And this is all I have written so far. More to come after September, when the final graphic novel comes out.
The following day, Aang, Katara and I finally met with the Earth King and explained what had been happening in Yu Dao. We told him of how the people in that colony lived, and how Zuko was trying to do what was right for his people. Katara and I suggested that a better solution could be found by having a meeting with the young Fire Lord. Once all of the necessary information had been relayed to King Kuei, he asked for some time alone so that he might think over everything we had told him. Aang, Katara and I stayed in the palace all day, waiting patiently for the Earth King's decision on holding a meeting with Zuko. We were eating dinner before he finally emerged from his chambers.
"Half Aang, Half Kala and Katara, thank you for giving me time to ponder our present situation," he said as he approached us.
"No problem, your earthiness! Thank you for dinner! So when should we set up our meeting with Fire Lord Zuko?" Aang inquired.
"I'm sorry, but you're not going to like what I have to say." I set my chopsticks down and stared intently at the Earth King, hoping he wouldn't have decided what I thought he did. "All my live, I've been weak—so weak that my most trusted advisor was able to hid a hundred years' war behind a curtain of lies! Well, I'm tired of being weak! It's time for me to be a man!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Katara asked hotly.
"Don't use your prior inability to lead as an excuse to attack my fiancée!" I snapped at him.
"Fire Lord Zuko promised he would see the Harmony Restoration Movement to the very end. Now he's turned his promise into a lie! Why should I meet with him—so he can tell me more lies? I will not stand for any more lies! I will order General How to lean my troops to Yu Dao and enforce harmony!"
"There's no such thing. You can't enforce harmony, because that defeats the purpose entirely."
"Your majesty, do you even hear what you're saying?" Katara asked as she stood from where she was seated.
"Please, Earth King Kuei! Sending your army there will be seen as a declaration of war!" Aang insisted.
"The Fire Nation residents of Yu Dao with either leave my kingdom peacefully or face the most dire of consequences! That is my decision! If you are not with me Halves Aang and Kala, then I can only assume that you are against me!" the Earth King answered as he began walking away.
"Then you will be no better than Ozai!" I yelled, standing abruptly from the table. "You will be killing hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, to further your own goals. I came here to help make peace, not to promote another pointless war! You seem to forget that I am not only a Half, but soon to be the Fire Lady. As such, I am a national ambassador and can speak for the Fire Nation. We. Want. Peace."
"You duty is the act as a Half before acting on behalf of the Fire Nation. I have nothing more to say to you." With that, King Kuei turned and left the room. I glared after him for only a second before reaching for a pen and paper.
"Kala, what are you doing?" Aang asked softly.
"Writing a message to Zuko. I have to warn him." I whistled loudly and the messenger hawk Zuko had sent me with flew into the room and landed on my shoulder. I rolled up my message to my fiancée and gave the hawk the proper directions to where he needed to take it. "Aang, I need you to take me back to the Fire Nation immediately. If it's a war King Kuei wants, it is a war he shall get."
"I can take you back to the Yu Dao, but not the Fire Nation. We will need your help there. And if Zuko gets your message tonight, then he will probably be sending his army there by morning. But Kala, I don't think this is the path to take. You're a Half and you are supposed to be promoting peace."
"I tried that and King Kuei refuses to listen to reason. I know I'm a Half, but I must also look after the well-being of my people. I am going to be their Fire Lady. They look to me to protect them. I want peace and harmony, and you know I am more than willing to form a compromise. But until King Kuei sees reason, I must do what is best for my people."
"Your people?" Katara demanded incredulously as we began running outside to leave on Appa. "Kala, you are from the Water Tribe. You were a slave to the Fire Nation."
"In another time, yes. Now times have changed. I plan to try to stop the war from happening on the Fire Nation side, but I need you two to stop the Earth King from doing something we will all regret. I don't want to fight another war in my lifetime," I answered somberly as I climbed onto Appa's back and we flew high into the sky. I stared down at the Earth Kingdom below as we passed over it, and I wondered if it would soon be the site of the next hundred-year war. I prayed it wouldn't.
Please R&R.