The smoke from the fire warmed the room. Air became thick of the dark writings, swirling into words and hopes. Snaps from the sparks created the soundtrack. A discussion of raged around between the two different parts. The wind raged outside, small bits of snow fell through the whole in the roof. It cut off the smoke's escape, creating its own blanket over top of the shack.
A large pot was lightly boiling over the fire. Sokka had placed it there after the kettle had finished. The stew bubbled in glee as the flavours mixed together in an erotic dance of taste. Each part trying to find its mate, the other part of the concoction that would create its own small piece of nirvana.
Even after living in the Fire Nation for all those years, Sokka had yearned for the Tribe's stew. When he tried in the Nation, he could not make it with any skill, the ingredients lacked the most essential ingredient: the cold. There was something about white knuckles numb from chopping fire wood that made the soup of the south the greatest dish anyone could have. There was no need for diversity in dishes, for the stew constantly changed due to the wish of the different ingredients. It was as essential part of their world, just as was snow and water bending.
The tea, which rested in Sokka's hand, had become cold. The cup stayed pressed between his fingers, for there was nothing he understood more than his own grasp. As he thought of his hands empty, they would start to shake. His mind was empty, maybe sad. If so he was not aware of it, or at least conscious of it. It was alright though, the soup would be done soon. It would make him whole. Or at least due him over until he took out his pipe afterwards.
Rest in the south was indulgence of heat.
A knock sounded from his door.
-
Chapter 2 Life in the Warm Country
-
"Who is there?" Sokka asked. There was a silence. "If you are a ghost then please leave, I am haunted as it is!"
The door slowly opened. A young men, wrapped in as many firs one could where while still being able to move, stepped into the cabin. "Lord Sokka?"
Sokka stood up quickly. "Close the door man!" The man's eyes widened. He turned around quickly shutting the door swiftly. Sokka walked up behind him and bolted the door shut, his arms reaching around the man. Checking that the door was sufficiently closed he walked back to his seat in front of the fire. The man hung his head, "a thousand apologies my lord!" he yelled, shame painted his face red.
The man stood in the door way for a second. "Its okay man, sit. I'm about to eat. Are you hungry?" Sokka asked him without looking up from the fire. It took a second for the man to move. There was little room in the cabin. To Sokka's right was the bed, which took up the entire wall span. Across fro him was the desk covered in different papers and letters. There was a small stool in front of the desk, elevated only a foot or two. The man walked to it and sat down, trying hard not disturb anything around him.
"I have to admit, I'm pretty hungry. The weather out there is beyond anything I thought possible." The man started to remove his different firs and pile the near the door, the only place with empty space on the ground enough for all of them. His clothes under the firs were a dark green. He wore pale pants, stuffed with feathers for warmth. Across his chest was a think tunic, tied at the waist and at the shoulders so the fabric would tightly wrap around his small shoulders.
Sokka lifted his head to examine his visitor. The man's face was flat and rough. His skin had a dark tone from the sun. He had not been in the South for very long. On top of his head his hair was cut short, common from a warm place. Hair of a short length was not something commonly seen in the Tribes. The warmth the hair provided was too valuable of an asset to be sacrificed for mere fashion. "Only a fool would travel these parts at night. Why did you not wait until the sun came up to come this way?"
The man smiled a little and hid his head in shame. "I will admit I was a little too anxious to finally meet you. The men in the Tribe told me I should wait until sunrise to leave, but I told them I was a good navigator, I could make it before the sun went down. But I guess I'm not nearly good as I thought."
"So tell me, why are you here? Where are you from?" Sokka asked focusing back onto his pot. He slowly lifted the lid, steam jumped out, mixing with the smoke of the fire. He grabbed a ladle and stirred the liquid. The orange mixture bled red from the small pieces of meat. Once it was properly mixed he pressed the ladle against his lips. Slowly pouring he felt the soup splash around his mouth, flowing down his throat. The soup was ready.
Staring intently at Sokka while he did this, the man seemingly forgot the question for a couple of moments. Reassembling his focus, he started to answer. "My name is Metis, I come from the Earth Kingdom. I am not a messenger, I come on my own accord." He stopped for a second as he tried to stir up the courage for his next few words. Sokka, watching him, sat back in his chair curious as to what he was going to say. "I wish for you to let me become your apprentice. Your exploits are that of legend! I am willing to do anything, anything, if it makes me closer to you."
Sokka poured himself a bowl, scooping it into the stew. He set it on the floor next to him and did the same for Metis. "I do not know how accurate the stories you've heard of me are. You could have probably found better masters in the Earth Kingdom. One with more experience, older, one with more successes."
Metis drank his stew slowly, chewing the chunks of meat and potato. "It is true, I did not expect you to be a young man, but that is no problem. My previous master, from the Kingdom, whom from I tried to learn Earth Bending, something I was not made for, told me much of your tale. She was a companion of yours during your adventures. I trust she did not lie to me."
"I may still be a young man, but I was much younger, far too young when I did the things I did. How much I would give for only a few more years of age back then." He drank his stew. "But there is no point in thinking of such things now. What was the name of your master if you do not mind me asking?" He asked, sitting back with his belly full.
"Grandmaster Toph, she was the one who suggested I ask you to become my master," Metis said. He scooped himself another bowl of the stew and drank it this time with much speed. His hunger surely having caught up with him.
Sokka smiled slightly as he put his bowl to the ground. "Toph then. She and I were companions for most of our journeys. How is she doing in the Kingdom at the moment?"
"She is the master of a great dojo, at the peak of the Songshan mountain. To think such a young woman could be a grandmaster." Metis was about to continue but Sokka cut him off.
"It's no surprise, she was the avatar's teacher. We picked her because we could find no one else better, then. Even with her height issues," Sokka joked, memories creeping forward in his mind.
Metis smiled, seeing Sokka as comfortable as he was. "Yes, and her daughter, you'd never seen such a strong baby. A two year old girl who could easily be four or five."
Sokka frowned slightly and leaned forward. "What is her name by the way?"
Metis stared at Sokka, taken aback from Sokka's peculiar response. Without thinking of another alternative "It's Suki."
There was a few moments of silence, Sokka stood in the same position, intensely staring directly at Metis. Metis' heart beat started to rise. Then as if nothing happened Sokka sat back into his chair, his smile back on his lips. "Well, if Toph recommended you, I can not see a reason to do anything but to welcome you, my first student." Metis' smile stretched from one side of his face to the other. "Now as your first task, the fire is starting to diminish, if you could go out back and grab some fire wood. I believe there is some logs already cut, but you may have to dig for them. If there is not, there is a log right next to them which would require you to chop it yourself. You look strong enough to handle it, if you turn out not to be, do not come back."
Metis stood up, fire burning in his eyes. The last thing he wished to do was disappoint his new master on the first task that was given to him. Within a couple of seconds, he had all of his firs back around him. With a small wave, and a torch in his hands, he opened the door and stepped into the pitch black to find the fire wood.
Sokka stood up and bolted the door closed as to not lose the heat. He sat back in his chair, thinking about what things he could teach Metis. There had never been a point when he was the master before. He had to be sure he didn't screw it up. He brought his pipe to his lips and lit it. The smoke massaged his lungs, the tobacco created a sweet smell.
But before he knew it, his eyes filled with tears, the pipe fell from his lips, and he slipped off his chair onto the ground. Laying there, curled up in a ball, he cried. Cried for the first time since he had returned to the Southern Tribe, cried because for the first time he realised just how much he missed everything. How much he missed the company of his friends. How much he missed her calloused, tough hands rubbing his back.
How much he wished, that he could hold his daughter.
-
The days directly after Aang's death was a blur. Sokka wished he remembered exactly what had occured, but he was so torn with grief, there was little. The man who had fired the arrow was a member of Ozai's elite royal guard. He had been separated from his unit during the battle with Iroh at the base of the castle. Without anywhere else to go he hid in a house under a table. The next morning, he saw them walking by, and decided to have revenge for his lord. Even he was surprised his arrow hit with such perfection, and that he caught them so off guard that there was no time to defend against it.
Sokka did not know when the man was put to death. Within a couple of days of Aang's passing, he, Katara, Toph and Zuko flew his body of Appa's back to the Southern Temple. There they buried him with his people, not as the Avatar, but as the last air bender. His tomb was marked by a large stone, Sokka carved on it "Here lies Aang, a man who fought for freedom, equality, and everyone's right to life. Taken too soon, let him dream the most wonderful of dreams". Zuko would later use this as one of his most common phrases when talking about him to the people once he became Fire Lord.
The group of them contemplated visiting the Southern Tribe. It had been two years since they had departed on their original journey. Sokka ached for those years of innocence, and wished to see Gran Gran, who he missed immensely.
Katara was in no condition to visit it. She was stricken with grief over Aang, and it would have only made her worse to visit the first place the two of them met. Zuko too, was hesitant to return, for he was their greatest enemy when he last visited the tribe, and doubted they would accept him with open arms now. It was decided they would return at a later time, all together, when it was better for all of them. This never occured, it was close to eight years before Sokka finally returned to the Southern Tribe. Had he known that then, he would have surely went at that point.
When they returned to the Fire Nation, Iroh was preparing to give his first official address to the Nation. The fire ships that were going to be used to burn the Earth Kingdom were instead going to be used to drop pamphlets with the speech's transcript on it. There needed to be unity behind Iroh, and everyone needed to know that he was in charge now, not his brother. Things were going to change.
Zuko stood to Iroh's left during the speech. Sokka wore a ceremonial Fire Nation garb behind them with other Fire Nation members of the White Lotus. Considering the White Lotus was an international group who claimed they were not taking over the Fire Nation, it would have looked suspicious had the White Lotus members worn their own garb. Katara stayed in Zuko's wing of the palace, sleeping, Toph volunteered to stay behind and guard her. Since Aang's death they were still obsessed with security. None of them was alone at any one point.
The speech dragged on for an hour. Iroh discussed the history of the Fire Nation, its previous positions in the world before they became conquerors. How the Fire Nation had the greatest ingenuity and the most production. If they were able to focus on that, internal development, rather than conquest, the Fire Nation could become the greatest place to live in the world. His speech had a glaring omission in Sokka's mind, he never mentioned Aang once. Instead, while talking about the revolution, he credited all those who were willing to rebel. Their bravery against oppression, their willingness to say no to Ozai's maddness. They were all heroes.
If the omission bugged Sokka, it infuriated Zuko. Directly after the speech Zuko asked if he could have a private meeting with Iroh. The two walked straight into the throne room, Zuko's face covered with rage. Once the doors closed you could hear Zuko's raised voice. Sokka, who had walked with the two of them, stood outside of the door and made sure no one walking by inquired as to what was going on.
Within thirty minutes Zuko burst through the doors, looking less calm than he did before he entered. Sokka was about to follow him, but Iroh called for him to enter the room.
-
The throne room surprised Sokka when he entered it. It lacked all of the joy and jolliness present the night before. Few torches were lit, the room room a dim shadow because of it. The walls were a dark auburn, black pillars scattered around the centre in a rectangular fashion. A long satin carpet crawled through the center, ending on a few small steps. The peak of the steps sat the throne. The throne was a low chair, carved from ebony, shadows engulfing it, mostly by design. It was customary for individuals to not stair directly into the Fire Lord's eyes. It appeared the architect tried to fit this into his plan, impeding anyone's ability if they wished.
Iroh did not sit of the throne at this moment though. He sat on the ground before the stairs, the crown lying on the ground by his side. The great cloak he had been wearing while delivering the speech now lay across the throne, as if to hide it from Iroh's gaze.
Standing in the great doorway, Sokka found himself intimidated. As if Iroh understood Sokka's feeling, he gently invited Sokka into the room. "Come here Sokka, I wish to talk to you for a moment. Close the doors when you approach." The tension cut slightly, Sokka closed the two doors, darkness filled the room. Sokka started to advance towards where Iroh was seated. The carpet muted his steps as if he were not there at all.
As he became closer to Iroh, Iroh started to speak. "I have much respect for you Sokka, this could not have happened without you. Befriending Piandao, and helping Zuko find the avatar. I owe much to you." Sokka feeling a little uneasy with the praise started to slow down. Iroh motioned his hand for Sokka to sit. "Come, join me by my side."
Sokka sat down on the carpet next to him. To Sokka's surprise the ground was warm. A pleasant heat started to circulate through his body. It was a pleasant contrast to the cold floors of the Air Temple.
"Not only have you done great things, I also see great potential in you Sokka." Sokka felt shame starting to manifest in himself. "I plan to help you cultivate that potential Sokka. I see it as a responsibility of mine to the world, for if we let your potential go to waste, there is no greater crime. Zuko has listened to me for years, and will make a great Fire Lord, but he is hot headed. He needs someone by his side, someone whose reason is unmatched. Someone who can advise him, who he also trusts, and I want you to be that person," Iroh continued. Sokka found it hard to stare at Iroh, his voice carried such legitimacy and strength, it was hard to look at him as if it would be disrespectful. Sokka doubted this was what Iroh would feel, but felt it none the less.
"You honour me too much, Lord Iroh," Sokka was barely able to muster.
"I would tell you now that you have a choice to make on whether you wish to accept my offer and all the hard work it entails, but you already have, last night, by joining the White Lotus." Sokka was slightly taken aback by this, but hung his head and accepted it out right. He had accepted it, best to not dwell on it then.
"What this will entail precisely is as follows. You will have three four hour meetings with me everyday. I will teach you how to become a great statesman, strategist, and if you're lucky I'll teach you how to make tea." Iroh laughed for a second at his own joke. He still new how to laugh, even as the Fire Lord. "Master Piandao will teach you how to fight, not only with a sword, but with your head, for two hours four times a week. Finally, starting tomorrow morning you are officially a state associate. You will start a job tomorrow in the Department of War decommissioning and reassigning uses for war machines such as the raid balloons. When you figure out how the Department of War works, I will switch you to another department, until you have experience in all parts of the government."
Sokka bowed his head, "Thank you for this opportunity my Lord."
Iroh sighed slightly, having not gotten used to such formalities. "There is one other thing, Zuko too will be doing such things, you are to help him however you can. You will move in to one of the spare bedrooms of the second royal house in the city. It will be more than according." Iroh paused for a second. "Zuko will not be starting immediately, he is to go on a vacation with your companions. I think it will be good for them to have a chance to clear their heads."
"I will see you at the gates of the castle tomorrow morning at sunrise to assign you to your superior. Do not be late."
"Thank you my lord."
-
The next morning he met with Iroh and started the job. Zuko, Katara and Toph were gone when he finished. It was a surreal moment when he returned the to house the four of them had been living. It was empty, alone, that night he felt more alone than he had for years. The ghosts of his former life danced in mockery of where he was now, and what he was trying to do.
Eventually Sokka's life started to become routine. He worked around forty hours a week at the Department of War, on top of his twenty hours of training from Iroh and Piandao. Time by himself was spent sleeping or practising his sword play. If he found himself unable to sleep, as he often did in the big house, he would wander the city. He would examine every one of the small neighbourhoods for Ty Lee, he was not ready to lose another girl he loved, or at least thought he loved. For reasons unknown to even him, he believed she was alive somewhere, and he just needed to find her. These nights usually ended with him visiting the docks and joining the Water Tribes' men who were there for trade for the night.
After the Rebellion, the Water Tribes' men returned home. Hakoda left soon after Iroh's address to the nation. His men were anxious to return to the Southern Tribe before the Dark Months. Pakku and his men stayed longer, but eventually they too returned to the Northern Tribe. Trade between the Northern Tribe and the Nation officially became sanctioned just before the Pakku left. Since then there was always at least a single Water Tribe ship in port at the harbour of the capital dropping off another shipment.
Sokka started to smoke his pipe while with them, and joined in on their heavy drinking of rice wine. It was the first time since Aang's training under Pakku he was with his fellow tribesmen. He desperately wished to be accepted as one of them, even if it meant getting drunk to the level in incapacitation every night they were together.
After two months Katara, Toph and Zuko returned. Sokka's life did not change much, as most of his time was still divided; when he could not sleep and went on the walks everyone else in the house was generally asleep so he would go on them alone. Sokka had little knowledge of what Toph and Katara did for most of the time, Zuko he knew was receiving close to the same treatment as himself. Katara was still grieving in a sense over Aang, this did not diminish for a long time, and in a sense never did.
Around two and a half months after Zuko's return Iroh decided to reform some of the Fire Nation policies. Iroh decided to create more of a federalist government, assigning Lords to all the territories of the Fire Nation. Only the area around the capital stayed exclusively under his control. The Lords were given pretty large freedoms to do as they wished, but the Fire Lord was still Sovereign, and had the ultimate say in all decisions. Most lords who were appointed were either rich land owners, army generals or members of the White Lotus. Jeong Jeong found it hilarious when he was given Lordship. Piandao was declared the official advisor to the Fire Lord. Zui became the Lord of Piandao's home territory. While this was applauded by many people, Sokka viewed it as Iroh giving power as a reward for the people who helped him, or to the people he was thankful didn't question his rule. Otherwise Iroh would have been afraid they may uprise against him for being unjust.
In the reforms, the Earth Kingdom was given back to the Monarch, and all city states retained their sovereignty. Bumi, happy with this, left only days after the reforms. In Ba Singe Se, Kuei returned to rule, only to be arrested by the Dai Li and the former Fire Nation's Generals who decided they wanted to continue rule and defy the Fire Nation. Iroh, who had in all likelihood seen this coming, ignored it claiming it was Earth Kingdom business, not the Nation's.
Sokka's practical life did not change much. He was shifted to another department a month later, into Trade, but it wasn't much different from War. Toph started to come along on some of Sokka's walks. She felt alone, Aang was gone, and Katara spent most of the day in doors, lost in thought. Zuko and Sokka were busy with official work, something that was no interest to the rebellious girl. She would have never been able to take orders from authority in the way those occupations required.
When Sokka visited the Water Tribes' men initially he'd walk her back to the palace, but eventually let her come along. Even though she was two years younger than Sokka she could hold her liquor much better. This in turn, just made her drink even more. Instead of becoming a violent drunk as most peopl would assume she'd become, she would become very sad. It was almost surreal to see such a down to earth, always positive individual change moods so drastically. She only admitted then how much she missed her parents, her life in the Kingdom, her small amount of friends, and how alienated she felt in the Nation. After one of these nights the two of them would often share the same bed, so that neither had to be alone.
Five months later Sokka heard about Lord Ashitan. He controlled the most North East of the territories. Before Iroh took control of the Fire Nation he was a former general under Ozai, and one of the people in charge of the burning of the Earth Kingdom. Ashitan was gaining a reputation for being very anti-Iroh. He defaced all statues and government buildings that referred to the royal family. Rumours of his building camps were rapid. Apparently if one questioned his authority they would be put on a camp where they would have to build rounds in the most extreme locations until they worked themselves to death. These Gulags had not been confirmed yet and was often seen as a propaganda piece against Ashitan. Most importantly Ashitan was rumoured to be assembling an army, one of the few things Lords were strictly forbidden to do. When Sokka asked Iroh about Ashitan, he simply responded how they were working on it.
Over the next six months Sokka on a Trade mission visited the Northern Tribe. He needed the break from the Fire Nation and felt at home for the first time in a while. Even though he worked almost all the time he was in the north, he felt as if he was vacationing for the first time in a year. Soon after returning from the North his vision turned South, and he, Katara, Toph and Zuko started to plan a visit to the Southern Tribe.
Toph was becoming worse in the way that she had started drinking at all points of the day. Initially after the rebellion she practised bending for ten hours a day, but now the number was greatly declining. She no longer only shared Sokka's bed after a visit to the Tribes' men, she was now a permanent guest in his bed. Sokka did not mind though, he loved to touch her skin, her small body resting in his arms. He loved it when she stood in front of him, without any clothes, her small perk breasts silhouetted. He loved most of all the thought that she was not going to leave him. She was strong, she was not fighting, she was staying with him. When they had sex, it felt like a promise of perseverance, and of mutual covenant. But in reality, they were just kids who still didn't want to be alone at night.
The situation with Ashitan was declining more and more each day. Even though those living in the capital were living as if nothing was happening. Ashitan had started to annex territory from other Lord's land by force. Iroh was still hesitant for full on assault, for it he attacked a Lord for mere disobedience without proof, the legitimacy of all of the Lords would be ruined. The bureaucratic process was long and arduous, and Sokka who was working right in the thick of it, was more aware of this than anyone else.
For ten months Sokka and the other three tried to find a point for their visit to the Southern Tribe. Whenever a situation seemed resolved another would arise. The two year anniversary of the rebellion came and went yet they still did not go. Finally Toph and Katara decided to go by themselves, declaring the four of them would go together at a calmer time.
That night, alone in the huge house, Sokka and Zuko drank together. Most of the night they traded pleasantries, and discussed the specifics of certain things at the ministry of Education, where both worked at this moment. Neat the end of the night Sokka got up from where he was sitting and walked towards Katara's room.
-
The door was ajar, Sokka merely had to slide it a couple of inches to have a full view. On all sides of the room were pillows, scrolls, and books. The pillows differed in size and shape. They appeared to mostly be made out of silk or felt. Anyone looking them would know the pillows were the best one could buy. Money wasn't a factor back then though, for Zuko, inherited Ozai's fortune. Zuko was the second richest person in the world, second only to Kuei. There was little light, most of the books were scattered. They were mostly open, as if she had never completely finished any of them.
It was surreal for Sokka to see Katara's cage for the last couple of months. She refused to let anyone see in her room, or to leave the room when it wasn't time for a meal. Her life was becoming detached from everyone else. It had went by mostly unnoticed by Sokka. Working at all time had changed all the focuses of his life. Standing in front of Katara's self made prison, strained the strings guiding his heart. The marionette of feelings, Sokka had lost the focus of what he should care most about, the people around him.
Zuko walked up to Sokka's shoulder. He gently but his bare palm on top of Sokka's shoulder. "The trip will get her better. All she needed was to get back with familiarity, which she'll get if there. Its the only place she knew without Aang."
Sokka grabbed Zuko's hand and directed it off of him. He took a step into Katara's room, carefully guiding each movement so that he didn't affect anything. As he walked he said "I know, I just feel like I've let her down. She hasn't been the same since we came back from the temple."
Zuko started to follow him, braving the same path Sokka was cutting through the junk. "Yeah I know." When the two of them reached the center of the room Zuko found a great red pillow to sit upon. Sokka stood in the middle for a couple of seconds later, trying to completely get his barings. Feeling a little more comfort in the surroundings he joined Zuko on the ground. "Sokka, I love you like a brother, these last two years have been some of the happiest of my life. I've never really had friends before, true friends. But I have to make a confession."
There was silence between the two of them. Sokka erected himself a little from his chair, but didn't dare say a word. He just looked at Zuko, trying to guess what he was talking about. "I, well, me and Katara, we," he stopped for a second, trying to escape Sokka's eyes. "Back when Azula was talking Ba Singe Se, and she put us in the dungeon together. We talked, and connected. At first we were at each other's throats but, then we started to see how similar we were. The first night, it was cold, and alone. We though you and Aang had been killed, and that was why they had not thrown you in there as well. After the first week we had started to sleep together, that started to build up, until it became a physical relationship."
Sokka's face grew Stoic, his mind exploded with connections as the missing piece of a puzzle that had bugged him for years now made sense. "But you, you betrayed us in battle against Azula!" That day still stuck in Sokka's mind more than he would have liked. Believing Aang was dead, was scary. Now he no longer had to just believe it.
"I made a mistake!" Zuko yelled throwing a pillow across the room. His eyes slowly started to water, his face fell into his arms. "I made the biggest fucking mistake." Sokka felt like walking over and comforting Zuko, but felt that would be inappropriate to do to the next Fire Lord.
"So that's why she couldn't trust you while we were in the temple. It always confused me, she was the first person to suggest looking for the good in people. You were the sole exception. Its good to see she seemed to have a pretty fucking good reason for it." Sokka smiled a little, trying to lighten up the mood a little, but instead it did the opposite. The gap between Sokka and Zuko widened.
Zuko wiped the tears from his eye. His left eye didn't have tear ducts, letting only his right eye feel pain. "Yes, well I deserved it, no debating that. There's more to the story though. At the temple I kept my distance, I knew she wouldn't want me, and I was still grieving from Mai's death. I wanted to mourn my fiancée a little longer." Sokka knew that comment was directed at him. As much as he had the right to call out Zuko for having done bad things to him, Zuko had just the same to do the opposite.
"And there was also Aang. Something I've never said before was that Aang promised Katara he would love her for the rest of his life on our way to fight Ozai. I don't know if she shared the sentiment, she didn't say anything in return. I thought I was over her, but when we were fighting, it was pretty fucking intense. There was one point Ozai had thrown Katara to the other side of the room right next to where I was standing. She was pretty hurt and couldn't get up. Ozai went into the stance to call lightning. In that split second, before I knew what I was doing I stood right in front of her, arms extended. I stared my father straight in the eyes, I was ready to die, if I knew it was to save her. It sounds cheesy as hell, I know, but that was what happened and how I felt."
Standing up Zuko started to walk towards Sokka. Sokka lounged back into the cushion he was leaning on, staring at Zuko as he advanced. "The reason I tell you this Sokka is, that, when Katara comes back, it is my intention to propose to her. We always discuss how the world should be more homogeneous, well how amazing would it be for the next Fire Lord's wife to be the daughter to one of the Tribe's chieftains. I just didn't want you to think I was doing it purely for political reasons, I do, really love her." He breathed deeply, Sokka was dumbfounded, and hoped it didn't show on his face. "And I can do her so much good. She will be taken care of like a queen. She'll have the opportunity to read, and learn as much as she likes. There'll never be a day of work in her life if she doesn't want it. And maybe, just maybe, I can help her to forget about Aang, just a little."
Sokka sat there with his mouth shut. He also knew something Zuko was not going to admit. If you are proposed to by the Fire Lord, by the heir to the Fire Lord, you can not turn it down. The amount of shame that would be brought on the Lord would be so great, even if the woman didn't like being near him, it would still be in her favour to accept. Zuko was just as much asking Sokka for permission to propose to Katara, as he was asking Sokka whether or not Katara would hate the idea, and hate him her entire life if he asked her. "I'm sorry to say Zuko, I've been so disconnected with Katara, I do not know whether it is a good idea. If you do end up doing it, I will be supportive, because she needs something to break her out of her grieving."
Zuko sat back down, his stress lifted a little by the exchange. "Do you think Aang liked me, I mean, if he knew about everything?"
Sokka looked at the ceiling trying to think of Aang, and what he was like. "I don't know, and I never will. But I can tell you this, it doesn't matter what Aang would have thought, it's what they people who around you think. And I like you Zuko, and I would be proud to call you my brother."
"Thank you man. I think we're going to make a great team when we run this country, what do you think?"
"There's no doubt in my mind."
-
Over the next eight months Sokka and Zuko went back to focusing on their studies and work. Toph and Katara had still not returned. The situation with Lord Ashitan was decling. Ashitan was found to be building defences in case someone attacked him. Iroh finally decided he could ignore Ashitan no longer. Amassing the army, Iroh invades Ashitan's territory. The progress is slow and bloody, less than three years after Ozai was defeated, the Fire Nation was at war once more.
--
--
Author's Notes-
Well I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. Feel free to review.
I would like to thank Nykon for the kind words, thank you for that.
Story Notes-
The character's ages are different in this story than from the show. When they are introduced the ages are as follows.
The story is a continuation, but also a retelling of the Avatar story. A general rule of thumb while reading would be to assume nothing's the same. Only the details of what I give are what is important and what happened. Everything else from the show may have happened, but there is no guarantee.
Ages of the three characters find Aang: Sokka - 16, Katara - 15, Zuko - 17. Then they travel for around a year before they meet Toph, so at that point their ages are: Sokka - 17, Katara - 16, Zuko - 18, Toph - 14. They travel one more year before Ozai is defeated, so their ages at the ends of revolution are: Sokka -18, Katara - 17, Zuko - 19, Toph - 15. At the beginning of the war against Ashitan three years have passed, their ages are: Sokka - 21, Katara - 20, Zuko - 22, Toph - 18. On Sokka's island when he meets Metis, Sokka is 29.
The characters of Ashitan and Zui are both characters I created. I will try not to use many original characters, but in certain circumstances I believe new characters must be made for the story to make sense. Mostly characters with political positions will be created, for there are few in the show.
I do not edit my work very much. I only write for fun when I'm bored, and am not very interested in trying to find every small mistake. That is why there are some pretty obvious spelling mistakes and things. If someone would like to be a proof reader, feel free to ask. Otherwise you're just going to have to live with it.
If you have any questions, I will address them in the next Author's Notes/Story Notes.
Question for Mediation: Are Iroh's reforms really reforms? Is his decentralising really only him giving political favours to people who helped him before? When he gives the Earth Kingdom and all conquered lands back to their own rulers, is it because the Fire Nation was wrong to invade, or was it because they were costly to maintain, and was instead to help refocus their economy?