Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "Polarize" by twenty one pilots
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Chapter 7 - The Legacy of Lu-Ten
I wanted to be a better brother, better son
Wanted to be a better adversary to the evil I have done
I have none to show to the one I love
But denial
The air rustles through the trees and blows his hair. A few loose leaves tumble along the grass. The sun shines dimly. It's one of those days where the weather isn't bad but it isn't good, either.
That's how Iroh feels right now as he hikes the hill. He isn't unhappy. But he isn't happy, either. He's stuck in that in-between phase.
At the top of the hill stands a tree. And under the tree is a stone marker with characters carved in it. He turns and looks out at the land around him. In the distance, the walls of Ba Sing Se stand strong and tall. Fields are laid out around it and various farmers mill around. A trickle of refugees make their way to the city on the dirt path.
He turns back to the grave and kneels down. His joints ache. He's aged a lot in a short time. Losing a child does that. Losing two? Iroh doesn't want to think about it.
He lays a pile of flowers on the grave and lights the ceremonial candles. Today he is here to honor his first and only son, Lu-Ten, fallen in battle. Every day he wonders how his life would be different if that horrible day hadn't happened. Would he have conquered Ba Sing Se? Would he be Fire Lord?
The what ifs don't matter. He knows this. What matters is the life you have now and what you make of it. It took him a long time to learn that. He only wishes he could have passed that message on to Zuko before it was too late.
Iroh has made a lot of mistakes in his life. His biggest failure was being unable to help his nephew. He knows Zuko is back at the palace by now, surrounded by toxic people who want to destroy him. He knows his nephew isn't happy but is convincing himself that he is. Iroh lived in that stage for years. The truth is, the only thing that made Iroh happy was Lu-Ten. And when he died, Iroh had nothing.
The others in the Fire Nation thought it was weakness that caused him to give up on Ba Sing Se. It wasn't weakness. It was complete apathy. Without his son, why should Iroh fight? It didn't make him happy. It didn't fill the emptiness in his chest.
One day Zuko will come to the same realization. Iroh just hopes it comes before he reaches the point of no return. Zuko's destiny is completely up to him and him alone now.
Iroh stands. He bows to the gravestone and then turns back to the vast city in front of him. Here he has the opportunity to begin a new life. He can connect with fellow Pai Sho players. He can work for a cafe and show these people how real tea is made. He can encourage the youth, help the desperate, and be happy.
He knows he won't truly be happy until Zuko returns to him, though. But his nephew needs space to learn who he truly is. And when he's ready, Iroh will be waiting for him.
The old general heads down the hill and joins the line of refugees looking for a new life.
Zuko is sitting in the courtyard of the palace, throwing pieces of bread to the turtle ducks. They snap up the pieces and quack happily. He thought coming out here would bring back good memories of when he spent time here with his mother, but all he feels is a distant sadness.
When he runs out of bread, he leans back against the tree trunk and pulls out the ceremonial knife from his belt. He remembers the day he received it. It was one of the last few days when his family was still happy. His parents weren't fighting, Azula's cruel moments were just moments and not yet a part of her personality, Iroh was still crown prince and waging war at Ba Sing Se, and Lu-Ten was still alive.
When the messenger had arrived with a small box and news from Iroh, his entire family had gathered together to hear. The general had sent the knife as a present to Zuko. Azula had received a gift, too - a doll which she immediately proceeded to dismember. Zuko had ignored her displeasure and instead set about playing around with his new "toy".
He'd proudly carried it around long after, as if a weapon could make him appear stronger. Azula just made fun of him - "What's the point of having a weapon you aren't actually going to use, Zuzu?" His mother disapproved, especially at dinners and formal events. But Zuko was so proud of it. He wasn't going to let go.
When Lu-Ten died and Iroh disappeared, he kept it close. He remembered playing soldier with Lu-Ten when they were younger, before the former went off to wage war. He and his cousin had been close. Zuko had looked up to him.
He still remembers the last conversation they had, right before Lu-Ten left.
"Why do you have to go?" Zuko had asked, trying to hold back tears.
Lu-Ten had smiled. He always had an easy smile to offer to anyone, but especially for Zuko. "I have to help fight for the Fire Nation. I have to help my father."
"But why can't someone else do that?"
Lu-Ten had kneeled down to Zuko's height and held his shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. "I have to earn my honor. What kind of leader will I be one day if I have no honor? This is my chance to prove my worth."
"Then I want to go, too!"
His cousin had laughed. "You'll get your own chance one day. And I have no doubt that you'll prove to be one of the best warriors in the Fire Nation."
Zuko had lifted his chin a bit, his heart bursting from the compliment. "I'm going to train every day you're gone," he promised. "And when I'm old enough, I'm going to fight by your side."
"I look forward to that." Lu-Ten had stood then and ruffled his hair. "I'll be back soon. I promise. And you can show me everything that you've learned."
But he never came back. And Zuko was left wondering whether his cousin earned his honor before dying, earned his honor by dying, or whether he even earned it at all.
Now, looking back, Zuko realizes that Lu-Ten always had honor. By having the bravery to go fight in the first place he proved it.
He flips the knife in the air and catches it. He's not sure what makes him sadder - thinking about when his family was happy, or thinking about the tragedies.
"You didn't used to be this moody," Mai says, walking over and taking a seat next to him. "What's bothering you now?"
"Nothing," he lies. "I'm just feeding the turtle ducks."
"You definitely have that brooding look on your face." Mai crosses her arms.
"He's thinking about our dear Uncle Iroh." They both turn to see Azula and Ty Lee approaching. "Oh, don't look so surprised. I was there when he gave you that knife."
Zuko shoves the knife back in the pocket of his robe.
"Where did General Iroh go?" Mai asks. "I thought he was with you."
"He was," Zuko says shortly. Just because he's thinking about someone or something doesn't mean he wants to talk about it.
"He left again, just like when his son died." Azula stands next to Zuko. As her shadow falls over the pond, the turtle ducks squeak in alarm and swim away quickly. She smiles cruelly. "Iroh is weak. He lost his honor years ago. And he's scared of Father. He won't come near the Fire Nation anymore."
Zuko's jaw clenches but he doesn't say anything. Defending his uncle will only reflect badly on him. And he knows that once Azula has an opinion about someone, her mind will never be changed.
"I always liked him," Ty Lee chirps. "He was really funny. And he made good tea."
"Humor and tea. Those are the qualities that make a great Fire Nation leader." Azula shakes her head. "He's washed up. His glory days were glorious but they're far behind him."
"He did lose his son," Mai points out. "That had to be hard."
"Death is a natural part of life. It happens to everyone. You have to accept it and move on, not stay stuck in your grief. You didn't see my father mourning for long over Grandpa. He took on the responsibilities of the state immediately and worked to honor him by continuing his work." She tucks one of her bangs behind her ear casually. "And he lost his wife at the same time."
Zuko looks up suddenly. "You don't think she's dead, do you? She was just banished."
Azula sighs. "Aw, Zuzu. So naive. So innocent." Her voice hardens. "She was a traitor, do you think they just let her go? She knew too much. Of course she's dead."
He tries not to show how much that shakes him. "But she left a note for me. She was running away."
"We were children. Father didn't want to crush us. He gave us the hope we needed as kids. We could fall asleep and dream of finding her instead of having nightmares about the different ways she might have died. It was just a fantasy."
He doesn't want to believe that. He doesn't want to give up on her. She sacrificed everything for him. He can't accept it.
Mai lays a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Zuko."
He might be able to take her condolences seriously if she didn't say them in a completely monotone voice. He never knows when she actually cares about something or when she's just trying to say the right thing.
He takes his arm back. "Whatever. It was years ago. I don't care."
Every word is a lie. Azula knows it, too. She doesn't say anything, though, just snorts and kicks at the grass.
He wraps his arms around his knees and stares into the rippling waters of the pond. He misses talking to Katara. She always genuinely listened and he always felt like she connected to what he said, not argued or offered half-hearted sympathy.
But he can't talk to her anymore and it's all his fault. He chose this path. He can get mad at himself or he can get over it, as Azula says.
He can't get over it. He knows that. He's more like Iroh than he's like his father. He always has been.
When Katara wakes up, she's surprised by the lack of chill in the air. Even the metal cell around her is warm for once.
She decides to take advantage of the temperature and do something other than doze in and out of sleep. Her meeting with Ozai inspires her a bit, too; she wants to prove that he isn't breaking her. And if she's ever going to have the strength to defeat him, she might as well start getting stronger now.
She stands up and stretches for a while. Then she runs through some warm-up exercises: swinging her arms, jumping up in the air and then hitting the floor, only to jump back up again, touching one wall and running the three steps to the other wall and back, push-ups, and other things.
She finally stops when she can barely breathe. Then she stands in the middle of the cell and begins to go through her waterbending movements. She doesn't have water to bend but she can still practice the motions.
It feels refreshing to be up and moving again. She falls into the rhythm of the familiar motions and relaxes, closing her eyes and mentally fighting an opponent.
She works up a sweat. She can feel her body temperature warming up. When she finally stops to breath and lets her arms relax, she hears a splash. Her eyes pop open and she stares at the shallow puddle of water at her feet. She bends it back up immediately.
She holds it with one hand and wipes her forehead with the other hand, shaking the sweat into the water ball in her hand. The realization of what she did sets in and she starts laughing, slightly maniacally.
Water is everywhere. They can try to take her away from water but they can't take the water from inside of her.
Katara motions with her arms and uses the water to start cutting through the metal bars. She has to be careful not to cut too fast. If the bars fall, the clattering noise will attract the guards. She can be patient.
When she's cut a hole in the bars big enough for her to slip through she does, keeping the ball of water safely cupped in her hands. She may be out of the cell but she's not out of the prison just yet.
She sneaks down the hallway and up the stairs. She opens the door slowly. So far no guards, but she knows they're around here somewhere. She's too important a prisoner for them to leave unattended.
The other prisoners watch her as she silently treads down the hall. Some of them make motions for her to help them but she knows she can't stop. She'll come back for them once she defeats the Fire Lord. Now isn't the time.
She makes it halfway through the prison before a guard catches sight of her. He shouts a warning. She whips water at him, knocking him onto his feet, before sprinting. She remembers the way out well enough to know that she'll be lucky to reach the exit without having to stop and fight.
Strangely, no other guards bother her. There are some on her tail but they're too far behind to engage. The exit looms clear in front of her. Some of the prisoners are cheering her on now. So close. Just a few more steps…
Ten feet from the door a group of guards suddenly come of the wings and converge in front of her. She skids to a halt and looks around for an alternative exit. The guards behind her catch up. She spins around in a circle, looking for something, anything.
Nothing. She's trapped.
She isn't admitting defeat without a fight. She starts bending the water around her, stretching it to its limits. She uses a little bit of it to freeze the guards' feet and then she hits them all with a water whip. They use fire to melt the ice holding them down and then they retaliate. She's powerful but not enough to fight off a dozen guards while already exhausted and working with extremely limited resources.
When all her water is used up, she has to concede. The guards chain her wrists together and march her back. The prisoners look at her sadly. They had hope, too. But there is no escaping this prison. Not without help.
No one is strong enough. Not even the Avatar.