AUTHOR'S NOTES—As long as it took to write this chapter, I admit that most of the hiatus was just laziness on my part. I have no excuse, so I hope you enjoy the chapter.
AFTER THE WAR
CHAPTER 4: CONSPIRACIES
Unknown location
Follow the light…
"I will follow the light…"
I instigated the Fire Nation attack on the Water Tribe settlements…
"I instigated the Fire Nation attacks on the Water Tribe Settlements…"
…for the glory of the Fire Nation.
"YES! For the glory of our proud nation!"
The Water Tribes were not involved in retaliation…
"The Water Tribes are far too inferior to have been involved in retaliation."
Earth Kingdom
In the ways of intrigue and conspiracies, there was actually very little of such in the passing months. The Water Tribe did start colonizing the string of large islands off the southeastern coast of the Earth Kingdom, having annexed them on the condition that prices of goods and services from the Northern and Southern Water Tribes would be reduced. The Earth King also demanded the location of Katara, but no one would give it, either from not knowing it, or from loyalties to the woman. Sokka carried out the negotiations, as it helped him take his mind off of the events at Kyoshi. He was definitely furious about it still, and the only reason he had not exploded when he was ranting to Chief Hakoda was because he knew that taking his anger out on his own father would do nothing beneficial. Nay, he wanted to find out who had done it, and get them.
For a while it seemed that Katara was on the run. Not even Arnook, Hakoda, the Earth King, the Fire Lord, the Council of Five, or Katara's friends knew where to look for her, but at the same time, they were scouring the world for her. Most of Katara's business, however, was scoping out their new purchase from the Earth Kingdom. In fact, she was so wanted that she was able to get exactly what she wanted from the deal of annexation.
"Can you believe her nerve?" an Earth Kingdom General exclaimed after he had passed the news on to His Majesty. "She wants to keep her old trading prices for a simple interrogation?"
Several of the other members of the Council of Five muttered in agreement, but the Earth King knew better.
"You don't see the importance of this?" he told them, "She's offering herself up freely to be interrogated. Not only do we get to ask her what we will, but we also have something we can dangle in front of the Water Tribes and the Fire Nation. We can get back at them for their strike at Kyoshi."
"You're surely not going to hold her for ransom, are you?"
"No, she's far too powerful, and that earthbender at the Jasmine Dragon would be all over our cases if we did. We are taking this offer up though. Spirits know when an opportunity to get the information out of that opportunistic freak will come up again."
True to her word, Katara turned herself in. She was bound, and carried in secret into the heart of the Earth Kingdom, and thrown into a chair similar to how Toph was.
"You could have been a little nicer," Katara frowned.
"You could have been a lot easier." The Earth King frowned, "but I accepted your demands, and so now you must accept mine if you wish for this deal to go through."
"Ask me what you will." Katara nodded, "I'll be honest with you. Dealing dishonestly when there is territory on the line is a foolish maneuver."
"You know how to negotiate then." The generals grinned. "So tell us—what happened at Kyoshi Island on that day four months prior?"
"Honestly, I wish I knew. It was a cleverly setup scheme if you ask me, but I would not have hired anyone to launch an attack on my own people—especially not if the Kyoshi Warriors were going to get involved. My brother's wife was among those killed. I'm not about to villainize myself in front of my whole family."
"That does not answer what happened at Kyoshi Island proper."
"I did not issue the attack there. If it was done by the Water Tribe, they were not affiliated with me. Surely Sokka or Hakoda would not have issued the attack, and Chief Arnook never liked getting into the affairs of other people if he could avoid it. If you asked me, it was probably Ozai's remaining influence with the Fire Nation mercenaries. He has wished destruction on the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation for many years now."
"How do you know this?"
"He told me. We spoke to each other. He was hiding in the Southern Air Nomad lands. He was in no condition to attack us, as there were two firebenders and a waterbender against one non-bender. I left his fate up to Admiral Zhao, who released him on account of bribery. I was not involved."
Katara had involved Zhao with this matter because he was already in exile. Even with Katara's level of respect, she actually held no power either, and so no lawful blame could be placed on the Water Tribes, and since Zhao was exiled from his homeland, the Fire Nation could not be blamed for it either. Whatever the case, Katara was not finished speaking.
"But, if you want the whole story, then aye—we are in fact building a military. We are also expanding our borders. We only seek to become a world power so we do not get wiped to the brink of extinction like we nearly were over the last 116 years. If you and the Fire Nation are discomforted by the fact that we are not openly displaying the locations of our stockpiles and militaries, that is not our concern. Our military is not a matter of being secret; it's simply a matter of convenience. Bunkers and ice caves keep things warmer than leaving them out on the ice. We are not so lucky to have friendly climates as the other nations."
"And so what say you about these recent attacks?"
"The Water Tribes are a defensive civilization. We will defend our lands, as well as our colonies. We have gone into an agreement with the Air Nomads from the Western Air Temple regarding our use of their land, and so if you wish to know those details, you can discuss it with them."
"Or," the Earth King smirked, "I can expect you to uphold your word when you promised to answer every question I had."
Katara frowned, and knew that she had walked into that one.
"You want the truth about the Air Nomads?" she snarked, "fine: we agreed to give them free reign in any of our lands, including the poles and the Foggy Swamp, in return for letting us colonize the regions around their Air Temples. We agreed to provide them with defense, and to not build establishments within 1 mile of their temples and ruins. However, we do have forts all around them, so we can naturally better defend those who have given us so much."
"So the Air Nomads are turning to the Water Tribes for support." One of the generals frowned.
"Actually, we came to them with the plan." Katara explained, "Since I knew you would ask anyways. We wished to expand our borders, and to do so peacefully. Thus, we came to the Air Nomads at the Western Air Temple, which was the most intact of the four temples. We came to an agreement about using the Southern Air Temple, and we also provided some support for their struggling society. We agreed to help them back on their feet and allow them to continue their peaceful lifestyle, and we vowed never to wage war in their lands, unless we were fighting off attackers. It makes me all the more curious as to how Ozai was able to launch an attack on those lands and get away with it—and moreso, why Kyoshi was with them."
"Who is to say that the Kyoshi Warriors at the Southern Air Temple were supporting the Fire Nation mercenaries?"
"Their numbers," Katara replied, "if they were helping defend the Water Tribe settlement, they would have overwhelmed such simple mercenaries. The Water Tribe Settlement at the Southern Air Temple was one of our oldest and therefore strongest locations. The Kyoshi Warriors are a fighting force to be feared and respected. Put two and two together now, Earth King."
"Does that mean that word for their actions came from Ba Sing Se though?" he argued. Katara was silent for a moment, but then smirked.
"For me to say that would mean that I was playing by a double-standard." She explained, "I am not accusing the Earth Kingdom proper for the motives or actions of the Kyoshi Warriors. Thus, I am simply expecting the same kind of treatment for the Water Tribes, especially when there are the likes of Ozai, Azula, Long Feng, and Hama back on the loose."
"Indeed," the earthbenders nodded, "we are not trying to become your enemies, Zelgius Katara. The Earth Kingdom itself was once a land full of conspiracy when ruled under Long Feng. It is because of this that we appear so suspicious."
"Very well;" Katara nodded, "and so did you have anything more you wished to ask from me?"
"That will do for the moment," The Earth King nodded, giving a light respectful bow to Katara as she stood up. Katara gave a much deeper bow respecting her superior, and she was escorted from the palace. Once she was gone, the generals turned to the Earth King.
"Did you really just sell a handful of large islands to the Water Tribe just to answer a few questions?" one of them exclaimed, almost sounding furious.
"Of course." He smirked, "you do realize what this means, right?"
"We cannot say we do," the generals replied. "Enlighten us, if you will."
"What it means," he smirked, "is that we can get a pretty copper off of the Fire Nation for what we learned today. We have intel both about the secretive Water Tribes, as well as the elusive Zelgius Katara, that the Fire Nation does not have—but that they will certainly want. Ergo, what this means, is that right now, we are at an advantage."