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The Last Dragon
Chapter 2: Tea and Hawks
"Zuko!"
"Mmmph…" He felt a pillow hit his feet. Just once, but it put a smile on the face he had buried under the blankets to know he'd made Mai react even that much. Outwardly his response was another groan and his fingers tightening on the blankets she was trying to drag off of him. He knew his feet were sticking out and he wiggled his toes, just to annoy her.
She'd been trying to pull the Fire Lord from his bed since dawn. He'd known it was dawn even without looking because dawn was when the majority of the messenger hawks from around the world arrived. The racket they made was known to wake the entire palace and the imess/i they made kept quite a few servants busy for the remainder of the morning. Peeking out now, the shadows had moved enough to tell him they'd been playing the 'Get Zuko Out Of Bed' game for a good half hour at least. The patterns on the curtains and rugs around him in combination with the shadows managed to give him a pretty accurate sundial.
"Ugh! Zuko, you need to get up. There's a letter for you and… forget it. Just get up now or you'll wish you had." Zuko could picture his girl friend's face. She would be… well actually she'd probably look a lot like she usually did, a hint of a frown under narrowed eyes and sharp features. He wondered for a moment if the expression would change if he suddenly jumped out of the bed and messed up her hair.
It took a few minutes for him to realize that Mai was no longer yelling at him or attempting to pull the comforter off his form. He held his breath and listened. There was faint talking in the hall, a few footsteps. Probably the servants. Had Mai really given up and decided to let him sleep in? That would be a pleasant first. He hadn't slept in since his coronation.
Splash!
"Nephew, I am disappointed in you. A full grown man should not need his uncle to get him out of bed in the morning."
"U-uncle?" Zuko sputtered, lifting up his head as the smell of tea overwhelmed his senses. He blinked in the light, trying to figure out of his uncle had actually just emptied a pitcher of cold tea onto the reigning Fire Lord. Was there no such thing as respect? And more importantly, since when did Uncle Iroh use tea in such a frivolous manner?"
"I would not have wasted the tea so freely," his uncle answered his unspoken question, reading the confusion and shock in Zuko's eyes, "But today is a special occasion." It would have had to be the end of the world for his uncle to actually dump out tea. Zuko's eyes widened and he looked around in a panic, throwing off the covers and darting to his closet. Trying to put his shoes on before his pants finally slowed him down enough to hear Iroh's boisterous laughter and Mai's dry chuckles.
"What… what is going on with you two?" Zuko grumbled, slipping his shoes back off, still half dressed in red silk pajama bottoms. He stood in front of them, glaring with the expression known to have made more than a few servants and advisers find a hiding spot far away from their Lord.
It didn't have much of an effect on Mai and Iroh except that Iroh's laughter softened into a smile. Mai merely smirked at him. "I told you you'd regret not getting up when I asked," she reminded him. Zuko scowled at them, sitting back down on the bed. Mai continued to stand a bit off to the side but Iroh joined his nephew in sitting.
"You should read this," Iroh said quietly, handing Zuko a scroll. Zuko glanced at both of them again and then went on to read the letter. His eyes skipped to the bottom to read the signature first, curious who could have provoked such a reaction from the two people closest to him.
"It's from the Sun Warriors. Aang and I went there so long ago; I'm surprised they're writing to me. They didn't seem to like me much," he added, Ham Ghao's face coming easily to mind. It was hard not to remember someone who had voted for your demise via a dragon's intestines.
Realizing that the news had to be serious to prompt such an unexpected communication, Zuko's eyes ran over the letter from top to bottom. And then once more. After a third reading he finally sat back and closed his eyes, one hand still on the paper.
"So it was an egg." Zuko breathed. Who had called it that? Aang, probably, berating him for picking it up. They'd still been getting to know one another during that adventure, They hadn't known for sure at the time. They hadn't even been looking for it when they'd gone to the Sun Warriors' temple in search of the secrets of fire bending. In his mind's eye Zuko could remember picking it up, how surprised he'd been when what should have been cold metal in his hands felt warm and alive.
"Yes. The last dragon egg in existence. I still can't believe you just picked it up," Iroh's voice tinted with humor as he regarded his nephew's thoughtful face. Zuko had grown so much since his banishment. For a while Iroh had been afraid that Zuko… but it had not happened. Instead Zuko had grown into a young man any father would have been proud of. Should have been proud of. Sometimes he wasn't sure Zuko had ever really managed to let go of the hurt Ozai had laid in Zuko's heart when he'd banished the boy. It was so hard to tell. Zuko hadn't even been to visit Ozai since the ex- Phoenix King had refused to tell him anything about his mother.
"Neither can I," Zuko said with a half smile, glancing at his uncle. His mind drifted back to the letter. It asked Zuko to come to the temple to receive the last dragon egg into his personal protection. There was some kind of ceremony referenced that Zuko didn't understand but that could be dealt with later. It also said that the Avatar would be the one to actually take the egg from the pedestal and present it to Zuko. A tradition that hadn't been seen in years but was still expected to be carried out perfectly.
There was that word again, 'perfect'. Why did everything have to be perfect? Actually, not everything did. Only the things the Fire Lord did, the things Zuko did.
"It'll be good to see Aang again," is what he finally said aloud, titling his head back to look up at the ceiling. His hair wasn't yet brushed and pulled into the traditional knot at the top of his head, his crown waiting for him on its stand at the side of his bed. He'd once heard that the Fire Lord was supposed to wear the crown constantly, even while sleeping, but had tried it once and woken up to the tip trying to gouge out his eye. That tradition was quickly thrown out the window.
Sitting there, he tried to imagine what it would be like to see Aang again. The avatar of course visited the palace on occasion, just as he visited all the nations. Zuko couldn't help wondering if Aang had all but vanished from all his friend's lives or if he was the only one left alone.
"I'll take an Eel hound," Zuko said thoughtfully, trying to bring the more practical problems to the front of his mind. "I'm not sure how long this will take." He turned to Mai, reaching out for her, drawing her to him until she stood in front of where he was sitting. "Are you going to be alright?"
The corner of her mouth twisted into a soft smile and she leaned down to kiss him. "Of course," she answered easily. "I've never been some helpless girl who goes eek-eek when there's trouble." Her dry humor made him chuckle.
"Never," Zuko agreed. "Alright. I'll leave as soon as the hound is ready."
"I'm afraid, Fire Lord Zuko, that the hound is actually waiting for you. When this lovely young woman told me of the letter, I knew you would want to leave as soon as possible. Once you were out of bed, that is," his uncle told him, eyes twinkling.
Zuko pulled his uncle into a quick hug. "You'll probably be back at you tea shop before I return, won't you?"
"Probably," Iroh agreed. "It's been a nice visit, Zuko, but if I'm here much longer my Pai Sho game will fall apart. No one here seems to even know how to play more than a beginner's match. I can't go back and start losing, now can I?"
"How could we bare the shame?" Zuko answered, struggling to keep a solemn expression. He hugged Iroh again, kissing Mai as he left to go wash for the journey.
"Katara! Miss Katara, are you awake?" There was a heavy thumping on the tent flap and Katara rolled off her mad, trying to blink away sleep. Her dreams had been restless and full of vague memories, probably brought on by Aang's visit two nights before.
It took her a few moments to find a pair of loose pants and a shirt to pull on over her underclothes so she could crawl out of the small tent and into the bright morning light. Several people were gathered around her tent door and she had to wait for them to back up before she had enough room to stand. A laugh escaped her as she looked around.
"What is it? Were we invaded by beetle-hoppers during the night?" She looked curiously from face to face, trying to figure out what the various expressions of excitement and worry meant. A loud rumble from behind her tent made her whirl around, and she was pulling water from the damp air before the thought of an attack even reached her conscious mind.
"Appa?!" she exclaimed, scrambling over the rocky ground towards the large bison. She threw her arms around him as far as she could, burying her face in the warm soft fur. Releasing him with a laugh, she walked around him, calling out. "Aang! Aang, where are you?"
"Miss Katara," someone touched her shoulder, halting her search. "Aang didn't come back last night. Appa was alone with this." He handed her a scroll and she ran her fingers along the unbroken seal. She almost told them to go ahead and open it next time in case there was an emergency, then remembered some of the letters Aang had sent trying to woo her and thought better of it.
Slender fingers broke the scroll and skimmed the words.
Dearest Katara,
I'm afraid I have to ask for a favor. Do you remember the temple Zuko and I visited during the war? We learned the art of Fire Bending from the Sun Warriors there, but we also learned something else I didn't mention. It wasn't because I was trying to hide anything from you, but because I didn't even realize what I'd seen until a messenger hawk caught up with me yesterday.
Ran and Shaw are not the last dragons. Or at least we hope they won't be. The Sun Warriors have been holding onto a Dragon's egg for years now and it had been presumed dead but two days ago it began to hatch.
There is a ceremony that will place the egg and the new hatchling under the protection of the fire lord (In her head Katara translated that to 'Zuko gets to babysit the infant dragon' for her own personal amusement) and traditionally the Avatar is the one to actually lift the egg and give it to the reigning Fire Lord in the ceremony. Even though it sounds short, preparations take several days, days I can't spare yet. You know that better than anyone because if I had a single day free, you know I'd be there with you.
I've contacted the Warriors and explained the situation. So instead of the Avatar, a representative of each of the four kingdoms of the war will take the Avatar's place. Zuko as the Fire Lord and representative of the fire nation of course and if you agree, you will represent the Water Tribes. I won't tell you who the others are yet, though I'll bet you can guess.
I wish I didn't have to ask this from you, but I'm sure if I went to every Water Tribe in existence, they would all insist you represent them. Well, you or Sokka but Suki would probably hurt me for feeding his ego. She has to put up with enough of his admirers as it is.
On a selfish note, I wish you would think more about my proposal. I know you said not yet, but... I love you, Katara. I won't give up on you. Be safe. And wait for me.
Love,
Aang
Ignoring the last bit for now, she closed up the scroll and explained what was going on to the rest of her team. She was confident they could continue without her. She wasn't the best tracker among them and together they'd be able to handle anything they came across. She told them this and watched as they swelled with pride, knowing one of The Heroes believed they were as strong with her as without her.
She packed what she'd need onto Appa quickly and easily, making sure he was fed and got a chance to rest before their journey. To pass the time while Appa napped, she tried to guess who else would be
there. Who else would Aang send to represent the Earth Kingdom but Toph? He could ask king Bumi, but Bumi would probably break the egg. And the city.
The last time she'd visited Toph she'd been chasing a fire nation convict through the city. Katara had almost felt sorry for the old soldier when she learned that he'd managed to somehow make it through the city and straight into Earth Rumble Seven. Toph, still champion supreme to the dismay of her parents, had shot the man to the ceiling with one well placed hit and let him hang from the earthen roof by his ankles until Katara had arrived to collect him. That had been almost half a year ago.
She wondered what Toph was doing with herself now. As the only metal bender and the undisputed greatest earth bender on the entire planet, Toph would surely be looking for the next big challenge. Alligator-Tiger wrestling? Lava bending? Braving a civilized conversation with her parents? Probably not the last one.
Three hours later she was in the sky, seated on Appa's fuzzy shoulders. Her simple pack with clothing and a provisional amount of food lay next to her, her water supply in a pouch at her hip. The wind rushed past her and she laughed for the sheer exhilaration that came with flying. They'd been too busy chasing and being chased before for her to really enjoy it but now she felt free enough to put her hands out in the wind and stare at the horizon rushing up to meet them until her eyes watered and her vision blurred. Brown hair streamed out behind her like the ribbons on the messenger hawks that always called Aang away from her. It felt good to be the one leaving everything behind instead of being the one being left.
Once the elation of being back in the air had worn off a bit, she settled down and began to talk to Appa. The large bison never answered of course except in the indiscernible grunts and growls that passed for Appa's words of wisdom. Just little things about what she'd been doing and some of the people she'd seen. She asked him about Aang and imagined that his quiet bellow was an answer, telling her about the people Aang had had to meet with and the spirits he'd been trying to quiet down.
When the balance of the world was put into jeopardy, it had affected the spirit world more than any of them had ever suspected. Aang's few visits during their adventures had not given him the whole story and the more he learned and explored, the more Aang had realized that the absence of an avatar for so long while he'd been frozen had done almost as much to affect the harmonies of the spirits as it had affected the nations of the world.
She knew a lot of the time when he was gone, he wasn't just visiting foreign lands or making peace between tribe, nation, kingdom and village. He was also finding places to meditate and learn how to protect himself in the spirit world where his bending was useless.
"I miss him so much, Appa," she confided, rolling onto her back, hands tucked beneath her head. "But what worries me is I'm getting used to missing him. Now it's a surprise when I wake up and he's there, instead of when I wake up and he isn't." She rolled onto her stomach and patted the bison. "But at least I know he has you and Momo," she grinned, stroking the white fur. Appa rumbled in agreement and she smiled, watching the world race past below.
"Suddenly I remember why we don't use these things very often," Zuko groaned, hanging onto the saddle for dear life. Eel hounds might be the fastest method of transportation over land or water, but they also left the rider with more sore muscles and bruises that a healer knew what to do with. Not even his journey by ostrich horse had been quite so uncomfortable though this time he was refreshed and well rested.
But he had to admit, it was fast. The eel hound pounded over the rock like it would continue to the end of the earth. As they'd climbed over that last mountain, Zuko was fairly certain he'd seen ruins in the distance. They were getting close.
His suspicions were further confirmed when they began to pass large blocks of stone or small statues covered that were nearly hidden under ivy and moss. Only sharp eyes used to having to anticipate enemies allowed him to spot them. A smirk of anticipation crept over his face and he spurred the Eel hound on. Caught up in it's rider's excitement, the Eeel hound shot ahead through the woods and before he knew it they were at the base of the stairs that lead up and into the ruins.
"No one's meeting us at the gates I see," Zuko murmured, stroking the Eel hound's head. "Better let me go first boy."
Well remembering the traps that had been set before and highly doubting they'd been taken down, Zuko scanned the path up ahead, occasionally climbing back onto the hound and using it to jump a particularly treacherous bit of ground or a trap that was too wide for him to safely cross. The eel hound didn't much like the steps which were much too small for its feet, so Zuko continued on his own up to the top of the pyramid . He hadn't seen anyone else yet, but it was easy to figure out that they would gather together where they'd first met.
"Fire Lord Zuko!" the Chief's booming voice rang out. Zuko could see him now, standing at the top of the steps.
"All those traps down there, I was beginning to think you'd changed your mind about me coming," Zuko said with a smile as he reached the top. He held out his hand to the chief and was instead pulled into a large hug as the man laughed.
"Well now, we can't have just anyone coming up here, can we? Besides, if you can't get past those, how are you going to protect our greatest treasure?" the man asked. Zuko had to agree with him here. The traps weren't that hard if you were paying attention.
"Has Aang gotten here yet?" Zuko asked, wondering whether the bison was faster than the eel hound. For some reason Appa had seemed so much more elusive when Zuko was trying to catch them. After joining the avatar, it turned out most of Aang's talent for losing him came from a combination of luck and a rather bad sense of direction. He'd been dismayed to learn both Sokka and Aang (who steered Appa more than any of the others) had a strong tendency to fly in the wrong direction for half an hour at the beginning of each journey. What he'd once taken for deceptive cleverness was simply an upside down map.
"I'm afraid the avatar won't be joining us," the chief rumbled. He held up a finger as an irate Zuko began to speak and continued. "But he has provided a most unique solution. Instead of a single man representing the balance between the nations, there will be four."
Great. More diplomats he had to try not to offend for a week. He'd begun looking forward to this journey during the ride over, realizing it had given him a chance to get out of the palace and be around people who didn't really care if he was the ruler of a powerful nation. Instead he had to act dignified and try not to upset anyone.
"Why so down, your royal-ness?" a female voice taunted him as a figure stepped out of the ruins. "Does the royal butt miss its throne already? I can kick it back there if you really want."
"Good to see you too, Toph," Zuko grinned, raising his head. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. The day Toph treated him like a dignitary boars would fly.
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