Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.
A/N: As promised, here is Chapter Ten. And, lo and behold, it is something of a quick update, too! If only they were all like this…
Thanks to all of you who have reviewed the last chapter. Hopefully, this one will be just as enjoyable. I would also like to thank Artemis Rae. Without her help, this chapter, and this story, never would have gotten off the ground.
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Darkest Before Dawn
Chapter Ten: Blue Dragon Rising
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The agent stood. He moved stiffly and, when he lifted his face, the Fire Lord noticed a dark bruise coloring his jaw-line. Han still smiled, and almost shook with some suppressed pleasure.
"It is as you say, Highness. I do have information. I believe you will be quite pleased to hear of it."
"I will determine that for myself," said Zuko. He had no patience for foolish theatrics. "Tell me what happened. Why were you in the seer's cell?"
"I was waiting for the culprits." The agent's smile broadened. "And my suspicions were correct. The Dragons are to blame."
The Fire Lord frowned. The furrow in his brow made him look, if only for a moment, like his lost uncle. "Dragons?" he asked. "What Dragons?"
"Why, the ones who came yesterday to grace us with a visit, Highness," said Han. Zuko could not tell whether the man was mocking him or simply answering the question. "A man and a woman, remember?" Han did not look his leader in the eye, but leveled his gaze on Raizon. "They came on your orders, Highness."
His patience thinned. "I do not know what you are talking about. I did not send any Dragons to this Fortress."
Han nodded at the second-in-command. "Why not ask him, Highness?"
Zuko glanced at Raizon. The portly agent paled, flinching, and stared at his boots. "Explain," said the Fire Lord.
"It…it is, ah, as he says, Highness. Two Dragons came to the Byakko Fortress this time yesterday. They said they came in your name to…ah, prepare the escapee for her journey to our nation's capital."
Raizon fidgeted, fear blanketing his pudgy face, and stood at a weak attention. "And per your orders and mandates, Highness, we are never to question a Dragon who comes in your name, as he or she is your mouth. I allowed the two Dragons entrance, and took them to see the prisoner."
Han sneered. It was an ugly one, distorting his boyish features into something truly wicked. "And your foolishness was our undoing. Those so-called Dragons are the ones responsible for freeing the old woman."
A hidden fire lit in the second-in-command's eyes. "Surely you are not blaming me for this! I was only following protocol, as you well know, Agent Han. As Swords and vassals to His Majesty, Fire Lord Zuko, we are to respect any and all Dragons, no matter what their business, and especially when they stand in stead for the Fire Lord. To do otherwise is sacrilege, a blasphemy! Perhaps my decision was a mistake in the long run, but do not dare question my duty."
"I warned you, didn't I?" asked Han. The deceptively youthful Sword stalked his superior like a ravenous predator. The devilish glint of a smirk tore into his face. "And yet you ignored me. You have allowed your sense of duty to blind you to common sense, and it has robbed His Majesty of a great victory, and a prize he so greatly desires…"
"That was never my intention! And if you truly cared, Agent Han, you never would have hidden in that cell on your own. Your own greed has--"
"Silence!" said Zuko. His voice, a sharpened knife, cut through the battle of wills. His simmering temper was now just as deadly. "We have no time for this. I do not have time for this. I only want the truth, and action. I want the woman and those responsible captured."
Han cleared his throat. The Fire Lord slid his gaze towards the agent. "You have more to say." It was not a question. "What is it?"
"I was getting to that, Highness," said Han, bowing his head. "I know that these two imposters were not Dragons, but members of the rebellion that has plagued Your Majesty's reign."
"Rebels, are you certain?" Shin spoke up for the first time. "How could they possibly have known about any of this? The seer was kept secret even amongst the highest ranks of the Agni Tachi, for just such a reason."
"I learned long ago never to underestimate the tenacity or the ability of the rebels, General Shin," said Zuko.
He clenched his jaw, and his face tightened. The ruler stroked a signet ring, dented and scratched by time. Uncle had given it to him on the day of his coronation. Along with the head ornament of the Crown Prince, it was a priceless artifact of the Royal Family. It was all he had left of his beloved uncle. Tears threatened to escape his eye.
I miss you, Uncle.
"They have a way of stealing what is most precious from you," he whispered.
"Indeed, they do. And these were not just regular rebels either, Highness." Han's smile danced back onto his lips. "This is why I thought you might be pleased to hear of this, even given the circumstances. The imposter Dragons were, in fact, Sokka of the Water Tribe and the Blind Bandit, Toph Bei Fong. Well, the former Toph Bei Fong, at least."
Zuko drew in a sharp breath, his heart racing up to pound in his throat. A name throbbed, echoed, in his mind, and brushed that inner hurt and despair that he so readily hid from the rest of the world. It taunted him and red-hot rage crept into his gut, burning him all over.
Toph Bei Fong…
The dragon hissed in his ear and bore its teeth. Her..., it snarled, golden eyes flashing in the dim light. Its tail slunk across his shoulders, as its sharp claws tore into his armored back. The scraping noise resonated alongside his heavy, wheezy breaths. It was her…it was she who took your uncle, and now this! Curse this little piece of shit, curse her!
Toph Bei Fong…
"I'll kill you! You'll pay for this. I swear to Agni, you'll pay for this! You stupid little bitch! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Companions of the Avatar!" said Shin. "And so deep in the Fire Nation, too? Unbelievable…"
"Are you…are you sure about this, agent?" asked the Fire Lord. He did not recognize his own voice. It cracked and wavered. A sort of white-noise rang in his ears. His hatred for one girl-that damned, arrogant little brat!-made him physically ill. Zuko struggled not to let his emotions get the best of him, and forced a stony expression onto his scarred face. "This escape was masterminded by the warrior and the earthbender?"
"Oh yes, Highness. I am quite sure of it. I fought with the girl myself."
A white-hot iron branded his thoughts. It flared out of control, and his fiery eyes latched onto the agent. "You what?" asked the Dragon of the West, heat and smoke trailing past his lips and nostrils. A sense of…betrayed possessiveness clutched his heart. The pang ached. "You fought with her? You fought with Toph?"
Her name slipped past his mouth, almost unbidden, and sounded almost gentle. The Fire Lord remembered all too well that once, in his ignorance, he had been close to the earthbender. It sickened him to this very day, but he was not so arrogant as to deny the truth. He simply used the horrible knowledge to make him stronger, and to remind himself of just how devious and despicable the girl truly was at heart.
"Yes, Highness, I did. After becoming suspicious of the two Dragons, that Raizon so foolishly allowed entrance into our Fortress, I placed the woman in a new cell, and lay in wait in her old one."
Han stepped back, spanning his arms, and showed off his injuries. The bruise was a mess of yellow and blackish purple in the light. Blood stained his robes.
"As you can see, I was not disappointed. My plan worked. The girl came right in without a second thought. She put up a good fight and, I am sorry to say, managed to escape after knocking me unconscious. Thus my reasons for being in the cell."
"Unfortunate, that," said Shin. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. It was uncomfortably warm in the interrogation room.
"Perhaps, and perhaps not." The ugly smiled pushed itself back to the surface, and the agent chuckled. "She may have wiggled free, but she will not get far. I can assure you of that, Highness."
"And why is that?" asked the General of the Byakko Fortress, when Zuko did not pose the question himself. The Fire Lord stood, stark and statue still, in the midst of the Agni Tachi agents. "Was she injured?"
"Oh, more than just injured. I laced my dagger with fire root and poisoned her."
An almost inhuman screech resounded and bounced off the rafters of the room. A blistering heat snapped into being and rolled off the leader of the Fire Nation in waves of uncontrolled emotion. "You what!?"
Before anyone could move or even think, Zuko was on the agent and, in a whirlwind of flame and curses, slammed Han into the wall. His ringed hand gripped the trembling man around the neck. A pained wince flashed across Han's face.
"You poisoned her!?"
The dragon roared in his ears, hissing and spitting. Fool, fool, fool! Scum of the earth! She is ours, ours, ours, not yours!
"Poisoned with fire root, Agent Han!?"
For the first time, the cocky agent lost his self-assured persona, and true fear snaked into his empty eyes. "Y-yes, Highness," he said. His voice was no more than a whisper. The Fire Lord's hand cut into his windpipe. "I-I did. But only to take her out, so that she could--"
"Fool! Fire root is the most deadly of our nation's poisons!" Heat sparked from Zuko's palm and bit into Han's flesh. The small bit of firebending easily burned the man, and a scream tore from Han's lungs. The Fire Lord paid the Sword's agony no mind. It meant nothing to him. Only she did, only her and nothing more. "You could very well have killed her!"
"I only used a small dose, Highness. I swear! Please, Highness, have mercy! I beg you, do not--"
The flames of a maddened firebending master slapped Han again, this time across the face. He howled and struggled, but found no escape from the enraged Zuko's grasp.
"A small dose, you say? Only a small dose?" he asked. A terrible grin, mocking and hateful, cut his face in half and showed off his teeth in a feral snarl. Cool laughter smoked from his chest. "That girl is no bigger than a flame-mite. She's nothing but a tiny rat. Even your small dose of fire root would be enough to kill her. Kill her agent, kill her! She could be dead! Dead, you damned idiot, dead!"
Zuko threw Han to the unforgiving floor. Before the agent could scramble away or stand, the Fire Lord pressed his boot onto the small of Han's back. He dug the iron-tip into the man's skin. "Fool…"
Blistering rage, that ugly hatred that plagued him all of his waking moments, dimmed his senses. The only thing he could think about was her, her and her alone, and that utterly wretched feeling of complete loss.
A lost opportunity! She could have been his! Once again, that accursed, nasty bastard child of a badger-mole had eluded his grasp.
And there was only one person to blame: this greedy, stupid agent, with his fake smiles and empty eyes. How dare he…how dare he! growled his only constant companion. The blue dragon's hot breath grazed his ear and trailed down his neck. How dare he try and take away what is yours!?
"How dare you," he hissed, repeating its words through clenched teeth. The Fire Lord shook underneath the burden of his emotions. "How dare you steal what is mine! That girl does not belong to you. She is mine! She will always be mine! MINE! Did you think yourself so impressive and clever as to try and take her away from me, Agent Han? Well, did you!?"
Zuko put all his weight down on his leg. Blood oozed from beneath his boot, and the agent groaned. "I meant no harm…" said Han. His terror, as well as a hint of indignation, made his voice tremble. "I swear, Highness, I was only doing my duty-AARGH!"
"Your duty, Agent Han?" said Zuko, grounding his boot deeper and deeper. He reveled in the man's pathetic whimpers. It was justice. No one took what rightfully belonged to him. Even a Sword of Agni, his chosen and beloved few, did not dare to steal away his desires. "Your duty, is that it? Your duty, Agent Han, is to serve me. You serve me and me alone, not you and your personal satisfactions. And, in facing her, in trying to take her for your very own trophy, you betrayed me and my destiny. Hear this, all of you!"
The Fire Lord glanced up and glared at the two other agents. Shin and Raizon had watched the scene with fascinated horror. They did not have the courage to speak, much less try and appease their leader's violent wrath. It pleased Zuko to know he commanded such raw power. Even men several years his senior feared him because of that strength.
"Let this be a lesson to you, and everyone else. That girl belongs to me. I will be the one to strike her down in battle. I will be the one to rip her apart and take away everything and everyone she cares about. I will be the one that shall utterly and completely destroy her. I will be the one to rain justice upon her head. Me! No one else has the right to touch her. Toph is my possession. She is mine and mine alone, and anyone who tries to take that away from me will pay most dearly."
He stepped back and kicked Han in the rib-cage. "Take this traitor away. Put him in the stocks. I want him to be punished for his actions."
"Yes, Fire Lord Zuko," said Shin. He motioned at unseen observers. "It will be done."
"But, Highness!" sputtered Han, empty eyes widening. Oh, but they were not so empty anymore, were they? He did not attempt to fight the Agni Tachi agents who came to take him into custody. "What of Raizon?" An angry, hateful leer bore into the second-in-command. "It is his fault you lost the woman, not mine! He is the one who let the rebels in--"
Zuko cracked the man across the jaw with the back of his hand. The signet ring opened a bloody gash.
"Shut-up!" he snarled. "The woman is nothing compared to the girl. As it is, it is because of your negligence, your refusal to call in assistance to capture the imposters, that both of them were able to escape in the first place. And because of that greed, my Toph may be dead."
He leaned forward, his hot breath scalding the bleeding Han's face. "And if she is dead, you may trust Agni that you will take her place in my fury. The second of this Fortress may have made an error in judgment, but your sin is unforgivable. Take him away!"
The disgraced agent was led away, leaving the three men-two silent and one still smoldering with barely controlled passion-alone.
"Ah, sir," said Raizon, breaking the eerie quiet. "As of now, we have agents searching the city and nearby villages. We will find the prisoner and the rebels, and anyone else who might have, ah, aided them. I can, ah, promise you that."
"Yes, yes, she will be found." Zuko massaged his aching temples with one hand. "She will be found, and she will be mine." His golden eyes, one wide the other scarred, snapped up. "The Dragoness will be brought in to hunt them down."
Shin's brow lifted into his hairline. "The Dragoness, Your Majesty?" The very mention of the leader of the Dragon unit, the right-hand to Zuko himself in ruling the Agni Tachi, was more than enough to lay an unpleasant chill on the lesser agents. Even General of a Fortress feared and respected the Dragoness. "But it will take at least two days for her to travel to Hi Do. The fugitives will have a good head start."
"It does not matter." Zuko chuckled, the lilting note at odds with his fiery temper. "The girl is poisoned, remember? If she survives, and I do so hope she does, she will be a useless burden to that peasant and old woman. The Dragoness will find them wherever they hope to hide. There will be nowhere left to run."
Do not worry, Uncle. I will avenge your death. I promise.
OoOoOoO
Late Year 2 AW
"So, even you now stand against me?"
It was sweltering in the Fire Lord's stateroom. The last days of summer did little to erase the hot weather that forever graced the Fire Nation. It mirrored the scene, the very dispositions, playing itself out in the hallowed hall.
Fire Lord Zuko stared down at the impudent earthbender. He wished she had not jumped to her feet, or barged into the meeting for that matter. He really did. It hurt.
Toph was by no means tall, but her presence was larger than life. Surrounded by Fire Nation delegates and advisors, she stuck out like a sore thumb. And yet, somehow, she was proud and powerful, the very heart and soul of the room. Frowning, her glassy eyes latched onto his by uncanny, almost unsettling, means.
He was not entirely surprised. The little freak had never been normal.
"Well, of course I'm standing against you!" she said. "What'd you expect? Whenever you do something stupid, you can't think I'd just take it lying down, do you?"
"You dare speak so to His Majesty, Fire Lord Zuko?" Ming, a member of his cabinet, stood. Her face, jagged by time and hardship, drew up into a monstrous glare. "Show some respect or hold your tongue, child!"
Sai, a middle-aged man with graying hair, clicked his tongue. "Now, now, Ming, settle down. We can hardly expect an Earth Kingdom barbarian to know about manners, now can we?"
The advisors and many of the nobles-his supporters, naturally-gathered at the summit laughed. Once upon a time, Zuko might have taken up for Toph, demanded that they apologize and beg her forgiveness.
He no longer did. He realized, sadly, that he probably never would.
Toph reddened, clutching her tiny fists, but somehow managed not to fall into the goading. It was an amazing feat of either pure confidence or exasperating stubbornness. Surely she knew she was alone and fighting an uphill battle. None in the stateroom, save one old man, looked on her with anything but contempt.
"You can't do this, Zuko," she said.
"You will address me as Fire Lord or Highness. And I think you will find that I can and will do this. You have no right to tell me what or what not to do, badger-mole."
"But you're making a mistake!" Nope, she was not backing down. He hated her for it. "You can't bring your nation together by tearing it apart!"
The Fire Lord slammed a fist into his desk. "I am doing this for the good of the Fire Nation. You cannot defeat dissent with kind words, no matter what your beloved Avatar preaches. Those means never work in the long run. Rebellion and cowardice must be destroyed by force! These measures will ensure that, and bring about peace. Why can't you understand that?"
"What about the common people?" she demanded. "You know, the folks you're supposed to be protecting?"
"I am protecting them! This is what I am doing!"
"Um, no, you're not. You'll just be hurting them, Zuko. You'll drive them away and make things even more worse than they already are! Don't you think you being an asshole will come back to bite you in the butt? That's what the rebellion wants, idiot! Not to mention you'll probably just alienate the other nations with your stupid bender registration and travel restrictions. And you want to bring them back?"
A growl slipped from the depths of his throat. "I am doing nothing of the sort. How dare you suggest--"
"Then what do you call it? Sure, they've got another name, but it's the same thing. You won't be making peace with these guys. You'll just create fear, like Long Feng did!"
Toph took a deep breath. "I know you want to do what is right, but trust me, Sparky, this just isn't it. This ain't a utopia, it's a dystopia."
"Oh, and you are so knowledgeable when it comes to running a country? You don't know anything!" Zuko sneered, and twisted the sword in her heart even deeper. "How could you? You're not an heiress anymore, no noble of your precious kingdom of dirt and mud. Not since your own family tossed you out like yesterday's garbage."
The blind girl gasped, and looked the most hurt he had ever seen her. Long ago, he might have felt bad for trampling over her feelings in such a callous way. Not anymore, though. Not when she turned against him first and fought against his wishes to help his land.
"That is enough, Fire Lord Zuko." The old man, his voice cracked and weak with age, stood from his seat. He joined Toph in the middle of the room, as if to protect her from another onslaught of angry, hateful words. "You should know better than this. She is right, and you know it in your heart."
"Uncle…" Zuko's ire passed away, only to be replaced by something else entirely. Betrayal. "I thought you, of all people, would support me."
"I do support you, Fire Lord Zuko, and I always will," said Iroh. "Do not mistake me. But what she speaks is truth. This is not the way to go about defeating your opponents."
"And how would you suggest I do it, then? Through tea parties and cookies, maybe?" he asked. He immediately regretted having snapped at his beloved uncle. "I am sorry, Uncle…"
The young leader sighed. "For too long, I have been lax in my calling. I have been weak, and that is why so many have spoken against me and my reign. I must be firm if I am to change that, to gain respect. You know as well as I do that for the greater good, sacrifices must be made. I cannot win a civil war and bring our nation back together with peaceful means alone. I must fight back."
"Yes, by all means, fight back! You are the Fire Lord, and your people are counting on you. But do not punish the innocent for this, Fire Lord Zuko. Please, I beg of you, think about what you are doing before you go through with this."
Toph, her voice a little hoarse, said, "Believe your uncle, Sparky. You know he's right. Stop listening to them!" She gestured at his advising cabinet lined up at his back. "All they are is yes-men and worse. They'd probably fuck you if they thought it would push their little agendas along or make you happy."
"How dare you!" "Impudent brat!" "Damn Earth Kingdom cur!"
The slew of curses was flung from the cabinet, and Toph flashed them a rude hand sign for their troubles.
"You once told me you wanted to be a good Fire Lord," she said. Her eyes had lost contact with his, but there was little doubt her attention was focused on Zuko. "And I said you had it in you. Don't mess it up by doing something so stupid!"
"And you once told me you would be with me through everything!" His voice cracked. "Was that a lie, Toph? Maybe it was, after all, and you never were a true friend. All you've done lately is insult me and stood against everything I try to do. Worse, you've dragged Uncle into it. It is as they say: if you are not for me, you are against me."
Toph stiffened. "And maybe you're just like your father after all."
It all happened in slow motion. Chair flying back as he shot from his seat, Zuko ushered into a basic firebending stance. All he wanted then and there was to hurt her, make her take back what she had said. He released a stream of flames at the girl. She would never be able to react in time, and he saw her useless eyes widen in that split-second of recognition.
And then Iroh was in front of her, and the fire was gone. Gasps echoed in the stateroom, and those gathered recovered from their shock. The Dragon of the West glared at the Fire Lord. Despair framed his wrinkled features.
"You disappoint me, nephew. Let's go, Toph. We will leave."
"You choose her, then?"
Zuko felt his heart being ripped in two. A long lost part of him was horrified by what he had just done. He had allowed his hurt feelings and emotions to control his actions, something no true leader should ever do. Most of all, he hated having pained his uncle. It was why Iroh's words were far more agonizing than any physical wound could ever hope to be.
"Oh, of course you do," he said. "That is all you have ever done, ever since you let that flea-bitten mongrel live in our palace."
"Zuko, enough!" said Iroh, angry now. "That is unfair, and unlike you. We both wanted her to stay here. She needed a home, and love."
"I lived without my father's love for years! Why can't the greatest earthbender in the world do the same?" asked Zuko, mockingly.
Toph flinched and managed to look almost pathetic, as a whirlwind of emotion fluttered across her face. Anger, hurt, disbelieving… "I'm only trying to help," she said. "Don't you get that?"
"I don't need your help. I don't even want your help," he snapped. "Not anymore. You ruin everything."
Turning away from her, he pleaded silently with Iroh. Stay. Stay with me, please. "I am sorry, Uncle, but I am going through with what I think is best. I must do what is necessary to protect what I hold dear, no matter what the cost. Uncle…"
He swallowed the hard lump that had lodged in his throat. All eyes, even an unseeing pair, were upon him. "It is either her, or me and your country. Take your pick."
"Then I pick her."
A cold wind brushed Zuko's face. Disbelief made him sick to his stomach. "Uncle…"
The former Prince squeezed the girl's shoulder. Toph shook out of her shock. "Come, Toph. Let's go home, shall we? I am tired, and we haven't shared a cup of jasmine tea in a while. We are no longer needed here."
Toph gave a jerking nod. She passed a fleeting, blind glance Zuko's way, and sighed. "Okay."
They walked, together, to the double doors that led from the Fire Lord's stateroom. A hushed silence had fallen over the meeting hall. Iroh glanced up, once last time, at Zuko. Sadness made the old general's eyes glisten.
"I will always love you, nephew. That will never change. But I cannot support you in this. Please understand. Good-bye."
Good-bye…
…Good-bye…
…Good-bye
The Dragon of the West and the Blind Bandit were gone. Zuko was left alone and forgotten. He fought back hurt, angry tears, as his throat ached and his body felt lighter than a feather. Fire Lords were not supposed to cry.
He was only trying to do what was right. Didn't they realize that? Why did they have to abandon him? Why did she…?
How could you, Toph? How could you take him away from me?
"Highness, shall we put the measures into place, then?" asked an advisor. His name escaped the ruler for the moment.
Zuko straightened, and pressed his signet ring into the warm wax. "Yes. All of them, including the higher tax rate on crops." He stamped an insignia into one of many papers. "And the Agni Tachi must be created quickly. As of now, the Swords of Agni will protect and serve our nation."
OoOoOoO
Year 4 AW
Two days passed in Hi Do, as the Fire Lord awaited the arrival of the Dragoness. He isolated himself from any and all contact, and ignored the Sun Festival that brought the city to life each day. Night by night, he heard the sounds of merriment and laughter. It burned him up inside.
It was a cruel sort of irony. How was it that they, the commoners, could be so happy, so joyous, and he, the very Fire Lord, so lonely and hurting? He knew the answer. Just as she had stolen his uncle, just as she had instigated the horrors of rebellion, she haunted his waking moments, too.
But once she was gone…he would be happy again. He was sure of it.
On the third day of his stay in the Way of Fire, Zuko received a missive that the Dragoness was at the city gates. A spark of hope, almost forgotten to the wearied ruler, flared in his chest.
Moments later, he met a coach at the entrance to the Byakko Fortress. An armored figure, the symbol of the Agni Tachi Dragons blazing across the breastplate, emerged from the small carriage.
"Welcome to Hi Do, my Dragoness," he said. "You are well, I hope."
The leader of the Dragons bowed gracefully, her forehead touching the dirt. "Yes, Fire Lord. Thank you. And may Agni shower blessings onto you and your reign."
"And may Agni do the same for you, beloved sister."
"You called for me, Fire Lord?" she said, standing. Her voice was muffled by the dragon mask.
"Yes. Are you ready to make a certain Water Tribe peasant pay for your humiliation?"
She laughed, and the Dragoness removed her mask. A young woman, dark haired and pale, her golden eyes shining in the morning sun, smiled at him. A scar, an old battle-wound now paled by several years, cut across her temple and the bridge of her nose.
"Why, brother dear," said Azula, "I thought you would never ask."