Part 4: Chapter 28

AN: I'm planning on 2 more chapters after this one, so (gods willing) I'll post the final chapter and epilogue sometime in the next month! Thank you so much for the reviews/comments! Whenever I get an email saying someone posted a review that they read the entire thing in a weekend or I see a familiar username from a fan who comments on every chapter update, I feel so appreciated and appreciative. Thank you!

"If anyone asks, say it was forgotten

Long and long ago,

As a flower, as a fire, as a hushed footfall

In a long forgotten snow."

-Sara Teasdale, excerpt from "Let It Be Forgotten"

Papers littered Zuko's desk. Lines of black, red, and blue ink crawled like spiders across the pages. He couldn't get his eyes to focus. Work seemed to pile up twice as fast when Katara and Kazia were visiting.

Before Zuko could start making sense of the royal decrees that needed signing or reports from town leaders about natural disasters or pirates or gods know what else, someone knocked on his door.

"Come in," Zuko called. A young messenger slid open the doors.

"Fire Lord, sir, your dinner with Sho-ren Zhenzhu is ready. It's, uh, been ready for half an hour, Fire Lord, sir."

Zuko cursed and shuffled the papers into disorderly piles. "Gods, I forgot about it. Tell Sho-ren Zhenzhu I'm on my way." When the messenger disappeared, Zuko slapped a hand to his forehead. He couldn't keep up with all his duties. After taking a few minutes to meditate on the magnitude of the situation he was going into, he got up from his desk and followed the long halls to the eastern tea room.

When he entered the room, Zhenzhu was already sitting cross-legged at the low table. When he entered, she stood and bowed. He returned her bow, noticing her pinned-back black hair and high cheekbones. She was not a beautiful woman, but she had a quiet dignity to her. Her robes were a simple style cut from a brown fabric. He should have recognized her from the Fire Nation Youth Council programs he attended every solstice, but she had hardly been one of the most outgoing students.

"Thank you for waiting, Sho-ren Zhenzhu. I apologize for my tardiness," he said as he sat on the floor pillow across from her.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Fire Lord. I've never been in this part of the palace before. It's beautiful." Her accent was unusual, and Zuko couldn't help but pry.

"Where are you from? Can you tell me a little bit about your childhood?" Zuko had no idea how to start this meeting, but most people enjoyed talking about themselves. His uncle had once said that everyone's favorite word was their own name.

Zhenzhu blushed slightly. "Many of my classmates are from big or grand cities like North Chung-Ling or Fukuoka. I'm from Yu Dao, a small colony near the Purple Sea. My father was born there, but my mother was originally from the Fire Nation Capital island. I didn't have any brothers or sisters, and it was a surprise to me when my teachers at Yu Dao submitted my name to the Fire Nation Youth Council. It was an even greater surprise when I was selected," she said.

"What made you say yes?" Zuko asked.

"My mother," Zhenzhu said simply. "She thought it would be a good idea to advance my education. She thinks Yu Dao would benefit from having scholars trained in the Capital."

"So you plan to return to your hometown after your graduation?" Zuko asked. His heart sank. He couldn't ask a girl to become Fire Lord if her dream was to return home to her small town.

Zhenzhu shook her head. "I think there's enough people to help here. Apologies, Fire Lord. I didn't mean to offend!" she added quickly.

Zuko smiled, finding her embarrassment endearing. "No, I agree with you. The end of the war has been hard on this nation's people. Manufacturing jobs disappeared. Men and women came home from the frontlines unable to find employment. Alcohol misuse is rampant. And that's not even to mention the reform of the nation's schools."

Zhenzhu nodded eagerly. "There's such a wage disparity too," she said. "Women get paid less than men for the same jobs. Veterans from the war are passed over for younger workers. Some resort to stealing just to get by. And meanwhile the rich get richer while the middle class disappears."

"You've given this a lot of thought," Zuko noted. "Hypothetically, if you were one of my advisors, what would you advise me to do?"

"I'd advise you to raise taxes on the top earners," she replied. "Invest that money into the schools and programs for the unemployed. And I'd look into borrowing money from the other nations." When Zuko raised an eyebrow, she explained. "Borrowing money would increase the feelings of goodwill with the other nations. It would boost the Fire Nation's economy. And it would tie the other nations' economies to ours. A better economy means more jobs, and more jobs mean less crime."

"These are interesting thoughts. What do your teachers think?" he asked.

"I got a B+ on my latest paper for economics class."

"Just a B+?" Zuko pried.

"I got an A+ for my theory and argument, but a C- for handwriting."

Zuko laughed. Zhenzhu seemed like a smart, conscientious girl. He liked her, and he thought she could be the heir he was looking for. He decided he'd tell his advisors he'd like to have a greater hand in her education as she developed the skills needed to run a nation.

. . . . .

Katara paused Kazia's waterbending practice in the garden when a messenger interrupted them with a letter from Sokka. She skimmed the letter in one hand as Kazia darted off. Suki was seven months pregnant with their third child, and she was already starting to have pains. Sokka's desperation came through his scrawled words. The letter took around a day to arrive from Kyoshi Island by hawk, and Katara wanted to leave as quickly as possible to see what was happening with Suki. She looked up to find the garden empty.

After searching the palace for her daughter, Katara finally found Kazia outside the door to the eastern tea room, her ear pressed to the wooden door. Just as Katara arrived, the door swung inward, and Kazia nearly fell into Zuko. A young woman behind him giggled and quickly excused herself. Katara watched the slim woman retreat down the dark hallway.

"Were you eavesdropping?" Zuko asked Kazia as she regained her balance.

"No, I wasn't dropping any eaves!" she retorted.

"Kazia," Katara warned. Her daughter stared at her shoes. Sighing, Katara addressed Zuko. "Suki's having trouble with the pregnancy. Can you spare a ship to take us to Kyoshi Island?"

Zuko nodded. "When do you need it?"

"Tonight, if that's possible."

Kazia looked up. "What? I thought we were staying here longer!"

"I know, sweetie, but Aunt Suki needs my help."

Kazia crossed her arms defiantly. "This isn't fair! You promised we could stay until the solstice!"

Katara ground her teeth. She'd always loved her daughter's fierce independence and strong willed nature, but this was not the time. From the corner of her eye, she could see Zuko rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. He was so wrapped around Kazia's finger that he wouldn't be any help.

"I want to stay with Zuko!" Kazia said. "You can go to Kyoshi, but I'm going to stay here!"

"Absolutely not. The Fire Lord has a job, and you'd only distract him from his duties. Pack your things, we're leaving as soon as the ship is ready."

"NO!" Kazia shouted, stamping her foot on the floor. A large crack formed in the stone beneath her heel, and Kazia looked down at the floor in shock. Katara glanced up at Zuko, and their eyes met. He looked as shocked as she felt.

. . . . .

Zuko watched the two argue, feeling helpless. He'd love to have Kazia stay with him, but Katara was right, he wouldn't be able to dedicate as much time to her as he'd like. As tensions between the two escalated, Zuko felt a strange pressure in the air. When Kazia stomped her foot in frustration, the stone floor split into a crack. Zuko stared at Katara, and the knowledge of what happened passed between them. A normal waterbender would never have had the strength to break a stone like that. Kazia was the Avatar.

Katara started crying, and Zuko wrapped his arms around her. He knew she'd been hoping Kazia was just a normal girl, that she wouldn't have to carry the weight Aang had. But the proof was indisputable. Her worst fears were true.

Kazia pushed between them. "Mom? Mom, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to break the floor. Why are you crying? I'll come with you to Kyoshi, it's okay," she said. Katara knelt in front of her and wrapped her in a hug.

"It's not your fault, sweetheart. I'm not upset about that. It just… changes things."

The words connected to Zuko like a bolt of lightning. There was no doubt their daughter was the Avatar. And Katara was right. That did change everything.

. . . . .

Zuko called an emergency meeting of his advisors. When they had all gathered, Zuko instructed them to sit.

"I've just learned some… intense news. How soon will Zhenzhu be able to assume the throne?"

AN: Short chapter, but I hope you liked it! A lot of you correctly predicted Kazia was the Avatar, but I was trying to build up suspense with the boiling tea in chapter 25. And I've been preparing that since chapter 10 when Katara asked Zuko to heat up the tea during the pai sho game. And yeah, the title itself is a reference to Kazia, as water + heat = steam.