I believe I should personally give him the good news of his future Queen's good health," Long Feng said before thrusting the soiled bundle back into the arms of the agent who delivered it to him. "Has the Prince been to see the Earth King recently?"

"No, Sir, Prince Zuko had made no attempt to meet his fiancé for three days."

A frown crossed Long Feng's lips. He would have been informed of any negative turns in the relationship. "And there was no reason for this?"

"None other than the Prince's emotions appeared to have been heightened."

"Good. Have the servants wash that bedspread before the blood sets in further. Then ask for some cocoa sweets to be delivered to the Jade Suite for Prince Zuko's continued health."

"Yes, sir," the Dai Li agent responded and took his leave.

When Long Feng reached the throne room, some residents of the middle and inner ring were still milling around, their heads inclined toward each other as they whispered their opinions of the day's rulings as the Earth King sat in his golden, badger-mole inspired throne with an expression either of thoughtfulness or boredom. A small sound from Bosco set off a caged exotic bird someone had brought with them and it erupted into a frenzy of squawks before the owner ran out of the room and drew the small gathering's attention to Long Feng's presence in the doorway. A few pointed glances sent several of the lingerers out the door.

The Earth King Kuei's expression switched to one of slight confusion. "I welcome you to my court, Advisor Long Feng, but I'm afraid today's proceedings are over."

With one eye mindful of the bear at the King's side, Long Feng approached the king with an enthusiastic smile plastered onto his face. He bowed at the foot of the throne. "Your Highness, I am happy to report I did not come to advise you on your decisions but to inform you of happy news." The bear yawned, displaying sharp teeth, before burrowing its large head into King Kuei's lap. "Prince Zuko's body has shown one major sign of its recovery from malnutrition."

A brilliant smile split Kuei's face. "This is wonderful news." The King then turned to his bear. "Isn't that right Bosco?" The bear simply yawned again and its master turned back to his advisor. "How soon can we announce the engagement?"

"As soon as you wish your majesty."

"In that case, send out the notices tomorrow."

"As you wish your majesty," Long Feng confirmed before drawing himself to standing and spinning on his heel to leave the room.

"Oh, Long Feng!" the King called, forcing Long Feng to turn around again.

"Yes, My King?" Long Feng always dreaded ideas that popped into the King's head because they meant he and his agents would be forced to do yet another pointless task for the court and the duties of preparing a festival were already distracting them from policing the city.

"I have heard the Avatar is in Ba Sing Se. I would very much like to meet them and get their blessing for my marriage." The King petted the bear's head in his lap. "Perhaps we can make his blessing a part of the festival?"

Long Feng felt as if he had just been drenched in dirty cold water thrown from a window. He did not have enough hold over the Avatar to risk him meeting the king without destroying his and his family's hard work over the century. He hesitated as he searched desperately for the answer. There appeared to be no way out that would not make the Earth King suspicious.

He would have to use that wretched bison to either get the Avatar out of the city or as blackmail for his good behavior. But from what his Dai Li agents had told him, even with blackmail the Avatar would be hard to control. "I will see if Avatar Aang will agree to meet with you, Your Highness, but the Avatar's duties may prevent him from meeting with you. I have heard there are problems with the spirits on Whale-Tail Island to the far south and the Avatar is currently preparing to go to their aid."

The Earth King sighed. "Then please ask the Avatar to do so before he leaves. I want the spirit realm to bless and protect my Queen and our future children."

Long Feng bowed to prevent the King seeing the flash of annoyance sliding across his face. "As you wish, Your Highness."

To Be Continued…

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A Cursed Blessing