I'm participating in Camp NaNoWriMo this year (a month-long online writing challenge), so you, my dear readers, get the gift of slightly more frequent updates for the next 21 days. This is one of my favorite chapters so far, so enjoy! :)
More Than Blood Can Stand
"I was born by myself but carry the spirit and blood of my father, mother and my ancestors. So I am really never alone. My identity is through that line."
-Ziggy Marley
Chapter 10: The Fire Days Festival
After five days of walking in the woods, sleeping in the woods, and eating terrible food in the woods, Zuko was done. He was prince of the Fire Nation; he shouldn't have to be living like this.
He wasn't the only one feeling this way. Mai and her mother were noblewomen, and perhaps even less used to rough living than he was. Hinata was the son of a general and Aki was the daughter of a major. They might be members of the military, but they were far from common foot soldiers.
Not that he had anything against foot soldiers. The Fire Nation military was filled with men - and women - like that, who bravely and proudly served their homeland. Without them, the war would have been lost almost before it had begun. He owed them a great deal of honor and respect. Still, they lived very different lives from his.
Yuto and Toph were the only ones in their group who seemed not to care about the conditions. He knew that Yuto was a commoner who had risen through the ranks on his impressive firebending skill and dedication to duty alone. Perhaps that explained his seeming indifference to their harsh circumstances.
Or perhaps he just liked the outdoors. That certainly seemed to be the case with Toph. He had no idea about her upbringing, but she was an earthbender. That came with a certain amount of uncivilized affinity for dirt that he would never be able to wrap his mind around.
He looked at the layer of grime on his hands, at the dingy coloring of his once rich robes, and grimaced. No, never. He couldn't wait to get back to civilization.
Which is why the flyer on the noticeboard in the middle of the road immediately caught his attention.
"The Fire Days Festival," he breathed, jogging up to the board. He imagined the Fire Days Festival in this remote colony wouldn't hold a candle to the one in the capital, but if it was even close…
At his words, Hinata, Mai, and Aki crowded behind him, peering over his shoulder at the flyer.
"Komodo sausage," Hinata whispered reverently.
"Extra spicy fire noodles!" Aki squealed.
"Fire flakes…" The words dripped off Mai's tongue like an endearment.
Zuko closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose, imagining just how glorious the festival food would be. And it wasn't just the food; there would be vendors selling clean clothing, and even pop-up spas for pampering the festival attendees. He let out a longing sigh.
"Let's go," he finally said, turning around and rubbing his hands together. "We've been making good time; we can afford to stop at the festival for a few hours."
"Are you joking?" Toph cried, approaching the notice board. "Walk into a Fire Nation town, with actual Fire Nation soldiers, when you're supposed to be keeping yourself hidden?" She held out her hands incredulously. "You're the prince! Someone's going to notice you, word will get back to Ozai, and then all that effort was for nothing!"
"Relax, Toph," he said, ruffling her hair fondly. "It's the Fire Days Festival."
She ducked out of his reach and scowled. "And that's supposed to make me feel better, how?"
There was a second of silence, and then the rest of the group began chuckling.
"That's right, you wouldn't know," Zuko smiled. "Everyone wears masks to the festival. We'll send someone in ahead of us to buy the masks - Yuto, maybe, he's good at being inconspicuous. We'll blend in perfectly; no one will have any idea who we are."
Two hours later he was strolling through the town, his face obscured by a grotesquely grinning blue spirit mask. He had chosen it from the ones Yuto brought back because it reminded him of his mother's collection of theater masks. His stomach was full of good, hot Fire Nation food and his aches had been soothed away with a soak in a steamy bath at the spa. He had bought two sets of new, more casual robes - one in Fire Nation red and gold, and the other in dark grey, because you never knew when you would need to sneak around at night - and a set of dual broadswords, which were of surprisingly good quality, considering they were made in the small colony.
Their little group was crowded around a stall selling sizzle crisps, when a commotion in the street behind them drew their attention.
A squad of soldiers was marching down the street, pushing the festival-goers out of their way. When they reached the town square, the soldier at the head of the squad stepped up onto a large stone in the middle of the square, pulled out a piece of paper, and began to shout.
"A proclamation of Interim Fire Lord Ozai!"
Zuko's insides clenched. Interim Fire Lord Ozai? This was the first he was hearing of that. So Uncle had, what? Surrendered? Been injured? Regardless, it was bad news.
"Several days ago," the soldier continued, "Prince Zuko, the Lady Mai, her mother Michi and brother Tom-Tom were reported missing from Omashu."
The crowd gasped. Zuko's whole body went tense, and he glanced back at the masked faces of his friends. Their bodies were tense, too. So their escape had finally been noticed.
"The Crown Prince is presumed to be in the custody of dangerous Earth Kingdom dissidents. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the Prince and his companions should come forward immediately."
He paused, scanning the crowd, then continued. "Fire Lord Ozai hopes that all Fire Nation citizens will come together during this difficult time and redouble our efforts to show the world the strength and superiority of our people. Despite the difficulties the last weeks have brought us, with the death of our dear leader, Fire Lord Azulon, the sudden illness of Fire Lord Iroh, and the kidnap of Prince Zuko, we are still the strongest nation, and Fire Lord Ozai will continue to forward the Fire Nation agenda both at home and abroad."
The soldier took a deep breath, and his voice echoed across the streets. "All hail Fire Lord Ozai!"
There was a vague murmuring of "Hail Fire Lord Ozai" as the crowd bowed low.
It did not even occur to Zuko to bow with them, being unused to bowing to anyone other than in the presence of the Fire Lord himself. If he had thought about it long enough, he might have realized the trouble it would cause since no one knew he was Prince Zuko. But as it was, he remained ignorant of that fact right up until the soldier pointed at him.
"How dare you! Show respect for the Fire Lord, peasant!"
It took a second for his brain to process the meaning behind those words, but once he did his resolve hardened and he straightened his shoulders. From behind him he heard Hinata mutter in an annoyed voice, "Fire preserve us," and move closer to him. Zuko's mouth crooked into a smile from beneath his mask. Hinata knew him too well.
He took a step forward from the crowd and called out in a voice that carried across the square, "I will not bow to a usurper. Long live Fire Lord Iroh!" He was gratified to hear a few shouts of approval from the crowd.
The soldier frowned. "Your loyalty to Fire Lord Iroh is admirable, but no disrespect for the acting Fire Lord will be tolerated. Bow to Fire Lord Ozai, or face the consequences!"
"No."
The soldier jumped off of the rock and began walking through the street towards him, fists clenched.
An almost deathly silence pervaded the town. The soldier's boots crunching on the street and Hinata hissing orders to Aki and Yuto - "No firebending unless necessary, retreat at the first opportunity" - were the only sounds Zuko could hear over the rushing of blood in his ears.
The soldier came to a stop ten feet from him and fell into a firebending stance. Zuko almost laughed. Only fools broadcast their moves so clearly before battle began. He knew that style well, and he knew how to defend against it - even without firebending.
He pulled out his broadswords, his posture defensive.
When the punch came, Zuko was ready for it. He dove forward under the fire, turning his momentum into a somersault that brought him into melee range of the soldier.
The scene dissolved into chaos. The crowd erupted in shouts, and people began running for cover, crouching in alleys and behind festival booths. Hinata and Yuto were running towards the battle, as well as the other half dozen or so soldiers, weapons drawn.
Zuko noticed all this - because battlefield awareness was of critical importance - but only dimly, as though looking through murky water.
His main focus was on the man before him: his stance, the direction of his gaze, the twitchy movements of his muscles before he attacked.
Years of training both as a firebender and a swordsman coalesced to give him an answer to every fireblast. They dodged and parried, ducked and jumped around each other.
The soldier yelled as he kicked a stream of fire towards Zuko. He jumped over it, slamming the sides of his blades down on the soldier's head. He fell to the ground, stunned but still conscious.
Hinata and Yuto skidded to a halt next to him. "We're leaving," Hinata said, his voice brooking no argument.
Zuko scowled before realizing that no one could see his scowl past his mask. "Fine," he said. But before he made to leave, he placed his foot on the man's chest, pushing him into the ground, and placing the edge of his blades at his neck. The advancing soldiers froze.
Then he looked at the crowd. "No one here owes loyalty to Ozai," he declared. "Your loyalty is to Fire Lord Iroh alone. And if anyone suggests otherwise," he paused dramatically, sheathing his swords with flair, "he can answer to the Blue Spirit." He shoved the soldier with his foot for good measure.
"Okay, okay, enough theatrics," Hinata growled, and began dragging him out of the middle of the street. "Let's go."
There was a furious howl from behind him, a sharp whistling sound of metal flying through the air, and a sudden thud.
He spun around to see the soldier pinned to the ground by several well-placed stiletto blades. His limbs were in an awkward position suggesting he had been trying to attack them with their backs turned.
When he turned back to see where the blades had come from, there was Mai, face still obscured by her white and red festival mask, arm still extended from the throw.
A roar went up from the crowd, and as they escaped many of the onlookers flooded the streets, overwhelming the soldiers and chanting Uncle's name.
Toph could still hear the cheers as they reached the fork of the river. It was late afternoon, and the heat of the day was starting to fade into a cool breeze that seemed to hang in the air.
They followed a path that led in-between the two river forks, through a dense forest. The wind rustled through the trees, and everything was so peaceful and calm that she was soon drawn into her own thoughts.
The first thought on her mind was the same one she had been thinking ever since Prince Fire Nation had appeared in front of her cell that night: she did not understand Fire Nation people. The cutthroat politics, the backstabbing between family members and romantic partners, the spicy food...
Or the obsession with honor that led to that ridiculous scene back in the village.
Relax, Toph. We'll blend in perfectly, Toph. Sure, they had done a great job of that… if openly defying a royal proclamation, starting a public fight, and then causing what sounded like a genuine insurrection was what you called blending in.
Not that it hadn't been fun to watch; it had been almost on par with Earth Rumble V; the Blue Spirit would make a great fighting persona. But it had still been stupid.
She wondered sometimes - okay, a lot of the time - why she had bothered to save him that first night. And after that, why she had agreed to help him figure out who he could trust. And after that, why she had agreed to lead him out of Omashu. And after that, why she had decided to follow him instead of going home to see if her parents were okay.
And after they found this Jeong Jeong and his camp, would she still decide to stick with him? Okay, she didn't really wonder about that. She knew she would. But the question was why.
They rounded a corner in the path, and Toph suddenly realized that she had been too lost in her thoughts, because she was the last person in the group to notice the man standing in their way.
The man was a medium-sized adult, with a solid stance and slightly rounded shoulders. And judging by his steady heartbeat, he was not intimidated by them in the slightest.
"Come with me," the man said in a deep voice that was at the same time both warm and severe.
"Are you Admiral Jeong Jeong?" Aki asked.
The man didn't reply, instead turning and walking off the path into the woods.
The rest of the Fire Nation crew shifted towards Prince Zuko, probably communicating with looks again, whatever that meant. Zuko must have given a look back, because his only response was to follow the man.
And even though Toph could tell that the rest of them were nervous about following a stranger into the middle of nowhere, they all followed after the prince. Because of course they did, even if they weren't sure why. Because he was that kind of person.
Toph followed, too.
Former Admiral Jeong Jeong was not very loquacious; one might even call him laconic, if one were wont to use such self-aggrandizing vocabulary.
Uncle had always been insistent that a Fire Lord needed to keep his speeches accessible to even the most illiterate of his subjects, but that he also had to know all of the big, fancy words in order to keep control of his advisors.
Former Admiral Jeong Jeong struck Zuko as the type to test the Fire Lord in that arena.
It wasn't that he was conceited, per se, but he had a certain sanctimonious air about him, especially when he talked about the Fire Nation or firebending, as if he were the only one who understood what was best for the world. If he had been in Zuko's war room, he would have needed to put him in his place.
See, Uncle? I might make a decent Fire Lord yet.
But as it was, Zuko was in the vulnerable position and at the mercy of Jeong Jeong's hospitality, so he kept his big words to himself and let the old man believe what he would.
They had been given two tents - one for Zuko, Hinata, and Yuto, and another, much more crowded one for Michi, Mai, Aki, Toph, and Tom-Tom - and a meal, and after that had been left mostly alone.
Jeong Jeong spent most of his time in his tent meditating with an insane number of candles. Zuko's meditative control was considered impressive at eight candles at a time, and Uncle's exemplary at fifteen, but Jeong Jeong had at least two dozen candles in his tent, which he could keep at varying heights and intensities. He was truly a firebending master.
But this all reminded Zuko that he hadn't had a chance to practice his meditation ever since he visited the dragons nearly three weeks ago. So despite Jeong Jeong's off-putting, quiet disapproval of everything Zuko stood for, he found himself just outside of Jeong Jeong's tent right after sunset.
He paused slightly before entering, then squared his shoulders, reminded himself that even if Jeong Jeong had deserted, he was still his Prince, and entered the tent.
"What do you want?" Jeong Jeong grunted.
Zuko bowed just a fraction lower than he ordinarily would have to a non-royal elder. "Master, I have not meditated in weeks. If I could impose on your hospitality for a few minutes…"
"Hmm." Jeong Jeong regarded him for a long moment, then stood up and stepped to the side. "Be my guest, Prince Zuko. But I must ask that you not let any of my candles go out."
There was a challenge behind that statement, but Zuko was nothing if not determined. He knew it would be impossible for him to keep all of those candles lit, but that didn't mean he couldn't try.
He took a seat, closed his eyes, and reached out with his chi to each of the little flames. He took a deep breath in, feeling their warmth, their life. The memory of his vision from the dragons flashed before his mind's eye, and suddenly he wondered how he could have ever meditated without that knowledge. The peace he now felt, the feeding of his very soul, was something he had never felt before. He felt the fires in the deep recesses of his heart, in the places where his father's betrayal had hurt the most, and he felt the pain receding.
Fire is life. He felt this truth in his very soul now.
He took a few more breaths, filling his body with the warmth, and then opened his eyes and stood up. Only thirteen of the candles were still lit.
"You have excellent control, Prince Zuko," Jeong Jeong said with what might have been a hint of respect. "I have never seen this in someone your age."
"Thank you," he bowed. "My father is a good teacher."
"Your father," Jeong Jeong spat. "Why do you internalize the lies of Fire Lord Azulon? Your father is Ozai. Iroh is your uncle."
"He adopted me. I am his son, that is not a lie."
"Hmph. If you say so."
His reply made Zuko irrationally angry. "And what would you call a father who did this?" He pointed angrily to his scar.
"We are all touched by fire's curse. Yours is simply more evident than others'."
"That's not what I asked," he frowned.
Jeong Jeong merely sat back down in the middle of his candles, lit the ones that had gone out during Zuko's meditation, and closed his eyes.
Zuko pursed his lips. He knew a dismissal when he saw one, though he had to admit he wasn't used to being on the receiving end of one. He walked towards the entrance and pushed aside the tent flap.
And came face-to-face with a boy in yellow and orange robes.
"Hi," said the boy brightly. "My name's Aang. Is Jeong Jeong in there?"