Chapter Nine
Haneul led Zuko to a path that curled up the opposite side of their hiding place. It wove along, around and through the rock. At one moment they would be inside, the scent of growing things, the chatter and laughter of his people coming easily to the senses. Then a twist in the path would send them into a darkened cave, a high-walled canyon of rock that would find them on a precarious ledge on the outside of the extinct volcano where Zuko would find himself momentary blinded by the sun's brightness. He'd catch a glimpse of the ocean, far, far below them before the path would twist again, sending them back into momentarily darkness, then back into the cool, green shadows within. The changes were rather disconcerting, and the only thing he could really tell was that the old one was leading him upwards, ever upwards. But to what and where, Zuko couldn't even begin to guess.
With one ancient and the other injured it was a long walk, a journey taken in complete silence. Haneul didn't speak and Zuko was at a loss for words. He wondered if the man was an actual witness to the destruction his people had brought. He certainly looked old enough. Zuko sighed deeply at the thought of what the man, who would have been a child at the time, might have seen.
"You still find it hard to accept don't you?" Haneul said suddenly. "That we'd help you?"
"It does go against the norm." Zuko sighed. "Most people find out who I am and just…" He lowered his head.
Haneul nodded. "It is often hard for people to look past the sins of the father." He said. "The burden you bear must be close to impossible for you to escape."
"How can you be so understanding?" He looked at the man.
"We are an enlightened people." He smiled. "It is in our nature." Then he sighed. "But it was not always that way…"
Zuko looked at him, startled by the comment. He didn't know that much about the Air Nomads, history was not something that had ever interested him. But he knew they were a gentle people, a peace-loving people. It was why they had been eradicated so easily.
"Ah." Haneul said with a smile. "We are here."
They had reached the very apex of the mountain, stepping out onto a large, flat plateau. To their right was a jagged curve of rock, the lip of the opening visible from below. Haneul sat down wearily on a flat rock, jamming his parasol into a gap in between it and those adjacent to it. He gestured for Zuko to sit down beside him to share the shade afforded by the circle of golden fabric.
Zuko was grateful to sit down. It had been a long climb and even at his best it would have been tiring. He dropped his left arm into his lap to lighten the drag its weight had on his shoulder. Haneul produced a water skin from somewhere within the folds of his robes and offered it to him, which he accepted with gratitude.
Haneul leaned back with a dreamy smile gazing out at the scenery before them. Zuko had to admit, at this height they were afforded a spectacular view. There were several islands close by, similar in appearance to the one they were currently on, little more than soaring mountains pushed up out of the sea. Off to the right there were a few that were flatter, with evidence of well-established agriculture, and beyond those there was a broad coastline that stretched out of sight that had to be the western edge of the Earth Kingdom. Squinting to the north-west he was sure he could just make out the coast of the southern most island of his homeland. A smoky haze drifted above it indicating volcanic activity. He closed his eyes and imagined he could almost feel it…
He opened his eyes to find Haneul gazing wistfully to the west. Following his gaze he could see a series of graceful towers clinging to the highest mountaintop of the neighbouring island. They were indistinct at this distance, but the shapes were definitely man-made. Zuko had never seen an Air Temple, but having visited every other nation he knew that was what it had to be, he'd never seen architecture like that before. Haneul looked at him with a sad smile and Zuko knew he'd been alive back then, back when the Fire Nation, HIS people, had come.
"We are not so different…you and I." Haneul said. "Both of us at odds with the world. Both of us forced to live up to expectations that were unobtainable. Both of us feeling that, somehow, we just don't belong…" He sighed.
"I was of the class after the Avatar." He said. "I was half his age…and yet I…all of my classmates…we all felt we were forever judged by his accomplishments. Everything came so easily to him…how could it not…he was the Avatar…he had mastered all the elements, over and over again, through countless lifetimes. For him it was just a matter of REMEMBERING. He already KNEW how to do EVERYTHING! He was an example that was impossible to live up to…so we rebelled."
"Rebelled?" Zuko frowned. "When you were six?"
"There were seven of us, about half the class. We started pushing our boundaries." Haneul said. "Subtly at first. We would pay little attention to our lessons…our chores…our personal hygiene. You must understand, rebelling was not a concept well known to the Air Nomads."
Zuko smiled at the thought.
"We would be punished for our actions, of course…usually by having to do the chores of others." He sighed. "Then one day, a beautiful day, we decided we'd rather go swimming than muck out the stables. So we did…"
He looked at Zuko and he knew that he didn't have to finish his thought. In their youth they had been selfish, they had done what they'd wanted rather than what they should have, and in doing so had escaped the massacre.
"Sometimes…" Haneul said quietly. "Not doing what is expected of you can save your life."
"But… Zuko began. "How do you…how DID you…survive?"
"We had been taught to live off the land. Even at such a young age we could feed ourselves. For several years we fended for ourselves, as the war continued to rage beyond our shores. But in our solitude we grew to hate your people, blame them for our hardships, our predicament, for taking everything we knew and loved away from us."
"You were perfectly justified." Zuko said.
"Perhaps." Haneul sighed. "But such feelings went against all we believed. And in our bitterness, we lost that which made us who we are. We lost the ability to bend. Though in truth we had never had much ability to begin with, we were too young to have learned very much, and with no one left to teach us…" He sighed again.
They sat in silence for a long time, a warm breeze tugging at their robes and hair.
"We were almost ten when the war once again reached our shores. A boat full of Water Tribers who had sought to escape the attack on their own land, arrived. They found us and we cared for each other. We showing them how to live in our world, they providing the paternal love we had long been without."
"And that's how your numbers grew." Zuko surmised.
"Yes." He nodded. "More refugees followed, unaware that we were here. Like you, they stumbled upon us by chance, often injured, always running. We took an oath to take in all who were in need…"
"Even Fire Nation?" Zuko asked.
"We never specifically excluded them, at least not in words." Haneul answered. "We just never considered they would ever be in need. Naturally we all had a less than favourable opinion of them. We taught our children to fear them…to avoid them…and, if they ever came across them to run as fast as possible."
"I'm not the first." Zuko said.
"You are the first firebender to reach our shores." Haneul admitted. "But, yes, you are not the first from the Fire Nation. It was…" He paused as he made some quick calculations. "…fifty years ago. His name was Ryozo. It was Guanyin who found him. He was badly hurt, far worse then you, burned and broken. She knew what he was immediately…those golden eyes occur nowhere else.
"Her first impulse was to run, as she had been taught. But he was in such a bad state, she didn't see him as a threat. She knew he would die if she left him, and despite what he was she couldn't let that happen. A healer heals after all. But she knew we would never understand if she brought him to us…so she hid him, tended him in secret.
"As he grew stronger she found he was not the monster we had made him out to be. He was gentle, kind, highly appreciative of everything she did for him…"
He sighed deeply, a look of ultimate sadness on his face.
"They fell in love." Zuko surmised.
Haneul nodded. "You can imagine how hard it was for her…for both of them. I feel you know how hard it is to choose between your head and you heart."
"Yes…" Zuko admitted softly.
"Finally she decided to reveal his presence to us. We reacted to him in much the same way people have reacted to you…with anger and suspicion. But for Guanyin we were willing to give him a chance." He smiled wryly. "It is very hard for a father to deny his daughter anything.
"In time we came to see him as she did. Through him we learned about your culture, your beliefs and your code of honour. We learned that you are not an evil people, not a cruel people. Your code of honour demands your total obedience to your ruler, even if you do not agree with him. To go against him is the ultimate dishonour. A fate worse than death…"
Zuko lowered his head.
"We were comforted by that. We had hope that the madness would end with Sozin." He sighed. "But it did not." He put a hand on Zuko's shoulder, forcing the boy to look at him. "But now there is hope again. You are not like those who came before you. With you there can be peace again."
"You're forgetting one small detail." Zuko reminded him. "I've been dishonoured…disowned. I am no longer recognised as a member of the royal family. I won't be the next Fire Lord…my sister will."
"Are you so sure about that?" Haneul asked.
"Pretty sure." Zuko said bitterly.
"Even if the Avatar succeeds?" Haneul arced a brow.
"If the Avatar succeeds there will be no Fire Nation." Zuko said. "The other nations will see to that."
"Do you honestly believe the Avatar would allow it?" Haneul frowned. "The balance is all important."
"There IS no balance." Zuko said rising to his feet. "My great-grandfather already saw to that."
"And yet the world is still here."
"Which only proves the world would go on without us." Zuko stomped to the edge of the plateau, staring down at the dizzying drop. "Maybe it would be better off."
"You cannot mean that." Haneul said softly.
"Why wouldn't I?" Zuko spun on him. With a flick he unfurled his fingers, a small flame igniting in his palm. "All it does is burn…all it can do is destroy…" He fisted his hand, quenching the fire he had made.
"ALL of the elements hold in them the power of destruction." Haneul said, rising to join the troubled young man who stood so close to the brink, both literally and figuratively. "Floods…earthquakes…typhoons…ALL can take life." He put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "But all are essential for creating it, sustaining it. And therein lies the balance."
Zuko stepped away, not at all convinced.
"Think of the greatest source of fire." Haneul said, gesturing upwards towards the sun. "Nothing would survive without it. Without it we would be forever in darkness." He walked up to him again, placing his hands on his shoulders, peering into his face, waiting until he had the boy's undivided attention.
"Yes. Fire burns. But it also warms." He said firmly. "Of all the elements…it is the one that lights the way."
Zuko didn't sleep well that night. Everything that Haneul had said kept running around inside his head, so he was already washed and dressed when Kanaye arrived. The boy chattered away ceaselessly as he led him to the inlet where their boat awaited, but Zuko didn't really hear a word as he still mulled over everything that had kept him awake all night.
He glanced at the boat which seemed to be of a mostly Water Tribe design. Joochan and another man he didn't recognise, that he assumed to be Rafu, were checking the riggings.
"You look awful." Joochan observed as the pair arrived.
"I didn't sleep very well." Zuko muttered.
"In a bit of pain were you?" He asked.
"Yes…"
"Well, the trip takes a couple of hours." Joochan told him. "Maybe you can catch a little sleep."
"You don't need me to help…?" He looked up at the boat.
"We've made this trip so many times I think the boat can do it on its own." Rafu snorted as he leaned on the rudder.
"It takes three people to sail it." Joochan said. "Rafu, Kanaye and I can handle it."
"Besides." Rafu noted. "With that shoulder and that hand I don't think you're really up to hauling on ropes."
"You may be right." Zuko winced as he hauled himself up onto the deck.
As Zuko was beginning his journey, Azula was finishing hers. She had been called home at the explicit request of the Fire Lord. Annoying as the summons was she knew better than to argue against her father. Speaking out against the Fire Lord was the starting point of all her brother's woes after all.
She entered the throne room and dropped to the floor in the proper show of respect, even his children were not excused from bowing to the Fire Lord.
"Daughter." He said coolly.
"Father." She replied.
"When did you take it upon yourself to speak on my behalf?" He asked.
"I…wha…" For once she was at a loss for words.
"Your brother returned under the impression he could do so without completing the task I set for him." Ozai continued as he approached her menacingly. "He seemed to think I would accept him because you told him I would."
She just stared at the floor, knowing it would be unwise to speak at that moment.
"I had to remind him of his place." Ozai continued. "He did not take it well. In fact he sought to do me harm. He even managed to injure me." She gasped involuntarily as his hand cupped her chin and he tilted her head up so he could see her face. "An injury that would not have occurred if you had not given him such false hope."
Azula stormed through the corridors of the palace sending servants scattering for cover. She slammed through the doors to her personal chambers where Mai and Ty Lee were waiting for her.
"I'm surrounded by idiots!" She snarled as she hurled lightening at an ornate, and probably very expensive vase, which exploded in a shower of fine porcelain fragments.
"What happened?" Ty Lee asked sheepishly from behind a cushion as Mai casually brushed powdered vase from her clothing.
"I had him." Azula continued, ignoring Ty Lee's question completely. "I had him completely onside despite all the rubbish Uncle put in his head. All Father had to do was pat him on the back and the idiot would have done anything for him. He would have died for him!"
"Who?" Ty Lee frowned.
"Zuko." Azula growled. "Father didn't lift his banishment."
"I'd have thought you'd be in favour of that." Mai drolled. "It's not like you want him being the heir apparent again."
"Of course I don't!" She snapped. "Zuko's far too soft to be an effective Fire Lord, but he's not without his uses. He may not have been able to hold onto the Avatar but he was extremely gifted at FINDING him, HINDERING him. Father could have used him as a shield! Thrown him in the Avatar's path to slow him down! Once Sozin's Comet returns the Fire Nation will be unstoppable…not even the Avatar will be able to stand against us! But no! Father has to go and DISOWN him! Now he's got no hope of ever coming home!"
"I'd have thought that was a good thing." Ty Lee said, squeaking and ducking behind her cushion as Azula turned on him.
"My brother is NOT an idiot." She said. "He's had the same education as I have. Now that he's no longer obsessing on capturing the Avatar and getting his honour back he might actually start THINKING! And that could be a very dangerous thing now that Father has made him an enemy of the Fire Nation!"
"Are we going after him?" Ty Lee asked. The question got Mai's attention.
"No." Azula said. "Father doesn't see him as that formidable a threat. He underestimates him…like I did…but then I saw him fight in Ba Sing Se. He's a far better bender than I gave him credit for."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Who knows what alliances he's making."
"Kanaye." Zuko groaned. "I came here to get some new clothes…not pastries." He had managed to fall asleep on the boat, he'd found the gentle rocking rather soothing, so he was still rather groggy.
"C'mon…" The boy needled. "It's not far…and I promise, they're the greatest thing you'll ever eat!"
Resigned to his fate, Zuko sighed as the hyperactive boy dragged him along a dusty street and though a beaded curtain into a very neat looking store with several neat looking tables. It reminded Zuko a little of Pao's teashop. He turned to examine a painted scroll on the wall, a lump forming in his throat at the simple rendition of a mother turtleduck leading a trail of hatchlings.
"Sumi!" Kanaye yelled to attract the proprietor's attention.
"Kanaye?" A gentle voice answered. "I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Oh…you brought a friend…"
"Yeah." Kanaye confirmed. "He needs some new clothes…"
"I can see that."
Zuko had frozen, his eyes wide, as soon as he heard the voice. He KNEW that voice. He'd heard it nearly every night in his dreams for the past six years. Ever since that night when he'd last heard it for real in that place between dream and waking. His breath had become rapid and ragged. He was beginning to feel faint.
"Are you alright?" He heard that motherly concern in her question. "Can I help you?"
"I hope so…" He whispered.
He turned his head slowly to look over his right shoulder, but it did nothing to calm his breathing. She looked almost exactly as he remembered her. The same dark hair, though she was wearing it in an Earth Kingdom style to match the muddy brown and green robes she wore. The same warm golden eyes, currently full of concern and confusion, which deepened as he turned to face her fully and she caught sight of the scar half hidden behind his shaggy hair.
He wasn't at all surprised that she didn't recognise him. He was nothing like the innocent boy she'd left behind. He didn't look the same, he didn't sound the same. She had to raise her eyes to look into the face of the boy who had not reached her shoulder…eyes that never left his.
'…those golden eyes occur nowhere else…'
Haneul's words flashed though his mind as he saw the light of recognition dawn on her face, as her hand quickly covered her mouth in her shock.
"Zuko…" She whispered.
She crossed the distance between them in an instant. Zuko turned his face from her searching eyes, suddenly ashamed of the brand of dishonour that marked it. He felt her warm fingers against the hardened skin and for once found he couldn't flinch away from that touch. She turned his head back so see could search his eyes. He didn't know what she found there, but he saw the tears well up and spill down her cheeks.
"Agni…" She whispered as she pulled him into her arms. "What has that man done to you?"
AN: Okay...now that we've got the official release date of Season Three I figure I'm going to have to update this thing pretty much weekly to meet my goal of having it finished before the season starts...and seeing as I wrote this in the space of an afternoon I just might be able to do so.
Any complaints?
Avatar: The Last Airbender and all related characters are (c) of Bryan Konietzko, Michael DiMartino, Nickelodeon and Viacom International Inc
