haha alright... here's my story. I totally winged this one, so it's probably crappy. not sure about the title, but this image sums up the story well...
Orzon and Ayumi fic--their marriage, so this is not taken from the series at all.
it might be crappy and/or have spelling/grammar errors but hey I don't care at all. just read it. (spaced to make it easier to read)
(CRAPPY TITLE FTW!!!)
A DEEPER FEELING“Fire Lady,” Ayumi muttered to herself, pacing back and forth in her chamber, “I never thought that Lord Xin Shing would go through with his operation, and yet he did. And on top of that, the man he chooses as Fire Lord chooses me as his bride. Why? Why is this?”
They had only met a few weeks prior to their marriage. As was customary, it had been arranged, and she was among many candidates for the Fire Lord to choose as his bride.
“He just seems like all the rest of them,” Ayumi sighed, sitting down on her bed. She was used to the high class life, but being dressed like the royalty that she was made her feel like she was too high up for her own good. She glanced down at her deep crimson robe with its vivid golden lining. These were the robes of a Fire Lady.
“And yet,” Ayumi thought, “he also seems like me to an extent—he seems to share the same ambition that I do—that Xin Shing does.”
“People call me heartless,” she muttered again to herself, but this was out loud. She did not hear the door open behind her; “they say I care for nothing; that I just want my own ambitions to become reality. And yet, though I believe that to be generally true; there is something inside of me that says otherwise—something that says that is not what I am.”
“Heartless,” said a voice behind her. Ayumi felt a hand on her shoulder, “perhaps that little voice telling you that is what you are not might be correct, Lady Ayumi.”
Ayumi turned around, startled when the hand touched her shoulder. She was looking into the eyes of Fire Lord Orzon Zhaoka.
“My Lord,” she gasped, “I did not hear you come in.”
“That was my intent, Lady Ayumi,” he replied, smiling, “I came in to talk to you. You looked distressed. Is something the matter?”
Ayumi paused for a moment. She had never been afraid to tell people what she thought when she thought it. This time though, she felt different. She was inclined to say “I don’t feel any love towards you” to him, but she couldn’t get the words out. She choked on them for a while, but then realized why. It was because she had felt different about this man. This was one of the first times they had actually talked to each other, and it was a sudden change.
“I...” Ayumi stammered, “I don’t know. I never had feelings towards anyone. I did not expect anything different from this marriage. I had resolutely declared that I would tell the man I was forced to marry that “I have absolutely no interest in you”. However, the way you looked at me when the Sage married us; the way you gently kissed me—I felt different.”
“Oh,” said Orzon, “how so?”
“You seemed like you cared for me,” Ayumi replied, “or...”
“I had made a solemn vow in my earlier years that regardless of the person whom I was arranged to marry, that I would treat them with the utmost love and respect, Ayumi. You are the one, and I am remaining true to my word.”
“So it’s just an act,” Ayumi scoffed, now sounding irritated that the rest of her life was going to have to be forced—acted out. She stood up, but Orzon stood up also and beat her to the door. He closed it and locked it, and the light from the outside corridor that had been pouring into Ayumi’s chamber vanished. Only the dim lights on the walls lit the area now, and so the faces of these two figures were thrown into relief.
“What are you doing,” she snapped “let me out.”
“No,” Orzon replied coolly, “keep in mind, Lady Ayumi, that you are the 2nd most powerful person in the Fire Nation now, not the first.”
“What is this,” she fumed, “you are keeping me here against my will.”
“No,” said Orzon, “but rather: I am trying to explain to you what exactly is going on here. Your life is not going to have to be an act.”
“Don’t pass false words to me,” said Ayumi, “I don’t need it, I don’t want it. If you’re going to do nothing but lie to me then I’m going to step down. No title is worth getting jested for the rest of my life over.”
“No,” said Orzon, “you are not stepping down, and you are not going to be jested for the rest of your life. Do you know why?”
“Shut up and let me leave,” Ayumi snapped, trying to get the door open. She was trying to pull Orzon’s hands off the doorknob, but being female, she was naturally not as strong as Orzon.
“Come, Ayumi,” he said in his usual calm voice. He ran a finger through Ayumi’s long, silky black hair. He lifted up a portion of it and let it flow through his hand. Ayumi’s hair went to her knees, so it was several seconds before Orzon dropped it at the end; “listen to me first, and once I finish, you may do whatever you please.”
Ayumi sighed. “You’re not going to let me out, are you?”
“Not until I can say my piece,” Orzon replied, his hand now migrating through Ayumi’s hair until he reached the back of her neck. Ayumi’s pale skin was soft and warm. Orzon’s hand was gently massaging her neck, and Ayumi’s tenseness seemed to slowly die.
“Calm down, Ayumi,” he said in his usual tone, “I am in no ways trying to harm you. I just want to tell you something. I am not going to force you to believe it, nor will I be angry if you leave.”
Ayumi sighed, “Fine,” she snapped, going back to the bed and sitting down, “but make it snappy. I want to get out of here. Knowing that all of this was just put upon me for good measure makes me intolerable; these clothes, this room, this title—all of it is a lie.”
Orzon sat beside her and gently clasped her hand. Ayumi actually turned to look at the face of her new husband. It was firm and resolute, and like hers had an eerie feeling to the smile he gave. Most people would be intimidated, but Ayumi, who had a similar smile, was unfazed. Incidentally, with Ayumi, intimidation was not Orzon’s goal.
“I want to tell you why I chose you as my bride,” he said,
“You already told me,” said Ayumi, attempting to stand up again, “so let me out. I don’t need to hear it again.”
Orzon tightened his grip on Ayumi’s hand so that when she stood up she was pulled back down again.
“Wrong,” he said firmly but almost kindly, “I chose you because you had the same aspirations as me and a similar personality as well. You enjoyed power; intimidation. I saw it in your smile. It made you stand out. And yet, after I gave you that kiss, I felt something different in you—even underneath that malice which I craved in a person in order for them to match my will, I felt that her desire was the same as mine.”
“Malice,” said Ayumi, smirking, “so that was why you chose me?”
“Not entirely,” said Orzon, “but you come close. Like and like attract, Lady Ayumi. I like your style—stubborn, merciless; disrespectful to anyone besides yourself;”
“If that was the case, I would have fought you to get out of here,” Ayumi replied, making flames appear on her other hand, “I’m a firebender; surely you knew that though;”
“Aye,” said Orzon, smiling, “and that just strengthens my theory about you. You DO have some respect for other people. Tell me: was it my power as Fire Lord that did that, or was it something else?”
Ayumi did not have a reply for this. Orzon let go of her hand. This time though, Ayumi wanted to listen to the rest of his story. During that short time which he had talked, he had moved closer to her, and she enjoyed his warmth.
“You’re not leaving,” Orzon asked, “is something wrong?”
“Are you finished?” Ayumi asked, “Or is there more you wish to tell me?”
“The only other thing I wish to tell you, Lady Ayumi,” said Orzon, “is that I love you. It is very difficult to feign passion; the kiss I gave you broke that bound. I thought I would be able to feign it, but after my lips met yours, I felt no need to feign anything. I knew you were the one for me.”
“You made up your mind that fast,” Ayumi exclaimed,
“No,” Orzon replied, “I knew that I loved you the first time we met—it was not a long meeting as you know, but there was that thing about you... your personality or something.”
“Hmm,” Ayumi muttered, you do realize that you married one of the most arrogant women in the Fire Nation, did you not?”
“Aye,” Orzon chuckled, “and yet even the haughty Ayumi was willing to listen to Lord Orzon’s simple words. Why was that, Ayumi? What made you decide not to burn that door down and run? Surely you cared nothing for this palace; this room, or even those robes;”
“No,” said Ayumi, pausing, “perhaps... perhaps it was because...”
Orzon waited and smiled. His hand resumed its activity of gently massaging Ayumi’s neck,
“Perhaps I was wrong,’ said Ayumi, “perhaps my remark of “I don’t feel any love towards you” is a lie. The way you treated me back there—the way you’re talking to me now; it makes me want to run into your open arms; to embrace you; to feel your heartbeat as you press up against me. To feel your soft breath on my neck; to know that there is someone in this world that actually loves me.”
Orzon smiled. “My word may be the ultimate law,” he said, “but I can listen to a reasonable request, especially when it is from the 2nd most powerful person in the Fire Nation—even more so when that person is the woman whom I love.”
Ayumi stood up, taking Orzon’s hand. Immediately she threw herself into his arms, embracing him [for it is difficult to properly embrace someone while sitting down].
“You’re warm,” Orzon said, smiling, “you seem to have a burning passion inside of you—similar to mine. Lord Xin Shing was right about you.”
“I don’t care about him,” Ayumi replied, “I only care about you. The rest of the world is of no importance unless it involves us in charge of it.”
“I care about what you care about, Ayumi,” said Orzon, “Although people might think that you are mine, I am also yours. Remember that, Ayumi, and I promise that you will be happy as long as you are with me.”
“Then that is all that I care about,” Ayumi replied, “you’re far more important to me than even The Order.”
“I made a vow that I would do whatever it took to make you happy, Ayumi,” said Orzon, “and I have no intention of breaking that vow.”
Before Ayumi could answer, Orzon brought his lips to hers, and the two of them locked lips in a loving and passionate manner that even ousted the moment at the wedding. Both of them were happy. It was in fact true, that even the most evil people were allowed to love someone...
so yeah, that was it. I was gonna have them get all smexy at the end but ran out of words. this one is 1,932 BTW. hope you liked it, 'coz I winged it.
~Azula~