Katara announced the next morning that she had discovered a way for them to see the Earth King. A party was being held in honour of the Earth King's pet bear. The palace was bound to be packed, so she claimed they could sneak in with the crowd. After some argument about who even had the manners to make it in high society, it was decided that Katara and Toph would attend as nobles.
"What about you?" Katara asked, turning to Zuko, Iroh and Mai.
Iroh said it would be better if he didn't go to the party. Though it had been many years since the siege of Ba Sing Se and he no longer wore his royal armour, it would be too much of a risk to attend a big event like that. The chances of him being recognised were high. He'd only put them all in danger.
"Zuko can go in my place," Iroh suggested.
Zuko blinked. "What?"
He'd had no intention of attending the party. He didn't care about seeing the Earth King; he just wanted to learn more about the Children of the Undying Fire.
"The Earth Kingdom nobility is very particular about gender roles," Iroh explained. "It would be strange for two young females to attend a party without a male escort."
Toph linked arms with Zuko, pulling him close to her side. "Looks like you're going to be our date for the night."
His cheeks warmed. "It's not a date," he muttered, shrugging her off him.
Toph, of course, ignored his protests. She also demanded to know if Mai was going to join them.
"I'll pass," Mai said flatly, not glancing up from the scroll she was reading. "Parties are boring."
Toph shrugged. "Alright, then the three of us will go." She started dragging Zuko towards the front door.
"Uh, what are you doing?" he asked.
Toph blew her fringe out of her face. "I might be blind, but even I know we can't attend the party wearing the clothes we are now." She gave him another shove towards the door. "We're going shopping. Come on, Sweetness, let's go!"
oOo
The girls disappeared into one of the bedrooms the moment they returned from shopping. Mai joined them to help them get ready. No one, Toph informed, was allowed to disturb them.
"How long does it take to get ready for a party?" Sokka asked.
Iroh smiled. "A flower always takes time to bloom."
Sokka blinked, then moved closer to Zuko. "Seriously," he muttered, "does your uncle always talk like that?"
Zuko repressed a snort of laughter. "You'll get used to it. I tune it out most of the time."
Iroh suggested that they could pass the time by doing a bit of firebending practice. He offered to teach Aang and Zuko the lightning redirection move. The boys had no fault to find with this plan, so they all went to the small garden out the back and began training. Sokka watched them from the steps with Momo.
Zuko was intrigued to discover that his uncle had created the technique after watching waterbenders. The fact that it dealt with directing energy flow made it easy for Zuko to pick up; his healing relied on the flow of energy in his body and being able to direct it where he wanted. Aang took a little longer to get the hang of the move, but soon both boys where confident they could redirect lightning.
"It's getting late," Iroh said, glancing up at the setting sun. "You should start getting ready for the party."
Sokka and Aang decided that it would be fun to help Zuko get changed into the multi-layered outfit. Of course, they both just got in the way. Zuko ended up sending them out with a fireball chasing at their ankles. He hadn't wanted their assistance anyway.
Iroh chuckled as he watched Zuko exhale smoke. "I'm surprised it took you that long. You've got much more patient."
Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "It doesn't feel like it. Sometimes I swear these idiots are going to drive me insane."
"Yet you still indulge them. You have matured a lot, Nephew. I'm proud of you."
Zuko's cheeks heated. He ducked his face, busying himself with fixing up the sash around his middle. Iroh seemed to understand he was too embarrassed to continue the conversation. They finished putting together the outfit: a multi-layered ensemble of dark greens, gold and cream. The cloth was thick and heavy, weighing on Zuko's shoulders and arms. The sensation made him a little homesick, reminding him far too much of the outfits he had worn before he had been banished. Just putting the clothes on made him stand a little straighter, hold himself a little more gracefully. Years of training and etiquette could not be eradicated, even if he had spent the past three on a ship with a rowdy crew or, as of late, wandering the Earth Kingdom as a peasant.
"We can't do much about your hair," Iroh said, "but the hat and the high collar will help you to fit in with the other men."
Zuko nodded and lowered his head so his uncle could place the hat on top. He straightened to his full height, then exhaled deeply. He wasn't sure if he wanted to look in a mirror. Looking at his reflection had never made him feel good about himself, not since the Agni Kai. Plus, even if he was wearing a nobleman's clothes, the colours and style were all wrong. It would just be a reminder that he was only pretending tonight. He wasn't Fire Nation royalty anymore—not even anyone of importance, really—and while Zuko had accepted this, it didn't change the fact that it hurt.
"You look good," Iroh said, smiling at him.
"It's just clothes."
He went back into the living room to wait for the girls. It was time to crash a party.
oOo
"Ding?" Zuko muttered in Katara's ear as they finally managed to get away from Long Feng, the nicely dressed man who had helped them get inside the palace. "Really?"
Colour that was not makeup dusted her cheeks. "I'm sorry. It was the first name that came to my head."
"Could have been worse," Toph pointed out. "I got Dung."
Zuko and Toph both scowled at her. Katara bit her lip and held her hands together in a placating gesture. Her plan had indeed worked; they'd got inside by masquerading as three cousins who'd lost their tickets and got separated from their family. However, while Katara had given herself the innocuous name of Kwa Mai, Toph and Zuko got stuck acting as the brother and sister duo, Dung and Ding.
"We sound like a comedy circus act," Toph complained.
Katara offered another sheepish smile. "Sorry."
Zuko sighed and glanced around the crowds of nobles and officials crammed into the banquet hall. He paused when he caught sight of a bear dressed in fancy clothes seated at the long table. That must be the Earth King's pet, though there was no sign of the man himself.
"Forget that," Zuko muttered. "We should focus on getting the others inside and finding the Earth King. Who knows what those two idiots will do if they're left to wait out there for too long?"
"Too late," Toph said, getting a thoughtful look on her face. "I'm pretty sure Twinkletoes and Snoozles are already here."
Katara's eyes widened. "What? Where?"
Toph wandered over to where a far too short waiter was serving drinks. Zuko resisted the urge to facepalm. Somehow, he wasn't even surprised. Nor was he surprised when Joo Dee spotted them and told them to leave, or when Aang ended up spilling his tray of drinks on a woman and revealing his identity by drying her off with an air blast. Zuko's own luck had never been good, but the Avatar just had a knack for revealing that stupid arrowed head of his at the worst of times.
Needless to say, they were eventually apprehended by the Dai Li and brought into the library to "talk" with Long Feng. The man started by being polite, but a mention of the war and allusions to the eclipse battle plan had him quickly changing tune. He explained that nothing was more important in Ba Sing Se than keeping the peace. All mention of the war was prohibited.
Katara and Aang were both disgusted by this blatant attempt to cover up the truth. In fact, Aang got so impassioned that he claimed he would tell everyone about the war. Long Feng did not react well.
"Until now, you've been treated as our honoured guest," Long Feng said sharply. He stepped forward and bent down to look Aang in the eye. "But from now on you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city." He turned around and walked over to the hearth where a green fire blazed. "Now, Joo Dee will show you home."
The doors to the library opened and a woman entered. Zuko started, taking a half-step forward before he even realised what he was doing. This was not the same Joo Dee from earlier. Her hair style was different, face was different. In fact, her features were so familiar to him that he could have drawn her with his eyes closed.
"Come with me, please," the woman said.
Katara blinked. "What happened to Joo Dee?"
"I'm Joo Dee." The woman flashed a brilliant smile, one that was identical to their first guide for its face-splitting wideness. "I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."
Zuko made an odd sound, almost choking. His gaze flickered from the woman to Long Feng. He could not say anything. Not here. Numbly, he allowed himself to be led out of the palace and into a wooden carriage pulled by an ostrich-horse. He found himself sitting opposite the woman. This close, he could see her features even more clearly. She looked a little older—a few more wrinkles lined the skin around her brown eyes than he remembered—but there was no mistaking her.
"Shizue," he breathed, half-reaching out to her with his hand. "It's really you."
The woman—his pseudo-nanny and his mother's lady in waiting—blinked and looked confused for half a second before her smile was fixed back in place. "My name is Joo Dee."
Zuko made a frustrated sound. "You don't have to keep up the lie. You can trust these people."
Aang's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, Lee? Who's Shizue?"
"Yes, Lee," Joo Dee—Shizue—said with genuine puzzlement. "Who is this person you speak of?"
Zuko's mouth went dry. "Why are you still pretending you don't know? You must recognise me. I know I'm older and might look different than when you last saw me, but you've known me my whole life. You practically helped to raise me when I was a child!" He leaned forward, gripping her hands. "Please, Shizue, you have to tell me. Is Mother alive? No one would say anything when I asked and—"
Shizue pulled her hands away. "I'm sorry, Lee. I don't understand what you are saying. My name is Joo Dee." She smiled brightly at him. "Please relax. Enjoy your stay in our wonderful city."
Something twisted in Zuko's stomach. He didn't understand. Was she lying because she didn't trust the other people in the carriage with them? Was it something to do with him? He couldn't believe that he had mistaken her identity. Shizue had featured too much in his life and memories for him to ever mistake her.
"Why are you doing this?" he demanded, not caring that the others were watching. "We haven't seen each other for years yet you refuse to even recognise me."
Shizue's smile faltered, but it reasserted itself a second later. She claimed that he was confused. This was the first time they had met. Surely, he was mistaking her for someone else.
Zuko clenched his hands into fists. He could see that his words would not move her. For whatever reason, she wanted to stick to the lie that her name was Joo Dee and that they had never known each other. It hurt more than he had expected. Sure, his memories of Shizue had become a little tinged with unease—he had not forgotten that warning she had given to his mother—but still. She had helped to raise him. She had stood by his mother's side and tried her best to protect his secret.
Why was she lying?
The carriage stopped outside their house. Shizue—or Joo Dee, as she liked to call herself—bid them goodnight and waved them off with her trademark smile. Zuko didn't even recall stepping from the carriage and following the others into the house. He felt numb. Jittery. Dimly, he was conscious of Katara and Aang asking him if he was okay.
"Nephew?"
Iroh stood up from where he had been playing Pai Sho with Mai. In a few strides Iroh was at Zuko's side and helping him to sit down on the cushions. Zuko didn't protest, not even when a cup of tea was shoved into his hands. That alarmed his uncle even more.
"What happened?" Iroh asked. "You look pale."
Zuko swallowed. It was hard to get the words out; they got stuck in his throat like choking lumps. "It was Shizue, Uncle." The teacup trembled in his hands. "She was right there. She was right there and—"
Iroh's eyes widened. "Shizue? You mean the woman who tended on your mother?"
Zuko nodded.
"But she said her name was Joo Dee," Aang said, scrunching his nose. "I mean, she didn't seem to know you at all."
"That's what I don't understand! I know it's her. I would never forget her face, so why did she lie to me? It doesn't make sense. I don't even understand what she's doing here in Ba Sing Se."
"It is certainly strange," Iroh admitted.
The others exchanged confused glances, not really sure what to say. Zuko glared at the steaming cup in his hands. He didn't understand what was going on with Shizue, but there was no way he could let the matter go. He would get to the bottom of her secrets whether she liked it or not.
"Uncle," he said, "I'm sorry but I'm not going to play by the rules anymore. This is too important. Shizue has all the answers I need. She can tell me about Mother, about the Children of the Undying Fire. I can't let this go."
Iroh nodded, though he didn't look particularly happy. "Just be careful."
"I will."
Zuko knew better than to take needless risks. There was too much at stake. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it properly.
"Seriously, though," Sokka said, folding his arms across his chest, "can someone explain what is going on? Whether that woman really is that Shizue person or not, why was she calling herself Joo Dee and acting just like that other creepy guide we had?"
"I don't know," Zuko said, "but I plan to find out."
Something strange was going on in this city. He could feel it in bones, in the uneasy prickles that crept down his spine. This place was full of secrets.
"We'll have to watch out for that Long Feng guy," Katara mused. "He's probably going to have those Dai Li people keeping an eye on our every move."
"Probably," Toph agreed, "but so what? We still need to see the Earth King, and Sunshine has his own stuff to sort out." A grin curved her mouth. "It's about time we break some rules."
Aang's mouth quirked into an answering smile. "I am getting a little tired of all the rules."
Iroh put his hand on both their shoulders. "Quite so, but let's be sure not to disturb the ripples too soon. The sly cat-eagle knows when to show its claws. Until we understand the situation better, subtle is best."
No one could argue with this advice, though Zuko did roll his eyes and insist that his uncle quit with the proverbs. Long Feng had been serious about expelling them from the city; no one was in a rush to have that happen. Still, they were all in agreement that it was time to take matters into their own hands. Even Mai agreed to help.
"I know what this means to you," she said, meeting Zuko's eyes. "If I can help, I will."
He thanked her with a nod.
They continued discussing plans long into the night. Eventually, Toph and Iroh retreated to their rooms while Aang had dozed off against Mai. She looked as if she didn't know what to do with the kid. Her nose scrunched a little and she prodded him in his head. Aang made a sleepy noise and snuggled more against her.
"He seems to like you," Sokka teased.
Mai rolled her eyes. "Don't even start."
"I think it's cute," Katara said with a smile.
Mai's eyebrow twitched and she went back to prodding him, trying to force him to wake up. Aang must have been more tired than anyone had expected, because he didn't budge. Eventually, Mai sighed and resigned herself to being his pillow. Zuko would have been amused by the situation had he not had so much troubling his mind.
He got to his feet and made his way to the garden, sliding the door shut behind him. Clouds blocked the moon. It was too dark to see much, but that was okay. Zuko wanted to be alone for a bit. He sat on the step and hugged his knees to chest. A cool breeze ruffled his hair.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there like that, but then the door opened behind him and he heard the rustling of cloth. He created a small ball of flames and turned to see Katara settle down next to him on the step. She had changed out of the pretty dress to her normal blue tunic and tights, though her hair was unbound.
"Hey," she murmured.
"Hey."
She was quiet for a moment. "Feeling better?"
He shrugged.
She let out a small breath. "I'm sorry about Shizue. I can imagine how that must have upset you."
Zuko said nothing. He had never liked to talk about his feelings.
"You ... you mentioned your mother earlier."
His body twitched, almost like a flinch.
Katara touched his arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I'm just concerned." She lowered her gaze. "I lost my mother when I was eight. This necklace is all I have of her now." Another small breath. "I guess what I'm saying is that I know how it feels—to lose your mother, I mean. And, well, I'm here for you."
There was a moment of silence. Zuko found himself meeting her gaze, even as shadows danced around them from the fire that flickered on his palm. She did not look away.
"I don't know what happened to my mother," he admitted after a while. "One day she was there and then she was gone." He shrugged. "I always just assumed she had died, but Shizue had left with Mother the night she disappeared. They had always been together. Now I find Shizue here in Ba Sing Se pretending to be a woman named Joo Dee." His hands trembled. "I don't know what to think."
"But at least you know now there's a chance your mother might be alive. That can only be a good thing, right?"
"I guess," he allowed.
What he didn't say was that there was a small part of him—the part that remained of the child who had been crushed when his mother had abandoned him—who wondered why she had not tried to find him during the past three years. If she had also been banished, as he suspected was the case, then there was nothing that should have stopped her from seeking him out. After all, wasn't she the one who had said she would never let anyone take him away from her? Wasn't she the one who had said he would always be her son?
"Everything I've done, I've done to protect you."
Zuko sighed and stood up. "I'm going back inside."
He didn't want to think about this anymore.
Katara scrambled to her feet. "Wait." She grasped his sleeved. "Are you really okay? I know you're not one for heart-to-hearts, but it isn't good to bottle things inside."
"I'll be fine."
She looked like she wanted to argue, but for once she kept her mouth shut. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "We're all here for you, Zuko," she murmured close to his ear. "I'm here for you. Don't ever forget that, okay?"
He closed his eyes, feeling the truth of her words sink into him in a gentle warmth. "I know."
Because even though many things had changed for the worse in his life, there was one thing that had not. Zuko was not alone anymore. He had his uncle, and he had friends who cared for him and who wanted to help him. It made all the difference.
oOo
Long Feng stared at the woman standing in a half bow in front of him. There were many Joo Dees who helped to maintain peace within the city, but this one had always been a little problematic. It was why he usually kept her as a reserve. Being reminded of the war too much made her agitated. Still, since she had just returned from having a touch up at Lake Laogai, he thought it would be alright.
"What's your report?" he asked.
"The Avatar and his friends were seen safely home," Joo Dee responded, straightening to her full height.
"Any problems?"
She paused—too long. "None."
Long Feng's mouth curved into a frown. "You hesitated just now. Are you keeping something from me, Joo Dee?"
Something flickered in her eyes. She smiled and dipped her head in a bow. "Of course not. My only desire is to preserve the peace in our wonderful city."
He stared at her for a long moment, but her beaming expression did not falter. "Very well," he said, dismissing her with a nod. "You may leave."
Joo Dee bowed again and left the room. Long Feng's frown deepened. That woman really was too problematic for her own good. "Shirong," he said.
The Dai Li agent who had been standing in the corner stepped forward. "Sir?"
"Make sure Forty Two's time at Lake Laogai is dealt with speedily. I do not wish to leave the Avatar and his friends under Fifty Three's care for long."
Shirong nodded and moved soundlessly out of the room. Long Feng turned and stared at the green flames that glowed in the fireplace. It had seemed like the mind control was still in place for Fifty Three, but something just niggled. She had always been a secretive woman. If she wasn't so good at taking care of their noble guests, he would have never bothered with maintaining her as a Joo Dee.
"Why did you hesitate?" he wondered aloud.
Measures would have to be taken. Peace and control had to be upheld at all costs, even if it broke her mind. There was no war in Ba Sing Se, after all. Long Feng was determined to keep it that way.
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