"I'm sorry, Tenzin," the Fire Lord said. "I truly am."
"This is outrageous!" the master airbender boomed, his anger rushing through the room like a fierce gale. "For years, I have heard you complain of the White Lotus's influence within your nation and throughout the world. How can you turn down a chance to eradicate it?"
Fire Lord Izumi eyes burned with cool fire, staring threateningly. Jinora knew enough about the woman to know she never did so emptily. "Remember where you are, my friend."
Tenzin closed his eyes and waited for the flush to drain from his cheeks. "I simply cannot understand why you are refusing me. Please explain your decision."
A bead of moisture rolled down the glass the Fire Lord sipped from. Everything seemed to sweat here. Jinora pulled at her robes for what must have been the tenth time since sitting down, glad that her father had agreed that they should wear their more stately robes instead of the tight wing suits. She was uncomfortable enough as it was.
"To put it bluntly, I have my doubts as to your ability to win," Izumi said. "I have my doubts as to the Avatar's commitment. I have my doubts as to your resources. I have my doubts as to the reward of the task. I have my doubts whether I would be forced to take the lead in lack of a capable leader. The risk is too great and the odds of success too low." She smirked. "You know I'm not a gambler, Tenzin."
"You have to gamble now or accept them for the rest of your life." Tenzin pinched the bridge of his nose, and Jinora frowned. Her father was on the verge of losing what little negotiating skill he had to frustration. "The world suffered the tyranny of three Avatars waiting for one to rise against them. As we speak the White Lotus are certainly refining their methods to be sure the world suffers many more before another does the same. Korra is our chance. And I believe she is a worthy champion of this cause."
The Fire Lord shrugged. "Until the next time she steps on a battlefield and slaughters an army, or destroys a building, killing everyone inside, or a bad day pushes her to brutally murder some poor soul that looked at her funny."
"With all due respect, Fire Lord Izumi," Jinora said, "you sound like someone who knows nothing about Korra."
Not too long ago, she would have expected her father to glare at her while politely apologizing for her insolence. Even knowing otherwise, she couldn't the visible tensing of her entire body, like a brisk wind had chilled the hot room. Instead Tenzin calmly watched and waited for her to continue.
"You're right," Izumi said. "I don't know Korra. But neither does the rest of the world. I'm the opinion that most would have, and if I ally myself with the woman the world believes Korra to be, no one will excuse me if another Zaofu takes place. The White Lotus would seize on that moment to remove me from my throne."
Tenzin had often told his daughter of the failed coup when he was a young man traveling the world with the other Air Nomads, and his cooperation with Izumi to defeat it. "Avatar Siyu and my father helped you retain control the last time the White Lotus attempted to depose you. Korra would do the same if you help her."
"I'm sorry." Izumi turned to Tenzin. "I paid the Air Nation back long ago. Your father seemed to have forgotten that part of the story."
He hadn't, but Jinora had chosen to. She began to speak again, but her father placed a large hand on her shoulder. "I regret that we could not reach an agreement today, Fire Lord. I hope our two nations can continue to cooperate on other matters in the future."
Jinora stood and watched the Fire Lord shake his hand, then respectfully did the same. "It was an honor to meet you," the younger airbender said.
"The pleasure was mine," Izumi said. "You're father has taught you well. You both may stay in the rooms we've offered for as long as you wish, and you have the full use of the palace staff. Good luck. Know that I am watching and rooting for you."
The gardens of the Fire Nation were the most beautiful place Jinora had ever seen. She sat cross-legged in the grass, watching the turtle ducks swim through the sky-blue ponds and the toucan puffins flitter across the sky. Foreign, fruity smells wafted along the gentle breeze, which cooled the swampy heat present throughout the palace. It was a perfect place to meditate, but she could hardly bear to close her eyes and flee such beauty.
Few others inhabited the garden, and they all ignored the scenery or regarded it with a boredom only possible through familiarity. Jinora wanted to shout at them, but such boredom was natural. She could no longer claim the same wonder of the beauty of the Air Temples she had once felt. Perhaps the uninterested faces walking past had seen the gardens too many times to care any longer.
A hand brushed her shoulder moments after she closed her eyes, and soft footsteps scuttled away like the wind. Jinora opened her eyes to find a sealed envelope at her side. The garden had emptied as if a sudden gust had swept everyone away. She ripped the seal and pulled the letter from within.
Meet me in the spa after dinner. Bring your father. Burn this letter immediately and make sure you're not followed. If no one meets you within the hour, assume you were followed and no one will meet you.
Jinora tossed the paper into a torch flame and waited for the paper to turn to ashes.
Her father frowned when relayed the message. "I don't like it. It could very well be a trick. If not by the White Lotus themselves, then by Izumi to convince their spies she plans no moves against them."
"So you don't think we should go?" Jinora asked.
Two raised voices passed by the closed door. Tenzin listened until they faded into silence. "If it was only me, I would. I have no wish to place you in any danger. However…" He sighed in defeat and reminder. "…you are an airbending Master, and a leader to our people. You deserve a say."
Jinora smiled, her eyes growing wet. Years of such praise had yet to accustom her to it, and she hoped the words never lost their impact. Her father had never forgotten the burden of leading the airbenders. Neither should she.
"I think we should. I doubt the Fire Lord would try to imprison us now. She's smarter than that. And if this is a White Lotus move, we can handle ourselves. I'm sure of it."
She watched her father pout, sigh, close his eyes, pinch the bridge of his nose, mutter, and look back up. A routine she knew so well she nearly mimicked it.
"We will go. We will be cautious, but we will go."
Jinora thought the Fire Nation to be quiet until she entered the palace spa. Then she realized how many whispers had vanished.
Empty chairs sat beside counters covered in beautifying tools. It reminded her strangely of Asami's workshop back in Republic City, how every pair of scissors and every file and every bottle of shampoo served a specific purpose somehow differing from the other tools just like it. A dull throb lanced through her feet at the sight of a footbath, as if they only just realized how much standing she had done that day.
The woman who emerged from an adjoining steam bath wore the same crimson robes as Fire Lord Izumi, and her eyes were the same golden amber matching the crown planted into the same dark curls. The face they were set in had the same sharp, gorgeous features, but lacked the lines of age and burden.
Jinora bowed when her father did. "Princess Kazu," he greeted. "You've grown."
The princess bowed back. "Hello, Tenzin. Hello, Jinora. I'm glad you came."
She led them back into the steam bath, pressed a brick beneath a bench, and led them into a small room behind the wall where a round, rough wooden table and four cushioned chairs awaited them. A pitcher of tea sat atop the table, and Kazu poured a cup for each of them. After the heat of the steam room, Jinora could hardly stomach a sip of the boiling drink.
"I know this seems excessive, but it grows more difficult to be sure of privacy with every passing day." Kazu sipped from her cup, her skin dry and cool despite the heat. "Please do not think ill of my mother. Her reluctance to commit our nation to your cause is not out of disregard or opposition. The Fire Nation has still yet to truly recover its reputation from its long years of aggression, and much like Fire Lord Zuko, she wishes nothing more than to change the perception that we are a warmongering people."
"We do not ask-" Tenzin began.
"And it also makes things difficult when her son is a member of the White Lotus," Kazu interrupted.
Jinora's eyes widened, and she glanced over at her father. He stared ahead as if this was old news. "I understand. I am not asking her to go to war. I am simply asking her to use her political influence to support Avatar Korra. Fire Lord Izumi has long been the inspiration for all those world leaders who do not wish to rule under the White Lotus's thumb."
"She will, as carefully and cautiously as she can. She will not stand up in outright defiance."
"But she is willing to help somehow," Jinora said. "Which is why you asked us to come here."
Kazu nodded. "I am quite forgotten compared to my mother and brother, but I am still princess of the Fire Nation, the daughter of Fire Lord Izumi, and I have my own influences." She turned her attention back to Tenzin. "As you said, my mother has been a symbol to those who fight against White Lotus influence. They have always been hesitant in their movements against her because of fear of the repercussions. She is loved by her people, and respected around the world. They would know what happened if she were killed. Against even the Avatar's strength, the White Lotus worries of those repercussions. And Korra has never been the most compliant of allies, thankfully."
"I am my mother's daughter. I share her beliefs and her allies. I have stood in the room while she met with the rich and powerful. I have watched her lead our country and sustain its power. I have spent my life preparing to rule, to continue in her footsteps. Like the coup was for her, this is my opportunity to prove myself. Master Tenzin, I can assure you that the Fire Nation will support Avatar Korra in every way it can. As you told my mother, this is our chance. We will never see another."
"I didn't know Iroh was a member of the White Lotus," Jinora said.
Below them, the ocean reflected the gray sky. The clouds seemed to swirl chaotically as they blew fast across the sky. Jinora shivered, though it was not cold. There was an unease to the world. An unease she had noticed more and more of.
It was happening even in the spirit world. She had once spent as much time as possible in the spirit world. Her parents told her she spent more time there as a child than she did in the real world. It had been a beautiful place where she had made many friends. The sky shone in beautiful bright colors and the feeling of pure life washed over her like the strong winds of a typhoon.
These days it felt more like a gentle ocean breeze, and the colors did not shine so bright. Friendly spirits turned dark and angry. Like the grey sky above, the beauty had been mottled, and an alien violence was growing stronger with every day. Jinora wondered if Korra had meditated recently and noticed these same things.
"He has been White Lotus for some time," Tenzin said. "It has always been a cause of friction between Iroh and his family."
"I always thought he was so nice," Jinora said.
"He is. He is a very good man. Strong, courageous, always willing to stand up for those in need and things he believes to be right. Many in the White Lotus are the same. They are not all evil, Jinora. Many such as Iroh joined because of pressure. He is a general in the United Republic Forces, and a well-respected man of great influence. To stand against the White Lotus in his position would cost him the things he had worked his entire life for. So he joined, unaware of the true villainy of the organization. I doubt he ever learned just what they are capable of, or the crimes they have committed."
The Western Air Temple jutted from the underside of the cliff like a row of teeth, the refurbished tips gleaming even in the shade of the grey day. Two air bison glided gently out to meet them. Meelo and Ikki waved exuberantly from their backs.
"You did well today, sweetheart," Tenzin said. "I'm very proud of you. One day you will make for a wonderful leader of the Air Nation."
Jinora smiled tremulously, but with a growing pride in her heart. She thought of the meeting with Princess Kazu. I have spent my life preparing to rule, to continue in her footsteps. Jinora's father was still a spry man, but he was growing older, wearier. He delegated to subordinates more often than ever. She could see his desire for others to assume leadership, even if he'd yet to recognize it himself. Tenzin had been of an age with his daughter when the Fire Nation coup took place, and he fought alongside the young Fire Lord Izumi and taken his place at the head of the airbenders. Now history had cycled around, as it often did, to place Princess Kazu and Jinora in a similar place.
This is my opportunity to prove myself. Jinora would do the same. She would let the winds of fate carry her where they had always planned.
I think I should clarify how I'm imagining the Fire Nation in this modern AU, since they seem the same as in the show hundreds of years earlier. They still have the royal family, but I also imagine they have a Parliament of some kind to represent the people and help make decisions. So it's not the full on monarchy of ATLA or LoK.