In Error's Darkest Hour
Disclaimer: Avatar:the Last Airbender duly belongs to Bryke. No profit is made from this story other than the sheer gratification of reviews.
NOTE: Whew. I managed to squeeze this little one out somehow. I'm really going to try and stick to the one chapter per week regimen. But it looks like (more or less) I'll only be able to post chapters on weekends, because that's the only time I really have to sit down and write something non-academic. The next three weeks are academic nightmares which I must endure, but I do not want to waver in my commitment to deliver this story to you all. I will try to keep the writing as interesting as I can (but forgive me if sometimes some of my school lessons spills over).
Oh, and I modified a bit of how Aang learns firebending. I won't be following the logic of "The Firebending Masters". But you can be sure that the dragons will definitely come out in this story.
Hope you like this.
CHAPTER NINE
"We have been marked, by the blood that flows through our veins, by the weight of the crimes of our ancestors as well as our own transgressions," Ursa explained to her daughter, "and we cannot escape our fate."
"I don't believe in all that," Azula replied skeptically, "there is nothing in this world which we cannot control, given enough power. Fate is something we make for ourselves."
Ursa shook her head gravely. She had already begun describing the curse that hung over their family and all that it entailed, all that was to come. Azula had listened for the most part, but always with that doubtful, skeptical air of hers.
The older woman knew that it would be a challenge to convince her daughter to see the inexplicable reason behind all their sufferings, but she was not going to give up.
"You aren't seeing the whole picture, my dear," the mother answered, "for while we do have a capacity and freedom to make certain decisions, there still remains some parts of life which none of us can control or manipulate. There are facts that we must learn to accept and face with resignation."
"So is that your brilliant plan, then? That we just sit around and wait for our sufferings to come and endure all in silence," Azula retorted sarcastically, "I've never heard anything so utterly ridiculous. And I confess, I expected a little more from you, mother."
Ursa sighed lightly. The girl still said the word with such contempt and the lady was trying her best to make Azula understand everything before it was too late.
"It's not that simple," Ursa explained, "this isn't a matter of sitting and waiting. We all have something to atone for, and so we must face the punishment coming to us, endure it, survive it, and then start anew."
Azula frowned at this.
"I refuse to agree to such a cowardly and pathetic arrangement," Azula continued vehemently, "and if that is all you have in mind for me, then you don't know me at all. You've wasted your time here."
The princess stood up and made to leave the small house where they resided, in the middle of some remote forest in the Earth Kingdom and close to a narrow stream.
And yet, there were still so many missing pieces. Azula hesitated, trying to weigh her options. Did she really want to leave when she still had so many unanswered questions?
Her mother said nothing to stop her. After all, Azula had always been free to leave. But Ursa knew that Azula was still willing to listen somehow. The mother simply waited for her child to come around.
"If it is as you say," Azula said quietly, her back still to her mother, "that none of us can escape what's coming, then why did you bother taking me here?"
Ursa's face grew grave. The answer wasn't an easy one although the question was one she had already expected.
Azula slowly turned to face her mother, the girl's expression stern and unyielding, demanding the answer.
"Why take me with you here?" Azula continued, "why me this time and not your precious Zuko? There isn't any point in hiding from what we cannot escape. Have you decided to doom us both?"
Ursa shook her head sadly.
"Years ago, I had to leave you and your brother," the mother explained, "to protect Zuko from your father. I knew that Ozai would never harm you since you were his favorite although I knew you might not understand my motives."
"You favored Zuko over me, that was clear enough," Azula replied acidly.
"This time, I have come to protect you," Ursa continued, "it is impossible for me to stop the punishment that is coming because it will only come in the form of what causes the individual great pain. That is why it will not be the same for everyone. And I know that I have been a cause of some of your pain, although you will never admit it."
Azula frowned, although the words being uttered were true.
"So I took you here so that I could at least endure your suffering with you, so that you would not be alone when the darkness comes," Ursa continued.
"And what about your son?" Azula asked with bitterness, "what makes you think that I need your protection and company more than he does? He was always the weak and whiny one."
Azula folded her arms as she waited for the answer. She did not like the idea that her mother thought that she was weaker than Zuko. Nothing in the world annoyed the princess as much as this. She felt gravely insulted.
"You're misunderstanding me," Ursa replied, "but it would be impossible for you to understand all of this with your current state of mind. For as long as you hold on to your hatred of your brother and your resentment towards me, you will never understand."
"Ha," Azula retorted bitterly, "you're underestimating me again. You have long relinquished the right to tell me what to do, mother."
But what Azula had said did not have the desired effect on her mother. Ursa remained as calm and composed as ever.
"Your brother will not be alone when his punishment comes," Ursa replied, "he has realized his true role in all of this and he is determined to see that through. If I were to reveal myself to him, he would only be distracted from his greater goals. And I do not want that."
"So he still doesn't know you're alive?" Azula asked.
The mother shook her head. Azula smiled sinisterly. That was an interesting discovery.
Once again, the princess made ready to leave that strange and remote refuge. It didn't look like her mother had any other information to offer. Or if she did, she was not about to divulge any of it.
There was no point in staying anymore.
"I won't waste my time here any longer," Azula announced, "and if you are not going to stop me, I will be going on my way."
Ursa stood up, as if to show her daughter the way out. But the older woman had a calm expression with an almost mischievous glint in her golden eyes. She went and stood by the door, making to open it.
"But won't you at least say hello to your friends, who came so far just to see you?" Ursa said sweetly.
Azula's eyes widened.
And it was then that the door was opened to reveal Mai and Ty Lee standing on the other side.
--
There was going to be one last great struggle before all this would be over.
Hakoda of the Water Tribe knew that much. And he was honored to be a part of such a great part of their history.
Iroh, Hakoda, as well as the other allies of the Avatar who had escaped during the botched eclipse invasion, were currently on their way to the Earth Kingdom city of Ba Sing Se in a campaign to reclaim the city for the Earth Kingdom. Travelling with them were other members of the mysterious but powerful Order of the White Lotus.
One of these members was the waterbending master Pakku from the Northern Water Tribe. The old warrior and the Chief of the Southern Water Tribe became fast friends and discussed, among other things, Pakku's reconciliation with Kanna, as well as Katara's prowess in waterbending.
"Your daughter was an exceptional student," Pakku had reported to the beaming father, "and she had proven me wrong about not allowing girls to train in waterbending. I'm sure you are very proud of her."
"I've always been proud of her," Hakoda had replied, "but I'm still glad that she is still able to exceed my expectations until now."
The group of allies sent frequent messages (via the chameleon falcon) to the Avatar and his group. Aang and his friends, on the other hand, always replied with updates on their own activities. So far, none of their enemies had intercepted any of these messages and all their plans were under way.
Iroh was grave as they approached Ba Sing Se, remembering his last attempt to besiege the city. He knew now that the dream he had then was telling him to win the city back for the Earth Kingdom.
But he hoped that they would succeed in this venture as soon as possible. He did not know how long he had before his dark hour would come. It had been some time since the eclipse and as far as Iroh knew, even Ozai had not yet returned to the Fire Nation capital.
He was waiting as well.
The older firebender, however, was the only one who knew the whereabouts of the other members of his family. Iroh was aware that Azula was in Ursa's custody while Zuko was safe with the Avatar and his friends.
Iroh had also told all the members of the Order as well as Hakoda, the nature of the punishment that was coming for him and the rest of the royal family, and therefore the need for urgency.
He wanted to accomplish as much as he could before he would be weighed down by his past crimes, and those of his forefathers. Even he was not sure how long the trials were going to last, but he hoped that it would not be too long. Not for himself, but for his beloved nephew.
Zuko had suffered enough. And though the boy had acquired a greater strength of heart, Iroh did not want Zuko to be greatly harmed. Never had one so young endured so much.
Iroh likewise hoped that during that uneasy and uncertain "waiting period" they had, the Avatar would already be able to learn even the rudiments of firebending. The old firebender was not sure of what kind of showdown Aang would have with the Fire Lord in the near future, but he was sure that the boy needed to prepare as much as he could for that moment.
All of them would have to brace themselves for what was to come.
And even if Iroh had left some instructions to the other members of the Order, as well as the Avatar's allies, he could not help but be worried. Would all these precautions be enough?
He pondered on all of these things as he sipped a steaming hot cup of ginseng tea, his favorite. The hot liquid soothed him, as it always did, and he allowed himself to get lost for a moment in its rich flavor.
Life had such simple but sublime pleasures.
In his usual whimsical manner, Iroh pondered if a part of his punishment would be a complete deprivation of tea.
The Dragon of the West shuddered at the thought.
That would be horrible indeed.
--
Meanwhile, back at the Western Air Temple, the Avatar was progressing in his firebending lessons. Zuko had proven to be an effective and patient teacher, whose methods were a balance between Katara's positive reinforcement and Toph's tough love, and with some tricks unique to the Fire Prince. Aang found that the more time he spent with his former enemy, the more he enjoyed his company.
Zuko was actually fun to be with when he wasn't trying to capture you.
But it was clear that the prince was very different from the hot-headed, impulsive, and arrogant firebender that they had known. Some of his recent sufferings had molded him into someone else, someone better.
And Aang was glad to have someone like that on his side.
Zuko's interaction with the others had also significantly improved. Toph had taken an almost instant liking to him and she never missed an opportunity to tease him or to play little earthbending tricks on him. He was a new and interesting sparring partner, as well.
Toph also found that he was as fun to mess with as Katara was before she had become so cold and angry.
It helped, of course, that Toph knew how honest and sincere Zuko was about joining them. She had no doubts about him, and only wished that the others would drop their guard.
Appa clearly had a fondness for the firebender because it was later revealed that it had been Zuko who had freed the sky-bison from imprisonment in Ba Sing Se. And the lovable beast took every opportunity to slobber Zuko appreciatively; much to the latter's chagrin.
And even Sokka seemed to tolerate Zuko's presence with more civility. In spite of himself, the Water Tribe warrior found himself admiring Zuko's perseverance and maturity. The former now even went so far as to speak to the firebender every now and then. Proper conversations, this time, and no longer bitter suspicions, snide remarks, or catty insults.
He had been observing Zuko's movements very carefully and had decided that if Zuko had intended to harm them, he would have already done so. Sokka made the rare choice of being optimistic and decided to give the firebender a chance.
And at last, they had found someone with as much comedic talent as Katara. Zuko's ineptness at joke-telling only boosted Sokka's confidence as the resident comic.
Sokka even discovered that he could now tease and joke around with Zuko without getting burned to a crisp. So the Water Tribe Warrior delighted in scheming with Toph on how to mess with their new companion.
So that only left Katara who still remained cold and unwelcoming towards the firebender. No matter how much Zuko or the others tried to convince her that he was sincere, she would not listen. She was simply as stubborn as ever.
After an argument with Aang, Katara had stopped making snide comments or insults towards Zuko. In fact, to avoid being provoked to say something unkind, she simply stayed away from him as much as she could.
After all, the Western Air Temple was a large place, with enough room for all of them to work in privacy and peace. The waterbender found that this was the best way for her to forget about her anger towards him, and of her own sense of indebtedness to him. Katara hated the turbulence of emotions his presence caused in her and resolved to avoid him whenever it was possible.
This wasn't easy since Zuko was constantly trying to confront her, and to sort things out between them. There was growing tension between the two obstinate benders.
She was determined to avoid him. He was determined to speak to her. Their failure to do what they intended was causing great frustration.
Aang, Toph, Sokka, Momo, and Appa sometimes watched this complicated dance and simply shook their heads. It was bound to end sometime, those two would collide and… none of them knew what would happen next.
They could only hope for the best.
Even Sokka could not understand why Katara kept holding on to her grudge against the firebender. It was so unlike her to be this angry and Sokka was growing worried.
They all suspected that it had something to do with Zuko and Katara's brief imprisonment in the Crystal Catacombs of Ba Sing Se. But neither would speak about that event.
Toph suspected that there was more to this tension than just an old quarrel. But she would not tease either one yet, not while they were in such a state.
But she had spoken to Katara about it once.
"Why are you being so hard on him?" the earthbender had asked, "and I thought that you were already at your worst when you were nasty to me when I first joined."
Katara had flinched at such a negative description of her. But she could not deny it.
"You won't be able to understand," the waterbender said simply.
"Try me," the earthbender challenged.
At which Katara only let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't understand it either, you know," the waterbender admitted, "I know why I'm angry and I don't want to let my guard down because I don't trust him. But there's something else, I can't explain it, but part of me is fighting against all that I can make proper sense of. And it only confuses me when I'm around him. So I stay away."
Toph nodded knowingly. Her suspicions had just been confirmed. It was a matter of confirming if Zuko felt the same way.
"Well, you're going to have to sort everything out soon," the earthbender advised, "we're all uncomfortable around you guys now."
"I'm sorry," was all Katara said in reply, "I'll try."
And Toph knew that she was telling the truth.