Monday, October 8th, 1900, 7 AM
Zuko's eyes shot open. The bed was empty and he was naked, alone. This it jarred him a little. He sat up, still covering himself in the bed sheets. Sokka was gone and he felt a little scared about it.
"Sokka?" Zuko called out into the room. Suddenly he heard something as if his ears switched on... It sounded like water running, like the shower was on. Zuko emerged from under the sheets and walked over to the bathroom. He cracked the door open and a bit of steam escaped giving him goosebumps as the warmth touched his nipples. He didn't want to be detected, so he closed the door behind him quickly and quietly. He looked and saw his lover standing under the showerhead.
Sokka was facing away from him, shampooing his hair. It was an open plan: the shower head was on the wall, but there were no walls obscuring Sokka's muscular body. The black non-slip floors in the room were on a slight slope, so the water ran to a small covered drain. Zuko went over to the sink quickly and brushed his teeth, which in 1900 was still quite a luxury. The toothpaste still left on Sokka's brush was proof that they would both taste mint when they made out.
He finished up freshening his mouth and waited until Sokka had finished on his hair. Zuko had one objective: To end this bet. He didn't mind the idea, but limiting his opportunity to cum to only once per day was not right. Having to wait until the evening when they usually woke up in each other's arms wasn't right.
When Sokka had thoroughly washed the shampoo out of his hair, he felt a pair of hands cover his eyes and another warm, muscular body behind his. They were touching, skin-to-skin. Sokka liked the feeling of his lover trying to surprise him. It was cute, romantic, and he craved those thing more than sex. Well, almost as much as he craved sex.
"Guess who it is," Zuko implored disguising his voice a bit.
Sokka played along, "Aang?"
"Nope," Zuko still disguised it.
"Oh," Sokka answered, "Maybe it's Haru." Sokka smiled wryly, o because Haru was not his type at all.
"Guess again, silly."
"Mmmm. I don't know. Is it Hashi?" Sokka really wanted to laugh, but held it in,
"What the fuck? How would you-" Jealous Zuko, fangs and all came out. For a second he saw red. If this lasted too long, a certain advisor would disappear, without a trace, never calling, never writing, never being thought of again.
"Calm down. It has to be my boyfriend, the Fire Lord." Sokka turned around and looked at his lover in the eyes.
"Why do you do that to me?" Zuko asked, his voice returning to it's usual mellow disposition.
"Because you're cute when you're all upset and red in the face," Sokka answered. "You should see the red blush on your face right now."
"Well, sorry, I'm jealous," Zuko said, inadvertently making his blush deeper, "It's just that I don't intend to share you. You are all mine, ALL MINE."
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I only have eyes for my Fire Lord," Sokka answered.
"Sokka, I have a favor to ask-"
"No, Zuko, I won that bet fair and square," Sokka knew Zuko too well for that to work.
"How did you know?"
"I know you Zuko. I bet you wanna cum right now. You don't think it's fair, do you?"
"How are you in my head, Sokka?"
"Because, you're in my heart Zuko. You are my heart" Sokka said, meaning each syllable. "I know what makes you tick."
"But Sokkie," Zuko went into puppy dog mode.
"But nothing, Zuzu," Sokka was the only person on earth who could call him that, "You lost that bet, and now you have to deal with the consequences. Besides, you said I was too lewd, and now I'm proving that I'm not." Sokka wasn't at all hurt by the comment Zuko had made, but he did take it as a challenge. He wanted to be more romantic, more demonstrative. He wanted to prove to himself that he deserved Zuko's love. He intended to do that.
"Sokk, you know I didn't mean that. I like you just the way you are. I love you just the way you are."
"I know you didn't, Zu, I do." Sokka commented, "I just want you, I want us, to take it slow I guess. I know we're gonna go steady, and I want to let that tension build. I want to get better at romance, and learn to sweep you off your feet."
"Oh," Zuko was touched (not like that) by the gesture, "You want to be romantic?"
"Yes," Sokka said, "I want to woo you, like really really woo you, then screw you."
"Oh?" Zuko liked this very much.
"And maybe teach you how to dance. Your people used to dance the most and now you have no rhythm." Sokka joked.
"You have a very good rhythm," Zuko said reaching up to kiss him. "In fact, I think you have the best rhythm.
They made out in the shower. It was steamy and passionate as Zuko's body heat made the water that was hitting his body turned into steam. Zuko was a furnace and Sokka was the fuel. Even better, Sokka could never be used up. They were naked together in the shower, using their tongues. This wasn't a battle for dominance. It was a pure expression of affection between these two men. Sokka and Zuko were complete equals in this display. There was no need to overpower the other because there was nothing animalistic about it. It was a truly human interaction. It was deeper than anything either of them could have imagined and the emotions that they shared, surpassed words or understanding.
This was the kind of love that people not only felt, but fell into. Zuko loved how tender Sokka was in his embrace. Sokka loved the heat that the Fire Lord made. He felt warm and enveloped in Zuko's love. He wanted to cancel the bet right then and put the romance stuff to the side. But not this time, Sokka was going to wait and earn it. Things had to go to plan, though.
9AM
"We've received a missive from the Avatar my Lord." Hashi had a scroll in his hand. "It came in about two minutes ago." He passed it up to the Sage on his left. That Sage and every successive Sage passed it closer. It came into Sokka's hands. He read the writing on the outside of the scroll.
"It's addressed to both of us." Sokka handed it up to Zuko. "Do you want to read it?"
"Well, here goes nothing." Zuko broke the seal and started to read it. He opened his mouth about to read it aloud, but stopped when he started to read some of the first lines. For the next few minutes, they all watched with great trepidation as Zuko's eyes scanned left to right, moving down the page. Zuko's face offered no indication of his reaction to the news he was reading.
He got to the end of the letter and took a deep breath. This only made all of the others more nervous.
"Gentlemen," Zuko started, "The Avatar has acted unilaterally to end the tensions that have been going on in the Colonies. He's reached a deal to have a referendum in each of the colonies separately to ask the question: 'Should this colony become independent of both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation?' The answers would be: "yes, this colony should be independent, The answers would be: "yes, this colony should be independent," or 'No, this colony must remain within one of the two countries.' His premise for the question is this. The people in the colonies don't feel that they belong to either nation. So, the best way to end the tension between the nations and between the colonists and both Nations is to have this plebiscite. The colonies that vote yes with then come together as a separate nation. They would be a fifth nation, or a new fourth nation. The two southernmost colonies identify with the Fire Nation and would likely vote the latter. Any colony that votes to remain part of one of the nations would have a further referendum the next week asking which nation they wish to join."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Sokka pushed his hands out from his chest, as if shoving something away, "There's so many details to work out there. Who's going to make sure these polls are safe and that no one is intimidated. We can't have either side involved. Who's going to count the votes. Whose money-"
"Let me stop you right there. That's what the good news is."
"Good news?" Sokka and Hashi asked simultaneously.
"The Earth King has given Aang full charge of this whole thing."
"Sounds like he wants to put all the blame on Aang if this thing blows up," Sokka remarked bitterly, knowing that the war of weapons had been replaced with a slow burning conflict of politics. "Aang is a kid and Kuei is really going to do this to him. Unbelievable!"
"It's going to backfire on him," Zuko said, "Aang is coming back here. We'll have leeway, more flexibility with him. I mean, we are actually friends after all."
"Your Majesty," Hashi interrupted, "I still do not see how that helps us in real tangibles. I don't see how it sways it towards our side."
"We actually get to talk about the terms for the colonies that will vote to be independent. We get to deal with our priorities. We're the ones who are hands on and the Earth Kingdom can only carp from the sidelines. I mean we can suggest the date of these votes. We can start severing the ties from the colonies in way that benefits our side," Zuko explained.
"I see what you mean," Sokka added, "The Fire Nation will have more control in this very unstable situation. The more variables we can control, the easier this experiment will be. The less likely this country is to get the short end of the stick, to coin a phrase."
"Yes," Zuko answered.
"But the questions I ask still remain," Sokka asked, "If and when we hold this vote, who would act as an overseer? If and when any of the colonies leave the Fire Nation, what happens with the currency that the people in that territory use. If this new nation is formed, what kind of government will it have? Things like that are tricky. I don't think they want a king. So maybe they'll have a republic. Will it be a unitary state? Or several united states?
"This is what we can discuss with Aang. Again I cannot be seen to influencing this too much. I can't afford the Earth King thinking that all I want is a land grab."
"I still don't trust why he would leave this all to Aang. I mean, seriously, there's something off about this whole thing. He's letting go of most of his West Coast. Something's telling me that there's something sinister behind this." Sokka's intuition was sounding an alarm, but not telling him what it was specifically.
"Does he hate me enough to try and trick me?"
"Yes, and he has a problem at home. While the world thought Aang was dead, we traveled the Kingdom for some weeks. The newspapers and the rhetoric of the people was… It was," Sokka stuttered.
"It was what?" Zuko felt deeply uncomfortable.
"It was treasonous. Half the people we ran into hated him for being overthrown so easily. They thought of Him as weak. The other half were too busy fighting to care. The Earth King became a sort of ghost in the background."
"That's all the more reason for him to participate in the Colonial Question. Is it not?" Zuko asked, his logic making quite a bit of sense.
"Not if it falls apart. He can't marry himself to this issue, because if it fails, if it fails… he's done. He has more to lose if he ends up with a hostile new country on his border. We already know that the majority of colonials dislike him too. If he looks like he's strong arming, he will have a population in his own country who is ambivalent towards him, a country connected to him that loathes him, a Fire Nation that does not care. He has to stay out. Again, if it goes to hell, who does he blame? Aang. That takes brings him good publicity. Makes you look like a power-grabber. It gives him a reason to march into those colonies and 'take them back' It makes him popular, the only thing he has never achieved."
"Maybe Aang volunteered to take this over. I mean you are a shrewd politician, but I guess we'll see when he gets here. I hope that you're wrong."
"Hopefully." Sokka answered
"When is the Avatar going to arrive?" Hashi asked, having written down Sokka's theory. He hoped Sokka was wrong too.
"The letter says," Zuko looked back down at the paper, "The ninth."
"That's tomorrow," Sokka said, "Gosh, I want to see them again. There won't be any time for small talk though."
"We'll have to get down to busin-"
There was a frantic knocking at the door. An out of breath voice yelled from the outside, "My Lord, My Lord, I've come from, I've come from the Star Chamber. I have their findings , Sir."
Zuko's eyes widened. "For goodness' sake, let him in. Let him in! Open the door!"
The guards by the door opened it. The man came running in, still dressed in a Hyghe Judge's robe and wigge. The man, a tall, older gentleman of no distinctive look, genuflected before his sovereign. He move forward with great speed, another scroll in his hand. He bowed before Zuko again. Zuko reached his hand out and the man rose again and kissed his monarch's hand. Sokka looked over at the gesture, half creeped out, half jealous. Zuko reached out his left and the page gave him the scroll. Zuko squeezed it, nervous as to what the words would say.
"Everyone leave."
There was a murmur from the Sages.
"I said LEAVE!" Zuko shouted and the flames on the fire fountain behind him grew bigger and brighter as the Sages, getting the message, gathered up their papers and prepared to leave. Zuko waited for the whole lot to leave, Hashi, being the last one to leave peered back in one last time. Hashi felt a certain dread, the unease that came from great matters of intrigue.
The door was shut behind him,
Zuko and Sokka were alone. Zuko's hands were trembling as he held the scroll in his hand.
"Zuko," Sokka reached up and grabbed his arm, "Do you want me to read it?"
"Please," Zuko pleaded, his whole body, beginning to quiver rather violently in fright "I'm too scared. I feel like a little girl, too scared to read this, too scared to open it, to scared to move. I'm actually petrified. I could drop dead right now."
"You're not a little girl, because only a man, a real man would admit that he scared of this." Sokka rose sort of kneeling, and whispered into Zuko's ear, "I didn't fall in love with a little girl, Zuko. I fell in love with a man."
Zuko relaxed slightly and Sokka used that reprieve to grab the paper from Zuko's hand. He opened it, gave a cursory glance to the fancy calligraphy at the top, started reading it calmly, levelly, and slowly:
INCIDENT REPORT AND VERDICT BY HIS MAJESTY'S MOST LOYAL STAR CHAMBER, CERTIFIED, ISSUED and PUBLISHED ON THIS MONDAY, THE EIGHTH DAY of OCTOBER, ONE THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED (MCM)
FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE, THE DULY EMPANELLED AND SWORN GRAND JURORS OF THE STAR CHAMBER, WOULD LIKE TO EXPRESS OUR SINCEREST SYMPATHIES TO THE FIRE LORD, AND TO THE RESPECTIVE FAMILIES OF LADY MAI AND LADY TY LEE FOR THE DEATHS AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THEM. ON AUGUST 15TH, LADY MAI AND LADY TYLEE WERE ASSAULTED, BATTERED, AND KILLED ON THE GROUNDS OF THE BOILING ROCK PENITENTIARY. THESE ASSAULTS RESULTED DIRECTLY IN THE DEATHS OF BOTH OF THE AFOREMENTIONED VICTIMS. WITHIN MINUTES, VARIOUS ACCOUNTS OF THE INCIDENT BEGAN CIRCULATING AMONG GUARDS AND INMATES AT THE PRISON. MANY OF THESE ACCOUNTS WERE FILLED WITH SPECULATION AND LITTLE, IF ANY SOLID, ACCURATE INFORMATION.
THE STAR CHAMBER, AT THE BEHEST OF THE FIRE LORD, CONDUCTED AN EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION AT THE CRIME SCENE AND A PREPONDERANCE OF THE EVIDENCE, AT TIMES UNDER VERY TRYING, AND STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES. BEGINNING THE DAY OF THE CALL FOR THE INQUIRY AND CONTINUING FOR THE NEXT SIX WEEKS, ALONG WITH THE AGENTS OF THE CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE AT THE DIRECTION OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, WE LOCATED NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS AND GATHERED ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION.
GIVEN THE STATUS OF THE ALLEGED PERPETRATOR OF THE CRIME, THE INVESTIGATION AND REVIEW OF THESE TRAGIC DEATHS DONE BY LESSER INSTITUTIONS MIGHT NOT HAVE BEEN FULL AND FAIR. WE DECIDED IMMEDIATELY AND UNANIMOUSLY THAT ALL OF THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE MUST BE GATHERED, ALL PEOPLE CLAIMING TO HAVE WITNESSED ANY PART OR ALL OF THE ASSAULTS AND ANY AND ALL OTHER RELATED MATTERS WOULD BE MADE TO TESTIFY AND GIVE EVIDENCE BEFORE US.
THIS STAR CHAMBER IS TWENTY MEMBERS OF THE HIGH NOBILITY WHO WERE EMPANELLED AND SWORN TO LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE WITHOUT PASSION. IT WAS ASSEMBLED MANY YEARS BEFORE THESE DEATHS OCCURRED.
WE WOULD LIKE TO BRIEFLY EXPAND UPON THE UNPRECEDENTED COOPERATION BETWEEN THE PRISON AUTHORITIES AND THE MEMBERS OF THIS INQUEST.
OUR INVESTIGATION FOLLOWED A TRAIL OF FACTS WITH NO PRECONCEIVED NOTION OF WHERE THAT JOURNEY WOULD TAKE US. OUR ONLY GOAL WAS THAT OUR INVESTIGATION WOULD BE THOROUGH AND COMPLETE TO GIVE ALL AVAILABLE EVIDENCE TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION.
WE CONDUCTED OUR OWN EXAMINATION OF ALL THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND ORDERED THE PERFORMANCE AN AUTOPSY ON THE REMAINS OF LADY MAI. ANOTHER POST-MORTEM WAS PERFORMED AT THE REQUEST OF THE FAMILY, AND ALL OF THIS INFORMATION WAS ALSO SHARED.
OUR INVESTIGATION AND EXPLORATION OF THE EVIDENCE TO THE STAR CHAMBER HAS NOW BEEN COMPLETED. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE ENCOUNTERED IN THIS INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN THE PUBLIC'S NONSTOP INTRIGUE UPON THE NEWS THAT THE STAR CHAMBER HAD REASSEMBLED, AND ITS INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR SOMETHING, FOR ANYTHING TO TALK ABOUT. FOLLOWING CLOSELY BEHIND WERE THE NONSTOP RUMORS.
WE RECOGNIZE, OF COURSE, THAT THE LACK OF ACCURATE DETAIL SURROUNDING THE INVESTIGATION FRUSTRATES THE MEDIA AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND HELPS BREED SUSPICION AMONG THOSE ALREADY DISTRUSTFUL OF THE SYSTEM. YET THOSE CLOSELY GUARDED DETAILS, ESPECIALLY ABOUT THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE, GAVE US AND ALL LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES A YARDSTICK FOR MEASURING THE TRUTHFULNESS OF WITNESSES.
EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS MUST ALWAYS BE CHALLENGED AND COMPARED AGAINST THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. MANY WITNESSES TO THE KILLING OF LADY MAI AND LADY TY LEE MADE STATEMENTS INCONSISTENT WITH OTHER STATEMENTS THEY MADE AND ALSO CONFLICTING WITH THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. SOME WERE COMPLETELY REFUTED BY THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
SOME EVEN ADMITTED THAT THEY DID NOT WITNESS THE EVENT AT ALL, BUT MERELY REPEATED WHAT THEY HEARD IN THE CONFINES OF THE PRISON OR SAID WHAT THEY ASSUMED HAD HAPPENED. FORTUNATELY, FOR THE INTEGRITY OF OUR INVESTIGATION, ALMOST ALL INITIAL WITNESS INTERVIEWS INCLUDING THOSE OF VERIFIABLE EYEWITNESSES WERE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY UPON AZULA'S DEPARTURE FROM THE PRISON IN THE LATE EVENING OF AUGUST FIFTEENTH.
THE STATEMENTS AND TESTIMONY OF MOST OF THE WITNESSES WERE PRESENTED TO THE STAR CHAMBER BEFORE THE ANY DETAILS OR RESULTS WERE RELEASED CLANDESTINELY TO THE MEDIA OR TO THE POPULACE WITH GOSSIP.
WE, THE MEMBERS OF THE STAR CHAMBER, OR JURORS, THEREFORE, PRIOR TO THE INFORMATION GOING PUBLIC, WERE ABLE TO HAVE ALREADY ASSESSED THE CREDIBILITY OF THE WITNESSES INCLUDING THOSE WITNESSES WHOSE STATEMENTS AND TESTIMONY REMAINED CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT EVERY INTERVIEW AND WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE IN THIS CASE.
BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 15TH AND CONTINUING UNTIL TODAY, THE STAR CHAMBER WORKED TIRELESSLY TO EXAMINE AND REEXAMINE ALL OF THE TESTIMONY OF THE WITNESSES AND ALL OF THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. WE WERE EXTREMELY ENGAGED IN THE PROCESS, ASKING A MULTITUDE OF QUESTIONS OF EVERY WITNESS, REQUESTING SPECIFIC WITNESSES MULTIPLE TIMES, REQUESTING SPECIFIC INFORMATION AND ASKING FOR CERTAIN PHYSICAL EVIDENCE. AZULA WAS ALSO MOVED TO THE TOWER PRISON FOR EASIER ACCESS TO HER TESTIMONY. WE QUESTIONED HER A TOTAL OF FIVE TIMES TO COMPARE HER STORY WITH THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AND WITH HER PREVIOUS TESTIMONY.
WE MET ON 19 CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN THE LAST MONTHS FOR NEARLY FIFTEEN HOURS EACH DAY, HEARD MORE THAN 70 HOURS OF TESTIMONY FROM ABOUT 60 WITNESSES AND REVIEWED THOUSANDS OF PAGES OF ENFORCEMENT INTERVIEWS BY MANY OF THE WITNESSES WHO TESTIFIED.
WE EXAMINED VARIOUS PIECES OF PHYSICAL EVIDENCE AS WELL, WE WERE INSTRUCTED ON THE LAW BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT AND CONSIDERED FIVE INDICTMENTS RANGING FROM MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE TO INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER.
OUR BURDEN WAS TO DETERMINE, BASED UPON ALL OF THE EVIDENCE, IF PROBABLE CAUSE EXISTS TO BELIEVE THAT ANY CRIMES WERE COMMITTED AND THAT AZULA, CROWN PRINCESS IS THE PERSON WHO COMMITTED THOSE CRIMES. OUR NEXT DUTY WAS TO SEE IF ANY OF THOSE CRIMES WAS PROVEN BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT, IT QUICKLY BECAME APPARENT THAT THERE IS NO QUESTION, THAT AZULA CAUSED THE DEATH OF LADY MAI AND LADY TYLEE BY TARRING, AND SCOLDING THEM IN HOT WATER RESPECTIVELY. BUT THE INQUIRY DOES NOT END THERE.
THE LAW AUTHORIZES ALL PEOPLE TO USE DEADLY FORCE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS. SO, WE CONSIDERED WHETHER LADY MAI AND LADY TY LEE WERE THE INITIAL AGGRESSORS IN THIS CASE OR NOT. WE ALSO HAD TO CONSIDER IF AZULA COULD HAVE DEEMED THAT SHE HAD A REASONABLE FEAR OF DEATH OR GRIEVOUS INJURY ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE.
WE DETAIL THIS FOR TWO REASONS. FIRST, SO THAT EVERYONE WILL KNOW THAT, AS PROMISED BY OUR OATHS, THERE WAS A FULL INVESTIGATION AND PRESENTATION OF ALL EVIDENCE AND APPROPRIATE CONSIDERATION OF THE LAW OF THE FIRE NATION. SECOND, AS A CAUTION TO THOSE IN AND OUT OF THE MEDIA WHO WILL POUNCE ON A SINGLE SENTENCE OR A SINGLE WITNESS AND DECIDE WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED IN THIS CASE BASED ON THAT TINY BIT OF INFORMATION.
THE DUTY OF THE STAR CHAMBER IS TO SEPARATE FACT FROM FICTION. AFTER A FULL, IMPARTIAL, AND CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF ALL THE EVIDENCE IN THE LAW AND DECIDE IF THAT EVIDENCE SUPPORTED THE FILING OF ANY CRIMINAL CHARGES WE ACCEPTED AND COMPLETED THIS MONUMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY IN A CONSCIENTIOUS AND EXPEDITIOUS MANNER.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE HERE AND SAY AGAIN THAT WE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE, THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO HAVE HEARD AND EXAMINED EVERY WITNESS AND EVERY PIECE OF EVIDENCE. WE DISCUSSED AND DEBATED THE EVIDENCE AMONG OURSELVES BEFORE ARRIVING AT A COLLECTIVE, UNANIMOUS DECISION. AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE, WE DELIBERATED OVER TWO DAYS, MAKING OUR FINAL DECISION.
WE DETERMINED THAT PROBABLE CAUSE DOES EXIST TO ACCUSE AZULA OF A CRIME, AND THAT OFFENSE, BASED ON A TRUE EXAMINATION OF THE LAW, WAS MURDER IN THE FIRST DEGREE. FURTHERMORE, WE CONSIDERED THE EVIDENCE AND WERE UNANIMOUSLY CONVINCED BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT THAT AZULA IS GUILTY OF FIRST DEGREE MURDER.
THE PHYSICAL AND SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE EXAMINED BY US, COMBINED WITH THE WITNESS' STATEMENTS, SUPPORTED AND SUBSTANTIATED BY THAT PHYSICAL EVIDENCE TELLS THE ACCURATE AND TRAGIC STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED.
A VERY GENERAL SYNOPSIS OF THE TESTIMONY AND THE PHYSICAL EVIDENCE PRESENTED TO THE STAR CHAMBER FOLLOWS-
Zuko interrupted, "I wanted their opinion as to what the punishment should be. I knew, you knew, everyone with sense know that Azula's guilty. She premeditated it and did it herself, and with the help of that other little coward. What happened to him?"
Sokka read further, "He's been executed; he went through a common trial."
"Justice so easily given to a commoner, so quickly meted out to him, but not to her. Hmm," Zuko was exasperated.
"You're not saying that you want her dead?" Sokka asked, ripping his eyes away from the page, "Do you?"
"Yes-, No, I, I can't be the one to say it. I would have to act under advice for it to seem that I was doing the right thing." Zuko said the fire behind him growing hotter again, as his frustration became clear, "If I kill her, I'm some sort of usurper taking the throne from the one whom my father actually wanted to rule. If I let her live, I would be letting her get away with a crime so bad that the other who was involved was convicted and executed "
"But she'll have to live with the guilt," Sokka argued.
"She's Azula; she's not capable of feeling guilt."
"Right," Sokka conceded the point. "It boils down to her being crazy. She's a sick, sick girl and I don't know."
Zuko was confronted with a moral issue, "She is very unwell. She has slipped off her perch and I don't think it's possible to get her right again. I don't even think that she was ever right. But that raises a question: Is making her live forever with her destroyed mental state punishment? Is it too merciful to kill her? Or is making her live with this severely unwell mental state… is that torture? If it is torture, is that ever justified? Is Azula especially deserving of torture. Or is killing her the best so that she can't manipulate and destroy any more lives? "
"How could she do that?" Sokka asked.
"I've looked into the face of evil, Sokka. So long as she can still talk, she can manipulate, twist, and distort everything. Anyone who talks to her falls into a spell. The only ones who saw through it were Mom and me. Azula always lies, Sokka, and I don't think it would be right to let her live and basically torture the guards who are taking care of her."
"This is-"
"...being the Fire Lord," Zuko finished the thought, "This is what it means to be the Fire Lord. At least I have some consolation, something that makes it worthwhile."
"What's that?" Sokka asked.
"You. Dummy," Zuko chuckled a bit, "I have you."
"Oh," Sokka said, blushing at his temporary denseness "I'm so happy to be with you too."
"Thank you for being here." Zuko said, "I have a plan," he said, getting up. "I know what I am going to do." He walked to the door and opened it.
Sokka did not hear what was said next. Zuko turned around and made his way back to the throne. All of his Sages came back in and so did the Page who handed him the letter. HE waited until they were all seated. The guards shut the doors and the room was consumed with deafening silence. No one, not even Sokka, knew what was coming next.
"Come here," Zuko said to the Page. The page approached and stood in front of his sovereign. Zuko seat was high up on the platform, in fact, the page was eye level with Zuko's feet.
"I asked you," Zuko said to the Page from the Star Chamber, his teeth being gritted to dust, "I asked you, I asked the Star Chamber to recommend a punishment. I knew, and anyone with some sense knew that my sister is guilty. I didn't have you assemble to tell me an obvious fact. Where is the answer to the question I asked you?"
"My Lord," The page kowtowed.
"Get up," Zuko commanded, "Look me in the eye, and answer the question."
"We," the page stood up, "We did not think it was our scope to tell you what to do in this matter. It never occurred to us that is was our job to instruc-"
"I asked for your advice!" Zuko growled, "I asked you if what Azula did was worthy of capital punishment and all you do is tell me what I already know. You reiterate all the minutiae of the most traumatic thing I've experienced and then all I get is some lofty, empty words about how meticulous and expeditious you were. You didn't ANSWER my question. Why? Why didn't you answer my question?!"
"Your Majesty, we wanted to give you the information of the case so that you could make your ultimate decision."
"But how can I decide, if you won't advise me?!" Zuko's frustration was evident by the grimace grimace on his face and the orange, almost white fire behind him.
"We, we, we will support you with whatever decision you make." The frightened man was sweating under that wig. In the old days, he could have had his head chopped off for this. Hell, Ozai would have relieved him of his head.
"What a waste of time!" Zuko was livid. Sokka was concerned, but kept his mouth shut. He could not react in this moment, lest their secret be revealed. "Cowardice, absolute cowardice."
"We never meant to upset-"
"You know what...I know what you meant… You meant to dodge the issue. You wanted to keep your hands clean."
"We meant to-"
"Just, GET OUT, GET OUT OF HERE!"
"Your Maj-" The page squirmed, hating the fact that the Fire Lord was truly angry and downright disgusted with him.
"LEAVE!" Zuko ordered, shouting, but still somehow commanding control of the entire room, possibly from the high flames that shot up behind him
The page bowed again, feeling deeply upset that the Fire Lord was disappointed and angry. In every respect he failed at his job, the Star Chamber failed, and he knew it. He left and Zuko waited for him to completely vacate the room.
"You've all been brought up to speed about this, I assume." Zuko said, a bit calmer, but still visibly agitated,
A cacophony of affirmative answers followed.
"Well then, since I could not get a real answer from them, I'll try it with you. My sister is a murderer and she killed two innocent people. Should I kill her or should I let her rot?"
The entire room squirmed like a mass of worms. Ozai had never presented them with a question that was a moral issue. Everything was done in the heat of battle, not in the cool of this so-called peace. It was too real to them. Their Fire Lord was asking advice as to whether or not he should execute his own sister. It was medieval, like something they would have had to ponder in 1200, not 1900. But there they were afraid, naked and afraid. Each of them wondered what Zuko wanted to hear. They wanted to tread lightly. Until then, they thought he was a weak, timid little boy. They forgot whose son he was. They had long forgotten whose grandson he was.
There was a type of belligerence in him, it was innate. He had not learned this from his father, but it lit and fueled his inner flame. The posture Zuko put forward was a reminder to them that the Fire Lord could not be stepped on. Zuko was going to get what he wanted whatever the case. This deep discomfort that he just gave them made him all the more scary to defy.
"Hmm, nothing?" Zuko asked, his flames truly sucking the oxygen of the room, "Hashi?"
Hashi made a noise that could best be described as a cough-squeak. "I, I uh think that, um," Hashi was racking his brains for something to say. "So long as, so long as, uhh, so long as Azula remains the focus of so much attention, she will be the object of affection for those who want you to be deposed. She is the tangible thing that makes overthrowing you more real to them."
"Are there many who want me to be deposed?" Zuko had a great amount of trepidation at this, but no one could see it. Only Sokka could tell. If you asked him how he'd probably just say, "I know my Zuko."
Hashi continued, "There has been chatter, nothing specific, but among a small fringe of people we have intelligence. We have been reason to believe that are some people are upset enough about the resolution of the war to... "
"To what?"
"To want Azula on the throne instead of you, Sir." Hashi said.
"So, you're saying that she is the focus of my enemies."
"Yes. By ordering her execution you might inflame them, by allowing her to remain as she is now you give them an object onto which they attach all of their love, affection, and hope. I would not be wise to keep her around, but it would not be wise to make her, um, destruction so public."
"What do you think I should do?" Zuko's voice was stern, "All of you, I'm asking all of you."
Hashi put forward his case, "Sir, whatever you do make sure she's out of sight. Out of sight is out of mind, so take care of it quietly. Please for the sake of your throne, for the sake of the nation, you have to be very careful in how you address her fate."
A cacophony of agreement again.
"I know what I have to do since no one will give me an answer." Zuko got up, the Sages and Sokka all got up and listened to him, "I will see her. I will speak to her. There are some things to ask of her and some things to tell her." He was cryptic.
He made his way to the exit into his wings of the palace. Sokka followed dutifully behind.
The Sages in the room were all confounded. Never were they unable to give an answer, and never were they so uncertain.
The doors shut behind Sokka and Zuko as they made through to the royal wing of the palace. They went into the royal sitting room and shut the doors behind him. Sokka sat down on one of the red sofas next to the mahogany end tables. Sokka grabbed the telephone, not the direct line, but the line that went to the switchboard.
A female receptionist answered, "Yes, may I help you?"
"Yes," Sokka answered, "Can we some tea, cake, and ice cream to the royal sitting room."
"Yes, Sir."
"Thank you." Sokka hung up after that.
He turned around and saw that Zuko was nowhere to be found. He could have sworn that Zuko was still in the room. "Where'd you go?"
"I'm in here." Zuko was in his bedroom, "I'll be out in a second."
As said, Zuko was out of his bedroom soon thereafter. His hands were damp and he had a hand towel. He was drying them off.
"Hmm?" Sokka grunted.
"Wanted that guy's spit of my hands."
"Oh," Sokka remembered, "Well, after what I just witnessed, I had forgotten that. I ordered us some tea, some cake and ice cream to calm you down. I don't like it when you're angry."
Zuko sat down beside Sokka and leaned into him, resting his head on Sokka's chest. Sokka wrapped his arms around Zuko"I'm sorry, but I'd been dreading this thing for weeks. It was gnawing at me. This thing had been in the back of my mind. I've been losing sleep over it. At least I was until I had someone to cuddle with, but anyway, I wanted an answer. I wanted, needed something definitive. I didn't want a missive. I just wanted an honest opinion as to what the best course of action should be. They could have answered my question with a single sentence. 'Yes, having looked at the evidence, we think it would be right to execute Azula,' or 'No, you shouldn't'."
"I know."
Zuko took a deep breath, "So, I have to speak to her and make the decision myself."
"Are you sure?" Sokka asked.
"I-" There was a knock on the door. The both of them sat up and disentangled. Zuko got up and moved to the seat, a comfortable crimson chair. Zuko spoke again, "Who is it?" He called out.
"It's the tea, pastries, and ice cream Your Majesty." The voice behind the door responded.
"Come in."
The door opened and a full service tray complete with tea, pastries, and ice cream came forward. Two maids also walked in.
"Ladies," Zuko started, "do you mind if we serve ourselves?" Zuko got up and walked towards them.
"Well, of course, Your Majesty." The older of the two ladies answered. They curtsied when he came close to them
"It's only that we have a very important matter of state to discuss and we don't want you to be too burdened thinking about it. You know what?" Zuko looked over to the big grandfather clock on the wall opposite him. "Why don't you two take the rest of the day off and relax a little?"
"Why thank you, Your Majesty." The younger of the two spoke this time.
"When we're done with this, we'll wheel this out into the corridor. Alright," Zuko reached for the doors and opened it. "Thank you so much," Zuko said.
The maids curtsied again and took their leave. Zuko shut the door, and pressed his ear to it out of curiosity.
"He's such a gentleman," he heard the younger maid say, sounding very excited.
"Yes, much nicer than his father. Took after his mother, he did." Answered the older one, ditching the polished accent she had when she spoke to him.
They were snuggled up together again after some cake and ice cream.
"So when are you going to go?" Sokka asked.
"Tomorrow."
"But that's when they're going to-"
"Yes, I was going to ask you to greet them alone, if I'm not back yet. I know won't be long." Zuko said trying to reassure him.
"Don't let her get to you," Sokka said.
"I've figured out how to get through her."
"How"
"Azula always lies." I remember that fact. When you that you're talking to a liar, nothing messes with you based on what they say."
"Well, I'll never lie to you. I don't think I could if I tried."
"I won't either, there's nothing to lie about. It's like you know all my tells anyway. Besides, we already share so many secrets." Zuko said. "But there's no need to go over those now. Too much to do and think about."
"With all this going on, Zuko, all bets are off." Sokka said.
"Definitely."
"Zuko, you don't understand me," Sokka wanted to drop hints and be subtle about it, "All bets are off."
"What?"
"All bets, including one that might involve us, are off," Sokka reiterated.
"I don't know what y-" Zuko paused and his eyes opened, "Oh, I'm off the hook, I can just fuck you when I want again?"
"If you want to put it like that, sure. I just don't want anything with our relationship to mess with your work."
"Sounds backwards."
"I think we're too into each other to let anything come between us. We're so into each other that we'll distract away from duty. I didn't want you thinking about me when you need to make big decisions." Sokka said.
"I kind of think about you when I-"
"...when you shouldn't. I can't distract you Zuko. That bet was just me putting more pressure on you. I shouldn't have done that. I mean it was selfish."
"Well, if you want to relieve some pressure," Zuko suggested feigning innocence, "I think that I might need to burst later."
"I'll make it up to you whenever you're ready."
"Sokka, can you just promise me something?"
"Yeah?"
"Promise me that we won't drift apart."
"I promise."
"I do too."
They sat in silence, enjoying the peace between them.
