Metronome

By; Chibi Ra Chan

Part of GreenifyMe's Zutarian Week Challenge

Day 5 of 7; Mythology

Notes; I'm a day behind I know. And I'm truly truly sorry. I've had some family issues to deal with, and thus I'm a day behind. I promise I'll finish this though. Enjoy it anyway though!

-

Once upon a time there was a kingdom that was pledged with a horrible king. The king was a mean man and did cruel acts to his own people in order to gain more wealth for himself. Slowly his greed was destroying his own kingdom.

His beautiful queen could only watch in horror as the man she once loved turned into an evil shadow of the man he used to be. The prayed to the gods for a way to save her husband and her kingdom.

On the night of the full moon, the lovely moon goddess Yue, spoke to the distressed queen and told her that her husband was too far gone to be saved, but the kingdom could still be salvaged. Yue gave the queen a potion and told her to drink it everyday for the rest of the week and she would soon be with child.

This child would grow up to over throw his father and to save the kingdom. But in order for this to happen the boy must marry by his 17th birthday.

Little did the queen know, that her husband had listened to the conversation, and later that night prayed to the Sun god, Agni to destroy the child so that he could not be over thrown. Agni sympathized with the king but could not harm a child. He agreed to curse the boy instead making it so that no women would want to marry him. The King agreed and was told replace the potion that Yue had given to the queen with water every night.

Each day, the queen drank a little from the potion, and each night the king emptied the vile and filled it with water. The queen did not notice, and soon became pregnant.

When the baby was born though she quickly realized what her husband had done. The baby was perfect in everyway, except for the flame shaped scar over his left eye, the mark of Agni.

The queen named the boy, Zuko.

--

Slowly the boy grew and as the years went by it was clear that Zuko was indeed cursed.

To the subjects of the kingdom, he was a disappointment, surely he could not save them from his all powerful father. Zuko tried everything he could think of to prove him self but the curse always lead him to fail.

When his Younger sister was born, Zuko became a forgotten prince. Seeing how his father favored the baby girl, he vow that curse or not he would overthrow the king at all costs.

Because of his scar he had to strive for everything he wanted. Unlike other princess of other kingdoms Zuko knew the harsh realities of the world, and was best off because of it. Still, despite the love and affection he received from him his dear uncle, and the begging from his mother, The evil king sent Zuko away.

He was only 14.

--

Soon enough, the evil king became sick, and the queen saw her chance. She called her soon back and was amazed to find that he was a little boy no longer. Knowing her soon was only a few moon cycles from his 17th birthday, she threw a grand ball to find a wife for her son, in order to fulfill her part of the deal.

She was saddened to find that with every beautiful girl Zuko danced with he saw some flaw.

"She's as intelligent common ant fly." Or "She has no personality, nothing to offered but organs for baby making."

The queen, knew that her stubborn son would not marry if the girl was no found and called for every girl of noble birth within any of the four kingdoms.

The smartest girls from the east, the bravest warrior women from the north, the most beautiful maidens from the west, all came and tried their hardest to impress the king to be, but Zuko would not have any of them.

Saddened, the queen tried to reason with her soon but it was to no avail.

Zuko's birthday drew nearer and nearer, and when the final moon cycle arrived the queen had a brilliant idea.

She called forth all of her servants and her bravest knights and sent them to bring her every lovely flower they could find. Columbine and gillyflowers, wild roses and woodland violets. Her knights rushed to bring her the most beautiful sunset tiger lilies before the dew dried from it's petals.

For three days knights, servants and peasants alike all brought the queen flowers to aid her in her quest.

When the moon was half full, only 10 days from Zuko's birthday, the old queen looked herself in her chambers and would not come out for anyone.

For everyday the queen stayed in her room, the rain poured, thunder crashed and lightning lit up the usually sunny sky.

Worried for his mother ,one of the few who had ever cared from him, Zuko entered his queen's chamber on the third day, only to find his mother smiling at him as she died. And by her side, whispering words of comfort to the queen, sat the most beautiful girl her had ever seen.

Skin as soft as wild rose petals and the color of mocha, eyes that were the deepest shade of blue, like violets in the first days of spring and dark brown hair the color of earth after a storm.

Zuko feel in love with her at first sight.

"Her name is Katara and she is to be your wife. She is not only beautiful but strong and intelligent. She will do anything you ask of her, but you must never ask her to bespeak her love for you. You must trust her in this way. " The queen closed hr eyes and began to slip away, for she had used all of her life force to bring Katara to life. "I love my son, and I wish for you only to be happy."

The queen died, and the very next day so did the long sick King.

Zuko and his flower maiden Katara became the new King and Queen.

--

Zuko soon found out that despite her beautiful looks Katara's personality wasn't all sunshine and roses.

Despite his mother's dying words that she would do whatever he told her to, Katara refused to do any such thing. When they worked on healing the kingdom, she never failed to yell at him when he did something that did benefit the peasants. Or when the war room, she did not sit idly on the sidelines like all the other women, no, not his Katara. She always sat right at his side, like an equal.

She he wouldn't have it any other way.

Her sometimes shrill personality aside, Katara loved her new life and kingdom. And in return they cherished her just as much.

With her graceful demeanor and her unsurpassed beauty, Katara unknowingly stole the hearts of many of the men on Zuko's council.

And several even tried to win her over.

Each time, Katara turned them down, knowing that even though she couldn't say it out loud, her heart belonged to Zuko.

Still, The more serious suitors did everything in their power to split the two apart.

During a meeting, a particularly intelligent governor named Jet planted the seed of doubt into Zuko's head. When the New king was listening he let it slip that he'd be worried if his wife could not tell him that she loved him, after all, one never knows.

Zuko dismissed the words and ordered Jet out of his throne room, but it was to late. The thought was already there.

Although it should not have mattered to him, Zuko began to doubt Katara's love for him. And more and more each day, Zuko wondered on the topic a bit more until it was all he could think of.

He could not eat, he could not sleep until both Katara and the kingdom worried for their king of only two years.

Zuko fell into a terrible fever and in his delusion asked for Katara to bespeak her love to him; seeking to comfort her sick husband, she did.

'Yes, Zuko, To stupid idiot, I love you move then life it's self.' she cried tearfully and rushed into his arms, but because Zuko had violated the stricture that held the magic together, Katara fell to pieces in his arms.

All that was left of the women Zuko loved was a few dried up petals that still smelled of Katara.

"The king went Sweetly mad after that. Even though Katara was gone he looked far and wide for the rest of his days for a way to bring his love back, somewhere, somehow." The four children watched in horror as their babysitter / uncle shut the book.

"That's it? That's the end?" Cried 7 year old Zach from his spot on the carpeted floor. The other child looked at him with similar expression of sadness

Iroh nodded.

"It can't be over! There wasn't a happy ending!" Kya, the youngest of the group said near tears. Her brother rolled his eyes.

"Who cares about a happy ending, Why didn't Zuko go back and beat up that Jet guy it was all his fault?!" Seth threw his hand up at his little sister crying over a stupid girls story.

"Children I think your missing the point of the story-"

"This is stupid, I'm going to go throw pennies at people from the second floor. Want to come with me?" Seth quickly ran up the stair with her and Iroh briefly wondered at how devious his little niece Angel truly was. With a sigh, he looked at the two remaining children, the ones that actually listen to him. Zach was awkwardly hugging Kya in a vain attempt to stop her crying. His only nephew looked that him, pleading for help.

"Come on Young ones, how about I go and make us come calming jasmine tea?"

"Uncle Iroh We're too young for tea!" Kya wiped the tear from her face and Zach breathed a sigh of relief.

Iroh chuckled lightly. "I suppose you are. How about a juice box instead?" At the mention of snacks both kids ran excitedly into the kitchen, the fairytale already forgotten.

--

Yeah, I wussed out at the end. I couldn't end it so sadly, so I made it so that Iroh (I was too lazy to think of a AU name for him) was reading this fairytale to modern day Reincarnations of some of the Gaang. If I've completely failed as an authoress and you couldn't tell Here's a guide to who everyone is;

Zach is Zuko, I know how generic. Kya is Katara and that's a bit of an inside joke to the people who've seen the original Avatar pilot. (If you don't get it then ask in a review.) Seth equals Sokka, again very generic. My personal favorite is naming Azula, Angel. Which is the biggest oxymoron in the history of oxymorons.

Big props go to the book; I am Morgan le Fay by Nancy Springer. There is a fairytale in the book that I based some of this on.

I'm sorry it's late but I hope you enjoyed it.

Forever And Eternally,

-Ra