Chapter 8
Katara observed the scenery, lost in her memories, as the boat taking them all to Ember Island chugged past the Great Gates of Azulon. The gates looked just as foreboding and imposing as when she had first seen them, during their doomed invasion on the Day of the Black Sun. Further in the distance, to her right, the Black Cliffs loomed menacingly, about half-way from their destination.
The morning sun of a particularly hot day tore down on them mercilessly, and Katara was happy to remain at the rear of the boat where a small retractable roof provided protection from the sun. The young waterbender was glad she had chosen to wear her Fire Nation themed outfit, since its top left her midriff and shoulder exposed to the slightly cool sea breeze and she didn't feel the need to undress any further, unlike the others. Katara had also foregone styling her hair in braids and knots, instead choosing to wear it simply and loosely. Suki and Ty Lee had boarded the boat wearing their full battle armor, but as soon as the craft had left the harbor, they had dashed below decks to remove their garb and wipe their faces clean, reappearing on the deck wearing only skimpy swimwear, the couple currently lounging near where Katara sat.
Zuko and Mai had chosen their spots more towards the bow, Mai reclining under the parasol, wearing a more conservative single piece swimwear, busy reading a book and ignoring everyone, especially Zuko. The young Fire Lord himself had chosen to remain near Mai, but didn't make any earnest attempt at engaging her in conversation. He had refused to take off his heavy robes for quite a while, until finally the heat became too unbearable, and he had discarded his clothes, remaining only in his baggy swimming trunks. Unfortunately for Katara, Zuko had chosen to disrobe just as she had turned her head to look at him while at the same time enjoying a cool, refreshing drink. An embarrassing coughing fit had followed, much to the amusement of Suki and Ty Lee, leaving Katara rather red in the face.
Even after that small incident, Katara proved unable to stop herself from time and time again stealing quick glances at Zuko, her eyes lingering on the pale skin of his torso, the subtle definition of muscles, full with grace of a catlike predator. All Katara could do in her situation was to curse her non-existent willpower that had seemingly evaporated under the rays of scorching sun. I shouldn't even be here! So much for the plan of evading Zuko... and it was all for his own benefit, too! Katara mentally scolded herself, still unable to explain to herself just how she had crumbled so easily the day before.
She thought she had a good plan, and it had almost worked, too. But when she had seen the look of crushing disappointment in Zuko's eyes after she had rejected his offer at first, her resolve had collapsed completely. She simply could not bring herself to say the words that would cause him such anguish. Somehow, to see his hurt meant to feel it herself, and it was worse than any physical hurt she had experienced, worse than when Aang had hurt her when he burned her during his first lessons at firebending.
All said and done, some part of Katara still felt angry and irate at herself for not being strong enough and not pushing Zuko away more firmly. To Katara, this was the good and noble side of her that she needed to prevail. There was the other side of her, the side that had begged and pleaded her to take Zuko up on his offer of entertainment last night, the same side that was now cheering jubilantly within her, eagerly looking forward to this Ember Island vacation. As far as Katara was concerned, this was the terrible and selfish side of her, and it needed to be fought with tooth and nail. There was only one problem, and it frightened Katara out of her wits. This bad side of her was clearly in ascendancy, and she could not help it.
"So, Katara?" Suki whispered to her suddenly, startling the young waterbender a little. Goodness, I was looking at him again! What in the blazes is wrong with me? "Our sources at the palace report that you stood up our boy Zuko last night," the Kyoshi girl winked at her conspiringly. "What's up with that?"
"I... did no such thing," Katara protested. "I was just not feeling good."
"That's too bad," Ty Lee joined in with that disarming grin of hers. "We helped Zuko scout the best route through the city. You would have totally enjoyed the tour!"
"I'm sure we can take the tour after we return from Ember Island," Katara replied defensively. "If Zuko has the time for it, that is."
"He seems really good at finding time for you," Suki pointed out. Katara did not reply, instead glancing at Zuko again, blushing as she caught his gaze directed at her, perhaps having overheard his name being spoken at the bow of the boat.
"Yes, I heard he was up until the wee hours of the morning, reading all those boring looking letters," Ty Lee echoed. "Now that's some dedication."
"I suppose it is, but we can talk about things other than Zuko, too," Katara suggested desperately.
"Sure, sure," Ty Lee nodded amiably. "Like, Suki and I haven't thanked you yet for making sure we're the lucky ones who got to come along on an Ember Island vacation. I've been missing that beach a lot!"
"Yes, thanks for dropping our names to Zuko, Katara, I'm also looking forward to revisiting Ember Island. I've still got plenty of memories from our last visit, but I'm ready to make some new ones," Suki said, winking promisingly at Ty Lee.
"I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time on the island," Katara smiled, reaching out to refill her glass with juice, only to find the pitcher empty.
"Whoops, looks like we're all out of fresh mango juice," Suki chuckled. "Ty Lee, come on, let's go prepare a new batch," she smiled at her girlfriend, the two of them swiftly disappearing below decks. Katara followed them with a slightly bemused gaze before turning back, her breath hitching slightly when she noticed that Zuko was on his way over to her.
Katara, quickly, you need to come up with a harmless topic of conversation! She implored her own mind, drawing only blanks thus far. Come on, I can't let him start treading some dangerous ground again that will play havoc with my stupid emotions!
"Comfortable?" Zuko asked simply as he sat next to her. Katara didn't verbalize her reply, merely nodding and smiling briefly. "Shouldn't be much more than two hours left, maybe a little more. I hope you're not regretting coming along."
"Of course, I'm not regretting," Katara shook her head, still trying to think of a conversation changer. Retreading the grounds of their conversation from the previous evening was a definite danger zone. An idea suddenly came to Katara, making her smile. "Zuko, can I ask you something?" she began.
"Go ahead," he nodded back at her.
"Yesterday, Suki and Ty Lee came to speak with me at the academy," Katara began. "We talked about a lot of things... you know I wanted to speak with Suki about Sokka, and that whole mess." Zuko nodded again. "They talked a lot about how proud they were serving as your bodyguards and helping you rebuild the honor of the Fire Nation, but they also mentioned something that made me really worried. Something about you having to deal with some kind of internal threats?"
"It's nothing," Zuko shrugged. "You really don't have to worry about any of that, Katara."
"Are you saying they're overreacting?" Katara probed further.
"Well... no," Zuko sighed. "But you're my guest and you have no place worrying about nonsense like that. You should just enjoy your time in the Fire Nation and on this vacation. I certainly plan to do that myself. And whatever problems Suki and Ty Lee might have mentioned, well, I'll deal with them as they appear. It's just Fire Nation politics, nothing more than that."
"Hmm... I don't know, I still feel like you're downplaying it just to reassure me," Katara frowned. Zuko sighed again and shook his head at that. "Are we not friends, Zuko? Friends are supposed to share the good and the bad. I'm genuinely interested in the challenges you're facing."
"Are you sure?" Zuko still didn't look certain. "I think it's all very dull, myself."
"Stop evading," Katara tried with what she had hoped would be a menacing growl, but in reality, sounded more like a purr. "Just tell me, already. I'm surprised to hear about these problems because so far whenever I've seen you around your subjects, they all seemed to hold you in high regard."
"I think most of them do, yes," Zuko replied. "But no ruler anywhere enjoys unanimous support. There will always be those who disagree, and their reasons will be varied. It's only been three years since the end of the Hundred Year War, Katara. That is nowhere enough to heal."
"I certainly understand that," Katara replied, feeling a shudder pass through her from some of the most haunting memories of her experiences during the war. She had seen terrible horrors firsthand, death, destruction on a grand scale. Twice she had pulled those she cared about back from the brink of death, first her boyfriend and later Zuko. If that hadn't been enough already, there was also the relatively recent event of nearly losing her father as well, only barely having managed to save his life. It had been so much... almost too much at times.
"The citizens of the Fire Nation enlisted to serve in the army for many different reasons," Zuko continued. "Among the poor, service in the military provided a steady source of income and a way to support their families. Others saw it as a way to seek personal advancement, they didn't care about the politics behind it all, they just wanted to climb the ladder to the top. Many were swept up in the rising wave of patriotism that came from our victories. And then... then there were the true believers. Those people who truly bought into what Sozin, Azulon and Ozai were selling. They have been preached stories of Fire Nation supremacy for a hundred years, Katara. That's just... the kind of indoctrination that can't be undone in three years."
"So, it's these Fire Nation supremacists that threaten your rule?" Katara asked, Zuko's explanation not exactly having set her mind at ease. "What do they want? I can't honestly imagine anyone wanting your father back on the throne!"
"It's complicated, but I'm sure there are plenty of those who still want that," Zuko shrugged. "They won't get their wish, is all I can say."
"What are you doing about them?" Katara asked.
"My strategy is a state secret," Zuko gave her a crooked smile. "Hah, but seriously... the best thing I can do is to follow my uncle's advice. He always tells me not to crack down too hard on these people, because that would just galvanize their resistance even more."
"That sounds like an excellent advice," Katara smiled. "I'm glad you have Uncle Iroh, Zuko. He's such a fountain of wisdom."
"He really is... I often wish he wasn't so far away in Ba Sing Se, but it's true what he tells me, I have to learn to deal with these problems on my own because he won't always be around to help me," Zuko sighed. "For now, all I'm doing is what Uncle Iroh has advised. We're observing these people, trying to divide and break down larger groups, so they don't end up forming local militias. It's... tiresome and exhausting, and I wish I didn't have to waste my time on it. Like I tried to tell you, these things would only bore you," he offered apologetically.
"No, I think it's very fascinating," Katara insisted firmly. "I must admit, my understanding of politics and statecraft is still very naive and childish. I'm impressed that you've mastered it so well already."
"Oh... I don't know about that," Zuko blushed lightly. "All I know is that I've had to quickly learn on the fly, and if I hadn't, my reign might have well have ended already."
"As long as you can keep a firm grip on these Fire Nation supremacists, I think you'll be fine," Katara smiled encouragingly.
"Sadly, they're not the only threat," Zuko frowned. "In many ways, they're the easiest to handle because they are so easy to keep track of. The worst are the greedy and ambitious men who believe in nothing else apart from their own desire for power and control."
"I'm afraid there are such men even among the Water Tribes, as much as I'd like to claim otherwise," Katara admitted sadly.
"Perhaps I shouldn't be telling you this, but there is one such man that I do know of," Zuko spoke quietly, lowering his voice and glancing quickly towards the bow of the ship where Mai appeared to have fallen asleep. "Mai's father Ukano, former governor of Omashu."
Katara's eyes widened in shock at Zuko's words. "Really?" she gasped. "And yet you still want to-..." the question remained hanging unspoken in the air as at that very moment Suki and Ty Lee reappeared on the deck, carrying a tray of glasses full of fresh mango juice.
"Fire Lord Zuko, stealing my spot!" Ty Lee exclaimed playfully. "Well, if you want to stay here and entertain Katara some more, Suki and I can just go right back below decks," she added, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend from behind her back, almost making Suki drop the tray with glasses. "I mean... I can think of quite a few things I'd like to do with her down there..."
"No, that's alright, I should probably return to Mai," Zuko rose hastily.
"She's asleep, I can hear her snoring from here," Suki grinned, offering Zuko a glass of juice which he gratefully accepted.
"Yes, just grab your chair and come join us, Zuko!" Ty Lee insisted. "Entertain us!"
"You are impossible," Zuko grumbled good-naturedly, still doing as he was told, grabbing a new chair and unfolding it to sit with the three girls. In the meantime, Katara's mind was still reeling from what Zuko had told her, the young waterbender regretting that she hadn't been able to learn more before the others had returned from below decks.
So Mai's father is one of those men who threaten Zuko's rule? Katara thought, wondering about the implications of this revelation. Where is Mai in all of this, I wonder... and does this mean that there might be other reasons behind their union? Maybe Zuko in his heart of hearts doesn't even want to marry her?
With growing unease, Katara realized that the horrible and selfish side of her was openly cheering at this possibility.