Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender
Chapter 18: I Thought the Kyoshi Warriors Were Taller
The next day...
"So, do you remember the plan?" Zuko asked Sokka as they crouched outside of the palace, hiding behind a large, stone statue of a lion.
Sokka nodded. "You will all sneak in after Aang, and once you're in, you'll let me in."
"We'll see you later." Katara told him, before she, Toph, Aang, and Zuko all ducked out from behind the pillar, their copies of the invitation that Aang had received in their hands, which they had gotten from a not completely legal copier in the Lower Ring.
All four of them were dressed like the rest of the nobles waiting to get into the party. Toph and Katara were both wearing light green chaofus with dark green fans boarded with gold, green earrings, and elaborate gold headpieces adorned with flowers. Both girls' hair was pulled back into a qitou and they wore red blush and blue eyeshadow. Zuko wore a green shenyi, with a dark green guanmao, and his hair pulled back into a queue. Aang wore a yellow kasaya, with orange underneath, and a wooden necklace with the symbol for air on it, along with orange boots.
"Invitations." The guard requested, as the four of them approached the front of the line.
Zuko, Katara, and Toph all held out their copied invitations, which the guard nodded to and let them in without a second glance. But when he saw Aang, his eyes widened.
"I'm sorry Avatar," he said, bowing. "You shouldn't need an invitation to get into this event."
Aang smiled gently. "Its quite alright."
"Please, go in." The guard said, stepping aside, and Aang hurried up to the other three.
The four of them followed the rest of the crowd of nobles, Katara and Aang looping arms, while Toph and Zuko did the same. As soon as they made their way into the ballroom, Zuko turned to the three of them.
"I'm going to go let Sokka in. The three of you walk around and see if you can find out how we can talk to the King."
Katara, Toph, and Aang all nodded and split up, with Aang immediately getting accosted by the various Earth Kingdom nobles, who were eager to get in a good word with the Avatar. Making his way over to the door, Zuko ducked around the different crowds of nobles, all of whom payed him no heed, and arrived at the small door out to the courtyard that was hidden by several stone columns, where Sokka was waiting.
"Took you long enough." Sokka muttered, as Zuko opened the door for the other boy.
Like the rest of them, Sokka was dressed up to blend in with the other nobles. He was a dark blue chaofu, with a blue guanmao, and his hair pulled back into a queue. He had pinned a silver broach over his heart and wore silver rings on his fingers.
"Sorry," Zuko apologized. "The line to get in was rather long. Let's go find Toph and Katara, and see what they've found out. Aang's busy distracting the guests."
The two boys headed back through the ballroom, ducking around the crowds of nobles, as Zuko put all of his training into how to act at these kinds of events into use, and Sokka tried his best to follow what his friend was doing. Luckily, no one questioned them, all either too caught up in their own conversations, or watching Aang perform a larger version of his airbending marble trick to notice two boys not acting completely normal.
"Took you long enough." Toph commented, as Sokka and Zuko rejoined Katara and Toph on the other side of the ballroom.
Rolling his eyes, Zuko turned to her. "Have you two found anything out?"
"That's Long Feng." Katara said, gesturing to a nearby man who was doing his best to drag Aang away, but failing miserably.
His hair was black, and pulled back into a queue, with piercing green eyes. He wore a dark green chaofu, with gold trimming around the edges. He was focused on Aang, trying to get the boy to stop his airbending, leaving Toph, Sokka, Zuko, and Katara to look around for the king.
"We need to be careful." Zuko muttered to his friends. "Long Feng looks distracted, but there's bound to be Dai Li watching us."
Toph moved her foot slowly, unnoticed by anyone but them. "There's several Dai Li on the columns, behind the curtains, that we can't see, along with the ones stationed along the wall." She whispered.
"They really don't want us talking to the king." Katara sighed, looking around.
Zuko nodded. "Believe me, they don't."
"How are we going to talk to him?" Sokka asked, worried.
Zuko shook his head. "We can't. Not tonight. We need some way to get to the king, without all these Dai Li. I'll talk to my uncle, maybe he'll have an idea."
"We need to figure it out quick." Katara told them. "I don't want to just sit around here, while Azula could infiltrate the city."
Zuko nodded. "Let's get out of here."
Turning slightly, he nodded discretely to Aang, who stopped his airbending, yelling a quick explanation to Long Feng, before hurrying over to the four of them.
"Did you talk to the king?" He asked.
Zuko shook his head. "There's too many Dai Li to try tonight. We're going to leave, and come back at a better time. I'm going to talk to my uncle, maybe he'll have some ideas."
"Lets go." Toph muttered. "I've had enough of this party."
But as they left the bathroom, Zuko was unable to shake the concerning feeling that he was being watched.
The next morning...
Dressed in his normal Earth Kingdom clothes once again, Zuko left the house, heading towards the Jasmine Dragon. As he ducked through the streets of the Upper Ring, he couldn't help but think back to the last time he was here, before.
Before, he hadn't cared to appreciate his life in the city. Despite all it's dangers, and walls, and secrets, Ba Sing Se was a beautiful city, especially the wealthy Upper Ring. Without noticing, Zuko found himself walking the familiar route to the Jasmine Dragon.
Catching himself, he did everything in his power to avoid waving at people he knew before, knowing that the people who knew the tea maker's scared nephew Lee were long gone, lost in an abandoned timeline, and probably dead.
Opening the door to the Jasmine Dragon, which was virtually empty since it was before opening, Zuko caught Derai's eye, who was sweeping the front room.
"Hey Rano." He greeted, remembering the other man's fake name. "Where's your uncle?"
Derai gestured to the kitchen door behind him. "He's in the kitchen, preparing tea. Just go through the door and you'll find him."
Nodding, Zuko made his way to the back of the room, taking care not to look too at home, should Derai question him, and ducked into the kitchen.
"Nephew!" His uncle called excitedly. "What are you doing here?"
Zuko smiled, pulling the older man into a tight hug. "I need your advice, uncle."
"What's going on?" Iroh asked, pulling back.
Pulling one of the stools that littered the kitchen closer to him, Zuko sat down, facing his uncle. "Aang, Toph, Sokka, Katara, and I are trying to warn the Earth King about the war. But we can't do anything with Long Feng and the Dai Li breathing down our necks. And without Azula's drill sitting outside the city, we have no way to convince the king that there is a war, even if we can talk to him. I have no idea what to do uncle."
"You know nephew, even the smallest acorn finds a way to grow into a large oak tree." Iroh said, nodding.
Zuko groaned. "I don't have the time for your proverbs, uncle."
"You have a tremendous advantage, nephew." Iroh told him, smiling. "Use it."
Zuko's eyes widened. "Lake Laogai. Long Feng doesn't know that we know about it. If we can show the king the Dai Li's secret headquarters, he'll believe us about the war. Thank you uncle." He said, pulling him into a hug.
"It was my pleasure. Don't forget to bring your friends in here sometime. I'd love to see them more. And Zuko, don't forget about your sister." Iroh warned him. "Just because she hasn't made such an obvious effort to take down Ba Sing Se, it doesn't mean she has stopped trying."
Zuko nodded. "I know. And I promise I'll come back to see you, but I have to tell the others about this."
Zuko left the kitchen, Iroh behind him, waving a quick goodbye to Derai, before hurrying out the door.
"Your nephew seems a lot different now." Derai commented, leaning up against the broom. "He's really changed from even when he first spotted the Avatar."
Iroh smiled. "Oh Derai, you have no idea."
"Do we really have to wear these?" Mai groaned, tugging on the fabric of her Kyoshi Warrior outfit, as she, Ty Lee, and Azula headed towards the Earth King's palace. "They're itchy."
Ty Lee grinned, bouncing up and down. "Lighten up Mai. Its fun."
"Both of you be quiet." Azula hissed. "I don't want this going wrong because someone overheard the two of you babbling."
Rolling her eyes, Mai shut her mouth. After being friends with Azula for so many years, she knew when to keep mouth shut. Next to her, Ty Lee quieted down too, frowning at Azula's back.
"What are you thinking about?" Mai whispered to her friend, leaning over.
Ty Lee sighed, looking sadder than Mai had seen her in a long time. "When did Azula change Mai? She never used to be cruel. And are we sure what we're doing is right?"
"Azula has a complicated life. And of course what we're doing is right. We're doing it for the Fire Nation, for our people." Mai insisted, but not for the first time recently, she didn't feel so sure about what she was saying.
Ty Lee frowned. "I know. But I can't stop thinking about what Zuko said back at that abandoned town. He was our friend Mai, and I know he was more then that to you."
"We'll figure it out." Mai promised the other girl, sneaking a quick glance towards Azula. "But not now. We might be able to go talk to Zuko later, once we make sure Azula doesn't follow us."
Following one of the guards, the three girls approached the outside of the palace. The king's guards were lined up in a row, along the pathway, with four Dai Li agents surrounding the platform that the Earth King was standing on.
"It is with the highest honor that I welcome our esteemed allies, the Kyoshi Warriors!" The Earth King announced, as the three of them bent down, bowing.
Looking up, Azula grinned. "We are the Earth King's humble servants."
"One of my guards will show you to your quarters." King Kuei said, gesturing to one of the guards in the line surrounding them, who stepped out. "I am requesting your presence in the throne room tomorrow morning. My most trusted advisor, Long Feng, has informed me that there are a group in the city who are trying to disturb the peace we enjoy in Ba Sing Se. I would like your help to search out these traitors."
Azula nodded, keeping the smirk off her face. "We would be honored."
As the three fake Kyoshi Warriors followed the guard back the way they came, Mai turned to Ty Lee, concern on her face. "You know what this means, right?"
"If we're going to warn Zuko, we need to do it soon." Ty Lee said, nodding.
Mai shook her head. "You know, I'd never thought I'd be the one to commit treason."
"But for Zuko, you'll do anything." Ty Lee said, turning to her best friend, understanding in her grey eyes. "You love him, don't you? You always have."
Mai nodded. "In the end, I'll always love Zuko, no matter how long we've been apart. And I love him more than I'm afraid of Azula."
"I'm with you Mai." Ty Lee told her, smiling. "I've been thinking about what Zuko said, ever since we saw him again. I love the Fire Nation, its my home, but the more I see of the world, the more I realize what's going on is wrong. I just want to help everyone, and if stopping the war is the best way, I'll do it."
Mai nodded. "Tomorrow, after we meet with the Earth King, we'll go talk to them. Azula is going to be gone, to talk to whoever her contact in the city is, so she won't notice us. And, by the time she realizes we've betrayed her, it will be too late."
"Tomorrow." Ty Lee agreed.
"So, what did your uncle say?" Katara asked, as soon as Zuko walked through the door.
Locking it behind him, he turned to the four of them. "We still have an advantage over Long Feng. He doesn't know that we know the whole extent of his plans. If we can show the Earth King Lake Laogai, he'll have no choice but to believe us."
"This is great." Aang said, grinning. "We're finally getting somewhere."
Zuko sighed. "My uncle also warned me to keep an eye out for my sister. And he's right. Something just doesn't seem okay. I know Azula. She's not just going to give up because I've joined you. If anything, it would make her more determined."
"We'll figure it out." Katara promised him. "Whatever Azula throws at us, we can take it."
Sorry this took so long. Despite being on vacation, I had neither the time nor the motivation to write for a while. The next chapters should be out sooner, since I am pretty excited with where this is going.
I did a lot of research for this chapter into what cultures the fashion in the Avatar universe are based off of, so all my descriptions of their clothing are actually what they are called. I didn't make any of this up. It was actually really interesting researching this, and seeing where all the inspiration for the Avatar world came from.
You can look them up if you want, but Toph and Katara's outfits are what they wore in City of Walls and Secrets, Zuko's outfit is just a green fancier version of the outfit he wears after he joins the Gaang in the Western Air Temple, Aang's outfit is exactly what he wears at Zuko's coronation in Sozin's Comet, and Sokka's outfit is a blue male version of the outfit Toph and Katara are wearing.
This is still going to be a gen fic, but in order to have Mai and Ty Lee's redemption, I did have to include a little bit of Maiko, just because Zuko has always been Mai's reason for turning against Azula, but its not going to be the focus of this fic at all.
Am I busy setting up a Mai and Ty Lee redemption? Yes, yes I am. What about it? Time to strap in kids, we're in for a wild ride. Shit's going to go down after this chapter.
Woah, and that concludes my really long author's notes. Kudos to anyone who read this far.
Please review. I love reviews.