foxysquidalso | Avatar: Fiction: The King's Subjects

Title: The King's Subjects.
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Pairing: None
Spoilers: Mild, up to "The Earth King"
Characters: Earth King, Long Feng
Word Count: 1800
Notes: A king is responsible for even the least of his subjects.

The King's Subjects.

They were his favorites. White as narcissus, pink as plum blossoms, red as chrysanthemums, orange as pomegranate flowers. In and of themselves, the butterflies were a garden in motion, its flowers all blooming at once, regardless of the season.

The Earth King's seat--a cushion covered in silk--was placed by an attendant on the grass next to the butterflies' gilded cage. The king seated himself upon the cushion carefully, mindful of his robes as he crossed his legs beneath them. The attendant departed, backing away from him slowly across the manicured lawn. The king did not watch the man leave, his attention focused on the cage.

"Good afternoon," he said, his soft child's voice nearly lost in the greater garden surrounding the small garden of butterflies.

The butterflies did not reply. He had not expected them to, but he felt it was right to address a greeting to them if he was going to sit beside them and watch them for any length of time. Duty dictated that he treat all his subjects with courtesy.

The butterflies' home was filled with flowers and grasses and twigs: everything they could need or want. The bars of the cage were not straight, but formed a pattern of circles and squares, each circle with a square in its center. Between the bars, a fine netting was stretched, and it was this rather than the bars that prevented the insects' escape.

The king sat still, watching the butterflies, studying the varied colors on their wings. The garden was silent save for the humming of bees carried on the heavy summer air. He could hear no voices, no sound of footfalls. He liked to play in the garden alone. His courtiers and attendants awaited his return outside.

The garden of the Earth Palace was one of the few places where he was allowed to be by himself, because it was completely safe. The perimeter walls of the garden were solid earth. Stark and bare in contrast to the gentle greenery, he could see one wall from where he was sitting, visible over a tall hedge. The walls were the height of ten men and doorless. Only an Earthbender could enter the garden unassisted, but any unauthorized Earthbender who attempted such a feat would be confronted by the soldiers who patrolled the walls.

The king wished all his pets might be permitted to roam freely in the garden, so that he could play with them whenever he was there, but Long Feng had wisely pointed out that the animals would ruin the flowers and wreck the topiary, both careful results of the gardeners' planning. The butterflies, however, posed no threat to anything, especially caged as they were.

Although they had everything they wanted inside their enclosure, the king could not help but notice the way the butterflies flew at the netting. They would flutter against it with a will he did not understand, sometimes so devotedly that their wings were damaged. Many of the butterflies had ragged wings, like petals that had weathered a windstorm. Why would they do such a thing? The enclosure was lovely, and the flowers within were among the finest in the garden.

The king had noted this behavior often in the past. At any one time, at least two or three of the butterflies were flying at the netting. Previously, he had assumed that butterflies were too foolish to know what the netting was, but a new idea occurred to him as he rearranged his legs on the stiff cushion. Perhaps they wished to play outside!

The cage was situated in a sheltered area of the garden. A low wall on one side helped to shield it from the wind. The head gardener, an Earthbender, moved the wall whenever it was necessary. The butterflies were taken good care of where they were. But they couldn't know that. They could see the rest of the garden through the netting, and they must have wanted to explore it.

The king smiled and rose to his feet. The cage had a door. It was not locked, only latched. It was a simple thing to reach out and unlatch it. He pulled the door open. At once, a butterfly flew through it. Its blue wings glimmering faintly in the sunlight, it rose in a spiral through the air.

He left the door open and watched as a few more butterflies took advantage of this opportunity to leave their cage. But not enough of them were leaving. They probably didn't realize what he had done for them. He entered the cage, which was tall enough for him to stand up inside. Careful not to step on any of the creatures as he walked around the enclosure, he slowly waved his arms, guiding the butterflies towards the open door.

Not all of the butterflies went, but many did, and the king laughed to see them flying unfettered. They fluttered in nearly ecstatic circles. They seemed so happy, happier than he had ever seen them before.

The king left the enclosure and ran across the grass, still laughing. Butterflies filled the air, and he chased them, though without any desire to catch them. More than once, his fingertips brushed their wings, soft as silk and thin as paper, but he did not go so far as to grasp the insects, although he could have. He did not want to hurt them.

Little by little, the air emptied of butterflies as they dispersed to the far reaches of the garden. Eventually, there were only a few left, alighting on nearby bushes, and the one or two which had remained in the enclosure. Satisfied, the king returned to his cushion, arranging his robes. The butterflies would be returning soon enough, and he wanted to be there to welcome them home.

#

"Your Majesty."

The Earth King opened his eyes and tilted his head back. A calm gaze met his own. Long Feng was standing above him. The sky framing his advisor's head was pale purple with twilight. The king realized that he must have fallen asleep, and while he was sleeping, it had grown late. Was Long Feng upset with him? No, a faint smile graced the man's lips. "Your Majesty, it's time to come inside."

The king looked over his shoulder. There was light enough remaining for him to see that inside the cage, all was still. The butterflies hadn't returned. "But I can't go in. They're not back yet."

Long Feng's arms were folded behind his back. He surveyed the cage. "You are referring, I assume, to the butterflies?"

"Yes. I let them out to play. They'll be back soon. It's nearly dark."

"Your Majesty, the butterflies will not be returning."

"What do you mean? I wish them to."

Long Feng's voice was low, and his smile didn't falter. "Of course you do. And your intention in releasing them was honorable, I am sure. But butterflies, sadly, cannot be commanded."

For the first time that day, the Earth King experienced a pang of doubt. It was an unpleasant feeling: a tightness in his chest, below his heart. "But they are my subjects," he said slowly.

Long Feng took a breath before continuing. "They are, it is true. But your Majesty, although a king acts in his subjects' best interests, his subjects cannot always be counted on to do what is best for them. The butterflies do not realize that they would be happier in their cage. They are simple creatures."

The king looked down. His face was growing hot.

"Your Majesty." His advisor leaned in closer. "There is no need to weep."

The king wanted to stop, but the sobs he tried to hold back were merely muted by his attempts.

"Why these tears?" Long Feng asked. His hand briefly touched the top of the King's head.

It was a comforting gesture, but the king's tears continued to flow. Long Feng waited patiently, and when the king was again able to speak, he answered his advisor's question. "I have failed my subjects. I did not do what was best for them."

"Your Majesty, they were only butterflies." Long Feng's counsel was coolly rational, as always. "More can easily be attained for you."

"No." The king shook his head firmly, surprised to find that his tears had suddenly ceased of their own accord. "I don't want any more butterflies." He wanted his own butterflies back. He remembered the insects' happy flight through the garden, the sun shining on their wings. What would become of them now? If he closed his eyes, he would be able to see them flying again, he knew. He kept his eyes open, wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, although that was improper behavior.

Long Feng did not chastise him. "As you like, your Majesty."

The king rose. He left the cushion where it was. A servant would fetch it later.

#

The next time the king entered his garden, he avoided the cage for as long as he could, which was not difficult at first, with so much space for him to move in. He wandered through the hedge maze, then watched the sunlight reflecting from the water of the fountains for a time. He didn't enjoy the sight as much as he should have. He couldn't enjoy anything, no matter how beautiful. He kept thinking of the empty cage.

He had to see it again, if only once more. He turned away from the fountain and began to walk towards that sheltered corner of the garden. After a few steps, he found himself hurrying. Every moment he was moving a little faster. By the time he passed the row of topiary dragons--almost there--he was nearly running, as nearly as he was able in his long robes. For a moment, he allowed himself to hope: maybe Long Feng had been wrong. Maybe the butterflies would be back, their bright wings beating against the netting.

He drew up short once he reached the place and took in a deep, sharp breath. It was gone. The cage, the low wall, the butterflies' assemblage of twigs and flowers. All gone. It looked as if nothing had ever been there. He might as well have imagined the butterflies' home.

The Earth King seated himself on the ground where the cage had been, not caring if the grass stained his robe. There was an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach, a shuddering, twisting feeling that made him a little ill. He closed his eyes. In his mind, he could see his butterflies. Filling the sky with their colors, flying away from him.

Because the king's eyes were shut, he did not see the bright yellow butterfly that flittered past him then, so close it almost touched him.