A/N. A slower chapter, but remember, Aang is exhausted and isn't thinking clearly. I needed something to get the ball rolling, but I promise better chapters in the comings days as the story progresses!
No way Azula could have known all that. No, she was guessing. She had to be guessing! But… But to be sure, he had not moved from his watch. Aang had stood there, ever since leaving that Spirit forsaken plaza. He had walked off, to the Royal Palace, because its walls were higher than most rooftops. From his place above the entrance gates, he could see the sky. And he would know when she arrived.
"Aang?" A soft voice appeared from his left side. He knew that it was Suki, he had felt her climb the steps of the black marble staircase inside the wall even before he had heard her…
"We don't know how secure the grounds are… It would be great if you would come with us." The Kyoshi Warrior spoke softly, and too gently. He hated it that, when people thought he was upset… They thought they needed calm, gentle words.
But he wasn't upset. No, this was far more than upset. Someone, or something, was trying something. Azula had said that "he" knew, that "he" had told her. Someone was trying to break the dream of a tranquil life. But he also knew that Azula always lied, as Zuko had said weeks ago. She had just guessed that when Katara had left on Appa, it was to find them. So she had constructed a story around it. Katara wouldn't stop, she would fly directly to Wulong. And when she wouldn't find him there, she would come back to the Caldara. That had to be so. It was so!
"Why has she gone to Wulong?" The airbender whispered softly, more to himself than to Suki. He knew the answer. He would have done the same.
"She worried about us all. But don't worry, I'm sure she will be back in a few hours. Appa can't fly that long, she will have to let him rest on the battlefield of Wulong. But she'll be back, that is certain. Sokka told me once that only a fool would try to stand between his sister and… well, you know."
And her way back to him. Yeah, he knew. That was exactly how he felt about her, and every minute without knowing for certain she was safe was torture. Some might say that it was not that healthy, to have such a strong attachment to someone, but Aang didn't care. He loved her, with all his being… So no, he wasn't going to be calm, or patient. They didn't deserve this fear. They had feared enough for each other. Now that the war was over, they deserved only one thing. Peace.
"Zuko wanted to know if you would join him in the throne room. We gathered it was the most secure space in the palace. I gave Toph the task of keeping Ozai in check, we shouldn't let him out of our sight… Until we know more." Suki continued, still in that gentle and soft voice.
She was worried. That much, he gathered. The whole air around them felt wrong, as if the whole nation was keeping its breath in, watching and waiting what would happen. Nothing would happen. Zuko would succeed as Fire Lord, as was his right, and then, Aang would be done. Zuko was intelligent enough to know what to do, and he would probably have Iroh as an adviser. He, as Avatar would not interfere. He would advise them to restore the Fire Nation to its old ways, but that was it. Otherwise, he wouldn't concern himself with the day-by-day ruling of the nation. As long as it was done rightly.
"I would stay here." He answered, still keeping his eyes on the night sky. Far away, to the east, there was a sliver of grey, heralding the coming of a new day. A new era, to be more exact…
"Aang, she has Appa, and she is more than able to take care of herself… You, standing here will not change that. Come with me to the throne room, I could take a look at your leg." The Kyoshi Warrior place a hand on his shoulder, and the airbender sighed. She was right, of course. Suki was always right in these kinds of moments. He would let his love and worry for Katara rule his judgement, but he had to admit that Suki was right. The waterbender could take care of herself. And his leg was actually hurting a lot…
He nodded, gritting his teeth. With one last look in the sky, he turned around. His had still hurt from the punches he had given Azula, but he didn't regret those. She deserved it. For having said all those things about Katara during the Invasion. For having made their life a living nightmare, looking over their shoulder each time they were somewhere. For taking away their freedom. And now, she had the audacity to try once more, by lying! She had deserved each punch. He only regretted having not been able to land one more.
As they descended the staircase, he had to hold himself against the wall as to give his leg some respite. During the fight with Ozai, a small rock had impaled itself in it. It didn't hurt that much, but it had bled a lot. The dark spot in his trousers was enough testimony to that…
"Have the Fire Nationals already been given the news?" He asked, as he limped with Suki through the first courtyard. They needed to let the country know…
"Zuko ordered the Fire Sages to do so. Some were not that pleased, and one apparently walked out, even before Katara left to get us." The Kyoshi Warrior explained.
"Wait, what? A Fire Sage refused Zuko as Fire Lord?" That was impossible! During his youth, the Sages had been sworn to defend three things… Agni, the Avatar… And the Fire Lord. And they didn't decide who was the ruler, they had to obey. Fire Sages didn't reject a Fire Lord…
"Yes, but that was to be expected, not everyone is going to be happy with the changes that are coming."
It was not only that… Fire Sage were fiercely loyal to the Fire Lord. They didn't just reject one… They needed one. And if this one had rejected Zuko, then he would have another in mind… Azula, or even Ozai. Sighing, Aang knew what was going to happen now. Now, there would be a power struggle like no other if the Fire Sages didn't acknowledge Zuko as the sovereign. But their only advantage was that both claimants were their prisoners.
As they approached the great black iron gates that led inside the Royal Palace, the airbender looked around them, seeing that no soldier was standing guard. He had seen a small group of them on the Coronation Plaza, but there was no one inside the royal compound. Perhaps they were staying inside their barracks, fearing for whatever was coming.
Fearing him.
That was something he had seen on those soldiers' faces, on the plaza. Fear. They had been afraid of him… And he had hated that sight. He didn't want people fearing what he might do to them, because he didn't want to do anything! They had never hurt him, and the Fire Nation's people were as much victims of their regime as the Earth Kingdom or the Water Tribes… Or the Air Nomads. No one was entirely innocent... But neither was everyone completely guilty.
The doors stood slightly open, as if two people had dragged them open, just enough to be able to squeeze through them. Bending his back as to be able to do the same, Aang entered that cavernous darkness. No torches were lighting the corridor, and there were no windows letting the moonlight enter. Or there were windows, but the shutters were shut? He didn't know, and he didn't have the strength to check through his earthbending. He followed Suki, whose pale skin was the only easily recognizable feature in the dark, through the corridor. At the end, he could see a light source, dancing softly. He had been here already once, during the invasion, so he knew that at the end here stood those golden doors.
That time, he had walked through the same corridor, walking past three enormous portraits of the Fire Lords of the new era… Sozin, Azulon and Ozai. To his relief, those could not be seen in the dark, but yet, he knew they were there. The doors leading to the throne room, gilded, were decorated with scenes from the Hundred Years War, Air Nomads fighting firebenders, the Water Tribes being crushed… And the Earth Kingdom suffering unspoken horrors. Looking up, he thanked the spirits he couldn't see them in the dark.
These doors were opened in the same manner as the entrance of the Palace, and, squeezing through them too, Aang entered the dark cavernous room. At one end, the Fire Nation's throne stood in front of a large bas relief of a dragon, and there, a small fire burned. Squinting his eyes, he saw that several shadows stood near the fire, and he recognized the small frame of Toph. Looking at Suki, he saw her face now, and nodded.
"Aang!" Sokka's voice came from the same group of people, "Did-"
"Still not back." He answered, knowing what his friend was asking. Where is she?
"Azula always lies. After what Katara did to her, no wonder she is bitter. My sister would hate it, losing to… well, Katara." As the airbender approached, he saw that it had been Zuko who was speaking. But the tone in his voice had sounded wrong, but that wasn't a surprise. Being hit with lightning wasn't really pleasant…
"The orders to end the war. Were they sent?" He had to know! If they were, then Katara would be safe. If not...
"The Fire Sages are doing it now." Zuko nodded. Coming to stand in the group of his friends, Aang saw that Ozai was actually still here, a rope tied over his mouth. The former Fire Lord's back was against the dais that led onto the throne.
"The Sages are not all loyal, are they?" He asked, ignoring the man.
"They say I won the Agni Kai when Azula broke the rules." Zuko answered, but suddenly sounded apprehensive. He had probably realized what his question meant.
"How many said so? All?" Aang didn't have time to be nice. Time was of the essence…
"Well, one actually rejected me… But they are like a herd. As long as most agree, all will follow. They are always like that." The prince responded, sounding relieved.
"Yes, like Shyu." Aang bit back.
"Shyu?"
"The Sage that helped us on Crescent Island. They are not like a herd! They are like the rest, brainwashed by propaganda." He explained, as patiently as he could. He was tired, was hurt, and Katara was missing. All the joy and relief he had felt when Ozai had dropped in front of him, stripped of his bending, was slowly dying away, to be replaced by anxious stress.
"Is it really that important? We have all the claimants, stripped of their bending or coocoo. Sorry Sparky, but apparently, you are the normal one in the family. Yikes." Toph stood up from her place next to Ozai, kicking the man in the process.
"Where is Azula?" Aang looked around, not seeing her. They hadn't… Had Zuko seriously left her on the plaza?
"The Fire Sages and the soldiers were charged with her imprisonment." The firebender confessed, sounding slightly ashamed.
"Why?" Aang tried stop himself, but his hands still found their way to his temples, rubbing the sides of his head. Why had Zuko done that!
"Why? Have you ever had to imprison your own sister?" Zuko suddenly sounded angry. Even though the airbender could understand the sentiment, and the fact that the prince couldn't perfectly control his emotions with the rather serious wound he had taken, the mention of sister made Aang irritated.
"No." He answered thinly, remembering the sense of loss he had felt in the temple during their stay even more so, "Zuko, I understand how you feel, but we need her here. We need to have the power to act, and without all claimants on our side, or in prison, you won't be Fire Lord. You will just be one of the claimants."
"I am Fire Lord. Ozai," Zuko gestured towards the man, "has apparently lost his bending, even though you haven't explained how that is even possible, and Azula has disgraced herself during a fucking Agni Kai. There is no one else!"
"Guys! Shut the fuck up." Sokka suddenly interjected, grabbing Toph's arm and pulling himself up, "Suki, could you check on Azula?" The Water Tribe warrior turned to his girlfriend, who nodded. Aang nearly sighed in relief. Finally, someone who was thinking…
"Aang, you need to calm down, and rest." His friend continued, his ice blue eyes fixed on him now.
"I… I can't sleep." He wouldn't go to rest until he knew Katara was safe, "I… You know…" He didn't have to explain to Sokka. His friend hid it better than he did, but Sokka was also worried.
"I know Air Head, and I'm not asking you to, but everything will work out." The water tribe warrior hobbled painfully towards him, grabbing his arm, "For now, while we wait for Katara, we need you. We need Avatar Aang to say to the world that it's over. We need you to impose peace. With the combined authority of Fire Lord Zuko and Avatar Aang, no one will dare question the legitimacy of this regime."
Aang knew that Sokka was right… But Spirits, did it have to be him? He didn't want to enforce peace, it was a right that the people of the Fire Nation had earned as much as the rest of the world…
"What… What do you need from me?" He whispered, trying to sound as kind and calm as possible. Sokka would know what to do… From the corner of his eye, he saw Suki walk away, into the darkness of the throne room, back from where they had come.
"For now, sit down. We asked all the ministers and officials still in the palace to come here, they should be coming any minute." Sokka padded his shoulder, and Aang just let his knees give out. This had been such a long day and night… And he didn't have to energy anymore to do anything remotely dignified. As he watched Zuko and Sokka begin to whisper among themselves, he saw Toph turn to him and sit down next to him.
"So, you do know this whole saving the world from evil won't get you out earthbending training, right?" The blind girl laughed. It sounded so out of place, so wrong in this place, that Aang couldn't help but just stare at her.
"S-sorry?"
"Earthbending training. I mean, this place has great volcanic properties, maybe we should try some lavabending. I heard Kyoshi could do that." Toph nodded sagely, extending her leg suddenly as to kick Ozai against his hip. If he had the energy, he would make her stop. Instead, he just watched as the former Fire Lord grimaced.
"What do you mean…. We need to organize, to think, to-"
"We don't need to do anything. Twinkletoes, the fighting is done. We have won. Get it through your thick head, it is done. Azula and this idiot are going to prison, and Sparky over there is going to be Fire Lord. We are done." The blind girl stretched her legs comfortably. Aang let some of his weight rest against the dais, trying to believe it. Of course, Toph was right. Katara was going to come in an hour or two, and then… Then everything was going to be alright. It had to be.
"Yeah… I'm done." He whispered, trying to believe it. Was it true? Could he stop fighting? Spirits, if that was true, he would be eternally grateful. Sure, he was the Avatar, and there was no escaping that anymore, not now… But he would prefer to be remembered as the Avatar that brought peace and mercy to the world, and not like some warrior avenging Avatar that took its revenge on the Fire Nation.
A shuffle could be heard from the darkness of the throne room, and Aang heard the whispering voices of Sokka and Zuko die down, as they too looked up towards the noise. Glancing to Toph, the airbender saw she was holding up four fingers.
Four people.
Four? Zuko had conveyed the council of the Fire Nation, and in his memory, there were always ten permanent members. Some heads of the clans took part on the council, but not in an official manner, only present as advisers. Four wasn't the council.
"Zuko." A voice spoke, quite respectfully, but Aang noted that he didn't address his friend as Lord Zuko. Which sounded like a problem. From the shadows emerged a small group of people. One older man that looked familiar, a woman that had her hair in a messy topknot, a small young man and another man, older, with scars and a limp. A general of some sorts Aang guessed.
"Hezu!" The prince spoke, sounding relieved. He hobbled towards the man with the limp and grabbed his arm, "You aren't dead I see." Zuko smiled.
"Nearly was. Princess Azula threw me in prison when I spoke out against her being named the heir, but Qin here freed me tonight, saying something about Azula being defeated." The man, apparently named Hezu, nodded his chin towards the older familiar looking man. Aang looked at the man, and suddenly realized he had spoken to him, during the invasion. And the man was also eyeing him suspiciously.
"Ever the opportunist." Zuko grumbled, earning a small laugh from the soldier.
"No denying that, right Qin? But we are here to thank you. And you, Avatar Aang." And that, the older man took a few painful steps towards him, and bowed. It was the first person from the Fire Nation, that weren't Zuko or Iroh, that had actually been… nice to him. With the full knowledge of who he was that is.
Pushing himself up with a small air current, Aang let his feet support his weight. His wound still hurt, but had apparantyl stopped bleeding. One small mercy.
"You don't need to thank me. I only corrected a mistake I made a long time ago." At that, the airbender himself bowed towards the man, not deeply, but enough to show respect. Hezu's eyebrows rose slightly, but he didn't say anything else.
"So, where is Prince Iroh?" The general turned back to Zuko, who looked slightly awkward now.
"My uncle is in Ba Sing Se, liberating it."
"Ah, so he is finally fulfilling that dream of his…" Hezu nodded, sounding pleased, "When can we expect him to assume the throne?"
Ah… The general, or whatever he was, assumed that Iroh would be Fire Lord, and that Zuko had only come to stop Azula.
"He won't. He doesn't want to be the ruler of the nation… He has put me forward as Fire Lord." The prince spoke softly, producing a small paper. As he handed it to the officer, Aang could see the small moment of confusion with the other three people. They had thought Iroh would take the throne… That wasn't good. Would those who backed Iroh back Zuko instead? Because Aang doubted that the prince had as much support as his uncle.
"It is Iroh's hand." The general gave the paper to the others, then turned to Zuko, "Let me be the first."
The man knelt down, clearly with much difficulty, and took one of Zuko's hands.
"I, Hezu of the Jarchi clan, swear fealty to Fire Lord Zuko. I will be your sworn man, from this day until the day I die. If the day comes, you ask me to fight for you, I will do so willingly and without protest. Let this be known, by Agni light."
As soon as the man finished, Zuko moved to help the man up, but his own injury made it difficult. So, Aang stepped forward, taking the other arm and pulling the man up. As soon as his eyes met the general's, he saw that surprise again… As if the officer couldn't believe how… normal he was.
"Thank you, Lord Zuko. And you too, Avatar Aang…"
The airbender smiled at the man, before taking a few steps back. He watched as the other three, as soon as they read Iroh's note, did the same as Hezu, kneeling down and swearing themselves to Zuko. This was good. If his memory served him correctly, the prince had once told him that this Qin was the War Minister. So, the one that was responsible for the administrative part of the horrors was on their side… And one of the generals too! And it looked like an important one, as he didn't use official titles when speaking about Iroh. A good sign.
The other two, Aang didn't hear their name, but he assumed those were leaders of some of the clans who happened to be in the capital during the passage of Sozin's Comet.
"Where is the girl that defeated the princess?" The War Minister asked, as soon as all four had sworn themselves to the new Fire Lord, "She ought to be here, and explain her actions. She interrupted an Agni Kai."
"Master Katara went to Wulong, not knowing our friends had… transportation. And she didn't interrupt it, Azula broke the rules by attacking her." Zuko explained, but Aang felt the eyes of the minister bore into his head, so he looked up. And indeed, the brown-ember yes of Qin were fixed on him with a strange mixture of disgust and fear.
"She still shouldn't have acted the way she did. A Water Savage, defying the Fire Nation's royalty. It is bad for morale among the troops if this gets out." The man spoke.
"What did you call her?" Sokka's voice rang through the silent throne room.
"She did wrong." Qin insisted, but his voice died down as Aang stepped towards him. The airbender didn't approach too closely, but still, he stood in front of the man, trying to remain calm. Even if they were making it more and more difficult by the minute.
"Qin." Hezu spoke in a warning tone.
"War Minister Qin, right?" Aang spoke softly, knowing that his patience was running very thin, "I would advise you to ask Lord Zuko for another job, as a War Minister won't be necessary. Zuko ordered an end to the war. And I would also ask you, if possible, not to insult Master Katara. If you wish, you may try to do so when she is back, to her face, but I wouldn't advise it." It sounded horribly formal, and not at all how he felt. He would have punched the man for calling Katara that, but he knew that their support felt horribly thin… And this man had probably plenty of influence.
"Just because you killed the previous Fire Lord, doesn't mean you can tell us what to do." Qin probably tried to sound intimidating, but it came out as a squeak.
"That former Fire Lord, you mean?" Aang gestured to where Toph was still sitting, in the shadows, next to Ozai. He saw all four pairs of eyes fix the very much alive Fire Lord, and then, turn back to him.
"You… didn't kill Lord Ozai? The Fire Sages said something of the kind, but… well, we didn't believe it." The small man, standing behind Hezu, asked.
"Avatar Aang let Ozai live, out of the mercy he has been brought up with. We might take him as an example for the future. Agni knows we need to atone for what we did." Zuko answered. The airbender couldn't help but feel thankful for not having to explain what happened once more.
But before the four in front of them could even say something to that, hurried footsteps echoed over the marble floors. From outside, where a sliver of light shone through the door, Aang saw a shadow enter the room. The footsteps, now running approached.
Not good. Not good at all…
"How many Fire Sages are there supposed to be?" Suki's voice sounded worried. As the Kyoshi Warrior became visible, the airbender saw the look in her eyes.
"Twelve, in the Caldara Temple at least… why?" Zuko asked, his voice dripping in the same fear Aang was feeling.
"In that case, we have a problem. I only saw eleven. And Azula isn't in the prison you ordered her moved to."
Fuck.
No! Not that… Toph was right, it was supposed to be over! And… Oh no…
That meant if Azula was free… And she knew that Katara was alone, somewhere in the Fire Nation…
Aang began to move, slowly at first. He took several steps, walked past the council members, and ignored the pain in his leg.
"Aang, where are you going?" Sokka called behind him. Turning around, he saw, in the ice blue eyes of his friend, that the water tribe warrior had made the same conclusion as he had done.
"Finding Katara." He answered, seeing Sokka nod. Yeah, his friend knew what needed to be done.
"Aang, I'm sorry, but Azula has to be found first! She can't be far!" Zuko spoke up, taking a step towards him. But the airbender lifted a hand.
"Remember what I said when we went… away… That one time. I will always choose her."
And with that, he marched out of the throne room, hearing calls and shouts for him to come back, to at least wait a few hours, in case Katara came back on her own. But he didn't listen to them. They didn't understand… There was no time to waste. They had wasted enough of that.
He needed to find his wife.
Answers:
Kalaong: I imagine the Fire Nation having a lot of difficulties to adapt to the new world they are living in, and that wouldn't go very smoothly, I would gather! So yeah, Aang knows what they lost, but he won't exactly be very helpful the coming chapters I think lol!
Spelare: Yeah, the spirit thing, and Azula's plan will be a focus point in a few chapters! Thank you very much! I write these while waiting for 3D models to be made, and to be honest, at first, my chapters were much shorter and in a worse writing style (even if a few more recent ones were not that good either lol!). It is really helpful for your english, as it isn't my native language either!
TheQuietReader23: Yeah, I didn't want every guard to be a horny disgusting man. I imagine there are many nice guys in the Fire Nation army. I actually imagined this guard to be writing fanfictions about his favorites prisoners lol! And yes, I hesitated, but when I decided to let this part of the story be played out on the island with the school, I had to use the characters that are there! On Ji is really quite interesting to have written! Their interaction is next chapter!
