Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate hearing the feedback from you guys!
Okay, I was looking back over this story, particularly near the beginning because I couldn't remember something, and I was appalled by how poorly written the story actually was. (I guess that says something about how I now know what's good writing and what isn't…) Anyway, I have since fully edited chapters one through seven, adding small things - mostly dialogue - that also make the story flow better. Everything that had happened is still the same plot-wise, so nothing has changed. If you want to go back and look at them, go ahead. I hope you all enjoy the better-written chapters of one through seven if you look at them, and then this new one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender
XxXxXxXxXxX
He didn't know why he was so surprised, but he truly was because he had been very afraid that he had unintentionally severed a potential ally in the Sun Warriors.
"That's excellent news, Fire Lord Zuko." King Bumi inclined his head and smiled crookedly. "I wait to lay my eyes upon those glorious creatures once again. It's been too long."
Zuko shook his head, "They're not coming to Ba Sing Se."
"And why is that?" Aang questioned and Zuko still couldn't get over the change in his friend's appearance. When the Avatar had returned from his training, Azula had, unsurprisingly, been delighted by the third-eye birthmark on Aang's forehead, but everyone else had been shocked speechless, even Zuko himself. In the weeks since Aang had reappeared, the Avatar had begun to train he and Azula, wishing to share his newfound abilities with other elite Firebenders.
While neither Azula or himself had been able to combustion-bend yet, even with Aang's guidance, they had made haltingly slow progress in learning the art, in creating a chi flow to their heads. Zuko did have to admit that he enjoyed it a lot, especially since it felt nice for him to be on par with his sister for once when it came to learning a new firebending technique.
He cleared his throat, "They want me to go to them, not the other way around. They also wanted the Avatar to come, too. I don't know why. The letter didn't say," he held up the message for emphasis.
Aang inhaled and stood to his feet, ignoring Zuko and King Bumi as he moved to the window, and then, without effort, his friend levitated several feet off the ground. "And do you propose that this would be because of Agni's dim light?"
The air left Zuko's lungs in a rush as he considered the question. He had begun to notice that Agni's light was fading and that his firebending, while as strong as ever, had fluctuated during dawn and dusk like that of a child's. He was fearful of all of the possible conclusions that he had drawn as reasons for Agni's waning light.
"It's possible," he said after several moments, staring at his friend's floating form. "The Dragons might have the answers, perhaps."
"No, they wouldn't," a raspy echo entered Aang's voice and it was moments such as these when Zuko remembered that his friend had lived lifetimes more than anyone else. His friend was more ancient than he could even imagine, able to draw upon knowledge lost to the ages at will. "The Dragons are in as much of the dark as we are in deciphering why Agni is fading."
The doors abruptly burst open and Zuko, along with King Bumi and Aang, whirled around, automatically falling into bending stances. They all relaxed when the rest of the Gaang - including his mother, Mai, Bor, Azula, Ty Lee, and Samir - entered, faces pinched with curiosity and excitement.
Samir immediately ran to Aang and demanded to be picked up and the Avatar obliged with a small chuckle as the girl wrapped her arms around his neck. Azula had followed the newest Airbender's lead and stood next to her husband while Katara sat down next to Zuko with a smile directed at him.
"Zuko, you got a letter," Sokka called out and handed him a parchment. "It's from your uncle, isn't it?"
Toph barked out a laugh, "Well, no shit, Snoozles. Who else would send Sparky a paper that, in your own words from earlier, looked as if it must have cost a small fortune to even produce? Plus, Ursa and Lightning Psycho pretty much confirmed it!"
Sokka scowled and plopped down in the seat across from Zuko, directly next to Suki. "You never know, Toph. As Zuko had said the other day before Aang got back - and I'm still freaked out by that birthmark you got there, Master of the Four Elements - assumptions are the mother of all failures." Sokka turned toward him, "So, is it from your uncle?"
The Fire Royal emblem was molded into the scroll and he nodded absentmindedly, wondering how his uncle was doing. He missed the man quite a lot, but the presence of his friends and Katara helped a lot. "Yeah, it's from him," he noticed that the stamp had been hastily applied to the letter and he frowned. His uncle was usually annoyingly vain about pointless chivalries such as making certain that every letter he ever constructed was a sight of perfection.
"What is it?" Katara's hand gripped his own and he realized that she must have sensed or seen his unease, his trepidation. "What's wrong?"
"Read it, my son," his mother smiled at him encouragingly.
King Bumi leaned forward, "What does the Sage of Fire in the Order of the White Lotus say, Fire Lord?"
Toph reclined against Bor's side, feet resting on the table. "It can't be that bad, Sparky. Just read it and stop pussyfooting around."
"I have to agree with Toph, Fire Lord Zuko," Bor said. "You must be unyielding against feelings of doubt and fear."
Sokka rolled his eyes, "Well, of course, you agree with her, Bor. You have to or else you would be denied access to her fertile and sacred soil, if you know what I mean." His seat abruptly shattered and he collapsed to the floor in a heap of limbs, sprawled hilariously. He stood up and scowled at Toph. "What was that for?"
"You do know that there are children around, don't you?" Azula asked with an eyebrow raised and Zuko was wary of the gleam in her eye, especially since Samir was staring at Toph curiously.
Katara was frowning, "Can't you behave like an adult for just once in your life? You're married, and you're the fourth-oldest person in the room!"
"Show some couth, Snoozles," Toph smirked.
"As if you're one to talk!" Sokka fired back, but immediately paled when he spotted Suki's glare. He relented and sulkily turned back to the female Earthbender. "I'm… sorry, Toph, for my inappropriate conduct. I shouldn't have said that."
The Earthbender grinned at him, "No problem, Snozzles."
Suki stood up and kissed her husband's cheek, "Come sit down," she whispered, and Sokka smiled brightly as he sat down in Suki's chair, his wife sitting in his lap.
"Zuko, what news does your uncle bring?" Aang stared at him, Samir hugging his neck, looking to be on the verge of boredom.
He slowly unfurled the scroll and the words sucked him in:
My dearest nephew,
I write to you with a burdened heart and soul. I fear that your confidence in me to act as your regent was misplaced and overvalued. I bring you terrible news, a blood-soaked truth that I wish nothing more than to be false, but, unfortunately, it is not. I have seen it with my own eyes, witnessed the chaos spread like fire itself. I failed you, nephew, and I'm sorry. You entrusted me to rule in your steed as you journeyed with Avatar Aang and your comrades, but upholding that trust seemed too great a task for my shoulders alone to bear.
A great plague has been unleashed, a plague that I have never imagined, and it's well on its way to forcing the Children of Fire to become history just as the Air Nomads before the return of Avatar Aang. In only weeks, our numbers have dwindled, and I've received countless reports that many of the small provinces and villages have been wiped out. I myself journeyed there to observe the damage, and it was vacant, not a single soul in sight. Disappearances are being reported daily and I fear that I've reached my wit's end, especially since all of the Generals and Admirals of our military are missing along with many of the Noble Families, particularly their Heads.
We are being slaughtered off, nephew, and for some inexplicable reason, it is my fault. A servant who I only know by the name of 'Lee' has unleashed this untold plague and I must confess that my heart is merely emotionally spent after the realization that I failed you. Simply writing this message to you taxes me of my fragile reserves of energy.
It is unlike anything that I have ever studied. In all of my years as General for Fire Lord Azulon during the Great War, my eyes have never been ravaged by such dreadful sights. Agni's Children are being hunted and so many have lost their fire, their very inner flame. Just as Ozai had been unable to bend after Sozin's Comet, the victims can no longer firebend, and even under threat of death, are unable to even muster a spark. I've been forced to witness minds break as insanity claimed every victim, and the plague has grown and grown beyond anything I've ever seen. The Fire Nation has become a nation of terror and oppression from these firebending-stealing fiends in only several weeks. I myself have felt the terror in my own heart, the feeling of being watched, and peaceful rest has eluded me ever since the first reports were brought to my attention.
The victims, nephew, are described as becoming on the edge of death after they're attacked, but after only several minutes, they are consumed by an unholy, salivating desire to attack Firebenders, to poison them as they themselves have been poisoned. Before any more details can be observed, though, the victims whom we know of are killed in self-defense because they had begun wildly attacking. This plague's symptoms remain mostly obscure, but I do know that it's a virus beyond any other virus. An apocalypse is spreading, and I pray that it hasn't reached you and Ursa and Azula, nor any of your friends, my precious nephew.
Lee, the herald of this malignant plague, broke into the Fire Royal Catacombs and I confronted him. I had had suspicions about him because I felt that there was something 'off' about that boy, but I had never imagined the depths of how 'off' this boy actually was. I had the chance to apprehend him, but I chose to save my kinsman instead. I now regret my decision for if I had captured Lee, I could know what this plague truly is - and thus, you and Avatar Aang would, as well. I was a fool, nephew, an old fool. I underestimated this boy and Agni's Children, and perhaps benders of the other elements, are now paying the price for my mistake.
Sentiment blinded me as Lee revealed that he was working for Piandao, my friend and Sokka's old Master, the swordsman. He hadn't been lying, nephew. I would have sensed the change in his body temperature if he had deceived me, but he hadn't. Piandao is alive! The news of his death had been false. I was overjoyed at the news of my friend's survival and dropped my guard because of that.
Piandao, it seems, had ordered Lee to obtain Fire Lord Sozin's fire-blade, Embers for reasons unknown, and because of my failure, Lee is in possession of the sword. I have pieced together that Lee is working with my brother and Vaatu, but Piandao is as well. He has been corrupted by Vaatu just as the ladies Mai and Ty Lee were. It is the only explanation. Ozai will no doubt get his hands on Embers and I fear that if your father somehow discovers the Dragons continued existence, he will finish what Sozin started and destroy them, wielding Sozin's own Dragon hide-piercing blade.
I'm sure that you have noticed Agni's dullness, nephew. I fear that this plague is weakening him, and he cannot fight back because of it. I know that Agni has been inveigled by Vaatu's seductive, poisonous words and become an agent for the mighty spirit, but I believe that even if Agni somehow came to his senses and realized that what he was doing was evil, he would be unable to strip himself of the darkness. And only more darkness will come, Zuko, it's unavoidable.
Without Agni's great light, which grows murkier with each passing day, chaos will spread across the Four Nations, strengthening Vaatu even further as terror envelops the minds of benders and non-benders alike. It is magnificent in its simplicity and wholly horrifying in its grand genius. I pray for the sake of preserving the balance that he fought so hard to create, that Avatar Aang will know what to do, Zuko. He is our only hope in defeating Vaatu - I've glimpsed the dark power and only Aang is stronger than it. Keep you and your friends near him. Only he can fully spare your souls from becoming forfeit to this unholy plague. Please be careful and remain ever-vigilant in searching for potential threats, nephew. I've already lost one son. I can't lose another. Please respond.
Prince Iroh, regent ruler of the Fire Nation, and Sage of Fire.
Zuko felt faint and his hands shook greatly, so great that he feared that he would rip the message apart. He had to ward off the horror of the words, ward of the images that had begun to assault his mind.
"What's wrong?" Katara demanded, looking at him anxiously, worriedly. "What did your uncle say?"
He wordlessly handed the letter to her, ignoring the nervous glances thrown his way by the others. He wasn't even sure how he could explain it to them. The Fire Nation - his nation! - was under siege by a terrible plague and he had had no idea! What kind of Fire Lord didn't know about his nation's safety for weeks?
A terrible one.
Katara gasped and her face paled greatly, blood draining from her features. "By Tui and La," she breathed out, tears welling in her beautiful ocean-colored eyes.
"What did Iroh say, Katara?" Sokka demanded, worry carved into his features. "It's bad, isn't it?"
"Oh, it's beyond bad, Sokka," she whispered and her breath came in shudders. "This is…"
Zuko gathered his strength and stared at Aang, "You should read it, my friend. Only you will be able to solve this." At his words, Katara held out the letter in his direction.
Aang inhaled slowly and stepped forward, ignoring Samir's protests at the movement. He grabbed the letter, gray eyes stormy, and his fingers crinkled around the parchment. He took a step back and Azula almost eagerly looked on as he unfurled it, her head resting on Aang's shoulder.
With a start, Zuko realized that his best friend and sister were truly married and had a child. It was more than anyone else in the Gaang. Sokka and Suki had been married pretty much since the Great War ended but had no children to show for it. While Zuko had finally begun a relationship with Katara, they had yet to become intimate, which although frustrating, he was more than willing to wait if that's what it took. Toph and Bor had just returned to one another, from what he had gathered, but it wasn't the same as Aang and Azula.
Aang looked up from the scroll after he was finished reading and Zuko was struck by the lack of panic shining in his gray eyes. Rather, his friend seemed pensive, not saying a word.
"I'll read it aloud," Azula murmured and she plucked the parchment from her husband's hands. Her calm voice echoed the words of their uncle, portraying how dire the situation was.
His mother put a hand to her mouth, "Oh, I'd never imagined," she breathed out after Azula concluded the message. Zuko was honestly little better than his mother. Hearing the situation for a second time did little to help his fear and feelings of failure.
"Piandao is alive?" Sokka breathed out, leaning forward and staring at the letter with something akin to hope, and King Bumi, too, looked just as shocked by the revelation that his friend was alive.
Azula hummed, "That's what my uncle claims,"
"What do we do, Aang?" King Bumi had never looked so old in Zuko's eyes. The King was weary, and his usually bright eyes were dim. "What is it? How has Piandao… joined Ozai?"
Sokka snapped his eyes towards King Bumi, "He hasn't! Piandao would never do that."
"Be that as it may," Suki interrupted her husband. "We need to learn how this plague started."
All eyes stared at the Avatar as he handed Samir to Azula, bringing his fingers to gently brush Samir's hair. He didn't say a word, staring down at his daughter as she blinked back up at him.
"Well, at least I'm not a Firebender," Mai intoned when it seemed that Aang wouldn't speak yet.
Ty Lee nodded sadly, "I've never been more relieved to be a non-bender," she admitted.
"Wait," Toph slammed her hand on the table. "Is this plague who some asshole named 'Lee' unleashed going to affect all benders or just Firebenders?"
Azula frowned, "From my uncle's words, it doesn't seem to rule out that other benders can be infected." She then glanced at Aang for clarification, who was now staring out the window once again, staring directly upward into Agni's light.
When the Avatar continued to not say a word, Suki spoke, looking grave. "What about non-benders? Ty Lee just assumed that non-benders are immune from this virus, but is that true?"
"I'm not sure," Katara said quietly. "All Iroh mentioned were Firebenders, but we can't be certain that non-benders won't be targeted."
Sokka threw his hands up in agitation, "How the fuck did this even start?" He shriveled at Azula's glare, looking away from Samir's piercing eyes.
"Some asshole named 'Lee', remember?" Toph's words lacked her usual snark.
"No, I know that. Why didn't we already know about such a thing happening? Shouldn't we have heard of the terror? The horror stories? How is it then that we haven't heard of these victims from this plague? Iroh compared it to the Loser Lord- …no offense, Lady Ursa." Sokka risked a glance at Ursa.
Zuko's mother waved him off, "There is no need for that, Master Sokka. I know full well what kind of man my husband has become. Call him whatever you like."
Sokka nodded, "Well, if it's the same as what happened to the Loser Lord, how he got his bending taken away by Aang, then is it the same thing?"
"Yes, it is, Sokka," Aang suddenly spoke and everyone stared at him. "It's energybending, pure and simple."
Zuko finally gathered his voice, "Then why did my father not become infected all of those years ago? He was completely normal - well, as normal as Ozai can ever be, which isn't much." He saw his sister curiously look towards her husband as she finally reclined down in one of the vacant chairs, Samir resting against her shoulder.
"Because I didn't wish him to be."
"What do you mean, Aang?" Katara asked.
"When I took Ozai's bending, I entered his chi and willed his inner fire to cease to burn, snuffing it out until nothing remained. But from what Iroh described, I believe this 'Lee' did the same thing, except for one crucial difference: he added something in its place."
King Bumi leaned forward, eyes sparkling with understanding, "So you're saying that this prick replaced their inner flame, their very ability to firebend with this… plague?"
"Yes, I am, because if I had wanted to, I could have done the same to Ozai all of those years ago. The Lion Turtle was explicit."
Sokka rubbed his forehead, "I'm having trouble understanding this, then. Why do these recently-snuffed-out Firebenders have this salivating desire to hunt other Firebenders and inflict the same virus upon them, then? It doesn't make sense."
"It would be whatever Lee replaced in their chi. He put something in there. I don't know what it is." Aang finally sat down, "Since he is working for Dark, I would reckon that that is how Lee received such an ability. Nobody knows energybending anymore, save for me and the Lion Turtles, and those who are old enough to remember. Actually, Koh probably knows it, too."
Katara's eyes widened, "The Face Stealer? Is he helping Ozai and- "
"No, he's not, Katara," Aang stated adamantly. "Koh and I came to an understanding many months ago; he is not aiding Dark and Ozai."
"But you said that he is an Energybender like you are!" Sokka leaned forward, eyebrows pinched. "Couldn't he have aided this Lee guy in giving him energybending."
Aang sighed, "That's what I said, but not how I said it. I meant that only those who are old enough, who are ancient in their being would be Energybenders. Koh might be one of them."
Suki leaned her head against her husband's chest. "Just as Dark is,"
His friend nodded, "Yes, so Dark, I suspect, gifted Lee the knowledge of how to use energybending, in return so that Lee would help Ozai acquire Embers, and so that with the chaos of Agni's fading light, Dark will become even stronger." His eyes widened and realization swept through his features. "Then that would mean that Ozai knows energybending, too. Dark would want his vessel to rival me in power as much as possible."
"It makes sense," Azula stared at Aang. "Let's face it, my father needs every advantage he could gain to defeat you in battle."
"But why poison the chi?" Zuko asked after he digested the fact that his father, apparently, now had the ability to take one's bending away - a horrifying notion. "What did my uncle have to do with it? Why is he at fault, apparently?"
"That would all have to do with Lee's motivations, Zuzu." Azula's eyes burned with what he suspected to be resignation. "Much contempt is held for the Children of Fire, more than we could probably fathom. We were just talking about it before Aang returned. What better way for a vengeance-seeker to rid the world of Fire than to unleash a plague that only targets Firebenders?"
"But we're still not certain that it just targets Firebenders," Sokka pointed out.
"But it wouldn't change how the energybending works, Sokka. The key component that we're missing is what Lee replaced the inner flames with." Aang reminded, "Even if it targets all benders, no matter their nation of birth, we know that its energybending."
Zuko's mother wiped her eyes, "Okay, then how are we going to solve it?"
All eyes stared at Aang as he sighed, "I don't know, Lady Ursa. It's something that I'll need to contemplate."
Silence swept through the room, only to be broken by King Bumi.
"Well, it seems that we finally have a plan, no more waiting around in Ba Sing Se."
Aang raised his eyebrows, "What do you mean, Bumi?"
"Fire Lord Zuko received a letter from the Sun Warriors, who desire that he and the Avatar meet them. And this is just before we receive Iroh's letter about Piandao and this plague. Is this a coincidence? I think not, everyone. The winds of fate have granted us an opportunity to achieve a subtle victory over Dark and Ozai."
"Wait for just a second, are you suggesting that we all split up?" Sokka questioned.
King Bumi nodded, green eyes finally gleaming. "Yes, I am, Sokka. We need the Dragons as allies. Since firebending is, and forgive me for my blunt approach, becoming extinct, they are now more valuable than ever. We also need to rescue Piandao from Dark's clutches."
"Aang and I must meet with the Sun Warriors, since they specifically asked for the Avatar, too." Zuko pointed out, "And where Aang goes, Azula and Samir will tag along, am I correct?"
"Of course, Zuzu," his sister smirked.
He refrained from rolling his eyes, "Katara had already decided to join me when I departed and I believe that you, mother, would like to glimpse the Dragons, correct?"
His mother nodded with a slight smile, "Yes, my son, I truly would. I've only heard of their legends, and now I wish to see if they do the creature's justice."
"Oh, they most definitely do," he promised, remembering his own experience from all of those years ago before the Great War ended. "So Aang, Samir, Azula, Katara, my mother, and I will all be going to the Sun Warriors. What about the rest of you? Will all of you go rescue Piandao?"
Sokka snorted, "There's no fucking way that I'm going to let my sword Master become even more corrupted by Dark. I'll also survey their doings and destroy whatever I can when I rescue him."
Everyone turned to Suki, waiting for her to clarify that she was joining her husband. But after several moments, she closed her eyes and her features scrunched with something close to a curious mixture of sorrow and panic. "While I do wish to join Sokka, I am unable to," she surprisingly said in a whisper, the words floating in the now-shocked air.
Her husband turned to her in disbelief, "What? Why?" Betrayal had begun to color his tone and Zuko wondered what possible reason Suki could give that would appease Sokka. He himself was curious, too, and based on the way everyone was staring at her, the rest of the room was as well.
Toph smirked, "It's about time, you know?"
"About time for what?" Sokka demanded.
Suki sighed, "Nothing's wrong, darling, but falling with child during such dark times is troublesome."
Silence, until it was broken by Azula of all people.
"Congratulations," she nodded her head and various commendations echoed through the room as everyone followed Azula's example.
Katara jumped to her feet, "You're pregnant? I'm finally going to be an aunt?" Zuko heard subtle hints of jealousy in her tone if he wasn't mistaken, and he dimly realized that, maybe, he and Katara would finally become one in their beds because of her yearning for children of her own.
"Yes, I am," Suki turned to her husband, who was ashen-faced. "I'm sorry that I kept it a secret, but I didn't want you to worry."
Sokka swallowed and slowly placed a shaking hand on her stomach, "I'm going to be a father," he whispered and then he kissed his wife. "Thank you, thank you for this. I have never known such joy, not even when we had won the Great War."
Suki smiled and a tear spilled down her cheek, "You'll have a child who was made from the best parts of us both."
"A potential future Chief of the Water Tribes," King Bumi declared. "Until you hold your child in your own hands, you have more motivation to snuff out Dark and Ozai, Sokka. A word of advice: as a father who has lost his own children to the Great War, cherish your own and swear to finish what you have already started."
"And he won't be alone because we will join him." Mai and Ty Lee exchanged glances, "Piandao is in the same situation that we were in before the Avatar mercifully saved us." Mai said with actual emotion in her voice. "It would be cruel if we refused to help a fellow Child of Fire who is where Ty Lee and I once were."
Sokka swallowed and nodded gratefully, "I thank you, both of you."
"The Kyoshi Warriors, at least half of them, will join you, too." Suki nodded and placed a hand on her stomach. "I will stay in Ba Sing Se with King Bumi."
"And I will make certain that no harm comes to her," King Bumi's eyes shone intently with promise.
"I appreciate that, thank you, King Bumi." Sokka nodded his head and to Zuko's slight surprise, saw tears glimmering in the depths of his eyes.
Zuko then turned towards Toph and Bor, "And what about you two? Do you want to help rescue Piandao, or go see the Dragons?"
"Neither," Bor said, hand squeezing Toph's. "At least for me, I won't. I am going to stay by my grandfather's side - and Suki's, too, apparently. I'm the future King of Ba Sing Se, and I cannot, in good conscience, leave."
All eyes looked at Toph, who blew hair out of her eyes. "I would go help save Piandao, but I just have a gut feeling that I need to stay in Ba Sing Se." Her unseeing eyes focused on Sokka, Mai, and Ty Lee. "You guys, along with the Kyoshi Warriors, are easily some of the greatest non-benders who I've ever met. You're all very dangerous and pulling off a rescue mission for Piandao under the Loser Lord's very fire-breathing nose is within your combined capabilities. I know that you don't need me or any bender to do this."
Sokka blinked in shock, "I think that that was the nicest thing you've ever said to me."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Toph huffed, "And it'll be the last time you ever hear it."
"So, we're all decided, then?" Katara looked around.
Aang nodded when no one contradicted Katara's words. "Yes, and while I am away, I will decipher how to solve Agni's fading light and the plague that Lee has unleashed. I might even be able to fix it, nullifying whatever Lee did."
"That's great, Aang," Zuko smiled gratefully at his friend. "As soon as we convince the Dragons to ally with us, we'll return to Ba Sing Se."
Suki gripped her husband's hand, eyes serious. "This mission to rescue Piandao, and potentially any others who are trapped, will be long and arduous. You will all be separated from everyone for months, perhaps. You must figure out a means to communicate while you are traveling."
"I don't think it will take that long," Mai interrupted. "While unwillingly, Ty Lee and I worked for Dark, so it's possible that we might have some leads as to their location."
"Just to be safe, in case that isn't true, we should still prepare for a long journey," Sokka concluded and Zuko agreed with him.
"A smart decision," his mother commented. "Just be careful. Piandao will be near my husband and make no mistake, Ozai will take great amounts of pleasure in killing you if he receives word of your agenda."
Aang frowned, "Are you certain that you wish to undertake such a journey while we're gone?"
Sokka nodded adamantly, "Yes, I'm not letting Piandao rot in Dark's clutches any longer. And now that I know that Suki's pregnant, my determination has been rekindled with great vigor, gnawing at my heart. My children aren't going to grow up in a world molested by war and darkness - they won't live the way how Katara and I and the rest of us did. Why so unsure, Aang? Do you not believe that we can succeed?"
Zuko watched his friend sigh, "I believe that you are underestimating how vast Dark and Ozai's control reaches. Both are incredibly powerful, and when bonded together, they are nigh unstoppable."
"They'll be fine, Aang," Azula placed a hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "They are capable of it, and they know to avoid my father and Dark at all costs no matter what."
"Lighten up, Twinkletoes," Toph tried to smoothly cut in, and she was successful. "Snoozles and the crew will be good to go; they won't be dumb enough to even think of trying to face Ozai or Dark without you there. I mean, let's all be honest," her glassy, unseeing eyes somehow stared at everyone in the room. "The only being in this world who can battle Ozai is Aang; I was there when the Loser Lord shot down Appa and then Azula all of those months ago." He felt a shiver crawl up his spine at Aang's sudden darkening expression, at the reminder that Zuko's own father had tried to murder Aang's best friend and now-wife. "I was knocked out of the battle almost immediately,"
"I was trying to save you from Ozai," the Avatar interrupted. "He was about to kill you; you leaping towards him, with your feet disconnected from the earth, was the perfect opportunity for him to do such a thing."
Toph waved her hand, "I'm trying to compliment you, Twinkletoes! Anyway, Lightning Psycho went toe-to-toe with her loser of a dad, but even in my groggy state in the cave, I could feel that the Loser Lord was dictating the fight."
Zuko looked at his sister as she shrugged in admittance, "It's true. Ozai is more powerful than I am, and his bending has become even stronger than it was during the Great War; it also didn't help that Dark had briefly bonded with him."
"Which is because Agni himself gave Ozai his firebending back," Aang pointed out. "He was touched by the Fire Spirit himself, blessed by him even."
Sokka snapped his fingers, "And that makes sense! Damn! The Loser Lord was the strongest bender in the entire world during the Great War, excluding Aang. Now I shudder to imagine the depths of his strength since he's been blessed by Agni himself."
"He is an opponent not even whom I would yearn to face," King Bumi said, lopsided eyes glowing with honesty. "I would if I must, but I wouldn't be confident in a victory for myself."
"And that's pretty much what Iroh said before Sozin's Comet when Aang had disappeared," Suki recalled.
"I think that we can all admit that most of the strongest benders in the entire world," Toph spoke once again, "are in this very room: Twinkletoes, ole' Bumi, Lightning Psycho, Sparky, Ursa, me, Sugar Queen, and Bor." Her features pinched and Zuko was struck by the vulnerability that she was displaying. He was proud of her and the great progress she had made in trusting others; it was something that he believed was a work-in-progress for himself in that regard. "Out of said aforementioned benders, only one has even a chance to defeat the Loser Lord and Dark."
Azula raised an eyebrow, "I would say that my husband has more than a chance, Toph. Ozai doesn't know lavabending, sandbending, metalbending, and combustion-bending. Plus, he has yet to gain any power over Water and Air."
"He could have found a teacher, you know?" Katara pointed out. "And do you remember what happened last time Aang battled him?"
"I do!" Toph jeered, "The Loser Lord bolted in terror, one arm missing! He was fucked up by Twinkletoes."
"And when we were in the Spirit World," Azula commented, trying to keep Samir from asking what 'fucked up' meant. "Aang overpowered the combined might of a briefly bonded Ozai and Dark, and the Elemental Spirits of Earth and Fire."
Katara rolled her eyes, "Well, I wasn't there for either of those, so they aren't prominent in my memory. What I had meant was, was during Sozin's Comet, Aang was getting, as Toph delicately put it, 'fucked up' by Ozai until the Avatar State was reactivated."
"But you weren't there, either!" Sokka smirked in triumph.
"I heard first-hand accounts from you, Suki, Toph, and Aang himself, Sokka!" Katara stared at her brother in annoyance.
Aang smoothly and swiftly cut through a potential argument, "I know that you're concerned for my well-being, Katara, but I am no longer that child anymore. I'm an adult and a fully-realized Avatar."
Azula smirked devilishly, "You're also quite a man…"
Toph gagged, "Enough! That was so uncalled-for, Lightning Psycho! I don't want to hear anything about you and Twinkletoes trying to create more Airbenders."
"But I'm an Airbender," Samir suddenly said, finally speaking up from where she had been lying against Azula's shoulder. "Daddy's teaching me. Don't you want to know how it's going?"
"Yes, I have," Aang smiled at her. "And you're doing an excellent job, Samir. You are truly a Child of Air, no matter how you became one."
Zuko watched as his… niece beamed, "Thank you, daddy," her eyebrows pinched and she huffed, pushing her hand out. The air shuddered, a weak breeze rustling through the room for a moment and she smiled brightly and all whom Zuko saw in that expression was his best friend. "See?"
"You are going to be a Master Airbender, Samir," Azula said.
"You know, speaking of Airbenders," King Bumi called out. "Where is the Air Spirit? Your friends have claimed that you don't know, but I'm not sure if I believe it."
"And why wouldn't you believe it, Bumi?" Aang frowned in confusion, "I told the truth."
King Bumi's head leaned forward like a predator, and Zuko remembered that the man had lived through the entirety of the Great War. "But you must know someone who does, don't you? You must have an impression of his or her location."
Aang stared at his oldest friend with a look that Zuko couldn't decipher, and based on how Azula was observing her husband, he was unsure if even she understood. "The Air Spirit is either in the Spirit World or the Material. What I do know is that she's been hiding ever since the dawn of the Great War: the Air Nomads' slaughter. That is what I know, Bumi, and yes, you're right: I suspect that she forfeited her immortality just as the Ocean and the Moon did, but she could be anywhere in this Realm. I don't know what form she wrapped herself in before she sacrificed her immortality. The guise she is cloaked in evades my sight."
"You mean that you've been looking for her?" Katara asked.
"Of course, I've been looking for her, Katara," a deep frustration colored his voice as he sighed. "Ever since Devi was corrupted by Dark, I've been searching for her, trying to prevent Dark from getting to her first."
Sokka stood up, "Well, while we're rescuing Piandao, we'll keep a look out for the Air Spirit. But for now, I am going to prepare for our difficult and arduous journey. Suki, would you come with me?"
Zuko watched as Suki gracefully stood as well, following her husband out of the room.
Katara stared at the retreating forms and turned to Aang, "What can you tell us of the child?"
"What?" Aang raised his eyebrows, glancing at the now-empty chair where Sokka and Suki had sat. "I'm just as surprised at the development as you."
"I know that you can glimpse the future, Aang," Katara chided him. "Will the child be touched by the darkness?"
Aang frowned, "If you wish to be able to glimpse the future, Katara, just look behind you, towards the past; the best predictor of the future is the past. Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it. I do know that the child will live, but that is all I will say on the matter."
XxXxXxXxXxX
She silently followed her husband, stepping into their shared room as he closed the door softly, and she waited patiently, knowing that she must wait if Sokka was to confess what was wrong. And unsurprisingly, she was right as he turned towards her after several more moments, eyes confused.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He stepped closer, "There's more to it than that you didn't want me to worry, so what's the truth? No lies, please, I want us to be truthful with one another."
"I was afraid that I would miscarry; I didn't want to disappoint you." Suki sniffed and felt tears well in her eyes, "We've waited so long for this, for years, Sokka. I had even begun to wonder if I was the problem."
Sokka's eyes softened and he pulled her to him, "I had the same thoughts, but about me, not you, never you, never. My father had questioned me, wondering when I would give him grandchildren, but nothing ever came to fruition in spite of our numerous efforts. I thought that my seed wasn't fruitful, that my juice had no flavor, ya know?"
She gripped him tightly and felt the tears finally flow after weeks of keeping them at bay, spilling down her cheeks. "Just promise me something, okay?"
A quiet laugh rusted her hair, "I already know what you're going to say, Suki. I would never be disappointed over something so trivial as our child being a non-bender. I will love them no matter if they are a bender or not, or if they are a boy or a girl. We're both non-benders and frankly, Katara was an anomaly when it comes to my line for Waterbenders. The last recorded Waterbender in my family who I know of, before Katara herself, was during Roku's reign as Avatar from my mother's side. Actually, I don't know about my dad's side. Gran Gran could hail from a waterbending family from the North for all that I know; she's never spoken about the family that she escaped from."
"My mother died after my birth from childbed fever and she was a non-bender, while my father was an Earthbender, and he went off to join the Earth Kingdom during the Great War; I never saw him again." She looked up at him, eyes vulnerable. "You're the heir to the Water Tribes, Sokka. You need a successful dynastic succession after you die. The only way the Northern Water Tribe will be appeased is if you have a waterbending son; I'm not naive enough to think that they'll change. But that wasn't what I had meant, the non-bender issue. I already know that you would love our child whether he or she was a non-bender. But not everyone would love them if that were the case, would they?"
"What is it you're trying to say?" He demanded, eyes narrowing, "If it's what I think it is, I want to hear nothing of it."
Suki swallowed and took his hand, gathering courage from the vast well in her heart. "If spirits forbid, I miscarry, or our child is a non-bender, I want you to consider wedding a Waterbender in the Northern Water Tribe. And if our second child is a non-bender, too, or if we are never blessed with a second child, I want you to definitely wed a Waterbender from the North, okay? Promise me, please."
"What? No! Suki, after everything that we've been through, how could you possibly- "
She put a finger over his lips, a pleading request for his silence. "Let me finish, please. It is because of all that we've been through that I know it must be if that were the case. We both know that your standing in the North has been tumultuous at best. Me being a Child of Earth doesn't help at all; in fact, it lowers your position, and that's something that I refuse to see happen, especially because of me."
"No, how the fuck can you…" her husband was at a loss for words and she realized it was one of the first times in her memory when that had happened.
"I'm being pragmatic, darling, realistic. The odds of us having waterbending children are slim, if not none. I love you too much to be the cause of the North rejecting your rightful position. You need a waterbending son to appease the North, and we both know that your own Tribe would prefer that a Waterbender lead them, too."
Sokka inhaled roughly, "I'm not swearing to that, Suki, I refuse."
"But you have to! Don't you see? The Children of Water will soon be on the brink of disaster if something doesn't change; we both know that the North already has ambitions to conquer the South, so a strong leader is needed who can unite both Tribes without bloodshed - that leader is you! I've come to love the Water Tribes as if they were my own home, and I don't want to see a civil war over who will become Chief waged across the nation - and I refuse to see the North and South destroy each other. I've given this a lot of thought and I know that I'm right, my darling. Life is often crueler than it is fair. Do you remember when you told me that?"
"I don't care! I love you, okay?" Sokka abruptly turned around and stomped towards the door, features crinkling into a mass of fury, looking angrier than she had ever seen him. "I refuse to ruminate over a life without you and our children in it. I will dispute any who claim otherwise, even you. The Water Tribes' newest line of Chiefs will be vested in the succession of the children who we will have, and no others." She was astounded by his vehemence, wondering how he failed to see the truth in her words. He was one of the smartest men whom she had ever met. How could he not understand what she was saying?
Her husband shot her one last look full of betrayal and then he stomped out of their room, cold seeping in her heart as the door slammed shut.
Suki sat on the bed, placing a hand on her stomach, over the life that she knew resided within, "I pray that I'm wrong, my beloved child, but it's been ingrained in me to prepare for the worst." She closed her eyes, trying to expunge the memory of Sokka's anger, but she failed.
"You worry needlessly," a light voice echoed behind her and Suki's eyes snapped open in alarm. Nobody snuck up on her, not since she was a young girl before she had become a Kyoshi Warrior.
Whirling around, she froze as a beautiful woman floated in the light of the window, directly from the moon. The woman was ethereal, beyond Suki's understanding, but she instinctively knew who the woman was, who the spirit was.
Placing her hand over her stomach protectively, she nodded her head in respect, "It is an honor to draw the attention of the Moon herself."
"You need not to fear me, Suki. I will not harm you or the life which grows within you." Yue's eyes were orbs of moonlight, glowing brightly. "I understand your trepidation, but it isn't needed. If I had wished you harm, you would have died many years ago. I'm happy that Sokka has found someone who isn't afraid to undermine his ideas."
"Why are you here, merciful Yue?"
"Your actions since the discovery of your pregnancy have been understandable, but no longer. Your fears are legitimate but foolish. In your worry, you've forgotten something crucial."
She dared to narrow her eyes, "And what's that?"
"You are friends with the Avatar, Suki. The Water Tribes are not so reckless as to risk the wrath of Avatar Aang. Also, I myself, the Moon Spirit, have a unique interest in Sokka's life, especially when it pertains to his future and those of his children."
"So you will bless Sokka, then?" She hesitantly questioned, "You will ensure that no harm comes to my child?"
"The Water Tribes will be united under your children with Sokka, Suki, and none of the problems that you believe will curse their lives, and your own, will exist. I have made it a certainty."
Suki blinked and wet her lips, "If you're saying what I think you are, then thank you, most generous Yue. I will forever be in your debt."
"No, no, Suki, I've been in your debt. You have made Sokka happy and that's all I ever wanted. Thank you for doing what it was that I was unable to." Yue's eyes closed and then, before a stunned Suki, she shimmered out of existence.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Silence echoed as she wandered the hall, mentally reciting what she had decided to say. For too long, she had allowed those two to hold power over her, but no more. She wasn't that girl any longer, and they were adults now, too.
Azula was the wife of the Avatar and the future Mother of the Air Nomads, walking a path that she had never imagined, but was grateful for all the same. It was time to finally put the past to rest and talk with her former friends. At last, she paused in front of the door, feeling the dark emotions simmer in her heart, the painful memories of the betrayal, of when her mind broke.
She knocked.
A few moments passed before the door swung open, revealing a gaping Ty Lee, blood drained from her features. It sent a pang of guilt through Azula's heart, reminding her of the person whom she had used to be, of the monster whom Ozai had molded in his own image.
Ty Lee stuttered, "Azu- Princess Azula! Did you come to the wrong room? This is me and Mai's room, you know? Um…" she laughed nervously, limbs shaking with anxiety. "Perhaps you were searching for your mother's?"
"Enough, Ty Lee," Azula said, managing to quell the urge to roll her eyes. "It is no accident that I knocked on your door. I wished to speak with you - and Mai, too."
Eyes glimmered with small sparks of hope, "You did? Really?"
"Yes, now may I come in?"
A small smile split Ty Lee's face and she gestured, "Of course, of course, you can, Azula! Please, come in."
Azula watched with small amounts of amusement as Mai was sitting erect in a chair, features pinched with a facade of emptiness. "Azula," her old friend intoned, nodding her head in respect.
"What did you wish to speak to us about?" Ty Lee abruptly questioned, bouncing from one foot to the other, and Azula gracefully sat in one of the comfortable chairs.
She glanced around, gathering her words, and after several silent moments, finally spoke. "I've spent years thinking about you, both of you, and I had fantasized your deaths many times." She saw them flinch, even Mai, but she continued. "You had betrayed me, betrayed your Royal Princess, an heir to Sozin - a crime punishable by death. And yet, without your actions on the Boiling Rock that day, I wonder if I would have been gifted this life with Aang and finding my peace and redemption. If you had both decided to stay loyal, would I still be the monster who I once was?"
"No, of course not, Azula," Ty Lee said.
Azula ignored her, "I was a cruel person, a monster who was my father's daughter. I've begun to realize that the best outcome for me had been the one I was given. Out of the possible paths that fate could have deemed reality, I'm more than content with the one it chose. I'm married to the Avatar himself with an adopted daughter, Zuzu trusts me again, and I am currently first-in-line for the Dragon's Throne - I never intend to let go of these amazing opportunities. I guess that I should thank you, you know? For if you had never betrayed me, the Great War would have still molested the world after Sozin's Comet, and I would have ended up killing my brother and Katara in the Agni Kai, which would then draw Aang, my now-husband's wrath on me, and I would assuredly be dead. I'm happy that wasn't the winds of fate's design." She leaned forward, hands sprawled across her thighs, "So, I want to apologize for my wickedness towards you both. I see clearly now that it was undeserved and unjust, any of my actions against you all those years ago." Calmly observing her former friends, she felt large flashes of amusement spread at the shock carved into their faces.
Mai finally swallowed, "Thank you, Azula. We're sorry for our actions on the Boiling Rock."
"Yeah," Ty Lee's eyes were honest, "it was the hardest thing that I ever did."
"It seemed pretty easy to me," she calmly stated, wanting to see their reaction. As she expected, Ty Lee flinched and Mai looked down. She sighed audibly, "Look, I'm not here to revive our former friendship, okay? I simply wanted to clear the air and diffuse any potential bitterness. You betrayed me, broke my trust, something which is very sacred to me. Because of your treachery, my mind broke." Her golden eyes burned, "I now unconditionally trust only several people in my life: Aang, Samir, Zuzu, and my mother. You two used to be on that list, but no longer. I've already heard from my brother about how you both agreed to turn yourselves over to the Earth Kingdom on my behalf, and I am grateful, don't doubt that, but you escaped punishment, roaming the lands for years. If you had actually faced Kuei's - may he not rest in peace - wrath and punishment, I would feel differently. But you chose to flee from your imprisonment, which I honestly can't really blame you for, and lived in freedom."
Mai's dark eyes connected with her own, "Well, I guess that's fair. Thank you for not killing us, Azula."
She stood up and opened the door. Before leaving, she glanced over her shoulder, taking in their saddened features, "I wish you the best of luck during your quest to save Piandao, I truly do. Perhaps, when you return, we could begin to… to salvage the remnants of the past to create a new friendship." She exited the room and shut the door behind her, exhaling slowly, a fissure that had always been in her heart, smoothing out.
She had faced them, and been honest, leaving a potential reconciliation open because, in spite of their actions, she must admit that she did miss them, and she had for a long time. For whatever their faults on the Boiling Rock, Mai and Ty Lee had been good friends - and her younger self hadn't ever realized it.
Azula looked down at the room near the end of the corner and nodded her head, walking towards it. Today was the day when she would settle all business in regard to her past, to what she had done as Ozai's weapon, his wrath.
She knocked on the door, waiting for several moments, hearing the muffled footsteps approach. "It's me," she called out. "Don't kill me the moment when you open the door."
Her brother's shocked face appeared when the door opened. "Azula? What are… this is Katara's room. You know that, don't you? Did you make a mistake- …no, you don't make mistakes."
Katara appeared next to her brother, looking even more shocked than Zuko, traces of wariness detectable. "Aang is- "
"I'm not wondering where my husband is, I know perfectly well where he is. I wanted to speak with you."
"Why?"
"Zuzu, could you give us a moment, please?" Azula's eyes locked onto his own. "I just merely want to talk, that's it."
Katara narrowed her eyes before she nodded slowly. "Zuko, I'll be fine, okay? I won't hurt her as long as she doesn't attack me."
"And I won't, I swear," she said before her brother could reply.
Zuko stood still for a moment before he looked down at Katara. "Very well, I'll be speaking with Aang about the departure to the Sun Warriors."
"And then you could look after Samir, helping Aang," she smiled coyly. "You needn't worry, brother, if I had wanted Katara dead since we've been reunited, she would be. You have my word that no harm will befall her by my hands, okay? I'll even swear on my claim to the Dragon's Throne if you want."
"No, that's all right, I believe you," her brother slowly exited through the door, his voice an astonished whisper. "The novelty of this encounter will never fade away."
Azula slowly shut the door and watched as Katara raised her eyebrows, arms crossed beneath her breasts. "Well, what is it that you wanted to discuss?"
She looked around the room for a moment, recognizing her brother's swords in the corner. "I wanted to speak of the past,"
"Why?"
"Since it seems that we'll be family soon," she began, ignoring the widening of Katara's eyes. "I thought that we should… how do you say it? Oh, yes, bear no more malice for one another, end our quarrel of silent hatred."
Katara blinked and a surprised look crossed her features. "You want bygones to be bygones? I can't simply forgive you for everything that you've done - I'm not Aang, you know?"
"Nor would I expect you to forgive me," she replied evenly. "Look, I am more than aware of how monstrous my actions were, okay? I'm trying to begin a new life, turn a new page in my book of destiny, and I want to wipe the slate clean in regard to our rivalry."
"You shot both Aang and Zuko with lightning, nearly killing them, terrorized us for months, and you conquered Ba Sing Se." Katara's blue eyes were alight with memories of the past. "You were the incarnation of everything that I fought against in the Great War; you were Ozai's weapon- "
Azula interrupted, chuckling quietly without any amusement. "I was my father's disposable weapon, Katara," she dared to sit in the chair that was near the bed, looking up at her brother's desired-Fire Lady. "My sins will forever taint me, I know this. I nearly killed my now-husband and my own brother, the two people whom I trust more than anyone else. Do you think that I hold no regrets?" Her golden eyes blazed with a challenge and she felt accomplishment when Katara turned her face away, composing herself. "My nightmares remind me of my past and the only time when I escape them is when Aang…" she licked her lips, willing to reveal a guarded secret to a once-bitter foe if that was what it took to bring a peace between them. "When he holds me at night, I am safe and the nightmares don't overwhelm me with remorse and guilt. Honestly, I'm not going to apologize for Ba Sing Se. I had a mission: I wanted to return my brother into our father's favor and earn praise if I could. I was just a girl, a child who wanted nothing more than to… than to be loved by her father."
"That doesn't take away from the fact that- "
"No, it doesn't," she agreed, smiling briefly at the shocked look on Katara's face. "The winds of fate have been kinder to me than they should have; I deserve to rot in the thorny areas of the Gardens of the Dead for eternity. Yet, I've been given a second chance, one that I didn't deserve, but one that I have readily accepted all the same."
Katara slowly sat down on the large bed, blue eyes assessing and considering. The silence was a heavy burden for several moments before the Waterbender spoke. "You're different, and I've already spoken with your brother and uncle how I had judged you too soon." Azula raised a brow at that information, but she listened to the rest of Katara's words. "The fact that Aang trusts and loves you, that he married you, thus choosing you to be the Mother of the Air Nomads reveals a lot more than any words you tell me. Zuko trusts you and is fond of you, too, so I am willing to clear the past from my gaze and mindset when I speak with you."
Azula's eyes closed briefly, "Thank you, Katara, for more than just your willingness to let the past die. Because you defeated me on Sozin's Comet, I was granted the destiny that I had never imagined." Her golden eyes latched onto Katara's blue ones. "Events of passion drove me to insanity, but passion is what fully healed me. Without Aang, I'm unafraid to admit that I'd certainly be dead and never experienced… peace and safety - and the romantic love, too." Azula tilted her head to the side, "The same could be said for you, methinks."
Her once-rival tensed for a moment before she seemed to relax, although there was an awkwardness in her tone. "Well, I think that you might be right: Zuko is all who there is for me; he's the one who… completes me."
"I'm not surprised, he adores you. It's obvious to see if you know what to look for in regard to the Fire Lord's words and actions."
Katara smiled brightly at those words before she nodded her head in acknowledgment, surprisingly offering her own praise. "And Aang adores you more than anyone; I've never seen him so enthralled with a single person before, so attuned to them. His eyes look at you as if you were perfection incarnate. He's never looked at anyone that way before."
"Except for Appa," she said and felt pleased when Katara laughed suddenly, a true laugh that caused Azula's own lips to twitch upwards.
"But because he loves you so much, and although the thought had once made me furious with disgusted loathing, you're going to be the Mother of the Air Nomads." Katara's face registered relief from her own words, "I'm not sure if you know, but after the Great War, Aang and I…"
"You dated, or what you called 'dating', I know."
"Yes, it was stupid; we were only children who didn't know anything, and I'm so thankful that nothing ever became of it. Although he has become incredibly handsome and divine, I…" she trailed off, looking awkward and Azula almost chuckled.
"You think that my brother is much more handsome," she concluded.
"His physical characteristics and everything about him just appeals to me more than Aang's traits." Katara exhaled and looked at her honestly, something that took Azula aback, but she wouldn't do anything to ruin the sudden steps forward that had been reached. "I had felt the pressure of bearing Aang Airbenders, to recreate an entire race and I couldn't handle it. The pressure would be too much, especially with his Avatar duties."
Azula nodded in understanding, "Yes, but the difference between us is that I wouldn't mind his Avatar duties. I will confess that I feel the pressure to bear him Airbenders, but I know that I will succeed. I know my destiny, and it is as the Mother of the Air Nomads, so I will bear Airbenders. I don't mind it."
"Well, I'm glad that Aang won't be alone any longer even though he has Samir and Appa and Momo."
"I find it curious, though,"
"What?"
"You were fearful of not being able to bear Airbenders, but you will need to bear my brother a firebending son."
Katara laughed, surprising her. "It's different, though. With Aang, I would have needed to bear a brood of Airbenders, but I only need to bear Zuko one Firebender or two - he told me when I raised concerns about how I would be accepted as Fire Lady."
Azula raised her eyebrows, feeling small shockwaves of shock reverberate in her mind. "You've discussed being Fire Lady with my brother? My, Zuzu truly loves you, then. A word of advice: don't care at all what the Nobles in the Fire Nation think of you. They are pretentious and entitled pricks who seek only approval for selfish gain."
"You speak from experience?"
"Yes, they are wretched attention-seekers, quite like children, but they are depraved where a child is innocent." Katara nodded but didn't say a word and an awkward silence enveloped them until Azula stood up. "Thank you for be willing to speak with me, I know that it couldn't have been easy, and it relieves me that you and I have come to an agreement in regard to my actions in the past." She slowly walked to the door and twisted the handle, the hallway beckoning.
"Azula?"
She glanced back as she stepped out, "Yes?"
Katara smiled slightly, a merciful expression on her face. "Thank you, it relieves me that we have come to a compromise."
"It needed to be dealt with, and I have a feeling that if we bond, we could be a terrifying duo who could even stand up to the Avatar and the Fire Lord. It could be fun," she nodded her head and shut the door, a burden leaving her shoulders.
After several moments of basking in the feeling of release that she had just acquired, she whirled around and stalked directly across the expanse of the hall, directly towards the door across from Katara's - and her brother's, too, she supposed - and she knocked confidently.
The door opened haltingly and Suki raised an eyebrow at her, one hand held against her pregnant, unswollen-for-now stomach. "Azula? Um… I don't know where Aang is, if that's what you need. What do you need?"
"I am well aware where my husband is, Suki," she inclined her head. "I wanted to- …is it possible that we could… talk?" Suki's green eyes, although they didn't have the shine that an Earthbender's had, were suddenly hard to look at.
"Very well," Suki turned around and gestured for Azula to follow her. Closing the door behind her softly, unsure of how to begin. This was different, Suki was different. Azula had known Mai and Ty Lee for years and it had been easy to slip back into conversation with them, no matter the Boiling Rock. It was almost easy to speak with Katara because they had communicated quite a bit before, even though it was malicious words being exchanged. She didn't have either of those experiences with Suki, though, only the conversation in the cave when Aang had been in the Tree of Time, but it wasn't nearly enough.
"Congratulations on your pregnancy," she said lamely after a moment, feeling as foolish as her brother.
Suki sat down on her bed, lips twitching, "I thank you, but I'm sure that's not why you wanted to talk to me. What is it? What's wrong?" Her face flickered with worry, "Is it Sokka? Did he do something stupid?"
"Doesn't he always?" Azula quipped, hoping to diminish the tense atmosphere.
"What is it, Azula?"
She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering her composure, and then she opened her lids to stare solemnly at Suki. "I came here to… to apologize to you - for everything. You were a prisoner at the Boiling Rock and your conditions weren't desirable, and that was because of me. I ordered you to live in such grotesque and cruel conditions because I wanted to gain an edge over you, force you to break your loyalty to Aang and everyone else. But it wasn't the conditions that were truly inhumane to you, it was me, and I'm sorry." Azula paused for a moment when she saw Suki lean back slightly, hand leaving her stomach, the life that now resided within, but she continued. "I know that in your eyes, and rightly so, I am a monstrous bitch, and I am aware that the only reason why I'm still alive is that of Aang and his love for me. Otherwise, I would have been slaughtered by my father - or even been killed before that. You can hate me and I understand, and maybe you should." She wet her lips, feeling uncertain and anxious. "The point is, Suki, I never want you to think that I would harm your child, okay?"
Suki blinked and looked down at her flat stomach, and then she turned her head back up, eyes connecting with Azula's golden ones. "I know that you wouldn't harm my child, and this confirms it, so thank you." Azula nodded slowly and stood there awkwardly for a moment, and then Suki laughed. "You really have changed, haven't you? I knew that you had, but it's still jarring to experience how much that you've evolved from that monstrous bitch who you were, as you had said."
"I don't want to be her any longer; I'm ashamed of who I was, and I'm working to compensate for my past sins," she said honestly.
An unreadable look crossed Suki's features for a moment before she opened her mouth. "Since you're a parent, um… how is it?"
Azula laughed quietly, feeling relief that she wouldn't need to discuss her past any longer - at least she hoped that she wouldn't. "I first met Samir when she had snuck onto Appa after King Kuei's vicious attack, when Appa had been butchered. She had impressed me a lot, and eventually, as I learned more and more about her, as Samir looked up to me more and more, I glimpsed a lot of myself in her."
"How so?"
"Samir is just a child - and eventually, I suspect that her memories from the orphanage where she lived for a couple of years and the Nobles whom she served will fade away. Anyway, I was once a child, too. I remember it, the innocence and the ability to behave carelessly - although that changed rapidly. Samir is young, but there's a maturity there that continues to catch my attention."
"I've noticed it. In some ways, she seems much more experienced than any other child whom I've met who's her age."
"Yes, and I was never blind to how she looked at me, how she… gazed up at me with affection-seeking gray eyes. After I was shot down by my father, and after Aang healed me, Samir revealed her feelings, how she thought of me as a mother, and I didn't reject it. I must say that I have fallen in love with her since, and I hadn't foreseen it, just as I hadn't foreseen the winds of fates' designs for Aang and me." When Suki nodded, she finally answered her first question. "I'm not going to lie, I didn't have to any of the hard things for parenting. When Aang and I pretty much adopted her, she was already well-behaved, a learned girl, and understood discipline - and probably too well in that regard. From what I know, when you have your child, you and Sokka will be forced to do all of the hard work, but once you complete it, I can attest that it's a shockingly wonderful feeling."
Suki smirked and it was a surprise, "Well, I know that I won't be alone pretty soon. You'll have a brood of Airbenders - or Firebenders, Earthbenders, and Waterbenders, too - to discipline and take care of soon enough. You know, surely you must have somehow known, right? Of your fate? The life mate of an Avatar is an immensely big deal that every nation follows closely, and I think that Aang's is the biggest that will ever exist: he would need to choose a Mother of the Air Nomads."
"I never knew, and when I did, I rebelled against it at first, refusing to believe that I could… could be granted such an extraordinary destiny after all of my past transgressions."
"What do you mean? Aren't you honored? I know that many, probably any woman in the world would take your place in the blink of an eye if they could."
"Even you?" Azula raised an eyebrow and laughed when Suki paled slightly. "I'm merely teasing you, it's okay. Yes, I am honored and proud of my destiny, but- …firstly, I had always known that I would be one of the most powerful people in the world, certainly the most powerful woman, but this situation is different."
"Because he's the Avatar," the non-bender concluded, comprehension glowing in her eyes. "He's the Last Airbender."
"Yes, and I do have fears, you know? What if I can't bear him an Airbender? What if I fail?" Azula smiled tightly, feeling a certain freedom in revealing such fear-inducing potential realities. "I don't let those fears rule over me, dictate what I will and will not do. You can't let potential fears rule over you, either. It's unbecoming of people as brilliant as we are."
Suki nodded, "The spirits will bless us with what we need, I guarantee it."
"When we find the Air Spirit, I will be discussing the situation with her clearly if Aang doesn't do it first," she said confidently. "The Air Nomads will return to the world and I will have a front-row view to watch it happen."
XxXxXxXxXxX
It had been a bitter undertaking, but now the Northern Water Tribe had subtly, slowly begun to resent Sokka. Ever since he had pledged himself to Vaatu, his purpose in life had been rekindled, the desire to become the Chief gnawing at his heart with every beat.
Hahn had vigorously begun his task, slowly whispering rumors in the ears of the children of high-ranking Water Tribe officials, who would then innocently bring the rumors to their parents, who would then bring the rumors to Chief Arnook's attention. And when Arnook finally decided to disavow the Usurper from becoming the next Chief, nobody in the Northern Water Tribe would condemn Arnook for he was much beloved by the Children of Water in the North.
All that he had to do was give the Chief a little push in that decision, and everything would be as it was supposed to.
It was coming together, his grand future where he would be hailed as Chief, and where that Usurper would kneel at his feet. He had done as Vaatu had requested and more, specifically targeting the Avatar for his murderous actions against King Kuei in his words as he turned the North against Sokka - and the Avatar now, too!
Hahn wondered if Vaatu could force Yue to forfeit her form as the Moon and return to the Mortal Realm, return to her wifely place at his side. That would be the only thing that he requested when he will be put upon that icy throne by Vaatu when the invasion force arrived.
After all, the spirit had declared that he could have any woman - and what better one than his former betrothed who had betrayed him to become immortal? Or maybe better yet, he had heard rumors of the Fire Nation Princess, of her breathtaking beauty, and maybe he could have her as his wife.
"You are walking a path that can and will only lead to your demise," a gentle but powerful voice echoed behind him. "You manipulate events that you know nothing of to satisfy your own selfish desires."
Hahn's eyes narrowed and he turned around, recognizing the voice. How could he not? Although the voice now contained subtle hints of power, he knew the voice to be Yue's.
He was right for his eyes gazed at the spirit of his former betrothed, "After all of these years, you finally appear before me, but only when I'm on the cusp of achieving my grand destiny."
"I appear before you, Hahn," Yue's face was beautiful and he cursed the Usurper for seducing her, thus leading to her ascension as the Moon, "to prevent your stay in the Gardens of the Dead. Turn from this path, forsake Chaos and Darkness, and you can live a happy life."
"My rightful position is as the Chief of this Tribe! You stole that from me because of the Usurper, but I am now doing what I must to attain my vengeance, my rightful place."
"Your rightful place?" Yue's gentle eyes suddenly became furious, disdain wrinkling through her lovely features. "Only through me would you have achieved your so-called rightful place. You do not hail from a line of Chiefs - and not even from an Avatar, save for maybe Kuruk, but that doesn't mean much since Kuruk sired hundreds of bastards, his very blood existing in almost all of the Children of Water."
His eyes widened, "Shut your mouth, you leg-spreading whore! You were my betrothed, my soon-to-be-wife, but you fell into the Usurper's arms, listening to his words of treachery! Everything that will happen is on your head, Yue. I've done what I had to, to fulfill my destiny, but you, you shunned yours. You were to be my wife, the mother of my waterbending sons, but you chose a different path, one that you shouldn't have."
"You know nothing of the spirits, Hahn, I had to- "
"Liar!" He hissed, "I saw what happened; the mighty Vaatu gifted me the knowledge of your final moments, and I know how you were planning to make me a cuckold! The Usurper will know my pain soon enough as I make him a cuckold as he had sought to do to me - and after he had already taken everything from me! He paved the path, and you eagerly walked it."
Yue's eyes narrowed, the temperature dropping even further. "You won't touch him or his wife, Hahn. I forbid it!"
"Fuck you, Yue, I don't answer to you, and I never will. You're not even the true Moon Spirit; you're just a fraction of her, just a child playing with immortal powers who hides behind the Ocean Spirit."
"And you are a fool who has begun his own downfall! I cannot help you anymore, and even if I could, I wouldn't want to."
"And I wouldn't accept your help! Leave me, harlot, I have no wish for my eyes to be assaulted by you any longer."
"And that is why I never wanted to be your wife, or the mother of your children, Hahn. I always glimpsed the potential monstrous man whom you would become, and I'm glad that I made you a cuckold, as you call it. Your seed was unworthy to mix with my blood, my Royal Blood. You're a pretender, nothing more. Whilst you may be from one of the High Families, your destiny was never to be Chief."
He grinned wickedly, ignoring her words. "Vaatu declared that I could have any woman who I wanted, Yue, and guess what? I could ask him to give me you, and there would be nothing that you could do to stop it. He's beyond you, false Moon Spirit, and there will be a time when your legs spread for my seed instead of the Usurper's."
"The Avatar and Sokka will stop you, Hahn, neither will allow it to happen."
"Such faith you have, but it will get you nowhere. My mind has been set. Your time as a spirit is dwindling, and soon, you will feel the frailty of a mortal's body once again when I finally have you. You brought this on yourself, leg-spreading whore."
Yue shimmered out of existence and Hahn turned around, stomping towards the Throne Room where Chief Arnook would be waiting. It was time to implement the final part of his plan to turn the Northern Water Tribe against the Avatar and the Usurper; it was the key for them to accept him on the icy throne.
His footsteps were firm as he walked along the ice, a radical calm descending on his mind. It was here, his moment! Everything that he had ever wanted was almost within his eager grasp. Hahn nodded at the guards and the doors opened, the Chief waiting for him. Arnook looked old, tired, aged lines drawn in his face that hadn't been there before Hahn had begun his task of desecrating the names of the Usurper and the Avatar.
"Hahn, my boy, what is it? Is something wrong?" The Chief called out, his croaked words echoing in the air, displaying great weakness. "Why have you come here?"
He inclined his head respectfully, easily falling back into the role of the obedient, former son-in-law. "Chief Arnook, terrible rumors have reached my ears, ones that I fear, if true, could bring destruction to our great Tribe."
"I was afraid of something like this happening. I know what you speak of." Arnook slumped in the throne, his wife trying to give him support. "Although Sokka had been beloved by us, I knew that there would always be a bitter shadow who would try to displace him. I am certain that these dread-bringing rumors are just rumors, Hahn, nothing more except slander. Thank you for having the good of the Northern Water Tribe in mind."
"But, Chief Arnook, what evidence do we have that discredits them?"
"What evidence do we have that credits these rumors, Hahn?" Arnook suddenly straightened, "Why are you so… so eager to see Sokka discredited? You didn't fuel the rumors, did you?"
Hahn allowed an outraged and wounded expression to cross his face. "Chief, your words hurt me. I would never spread such outrageous, egregious, and preposterous hearsay about Sokka." He paused, thinking critically. "I will admit, and you know this, that I was never a fan of declaring Sokka the heir after our beloved Princess Yue's death- "
"She was to be your wife, Hahn, you needn't be so formal; after all, you were going to be my son through the marriage."
"- after my beloved Yue's death, where she was taken from me too soon." He finished the sentence and inhaled evenly. "Your line, Chief Arnook, without any rightful heirs, will end. But Sokka's from a line of non-benders - he had revealed as such, remember? Frankly, his sister was blessed by the spirits."
"And why couldn't Sokka's children be similarly blessed? I'm certain that my Yue would help him secure his rightful position."
"He is married to a Child of Earth, Chief Arnook. Permission to be blunt?"
"Granted."
"Sokka and Suki's children would be half-blood abominations in the eyes of the Water Tribes, both of them. The children wouldn't be borne of Water, but rather a muddy substance instead because it would be a union of Earth and Water."
Arnook leaned back, his head gently braced against the throne. "The Avatar had assured me that that wouldn't be the case when he had visited after the Great War. I had revealed to him my plan to make Sokka my heir."
"The Avatar was only a child, then, not in-tune with the politics of the Four Nations, Chief Arnook. If I may be so bold, the Avatar is a personal friend of Sokka; he would want to see his friend reach the Chiefdom. He wasn't even fifteen-years-old when he assured you that there wouldn't be problems, right?"
"Right…"
"What would a fourteen-year-old, or younger, truly know about the Water Tribes? He knew nothing about us, then, Chief Arnook, nothing of our culture and ways, specifically the North. He was raised as an Air Nomad. From what I know, they didn't even eat meat."
"What do you suggest, then?" The Chief closed his eyes, ignoring his wife's consoling words. "I can see now that, perhaps, I shouldn't have trusted the Avatar's words, but everything has already been vested in Sokka as the next Chief. You are right: a muddy-ingrained child would do nothing good for our Tribe, but I know that Sokka will never set his wife aside."
"Even if she is infertile? They've been married ever since the Great War ended, almost an entire decade. They've had no children - it's a sign! The spirits must be against their marriage. But if Sokka doesn't have his own heir, then the Water Tribes would be in a dynastic crisis after his death. If that happens, and it seems that it will, I hope I'm dead by then. I wouldn't want to witness it, all of the blood spilled so some peasant can rise to power and bring doom to the Children of Water."
The Chief had lost whatever color in his face until it was chalk white. "By Tui and La, I had never even thought of that. What have I done? …No, Sokka will see the wisdom and logic behind setting Suki aside. He will understand, he has to."
"But if he doesn't, Chief Arnook?" Hahn asked softly, feeling a grin trying to escape, but he refused to let it.
Silence.
After several more moments, Arnook hung his head. "Then I would need to name a new heir and disinherit Sokka. The North cannot be ruined by his… potential failings to produce a healthy and viable heir. I'm not becoming any younger; my best years are far behind me, and I fear that I only have a few years remaining in my life. My grief for my daughter robbed my chi of most of its strength - it's so hard to continue living without her."
"Then it is imperative that you make a decision about Sokka," he said gently. "You cannot allow affection to blind you to what needs to be done. I have always supported you, Chief, and I always will, no matter what you choose to do."
"Thank you, Hahn, you have always been a good man, but now I find you to be a worthy one. You have given me much to think about."
He bowed his head respectfully and exited the Throne Room, managing to keep the gleeful expression off his features. The seeds had begun to blossom in the Chief, and soon, Hahn would be named the true heir to the North's icy throne.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"You've made tremendous progress in mere weeks, Piandao, you should take pride." Vaatu's voice boomed through the area. "I chose wisely in my vessel. You are powerful."
Ozai smirked wolfishly, "Yes, while I may have been a disgrace in my younger years, I am now anything but. Together, you and I will eradicate the Avatar from the Realms, gaining our much-needed vengeance."
"I am unsure if I've ever seen someone master earthbending so quickly - and lavabending and metalbending, too." Chin V sounded bitter but fearful; he had learned his place.
"Once the mindset 'clicked' for earthbending, which I will admit did take effort, I approached it with a tenacity that was unmatched. Metalbending was the hardest, but doable," he stomped his foot and pillars of earth rose, and when he clenched his fist, they exploded into dust. Shards of metal from the chalices floated in the air, sharpened into killing weapons. Then he inhaled through his nose, and lava began to seep through the ground, "Lavabending is so similar to firebending, the feel of it, that it was all too easy to master."
Hama raised an eyebrow, "And when will we invade the Northern Water Tribe so that we can begin your waterbending training? Sooner or later, the Avatar will find us."
"Let that fuckin' brat come here!" Zhao snarled, fire spurting out of his mouth. "He will face my vengeance and be terrified of it!"
"Temper your fury, for now, Zhao," Vaatu said cooly, the dark voice on the edge of chiding. "The Avatar would smite you dead from across the world if he knew our location - smite all of you, actually. Only when Piandao fully bonds with me, will we challenge him, and then defeat him."
"But what about Piandao's waterbending training?" Hama asked again. "When will we be invading the North?"
"You wish to invade your homeland?" Zhao asked with curiosity.
"The North isn't my home and it never will be. The Southern Water Tribe was my home - but it is no longer. I have always hated the North, so I hold no qualms with invading there. Kanna had always been truthful with me, and she told me how oppressive it was in the North."
"What are I and my brethren supposed to do in the North?" Chin V demanded, scarred face becoming a mass of nauseating horror as he stared boldly up at Vaatu. "There is no earth there to bend!"
"Which is why you will stay in the Earth Kingdom," the mighty spirit said evenly, the ancient lines on his chest flashing. "We are close to invading the North, very close. Many of the disgraced Nobles in the Fire Nation, among them are Generals and Admirals, have already arrived at our camp. It is only a matter of time before we begin the journey. Zhao has been very productive in securing elite ships for our invasion."
When Ozai had first heard of that boy's other mission besides procuring Embers was to slaughter firebending, he was outraged. Then, once Vattu had suitably explained what it truly was, how it was energybending and couldn't affect true Masters of Fire, and when he realized that he could rebuild the Fire Nation in his image after the Avatar and his own treacherous son were vanquished, he had eagerly given his permission.
"What can I say?" Zhao's chest inflated, "Pulling on the ancient strings of old contacts wasn't too difficult."
"Many Children of Earth, who had heard what happened after Kuei was slaughtered by the Avatar, were easy to sway to our side. All of the non-benders of the Children of Earth whom now rightly fear the Avatar will join the fleet to the North while all of the Earthbenders remain behind."
Chin V narrowed his eyes, "And for what purpose, mighty Vaatu?"
"A pincer movement, of course. While Piandao and I lead the attack on the North, you and your fellow Children of Chin, and other Earthbenders who have pledged their allegiance to me will strike the heart of the Earth Kingdom, Ba Sing Se."
"King Bumi." Chin V smiled sickly. "He'll be there, and I will most happily sever that lunatic's head from his shoulders."
"Yes, you owe him, don't you?" Vaatu hummed, "Unleash chaos in Ba Sing Se and kill whoever you stumble across. You have your commands."
"And if we encounter the Avatar?"
Vaatu stared down at Chin V, "Then you will die, but make no mistake, as long as you desecrate Ba Sing Se and raze all of its citizens, your mission will be successful."
"Fuck that!" Chin V snarled like a rabid animal, spittle spewing past his curled-back lips. "No, I wish to see the Avatar suffer for his sins, and I refuse to- " Vaatu suddenly appeared in front of Chin V, wisps of unholy darkness growing rapidly until they were as large as waves.
"You have no say in anything, mortal. Be grateful that I allow you to live. You will go to Ba Sing Se and unleash chaos and death at my behest. Kill that King Bumi and any whom you can find. If you encounter any of the Avatar's inner circle, kill them. You don't stand a chance against the Avatar himself if he is there, but you will still carry out my will. He cannot be everywhere at once - it's why the Order of the White Lotus had been created, but thanks to Piandao and Lee, they won't be a problem. Do you understand, Chin V?"
Chin V looked immensely bitter, but he nodded his head stiffly. "Yes, mighty Vaatu, I understand. If Toph is there, it will make everything worthwhile."
Zhao furrowed his eyebrows. "Toph? Who the hell is that?"
"An earthbending Master, the very one who created metalbending. She is crucial to the continued survival and strengthening of my bloodline."
Ozai chose to be gracious. "If she isn't at Ba Sing Se, I will eventually find her and then give her to you; she will be my gift to you for training me, Chin V. You have been a great ally. Now, only two more bending arts to master until I can challenge the Avatar - plus, our permanent bonding." Ozai looked at Vaatu and then leaned his head back, purposefully staring at Hama, reminding her. "Then all of his little friends will pay the price for their choice to align their loyalty to him."
A man suddenly entered the room, bowing before him. "My liege, a boy named Lee is here to see you, bringing most important tidings."
"Send him in."
"At once," the man scurried out.
Zhao leaned forward, "Do you think that he has it?"
Chin V narrowed his eyes, "Has what?"
"A mighty sword," Hama replied.
"If the boy values his life, he will have it." Ozai growled out, "Only a fool would come to me empty-handed."
"And I am no fool, Piandao," a voice echoed as the boy entered. "I have succeeded in my mission - and it was beyond glorious." The insane eyes that he had remembered now stared at him, but he wasn't concerned, especially because a grandiose, beautiful sword was held in his hands.
He motioned the boy forward. "So, this is it? You brought me Embers?"
In one smooth motion, the boy kneeled before him and held out the blade. "I watched as the Dragon of the West himself plucked it from the fingers of Sozin's sarcophagus, as his own flames spiraled around the blade until it became pure fire - a fire-blade. This is it, it must be."
Ozai grabbed the sword from the boy's fingers, feeling the smooth and cool metal. He raised it up, staring at the inscription: 'If you have no enemy within, no enemy outside will prosper, so conquer the treasures you seek, destroy them if you must. Look inward, be honest about what you see, and then accept the glorious burden that is there. If you are wielding my fire-blade, perhaps you are worthy of my advice. To become a god, as the nations have seen me as, you must understand that pain is nothing except a teaching tool and a survival mechanism. Emotions are nothing unless they serve your crusade. Rules and laws are nothing, especially for a Fire Lord, except restraints for your enemies. Your enemies are nothing, or they will be once you use my sword to its fullest potential. Only you, only those who carry my blood are something. Take what is rightfully yours and no one can ever stop you.'
Feeling the words empower him, flames swirled around the sword beautifully, growing and enlarging until the metal was engulfed, until all that was visible was fire. He felt a smirk cross his face, "You have served me well, Lee, most well. Anything you want, it is yours."
The boy looked up at him, the insane orbs adding more glee to Ozai. "All I want, Piandao, is to watch the Dragon of the West and Fire Lord Zuko both die an agonizing death. It was they who killed me, who sparked the beginning of my demise and I demand recompense."
"And recompense you will get, my friend." Vaatu then said, floating closer. "You have been of great value to us in the quest to slay the Avatar - and all of those blind disciples who follow him. Agni has been suffering because of your plague, but I have kept him nourished enough. The Children of Fire will soon face extinction save for true Masters and it is all because of you, Lee. Take pride, fierce pride, you've accomplished something that no one else was able to in the Great War: strike a deadly blow against the Fire Nation."
"It was you who saved me from the unjust Gardens of the Dead, mighty Vaatu." Lee stood to his feet, "I am forever in your debt. Whatever you need me to do, I am your loyal servant."
Ozai smiled, snuffing out the flames on Embers, placing the sword to his side. "Your uses are abundant, so we will find a suitable role for you to play, my friend."
XxXxXxXxXxX
The wind whipped through her hair and it brought back memories from what felt like a lifetime ago. Katara opened her eyes, feeling the remnants of sleep disperse as color assaulted her vision and words her ears.
"So, how big are the Dragons, daddy?" She saw Samir lean closer towards where Aang sat on Appa's head, Azula's hand on her back, steadying her so she wouldn't fall off. "Uncle Zuzu just said they were 'big' - that's it!"
Katara shook her head, still trying to adjust to the reality where Aang and Azula - Azula! - had a child together, an adopted one, but a child nonetheless. A reality where Zuko was an uncle, and if she and Zuko did, indeed, get married as they had potentially discussed, she would be a twice-over aunt.
It brought feelings of envy, the thought of her brother having a child. She was happy, she truly was, for her brother and Suki. If anyone deserved the joy of having children, it was them, but it still incurred a fit of boiling jealousy inside her.
She has always wanted children, yearned to bear them and raise them with a fierce ache in her heart. And when she had learned that Zuko could have potentially sired many children with his whores if the winds of fate hadn't deemed it so, she had been relieved. She didn't know if she could care for bastard children of the man whom she loved and while she wanted to believe that she could, she was greatly relieved that she didn't have to put such a statement to the test.
"They are majestic creatures, Samir, beasts of legend - and they more than live up to their titles." Aang hopped into the saddle, landing between Ursa and Azula. "Ran and Shaw, the two Dragons that Zuko and I had encountered, were big, indeed, teeth as large as swords and even sharper! They were beautiful and strong… so I do find myself wondering what the Sun Warriors want me there for."
"I wonder that myself," Zuko leaned forward. "I've thought of nothing except Agni's fading light. What about you, any of you? Can you think of something different as to why the Avatar is needed?"
Azula hummed, "It's probably about the extinction of the Dragons - just as the Sky Bison. From what you had already said, Zuzu, Ran and Shaw are both unrelated females."
"That must be it," his head hung and Katara rubbed his shoulder, trying to support him in whatever way she could. "This is a… it's a nightmare, a terrible one. Two of the majestic breed of creatures borne of the elements are… they're going to die out."
Ursa tilted her head, "I wonder, though, about Fire Lord Kai's situation. Is it true?"
Aang stared at her sharply, "What situation? Is what true?"
"His firebending, during his era, was so powerful that rumors of his birth circulated rapidly." Zuko answered tonelessly, but raw slivers of hope were alive though. "They say that he was borne of a Dragon, that his very blood contained Dragon. They say that a mighty Dragon had… shape-shifted into a female human and sired Kai with his father, that she then gave birth to him in her Dragon form, popping out a human and the first true, single Fire Lord."
"That's absurd," Katara said, trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of that… theory.
"Is it, though?" Ursa wondered, "If Dragons could shape-shift, and since there are no male Dragons left, couldn't the races of the Dragon and Sky Bison somehow remain in existence by shape-shifting to breed with humans?"
"I never believed that legend about Fire Lord Kai, mother." Azula said after a moment. "I think that he was a prodigy, a son of Agni who was blessed by the Fire Spirit to be a powerful Firebender. Him being the son of a Dragon was a fable designed to incur the Sun Warrior Tribes' loyalty that had been under the other Fire Lords' sway."
"But how do we know, though?" Ursa challenged her daughter, "We would need to go back in time to see, or ask Agni himself."
"Or you could allow me but a moment," Aang interjected before his tattoos and eyes glowed as he entered the Avatar State. Katara was unable to help the shrill fear that crawled up her spine at the sight, but she calmed herself. The Avatar's divine white orbs stared at nobody, and she wondered if he could see the fabric of reality, of the divide between the two Realms. "Dragons, and every other creature borne of the elements, cannot shape-shift whatsoever. Fire Lord Kai was a full-blooded human. It is physically and spiritually impossible for an animal and human to breed. It's a myth." The glow left as quickly as it had appeared and he stared at them with gray eyes. "Does that answer the question?"
Ursa blinked, lips parting in shock. "Um… ye- yes, yes, it does, Avatar Aang."
"Please, call me Aang," he grinned. "I'm married to your daughter. We needn't be so formal."
"Very well, Aang," she smiled back. "Okay, so the legends surrounding Fire Lord Kai about him being a Dragon's son were completely falsified- "
"And because of fucking Sozin, the Sky Bison and Dragons will become extinct." Zuko put his head in his hands, ignoring Azula and Ursa's irritated expressions about his explicit word usage in front of Samir. "I wish that I could change that."
"We'll see what the Sun Warriors say, Zuko." Aang smiled reassuringly, pulling Azula into his chest, the sight jarring to Katara's blue eyes, and although she and Azula had come to an understanding, a peace, it was still somewhat difficult to see the truth so flagrantly displayed. "Maybe, even, once he is out of Dark's grip, Agni could give birth to more Dragons. You never know. The Air Spirit, if I ever find her, could maybe do the same with the Sky Bison." Appa roared in agreement, the air around them shivering from his strength.
Katara smiled at Zuko, as well. "I'm certain that Aang - and Appa, too - are right. Plus, maybe there are, somehow, still Sky Bison and Dragons out there."
Azula closed her eyes, shaking her head. "I find that impossible, Katara. Besides Appa, it's been a century since a Sky Bison has been seen. As for the Dragons, Uncle Iroh had been sent to kill the last two, but apparently, he didn't, lying about it to Fire Lord Azulon. If there were more Dragons and Sky Bison, they'd have been sighted by now."
"They're all gone?" Samir asked, a frown on her pretty face. "The Fire Nation killed them, too?"
"Yes," Zuko stared at her, his golden eyes filled with shame, "but hopefully, the Fire Nation can make amends for Sozin, Azulon, and Ozai's deeds."
"Indeed, brother," Azula smirked. "After all, the Fire Nation's Princess, the current first-in-line to the Dragon's Throne, is married to the only living adult Airbender and eagerly awaits to birth Airbenders into the world. I guess that you could say that this would be my penance if I didn't look forward to it."
Ursa chuckled, "There's no feeling like it, let me tell you. When I had both you and Zuko, …I can't even describe it. There are rough moments, but when you finally hold your newborn child in your arms, it's more than worth it. I would have undergone labor a thousand times over if I had to just to hold you both in my arms."
Katara saw Samir look down at her hands and then she saw Azula place a hand on the girl's head. "You mustn't think of- "
"What?" Samir interrupted in a whisper and tears welled in her gray eyes. "Think of my… my mother? Think of how I'm a… I'm an unwanted- …I'm an unwanted whor- whore's daughter?"
Azula didn't even blink while Katara felt the air leave her lungs in a rush. She had had no idea and based on everyone else's expressions, save for Aang, she hadn't been the only one.
Aang smiled gently, "You are now my daughter. You are an Airbender, and you even look like me. Azula and I willingly adopted you, Samir, and although I don't know what it's like to be a… to be a whore's daughter, I do know how it feels to never know your birth parents."
Samir snapped her gaze to look up at Aang, the tears slowly sliding down her flushed cheeks, a beacon to Katara's eyes. "What do you mean?"
"When I was born, and for generations prior, the Air Nomads had practiced… taking airbending children away from their parents to the Air Temples to raise them." Aang's gray eyes gazed into the past and Katara couldn't even imagine being taken from her parents. "There was no emotional attachment to my parents because I hold no memory of them unless they were actually one of the Monks at the Temple, but I don't know. I was raised, and still, live without knowing whose blood flows through my veins. For all I do know, Samir, my birth parents never wanted me anyway; maybe they happily gave me away to the Elders at the Temple, placing me under Gyatso's care. It's okay, though, don't you see? Blood doesn't necessarily mean love or family. It's whom you share connections with and whom you love whom you call family. It can get better, but only if you allow it."
When Samir didn't speak, but instead looked rather pensive and struck by Aang's words as her tears slowly stilled their flow, Zuko spoke. "And maybe the Dragons and the Fire Royal Family can become family once again, repairing the blood-filled chasm that Sozin and Azar had created."
"I think that I would enjoy that," Ursa smiled at her son. "Sozin and Azar had, indeed, brought the unending darkness of night, but we are now entering the morning, at least in regards to the Dragons; you can only come to the morning by passing the shadows."
Katara nodded her head, "That's as true a statement that I've ever heard."
Zuko smiled tightly, "Let us just hope, though, that Ran, Shaw, and the Sun Warriors all agree."
XxXxXxXxXxX
"Been a while, hasn't it?" Mai's dry tone echoed in his ears and Sokka huffed, looking up from the pit of what was supposed to be a roaring fire to glare at her.
"Yeah, you could say that," he grumbled and continued to rub the sticks together rapidly. "I haven't done this in almost a decade with no Firebender or explosive powder to create a spark that we use in the Water Tribes to help me."
Mai twirled her knife between her fingers effortlessly, "Create a spark, you say? I think that I could help with that."
Before he could react, she kneeled down next to him and scraped her two knives together, sparks exploding from the contact. Quickly enough, the sticks became alight with small, flickering flames and Sokka readily fanned the flames, coaxing them to grow larger as he added more wood to the small pit that he had dug.
Within minutes, a nice fire blazed in the darkening day, and Sokka nodded in Mai's direction. "Thanks, I appreciate it," he muttered, feeling slightly discouraged that he hadn't been able to do it by himself.
"Well, I didn't want to eat any of the meat raw, so…" she shrugged while Ty Lee rolled her large, expressive eyes in amusement.
"Mai, it was still nice of you to help Sokka," she chided before she turned those unnerving eyes at him. "So, how does it feel to know that you're going to have a child soon?"
A wave of manic hysteria threatened to burst out of him, but he kept it contained. "I feel grander than I've ever felt,"
Mai rolled her eyes, "It's just us, you know? Your wife isn't here; you can speak plainly and freely. Well, at least until the other Kyoshi Warriors meet us."
Sokka swallowed and the words barely passed his lips. "I'm terrified; in fact, I've hardly slept since."
"Why haven't you spoken with your wife about it?" Ty Lee leaned forward, looking curious and he wasn't even sure how to explain it.
"Because I like to know what I want before Suki tells me."
"That's not an answer, you know?"
"It's always just been me and Suki," he began. "I'm the only heir to the Water Tribes, both North and South. A son is expected of me, hopefully, a Waterbender, but since Suki hadn't become pregnant once since we were married right after the Great War, I thought that I'd have more time to be… to be ready, you know? Then, add in the fact that if I don't have a waterbending son, my rule as Chief will be fraught with rebellions and insurrections in the North. Suki has even demanded that I marry someone else, a Waterbender from the North, if we don't have waterbending sons." His face slipped into his hands, "I'm so stressed because I know that she's right, but I refuse to invalidate my marriage to the love of my life just so that the North is happy. Fuck the North and their small cock insecurities!"
"Plus there's the whole Dark and Ozai thing going on right now," Mai added not unkindly. "A pregnant women, one who's a non-bender, usually die during a war, any war if she isn't protected."
"Don't you think that I know that?" He snapped, scowling at her, "I'm terrified that my child and Suki will be killed, I'm terrified that I'll be a terrible father, and I'm terrified that Dark won't leave a world left for my child to be a part of!"
Ty Lee shook her head, "You're exaggerating the situation, Sokka, you- "
"Am I?" He asked wildly, "I don't think that I'm exaggerating! Dark is one of the spirits who created the world! He's darkness beyond anything that I've experienced!"
"That's because he is darkness incarnate," she replied gracefully, unperturbed that he had cut her off. "But you can't just look at the consequences. Who knows? Avatar Aang could destroy Dark and Ozai before they become the Dark Avatar and there will be a world for your child to be a part of." Her eyes softened and Sokka prepared himself. "I'm certain that all good fathers - and mothers, too - fear that they will be a terrible parent. It's normal, Sokka, and I think that it shows that you'll probably be a good father because of it."
"And nothing will happen to you while we hunt for Ozai's base where Piandao and possibly others have been corrupted by Dark." Mai stopped twirling her knife, locking eyes with him. "We will be by your side to help you and so will some of the Kyoshi Warriors once they meet up with us. Your wife and unborn child will have someone to greet when we return."
Sokka felt himself relax, "Thank you, I needed to hear that."
"You're welcome," Ty Lee beamed at him and he was struck by her gray eyes. Was she the descendant of an Airbender? Was she like Samir? "Um… Sokka," she looked uncertain. "Why are you suddenly looking at me like that?"
He blinked, "Oh, sorry, I was just um… thinking about something."
Mai scoffed, "You have a wife."
"That's not what I meant!"
"Then what did you mean? What were you thinking about?"
Sokka sighed, "First off, I would never cheat on Suki, the thought insults me. Second, I was wondering why you have gray eyes? Only Aang and Samir have that color of eyes that I know of. Are you somehow the descendant of an Air Nomad?"
Ty Lee glanced at Mai before replying, "I'm not sure."
"What? Are you a…" he felt uncomfortable. "Were you adopted? Is that why you don't know? You never knew your parents?"
"No, no," she giggled. "I have six sisters who look exactly like me. I'm from one of the Noble Houses in the Fire Nation."
"We both are," Mai added.
Ty Lee nodded, "Yes, and to answer your questions, from what I know, many of my ancestors had gray eyes."
"Were they Airbenders?"
"Maybe," she said hesitantly, wringing her hands together. "No one knows the truth, not even my parents, but there are legends surrounding my Noble House, ones that the other Noble Houses can't claim."
"What are they?" He leaned forward, eager to listen. "What do they say?"
She stared at the fire for a moment before locking her gray eyes onto him once more. "There was a Fire Lord once named Zyrn and- "
"He was the Mad Fire Lord, one whom some say couldn't even bend because of his mixed blood." Mai interrupted, "Nobody actually knows if he was a Firebender or not. His mind was unbalanced and he is forever remembered by the nobility as the one who ended the House of Ishaners until Fire Lord Henjul killed Fire Lord Ojas."
"Sounds like a bunch of rulers, who were also family, murdering each other to seize power.' Sokka said, "Man, that must have been awkward for reunions, you know?"
"Anyway, Fire Lord Zyrn's mother was an Airbender- "
His eyes bulged from their sockets, "What? Are you trying to trick me? There's no way that a Fire Lord married an Airbender! That's what you meant by mixed blood?" A voice in the back of his mind reminded him of Azula and Aang, and to his surprise, the thought no longer filled him with disgusted loathing.
Ty Lee shook her head, her voice serious for once. "No, it's true. Zyrn's father, Fire Lord Houka agreed to sire his son through an Airbender after he had murdered one of the Air Temple Monks."
"There must be a story behind that," he whispered. "Fire and Air's conflict goes back before the Air Nomad Genocide?"
"Yes, but all you need to know is that the Noble Houses all believe that Zyrn's blood was tainted because of his mother. Anyway, during the Cousins' War, which was a civil war between two rival branches of the Royal House of Agni, they say that Zyrn's lone son - who some also claim wasn't a Firebender - with Fire Lady Kimiko, Jylzhol was seduced by one of my ancestors and thus bonded the Fire Royal Bloodline with my Noble House when he sired a bastard with her. Rumor also has it that Zyrn's eyes - and his son's, too - were gray like my own, showcasing their Air Nomad ancestry and that's why I have gray eyes: because my Noble House has been descended from him ever since he sired his bastard."
Sokka nodded after a moment, digesting all of the information. "Do you believe it?"
"I think that it's probable," she shrugged, "but you never truly know. Maybe I am of his blood and that's why I have gray eyes - I have airbending blood. Maybe I'm not and- "
"It's the other legend," Mai interrupted dryly. "Share that one with him - I like it."
"What other legend?" He asked, "Tell me, I'm interested to know."
Ty Lee licked her lips and hunched over, "This legend is much more recent and seems much more unlikely than Fire Lord Zyrn's son, Jylzhol of Ishaner. After the Air Nomad Genocide, everyone knows that Fire Lord Sozin was obsessed with the Air Nomads."
"He was trying to find the Avatar," he stated, feeling sad over what that obsession had caused: the Air Nomad Genocide.
"Yes, and rumors eventually spread that he had actually found airbending children. Instead of slaying them, after he had determined that they couldn't be the Avatar, they say that Fire Lord Sozin raised them up into a deadly sect of silent and vicious killers that answered only to the Fire Lords. They say that Fire Lord Sozin placed these hidden Airbenders only in my Noble House to create more Fire Nation Airbenders, probably because he knew that Jylzhol of Ishaner had sired a bastard in my Noble House, mixing more Air Nomad blood with the already-existing Air Nomad blood in my line." Ty Lee shook her head, "This one is much more asinine than the Jylzhol of Ishaner. I don't believe it one bit and most don't, for that matter."
"Well, I think that you would have made a good Airbender. Perhaps it is in your blood for you are agile beyond any who I've seen except for Aang." Sokka tilted his head, "There's a reason why you have gray eyes and I bet that it is, in fact, because you have airbending blood. Every legend comes from a bit of truth. Now it may not be enough to make you an Airbender, but the heritage is there and it shows in your eyes."
"Maybe you're right, Sokka, just maybe." Ty Lee murmured before she perked up. "You know whom we should invite to join our quest to rescue Master Piandao and invade Ozai's camp?"
Mai groaned aloud, "Please don't say Haru. His mustache was… it was awful."
Ty Lee's eyes narrowed, "It looked fine, Mai! In fact, he looked even cuter because of it."
Sokka raised his eyebrows in consideration. "Actually, that would be a good idea. We've been meaning to get in touch with him, and it would be a good idea to have an Earthbender to help us through the terrain, and if we get in trouble." He nodded his head in affirmation, "I think it has merit and if we somehow stumble across him, we'll invite him along."
"Good, it's been too long since I've seen him," Ty Lee sighed dreamily.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The seat was comfortable and she felt all of the vibrations echo through her. "It's kind of boring," she admitted. "I guess that I had become so used to having everyone together again. But now, when we're all split up, there's a… it's a loss."
Toph felt Suki nod, placing a hand on her stomach. "Yes, I do find myself missing them, especially Sokka."
"That's to be expected, Suki," she felt Bor lean forward and place a hand on the table. "He's your husband. If you didn't miss him, I would think that something was wrong."
Suki laughed quietly, "Don't get me wrong, it was relieving when he was gone at first, but now I really miss him."
King Bumi chewed on a piece of, from what she could smell, lettuce, the vibrations erratic. "Your husband will find our friend, Piandao, and then he'll be back before you know it. Although Sokka is… strange, he is intelligent. He won't fail in his mission, and I guarantee that he'll be by your side during the birth of your child."
"Yeah, nothing will happen," she herself assured, pounding her fist onto the table. "Snoozles understands the severity of the situation. He'll track down Ozai's camp and then stealthily rescue Piandao before Dark or Ozai notices. Ozai may have earthbending, but he doesn't understand shit about it; the Dai Li are who trained him, and they were weak in the art."
"Indeed," King Bumi nodded his head assuredly. "The Dai Li, while self-proclaimed Masters, all failed to grasp the true fundamentals of earthbending, and Ozai will be weak in the art because of whom he had learned under. His firebending is another story, but I am completely confident that Ozai is weak in earthbending."
She felt Bor lean back, "Wait, do you think that it's possible that the Dai Li had somehow learned metalbending?"
"How could they?" Toph turned to look at her boyfriend even though she couldn't actually see him. "Nobody knows it except me and King Bumi - oh, and Aang, too."
"Your legend spread far, Toph," Suki suddenly said. "I think that's what Bor is alluding to. The Earthbenders on Kyoshi Island, to my knowledge, have all been trying to become Metalbenders because of your deeds during the Great War; your boasting did nothing to keep the art of metalbending a secret."
Toph felt her face drop, "You mean, there could be others?"
"Absolutely," King Bumi held a finger in the air, waving it. "There are many talented Earthbenders in the world, Toph, any of them could have mastered metalbending just as we and Aang have."
"I'm almost there," Bor puffed out his chest. "I can make the metal shake, but that's it."
"You're nearly there, then," she whispered, wondering if there were others out there who knew metalbending. She had created the art, but because of her numerous occasions of gloating during her travels after the Great War, literally explaining how she had discovered it and how to do it, someone could have easily mastered it; the memory of sitting down and bragging to many Earthbenders at many of the taverns that she had visited echoed her mind. "The Dai Li couldn't utilize metalbending," she suddenly said. "Otherwise, they would have used it during our encounters with them, but… others could know it."
"Then the question is: would Ozai know it?" Suki declared, "Personally, I highly doubt it because from what I've seen, metalbending can only be accessed by the highest tier of Earthbenders like Aang, which would then include any Avatar, Toph, King Bumi, and soon-to-be Bor."
She dimly felt King Bumi's eyes shut, "The man who… who killed my son was at least as powerful as I was, probably more so if I'm being honest. He is in the highest tier of Earthbenders," the King's words were quiet and Toph slowly grabbed Bor's hand, hoping to offer comfort, knowing the story of his father's slaughter, having heard it from Bor's own lips.
"I'm sorry to hear of your son's murder," Suki said sympathetically, her hand rigid on her stomach. "Did this… man know metalbending?"
"No, that butchering piece of Badermole shit only knew lavabending," King Bumi growled out, the vibrations of fury coursing through his body a buzzing in Toph's own body.
"So Ozai wouldn't know it, then," Bor slowly concluded.
Toph sat in her seat, ignoring all of the vibrations from Bor, feeling a sudden bout of horror. "Yet Ozai is on the path of becoming his own Avatar, the Dark Avatar. He was of the highest tier for firebending, so is it too far a stretch to include him in the highest tier of Earthbenders? He has Dark as his fiercest ally, the opposite of Raava; they both know things that no human save Aang knows. What if metalbending had been discovered before the Great War? What if… what if I hadn't- …what if I hadn't discovered anything? Just rediscovering an art that had been forgotten?"
King Bumi shook his head, "You are now thinking of hypotheticals, Toph. I would wager the Major Cities of both Omashu and Ba Sing Se that you were the first Metalbender. Remember, I am the Sage of Earth in the Order of the White Lotus now, and before that, for a long time, I was the Grandmaster of Earth; the Order's knowledge is vast, and there has never been a record of a Metalbender before you. You discovered it and mastered it first, Toph, no one else can claim that."
She was unable to rid herself of the rigidness that had rooted itself in her mind. "I'm glad to hear that, King Bumi, it's a relief. We just cannot allow ourselves to underestimate Ozai," the remembrance of how Azula's lightning-struck body felt assaulted her all of a sudden. "He is powerful, with or without earthbending, and we mustn't be arrogant in believing him to be weak; he has proven that he is anything but. And even though he only has one arm now, Ozai is one of the most vicious killers in this Realm, and we must all remember that."
"Well said," she felt Bor nod his head. "We can all agree, though, that Ozai doesn't know metalbending, correct?"
Everyone nodded and Toph's relief was sudden; metalbending was a rare bending art and she wanted it to be known only to those whom she trusted. Anyone else, as far as she was concerned, wasn't worthy of the skill that she had discovered and mastered.
Ozai wasn't worthy to be a Metalbender, let alone an Earthbender; yet, the winds of fate hadn't kept the reality of Ozai becoming an Earthbender from happening, so what did that mean for the future?
Toph wasn't sure if she actually wanted to know.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Well, that's all for this one, everyone. I'm sorry for the wait, but life happens. I hope that you all enjoyed it, and if you did, I'd really appreciate if you left a review to share what you thought about the chapter.
**Okay, there was a small time jump, no more than two months, since the end of the last chapter. Zuko receives a letter from both, the last Sun Warrior Tribe, whom he had sent a letter to in one of the previous chapters, and from his uncle. The Sun Warriors want Zuko and Aang to meet them, but it isn't known why. Iroh's letter reveals what has happened to the Fire Nation since Lee unleashed the plague of chi-stealers. Aang eventually figures out how it happened, but he has no idea how to fix it. They all decide to split up: one-third of the group will go to meet the Sun Warriors with Aang and Zuko, another third of the group will go rescue Piandao, and the last third will remain in Ba Sing Se with King Bumi and a pregnant Suki. (Yes, I know that the groups aren't exactly even, but… I couldn't help it; that's how it was thought out.)
**Suki is pregnant, and I know that it might seem strange how she handled it, especially in regard to her requests to Sokka, but this is strictly about politics. In the Water Tribes, Sokka has been the heir to both Tribes for almost a decade, but he has no children to show for it, in spite of being married for almost the entire time. I've already discussed how the Northern Water Tribe would never accept two non-bending Chiefs in direct succession, so it is imperative that Sokka has a waterbending son as his heir since he is a non-bender. Suki knows this and recognizes how shaky her husband's position is because of his lack of sons - and Waterbenders, at that. She is selfless enough to realize that if she wants the love of her life to have a good tenure as Chief, she must bear him at least one waterbending son, but since she's never become pregnant before this one, she is terrified of what it means. Suki is pretty strong to do that, but that's just my opinion. Unsurprisingly, Sokka is completely unreceptive to the idea and after he storms out, Yue appears before Suki to reassure her. I always thought that Yue would look after Sokka in spite of her ascension to the Moon Spirit; it seems like her character as she was portrayed in the show.
**Azula finally confronts Mai and Ty Lee - yes, I know that it was a long time coming - and then she decides to kill three (four) birds with one stone. I think that all of the characters have come to maturity through the story where they are ready to confront these large problems, the phantoms of the past about Azula. While they - Katara and Suki - had accepted her as Aang's wife, they hadn't forgiven her or wiped the slate clean. Now, after Azula finally decides to be an Earthbender and confront the sources, Suki and Katara and Azula have all come to a sort-of understanding; they aren't friends, not at all, but they are no longer ready to kill each other, specifically Katara and Azula.
**Hahn has been busy in the North and slowly, he has begun, through careful manipulation of lies, to turn his Tribe against Aang and Sokka. Yue tries one last attempt to save him from his chosen path, but he ignores her. When he confronts Chief Arnook, he subtly sways the weary Chief that Sokka is unfit to rule the North, mainly through - just as Suki had kind of foreseen happening - his marriage and lack of children.
**It is revealed that Ozai has mastered earthbending, including the subsets of metalbending - Chin V had mastered that one and taught it to him - and lavabending. Lee arrives at wherever Ozai and Vaatu have set up their base, and delivers Embers to Ozai, fulfilling his promise. You'll find out how Chin V knows Toph and what he wants from her, although I'm certain that you can figure both of them out.
**Aang, Azula, Samir, Zuko, Ursa, and Katara are all on their way to meet with the Sun Warriors and the last of their kind plot is discussed. I created the legend about Fire Lord Kai having Dragon blood because rulers in the past have concocted myths about themselves, adding to their allure. For example, in real history, the conquer, Alexander the Great had declared himself as the son of the Greek god, Zeus. In fact, Ptolemy I of Egypt created links between himself and Alexander the Great after the conqueror's death, proclaiming that they were half-brothers among other declarations. I wouldn't be surprised if a Fire Lord did this, especially one who wanted to blot out the other Fire Lords to become the sole ruling Fire Lord of the Fire Nation.
**Sokka, Mai, and Ty Lee have left Ba Sing Se and have set up camp somewhere in the Earth Kingdom. Sokka asks a question about Ty Lee, and I'm surprised that it was never brought up, to my knowledge, in Canon. Ty Lee is extremely agile and acrobatic, somewhat like a certain Airbender. Only an Airbender could do what she does, being impossibly light on her feet, agile, leaping immensely high, and of course, the insane acrobatics. So, was Ty Lee related to Airbenders if she wasn't an Airbender herself? In this story, it seems that she could be, but that's only if one believes the legends, although it does seem likely that she is descended from the bastard of Jylzhol of Ishaner, the grandson of an Airbender. Also, I'm pretty sure that Ty Lee has gray eyes just like Aang does. Who knows? Maybe she had first been intended as a secret Airbender before the idea was scrapped?
**Toph, Suki, King Bumi, and Bor are still in Ba Sing Se and an important question is brought up: how far has the tales of metalbending reached? Remember, Toph was - and still is in some ways but she has matured since then - completely arrogant and boastful, proclaiming herself the strongest Earthbender in the world when she had just been a child. Don't get me wrong, she is incredibly talented, but I will always stand on the side where King Bumi is; he would in a fight because raw power combined with experience always triumphs over talent. (I'd say that Bumi has more raw power and experience whereas Toph is more talented.) Anyway, because she tended to gloat, she wouldn't care one bit if she revealed the secrets of metalbending as long as it made her look good. Remember, she had run away from her parents, in this story, for the second time and had been on the 'road' for a year by herself. She had no one to suggest to her that bragging about her accomplishments with metalbending might not be the best idea. She begins to see that, just maybe, her actions hadn't been that well thought-out.
All right, I think that's everything, so please leave a review if you enjoyed it - or even if you didn't. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter.
Stay Safe
ButtonPusher
