Author's Note: What's even harder than trying to decide where to make the split into chapters 7 & 8 is what the hell to title this chapter. Ah, the joys of writing and all its little peculiars.
By the way, thanks for reading my story. I really appreciate the reviews.
Major thanks to heartsyhawk for beta-ing!
XXX
Break the Chain
«7 – A Path to Redemption»
The moment he woke up, all the pieces fell into place. The precision with which the plan formed in his mind frightened him. He wondered if he still had the fever.
"Good. Now that you're better, I can go back to my cousin and my shop. I expect she's been driving herself crazy wondering what's become of me," Madame Wu said snappishly as Zuko sat up and pushed the bed sheets away. "Should I expect a 'thank you', or will you always continue acting the part of the high and mighty prince you fashion yourself to be?"
"I am a prince," Zuko replied wearily with mild indignation, not interested in looking at the older woman in the face. He turned his head away and stared at the bed, wondering idly what material the sheets were made of. Silk? "I'm Zuko, the crown prince of the Fire Nation."
"I know that. Your hand tells me that and more," she said. He heard her rising and knew she was going to leave. But he didn't understand what she meant by the comment about his hand.
"How does my hand tell you anything?" he asked. He could hear her moving things, probably her things.
"A person's hand tells his life story. I don't read just the lines but the texture, the size, the roughness…yours tell quite a story. Even though you are royalty, you have had a difficult life so far. This world has not been kind to you."
"No kidding." Zuko said point-blank as he turned away again, deliberately showing her the burned side of his face.
He stared at the right wall and the simple brush painting of a series of mountains and a waterfall hanging on it. "What lines are you talking about?"
"The creases and wrinkles in the palm of your hand tell your life's story. It tells me everything, from birth to death and everything in between. Would you like to hear?"
Zuko growled deep in his throat. He had always seen fortune-telling as nonsense. He was never much of a believer in fate and he found it impossible to comprehend that the lines on his palm could predict the future. That was ridiculous.
"I suppose not. But there's always a second chance for everything-"
"What did you say?"
He was out of his bed and in the woman's face so fast she staggered back and nearly knocked over a vase on the table behind her. He caught it quickly, but not before it emptied half the contents onto the floor. He ignored it as he set the black vase back on the table, then glared at Madame Wu.
"Say that again."
"I said there's always a second chance for everything, including free palm readings. Now unless you'd like me to read your palm, I do have things to pack."
He thought about it for a moment, then stepped back and nodded. He growled again as the woman grabbed his right hand and turned it over. She peered at the palm, running a finger along the creases imprinted in the skin. He shuddered at the touch but forced himself not to yank the hand away.
"…You've been through so much, but there are even more trying times yet to come." she murmured, half to herself. "You will be faced with difficult choices, and must answer difficult questions. You are an intricate part of this war, for your life is tied to the life of the Avatar-"
"No, really," Zuko snapped bitterly. Ever since the decree of banishment, his life and the Avatar's became connected, even if the Avatar wasn't alive for the first two years of his exile. "Does my palm say anything about the end of the war?"
He meant to sound sarcastic about his palm predicting his destiny but Madame Wu apparently didn't catch it. She shook her head as she yanked his hand up and towards her.
"No, but I can see that you will live a long life, war or no war. Well, that's a good sign. It says nothing of whether or not you will be Fire Lord, however. What a vague palm you are…"
Zuko rolled his eyes. Could this woman even hear herself?
"…interesting, would you like to hear about your love life?"
Love life? Zuko jerked, hard enough to yank his hand away from her grasp. She looked up at him with a raised eyebrow but he was already shrinking away, backing into his bed. Love life? She can read that in his palm? Ridiculous!
"I ask because ordinarily that is the area people are most concerned with," she said, tapping her fingers together as she scrutinized him. "Why not you? I already know of your run-ins with various women throughout your life so far, Prince Zuko."
"How about you go pack your things and leave my room?" he retorted, grasping his right wrist and holding his hand close, away from the woman. "I don't need your help anymore."
"Well…" Madame Wu literally sniffed in his direction and turned to finish packing an impressive array of dried plants. "In that case I suppose you would refuse my help regarding your uncle?"
His blood turned cold. Uncle…He stepped towards her. "What kind of help are you offering?"
She looked over her shoulder at him and raised an eyebrow. "You are actually asking for my help? Prince Zuko usually works alone-"
"I…I have a plan," he said, faltering as Madame Wu's words hit home. Why was he asking for her help? He never asked for anybody's help. He always did things by himself. He knew he could. He needed no help. He was perfectly capable of rescuing Uncle on his own.
There were just some things he didn't know, and he was sure Madame Wu could inform him.
"I…" Zuko hesitated again, then decided to push forward. "I need to know what kinds of plants and herbs put people to sleep, for a long time."
The smile on Madame Wu's face was grotesque but a smile nonetheless. "Is that what you want to know? Well, let me show you….this is a swamp rose…"
XXX
"How many healers did you take off the streets?" Azula asked. Boredom laced her voice.
Ty Lee was busy doing flips along the circumference of the throne room. Mai was sitting at the bottom stairs of the platform, sharpening one of her daggers. The Dai Li agents standing behind Long Feng were eyeing the moody girl nervously; they had seen her on the training grounds flinging those things at all kinds of targets – stationary and in motion. The day Azula requested several prisoners be sent to the training grounds…
"Four," Long Feng said coolly.
"Not too hard to handle, I assume," the Fire Nation princess mused. "I want you to…use your methods on them all before releasing them back onto the streets. I don't want any sort of word to spread about my brother's…condition."
"As you wish, Princess Azula," Long Feng said evenly. He was one of the very few in the palace now that refused to call her 'Your Highness'. Not that she cared; she knew Long Feng was used to being in the power position and he'd be the very last person to call her by any title other than the one with her name included.
Too bad, she thought. If all went well, he'll be calling her 'Your Highness' by the time all this ends, or perhaps an even loftier title…
Let's not go there yet, she berated herself. Everything was going according to plan so far, but so much more had to be done before she could allot that title to herself. One of the things that had to be taken care of was her older brother, Zuko.
She frowned. Zuko was a major problem. His loyalty was still in question, but she cared less about his loyalty than other things, one of them being his function, his place in her plans. He had no such place. He was nothing to her now. She had gotten what she needed from him, and now…he was a liability, an extra person tagging along, and a potentially dangerous loose canon. It just wasn't that easy getting rid of him.
Still, if the specified Dai Li agents stuck to her orders…too bad Zuko suddenly got sick. She would have gotten rid of him much sooner if he hadn't. She would have been spared a lot time and trouble…and the Avatar would've been in her grasp by now. Now she had to use some of the agents to 're-stabilize' the healers before releasing them back into the streets. And more were needed to help Mai and Ty Lee escort her uncle down south to the seaside docks, where a Fire Nation ship would be waiting to take him back to the Fire Nation. Soldiers from the regular army would be tagging along, too, but she trusted Mai, Ty Lee, and the Dai Li with this task a lot more than the army. And with tracking down the Avatar. The agents were going to be spread thin. And she needed the trusted few to follow her orders exactly-
"Princess Azula?" Long Feng said, snapping her train of thought off. She slammed back down into reality, glared at Long Feng for daring to interrupt her. "Have you…any other orders?"
She thought for a moment. "Yes, I do in fact have orders. Arrest Xuan Ji, now."
"Surely you don't think it's too early-"
"My father wants my uncle back to stand for trial, and I plan to send him in two days. I want Xuan Ji arrested before I send the agents to escort him out of Ba Sing Se. Xuan Ji needs to be made an example of; I won't have traitors or hesitant men within the ranks."
The two agents with Long Feng glanced at each other quickly, but Long Feng only raised an eyebrow. She could see the cogs working furiously behind his emotionless eyes. "I suppose you have something else in mind, Princess Azula?"
"That is none of your business. And I don't have all day," she said coldly. "There are things I need to discuss with Mai and Ty Lee…in private. Tell the Dai Li to prepare themselves. I want the healers out by the end of today, Uncle is leaving in two, and the hunt for the Avatar in three. My brother needs his rest, and he will be ready in three days to accompany the Dai Li."
"I see. Very well, Princess Azula," Long Feng said and gave a short bow. He and the two agents with him made their exit through the side door. Azula sighed, and slumped in the throne. She was getting bored and tired of being in charge. She needed a break.
"So, 'Zula, what do you have in mind for us?" Ty Lee asked cheerfully as she followed her last cartwheel with a graceful somersault. She landed perfectly on her toes.
"Well, I was going to have you escort my uncle down to the docks, then come back here," Azula began, when one of her personal agents, Gao, appeared. He gave a short flustered bow as she sat up quickly. She was irritated but kept her temper in check. "What is it?"
"Your Highness…I'm just here to inform you…he's left the palace…"
"Did he?" Azula raised an eyebrow. Interesting…wonder what he plans to do outside the palace. "Then follow him. I want to know what business he has outside the palace."
"Yes, Your Highness…" Gao bowed and quickly left the throne room.
Mai sighed as she raised her right arm, then threw a dagger into the pillar to her right. "So…when are you going to change your title?"
Azula smiled. "As soon as I'm ready…there's a lot of preparing to do."
If she could read Zuko like a scroll, then she knew exactly what she needed to do. One of them involved contacting a trusted Fire Nation general, or anyone of high rank from the Fire Nation who'd give his loyalty to her without breaking a sweat.
"I wish I could go hunting for the Avatar," Ty Lee declared as she gracefully spun across the floor. "I bet he's gonna be there."
"He?" Azula looked to Mai for an explanation.
The girl sighed. "She's talking about the boomerang guy. She thinks he's…ugh…cute."
"Don't you think so?" Ty Lee asked. A sly grin flashed across her face. "Oh wait, of course you don't. You're still crushing on Zuko-"
"No I'm not," Mai countered. For once her voice had some emotion in it.
Azula smiled. Oh this was just too funny. She still couldn't understand what it was Mai saw in her older brother. He was…a pathetic person, always looking for Father's love, always talking about honor, hopeless when it came to firebending…he was an utterly pathetic thing. She was embarrassed to have him as a sibling.
Too bad he doesn't know, she thought smugly. She reached up and pressed against the folded paper tucked in the folds of her tunic. It was a letter sent from the Fire Nation by Fire Lord Ozai's hand a few days ago. Of course, if he did know…
She mulled over the praise in the letter, the approving words written by her father's hand, a brief congratulations for giving the Fire Nation full dominion over the Earth Kingdom. A smile crept across her lips as she remembered the second paper, the official one marked with a stamp in red wax laced with gold foil. It was an official document, probably the most important one she had ever laid eyes upon, let alone held. It was an exclamation point on the whole reason her father ordered her to leave the Fire Nation and capture the Avatar, among other things like conquering the Earth Kingdom and bringing back her uncle and brother in chains.
Father is more than angry with you, Zuzu, she thought lovingly as she pulled out the document and unfolded it. It took her a while to work through all the noble-sounding formal words and outdated style but in short its purpose made up for the months she spent chasing after two different groups of people all over the Earth Kingdom.
Whatever hope Zuko had of being restoring his honor, his throne, and his place in the Fire Nation was lost, and Azula was now the heiress of the Fire Nation, Fire Lord Ozai's successor. She had all the rights in the world to eliminate her brother from the war…even the world.
And she wasn't going to hesitate exercising that power.
XXX
Zuko found it bizarre that it was so much harder sneaking down to the lower rings than he thought. Given the lack of chaos in the middle and upper rings, he'd expect it to be so easy snooping around, but he underestimated the upper and middle classes' desire for security. The Dai Li and regular police were everywhere.
And he had to be careful not to drop on anyone's head when hopping over the dividing walls. Zuko almost welcomed the chaos of the lower rings when he hopped over the last wall and fell into a wagon of cabbages.
"My cabbages!" a scruffy middle-aged man shrieked as he burst out of the wagon, overturning it and sending the green vegetables rolling down the street. He stared at the man, raised his good eyebrow as the man grabbed at his head and cried in anguish as the bustling street squashed the cabbages underfoot.
Unfortunately, not even the wilderness that was the lower rings could conceal Zuko. The seller's outrage reached the ears of two guards lounging outside a rickety tea shop squashed between a laundry house and a tailor's store. Zuko froze, then pulled his wide-brimmed straw hat down hard over the left side of his face as the guards craned their necks towards the cabbage man and him.
"What's the problem there, old man?" one of the guards called out. The other set down his chipped tea cup and glared in Zuko's direction.
"This-this man dropped right out of the sky and-and DESTROYED MY CABBAGES!" the man screamed.
It was terrible misfortune for both Zuko and the cabbage seller; the guards were much more interested in Zuko and how he fell out of the sky than the fact he had pretty much demolished the poor man's property.
"Fell out of the sky, he says?" the other guard mused. "What say you, Chou?"
"I say this merits some serious questioning, Sei," Chou remarked. "Finally. It's about time we earn our full pay…"
Zuko swallowed as the two men left their seats outside the tea house and headed towards him, one picking up a rusty glaive leaning against his chair. This was not how things were supposed to happen. He was supposed to sneak into the lower rings and blend in with the people, buy what he needed, and hop the walls – somehow – back to the palace. He was not supposed to attract any attention, at all. Prince Zuko did not wander amongst the lowlifes, the peasants, and the refugees. He did not go around hopping over the dividing walls. He was supposed to be back at the palace, answering to Azula's beck and call.
She was, after all, in charge of the entire city and everyone within the outer walls.
"Hey you!" Chou shouted. Zuko noticed people were starting to back away from him, Chou, Sei, and the cabbage seller. That was a very bad sign. "You with the hat. Take it off your head!"
"Yeah, do what he says, you sneaky lowlife!" Sei added.
Wrong words. Zuko bit his lips to hold back a feral snarl. Lowlife? This pathetic, cheap guard dares call him a lowlife? He ought to pay for his impudence! Zuko clenched his palms, felt them grow hot.
"Did you hear what I said?" Chou snarled. "Take off that infernal hat!"
"Do what he says," Sei said, echoing what he just said, "or we're taking you to the station."
He did not need to deal with this! The longer the delay, the more his plan would be thrown off course. He lowered his body slowly as he felt his muscles tense. If he had to, he'll fight them both and toss them somewhere. He gritted his teeth in irritation. He had to suppress the urge to throw the man called Sei against the wall, unable to believe that this impudent peasant had dared call him a sneaky lowlife!
Idiot, what are you doing? You can't firebend, for one, you don't have any weapons on you, and you can't fight them out here. Everyone will see, and if you're really unlucky, someone will identify you. Then what? Then what do you do? Just throw your plans into the wind because some guy called you a lowlife?
He must be dreaming; his mind was starting to sound like Uncle.
"Damn it," he growled under his breath. He had just one real option now, and he hoped the streets were still brimming full of people. And…yes, they were. He slowly stepped towards the two guards, bringing him closer to the street.
"What are you doing?"
"Don't move!"
Go!
He whirled on his heels and dashed down the street, throwing his body into the crowds and forcing his way through. Behind him the two guards Chou and Sei were shouting obscenities as they followed, and the cabbage seller was sobbing something about 'cabbage haters'.
People yelled and swore as he barreled through the crowd, knocking baskets out of women's hands, jostling men into stands as he tried to shake off the two guards; he leaped over a cart full of trinkets, sailing high over the elderly female merchant, and landed on his feet with a painful jolt. Swearing under his breath, he took off again. He cursed the illness which had robbed him of strength, agility, and speed. This was probably not the best way to regain the skills and exercise them back to their previous level, but it wasn't like he had any choice.
"Stop that man!" Chou shouted.
"You heard what he said! Stop him!"
But the people simply ignored the guards or dove into the stores and alleys to avoid the chase – the alleys! Zuko went straight for one of the busiest places in the lower rings, the marketplace. With luck, there would be far too many people for the guards to sort through, he'd be able to slip away into one of the alleys, and he'll be able to finish up the next step in his plan. On the downside, there might be too many people and he might not be able to make it through in time. That was a disaster he wanted to avoid at all costs, and that gave him a fresh burst of energy.
He dashed down the streets, and found the marketplace exactly as he imagined it – very, very busy. He didn't hesitate and dove right in. He looked over his shoulder only once; Chou and Sei were yelling at the people to move but they were mostly ignored. He snorted; these two men had all the authority of the law and nobody bothered to pay any attention. Every single person here was breaking the law by helping him escape them. Apparently once that boy with the wide-brimmed straw hat scrambled out of their way, they didn't care to pay him any more attention, even if it were two guards yelling to stop him. He wasn't a threat to their lives…although the cabbage seller would definitely beg to defer.
Zuko nearly overturned a stand full of melons in his haste to reach one of the darker alleys, which he had discovered when he was still using the false identity of Lee and working in a shabby tea shop somewhere down the street. As he entered the darkness, his heart rate slowed, his ragged breathing eased, and an unsettling calm entered him. He came to a standstill, then went to the wall of one of the apartments that made up the alley. He leaned against it, taking in big gulps of air. He had a nasty cramp, his ankles were still jarring from that near-flawless leap over the trinkets stand, and to top it off, the guards in the lower ring would still be searching for anyone who looked remotely like him.
And yet somehow he had to find everything on the list Madame Wu had prepared for him, sneak back into the palace, and find his way to the kitchens without the Dai Li, servants, Mai, Ty Lee, Long Feng, or Azula knowing he'd been gone at all.
If only I had that mask! Zuko thought bitterly, thinking about the Blue Spirit mask that one Dai Li agent – Dao, was it? – was waving around down at the dungeons. My problems keep compounding, which is the last thing I need happening-
His good eye narrowed at the sight of two shoes on the ground in front of him. He stared at the shoes, then realized that there weren't shoes anywhere in this alley, dark and cluttered with junk, when he first ran into it for sanctuary. And the way they sat there on the ground, slightly pointed tips pointing right at him…
He raised his head ever so slowly, his breath catching in his throat.
Oh no…
He caught a glimpse of grayish green eyes before Jin slapped him in the face.
XXX
I knew nothing good would come out of this, Madame Wu grumbled as she followed two middle-aged women down the hall. They themselves were being led by two Dai Li agents. Behind her was a younger woman, and behind them were two more agents. These silent stony-faced men were quite intimidating but Madame Wu was already scoffing at them.
That pup will drink himself to death in a few winters, she mused at the back of the scrawnier-looking agent. And that one…oh dear, he won't last the summer. Pity…
She eventually laid off predicting deaths all around the palace, and drifted back to her original train of thought: there never was anything good coming out of her being dragged into the palace to heal the Fire Nation princess's older brother. In fact, she had known nothing good would come out of her visiting Ba Sing Se this late in spring, but a sheep-pig bone she had tossed into the fire urged her to go, vaguely informing her that her business in the great walled city would affect the whole world, not just herself.
She'd already been in touch with the powers that would move the world. Why not do a little something herself, help free the world from the Fire Nation's grasp? But did that mean healing the scarred prince of the enemy? In a way, was she betraying her own purpose?
Of course not! She was a fortune teller – and a healer – and she knew that even if it seemed like a betrayal, it was not. Fortunetellers stood outside the realm of dichotomy; they walked the gray where all fates were told and all destinies were decoded, regardless of war and peace. She didn't have to look that closely into the cracks to know that there was a greater purpose beyond her answering her cousin's call into the city. She just had to suffer through the consequences before watching the results at play.
Unfortunately she had no idea what these consequences were, and she had a horrid feeling she was about to find out.
"This way," the taller more broadly built Dai Li agent in front said gruffly. He pointed to a rough-hewn stone door at the end of the hall.
Madame Wu rubbed her free hand on her other arm. This part of the palace, she decided, was not meant for just anyone. It was undecorated, the walls unpainted, the floor cobblestone. The air was chilly and stale. She already decided that this couldn't be the dungeons, because why would the healers need to be imprisoned? She thought over every possible reason to believe that she and the other healers had wronged someone, but they had done nothing wrong. They were simply following orders.
Then what was this place? She didn't read up on this place when deciphering her future.
Maybe that boy was right, she thought wryly of the young teenager who so vehemently denied the powers of fortunetelling. I put too much faith in what I read in bones and palms…though they do tell such fascinating stories…
Her thoughts fled back to the prince she healed, the one who had crashed into her village astride that nasty creature, the one they called Zuko. He had a fascinating palm, but it would not speak to her; she had to squeeze out the meanings to try and decipher his possible future.
A long life…which means he may very well live beyond this war…if this war does end with the Avatar. He stands between what is right and what is wrong, and moves in a haze, a world of gray. He's made so many mistakes, but he'd better stop or it'll be the end of him. He is loyal to his nation, but who is he really loyal to, the Fire Lord or the Fire Nation's people? Or the Dragon of the West, perhaps? He's hurt so many people…soon he will discover this. But whether or not he makes amends is up to him.
And, of course, there was his love life. It was barely there, but she knew where to find love lines, in bones and tea leaves, in palms and faces, in the archaic method of reading the guts of the sheep-pigs. Everyone who had approached her for a reading wanted to know about their love lives, especially the Avatar's female companion.
Madame Wu scowled at the thought while the two agents at the head pulled open the heavy stone door without even touching it. That girl was the most persistent she'd encountered in years. Madame Wu had to resort to lying through her teeth to satisfy the girl's desire to know who she'd marry and what kind of family she'd raise. To be honest, she didn't know anything beyond the fact the girl would marry a 'powerful bender'. That was for certain, and the girl wasn't satisfied with that.
Some people put too much on their love lives, Madame Wu thought, paying no attention to where she was going. Just follow the woman in front of her, just follow… This prince doesn't seem to care at all. But I know, Prince Zuko. I know what you've gone through and what's in store for you. The women you've hurt in your seventeen years of existence will demand explanations, forgiveness, and you ought to give them that, if nothing else. But perhaps…you will meet someone, and that someone will be your guide, your companion, and you will find what you lost. A happy ending for one who's suffered too much in such a short span of-
"This way." Something prodded at her elbow and Madame Wu grumbled as her train of thought snapped. Then she blinked and stared.
What was this place?
"…my name is JuDee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se…"
A million young female voices chorusing the same lines. The fortuneteller looked around, but could only see what was lit by the many torches lit and hanging from iron racks on the dark stone walls.
"In here," the Dai Li agent who was pushing her forward ordered. Madame Wu suddenly realized that while she had been walking, the other women and the two agents leading them all had disappeared. She looked over her shoulder. Only one was following her now, an agent with a sallow face.
Oh, you'll live a very long life, with much regret and little rejoicing.
He suddenly grabbed her by the elbow and thrust a hand out at the nearest door in a series down along the hall. It slid open and the agent shoved her into darkness.
A small candle was lit and Madame Wu stared in horror at the emotionless face staring at her; the light cast deep shadows on the gaunt face, making him demon-like.
"You will repeat every word I say until I order you to stop…"
The small orange firelight was cheerful, friendly, fuzzy, drowsy…
XXX
In the seconds after her hand connected to his cheek, every single thing that happened to him flashed in his mind in reverse.
The wretched sickness, his betrayal of Uncle and the Avatar and the battle in the city's catacombs, that horrid illness, finding the Avatar's pet bison, Jin, the prospect of being a tea server for the rest of his life, Jet…the ostrich horse, Song, Uncle eating the wrong plants, the fight on Azula's ship,…braving the blizzard and the icy waters of the North Pole to capture the Avatar after the ordeal on his destroyed ship…sailing through the ice straight into the heart of the small village, spotting the flare in the distance through the ice and snow…the disfiguring Agni Kai, the fatal mistake at the war council…Mother and Lu-Ten vanishing from the face of the earth…being born…
"My father said she was born lucky. He said I was lucky to be born."
Why did everything have to happen to him?
"I-I can't believe you!" Jin breathed, her breath hot against his face. She was staring at him, her angry, narrowed eyes were boring into him, but he kept his stubbornly on the ground while rubbing his bruised cheek. "How dare you show your face here?! You-you-you-you lied to me! You lied to me, Lee-or should I say, Prince Zuko-"
"Don't say that here," he said dully, cutting her off. "I'm not supposed to be here-"
"I should imagine," she interjected, taking to turn to cut him off. "I heard the commotion. The cabbage seller, yelling about someone who jumped the wall and landed in his produce. I wouldn't have cared if he didn't shout that someone had a scar of sorts on his face. Explain that to me, L-Zuko. Explain why you lied to me!"
Anger laced with pain, it was the most frightening emotion of all. He didn't dare answer; no, he was actually scared, very scared. If he opened his mouth and said the wrong thing…
What am I supposed to say? She knows who I am, and not just because of…
"You were there," he murmured. "You were there when Azula opened up the rings, so everyone could hear her pronounce herself ruler of Ba Sing Se."
"The refugees aren't all that stupid," Jin stated. "Someone said he saw you last year, rampaging through cities, towns, villages, in search of someone. He said you were trying to capture the Avatar. Is that why you came to Ba Sing Se? Is that it? And you-you led me on, just to pass off as a refugee? You were planning this with your sister, weren't you? Of course you were; how else did all of this happen? The refugees have been spilling it all ever since that day, and nobody's been holding them back, not this time, not like before! What is going on here?"
Azula nor Long Feng is that sloppy. They're obviously scheming, planning something. But what? "I never work with my sister. We are nothing alike."
"Then why were you standing with her that day, while she said Ba Sing Se was forever safe from the war, while these refugees keep materializing, talking about losing their homes and lives, trying to start a new one in an overcrowded city-"
"That's why we were here," Zuko whispered. Starting a new life; that was Uncle's hope after they formerly severed their ties from the Fire Nation. They had come to Ba Sing Se to start a new life, with the only problems being Zuko's refusal to live out the rest of his days serving tea, Uncle's rising reputation, the coincidence with the arrival of the Avatar and his companions, and his sister's plot to take over the Earth Kingdom.
"Here for what?" Jin backed off. Arms akimbo, she stared at him, skeptically, almost accusingly. He considered her question.
"Here…to start a new life," he said slowly. "A…second chance. And I blew it. I blew it, and I'm trying to fix it…"
Like it or not, he could hear the despair seeping into his cool, controlled voice.
"Your uncle, where's your uncle?" Jin suddenly asked. She heard the 'we'. "Where's Mushi?"
"His name is Iroh," Zuko muttered. He saw her feet step back, then again, and again.
"I-Iroh? General Iroh? Dragon of the West? No…that's impossible. That can't be the same man!"
Zuko looked up at her horrified face, and realized that she wasn't as ignorant as he assumed her to be. Of course everyone who'd been living in Ba Sing Se for more than six years would know of the six hundred days-siege of the city.
"You're lying," Jin hissed. "That can't be General Iroh! What's he doing here, of all places? Why'd he come back?"
"He…I can't explain. It's too complicated."
"Complicated? I have the right to know what's going on, Prince Zuko. You have no idea how I felt when I found out who you really are. Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, who's been traveling with the man who held my city, my home, hostage for six hundred days, snooping around a tea shop, leading people on, finding out and searching for the Avatar, our last hope for some peace, the person I…if you don't tell me, I will let everybody out there know who's here in their midst!"
She gestured wildly in the direction of the marketplace; her green eyes were afire with emotion. Zuko hissed at the threat. "You'll do no such thing!"
"You can't order me around. This isn't the Fire Nation," Jin retorted, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "So, what will it be? Spill your story, or I'll spill you."
This isn't the Jin I somewhat know…what made her snap? Zuko wracked his brain trying to figure out why this person he knew so little of cared so much about who he was and why he was here. Long Feng and the Dai Li's been suppressing all information and talk about the war, so she'd know not to push it…it had nothing to do with her while she lived in here, so she shouldn't care about the war. So what is it…oh.
The fountain. The lights. The kiss.
Oh. That. That's why.
Suddenly he felt his face burn, and hastily turned his head away. Now this was very awkward. He felt vulnerable, almost naked; Jin had done to him what no one else had dared to do before, had made herself vulnerable at that moment, and because of that he owed her. When she kissed him, she pushed down her last barriers, and then he rejected her, ran away from her. Worse, she now knows he was the prince of the nation that ravaged Ba Sing Se during the two-year siege and was currently trying to conquer the world. Jin had all the rights in the world to be very, very angry at him. He was surprised she hadn't turned him over to the guards yet.
What should he do?
Uncle would say I should apologize to her, for hiding my identity and hurting her. It would be the honorable thing to do. But how do I do that? Men I can handle. Ships, battles, benders, the Avatar, I can handle them all. But…what do I do with girls? What do I do with her
He looked at Jin then, cocked his head to the side and studied her. She was staring rather fiercely at the ground, her arms pressing against her chest. She looked…sad. Not angry, but sad. Okay, a bit angry, the way she's biting her lip…she was a pretty girl, and kind, but she was something quite different when angry…
Maybe I should tell her some things…would that help? Would that…get rid of the anger?
"My…my uncle, he's…my sister's holding him prisoner," he mumbled, turning his head away again as he spoke. His eyes, though, swiveled to watch her reaction.
"What?" Jin hadn't heard correctly. Her eyes turned to him.
"My sister, Azula," Zuko clarified. "She's holding Iroh prisoner. He's leaving in a few days. He's to be sent back to the Fire Nation to…to stand trial."
"Why? He's General Iroh. He's from the Fire Nation, isn't he?"
He shook his head. "Uncle did things…that my father disagreed on-" disagreeing was putting it mildly "-so he's to stand trial. And most likely, he'll be found guilty and…sentenced to death-"
Jin gasped sharply. "What? No…how could they? He's such a sweet man…as Mushi, that is. Can't you stop that from happening?"
He shook his head. Ridiculous. "My father's word is law, and we already have laws regarding traitors to the Fire Nation. I have no power, not there and not here. My sister and Long Feng are the ones in charge. I'm…just here…"
That was a disconcerting thought. What was the whole point of him being here? He turned on his uncle to regain the honor and throne he lost, to finally earn his father's love and approval, but now that his sister managed to take over Ba Sing Se – and the Earth Kingdom – he's been doing nothing but being a sitting turtle-duck. He had agreed to go hunt the Avatar with the Dai Li, but was that his only purpose? Was he forever hunting the Avatar? Forever following the orders of authority? And while he was off Uncle would leave, disappear from his life. Then there would be no one left, no one who cared for Zuko. His uncle was the last one.
There was Jin. He looked at the girl fully, but she didn't notice; her gaze had dropped, her head cocked towards him, waiting for him to continue. She cared for him, didn't she? But she was, and this was stating it as it is, a peasant. She really was. And as a peasant, she had nowhere to go. Her place was here. He knew she would never leave Ba Sing Se; Ba Sing Se was her beginning, middle, and end. And he couldn't afford to stay in Ba Sing Se with her forever. He couldn't stand Ba Sing Se anyways.
Staying with her would jeopardize her safety, he thought. Then he stopped thinking and went back to what had just popped up in his mind. Jeopardize her safety? When did he care that much for another person, let alone her? Li was one thing – he now felt miserable thinking about that optimistic and opportunistic young boy, and his strangely hurtful words – but Jin was…he didn't know how to put it…
"Zuko? Jin called out. "Zuko?"
He shook his head, blinked rapidly. "I was just…thinking."
"About what?"
About whether or not you were the only one other than my Uncle to care about me. "About how to get my uncle out of prison and away from Azula."
"You want Iroh away from Princess Azula…you have a plan?" Jin prodded.
"I-uh-well, it's a bit complicated," he admitted. "But it's something. It's all I've got."
"Uh huh…" Jin nodded thoughtfully. "Is that why you're down here? That's why you hopped the wall?"
"I…" Those walls were a nightmare to climb and jump over. He was lucky he didn't miscalculate something and break a bone"I need to find some plants, the medicinal kind. I got a list from a healer back at the palace, and I need them tonight, before the prisoners and guards in the dungeons receive their dinners."
"You're going to poison the food?"
Zuko scowled at the horrified look on her face.
"I need to talk to my uncle, without anybody knowing or hearing anything. I need to have this done; there's no other way. The stuff I'm going to use won't hurt anybody, it will just give me time to talk to my uncle without anyone overhearing." Unconsciously he started pacing back and forth across the alleyway, falling back to a habit he developed during his time on the seas. "But now I can't just walk out there and get what I need. People will recognize me."
He stood still, facing the adjacent apartment building, when he felt a soft pressure on his shoulder. He turned and looked down, saw a hand gently gripping his shoulder. He followed the arm to Jin's concerned and sympathetic face.
"I'm sorry…Zuko. I don't know your story, or why Iroh's here, and Lee…but Mushi was a good man. He doesn't deserve this. I… I want to help you."
"H-help me? Why? After everything I did to you, you want to help me?" he exclaimed. What? What is she doing? What is she saying? Why is she offering to help him? "You should hate me, Jin! I'm your enemy…I've hurt you…I don't deserve it. I have to find another way-"
"I don't hate you, Zuko," Jin said quietly. "I…I'm angry, hurt, but I don't hate you. I don't hate you…Lee or Zuko, whichever you are. Let me help you."
She squeezed his shoulder and smiled.
"I…" Words failed him. He cleared his throat and tore his eyes away from her. "I-I need these…particular..."
XXX
Author's Endnote: Chapter 8 is FRIGGIN' long. You're welcome for the warning.
Reviews are deeply appreciated.
Next chapter: How Zuko got down to the dungeons with a plan to free Iroh Part II.
