I do not own Avatar or anything within it. It belongs to its creators, whom I greatly admire for their creative minds. Your creation has inspired and touched my life as well as the lives of others in ways you will never know. Thank you. And God bless. Heir of Arenaria
I wrote this right after the episode "City of Walls and Secrets," and shall post a chapter every other week. Enjoy...
"Avatar: The Last Airbender"
Book 2: Earth
Chapter 15: Bojing
By
Heir of Arenaria
Chapter One
"Decisions"
Ba Sing Se. A true city of walls and secrets. Not much more than that was within it. Even so, the people within had no idea just what an awful city they lived in. They went about their business as usual, far from thoughts of war and destruction. Far from anything but what they considered a peaceful life. But though that was true for most, it was not true for a certain young man with a scar over his left eye serving tea in the lower ring of the city.
Zuko went about serving tea to the customers of the shop. It bothered him that he was forced to serve when his title said that he should be being served. Of course, until he captured the Avatar, that title had been temporarily stripped of him, especially now that he was in an Earth Kingdom city. And not just any Earth Kingdom city, but the Earth Kingdom city. And here he had to keep his profile even more hidden than anytime prior in his life. He hated it. He wished he could just be rid of it all and return home with his honor. But recent events had made that task even harder. Because of the bounty on his head and his almost being captured because of it, he had lost the Avatar, and had ended up in Ba Sing Se, where he had little chance of finding the Avatar again. His Uncle didn't seem to mind. He was content and happy to be serving customers tea.
Zuko paused to watch the customers. He was suspicious of all of them since the recent outburst of that Earth Kingdom peasant, Jet, trying to accuse him of being a firebender. He watched the customers cautiously. Soon his Uncle passed by him on his return to get more tea for the customers. Zuko whispered to him as he passed.
"We should go. It's not safe here anymore."
"Relax, my nephew, no one believed the boy," his Uncle said without turning to him.
Zuko grew angry, but managed to keep his voice low. "But they could, and he had friends. We have enough money from working. We should move on."
Sure, he didn't think it was safe, but he wasn't that paranoid. He hoped leaving would give him another chance to find the Avatar, and that his fears would cause his Uncle to actually agree to leave. But it seemed it wouldn't be that easy...
"People here think I'm the finest tea maker in the city, I can't just disappoint them by leaving," his Uncle replied, and now he did turn to him, seriousness etching his aged features. "Leaving would cause suspicion."
Zuko stared at him, considering his words. They were true, but that still didn't stop him from wanting to leave. The conversation got no further, however, as both uncle and nephew were summoned to continue their work as servants.
"Lee! Mushi! Our customers!" The shop owner's voice rang across the shop.
Zuko nodded his agreement to his Uncle and both went back to their work. He would give in for now, but it wouldn't stop him from trying to find a way to leave the awful city.
Outside the shop, peering in through the open door, was a young boy a few years younger than the exiled Prince. His hair was black, his eyes a hazel-green color. Freckles dotted his round face, and his mouth was open in a pleased smile, revealing missing teeth, as he watched those within. His long black hair was partially tied back in a ponytail while the rest hung loosely around his happy face. He wore average Earth Kingdom clothing, which didn't mark him as threat, but there was no missing the mischievousness in his eyes as he scanned the interior of the shop. He looked around and soon his eyes went wide. He had spotted the exiled Prince and his Uncle.
In the apartment given him by those under the Earth King, Aang sat on a bed, staring out a window, oblivious to anything else around him. He was furious that they hadn't seen the Earth King and that the war was being hidden from everyone in the city, but more than that he was deeply concerned about Appa. He missed him, sure, but for some reason, because of words that had recently been spoken, he was deeply worried about him, and felt as useless as a platypusbear in a cage.
Around him, though he was unaware of it, his companions were just as upset about the recent happenings in their life. Sokka, Katara, and Toph sat around the apartment, bored and upset, ready to do something, yet having nothing they could do. It wasn't long before Sokka was no longer able to hold it all in.
"I can't believe they're brainwashing an entire city!" He burst out as he paced the room.
The sudden outburst caused the nearby Momo to leap up in fear with an angry screech. Toph turned to Sokka as she felt his movements through the earthen floor.
"I can," she said. "That's how nobility is."
She didn't seem surprised. Katara turned to her, knowing that she was probably right. After all, she had grown up in it.
"But still," she agreed, "it isn't right."
She was saddened by the truth of what nobility really was. It had always seemed like something glamorous and full of power. Like something everyone wanted to be a part of. It was the group of people that was supposed to protect those under it, but it seemed all it really wanted was to keep the power it did have, and to use it for things other than just protection, like gaining more power. She shook her head in sadness as Momo came to land on her shoulder.
Toph threw her hands in the air in outrage. "You're telling me!"
Katara smiled. Maybe they did have more in common than she had originally thought. At least Toph was as upset over the situation as she was. She didn't just shove it off as something she didn't care about, which her character usually lead people to believe.
"We're leaving." Aang's voice caused everyone, even Momo, to look at him in shocked question. He hadn't said anything since their visit to the palace, and he had been distant ever since.
He turned to the others. "We can't help the people here, and we can't stay. If we stay long enough, we'll begin to believe the war doesn't exist, too. I'm already a hundred years late, I can't be kept away any longer."
He sighed. "Our only choice is to use the information we got from the library to our advantage. I'll find a firebending teacher and take on the Fire Lord when the eclipse comes."
Katara continued to stare in shock. Was he serious? He was just going to leave?
Even Sokka seemed concerned as he questioned Aang. "Are you sure? The eclipse will be here soon. That doesn't give you much time."
Katara continued Sokka's argument against Aang's decision. "Yeah, Aang, and Avatar Roku said you had until the end of summer. Don't you think you should take you're time about learning the elements?"
Aang turned on her, angry, standing to his feet. "I can't take my time! The Earth Kingdom is doing nothing about the war!"
"They're pretending it doesn't exist," Toph chimed in.
Aang hung his head in sad defeat. "It's up to me to end it."
Katara grew concerned. She could see the effect the pressures of being the Avatar were having on Aang. He was being forced to grow up so fast. When she had first rescued him from the ice back home, he had been a happy-go-lucky boy with no worries. Now, he felt it was his duty to end the war single-handedly. She wished he would take his time about it, instead of being pushed even faster to grow up and face the Fire Lord, but she knew he was convinced to do it. Sadness crept into her face as she looked to Aang in question.
"What about Appa?" She asked, sadly.
Aang surprised her by his answer. "We'll find Appa, than be on our way. I can't spend anymore time than that in this place."
He turned to stare sadly out a window, and Katara wished for the hundredth time that his destiny hadn't been pushed on him when he was so young. She watched him along with the others, concerned.
