Wandering Firebender
Sixty One: Cooperation
(A/N: Wandering Firebender hit a huge milestone recently! It's at over 100,000 reads on Fanfiction! What an achievement! And that's not even taking into account the other almost 50,000 reads on Wattpad! It's truly an honor to see so many people enjoying this story. To celebrate hitting these landmarks, I have decided to release this chapter ahead of schedule. It will still take me time to resume posting regularly, but I did want to show you guys what I have been working on lately. I know a lot of you guys have been waiting patiently for quite some time. Rest assured, I am still working diligently on new chapters!)
Elio developed a new appreciation for the sun.
After traveling for two weeks with no company except the sun by day, the moon by night, and the ocean always underneath him, he was thankful to have a way to be able to tell the days apart.
On a daily basis, he found himself questioning whether or not he was going the right way. He only got confirmation when he saw the corner of the Earth Kingdom below him and mountainous islands to his right. By consulting his Fire Nation map, he was able to stay on course and avoid all military strongholds.
The solitary journey also gave Elio ample time to meditate. He thought often about what happened in the Northern Water Tribe. It troubled him greatly: what his father had done, what he had to do, and how he'd almost died...
He knew he was never going to forget it, but he was more concerned about whether or not he could come to terms with it all. After everything he'd gone through, was inner peace even a possibility...?
And then finally, the big day came. The Fire Nation mainland came into view. Elio quickly came in for a landing just before reaching the beach. He grabbed his things and stuffed whatever he didn't need into his bag. The balloon landed on the water, drifted onto the beach, and got stuck in the sand as the balloon deflated.
Elio hopped out, his feet splashing in ankle deep saltwater. He took in a deep breath as he waded onto the shore, resting one hand on his staff as he walked up onto the beach. He felt the bottom of his boots sinking slightly into the dry sand with each step that he took.
He was finally home again.
Elio looked around him, but he saw no one else was here. That was very unusual. He'd already gone around the blockades, so he expected to at least see a few normal citizens now. But no one was on the beach this morning.
As a precaution, Elio put his cloak and hood on before continuing to travel inland.
He soon hit his first little town near the coast. He made his way through the market area carefully. He pulled his hood down a little to keep his face concealed as he looked around.
To be honest, he wasn't really sure what he was looking for, but he was hoping that he would find some information about what's happened in the immediate aftermath of the war ending.
The easiest way to figure that out would be to get someone talking.
"Hello there," Elio started off with a formal greeting, waving as he entered into a little shop full of knickknacks. "This is a cute little shop you have here, ma'am." He complimented, looking at everything available: wooden carvings, pottery, and various items with the Fire Nation symbol on them.
"Most of what you see here is made by hand. It's all good quality." The shop owner, an older woman with braided hair, said proudly in response.
"Wow," Elio said, going to a small vase and looking it over. "I haven't been to one of these little shops in a long time. I was away from home for a long time, what with the war and all."
"Yeah? Well it's good to have you back home, young man. I'm sure your family is very relieved." She commented.
"Heheh, yeah. I'm very lucky. Many didn't get the chance..." He said.
"Yes. I'm still waiting to hear word about my grandson. I hope that he is on one of the ships returning soldiers back home." She expressed her hopes. Elio nodded respectfully.
"I hope he returns safely...it's nice to see places like this again. Will it still last, what with the new Fire Lord and all?" He asked, taking a shot in the dark in hopes of getting some specific information.
"I would think so. I don't know what to expect from him...after being in exile for years, he suddenly returns and inherits the throne. It's an uncertain time for all of us; we've lost the war and Fire Lord Ozai. Big changes are on the horizon.
"I only hope that Zuko isn't too weak. If he gives into the demands of the other nations...well we'll hardly be able to call it the Fire Nation anymore." She said with a humorless chuckle.
Elio turned his face away to hide his mortified expression. Zuko was the Fire Lord? How?! Didn't Aang remove Ozai from the throne? What was the point of doing that if he was going to allow Ozai's son to inherit the throne anyway?
He didn't have time to stand there and take it in. Just behind him, a Fire Nation soldier was entering into the shop. He greeted the shop owner in a friendly manner.
"Morning, Mrs. Liu! How are you?" He said pleasantly.
"Oh, Delun! It's good to see you, my dear boy!" Mrs. Liu exclaimed, "You get bigger and bigger every time you come in here." She said with a laugh.
"Heheh, it's good to see you too, Mrs. Liu. Is your husband feeling any better?"
"Yes, he's much better now." She replied.
Elio swallowed nervously. He slowly inched towards the door, hoping that Delun's conversation with the shop owner would be enough to allow him to slip behind the soldier and get away unnoticed...
It wasn't.
"Hey, you there!" The soldier called to Elio. He stopped, turning slightly without showing his face.
"Yes, sir?"
"That's a nice staff you got there. That is a staff, right? Not a walking stick?" He asked, half-joking.
"Yes." Elio answered.
"Hmm...wait...you're not...Elio, are you?" Delun suddenly asked. Elio swallowed again, his body immediately stiffening.
"I'm sorry...?" Elio tried to play it off.
Delun took a few steps towards him and started to say something. Elio hurried out the door and started sprinting away. Delun ran out of the shop, calling his name. Elio didn't stop, bumping past people as he tried to get to an open area where he could fly away.
"Hey, stop him!" Delun shouted. Two soldiers were able to get in front of Elio, using their spears to block his path and push him back. Elio stumbled back and pulled his staff out, spinning it and getting into a fighting stance.
"Everyone clear out!" Delun shouted. People ran out of the way in a panic as soldiers started to surround Elio. Elio looked all around him, counting 6 men. He was ready for a fight. Then Delun stepped forward, slowly inching towards Elio.
"Easy now, calm down. You are Elio, right? Elio Chinen?" He asked. Elio turned towards him and pointed his staff at him.
"Just let me go. I don't want to hurt you," He threatened him. "Let me go and I'll be on my way."
"Hey...do you remember me?" He asked, removing his helmet. He looked to be the same age as Elio. He had slightly tanned skin, flowing dark hair, and a strong jawline. "It's me, Delun. We went to school together." He said, putting a hand on his chest.
Elio paused for a moment, raising his eyes up to look at him closely. Something about him seemed vaguely familiar, but he hadn't picked up on it until now. He and Delun were classmates for several years. They were only acquaintances, but he did still remember him.
"I remember you." Elio confirmed.
"It is you!" Delun's eyes widened when he saw Elio's face, "I-I've heard so many things about you! I couldn't believe it!" He exclaimed, stepping forward again. Elio held his staff out again.
"Don't come any closer!" He threatened. The other soldiers readied to attack, but Delun held his hands up for them to stay back, much to Elio's surprise.
"Hey, it's alright. Just relax...you're not wanted anymore, Elio. The charges against you were dropped after Ozai fell." He said.
"What...?" Elio's eyes widened again.
"I'm sure that Fire Lord Zuko wants to speak with you personally. He made it clear that he wants to know your whereabouts. I'd be happy to take you to him if you-"
"I'm not doing that! Just let me go!" Elio shouted.
"Whoa whoa, Elio!" Delun exclaimed in surprise, "No one's gonna attack you. I promise." He said.
"I won't ask again. Whatever Zuko wants with me, I don't want any part of it." He said firmly.
"I think you do...you ran away to avoid the war, right? Right?" Delun asked.
Elio wordlessly nodded.
"Okay, well the war's over! The Avatar ended it during Sozin's Comet. He's been working very closely with the Fire Lord to bring about new change. It's kinda crazy, but it makes sense. We're Fire Nation, after all. We adapt." Delun said.
"Working with the Avatar...? I don't believe it..." Elio shook his head.
"If you come to the capitol, you can see it for yourself. I'll give you a ride there if you want," Delun offered. "Just...put the walking stick down. Please?"
Elio's hands shook a little. He didn't trust this at all, but if there was any merit to what Delun was telling him, he'd be a fool to run away again. Hesitantly, Elio slowly returned his staff to its sleeve. Once he did so, Delun approached him.
"Let's move away from here so we don't scare the townspeople anymore. I'll get a black ribbon message sent to the palace ahead of us." Delun said. Elio nodded.
"Alright...but if I find out that you're lying to me..."
"I'm not." Delun promised...
Now Elio was in a carriage headed straight for the Fire Lord's palace. He sat with his staff laying across his lap. He kept both hands wrapped around it. Delun sat across from him with his helmet set down next to him.
"You always struck me as the quiet type, Elio. I guess I wouldn't have pictured you as a soldier maybe, but I never thought you'd become a fugitive. Former fugitive." Delun quickly corrected himself. Elio glanced at him suspiciously.
"Why are you helping me? We were barely friends in school." Elio pointed out frankly.
"Yeah, well the Fire Lord's looking for you. If I bring you to him, I think it'll mean good things for both of us." He explained. Elio nodded in understanding.
"Not if what you said turns out to be a lie." He said in response.
"Why do you keep saying that? The lying thing." Delun asked.
"Because that's what the Fire Nation does! I've been lied to a lot since I left! Even before I left!" Elio said, suddenly speaking aggressively. Delun flinched in surprise, but he kept himself still so as not to alarm Elio.
"Hey, relax...this is gonna be good for both of us, Elio, you have my word on that. At the very least, you'll see that I'm telling the truth." Delun said earnestly again.
"We'll see..." Elio said, sinking back into his seat. Delun looked him over.
"What's with the hair dye?" Delun asked, gesturing to the white streak of hair that Elio now had.
"It's a souvenir." Elio gave a short answer.
"Oh...hey, is it true what happened to Cassian...?" Delun asked slowly. Elio swallowed and looked down sadly.
"It...I didn't have a choice." He said quietly.
"Oh jeez...you two were really close back in school. He seemed like a good guy..."
"...he was the best." Elio said in a voice barely above a whisper. There were a few moments of solemn silence between them before Delun decided to change the subject completely.
"Are you hungry? We can pick up some food on the way." He offered. Elio thought about this for a bit then nodded.
"Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks." He agreed...
Elio arrived in the Fire Nation capitol in the afternoon. He looked out the window and saw that they were traveling past familiar buildings. He was pretty sure he knew the name of the street they were on. Concealed inside of a carriage again, he was seeing glimpses of his old home.
However, he still felt like he couldn't go out there freely.
"Feels weird being back, right? Everything's the same, but now it feels different...because you're different." Delun said.
"What do you mean?" Elio asked, looking at him strangely.
"That's how it felt when I got back from deployment last month. I guess I pulled out right before the end of the war," Delun realized and chuckled ironically. "But my time overseas...it changed everything. I'm still waiting for home to feel like home again." He said.
"Yeah...me too." Elio admitted.
Finally, they arrived outside of the palace. The carriage came to a stop. Delun put his helmet on before stepping out first. Elio followed him out and looked up at the palace. This was the first time in a long, long time that he'd ever been this close to it.
"Fire Lord Zuko is expecting you," A guard said as he approached Elio and Delun. "I will take you to the throne room, Elio." He nodded towards him.
"He's still feeling a little jumpy. If it's alright with you, I'll tag along. At least until we get to the doors." Delun said. The guard looked at him.
"Fine." He reluctantly agreed.
The three of them walked into the palace in silence. Elio looked up and down at all the walls, inspecting everything curiously. As he got deeper and deeper into the palace, with every step he took, he found himself becoming increasingly worried.
What if this all turned out to be a mistake? There's no turning back now...
"You may go in." The guard said to Elio once they reached the doors to the throne room.
"M-Myself?" Elio asked.
"The Fire Lord wishes to speak with you privately."
"I see...thanks." Elio said.
He slowly approached the doors to the throne room. He wrapped his fingers around the handles and opened them up. They were big, heavy doors that creaked lowly as they slowly opened up. Laid out in front of him was a fine carpet leading right up to the throne room.
Elio took in a deep breath and walked inside. As he made his way in, the doors were closed behind him. Elio looked back and swallowed heavily. Then he turned once more to face straight ahead. He approached the wall of flames in front of the throne.
He couldn't even see Zuko's face at first, just his silhouette sitting on the throne. Elio lowered himself down to one knee as a sign of respect. As he knelt down, the flames subsided, and now he was able to look upon the new Fire Lord.
Zuko had his royal robes on, but no armor on over it. His hair was tied back with a royal headpiece placed in it. A few loose hairs were coming out from his hairline. Elio had no idea what to expect. If their last interaction was anything to go by, there would no doubt be tension.
"I thought it would take longer to find you...but you came here. I was really surprised to see the message." Zuko said. Elio squinted a little as he looked up at Zuko.
"I came to see how things might change now that Aang defeated Fire Lord Ozai. When I heard that you had taken his place, I wanted to leave again." Elio said honestly.
"Yeah...I guess I owe you an apology. For before. Sorry for attacking you...I was angry with myself, and dealing with a lot. But that's not an excuse." Zuko said sincerely. This was shocking to Elio. The Fire Lord was apologizing to him? Showing humility?
"I...It's alright. I'm not angry about that. I'm just...confused." Elio said.
"You're wondering why I became the Fire Lord despite being my father's son, and what I've done in the past." Zuko presumed.
"...I mean well yeah." Elio admitted awkwardly.
"It's true that I've made a lot of mistakes. I still have a lot to make up for. But I'm trying to do better. Avatar Aang has been a real friend to me. I'm hoping that together we can start to make up for the Fire Nation's long history of mistakes." Zuko expressed.
"Aang," Elio repeated. Hearing Zuko say his name, now he felt a lot more sure that Zuko was telling the truth. "That won't be easy. But I don't have to tell you that." He commented.
"No. 100 years of war and division have left the world scarred and unbalanced. Only by all of us coming together and cooperating with each other can we bring about a new era of peace and kindness." Zuko stated. Elio nodded in agreement.
"I totally agree...if that's the goal now, I'd like to help. I've seen firsthand some of the damage that the Fire Nation has caused, especially on the Earth Kingdom. If I can help to reverse just some of that, it would be very satisfying." Elio expressed. Zuko nodded and smiled a little.
"Then I would like you to join me. I have a special assignment that I think would be perfect for you." He said.
"Oh yeah?" Elio tilted his head a little. He couldn't believe he was actually having this conversation, and now his interest was rising even more.
"I can't be there for every exchange between us and the other nations going forward. I need people by my side that I can trust to handle certain exchanges, discussions, and agreements. I need the right people by my side so that I won't fall into the same mistakes as Fire Lords before me.
"If you accept this position, you'll be like a...special agent, not a soldier. I'll be sending you out to travel back and forth often. The tasks will be different every time, but the end goal will always be the same: achieving balance in the world.
"Does that sound like something you think you can do?" Zuko asked.
"Yeah? That sounds like something I was made for." Elio said in response. His answer came across as sounding more confident than he intended, but the Fire Lord didn't seem to have a problem with it.
"Then you're welcome to stay here in the palace until I've arranged everything for you. You'll need a uniform, an airship, and a crew." Zuko listed.
"If I may, I'd like to make one request." Elio spoke up again.
"What's that?"
"If I'm going to do this, I'd like to put together my own team. I have...people that I need to check on." Elio brought up.
"Where are they?" Zuko asked.
"Most of them are still in the Earth Kingdom, probably. One is in the Northern Water Tribe. They've helped me a lot on my journey; I think they would be interested in joining me for the cause." He explained. Zuko nodded.
"That's fine, just give me their names and I'll send the word out. In the meantime, I'll have a guard show you to your new room. We'll talk more later...thank you, Elio.
"With people like you here, the future of the world feels a little more secure. I have something I'd like to ask you too: if you ever see me starting to stray in the wrong direction, don't hesitate to tell me. It's important to me that you speak your mind honestly." Zuko requested.
"I see...I'll do my best." Elio promised. The idea of standing up to the Fire Lord sounded intimidating, but it's what he wants, so how could he say no to that?
From one day to the next, Elio had gone from a traveler to a special agent of the Fire Lord. Elio couldn't even begin to imagine what was to come next...
