Chapter 32: Ba Sing Se

As they approached the great Earth Kingdom capital, Aang couldn't help musing about how different he felt from the last time he'd come to the city a year earlier. Just the fact that they were flying in, rather than venturing across the treacherous Serpent's Pass was a change worth celebrating.

"I think we're going to have a much better time in Ba Sing Se this year." The airbender called back to Katara and Sokka as they flew into the city. "No giant drills. No searching for Appa."

"We won't have to sneak into the fancy balls at the palace. This time we'll be honored guests!" Katara put in.

"No conspiracy to uncover." Sokka chimed in. "No need to fight for an audience with the Earth King. In fact, we might have to fight to get out of endless meetings with him!"

Their first day in the city was spent settling back into the house they'd lived in during their first visit—it had been completely repaired—and waiting for Toph, the Beifongs, Zuko, and Mai to arrive before the official welcome ceremonies. An adjoining stable had been repurposed for Appa's comfort, but it wasn't quite right, according to Aang. Being back in the city reminded him of how terrible it had felt to be without his animal companion, which made him want to show Appa how much he was appreciated with the best food and accommodations. He ordered some last-minute renovations to the stable, as well as higher-quality straw and feed.

The following evening, Aang and his friends stood on a balcony overlooking a huge crowd chanting "AV-A-TAR" again and again. Though all ages and types were represented in the square below, there were a disproportionate number of teenage girls, some of them wearing shirts depicting Aang's face.

Katara glanced over at her boyfriend and caught a slow, overwhelmed half-grin on his face, similar to a look she'd inspired in him a couple of times. His expression of modest disbelief and dawning pride seemed to say, 'This is for me?'

She had always felt confident of her looks, always had a few admirers of her own, but never like this. These Avatar fangirls here were organized; their shirts matched, and they had practiced chants and songs. She couldn't help feeling intimidated. It made her want to undercut and belittle the other girls.

"They're only interested in him because he's a famous hero." She declared dismissively. "All they care about is the Avatar, not Aang himself."

"And that makes them different from you how?" Sokka asked her pointedly. Katara's jaw dropped at her brother. "I distinctly remember how you kept this guy stuck in the friend zone until after he saved the world."

"That wasn't why…..I always…I just couldn't think about that until…." She sputtered, trying to justify herself, dismayed that her actions toward her best friend could be interpreted as so shallow.

Aang took her hand and chimed in. "What makes her different is that with us it goes both ways. I'm her number one fan too."

As usual, he said exactly the right thing to make it all better. Katara breathed a sigh of relief and beamed at her boyfriend. He returned her smile, and then looked back out at the crowd.

"I'm sure they're nice people. Interesting, even." Aang defended his fans. He was always open to meeting new people. His curious and outgoing nature meant that he couldn't help being intrigued by anyone who paid him a bit of attention. "You have to admit, they have good taste." He joked.

Katara's heart sank again. It's going straight to his head, she thought. How could she ever compete with so many? Every quality she possessed, one of them was bound to have more. They would show him unquestioning, sycophantic adoration, while she would always be the older girl who had scolded his immature antics and corrected his waterbending mistakes. She thought again of what he had said about his people at the Southern Air Temple, how their affections were transitory and fleeting. Would any one girl be enough for him? Would he want to be free to get to know some of his fans? Maybe he'd never considered himself bound, the way she did.

King Keui, along with Fire Lord Zuko and his girlfriend Mai, joined them on the balcony, triggering still louder cheers.

Mai surveyed the crowd and whispered darkly to Katara, "Welcome to my world."

Zuko gestured to the assembly below. "This is about what it's like for me at home. It's a break not to be the focus for once."

Sokka looked at Zuko in surprise. "How come both of you guys have a fan club, but I don't?" He crossed his arms indignantly. "I'm a war hero too. And I am by far the best-looking of the three of us."

Aang looked at Zuko and admitted, "He's got a point."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "You just think that because he's the boy version of your girlfriend."

Aang laughed. "You've got a point too."

"Trust me, Sokka, you don't really want the complications that mess brings into your love life." The young Fire Lord advised his friend.

Sokka sighed. "Yeah, you're right. I've done a good enough job of screwing that up by myself."

They turned away from the balcony and went into the room that had been prepared for their small, intimate gathering of three or four dozen of the most important Earth Kingdom officials, along with Zuko's entourage, Team Avatar, and the Beifongs.

When Zuko had visited the city months before, soon after his coronation, he and King Keui had only agreed to a cease-fire. Though the violence and hostilities had been over for a while, the terms of the peace had not yet been settled. The talks would begin with a formal peace treaty, similar to the one Zuko had signed in the North. Again, the Avatar would be present as an auspicious witness. Then the two monarchs would discuss founding embassies and making trade agreements, in the hopes that beginning with simple, easy wins would make it easier to move on to the issue that would really be a challenge for them to untangle—the colonies.

But tonight was just a welcome dinner, a preliminary event to make the representatives of formerly hostile countries feel comfortable talking civilly around a table.

As she made her way into the dining room, Katara noticed a familiar face. "Joo Dee? Or, um, is that your real name? Do you remember me?"

"Hello, Katara." The woman greeted her brightly. Her smile, though still incessant, looked a little less forced and eerie now. "Joo Dee is my former position. My name is Ru Bea."

"Um, what are you doing, now that the Dai Li are gone?" The waterbender wondered.

"I was recently released from a rehabilitation facility where some of the other residents of Lake Laogai have been recovering from the lingering effects of the Dai Li's…..techniques. Now I have the job I always wanted. I am a tour guide, showing the honored guests of the Earth King around the city. Would you and your friends like a tour?"

"Um, no thank you. I think we know our way around the city now. I'm…..glad you're better." Katara couldn't help it: she still found the woman a bit unsettling.

She walked over to the side table where the tea things were set out, hoping for a hot cup to help her calm down. There she found Iroh, who greeted her with a hug. She sank into his arms, grateful for his soothing presence. He handed her a cup of his best jasmine.

"Well, Katara. What will you do while you are here in Ba Sing Se?" The old man asked. "Will you be attending these diplomatic meetings with your friends?"

"No, I don't think so." She replied modestly. "That's not really my scene. Sokka will represent the Tribe instead. He's more into politics than I am."

"Surely a young woman as talented and energetic as you would not sit idly." Iroh admonished her.

The warmth in the old man's eyes made her want to confide in him. "Well, when I was in the North, I got to study with the healers and practice at the hospital. I'd like to keep learning about healing and…..using my talent."

"A very worthy intention!" Iroh commended her. "I know the man who is the head of the medical school at Ba Sing Se University. He comes to my tea shop every morning. Perhaps if you happen to come by, I may give him the honor of your introduction?"

"Yes, that would be wonderful! Thank you!" She exclaimed.

Zuko joined them. "Do you need help, uncle?"

"Oh, no, Fire Lord Zuko, you are an honored guest here, and I am the lowly caterer. Take a seat." Iroh gestured to the table, where people were beginning to gather.

Zuko sat down between Aang and a general. His uncle looked so fulfilled, focusing his attention on such an insignificant thing: the precise measurement of the ingredients for a special blend of tea. He remembered being content in that same way, focused on the small satisfactions of providing refreshment to appreciative patrons. It had lasted about a week, before Azula had come back into his life and stolen his peace. Again, he regretted turning away from the simple, honorable life his uncle had offered him, in favor of a return to a home without warmth, and the empty promise of his father's elusive approval. Had it been ambition? Snobbery? A royal teenager's grandiose refusal to settle for anything less than the powerful position he felt entitled to? Zuko ate quietly, lost in his thoughts, only paying half his attention to the chit chat around him.

When dinner was over and Zuko lingered on the fringes of a circle of men discussing the various entertainment options available in the city, he felt a soft touch on his elbow. His uncle was pulling him aside. "You seem thoughtful, nephew," Iroh said.

"I've been remembering how things were when we worked together in the tea shop. I was so wrong to choose ambition and glory over honest work with a faithful companion."

"Was it ambition? I thought it was your destiny?" Iroh's eyes twinkled at him as if he were making fun of him, in his gentle way.

"It was my destiny to betray you?" The idea of fate troubled Zuko sometimes, because it meant that both the war and the peace had been foreordained, and he didn't think that any truly good spirit, powerful enough to influence matters, could have chosen to allow certain events to occur, regardless of the positive long-term outcomes. And what was the role of choice, if everything was fated? If his wrong decisions had been out of his hands, didn't that just let him off the hook? Surely that wasn't justice.

"Destiny is a funny thing." The old man wagged a finger at him. "When it finally comes around, it often looks very different from the way you had expected it to look. And ambition makes a fool of one even more easily."

"You were ambitious once, weren't you? The Dragon of the West?" The corner of Zuko's mouth pulled up. He liked thinking of his uncle that way: young and fierce, a respected commander of men. However, that meant ignoring the people his military exploits had harmed, which neither of them felt comfortable doing anymore.

"Oh, yes. I was full of the fire of my own greatness. It cost me my son. I abandoned my ambition then. But destiny was not yet though with me."

Zuko thought of how he and his uncle had both accomplished the goals they had pursued for years, but only after they had given up on their original objectives. Iroh had seized control of Ba Sing Se from his own countrymen, and his nephew had brought the Avatar back to the Fire Nation, as a friend and ally rather than as prisoner. "You said I was meant to become Fire Lord. And I have." He gestured to the crown in his topknot. "But….what now?"

"Your experiences have made you ready for what your reign as Fire Lord will require of you."

"And what's that?"

"Humility. Making friends with former enemies. Taking responsibility for the sins of your father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. Righting wrongs. Apologizing."

Zuko shook his head, a wry half smile on his face. "No wonder I feel nostalgic for the tea shop."


In the morning, Katara presented herself to Iroh at the tea shop. He led her to a table where a middle-aged man in fine robes sat, reading the newspaper with his morning tea.

"Doctor Hui, I would like to introduce you to Master Katara of the Southern Water Tribe, a waterbender and expert healer. You may have heard that she saved the life of my nephew, Fire Lord Zuko." The old man's voice swelled with pride when he said the title. The doctor invited them to join him at his table with a gesture.

"Iroh told me about your medical school, Doctor Hui." Katara began, making a case for herself. "I have a lot of practical experience as a healer, but I don't yet know much about the body and how it works, or about cures for illnesses. But I want to get better and learn everything I can. When I was in the North last month, I worked under Master Yugoda in the hospital. She said I'm an instinctive healer, but I still don't have much formal training. I'd really appreciate the opportunity to continue to improve my knowledge and skills."

"Here in the Earth Kingdom, we don't have any bending to help us cure sickness or injuries." Hui warned her solemnly. "We have only science, observation, and the knowledge we have accumulated over decades of research."

"That's exactly what I would like to learn!" Katara nodded eagerly. "If I can combine my waterbending healing with a strong knowledge of everything that Earth Kingdom doctors and scientists have discovered, I think I'd really be able to help a lot of people."

It was an ambitious goal. One the doctor had thought of himself, but he'd never known any waterbending healers well enough to suggest such a thing. The northern waterbenders usually kept to themselves, reserving their knowledge and skill for their own people. "What kind of experience do you have?" he inquired.

"Broken bones, lacerations, burns from fire and lightning." The girl listed in a matter-of-fact way. "I've been more of a battle medic than a doctor. I dealt almost exclusively with injuries, and never an illness more serious than a cold. Although I have delivered babies."

Doctor Hui was impressed. Few of his beginning medical students had such a strong background. He'd be a fool not to jump at the opportunity to get this girl in his school, no matter how young she was. "You may sit in on the first or second year medical students' classes during your stay in the city. I'll give you the class schedule and write letters of introduction for you to give the instructors."

"Thank you! That would be wonderful! Would I also be able to volunteer in a hospital? Or a midwife clinic, or something like that?"

"The hospitals and clinics are almost always shortstaffed, so I'm sure they would be happy to have you. And if their budgets allow, they will pay you for your time, too. We don't see waterbending healers here often." He suggested several places she might try to volunteer, and offered more letters of introduction. "I must thank you for your willingness to use your skills to help the people of this city. As you will see, there is a great need here."

"Well, I have to thank Iroh for introducing me to you," Katara said modestly.

"I am only too happy to bring people together over tea." Iroh nodded and smiled. "This is the way of healing, is it not? The two of you heal bodies, and I heal communities, with the fellowship created by a hot kettle of jasmine or ginseng."


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