Saturday, September 15, 1900, 2:39 AM
"I killed her," Zuko was still grievous distraught, and his dismay was intensifying as that walked out of the infirmary. "She told me she loved me. I couldn't protect her."
"No you didn't Zuko, This isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. I know how that feels," Sokka genuinely commiserated. "I know how you feel. But it will get better. I promise you it'll get better," he continued taking careful steps as they reached the outside.
What happened next moved even the stoic features of Toph Beifong. Zuko collapsed to his knees at the threshold of the hospital. His face was the picture of anguish as all his muscles tensed and the salty tears flowed freely, mixing with the anxious sweat of the evening. He felt a mighty scream, a roar rise from his deep inside him. His toes curled in his boots, his hands became fists that scooped up some of the loose dirt on the metal surface of the courtyard. His hands must have been hot because the dirt, which turned out to be sand melted and turned into glass. The sound that passed through his lips was a mixture of grief and pain and that deep, sinking feeling that something had been stolen from him. The feeling that something precious and rare had been taken away, and he found it broken.
"AHHH," it started, and the guards that had gathered around him, by then felt nothing but a deep feeling of culpability in the torture of their monarch. There was a profound guilt that would have led to many killing themselves in the old days. He lifted his gaze to the sky, many of the stars obscured by the steam rising from the crater around him.
As Zuko's wail into the distance started to reverberate in the distance, something strange happened. The sound grew louder and fire came out of his mouth. A beam of fire shot out of his mouth like a dragon, but the special thing about this was that it was more powerful than his uncle's. The fire was a blinding white like the sun. Sokka and all the guards had to shield their eyes. The guards took a few step back as the flame went up many feet into the air. Sokka had never seen fire so brilliant and beautiful, but he dreaded that the source of such beauty was such deep pain.
The beam weakened as Zuko stopped screaming, eventually disappearing as Zuko remained on his knees
"Let's get outta here," Sokka said again.
"I'll never love again." Zuko shouted.
"Yes, you will," Sokka said, dragging Zuko along, "There's someone out there who'll love you."
Appa approached knowing that it was necessary. Toph really thought in that moment that they did not give the bison enough credit. They manage to put Zuko into the saddle by way of metalbending, Toph lifting the ground up.
Appa took off and the started to fly back in the direction whence he came. Zuko was just a mess. His eyes were like faucets and even Toph was knocked out of her aloofness and felt awkward not knowing what to do to comfort him. Sokka embraced Zuko as the Fire Lord sobbed pitifully into his chest. Zuko's body was warm and his his tears seeped through to fabric of Sokka's shirt. Zuko's muscles showed no sign of relaxing though Sokka showed no particular aversion to being in this contact with Zuko. Toph noted Sokka's heartbeat was calm as Zuko's raced.
They must have flown for about an hour before Zuko detached himself and Sokka almost felt deprived of the warmth, firm muscles. He had to admit that something about the firm muscles gripping him felt right, as in correct, as in proper and appropriate. He would have to sort those feelings out later
The obvious question was a struggle but Sokka posed it anyway, "So where do want to go?"
Zuko's voice was low and bitter, "I want to pay a visit to my most loving little sister."
"Are you sure about-" Toph tried to ask?
"Yes, I am ready. I only have two things to say to her."
"Are you sure that you don't want us to come in with you?" Toph asked.
"No." He said coolly, "I need to speak to my dear sister, alone."
"I just don't think that's-" Toph tried again, finding it hard to assert herself.
"I think we should listen to Zuko on this one," Sokka said.
"Thank you," was all the Fire Lord said before he climbed down, "I'll be back soon."
He was calm, suppressing all of his emotion, as he walked into the front door of the prison. The guards did not hesitate to bring him to the chamber where his sister was being held.
"She refuses to eat my liege. We have tried to force her but she will just spit it out at us. And when we do get her to swallow, she just regurgitates it," One of the guards told him after he asked after Azula's general condition, "She is erratic and will wake up at all times of the night screaming."
The guard led him to the door that held in his sister (well, there was an inner cell within the room).
He opened the door.
She was awake and alert and a crooked grin appeared on her face.
Now her present condition: She was chained by the wrists and ankles. Her hair was a mess and when she looked out from under her hair her eyes were just off. They were not focused. The confident glisten that shone even in the dark was gone and her soul was probably as ravaged as Zuko's emotions were. She was seated in a metal chair facing the door, that only accompanied the metal bed. There were no sheets probably for fear that she would start fires. There were a set of bars between them though Zuko was sure that he would not need to defend himself.
"Hello, ZuZu." She said, her derangement evident in her voice.
"Hello, Azula." Zuko said with his voice completely recovered.
"So the Fire Lord comes and visits me in my lowly state." Azula declared in a way that sounded a bit like a question. "Why are you here?"
"Mai is dead." Zuko said, not even allowing any emotion to show.
Azula saw this and wanted to gain back control, "Aha, the bitch couldn't survive it."
It did not get a reaction from him, "And, dearest sister, you will be tried for it."
She shuddered at the fact that he did not react. "Well she betrayed me for you, Zuko. I am a princess, and no one betrays me."
"Two counts of murder," Still no reaction from him, "I will make sure that you have fair representation."
"And what Zuko?" She asked, "Are you going to charge Father with crimes too and try to embarrass us all."
Zuko was shocked in that moment but did not let it show, "Has no one told you Azula?"
"Told me what, ZuZu?"
"Our father is dead, Azula."
She sprang up from her seat and lunged at the bars that separated them. "NO, HE ISN'T"
"He is. Yameru."
"OUR FATHER DIDN'T LOSE TO A CHILD." She screamed.
Zuko rose, knowing that there was nothing to more to do.
"Come back here," she screamed again.
He turned around to exit the room.
"I SAID COME BACK HERE!" She screamed.
He turned his head just before he exited the room, "I will have the indictment sent to you within forty-eight hours."
They got back to the palace at about a quarter after five, so it was still plenty dark. Toph went to bed right away, leaving the boys alone. Neither of them felt that they could sleep. Furthermore, they did not want to wake anybody up, so they went into the kitchen, retrieved some ice cream from the refrigerator and decided to go to the Zuko's personal quarters in the palace.
That is not to say that they went to his bedroom, only to the sitting rooms in what was called the 'residence'. It was cool in there from the breeze that blew off of the ocean.
They sat in silence as Zuko contemplated what had happened in the last few hours. His body could not muster up any more tears, so he tried, with great effort and little success, to think other thoughts. In quantity, they were great, in quality not so much. Sokka sat across from him also thinking long and hard about the last few days, with one exception, Suki did not arise as the subject (or predicate). That, in real terms is not much different than how he thought from the beginning and only reinforced the salient fact that the relationship was artificial.
"It's been a rough week, Sokka."
Shocked that Zuko broke the silence, "Yeah, I would say so," he sighed a bit, "I don't even think 'intense' describes it. I don't know if there are any words to describe it and it's only Saturday morning."
"Yeah," Zuko looked up to the grandfather clock and read the time, "Still another twenty-one hours left."
"But no more loose ends," Sokka said, "Emotions, yes, but no more loose ends. You have the answers to your questions, though, they're not the answers you want. You're writing the warrant for the guard too."
"We may never find him."
"I know, but somehow, I think the warden will. He has his name and he'll never forget that face."
"I knew that she was evil, but it's the depths of it that surprised me. There was always a glint in her eye that showed something was off, it was calculating and conniving, but it was off the mark, wrong. And my mother knew it too. There was always a hesitation that my mother felt towards her."
"Oh." Sokka realized that Zuko had escaped into a tangent.
"She loved us both, equally. Azula always lied, pathologically."
"Always?"
"As soon as she could talk, she was lying," Zuko answered.
"Well, I won't."
"Thank you, Sokka," Zuko started, "But.. if you want to leave-"
"Wha-" Sokka cut him off and Zuko did the same continuing.
"This place is full of snakes. You already fought your war, Sokka. If you want to leave, don't let me trap you here. I shouldn't have asked you to stay. I-"
"Look, Zuko," Sokka started assertively, "I'm not leaving you now. I'm going to stay because I need to. And I'm going to stay because I want to. You are my friend and I'm going to stay here because you asked me to. And if I were you… don't waste anymore breath trying to convince me otherwise."
"I wish I had your boldness," Zuko said, in awe that Sokka was going to stay with all this drama and intrigue.
"And I wish I had your composure,"Sokka admitted, "Speaking in front of all those people like that., I mean. I couldn't do that if I tried. The day of the invasion, when I was giving the plan for the day to the troops, I choked. I was like a choke... artist."
Zuko furrowed his brow, that was a new term. It had a certain ring to it that made him internalize its meaning. "You're plenty composed, Sokka," Zuko spoke, "I was the one losing it earlier."
"No, I… When Yue gave up her spirit to the moon… I-" Sokka's voice was cracking, so he stopped.
"I get it now." Zuko said.
"Now it's another thing we have in common." Sokka said.
"Well," Zuko said another thought hitting him, "since you're staying and I can't convince you otherwise, I need to write up an indictment of my sister."
"Wow, things are different here too."
"Pardon?"
"In the Southern Water Tribe, if a charge is made two separate judges have to rule on whether or not the trial may proceed. In the Earth Kingdom there has to be a grand jury."
"I am absolute. I can do whatever I want. Here you need a grand jury too, but this case isn't going to a regular court, or even to a supreme court."
"Where does this case go?" Sokka asked.
"The Star Chamber."
"Star Chamber?"
"Any other court would hesitate to even hear a case like this, so the Star Chamber is empanelled to hear the and decide it. The only reason I'd ever write an indictment is because the case cannot go to a common court."
Zuko got up and walked what looked like a wardrobe in the room. He opened it and retrieved some paper, a quill and inkwell (no ballpoint pen for formal documents), and some pounce.
Zuko came back to the table and set up.
He spoke aloud as he wrote, remembering to
"My sages and magistrates, I write to you to request the assembly of the Star Chamber to open an inquiry forthwith. The questions are as follows:
Is Azula, the Fire Princess, is guilty of the murder of Ty Lee Bao, and Mai Fu Ting?
Is Li Chen, guard at the Boiling Rock Penitentiary, is guilty of the murder of Ty Lee Bao and Mai Fu TIng?"
He stopped writing, "I feel as if I am forgetting something."
"What could it be?" Asked Sokka.
"Ah… I remember," he picked up his quill, dipped it and began to write again, "If you should determine guilt, what do you recommend as the punishment?"
9 AM, War Room
They talked and talked until an hour after the sun rose, went to their rooms and both showered to get rid of the nerves, the adrenaline, and the heaviness that last night's events had brought. While they showered the others ate breakfast, where Toph had told them the events. Aang and Katara were horrified and wanted immediately to comfort Zuko, rising from their seats. Suki was stoic, not seeming to care. She even had a smirk on her face.
She had slept on it. Their breakup, that is. She stilled blamed Zuko for tearing them apart. There was no reason behind it, but her feeling was deep, visceral, and undeniable. If looks could kill, Katara committed a bloody murder against Suki's person. Katara took a deep breath and now started to see why Sokka would have dumped her.
"Suki, I really don't think you're reacting the right way to this." Katara said.
"Don't tell me how to feel, Katara. I'm not in the mood to be preached at."
"You hear that Zuko's girlfriend is dead, and that does nothing to you. You don't feel anything?"
"I feel nothing about it. Remember that bitch kidnapped me with Azula and put me in a prison for five months. So Katara, if you're asking me if I feel bad that she got what was coming to her, no I don't."
"But this is not about you. This is about Zuko. Don't you care?"
"Yeah," Suki scoffed, "I care about the Fire Lord. I cared when he marched into my village and burned it down. Yeah, I cared when I was taken hostage. I cared for all of those refugees that I helped sneak into Ba Sing Se. So, yes I care, very much."
"You're being a b-" Katara stopped herself, now a part of her was glad that Sokka got away from her.
"What Katara? A bitch?" Suki asked.
"A baby. You're being a baby. I don't know what exactly happened between you and Sokka, but get over it."
"But-" Suki was about to interrupt.
"And if you can't get over it now, set it to the side for now. Fight sometime else please."
"Fine," Suki said, "I'll play nice, but if he says anything out of place, don't hold me responsible for what I'll say."
"I'm sure Sokka isn't interested in fighting with you," Aang, the supposed peacemaker, tried to reason.
"It ain't him I'm worried about," Suki muttered to herself. Only Toph heard it, and it was duly noted.
"I'm going to stay here," Toph said, "I think it'll be better if we wait for Zuko to come to us."
"I guess, you're right." Katara said, "What do you think, Aang?"
"Yes, you're right, Toph." The Avatar agreed, "He'll come to us when he's good and ready."
Suki still pouting, "And where is Sokka?"
"They talked all night probably." Toph said, "While we were coming back here, Sokka was the one doing the comforting. I felt like a failure almost I didn't know what to say or do."
"You were there for him and that's enough," Aang said.
"That's just it. I wasn't. I didn't say a word, and I went to sleep."
"I'm sure-" Katara was interrupted by the opening of the the doors with Zuko and Sokka walking in.
9 AM
There was a large square called Marketplace Green about three-quarters of a mile to the south of the palace through which all of the citizens of the capital had to traverse as all of the markets were located here. In the center of that the Green there was a large pole that was about thirty feet high. The pole used to be the tree under which may goods and shares of businesses were sold. Merchants used to post signs advertising sales and auctions, and the people would read the posters. Over the years, the branches were shorn off to accommodate more posters as the city's population grew in number.
There was always a spot reserved for news from the Royal Palace. That morning as the group ate their breakfast, some pages came down from the Palace and posted the news, driving the parchment into the trunk with nails. The people all gathered around to read it. Some were shocked, others horrified, all surprised by the news.
The Fire Princess had killed two people?!
There was much consternation and noise as the people grumbled.
War Room
"...so that's why the Star Chamber will investigate this," Zuko finished explaining.
"I think that's the best way to do it," Sokka agreed.
"And what if they recommend that you kill her?" Aang asked Zuko, "You couldn't kill, your own sister?" Aang paused expecting an answer.
Zuko just inhaled deeply and said nothing.
"Could you?" Aang asked again, terrified.
Marketplace Green
One person had taken the liberty to read the posting to the crowd. Much debate ensued indeed.
"He won't kill his sister." One voice.
"Yes, he might." Another said.
"He can't, that's royal blood." A third opinion.
The voices continued, men, women, children.
"What if she's just crazy"
"If she's insane, just kill her."
"No, just lock her up."
"He won't kill her, he knelt before a whole nation and apologized, like a little weakling."
"Shut up, Ren. That's makes him strong to admit that he was wrong"
"You're a draft dodger, anyway!"
War Room
A spirited debate continued between the two most powerful men in the world continued.
"...any other person would be put to death for this," Zuko said.
"That doesn't make it right." Aang said.
"The death penalty is a question that I would have to ask the people. That cannot be a unilateral decision. The question of my sister is different and a complex one. If they recommend death, do I kill him and pardon her to life imprisonment. Do I follow the Star Chamber's advice exactly? Do I convict neither of them?"
Marketplace Green
The 'draft dodger' had the upper hand on Ren now. The latter's nose was bloody and his eyes blackened, through the swelling had just started. The 'draft dodger', Dong, showed that he had the grit to make it in the army, it was just that his asthma prevented him.
In the back of his mind, he wondered how he was even fighting Ren who was considerably greater in size and stature. He looked around and saw that other people in the crowd had resorted to fisticuffs.
Bickering begat brawls, it seemed.
War Room
"We just have to agree to disagree on this one, Aang." Zuko said, not having the drive to argue any further, "Besides this isn't the most pressing issue."
"Fair enough," The Avatar relented.
"It's not like there's going to be a huge riot over th-"
A fierce knocking at the door, stopped him. The person outside did not wait for permission.
"What the hell is going-" Zuko started to ask.
"My Lord," the page who entered the room spoke as he kowtowed, "There is a riot at Marketplace Green. Scores of people are fighting. Do you want to dispatch troops, milord?"
"No."
"No? Sire, I don't-"
Zuko spoke authoritatively, "I will go out there, myself."
