Zuko x OC : The Phoenix Princess

Chapter 4

The next day Aria and her mother went to the palace, ready for another work day. The lady that was responsible for the servants summoned all of them once again at the big dinning area, saying that she had some important news. 

"So, I am going to make this quick so listen up!" she said, her voice booming in the big room. "Prince Zuko and General Iroh have been banished from the Fire Nation, since yesterday night! They have the right to come back only if Prince Zuko finds the Avatar! So until he comes back, or if he ever comes back, I want none of you to speak or acknowledge the fact that a prince and a general ever excisted in the palace! They are considered traitors! If you side with them, you can consider yourselves banished too! That's all I have to say, now take your lazy asses back to work!" and with that she walked away, leaving no room for further questions.

Everyone seemed socked and confused but brushed it of and cotinued with their respective jobs. All of them except Aria who had to be dragged by her mom to the hallways to clean the floors. Aria was socked to say the least. What did Prince Zuko do that was so horrible which led him to his banishment? And General Iroh? Why was he baished too? What the hell was going on? And how can everyone be so calm? She knew it was not her place to know but weren't the others curious?

"Aria, the floors are not going to clean themselves! Move it already!!" the lady yelled at her and Aria snapped out of her daze, got to her knees and started scrubbing the floor.

Once the lady was out of sight her mother moved closer to her. "Aria is everything alright?" she asked her daughter with a worried expression. She hadn't seen her that destracted since the first days of her father's exile.

"W-well, it's just that.." she said a little reluctantly, afraid to voice her questions since the lady or anyone from the royal family might hear her. She looked around and wispered to her mother

"How can everyone be so calm? Aren't hey curious how all of these happened? I mean, I know it's not our place to know but still! Prince Zuko was kind! Same goes for general Iroh and they cared about our nation. How could his majesty exile them? Who would do that to his brother and son?" Aria exclaimed 

"Aria, you don't know what they did. For his majesty to take such measures for his own son and brother, they must have done something horrible. You don't know what really went down and you will never learn, so there is no point in pondering over it. It was the same with Firelady Ursa. Believe me when I am saying it is better to leave it alone." 

"But mom you know that the Firelord can be pretty unfair a lot of times! The way he treats people is horrible! I refuse to believe that Prince Zuko and General Iroh did anything wrong! He is just being unfair!" Aria said a little louder but controled her voice once she remembered where she was.

"Aria! The Firelord has done so much for the firenation! He is going to make it stronger, that's why he is doing what has to be done. Do you think that the Firelord would want to banish his own son? No. But if he is a threat to the kingdom, then he had to make that desision. He is just doing what it's best for the kingdom" her mom explained

"Somehow I've started to doupt that" Aria spoke bitterly

"Aria, I know that you are hurt from what happened to your father but you have to understand that the Firelord only followed the law. I am not saying that your father is at fault, but you have to understand the other side too, not just yours" her mother ended the conversation at that moving further to scrub a different section in the hallway.

Even what her mother was telling her seemed right, Aria just coudn't bring herself to believe it. Something  did not seem right with the whole sitsuation that the Fire nation was in. She didn't know if that was because she found what happened to her father unfair and just wanted justice for it or if something was really going on but Aria needed to know. And she knew exactly who to ask. 

That afternoon Aria went to the small beach again. She stood there for about 5 minutes making sure she was alone and then started speaking 

"Lia, it's me Aria. I-I don't know if you can hear me but I would like to begin our lessons now, please"

Aria felt so stupid. She was talking to pratically no one and expected a huge pheonix to appear in front of her that would teach her firebending. It sounded so rediculous! 

"Hello Aria" Lia appeared behind her

Aria jumped a little at the sudden voice but relaxed once she realized it was the pheonix spirit

"I am ready to start learning firebending" she said with determination. 

"Oh? Suddenly you sound so sure. Just yesterday you questioned the firebending's very existance within you and now you want to muster it?" the bird said cocking its head to the left 

"Yes" Aria said with a steady voice, showing that she really wanted this

"Did something happen that led you to change your mind so quickly?" Lia said with curiosity in her voice 

" I want to find my father, and I want to stop what is happening to the pheonix firebenders. As a pheonix firebender myself I want to free all of us from the fear we live in. Besides, you are the one who said that you were going to teach me anyway. The difference is that I will be more cooperative since I choose it now, instead of being forced to learn" Aria said having a challenging glint in her golden eyes. 

"Who said anything about forcing you?" Lia asked amused 

"You litterely said that you are going to come here today to begin our first lesson without leaving any room for protest" Aria said crossing her arms. 

Lia laughed amused of the whole situation but Aria was not wrong she indeed said that. She only said it though because she knew that Aria was going to come around sooner than later. 

"Well, I only said that because I knew you would come around. But that can't be the only reason you want to start immediatly. I sense that you have something more in your mind" Lia said 

"Something is wrong with the way this kingdom is run and I want to find out" Aria said with determination.

"You realized that there is somthing wrong with the Fire Nation just now?" Lia asked a little challenging 

" I, always felt like something was off but i never questioned it. Now that I think about it they made sure that the people never questioned the Firelord's actions" Aria explained

"Hmm...seems like the little princess has started to wake up" Lia said more to herself than Aria, making the later a little confused. 

"Soo can you confirm my suspitions of what is going on with the Fire Nation? Or is everything in my head?" Aria asked the question that wanted to ask Lia from the begging of their conversation.

"I, unfortunetely can't give you all the answers, you are going to find out for yourself sooner or later. But I can tell you only this: It is not just in your head" Lia answered 

Aria looked towards the sea with a distant look in her eyes, dissapointed that she can't have her answers now. Seeing this, Lia decided that has to take Aria's mind elsewhere for the time beeing

"Ok then, we are starting our lessons today. Though I must warn you, it's going to take a lot of time and by a lot of time I mean years." Lia said making sure that Aria was aware of what she was getting herself into. Although Lia has no doupt that Aria is going to pull through this no matter what. 

"I understand and I am ready to begin" said Aria taking her eyes of the sea and looking into Lia's 

And like that Aria's years of training began.