So, this is Dutiful.
This is one of those fics that sometimes barrels out of me. 10,800-ish words in 4 days. It was intense. This was sometime in early-mid May 2016. At the time I also thought it was mostly done but I wasn't quite up for polishing it yet and I somehow felt it wasn't the right time to post it. And as usual I'm glad I waited, cuz I developed a bit more worldbuilding and added some new characters and rewrote a few sections and also Coco came out in theatres, and that movie basically kept whispering in my ear that I had to finish this fic. I'm really pleased with it now. So I hope you guys find it worth the wait. I've got 8 chapters of this thing and I'm gonna try to post one a week.
As usual, I have a list of warnings, but take note that none of these are graphic and most are just alluded to.
WARNINGS FOR
-The Fire Nation being a bunch of jerks
-Casual Indoctrination
-Allusions to past war crimes/horrors/etc
-Allusions to PTSD
Also I've completely made up how auras work, okay? I mean, I got the color meanings from the internet, but half the time those lists can't agree on what colors mean anyway. And I've basically fudged the structure of an aura. Because storytelling. And because whenever people who claim to be aura-readers try to prove their gift by reading the aura of a person hiding behind the sheet, they don't seem to notice the hidden person is actually just a mannequin. So nyah. :P
This story can be taken as both Canonverse and GGverse, fyi. Timeline-wise, chapter 1 is set 13 years pre-series, 87 years post-Air Nomad genocide. Min Lee is 13, her birthday being in the last month of the year. Lu Ten and Kenta are about a year and a half older than her.
Enjoy!
The first time she brings up the subject, she is thirteen, and she writes it in a letter.
The Fire Nation Royal Academy for Girls has always promoted a well-rounded education, and school officials understand the importance of providing their pupils with the proper curriculum. Students at the Academy are gifted with vast amounts of knowledge - the arts, history, science, mathematics, philosophy - anything they might need to know as adults, the Academy provides them with. Their alumnae, after all, are the Fire Nation's future leaders. Min Lee of Kohimori Island is no exception.
Since Sozin began the Great March of Civilization eighty-seven years ago, the Academy has expanded its curriculum to include relevant subjects - strategy, tactics, geography, supply chain management, colonial government. Things that help keep the clockwork of the war running smoothly.
At thirteen, Min Lee is just beginning to realize the vast scope of her nation's mission. She is in awe of both how much they've managed to accomplish, and how much more they hope to - and will - achieve. In eighty-seven years, they've done so much for the world - invented new technologies, expanded trade routes, boosted the economy. Not to mention how much of the Earth Kingdom they've freed from its ineffective and absent ruler, who never bothers leaving his walled city, and helped them form better, more centralized governments that serve the people. There is still more to do - the Air Nomads might be wiped out and the Water Tribes hardly bear thinking of, but there is still much more Earth Kingdom land waiting to be assimilated, not to mention the great city of Ba Sing Se itself. With any luck, the world will be safely in the Fire Nation's keeping before the return of Sozin's Comet.
Min Lee is young and impressionable and eager to be a part of her country's quest, though she is not certain how much use she could be. She dreams of leading troops into battle, of bringing glory and honor to her family and nation with her conquests, but she's not sure if those dreams could become reality. When one of her teachers mentions that the military is always looking for new officers, and any Academy student would be a valuable asset to her nation, Min Lee points out, "But I'm not a bender." All the greatest leaders of the Fire Nation military are benders - Fire Lord Sozin, Fire Lord Azulon, Fire Lady Ilah, Prince Iroh, Princess Janya, General Kilohana, Admiral Jeong Jeong. Min Lee doesn't hold a candle to a single one of them.
Her teacher's eyes crinkle in a smile. "Young lady, that makes no difference! Some of our bravest soldiers and best officers are nonbenders! And besides, isn't your uncle Daimyo Shigeru of Kohimori Island?"
Min Lee nods. Her uncle is the lord of their island, though he isn't a Firebender - that gift had gone to his younger brother, Min Lee's father. But despite his lack of bending, Uncle Shigeru is still talented - he has no small skill with a sword, is a master at chi-blocking, and he can see spirits and auras just as well as Min Lee can.
"Then you ought to know how important he was in the Final Annexation of Nanyue," her teacher says. "Just as important a role as your Firebender father, Lord Masao. They're both heroes."
This is news to Min Lee, who has never heard her father or uncle speak much of their years in service or their time on campaign in Nanyue. All that Min Lee knows about Nanyue itself is that it was an Earth Kingdom province that had stubbornly clung to its old ways until the Fire Nation had finally sent the military in full force to free it from its tyrannical rulers. She knows that her father and uncle - and even her aunt - were there, but she would never have guessed that they'd been important in that victory, let alone heroes.
"Did you know our dads are heroes?" she asks her cousin Kenta the next day. They're in the palace gardens because Lu Ten has invited them over for a study session. Schoolwork is less tedious with friends, and nothing is more motivational than the knowledge that one of those friends is the future of the Fire Nation and that your own education will help him lead your nation to greatness. Also, there are snacks.
"Our dads?" Kenta asks around a mouthful of fire flakes, brow furrowing. "Since when are they heroes?"
"Since Nanyue, apparently," Min Lee shrugs.
"Wait," Lu Ten says from where he's monitoring a teapot, "how do you guys not know?"
"Dad and Uncle Shigeru don't talk about their service much," Min Lee says. "Neither does Aunt Ryoko. I know they were all at Nanyue, I just...don't know what they did there."
"Wow," Lu Ten says, pouring out the tea and handing over two cups. "I know my dad likes your family cuz they aren't pretentious self-centered glory hunters, but I didn't realize they were that modest. They never tell war stories? At all?"
"No," Min Lee says, looking at the tea. It's a lovely-looking jasmine and it smells nice, but next time Lu Ten invites them over to study she's bringing coffee, which is even lovelier and smells divine and is far more energizing. "Does yours?"
Lu Ten grins. "All the time!"
"Lucky," Kenta huffs. He sounds a mite jealous. Min Lee feels the same. Of course General Iroh would regale his son with tales from the front.
"He's got some really funny ones about the Northern Water Tribe sieges," Lu Ten says. He takes a long sip of tea.
"What about Nanyue?" Min Lee asks.
"Oh, yeah, he's got lots of those," Lu ten grins. "The one about how he defeated General Chien Trung is my favorite...but I'm guessing you want to know about your dads," he adds.
"No," Kenta drawls, "we really want to hear about how awesome your dad is."
Lu Ten rolls his eyes and grabs a handful of fireflakes, which he munches on while he thinks. "Okay," he says eventually, "so from what I know from Dad's stories, your dads played a big part in finishing off the Nanyuese army."
Kenta and Min Lee lean forward. "Really?" Kenta asks, his aura a deep, grounded red washed over with insecure brown and just the slightest tinge of jealous green. Min Lee doesn't blame him for his colors - she's still finding this hard to believe herself.
"Yeah, really," Lu Ten says. "Dad was really pleased when he realized I'd made friends with you guys. He told me all about your family. Like, specific stuff about your family, not just how awesome your grandmother was...sorry, sorry!" he adds quickly when Min Lee winces.
"It's okay," Min Lee mutters, but Lu Ten still looks guilty. It's been less than two years since Grandma Masami's murder and he knows she's still sensitive about it. She just wishes she could forget the scream Aunt Ryoko had loosed when she'd found the body.
"Our dads?" Kenta prompts, shooting a quick look at Min Lee.
"Right, right," Lu Ten says, happy to steer them them back to the original subject. "Okay, so. Dad says that mudslugs are super stubborn, so even after he shot General Chien full of lightning and Generals Nguyet and Kym killed themselves cuz they didn't want to surrender to my mom, the army kept fighting, right? And they barricaded themselves inside the city. Would've been super easy to just starve them out, but General Nguyet's son and his family were inside. Dad was worried he'd be just as tough an opponent as the rest of his family had been, and my mom didn't want to waste tons of time on one city when they had a whole region to conquer, and Grandpa wanted Nanyue done with as soon as possible. So they started planning to attack the place, and that's where your dad came in." He nodded at Kenta.
"And what did my dad do?" Kenta asked.
Lu Ten grinned. "Major Shigeru - well, no, wait, I guess he was just a captain at this point? Oh, whatever. Major Shigeru's got gray eyes."
"What does that have to do with any - "
"So he gathered up a squad of colonial soldiers with green eyes, right? And they disguised themselves in Nanyuese armor and snuck into the city at night - apparently it was really easy, the place was such a chaotic mess - and no one paid any attention to these people with most of their faces wrapped up cuz hey, their eyes weren't yellow! And Major Shigeru spent the whole night sneaking around the city - I guess he was good at it cuz of that sixth sense of his?"
"Aura vision," Kenta corrects with an eyeroll.
"Spirit sight," Min Lee corrects further.
"Right, whatever. That and your family's weird talent for climbing and jumping and sneaking around like ninjas since you've all been climbing trees like crazy hogmonkeys for generations. So Major Shigeru avoids most of the Nanyuese soldiers and the ones he doesn't don't notice him and his group, and the next evening he goes back to my mom and dad with a map of the place."
"So...my dad was a spy?" Kenta asks, nose wrinkled. It's an important job, but it's not a glamorous role. Certainly not as glorious as leading troops into battle.
"Just for one night," Lu Ten is quick to assure him. "And if your dad hadn't gotten the information our army needed, who knows what would've happened? This was General Nguyet's son they were dealing with - if they didn't take him out quick, the Nanyuese army might've managed to rally again."
"Huh," Kenta says, mollified. "Yeah, I guess you're right."
"Of course I'm right!" Lu Ten says. "Your dad got the intel we needed, our army attacked the morning after, and they took over the city easily! And that's where your dad - well, both your dads - led their troops into battle. They were there with my dad when he forced the last of the Trungs to surrender."
Min Lee gapes. "Wait - Dad and Uncle Shigeru were there - ?" Min Lee may not know much about Nanyue, but anyone who knows anything about Nanyue knows about the Trungs, and anyone who knows anything about the Trungs knows the major threat they posed to the Fire Nation's victory. Of course the really infamous ones were dead by that point, and Min Lee can't even remember the name of General Nguyet Trung's son, but the thought of her father and uncle having been anywhere near any of that family is mind-boggling.
"Yeah!" Lu Ten grins. "Dad says he and Mom specifically requested them to come help apprehend them. They knew all about your family's chi-blocking skills, and Dad wanted to take at least some Trungs alive so they could execute them properly. Your dads' chi-blocking made it possible!"
Min Lee thinks of her own chi-blocking skills, remembers her teacher's reassurance that being a nonbender doesn't mean she can't still serve her country. She didn't realize she might be able to serve so effectively.
Kenta is staring at Lu Ten, his disbelieving expression at odds with the trust radiating from his aura. Lu Ten is their friend - he wouldn't lie to them. "I had no idea Dad and Uncle Masao were such a big deal."
"They were," Lu Ten nods. "Dad says my mom was so impressed she gave your dads promotions. And then she sent Major Shigeru off with the fleet up the river to help make sure the rest of the region was conquered. And Lieutenant Masao stayed with my parents and helped with the mopping up actions. So yeah, your dads are heroes."
"I had no idea," Kenta says again.
Lu Ten shrugs. "Well, like I said, my dad likes your dads cuz they aren't braggarts."
"That's fine," Kenta says. "I just wish Dad would talk about this kind of stuff."
Min Lee thinks about it. "Maybe he would if we asked."
The next letter she writes home details how much she's learned of the glory of her nation, how she's coming to realize that she is merely a small part of a much greater machine, and how she wants to help advance their Great March. She wants to do her duty. She wants to be a hero, just like them.
Her father's response is filled with rambling cautions - of course she can do her duty to her nation, but she must first consider what that duty is. Wanting to go out on the front lines is all well and good, but there are so many who are capable of such service - how many could say the same of running an island clan? Kenta will need help governing their home when he's older, so Min Lee herself might find her time better used by studying politics and philosophy - things that would make her a good leader. Her eagerness to serve is a good and admirable thing, but she needs to consider where her service will be most needed.
Her uncle's letter is shorter, stark and simple. He tells Min Lee that there's more to war than glory. He says he wouldn't call himself a hero.
When Min Lee relates the information to her teacher, the woman beams. "That is humility, my dear."
"Wow," Lu Ten says when she reads him and Kenta the letter. He's more interested in it than he is in the coffee Min Lee and Kenta had insisted on bringing and making themselves. He has a cup of it in his hands, but he hasn't had a single sip yet. "I can see why my dad likes him. Your dad is way better than Uncle Ozai's favorite officers. They never stop talking about how great they are."
"Modesty isn't so great when it gets in the way of family history," Kenta huffs, blowing steam off his coffee.
"Maybe we need to ask in person," Min Lee says, tucking the letter back into her pocket and leaning back against the tree trunk. She's lounging above the boys on a branch, gazing up at the canopy. The palace's trees are pitifully short compared to the ones in the forest back home on Kohimori, but they're better than nothing. Climbing makes her happy, and heights help clear her head.
"Maybe," Kenta says, but he doesn't sound convinced. "But...I don't know, Min. He's never talked about it before, and he doesn't even like talking about me joining the army."
"What?" Lu Ten blurts.
The look Kenta shoots at Lu Ten is wary. "Well...yeah, he doesn't really…" He trails off. Min Lee immediately swings down from her perch to sit beside her cousin. She gives him an encouraging look, and Kenta sighs. "Every time I try to bring it up he says we'll talk about it when I'm older."
"...We're almost fifteen," Lu Ten says. The age of conscription is sixteen.
Kenta hunches in on himself a bit. "Yeah. I know." He hesitates. "Look, it's not that he's a coward or anything, he's just…" He trails off, watching Lu Ten helplessly. It's an honor to return to the Fire Nation with war wounds - physical proof of the sacrifice you made for your country, and proof of your own strength in survival. Less honorable are the soldiers who return with perfectly able bodies and less-than-able minds. There are many terms to describe such afflictions - rock shock, melancholia, and combat stress to name a few, but the most common is cowardice. It's not unheard of for loyal soldiers to suddenly turn cowards. Not unheard of, but not often talked about. No one wants to admit that such a thing might have occurred in their family.
And here Min Lee and Kenta are, telling the Fire Lord's grandson that the head of their house doesn't like talking about the war.
Lu Ten just looks thoughtful, though. "I know he's not a coward," he says. "Actually, it...kinda makes sense he might not want you to go off fighting right now."
Kenta frowns. "What's that supposed to mean?"
It's Lu Ten's turn to hesitate. "Well, it's just...uh...look - you guys have had a bad year, okay?"
Kenta's expression crumbles. "Yeah."
"Yeah," Lu Ten continues, "so I can - Min, no, I'm sorry, I'm sorry - "
"Shut up," she mutters, her voice more watery than she'd like as she wipes her eyes. Aunt Ryoko's scream echoes in her ears, and she recalls the look on her father's face when he'd challenged Lady Ayako of the Shiroboshi Clan to an Agni Kai.
Lu Ten's hands are fluttering ineffectually around her shoulders, like he isn't sure if touching her would help or just further her breakdown. "I didn't mean to make you cry!"
"Oh my Agni, Lu, just hug her, it helps," Kenta says, his own voice suspiciously wavering, and then Min Lee finds herself sandwiched between her two best friends.
"I mean, if you need to cry, just...just go ahead and cry, it helps," Lu Ten says, his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders. "But you two have cried enough this year."
It wasn't just Grandma Masami whom they'd lost. Her death had been unexpected, her murder a complete shock. Father had won the Agni Kai, Grandma had been avenged, and Fire Lord Azulon had demoted half the Shiroboshi Clan and banished the other half to the lowliest of the colonies, but in the end it was a hollow victory. Grandma was still dead, and her assassins had stolen away more than just her life. Great-Grandpa Shoichi had only lasted half a year after his daughter's death - long enough to see little Ty Lee born. They'd found him cold and gray in his bed one morning, and while it was easy to say he'd lived a good long life, Min Lee had seen her great-grandfather's aura those last few months. The old man had been heartbroken at the loss of his only child. A month after he'd gone, his younger sister had followed - Auntie Chou had missed her brother as surely as Great-Grandpa Shoichi had missed his daughter, and she'd passed on quietly in her sleep. And then, just a few months ago now, Grandpa Kurou had died as well - complications from the poor health he'd suffered since Grandma Masami's murder.
And as though the sudden loss of two entire generations of their family hadn't been enough, there are still plenty of political difficulties to deal with. Uncle Shigeru is completely in charge of Kohimori Island now, with only Father and Aunt Ryoko to help him rule. It hasn't been easy.
"Look," Lu Ten says when Min Lee's sniffles have died down. His arm is still wrapped around her, his hand resting on Kenta's shoulder. "Your family's lost a lot in the past year. I'm not gonna blame Major Shigeru if he's feeling a little paranoid about sending his only kid off to war."
Kenta sighs. "That's a good point."
"But I'm sure he'll let you go," Lu Ten adds, shooting Kenta a bright grin. "I mean, he has to. You're nobility, it's practically required. And if he's still that worried a year from now, I'll just order him to let you go."
Min Lee giggles through the last of her tears. "Can you do that?" she asks, wiping her eyes.
"Maybe?" Lu Ten shrugs. "Or my dad could. But I'm sure your dad will come around. Just give him some time. And...I think you should try asking him and Lieutenant Masao about their service. Remind them of all the good they did. It might be hard getting them to talk if they're really that modest, but...well, humility doesn't stop people from telling you stuff. Just try asking."
The next time Min Lee goes home to Kohimori, she tries to talk to her family about Nanyue. One by one, she finds them all reluctant to discuss even the slightest bit.
"Nanyue?" Father repeats, bouncing little Ty Lee in his arms. "It really wasn't that exciting, Min. Are you still worried about serving? Because what I wrote still stands - I'd really like you to think about where your service would be most efficiently used, and honestly your people need you more than the battlefield does."
"But I just wanted to know - "
"It was hot, gross, boring, lethally exciting, and then boring again. That pretty much sums up war, kiddo. Anyway, I'm trying to get your sister here down for a nap…" It's a valid excuse - the baby's eyes are blinking drowsily, and Min Lee knows how hard it is to get the excitable little girl to lie still and sleep. She goes off to see if someone else wants to talk.
"Nanyue?" Aunt Ryoko says, startling out of her contemplation of Auntie Chou's ancient pie recipe - a family secret that the old woman had thankfully not taken to her urn. The kitchen counters are covered with flour and utensils and an entire bowl of coffee cherries - Aunt Ryoko must be stress baking then. She's been doing that a lot lately. "Why are you asking me about Nanyue?"
"Lu Ten says Father and Uncle Shigeru are heroes and I know all about how they helped us win" - lies, she only knows what Lu Ten and her teachers have told her - "but - well, I was curious. What did you do there?"
Aunt Ryoko blinks once, twice, three times. "Nothing of importance, really," she says. "Fought in a few battles, and then I stayed well behind the front lines to help maintain control while most of the army marched onward. It wasn't that interesting." She snatches up the bowl of cherries and begins mashing them up to make the filling for the pie's gooey center. Her aura is turning agitated, so Min Lee leaves her to the baking.
She goes to find Uncle Shigeru with the hope that he'll be more forthcoming. She asks him to talk about Nanyue. He refuses.
"Please, Min," he says when she pries, his eyes crinkled and mouth tense. Shades of gray and sulfur tinge the colors of his aura. He doesn't look humble - he looks haunted. "I don't want to think about it."
She lets the subject drop.
Okay there we go, chapter one. Hope you enjoyed it! If you like please leave a review, those always make my day!
Next chapter will hopefully be up sometime next week.
You can follow me on tumblr at gilded-green or caelum-in-the-avatarverse. I promise I'll have a family tree for Kohimori's ruling family posted sometime in the near future because otherwise you'll all probably cry at me. XD
Uhhhhhh let's see, notes, notes...
If you're wondering what Nanyue is, it's an event I completely fabricated in my headcanon, and you can find more details in my stories Bright and Bitter, Pure and Sweet and Better Left Unsaid.
Shiroboshi is Japanese (白星) "white star", Sumo wrestling term to designate a bout victory.
Kohimori literally means "coffee forest" in Japanese.
Also I feel the obligatory need to point out that The Fire Nation Is Not Japan but dangit the fanon runs strong and I need more languages and words to pull from when doing worldbuilding and my Fire Nation headcanon is a hopeless cultural mishmash at this point anyway. And to that end I've decided to use the term "daimyo" to designate a Fire Nation clan's head, since Lord and Lady just weren't cutting it.
Regarding the Fire Nation propaganda machine, I'd like to point out that Earth King Kuei is currently a 12-year-old (omg he's Aang's age) but FN propoganda don't care for technicalities and also even if this was an adult Earth Monarch they were up against Kuei claims that "no Earth King has ever been to the Outer Wall!" or something along those lines so like, honestly, the Fire Nation convincing itself that they gotta help the EK get away from whichever absent idiot ruler they have this decade feels pretty likely.
So there you go, next chapter will be posted sometime next week, and seriously if you liked this please leave me a review it'd make my day I don't care if you're reading 10 years from now reviews are great and I love them. :D