The Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit

The Blue Spirit

Zuko was sitting in his throne room, rubbing his temples in stress when a messenger arrived with a letter from the Avatar.

"Katara's missing." Is all it read. Zuko's heart leapt into his throat as he turned over the page, expecting more information. But the messy scrawl of ink was all there was. Zuko went to his office space and sat at his desk, he grabbed his pen and wrote a letter to Aang, asking for more information, like when Kat was last seen, whether he thought it was a kidnap and where she might go.

"Send this to the Avatar," Zuko ordered his messenger, "Keep an eye out for the water bender he travels with along the way." His messenger bowed as he took the letter and immediately left. "Zuko?" Mai says, coming into his office as the messenger leaves, "what's wrong?"

"Katara's missing," Zuko breathes, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Aang didn't say for how long or where she might be. I'm going to send some men out to look for her."

"Let the avatar handle it," Mai scoffs, "you have your own problems to take care of, you're the Fire Lord now you can't worry about a little water bender."

"She's my friend, Mai," Zuko says, "She's saved my life before, is she's in trouble, I have to do something."

"No you don't," Mai says, she crossed her arms over her chest and scowls, "you have to look after your nation, half of it is crumbling, and the other half is dying of sickness."

"Half of my nation is crumbling because people like your father are leading my people in an open revolt against me," Zuko doesn't shout at Mai, his hands clench at his side as Mai's eyebrow twitches upwards, "Do not dare try to tell me how to fix my country when your father is the one breaking it, I thought us being together would have soothed his hatred of me."

"Right not it isn't even soothing my hatred of you," Mai's voice remains unchanging. Zuko's eyes widen in shock as Mai's lip quirks, a telltale sign that she is seething mad. Mai doesn't say another word, she turns on her heels and walks out of the room.

Zuko unclenches his hands and looks at the nail marks left in his palms, he is angry and he has every right to be, but he can't let it become out of control, now that he is Fire Lord, he has to maintain a certain appearance.

Zuko seeks out his uncle for advice.

But as he talks to his uncle he notices that Iroh has dark circles under his eyes and is slower getting out a sentence.

"Uncle?" Zuko asks, putting down his tea, "Are you alright?"

"Fine," Iroh wheezes, "Just a little tired, nothing a good tea cannot fix."

"Uncle this is more than tiredness," Zuko breathes, "You're sick."

Zuko calls for the royal physician, the physician confirms what Zuko fears; his uncle has the firebug. A virus that no one has ever been able to treat, most die from it, but only after suffering for days on end.

The colonials contract the virus easily, some say it travels through the water. In the capitol, most are immune to it.

Zuko fears for his uncle's life, already many have died from the virus and Zuko cannot lose his uncle, especially now when he needs him most.

For weeks, Zuko watches helplessly as his uncle's condition worsens, some days are better than others and it seems like he is on the mend, but the day after, Iroh is the same again.

Then Zuko hears how the colonials are becoming better, how a spirit is visiting them and healing them. The Painted Lady.

Zuko's mother used to tell him stories of her, how she comes into the village, visiting the homes with her statue in their windows, helping those in need.

Zuko is not one to quickly believe in superstition, but it is a desperate time. he leaves several statues and lit candles in his uncle's windows, and every night he prays that she will come. But there is no sign of her near the palace.

Zuko decides to go look for her himself, but he does not want to scare the spirit off by having a hoard of guards by his side. So instead, Zuko tracks down another blue mask and becomes the Blue Spirit once more.

Nights upon nights he spends looking for her, during the day he is by his uncle's side, leaving most of the work to his advisers. He doesn't even notice when Mai leaves, only when a servant brings him her letter does he realize.

Iroh has become worse, he is paler than usual and can barely sit up on his own. Zuko heads out that night, travelling right to the poorest area of the capital.

He spends the whole night searching, he is about to give up when he sees her.
The Painted Lady.

She leaves a man's home, dressed in a red dress and a purple robe, tied together with rope. Zuko watches the Lady from the roof as she walks along the street, a trail of fog following lazily behind her.

She moves with grace, gliding across the pavements, enchanting Zuko with every step.

Zuko slips on one of the roof tiles and the Lady looks up to him.

"There is a man who needs your help," he says to the veiled lady.

The Painted Lady tilts her head and regards Zuko for a moment as if she is looking right through him.

The Painted Lady jumps off of the ground and joins Zuko on the roof of the house.

Zuko wishes he could see past her veil and hat, but the spirit angles her head just right so that he can't.

The skin that is exposed is painted red, the paint is rumoured to be the blood of those she could not save.

"Take me to him." The Painted Lady says.