An Innocent Spark [Zukka]

Chapter 74: The Right Thing to do

The streets had been silent for six hours. The curfew was being strictly enforced, that's why Emilia Zhu stuck to the trash filled alleyways in her neighborhood.

As a young girl she had been picked on for only being a proficient firebender, but what she lacked in natural bending ability she made up for in her ability to blend into the shadows as well as crowds. Tonight, she had an important task at hand, one that would mean life and death for some.

She kept a brown cloth bag close to her waist. Its contents might get her killed if she was caught by the wrong people, but the risk was worth it to her.

A nearby trash can crashed into the ground, making her cling closely to the wooden exterior of a tall home. A palpable thumping in her chest seemed like it echoed through the alley, but it may have only been in her mind.

A fat black cat crept around the corner and rubbed against her ankles, purring in its delight to see someone out late at night. Emilia sighed deeply and leaned down to pet the cat.

"You scared me," she whispered. The cat continued to purr in satisfaction, but she had to keep going. The longer she was out the higher the chance she would be caught.

She ran across the open street as fast as she could. If there was anywhere she would be caught it would be there. Up ahead she heard a hushed conversation. Someone was there and she needed to know who it was. She carefully crept closer to the edge of the nearby house. The sound was coming from the other side of it but peeking around the corner might expose herself.

From behind the cover of the house she overheard a faint voice say, "are you sure this is the right way?"

Another voice that was slightly higher pitched and less gravely said, "I don't know it looks different late at night with no one around."

"We should have found a way to send word to my uncle," the man with the slightly gritty voice said.

Something overcame Emilia and she stepped out from the shadows. The two boys were wearing tattered cloaks that looked like they came from the dump. The one with the smoother voice's eyes shot open when he saw her and he quickly pushed his friend behind him to protect him. He pulled out a sword and held it in front of him, assuming the stance of a warrior. She instantly regretted trusting her instincts and reached for her pair of twin knives, pulling them out and holding them in front of her in a reverse grip.

"I don't want to hurt you," she said, not moving from her fighting stance. Whoever they were she did not want to let her guard down for a moment.

"We don't want to hurt you either," the boy said, also not lowering his weapon.

A glimmer of moonlight shone on the other boy's face, and something odd about it made her gasp. "are... are you... are you the Fire Lord?"

"Depends who's asking," the boy being protected said, his stance was similarly defensive and the way he held himself told her he had to be a firebender.

"If you are I'm so relieved," she said and lowered her knives slightly. "I just want to get to my girlfriend's house safely so I can keep her safe."

At this the boy holding the sword looked over at his friend who nodded. He lowered his sword and put it back in its sheath.

"To answer your question," the firebender said, "yes, I am the Fire Lord."

She was taken aback. She never in her whole life expected to meet the ruler of her nation, let alone under circumstances like this.

"I'm honored to meet you," she said and bowed. It was embarrassing to have almost attacked the Fire Lord, and she hoped he would not remember her after their meeting.

"Where is your girlfriend's house?" he asked. "We want to make sure you get there safely." She froze for a second. She expected him to have her arrested, or at the very least scold her for being out past curfew. Come to think of it, she wondered why he was out here in the streets at night when he had not been seen since the riots began.

"It's three blocks north of here," she replied, the adrenaline wearing off and taking the confidence in her voice with it. She was back to being the shy little girl she had tried so hard to eradicate, just like another part of her identity.

"That's on the way to the palace so I don't see why we can't accompany you," Fire Lord Zuko said. She was solely interested in females, but she still could appreciate the man's charm. Some woman was going to be very lucky one day.

The two men led the way, and to her surprise they too kept to the side streets where they were less likely to be seen. She wanted to ask them why they didn't have guards escorting them, but it was not her place to speak to royalty or question their actions.

The embarrassment she felt was only growing as the situation became more real. She was walking with the Fire Lord and one of his guards in the dark under a strict curfew which she had broken. On top of that she was a lesbian who it seemed the entire capital hated if the protests were as bad everywhere as they had been in her neighborhood.

"Excuse me," she said weakly, "I know it's not my place... but why did you pass the law to legalize same-sex marriage?"

The Fire Lord stopped for a moment and looked at her with eyes that were kinder than she expected. "Because it was the right thing to do."

They kept going as she puzzled over his words. She believed that for obvious reasons, but most of the country did not. Despite that he passed a controversial law to protect a minority. It just did not add up.

"I guess you are going to repeal the law now," she whispered. It was inevitable if he wanted to keep the peace.

"Why would I do that?" he asked without looking back. The shock was present in her eyes even though neither of the two men saw it.

"I do not really know," she said awkwardly. It made her feel stupid doubting her leader's decisions in front of him, and it felt like time had stopped at the worst time possible.

They arrived at her girlfriend's house, an older building with a few holes in the roof that her family couldn't afford to get fixed yet. She knocked twice then paused and then one more time. The door cracked open and she was met by her incredible girlfriend.

"You're safe!" her girlfriend said and hugged her. Once she saw the Fire Lord she pulled back and pulled her girlfriend close to her. "She only went out to protect me, if you want to punish anyone punish me."

"No one is getting punished for anything," Fire Lord Zuko said. Emilia thought she saw the outline for the faintest smile on his face.

"Thank you for guarding me and helping me get to my girlfriend," Emilia said and bowed once more.

"I think you would have made it here just fine on your own," his guard said which surprised her.

"We had best be going," the Fire Lord said and him and his guard bowed in return. The whole experience was filled with surprises for her, and it made her trust his leadership even more.

Her girlfriend wrapped her arm around Emilia's waist, and they watched as the two men walked down the street. She could have sworn when they reached the end of the street the two men held hands. Maybe there was a future for people like them after all.