#escape part five
Escape
Mai: Why are you always looking at that scar?
Zuko: What?
Mai: The one on your chest. It doesn’t cause you pain- at least not physically. And every time you do, you smile. Why?
Zuko: It’s important-
Mai: Stop lying to me!
Zuko: I don’t understand-
Mai: The scar isn’t important. She is, isn’t she?
Zuko: I-
Mai: *Rolls her eyes* At least look me in the eyes.
Zuko: … *Sighs* She’s my friend Mai… Of course she’s important to me.
Mai: I don’t see why you care about her so much. She’s just a peasant. And I don’t know why you so easily offered her a place to stay here.
Zuko: She needed safety!
Mai: From her boyfriend? So what he had a temper tantrum-
Zuko: He could’ve killed her!
Mai: She doesn’t need to be here. If you won’t kick her out, I’ll just tell Aang where she is-
Zuko: Don’t. You. Dare. If you tell him she’s here, he’ll just guilt her into forgiving him.
Mai: She should forgive him. It’s not like anyone else would love a Southern Water Tribe peasant anyway-
Zuko: *Warning* Tell him where she is, and I’ll consider it an act of treason.
Mai: …
Zuko: *Realizes* What did you do?
Mai: *Smirks* I had to keep you distracted long enough for her to leave the capital. I doubt she’ll come back now that she thinks you were the one who sent him her location.
Zuko: How could you, Mai?
Mai:Pretty easily, it turns out. A few well placed letters, a quiet word of warning, and she scampered off like a frightened little rabiroo.
Zuko: Why? Why would you do that to her? She has never been anything my but-
Mai:Please spare me the righteous indignation. Was I supposed to sit by and watch my boyfriend pine over another woman and do nothing?
Zuko: I am not pining for her! Katara has never done anything to come between us! But if you think I’m marrying you after this-
Mai: Oh, I think you will. You see, Zuko, I was not the only person who noticed your little crush on the water peasant. Several members of your council saw it, and they want to put an end to it. They have spoken to me and they agree that the best thing for the succession is for you to marry a suitable woman as quickly as possible, and in a rare show of common sense, they have decided that I am most suited.
Zuko: They can’t make me marry you. I am the Fire Lord.
Mai: Yes you are! And if you want to stay the Fire Lord, you had better start sending out those wedding invites. Honey.
Zuko: No. If they want me to marry a Fire Nation woman, then I will, but it won’t be you.
Mai: I thought you might say that. That is why I have a little insurance.
Zuko: What do you mean?
Mai: Do you know where your little friend ran off to? I do
Zuko: What are you going to do with this information-
Mai: I have instructed a close confidant of mine to send a letter to the avatar of her whereabouts if you make me leave.
Zuko, gritting his teeth: What do you want?
Mai: Simple, once you formally announce our engagement, I’ll instruct my contact to destroy the letter. But if you don’t, I’ll make sure there’s nowhere she can hide where the avatar can’t find her. She’ll be living in terror the rest of her life, and it will all be because of you.
Zuko, Begging: Mai, please don’t do this. Hurt me? Fine. But she’s done nothing to deserve this. I’ll do anything.
Mai: Send the invitations. We’re done here.
It wasn’t as hard as he’d feared to find Katara, though it occurred to Zuko to be concerned at the ease. Katara didn’t seem surprised at the Blue Spirits sudden appearance at her window.
Katara: That took longer than I expected. What kept you?
Zuko: Y-you know who I am?
Katara:snorting How long did you expect Aang to sit on that? I’ll give him this, he did wait until you’d been with is for a few days.
Zuko: Oh…. Listen, Katara, I didn’t tell Aang where you were. I swear I would never-
Katara: I know it wasn’t you, Zuko.
Zuko: I didn’t- Wait, you know?
Katara: The letter I saw wasn’t stiff enough to he your writing. Your letters always read like you’re expecting to be graded.
Zuko:I-what? No, forget it. If you knew I didn’t send the letter, why didn’t you say anything? You just left.
Katara: Because Aang really is coming and it was better if you didn’t know where I was.
Zuko:throwing his hands up. Um… Bad news.
Sure enough Katara was right. Less than a week after they last saw each other, Aang arrived on his door step begging for his help.
“You have to help me. She’s my forever girl. She doesn’t know what she wants. If I just talk to her I’m sure I can convince her-”
Zuko groaned. “I don’t know where she is Aang.” It wasn’t technically a lie. He didn’t know where she was right now. But that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to find her.
Aang looked desperate. “But you’re the Fire lord! Can’t you use your resources? You can send a search party-”
“I’m not gonna send a search party and waste valuable resources on someone who isn’t truly missing.” Zuko was having a hard time keeping his voice level. “It’s like you said. She left. She wasn’t forced to. She left willingly and doesn’t want to be found. I’m not gonna force someone to show themselves when they aren’t in danger.”
“You don’t know if she’s not in danger though! She’s all alone with no one to protect her.”
Zuko was certain if he didn’t master his element, the room would be on fire. “She can protect herself. She never needed to protecting Aang.” Except from you. He almost added but held his tongue.
“I’m desperate.”
Clearly. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I have a responsibility to my people and,” his voice shook, “a wedding to prepare for. I can’t add this onto my list of pressing issues. Especially since this issue isn’t really pressing or even an issue to anyone but you.”
Aang looked genuinely surprised he wasn’t getting his way. “First Jun, and now you. What are you keeping from me? Why are you keeping her from me-”
Jun? Did he really… “You asked Jun to hunt her down like a lost pet?” Zuko barely held the anger in his voice.
“We’llclearly it didn’t work, she refused to help me.” Aang snarled. “Just like you are now. I thought we were friends.”
