Chapter VIII: Crossroads of destiny.
Zuko woke up with a sigh, his eyes slowly widened as he let the dim morning light pour in through his bedroom window and then closed his eyes again, he was so tired but he had promised his uncle that he would help him with work in his new tea shop today, so after a few minutes in his bed, he got up, stretched his arms over his head, yawning as he let in more light from the window as the dawn broke. He got up, walked over to the windowsill and leaned against it, he took a deep breath of the cool, damp morning air, slowly exhaled.
"That's it" he thought smiling, looking a couple of birds fluttering and playing among them "today is the beginning of my new life"
He turned away from the window with straight shoulders and a new purpose, for a while he tried to capture the Avatar so he could confess his feelings to the airbender and also try to find out if he was Kuzon, but then came to the conclusion that that was completely impossible, he had to accept the fact that the masked boy he met at the festival was not real, so he decided to focus on his feelings for Aang, but he had not seen him since they were at Lake Laogai. He went to his closet, opened the doors and looked for something to wear: he took out a dark brown robe with gold details, a base shirt and leggings, he no longer disliked the clothes of the Earth Kingdom, in fact, he got used to wearing them. daily and even almost enjoyed it. He began to dress slowly, his thoughts lost to his uncle who was humming happily from the kitchen, the soft smell of food wafting through the crack in his door.
Zuko paused briefly as he tied the sash around his waist, touching the soft material as he looked toward the door for a few moments. What would he have done without his uncle? his uncle, who was always by his side when he needed him most, who always be there for him, who loved him unconditionally... his uncle, was more than that, he was like a father to him, a better one than Ozai could ever have been. Running a tea shop in Ba Sing Se was not something Zuko planned to do for the rest of his life, this was something Iroh wanted to do and he was happy for him, he had been through a lot and had given everything for him. He would support him until he could start his own life… being the owner his own destiny.
"Who are you and what do you want?"
His uncle had all the reasons to ask him that question when they were at Lake Laogai after Zuko freed Appa using his Blue Spirit disguise, because, for a long time, he did not know who he really was, but now he does, he finally discovered his true identity. Zuko snapped out of his thoughts and pulled on his sandals, tapped his toes on the floor so they were snug on his feet and then turned to the mirror in his bedroom, he ran a hand through his hair, absently tracing his scar, the other night he had a strange but very particular dream, he had the dream that he had been the Avatar for a moment, why had that had happened? he was not sure, but he also remembered when he lived with his uncle in Ba Sing Se lower ring, he could see the desperate faces of the refugees, children with dirty clothes and faces stained with tears, he remembered the kisses he shared with Aang and how with each passing day those moments faded, finally, he remembered that he loved Aang, loved him like he had never loved anyone before.
"I am Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation" he whispered in a low voice, standing up "son of General Iroh and I want there to be peace in the world... no more tears. I want... I want to be with Aang and help him to fix the mistakes of my ancestors... I want to hug him, be by his side every time and tell him... to be able to tell him that I love him" he stared at his reflection a bit more, tracing his scar and then his lips, he felt his spirit become lighter and less confused, he was sure of what he wanted now and if things did not happen the way he had planned from the beginning, at least Zuko knew that he could be the owner of his own destiny. With all that in mind, he left the bedroom, felt another yawn come out of him as soon as he entered in the kitchen and the living room of his new apartment. He rubbed his eyes trying to shake the sleep out of them, the aroma of a pasty white soup called Jook that Iroh was preparing in a pot hit his senses with more strenght than before and he walked towards the old man who was serving part of the content in a wooden bowl "what is that scent?" he asked approaching to look over his shoulder.
"It's a rice plate called Jook" Iroh warned his nephew "you probably don't like it."
Zuko leaned in and inhaled deeply, letting the warm scent wash over him for a moment. He reached out to the pantry, taking one of the wooden bowls that were scattered there.
"Actually, that smells delicious" he said as brightly and sincerely as he could, hoping his uncle did not think he was cheating on him, because to be honest, he was not lying. He approached his bowl, smiling softly at the man he admired "I'd love a bowl, uncle"
His uncle looked at him a bit skeptical for a moment, but did not question what his nephew said, he reached for his ladle and scooped up some of the Jook for Zuko, pouring it into the empty bowl he held in his hand.
"Now that your fever has disappeared, you seem like someone different" his uncle commented, which caused Zuko to try to explain why this feeling of relief and the new purpose that he now had in mind, soon his future would be in his hands, he would make his own actions, his own decisions and he would not force them over himself, by anyone else or by his own delusions, he turned around with his bowl in hand and knelt on the floor by the dining room table.
"Today is a new day" Zuko said in a softer more relaxed tone of voice as if he was somehow more... carefree "we have a new apartment, new furniture and today is the grand opening of your tea shop. Things are looking up, uncle"
Zuko shifted his gaze to the rooftops of the upper area, listening to the laughter of the children running through the streets, intermingling with the conversations of the merchants and the singing birds. He took a sip from his bowl watching out of the corner of his eye as his uncle smiled at him with pride, Zuko felt like he was on the ninth cloud, he knew he had made the right decision by staying by that man's side instead of chasing something that no matter how much he got it, his father would never approve or accept him. Instead, Iroh, always accepting and appreciating him for what he was without ever asking for something in return, Iroh turned to pour his bowl of Jook, turned off the fire in the pot as soon as he left the kitchen and sat across from Zuko at the table. They sat facing each other in a quiet and pleasant atmosphere, the only thing that could be heard was them taking a sip from their bowls and standing up to fill them, after a while, Zuko looked away towards his uncle, he opened the mouth in a futile attempt to want to start a conversation but he did not know what to say so he closed it again, he looked behind him, then the window and finally his uncle, he realized that the man was staring at him, judging by the gleam in his golden eyes.
"Is there something that is bothering you, Prince Zuko?" His uncle asked, putting aside his bowl, his hands slipping under the sleeves of his robe as he looked at him "are you thinking of someone special? like... a girl, maybe?"
He sighed placing his own bowl on the table, turning it a little while he tried to find a way to tell him what he needed to say, if only that old man could understand his suffering for not being able to confess his love to the Avatar, he fiddled with the sash around his waist with one hand as he took a deep breath and finally decided to put the cards on the table.
"Uncle… I… I am in love with someone…" He was interrupted by a knock on the apartment door, which caused his uncle to stand up immediately to go see who was outside. He lowered his head, hitting it gently against the edge of the table, now he would never have the courage to confess to his uncle how he felt for Aang and to receive some advice from him on what he should do, he looked down his length. hair to see his uncle greeting his benefactor, who was boasting loudly of his future success in the tea business. Zuko hit his head a bit more against the table before getting up and leaving the room, he decided it would be best to go there wearing his uniform from the store, after all he had already lost his chance.
They both left the apartment minutes later, got into the carriage that their benefactor brought them. Zuko looked away towards the window, feeling a bit nostalgic to speak, but he finally reacted, today was not about him, today was an important day and it was only about his uncle, besides, there would be time to explain everything to that man whom he admired and loved like a father.
"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Lee?" his uncle asked with a hand on his shoulder, using his pseudonym so that his driver would not be suspicious. Zuko turned his gaze to his uncle, smiled at him and shook his head slightly.
"It's nothing important, I'll tell you another day" he said, taking his uncle's hand for a moment before looking back at the window, he would tell Iroh everything when he was ready.
Aang and Sokka landed at the shore of Chameleon Bay, the supposedly location where Sokka's father, Hakoda, and the other Southern Water Tribe warriors were. Sokka became very nervous and even felt his stomach turn; however, Aang managed to calm him down, he asked him if he did not feel that way because of his meeting with guru Pathik to learn how to master the Avatar state, Aang smiled at him, unlike Sokka, he did not feel nervous in the least, after leaving to his friend at Chameleon Bay, the airbender left yelling at Sokka that they would see in a week.
After Aang left, Sokka entered the base and was greeted with warm hugs and greetings by the Southern Water Tribe warriors. After a brief exchange of greetings, the warriors escorted him to a huge tent, Sokka entered inside the tent and there were a few more warriors there, including Bato and his father, who were studying a map. Hakoda looked up and got up off the ground to hug his son happily.
Meanwhile, the Council of the Five was reviewing the invasion plan with Katara, who was accompanied by Momo.
"General Fong's base will serve as the starting point for the attack" General How said making a demonstration by moving several stone pieces representing the Earth Kingdom forces across a world map with earthbending "in exactly two months, the army and navy will invade the Fire Nation during the day of the black sun"
Momo suddenly dove across the board and tipped over the pillars. Katara laughed at the lemur's actions.
"Or we could send Momo to create some disaster" the waterbender said in an attempt to deal with the five generals, who were not amused by her joke in the least "because… well… I'm… sorry"
"All we need is the Earth King's seal to execute our plan" General How ordered Katara as he handed her a scroll.
"I will send him these scrolls immediately" Katara replied "thank you, General How"
On the other hand, Aang was heading with Appa to the Eastern Air Temple, for some reason in particular his thoughts were again lost on Zuko, wondering how he would be at that moment and what he would be doing, he had not seen the banished prince since the last time he They were fighting against Azula in the abandoned village, he remembered leaving him behind, wrapped in a wave of fire and fury, for a moment, he had seriously hesitated to return and help him, he really wanted to help him. Now that he thought about it, his thoughts had not been focused very often on Zuko due to the news of the eclipse, the invasion plans and Appa's disappearance, at that painful thought, he hid his face tightly against the shoulder of the flying bison. for a moment.
"I love you, buddy" he whispered to the harsh wind that whipped around him. He received a growl in response to his words, so long living with the animal made him understand that the feeling was mutual, he wondered if he told Zuko that he loved him, would he accept his feelings. They had not been able to speak, not with serious conversation since that time he rescued him from Zhao's fortress disguised as the Blue Spirit, the North Pole did not count, because there were more important things to worry about like having to protect the spirits of the Moon and the Ocean, so they had not had a chance to speak since then and had not had a chance to ask Zuko what was the important thing he wanted told him while they were in the ice cave, probably if he came back to see him and ask him, he would have already forgotten. Aang felt a tingle run through his body just remembering that memory and tried to remember the sensations that Zuko caused in his young body... but those memories were dim and slowly faded with each passing day, no matter how hard he tried, he was not able to recall those forbidden feelings between him and the Fire Nation prince. He brushed his fingers against his lips as he always did every time he thought of Zuko, this time the memory was stronger, because he managed to steal not only a kiss but a few while they were at the North Pole before separating again for who knows how much time, he remembered the warm feel of Zuko's lips and guessed it was because he came from a place where most people were firebenders, the soft way they pressed against his, the sparks of pleasure that ran through his body, those sensations that only he could provoke, that only could feel it with him, he nibbled and licked his lips. He groaned softly, snuggling into Appa as soon as the memories invaded his mind and he bit his lower lip, wishing it was Zuko's one, he had never experienced anything like this before, that fervent passion for someone who was also of the same sex, not even for Katara felt this sensation, the waterbender would always be a very important person for him but the feelings that he developed for her were further from the small crush he once felt, she could not awaken that bewilderment as the banished prince did. He opened his eyes, he did not realize when he had closed them, he saw in the distance the Eastern Air Temple towers, he snorted wishing he had more time to think, but he supposed it was for the best, he was the Avatar, and the needs of the world were above his; however, for the next few minutes before arriving, he allowed herself to dream a bit, the only privilege he still had in these chaotic times. He closed his eyes and saw Zuko smiling at him, extending his arms towards him, the images of his dream began to show at fast motion, as they always did, this time he could see Zuko joining his team and helping him fight against the Fire Nation, he could see Zuko by his side during the invasion on the day of the black sun while they defeated the Fire Lord, Zuko wrapped him in his warm and strong arms and kissed him leaving him breathless in front of everyone, he could hear his friends cheering them as he feel safe in his hug, finally the world was safe, the balance had been reestablished and love triumphed. It was a beautiful dream... but he had gone through a lot after he was released from the iceberg to have hope in the end, he knew that getting everything back to the way it was before was going to be difficult, that there would be tears, pain and blood in the process. The only thing he hoped was that everyone could achieve their happy ending, the possibility that the world would return to its state of balance and harmony that had not been seen in more than a hundred years. Aang wiped away a stray tear as he and Appa cut through a cloud, shaking off the moisture as they hovered around the temple. He could see a man meditating in the distance and directs Appa in that direction, Guru Pathik was meditating on the same tower where he sat before Appa's departure "uh, hello? are you Guru Pathik, right? the person who left the note on Appa's horn"
"Indeed" the old man replied without leaving meditation position "I was a spiritual brother of your people, and a close friend of monk Gyatso."
"In your note, you said that you could teach me how to dominate the Avatar state" Aang said as he sat in front of Pathik "how?"
"You must gain balance within yourself before you can balance the world" Guru Pathik replied "and the first step to achieve balance begins with this" he gave Aang a wooden bowl "drink it"
The young Avatar did so before spitting it out, commenting that it was a strange combination of onion and banana juice. After that uncomfortable scene, guru Pathik began to explain to the Avatar the instruction of the chakras, to master the Avatar state, Pathik told him that he must first open the seven chakras of his body, realizing that Aang did not have a minimum knowledge about the nature of the chakras, Pathik gave him a visual demonstration. Using a pond clogged with seaweeds, he successfully explained the concept of chakras to Aang, stating that by removing the obstructions between the ponds, water could flow just like energy flows through the body when the seven chakras are open, the guru further explained that there are seven chakras within the body each with a different purpose, an intense sensation that culminates in the opening of all of them. Pathik warns him that the process of opening the chakras cannot be stopped once it has begun, it must be completed to be successful. Aang accepts this challenge and they begin the process, traveling through different points of the Eastern Air Temple learning about the first six chakras: Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Sound and Light.
Meanwhile, Mai and Ty Lee, dressed up in Kyoshi Warrior uniforms sat on the Earth King's palace stairs, neither of them noticed a couple of Dai Li agents spying on them hidden behind the columns, something told them that these girls were not what they seemed to be and they had to find out what they were up to.
"I'm sick of wearing this lady costume" Mai complained while Ty Lee kept busy doing exercises and stretching her limbs "I don't know how anyone can fight with this"
"Maybe that's why it was so easy to defeat the Kyoshi Warriors and steal their uniforms" Ty Lee told Mai, one of the Dai Li agents who was behind the column narrowed his eyes with a serious expression upon hearing that those Kyoshi Warriors were nothing more than impostors.
"How much longer are we going to have to be serving the Earth King?" the gloomy girl asked to her friend "if I have to pick up another pile of bear poop, I swear I'm going to puke"
"Princess Azula promised us that we would return to the Fire Nation once we capture the Avatar" Ty Lee told to her friend "we just have to be patient."
"Shut up!" the dark haired girl said "do you want the whole palace to know that we are from the Fire Nation?"
"I'm sorry" the cheerful girl next to her apologized, the Dai Li agents who had been spying stealthily from the columns, clung to them quickly and stealthily, once they left, Azula made her appearance.
"Good work, girls" the disguised princess congratulated them "I'm sure the Dai Li will deliver the message"
Aang and Pathik advanced to the Fire chakra, located in the stomach, dealing with willpower and blocked with shame. Before unlocking the Fire chakra, the guru proceeded with unlocking the third chakra by asking the Avatar what he is so embarrassed about and why he was disappointed in himself. Aang has a vision of when he tried to firebend for the first time and ended up wounding Katara, telling Pathik that after that incident, he would never firebend again, Pathik replied that to gain balance he must accept all aspects of his life, Aang was the Avatar and in his past life he had been a firebender. He accepts his duty, the destiny that was imposed on him from the beginning and with that he manages to open the third chakra, the next chakra is the Air chakra, located in the heart, it deals with love but is blocked with pain, putting his pain as his main priority, Aang visualizes all the Air nomads that were killed by the Fire Nation during the Hundred Years War, with Gyatso in front of all of them, they vanished one by one turning into smoke. According to Pathik, love is a form of energy that revolves around people, he also affirm that the love that Aang felt for the Air nomads would always be there with him but that it could reincarnate in a new type of love, at first, Aang tried to think of Katara but then he remembered that it was not her that he had these feelings for, the waterbender image distorted to give way to Zuko.
The next chakra is that of Sound, located in the throat, it deals with the truth but is blocked with lies. Aang recalled the moment when he hid his true identity from Katara and Sokka, stating that at first, he did not want them to know that he was the Avatar because he never wanted to be. Pathik explains that he cannot deny his own nature and that he must accept his destiny as the Avatar, with a vision in mind and with a sigh, Aang accepted this idea, opening succesfully the Sound chakra, being congratulated by Pathik who began to explain the technique to unblock the Light chakra, which is located in the forehead, deals with vision but is blocked with illusion, furthermore, admits that the greatest illusion in the world is separation, things that are believed to be separated by being different from each other. Aang instantly related this concept to the four nations and Pathik told him that each individual was part of the whole collective, but that they live as if they were divided. Aang realized that Pathik was right in saying that they were all connected, so the divisions were meaningless. Pathik went on to explain that even the separation of the four elements was an illusion, as all four are parts of the same whole, adding that even the metal was simply refined and purified earth.
With the final chakra opening, Aang would be able to enter and exit the Avatar state easily, as well as control his actions within it. The last chakra is the Thought chakra, located at the top of the head, it deals with cosmic energy but is blocked by earthly possessions, he asked Aang to meditate on what he was holding so tightly, and as he did so, images of Zuko came back to his mind, including the dream he had while traveling to the temple, all these images invaded his mind and seeing that Aang finally managed to focus on what was holding him down, Pathik ordered him to let these emotions go all of a sudden. Aang is angered when he realizes that he must put his feelings for the Fire Nation prince aside when he had just recently discovered that he loved him without restraint. He wonders why he could not allow himself to feel this kind of love, when the same guru told him that this was a good thing for him, Pathik narrowed his eyes but keep cool and continued, stating that if Aang wanted pure cosmic energy enter on him, he had to leave his earthly possessions, including the one he loved so unconditionally.
Katara ran into the Earth Kingdom palace breathing heavily and once she entered inside the Earth King's throne room she found Azula, May and Ty Lee disguised as Kyoshi Warriors kneeling on the ground. Of course, the waterbender did not recognize them and believed they were Suki and her partners.
"Thank Agni you're here, Suki" Katara said to the disguised princess "something terrible is happening, the Fire Nation has infiltrated the city. I just saw Prince Zuko and his uncle, we have to tell the Earth King right away"
"Oh, don't worry" Azula replied as she got up from the ground "I'll be sure to tell him"
That was when Katara realized her mistake, she recognized the distinctive golden hue in Azula's eyes. However, her discovery came too late; Ty Lee throwed herself into the air and blocked her chi. Azula and her friends stood around Katara's motionless body, commenting that it was time for her and Zuko to meet again.
Back at the Eastern Air Temple, it was late at night and the discussion continued, Aang remained firm in his opinion of not leaving behind his feelings for Zuko, but Guru Pathik told him that he must learn to master all the chakras in order to dominate the Avatar state. Aang agreed to give it a try and had a vision of Zuko being captured by the Dai Li agents with his sister laughing at him as they took him away, then an image of Katara disappearing into space appeared and he was carried above the planet to walk along. From a stream of cosmic energy, the stream radiated from a gigantic image of himself in the Avatar State, which surrounded him in a sphere of energy radiating from his palms. Aang was surprised; however, upon seeing an image of Katara, captured underground, he left the Avatar state-induced figure and began running towards the image, causing the stream of cosmic energy to dissipate and Aang plummeting to Earth.
"Katara is in danger!" Aang said after seeing that his friend was in trouble, however, the image of Zuko being captured was what he feared the most "I have to leave"
"No, Aang" Pathik said trying to stop the boy who was about to leave the temple "by choosing to cling to your earthly possessions, you blocked the chakra, if you leave now, you will never be able to enter the Avatar state!"
Aang knew he was going to regret this later, but now he had to go back to Ba Sing Se, help his friend and stop Azula from capturing Zuko, he ignored the man's warnings and left behind his chance to dominate the Avatar state.
At Ba Sing Se Prison, a group of Dai Li agents escorted a restrained and complaining Azula to Long Feng's cell. Upon arrival, she demanded why they took her to a prison in the middle of the night.
"You're not a Kyoshi warrior, are you?" Long Feng asked, who smiled as soon as he recognized her "Azula, princess of the Fire Nation?"
"What do you want?" Azula asked him.
"I want to propose you a deal. It's time for me to regain control of Ba Sing Se" Long Feng replied "and you have something I need"
"Huh?"
"The Earth King's trust."
"For what reason should I help you?" the disguised princess asked to the man with a harsh but sour tone of voice.
"Because I can help you defeat the Avatar."
In the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh and Zuko were finishing their tasks of cleaning the tea shop when a messenger appeared carrying a scroll in hand.
"A message from the royal palace" the messenger said giving the scroll to Iroh, the old man took the scroll, opened it and read what was written inside it.
"I… I can't believe it" Iroh said a bit astonished.
"What's up uncle?" Zuko asked as he approached to him.
"Good news, we've been invited to serve tea to the Earth King."
Wasting no time, Iroh rushed to prepare everything to go to the royal palace while Zuko looked at him extremely pleased and happy for his good luck and continued working in the shop. They had no idea what kind of trouble they would gotten themselves into by accepting that invitation.
Aang felt guilt eat at him as he looked at Sokka and Toph who were sitting next to him in Appa, he had lied to them telling them that he had mastered the Avatar state... however, he could not reveal the real reason why he was returning to Ba Sing Without having mastered the Avatar state, even when he had managed to unlock the fourth chakra... the one who dealt with love and blocked himself with pain, he could see how his people, the air nomads, vanished into the mist, but when the guru Pathik told him that he could reincarnate into a new type of love, he was right, that love had taken the form of something new, first he had seen Katara but then that image changed to be replaced with Zuko. Zuko had been the predominant one and he could feel his heart pounding knowing that it was he who had been giving him strength and helping him master the Avatar state, but then when they had to work on unlocking the last chakra, Pathik told him he told Aang that he should get rid of all his earthly possessions, that included his connection and the love he felt for Zuko because he needed to free himself to finally dominate the Avatar state the way he wanted him to. He almost refused to do so, he could not let Zuko go, they had formed a connection at the North Pole, at least for a short time, also, he kept alive the hopes that after all this, they could reconnect and finally be together, not only as friends, but also as something else, unfortunately, the guru destroyed all those expectations by saying that he had to leave Zuko behind if he wanted to quickly master the Avatar state.
Aang knew that his past lives, like Avatar Roku, had mastered the Avatar state, but after so many years of discipline and meditation… he was sure that they had not had to give up their earthly possessions to achieve it. Just because Aang was taking the quick and easy way to master the Avatar state, which culminated in having to sacrifice what he loved the most… he could not deny that all of this involved the good of balance. Finally, he gave up, solemnly nodded to Guru Pathik and decided to give up the person he loved the most if it meant saving the world, but after having a vision of Zuko in trouble followed by a hazy vision of Katara in danger, he had than flee with the guilt of having chosen the easy way out and not give up his love because he had to go to save him.
So, now he was sitting on the head of his flying bison next to Sokka and Toph, lying to them that he had mastered the Avatar state and that he had thought that Katara might be in serious danger, of course, not to mention the fact that he had first seen Zuko in grave danger, because he could not tell them (especially Sokka, who hated the prince) of the secret love affair he had with Zuko so he lied through his teeth hoping his friends were not suspicious and rushed Appa to fly faster towards the Earth King's palace, he pulled his reins quickly in the hope that they would get there before something bad happened, he turned his gaze at Sokka and Toph wishing he could let it all escape but he decided not to.
Meanwhile, deep underground, Azula, who has been in control of the Dai Li agents by Long Feng for the planned coup, works quickly to establish her leadership position and make them fear and obey her.
"The Earth King and the Council of the Five do not trust the Dai Li" Azula told them, she had changed her Kyoshi Warrior disguise for a Dai Li agent uniform, her friends, Mai and Ty Lee were still disguised as Kyoshi Warriors "they imprisoned their leader, Long Feng, they will soon turn against all of you and eliminate you, taking power today is a matter of life and death" she started downstairs while looking at the agents "this hit must be swift and decisive, the Earth King and each of the five generals must be overthrown simultaneously. Long Feng has put you under my command while we overthrow the government" she turned on her steps and walked turning to the right while her gaze was still fixed on the Dai Li agents standing in front of her" if I feel any disloyalty, any doubt, any weakness, I'll turn it off. That's it"
With those last words, the Dai Li agents turned in their footsteps and left their headquarters.
"Good speech, Azula" Ty Lee congratulated her as she served a cup of tea "it was pretty, poetic but also scary in a good sense."
"Yeah, for a second I thought you would make them pee their pants" Mai commented as she smiled with amusement.
"There are still some loose ends, the Avatar... my brother and my uncle" Azula said while rolling her eyes.
Iroh and Zuko arrived at the Earth King's palace because of the esteemed invitation they received to come and serve him tea. While they waited for the king, the two of them began to look somewhat apprehensive.
"Why is it taking so long?" Zuko asked his uncle as he prepared the tea and served it in the cups arranged on the table.
"Perhaps the Earth King fell asleep?" Iroh replied. Suddenly, a group of Dai Li agents surrounded Iroh and Zuko, they soon realized that it had all been a ruse armed by Azula.
"It's tea time" the Fire Nation princess said as soon as she appeared in the room.
"Azula..." Zuko said adopting a defensive position, apparently, things were going according to what he had been planning for a few days.
"Do you know the Dai Li? They're earthbenders but they have a murder instinct so similar to that of the firebenders" Azula told them, introducing her new escort with a sinister look "that fascinates me"
Instead of reacting like Zuko did, Iroh decided to take a different perspective.
"Well, have I ever told you how I got the nickname 'the Dragon of the West'?" He calmly asked Azula as he drank his cup of tea and got up from his seat right next to Zuko.
"I'm not interested in a long anecdote, uncle" Azula replied, waving her hand in a sign of disinterest and boredom.
"It's actually more of a demonstration" the old man told her, sipping his cup of tea and instantly began to release his fire breath attacking the Dai Li agents that surrounded him and Zuko. Taking advantage of the distraction, both of them started to escape, dodging ground projectiles thrown by the Dai Li agents, Iroh destroyed a wall with the help of lightning and jumped from the palace landing on the ground and urged Zuko to escape with him; however, Zuko decided to stop running and turned around to face Azula. Iroh was clearly displeased with his decision, but he quickly got up and fled the scene, the exiled prince challenged his sister to an Agni Kai which he rejected without hesitation, he tried to attack her but then the Dai Li agents arrived and soon they captured him and arrest him.
Meanwhile, Aang, Toph, and Sokka arrived at the palace, they got off Appa, ran towards the throne room and confronted the Earth King.
"Katara is fine" the Earth King, Kuei, replied trying to calm them down "you have nothing to worry about"
"But I had a vision, I was sure she was in trouble" Aang told him.
"Well, she met with the council of generals to plan the invasion" Kuei said "and after that she has left with your friends, the Kyoshi Warriors"
"Do you see, Aang? she's probably with Suki" Sokka said trying to be positive about the situation, but also trying to cheer him up "they sure are back in the apartment right now, talking about makeup or something"
"Ok, maybe you're right" Aang said but something inside him told him that Zuko and Katara were in grave danger and that Kuei and Sokka were telling him was not true.
"Believe me, if there was any danger, Bosco's animal instincts would feel it" the Earth King said suddenly his pet bear woke up and rumbled as he blinked. However, none of them were aware that the Kyoshi Warriors were actually Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee in disguise. As soon as the Avatar team go back to their apartment they found it empty, that's when they realized that Katara was in danger, while the group searched the empty apartment, Toph felt someone knock on the door, identifying the person behind as a old friend of her, Iroh, and invited him to get in for Aang and Sokka's surprise.
"I need your help" Iroh told them with a concerned look on his face.
"Well, this day is getting stranger and stranger" Aang thought, first the Earth King tells them that Katara was fine, sadly leaving Aang without a way to know if Zuko was alright too and he could not even ask why the situation was not suspicious for his friends, so he held his tongue and they went back to the apartment in the upper ring trying to find Katara but she was not there, until General Iroh appeared asking for their help. Apparently Iroh and Toph had an encounter earlier and Aang had no choice but to trust his earthbending master, if she said that Iroh was fine then Aang had to deduce that it could be true. Furthermore, Iroh was Zuko's uncle and the airbender was unable to believe that the man was a bad person, despite the fact that he had remained by the side of the banished prince despite everything.
"Princess Azula is here in Ba Sing Se" Iroh told them as he entered on the apartment.
"She's the one who must have Katara" Aang said.
"He has also captured my nephew" the old man told them, Aang began to worry at the thought of the type of torture that the fearsome princess was applying on the waterbender but he also feared for Zuko's safety.
"Then we will work together to fight Azula and save Katara and Zuko" the young airbender suggested as he clenched his fist showing his anger towards the princess of the Fire Nation.
"Whoa, wait, time out" Sokka said interrupting his friend "you lost me when you mentioned Zuko"
"I know how you feel for my nephew... but you must believe me when I tell you that there is goodness inside him" Iroh said with comforting words, once again, Aang had to admit that the old man was right, if Zuko did not have goodness inside him, he would never have rescued him from Zhao's fortress or helped them save the fortuneteller's village from the impending destruction of a volcano.
"Just seeing the 'goodness' inside him is not enough!" Sokka exclaimed, not very convinced by the old man's words "why don't you come back when he's not waiting for you out there, okay?"
"Sokka, Zu... Katara is in danger" Aang said stopping the Southern Water Tribe boy "all Ba Sing Se is in danger, working together is our only chance"
Sokka changed his mind, Iroh and the Avatar team headed outside.
"I brought someone who might be able to help us" Iroh said once they were outside, they held a Dai Li agent captured by Iroh in a wedge of rocks and after an interrogation by Sokka, the Avatar team know that Katara was being held in an underground cave known as the crystal catacombs.
Zuko fought against the Dai Li agents grip on him, wanting to escape but also wanting to smash his head against a wall for his stupidity. He had been so groggy after his fever, thinking he could face his father and the world and come out unscathed. Then he realized what he had done... he had faced his sister, who now had all of Ba Sing Se eating from the palm of her hand and had been completely humiliated, when what he really wanted to do was try to win her trust and then betray her without her noticing. He seriously needed to think better about when it was time to act and when it was time to give up or run away.
They stopped before a rock wall, part of it rounded and he wondered with a little fear what they had in store for him, they put his arms behind his back and one officer held him while the other moved the rounded rock clearing the way, revealing a tunnel that disappeared into darkness.
"Don't worry, you'll have some company down there" one of the agents told him sarcastically.
Zuko did not have time to process what the agent meant because he was thrown into the tunnel, tumbling and spinning against the unforgiving rock, landing on the ground with a thud. He groaned, moving his body so he could kneel, he heard the rock that served as the door to his new cell close. He looked up at Katara, who was standing in the same dark cave lit by crystals, she adopted a defensive position, her expression was furious as she looked at him... well, this was going to be an interesting meeting, he just hoped she did not had water in her canteen, because he feared for his life from the look that was reflected in her eyes, Zuko managed to turn around without her chasing him, he sat on the ground trying to think of a way out while she yelled at him and she was chasing him, he wanted to explain her that he was no longer trying to capture Aang, at least not to take him to the Fire Nation in chains, but instead, he was silent, he did not want to fight against her; he no longer had the strength to do it so. Also, if he wanted to be with Aang at some point in the near future, he had to try to make amends with the little monk's friends, there was no place like present, was it? and at that moment, she said something that surprised Zuko but also gave him an opportunity to perhaps start a conversation with the girl who at one time had all the devotion of the Avatar, which could begin to ease some of the animosity between them, he told her that he did not know how painful it was for her to see the Fire Nation kill her mother. Despite this, Zuko still did not like Katara, because she was partly her rival in love, she was too calculating, she judged people too quickly and she could not forget the past.
However, for a while, Zuko had to admit that he was not able to forget the past either, but now he could, for Aang's sake, he would even try to make amends with her, although it was not in his initial plan, but if he and the Avatar ever got into a serious relationship, the least he could do was try to get along with her and the young airbender's other friends and Zuko just had to learn to deal with it, so he turned to look at her, he saw the waterbender kneeling on the ground crying over her mother's loss.
"I'm sorry" he whispered waiting for her to take this as a kind of truce "that's something we maybe have in common" Katara stopped crying and turned to look at him, looked away from her sad blue eyes to her hands "my mother, she has always been protecting me from my father... and she had to sacrifice herself to do it so... I miss her... too much"
He stood up and looked around the cave unable to meet the waterbender in the eye after her sudden confession. Katara shuffled, looking at him with her lost eyes and realized that maybe they were both good guys, just that they had made bad decisions but were now on the right track.
"I'm so sorry I yelled at you earlier" Katara apologized.
"It doesn't matter" Zuko replied, he did not care about that at the time.
"It's just that for so long, every time I imagine the enemy's face is yours" the waterbender said.
"My face, I see" Zuko muttered as he brought a hand to his scar.
"No. That's not what I meant" assuming she was referring to her scar, Zuko explained that it was a mark that symbolized his exile, and his 'destiny' to haunt the Avatar forever "maybe you could get rid of it"
"What?" Zuko said as he turned his gaze to the waterbender.
"I have healing abilities" Katara told him.
"It's a scar, it can't be healed."
However, he had gained Katara's trust to the point where she volunteered to rid off his scar herself using the water from the Northern Water Tribe spirit oasis, Zuko allowed her to rid off the scar, but before she could even do anything, Aang and Iroh burst through the cave wall. Excited to see her friend, Katara ran over to Aang, but before she could even hug him, the young airbender pushed her aside and approached to Zuko, the waterbender frowned slightly, thanks for checking if she were ok. Zuko looked at Aang and his heart raced as he saw a beautiful smile appear on the boy's face, a different smile from the one the girl gave him when she ran to hug him. He felt that his smile was reciprocated, he wanted so much to be able to carry the kid in his arms and kiss him until they both could not breath, Aang raised his hand in a shy greeting, Zuko take back the greeting still smiling before closing the distance between them with a hug. Katara's pupils shrank at the scene she was witnessing, Aang wrap his small arms around Zuko's waist as he buried his head in the prince's chest.
"What's going on here?" Katara thought as she looked at the two of them hugging "are they... are they hugging? but why?" the waterbender was still surprised by the change of scene, she approached when she realized that Aang was speaking, she leaned to try to listen.
"I missed you... I missed you so much" Aang muttered rubbing his face against Zuko's chest, she watched in amazement how the prince's arms enveloped Aang, holding him so tenderly... as if he were a friend... no, as if he was a... as if he were a lover.
"No" Katara thought trying to convince herself that what she was seeing was not real "no, they can't be… they couldn't, no way! I must be dreaming, yes that's it! I'm just daydreaming I will close my eyes and when I open them everything will disappear"
Without wasting a second, Katara closed her eyes and waited a few seconds, but when she opened her eyes, she was in shock, now they were kissing, what was going on? she had gone crazy; it was the only logical reason that she could find in that situation. Aang and Zuko pulled away and the banished prince lowered his head and whispered something in Aang's ear, low enough that the waterbender would not hear him, as much as Katara wanted to hear, whatever Zuko said he made Aang blush and a smile spread across his face; however, the moment was interrupted as soon as Iroh entered through the hole in the cave wall, Zuko broke away from his love and went to hug him too, happy to see the old man again.
"What's going on, uncle?" Zuko asked once he pull away from him and turned his gaze to the Avatar.
"We're here to rescue you" Aang replied, with a wary face, but his gray eyes gave him away and Zuko could feel his body drunk with feelings he did not know he could feel.
"Go help your other friends, we'll catch up with you later. But first, I need to talk to my nephew" Iroh said to Aang, with a warm hand resting on Zuko's shoulder. Part of Zuko wanted to get away from his hand and go after Aang, but he could not because he wanted to hear what his uncle had to say... and share some things he should have said to him long time ago.
"Uncle..."
"You are not the man you used to be, Zuko, you are stronger, wiser and freer than ever and now you have reached the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose... it's time for you to choose well" Iroh said and Zuko looked at him, took a deep breath to tell the man everything. There was no going back now... he has already chosen well, not only because he loved Aang but because his eyes had been opened and he now saw the world as it really was, obscured by the cloak of lies his nation shed. He had seen refugees and broken families and a little boy who wanted him to stay with him at home. Zuko had no choice to made... he had done it since the day he was banished of his home, but before he could say all this, before he could say these things and see his uncle's face light up with pride... the moment shattered, he gasped as soon as the crystals sprouted from the ground and surrounded his uncle in an unbreakable capsule. Zuko got into a defensive stance looking wide-eyed two Dai Li agents slip into the small cavern they were in, followed by his sister, looking as pompous and smug as ever, even in her Dai Li uniform.
"I was expecting this kind of betrayal from our uncle" she said, approaching to him "but Zuko? Prince Zuko? You are many things, but you are not a traitor, are you?"
"Release him immediately" he growled.
"It's not too late for you, Zuko" she continued as if she had not heard "you can still redeem yourself"
"The kind of redemption she offers is not for you."
"Why don't you let him decide himself, uncle? I need you, Zuko. I have planned every moment of this day, this glorious day in our nation's history and the only way for us to win is by working together. By the end of the day you will regain your honor, you will have dad's approval, you will have everything you want."
"Zuko... I'm begging you. Look into your heart and find what you really want."
"You are free to choose" after that, Azula sent the Dai Li agents away from there at that moment was when Zuko knew what was happening: he was just another move on her way to success, he was just a pawn in her chess game. He looked at her walk away, entering on the tunnel where the Avatar and the waterbender went to meet their other friends, he was being badly influenced psychologically by her, he was digging deep into his heart selecting all the weak points that would make him bend more to her will, her honor, her father, but she had not taken into account a very fragile and vulnerable little point, Aang.
Zuko clenched his fists with narrowed eyes, lost in thought, even so, he didn't think he was strong enough to fight her, he didn't think he could cope and survive. He sighed, looking at his uncle, he still had a chance to give up, follow his original plan, do what she asked him and stop fighting... he had been fighting for so long... too long. It would be simple, he just hoped that Aang would forgive him for his decision but he needed to gain his sister's trust if he wanted to execute his plan perfectly.
Azula caught up with Aang and Katara running to save Toph and Sokka from their prison and without thinking threw a blast of blue fire at them. An intense battle broke out between Aang, Katara and Azula, just when Aang and Katara had her cornered, Zuko appeared, after a brief moment of tension, he put his performance into action and began to fight alongside Azula to everyone's surprise. In the middle of the battle, they split into two groups: Zuko was fighting Katara, each one using whips from their elements on opposite sides of a river.
"You lied to me!" Katara yelled letting out all her anger and frustration "I thought you had changed!"
"I've changed" Zuko answered inscrutably continuing with his performance, he needed to convince his sister that he was on her side.
On the other hand, Aang and Azula were fighting each other, Azula sent a blast of blue fire, sending Aang flying through the air, the battle continued, with Katara facing Zuko and Azula, but she could not handle them both because of her counts and ended up getting knocked out when an explosion from Azula smashed her against a crystal wall. Soon after, Aang managed not to get thrown again, he clung to the ground, creating a wave of earth that rushed toward Azula and Zuko, but was stopped by the Dai Li agents. They were soon joined by dozens of Dai Li agents and Katara assumed the octopus pose: it was nothing more than tentacle-shaped waterbending. Seeing that there was little chance of winning this battle due to the uneven number of opponents, Aang realizes that he has no alternative and does the first thing that comes to mind, he created a small capsule with the crystals using his earthbending, he meditated and tried to break free of his earthly attachment to Zuko, but before he could leave his love for the prince of the Fire Nation behind and finally enter on the Avatar state, Azula struck him down with a lightning behind his back, killing him. At that moment, the Avatar spirit fell from the existential plane and in turn, Aang fell back to the ground, seeing this, Katara created a large wave using her waterbending and manages to push the agents Dai Li and Azula, Zuko saw Aang fall down and ran a small race trying to win Katara and catch the boy before he hit the ground, but the waterbender pushed him away with one of her attacks.
"Aang..." Zuko whispered as he saw how Katara definitely won the race and caught Aang before he touched the ground, she saw him unconscious in her arms and began to cry but at that moment was interrupted by being cornered and defenseless; however, Iroh appeared to help her.
"I'm going to stop them. Take Aang and save him" Iroh told him.
"But Iroh... you can still come with us" the waterbender offered him, thinking that maybe they could both fight against that group in front of them, they could both escape.
"LEAVE" he yelled. Katara nodded and once she escaped with Aang in her arms, Iroh surrendered to the Dai Li and looked at Zuko, quickly turning his head, embarrassed by the decision his nephew had made.
When the battle was over, the Avatar team escaped with a nearly dead Aang, King Kuei and his bear away from Ba Sing Se, Azula and Zuko get out of the crystal catacombs and headed to the royal palace throne room.
"We did it, Zuko" Azula said as she smiled enjoying her victory "it took a hundred years, but the Fire Nation finally conquered Ba Sing Se" the girl stopped smiling when she saw the sad expression on her brother's face "aw come on, Zuzu. Don't be sad, we have to celebrate our victory, I could never have done this without you"
"I betrayed the uncle" Zuko muttered feeling bad for hurting the man who had always supported him and who was by his side when he needed it most.
"No, you're wrong, he betrayed you" the Fire Nation princess replied as she continued to bad influence him psychologically, she get up from the throne and looked at her brother "Zuko, when you arrive home, your father will welcome you as a hero"
"But I don't have the Avatar" Zuko said still disappointed in himself "what if dad doesn't want to restore my honor?"
"You don't need it, Zuko. Today you have restored your own honor" Azula said as she placed a hand on her shoulder, Zuko looked at her for a few seconds and then turned his gaze. What the hell had he done? He had hurt the person who had always been with him and supported him unconditionally and now Aang, the boy he loved more than anything and no one in that world was dead, it was all because of him, all because he wanted to follow in his plan perfectly and be able to gain Azula's trust.
Meanwhile, Avatar team managed to escape with some difficulty and while they were flying in Appa, Katara used the water from the spirit oasis to heal Aang, who at first seems dead. At first nothing happened and Katara started crying and held Aang close to her, Aang's tattoos flashed momentarily, he opened his eyes and smiled weakly at her, overwhelmed and relieved that her friend was alright, Katara hugged him closer as the Earth King, Bosco, Momo and the Avatar team fly on Appa's back over the outer wall and out of the city, the Earth King looked back.
"The Earth Kingdom... has fallen" he proclaims sadly.