SPOILERS FOR SOZIN'S COMET BOOK
DISCLAIMER: Avatar is the property of Viacom/Nickelodeon. I do not own any of the characters apart from the original characters introduced in my story. I am not making any money off of this story either.
But just so everyone is clear, the story hardly mentions anything from Sozin's Comet at all other than minor minor details. But later on there will be certain elements from the story taken into account. Very later on.
AN: Okay, I cannot tell you how nervous I was and anxious I was about submitting and writing this story. My last story did far better than I could've ever imagined and I am so grateful for all the encouraging reviews I got. However, this time I went a little out of my comfort zone tries to write canon only and tried my best to be a little more "experimental" when it came to this story. That means attacking it in a totally different way and making up some stuff (that hopefully sounds credible). This first chapter is a little slow but I trust that it won't be so bad. It's also a very long chapter (I'm not very epic in my writing) so that's something else that's new.
This first chapter is from the perspective of Katara (aside from the prologue beginning) and the next will be from Zuko's (etc. etc.) . Their perspectives will alternate but I trust that it won't be hard to differentiate who's thinking from who.
I just want to thank Limnhere, Yurtletheturtle and Hollywoodland for helping me look at my story and for giving me wonderful feedback. Thank you guys so much, you have no idea how much your input means to me. It is always good to have a fresh pair of eyes and I'm thankful for you all!
The House of Cards
"Forget about your house of cards, and I'll do mine."
- Radiohead
Chapter One: Infrastructure
One month ago
Jian Yu Zhen, a town closest to the Boiling Rock
Outside the Dancing Dragon, bitter winds tore through the streets and heavy rain smothered the cobblestone in a thick layer of water. It was barely past seven but the night was deep and a shroud of clouds hung over the town, covering the moon. No matter how much the wind howled or how loudly the rain beat against the windows, there wasn't anything nature could do to prevent the happy patrons of the Dancing Dragon from rejoicing.
Inside the bar, there were almost a hundred men and women, gathered in song and dance. It was clear that as long as there were free drinks, there wasn't going to be a sober soul left by the end of the night. A drunken man stumbled to the counter and lifted his cup. His head slumped onto a neighbouring bar stool. The bar tender sighed, smiled and then filled the man's cup half way.
The drunk took the cup then looked down at it. "Kuo...Excoos...m...e...you dint fillerr up."
"You've had enough. I was being generous...or was I being cruel?" Kuo the bartender replied, turning around. The man didn't protest any further and stumbled back into the crowd of dancers.
Kuo closed his eyes and smiled. Thank you General Zhang.
He looked up when he noticed a breeze. The front door had opened. A cloaked figure gracefully strode in and took a seat at the end of the bar counter. The fabric of the cloak covered the stranger's face, and every other part of their body. The bar tender cautiously approached the stranger.
"Rough night out there huh? So...what'll it be?" He asked. The stranger shrugged and with a gloved hand, pointed at the same drunk who had stumbled off.
"You want what he's having?"
The cloaked stranger nodded.
"All right then," Kuo began to pour a foul smelling liquid into a cup. "Just so you know it's free tonight. General Zhang is treating the whole bar," the bar tender started, looking at the crowd. "Just as long as you don't overdo it like Zhi over there, you can have as much as you like." And as if on cue, Zhi tipped over and onto the floor.
Another drunken-but still upright-man appeared at the counter. The man extended his arm around the stranger and then put down his cup. "Friend! Hic! Tonight...we are celebrating a noble man...and his noble woman!" The cloaked figure did not move or say a word.
Kuo sighed. "What Ming here means is that the Fire Lord is getting married. General Zhang ordered drinks for the whole bar to celebrate..."
Ming nodded excitedly. "Six years since the war ended...and in another two months we're finally going to get a Fire Lady!"
The bar tender smiled. "It's been a while since the Fire Nation has been truly this excited...but you don't seem to be from these parts, stranger."
The stranger shook their head.
A look of confusion appeared on the Kuo's face. "You are...or you're not?"
The stranger cleared their throat and it was clear that the voice belonged to a woman. "It's complicated. Anyway, do thank the General for the free drink...I'll be on my way. Ming." The stranger added, nodding at Ming.
"Wait!" Kuo cried. "It's raining cats and hog monkeys out there!"
The stranger tilted her head back, her face still unseen. "I think I'll manage." She gracefully pushed the door and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
Relaxing, Kuo turned back to Ming who was now...passed out on the floor. Maybe he hadn't been as sober as originally thought. But just as soon as the stranger left, the door flung open again. Two wounded soldiers tore through the crowd, crying for the General.
"What's going on?" A voice shouted from the back of the room. It was General Zhang. He moved toward the soldiers and looked at their wounded bodies. Burn marks were present on the clothes and it appeared that someone had used firebending to attack them.
"What's happened? Why are you hurt?"
"The princess, sir. She's escaped."
General Zhang's eyes widened in horror, "What do you mean escaped? She's been at the Boiling Rock for the last six years. Had she recently been moved?" His voice slightly slurred because of the alcohol.
"No sir…not to our knowledge." One of the soldiers heaved, clutching their side.
"We were contacted immediately by the Warden, but we couldn't stop her when we saw her on dry land." The other soldier weakly appended.
"We must contact the Fire Lord immediately. Azula could be headed to the Royal city right now."
The wind felt warm against Katara's face as she sat on Appa's back, staring into the ocean. The gang had spent many years like this. Traveling around the world on Appa, staring into the blue of the ocean on warm summer days, the wind blowing against their skin and carrying their hair. But there were many things that had changed. Sokka was married, and Zuko was going to be wed in a month. As cliché as it was, time had gone by too quickly for Katara.
The waterbender turned her head when she heard the familiar grunt of her brother stirring in his sleep. Slowly the Water Tribe warrior lifted his head and looked around groggily until he met the eyes of his loving wife. Suki smiled at her husband and motioned for him to lean on her. Sokka nodded and eased back, putting his arm around her. He took a deep breath and then turned to his sister.
"So we're finally going to see Zuko. How long has it been, anyway?"
"Six years." Katara replied.
"I can't believe Zuko's actually getting married." Suki said, quietly laughing. Sokka nodded in agreement.
Katara wryly grinned. "Neither can I. Zuko's pretty much impossible to deal with. I feel for his future wife."
Aang was at the front of the helm but managed to clearly hear what the group was saying. He tilted his head back. "Who is Zuko marrying again?" He asked, turning his head forward again.
"Mai." Sokka replied, digging through his bag. He finally pulled out an apple and began to eat it but Momo quickly ended this union by taking a large bite out of the apple. "Momo!"
"Mai?" Katara asked.
"She's that girl who throws the knives and hates everything. It's kind of hard to forget a person like that." Sokka added, avoiding Momo's teeth marks and digging in on another part of the apple.
Katara nodded. When Sokka put it that way, how hard was it to forget the face of someone who was once the enemy? "When is the big day anyway? Sokka, what did the letter say?"
Sokka shrugged and lowered his head, "I forgot. Lost the letter right after I opened it."
"Sokka!" Katara screeched. "What if we've already missed the wedding?" Her brother offered yet another shrug which set Katara's nerves on end.
"Relax Katara, I was just kidding." Sokka pulled out the letter from his carrier bag, and shoved it in his sister's face. "The wedding's in a month and we're going to spend some time at Ember Island anyway. I swear, it's like you don't have any faith in me." He rolled his eyes.
Annoyed, Katara pulled the parchment from her brother's grasp and inspected it herself. Finally, she relaxed and smiled. "Ember Island. Just like old times huh?"
Sokka nodded. "Just like old times."
Soon the gang neared the Capitol and the palace was in sight, even if it was still far away. Zuko had told the group to land at the edge of the outer wall and a team of servants would properly greet them. Sokka mused on the last time they had been greeted by Fire Nation soldiers but immediately silenced when a group of twenty men appeared from outside the gate.
Aang lowered Appa onto the ground then jumped down to greet the men. "Hi, we're here to see the Fire Lord."
Immediately the men bowed before Aang, which made him so uncomfortable that he took a step back.
One of the men stood up. "We were sent by Fire Lord Zuko to guide you to the palace. Please do take this palanquin. I think you will find that it is large enough to seat all your friends comfortably. Our men would be glad to serve the Avatar and his companions."
Aang nodded but looked to Appa sadly. "My air bison needs a place to stay and I don't want to leave him alone. Maybe I should go on Appa and then you guys can take the palanquin." replied Aang, looking to Katara for reassurance.
Before Katara could answer, one of the servants spoke: "Our stables have more than enough room for your bison, if you wish, some of our attendants can take your bison there."
"Are the stables close?"
"It is right behind the palace itself." The servant replied.
"Okay," Aang replied while rubbing Appa's nose, "Do you think you'll be all right with that buddy?"
"Mmrff." Appa replied, not seeming to object to the idea.
A servant from inside the city wall ran outside with a rope, but the airbender halted him before he could get any closer. "You don't need to put Appa on a leash. He knows how to follow you." The servant stepped aside and bowed in respect.
The palanquin was steadier than Katara thought it would be; she and Aang sat side by side while Sokka and Suki sat across from them. They were moving quite quickly and smoothly as the royal carrier passed by the city district and into the palace grounds. Townspeople walked out of their homes to watch the carrier pass by and merchants craned their necks to get a better look at the silhouettes in the palanquin. They were on their way to the royal palace but more importantly, they were on their way to seeing Zuko and Mai before the couple was to be married. It didn't seem so long ago that Aang had defeated Zuko's father, the Phoenix Fire Lord and when Zuko had taken his place on the throne.
Six years, Katara thought, what's happened? Light streamed in from the tiny crack in the curtains, and pooled in a small spot on the floor. Katara carefully observed the light, as it grew dimmer and dimmer, eventually dissolving into the red of the carpeted floor.
"It was nice of Zuko to send a carrier for us." Suki said, cheerfully. Suki was eight months pregnant and a lot smaller than she should have been. The Kyoshi warrior though a petite girl, exercised a lot and her abs held so tight that you could have sworn that she wasn't pregnant at all. However, where the appearance of pregnancy could be averted, this did not save Suki from mood swings and outbursts that sometimes made Sokka, hopeless and completely disoriented…just like any father-to-be.
Katara smiled. Suki and Sokka are as in love as they were when they were first married.
"Well Zuko is the Fire Lord; he can do that kind of stuff. I mean we are traveling with the Avatar. Aang should get royal treatment wherever he goes." Sokka added, putting his arm around Suki.
Katara grinned and turned to Aang. He seemed to be asleep and his head leaned sluggishly against the wall of the palanquin. Katara put her hand on his cheek and slowly the Avatar's eyes fluttered open. "Are we there yet?" Aang asked, taking Katara's hand in his.
"Almost." The waterbender replied, smiling gently.
Aang returned her smile and pushed a finger through the curtain. Light flooded in, and the reddish golden hues of the palace, shone orange in the light of the setting sun. The four sat in awe as the carrier lowered and eventually met the ground in a graceful swoop. Mai and Zuko stood at the end of a carpet that extended to the bottom of the palanquin. Excitedly, Aang flew out from the curtains and into the sun while a nervous Katara, quickly followed. Sokka took Suki's hand and helped her out while she held her stomach carefully.
"It is with our honour to present the Avatar and his companions, Lady Katara, Master Sokka and his wife, Lady Suki." The four bowed courteously and the Fire Lord and his soon to be Fire Lady returned their greeting with a bow themselves.
Aang cautiously approached Zuko, but when he was no farther than a few inches away from the Fire Lord, he threw his arms around his friend just like he had done as a child. Sokka proceeded to give Zuko his patented "man-hug" and Suki followed with a gentle embrace. Katara stood behind them all and waited for her turn to greet Zuko. When she finally stood in front of his person, she noticed that much had changed about the once temperamental prince. His hair seemed to be lighter and was tied back in a topknot. His arms seemed stronger too but his hands appeared to be rougher than when he was a boy. However, they were the same slender and dexterous hands that had once tied her to a tree. And some how, it didn't bother Katara anymore that he had.
They looked at each other briefly before Katara, in her impatience, rushed toward Zuko and threw her arms around him. Never slow to react to Katara's hugs, Zuko put his arms around the small of her waist and closed his eyes.
"I missed you." He softly said into her shoulder.
"I missed you too Zuko." Katara replied.
As the group filed into the main hall, Zuko marched in front of them with Mai at his side. Katara consistently stole looks at Zuko's fiancé and wondered how the noble woman had gotten her hair the way it was. Katara had always been frequently asked on how she accomplished her hairstyle, but she was also curious to see how anybody else got their hair the way they wanted it. Eventually, Katara's continuous spying caught Mai's attention. Mai turned her head slightly and weakly smiled at the waterbender. If one could even call it a smile.
Katara anxiously smiled back but quickly realized that her face was aching from the strain. She looks really...bored. And I'm not sure if that was even a smile…
Suddenly Zuko stopped and turned to his right. "This is the dining hall. We'll be having dinner this evening. Which, should be soon." He continued forward until he stopped and turned to his left. " And this is the salon..."
"Ummm Zuko?" Aang asked, his voice quivering.
"What is it?"
"Where are the bathrooms?" the airbender managed, looking more and more uncomfortable by the second.
Zuko raised his hand and pointed down the hall. "They're at the end of the hall, to your left. It's the room with the big jade door. You can't miss it."
"Thank you!" And with that, Aang leapt up into the air and sprinted off on a cloud.
"We can wait in the salon while the cooks prepare our dinner." Zuko offered, looking to the rest of the group. The group then steadily turned around and walked into the salon's entrance.
Katara quickened her pace until she caught up with Mai. "Excuse me Mai if you don't mind me asking, how do you style your hair like that?"
Mai raised a brow. "Is that a serious question?"
Taken aback by Mai's comment, Katara looked away nervously. "Don't get me wrong, I do like it but I was just wonder—"
Mai smiled; which was something Katara couldn't remember her doing in the past, nor had it been something the dark haired woman had done since the gang had arrived. "It's a secret."
"Oh." Katara immediately remarked. Mai then sped up and took her fiancé's hand, leaving Katara behind with Suki.
Suki narrowed her eyes. "What's her deal?"
"I really don't know."
When they reached the salon, Katara noticed that it was larger than she had originally thought. Through the door it seemed to be a fraction of how large it actually was. It could've fit a whole entire army of guests...and the army may have very well been frequent guests! The room was lavishly decorated with different pieces of artwork from all around the world. She surmised that a lot of the paintings may have actually been stolen by Fire Nation soldiers during the war, and were never properly returned.
"Zuko," Katara began, "are these paintings from the Water Tribe?" She pointed at a painting of the Northern Lights also known as the Northern Dragon. The Northern Dragon was a phenomenon that may artists in the Water Tribe portrayed in their artwork, and it was even more special because the North and the South both had their own lights. The lights were one of the many signs that showed that the North and South were connected to each other, even if they were a part. The painting Katara was pointing to seemed to be done in a traditional Water Tribe technique and seemed familiar as if she had seen it once before.
Zuko nodded. "Yes, but this painting will be going back to the Northern Water Tribe soon. A lot of the paintings in this salon were taken from places around the world. Some of the artists' families offered to let us keep them. But this one will be going home soon."
Mai sighed. "What a shame, I actually like this painting. I was hoping we could keep it." Katara couldn't help but be annoyed by Mai's monotone voice. Foolishly, Katara let out a small sigh. Mai looked at her. "Something wrong Katara?"
"Well it's just that the painting belongs to the Northern Water Tribe, so that's where it should be." Katara replied.
She's not being vindictive. She's not being vindictive. She's not being vind-.
Mai shrugged. "Well if they want it back, it's going to be theirs soon enough." And with that, she walked away.
"Mai just likes the painting." Zuko said, quite suddenly.
Katara acknowledged that Zuko must have been carefully observing her, and he must've noted that she was offended by Mai's…enthusiasm.
Defending her isn't going to make her words less annoying.
"It's all right," Katara answered, "you should go back to Mai. I think Sokka's trying to tell her that he's going to be a father."
Zuko smirked. "Better get over there." He walked over to Mai and put his arm around her waist. Mai instinctively rested her head on his chest.
A part of Katara's mind lingered on Zuko and Mai. Eventually she came to the conclusion that Mai was a good match, even if Mai was monotone and bored all the time. Sokka had told her how Mai had saved the day when he and the others escaped from the Boiling Rock. Katara laughed silently to herself. What was so hard about asking a waterbender for help on how to break out of a prison surrounded by water?
Behind her, Katara could recognize the warmth from Aang's body moving closer. He put an arm around her and rested his hand softly on her shoulder. "What's wrong?" Aang asked, grey eyes scanning her face for details.
She looked up at him and gently shook her head. "Nothing."
Aang smiled. "Good." He softly kissed her on the lips and slowly pulled back. Aang had grown in the years after the war. He was almost nineteen but still vibrant and energetic like he always had been. His playfulness was what inspired Katara to feel young again. Something she had forgotten to do for a very long time.
The other thing that had grown along with Aang's height (and deepened voice) was his relationship to Katara. It had started out with a simple kiss after Zuko's coronation, but had developed over the years. Katara was happy to say Aang was her first and only boyfriend.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. The head chef had walked in with a few of the servants. "Master Zuko, dinner is ready."
Zuko smiled. "Excellent."
When the gang approached the dining hall, they noticed that they were not alone. Hundreds of servants moved back and forth from the dining hall to the kitchen and at least fifty guests (generals, nobles and wealthy merchants) were already seated at the table. Katara could feel her jaw drop a little and her eyes glowed at the massive array of dishes that were ready to be served.
"Wow...this...is...heaven." Sokka squeaked. His voice was weak with excitement and his eyes expanded in absolute awe.
"Sokka, close your mouth or you'll get drool all over the carpet." Suki said, gently pushing her husband's jaw. "Truly a meal fit for a king, wouldn't you say Katara?" Katara however, didn't seem to hear her.
"Katara?"
"Huh? I mean pardon? Sorry. I'm just...amazed." Katara replied, an apologetic look on her face. Suki smiled.
"Zuko, I hope you didn't do all this just for us." Aang said, looking to his friend. The Fire Lord shrugged and put a hand on Aang's shoulder.
"Partly, but as soon as everyone in the palace heard the Avatar was coming they all wanted to see you." Zuko replied, then turning to the guests. "Aang, I'd like you to meet my subjects." Aang raised a cautious hand and grinned widely.
"Hello…everyone. I'm...uh...Aang…the Avatar."
The whole table stood up in applause. Aang smiled awkwardly then threw a nervous glance at Zuko.
"Uh...are they usually that enthusiastic?"
"Only for the Avatar."
After dinner, the guests and the gang sauntered back into the salon. Suki and Sokka casually engaged in conversations with many of the guests. Sokka would dazzle them with stories about his adventures with the Avatar and how he had saved his wife from a Fire Nation prison. Aang was in a corner of the room impressing children and girls with his bending skills. Katara stood close by and watched as Aang molded impressive ice sculptures for the children. Out of the corner of her eye, Katara noticed that a servant was speaking to Zuko. After a few minutes, the servant walked out of the room with Zuko trailing after him.
Curiosity was one of the many things that got Katara into trouble, but she couldn't help but wonder where Zuko had gone off to. She got up and walked into the hallway, wondering which direction Zuko had wandered in. There was a faint scent of tobacco in the air. Slowly, she walked up the winding stairs where the smell of tobacco thickened and the air was colder. She noticed an open door and the light that was spilling into the hall, from the inside.
Carefully, Katara approached the room and she saw the familiar silhouette of the Fire Lord. She quietly walked toward him and noticed that he was holding a narrow silver pipe to his lips, dragging in and exhaling. Zuko seemed to realize that he wasn't alone and quickly concealed the pipe. He turned around.
"Katara?"
"I can still smell the tobacco you know," Katara said, moving onto the balcony.
Zuko sighed and revealed the pipe, taking yet another drag from the tip. "I thought you were Mai." He paused. "But you may just be worse."
"I didn't know you smoked." Katara knew her voice rung with condescension but she hoped that Zuko wouldn't notice it.
But he did.
"I didn't know you cared." Zuko shrugged and exhaled another plume of smoke.
The waterbender breathed deeply and moved toward the railing to rest her arms. "I think you know I do. But I'm more curious to know why you started, or when you did."
"Well," Zuko began, exhaling smoke, "it started when my crazy sister broke out of jail and has been a regular occurrence ever since. I think that's self-explanatory."
Katara's blue eyes widened in alarm. "Azula escaped? But how?"
"I don't know. Nobody does. She broke out a month ago and nobody has heard about her since. Nobody can find her either. I'm not even sure what her method of escape was. Even under heavy surveillance, Azula was able to break out undetected. She was always a step ahead of me, and she still is." Zuko replied. He closed his eyes and sighed with frustration.
The pale light of the moon shone against Zuko and illuminated his face. The Fire Lord looked much older than when Katara had last seen him. His eyes were wrought with melancholy and his worry had caused his skin to look taut and sallow. But no matter how sad his face was, he was as handsome as she remembered.
"Then again, it's not entirely impossible to escape from the Boiling Rock." Zuko mused.
Katara laughed and then turned her attention to the night sky. The moon was full and crickets were chirping. She then noticed that Zuko was still looking at her.
"What?" Katara asked, turning to him.
"It's just…really nice seeing everyone after so long. I think the last time I saw Sokka was when he got married to Suki."
"Three years ago. Sokka got so drunk that he couldn't stand and kept on asking for a giant mushroom." Katara replied, quite dryly. It wasn't uncommon for her brother to be a complete idiot, after all. "Why didn't Mai come?"
"We were having…problems at that time." Zuko answered. His voice was distant.
The waterbender sensed Zuko's agitation and decided to change the subject. "It's really nice being back in the Fire Nation. I missed it."
"You're not wearing your Fire Nation clothes though, aren't you worried about getting caught?"
Katara quietly snickered. "I guess I wouldn't want to be captured by the Fire Lord, would I?"
Zuko met Katara's eyes. "But here you are."
They were silent for a minute before Katara spoke again. "We'll find Azula. If you need our help, we're glad to give it. I mean Aang's the Avatar after all."
"But he isn't omniscient," Zuko said, putting his pipe away. "I tracked Aang for years, shouldn't I be good at this?"
Katara lightly put her hand on Zuko's shoulder. "But Azula isn't Aang. It's a bit harder to find someone when they aren't in the middle of the sky on a large flying mammal." Zuko tightly smiled but rested his head on her hand.
"Zuko...?" Katara and Zuko turned around to see that Mai had walked onto the balcony. "Katara." Mai added, nodding at the waterbender.
"Oh, hello Mai." Katara anxiously replied. She swiftly removed her hand from Zuko's shoulder.
"I was looking for you in the salon and couldn't find you. I thought you said you would come back after Yin's important news. Is there something wrong?" Mai asked.
Zuko shook his head and put his arms around his fiancé. "It's nothing."
Mai frowned and lightly pushed away from the Fire Lord's embrace. "You smell like smoke again. Zuko, I thought you said that you weren't going to make smoking a habit."
"I know...I know...the linens will—"
"It's not just the linens Zuko. Come back inside, General Fung wants to speak to you." Mai took Zuko's hand and lead him inside.
"Of course. I'll talk to you later, Katara." Zuko said, craning his neck back.
"Okay." Katara replied. She then turned again to the night sky and allowed herself to drown in the silence of the dark.
And now for some trivia!! "Jian Yu Zhen" is pinyin for "prison town" in Chinese. And oh my gawsh, Zuko smoking? Is she out of her mind? For the record, I hope no one thinks I'm trying to make Mai out to be the bad guy because she really isn't! And, everyone shall see very soon why she isn't.