Fall Of The White Lotus
Chapter 11: Skill
Music: Uncle's Tsungi Horn, The Track Team (Avatar: The Last Airbender)
Standing at the quay in the small Earth Kingdom harbor town, Katara deeply inhaled the salty sea breeze as she took in the view of the glistening ocean before her.
She and Zuko had just arrived in town after a quiet trek through the last mountain range between the Plains Village and the seaside. They had come to the lively and prosperous place, located charmingly in a bay between the village of Chin and the old city of Gaoling - where Toph's parents resided - and was surrounded by lush forests in blazing autumn colors. In the distance, the blue silhouette of the mountain range could still be seen.
Dozens of docked ships, of both Southern Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom origins, were glinting in the warm afternoon sun, gently bobbing up and down on the rippling water. Only one Fire Nation vessel was moored in this southern Earth Kingdom harbor town. It was a relatively small, steel-sided trade ship that was still towering over the other wooden ships.
Fascinated by the sight, Katara watched as the people on deck went about their chores, readying their ships to sail for an unknown destination.
Her gaze came to rest upon the Water Tribe ships with their dark blue sails, standing out against the more cumbersome Earth Kingdom ones. There was a chance that she would know one or more of the people she saw on deck, since this was the southernmost port in the Earth Kingdom and easiest to reach for ships from the South Pole.
"You probably won't know them."
Katara slightly turned her head to the husky voice of her companion, who had suddenly popped up next to her, following her gaze as she presented him with the reins of his ostrich horse.
"How would you know?" she asked, not averting her eyes from the Water Tribe ships. A longing expression passed over her features.
Silent understanding flashed in Zuko's gaze as he shrugged. "Took a peek into the books when the port warden wasn't looking."
Katara looked up in surprise, touched by his concern.
"Hey, this is the Blue Spirit you're talking to," he remarked dryly, and Katara smilingly shook her head. Involuntarily, a weak sensation of tenderness towards her companion coursed through her.
"Well then… You have my gratitude, oh mighty spirit, but did you also find out which one of these ships will set course for Kyoshi Island within a day?"
Zuko nodded and pointed out one of the docked ships. "That one."
It was the Fire Nation vessel.
"Now, that's what you call a coincidence," Katara mumbled as a pang of dread shot through her stomach. In contrast to the other ships, the Fire Nation ship seemed completely deserted. Then her lips curled in a wry smile. "At least they won't decline their Fire Lord passage."
Katara was right.
The captain and his crew members nearly fell to the ground in supplication when Zuko made his presence known. When the travellers left after having made arrangements for their passage to Kyoshi Island, the crew was still rooted to the spot as they followed the pair with wide eyes.
"I hope they will survive the passage to Kyoshi Island," Katara commented worriedly as she cast a glance over her shoulder. Hesitantly she waved at the staring Fire Nation crew.
Nobody responded.
Zuko, however, was used to the effect his presence had on other people and used his time to scan the streets leading to the quay. After having already been forced to reveal his identity to the Fire Nation crew, he was glad that the people in the streets weren't paying any attention to them, accustomed as they were to seeing strangers in their town. This would also mean that this town was prepared to provide proper accommodation to those who were willing to pay for it.
A small smile formed on his lips and, drawing Katara's attention from the Fire Nation ship, Zuko suggested, "Since the ship isn't leaving until tomorrow morning, we need a place for the night. How about we take a room at an inn with actual beds?"
They hadn't slept in a real bed since they had left Omashu. Two more caves had followed their night in the hay-barn belonging to Lee's family, and they craved for a good night's sleep. Their eyes met and simultaneously they nodded in agreement.
"And a bath," Katara added eagerly.
After a short stroll through the streets behind the harbor, they came across an inconspicuous gate giving entrance to a small, hospitable-looking gentlemen's lodging, situated in a quiet alley. The guests were welcomed inside by a late-flowering clematis showering the entrance with little yellow flowers. The place looked comfortable without being overly luxurious.
"And who can I register for the room?" asked the innkeeper, a friendly man in his mid-forties, while his gaze was discreetly looking up and down their dark, nondescript travelling clothes.
"My name is Lee," Zuko said, automatically falling back on his Earth Kingdom alias as he turned around. "And..." He hesitated.
"Sapphire," Katara cut in, wearing her biggest smile. "Fire. Lee and Sapphire Fire."
Zuko's eyes widened, but he regained his composure almost immediately and nodded in confirmation.
If the innkeeper was surprised about their strange names, he didn't show it as he closed the thick scroll and motioned them to follow him. After instructing his son to take the weary ostrich horses to the stables, he showed Katara and Zuko to their room.
A happy smile appeared on both their faces when they entered a clean, light chamber, containing a bed large enough to fit a family of five. It was covered with spotless, fine linens and soft, woollen blankets.
Katara had to resist the urge to leap onto the downy covers and fall asleep right away. Instead, she looked out the window and admired the view over the blue ocean glistening behind the brown and green curled roofs.
The innkeeper retreated respectfully after making sure that everything was in order, and Zuko soon moved to stand next to Katara by the window.
He took a peek at her before clearing his throat. "Sapphire Fire?" His disbelief was verging on horror.
Katara gave him an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry, it's the best I could come up with. It's an alias I used when pretending to be Aang's mom in the Fire Nation."
To Zuko's humble opinion, the addition was no improvement. "You pretended to be Aang's mom…," he repeated slowly, trying not to picture it, "under the name of Sapphire Fire."
Despite his horror, he didn't fail to notice that the tacky name held a certain meaning to it. Sapphire Fire. Blue fire. The trademark color of her people combined with his element. Also, one of the types of fire that was the hardest to create. Like the type of fire he had yet to master. Like lightning.
"Aang's pregnant mom, actually," she specified, a smug grin passing over her features as Zuko's mouth dropped. Now, he looked positively horrified.
"I don't think I want to know," he groaned. He shuddered at the thought of Mai posing as his mother, pregnant already. Then again, back at the Western Air Temple and after that, it had often felt as if he and Katara were playing house in their joint efforts to take care of the other members of their little group, including the Avatar himself.
Next to him Katara chuckled lightly. "They completely fell for it. Apparently, the Fire Nation mainland does not think much of people from the colonies."
"Figures," Zuko snorted and shook his head. "Well, this brilliant interference of yours not only has left the innkeeper under the impression we're both Fire Nation, but married too, so we're now sharing a room, Mrs. Fire."
He tasted the name on his lips. Not exactly the name he would have chosen for himself, he thought wryly.
But Katara merely shrugged and turned around. "I don't see the difference with the past few days."
She was secretly glad that Zuko didn't know that this was already the second time she had left people under the impression that they were married. Surely, she had to stop doing that.
When they sat to dinner in the busy dining room, feeling blissfully clean after the warm baths they'd taken, Katara continued their conversation on aliases as she took a dim sum.
"What about your alias, then? Lee?" Katara asked, her blue eyes searching his face from underneath her eyelashes.
Zuko saw her gaze and shook his head.
"It's not what you think. I was already using that name before I met with Lee -," he explained, and a small smile passed over his lips. When they had been ready to leave the Plains Village, Lee had rushed into Zuko's arms and the firebender had to make a promise to come back. " - although my uncle tried to saddle me with Junior." He shuddered in disgust.
"Iroh Junior." Katara thoughtfully tasted the name on her lips. "I must confess, I'm starting to see you in a whole new light now."
Zuko rolled his eyes at her. "He did it to get back at me, actually," he added casually as he reached for the noodles, "for fixing him with the name Mushi."
Katara gasped in dismay. "You didn't! That is so rude."
But Zuko's lips curled in an apologetic grin and he raised his hands in a defiant gesture.
"What can I say? I was an angry boy at the time. And a bit panicked too. I had to think of something."
Katara nodded understandingly. "I did the same thing to Toph once. I still don't understand why she didn't like the name Dung."
They grinned amusedly as Katara conveniently left out the part where she'd fashioned herself with an alias containing the name of Zuko's current girlfriend. Sapphire Fire definitely was the safer choice here.
"Anyway," Zuko began to change the subject, "if you were posing as Aang's mother…who was posing as his father?" He already suspected it had been the mastermind behind this genius plan, but he wanted to hear her say it.
"A bearded Sokka," Katara said brightly, confirming his thoughts. She took on a hunched position and changed her voice. "Wang Fire," she said, pulling on an imaginary beard as she smiled deviously.
Zuko choked in his rice.
If Katara had thought that sleeping in the same bed with Zuko would have made no difference to the days before, she had been wrong. When sleeping in hay-barns and damp caves, they had just settled for unrolling their travelling futons and falling asleep almost immediately. The distance between them had depended on the size of their accommodation.
Tonight however, they would be sharing a room, and this time there was no going to bed without getting undressed first. Not to mention that they would be sharing the bed as well.
Realization slowly began to dawn on Katara when, after an awkward silence, Zuko lowered his gaze and suggested that she go upstairs first and that he would follow.
Katara quickly undressed to her underwear and almost leapt with joy when she found a spare nightgown in the dresser. Nightgowns were a luxury item that General Iroh had not bothered to put into their travelling bags. Quickly, she slipped under the covers and sighed in contentment before pulling the soft sheets tightly around her.
Only a moment later, Zuko entered the room, as if he had been listening outside. Ducking under the covers, Katara gave him his privacy, not reappearing until she felt the blankets being lifted on the other side of the bed. The candles snuffed out with a sharp snap of Zuko's fingers.
They were covered in darkness as they both lay completely still, not even daring to breathe.
As Katara let her eyes adjust to the darkness, she became aware of a pleasant warmth reaching her body from the other side of the bed. Her muscles began to blissfully relax under the sensation, until she realized where it came from. Suddenly, she was acutely aware of the intimacy of sharing a bed with Zuko.
Trying to ignore her quickened heartbeat, she turned to her side and watched the vague outline of his profile in the weak moonlight coming through the rice paper window.
"When we arrive at Kyoshi Island tomorrow, we don't have any more leads left on where to find your mother."
A sigh reached her ears as Zuko turned around to face her. Almond eyes were gazing back at her solemnly.
"I know," he said quietly. It bothered him too. "I only hope that there's actually something for us to find on Kyoshi Island and that we're not being led astray."
Katara frowned to herself. "I don't believe your uncle would do that, especially since the future of his Order is in danger." Then she added on a softer tone, "We will find your mother, Zuko. I know it."
Zuko didn't respond right away. From the moment Uncle had summoned them to Omashu, their quest had continuously been about his mother's importance to the future of the Order of the White Lotus. But with only a few quiet words, Katara had acknowledged her importance to him personally.
Silently, he stared into her glistening eyes. So close yet so far away.
"Thank you, Katara," he whispered.
"You're welcome," she responded quietly, her gaze not averting from his features. Suddenly he looked so vulnerable, his gaze reminding her of the Crystal Caves in Ba Sing Se. She resisted the urge to reach for him, afraid that she would not be able to let go of his warm body once she'd touched it.
And when Zuko closed his eyes, she followed his example with a weary sigh.
The next morning, Zuko woke up not knowing where he was. His groggy mind only registered that he appeared to have spent the night in a real bed, which momentarily led him to believe that he was back in the Fire Nation Royal Palace. Disoriented, he heaved a shallow sigh and found that the comfortable futon was a very welcome change to pointy rocks and stinging hay. For a moment, he allowed himself to relax in his soft pillow, the warm covers and Katara's subtle scent of water lilies.
His eyes shot open.
Turning his head, he stared right into Katara's face. It took him a moment to understand that she must have cuddled up against him during the night. She had her head nestled trustingly against his shoulder and her dark brown curls were fanning out over his chest. Her breath was softly caressing his neck and sometimes her long eyelashes would flutter on her tan cheeks. A slight smile graced her fine features.
It wasn't until she stirred that he became aware of her arm draped loosely across his waist, covered by his own hand. Suddenly, he was very aware of the coolness of Katara's body reaching his bare skin through the thin fabric of her nightgown and the fact that he was holding her arm in place.
His breath caught.
Not knowing what to do, he stilled completely and stared at her lovely sleeping face, the perfect shape of her eyebrows, the small rounded nose and the beautiful curve of her lips. She seemed younger, as if all of the weariness and worries had disappeared from her pretty features. That she was pretty was something he'd noticed on the South Pole all these years ago. She'd only become more beautiful since then.
Zuko's gaze softened as he slowly raised a hand to remove one of Katara's curls tickling his neck, careful not to disturb the waterbender curled up against him. She looked beautiful with the mass of curls sprawled around her, and Zuko regretted that they would be restrained in a braid soon. For a moment, he let the curl slide through his fingers and revelled in its softness before he carefully relocated it to her shoulder, holding his breath when Katara softly sighed. To his relief, she didn't wake up.
Zuko averted his gaze to the window and, while he watched the sun rise in the east, he savored this rare moment of complete peacefulness. He had known for a long time that the waterbender now resting in his arms held a special place in his heart. To date, she had been the only person in the world he'd allowed to touch his scar. And she had this way of making him feel at ease with her, which he liked to think was mutual as he watched the peaceful expression on her sleeping face.
But he feared the quickening of his pulse whenever she looked at him with those glistening blue eyes, or when her hand would accidentally brush his. Even now, he wondered how long it would take for her to wake up to his not so steady heartbeat. At the same time, he had to fight the urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer onto his chest.
He was pulled from his thoughts when Katara stirred against him. Regret passed over his features when he looked down, expecting her eyes to flutter open any moment now. But to his surprise, she lifted her arm from his waist and put her hand on his stomach, where the star-shaped scar from his Agni Kai with Azula stood out against his pale skin.
"Zuko, I'm sorry..." she mumbled softly. "... Spirit Oasis..."
Zuko's stomach dropped.
His body grew rigid under her touch as he stared at the ceiling with wide eyes. Suddenly, the blood pounded in his ears. Why would she feel sorry for his scar? Did she regret his actions to save her? A paralyzing fear came over him as he considered the possibility.
But when he looked down on Katara's peaceful, sleeping face and felt the coolness of her hand on his affected skin, he calmed down. And he knew that she did not. It was more likely that she apparently regretted not having been able to fully heal the scar he secretly cherished.
He smiled sadly as he lightly covered her hand resting on his stomach with his own and, for a moment, he wished that they could stay like this forever.
Aang is going to kill me.
Carefully, he untangled himself from her hold and let his fingers slide through her soft locks one last time before he got up.
And Mai too.
Katara woke to the sound of rice paper windows being opened. Blinking against the piercing sunlight, she noticed that Zuko was already dressed and waiting for her to get up. She gave him a sleepy smile, but to her surprise, he avoided looking at her as he turned to leave the room. Surprised, she raised her eyebrows, but decided to ignore it and get up as well.
Katara had not been on a Fire Nation ship since the time they'd spent on one as she'd been nurturing Aang back from the grips of his near-death experience. During this frightening time, their grim surroundings had been a constant reminder of the looming threat of being discovered.
A feeling of dread had already nestled in the pit of Katara's stomach when she and Zuko had come aboard the Fire Nation ship that would bring them to Kyoshi Island, but now her heart clenched with the echo of the fear she'd once felt when wandering the narrow steel corridors.
Pausing in her steps, Katara watched as the captain led Zuko through an eerily similar corridor, all steel and dimly lit. Her eyes wandered through the unrelenting surroundings, and she pulled her cloak more tightly around her as a shiver ran down her spine.
Halfway through the corridor, Zuko seemed to miss her presence, because he turned around, noticing then that she was still hovering by the door. He cast her a searching gaze, but then his features softened in an understanding expression as he motioned for the captain to wait while he walked back to Katara. She had a haunted look in her eyes even as she gave him a shaky smile.
Lightly, he touched her back in a reassuring gesture, and together they crossed the corridor, with Katara's fear subsiding to the sound of their footsteps echoing against the steel floor.
Standing next to the captain, Zuko stared out of the window of the wheelhouse, hands clasped behind his back. He estimated it would take them until noon tomorrow to reach Kyoshi Island, measuring their speed to the position of the sun without looking on the map. He still had excellent knowledge of the southern waters, having crossed them countless times before during his search for the Avatar.
The captain secretly glanced at the tall young man who had his gaze fixed on the horizon with a thoughtful expression on his face. He still couldn't believe that he was standing next to the Fire Lord himself, although the younger man was scarcely recognizable with his shaggy hair falling in his face and dressed in these plain clothes. His commanding presence however, he was unable to hide. Having been burdened with the kingship of the most powerful of all the nations at such a young age, he seemed to be carrying a wisdom beyond his years, and one would easily forget that he was still only nineteen years old.
As he studied the Fire Lord's unreadable expression, the captain wondered what business had brought the Fire Lord to this part of the world, dressed like a commoner, with only the Water Princess to accompany him.
Zuko sensed the captain's contemplations on his person and turned around slightly, purposely interrupting the man's train of thoughts with a calm, "Captain, can you tell me..." and continued asking the captain for a factual report on the state of Fire Nation business in this area.
And grateful for the understanding his Fire Lord offered, the captain informed him on current situations.
After a few hours and much to Katara's relief, the crew had finally begun to recover from the shock of having the Fire Lord on board and hesitantly started to respond when she asked them something. Talking to Zuko, however, was still a bridge too far for most of the crew, so he spent his time on board the ship in relative loneliness in comparison to Katara. He didn't seem to care much, though, content as he was with having Katara to speak with and the few words he exchanged with the captain.
That night Zuko, Katara, the captain and his helmsman were having dinner in the captain's cabin when Katara put down her chopsticks and caught Zuko's gaze.
"Your Majesty," she formally addressed Zuko, out of respect for his station among his subjects, and he cast her an apologetic look when the captain and the helmsman weren't looking. "This afternoon we received an invitation from the crew for a music night taking place tonight."
Zuko suppressed a groan. Just what he needed.
"So, music night has traveled beyond my ship," he established evenly.
The captain nodded in acknowledgement.
"Courtesy of Admiral Jee, whom I had the honor to meet a few months ago, Sire. He inspired us with his stories about the music nights on Your Majesty's ship." Then, after a moment of hesitation he added, "Apparently, Your Majesty has some skill with playing the Tsungi Horn."
Katara's head jerked up at this and Zuko watched in dread as her blue eyes started to glisten. "That, I want to see!"
Because the nights were already cold in this area, music night could not be held on deck, so the Fire Nation crew assembled in the captain's cabin, which he had been so kind to place at their disposal. A few liuqins were brought, along with a flute, a drum, and a Tsungi Horn.
Zuko allowed the Tsungi Horn to be handed to him, and he secretly examined the dented instrument as he sat down next to Katara. He doubted he would even get a proper tone out of it. The times when he would stamp his foot and yell about not playing the Tsungi Horn were far behind him, and if he were honest with himself, he liked the idea of playing for Katara.
It took some encouraging words from their Fire Lord for the crew members to pick up their instruments, but then the evening started with a few upbeat songs, performed by the cook and the fireman, who concluded their two-part contribution with The Girls From Ba Sing Se.
Being the only woman in this male environment, Katara noticed the extraordinary enthusiasm with which the men, who had been listening quietly until that moment, fell in. From the corner of her eye she looked at Zuko, who smirked but didn't sing along. With a disdainful sniff, Katara whispered, "The Girls From Ba Sing Se, huh?"
Zuko grinned mischievously. "Of course. There's always a girl from Ba Sing Se."
Katara indignantly opened her mouth but was cut off by Zuko, who hastily turned to the men. "The lady would like to continue with music night, gentlemen, if you please."
Next were the captain and the helmsman playing the liuqin and flute, with the captain singing a few Fire Nation songs, not all of them known to Katara. She listened quietly and clapped enthusiastically, when their voices died down.
Then it was Katara's turn. Growing up, she had never had the opportunity to learn to play an instrument, so she decided to sing them a lullaby her mother used to sing for her when she was a little girl. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
When Katara started to sing, it was with a fragile but clear voice which immediately captivated her audience. The pure melody of the song painted the harsh, icy surroundings in which polar children grew up, kept safe by their mother's warm embrace.
Zuko listened quietly, realizing that he had never actually heard Katara sing before. Her voice was cool and tender at the same time, and there was an intangible ethereal quality to it, like the eternal winter in the snow-covered plains of her homelands. He was enthralled by the intense expression on her features and the gentle, slightly mysterious song. When her voice finally trailed away, he kept staring at her until the sound of the crew members applauding broke the spell and he joined in on the token of appreciation.
Katara smiled a little shyly at the enthusiastic response to her song and she bowed, her gaze wandering across the Fire Nation men applauding until she caught Zuko watching her with an oddly intense look in his eyes. Color rushed to her cheeks and she quickly averted her gaze, hoping that he didn't see her blush as she sat down.
Zuko sighed inwardly. It was his turn now. He slowly picked up the Tsungi Horn and immediately all gazes were glued to him. Having the Fire Lord performing for them on their music night was a once in a lifetime experience for the crew members.
"My uncle would play this piece every time during music night."
With that short introduction Zuko brought the Tsungi Horn to his lips and closed his eyes.
A dark tone, heavy with melancholy filled the cabin, climbing and diving to different rhythms, played quietly and with overwhelming feel for the instrument by Zuko.
Katara's eyes widened in surprise. She had never expected him to be this good.
Nothing was left of his initial reluctance as Zuko drew the soft, wistful tones from the horn with extraordinary skill. The alluring music seemed to beckon her and carry her away, as the exotic, vibrant tones painted a portrait of the Fire Nation - the longing tones of the melancholic music speaking of elusive mystery and faint savageness, underneath a lonely pride.
It took Katara's breath away.
Aang hated playing the Tsungi Horn, had little talent for it too, but here Zuko was, revealing with subdued emotion the mysterious beauty of the instrument to them.
Tears were brimming in her eyes when Katara realized that General Iroh had shaped his composition after his nephew. This piece of music was about Zuko. No, the music was Zuko.
Unbeknownst to the rest of the crew, Zuko laid bare his soul to her.
The melody seared through her heart with the anger, confusion, grief, and doubts of a younger Zuko, but also revealing his inherent tenderness and hope and the ever present undercurrent of pride and menace that came with his Fire Nation heritage.
It was as though the man playing the Tsungi Horn changed into a younger version of himself, with the scarce light casting a glow on his heavy, red armor, his head shaven but for the angry high ponytail. When he looked up briefly, a deep sadness spoke from his gaze.
Katara's eyes blurred.
Silence filled the air, when the last tones died away. Zuko slowly straightened up and his gaze came to rest upon the pair of ocean blue eyes glistening at him like sapphires in the dim candlelight. Katara's face was covered with tears, crying over things that had happened to him she didn't even know about.
With a small, regretful smile, Zuko put aside the Tsungi Horn.
"I believe that is enough for this evening," he said to the captain, pretending not to see several of the tough men dashing a tear as well.
The captain nodded wordlessly and with that, music night had ended.
A/N: The name Mushi means grave corps in Chinese hence Katara's shocked response. Mushi is also Japanese for insect. And of course the girl from Ba Sing Se is Jin.
The sound of the Tsungi Horn in the show is in reality a duduk, an Armenian double reed instrument related to the oboe, which has been used to bring to life the beautiful Uncle's Tsungi Horn, written for ATLA by The Track Team.
Many thanks go to my beta Crimson Eyed Sakura for her meticulous work on this chapter.