The Warrior's Gambit (Zutara)

XXXII

"There's a meeting in the Ladies' Room. Are you okay, Katara?" Yue pushed Katara's door open softly. "You've been asleep all day."

Katara sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes. She was certainly tired, given that Lu Ten had dragged them all through the palace the previous night, and given the exhausting internal turmoil that came with it, but she supposed one would see many other reasons why Katara had overslept.

"Doing as well as I can." That was the truth. "Erm, Aiga had to...return to her family. I'm not sure when she'll be back. Are we still wearing mourning colors?" Katara asked.

This was what Zuko, Lu Ten, and Katara had decided late last night. Shoji's grandmother had taken a turn for the worse, so he and his mother were given emergency leave, and Aiga had quit, needing to care for her family too. This is what they'd tell others, at least. Sure, it was awfully convenient if people put pieces together, but the average person wouldn't and that was what mattered.

"Yes," Yue's voice was heavy with sadness, "I pray you are given a new handmaid soon."

Katara wanted to reply that she doubted she'd ever want anyone but Aiga, but she just nodded, slipping out of bed to find an acceptable white dress.

The last nine contestants gathered in the Ladies' Room. There were a few whispers, but it was mostly quiet, and not merely for the scarcity of numbers. After everything that had occurred, it seemed everyone was waiting for yet another terrible announcement.

Zuko entered the room with Zhi. He looked less tired, less likely to fall asleep right there, which told Katara he'd had a few hours of slumber. Not enough to make him look totally healthy, but enough so that she worried less.

"I just wanted to congratulate all of you for making it this far. It's quite the feat. One of you is one step closer to becoming my wife," he said, and a few girls perked up at his warm words. Then, he sighed.

"On a more somber note, I regret to inform you that Iroh - now separated from his military status or Royal Title - as well as Lady Bei Fong, has been executed."

Katara swallowed hard. Even though she knew both to be alive and well and far, far away, she knew she had to look properly horrified and sad. It wasn't hard; even imagining the terrible reality that nearly befell the pair was enough to make her tear up.

Around the room, the girls reacted with horror and deep sadness. Smellerbee stumbled a bit and Ratana helped her to a chair, after which both girls broke out in tears. Though Ratana tried to keep hers lady-like, Smellerbee cried loudly and painfully.

Yue touched her heart, lips quivering, eyes filling with liquid. On Ji looked down, shaking her head slowly. Alcina dropped herself to the floor, pressing her hands to her lips, her body shuddering as she tried to hold back her own tears. Suki grasped Katara's hand, turning away, and inhaled hard. Katara looked at Mai, expecting glee or some sort of happiness since she'd been the one to cause Toph's 'death,' but she was shocked to see Mai quickly wiping away tears at the edges of her eyes. Even Nadhari looked stunned, eyebrows knit and face pale.

"I thought it was to be a public event?" Suki managed to ask, voice quivering. Katara was glad; she was sure this was some sort of cover but feared risking revealing her shared knowledge if she spoke.

"I convinced my father that Iroh and Toph were once celebrated. Despite their actions, it would look poorly to make a spectacle. They deserved the honor of no audience. Plus, we should not take their deaths as a marked event, something that encourages those who wish to seek fame. It was better, all things considered, to have it done quietly." Zuko lied easily, and Katara wondered if he and Lu Ten had cooked this up, or if this was Ozai trying to not admit that he'd let Toph and Iroh slip away. Either way, it was best. It would be foolish for either to show their faces anywhere, so they were safe for now.