Chapter 35 – Tree Funeral
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Zuko was released a couple of hours before dinner but he waited until nine to return to Cloud Hall to avoid the fuss. He did not know why he bothered because as he tiptoed across the hallway of his dorm to his room, the door slid open before he touched it and several pairs of hands grabbed him inside to a welcoming cheer and jubilation. Asami, tucked somewhere between Suki and Opal, grinned guiltily; the culprit.
The small impromptu party ended a couple of hours later and around half of Cloud Hall occupants left the room in various state of dishevelment to go to bed. Zuko lost count of the times he was asked about what happened in the Forest. He had given them the abridged version of the story, downplaying his role and completely cutting out the part where he apparently performed two advanced Fire Magic spells. And the oni, he did not mention the oni at all.
The next morning at breakfast, Zuko's arrival was met with more cheering. Trying to make himself invisible (and making a mental note to check the library if Invisibility Spell was a thing), he sat down on the empty seat between Aang and Suki, putting his bag down.
He pointedly ignored students who came and asked about what happened in the Forest, then when they ignored his ignoring them, switched to actively shooing them away. He was not in the mood to recount the event and was thinking maybe he would never get to share what really happened with anyone, ever, when Tarrlok arrived at the Dining Hall, still with his reporter toady. The Council Sage noticed Zuko right away (thank you, scar!) and made a beeline to him, only to be intercepted by Madame Wu who seemed to have an urgent business to discuss. Tarrlok looked like he wanted to wiggle away but Madame Wu was persistent.
Lamenting his half-eaten plate of bacon and sausages, Zuko got up and thought maybe he should get a head start to Master Jeong Jeong's class. He was halfway to the bridge when Master Jeong Jeong appeared from the castle. His sharp eyes found Zuko and frowned. He pulled a paper from inside his robe and flicked it away. The paper folded itself midair into an origami bird and it flapped towards Zuko, who was too mesmerized, and thunked against Zuko's forehead. Hissing, Zuko caught the paper and unfolded it.
'Infirmary. Now.' was scribbled inMaster Jeong Jeong's sharp cursive. The Elemental Master walked past Zuko nonchalantly and walked towards Madame Wu and Tarrlok, the latter was getting animated. Zuko quickly ran into the castle.
On the hallway leading to the Infirmary, Master Zei was waiting, holding stack of big books. He grinned as Zuko strode past him. "If Tarrlok comes, books meet toes", the History Master winked conspiratorially. Zuko chuckled and grinned back.
Master Makula waved Zuko inside the Infirmary and directed him to his office while he stayed at the door, apparently on the lookout for Tarrlok, the last line of defense. Zuko glanced at Mako's empty bed and frowned but headed to the small room that was Master Makula's office anyway.
He knocked on the door and heard a voice telling him to come in. Inside, Master Makula kept a small cozy room; a desk with neatly stacked folder in the center, a couch and a coffee table in the left corner, the wall behind the desk had a glass case filled with vials, jars, and bottles of medicine, the wall behind the couch was covered by charts and pictures of anatomy, and the other two walls that bordered the interior of the Infirmary, though wooden from the outside, were see-thru like one-way mirror from inside.
Mako was sitting on one of the two chairs across the desk from Headmaster Iroh. The old man wasted no time to ask them to recount what happened in the Forbidden Forest. This time, they boys told them the full version, down to the oni that appeared and saved them.
Zuko noticed that Headmaster Iroh did not look the least bit surprised by this, nor was Mako, which proved his suspicion. After the story, Headmaster Iroh dismissed Mako back to his convalescence. He gestured Zuko to walk with him. Outside the hallway, Master Zei was no longer waiting, which Zuko hoped meant Tarrlok had suffered sore toes.
Headmaster Iroh maneuvered Zuko past hallways out the castle and across the bridge to the Dining Hall. He nodded at the selfie-taking Metal Mage guarding the bridge and placed a hand on Zuko's shoulder, as they turned left. Together, they rode the cloud to the west side.
The Headmaster had been quiet the whole way and as they walked past the Pavilions Islands, a cluster of small islands that housed different kinds of outdoor pavilions, Zuko noticed that Headmaster Iroh was nervous.
"Sir?" Zuko asked. "Where are we going?"
The Headmaster Iroh looked at Zuko and frowned. "To your next class, of course", he said matter-of-factly. "I believe it's Herbal Lore, yes? I thought you would appreciate the escort, so you won't get mugged by Tarrlok."
Zuko tried not to smile at the well-concealed tone of loathing in the Headmaster's voice when he mentioned the Council Sage's name. He said no more and the Headmaster said nothing as well as they traversed through the islands and clouds towards the Herbal Islands.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Life went back to normal pretty fast for Zuko, ironically thanks to Tarrlok. His exaggerated heroic involvement of Zuko and Mako during the ambush at Forbidden Forest lost some of its sting after Zuko's response in the Infirmary. The newest version had Zuko battling the yeren and the obsidian rhino still, sure, but his achievement with highly advanced Fire Magic was all but forgotten. Mako was not mentioned at all. It all sounded like Zuko had been desperately flinging first year level spell after spell and somehow got lucky, only to be knocked out by the Bone Witch.
Zuko did not care much, as long as the other kids left him alone. Suki and Aang still tried to set the record straight to anyone who would want to hear it to no avail though Zuko appreciated the thought.
And Tarrlok, no one could accuse him of being not persistent enough. He had been trying to corner Zuko on his way to and from classes and Dining Hall. It took the combined effort of the teaching staff to suddenly remember they had something important to discuss with him whenever the Council Sage zeroed in on Zuko in a corridor or warned Zuko to hide in a classroom cupboard whenever Tarrlok intended to storm an ongoing class to get to Zuko, and Zuko's friends who, let's face it, were not exactly small in numbers to hide him when they walked down a corridor. Even Old Sweepy, the old janitor, was rumored to have tripped Tarrlok with his ubiquitous broom, though it happened when Zuko was in the library and the Council Sage was in the Broom Balls Stadium, so Zuko doubted it had anything to do with him. Maybe Old Sweepy just liked tripping people with his broom.
So far, Tarrlok had not tried to corner Zuko in Cloud Hall yet (rumor has it, Master Jeong Jeong threatened him with a Boiling Boils Curse if he dared do such thing) and Zuko found himself seeking refuge in his dorm more and more. It was thanks to his roommates who smuggled food to him that he did not starve to death.
On Wednesday, Mako was released from the Infirmary though he still winced when he moved and had to drink three different kind of potions after lunch. Typical of Mako, he resumed his classes right away. On Friday, Mako pulled Zuko away after dinner when they arrived at Cloud Hall.
"Hey, I'm going to the Forest tomorrow morning", he said. "Can you come with me?"
Needless to say, Zuko was surprised. "Why? Is that safe?"
Mako shrugged. "As safe as it can be", he said. "It would mean a lot if you can come."
"Uh… sure."
Yes, Zuko had to cancel watching Cloud Hall broom balls practice with his friends after breakfast. Haru was right. Zuko was cursed to forever never get to watch the real game.
After breakfast and evading their friends' question of where they were going, Mako led Zuko to the east side. Zuko noticed Mako's breathing was a little heavier than usual and he was a little pale. But, aside from shifting the red scarf he always wore with his casual attire tighter around his neck, he showed little reaction to the cold morning.
Around the bend that would lead to Al's cabin, Mako stopped Zuko and they once again climbed the trees to get to the Tree Fairies trails. A Tree Fairy greeted them up there and sang a sweet somber melody. It did not disappear, and walked in front of them across the dizzying crisscrossing platforms and finally it stopped after fifteen minutes of walking. It turned its face towards Zuko and Mako and, for the first time, Zuko saw the impression of eyes, nose, and mouth on the head of the fairy that was a mass of swirling leaves.
The Tree Fairy disintegrated and its leaves were blown away in the breezeless air. Mako nudged Zuko's arm and leaped over the railing. Zuko, with a little apprehension despite knowing he would be safe, followed suit.
They landed at the crater where Zuko nearly lost his life twice.
The marks of battle from a week earlier were all but gone, except for the fallen kodama, still lying lifeless like a fallen tree where they left it, covered here and there by fresh snow.
A small group more agile and not yet earthbound young kodama gathered there, along with a dozen Tree Fairies, four other Fairies that looked just like Tree Fairies but they were made of swirling pink flower petals, and two Fairies composed of swirling sand. As Mako and Zuko joined the group, fairies that were made of swirling snowflakes rose from the ground.
Then, at once, they, Mako included, began to chant a sad melody. They paused for five seconds and began again with longer song, ending with longer pause. This cycle happened eight more times, each with longer song and longer breaks until they just stopped and bowed their heads. Zuko mimicked the gesture out of respect.
Then, just as suddenly, the Snow Fairies melted back into the ground and the Tree and Flower Fairies scattered in the wind. The Sand Fairies floated up the fallen kodama and dispersed in the wind. The small kodamas stayed and hopped around the clearing, around their fallen kin. Mako turned to Zuko and wordlessly gestured that it was time for them to leave as well.
They walked through the ground this time, with Zuko nearly tripping on snow-covered roots and rocks at least four times before Mako, who trekked the Forest with ease, finally spoke.
"His name was—" he made some kind of weird throaty and spitty sound, like he was hawking a spit while coughing. Zuko, who knew Mako was talking about the kodama whose funeral they had just attended, managed not to laugh. "He saved your life. And Sokka's."
"Really?" Zuko's eyes widened.
"Remember the nue that nearly killed you? Well, the first time?" Mako asked. "I was deep in the Forest at the time. You two could've been savaged and I wouldn't have noticed it. It was thanks to…(he made that sound again)… who sent a warning through the Tree Fairies that I was notified in time."
"Oh…" Zuko nodded. "He's… was your friend?"
"He was."