Chapter 18
Fire Lord Zuko had plenty on his mind as he walked the streets of Ba Sing Se towards Jasmine Dragon, the tea shop owned by his Uncle Iroh. He made similar trips to the Earth Kingdom capital at least once every month, but because of the recent developments, Zuko had decided to advance his next visit, feeling like he badly required the counsel of his ever-wise uncle. Diplomatic immunity provided by the Earth King Kuei allowed Zuko to come and go as he pleased, but he was under no illusion that his every visit was watched by the agents of Dai Li, not that it bothered him too much. If they were watching, they always did so discreetly without alerting him.
If there was one thing that Zuko particularly liked about visiting Ba Sing Se, and especially its Upper Ring, was that he could come and go without creating any stir at all. The aristocracy of the Earth Kingdom were so full of themselves, like any other aristocracy everywhere, including the Fire Nation, that they considered expressing any sort of reaction to the arrival of an outsider as being beneath them. Even if they did lay their eyes on Zuko, the only reaction he usually received was a snort or a shrug, and an immediate breaking of the eye contact. It was exactly what Zuko wanted, to be able to move around freely without making a fuss.
Flanked by a group of four Kyoshi warriors, on this occasion led by Ty Lee, Zuko climbed the stone steps leading up to the tiled patio in front of the tea shop, then turning around to briefly take in the view of the city spreading before his eyes. The outer wall was barely visible in the distance, and the Agrarian Zone was hidden completely by the equally impressive inner wall. The Lower Ring, a foul-smelling sewer packed with human misery and suffering, instantly brought back memories from his days of exile, trying to find his place in the city together with his uncle. The Middle Ring was a much more soothing view, the conditions there similar to how the middle class generally lived in the Fire Nation capital. The gaudy opulence of the Upper Ring felt a little much to Zuko, but for someone living in the royal palace, criticizing excesses felt like throwing stones in glass houses.
As he broke his stare off from the ancient city and turned to enter the tea shop, Zuko found himself standing on the very familiar trademark green carpet of the tea shop, depicting a pair of yellow dragons. Early in the day, business at the tea shop had not yet picked up in earnest, and the visitors at the few occupied tables steadfastly ignored him, leaving Zuko free to look around for his uncle. It didn't take long until Iroh emerged from the worker's area at the back of the shop, smiling broadly when he noticed Zuko's arrival. "Ah, nephew!" the old man cried, coming up to him. "You are finally here!"
"Hello, uncle," Zuko smiled as the two men embraced. "Also, what do you mean? I wasn't supposed to visit you until next week, so this should have come as a surprise."
"Ah... when you'll get to my age, Zuko, you'll find that nothing much surprises you anymore," Iroh replied with a wink in his eye. "Come, come, we have much to discuss," he added, urging Zuko to follow him.
Ah... so the news from the capital must have reached him, Zuko realized. His heart suddenly felt heavy at the thought. I hope he's not too disappointed with me. "Wait for me outside," he turned around to give Ty Lee their orders, then turning to follow his uncle.
"Wait, Zuko, these lovely girls don't have to stand outside, let them sit down at one of the tables and I'll send someone over to serve them delicious tea," Iroh spoke up as he smiled at the Kyoshi warriors. Ty Lee and her group all as one broke out in broad grins directed at Iroh.
"Fine, but don't become distracted," Zuko warned the girls, earning back four solemn nods. "Remember, you're still on duty," he added, together with his uncle disappearing in the back rooms as Iroh led him past the worker's area towards the simple room he kept for himself, preferring to stay at the tea shop at all times instead of renting some extra space elsewhere.
As they sat down at a table by the window, Zuko felt like immediately bursting out with dozens of questions, but Uncle Iroh refused to take his seat immediately, first busying himself with his tea set in the corner, then while the tea was being prepared, coming over to clear the table of the Pai Sho board and all the scattered tiles. Finally, once the table was cleared, Iroh went back to his tea set and returned with two steaming cups for them both.
Zuko gratefully accepted the tea, inhaling the potent, sweet, but also spicy aroma. Over the past few years, he had developed a newfound appreciation for tea, obviously due to his uncle's influence, and he felt the corners of his mouth tugging into a smile as he recognized one of his favorite aromas. "White Lotus Tile," he grinned. "You always bring it out for the important occasions."
"I do, don't I?" Iroh nodded, taking a careful sip. "Ah yes, that is perfect. Now we can talk," he nodded again, giving Zuko a firm stare. "Yes, I expected you to arrive even earlier than you did, nephew, after the news I have been receiving from our people back at the capital."
"Of course, you know everything already," Zuko snorted. "I'm sorry, uncle... I've made a mess of things, haven't I?"
"Don't judge yourself too harshly, nephew," Iroh smiled patiently. "Let's look at what we know. So, the royal engagement is off." Zuko allowed a loud sigh to escape past his lips. "I'm... not entirely surprised by that," Iroh admitted thoughtfully. "I did advise you that it made political sense, but deep down, I have always regretted having to give you that piece of advice, Zuko. I want my favorite nephew to be happy, and I don't think you would have been happy with Ukano's daughter."
"It's all over between me and Mai," Zuko nodded. "There's no going back."
"And the rumor mill mentioned that much of this turmoil has to do with a recent guest at the royal palace," Iroh remarked with an amused wink. "A certain beautiful young waterbender?"
Zuko groaned in frustration. "I honestly don't know how it happened, uncle," he let out a long-held sigh. "Remember how you asked if I loved Mai and I had to spend a long time before answering with 'I guess I do'? Well... there's no guessing about what I feel for Katara. I... I've never had feelings this strong for anyone else. What I thought I felt for Mai... I realize now that I never truly loved her. I just loved the idea of having an attractive girlfriend. With Katara... I already took Azula's deadly lightning for her once, and that was before I realized how much I love her. Now I would do that again and again for her. I'm head over heels in love with her, uncle, and sometimes it even frightens me how much she means to me."
"I see," Iroh remarked, sympathy and understanding in his eyes. "And how does Katara feel about you?"
"Umm..." Zuko felt himself blushing crimson as some of the more passionate memories of their time together floated to the surface of his thoughts. "I... I have a good reason to believe that she feels just as strongly about me as I do about her. But... there's a complication."
"The Avatar," Iroh nodded. "Yes, I'm aware. Let's be honest and say that it's just one of the complications. We should address each of them in turn. Let's start with the news I have received from the homeland. Seditious chatter has picked up both in Fire Fountain City and on the Hing Wa Island, and it all ties back to Ukano."
"So, they're starting to make moves after I broke off my engagement with Mai," Zuko realized. "Well, I knew that would happen. We can counter it, right?"
"For now," Iroh frowned slightly. "I'm also hearing a lot of excited talk amongst the Fire Nation aristocracy with daughters of the marrying age. They are all seeing an opportunity to advance their own agendas by marrying their daughters to the Fire Lord. If you and Katara were to become an official couple, all these nobles would be greatly upset."
"And if I were to marry some noble's daughter, then twenty other nobles would be angry at me," Zuko shrugged. "That's not much of an argument, uncle."
"Well spotted, nephew, well spotted indeed," Iroh laughed, looking deeply satisfied. "And Zuko, please don't think that I am trying to convince you that your relationship with Katara would be a bad thing, I merely want you to be aware of all the consequences. And I want you to be absolutely certain of your feelings towards her."
"Of that, there is no longer any doubt. I mean..." Zuko blushed the color of his scar. "We got pretty close on Ember Island."
Iroh blinked, almost choking on his tea. "Nephew... just how close are we talking, here?"
"We... might have spent a night together," Zuko gulped uncomfortably, watching his uncle set down his tea cup on the table and then remain silent for the longest while.
"Well now. That makes it a lot more serious," Iroh said eventually before falling silent again. He got up from the table and began to pace back and forth the room, an activity that quickly made Zuko feel increasingly nervous and agitated. Eventually, Iroh returned to the table, grabbing a handful of Pai Sho tiles as he walked past them. "Let's play a game, Zuko," he said, throwing the tiles onto the table.
"I'm not in the mood for Pai Sho, uncle," Zuko replied in frustration.
"Not Pai Sho, a different game, nephew," Iroh smiled at him. "We will make two stacks of tiles. One will be made from the arguments in favor of seeking a relationship with our young waterbender friend, and the other will be made from the arguments against getting involved with Katara. Let's see which one of the stacks ends up the larger."
"I... guess we could do that," Zuko managed. I bet everything will point that I shouldn't get with Katara, that it's a terrible idea. He felt himself almost paralyzed with fear that his uncle would disapprove of the relationship that he so desperately craved.
"So, we already went through a few arguments against your union," Iroh began, picking up a couple of tiles and starting a stack. "Firstly, Ukano's attempts at sedition will increase. Secondly, the Avatar might be very upset with both you and Katara, and he's a powerful ally that we have relied on in the past."
Zuko swallowed heavily. It was true, Aang's support had been, and was still crucial during negotiations following the war. If he stole Katara from him, could he still count on Aang's support? He wanted to believe that the Avatar could set personal feelings aside when it came to doing the right thing, but these were sensitive matters and he couldn't know for sure that Aang would not hold a grudge.
"Now, for the arguments in favor of your relationship," Iroh smiled, taking two more tiles and starting a different stack. "You love her, that's one argument. She loves you back, there's another argument."
Zuko felt greatly relieved as he watched the stacks evening out. He wasn't sure if his uncle would even consider arguments such as love and happiness as valid when it came to the matters of state, but then again, Iroh had always stressed the importance of personal happiness and being in balance with one's own inner thoughts and feelings.
"Tell me, nephew... if you feel as strongly about Katara as you claim, then you have surely already imagined her as your Fire Lady," Iroh said, watching Zuko's face redden again. "Do you believe that this is a role that she would be happy with? Does it suit her character?"
"You're right, I have thought of that," Zuko admitted with slight embarrassment. "I know that Katara is a little tired of constantly moving from one crisis spot to another. There's a growing part of her that wants to settle down. But even once she has settled, I don't believe for a moment that Katara would be happy with peaceful and quiet family life. No, she would want to be involved, to have her say in the comings and goings of current affairs. I think that the role of the Fire Lady would be perfect for her. She would have power and influence to help me shape the Fire Nation and the entire world."
"Seems like you have thought about it a lot, indeed," Iroh smiled, nodding in agreement. "I see no fault in your reasoning, nephew. But you must also understand one thing. If Katara were to become your Fire Lady, there would be plenty of powerful men who would see her as a meddling foreigner and as an obstacle to remove. There have been six... no, seven assassination attempts on you to this date. There will be more... and there would be attempts on her life as well, it is inevitable."
"Katara is very capable and can take care of herself," Zuko argued, but in his heart he could not deny the growing fear. "But... if anything were to happen to her, I would never forgive myself."
"Yes, that's what I meant, Zuko," Iroh nodded sadly, adding another tile to the arguments against. "Now, let's consider her character. I have not spent much time in her enchanting presence, but from what I have learned, Katara has many good qualities. You have grown a lot, my dear nephew, but you have not lost your impatience and fiery temperament. When I look at your match, I feel that she would make a great partner for you, Zuko, because she would complement your shortcomings. She has a clearly defined sense of right and wrong, which can sometimes be a hindrance in politics, but it can also be helpful. She could provide a clear moral compass for your own decision making, something that should be very helpful for you."
"I... I hadn't thought about it this way, but you're absolutely right!" Zuko exclaimed, watching in relief as Iroh added yet another tile to the pro-Katara stack, evening them out again. Katara is and would be good for me and for the Fire Nation, I'm sure of it. Uncle Iroh has to recognize it!
"Now, back to the dry and passionless discussion of politics," Iroh continued. "My friends in the White Lotus have also commented on these developments. I won't lie, some of them are not too pleased about your canceled engagement. From purely political standpoint, a smart marriage can bring many benefits for your realm. Union with Katara would bring very little immediate gain to the Fire Nation. Southern Water Tribe is a largely irrelevant player on the political map of the world, and even less so in the internal politics of the Fire Nation. In short, my White Lotus colleagues feel like there's no gain in pursuing Katara," Iroh finished his dry analysis, adding another tile for the against-Katara stack.
"I think they are wrong, but... I don't have a rational argument against it," Zuko sighed.
"Do not despair, Zuko, we are not done here yet," Iroh smiled at him, adding another tile to the pro-Katara stack, evening them both out again.
"What's that for, Uncle Iroh?" Zuko asked.
"Because I want my favorite nephew to marry for love. Because I want you to be happy, Zuko," Iroh gave him an earnest smile. "You deserve it like nobody else, with perhaps the exception of Katara, for she has been through just as much as you have. Your happiness is very important to me, nephew. So, that's a very strong argument, as far as I'm concerned."
"Thank you... thank you, uncle," Zuko managed, feeling overwhelmed with emotion, at the outpouring of love and support from this man that he firmly considered his father figure.
"Do you see what I'm trying to tell you here, Zuko?" Iroh pointed at the two evenly matched stacks.
"I think so..." Zuko replied thoughtfully. "You are saying that... that there is no right or wrong decision, here."
"Exactly," Iroh nodded, satisfied. "As long as you are aware of all the consequences of your actions, you should follow your heart when making your decision."
"I know what my heart wants, but I need to be sure that it's also the right decision for me, for Katara and for the Fire Nation," Zuko said quietly. "How will I know that, uncle?"
"I can't tell you that, Zuko," Iroh smiled at him kindly before reaching out and taking Zuko's empty teacup. "But I'm sure of one thing. To figure it out... you'll need more tea."