Disclaimer: All Avatar characters belong to Mike and Bryan.
One Sunday morning, Fire Lord Zuko was in the garden, all prepared to do the ancestors-honoring ritual. The auspices seemed good: the sun was shining and the birds were singing.
For a change from his usual royal clothing, Zuko was dressed in yellow, rather than red: yellow silk, a yellow hairpiece, and an amber signet ring. A ceremonial dagger with a golden hilt was stuck in his belt, and the offering to his ancestors lay on the golden tray that he was carrying to the San clan shrine. Then Aang the Avatar came to see him, and things became sidetracked.
"Zuko," the young Air Nomad said sternly. "Just what do you think you are doing?"
"Can you be more specific, please?" Zuko did not bat an eyelash: unlike the past, when one did not had to be Azula to goad Aang into a rage if you knew how, now Aang has become the Avatar properly and was in a good control of his mental facilities: if he would smite you down, he'd do it fully conscious as well, and Zuko knew that Aang was not like that. "Because right now I wanted to honor my ancestors with a sacrifice, yet I presume that that is not the issue?"
"No," Aang blinked, only now noticing the golden tray with saffron cakes and white wine in a golden cup. "I, uh, was talking about the west Earth Kingdom, the one you kept, you know?"
"Ah," Zuko nodded sagely, "that. Well, go on."
"Hah?" Aang was confused. "You mean you are not going to argue?"
"Aang. How exactly can I argue with your arguments when you have not told me them yet."
"You-you kept the west Earth Kingdom!"
"Yes, I have. Can't argue with that, it's quite obvious, though I wouldn't word it quite that way, you know?"
"You-you kept the west Earth Kingdom! After all the warring-"
"Aang," Zuko slowly shook his head, "I want to point out that the Earth Kingdom proper seems to be fine with it, they sent no ambassador to argue about it."
"The Earth Kingdom is a mess," Aang growled. "Long Feng and the Dai Li somehow seem to remain much in charge at Ba Sing Se, and the fact that Sokka somehow had 'misplaced' king Kuei does not make things any easier."
"Nor the fact that you and Toph had a falling out and only intervention was able to fix it."
"Yeah, I remember," Aang ground out. "Anyways-"
"Look, you were there, as well as uncle Iroh and Hong of the Sata'n clan. The people of the west Earth Kingdom seemly preferred the Fire Nation's rule to that of Ba Sing Se, especially since Ozai is gone. It's as fair as that."
The Avatar and the Fire Lord stared at each other of the golden tray with the offering. Zuko, as usual, gave out first. "Look," he said, "can you give me the reason why I should give up the west Earth Kingdom to the rest of it, when the Earth Kingdom itself does not seem to care one way or another?"
"Because, there must be a balance! 4 nations, as there are 4 elements!"
"This brings us to the Air Nomads. Aang, what are you going to do about Tya Dala's proposal? You cannot leave the poor woman hanging on like that – she got seven granddaughters to take care about, and you are just one person, albeit the most spiritually-important one in the world."
"I know," Aang's shoulders drooped. "And Katara's not making things any easier."
"Oh? I thought that after you made peace with your Avatar half in the temple your relationship with Katara was on the mend?"
"Yeah, that's what Haru said too. Maybe the problem is in me," Aang drooped further. "Zuko, can we talk about this?"
In reality, Zuko would rather talk about the Earth Kingdom troubles, but seeing the despondence of the Air Nomad before him, he relented. "Sure, let's talk, but on the way to the clan shrine: honoring the ancestors isn't something to be set aside so easily either."
Aang blinked. "Why are you doing it? Your family is still alive, and you didn't like Ozai to begin with!"
"As I have said before today, honor – and family – are beyond like and dislike to begin with. Family is family and that is that. However, right now that is not the point. See this bush? My family is just one branch of it; two, rather, if you want to consider uncle Iroh's technical position on the family tree. This entire bush, though, represents the San clan as a whole, some of which I undoubtedly have never met or heard about. See the difference?"
Aang frowned in thought. "Does one of these branches stand for Avatar Roku?"
Now it was Zuko's turn to grow thoughtful. "Yes. I suppose it does."
Silence fell as the two young men examined the shrub that was completely innocent of the knowledge that one of its branches represented the last Fire Nation Avatar.
"So, anyways, the shrine is not that far away. Let's go there and you can tell me what is wrong with your love life," Zuko finally broke the shrub's spell.
"Fine," Aang nodded, glad to leave the topic of Avatar Roku behind them as well. "But as for what's wrong – I can't tell, not exactly. See, when I first met Katara-"
"-I remember that day-"
"Yeah, but in a different way, no doubt – she was like the one, you know?"
"And she is not anymore?"
"That's the point," Aang said miserably. "I just cannot know for sure!"
More silence fell. "Remember, Zuko, how you told me that you and Mai got something together?"
"Ye-es?"
"Well, I am no longer sure that if I and Katara do. I mean, without you chasing us-"
"Hold it!" Zuko said sharply. "Firstly, you and I are different, and not just because I'm Fire and you're Air. Secondly, Mai and Katara are different as well. We do have very little in common, after all."
"Zuko," Aang said quietly, "in what way are we different?"
"I am static and rather rigid, while you are not?"
"And why am I not?"
"Because you are a nomad, and I am not."
"Yes," Aang nodded solemnly, "I am an Air Nomad. But I am also the Avatar, and as such, I am cosmopolite – I am all nations, just like Roku was, and Kuruk."
"What about Kyoshi?"
Aang sighed. "I don't want to talk about her – I'm involved."
"Hah?"
"I am to marry Sokka and Suki – personally. Her shugenja friends are helping and teaching me, of course, but I'll do the actual marrying bit!"
"You are excited, aren't you?"
"Yeah," Aang said, embarrassed. "I mean this is really different from what I used to do and from what Gyatso told me I'd to do, too! Anyways," he turned solemn once again, "this helped me realize that I am more than just an Air Nomad, right?"
"True," Zuko nodded. "Go on."
"Avatar Roku stopped being friends with Sozin because he wouldn't be just a Fire Nation native, he was a cosmopolite – he took care of all the nations. And that is my job as well."
"Which brings us back to the west Earth Kingdom, right?"
"Exactly," Aang nodded. "You are thinking about what's right for your homeland – as you did before?"
"Yes," Zuko nodded, now wary. "This isn't going to lead us back to the Crystal catacombs, is it?"
Aang shuddered. "Believe me, Zuko, I don't exactly have too many fond memories of that place either. The thing is, however, is that you got integrity – just like your uncle. I am not Roku and you are not Sozin – though we are friends, we'll still have strings attached, right?"
"Aang, please get to the point, and yes, we'll be friends."
"Good. The point is, it that it is not just us. The westerners of the Earth Kingdom – they think what is best for them too, don't they?"
"Yes, but the think is, Avatar Aang, people are not koala-sheep, not really. And I can honestly say that it could have gone either my way or the way of Ba Sing Se."
"Yes, I know, and that is the problem. Katara… I do not think she is seeing quite that way yet. The balance it's not quite going to be all our way, is it?"
Zuko was silent for a while… "Probably not," he admitted at last. "Otherwise I'd probably shave my head and be a hermit or something."
Aang smiled faintly –
he understood Zuko was only half-joking at best, and wistfully as
well. "Anyways," he continued, "that brings me back to the Air
Nomads. Cosmopolite or not, they are the weakest of the four right
now, and I am their stronger bender. I have to help them."
"However,
Katara isn't too enthused?"
"Neither am I, to tell the truth. Tya Dala is scary, even more so than Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee combined! Can't you… intermediate between me and her or something?"
"Maybe later."
"Say what?"
"We're here."
Blinking and belatedly remembering why they were here, Aang stared at the San family shrine. It was not much to look at: two stone circles, one within the other, decorated with carvings reminiscent of… "Hey, that is the sun stone decoration!" the young Avatar exclaimed.
"Exactly," Zuko nodded solemnly. "The Fire benders draw strength from the sun, even as the Water benders draw it from the moon. That is one of the reasons we don't really get along."
"You got along with Sokka just fine!"
"And he wasn't a bender. Now please let me prepare the sacrifice."
Aang nodded and drew back somewhat: this was private, after all.
Satisfied with Aang's position, Zuko solemnly took the saffron cakes and the wine off the tray and went to the inner circle, where firewood already lay prepared – not even Ozai and Azula dared to neglect the family veneration.
Somberly, Zuko put down the cakes onto the firewood. "Honored ancestors of the San clan!" he said aloud. "It is I, Zuko of the Umay family line come to do you honor and offer you nourishment and joy in your sojourn in the afterlife! Please accept it, and be at ease!" With these words, he poured the wine over the food and the cakes – and it burst into flame.
By this point Aang saw plenty of fire bending styles and approaches, and he knew that when Zuko firebent, the flames went either towards dark, angry red of lava, or the blue, cold light of will-o'-wisp. Thus, he did not expect the cheery, almost colorless, white blaze that sprang up when the wine touched the cakes and the wood.
Moreover, it smelled nice, too.
Then… something else happened. The plume of the white color wove in the air and formed the solemn face of Avatar Roku.
"Fire Lord Zuko of the Umay clan!" the deceased Avatar spoke firmly. "Your familial piety and dedication warms the hearts of our clan, and so do your dedication to your country and your people. Therefore, I came to you with words of wisdom: what was good at one time may stop being so at another. Know when to stop and to change, and teach your heirs this wisdom as well. Try to see into the far future as well as the near – and draw an accord with the Avatar and your political opponents. Do not let the mistakes of Sozin, Azulon, Ozai happen again! Lead on your family into the future of prosperity – and peace!"
"I will," Zuko nodded awe evident in his voice.
With a facial expression that suspiciously resembled a satisfied smile, the fiery visage of Avatar Roku fell apart and vanished. No ash was left of the wood, the cakes, or the wine.
Wordlessly, Zuko turned to Aang. "So, the accord, hah?"
"Yeah," Aang said, in a similarly weak tone of voice. "Avatar Roku… he was kind of dramatic with me too."
Chuckling weakly, and still trying to mentally digest the latest message of Avatar Roku, the two young men slowly walked away from the Umay family shrine. There, standing a respectful distance away from the shrine's area stood Tya Dala, grandmother of Ty Lee and Ty Lee's six sisters.
"Greetings, Fire Lord Zuko," she said solemnly, "and greetings, Avatar Aang. Have you thought about my offer, young man?"
Aang gulped, then remembered his own musings and Avatar Roku's message, and nodded his mood grim once more.
"Tya Dala," he said, sounding older than how he looked, "if the Fire Lord Zuko doesn't mind, let's talk."
Notes.
RueBroadway: Thanks for your review. This new chapter, I hope, has cleared up what Zuko is angling at: not another world conquest, but to take care of his own and his homeland, whether others like or not. In the next chapter, I'll bring out Toph and have her shine instead.