This is a story based on the early days of my AU comic found here: http: . com/ (just take the spaces out).
Basically the Fire Nation won the war a long time ago, and the world is living in a more repressed society where people of both the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe have been relocated to larger cities such as Ba Sing Se. In this tale Sokka was born and raised in Ba Sing Se, and here he tells his story leading up to the current events in the AU "Within the Circuit".
-River-bird
"I remember my old hope, my old life, and my old dreams. But like all dreams of our people it ended with fire. A fire that burned the image from my brain leaving nothing but scattered remnants held together by threads and tears. "
-Excerpt from Chieftain Sokka's address to the people of the South Western Quarter, Ba Sing Se.
Chapter One
Sokka stood staring down at the scroll in his hands with a frown. It was a seemingly simple advertisement, but with his knowledge of the underground movement he read the real message that was meant solely for him.
"Attack will begin soon. We need your leadership. Please reconsider"
He knew it was from Haru, the earth man was the only one still trying to convince him to join their rebellion against the Fire Nations control in Ba Sing Se. The rebellion was going to be against the Fire Nation occupation, despite the fact that rebellions in the past had failed, and that the Fire Nation had been in control for such a long time.
The Fire Nation had already long won their "war" by the time that Sokka had been born. Nearly one hundred and four years had passed since the old massacre had begun. The world had been taken in a near shock when the Fire lord of the time, Sozin, had suddenly used a comet to give himself the upper hand in taking over the world. He had been smart and set up his forces in the Earth Kingdom before the comet, and also around two of the main Air temples. According to Fire Nation history, he had at first wanted to just attack the Air Temples in hopes of destroying the new Avatar, but had then realized that he would have a greater advantage if he could conquer the Earth Kingdom capital first and then continue his annihilation of the Air Nomads.
Despite the fact that this meant Sokka had never seen his nation's homelands, nor ever seen his people free, he couldn't help but admire the strategy behind his attack. Setting up armies in secret, mapping out each day until the comet arrived; the people of the world had no real reason to assume the worst of him until it was too late.
Sighing heavily he tossed the paper onto the table near him and glanced out towards the window. The dark and dreary sight of the second level of the city met his gaze. He wondered briefly if he could ever make enough money to move himself up another level.
A knock at the door broke him out of his train of thought. He covered the paper with a couple of books that were lying nearby and went to the door. His apartment was a simple single bedroom apartment, sparsely furnished, and darkened by the lack of natural light. Compared to the wealthy upper level residents it was more like a large closet.
He pulled the door open and found a small cloaked figure in front of him. The person looked up revealing her narrow face, slightly paled by the never ending night, and dark blue eyes that spoke of the deep oceans their people used to live near.
"Yue! What are you doing here? Come in" he said shocked, gesturing for her to come in. As soon as the door was closed she removed her cloak and laid it on the table, her long white hair was pulled back loosely in a braid. She wore a dark blue robe with black leggings and boots; like him she choose to wear clothing that was similar to the traditional garb of their tribe. Most other people had adopted a grungy style that seemed a blend of all of the nations.
Yue turned to face him with a look of sadness, without a word he walked towards her and pulled her into an embrace. He knew her well enough to know when she was allowing the weight of the world to fall upon her small shoulders again. When he pulled out of the embrace he looked down at her in concern.
"What is going on Yue?"
She hesitated for a moment, looking around the room, a habit that every member of the lower levels was becoming used to.
"It's the council Sokka; I tried to appeal to them to stop this ridiculous rebellion idea. You know that people will only get hurt if we take this path, but they wouldn't listen to me, they gave the okay for the attack. I don't know what to do Sokka; it feels as though I have absolutely no power anymore, people are feeling too bloodthirsty to be smoothed with optimistic ideals. The anniversary of our peoples capture is upon us as well, it is just adding more fuel to the fire." She slumped down into the single chair in his apartment at the end her rant releasing a long sigh at the same time.
Yue had come from a long line of Water Tribe chieftains. When the relocation of Water Tribe members from their traditional lands into the greater cities began her family had gone first in hopes of keeping the people calm, and being able to establish a community despite the loss of their lands. Over time when more Earth Kingdom refugees mingled with Water Tribe members a council group had formed that would govern their lower level community, but many Water Tribe members still clung to the old ways, and would only follow the rule of the commanding chieftain.
However, Yue's father had recently passed away, and as Yue had not yet been married she was temporarily stepping into her father's shoes. Despite Sokka's sisters grumbling about a male dominance within their tribe, Sokka knew that many would not feel that Yue was fit to rule over them.
Sokka personally thought that Yue would make an excellent ruler if they gave her a chance, and he was determined to see that through after their marriage. He took her hand and kissed it lightly, she smiled lightly at him as he lowered himself to face her properly.
"Yue, you knew this was going to happen as soon as the idea formed in their head. While I want to find a way to knock some sense into them, I can't think of a way that would ease their restless spirits. Even I feel the need to be free of this place, I long to see the lands that my Gran remembers from her youth."
Yue's eyes opened wide "Oh no Sokka! You can't mean to tell me that you want to join them?!"
Sokka snuck a quick glance at the hidden paper on his desk, while he didn't believe that there was any hope in this rebellion, he couldn't deny that a small part of him supported their effort at least.
"No, I will not be joining them, I sense a lot of blood will come of all of this and the end result will not get us what we want. The fact that we have managed to keep all of this talk of rebellion quiet from the Dai Li has me wondering if we are actually being allowed to rebel. My instincts tell me that there is a bigger game being played out, one that we can't even begin to see completely."
Yue looked down at her hands "I feel that as well, I feel a great sense of foreboding in all of this Sokka, as though things are going to begin moving very fast right now. But when the dust settles, will we still be standing? " She asked the question with a great look of hopelessness in her eyes, the spirited woman he had fallen for years ago had become chained by the reality of the world. Even within himself he felt this inescapable weariness.
Standing up he gently pulled Yue to her feet as well, he lifted her chin and kissed her lightly. "We must keep the hope that things will work out after this Yue. For now we should focus on what we do have, we have each other, and in two weeks we have our wedding." She smiled and kissed him again.
"After that you will be our new chieftain, and maybe then we can talk some sense into them" she said confidently. Sokka coughed and looked away "What?" she asked with a slightly amused expression on her face. Sokka looked down at his feet, feeling caught in his uncertainty.
"I don't think I could do much there, I feel lucky enough that I am able to marry you as it is, my family never really had a lot of pull in the realm of politics" he said with a sheepish smile. Yue batted his arm lightly and laughed, Sokka soaked up the rare sound as though it were the sun.
"Oh Sokka, can't you see how much people admire you? Yes, the elders are old stick-in-the-mud characters, but the younger people really look up to you, they respect your choices and your reasoning. They will happily follow you where ever you go."
He looked into her brightened eyes and couldn't find the heart to take away her faith in him. "We shall see" was all he could respond with.
"Sokka, I am begging you to join us" pleaded the man on the other side of the cafe table. His long dark hair had been pulled back in a ponytail; a dingy yellow vest clung to his plain dark green short sleeved shirt and slacks.
"Haru, how many times do I have to tell you no? I am getting married in only a matter of day's man, I will not rush off to my death, and you know that is how this whole rebellion is going to end." He snapped in a lowered voice. Even though they had met up in an underground friendly cafe, located on the lowest level of the "Antique Slum" in the South-Western quarter, he couldn't help but feel as though he was being watched.
"I know I have been bothering you about this for a while, but I am only doing it with the best intentions. I completely believe that if you lead us we have a chance; you have always been good at planning strategy Sokka. We will die if you do not help us!"
Haru's had become desperate for his help, sending messages to Sokka every day until finally Sokka had decided to meet with him. It was a big risk for him, one that Yue hadn't wanted him to take, but Haru had challenged him to come out by claiming in the last message that Sokka was leading the attack. He knew that if he didn't make it clear to Haru that he wouldn't help, he would be the first person targeted when this was all over. With his wedding coming very soon, he didn't want to draw any more attention to Yue or himself than necessary, he didn't know what he would do if anything happened to her.
"No, and I am sticking to that Haru. There is a chance for us to gain some freedom, but it is better to do it in a more peaceful manner, there are so few of my people left as it is. My rebellious days ended when I grew up, when I realized that there are other ways for us to find freedom."
"How? By sitting on our hands and doing nothing? By simply talking and begging the Fire Nation to set us free? You know it won't work, what you are doing is giving up, you are giving up on everything you used to stand for!" Haru's face was red; it was an unusual outburst for him. Sokka felt a rise of anger at his words, but knew that making a scene wouldn't help at all. Maybe Haru was right, maybe he was becoming a bit of a defeatist.
He sighed heavily and looked down at his tea; "Haru, I will not join you" he ended. Haru hung his head crushed. "I wish you the best of luck my old friend, may the spirits watch your path" Sokka said getting up from the table. Dropping a couple of coppers onto the table he made to leave, but was stopped by Haru's hand on his forearm.
"Should you change your mind Sokka, you know where we will meet."
Sokka made no response, he stared straight ahead until Haru let him go, and then he walked stiffly towards the exit, feeling as though he was leaving his friend to deaths grasp.
Once he was out of the cafe he took a deep breath and sighed again, he began to walk back towards the stairs to the next level. He looked up and tried to find the sky, but only small tiny windows of light managed to find a way past the many bridges and walkways that formed each level of the city.
Once the Fire Nation had begun to relocate the people of the world into Ba Sing Se their urban planners had no choice but to build upwards due to the walls. Ba Sing Se was composed of nine layers and divided into four quarters of the city. Most of the refugees lived on the lowest level, it was an overcrowded poor house basically, but people were quite loyal to their own. The next two levels were composed of refugees who had more money, or had worked hard enough to get a small hole in the wall such as himself. From the third level up it was the Fire Nation middle class to rich, only the very top levels got to see the sky on a daily bases.
As he turned the corner a small woman ran into him, he doubled over surprised and looked down at the figure that was glaring at him. The first thing that caught his attention was the distant look in her green eyes, she was blind.
"How about you watch where you are going!" she snapped before continuing her brisk walk, Sokka straightened himself and turned to apologize, but she was already gone.
"Uh, well that was weird" he muttered as he continued onward. As he walked towards the stairway he passed the small street of Eau, after a brief deliberation he quickly turned down the street.
Eau was a very popular street for elderly people. While the South Western quarter was known for its antique shops (hence the nickname for the quarter was the "Antique District"), it was the street of Eau where the most authentic shops existed. The shops, which varied from restaurants, bakeries, antique shops, and second hand scroll stores, were also mostly run by elders who had lived to see the home lands, whether Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe. It was in this street where Sokka had grown up.
His Gran had opened a shop with the help of her then friend Pakku, now Grandfather to Sokka and his younger sister Katara. They still owned it now, but as old age set in, they had depended more on Sokka's father and his friend Bato. His mother had died when he was young of a plague that had spread rapidly through the lowest level; the rest of his family had escaped unscathed, although his Gran still had chest problems occasionally. Her loss had been very hard on them, especially Sokka's father Hakoda and Katara. Sokka had just been happy enough that he hadn't lost everyone, but he always carried a small shell amulet she had given him before she passed.
When he reached the store he looked through the dusty window, past the heaps of masks, chairs, and shelves, to the front desk, Bato was there. The door opened with a small ring of bells, Bato looked up at Sokka and smiled brightly.
"Sokka! I am surprised you have time to make a visit, what with your marriage ceremony in a couple of days, and don't you have the council dinner tonight?"
Sokka smirked and ducked behind the counter, grabbing an apple that was in a bowl near the exit to the backroom.
"I figured it wouldn't be that bad if I stopped over for a little while, besides, Yue is doing most of the preparation for the ceremony, and the dinner doesn't start for a couple more hours" he said taking a bite. "Is anyone else here?" He asked between mouthfuls.
"Yes, everyone is actually. Oddly enough they have been planning something for you, but couldn't decide on the time. I guess now is as good a time as ever. Finish that up, I'll close the shop. It's been a slow day today anyways."
Sokka rolled his eyes smiling "Isn't it always slow?"
Once Bato had finished closing the store, and Sokka finished his apple, they moved into the back room. Bato gathered his belongings and lead them to the back door. The alleyway in the back of the store was cramped and dirty, dark stains lined the crude wooden fences, and debris littered the sides of the dirt path. This had been the area where Sokka had grown up. They followed the path until they reached the stairs; it was a short climb into the apartment where his family had lived since they had arrived in Ba Sing Se.
"Hello everyone, guess who wandered in this afternoon" called out Bato as he opened the creaky door. Sokka felt a wave of nostalgia as the apartment came into view. The door led into the main living area, a large rectangular room with tattered animal skin rugs, and ceremonial wear lining the wooden walls. To the left of him was the kitchen area, an stone stove with a flat surface that would be used to cook food, and various utensils hung above it. To the right was a narrow hallway that lead to three small rooms, Gran and Pakku shared one room, Katara another, and Bato and Hakoda shared Sokka's old room. Space was always limited, but it was a pretty decent place compared to some others on the lower level.
"Who is here Bato?" Questioned a female voice, from around the corridor a slender woman appeared. Her long chocolate brown hair was tied in a single braid, two hair loops framed her face.
"Hey Katara, how are you doing?"
"Sokka!" Katara ran up and embraced him in a tight hug. "I hardly ever see you anymore, what with all the excitement over your marriage and the chieftain ceremony!"
Sokka raised his hands in surrender against her mock frown, "What can I do about it? Girls always want to make such a big deal over something so small" Sokka said patting her on the head. Katara's smile dropped into a frown as she punched him in the gut. Coughing Sokka managed to get out a laugh, he always knew how to get his sister riled up, and she knew it.
"Oh Katara, don't hurt him too much, he might see it as another reason for staying away" came the elderly voice of his Gran. She appeared in the living area followed closely by Pakku and his father. Sokka gave each of them a quick embrace before they settled themselves on the fur mats.
`` So Bato was telling me you guys had something planned for me?" He asked with a widening smile, everyone else glared at a nervous looking Bato.
"Well we were wondering when to give it to you, I guess now is okay" Hakoda got up and went up to a chest and pulled out a knee length blue robe, trimmed with a white band, on the back the symbol of the Water Tribe had been embroidered. Sokka took the robe and looked back at his family with a small smile. "We hoped you would wear it during your marriage ceremony" finished his father closing the chest.
"Thank you, each of you, this does mean a lot to me" he said quietly. In this moment he felt truly happy, here with his family, and the promise of a long and lasting love with Yue, in this moment all of the other troubles vanished and left him feeling warm and content. Nothing could take this away from him.
To be continued...